Toni Davis ’04 has been selected to the 2004 United States Paralympic Team in swimming, and will compete at the 12th Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, from September 17-28.

Davis, a native of New Carrollton, Md., finished first in her class in the 100-meter butterfly, second in the 50-meter freestyle and third in the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Paralympic Swimming Trials at the University of Minnesota on April 26 to earn a spot on the team.

Davis holds the American records in her class in the 50-meter butterfly (41.65 seconds), the 100-meter butterfly (1:34.02) and the 400-meter individual medley (8:10.73), and is currently ranked among the top 10 in the world in the 100 butterfly.

In 2003, Davis won the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly events at the USA Swimming Disability Championships. At Susquehanna, she competed in the butterfly and freestyle, and swam on the Crusaders’ 400-yard freestyle relay team at the Middle Atlantic Conference championship at Wilkes-Barre on February 15.

Davis graduated in May with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology, and has been accepted in the graduate program at The University of Scranton.

Gordon Galloway Named Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach

Gordon Galloway has been named head coach of the Crusader men’s lacrosse team after serving as an assistant coach for the past three seasons under Ron Miller. Miller stepped down to concentrate on increased duties as an assistant coach with the Crusaders’ football program, where he has served as offensive coordinator since 1999.

Galloway played both defenseman and longstick midfielder at nationally-ranked Mountain Lakes (N.J.) High School, where as a senior he was awarded the John C. Walters award for the player who gives the most back to the game. Galloway continued his playing career at nationally ranked Hampden-Sydney College, where he lettered three years before earning a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1997 as a Thomas W. Hobie scholar in business ethics.

Upon graduating from Hampden-Sydney, Galloway began his coaching career at the high school level. He was an assistant coach at West Linn (Ore.) High School for three years, helping the team to two state finals and the 2000 Oregon High School Lacrosse League championship. Meanwhile, he spent three years in the contract surety bond business before earning a master’s in education from Lewis & Clark College in 2001. Galloway played for Portland Brewing LC while in Oregon, helping to lead his team to two league titles and a 33-3 record, earning co-team MVP honors for his play at the goalie position during Portland’s second championship run.

He is familiar with Susquehanna, as his brother Alexander ’90 and sister Meghan ’92 earned degrees in finance and psychology, respectively, from SU. In addition to coaching, Galloway is an assistant director of admissions at Susquehanna. He resides in Selinsgrove.

– Jim Miller

Photo courtesy of Art Foxall.

Gridiron Standout Has Sights on NFL Career

Mark Bartosic ’04, Susquehanna University All-American split end in 2003, signed a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League in April 2004. Bartosic, who set numerous Crusader and Middle Atlantic Conference records during his career at SU, vies this month to secure his spot on the Eagles’ 53-man roster.

Right: Mark Bartosic impresses Philadelphia coaching staff at the Eagles mini-camp in April.

SU Alum Scores Stanley Cup

By Jim Miller, Sports Information Director

Pictured with the most famous trophy in the sporting world are, left to right: Jay Feaster and Lightning Head Coach John Tortorella.

Callers to the office of Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Jay Feaster ’84 are serenaded with radio play-by-play announcer Dave Mishkin’s call of the final climactic seconds of game seven of the Stanley Cup finals, as the Lightning defeated the Calgary Flames 2-1 to claim the first championship in the franchise’s 12-year history.

The victory culminated a dramatic two-year rise from perennial doormat to National Hockey League champions for the franchise and for Feaster, who through a series of shrewd moves and skilled negotiations was able to bring championship hockey to a region that had all but given up on the hopes of the Lightning ever becoming competitive.

When Feaster was named general manager in February, 2002, his first order of business was to heal a growing rift between head coach John Tortorella and Vincent Lecavalier, the Lightning’s immensely talented but underachieving center.

Tampa’s previous general manager, Rick Dudley, had been asked by Lecavalier’s agent to pursue a trade for his client after repeated clashes with the fiery Tortorella during the first half of the 2001-02 season.

The upper management of the Lightning refused to consider trading Lecavalier, who had been the first overall pick in the 1998 draft and was seen as the cornerstone of the franchise, and removed Dudley from his position in favor of Feaster, who shared the opinion that Lecavalier needed to remain on the roster.

“I didn’t want to be known as the general manager who traded away Vincent Lecavalier,” said Feaster. “I told John and Vinny that wherever we are going, we are going together. Fortunately, both guys took me at my word.”

Feaster’s other task was to institute stability to an organization that had 54 different players appear in a game during the 1999-2000 season.

“We had to stop the revolving door,” he recalled. “The key was to identify the core players and give them a chance to grow together.”

When Feaster took over, the Lightning had finished in last place in three of the previous four seasons, and in the other finished ahead of only an expansion team. However, it did not take long for him to sense that the organization had turned the corner toward respectability.

The following season, the Lightning won the Southeast Division title for the first time in team history, a sign of things to come.

Hockey is a sport filled with superstitions, and the Lightning’s march to the Stanley Cup was no different for Feaster. From attending practices to picking out suits, he made sure to follow the same routine that proved successful in the team’s most recent win.

“I had a suit that was undefeated through the first three rounds of the playoffs,” he noted. “I wore it in game two of the finals, and we won. Then I wore it in game three in Calgary and we lost. By game seven it was hard to figure out what to wear.”

The Lightning rode a see-saw through the final two rounds of the playoffs, alternating wins and losses for a record 13 straight games before breaking the streak with a victory in game seven of the finals. Alternating between the highs of victories and the lows of losing was frustrating to Feaster.

“You can only appreciate the wins. When we lost game six in Philly (5-4 in overtime after leading with two minutes left) it was devastating,” he said. “We were put in a position against Calgary (trailing the series three games to two) where we were fighting for our life every time on the ice.”

One moment that epitomized the spirit that the Lightning brought to the ice was in game one of the Eastern Conference finals against Philadelphia, when St. Louis, generously listed at 5-9, 181 pounds, bowled over 6-5, 220-pound Flyers captain Keith Primeau.

“On his knees, Primeau is as big as Marty standing on his skates,” joked Feaster. “That play encapsulated the entire year for us. They played bigger and better than their talent, and it showed the heart that this team has.”

As the playoffs progressed, greater demands were placed on Feaster as the national media prowled the locker room on a daily basis, looking for every angle on what led to the success of the Lightning.

“You have to prioritize your time, and take care of the people who have been with you,” Feaster said. “Your family, friends and team come first, and you just deal with the rest as best as you can.”

Following the Lightning’s victory over Calgary in game seven of the finals, the city of Tampa threw a parade in honor of their champions. About 20,000 people attended the festivities which culminated with a rally at the St. Petersburg Times Forum, the home arena of the Lightning.

The championship was the second major professional sports title in less than 18 months for the region, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in January, 2003 for their first National Football League championship.

“I’ve had people tell me that the community has never come together like they did for the playoffs,” said Feaster. “Our Stanley Cup merchandise has been going off the shelves, and I think we’ve gained more than just a foothold here.”

The joy may be relatively short-lived, however, as the league faces a standoff between management and players over a new collective bargaining agreement. The current agreement expires on September 15, about three weeks before the scheduled start of the regular season.

Many observers believe that the labor impasse is so strong that not only is the start of next season in jeopardy, but the season itself may be in peril of cancellation. For Feaster, however, the work continues.

“It’s business as usual around here,” he reported.

Except for the fact that his Tampa Bay Lightning are the champions of the NHL.