Messenger - Vol. 1, No. 2, Page 9 Winter 1992 Scoreboard; Fall athletic round-up The University of Delaware capped another outstanding athletic season during the fall of 1991, the Blue Hens' first year as members of the North Atlantic Conference. Four of the eight teams had winning records, highlighted by the football and women's cross country teams winning conference titles. A total of 26 Blue Hen athletes and coaches earned post-season All-Conference, All-Region or All-American honors. Football (10-2, Yankee Conference Tri-Champions) Yankee Conference Coach of the Year Tubby Raymond's 26th season at the helm of the Blue Hen football team also turned out to be one of his most successful ones. Among the Hens' honors were the team's best record since 1982; the Lambert Cup Trophy as the top I-AA team in the East; the Hens' third Yankee Conference title in six years; the No. 6 ranking in the final NCAA poll; and a trip to the I-AA playoffs before falling to James Madison 42-35 in double overtime Nov. 30 at Delaware Stadium. Individually, 15 Blue Hen players earned post-season honors led by free safety Warren McIntire, who led the nation with nine interceptions and was a first team Kodak All-American; McIntire, center Curt Chastain and punter Gene Vadas, who set a new school record with a 42.8 yard average, earned All-East honors; freshman fullback Daryl Brown earned Yankee Conference Rookie of the Year honors; and McIntire, Chastain, Vadas, quarterback Bill Vergantino, and placekicker Mark Drozic all earned first team All-Yankee honors. Vergantino led the team in both rushing and passing for the second straight season, gaining over 2,000 yards of total offense, while Drozic kicked a school record 50 straight extra points during the year. Women's cross country (8-3, North Atlantic Conference Co-Champions) The Blue Hen women's cross country squad found itself in a new conference in 1991, but that didn't matter. Delaware, as it had done in 1990, won a conference championship, but this time in the North Atlantic Conference. NAC Coach of the Year Sue McGrath-Powell's squad posted an 8-3 dual meet mark and were the NAC co-champions with Boston University and placed second at the post-season ECAC District II Meet. At the NAC championships at Delaware's own Carpenter State Park, freshman Alicia Giuliano placed second overall, senior Amy Oppermann was fifth and junior Jill Riblett placed eighth. Men's cross country (6-5, 3rd Place NAC Championships) The Blue Hen harriers also enjoyed a fine 1991 season, surpassing their goals and finishing third at the North Atlantic Conference championships at Carpenter Park. Head coach Jim Fischer's squad had to depend on youth often in 1991 when senior captain Bryan Lennon was injured early in the season. A strong and balanced group responded and helped Delaware post a 6-5 dual meet record and cap the season with a fifth place finish at the IC4A District II Meet at Lehigh. Sophomore Bryan Denbrock led the Hens in three meets and placed 14th at the NAC championships. Freshmen Chris Ray and Barry Pollock placed 17th and 19th, respectively, at the NAC championships. Women's soccer (7-8-1, 1-3 NAC, 4th Place) The Blue Hen women's soccer team, in only its second year of varsity competition, competed in one of the premier conferences in the nation and held its own, posting an 7-8-1 record and placing fourth in the NAC standings with a 1-3 mark. Head Coach Scott Grzenda's squad finished strong, winning three of its last four games. The squad was led by freshman Kristy Hendrickson who scored seven goals, while senior co-captain Jenna Blackmon and goalkeeper Sheena Hunter (190 goals allowed average, three shutouts) paced the defense. Women's tennis (6-6, 5th Place NAC Championships) The Blue Hen women's tennis team also finished strong in 1991, winning their last three matches to claim a 6-6 match record and closing out with a fifth place finish at the NAC Championships Oct. 12-13 at the University of Vermont. Senior co-captains Katherine Adams and Tara Finnegan posted an 8-3 record together at the No. 1 double spot and capped the year by winning the NAC No. 1 doubles title. Finnegan also posted a team-leading 9-7 record at No. 1 singles. Head coach B.J. Ferguson won her 100th career match in a victory over NAC foe Drexel. Women's volleyball (17-25, 4th Place NAC Championships) Highlighted by head coach Barb Viera's 500th career coaching victory, the women's volleyball team posted a 17-25 record in 1991 and placed fourth at the NAC championships Nov. 16-17 at Drexel. Sophomore Phoebe Folke earned All-NAC honors after posting a .238 kill percentage to go with 180 digs and 133 blocks. Senior Karen Beegle capped an outstanding career, leading the team with 341 kills and 525 digs and ending her career as Delaware's all-time leader in digs (1,785) and perfect passes (1,332). Setter Jill Graber set a school record with 908 assists (5.9 per game). Field hockey (5-10-2, 2-5 NAC, 5th Place) The Blue Hen field hockey team went up against the nation's best once again in 1991 and finished with a 5-10-2 mark overall and placed fifth in the North Atlantic Conference standings with a 2-4 mark under head coach MaryBeth Holder. Delaware struggled offensively but still managed to beat two Top 20 teams during the year with wins over then No. 6 Massachusetts and No. 16 Boston University. No Blue Hens earned All-NAC honors, but junior Kelly Hollinger was named first team All-Mid Atlantic Region for the second straight year and defensive standouts, senior Joanne Dobson and junior Cassie Herr, were selected to the second team. Men's soccer (4-14, 1-6 NAC, 7th Place) The University of Delaware soccer team endured a frustrating season in 1991 as one-goal games continually went the other way. The Blue Hens posted a 4-14 overall mark and a 1-6 NAC slate, but seven games were lost by one goal, including four in NAC play and two of those in overtime. Senior John Sellers closed out a high-scoring career for the Hens, leading the squad with nine goals. He finished his career with 23 career goals and 56 points, both ranking sixth all-time in Delaware soccer history.