Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 28

4D DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2000 UR AT 150 EYE ON CAMPUS College content at Division III Top crew teams meet on river IN THE SPOTLIGHT do." VanderZwaag says "everything changes" when a school moves up to Division I. "You pay a student his tuition to come here, that's placing a value on that student," he says. "Division I sports is play for pay, basically." For more information on University of Rochester sports, go to: www.rochester.edulivingathletics BY STAFF WRITER JIM MANDELARO Although the University of Rochester has made great strides in upgrading its athletic programs, don't expect the college to jump from Division III to Division I anytime soon. "I don't see us moving in that direction," says athletic director George VanderZwaag, who came to UR after working at Division Lawrence, Skidmore, RPI, Vassar, Union, HobartWilliam Smith and Hamilton. UR has the money to go Division I its $1.2 billion endowment ranks 23rd among the nation's universities but it doesn't have the desire.

"We're a Division III school," says William Scott Green, Dean of The College at UR. "We're not Division I. We don't live from athletics the way Di schools I's Tulane, Massachusetts and Princeton. "It's a reasonable choice, given some of the benefits it would offer, but I don't see it in the university's vision right now." UR is affiliated with the University Athletic Association, an eight-team conference comprised of national research universities, and the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association, which includes Clarkson, St. Yellowjackets through the years I A Ski wins back-to-back national championships under Terry Gurnett, the only coach in program history.

1987: Bloomfield graduate Josefa "Dippy" Benzoni sets a Division III record in the run 1987: After a 1-7-1 finish in 1986, Ray Tellier leads football team to 9-1 record and the program's only berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament. UR loses to eventual national champion Wagner. 1990: Men's basketball team wins NCAA Division III title, beating DePauw 43-42 in final. UR sophomore center Chris Fite is named Final Four MVP. 1991: Longtime coach Tim Hale leads men's cross country team to NCAA Division III championship.

File photos Chris Fife, then a sophomore center, led the University of Rochester to the 1990 NCAA Division III championship. The Yellowjackets defeated DcPauw 43-42 in the final. JIM MANDELARO Contact him at: 55 Exchange Rochester, NY 14614 258-2761 jnundoDemocratandChronKlc.com And they're off! Sunday, crews representing 27 universities in the Northeast, Midwest and parts of Canada will compete in the 12th annual Stonehurst Capital Invitational Regatta on the Genesee River. The races, fours with coxswain and eights with coxswain, run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

and are co-hosted by the University of Rochester, RIT and the Greater Rochester Metro Chamber of Commerce. Last year's regatta drew more than 8,000 fans and bout 1,000 male and female students competed. "This event has really grown," says Bill McLean, UR crew coach for the past six years. "When I first started rowing at UNC-Wilmington, we knew about this regatta because it was such a prestigious thing." The event continues to expand. This year's new entrants include William Mary (from Williamsburg, Va.) and Smith College (Northampton, Viewing the races is free in Genesee Valley Park, south of Elmwood Avenue on the university side of the park.

In addition to UR and RIT, schools competing include Dartmouth, Harvard, Syracuse, Yale, Colgate and Buffalo. Musical groups from RIT and UR will perform throughout the day, and clowns and face painters will entertain children. At noon, high school students from crews in Brighton, Fairport and Pittsford will row in an exhibition. Carpenter nails it: Mercy graduate Kim Carpenter probably could have gone to several Division I schools after earning All-Greater Rochester honors in soccer three times. But her lifelong dream was to attend Notre Dame.

Carpenter made the Irish as a walk-on, and last Friday she scored a goal at Georgetown. Notre Dame, the nation's top-ranked team, plays at Syracuse Sunday. Gionta, Act IV: Three-time Ail-American Brian Gionta (Aquinas) begins his senior hockey season with Boston College on Friday against Notre Dame. Gionta ranks fifth in goals (90) and eighth in scoring (178) at BC. He needs 23 goals and 62 points to break the school marks set by David Emma in 1991.

"Brian Gionta is the most exciting, dynamic player in college hockey," says BC coach Jerry York, the sixth all-time winningest coach in NCAA hockey history (593). Changes at Keuka: David Sweet has stepped down as Keuka men's basketball coach after 15 years to take another position: Keuka women's basketball coach. George Wunder, assistant coach at the University of Rochester, succeeds Sweet as men's head coach. Sweet also will take over the women's volleyball team, while Paul Bonus adds Softball to his duties as women's soccer coach. "We made these changes to bring some stability to our programs," says Sweet, Keuka's athletic director.

WEEK'S BEST Matt Davis, John Fisher The freshman rushed 22 times for a career-high 156 yards and one touchdown in a 34-0 win over St. Lawrence. He also was named to the ECAC Northwest honor roll. John Humann, Brockport The senior linebacker had 13 tackles, 1 12 sacks and an interception in a 27-7 romp over Ithaca. Heather Denk, Roberts Wes-leyan She became the first woman in NAIA history to reach the 3,000 dig mark in volleyball, raising her total to 3,010 against LeMoyne.

Emily Verbridge, RIT The Williamson graduate was named to the Wellesley all-tournament team in volleyball after recording 42 kills, 28 digs, 23 blocks and 9 service aces in four games. She added 13 kills, 6 digs and 3 blocks against Brockport. Lance Ramer The senior linebacker leads the University of Rochester with 68 tackles and Lance Ramer School: University of Rochester. Age: 21. Hometownhigh school: Stony PointSuffern HS.

Sports fantasy: Playing in an NFL game. World Series pick: Mets over Yankees in 7. Must-See TV: The Sopranos. Must-have food: Chinese. Celebrity I want to meet: Tom Hanks.

Favorite Web site: espn.com or cnnsi.com Gore or Bush: Gore. Christina or Britney: Britney. Currently in my CD player: Dave Matthews Band. Toughest class I've taken: Differential Equations. Most interesting class I've taken: The Psychology of Personality.

Favorite sports team: 49ers. Favorite athlete: Jerry Rice. If I'm not in class or playing sports I'm: studying, watching TV, or seeing my girlfriend. Favorite musical act: Pearl Jam. Best sports memories: Beating Union in our last game my sophomore year for coach Kreydt's first victory.

Also, seeing the first inter-league game between the Mets and Yankees at Yankee Stadium. I was sitting in the bleachers wearing my Mets gear surrounded by Mets fans. Worst sports memory: Losing a basketball game, 90-27, in a traveling team league at age 16. My friend and I scored all the points. He had 14 and I had 13.

HOfOR ROLL Chris Case, Fredonia, and John Oliveri, Geneseo Case (Fairport) and Oliveri (Greece Athena) shared SUNYAC player of the week honors in soccer. Both recorded two shutouts in goal, with Oliveri setting a Geneseo career record with 23. Rich Converse, St. John Fisher Named ECAC Northwest defensive player of the week. He recorded 12 tackles, two sacks and a blocked field goal in a 34-0 win over St.

Lawrence. Leah Cornwell, William Smith The junior from Wheatland-Chili was named UCAA goalie of the week after recording shutouts vs. Nazareth and Hamilton in soccer. Paula Listrani, Buffalo The Greece Athena graduate was named Mid-American Conference player of the week. She scored three goals including both game-winners in two wins.

She set a UB record with 103 career points and is one goal shy of tying the school mark of 43. Marjie MacVean, William Smith Named UCAA goalie of the week in field hockey after allowing just two goals in three games. HOT TICKETS Women's soccer: St. John Fisher at Rochester, 8 p.m. Friday The programs meet for the first time.

Football: Canisius at Rochester, 2 p.m. Saturday A capacity crowd is expected on Homecoming Weekend as the Yellowjackets host the l-AA Golden Griffins. Football: Buffalo State at Fisher, 7 p.m. Saturday The host Cardinals have a plus-12 turnover ratio in their past three games and are coming off their first win. Buffalo State knocked off Rowan, the No.

2 team in Division III, last week. Men's soccer: Nazareth at Rochester, 7 p.m. Saturday The 8-0-1 Golden Flyers, ranked fifth in the East, visit Fauver Stadium to take on the 7-1 Yellowjackets, second in the East and 13th in Division Here is a chronology of athletics at the University of Rochester: 1889: In the first football game for both teams, UR rips Syracuse University 36-0. 1901-02: The first UR basketball team finishes 5-5. 1924: Oak Hill Country Club trades 90 acres of riverfront property to UR for more than 300 acres of farm land and a major cash grant.

The club relocates to Pittsford in 1926. 1930: The freshman swim team competes against local high school teams. 1942: Football team outscores opponents 242-8 but loses 6-0 to Amherst in Week 4 to finish 7-1. 1943: All track meets cancelled due to athletes being called to serve in World War II. 1945: First unbeaten season in baseball history (9-0).

Captain Eddie Gniewek allows five runs in 65 innings pitched. 1952: Football team finishes 8-0 for first unbeaten season in program history. The Yellow-jackets repeat the feat in 1958. 1957: Lou Alexander retires as men's basketball coach with 247 wins. Lyle Brown is named coach.

1960: Elmer Burnham retires as UR's winningest football coach at 82-48-6. 1969: Former Syracuse star quarterback Pat Stark takes over the UR football program and wins 69 games in 15 years, second only to Elmer Burnham (82). Stark will be inducted into the UR Sports Hall of Fame this weekend. 1970: Women's basketball UR's first female team goes 7-5 in first season. 1970-71: Receivertailback Rich Parrinello is named Little Ail-American in both his junior and senior football seasons and receives a free-agent tryout with the Buffalo Bills.

Parrinello went on to coach UR from 1989-97. 1973: Ralph Gebhardt sets NCAA Division III record with 13 interceptions. 1974: Dave Moller wins Division III national title in men's cross country and finishes 17th in Division I nationals, capturing All-America honors in both. 1976: Lyle Brown steps down as men's basketball coach with 222 wins. Lyons native Jim Boeheim interviews for the job but takes another position head coach at Syracuse University.

Mike Neer takes over and UR I'ROM PAGE ID Piscitelli, the senior quarterback on UR's 4-1 football team. "They're getting the student body involved, and that's helping us out. The mood is so much better now." You might say UR is enjoying a renaissance. The Renaissance Plan was introduced in 1995 to further upgrade academic standards in an effort to consolidate the student body to about 4,500 students. Critics said the admission requirements were too harsh the average SAT score for students is in the 1,200 to 1,300 range and a major reason why the football team floundered to a 1-29 drought in the late 1990s.

UR officials argue it's possible for high academic standards and a winning football team to co-exist, and point to the football team's 4-1 record. "If you look at the top academic institutions in the country, almost all of them have great athletic programs," VanderZwaag says. "I think we need the Renaissance Plan and the Renaissance Plan needs us." He'll get no argument from UR football coach Mark Kreydt, a Batavia High and UR alum who has turned the program around in just three years. "There was a lot of talk about the Renaissance Plan and a lot of negative perceptions about it," Kreydt says. "But I think all of those goals are starting to come 1 Bloomficld graduate Josefa "Dippy" Benzoni set the Division III record in the run in 1987.

Rich Parrinello was named a Little All-Amcrican in football twice and later coached at his alma mater. 1992: Women's and men's lacrosse cut as varsity sports. 1997: Men's basketball team wins its game. 1999: Women's lacrosse reinstated in 1994 earns first national ranking (19th). 2000: Peter Lyman, synonymous with UR tennis and squash for four decades, retires from coaching.

-JIM MANDELARO I'M here," he says. "We compete all the time. And I believe that competition is good." The changes at UR the physical and intangible ones are obvious. "I remember walking through the athletic center when it was still under construction," Green says. "A workman had put up a sign that said 'Stairway to fitness "One of the students had crossed out the words 'fitness center' and written "I think that about says it all." ,1.1 WMBpwMIMIMW 7 1, t1 PFf I nil rjB-vi 13 hp" remains the coach, with a school-record 365 wins.

1980- 81: Swimmer Cheryl Lyght becomes UR's first African-American to earn Division III All-America honors. 1981- 82: Jody Lavin averages 25.1 points per game a record that has never been closely challenged as the women's basketball team sets a school record for wins at 23-9. Lavin was named NCAA Division III Player of the Year as a senior. 1982- 87: The UR golf team, coached for 27 seasons by Don Smith, sets a school record for all sports with 28 straight dual-meet victories. 1983: Alex Gaeta and Bob Swartout win Division II individual doubles tennis championship.

1986-87: Women's soccer Free pass All of the University of Rochester's fall sports teams are in action this weekend to celebrate the school's 150th anniversary. Admission is free to all events: Friday: Women's volleyball vs. D'Youville, 6 p.m. (Zornow Sports Center), women's soccer vs. St.

John Fisher, 8 p.m. (Fauver Stadium). Saturday: UR Cross Country Invitational at Mendon Ponds Park: women 11 a.m., men noon; field hockey vs. Gene-seo, 11 a.m. (Fauver); football vs.

Canisius, 2 p.m. (Fauver); men's soccer vs. Nazareth, 7 p.m. (Fauver). Sunday: Stonehurst Capital Regatta, 9 a.m.

(Genesee Valley Park). to fruition. "I'm here as an educator and I think football and athletics are a big part of the college's mission." UR has jumped into the 21st century with its multi-million dollar renovations, and student-athletes like the changes. "I'm very impressed," Howell says. "I came over this summer and coach Kreydt took me around.

"I was walking up ladders. Now to see it in this state, it's beautiful." UR athletics are on the rise thanks to the impressive new facilities and a renewed interest from school officials. "I think we've hit our stride," says William Scott Green, Dean CARLOS ORTIZ staff photographer Local athletes like Kassim Howell, front, and Craig Pipal approve of UR's multi-million dollar facilities renovations. of The College at UR. "I don't know how many universities can say they have a facility this good.

Your jaw drops when you see it." Green sees sports as education. "Athletes learn lessons on the court and on the field that carry them through life," he says. When he arrived 15 months ago, VanderZwaag sensed that UR officials saw athletic competition as something separate from the college's goals. "But we compete for faculty, grad students and grant money.