Trinity College

Sports Highlights

Women’s First Varsity Eight Wins Grand Final at NCAA National Regatta
Bantams Finish Third in Overall Championship Standings

The women’s first varsity eight crew finished first with a time of 6:51.34 in the Grand Final of the NCAA Division III Championship Regatta on Lake Natoma in California. The Bantams, ranked No. 1 in the nation, bested second-place Ithaca by 5.89 seconds with splits of 1:43.47.

Trinity led from the first 500 meters and steadily extended its lead to win the race going away. The Bantams have won all their races this spring, since placing second in the San Diego Classic in the opening weekend of the spring. Trinity places a highest-ever third with 13 points in the NCAA Division III Championship Overall Standings, as the Bantam second varsity eight came in sixth place in today’s petite final.

The Trinity second varsity eight almost recovered from a slow start, falling behind the Tufts boat by over two seconds early before closing to within one second over the second half of the race.

The women's first varsity eight line-up consists of senior Tara Maciog; juniors Hadley Wilmerding, Elizabeth Guernsey, and Sarah Carter; sophomores Katie Gordon and Lauren Massimino; first-year students Ali Schmidt and Carmel Zahran; and senior co-captain Emily McLean at coxswain.

The second varsity eight includes seniors Straith Schreder and Erin Conley; junior Emily Dorward; sophomores Kathryn Benfield, Nadia Zahran, and Augusta Friendsmith; and first-year students Haley Kimmet, Amanda Kulik, and Courtney Hugo.

Results
Grand Final
1. Trinity 6:51.34
2. Ithaca 6:57.23
3. Smith 7:01.44
4. Puget Sound 7:03.15
5. Williams 7:03.64
6. Colby 7:11.77
Petite Final
1. Smith II 7:01.88
2. Coast Guard 7:07.31
3. Ithaca II 7:09.01
4. Puget Sound II 7:15.57
5. Tufts 7:18.28
6. Trinity II 7:19.24

Baseball Season Comes to a Close Against Wartburg in NCAA World Series

Wartburg College’s Matthew Scherbring pitched a complete game without allowing an earned run and despite giving up 10 hits to lead the Wartburg College Knights to a 4-1 win over the Trinity College Bantams in a second round elimination game in the NCAA Division III National Baseball Championship Tournament at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. Trinity, ranked No. 1 in New England and No. 5 in the nation, ended its season with a best-ever 35-9 record.

Each team scored a run in the first inning, but Scherbring held the Bantams scoreless the rest of the way while his team took advantage of two Bantam fielding miscues in the third to take a 3-1 lead and added an insurance run in the seventh on another Trinity error, a wild pitch, a hit-by-pitch and an RBI single.

Trinity senior OF Matt Engster opened the game by reaching base on a Knight fielding error, and senior co-captain 3B Jeff Natale followed with a double to left field to put two runners in scoring position. After a walk by senior OF Aaron Goldstein, classmate Andrew Fries scored Engster on a force play from shortstop to second base. Scherbring got the next two outs on a strikeout and a fly ball to keep the score at 1-0.

Trinity put runners on first and second base in the sixth and seventh innings and had Bantams at first and third in the top of the ninth, but failed to score, leaving 10 runners stranded over nine innings. With one out in the ninth, senior OF Rob O’Leary smacked a double to right field and first-year student Chandler Barnard delivered a pinch-hit, infield single, but Scherbring again worked out of trouble to end the game. Sophomore Tim Kiely allowed just a single earned run and four hits, with three Ks and one walk in a complete-game effort, while O’Leary and Natale each had two hits for the Bantams.

Wrestling Coach Amato to Retire
Assistant Coach Gaydos Elevated to Head Position

Sebastian Amato has announced his retirement as head coach of the Trinity wrestling team after 19 seasons. Four-year Bantam assistant coach Michael Gaydos will replace Amato, becoming the fifth head coach in the history of the program.

In 2001, Amato was selected as the New England College Conference Wrestling Association (NECCWA) Coach of the Year after guiding the Bantams to their only NECCWA Championship title. Amato’s wrestlers followed that performance with the program’s only NECCWA Duals Championship title, which was instrumental in the team’s only bid to the National Duals Championships in Cleveland in 2003-04. This winter, Amato’s Trinity squad fought through several injuries to key veterans to post an 8-14 dual mark, and came together at the end to finish seventh in the NECCWA Championships and 20th in the NCAA Division III National Championships. mato finishes his career with a record of 189-194-4, including a 152-80-4 mark (.655) in the past 10 years.

Amato transformed the Trinity wrestling program into one of the finest in the region. He has coached numerous New England honorees (including six this winter), seven New England champions, nine All-Americans, and 11 Academic All-Americans. In addition, the 2003-04 squad earned awards for posting the best grade-point average in the region and the ninth best nationally. Amato was inducted into the Western New England College (his alma mater) Athletic Hall of Fame this fall and the NECCWA Hall of Fame this spring.

“I felt that this was the right time for me and for Trinity wrestling to have a change in leadership,” Amato says. “I want the time to spend with my family as my children grow up and get involved in sports and other activities, and with Coach Gaydos more than ready to take over as head coach, this transition will be smooth for me and for the team. We stuck it out through some tough years early, which has made the success of the last nine years even more satisfying. I will miss the camaraderie with the other coaches and helping the wrestlers mature as athletes and as people. My time at Trinity has really kept me young. It’s been a blast!”

Student-Athletes Receive Prestigious Awards

The College honored its 2005 student-athletes during the annual Athletic Awards Ceremony. Eight student-athletes and one recently retired Trinity staff member were selected to receive this year’s honors. President Jones and Athletic Director Rick Hazelton presented the athletes with their awards, as selected by their peers, coaches, and athletic staff.

Women’s lacrosse co-captain Beatrice Gratry ’05 was awarded the Trinity Club of Hartford Trophy as the College’s most outstanding senior female athlete.

Men’s squash co-captain Bernardo Samper ’05 as awarded the George Sheldon McCook Trophy as the College’s most outstanding senior male athlete.

Field hockey and women’s basketball player Jessica Baker ’05 received the Susan E. Martin Award as the College’s most outstanding senior female scholar athlete.

Men’s soccer co-captain Rob Bialobrzeski ’05 received the Eastern College Athletic Conference Award as the College’s most outstanding senior male scholar athlete.

Women’s squash tri-captain Maria Restrepo ’06 was named the Board of Fellows Award recipient as the College’s most outstanding junior female scholar athlete.

Baseball player Erik Paisley ’06 was named the Bob Harron Award recipient as the College’s most outstanding junior male scholar athlete.

Men’s lacrosse tri-captain David Chapman ’05 received a Robert E. Bartlett Award as the male student athlete who has combined excellence in athletics with devotion to campus and community service.

Women’s swimming and diving co-captain Kate Mortensen ’05 received a Robert E. Bartlett Award as the female student athlete who has combined excellence in athletics with devotion to campus and community service.

Women’s basketball manager Emma Kruskal ’08 was selected as the Larry Silver Award recipient for her outstanding contributions as a student to the Trinity athletic community in a non-playing capacity.

Retired Assistant to the Athletic Director Janet Willard was selected as the Bantam Award (for an unprecedented second time) recipient for her outstanding contributions as a non-student to the to Trinity athletic community in a non-coaching capacity.

Men's and women's cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field co-captains Christina Kane ’05 and James Sullivan ’05 were presented with Blanket Awards for having earned at least nine varsity letters during their Bantam athletic careers.

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