IN THIS WEEK'S ISSUE - May, 3, 2007 This will be the last Catchin' Up with the Cougars e-Newsletter until the Fall. Enjoy the Summer! CLARK ANNOUNCES ATHLETIC AWARDS

SENIOR ATHLETES HONORED

2007 CLARK SCHOLAR ATHLETES HONORED

BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS ANNOUNCED

CLARK ANNOUNCES ATHLETIC AWARDS

Clark University honored its senior athletes and four major award winners at the 2006-07 Athletic Awards Program held Tuesday night at Higgins University Center’s, Tilton Hall. Ashley Auclair received the Alice Higgins Award; Matt Talbot was presented with the Fred Hebert Trophy; Kaitlin Kelly was the recipient of the M. Hazel Hughes Trophy; and Gunnar Hagstrom was named the Russ Granger Award winner.

In addition, men’s soccer player Brian Hersey (Dexter, Me.) was presented with the Senior Class Award, given annually to the senior athlete who best exemplifies class, spirit and integrity in his or her athletic endeavors, while Tim Mulvehill, an Intramural supervisor, earned the Richie Fairbanks Service Award for outstanding contribution to the athletic program. Cheryl Elwell, Director of Academic Technology and Classroom Services at Clark, was recognized with a Special Service Award. Elwell has been instrumental in launching live CougarCasts for Clark athletic teams.

For the second straight year, Auclair was named the Alice Higgins Award recipient for academic excellence and athletic achievement by a female athlete. A four-year starter for the Clark women’s basketball team, the senior center capped her career by becoming the seventh player on Clark’s all-time scoring list with 1,452 points. The co-captain from Williamsburg, Mass., was the program’s first-ever player to receive the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Rookie and Player of the Year award in consecutive seasons. The three-time All-Conference Player helped the Cougars to three Worcester City Championships (2003-05) and a NEWMAC Title on the way to an NCAA berth (2003-04).

In addition, Auclair, a psychology major, has earned NEWMAC Academic All-Conference and Clark Scholar Athlete honors the past four years.

Talbot is being recognized with the Fred Hebert Trophy awarded to the outstanding senior male athlete who has made a significant contribution to the intercollegiate athletic program and whose dedication and performance have enriched the tradition of Clark Athletics. A four-year member and starting goalkeeper for the men’s soccer squad, Talbot earned NEWMAC Second-team honors, National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III All-New England fourth team accolades and D3kicks.com All-New England Region second team recognition this season. Finishing the year with a career-high 10 shutouts, the Harvard, Mass. native, notched six straight shutouts – one shy from tying program record (7) – to start the season.

In Division III, he completed his career eighth in the nation in goals against average (.397) and also topped the conference in goals against average (.40) and save percentage (.894). He also helped the team finish fifth in goals against average (.390), sixth in save percentage (.900) and 20th in shutout percentage (.59) in the nation.

Talbot posted a career .824 save percentage and .933 goals against average.

Kelley secured the M. Hazel Hughes Trophy, awarded to the outstanding senior female athlete who has made a significant contribution to the intercollegiate athletic program and whose dedication and performance have enriched the tradition of Clark Athletics. An outstanding two-sport athlete at Clark, Kelley, a goalkeeper, was a two-time NEWMAC first-team field hockey All-Star, who also received National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) New England East All-Regional First Team honors as a senior and NFHCA All-Region second-team honors junior year. Originally from Guilford, Conn., the senior co-captain finished 15th in Division III in career saves with 710 and ranked third and sixth, respectively, in the nation in saves in a game (29 vs. Wheaton College) and saves per game (12.38). A 2006 NFHCA senior all-star game participant, Kelley also helped lead Clark to the 2003 ECAC Tournament semifinals.

Hagstrom, from Yarmouth, Me., received the Russ Granger Award for academic excellence and athletic achievement by a male athlete. Selected to the NEWMAC All-Conference second team as a junior, Hagstrom’s contribution on the field helped lead the Cougars to the most wins in a season (17) in 2005. The senior catcher/designated hitter will take his talents to the Southern Collegiate Baseball League (SCBL), where he will play for the Tennessee Tornadoes this summer. Hagstrom, a two-time scholar athlete, was also a three-year letter-winner on the men’s basketball team.

Prior to the Athletics Award program, Clark also recognized 106 student-athletes who earned a 3.5 GPA for the 2006 Spring semester and/or 2006 Fall semester and/or have a 3.5 cumulative GPA.

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SENIOR ATHLETES HONORED

Senior and graduate student athletes received Clark watches in recognition of their four years of varsity athletic participation.

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2007 CLARK SCHOLAR ATHLETES HONORED

Athletes must have earned a 3.5 GPA for the 2006 Spring semester and/or 2006 Fall semester and/or have a 3.5 cumulative GPA.

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BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS ANNOUNCED

Five members of Clark University spring athletic teams were named to New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) All-Conference teams, it was announced on Wednesday. Nick Tapper, Joe Silva and Joe Pasciucco received baseball second-team honors, while Heather Warren and Lauren Blake were first and second-team softball all-stars, respectively.


Tapper, from Hopkinton, Mass., finished with 101 career hits and set a new mark for putouts in a season with 241. The senior first-baseman had a .336 batting average with two homeruns and a team and league-best 31 RBI. He topped the team in at-bats with 116.

A native of Westbury, N.Y., Silva, a catcher/designated hitter, owned a .383 batting average with 28 RBI. In addition to leading the NEWMAC in triples (4), the junior player also led the Cougars in four categories, including runs (38), hits (44), triples (4) and stolen bases (11-for-11).

Pasciucco batted a conference-high .434 on the way to the All-Conference recognition. Originally from Attleboro, Mass., the senior third baseman delivered 33 hits, six doubles and 13 RBI this spring.

Tapper, Silva and Pasciucco are making their first appearance on the All-Conference teams.

Warren, from Upland, Cali., represented the Cougar softball squad on the All-Conference first-team. The junior shortstop posted a conference-best .471 average to go along with new Clark single-season records in homeruns (12), RBI (59), total bases (113) and slugging percentage (.934). Warren’s lists of accomplishments are both long and impressive as she was selected the program’s first-ever National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Player of the Week, a two-time NEWMAC and ECAC Player of the Week and New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches Association (NEISCA) Player of the Week. On the mound, she also pitched the Cougars to six victories this spring.

Originally from Oakland, Me., Blake, a second baseman, finished second in the conference in hitting (.464 BA). The first-year led Clark in hits with 58, including 18 multiple hit games and a 19-game hit streak. Blake, who started in all 35 contests, also tied for a team-best 38 runs scored and drove in 23 runs.

Warren and Blake are first-timers on the All-Conference squads.

Clark baseball concluded the year at 13-19 overall and 5-7 in league play, while the softball team finished at 19-16 (9-7 NEWMAC) and advanced to the second round of the NEWMAC tournament.

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The highlights for this newsletter are provided by
Dalya Qualls, Sports Information Director, 508-793-7164
Email: dqualls@clarku.edu