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2003-04 Season Review Department of Athletics UNC Wilmington 2003-04 UNCW Athletics Review Four conference championships and designation as the leader among Division I non-football playing schools in student-athlete graduation rates marked a highly successful year for UNCW athletics in 2003-04. UNCW was recognized by the NCAA and USA Today for its 89 percent graduation rate in a special ceremony in the fall that set the tone for an outstanding year for the Seahawks. The men’s soccer team kicked off 2003-04 by posting a 10-7-3 record and finishing 4-4-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Coach Aidan Heaney’s club went 8-1-1 at the UNCW Soccer Stadium for its best home finish since 1998 and climbed as high as 10th in the regional rankings. The women’s soccer team, meanwhile, closed out the season with a 9-8-2 record and set a school record for fewest goals allowed. The men’s swimming and diving team continued its dominance in the water with a three-peat as CAA champions. The Seahawks went undefeated during the dual meet season and used a balanced lineup to keep the first place trophy in the Port City. Coach Dave Allen was named Coach-of-the-Year for the third time in men’s swimming and the seventh time overall. The men’s basketball team finished 15-15 overall and 11-10 in the CAA, advancing to the semifinals of the CAA Tournament with an upset of No. 2 seeded Drexel. Led by senior forward Anthony Terrell, the Seahawks finished 10th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 59.6 points per game, and joined rival VCU in the first national telecast of a game featuring two CAA schools when the two clubs battled in early February at the Siegel Center in Richmond. Senior guard Cherie Lea collected a host of individual honors as the women’s basketball team fashioned a 15-13 overall record and 10-9 league ledger. Lea earned First-Team All-CAA honors for the second straight season, re- ceived the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award and was honored as the league’s top scholar-athlete in women’s hoops. The spring sports season was a busy one for the Seahawks as three teams won conference titles, two others made significant immprovements and NCAA berths were realized. In men’s tennis, the Seahawks went 14-7 overall and moved on to the semifinals of the CAA Tournament for the third consecutive year behind junior standout Danilo Mendes. The Brazilian netter became the first UNCW player to earn First-Team All-CAA honors in singles and also notched the first national ranking by a Seahawk player when he was rated 111th in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Sophomore Lindsey Hess also brought national recognition to the women’s tennis program. The Seahawk women carved out a 15-8 record and earned the No. 4 seed in the CAA Tournament with a 5-1 regular season mark. Hess became the first UNCW player to be honored by the circuit in singles when she was voted Second-Team All-CAA. The women’s golf team made a strong late-season run to capture its third straight Big South Conference crown behind junior Becky Berzonski. The Seahawks, playing their final season in the Big South, landed the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Berzonski won her last three tournament appearances and joined former great Yunuen Sanchez as BSC Player-of-the-Year. Two teams - men’s golf and baseball - shed bridesmaid labels to win CAA championships for the first time and collect NCAA berths. Playing under new coach Jason Widener, the men’s golf team opened the season by capturing Wisconsin’s Badger Invitational by three strokes. The Seahawks broke away from the pack for their inaugural CAA title in late April after seven second-place finishes and followed that up with a victory at Virginia’s Andrea Brotto Cavalier Classic. Widener’s club was invited to compete in the NCAA West Regionals in Sunriver, Ore., and wound up 17th out of 27 teams. The baseball team capped an outstanding year by winning its first conference title at Brooks Field with a dramatic sweep of Delaware on the final day. Coach Mark Scalf’s team placed a record six players on the All-Conference team and advanced to the championship round of the regionals for the second straight season. The team reached the 40-win plateau for the second consecutive year at 40-23 and Scalf picked up his 400th collegiate victory. Individually, senior outfielder Chip Grawey set a conference record for hits in a season with 101 hits and senior pitcher Blake Cross finished his career as the CAA leader in saves with 32. The track and field teams featured 17 All-CAA performers and 12 thinclads qualified for the NCAA Regionals in Gainesville, Fla. Junior Christie Schreckengost emerged as a three-time CAA champion in the javelin and became the first national qualifer in the program’s history when she competed in the NCAA Women’s Track & Field Champion- ships in Austin, Texas. 2003-04 Sport-By-Sport Summaries Baseball ? The baseball team reached the 40-win plateau for the second straight season by carving out a 40-23 overall record and 22-7 ledger against CAA competition. It also marked the sixth consecutive season with 30 or more wins for the diamond crew. ? The Seahawks won their first CAA Championship by sweeping a doubleheader from Delaware on the final day of the event to earn the school’s second berth to the NCAA Baseball Tournament. In the regionals, the Seahawks advanced to the championship game for the second straight year before falling in Kinston, N.C. ? Head Coach Mark Scalf recorded his 400th collegiate victory on June 5 with an 8-5 victory over SEC power Tennessee in the opening round of the 2004 Kinston Baseball Regional. ? Sophomore third baseman Matt Poulk was named Most Valuable Player of the CAA Tournament after batting .476 (10-of-21), scoring six runs and driving in six runs. He was a unanimous selection after breaking former Richmond standout and current Cincinnati Reds star Sean Casey’s tournament record with seven doubles. ? UNCW placed a school-record six players on the All-CAA unit. Senior outfielder Chip Grawey and senior closer Blake Cross earned First-Team honors, while senior catcher Neil Eichhorn, senior shortstop Aaron Smith, sophomore first baseman Matt Sutton and freshman infielder Jonathan Batts made the Second-Team. ? Senior outfielder Chip Grawey set a conference record for hits (101) and new school standards in hits, at-bats (273) and stolen bases (39) as the Fairfax, Va., product wrapped up his career. ? Senior reliever Blake Cross closed out a stellar career as the school’s all-time saves leader as well as the CAA’s top closer with 32 saves. ? Righthanded pitcher Ronald Hill set a school record with 12 victories during his junior season. ? Seahawk players collected 10 weekly awards, including two national honors, during the course of the season. Men’s Basketball ? The Seahawks closed out the 2003-04 campaign with a 15-15 overall record and 11-10 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. ? UNCW finished seventh during the regular season race and advanced to the semifinals of the CAA Tournament after upsetting No. 2 seeded Drexel in the quarterfinals. ? Senior forward Anthony Terrell wrapped up a career that featured three post-season appearances. The Rowlett, Texas, product finished second overall in all-time appearances by playing in 123 games, trailing only all-time great Brett Blizzard. ? The Seahawks finished 10th in the nation (out of 326 schools) in scoring defense, allowing just 59.6 ppg. The team also wound up 71st in turnovers per game (13.5), 82nd in steals per game (7.9) and 94th in field goal percentage defense (.420). ? Sophomore guard John Goldsberry and sophomore forward Beckham Wyrick were honored at the CAA’s post- season banquet: UNCW’s All-CAA Honorees John Goldsberry ........ All-Defensive Team John Goldsberry ........ All-Academic Team Beckham Wyrick ........ All-Academic Team ? The Seahawks were involved in ESPN’s first national telecast of a game featuring two CAA opponents when UNCW battled VCU on Feb. 7, 2004, at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va. Women’s Basketball ? The women’s basketball team finished the season with a 15-13 overall record and 10-9 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. ? Senior guards Cherie Lea and Jennifer Kapper were selected to the CAA’s All-Conference unit. Lea earned First-Team honors for the second straight season, a first in the program’s history. Kapper was named to the Third-Team. ? Senior Cherie Lea was selected to the CAA’s All-Academic Team. She also received the prestigious Dean Ehlers Leadership Award and was voted the CAA’s top scholar-athlete in women’s hoops. ? Senior guard Jennifer Kapper became the program’s all-time 3-point field goal specialist. She set records for 3- point field goals made (162) and treys attempted (482). ? Cherie Lea and Tracy Morgan collected CAA Player-of-the-Week honors during the course of the season. Lea was honored on Jan. 19 and Morgan picked up weekly honors on Mar. 8. ? The Seahawks captured the championship of Dartmouth’s Blue Sky Classic in late December, defeating Fairfield and Dartmonth for the title. Cherie Lea was named Tournament MVP and Jennifer Kapper was also named to the All-Tournament squad. ? Senior guard Jennifer Kapper became the 11th player in school history to reach 1,000 points, moving into sixth place all-time with 1,222 points in 114 appearances.