GCC

Coming off of their first loss of the season to Onondaga Community College on Saturday, the #3 Genesee Community College men's lacrosse team wasted no time getting back in the win column, defeating Niagara County Community College on the road on Tuesday night, 27-1.

Genesee had control of the game from the start and Charlie Evans scored at the 11:51 mark of the first quarter. Six-seconds later, Jonathan Gill gave GCC a 2-0 lead with his first of six goals in the game. The Cougars led 6-0 after one.

Genesee scored six more times in the second quarter and sophomore Christian Reiller assisted on four of them. GCC led 12-0 at the half.

Stephen Turkasz kept things going in the second half for GCC with three third quarter goals and the Cougars had a 19-1 lead going into the fourth.

Chris Lommer made it 20-1 just eight-seconds into the fourth quarter and Josh Marr also added two goals in the final period to help GCC cruise to its eighth victory of the season.

Gill led 21 scorers for Genesee on the night and finished with six goals and one assist. Turkasz added five goals and two assists, Reiller finished with two goals and five assists, Steve Raimondi chipped in a goal and three assists, Luke Grahnert and Marcus Palvino each scored two goals and had an assist, Marr, Doug Ellsworth and Chris Rabung each scored two goals and Nick Gray added a goal and an assist.

Mike Breindel was 16 of 18 on face-offs and also had seven ground balls. Mike Tolli was 8 of 10 on face-offs and Bobby Wheeler and Johnny Astrologo led the defense with four takeaways each.

Genesee improves to 8-1 on the season and will host No. 2 Community College of Baltimore County-Essex on Friday night at 4 p.m.

The Genesee Community College women's lacrosse team dropped their season opener on the road at Erie Community College on Saturday afternoon, 21-4

Hikaru Kishimoto scored the first goal of the year for Genesee with Cassandra Dembik getting the assist.

Denea McGrath, Karen Brannon and Rachel Ball all scored unassisted goals for the Lady Cougars, who fall to 0-1 on the year.

Sarah Bosa made five saves in net.

Genesee will host Monroe Community College in their home opener on Saturday, April 6 at 1 p.m.

The No. 3 Genesee Community College men's lacrosse team played through the snow on Wednesday night to defeat visiting Alfred State College, 17-6.

The Cougars got off to a very fast start in the sloppy conditions and found the back of the Pioneers net six times in the opening period. Christian Reiller scored three of the first four goals for Genesee and Jonathan Gill added two of his three goals of the game in the first quarter.

Genesee made it 7-0 early in the second before Alfred State broke through at the 2:53 mark. Chris Rabung, Reiller and Saxon Weil closed out the scoring in the first half to give GCC a 10-1 lead at the break.

(Midfielder Doug Ellsworth (#29, white) works past an Alfred State defender)

The Pioneers answered an early third period goal from Gill with a goal at the 2:28 mark before Ben Madafferi scored his first career goal to give GCC a 12-2 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Alfred State fought back with four straight goals in the final period including a two-man up goal and a shorthanded goal to make it 12-6. The Cougars went on to score the final five goals of the game and stay unbeaten on the year.

Reiller finished with five goals and two assists, Gill added three goals and two assists, Weil posted a hat-trick with three goals, Tom Owen tallied two goals and an assist and Rabung finished with two goals.

Pete DiLaura led the defense with six takeaways, eight ground balls and two assits. Jordan McElligott had five takeaways and four ground balls, Bobby Wheeler added four takeaways and four ground balls, Johnny Astrologo had three takeaways and four ground balls and Adam Jacobs recorded three takeaways and five ground balls.

Genesee improves to 7-0 on the season and will host the No. 1 team in the country on Saturday when Onondaga Community College comes to GCC for a 1 p.m. start.

The #3 Genesee Community College men's lacrosse team improved to 6-0 this year after beating #4 Suffolk Community College 13-4 on Sunday afternoon.

Christian Reiller put Genesee in front early with a first quarter goal but Suffolk responded and tied the game halfway through the opening period. Reiller scored again with 15-seconds remining in the first frame to give the Cougars the lead for good.

Chris Rabung scored a man up goal early in the second quarter to spark the Cougars offense. GCC scored five more times in the second, including two goals from Nick Gray and a goal from Steve Raimondi, to take a 7-1 lead into halftime.

(Chris Rabung (white) fires a shot on the Suffolk CC net)

The Genesee penalty kill was tested in the second half and Suffolk scored the first goal of the third quarter on a man up advantage to draw within five at 7-2. GCC responded with a man up goal of their own and a late goal by Marcus Palvino gave the Cougars a 9-3 lead going into the fourth.

GCC scored four times in the final frame and the win extends their unbeaten streak to six games.

Reiller finished the afternoon with four goals and two assists. Gray tallied three goals, Rabung and Raimondi each added two goals, Jonathan Gill recorded a goal and an assist, Luke Grahnert had two assists and Charlie Evans chipped in one goal.

Brady Lawrence had another strong performance in net making 18 saves. Jordan McElligott led the defense with five takeaways and five ground balls. Bobby Wheeler had four takeaways and Pete DiLaura had five takeaways and three ground balls.

Mike Breindel was 8 of 12 on faceoffs.

The Cougars will host Alfred State in their next contest on Wednesday night at 7pm.

After moving to No. 3 in this week's NJCAA National Poll, the Genesee Community College men's lacrosse team continued their hot start to the season by defeating #6 SUNY Delhi on Wednesday night, 14-3. A home game for GCC, the contest was played at SUNY Cortland.

Tyler Skowronski got Genesee on the board early with the first goal of the game and the only goal of the first quarter.

The Cougars opened it up in the second quarter with goals from Pete DiLaura, Nick Gray, Saxon Weil and Christian Reiller to take an 8-3 lead into the half.

In the second half, the GCC defense shut Delhi down and kept the Broncos off the board for the final two periods. Brady Lawrence made 11 saves in net and Johnny Astrologo had nine takeaways and four ground balls. Jordan McElligott, Bobby Wheeler, Adam Jacobs, Tom Owen, Tyler Meehan and DiLaura combined for 18 takeaways and 22 ground balls.

Reiller led the offense with four goals and four assists. Weil added three goals, Marcus Palvino recorded a goal and two assists, Skowronski finished with two goals and Charlie Evans and Cameron Seneca chipped in a goal each.

Genesee improves to 5-0 on the season and will host Suffolk Community College on Sunday at noon.

The #4 Genesee Community College men's lacrosse team traveled to #3 Nassau Community College on Long Island on Saturday afternoon, and defeated last year's national runner up, 9-6.

Blake Hurt got Genesee on the board just one minute into the game and the Cougars never looked back. Genesee held a 5-0 lead that included goals from Christian Reiller and Marcus Palvino before Nassau got on the board. GCC had a 5-2 lead at the half.

Chris Rabung scored a man up goal five minutes into the second half to extend the Cougars lead and Saxon Weil followed with two goals of his own. Jonathan Gill helped put the game away with a goal with one minute remaining.

Brady Lawrence made 24 saves in net for Genesee and the Cougars defense killed eight of nine penalties.

Pete DiLaura led the team with seven takeaways and added four ground balls. Bobby Wheeler, Jordan McElligott and Johnny Astrologo combined for 14 takeaways and 14 ground balls.

Weil led the team in scoring with two goals and two assists, Reiller added two assists to his goal and Palvino, Hurt, Rabung and Tyler Skrownski all had a goal and an assist.

The Cougars improve to 4-0 on the season and will play SUNY Delhi at Cortland State on Wednesday night at 8pm.

Press release:

The Genesee Community College Board of Trustees received a proposed College strategic plan for the 2013-2018 period on Monday. The plan, if approved by trustees, will commit the College to six strategic priorities: Student readiness and access; student success and completion; economic development and impact; faculty and staff success; college culture of collaboration and excellence; and sustainability.

In addition to the broad strategic priorities, the proposed plan includes a variety of outcomes the College would like to achieve in the five-year period beginning Sept. 1.

Executive Vice President for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness William T. Emm told trustees that the strategic plan would be used as the basis for annual College work plans.

"This is intended as a 'living plan'," he said. "Every year, circumstances change, so each year we will develop an annual plan of achievements and implement a 360-degree evaluation process to help assess what we do each year."

Rigorous higher education accreditation standards mean that strategic planning and assessment are more important than ever, said President James M. Sunser. "This strategic plan is a 50,000-foot guiding document," he said. "It will demonstrate to accrediting bodies that we are using data to inform our planning and decisions, to assess, and then to continuously improve."

The Board of Trustees is slated to discuss and consider adoption of the plan at its April meeting.

The proposed strategic plan is the result of the efforts of a 25-member steering committee which examined College programs and activities, as well as emerging student and community needs. Implementation will be a college-wide effort, Emm said.

In other business, the Board of Trustees:

•    Heard President Sunser report that the State University of New York and New York State Education Department have approved the College's new Supply Chain Management academic concentration.

•    Heard Trustee Diane D. Torcello, Chair of the Board's Finance Committee, report that the Committee had reviewed the College's financial statements through February 28. Torcello reported that actual expenses are holding to budget estimates, and that staff members are doing a "very good job" managing expenses.

•    Heard Sunser report that Kathleen Schieffen, Ph.D., will join the College as Provost/Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs July 1. Schieffen currently serves as dean of Academic Services at Monroe Community College's Damon City Campus. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education, including service as an administrator and instructor at Monroe Community College and Pima Community College District in Arizona. She holds an A.A.S. degree from Trocaire College; a B.S. degree from Roberts Wesleyan College; a M.S. degree from The University at Buffalo; and a Ph.D. from Capella University.

•    Heard Sunser report that Reid Smalley will join the College's staff as executive director of Workforce Development at The BEST Center on April 15. He comes to Genesee with more than 30 years of experience in higher education, with extensive involvement providing services to business and industry. He currently serves as dean of Workforce Development at Middlesex Community College in Connecticut. He holds a B.S. degree from Michigan State University and a M.Ed. degree from Pennsylvania State University.

•    Heard Sunser report that Sammy Naji joined the College's staff February 25 as academic advisor. Naji was a member of the advisement staff at Buffalo State College, and has experience in the banking industry. He holds a B.S. degree from The University at Buffalo and a M.S. degree from Buffalo State College.

•    Heard Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services Virginia M. Taylor report that 80 students enrolled for "Winterim" courses this academic year, up from 30 students last year. Winterim is a "mini-term" between the fall and spring semester. Students may complete courses over an intensive three-week period during Winterim. Taylor noted the students had excellent academic outcomes.

•    Heard Taylor report that prospective students may still register for eight-week courses, which begin March 18.

•    Heard Taylor report that the College is gearing up for the Genesee Promise Plus program this summer. Under this program, juniors and graduating seniors in area high schools receive a full scholarship for up to two summer courses at GCC. Credits earned during the summer may be used toward degrees from Genesee Community College or other colleges and universities across the nation.

Press release:

For the fourth consecutive year, volunteers at Genesee Community College are once again providing free income tax preparation services through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the 2012 tax season. Those interested may access walk-in sessions at GCC's Batavia Campus or appointment-based services at Genesee County Department of Social Services (GCDSS).

These are the next walk-in sessions scheduled at the GCC Batavia campus, all in room T204:

•    Thursday, March 21 from 4 to 7 p.m.

•    Thursday, April 4 from 4 to 7 p.m.

The appointment-based services are available through April 9th at the Genesee County DSS at 5130 E. Main St., Batavia. To make an appointment, call 344-2580, ext. 6552.

Through VITA, IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation to community members with household income up to $51,000. Business tax returns or complicated capital gains transactions cannot be completed through the VITA program. VITA offers free electronic filing of returns, but each client also receives a copy of his or her return that has been prepared.

"Genesee Community College is once again pleased to offer this service to our local residents. Our certified volunteers consist of faculty and staff, as well as current and former students," Cheryl Corke, GCC associate professor of accounting and business and VITA program director said. "Last year we prepared 176 Federal and NYS income tax returns. Through this effort, our clients received $214,000 in Federal Income Tax Refunds, including $48,000 in earned income tax credits, $15,000 in child tax credits and $17,500 in education tax credits."

Corke advises participants to bring all necessary documents including W-2 (wage and earning statement(s) from employer(s), W-2G, 1099-R, 1099-Misc (interest and dividend statements from banks) forms and 1098-T (tuition statement) forms; social security cards for all persons listed on the tax return.

A copy of last year's Federal and State returns, if available, is suggested. In addition, bank account routing numbers and account numbers are also needed for direct deposit. Photo identification is required this year. Other information participants may need to provide includes total annual payment for daycare providers plus the daycare provider's tax identifying numbers and address. Lastly, for married-filing joint tax returns both spouses must be present to sign the required forms.

Coming off of their second-straight trip to the NJCAA National Final Four in 2012, the #5 Genesee Community College men's lacrosse team opened up their 2013 season with a 23-2 victory over visiting Herkimer County Community College on Wednesday night.

Christian Reiller recorded an early hat trick, scoring the first three goals of the game for GCC to put the Cougars in front 3-0 just three-minutes in. Charlie Evans and Marcus Palvino rounded out the scoring in the first quarter to extend the Genesee to 5-0 after one.

(Mike Breindel (#2 white) fights for the opening face off on Wednesday night for GCC)

GCC pushed their lead to 9-0 before Herkimer finally broke through at the 7:33 mark of the second quarter. Reiller added his fourth goal of the game before the Generals notched their second goal just before halftime. Genesee led 10-2 at the break.

In the second half, it was all GCC as the Cougars outscored Herkimer 13-0. Jon Gill scored twice in the final two quarters to record a hat trick in the game. Nick Gray and Stephen Turkasz each added two second half goals.

Jordon McElligott led the defense with seven takeaways and seven ground balls on the night. Johnny Astrologo, Bobby Wheeler and Peter DiLaura combined for four more takeaways and 10 ground balls on defense.

Tom Owen had a solid night at defensive-midfield with four takeaways, four ground balls and an assist.

In net, Brady Lawrence played three quarters for the Cougars and allowed just two goals while making three saves. Craig Seneca and Mark Pucek split the final quarter and did not allow a goal while combining for five saves.

Reiller ended the night with 12 total points, tallying four goals and eight assists. Saxon Weil chipped in two goals and an assist.

In total, 16 Cougars recorded a point on Wednesday night.

Mike Breindel was 12 of 17 on face offs and Charlie Evans was 4 of 7 in the game.

Genesee improves to 1-0 on the year and will host Monroe Community College on Saturday (time TBA).

Press release:

Genesee Community College invites visual artists to submit their work for possible exhibition at GCC's Rosalie "Roz" Steiner Art Gallery located in the Genesee Center for the Arts on GCC's Batavia campus. This call for work is open to individual artists and group exhibitions in all media interested for the 2013-2014 academic year.

The Steiner Gallery's mission is to foster community involvement in the arts while enhancing the learning experience for all GCC students, faculty and staff. Proposals are selected by the GCC Gallery Committee, which seeks out exhibitions rich in content and quality craftsmanship.

According to Gallery Manager Shirley Verrico, "Our gallery attracts both artists and visitors from throughout Western New York. We are currently averaging about 300 visitors each month. Our committee is always looking for artists that can contribute meaningfully to the education of our students while participating in the larger discourse of the contemporary art world."

The Roz Steiner Gallery opened in Spring 2011 and offers 1,700 square feet of outstanding exhibit space featuring 25-foot walls, moveable island walls, bamboo flooring, and multimedia capabilities. See more at the Gallery's facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/gccgallery.

Artists interested in submitting their work can do so via the submission process available on the Gallery Web site at http://www.genesee.edu/campuslife/arts/gallery/submissions.cfm. The deadline for consideration for the coming academic year is May 1.

Press release:

Genesee Community College will host a Job Fair dedicated to careers in the health career industry from noon to 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 21, at the College's centrally located William Stuart Forum.

The event is designed to introduce potential new employees to employers, and also provides health care businesses an opportunity to present their trade and services to the local community. More than 25 local and regional health care companies and four-year colleges will be available to answer questions, accept resumes and distribute material relating to their company / college. Nursing, Physical Therapy Assistants and Respiratory Care, Polysomnographic Technology, Veterinary Technician, and Fitness and Recreation Management businesses will all be represented.

As of Feb. 26, the following employer representatives will be available to distribute career information and other printed materials, answer questions, and receive resumes (this list is subject to change):

Catholic Health System, Buffalo
Companion Care of Rochester
Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo
Fidelis Care, Getzville
Finger Lakes DDSO – Nursing, Rochester
Finger Lakes DDSO – Phys. Therapy, Rochester
Genesee County Health Department, Batavia
HCR Home Care, Rochester
Highland Hospital, Rochester
HomeCare & Hospice, Olean
Lifetime Assistance, Rochester
Lifetime Care, Rochester
Monroe Community Hospital, Rochester
NYS Veterans Home at Batavia
Olean General Hospital / Bradford Regional Medical Center
Orleans Community Health, Medina
Precision Scribes, Las Cruces, NM
Rehab Resources & Little Lukes, Oswego
Rochester General Hospital, Rochester
Unity Health System, Rochester
University of Rochester Medical Center, Strong Memorial Hospital - Physical Therapy Dept
WNY DDSO at West Seneca, Hamburg

The following four-year colleges will be available to discuss their RN to BSN programs (this list is subject to change):

Daemen College, Amherst
Grand Canyon University, Phoenix
Keuka College – Accelerated Studies for Adults Program, Keuka
Niagara University – Department of Nursing, Niagara University
Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester
St. John Fisher College – Wegmans, School of Nursing, Rochester
SUNY Delhi School of Nursing, Delhi
The College at Brockport – Army ROTC, Brockport
The College Network, Indianapolis
Trocaire College, Buffalo
University of Rochester School of Nursing, Rochester

"With the increasing need for qualified health care professionals, this Health Careers Job Fair gives students and employers a great opportunity to connect," said John McGowan, Career Services Center coordinator.

The job fair is FREE and open to the general public. For a current listing of registered employers / schools, please visit the Career Services Web page at www.genesee.edu.career/events. Employers interested in attending the fair should contact the Career Services office at 585-345-6888 to register for this event.

Press release:

It's not too late to take a class this spring at Genesee Community College. There are a variety of "late start" courses to choose from and many are offered online through GCC's eLearning program. Some are even offered on Sundays, beginning March 17.

The spring eight-week session boasts nearly 60 course offerings that include a number of introductory sports classes, public speaking, children's literature, even a class about the History of Rock and Roll. For a list of all the course options visit www.genesee.edu/Options.

"Many times students need to pick up three more credit hours for graduation, or at the other end of the spectrum – new students may not have been ready to start their coursework in early January," Tanya Lane-Martin, assistant dean for Enrollment and director of Admissions said. "The eight-week session is another opportunity for students to access to higher education on their own schedule."

Genesee Community College also has several spring Open Houses planned for new students of all ages to think ahead for enrollment in the summer and fall semesters. All campus locations will be hosting an Open House on Wednesday, March 6 and March 20 from 5 to 8 p.m. Register online at www.genesee.edu/openhouse, call the Admissions office at 585-345-6800, or stop by any campus location:

•    Albion, 456 West Avenue / 585-589-4936

•    Arcade, 25 Edward Street / 585-492-5265

•    Batavia, One College Road / 585-345-6800

•    Dansville, 31Clara Barton Street / 585-335-7820

•    Lima, 7285 Gale Road / 585-582-1226

•    Medina, 11470 Maple Ridge Road / 585-798-1688

•    Warsaw, 115 Linwood Avenue / 585-786-3010

For the second consecutive year, the Genesee Community College men’s basketball season came to an end at the hands of Mercyhurst North East. Last season, the Saints eliminated the Cougars in the semi-finals of the Region III playoffs. This year, Mercyhurst held serve at home on Tuesday night in the #4/#5 match up of the opening round.

The two teams split the regular season series this year with both teams winning a game at home.

Mercyhurst, the no. 4 seed, shot better than 54% in the opening half on Tuesday night including eight 3-point baskets. The Saints erased an early 5-0 GCC lead, and after not scoring a basket during the first three minutes of the game, connected on three quick baskets from long-range to take the lead for good.

The #5 Cougars found themselves behind by ten, 37-27 with under five minutes remaining in the opening period and gave up a 15-9 run during the final four minutes of the half to fall behind 52-36 at the break.

GCC clawed back early in the second half and cut the Saints lead down to single digits just four minutes in. Stanley Peacock got the Cougars to within nine with a layup and after a made Mercyhurst basket, GCC converted on three straight free throws to close the gap to eight.

Mercyhurst responded and went on a 7-0 run in a span of just over a minute to extend their lead back to double-digits. The Saints grew their lead back up to as much as 16 with 12 minutes remaining, but the Cougars still had fight left in them.

Maurice Bailey connected on back-to-back three point baskets and E.J. Blackwell added a three of his own to get Genesee to within 11. Trailing 77-67 with under ten minutes to play, Donte Meredith got the Cougars back to within eight with a layup.

GCC cut the Mercyhurst lead to four just two minutes later before Terryl Coombs converted a layup to bring the Cougars all the way back to within two with 3:30 left to play. The Saints answered, and regained a lead as high as six with two minutes left in the game.

Genesee put together a quick 6-2 run to get back to within two at 92-90 with one minute remaining. Forced to put the Saints at the free throw line, Genesee was able to inch to within one at 95-94 when Vaughn Boler scored after Mercyhurst hit one of two free throws. The Saints converted on two free throws with less than ten seconds to play and trailing by three, the Cougars were unable to get off a final shot and a chance at the tie, falling to Mercyhurst, 97-94.

The Cougars out-rebounded the Saints 52-33 on the night, but Mercyhurst shot better than 55% from the field in the game.

Boler led the way for Genesee with 24 points. He also grabbed 10 rebounds. Blackwell added 19 points, Coombs finished with 12 points and 11 boards, Bailey chipped in 16 points and Peacock collected six rebounds.

Genesee finishes the season with a 15-16 overall mark and will bid farewell to sophomores Donte Meredith and Terryl Coombs.

The Genesee Community College men’s basketball team dropped their regular season finale on Saturday afternoon, 87-69 to Erie Community College.

The Cougars found themselves behind early after Erie started the afternoon on a 21-8 run and had a 31-14 lead 15-minutes in. Donte Meredith closed the gap after a three-point basket and a traditional three-point play later in the half to get GCC to within 13 at 33-20 with four minutes left in the opening period. The Cougars trailed 39-24 at the break.

(#11 Vaughn Boler scores two of his team-high 19 points against Erie CC on Saturday afternoon)

The Kats upped their lead to 17 early in the second half before the Cougars clawed back. With 14 minutes remaining in the game, E.J. Blackwell got Genesee to within ten with a layup, and then Vaughn Boler converted a free throw after a basket to trim the Erie lead to 49-42.

Seven points was as close as GCC would get, as the Kats ended the afternoon on a 30-19 run.

Boler scored a team-high 19 points and Maurice Bailey added 18 points. Terryl Coombs grabbed 11 rebounds and Blackwell dished out nine assists.

The Cougars end the regular season with a 15-15 overall record and a 6-8 record in conference play. They will move on to the Region III tournament next week, which begins on Tuesday night.

The Genesee Community College women’s basketball team ended their regular season with a loss to Erie Community College on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Lady Kats 75-43.

Paige Hennings gave Genesee an early 4-2 lead with her first of two 3pt baskets of the half, but Erie responded with a 10-2 run to take the lead for good. The Lady Cougars went through a seven-minute scoring drought at the midway point of the opening period and trailed 38-16 at the break.

Erie’s lead ballooned to as many as 32 points in the second half after a 16-7 start to the final twenty-minutes and stayed there for the end result.

Dashawna Jenifer led the way for GCC with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Hennings ended the afternoon with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Genesee end the regular season with a 1-23 overall record. They will head to the Region III playoffs next week.