Kingsway Alumni News
LOUISVILLE, Ky.-The No. 21 Virginia women's cross country team won its second consecutive NCAA Southeast Regional Championship and third in four years Saturday morning at Louisville's E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park. The Cavaliers finished with 107 points, defeating ACC rivals NC State and North Carolina, who finished second and third with 113 and 133 points, respectively.
Senior Anna Corrigan (Burke, Va.) and sophomore Chelsea Ley (Woolwich Township, N.J.) also earned All-Southeast Region status, placing 10th in 20:39.5 and 19th in 20:56.7, respectively. Freshman Kathleen Stevens (Blacksburg, Va.) and senior Chelsea France (Dublin, Ohio) finished 35th and 40th to round out the scoring for the ‘Hoos.
Field Hockey for Team USA
Danielle Altersitz, who is a Kingsway graduate from the Class of 2006. She is a member of the USA field hockey team that is participating in the Maccabiah Games in Isreal. These games are played every 4 years, much like the Olympic Games. Danielle is the daughter of Russell and Ave Altersitz.
NCAA National Championship
Joe Dolan, who graduated from Kingsway in 2005, visited his alma mater on March 26. He was carrying the NCAA National Championship trophy that was won by the Nuemann College ice hockey team on March 21, 2009, by beating Gustavus Adolphus College (Minnesota) by a score of 4-1. The Division 3 championship game was played at the Olympic site of the "Miracle on Ice" in Lake Placid, New York.
Joe is a senior majoring in sports management, who will graduate this May. He is a left wing on the team, and scored his first college goal on December 13, 2008. He played for the Holydel Hurricanes, and the junior league Philadelphia Little Flyers, while in high school.
The scores of the Nuemann championship run were as follows:
Nuemann 2 - Elmira College (NY) 1 - Conference Tournament Championship, which qualified Nuemann to compete in the NCAA tournament, as the #12 seed.
Nuemann 5 - Plattsburgh College (NY) 4 - OT Qualified for the "Frozen 4", which is the equivalent of the Final Four.
Nuemann 2 - Hobart College (NY) 0 - Semi-Final
Nuemann 4 - Gustavus Adolphus (MN) 1 - Championship
Kingsway grad gets chance with hometown team
It wasn't just the desire to pitch for his hometown team that led Kingsway Regional High School graduate Dan Meyer to agree to terms with the Philadelphia Phillies on a one-year contract over the weekend though that was part of it.
The Phillies offered the best of all worlds, including an opportunity to win and a solid chance to be a contributor.
"It was a little bit of everything," said Meyer. "One of the first people to call when I elected to become a free agent was the Phillies. I talked to (general manager) Ruben Amaro and (assistant general manager) Scott Proefrock, and they both let me know there would be opportunity there.
"They have a great team, tremendous rotation, so there's a chance to win. I wanted to stay on the East Coast, and it just so happened it was with my hometown team. I've always been a Philly guy, rooted for all the Philly teams growing up, so I'm excited. It was a great fit."
A first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2002, Meyer made it to the big leagues in 2004 before being traded to the Oakland A's that offseason. He signed with the Florida Marlins in 2009, converted from a starter to a reliever and had the best year of his career going 3-2 with two saves and a 3.09 ERA in 71 appearances.
But the left-hander struggled out of the gate last year, suffered a calf injury in April and pitched just one game in Florida after May. He was 0-1 with a 9.64 ERA in 13 games for the Marlins, but pitched well at Triple-A New Orleans, going 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA.
The Marlins wanted to option him outright to New Orleans after last season, but he decided to pursue free agency instead.
"It was one of those things, I struggled with my breaking ball early, tried to do too much in too short an amount of time," said Meyer of his 2010 season. "I ended up going down and pitching well, but I never really got a chance the rest of the year. I came up in July, threw one good inning and got sent back down. I never really got an explanation why.
"I could see the direction they were going, which was young, and figured it was time for the next chapter in my career."
Once he made the decision to become a free agent, Meyer was contacted by the Giants, Astros, Pirates, Padres and Twins most offering a similar split contract that he eventually agreed to in Philadelphia.
The Phillies were in the market for left-handed relief help after deciding not to pick up J.C. Romero's option. Antonio Bastardo will likely fill a role, but he pitched in just 23 major-league games last year, and the Phillies would like to carry a second lefty regardless.
During the 2009 season, Meyer pitched in 10 games against the Phillies' left-handed heavy lineup which includes Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez. He went 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA against the National League champions.
"I had a lot of opportunities to face them and did pretty well," said Meyer. "But I'm glad those guys are on my side now. Ruben said he liked what he saw when I pitched against them, and if I could throw like I did in Ô09 I'd have a great opportunity.
"They didn't promise me anything, but they didn't close any doors either. I'm happy to have a chance. I feel like I can help this team."
Meyer knows the ticket requests for home games could be going up next year.
"That part I'm not really looking forward to," he said. "But it would be a good problem to have because it means I'm on the team."
Alumni Liz Locke Named SEC Freshman of the Week
COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina freshman Liz Locke has been named the SEC Cross Country Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday afternoon. Locke was recognized after her performance at the Minnesota Griak Invitational. read more