HARTWICK WINS 1ST GAME

AURORA, NY - Hartwick College topped Wells College 66-59 in men's basketball on Sunday in the season opener for both teams. Sophomore Mark Blazek (Erie, PA/Erie Cathedral) poured in a game-high 24 points to lead the Hawks. The game marked the first on-campus contest for the Express, in its second year as a Division III program.


Blazek connected on four of his nine shots from the floor, including three treys. He also went 13-of-14 from the free-throw line. Senior Kyle Phillips (Ashland, MA/Ashland) added 15 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Senior Martin McCann (Hopewell Junction, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) registered nine points hitting three out of his six attempts from beyond the three-point arc.


The game was back and forth throughout with the lead changing hands 13 times. The Express, which was just a game away from the NCAA Tournament last season losing in the NEAC finals, gained the upper hand, 9-7, on a Paulino layup with 15 minutes to play in the first half. The Express kept the advantage until the final minute of the period.


Wells gained its biggest lead of the day, 25-18, with less than six minutes left before the Hawks scored on its next four possessions to dig into the deficit. With less under a minute left, two Phillips free throws gave the Hawks their first lead and senior James Mantas (Niskayuna, NY/CBA) hit a layup with nine second on the clock for a 35-32 Hartwick edge at the break.
A 12-2 run early in the second half regained the lead for Wells and with 14 minutes to play the Express held a 44-40 edge. The game see-sawed back and forth for the next 10 minutes with neither team able to earn more than a two-point advantage. ''Wick took the lead for good with five minutes left as Blazek hit two free throws to snap a 54-54 tie. From there, Hartwick did all of its scoring from the charity stripe hitting 10-of-12. Blazek would connect on nine of the free throws for the Hawks to help put the game on ice.


The Hawks are back in action next weekend as they host three teams in the Tom Greene Memorial Tip-Off Classic. Hartwick opposes Cazenovia and MCLA on the weekend with Castleton State also taking part in the tournament.

LAMBROS ARENA

Our home court last year went through a $700,000 renovation project. Last year was the first year that we competed in the arena. The arena features a new playing surface, new lights, and new bleachers with chair back seating. The gym was renamed after former Hartwick Coach Nick Lambros who compiled a record of 353-191 in his 21 year. Coach Lambros still helps out with the program and is a great link to the former players

TRICK OR TREAT

Halloween is a considered a Holiday in Oneonta, NY and our players wear very unique costumes. We decided this year to have the players dress up for practice. Some of the costumes were very creative and maybe not so suitable for the blog. The picture is of our upper classmen and their costumes. We even had the Hartwick College mascot Swoop show up for practice. We are preparing for our first game and can’t wait to see what this season brings us.

Meet the Hartwick Hawks- Senior DAN DEVANTIER

My name is Dan DeVantier and I am currently a senior at Hartwick. I am from Roscoe, NY which is about an hour away from Hartwick. I am majoring in business and would like to pursue a career in sales after graduation. My passion, however, is coaching. I would like to become a college basketball coach and continue participating in the game that I have played since fifth grade. In my spare time I enjoy watching college basketball, hanging out with my friends, and of course fishing.

I transferred to Hartwick from Columbia-Greene Community College at the beginning my junior year. I decided to come to Hartwick because I really liked the small school atmosphere. Most importantly, I wanted to play basketball and Hartwick’s program strongly attracted me. I am very excited to see what my senior year will bring.