Senior free safety Gavin O’Reilly (Cheshire, Conn.) forced and returned a fumble 58 yards for a Bantam touchdown, and junior receiver/punter/holder Joe Wahl (Riverside, R.I.) ran into the end zone from four yards out on a fake field goal. Ward threw a six-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Sean Clare (Bridgewater, N.J.) for his first career touchdown catch, and a 20-yard scoring strike to Ward late in the game. Wahl caught five passes for 55 yards and Clare finished with a career-high 73 receiving yards on four catches.

Senior captain running back Brian Fabrizio (Norwell, Mass.) paced the Trinity running game with 55 yards on 18 carries. Defensively, junior end Jamie Creed (Valley Forge, Pa.) had nine tackles with two sacks and forced one of three fumbles, while senior linebacker Curtis Tubbs (Rochester, Mass.) had a team-high 10 hits.

Trinity, coached by Chuck Priore, finished tied with Williams for first place in the NESCAC with a 7-1 record. The Bantams share the top record in the conference for the first time since 1996, when they also shared the top spot with Williams at 7-1. Trinity led the league in total defense (220 yds. allowed per game), rushing defense (69.0 yds. allowed per game), and scoring defense (13.8 points allowed per game). The Bantams were also third in the NESCAC in both rushing offense with 182 yards per game on the ground and pass efficiency with a rating of 118.7, and fourth in the conference in scoring offense at 23.5 ppg.

Individually, Creed and freshman defensive lineman Michael Blair (Plymouth, N.H.) finished second in the NESCAC in sacks with 5.5 each (0.69 per game), while Wahl ended up fourth in the league with a 35.1-yard average per punt, and junior running back Tom Pierandri (Ridgefield, Conn.) was 10th in the conference in rushing with 66.0 yards per game. Creed was named to the NESCAC honor roll for his outstanding play in the Wesleyan game.

The Bantams finished as the No. 6-ranked team in the final New England Division III Poll.

This week’s poll:
1. Mass.-Dartmouth 85
2. Springfield 81
3. Westfield State 8-1
4. Worcester State 9-1
5. Williams 7-1
6. Trinity (Conn.) 7-1
7. Amherst 6-2
8. Curry 7-2
9. Western Connecticut 6-3
10. Wesleyan 5-3

Fifteen seniors finished their Trinity football career against Wesleyan, including Fabrizio at running back, Justin Moore (Berlin, Conn.) at center, David Midura (North Easton, Mass.) at linebacker, and David Rooney (Spring Lake, N.J.) at nose tackle. Fabrizio and Moore were vital parts of the Bantam offense, as Fabrizio started for four years and Moore for the last three. Fabrizo ran the ball 117 times for 512 yards (4.4 yds. per carry) and five touchdowns this fall, along with two catches out of the backfield for 51 yards, one kickoff return for 10 yards, and six punt returns for 41 yards. Fabrizio shared the ball-carrying load with Pierandri, who led the Bantams with 146 carries for 535 yards and five touchdowns and caught eight balls for 55 yards. Freshman running back Brad Davis (Marlborough, N.H.) enjoyed a fine rookie campaign with 29 rushes for 239 yards (8.2 yds. per carry) and two touchdowns, including an 85-yard scoring scamper at Williams, and nine kickoff returns for a 19.4 per-attempt average. For his career, Fabrizio rushed the ball 507 times for 2,145 yards (5th all-time) for 4.32 yards per carry and 18 touchdowns, caught 43 passes (6th all-time among running backs) for 550 yards (12.8 yds. per rec.) and three scores, and totaled 107 yards on 11 kick returns for a total of 2,802 all-purpose yards.

Moore started all eight games at center, helping Trinity rush for 1,474 yards (4.2 yds. per carry) and anchored an offensive line that yielded just four sacks. Senior guard Dan Smith (Garden City, N.Y.) also started all eight games on the Trinity offensive line and senior guard Tom Good (Mission Hills, Kansas) provided quality depth at various positions. Juniors Jared Carillo (Windsor, Conn.), second team All-NESCAC in 2001, and Brendan Bowes (Quincy, Mass.) started every game at left tackle and left guard, respectively, while sophomores Devin Malay (Reading, Mass.) and Matt Schiffman (Potomac, Md.) were an effective combination at right tackle. Junior Jake Sexton (Hyannis, Mass.) and sophomore Patrick McBrien (Norton, Mass.) manned the tight end position, with Sexton catching six passes for 80 yards and a touchdown and McBrien receiving four passes for 20 yards. Moore was a three-year starter at center.

Ward started all eight games at quarterback, completing 86 out of 164 passes (52.4 completion percentage) for 1,080 yards and eight touchdowns with six interceptions. An All-NESCAC second team selection in 2001, Ward also ran for 132 yards and two scores. Classmate Patrick Marinaro (Palo Alto, Calif.) played in four games, completing nine out of 14 passes for 95 yards and one score. For his career, Ward completed 346 (2nd all-time) out of 698 passes (2nd all-time) for 4,045 yards (2nd all-time) and 23 touchdowns (10th all-time) with 22 interceptions and a 102.8 efficiency rating. He also ran for 102 yards and six scores.

Ward completed passes to 14 different pass catchers, led by Wahl and sophomore Bradley Soules (Simsbury, Conn), who each caught 18 passes for 247 yards, although Wahl found the end zone five times through the air and twice on fake field goals. Sophomore wide receiver Patrick Straub (Potomac, Md.) had 12 receptions for 154 yards, and Clare had 10 catches for 140 yards and one score. Sophomore wide out Drew Finkeldey (Essex, Conn.) caught six passes for 66 yards and one touchdown and senior receiver Kevin Waters (Garden City, N.Y.) had five catches for 62 yards and a score. Finkeldey also averaged 4.6 yards on four punt returns, 19.8 yards on five kickoff returns, and made 11 tackles (seven solo) on kick coverage. Senior placekicker Skip Sullivan (Milton, Mass.) converted on 18 out of 25 extra-point tries and made two field goals (long of 38 yards), while Wahl dropped seven punts inside the opponents 20-yard line. and registered a 35.1 per-attempt average. Junior Matt Glasz (North Haven, Conn.) returned four punts for 31 yards (7.8 avg.) and five kickoffs for 131 yards (26.2 avg.). For his career, Waters totaled 63 catches (10th all-time) for 754 yards (12.0 yds. per rec.) and four touchdowns. Sullivan made 59 PAT’s and 17 field goals (3rd all-time) for a total of 110 points (3rd all-time) in his career, and booted a 48-yarder in 1999 to tie the College’s record for longest field goal.

Midura, a two-year captain, Tubbs, and reserve linebackers Mike McGee (Norwood, Mass.) and Mark Padilla (Derby, Conn.) also closed out their football college football careers against Wesleyan. Midura, who switched to the outside after three years and two years as a starter at inside linebacker, had 26 tackles (12 solo) this season, four tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups and a fumble recovery. Tubbs who moved into the starting lineup on the inside after five games, led Trinity with 56 tackles (35 solo), and added seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. For his career, Midura had 153 tackles (73 solo), 13 tackles for loss, eight pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and three sacks, while Tubbs totaled 93 tackles (55 solo), 13 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.

Junior inside linebacker Greg Tanner (Wellesley, Mass.) started all seven games in which he played with 44 tackles (20 solo), six tackles for loss, two interceptions, and three fumble recoveries. Junior Fernando Cuartas (Greenwich, Conn.) and sophomore Raymond Panza (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) were solid on the inside as well, as Cuartas made 22 hits (12 solo) and broke up two passes and Panza posted 23 tackles (13 solo). At outside linebacker, sophomores Avery Esdaile (New Haven, Conn.) started all eight games with 16 tackles (four solo), three pass breakups and an interceptions, and classmate Michael Dendas (Branford, Conn.) notched 19 hits (10 solo) and three for losses.

O’Reilly anchored the Trinity secondary this fall, starting all eight games with 47 tackles (2nd on the team), 24 solo hits, two sacks, six pass breakups, two interceptions, and a forced fumble which he recovered and returned 58 yards for a touchdown at Wesleyan. The Trinity secondary was a deep and consistent unit, as Glasz, fellow junior cornerback Andrew Whipple (Marblehead, Mass.) and sophomore strong safety Aaron Goldstein (Edina, Minn.) all joined O’Reilly in the starting lineup for every game. Whipple had 14 tackles (nine solo), four pass breakups, a blocked kick, and a safety, while Glasz totaled 43 tackles (32 solo was 2nd on the team), three tackles for loss, a team-high 11 pass breakups, an interception, and two blocked kicks, and Goldstein finished with 31 hits 1(19 solo), and five pass breakups. Sophomore corners Duane Tyler (Mitchellville, Md.) and Paris Farrell (Philadelphia, Pa.) and junior safety Tim Mullaney (Wellesley, Mass.) each saw action in all the games as well. All three picked off a pass, and Farrell returned his for 22 yards, while Tyler had 20 tackles (13 solo) and a fumble recovery for a touchdown, Farrell made 14 tackles (12 solo), and Mullaney recorded 33 tackles (17 solo), two for losses, an interception, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. For his career, O’Reilly tallied 120 tackles (64 solo), six tackles for loss, 12 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two sacks, and four interceptions and a 58-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

Rooney, who finished his Bantam career along with defensive lineman Dan Jacobs (West Chester, Pa.) at Wesleyan, was the top player on the Bantam defensive line that held opponents to 69 rushing yards this season often taking up two blockers against both the pass and the run. Second team all-NESCAC last fall, Rooney finished with 26 tackles (14 solo), five tackles for loss, three sacks, and a fumble recovery in eight starts at nose tackle this fall. Creed and sophomore end Chris MacNamara (Dallas, Texas) each started all eight games with Rooney, while Blair was a force at both positions on the line as a rookie. Creed had 30 tackles (17 solo) and seven pressures, while MacNamara made 24 hits (14 solo) with four for loss, 1.5 sacks, six pressures, and a fumble recovery, and Blair notched 25 tackles (solo), team-highs of 11 tackles for loss and 10 pressures, and 6.5 sacks to tie Creed for the team lead. For his career, Rooney totaled 80 tackles (42 solo), 14 tackles for losses, three fumble recoveries, and 7.5 sacks, while Jacobs recorded 14 tackles and a sack in his career.

The Trinity College volleyball team lost, 3-0, at Williams in the quarter-final round of the NESCAC Championship Tournament on Nov. 8 to finish the 2002 season.

Sophomore opposite hitter Charlotte Grassi (Chevy Chase, Md.) totaled seven digs, five kills, and three aces at top-seeded Williams, while freshman defensive specialist Chelsea Lake (Minneapolis, Minn.) added 10 digs for the No. 8-seeded Bantams.

Trinity, coached by Angela Mills, finished its 2002 NESCAC slate with a 4-6 record to finish tied with Middlebury for seventh place in the league. Trinity is fourth in the league in digs with 17.59 per game. Freshman outside hitter Lucy Hollis (Mount Kisco, N.Y.) is second in the conference in digs with 4.41 per game (410), and classmate Chelsea Lake (Minneapolis, Minn.) is seventh with 3.71 per game (367). Hollis is also tied for 10th in the NESCAC with 0.51 service aces per game (47).

Senior co-captain setter Christine Horton (San Marino, Calif.) finished her fine career against Williams, played in all 31 matches and appearing in 115 games. Horton led Trinity in assists with 787 and totaled 75 kills, 28 aces (3rd on the team), 197 digs (4th on the team), and 19 blocks. Horton finishes her career as Trinity’s all-time assist leader with 4,060 in 123 matches and 247 games (2nd all-time). She is tied for second on the College’s all-time service aces list with 155 and third all-time in digs with 955. Horton also totaled 247 kills and 110 blocks in her four years.

Junior co-captain middle blocker Carolyn Walker (Winston-Salem, N.C.) played in all 31 matches and appeared in all 117 games at middle blocker, tallying a team-high 96 blocks (63 solo and 33 assists), 125 kills, 64 digs, 18 aces, and a .142 hitting percentage. Hunter played in 113 matches and appeared in 113 matches with a team-highs of 320 kills and a .142 hitting percentage, along with 46 aces (2nd on the team), 279 digs (3rd on the team), and 47 blocks (29 solos and 18 assists was 3rd on the team), while Grassi had 165 kills (3rd on the team), 45 blocks (4th on the team), 174 digs, 13 aces, and a .127 hitting percentage in 26 matches (93 games). Sophomore setter Justyn Bellsey (San Francisco, Calif.) added 216 assists (2nd on the team), 72 digs and 23 service aces in 26 matches (65 games), while sophomore defensive specialist Sarah Freilich (Avon, Conn.) had 160 digs in 29 matches (67 games).

The Bantam freshman class boasted four players who made an immediate impact on the team’s success in their firsts seasons. Hollis led Trinity in digs with 410 and aces with 48, and notched 243 kills (2nd on the team) and 24 blocks in 26 matches (96 games). Middle blocker Sarah Carter (Durham, N.H.) totaled 52 blocks (31 solos and 21 assists was 2nd on the team), 154 kills (4th on the team), 27 aces (4th on the team), and 136 digs in 31 matches (appeared in all 117 games), while Lake recorded 377 digs (2nd on the team) in 31 matches (102 games), and outside hitter Irena Tsvetkova (Sofia, Bulgaria) finished with 44 kills, 25 aces, and 140 digs in 24 matches (72 games).