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St. Joseph’s College Fields First Baseball Team
BY BERNIE BEGLANE
Frank Carbone, energetic athletic director of St. Joseph’s College, was far from being boastful as another academic year came to a close.
“We have been accepted as a provisional member in Division III of the NCAA,” said Carbone, who triples as coach of the women’s softball and basketball teams at the Brooklyn school.
“It will take four years to gain full membership, but this first one was very gratifying.
“This despite the fact that we lost our initial baseball doubleheader to Lehman College.”
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INAUGURAL SEASON: For the first time, St. Joseph’s College, Clinton Hill, fielded a men’s baseball team. Below, Bobby Vilante shows his stance at the plate while pitcher Jim Ciago delivers. |
To which John Torres, coach of the team, added, “I was confident that we had the talent to compete.
“It took a year for us to assemble our 18-player roster, but when Steve Tanamal stepped to the plate as our first batter against Lehman College, I knew we had arrived.”
Lehman spoiled the Bears’ debut, scoring the winning run in the seventh inning of a 7-6 victory.
St. Joseph’s went on to get trounced in the nightcap, 10-0.
Greg Cwiekala, coach of the volleyball squad, saw his team routed by Webb Institute, 30-16, 30-19, 30-12, in the opener.
“We are definitely a work-in-progress,” related Greg, “but I’m proud of the way the players are willing to learn.
“And I might add, leave everything on the court.
“Against Webb there were times when we were in the lead. We rallied to get as close as 19-16 in the second game.
Vinny Giglio, a senior, interjected, “We were all nervous, but as the season went on, we gained more confidence.”
A determined Christian Jocelyn offered, “We had a lot of fun, but we don’t enjoy losing.
“Next season, I promise, will be a whole lot different.”
“All of us associated with the campus are incredibly excited about our next step in the growth process,” stated Carbone. “The support for this massive undertaking from the students, faculty, administration, coaches and particularly from our President, Sister Elizabeth Hill, and Dean of Students, Dr. Susan Hudec, has been tremendous and the subsequent energy level that it has generated here should provide us with the momentum we need to continue along our current pace of expansion.”
Carbone, athletic director for three years, is proud that the Bears have 10 varsity teams, seven more than when he took charge.
“We may be a small school, but that does not prevent us from accomplishing big things,” he concluded.
“Our student-athletes have limitless opportunities on both a local and national level to accomplish anything they wish…and I am certain they will.”
Those limitless opportunities include men’s and women’s swimming, bowling, track and field, and men’s and women’s soccer.
They will go along with the current sports of men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, baseball, women’s softball, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s volleyball.
In addition to membership in the NCAA, St. Joseph’s also belongs to the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association and the Hudson Valley Athletic Conference.
Nazareth Sponsors Race in Honor of Fallen Alumnus
The 17th annual Major Eugene McCarthy Memorial 5K Run will be held at Marine Park on Saturday, June 7, with registration beginning at 8 a.m. The start of the race is set for 9 a.m.
The event is named in memory of Marine Major McCarthy, a 1973 graduate of Nazareth Regional H.S., East Flatbush, who was killed while flying a helicopter in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He also is memorialized at the Major McCarthy Memorial Triangle located at East 31 St./ Ave. N and Kings Hgwy.
Following graduation from Nazareth, McCarthy went into the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. Through active service with the Marine Corps, he rose to the rank of Major. His career path included training as a Navy diver and paratrooper, having completed the challenging Army Ranger School. Later he volunteered for several tours of duty as a Special Agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency. During Operation Snowcap, he served as a helicopter pilot in the front line war against illegal drug operations in the jungles of Peru.
All proceeds from the race will benefit the Nazareth Cares Scholarship Program which provides tuition assistance to students at Nazareth.
Registration for the race is available online at www.active.com. For further information, call Nazareth’s Development/Alumni Office at 718-763-1100, ext. 232.
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