Picozzi aims for NCAA title
Denison senior is a 16-time Division III All-american
Denison University swimmer Liam Picozzi is a 16-time Division III All-american and at the halfway point in the season, it looks like he’ll be heading back to the NCAA Championship meet in March.
Picozzi, from Ballston Spa and a Burnt Hills-ballston Lake High graduate, competed in seven events at the Denison Invitational Dec. 2-4 in Granville, Ohio and earned NCAA B cut times in all seven of them. He finished first in the 100 backstroke (48.23), the 200 backstroke (1:45.97) and with the 200 freestyle (1:20.03) and 400 freestyle (2:56.45) relay teams. He also helped the 200 medley relay finish second (1:27.74) and the 400 medley relay finish third (3:16.12). And he finished fourth in the 50 freestyle (20.24).
Prior to the NCAAS, Picozzi has his eyes set on the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship Feb. 9-12 in the home pool in Granville. He is a five-time champion – 100 and 200 backstroke, the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay in 2020 and the 400 free relay in 2019. He also has three seconds and two thirds. The league didn’t hold its championship meet in 2021 because of the pandemic.
Derrick Rowland (Cohoes)
The 6-foot-4 graduate student scored a season-high 26 points to lead the 7-3 New Haven men’s basketball team to an 88-69 non-league victory over Chestnut Hill last Sunday in New Haven, Conn. The Green Tech graduate hit 7-of-10 from 3-point range and added six rebounds. Rowland is averaging 14.3 points a game and has connected on 18 of 46 3-pointers (39.1 percent). His career high point total was 32 which he scored during the 2019-20 season. In 94 games, Rowland has scored 1,145 points.
Dylan Dubuque (East Greenbush)
The Cortland senior was named a D3football.com second team All-america on Monday. The Columbia High graduate was a special teams pick. He scored three touchdowns – on a fumble recovery, on an interception and on a blocked field goal. He was a standout on defense making 68 tackles with two sacks, a fumble recovery and three blocked kicks for the 11-1 Red Dragons. He was the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the year and all-region both as a linebacker and special team player.
Lily Rabine (Gansevoort)
The freshman is starting at 116 pounds for the Elmira women’s wrestling team. The South Glens Falls High graduate posted a pin in 1:39 to help the Soaring Eagles top nationally ranked New Jersey City 25-20 in the Sacred Heart Duals Dec. 13 in Fairfield, Conn. On Dec. 5, she won her match in a 30-15 victory over Delaware Valley in Collegeville, Pa. At South Glens Falls, she finished second in the state tourney.
William Dineen (Lake George)
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound freshman is starting at center for the Yale men’s hockey team, the Bulldogs 3-7 overall and 2-6 in ECAC play after a 4-3 league victory over Brown on Dec. 10 in New Haven, Conn. Dineen, who played with the Sioux City Stampede of the USHL, had an assist in the game. He has two goals and picked up his first collegiate career score in a 4-2 victory over Vermont on Nov. 24.
Jacob Deguire (Schenectady)
The true freshman is having a big start in his career with the Springfield men’s wrestling team. The Mohonasen High graduate finished third in the 157-pound class at the Scott Viera Open on Dec. 11 in Providence, R.I. He went 3-1 and all three of his victories via falls giving him nine for the year. He went 5-2, all the victories with pins, in the Doug Parker Invitational on Nov. 20 in Springfield, Mass.
Lance Meeson (Clifton Park)
The sophomore captured both diving events for the Cortland men’s swim team at the college’s Snow Flurries Invitational to wrap up the first semester on Dec. 3-4 in Cortland. The Shenendehowa High graduate won the 1-meter dive with a score of 389.85 and took the 3-meter dive with a 395.15 total. The Red Dragons finished first in the fiveteam field with 671.5 points.
Sydney Neff (Delmar)
The 5-foot-6 sophomore setter was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-american honorable mention list after a standout season with Rochester Tech, the Tigers finishing 25-5. The Academy of the Holy Names graduate had 889 assists. A versatile performer, she was also used as an outside hitter. She finished with 159 digs, 34 service aces, 34.0 total blocks and 25 kills.