Saint Earns Honorable Mention for NATYCAA Award

The National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) recently announced the winners of their 2010 Scholar Athlete Award.  The NATYCAA Scholar Athlete Award was first presented in 1992 and is sponsored by Summit America Insurance Services.  It is given to the male and female student athlete who best demonstrates outstanding accomplishment and leadership in academics, athletics, and citizenship.

Among the students recognized as Honorable Mention NATYCAA ScholarAthletes for 2010 was Saints Men’s Soccer player Chris Stephenson.  He was a member of this year’s Saints team that finished as Co-Champs for the Mountain Valley Collegiate Conference and Region III Runner-Up.  In 2009, as the team captain he was named to the All-Conference Team and Second Team All-Region.  Stephenson was also recently awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence.

Stephenson was a two year member of our Men’s Soccer team from Boroughbridge, England.  He was a four time Saints Scholar-Athlete and will graduate this Saturday with an Associate of Science degree in Sports and Event Management. 

NCCC Launches New Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Programs

North Country Community College’s Saints Athletic Department will be sponsoring both a Men’s and Women’s Cross Country program in the 2010-2011 academic year.  As part of their membership into the Mountain Valley Collegiate Conference, the Saints were asked to initiate a cross country program.  The Conference currently has four other schools that sponsor Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, including Herkimer County Community College, Mohawk Valley Community College, Hudson Valley Community College, and SUNY Delhi.  The team will also compete against other schools in the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association’s Region III, which consists of 2 year schools in New York and northern Pennsylvania.

“The initiation of a new program is an exciting process.  We are looking forward to the addition of these two new programs, and the opportunities it will provide for students to participate at the collegiate level,” states Saints Athletic Director, Heather Conger.

The Department has hired David Tyldesley to lead the new programs. This fall, Tyldesley will concentrate on recruiting and preparation for the Saints’ first season.  Tyldesley currently coaches cross country, and assists the track and field program, at Saranac Lake High School.  He has been with their cross country program for the past eleven years, with the last seven as the head coach, accumulating a record of 155-6 and a 66 meet win streak.  In 2008, his program was ranked 9^th in New York State class C, and has been in the top 20 of its class every year, with a ranking as high as second in 2003. All seven years the team has been Section VII Champions.  Tyldesley was named the Section VII/CVAC Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2006.

Sixteen of Tyldesley’s former student-athletes have gone on to compete at the collegiate level, including four Division I, including Appalachian State, Brown, Cornell, and Louisiana State University. 

“North Country Community College is a perfect place to run.  We have a beautiful trail system and many great locations to train.  With the start of a cross country program, the program hopes to have many local recruits.  As a coach, it is one of my goals to bring success to a college program.”

Tyldesley graduated with a Masters and Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from SUNY Cortland, and also has earned an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts from Jefferson Community College.  

For more information on the Saints Men’s and Women’s Cross Country programs, please visit the Saints Athletics website at http://www.nccc.edu/athletics.aspx.

SAINTS’ PLAYERS EARNS CONFERENCE HONORS

Recently, the coaches of the Mountain Valley Athletic Conference named their All-Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams.  The All-Conference team recognizes the best players within the Conference, which consists of 9 institutions from the New York area.  Among the honorees for the Saints are Clinton Foster and Tony Sparkman for the men, and Olga Garcia for the women. 

Foster is a North Country Community College sophomore from Candor, NY. Foster was named Second Team All- Conference, as well as Region III Honorable Mention.  This season he averaged 12.6 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game, and has hit 97 of 219 from the 3point line, averaging 44%.  Foster became the Saints’all-time single season record holder making 97 shots in the 2009-2010 season.  Coach Ladue comments, “Simply put Clint is the best shooter that I have coached.  Over half of his 3 point shots are from 25 feet or more.  Clint was very important to our success this season.  If you look at the games that we played, if he played well, we won most of those games.  I only wish that I could have coached him for more than one year.” 

Sparkman was named to the Third Team All Conference and Honorable-Mention Region III.  He averaged  13.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 steals per game, and he shot 78% from the foul line.  “Tony has been a two year starter and has represented our program and this college with great pride.  In my 8 years he has the fourth most points in his career.  As good of a player Tony is I will miss the person much more, “states Coach LaDue.  Tony is a student in the Computer Graphics program.  He is from Lake Worth, FL.

F or the women, Olga was recognized on the MVCC Second Team All-Conference.  “Olga Garcia was a big part of our basketball program this season, and will be an even bigger part next year.  Olga is not only one of the nicest girls on our team but she is also one of the toughest people I have ever met,” says Coach Dumont.  “With our lack of size this season, Olga's toughness allowed her to defend in the post, and in many cases giving up anywhere from 6-10 inches.”  Olga finished the season averaging 12.4 PPG, 9 RPG and 2 SPG.  Olga is a freshman guard from Miami, FL.  She is currently in the Criminal Justice program.

The Saints Men’s Basketball team finished their 2009-2010 with a 18-13 record, while the women finished 12-12.