Saint Michael's College Athletics

This Week in Saint Michael's College Athletics ‒ October 17-24

Men's and Women's Cross Compete in Northeast-10 Championships

The Saint Michael's College men's and women's cross country teams competed in the Northeast-10 Championships on Sunday, with the women tying a program record by finishing third and the men's team placing 11th out of 15 teams. The women, who competed in a 16-squad field, had last taken third in 1993, and had been predicted in the NE-10 preseason coaches' poll for a 13th-place showing. The men were slated to come in 12th.

Sophomore Gabrielle Naranja (Fort Kent, Maine/Fort Kent Community) and freshman Chloe Boutelle (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) recorded all-conference finishes, taking fourth (18:15) and fifth (18:21), respectively, while both shattering the program's 5K school record of 18:35. It also gave the Purple Knights a pair of all-conference first team finishers for the first time in program annals. Freshman Lindy Heffernan (Sutton Mills, N.H./Kearsarge Regional) was 32nd, holding off two runners from Merrimack College to ensure her team finished one point ahead of the Warriors. Classmate Colleen Gilliatt (Grantham, N.H./Lebanon) was 57th, senior Caitlin Ferland (Vergennes, Vt./Vergennes Union/Bay Path) 75th, and freshman Allie Gratton (Essex Junction, Vt./Essex) and sophomore Mary Miller (Aurora, N.Y./Southern Cayuga) were their team's final two scorers.

For the men, the Purple Knights' seven scorers finished within 36 seconds of one another. Senior Matt Smith (Winchester, Mass./Winchester/Muhlenberg) was 72nd in the first of two tightly-grouped threesomes, followed by junior Colin Delaney (Lake Placid, N.Y./National Sports Academy) being 74th and senior Tom Perekslis (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury) taking 76th. Senior Robert Sitzer (Lenox, Mass./Lenox Memorial) was next, while freshman Alex Gilgore (Scotia, N.Y./Scotia-Glenville Senior), sophomore Sam Brigham (Montpelier, Vt./Montpelier), and classmate Dana Glubiak (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Gilmour Academy) completed the 8K race within five seconds of one another.


Field Hockey (4-14, 3-7) Reaches Brink of Postseason, Goes 0-2 During NE-10 Play

The Saint Michael's College field hockey team went 0-2 in Northeast-10 Conference play last week, falling to visiting Bentley University, 2-0, on Tuesday before slipping at Stonehill College, 2-1, on Saturday and putting an end to its postseason hopes. A win over Stonehill would have given the Purple Knights the sixth seed in the NE-10 Tournament.

Against Bentley, which had been nationally ranked as recently as the Oct. 11 poll, senior goalkeeper Jackie Stacey (West Windsor, Vt./Woodstock Union) yielded only one goal in the opening 50 minutes.

At Stonehill, freshman Jackie Dunn (Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow) netted her first collegiate goal. Junior Hali Roy (South Pomfret, Vt./Woodstock Union) tallied an assist and a defensive save, while freshman Aubrey Deavitt (Shelburne, Vt./Champlain Valley Union) also recorded a defensive save. Stacey made 12 stops.


Men's Golf Has Best Showing at Regional Championship Since 1997

The Saint Michael's College men's golf team ended its season on Tuesday, Oct. 18, with its best New England Intercollegiate Golf Association (NEIGA) Championship finish since 1997, tying for 20th among 34 schools at the two-day competition.

Senior John Goodwin (Wolfeboro, N.H./Kent School) fired a 75 to improve upon his day-one showing by seven shots, tying for 48th with a 157, just four shots short of the top 15. Classmate Chris LaPolice (Stamford, Conn./Trinity Catholic) tied for 64th, while junior Nicholas Angelo (Sutton, Mass./Saint John's) and sophomore Steve French (Goffstown, N.H./Goffstown Area) were the team's next two finishers. Junior Dylan Lavallee (Colchester, Vt./Rice Memorial) was the Purple Knights' fifth golfer.


Men's Soccer (4-9-2, 2-8-1) Drops Two Contests in NE-10 Action

The Saint Michael's College men's soccer team went 0-2 in Northeast-10 Conference play last week, falling 3-0 at second-ranked Franklin Pierce University on Wednesday before coming up short against regionally-ranked Le Moyne College, 1-0, at home on Saturday. The Purple Knights have now held 10 opponents to one goal or less.

At Franklin Pierce, junior Logan Kingman (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) made eight saves. Kingman had five more saves against Le Moyne, which was ninth in the regional poll.


Women's Soccer (6-9-1, 5-8-1) Drops Two Contests in NE-10 Action

The Saint Michael's College women's soccer team went 1-1 at home last week during Northeast-10 Conference play, recording a 1-0 loss against the nationally-ranked College of Saint Rose on Wednesday before defeating visiting University of New Haven, 2-1, in overtime on Saturday. Saint Rose was 17th in the most recent National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) national poll and third in the regional rankings.

Against Saint Rose, senior goalkeeper Ashleigh Adams (Milton, Vt./Milton) made 12 saves for the Purple Knights, limiting the second-ranked offense in the nation, which had been averaging 3.8 goals, to one tally.

In the victory over New Haven, senior Kristin Hagenbarth (Killington, Vt./Woodstock Union/Vermont) capped Senior Day by scoring the game-winner with 57 seconds remaining in the first overtime, converting senior Laura Ostrout's (Northfield, Vt./Northfield) pass. Sophomore Katie Butler (Sayville, N.Y./Saint Anthony's) scored the tying goal off an assist from junior Janet Bazell (Haverhill, N.H./Woodsville). Senior keeper Brittany Cocozza (East Greenwich, R.I./East Greenwich/Saint John's [N.Y.]) made three stops.


Women's Volleyball (14-13, 3-7) Tallies One Win and Two Losses During Week

The Saint Michael's College women's volleyball team went 1-2 last week in Northeast-10 Conference action. The Purple Knights defeated Franklin Pierce University at home on Tuesday, 3-0, before dropping a 3-0 match against visiting NE-10 co-leader University of New Haven on Friday. Saint Michael's suffered a 3-1 setback on Saturday against visiting Southern Connecticut State University.

Against Franklin Pierce, sophomore Chelsey Covitz (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) recorded 11 kills and three blocks, while junior Katie Walsh (North Kingstown, R.I./The Prout School) added nine kills and 11 digs. Classmate Tracy Peterka (Newport Beach, Calif./Mater Dei) had eight kills and 17 digs, while sophomore Lindsay Phenix (Tewksbury, Mass./Central Catholic) contributed seven kills and six digs. Junior Samantha Clairemont (Conway, Mass./Frontier Regional) added six kills on just 11 swings, while sophomore Jess McLeod (Medfield, Mass./Medfield) dished out 38 assists. Junior Courtney Dunne (Hopkinton, Mass./Bancroft School) totaled 25 digs, and sophomore Brianna Saunders (Litchfield, N.H./Campbell) racked up a career-best 11 digs.

Versus New Haven, Peterka notched eight kills and six digs, Covitz had four kills, and Phenix added a trio of kills and a pair of solo blocks. McLeod turned in 19 assists and seven digs, and Dunne totaled 11 digs.

Against Southern Connecticut, Walsh was among two Saint Michael's players to notch a double-double, collecting 11 kills and 16 digs. McLeod turned in 36 assists and 16 digs, while Peterka provided 12 kills and nine digs. Covitz had eight kills and five blocks, Dunne added nine digs, and Phenix collected five blocks.


This Week’s Schedule:

Tuesday, Oct. 25
Men's Soccer vs. Merrimack, 3 p.m.*
Women's Volleyball @ Southern N.H., 7 p.m.*

Friday, Oct. 28
Men's Soccer @ Assumption, 7 p.m.*
Women's Volleyball @ Le Moyne, 7 p.m.*

Saturday, Oct. 29
Women's Soccer @ American International, 1 p.m.*
Women's Volleyball @ Saint Rose, 1 p.m.*
Women's Basketball @ Vermont, 1 p.m. (Exhibition)
Men's Basketball @ Vermont, 4 p.m. (Exhibition)


*Northeast-10 Conference Event