18  Lucas Niskanen Class: Senior Hometown: Bronx, NY High School: Lehman Height / Weight: 6-1 / 180 Position: Wide Receiver Birthdate: 04/18/1979

2001: Made three catches for 24 yards against Albany (9/29) . . . made nine-yard touchdown reception versus Robert Morris (11/13) . . . recorded five receptions, including a 28-yard touchdown, in win over CCSU (11/10)

2000: Appeared and started in eight games as a wide receiver . . . did not play two games due to separated shoulder . . . registered three touchdowns . . .finished third on the team in receiving with 18 receptions, totaling 281 yards - the longest being 80 yards . . . had one rushing attempt for three yards . . . had one kick return for 21 yards . . . had two tackles on the season, one unassisted . . . had six receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown against St. Francis (9/23) . . . his 80 yard pass reception, a high for the team, came against Albany (9/30) - he went on to total three catches for 123 yards in that game . . . had three catches for 41 yards and at TD at Cent. Conn. (11/11).

1999: Started all 10 games at wide receiver . . . preseason All-NEC selection . . . team's leading receiver with 41 catches for 506 yards (12.3) and six touchdowns . . . ended the year third in receptions per game (4.1) and sixth in receiving yards per game (50.6) in the NEC . . . had two rushes for three yards and two completions for 96 yards and a touchdown . . . turned in season-best effort at Albany (10/2), hauling in eight passes for 132 yards . . . made six catches against Monmouth (9/25) and San Diego (11/6) . . . opened the season with five catches and one touchdown reception in loss to Wagner (9/11) . . . caught two TDs twice on the year -- at Sacred Heart (10/9) and Central Connecticut (10/30) . . . threw 57-yard touchdown strike to Kevin Csoka in season-ending win over St. John's.

1998: Started all 10 games in first year of action . . . led team in receiving with 59 catches for 661 yards, a 11.2 ypc average . . . ranked second in the Eastern Football Conference (EFC) in pass reception per game (5.9) and sixth in receiving yardage per game (66.1) . . . made three touchdown catches . . . tied for third on the team in scoring (18 pts.) . . . second on the team in all-purpose yards (636 yards) . . . caught six passes for 63 yards in Seawolf debut at Southern Connecticut (9/11) . . . equaled a Seawolves Field record with 11 catches for 170 yards and two TDs in Pace win - hooked up with Scott Meyer on touchdown catches of 61 and 62 yards . . . hauled in eight passes for 74 yards versus Assumption (10/3) . . . totaled 99 yards on eight catches against Merrimack (10/24) . . . . made five catches for 83 yards versus Wagner (10/31) . . . had six grabs in loss to C.W. Post (11/14) . . . totaled 59 yards on five catches in season finale versus St. John's (11/27) . . . Honors: Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette Division II Non-Scholarship First Team All-American . . . Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II North Co-Rookie of the Year . . . Eastern Football Conference Honor Roll (9/27.) . . . ECAC Rookie of the Week (9/27) . . . Metropolitan New York Football Writers Association Honor Roll (10/26) . . . Stony Brook Athlete of the Week (10/4) . . . selected team's Most Improved Player.

1997: Redshirt.

High School: Earned two letters in football at Lehman High School in Bronx, N.Y. . . passed for 680 yards and seven touchdowns and ran for 400 yards and four scores as a senior . . . named Most Valuable Player in the Bronx-Queens All-Star Game . . . passed for 980 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior . . . also lettered in baseball and basketball.

Paw Prints: Lucas Alexis Niskanen . . . born April 18, 1979, in Bronx, N.Y. . . son of Alpo and Noemi Niskanen . . . brother of David, Debbie, Lisa and Noemi . . . political science major.

The File on Niskanen
Year   Rec   Yds   Avg   TD   Long   Avg/G
1998    59   661   11.2   3    62     66.1
1999    41   506    9.0   6    56     50.6
2000    18   281   15.6   3    80     35.1
2001    18   198   11.0   2    36     28.3
Total  136  1646   23.3  14   116     80.1