CLARK BASKETBALL BEGINS NEWMAC TOURNAMENT; COUGAR MEN HOST FIRST ROUND GAME
The second season begins for Clark University men’s and women’s basketball teams. The Cougar men’s squad will host a quarterfinal round game for the first time in two years on Wednesday (7 p.m.), while the women’s team will travel to Wheaton College for its first round game that same day.
Winners of four out of its last five conference games, the fourth-seed Clark men (11-13, 5-7 NEWMAC) will take on fifth-seed MIT (13-12, 5-7 NEWMAC). The Cougars, who have won four NEWMAC contests by eight points or less and one in double-overtime, defeated MIT (81-73) last Saturday and later won the post-game coin toss to secure the home contest.
Clark lost to MIT, 68-67, earlier this season. The two teams last met in the tournament during the 2003-04 season, where the Cougars fell, 79-69.
The Cougars will be led by first-year forward Mark Alexander (13.1 ppg) and sophomore Peter Normandin (12.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg). The Engineers will counter with NEWMAC Player of the Week Jimmy Bartollota (21.0 ppg).
The winner of Wednesday’s game will face top-seed and nationally ranked WPI on Saturday (1 p.m.) in the semifinals at Harrington Auditorium in Worcester.
After hosting last year’s quarterfinal round, the fifth-seed Cougar women (12-12, 8-5 NEWMAC) will head to fourth-seed Wheaton College (16-9, 9-4 NEWMAC) in Norton, Mass., for a 7 p.m. game. Clark, which dropped its last two league games of the regular-season, lost a road contest to Wheaton (61-56) earlier this winter.
The Cougars will rely on top scorers Sarah Roderigue (14.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg), Jillian Camilleri (10.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg), and Ashley Auclair (9.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg) to lead the way. Clark will have to keep an eye on Krystin Hickey, who averages 14.1 ppg for Wheaton.
Clark, who last beat the Lyons (63-55) in a 2000 NEWMAC Tournament first-round game, owns a 7-2 series advantage over Wheaton since joining the NEWMAC in 1998. The victors will have to face the winner of eighth seed Smith College and top seed WPI at the highest remaining seed on Saturday.
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ALEXANDER NAMED WACBA MEN’S BASKETBALL CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Clark University’s Mark Alexander has been named the Worcester Area College Basketball Association’s (WACBA) men’s basketball Rookie of the Week, it was announced on Tuesday. He shares the honor with Ryan Wilcox from Nichols College.
A native of Providence, R.I., Alexander averaged 12.5 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.5 steals in Clark's 2-0 week. The first-year forward poured in a team-high 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, and had five steals and four assists in the Cougars’ 81-73 victory over MIT. He chipped in with eight points and four assists in a win against Springfield earlier in the week. The two-time WACBA Rookie of the Week leads the men’s squad in scoring with 13.1 ppg.
With the two victories, Clark (11-13, 5-7 NEWMAC) secured a first round home game in this week’s New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament. The Cougars will host MIT on Wednesday (7 p.m.) at the Kneller Athletic Center.
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CLARK MEN’S SWIM AND DIVE READY FOR NEWMAC CHAMPIONSHPS
Will the Clark University men’s swim and dive team swim up to the women’s performance at the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship Meet? We’ll find out. The Cougar men will make their way to the conference championships at Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., this weekend.
Swimming its way to a 6-5 dual meet mark this season, Clark will set about the task of bolstering last year’s sixth place showing and securing several top finishes at the NEWMAC’s.
“We moved out of seventh for the first time in three years last season,” said head coach Paul E. Phillips. “This year will be a bit more challenging. We have the numbers to put up two relays in every event, so that should help us score some points.”
Although last year’s team was comprised of 13 first-year swimmers, the Cougars scored the most points (259/6th place) since 2002 and recorded 12 all-time top-five performances. Still a young squad, the Clark men appear to have the depth and desire to make a results-driven run.
“The bulk of our team is sophomores, who had breakout rookie seasons last year,” said Phillips. “They struggled early on this season, but came back from the training trip with a renewed sense of intensity.”
“They look strong moving into this weekend and are ready to go,” he said.
Sophomore Drew Jackson has a legitimate shot at a top finish in the 200-yard backstroke. After finishing third – the Cougars highest individual finish – at last year’s meet, Jackson has worked hard to improve his times. “Drew is a competitor and has put himself in a position to showcase his true abilities this weekend,” Phillips said.
According to Phillips, sophomore Mike Smith has been the most consistent swimmer his winter. In addition to competing in the breaststroke, where he earned all-time top-five status in the 50 last year, Smith will also contribute in other events to help the Cougars’ point total.
Additionally, sophomore Dave Carnevale should put together a pair of solid performances in both diving events.
“The team has really come full circle in terms of their overall approach this year,” Phillips said. “No matter what happens, I know they will be fired up to compete this weekend.”
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CLARK ROWING ANNOUNCES COACHING STAFF
The Clark University men’s and women’s rowing team has announced the addition of three new assistant coaches. Christopher “Tuffer” Dow will join the men’s varsity team, while Zoe Lang will assist the women’s program. Emma Summer will act as the flexibility and yoga coach for both squads.
Tuffer begins his first season as an assistant coach with the men’s program. A four-year rower for the University of Colorado, Tuffer previously served as head coach for his alma mater from 2003-2005, where his efforts spawned the “Christopher Dow Most Valuable Rower Award.” In addition to his collegiate coaching duties, he also founded the Colorado Junior Rowing Program in 2004.
An accomplished athlete, Tuffer won the gold in the M2-event in 1999 at the MRC. He is currently a Math teacher at Worcester Academy.
Lang, a first-year coach, began rowing as a graduate student at Harvard University, where she participated on the Dudley House team for three seasons. After completing her Ph.D. in Musicology, she came to Clark as an instructor in music history. Prior to joining Clark’s coaching staff, Lang was a member of the Dudley House Dragon Boat team and coached the group for the past two years.
A 2006 Clark University grad, Summer has been teaching yoga for five years and practicing yoga for 12. Certified through the Yoga Alliance, she has experience with Iyengar, Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Viniyoga and Universal yoga. Summer, who holds a Bachelors in English with an African American Literature concentration, is currently enrolled in Clark’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program. She is also teaching 10th and 11th grade English at South Community High.
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The highlights for this newsletter are provided by
Dalya Qualls, Sports Information Director, 508-793-7164
Email: dqualls@clarku.edu
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CLARK BASKETBALL BEGINS NEWMAC TOURNAMENT; COUGAR MEN HOST FIRST ROUND GAME
