The Mariners' football team dropped to 0-4 on the year with a 42-6 loss on the road at Johns Hopkins University on Saturday, Sept. 23.

Johns Hopkins QB Rob Heleniak got the Blue Jays going early as he staked Hopkins to an early 7-0 lead with a 53-yard scoring pass to senior Scott Martorana less than four minutes into the game. He sandwiched scoring passes of 21 yards and 6 yards around a 1-yard Martorana rushing touchdown in the second quarter to give the Blue Jays an insurmountable 28-0 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the first half.

The Mariners, who amassed just 169 yards of total offense and six first downs in the game, got on the board with 40 seconds left in the second quarter when senior running back Tori Fredericks took a screen pass from freshman quarterback Dan Circelli (New Hartford, NY) and scampered into the end zone from 7 yards out. The extra point was no good and the Mariners' offense was unable to threaten again in the second half as the Blue and Gray did not advance into Hopkins territory.

Hopkins added a pair of touchdowns in the second half, on a 13-yard run with 9:59 left in the third quarter and a 4-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.

Kings Point got a team-high 50 yards rushing from Fredericks, while Circelli was 10-for-18 for 104 yards and the one touchdown. Junior wide receiver Jay DeBruhl (Camden, SC) had a team-high three receptions for 76 yards.

Defensively, a pair of relative newcomers led the team. Sophomore Devin Lefebvre (Hicksville, NY) was first on the team in tackles with 11 stops, while freshman linebacker David McIlravy (Virginia Beach, VA) tallied 10 tackles. Lefebve was also credited with a fumble recovery stemming from a forced fumble by sophomore Sam Steele (Hollywood, FL) in the third quarter. Junior Paul Boulos (Staten Island, NY), sophomore Eric Pickett (Annapolis, MD), and sophomore Jason Rowland (Fort Myers, FL) all had eight tackles in the loss. Pickett combined with sophomore Matt Tomo (Ocean, NJ) for a sack, and freshman Braxton Grizzard (Newnan, GA) had a solo sack.

On special teams, Pickett had a career-long kick-off return of 36-yards for Kings Point. Junior Trenel Hardy (Westbury, NY) returned four kicks for 53 yards with a long of 18 yards. Punter Shawn Johnson (Gulf Breeze, FL) kicked seven times for 202 yards (28.8 yard average) and freshman Jeremy Mosely (Chapin, SC) had one 37-yard punt.

The Kings Point offense has found more success in the air than on the ground during the first three games, gaining an average of 165.3 yards passing as opposed to 88.5 yards rushing. The Mariners' total offense is sixth in the FFC (253.8 yards per game), the passing offense currently ranks third in the FFC and the Blue and Gray's ground game is ranked sixth. Quarterback Dan Circelli is completing 51.5 percent of his passes (51-99) and has thrown for 648 yards and a touchdown. Circelli ranks fourth in the FFC in pass efficiency with a 107.10 quarterback rating. His favorite targets have been the trio of wideout Will Felch (Lancaster, TX), wideout Jay DeBruhl and tailback Tori Fredericks. DeBruhl leads the receiving corps with 12 catches for 219 yards (18.3 yard average), ranking third in the FFC in receiving yardage. Will Felch has 11 catches for 170 yards (15.5 yard average) and a touchdown (sixth in the FFC), while Tori Fredericks has 12 receptions (77 yards, 6.4 average) and a touchdown. Fredericks leads the ground attack with 36.8 yards per game and two scores, Debruhl has run seven times for 86 yards and a touchdown, and junior Trenel Hardy (Westbury, NY) adds 20.5 yards per game. Circelli ranks fourth in the FFC in total offense with 146.0 yards per game.

Defensively, the Mariners rank seventh in the FFC in total defense (436.3 yards per game), and sixth in both passing defense (165.5 yards per game) and rushing defense (270.8 yards per game). Individually, junior defensive back Mike Mancini (Dania, FL) ranks first on the team in tackles with 38 and he has tallied four tackles for a loss of seven yards. Junior linebacker Paul Boulos is second with 37 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack. Senior defensive tackle Chris Lopez (Burke, VA) adds 34 tackles to the totals and senior Doug Oldham (Shavertown, PA) has 32 stops. Lopez, sophomore Jason Rowland, and senior Warren Wright (St. Petersburg, FL) all have two sacks on the year. ldham ranks seventh in the FFC in passes defended with two pass break-ups and one interception.

On special teams, senior punter Shawn Johnson has kicked 32 times for 992 yards and a 31.0 yard average, ranking seventh in the conference. Sophomore Eric Pickett (Annapolis, MD) is fifth in kick returns, running back nine kickoffs for 166 yards (18.4-yard average). Felch is seventh in punt returns with two for 15 yards.

The Kings Point men's cross country team posted a score of 195 to finish sixth out of 47 in a loaded field at the NYU Invitational. Sophomore Kris Houghton (Beaverton, OR) won his third race of the young season to pace the Blue and Gray.

Despite running without the services of junior Sasha Voigt (East Lansing, MI) or senior Gus Peterson (Racine, WI), the team received some fine performances to finish within one point of the nation's 25th ranked team. Houghton ran a time of 25:47, a career-best, to secure the individual crown. He ran an average of 5:11 per mile. It was Houghton's third victory in as many tries as he is beginning to take control of the region. Freshman Chris Kapfer (Tualatin, OR) also earned a top-ten finish, crossing the line eighth in 26:24. Senior David Thompson (Appleton, MN) finished 39th overall in 27:30 to take the third spot for the Mariners' squad. Rounding out the top five for the Blue and Gray were junior Tyler Boltjes (Baltic, SD) who finished 65th and sophomore Frank Wells (Albuquerque, NM) who placed 84th.

The men's team finished behind five teams that are or were nationally ranked this year and they defeated a powerful Rowan squad, ranked sixth in the region, by almost 100 points. Heading into the race, the Blue and Gray were ranked eighth in the region.

The women were led by freshman Alexandra Landreth (West Melbourne, FL) who ran 21:57 and finished 137th overall. The women competed without their top runner junior Brigitt Clausing (Menomonie, WI) who sat out with the flu.

The golf team played at Bergen point Country Club in Babylon, New York at the 2000 ECAC Metro NY/NJ Qualifying Tournament on Sept. 21. The Mariners were 13th against a field of NCAA Division I, II and III teams. Junior Jay Iungerich (Fort Morgan, CO) had the top score for the Blue and Gray with an 88, placing 50th overall. Freshman Jaff Zamarin (Park City, UT) was 52nd with an 89, sophomore captain Kevin Monaco (Dillon, MT) was 54th with a 90. Rounding out the Mariners top five were freshmen Dan Dugan (Bend, OR) and Ty Shimada (Westport, CT) who shot a 93 and 97 respectively.

The Kings Point Intercollegiate Sailing team separated the squads for the weekend, competing in two Regattas. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy hosted the Last Chance Laser Qualifier, while the coed dinghy crews competed at the St. Mary's College Open Regatta.

At the Last Chance Laser Qualifier, freshman David Wright (Oakville, Ontario) finished one point out of first, but managed to qualify for the MAISA Singlehanded Championships that Kings Point will host on October 7th and 8th. Sophomores David Chapman (Kailau, HI) and Jake Crespin (Northport, NY) had some excellent races, but were unable to put a strong series together, finishing 7th and 12th respectively. Senior Eric Metz (Cape May CT House, NJ) had a very rough weekend starting early and having to restart on several of the races finishing the event in a disappointing 13th place.

Kings Point coed dinghy crew had a fair showing at the St. Mary's College Open, finishing 8th overall as a team. The Mariners finished just four points out of seventh. A red-hot Hobart/William Smith team captured the team title, earning their second consecutive victory at a major Regatta. The event was highlighted for the Mariners team by featuring three of the four sailors in their first college Regatta. Sophomore Jared Leigh (Pasadena, MD), the only sailor with collegiate racing experience, skippered for the first time. Leigh's crew member in A-Division was freshman Mike Parsons (Elmer, LA). Sailing for the Blue and Gray in B-Division were freshmen Jake Mehl (Cape May CT House, NJ) and Allison Martins (Annapolis, MD).

Kings Point soccer was 1-1 on the week and now stand at 7-1 overall and 2-0 in the Skyline Conference. The team faced its stiffest challenge against a relentless St. Joseph's (5-3) squad on Sep. 20. The Mariners fought off the charge, 2-1, collecting their seventh straight win. The game began fast and furious. Both teams had plenty of chances early, but the net minders kept the goose eggs on the board. At 6:20, sophomore Devin Burgess (Tyler, TX) made a quick read and slid the ball through the middle where junior midfielder Michael Martino (Lindenhurst, NY) kicked it home to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead. The rest of the half played itself out with no real edge to either team at the break.

The first 25 minutes of the second half were played mostly in the neutral areas. At 70:26, junior Stephen Nation (Apopka, FL) sent a cross from right to left that senior Mike St. Louis (Franklin, MA) nabbed and kicked in to the goal, increasing the lead to two. Six minutes later, at 76:11, Eric Vitale cut the lead by burying a top shelf goal in the right corner. St. Joseph's kept the pressure tight the final 11 minutes, but were unsuccessful at finding an equalizer. The goal by the Golden Eagles ended a consecutive scoreless streak of 616 minutes to start the season. Kyle Miller (Denton, TX) picked up five saves in the victory.

On Saturday, Kings Point soccer suffered their first defeat of the 2000 campaign on a wet and dreary afternoon. Kean University posted three tallies in the first half en route to a 3-0 victory. The day was ugly and so was the game's final result, but the match was a total case of misfortune for the Mariners, who executed well for most of the afternoon.

"Against St. Joseph's we didn't play very well, but we got the result we wanted. Today we played well, but were unable to achieve the best result," noted Head Coach Mike Smolens following Saturday's loss.

The Cougars pounced early, finding the back of the net on a soft goal that drifted from left to right out of Kyle Miller's reach. Sophomore Rudy Lormil provided the score on the first shot of the game at 2:48. At 22:58, Cougar midfielder Jason Gibbs fed a low ball across the crease of the goal that Reynaldo Carrillo slammed over Miller's head. The Mariners dominated possession in the first half, but were unable to gain control of the contest. Kings Point put one in the net at the 35th minute only to have the goal called back on late offsides call. Freshman Ryan Brune (Woodbridge, VA) had a tremendous opportunity around the same time, but again was unsuccessful in drilling it home. Kean net minder Billy Eckman probably could have been charged with grand larceny after the fantastic save that he made on Brune's effort. At 43:41, Kean added a third tally on a smoking cross from Mike Iacono.

The second half was a little more even possession wise and the Mariners couldn't break the ice. Mike St. Louis hit the top of the cross bar on a shot that certainly had the keeper beat. The game ended in a 3-0 finish, but the score didn't necessarily reflect the effort.

"They (Kean) got some good breaks and we didn't," added Assistant Coach Mike Maire.

The scoring leaders for the Blue and Gray this season are junior Kevin Piotrowski (6 goals, 3 assists, 15 points) and Stephen Nation (3 goals, 4 assists, 10 points). Leading the team in minutes played per game are Devin Burgess (82.3), sophomore Seamus Hunt (Collegeville, PA), 80.0 and senior Kenny Graff (Dix Hills, NY), 75.4. Kyle Miller has started every game in goal for Kings Point. He has amassed a 7-1 record and made 31 saves on the season Miller has a .55 goals against average, .89 save percentage and has three complete shutouts on the season.

The women's volleyball team competed at the Elmira Tournament this past weekend and went 2-2, falling in the semifinals in their first five-game match of the 2000 campaign. Overall the Mariners are 11-4. On Friday, Sept. 22 the Blue and Gray defeated St. Lawrence 3-0 (15-8, 15-0, 15-1) in their first match of pool play. The tournament continued on Saturday as Kings Point had two more pool-play matches. In the first match, the Mariners lost to Nazareth by scores of 17-15, 15-6, and 15-8. The second game saw Kings Point rebound with a 3-1 win over a competitive Hartwick team (15-8, 15-5, 13-15, 15-12). Kings Point advanced to the semifinals of the Tournament where they faced St. John Fisher. Against the Cardinals, the Mariners won the first two games (15-4 and 15-8) and had taken a 14-11 lead in the third game. Kings Point had four match points but they were unable to seal the victory and St. John Fisher took the pivotal third game, 16-14. The Cardinals went on to post victories in the fourth and fifth games (15-3 and 15-12) to take the match.

On Sept. 20, Kings Point continued their dominance of the Skyline Conference improving to a perfect 4-0 with a 15-2, 15-8, and 16-14 win over Manhattanville on the road. Junior middle hitter Lael Nicholls (Selah, WA) was the top performer with 15 kills, 14 digs and 17 blocks. Freshman Rachel Marrion (Scottsdale, AZ) had nine kills and junior middle hitter Kelly Glanding (Newark, DE) had seven kills. Senior Ann Wickham (Columbus, OH registered 14 digs from the back row and senior setter AJ Peer (Colorado Springs, CO) picked up 28 assists in the victory.

Earlier in the week, the Mariners won their third Skyline Conference game with a 15-7, 15-4, 15-7 win over Mt. St. Vincent.

The water polo team returned to action on Sept. 23-24, competing at the Collegiate Water Polo Association's Regional Weekend at St. Francis and playing in three games. Overall the team stands at 2-6. In the first game, Kings Point fell to Queens College by a 21-5 final. Putting the ball in the net for the Blue and Gray were: sophomore captain Colin Adler (Houston, TX), sophomore Paul Kim (Los Angeles, CA), freshman Jeff Boden (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA), freshman Chris Byrne (Phoenix, AZ) and freshman Jeff Kennedy (Ballwin, MO).

In the second game, Kings Point fell to Division I Brown by a 13-6 final score. The game was actually a lot closer than the score indicates. The two teams were tied 5-5 in the middle of the second quarter when Brown went on a scoring spree, taking an 11-5 advantage at the half. In the second half, the Mariners held Brown to just two goals and tallied one of their own. However, the lead was to much and the buzzer sounded with Brown notching the win. Paul Kim registered to two goals to help the Mariners' effort.

Things turned around for Kings Point in the final game when they squared off with Connecticut College, leaving the water with a 10-3 victory, their second win of 2000. Paul Kim, Jeff Boden, and freshman Aaron Nixon (League City, TX) each tallied two goals. Kings Point also received a goal apiece from: Byrne, Kennedy, freshman Joe Quirk (Cooper City, FL) and Peter Roh (Cypress, CA).

On Sept. 20 the Mariners were also at St. Francis and dropped a game to the home team, 21-5. St. Francis is currently ranked in the top-10 in the country in water polo and is a perennial powerhouse. Adler had a strong defensive game for the Mariners and added two goals to the Blue and Gray totals. The Mariners also had scores from: Kim, Boden, and Kennedy.