by Jim Mullins
Administrative Assistant
for Promotion/Public Information
Women's Tennis
Women's tennisUMass Dartmouth's women's tennis team successfully defended its Little East Conference tournament championship for a second straight season, posting an 11-2 record for the 1997 season.
Coach Warren Preti's Corsairs captured four of six singles titles and two of three doubles championships to defend their LEC women's tennis championship. UMass Dartmouth finished first with 23 points, 8.5 points ahead of second-place Southern Maine.
Junior Kelly Berger (Buzzard's Bay, MA) led the way for UMass Dartmouth, winning her first LEC singles title by taking the #2 singles championship with a 7-5, 6-3 win. Berger also became a three-time LEC doubles champion when she teamed up with sophomore Mary Bourque (Rochester, MA) to win the #1 doubles title. As a sophomore last year, Berger was the LEC #2 doubles champ, and the year before, as a first-year player, she shared the #3 doubles crown.
Senior co-captain Olivia Cunha (New Bedford, MA) was UMass Dartmouth's second repeat winner at the LEC championship tournament. Cunha became a two-time LEC champion at #6 singles with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-0) victory. Exchange student Stephanie Hauser (Germany) captured her first LEC championship when she cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 victory for the #4 singles crown. Junior Shannon Kelleher (Saugus, MA) was also a first-time LEC champ with a 6-2, 6-1 win at #5 singles.
UMass Dartmouth's #1 doubles team of Bourque and Berger captured their first doubles crown together. In addition to Berger's two other doubles victories, Bourque became a two-time LEC doubles champion, having captured the #3 doubles in last year's LEC tournament. The Corsairs' second doubles crown belonged to the team of Cunha and senior co-captain Ashley Kennedy (Holliston, MA). Each of the Corsairs' LEC champions earned First-Team All-LEC honors at their respective positions.
For the season, Cunha finished with a 9-3 mark in singles, while Berger was a perfect 8-0 and Ashley Kennedy was 8-3. The Corsairs' other top singles players included Bourque (7-3), junior Kasha Gula (Mansfield, MA) (6-3) and Kelleher (5-2). The doubles team of Cunha-Kennedy finished with the most victories, posting a 6-3 record. UMass Dartmouth compiled a 56-15 record in singles and a 21-12 mark in doubles competition.
Field Hockey
Field hockeyCoach Marilyn Ritz's field hockey team posted a 9-9 record during the 1997 season in part due to a 3-2 record in overtime games. Although UMass Dartmouth two-season streak of seven consecutive overtime victories was snapped following a 2-1 loss to Keene State on Oct. 4, the Corsairs went on to win two more overtime games against Merrimack College (3-0) and Connecticut College (2-1) before ending their season with a 1-0 overtime loss at Stonehill College.
Junior forward Ashley Dorman (Harwich, MA) was UMass Dartmouth's leading scorer for the season with a team-high eight goals plus an assist for 17 points. Senior forward Kelly Place (Ashland, MA) finished second in scoring with five goals and three assists for 13 points and senior-tri-captain Maureen Maloney (Blackstone, MA) was third with five goals and an assist for 11 points. First -year players Paula Malcom (Milford, MA) and Rebecca Medeiros (Fall River, MA) shared the netminding duties. In 10 games, Malcom made 60 saves, while allowing seven goals with 3.5 shutouts for a 0.83 goals against average. Medeiros appeared in 11 games with 77 saves, allowing 20 goals for a 1.99 GAA and 3.5 shutouts.
Maloney capped her final season with the Corsairs as the team's first player selected to appear in the annual National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III North/South All Star game. Maloney was a second-team NFHCA New England Regional All-America selection for a second consecutive season. Maloney's selection was noteworthy because last season she was chosen as a forward. One year later, she was selected as a midfielder, a position she had not played prior to her senior season.
Four other Corsairs earned distinction for their academic work by being named to the NFHCA Division III National Academic Squad. Junior forward Sara Dipilato (Shrewsbury, MA) was named to the team for a second consecutive year. First-timers named to the team were sophomore forward Rebecca Chase (Westport, MA), sophomore defender Erin McHugh (Dartmouth, MA) and Medeiros. In order to qualify, players must have been varsity starters or significant reserves with a minimum grade point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.
Football
FootballFor a second straight year, the Corsairs posted an 8-2 record but fell one game short of winning the New England Football Conference (NEFC). A season-ending 44-28 loss to Bridgewater State closed out UMass Dartmouth title hopes but did not diminish an outstanding season for Coach Bill Kavanaugh's Corsairs. At season's end, UMass Dartmouth was ranked #7 in the final ECAC Division III Football Poll.
Junior quarterback Jay Furtado (Swansea, MA) had a record setting season for UMass Dartmouth, culminating with the New England Football Writer's Division II/III Golden Helmet Award as the top college football player in New England in those divisions. Furtado threw for 24 TDs and 2119 yards as the Corsairs fielded one of the top offensive units in Division III. Furtado was the NEFC Offensive Player of the Year, NEFC First Team, ECAC Division III First Team and a New England Football Writer First Team selection after finishing the season ranked 5th among Division III quarterbacks in passing. Furtado also earned weekly Golden Helmet honors after throwing five TD passes, four in the first quarter, in the Corsairs' season-opening, 39-12 victory over Curry College.
Furtado wasn't the only Corsair to turn in an impressive season for UMass Dartmouth. Senior tri-captain and linebacker Rob Carney (Leicester, MA) was the NEFC Defensive Player of the Year and a New England Football Writers Division III selection. Senior tri-captain and wide receiver Ryan Bland (Dartmouth, MA) combined with Furtado as one of the top pass-catch combinations in the region. Bland was also named to the ECAC New England Division III First Team after catching 61 passes for 894 yards and 11 TDs. The NEFC First Team All-Conference squad was dominated by UMass Dartmouth with Furtado and Bland joined by freshman place kicker Eric Lundell (Mansfield, MA), senior tri-captain and guard Mark Foley (Swansea, MA) and junior center Joe Frisoli (Hanson, MA) on offensive, while Carney was named to the First Team NEFC defensive squad with defensive backs sophomore Jay Kirby (New Bedford, MA) and junior John Lydon (Weymouth, MA). Bland was the All-NEFC punter.
The Corsairs' high-scoring offense, ranked 15th in Division III and #1 in New England, averaged 35.6 points per game. In addition to Furtado and Bland, the Corsairs' offense was sparked by sophomore running backs Mike Masse (Wareham, MA) (712 yards, 16 TDs), and Steve Wozniak (Whitman, MA) (600 yards, 4 TDs), plus freshman receiver Sean McGlynn (Swansea, MA) (35 catches, 615 yards, 6 TDs). Carney led the defense (17.7 points per game) with 8.2 tackles per game, while Kirby and Lydon had four interceptions each in the defensive backfield.
Soccer
Men's soccerNiall O'Donnell got his rookie year as head coach off to a great start as UMass Dartmouth rewarded the first-year coach with three victories in its first five games. The Corsairs got O'Donnell his first victory in a 4-1 season-opening victory over Wentworth Institute and added a 3-2 win against Salve Regina and a 6-3 win against Worcester State College.
But the victories were hard to come by as the season wore on as the Corsairs managed only a 2-0 victory over Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a pair of overtime ties with UMass Boston (2-2) and Roger Williams University (1-1) the rest of the way. The Corsairs finished 4-11-2 overall and 0-6-1 in the Little East Conference.
Two of the bright spots for UMass Dartmouth earned distinction by being named Second Team 1997 Little East Conference All-Stars at season's end. Sophomore back Tori Terassi (S. Easton, MA) (3-1-7) was joined on the squad by the Corsairs' leading scorer, senior forward Erik Reis (Westport, MA). Terrasi also earned LEC Honor Roll distinction early in the season after scoring two goals in the Corsairs' 4-1 win over Wentworth and UMass Dartmouth's only score in a 2-1 loss to Amherst College.
Reis topped all UMass Dartmouth scorers with a four goals and four assists for 12 points, followed by sophomore midfielder Robert Workman's (Bridgewater, MA) team-leading five goals plus an assist for 11 points. Junior midfielder Fabio Cardoso (New Bedford, MA) was third in the scoring with three goals and two assists.
Soccer
Women's soccerSecond-year coach Alex Silva's Corsairs finished with a 4-13 overall record for the 1997 season and a 2-5 mark in the Little East Conference. UMass Dartmouth finished sixth in the eight-team conference, the same spot the pre-season coaches poll had predicted.
Three of the Corsairs' four victories came at home against Roger Williams (2-0), Bridgewater State College (2-1) and Rhode Island College (4-0). The lone road victory was a 4-1 win at UMass Boston. With eight point each, first-year half back Stephanie Oles (Putnam, CT) (4-0-8) and sophomore forward Elizabeth Salvia (Andover, MA) (3-2-8) were the Corsairs' top scorers, followed by senior forwards Jennifer Tolson (Whitman, MA) (3-0-6) and Michelle Cameron (North Reading, MA) (2-1-4). First-year goalie Jennifer Nelson (Medford, MA) took over the net minding duties at the beginning of the season and earned a pair of shutouts and a 2.47 goals against average.
UMass Dartmouth's lone representative on the Little East Conference All-Star team was Second Team selection, sophomore defender Barbara Carlin (Burlington, MA). Carlin played in 17 games for the Corsairs and scored one goal plus two assists for four points while playing a key role in UMass Dartmouth's defensive unit.
Men's Cross Country
Men's Cross CountryThe injury bug which depleted the Corsairs' cross country roster never affected sophomore Gary Mello (Woburn, MA). Coach Jon Hird's UMass Dartmouth squad did not compete as a team at most events during the Fall season, but that never stopped Mello from a series of impressive finishes, capped by an appearance in the NCAA Division III National Cross Country championships.
Mello opened his season with a fifth place finish at the Amherst College Invitational and followed it with a first-place finish at the 25th annual UMass Dartmouth cross country invitational. Mello crossed the finish line on his home course in 25:41, 17 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. He maintained his strong showings by adding a second at the Rhode Island College Invitational and a seventh at the Albany (NY) State Invitational.
In the first New England Alliance championship race, pitting teams from both the Little East Conference and the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference, Mello placed second overall and first among LEC runners with a time of 25:18.
At the NCAA regionals in Gorham, ME on Nov. 15, Mello qualified for NCAA Nationals by finishing ninth with a time of 27:03. Mello capped his season by finishing 95th overall with a time of 26:51 at the NCAA Division IIII national championship race held in Boston's Franklin Park. While Mello was running with the leaders most weeks, the Corsairs had some other noteworthy performances during the season. Exchange student Pierre Reyne (Fontbellon, France) finished 60th and freshman Jeff Reed (Westport, MA) was 74th at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational. Reyne also turned in a 25th place finish at the RIC Invitational and a 28th place finish at the Alliance Championships.
Women's Cross Country
Women's Cross Country
Although the Corsairs' women's cross country could not defend their Little East Conference championship in 1997, there were still several individual highlights during the season.
UMass Dartmouth's streak of three straight LEC titles was snapped by Southern Maine at the Alliance Championships which were held at UMass Dartmouth. Junior co-captain Maura McDonald (Greenfield, MA) turned in the Corsairs' top performance by placing 10th overall (8th in LEC) with first-year runner Jackie Gorski (Warwick, RI) 16th overall (11th LEC), sophomore Karla Jarquin (Shrewsbury, MA) 19th overall (14th LEC), sophomore Tara Carson (Beverly, MA) 20th overall (15th LEC) and senior co-captain Laura Caselden (Westfield, MA) 32nd overall (21st LEC). The Corsairs finished third in the LEC team competition.
The Corsairs team turned in a solid performance at the ECAC Division III Cross Country Championships held at Westfield State College. McDonald's 13th place finish helped UMass Dartmouth to a 13th place finish in a field of 34 teams. Among the Corsairs' other top performances at the ECAC race were Carson (43rd) and Gorski (72nd). The following week, McDonald's 61st place finish and Carson's 82nd place finish helped the Corsairs to a 21st place team finish at the NCAA Division III New England Regionals held in Gorham, ME.
In other team competitions during the season, Coach Jon Hird's team placed 11th at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational. McDonald was the first Corsair runner to cross the finish line in 10th place, while Carson was 40th, first-year runner Melissa Ying (Chelmsford, MA) was 58th Jarquin was 81st and Caselden was 90th.
womensvolleyball
Women's VolleyballComing off a season in which the Corsairs had not won a single volleyball match, first-year coach Rick Quintin made what seemed to be a bold prediction before the season. Quintin predicted his team could reach the .500 mark in his rookie season.
Almost three months after making the prediction, Quintin's Corsairs came within just a few points of meeting his goal. Needing a victory over Assumption College in the final match of the season, UMass Dartmouth lost a 3-2 decision when they dropped a 17-15 decision in the fifth and deciding set. As they had done all year long, however, the Corsairs didn't go down without a fight. Trailing 2-1 in sets and facing defeat in the fourth set, UMass Dartmouth rallied for a 15-1 victory before losing in the final set.
The Corsairs made the end of their of season exciting by winning three straight matches to reach the .500 mark. Victories over Roger Williams University, Keene State and Framingham State set the stage for the final dual match of the season and a chance to reach the .500 mark. Losses to Eastern Nazarene and Assumption left Quintin's Corsairs two games short at 14-16 overall.
Among the Corsairs' season highlights were a semi-final appearance in the Little East Conference tournament and a third-place finish in the annual UMass Dartmouth Invitational Tournament. In the LEC Tournament hosted by Eastern Connecticut State University, the Corsairs advanced to the semi-finals with a 3-2 victory over Rhode Island College before being swept 3-0 by the host team. Among the Corsairs' top performers were first-year middle-hitter Cindy Brehaut (Dartmouth, MA), whose 11 blocks and 14 kills in two games earned her First Team All-LEC honors after the tournament. First-year middle-hitter Karyn Ferreira (Marion, MA) added 7 blocks and 11 kills, first-year outside-hitter Amy Wilson (Dartmouth, MA) had 22 kills and first-year setter Heather Louro (Dartmouth, MA) had 38 assists for UMass Dartmouth.
Louro was also the Corsairs' representative on the All-Tournament Team following the UMass Dartmouth Invitational for leading her team to victories over UMass Boston and Southern Maine.
equestrian
EquestrianCoach Susan Yacubian's UMass Dartmouth equestrian team hosted its second annual Intercollegiate Horse in October and its first as a the newest varsity team on campus.
Five riders earned first place honors in their respective events with 12 riders overall placing in their events. Sarah Roberts (Pembroke, MA) took first place in Intermediate Fences and fifth in Intermediate Flat while Cara David (Mendon, MA) took first in Novice Fences and second in Novice Flats. Mary-Ellen Blombach (Hudson, MA) qualified for Regionals with a first place finish in Intermediate Flat and a fourth in Intermediate Fences. Andrea Dodge (E. Bridgewater, MA) took first in Intermediate Fences and third in Intermediate Flat and Melissa Sherlin (Rutland, MA) was first in Beginner Walk-Trot-Canter.
Lisa Haynes finished second in Novice Flat and Novice Fences, Becky Reddick (Walpole, MA) was second in Advanced Walk-Trot Canter and Sarah Richardson (Barrington, RI) was fourth in Novice Fences and sixth in Novice Flat. Among the Corsairs' other top finishers were Becky Torres (Mattapoisett, MA) , third in Beginner Walk-Trot-Canter, Monica Asaff (Taunton, MA) , fifth in Beginner Walk Trot Canter , Jill Pacheco (Dighton, MA) third in Beginner Walk-Trot Canter and Pam Silva was fifth in Walk-Trot.
Sports Notes
The 1997 UMass Dartmouth Corsair Hall of Fame inductees honored at Homecoming Weekend ceremonies included William Kewer (SMU, `89), Paul Hart (SMU `89), Roger Canto (SMU `74), Charles Frascatore (BDCT, `61), Willard 'Phil' Wetterland (BDCT, 1957), Temple (Pettway) Mitchell (UMass Dartmouth '92) and the 1981-82 SMU women's swim team. Arnold Oliver, the first soccer coach at then Southeastern Massachusetts Technological Institute (SMTI) during the 1966 season, was honored posthumously......The Westport Girls Softball League honored UMass Dartmouth assistant field hockey and softball coach Joan Allison for donating her time and talents to the league for the last four years. Allison helped girls, aged 8-14, improve their softball skills, especially in pitching.Coach Bruce Wheeler's Corsairs captured the 1997 Babson Fall Classic. Senior Ryan Pinto (New Bedford, MA) picked up the victory in a 4-2 win over Assumption before the Corsairs dropped a 4-2 decision to Babson College. UMass Dartmouth came back behind freshaman pitcher Jason Hinchcliff (New Bedford, MA) to beat Stonehill, 5-3 and advance to the tourney finals. Freshman Bob Haskins (Brockton, MA) was the winning pitcher for UMass Dartmouth in a 5-4 victory over Assumption for the title. Senior captain Eric Alberto (Fall River, MA) was the tournament Most Valuable Player
Coach Lisa Cabral'scheerleaders placed first for the fourth consecutive year in the co-ed division of the eighth annual Emmanuel College Open Invitational Cheerleading competition. Members of the UMass Dartmouth squad included captains Eric Bichao (Gloucester, MA) and Christie Cardoza (Fairhaven, MA), plus Amy Carroll (Fall River, MA), Allison Mulcahy (Wethersfield, CT), Christine Patnaude (West Springfield, MA), Kelly Syer (Easthampton, MA), Jen Sargent (Raynham, MA), Kim DePina (Brockton, MA), Chris Ferreira, Mandy LeGacy, Kelly Davision, Jamie Charrier and Ashley Cohen (Northboro, MA)......UMass Dartmouth field hockey and softball coach Marilyn Ritz was inducted into the Westport High School Hall of Fame. Ritz played field hockey, volleyball, basketball and softball at Westport High, earning the award as the beat all-around female athlete in 1969
Paul Fistori was named the new golf coach at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Fistori had been part of the UMass Dartmouth community since 1971, serving as the university's Registrar until 1996.
Jim Mullins
Administrative Assistant
for Promotion/Public Information
UMass Dartmouth Athletic Department
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
Dartmouth, MA 02747-2300
Phone: (508) 999-6930
Fax: (508) 999-8867
JMullins@UMassD.edu
(If your browser does not support the "mail to" function,
then this link will not work.)
Contact Info:
- Hotline: 508.999.8751
- Gym & Pool Hours: 508.910.6910
- Fitness Center Hours: 508.910.6921
- Coaches and Directors List
