Press Release

PURPLE KNIGHT SQUADS OPEN REGULAR SEASON THIS WEEKEND SMC women host DoubleTree Tip-Off Classic; men to play in West Chester tournament   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      FOR MORE INFORMATION November 17, 2005                                                                    Contact: Seth Cole                                                                                                 Phone: (802) 654-2537 COLCHESTER, Vt. – The Saint Michael’s College men’s and women’s basketball teams commence the regular season this weekend, as each take part in competitive season-opening tournaments. The Saint Michael’s women will host their annual DoubleTree Tip-Off Classic at the Ross Sports Center. The tournament begins on Saturday, as fellow Northeast-10 Conference member Saint Anselm College and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference power University of the Sciences in Philadelphia square off at 4 p.m., followed by the host Purple Knights taking on high-scoring Queens College (N.Y.) at 6 p.m. The tournament concludes on Sunday, with Saint Anselm and Queens playing at 1 p.m., followed by Saint Michael’s and USIP at 3 p.m. The Saint Michael’s men, meanwhile, will head to Pennsylvania to compete in the West Chester University Alumni Association Classic. The tournament begins on Friday, as Saint Michael’s takes on the New Jersey Institute of Technology, coached by former Saint Michael’s head coach Jim Casciano, at 6 p.m., followed by West Chester and Saint Leo (Fla.) University at 8 p.m. The losers of each contest will play in the Consolation Game on Saturday at 2 p.m., and the winners of Friday’s contests will square off in the Championship Game on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Purple Knight women, led by third-year head coaching Jen Niebling, return their top eight scorers from last year’s squad. Among the players expected to make big impacts for Saint Michael’s this season are senior guard Brigid Hegarty (North Andover, Mass./Central Catholic), who was fifth in the NE-10 in scoring last year and was the Most Valuable Player of last year’s Tip-Off Classic, and junior twin sisters Dani and Jevy Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union), who were second and third on the team in scoring last year, respectively. The Purple Knight men, led by ninth-year head coach Tom O’Shea, are coming off of a pair of challenging exhibition road contests versus NCAA Division I opponents Boston College and the University of Vermont. Saint Michael’s should be led on the court by senior co-captain BJ Robertson (Burlington, Vt./Burlington), on pace to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau this season, and sophomore James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I./Saint Raphael Academy), who set a program record and led all Division II freshmen with 97 3-pointers last season.  Saint Michael’s Women                                   Saint Michael’s Men DoubleTree Tip-Off Classic                              West Chester Univ. Alumni Association Classic Sat., Nov. 19                                                      Fri., Nov. 18 Univ. of the Sciences vs. Saint Anselm, 4 p.m.     Saint Michael’s vs. NJIT, 6 p.m. Queens (N.Y.) at Saint Michael’s, 6 p.m.             Saint Leo (Fla.) at West Chester (Pa.), 8 p.m. Sun., Nov. 20                                                     Sat., Nov. 19 Queens (N.Y.) vs. Saint Anselm, 1 p.m.               Consolation Game, 4 p.m. Univ. of the Sciences at Saint Michael’s, 3 p.m.    Championship Game, 6 p.m.    ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

For more information please contact the SMC Sports Information Office at (802) 654-2537
Last Revised: October 25, 2002