Iona Gaels
Iona Gaels | |
---|---|
Hynes Center | |
Baseball stadium | City Park |
Soccer stadium | Mazzella Field |
Mascot | Killian |
Nickname | Gaels |
Fight song | Hail To Iona |
Colors | Maroon and gold[1] |
Website | www |
The Iona Gaels are the
Varsity athletic programs
Men's sports | Women's sports |
---|---|
Baseball | Basketball |
Basketball | Cross country |
Cross country | Lacrosse |
Golf | Rowing |
Rowing | Soccer |
Soccer | Softball |
Swimming and diving | Swimming and diving |
Track and field† | Track and field† |
Water polo | Volleyball |
Water polo | |
† – Track and field indoor only |
Men's basketball
Iona University has been competing in men's basketball since the inception of the school in 1940. Iona is an original member of the
Victories against ranked opponents:
- February 21, 1980: Iona 77, Louisville 60 (Madison Square Garden)
- December 27, 2002: Iona 65, North Carolina 56 (Madison Square Garden)
- November 26, 2005: Iona 89, Iowa State 72 (Ames, Iowa)
- November 25, 2021: Iona 72, Alabama 68 (Lake Buena Vista, Florida)
Notable Men's Basketball Coaches at Iona:
On April 9, 2010, Tim Cluess was named the 12th head coach in the history of Iona men's basketball. Cluess is a graduate of Hofstra University and formerly the head coach of the C.W. Post men's basketball team. He has won 20 games and a postseason berth in each of his first eight seasons as the head coach of Iona, the only coach in the history of the program to accomplish the feat.[3] As of January 30, 2019, Cluess is No. 2 on Iona's all-time wins list.[3]
Gaels who have played in the NBA:
- Richie Guerin
- Jeff Ruland
- Steve Burtt, Sr.
- Sean Green
- Scott Machado
Steve Burtt Sr. is Iona's all-time leading scorer with 2,534 career points.
Women's basketball
The Gaels have been competing in NCAA women's basketball since the 1974–75 season. They are a founding member of the MAAC and are coached by
Cross country, track and field
Iona men's cross country is one of the top programs in
The women's cross country program also claimed their first NCAA Northeast Regional Title in the 2014 season, qualifying for their second NCAA National Appearance, the first being in 2006.[7] Iona earned its first individual Cross Country title in 2014 when Kate Avery won the NCAA National title,[8] becoming only the second National Champion in Iona history and the first Female student-athlete from Iona to claim an NCAA title.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the program gained its first Olympians. The Gaels had three representatives in Track and Field. Leonard Korir competed in the 10,000m for the United States where he finished 14th in a time of 27:35.65.[9] The Women's program had two alumni compete at the games. Maya Rehberg represented Germany in the 3000m Steeplechase where she finished 15th in the third heat. Her time of 9:51.73 ranked Rehberg 44th overall.[10] Anna Baumeister competed for Denmark in the Women's Marathon. Baumeister finished in a time of 2:29.49 which earned her 55th place.
Joseph Pienta is the current head coach of both the men's and women's cross country and track and field programs. Pienta took over the head coaching position in 2018 after being an assistant coach for just under a decade. Ricardo Santos is the previous head coach of both the men's and women's programs. Santos is a graduate of Iona and received All-American Honors for cross-country in 1998 whilst representing the Gaels. Santos had been head coach of the cross country and track and field programs since 2008 before leaving the Gaels to coach the performance team at BAA (Boston Athletic Association).[11] Santos is now on the coaching staff for men's cross country and track and field for the Stanford Cardinals.
Iona hosts their Meet of Champions cross country invitational annually at the start of each cross country season. Their home course is the cross country trails at
Discontinued sports
Football
Iona's football program ran from 1965 to 2008. The program was ended in part due to the dissolution of the MAAC Football League in 2007.
Ice Hockey
The Iona Gaels Ice Hockey program began as an NCAA Division III program in 1967 under coach Harry Nixon, under whom they enjoyed their first season unbeaten. Playing as an Independent program since the program's conception, the Gaels joined the Division III tier of the ECAC Ice Hockey Conference in 1977, before the MAAC introduced Ice Hockey as a sport within the conference in 1998. Their best finish in the MAAC tournament came in the 2000 season, where they placed second.[12]
The program ran until the end of the 2002–03 NCAA Ice Hockey season, after the board of trustees decided to remove the program from the Gaels' varsity sports teams.[13]
Facilities
- Glen Island Park: Men's and Women's Rowing
- Hynes Athletics Center: Men's and Women's Basketball, Swimming and Diving, and Water Polo, as well as Women's Volleyball
- Mazzella Field: Men's and Women's Soccer, Women's Lacrosse, and Men's Rugby
- Rice Oval: Men's and Women's Softball
- City Park: Men's and Women's Baseball
- Van Cortlandt Park Men's and Women's Cross Country
Rivalries
Iona's rivals include the following:
- Syracuse University
- Manhattan College
- Monmouth University
- Fordham University
- Siena College
- Marist College
References
- ^ "Logo Library - ICGaels.com". June 26, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ "Santa Clara ends season with win in CollegeInsider.com tourney final". Espn.go.com. March 31, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ^ a b Iona Men's Basketball Game Notes, December 10, 2014 http://icgaels.com/fls/14900/stats/mbasketball/2014-15/gamenotes/14-12-10-Rider.pdf
- ^ a b "Men's Cross Country - A Historical Perspective - ICGaels.com - Official website of Iona College Athletics". ICGaels.com. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ^ "Champions!!! Iona MXC Wins 33rd Straight MAAC Title".
- ^ "Official Website of Iona College Athletics". www.icgaels.com. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ "WXC Claims First-Ever Regional Crown - Iona College". Iona College Athletics. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ "Kate Avery Claims WXC NCAA Championship - Iona College". Iona College Athletics. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ "Team USA's Leonard Korir Finishes 14th In 10k At Rio 2016 - Iona College". Iona College Athletics. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ "Rehberg Competes In 3k Steeplechase At Rio 2016 - Iona College". Iona College Athletics. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ "Ricardo Santos Biography - ICGaels.com - Official website of Iona College Athletics". Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
- ^ "MAAC Tournament". www.augenblick.org. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ "Iona Next to Drop Hockey :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online". Archived from the original on December 19, 2014.