View Stories 2009-2010 Athletic Season In Review

Clark Honors Athletes at Annual Awards Program

2009-2010 Milestones

The Fabulous Fourteen Moments that defined the 2009-10 year in Clark Athletics

2009-2010 Athletic Season In Review

The 2009-10 academic year proved to be one to remember for Clark University Athletics.

From international preseason trips, to NCAA tournament berths, All-American performances, and several record-breaking achievements, the fall, winter and spring seasons gave the followers of Cougar Nation a taste of athletic and academic excellence from August to May.

The fall season got off to a rousing start when field hockey senior Lauren Blake (Oakland, Maine) scored three goals in the first game of the season, propelling the Cougars back into the NEWMAC Tournament following a year hiatus. The Clark offense, ignited by Blake and freshman Mel Melkonian (Worcester, Mass.) had seven games of four goals or more. Melkonian emerged as the team’s leading scorer, missing out on the school scoring record by just one point. She was named NEWMAC Rookie of the Year and along with Blake and netminder Kathryn Dawsey (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), also earned second-team all-conference honors.

Under first-year head coach Louis Cote the Cougar men’s and women’s cross country teams began their ascent towards becoming one of the top programs in New England. A wealth of talented fresh faces on both the men’s and women’s teams should signal a steady rise into the upper half of the NEWMAC. Both squads turned in a trio of top five finishes in the season, with the women racing to a second place finish in the Worcester City Meet headlined by newcomer Zoe Greenberg’s (Arlington, Mass.) fourth place finish and junior Heather Goodale’s (Middletown, Conn.) fifth place showing. Graduate student Caleb Evanter (Marblehead, Mass.) proved to be one of the Cougars’ most consistent runners and sophomore Joe Kennelly (New Windsor, Conn.) was another key runner.

A season after advancing to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 21 years, men’s soccer came close to turning the trick in consecutive seasons. The campaign began with a seven-day training trip to Trinidad & Tobago and a 9-3-1 start. The Cougars advanced to the NEWMAC Tournament Semifinals and seemed to be headed into penalty kicks with rival Wheaton before their season came to an end with eight seconds left in the second overtime. The emergence of several underclassmen should bode well for the future of the program, especially since the Cougars graduate seven seniors. First-year’s Gianluca Ranallo (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and Ryan King (Brimfield, Mass.), saw the most action of the freshmen, with Ranallo starting 14 matches and King making all 18 starts in between the pipes. Coach David Kulik’s squad wrapped up their season at 9-7-2, giving the program a combined 20 wins in the last two years.

Head coach Joe Brady and his women’s soccer team started their season a little earlier than normal in 2009. A preseason training trip to Costa Rica sparked a return to .500 with an 8-8-2 mark, and in the end, the Cougars were in the hunt for the program’s first-ever NEWMAC title down the stretch of the season. A seven-game unbeaten streak in the middle of the season buoyed the Cougars’ chances as netminder Joanna Clark (Windham, Maine) had five of her conference best seven shutouts during that time. Clark earned first-team all-conference honors as well as All-New England accolades, while junior Megan O’Rourke (Somerset, Mass.) added second-team all-league honors.

The Cougars’ women’s tennis squad ended the 2009 season on a high note, knocking off local rival Worcester State, 7-2, to wrap up a season that saw them collect three wins and grab the 2009 NEWMAC Women’s Tennis Sportsmanship Award. In addition, three student-athletes - sophomores Jenni Adams (Denver, Colo.) and Julia Bergeron (Lewiston, Maine) - and junior Emily Schweitzer (Northampton, Mass.) were three of 22 student-athletes conference-wide to be selected as academic all-conference honorees in women's tennis. Clark will have to replace veteran mainstays Phoebe Livingston (Jamestown, R.I.) and Andrea Nathan (Saddle River, N.J.) but the maturation of underclassmen such as Bergeron, who led the Cougars in individual wins, should provide a launching pad for 2010.

The signs of improvement are evident everywhere in volleyball. Under third-year head coach Mickey Cahoon, the 2009 team made its second consecutive trip to the NEWMAC Tournament, marking its first back-to-back appearances since 2005-06. They also had three wins in NEWMAC action - their most since 2006 - and they halted an eight match losing streak to Coast Guard that dated back to 2001 with a thrilling 3-2 victory in front of a raucous crowd at the Kneller Gymnasium. On a roster filled with underclassmen, senior captain Emily Visone (West Hempstead, N.Y.) was a key cog aiding in the development of her teammates and along the way became the program’s all-time leader in digs, ending her career with 1,526.

Men’s Basketball provided a great deal of fanfare in the winter months, shocking the conference with a dramatic run to the NEWMAC Tournament crown and advancing to the NCAA Tournament Second Round. Along the way senior Mark Alexander (Providence, R.I.) became the second player in NEWMAC history to earn all-conference honors in four consecutive seasons. The Cougars knocked off nationally-ranked MIT on their home court en route to the title and then stunned a packed house of more than 1,500 fans with a 69-67 win over host Albright College in the NCAA First Round behind a monster 28-point, 10-rebound, four-assist game from sophomore Brian Vayda (Sturbridge, Mass.). Clark finished the season 17-13 and head coach Paul Phillips collected the 350th coaching win of his career.

Women’s Basketball struggled through one of its toughest seasons in recent memory. The Cougars managed just five victories and missed the NEWMAC Postseason tournament for the first time ever. Senior captain Jillian Camilleri (Lancaster, Mass.) was definitely a bright spot however, becoming the 17th player in program history to score her 1,000th career point and for her efforts was named second-team all-conference following a season in which she finished in the top ten in both scoring and in rebounding in the NEWMAC. The future looks bright for head coach Pat Glispin, who won her 450th career game in 2009-10, with the return of six of her seven top scorers, including a pair of juniors Kate Minister (Manchester, England) and Ivori Aiken (Harlem, N.Y.) and a pair of freshmen Kelsey Johnston (Shirley, Mass.) and Kelsey Giedymin (Shrewsbury, Mass.).

Under the direction of head coach Paul E. Phillips, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs had another banner year, catapulting the Cougars into the national spotlight. The women went 8-1 in dual meets this season – their best record winning percentage in school history and the most wins ever in the Phillips era. The men meanwhile, secured their first win over cross town rival WPI since Phillips’ arrival to Main South and had 109 different lifetime best performances in 2009-10. Two All-Americans emerged from the pool in Ryan Garr (Kingstown, R.I.) and Eileen Garcia (New York, N.Y.) and that duo was named 2010 NEWMAC Men’s Swimmer of the Year and 2010 NEWMAC Women’s Diver of the Year, respectively. While that tandem received much of the publicity – and deservedly so – several other members of the program excelled in 2009-10 as well. Senior captain Dana Akerfelds (Bronxville, N.Y.) earned second-team all-conference in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstrokes, and Elizabeth Rosen (Attleboro, Mass.), Erin Smith (Carrollton, Texas), Maura Houghton (Arlington, Mass.), Corri Stewart (Avon, Conn.), Molly Kleyboecker (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Akerfelds as well, combined to set new program marks in every relay event.

The men turned in 30 top five all-time performances and had six school records along with a pair of relay records broken this season. Remarkably, Garr had a hand in all eight, setting new marks in the 50-yard, 100-yard and 200-yard freestyles, the 50-yard, 100-yard and 200-yard backstrokes and then teaming with Mike Smith (Milford, Conn.), Dan Howard (Bow, N.H.), Lamar Duffy (Pen Argyl, Pa.), Timothy Sistare (Westford, Mass.) and Alex Kappel (Rye, N.H.) to shatter records in the 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relays.

Alum Jeff Cohen (Class of 2002) breathed new life into the lacrosse program, pushing the Cougars to their second most wins ever in school history. For his efforts, he was named the 2010 Pilgrim League Coach of the Year. After a two-win season in 2009, the Cougars wrapped up 2010 with six wins, which included a four-game win streak. Clark had several players emerge, including Shawn Roche (Centerport, N.Y.) who became the program’s all-time leading scorer and just the second individual to score more than 100 goals in school history. His selection as a first-team all-conference honoree capped an outstanding season in which he scored a goal in every game and led the Cougars in both goals (26) and points (34). Chris Johnson (Amherst, Mass.) didn’t endure the dreaded sophomore jinx, finishing second on the team in goals (25) and points (33), while netminder Andrew DeVito (Glastonbury, Conn.) became the backstop the team needed making several game-changing saves throughout the season.

The arrival of several talented freshmen has given the men’s tennis program a bright future. However, freshmen are still freshmen and the Cougars, after a quick start, finished their season at 4-8 and a first round exit in the NEWMAC Tournament. The Scarlet and White posted a 4-3 mark in non-league matches, knocking off Worcester-area foes Becker and Anna Maria in the process. Diego Angel (Lima, Peru), who played all nine of his matches at No. 1, was named the 2010 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year, becoming just the second Cougar ever to earn NEWMAC postseason accolades, joining Ben Gross, who was named first-team at No. 6 singles in 2006. Along with fellow freshmen Dan Hall (Sutton, Mass.) and Harris Rollinger (Lexington, Mass.), the Cougars should be primed to take off in 2011.

Senior leaders proved to be the reason the Cougar baseball squad posted its first-ever non-losing season in program history. Buoyed by the play of Phil DiMarco (Bellingham, Mass.), Stephen DeMartino (East Haven, Conn.) and Brendan Solecki (Portsmouth, R.I.), Jason Falcon’s team posted a 16-15 overall record, secured by a pair of non-league wins following their elimination from the NEWMAC Tournament. DeMartino, DiMarco and Scott Hollingsworth (Tilton, N.H.) all went over the 100-hit plateau and hurler Jonathan Merritt (Milton, Mass.) set a school record for wins (6) in a season that saw the Cougars knock off Babson - the No. 1 team in New England at the time.

After a sub-.500 season in 2009, the Cougar softball nine returned to the 20-win plateau for the eighth time in 22 seasons under head coach Linda Wage. Powered by a potent middle of the lineup featuring Melissa Traft (Milton, Mass.), Darcey Kurashige-Elliott (Berkeley, Calif.) and Chelsea Proulx (Franklin, N.H.) – all of whom topped the 100-hit mark in their careers – Clark opened their season with a 10-1 mark before settling for a 23-13 season. Lauren Blake (Oakland, Maine) earned all-region honors for the fourth straight season while moving into second place on the school’s all-time hit list with 209. Freshman Mel Melkonian (Worcester, Mass.) led a group of talented newcomers for the Cougars, earning Rookie of the Year honors while fellow first-year Nicole Meuse (Hudson, Mass.) went 10-3 with a 1.78 ERA in the circle.

The men’s and women’s rowing squads continued to show steady improvement under head coach Erick Thiemke. The Cougar women finished sixth at the NEWMAC Championships, placing three individuals on the all-conference team. Senior Rachel Goldin (Newton, Mass.) and sophomore Katy Nowoswiat (Lowell, Mass.) were named varsity all-conference, while freshman Katie Brasington (Duxbury, Mass.) collected novice all-conference honors. On the men’s side, led by senior captain Andrew Gager (Kennebunk, Maine) and graduate student Mike Smith (Milford, Conn.), the Cougars had several encouraging performances, including a second place finish in the petite final at the New England Championships.

Clark Honors Athletes At Annual Awards Program

2010 Major Athletic Award Winners Front Row (L-R): Jill Camilleri, Blaize Denfeld, Lauren King, Lauren Blake, Dana Akerfelds, Joanna Clark Back Row (L-R): Taylor Morono, Andrew Ninnemann, Mark Alexander, Mike Smith

Seniors Mark Alexander (Providence, R.I.), Lauren Blake (Oakland, Maine), Joanna Clark (Windham, Maine) and graduate student Mike Smith (Milford, Conn.) headlined several Clark University student-athletes honored at the Department of Athletics' annual awards ceremony held on Tuesday evening at Tilton Hall in the University's Higgins Center.

Alexander and Blake received the prestigious Fred Hebert and Hazel Hughes trophies given annually to the male and female who have made a significant contribution to the intercollegiate athletic program and whose dedication and performance have enriched the tradition of Clark Athletics.

Clark and Smith meanwhile were presented the Alice Higgins and Russ Granger Awards, bestowed annually to the male and female student-athletes who have combined academic excellence with athletic achievement.

Alexander, only the second player in the history of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball to be named all-conference four times, capped a standout career with a 2010 NEWMAC Tournament Championship and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He appeared in 104 of a possible 106 games and finished his career with 1,643 points, good for fifth on the school's on the all-time list. He led the Cougars in scoring in all four seasons, saving his best for last, leading the Cougars to their first winning season since 2003-04. He appeared in 29 games in 2009-10 and led the team in scoring (17.0), steals (45), free throw percentage (79.4), free throws made (135), free throws attempted (170) and was second in assists (80).

Blake a two-sport athlete in field hockey and softball had an amazing career in both. In field hockey, despite playing just three seasons, she ranks ninth on the school's all-time scoring list with 95 points and was named NEWMAC all-conference twice and all-region on three other occasions. On the softball diamond, Blake was as equally impressive, recording 209 career hits, good for second on the all-time list. She was named all-conference three times and all-region twice more in addition being a first-team All-ECAC performer.

Another two-sport athlete, Clark excelled on the soccer pitch, earning all-conference honors three times and All-New England as a senior. She has started all 54 games in her first three years and has 19 shutouts, including a league-best seven this season. In softball, she has played all four years and has started 138 out of 139 career games, recording nearly 90 hits and driving in 50 runs. In addition to her athletic prowess, Clark served as the President of the department's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was a member of the University's Athletic Board. With another year of eligibility left in soccer, Clark will return to the field in the fall as she enters the University's fifth-year program to pursue her master's degree.

One of the most courageous stories in recent memory involves the recipient of the Russ Granger Award in Smith. Another two-sport athlete, Smith was a member of the men's swimming team for three seasons before he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma prior to the start of his senior season. He went through treatment and returned to the pool, becoming a captain and joining the rowing team. 14 months after completing chemotherapy, he set personal bests in multiple events. He ranks No. 2 all-time in the 200-yard breaststroke, No. 3 in the 50-yard breaststroke, No. 4 in the 100-yard breaststroke and holds school records in the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard medley relay. Having already completed his undergraduate coursework, Smith will graduate this spring from the fifth-year program with a master's degree in public administration.

In addition to the four major award winners, seven others received individual honors. In addition, 48 seniors received a four-year participant award for competing on a varsity team for four years.

Andrew Ninnemann (Menlo Park, Calif.) was honored as the newly-named John Bassett Senior Scholar Award recipient, given to a student-athlete of the graduating class who has the highest grade point average. Ninnemann, a midfielder on the men's soccer team, was also named Phi Beta Kappa as well as a Gryphon & Pleiades honoree, which is Composed of a small group of outstanding seniors who have distinguished themselves in leadership, academics community service, character, extracurricular involvement and/or athletics.

Jillian Camilleri (Lancaster, Mass.) and Dana Akerfelds (Bronxville, N.Y.) were named the recipients of the Merit Award, given annually to the senior student-athletes who have had a significant impact on their sports. Camilleri, a second-team all-conference performer in women's basketball, became the 17th 1,000-point scorer in program history, while Akerfelds, who holds eight school records, capped her career with a pair of second-team all-conference showings at the 2010 NEWMAC Swimming and Diving Championships.

Women's soccer student-athlete Lauren King (Piscataway, N.J.) and two-sport athlete Taylor Morono (New London, N.H.) both received the Senior Class Award, presented to the senior athletes who best exemplifies class, spirit and integrity in his or her athletic endeavors. A three-time NEWMAC All-Academic selection, King appeared in 68 games, making 63 starts while helping anchor one of the stingiest defenses in the conference.

Morono, meanwhile, played a key role on both the men's swimming and lacrosse teams. In the pool, he is a member of the 800-yard relay team that ranks in the top five in school history and on the field, he helped with the resurrection of the lacrosse program, as the Cougars won the second most games in a season in school history.

The Richie Fairbanks Service Award, given out annually to the individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the athletic program were awarded to women's tennis student-athlete, Phoebe Livingston (Jamestown, R.I.) and women's basketball player Blaize Denfeld (South Windsor, Conn.). Both were members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Executive Board, as well as prominent figures not only in athletics, but campus endeavors as well, playing vital roles in campus cleanup, winter coat drive, canned food drive and the Haiti Relief Fundraising initiative.

Prior to the Athletic Awards program, over 120 student-athletes were honored at the Scholar Athlete Reception.

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2009-2010 Milestones

Dana Akerfelds, Women’s Swimming
50-yard Backstroke, February 19, 2010
100-yard Backstroke, February 19, 2010
200-yard Backstroke, February 19, 2010

Dana Akerfelds, Maura Houghton, Erin Smith, Corri Stewart, Women’s Swimming
200-yard Medley Relay, February 19, 2010

Lauren Blake, Softball
200th career hit - April 13, 2010

Jillian Camilleri, Women’s Basketball
1,000 career points - February 3, 2010

Phillip DiMarco, Baseball
100th career hit - April 18, 2010

Ryan Garr, Men’s Swimming
50-yard Freestyle, February 26, 2010
100-yard Freestyle, February 26, 2010
200-yard Freestyle, March 17, 2010
100-yard Backstroke, March 17, 2010
200-yard Backstroke, March 17, 2010

Ryan Garr, Mike Smith, Dan Howard, Lamar Duffy, Men’s Swimming
200-yard Medley Relay, February 26, 2010

Ryan Garr, Timothy Sistare, Alex Kappel, Lamar Duffy, Men’s Swimming
400-yard Freestyle, February 26, 2010

Maura Houghton, Erin Smith, Elizabeth Rosen, Dana Akerfelds, Women’s Swimming
400-yard Freestyle Relay, February 19, 2010

Scott Hollingsworth, Baseball
100th career hit - March 7, 2010

Molly Kleyboecker, Elizabeth Rosen, Erin Smith, Dana Akerfelds, Women’s Swimming
800-yard Freestyle Relay, February 19, 2010

Darcey Kurashige-Elliott, Softball
100th career hit - March 11, 2010

Jonathan Merritt, Baseball
Most Wins In A Season (6)

Chelsea Proulx, Softball
100th career hit - April 13, 2010

Gianluca Ranallo, Men’s Soccer
Most Assists In A Game - September 6, 2009

Shawn Roche, Lacrosse
All-Time Leading Scorer - April 21, 2010

Elizabeth Rosen, Women’s Swimming
500-yard Freestyle, February 19, 2010
1,000-yard Freestyle, February 19, 2010
1,650-yard Freestyle, February 19, 2010

Erin Smith, Women’s Swimming
200-yard Freestyle, February 19, 2010
200-yard Individual Medley, February 19, 2010

Erin Smith, Maura Houghton, Dana Akerfelds, Corri Stewart, Women’s Swimming
200-yard Freestyle Relay, February 19, 2010

Corri Stewart, Maura Houghton, Emily Newton, Elizabeth Rosen, Women’s Swimming
400-yard Medley Relay, February 19, 2010

Melissa Traft, Softball
100th career hit - March 9, 2010

Emily Visone, Volleyball
All-Time Leader In Digs - October 13, 2009

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The Fabulous Fourteen
Moments that defined the 2009-10 year in Clark Athletics

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The highlights for this newsletter are provided by
Kevin Anderson, Sports Information Director, 508-793-7164.
Email Kevin Anderson (Keanderson@clarku.edu)

Newsletter designed by Joe Brady
(Head Women's Soccer Coach/Athletic Web Site Administrator)