Last month, Marist head women’s basketball coach Brian Giorgis received a contract extension through the 2013-14 season. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Giorgis owns a career record of 107-47 in his five years with the Red Foxes. In the 2006-07 season, he led the team to a record of 29-6, a berth in the Sweet 16 and a final national ranking of 22nd in the USA Today/ESPN Women’s College Basketball Poll. The 29 victories set a school record, eclipsing the mark of 23 set in the 2005-06 season.
On March 17, Marist earned its first NCAA Tournament victory in program history. The Red Foxes, seeded 13th in the Dayton Regional, recorded a 67-63 triumph over fourth-seeded Ohio State. Two nights later, Marist knocked off fifth-seeded Middle Tennessee State by a score of 73-59, ending the Blue Raiders’ 27-game winning streak and sending the Red Foxes to the Sweet 16.
Under Giorgis’ leadership, the Red Foxes have advanced to their first three NCAA Tournaments in program history, and have won at least a share of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season championship each of the last four seasons. Giorgis is a three-time MAAC Coach of the Year, sharing the award in 2005 and 2006 and winning it by himself in 2004. Marist has won at least 20 games each of the last four seasons.
“I continue to be impressed by Brian’s ability to build a very well-respected Division I women’s basketball program,” Athletic Director Tim Murray said. “Having been to three NCAA Tournaments in his first five years, including this year’s trip to the Sweet 16, is an indication of the job he’s done. I’m confident our women’s basketball program will continue to thrive under Brian’s leadership.”
In Giorgis’ tenure, the Red Foxes had their first MAAC Player of the Year in Fifi Camara, who won the award in 2006. They also had their first MAAC Rookie of the Year this past season in forward Rachele Fitz (Seven Hills, Ohio). Alisa Kresge, a 2007 graduate who was part of Giorgis’ first recruiting class, was a three-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Year who is now the program’s all-time leader in assists and games played. Marist also ranked first in the country in the 2006-07 campaign in fewest turnovers per game, averaging just 11.6 per contest.
Giorgis was hired on May 15, 2002, after compiling a record of 451-44 in 19 years while winning nine state championships as head girls’ basketball coach at Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie. He is the only coach in New York scholastic sports history to bring teams in four different sports to the state Final Four, as he also led the school’s baseball, softball and volleyball teams there.
“I am very thankful to Marist for this extension,” Giorgis said. “I’ve been in the Hudson Valley for 30 years, and I can’t think of a better place to be. I thank (Marist College President) Dr. Dennis Murray and Tim Murray for their faith and trust in me.”
The Red Foxes will return four starters next season: Fitz, center Meg Dahlman (Spencerport), guard Nikki Flores (Montvale, N.J.) and guard Julianne Viani (Poughkeepsie). Other returning letterwinners include guard Brittany Engle (South Easton, Mass.), forward Lynzee Johnson (Bellbrook, Ohio), guard Courtney Kolesar (Concord, Ohio), forward Sarah Smrdel (Mentor, Ohio) and guard Alexis Waters (Lansing, Mich.). The nine returnees combined for 90.5 percent of the Red Foxes’ scoring last season.
Viani propels Hudson Valley to ESG gold
Marist’s Julianne Viani (Poughkeepsie) scored eight points on July 29 to help lead the Hudson Valley open women’s basketball team to a 61-59 victory over Adirondack in the gold medal game at the Empire State Games. The men’s open team, featuring the Red Foxes’ Ryan Schneider (Yorktown Heights) and Ryan Stilphen (Bay Village, Ohio), suffered a 78-64 loss to Western in the gold medal game and picked up the silver medal.
Stilphen and Schneider scored 10 and eight points, respectively, in Sunday’s game.
The women’s team won all four of its contests to earn the gold medal, and Viani averaged 11.5 points per game. The men won three of their four contests, as Schneider averaged 16.8 points per game and Stilphen tallied 9.5 points per contest.
Soccer squad hosts outing
Marist head men’s soccer coach Matt Viggiano announced last week that the program will hold the first Marist Men’s Soccer Alumni Golf Outing on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 1:30 p.m. at Casperkill Golf Club in Poughkeepsie. The $150 cost per player includes a barbecue after the round of golf.
The golf outing will be held in conjunction with a men’s soccer alumni match, which will be held on Friday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m.
To reserve your spot in the field or a foursome, contact the Marist men’s soccer office at 575-3699, ext. 2529, or e-mail Viggiano at Matt.Viggiano@Marist.edu. Checks can be made payable to Marist Men’s Soccer.