Clark University - Clarknews winter 2004
Sports Briefs (winter 2004)
Field hockey players earn honors
Forward and team captain Jessica Petitt ’04, defender and team captain Kelly Murphy ’04 and midfield/defender Ashley Perez ’05 earned postseason honors this fall and led the Cougars to an appearance in the 2003 ECAC New England Tournament.
Petitt led the team in scoring with 14 goals, 11 assists and 39 points and had a team-high four game-winning goals. She was named to the 2003 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America first team—only the fourth Clark player to earn this honor. She is also the third-consecutive player to earn first-team honors in the last three years. Ten players have earned All-America honors in the last 13 years, including Petitt’s All-America second team selection in 2002. Petitt was also selected to the 2003 NFHCA All-New England East Regional First Team and the 2003 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) All-Conference first team. She is a three-time regional first team and All-Conference selection and was NEWMAC Rookie of the Year in 2000.
Petitt played in the NFHCA senior all-star game on Nov. 22 at Lebanon College as a member of the west all-star team. She played in 84 games in her impressive career and earned a career total 49 goals, 30 assists and 128 points. Petitt tied Clark’s all-time scoring record and is tied for second in career goals and third in career assists.
Perez was named to the NFHCA All-America third team—her first All-America team honors. She was also named to the All-New England first team and NEWMAC All-Conference second team. Perez recorded four goals, six assists and 11 points, including one game-winning goal and a team-high four defensive saves.
Murphy was selected to the All-New England and the All-Conference first teams for the first time in her career. A solid defender she started in all 20 games this fall, scoring five goals and two assists for 12 points. She also had two game-winning goals, including the one in Clark’s 3-2 NEWMAC quarterfinal win over Babson.
The Cougars finished the season with a 12-8 overall record and a 5-3 conference record. In addition, the team made its fourth-consecutive ECAC Tournament and reached the semifinals for the second time in three years. They fell to eventual ECAC champion Keene State College. This was the Cougars’ 10th ECAC appearance and the 11th overall postseason appearance in the last 15 years.
fall season wrap-up:
Men’s and Women’s Crew
The men’s and women’s crew teams competed in three regattas each this fall: the Textile River Regatta in Lowell, Mass.; the New Hampshire Championships; the Head of the Charles in Cambridge, Mass. (men); and the Head of the Fish in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (women). The men’s varsity four boat finished 14th out of 41 in the club four race at the Head of the Charles. The women’s varsity four boat finished 5th out of 25 at the Textile River Regatta.
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country
NEWMAC Championship: women 10th/10, men 7th/7
ECAC Championship: women 21st/31, men 19th/33
The cross country program unveiled its new home course this fall, set among 269 acres at Boylston’s Hillside Park, and hosted both the Worcester City Meet and the NEWMAC Championship.
• The men’s team started the season with wins over Eastern Connecticut State University and Elms College. Captain Jerome Boutaud ’04 won the race against Elms. The team finished third in back-to-back invitationals at Roger Williams University and Regis College. Daniel Roberts ’07 finished 32nd out of 98 (28:31.47) at the Men’s NEWMAC Championship. Ryan Olsson ’07 finished 46th (29:06.84) and Mitchell Paulin ’07 47th (29:11.23)
• On the women’s team, Emily Tremaine ’07 finished first against Eastern Connecticut State University and Elms and second in the Worcester City meet. She finished 59th out of 122 (21:13.51) at the Women’s NEWMAC Championship.
Men’s Soccer
Overall Record: 8-7-2, 0-5-1 NEWMAC
The men’s soccer team had its first winning season in 10 years, including wins over Brandeis University (1-0), Wesleyan University (2-1 in overtime) and NCAA participant Lasell College (2-1). The Cougars also posted an impressive tie with NCAA participant Johnson and Wales University (1-1). Forward Juan Becerra ’06 earned NEWMAC All-Conference second team honors and led the Cougars with 10 goals, two assists and 22 points, including five game-winning goals. He ranked third in the conference in goals and fifth in points.
Women’s Soccer
Overall Record: 7-10, 2-7 NEWMAC
Defender Melissa Ambrose ’07 had a solid rookie season, starting and playing every minute of all 17 games. She helped the Cougars more than double last year’s win total. The defense only allowed four goals in the first eight games, and six of the team’s losses were by a one-goal deficit, five of them 1-0.
Women’s Tennis
Overall Record: 2-11, 0-8 NEWMAC
The women’s tennis team recorded 7-2 wins over Becker College and Pine Manor College.
Women’s Volleyball
Overall Record: 5-22, 1-8 NEWMAC
Middle blocker Kara Scimeca ’06 was named to the 2003 NEWMAC Women’s Volleyball All-Conference second team. She led the team with 2.53 kills per game and a .182 hitting percentage. She had a team-high 56 service aces, 351 digs (3.7 per game) and .83 blocks per game. Scimeca was ranked 10th in the conference in blocks per game and ninth in digs per game. | 
