Men's Basketball
Made the Play-offs |
 The Bombers made their
third consecutive post-season appearance, qualifying for the
Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference upstate New York play-offs
and finishing 14-12 overall.
Ithaca was led by senior center Eric Pitcher
(in photo), who was named a first-team Empire Athletic Association
all-star. He also was named to the ECAC upstate New York and
National Association of Basketball Coaches east region second
teams. Pitcher finished his career with a school-record 133 blocked
shots. He averaged 14.3 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per
game.
Two other players earned all-conference honors:
sophomore guard Pat Britton joined Pitcher as a first-team EAA
all-star and freshman point guard John Lyons shared the league's
rookie of the year award. Britton led the team in scoring (15.4
points per game), free-throw percentage (.850) and three-point
field goal percentage (.377). Lyons started all but one game
and averaged 10.9 points per game while leading the team with
71 assists. |
Women's Basketball
School-Record 22 Wins |
The women's basketball
team enjoyed one of its most successful seasons, setting a school
record with 22 wins. The Bombers won the New York State Women's
Collegiate Athletic Association and ECAC upstate New York championships.
 Ithaca
won 13 of its last 15 games, with the lone losses to NCAA-quarterfinalist
Elmira. The Bombers rallied for a win against perennial power
St. John Fisher to finish the regular season, then swept the
state and ECAC titles. In the NYSWCAA semifinals the Bombers
posted a 17-point win over Rensselaer -- a team that had beaten
Ithaca 79-49 three months earlier. Led by all-tournament picks
Jen Cotton and Jenn Colby (both juniors) and tournament MVP Margo
McGowan (a senior, in photo), the Bombers cruised past Skidmore
in the finals to win the program's first state title since 1993.
Like the 1993 team, this year's Bombers followed
the championship with an ECAC crown. Ithaca edged Cortland in
the semifinals, then defeated St. Lawrence in the championship
game. Freshman Kelly Brady pulled down 15 rebounds in the final
game to earn tournament MVP honors.
McGowan, who averaged 15.3 points per game
and 8.2 rebounds per game this season, closed out her career
with a number of honors, awards, and milestones. A three-time
Empire Athletic Association all-star, she was named the EAA's
player of the year after being named conference player of the
week five times. She also earned spots on the ECAC upstate New
York all-star and GTE District I all-academic teams. McGowan
now holds third place on Ithaca's career-scoring list with an
even 1,200 points. She ranks second in career rebounds and leads
in steals.
Colby was the team's second-highest scorer
(12.1 points per game) and rebounder (8.1 rebounds per game).
Jen Cotton, Ithaca's top three-point shooter, averaged 7.3 points
per game. Sophomore Shari Wilkins, who averaged 6.1 points and
6.2 rebounds per game, set a school record with 87 career blocked
shots. |
Men's Swimming
Top Five |
The men's swimming
and diving team capped a 9-5 season with a fourth-place finish
at the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association Championship.
The Bombers have placed in the top five at that event 14 times
in the last 15 years. Sophomore Rob Finne and junior Scott Pavlick
were Ithaca's top individual finishers at the state meet, finishing
second in the 100-yard breaststroke and second in the 100-yard
backstroke, respectively. They teamed with junior Matt Jones
and senior Brian Barber to place second in the 200-yard medley
relay.
During the regular season the Bombers placed
second and third at invitationals hosted by Rensselaer and Franklin
and Marshall. The Ithaca program had its 19th consecutive winning
season -- its 14th with at least nine wins.
Pavlick ended the season with 38 first-place
finishes and 522.39 points, leading the team in both categories.
Senior Tim Marshall, a freestyle competitor, won 29 races; Barber
won 27. |
Women's Swimming
Another State Title |
The women's swimming
and diving team enjoyed another successful season, winning the
New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association championship
for the second straight year, placing eighth at the NCAA Championships
and posting a 9-0 dual-meet record.
The state championship was the ninth in the
last 14 years for the Bombers. Junior Renee Helbok won three
individual events and swam on four first-place relay teams. She
went on to pace the team at nationals, earning all-American honors
in three individual events and four relays and taking fourth
in the 200-yard freestyle. Freshman Karen Roll and junior Dara
Porterfield joined Helbok with all-American finishes (top eight)
in individual events. Ithaca also earned all-American status
in five relay events.
Ithaca's undefeated record raised the program's
mark in the 1990s to 63-16. The Bombers have won their last 46
dual meets against Division III competition. Coach Paula Miller,
who has compiled a 96-24 record in 14 seasons, was named NYSWCAA
coach of the year. |
Men's Indoor Track and Field
Solid Showing |
Ithaca placed fifth
at the New York State Collegiate Track Conference meet, then
took sixth at the ECAC championship. The ECAC finish was the
second highest for the program.
Senior triple jumper David Kelley, a provisional
NCAA qualifier, won NYSCTC titles in the high jump and triple
jump. Senior Mark Bowles placed second in the long jump. Ithaca
also finished second in the 3,200-meter relay, behind senior
Chris Waldron, junior Scott Williams, sophomore Matt Trolio,
and freshman Nick Ryan.
At the ECAC meet, where the Bombers improved
four places from their 1997 finish, Bowles took fifth in the
long jump and sixth in the triple jump. Sophomore Jason Kucma
was fifth in the 500-meter run, and the 3,200-meter-relay foursome
of Ryan, Trolio, junior Eric Sambolec, and freshman Jon Woika
placed fourth.
During the regular season Kucma and sophomore
Mike Pedersen each broke the school record for the 500-meter
run. The two ran on the 1,600-meter relay team, along with Waldron
and freshman Matt Hopp, that provisionally qualified for the
NCAA championship. |
Women's Indoor Track and Field
State Champs |
A state title and
an all-American finish at the NCAA Division III championship
topped the accomplishments of Ithaca's women's indoor track and
field team. The Bombers won their first NYSCTC championship since
1990, behind two individual winners: sophomore Courtney Smith
won the 200-meter dash, senior Melanie Della Rocco the 800-meter
run. Senior Heidi Nichols, a three-time volleyball all-American
who took up track just last year, finished second in the high
jump and went on to earn all-American honors in that event with
a fourth-place finish at nationals.
Junior Laura Good placed second in the 45-meter
dash and 500-meter run; freshman Lauren Byler finished second
in the 800-meter run; Smith was runner-up in the 400-meter dash;
the team of Byler, senior Erin O'Connell, junior Lisa Freitag,
and sophomore Rayne Dingman won the 3,200-meter relay; and the
1,600-meter relay team of Della Rocco, Good, Smith, and junior
Jill Prevet took second.
At the ECAC championship the Bombers finished
eighth -- a 15-spot improvement over the previous season's result.
Nichols won the high jump title, and sophomore Ali Meier (another
NCAA qualifier) finished fourth. The Bombers also placed fourth
in the 1,600-meter relay. |
Wrestling
National Champ |
 Highlighting Ithaca's
season was the performance of senior John Gemmell, who returned
from an injury early in the season to win the national championship
at 126 pounds. Gemmell was one of three Bombers to qualify for
the NCAA Division III championship.
A two-time national runner-up at 118 pounds,
Gemmell missed the first two months of the season with a back
injury. He finished the season with a 14-1 record and won the
Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference title for the third straight
year. Junior 158-pounder Dan Butler joined Gemmell as conference
champion, and freshman Brett Bakely, at 177 pounds, earned a
wild-card entry to the national meet. Butler (29-10) led the
Bombers in wins. Bakely was the team leader in pins with eight.
Ithaca was ranked in the top-25 teams throughout
the season. The Bombers placed 10th in the New York State Collegiate
Wrestling Championship, an event held at Ben Light Gymnasium,
and were 3rd at the RIT Invitational. 
All Photos by Tim
McKinney |
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