Sports Briefs (spring 2007)
Swimming and Diving
Led by fourth-year head coach Paul E. Phillips, both the women's and men's swimming and diving teams posted second-consecutive winning seasons. Some of the teams ' in-the-pool exploits were broadcast live on the Web in a first-ever CougarCast. Betty-Jean (Grazulis) Jaskoviak '83, a member of Clark's Athletic Hall of Fame, and Doug Denny-Brown '87, one of the team's most supportive alumni, provided the commentary.
Finishing seventh at the NEWMAC Championships, the Cougar women moved up three places and posted their highest finish since 2001-02. Clark upped its point total from last year's mark by 62 points and finished with a pair of new school marks, 71 season-best performances and 41 career records. Highlights included the fastest Clark finish in the 500-yard freestyle in 25 years and a 100-yard backstroke just missing a new school record by a 10th of a second—both by Dana Akerfelds '10. The 200-yard freestyle relay team posted the highest relay finish in three years and the fastest time since 1997.
The women swam their way to a 7-5 dual-meet mark this winter. Winners of three-straight before the Puerto Rico training trip, Clark returned to take second at the Worcester City Championship. Named the Cathy Desrosiers '82 Women's Swimmer of the Meet runner-up, Akerfelds set a new meet mark in the 500-yard freestyle.
The men's squad (6-5) had its share of notable accomplishments this season. Although the Cougars placed sixth at the NEWMAC meet, they were within striking distance of the number five slot. In team scoring, the men finished with 272 points—just 26 behind fifth place. Drew Jackson '09 led the way with two record-breaking performances in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke, where he shattered a seven-year-old school mark held by former conference backstroke champion Doug Shea '00. Clark also packed on the points by placing in five of six relay events.
Clark opened the season by winning three out of four dual-meets and returned from their winter-break trip to tack on another dual-meet victory.
Men's Basketball
The men's basketball team exceeded expectations with an 11-14 (5-7 NEWMAC) finish. With the return of head coach Paul Phillips, a revamped system and a novice team, the Cougars were resilient in their climb up the conference standings. After holding the sixth spot in league play for three straight weeks, Clark won four of its last five NEWMAC games, including a road victory and postgame coin toss over MIT, securing the fourth seed in the conference tournament. The Cougar men hosted the quarterfinals, but tournament hopes were dashed with a 64-53 loss to MIT in the opening round.
A team comprised of just two seniors and a huddle of underclassmen, Clark's growing pains were highlighted with 12 games decided by eight points or less. The Cougars, whose schedule featured a pair of New York tournaments and three nationally ranked opponents, put together a string of three-straight victories to start the year and defeated eventual NEWMAC Champion Coast Guard Academy twice (102-91 2OT & 55-53). Mark Alexander '10, the team's leading scorer, capped the year with a second-team All-Conference nod.
Women's Basketball
Completing the season with a 12-13 (8-5 NEWMAC) record, the Clark women's basketball team rebounded from a rough start to finish strong. The Cougars opened the season with a pair of losses, bringing their bid for 11-straight Worcester City Tournament titles to a halt. After a winter-break trip to Florida, the women 's squad rattled off seven-straight conference wins for the first time since joining the NEWMAC (formerly the NEW-8) in the 1996-97 season.
Led by NEWMAC second-team All-Star Sarah Roderigue '09, the Cougars—ranked as high as third in the league—entered the conference tournament as the fifth seed. They dropped a hard-fought first-round game to fourth-seed Wheaton College (74-72) to conclude the season.
In addition to Clark's mid-season comeback, their line-up was flanked by standout Jillian Camilleri '10, a three-time Worcester Area College Basketball Association Rookie of the Week and Ashley Auclair '07. Auclair capped her career seventh on Clark's all-time scoring list with 1,452 points.
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Clarknews Spring 2007
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