KAITLIN MYERS NAMED SUNY COBLESKILL BASKETBALL MVP

Freshman Kaitlin Myers, Dannemora, NY, Saranac High School, has been named the SUNY Cobleskill women's basketball team's Most Valuable Player for the 2010 season. Myers received her award at the athletic program's annual Athletic Awards Convocation.

The powerful 5'10" forward/center was selected All-Second Team North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) by the league's coaches for her play as the Fighting Tiger post player averaged 9.6 points and a team leading 8.4 rebounds per game in 26 appearances during the season. The Saranac High School alumnus also averaged a team leading 1.9 blocked shots per game while passing out 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. Myers connected on 103-of-222 shots from the field to shoot 46.4% for the season and led the Orange & Black in free throw shooting averaging 75.5% from the line hitting on 40-of-53 attempts. She also posted six double/doubles in points and rebounds during the season.

Cobleskill finished the season with a 17-9 overall record advancing to the semi-final round of the NEAC Championship Tournament for the second consecutive season.

FIGHTING TIGER MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM MEMBERS NAMED TO THE ALL-NEAC TEAM

GANSEVOORT, NY - The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) announced today that two members of the SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team were named among league's All-NEAC Team.  Fighting Tiger junior guard/forward Damon Franklin, Flint, MI, Flint North High School/Mott Community College, was named to the conference's Second Team while sophomore forward Andrei Lucas, Chula Vista, CA, The Bishop's School, was named to the league's Third Team.

The selection of the Fighting Tigers duo was no surprise to Cobleskill Head Coach Matt Allen who spoke highly about his talented perimeter tandem.

"Damon Franklin was our most consistent player this year and his selection to the all-conference team comes as no surprise to me and solidifies my belief that he is one of the best players in our league," said Allen. "Andrei Lucas's selection is a result of him becoming comfortable with his surroundings after only playing only a half season last year. I don't believe that he has even begun to touch his potential as a player yet."

In his first season with the Fighting Tigers Damon Franklin led the team in: scoring averaging 15.0 points per game, rebounding averaging 5.9 per contest, assists averaging 2.8 per game and steals per game averaging 1.8 per contest. The 6'5" swingman shot an impressive 46.0% from the field connecting on 149-of-324 shots while shooting 66.4% from the free throw line. Franklin also reached double figures in scoring in 23 of 27 games played in and posted five double/doubles in scoring and rebounding during the season.

Andrei Lucas continued to establish himself as one of the NEAC's top all-around players this season as the 6'7" forward averaged 12.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest in 26 appearances for Cobleskill. Lucas led the team in field goal shooting connecting on 117-of-225 shots from the field for a 52.0% average while also leading the Orange & Black in three-point shooting connecting on 29-of-73 attempts from beyond the arc for a 39.7% average. The versatile performer also led the team in blocked shots averaging 0.8 blocks per game.

This season the Fighting Tigers posted a 10-17 overall mark on the year advancing to the semi-finals of the NEAC Championship Tournament where the lost to league champion and NCAA Division III "Sweet Sixteen" qualifier SUNYIT 77-73 in overtime. 

FIGHTING TIGER WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM MEMBERS NAMED TO THE ALL-NEAC TEAM

GANSEVOORT, NY - The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) announced today that two members of the SUNY Cobleskill women's basketball team were named among league's all-conference award winners. Fighting Tiger freshman center/forward Kaitlin Myers, Dannemora, NY, Saranac High School, and freshman forward/guard Tanayzha Augustine, Poughkeepsie, NY, Poughkeepsie High School, were each named to the league's All-NEAC Second Team.

Fighting Tiger Head Coach Larry King was pleased with his player's selection to the all-conference team and spoke highly about his freshman duo.

"If you look at Kaitlin and Tanayzha's statistics, I think you will see that while they are very solid; they show a commitment to balanced team play as opposed to relying on one individual player to do everything. As players they are both committed to putting team success above personal glory as you see with Tanayzha's willingness to come off the bench throughout the season rather than start. As a matter of fact when I contacted Tanayzha to congratulate her, the first question she asked was if Kaitlin had been selected. As a coach this pleases me greatly and I think it bodes well for our future as a program."  

Myers was a powerful inside presence offensively and defensively for the Fighting Tigers during her rookie season as the 5'10" post player averaged 9.6 points and a team leading 8.4 rebounds per game in 26 appearances during the season. The Saranac High School alumnus also averaged a team leading 1.9 blocked shots per game while passing out 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. Myers connected on 103-of-222 shots from the field to shoot 46.4% for the season and led the Orange & Black in free throw shooting averaging 75.5% from the line hitting on 40-of-53 attempts. Myers also posted six double/doubles in points and rebounds during the season.

Augustine proved to be a powerful presence on the court for the Fighting Tigers averaging a team high 12.6 points per game to go with 7.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. The Poughkeepsie, NY native led the team in field goal shooting connecting on 126-of-226 from the field for a 55.8% average while shooting 63.4% from the free throw line. Augustine also posted six double/doubles in points and rebounds on the season.

Cobleskill finished the season with a 17-9 overall record advancing to the semi-final round of the NEAC Championship Tournament for the second consecutive season.

MYERS NAMED FIGHTING TIGER ATHLETE-OF-THE-WEEK

The SUNY Cobleskill Athletic Department announced today that freshman Kaitlin Myers, Dannemora, NY, Saranac High School, a member of the women's basketball team has been named the athletic program's Fighting Tiger Athlete-of-the-Week.

The freshman center/forward posted a 25 point, 15 rebound, six blocked shot effort in a 71-66 win over Cazenovia College on Friday February 26^th in the quarterfinals of the 2010 North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Championship Tournament hosted by Penn State Berks in Reading, PA. Myers then came back with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and two block shots in a 64-48 loss to host Penn State Berks the tournament's semi-finals on Saturday February 27th. 

Cobleskill closes the 2009-10 season with a 17-9 overall record.