Sports Briefs (spring 2002)
Clark reaches Elite Eight for second consecutive year
The men's basketball team finished the 2001-02 season 23-6 and advanced to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament for the second-consecutive year. Head Coach Paul Phillips, now in his sixth year at Clark, has established the Cougars as one of the top programs in the country, with the Cougars advancing to the NCAA Tournament three times in the last four years.
Captain Sean Fleming '03, Dave McNamara '04 and Trevor Walker '04 led the potent offense. Fleming, the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Player of the Year, led the team with 16.1 points per game and added 3.1 assists per game. He shot an impressive 52.6 percent from the floor and connected on 41 of 89 long-range shots (46.1 percent). Three-point sharp shooters McNamara and Walker averaged 15.1 and 15. 0 points per game, respectively. McNamara made 70 of 90 three-pointers (36.8 percent), while Walker led the team with 94 three-pointers. McNamara and Fleming made their second-consecutive appearance on the all-conference team. Walker, who shot 39.3 percent from long range, was selected to the all-conference team for the first time. Fleming, who became the 20th Clark player to surpass 1,000 points, was selected to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Division III All-Star First Team and the D3Hoops.com Second Team.
Captain Amos Anderson '02 averaged 10.1 points per game and had a team-high 4.8 rebounds. Rob Skowyra '03 averaged 4.7 points per game and had a team-high 4.8 rebounds per game and 3.2 assists per game. Center Chris Bagdis '03 controlled the paint all season, averaging 9.6 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting a team-high 61.5 percent from the floor.
The season began with an early tip-off tournament. Clark opened the Wilkes University tournament with an 8276 win over Virginia Wesleyan. Clark defeated Wilkes, ranked 14th nationally in the pre-season D3Hoops.com poll, 84-72 in the finals. After suffering a 73-63 mid-season loss to nationally ranked Franklin and Marshall, the Cougars won nine in a row. The streak finished with a 108-75 win over NCAA tournament participant Trinity College. Clark's preparation for the NEWMAC schedule and NCAA Tournament also included games against NCAA Tournament participants Williams College and Amherst College. The Cougars lost to Williams 80-78 in overtime in the final of the Ephs' tournament and defeated Amherst 87-77 during the regular season.
Clark finished the season with an 11-1 NEWMAC record and won the NEWMAC Championship for the second-consecutive year. Losing only to Babson on the road, the Cougars earned the top seed in the NEWMAC Tournament and hosted the semifinals and finals. The Cougars were upset in the semifinals by Wheaton College 100-92.
The Cougars hosted the first round of the NCAA Tournament and defeated Suffolk University 84-77. Clark traveled to the College of Staten Island for the second round and won 101-72. The Cougars' Sweet 16 matchup with defending national champion and host Catholic University was described as a heavyweight fight. Clark led by only three points at the half. The Cougars and Cardinals traded blows for the entire second half, with Clark coming out on top 75-72. In the sectional finals, the Cougars lost to Elizabethtown 94-90.
With another stellar season, Clark has again established its presence at the national level. "What we accomplished is very special and puts us in a very distinct group. There was only one other team in the tournament this year that had made it to the Elite Eight two years in a row," says Phillips, who hopes to take the team to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Final Four.
Spring Season Wrap-up
NEWMAC All-Academic team
Men's Swimmer Roey Ahram '02, women's swimmer Lynne Burns '03 and women's basketball players Tracy Fuller '02, Rachael Turkington '03 and Meghan O'Connell '04 were among the 66 student-athletes named to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference(NEWMAC) Winter All-Academic Team. Honorees earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 after the fall 2001 semester, attained at least sophomore standing and competed as a starter or key reserve.
Field hockey
Jenna Boutin '03, Julie Mazeika '03 and Julie Simon '05 were named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III National Academic Squad.
Women's basketball
The women's basketball team finished the season 13-13 overall and 3-6 in NEWMAC. The Cougars have finished the season with a .500 or better winning percentage for 26 consecutive seasons. Clark won the Worcester City Tip-off Tournament for the fifth-consecutive season and for the 12th time in the past 20 years.
Men's and women's swimming
The men's swim team finished the season with a 7-3 record and placed fifth at the NEWMAC Championship. The women's swim team finished the season 7-4 and placed sixth at the NEWMAC Championship.
Swimmer L. Parker Barnum '04 placed 14th in the 100 breastroke at the NCAA Championship and earned All-America Honorable Mention Honors. Barnum also competed in the 50 freestyle and 200 breastroke at the NCAA Championship. He represented Clark at the national meet for the second-consecutive year.
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Sean Fleming '03, NEWMAC Player of the Year
Two sets of twins won the 200 medley at Gordon College and Bridgewater State College this season. The swimmers are Kevin Lawler '02 (left), L. Parker Barnum '04, Mark Lawler '02 and Roy Barnum '04