Southern New Hampshire University Athletics
Week at a Glance (February 17-23, 2020)
Female Athlete of the Week: Maura Coakley - Women's Track & Field - Jr.
Maura Coakley (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) won a pair of events, as women's track & field finished with a program record 96 points and placed fourth at the Northeast-10 Indoor Track & Field Championships, which concluded Friday at the Reggie Lewis Track and Field Center. Coakley turned in a new personal best of 17:44.87 to win the 5,000m race Thursday, before taking the 3,000m run with a time of 10:25.38 Friday.
Male Athlete of the Week: Tom Blandini - Baseball - Sr., SS
Tom Blandini (Bow, N.H.) put together a scorching week for the Penmen, as they went a perfect 5-0 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Blandini slashed .619/.667/1.000/1.667, as he went 13-for-21 at the plate with four extra-base hits, including two home runs, eight RBI and seven runs scored. Blandini recorded multiple hits in all five games, including a trio of three-hit performances. Blandini was 6-for-9 with three RBI and two runs scored in Friday's doubleheader sweep of Felician and Mercy, and then went 5-for-8 with a home run, three RBI and four runs scored in a twin bill sweep of Dominican (N.Y.) on Saturday. Blandini homered again Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, including the game-winner in the sixth, as the Penmen erased a five-run deficit to defeat Bridgeport, 8-5. Blandini was named the Northeast-10 Player of the Week earlier Monday.
Women's Basketball (14-12, 7-11 NE10)
Last Week's Results:
2/22 at Stonehill - L, 55-68
This Week's Games:
2/25 vs. Saint Michael's - 5:00 p.m. (FOX College Sports)
2/28 vs./at TBA - TBA (NE10 Championship first round)
If win...
3/1 at TBA - TBA (NE10 Championship quarterfinals)
Notes:
- Women's basketball went 0-1 last week, dropping a 68-55 decision at Stonehill on Saturday. The team needs a win Tuesday and an Assumption loss to earn the No. 4 seed and a first round home game Friday in the Northeast-10 Championship. Any other combination and the Penmen will be the No. 5 seed, and head out on the road.
- Senior Karlee Ziliak (Evansville, Ind.) registered nine points (4-11 FG, 1-5 3-FG), two rebounds and two steals.
- Classmate Victoria Dean (Plymouth, Mass.) also scored nine points (4-7 FG, 1-3 3-FG), while grabbing three rebounds.
Men's Basketball (15-11, 8-10 NE10)
Last Week's Results:
2/22 at Stonehill - L, 75-78
This Week's Games:
2/25 vs. Saint Michael's - 7:30 p.m. (FOX College Sports)
2/28 at TBA - TBA (NE10 Championship first round)
If win...
3/1 at TBA - TBA (NE10 Championship quarterfinals)
Notes:
- Men's basketball went 0-1 last week, falling at Stonehill, 78-75, in the final seconds Saturday. The Penmen are locked in as the No. 5 seed and will hit the road for an NE10 Championship first round tilt Friday.
- Junior Michael Almonacy (Brentwood, N.Y.) scored a team-high 23 points (8-13 FG, 6-10 3-FG, 1-2 FT), to go with four rebounds and three steals.
- Senior Eamonn Joyce (Medford, Mass.) posted 16 points (5-12 FG, 1-5 3-FG, 5-10 FT) and four 4 rebounds, while classmate Shawn Montague (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) tallied 15 points (7-12 FG, 1-3 FT), seven rebounds and two steals.
Men's Ice Hockey (10-15-0, 8-10-0 NE10)
Last Week's Results:
2/18 at Stonehill - L, 2-6
2/21 at Saint Anselm - W, 3-1
2/22 vs. Saint Anselm - L, 2-4
This Week's Games:
Idle
Notes:
- Men's ice hockey went 1-2-0 last week to come up short of an NE10 postseason berth.
- Graduate student Brett Strawn (Wareham, Mass.) registered two goals and an assist, scoring in Tuesday's 6-2 loss at Stonehill, handing out an assist in Friday's 3-1 win at Saint Anselm and then finding the back of the net again Saturday in a 4-2 loss to the Hawks.
- Sophomore Travis Quigley (North Babylon, N.Y.) dished an assist in each of the three contests.
- Freshman Matt Monreal (Wauwatosa, Wis.) also recorded a point in each game. He handed out helpers Tuesday and Saturday, in addition to scoring the game's first goal Friday.
- Junior Kyle Galloway (Sugar Hill, Ga.) scored a pair of goals, as he found the back of the net against Stonehill and then added insurance in the Saint Anselm win.
- Freshman Ryan Coady (Braintree, Mass.) notched his first career goal, which proved to be the game winner against the Hawks.
- - Senior goaltender Kurt Gutting (Weymouth, Mass.) stopped 65 of the 72 shots he faced. He turned aside 13 of 16 in just over a period of action against Stonehill and then capped his career with a 52-save performance in the loss to Saint Anselm.
- Sophomore netminder JT Kossakowski (Elburn, Ill.) steered away 53 of the 56 shots he saw, including 13 of 15 against Stonehill and 40 of 41 in the win versus Saint Anselm. Sophomore Alec Marshall made four of five saves in the final eight-plus minutes of the third period at Stonehill.
Baseball (5-3, 0-0 NE10, 0-0 NE10 NE)
Last Week's Results:
2/21 vs. Felician - W, 11-2 (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
2/21 vs. Mercy - W, 10-1 (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
2/22 vs. Dominican (N.Y.) - W, 33-5 (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
2/22 vs. Dominican (N.Y.) - W, 10-2 (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
2/23 vs. Bridgeport - W, 8-5 (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
This Week's Games:
2/29 at New York Tech - 12 p.m.
2/29 at New York Tech - 3 p.m.
3/1 at New York Tech - 12 p.m.
3/1 at New York Tech - 3 p.m.
Notes:
- Baseball, ranked 23rd in the NCBWA Division II Poll, went a perfect 5-0 last week on its trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., outscoring its opponents, 72-15.
- Senior Tom Blandini (Bow, N.H.) put together a scorching week, as he slashed .619/.667/1.000/1.667, going 13-for-21 at the plate with four extra-base hits, including two home runs, eight RBI and seven runs scored. Blandini recorded multiple hits in all five games, including a trio of three-hit performances. Blandini was 6-for-9 with three RBI and two runs scored in Friday's doubleheader sweep of Felician and Mercy, and then went 5-for-8 with a home run, three RBI and four runs scored in a twin bill sweep of Dominican (N.Y.) on Saturday. Blandini homered again Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, including the game-winner in the sixth, as the Penmen erased a five-run deficit to defeat Bridgeport, 8-5. Blandini was named the Northeast-10 Player of the Week earlier Monday.
- In just his second career start, redshirt-junior Alex Gomes (Peabody, Mass.) allowed one run on three hits, over eight strong innings, while striking out a career-high 12 batters and walking just two, as SNHU defeated Mercy, 10-1, Friday. Gomes was chosen as the Northeast-10 Pitcher of the Week earlier Monday.
- Junior Dakota Mulcay (Goffstown, N.H.) put together a ridiculous slash line of .533/.611/1.067/1.678, as he went 8-for-15 at the dish with four extra-base hits, including a pair of home runs, six RBI and six runs scored. Mulcay, who collected multiple hits in all four games he played in, homered and drove in three runs, as he went 2-for-4 in a 10-2 game-two win against Dominican (N.Y.) on Saturday. Mulcay then tied the game against Bridgeport with a solo shot in the sixth inning to officially erase the deficit.
- Freshman Christian Mercedes (Providence, R.I.) went 5-for-18 (.278) with three extra-base hits, including a home run, eight RBI and six runs scored, while slashing .375/.611/.986. Mercedes, who hit safely in all five games, hit his first career home run Friday in an 11-2 win over Felician. He then drove in three runs in Saturday's 33-5 game-one win over Dominican (N.Y.) and three more versus Bridgeport.
- Junior Idelson Taveras (Lawrence, Mass.) hit .600 (6-10) with eight RBI and three runs scored, as he slashed .583/.600/1.183 and went 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts. Taveras only saw plate appearances in three games, but he collected multiple hits in two of them and multiple RBI in all three. Taveras was 2-for-3 with four RBI and a run in the victory over Mercy and then went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run in the second game against Dominican (N.Y.).
- Graduate student Endy Morales (Holyoke, Mass.) came on in relief in game one against Dominican (N.Y.). The score was tied, 5-5, when he entered and shut down the Chargers, allowing one run - unearned - on four hits, while striking out seven and walking two, over seven-plus innings.
- In his first career start, junior Jeffrey Praml (Bridgewater, N.J.) gave up one run on three hits, while punching out seven and walking one, over six innings, in game two against Dominican.
Women's Lacrosse (0-1, 0-0 NE10)
Last Week's Results:
2/21 vs. #10 Mercy - L, 6-12
This Week's Games:
2/29 vs. Dominican (N.Y.) - 12 p.m.
Notes:
- Women's lacrosse opened its season Friday with a 12-6 loss to 10th-ranked Mercy.
- Sophomore Kelsey Long (Woburn, Mass.) scored three goals.
- Freshman Skylar Renaud (E. Waterboro, Maine) notched her first career goal.
- Sophomore Hayle Ashford (Atkinson, N.H.) made seven saves.
Men's Lacrosse (0-0, 0-0 NE10)
Last Week's Results:
2/22 vs. Georgian Court - L, 7-10
This Week's Games:
2/29 at Molloy - 12 p.m.
Notes:
- Men's lacrosse began the season with a 10-7 loss Saturday at Georgian Court.
- Junior Stephen Dubois (Goffstown, N.H.) scored four times and raked in a team-high six ground balls.
- Senior Neal Murray (Marblehead, Mass.) stopped 10 shots.
- Freshman Tim Krutz (Cheshire, Conn.) handed out three assists in his first career game.
- Junior Cole Jacobsen (Dartmouth, Mass.) scored twice, while sophomore Chris Valentine (Derry, N.H.) tallied a goal and an assist.
Women's Indoor Track & Field
Last Week's Results:
2/20 at Northeast-10 Championship - 3rd/11
2/21 at Northeast-10 Championship - 4th/11
This Week's Meets:
2/28 at BU Last Chance Qualifier - 12 p.m.
Notes:
- Women's track & field finished with a program record 96 points, placing fourth at the Northeast-10 Indoor Track & Field Championships, which concluded Friday at the Reggie Lewis Track and Field Center.
- Junior Maura Coakley (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) turned in a new personal best of 17:44.87 to win the 5,000m race Thursday, before taking the 3,000m run with a time of 10:25.38 Friday.
- Senior Ashley Elder (Bristol, Conn.) won the weight throw with a toss of 15.25m Thursday and then came back Friday to top the field with a 13.96m toss in the shot put.
- The 4x800 relay team of sophomore Grace Henson (Cumberland, R.I.), sophomore Olivia Coco (Bedford, N.H.), freshman Alexarae Clark (Deer Park, N.Y.) and sophomore Ashley Corcoran (East Longmeadow, Mass.) won the race in 9:30.91 to easily set a new program record.
- Senior Jill Couto (Newton Junction, N.H.) finished runner-up in both the the 800m (2:16.22) and the mile, with her time of 5:01.43 checking in as the fastest in program history.
Women's Tennis (11-2, 9-1 NE10)
Last Week's Results:
Idle
This Week's Matches:
Idle
Notes:
- Women's tennis is off until the spring.
Men's Tennis (4-0, 0-0 NE10)
Last Week's Results:
Idle
This Week's Matches:
Idle
Notes:
- Men's tennis is off until the spring.
Women's Golf
Last Week's Results:
Idle
This Week's Matches:
Idle
Notes:
- Women's golf is off until the spring.
Men's Golf
Last Week's Results:
Idle
This Week's Matches:
Idle
Notes:
- Men's golf is off until the spring
Completed Seasons
Women's Soccer (10-6-2, 7-5-1 NE10)
Notes:
- Women's soccer earned the No. 5 seed for the Northeast-10 Championship and traveled to Bentley for a quarterfinal match, falling, 1-0.
- The team did enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship, claiming the No. 7 seed and a first round date with second-seeded and 24th-ranked Mercy. After playing to a scoreless draw through 110 minutes, the mach went to penalty kicks, where Mercy prevailed, 4-2. It was the second straight season the Penmen had their campaign ended in the first round of NCAAs on PKs, following a 0-0 tie.
- It was the fifth straight year the team posted 10 or more wins.
- SNHU finished the season 3-0-1 against nationally-ranked foes.
- The Penmen had three 20-point scorers for the first time since 1997.
- Junior Allyson Patterson (Seekonk, Mass.) was selected to the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) East All-Region First Team and also received both CoSIDA Academic All-District and Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team accolades.
- Patterson was joined on the NE10 First Team by sophomore Dorthea Glorud (Brumunddal, Norway). Senior Shae Roys (No. Billerica, Mass.) and sophomore Sydney Carney (Northborough, Mass.) earned spots on the Second Team, while junior Morgan Mscisz (Danvers, Mass.) and freshman Alyssa McCarthy (Stoneham, Mass.) received Third Team recognition. Freshmen Jordan Butters (Beverly, Mass.) and Victoria Roulston (E. Falmouth, Mass.) joined McCarthy on the All-Rookie Team.
Men's Soccer (9-4-4, 7-3-2 NE10)
Notes:
- Men's soccer finished as the No. 3 seed in the Northeast-10 standings and hosted a quarterfinal match against sixth-seeded Saint Rose. The two teams played 110 minutes of scoreless soccer, before Saint Rose advanced in penalty kicks, 6-5.
- SNHU then narrowly missed out on an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship.
- The Penmen had won 10 or more matches in 11 straight years entering the season.
- The team ended the season having gone unbeaten in 10 straight contests (7-0-3) and had not taken a loss since Sept. 28 when it dropped a 2-1 decision at No. 1 ranked Adelphi.
- Freshman Sinisa Sprecakovic (Mannheim, Germany) and junior Jannik Mohr (Koblenz, Germany) were named to the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) East All-Region Team, earning First and Second Team honors, respectively.
- Sprecakovic, an NE10 All-Conference Second Teamer, was also the conference's Co-Rookie of the Year. Mohr was joined on the All-Conference First Team by fellow junior Kiko Hernandez (Madrid, Spain), while graduate students Alex Satrustegui (San Sebastian, Spain) and João Brum (Ribeira Grande, Portugal) received Second Team nods, along with Sprecakovic. Senior Michael Goncalves (Ludlow, Mass.) received Third Team accolades, with freshman Lianick Comba (Montfermeil, France) and redshirt-sophomore Rafael Raposo (No. Dartmouth, Mass.) also joining Sprecakovic on the All-Rookie squad.
Women's Volleyball (14-13, 6-7 NE10)
Notes:
- Volleyball finished in ninth place in the Northeast-10 standings, winding up just one game out of a playoff spot.
- The team recorded its highest number of wins since the 2014 campaign when it won 17 games. That was also the last time the squad finished above .500.
- The Penmen went 11-4 in the middle portion of their schedule, but dropped their final four matches to end the season.
- Freshman Juliana Pacini (Sao Paulo, Brazil) was the lone NE10 All-Conference member for SNHU, receiving an All-Rookie Team selection.
Field Hockey (17-5, 12-2 NE10)
Notes:
- Field hockey put together its best season in program history, as it set new marks for wins, conference victories and postseason wins.
- Ranked as high as No. 5 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division II Poll, the team earned its first NCAA Championship berth after winning a pair of games in the Northeast-10 Championship to advance to its first title game, where it fell to top-seeded Saint Anselm, which would finish as the national runner-up.
- In its first round NCAA match, which it hosted at Larkin Field, the Penmen played 80 scoreless minutes against fourth-ranked Kutztown, before succumbing in penalty strokes, 3-1.
- Senior Laura van der Doorn (Beverwijk, The Netherlands) was named the NE10 Player of the Year, with freshman Lisa Hagel (Driehuis, The Netherlands) also taking home Rookie of the Year honors. van der Doorn and Hagel were joined on the All-Conference First Team by junior Hélène Servais (Brussels, Belgium), while sophomore Emily Campbell (Raynham, Mass.) and graduate student Melanie Rennie (Madison, Conn.) each garnered Third Team recognition.
Cross Country
Notes:
- The women's cross country team turned in its best season in program history, qualifying for the NCAA Division II National Championship for the first time. The Penmen started off the season on the right foot, winning the Shacklette Invitational, before eventually posting their best showing ever at the Northeast-10 Championships with a runner-up finish and then placing third at the NCAA DII East Regional Championship. The team traveled to the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento, Calif., for nationals, where it checked in 32nd, overall. Sophomore Ashley Corcoran (East Longmeadow, Mass.) capped a terrific season with a 26th-place finish to earn All-American status. Corcoran, the first All-American in SNHU history, clocked the fastest 6k in program history at 20:51.7.
- In addition to All-America honors, Corcoran was also named an NE10 All-Conference First Team selection, with freshman Lydia Mathson (Nashua, N.H.) earning Second Team accolades, and sophomore Grace Henson (Cumberland, R.I.) and freshman Alexarae Clark (Deer Park, N.Y.) receiving Third Team nods.
- The men's squad narrowly missed out on advancing to nationals for the second consecutive season, as it finished sixth at regionals. The team captured the Shacklette to start the year and turned in a fifth-place showing at NE10s. Junior Micah Hewitson (New Market, Md.) qualified for nationals as an individual, finishing finishing 154th, overall, in a time of 32:03.3. The time was just two seconds off his best 10K of the season, which he set at the NCAA East Regional Championship on Nov. 9 (32:01).
- Hewitson earned NE10 Second Team honors and was joined by classmate Cedric Jocelyn (Nyack, N.Y.). Sophomore Conner Leone (Southington, Conn.) received Third Team accolades.
