Sir Bills’ field hockey star Brand picks UAlbany

PHOTOGRAPHER: Jim Schiltz

Johnstown field hockey standout Alyssa Brand has signed a letter of intent to play for the University at Albany and head coach Phil Sykes.

Brand helped the Lady Bills reach the Section II Class B championship game in each of her three varsity seasons, and was selected a Foothills Council all-star as a junior and senior. She represented the Foothills Council on the all-state team as a senior after collecting five goals and six assists, while also excelling defensively from her center midfield position.

Brand totaled 14 goals and 15 assists in her varsity career. She was an Empire State Games participant last summer.

Albany has put together five straight seasons with double-digit victories, including last season’s

16-6 mark. Last fall, the Great Danes placed second in the America East Conference before winning its tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division I playoffs.

Three-point records

With eight three-point baskets, Colonie sophomore Sydnie Rosales set a school record and Bishop Maginn 10th-grader Caitlin Hupe tied a school mark in recent victories over Bethlehem and Voorheesville, respectively.

Rosales knocked down eight threes in Tuesday’s 70-40 Suburban Council win over the Eagles, and Hupe connected for eight in Saturday’s 70-62 non-league triumph over the Blackbirds. The eight threes tied for the third-highest total in the Section II record book, with several others previously accomplishing the feat, including Maria Tobin of Bishop Maginn in 2005.

Alexis Miller of Tamarac (nine threes, 2005) and Courtney Galuski of Cohoes (15 threes, 2008) top the Section II single-game record list. Galuski tied the national record when she made those 15 threes in a win against Schalmont.

Diving record

Albany Academy junior Manny Pollard broke his own school six-dive record with 317.25 points in the Cadets’ non-league win over Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Tuesday.

Pollard’s score is the best in Section II this season, topping the 312.70 recorded by Shaker junior Josh Koppel in a meet with Burnt Hills last month.

Pollard set the Section II 11-dive record in December, piling up 602.40 points at the Mohonasen Invitational.

Albany Academy won Tuesday’s meet (92-91) when its 400-yard freestyle relay group of Mateusz Dziekan, Arka Rao, Zacc Filanova and Wyatt Pritchard prevailed in final event. The Cadets never led in the meet before that race.

High rollers

The Schenectady boys’ bowling team followed up its third straight Big 10 regular-season championship with a victory in Wednesday’s league tournament, with the Patriots knocking down 3,694 pins to Albany’s 3,625 and Christian Brothers Academy’s 3,397.

Jordan Schellenger of Schenectady and Dave Hawkins of Amsterdam shared high series honors, each rolling a 694. Hawkins delivered the high single (266), four pins better than Schellenger.

Colonie’s Justin Carl rolled a 300 game, and was one of four Colonie bowlers to crack the 700 mark, as the Garnet Raiders won the Suburban Council Tournament Tuesday. Corey Buckley led Colonie with a tourney-best 773 triple, and the Garnet Raiders piled up 4,335 pins to runner-up Bethlehem’s 3,943.

Colonie also won the girls’ Suburban Council tournament Monday with a 3,196 pinfall led by Hannah Mochrie’s 590. Catie Bell of Averill Park had the high triple (620).