Helal won her quarterfinal and semifinal matches the next day to reach her second consecutive national final. In the quarterfinals, Helal downed Saunders, 3-0, and surrendered a total of seven points in three games in her semi-final win. In the finals, Helal overwhelmed Princeton’s Runa Reta (Calgary, Alberta), 9-4, 9-0, 1-9, 9-3 to earn her second consecutive championship title after defeating Leong in last year’s final. Freshman Larissa Stephenson (Auckland, New Zealand) reached the finals of the consolation tourney and sophomore Meridy Vollmer (Cincinnati, Ohio) advanced to the semifinals of the “B” Singles Tournament Hollaran Cup for the Bantams.

Helal who capture the mid-season Constable Tournament title and the CSA Singles title for the second year in a row, posted a 14-2 record for the season. Freshman Rhea Bhandare (Bombay, India) finished with 16 victories in 18 matches (13-0 in duals) for the season, while Vollmer posted a 15-2 mark (12-0 in duals). Leong posted an 13-2 record (8-0 in duals) and freshman Maria Restrepo (Medellin, Colombia)) tied Bhandare for the team lead in wins at 16-3 (10-0 in duals).

Among the other top players for the Bantams, Stephenson was 15-5 for the season, sophomore Bronwyn Cooper (Harare, Zimbabwe) was 14-5, and Austin was 13-4, while Saunders and freshman Margot Kearney (Rye, N.Y.) were each 9-2. Austin finishes her career with a 51-12 record (3rd all-time in wins). Senior Suzanne Schwartz (Villanova, Pa.) finishes her career with a 19-11 record after going 9-2 this season and classmate Amy Brown (West Hartford, Conn.) closes her career at 29-19 with a 6-2 record this year. Freshman Katie Peck (Cockeysville, Md.) was 10-2 this season.

The Trinity College men’s squash team defeated Dartmouth, 9-0, Harvard, 8-1, and Princeton, 6-3, in the CSA Team Championships (Potter Trophy) on Feb. 21-23 at Princeton to win its fifth consecutive national team title. The Bantams closed the season in the CSA Singles Championships at home on Feb. 28-Mar. 2.

Sophomore Bernardo Samper (Bogota, Colombia), the nation’s top-ranked player, downed the nation’s No. 8 player, Ryan Donegan (New Orleans, La.) 3-0, at the top position against Dartmouth, which was ranked No. 8 in the nation entering the match.

Trinity, which downed Dartmouth, 9-0, in its regular season meeting in January, did not lose a game in the nine individual matches and won three matches without allowing a single point scored upon them. Juniors Michael Ferreira (Stamford, England) and Nada Oman (Port Elizabeth, South Africa) and senior Carl Baggily (Toronto, Ontario) won their respective matches at No. 2, No. 6, and No. 9 by 9-0, 9-0, 9-0 scores for the Bantams.

Ferreira won a 3-0 decision at the No. 2 position in the semifinals against Harvard, which was ranked No. 4 nationally entering the match. Seven Bantams posted 3-0 triumphs in the victory, although Samper was surprised by Crimson freshman Will Broadband (Greenwich, Conn.), who came back from a 2-9 loss in the first game to give Samper his first career loss in an intercollegiate varsity match.

Senior co-captain Jonathan Smith (Leeds, England) won the deciding match, 3-0, at the No. 7 position in the finals at No. 2 Princeton. Trinity, ranked No. 1 in the nation for the entire season, finished the season with a 19-0 record, tying a College record for wins and extended its winning streak to 90 consecutive matches dating back to 1998. The Bantams won their fifth consecutive Potter Trophy title with the win over the No. 2-seeded Tigers. The Bantams had defeated Princeton, 8-1, in the regular finale last weekend in Hartford.

With Trinity leading the match, 4-1, Smith won a pair of tough games to take a 2-0 lead and blasted his opponent, 9-1, in the third game to give Trinity the five matches it needed for the title. Oman and Baggily gave the Bantams a 2-0 early with quick, 3-0, victories. Junior Patrick Malay (Boston, Mass.) posted a 3-1 win at No. 8 and sophomore No. 5 Regard Schonborn (Bloemfontien, South Africa) won, 3-0. Trinity freshman Vain Baden (Lasagna, Switzerland) rounded out the scoring with a grueling, 3-2, at the No. 4 spot.

At the Singles Championships, Samper, the defending champion and No. 2 seed, won his first round match, and defeated Oman, 3-0, to reach the quarters. Ferreira, the No. 5 seed, made his way to the quarters in impressive fashion, winning both his matches in three games, while senior co-captain and No. 11 seed Nicholas Kyme (Pembroke, Bermuda) upset the No. 6 seed in the second round, 9-6, 3-9, 9-5, 9-7 to advance.

The next day, Samper won his quarterfinal match before falling in the semis to Will Evans (Auckland, New Zealand), of Princeton. Ferreira made his way to the semifinals as well, before falling in heartbreaking fashion, 6-9, 7-9, 9-3, 9-7, 9-1 to top-seeded freshman Yasser El Halaby (Cairo, Egypt), also of Princeton. Baglio reached the finals of the consolation bracket to conclude his brilliant career.

Senior Thaddeus Roberts (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Schonborn finished tied for the best record on the team at 12-0 apiece, while Smith and freshmen Nick Raho (Rye, N.Y.) and Tripp Kyle (Jenkintown, Pa.) each finished 9-0. Baglio had a team-high 17 wins in 19 matches (14-0 in dual matches), while Badan ended up 14-1 (13-0 in duals), Kyme was 14-3 (12-2 in duals), and freshman Cole Smith (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) was 11-1.

Among the other top players for the Bantams, Malloy was 10-2 for the season (10-0 in duals), Osman was 8-1 (7-0 in duals), and freshman Jacques Swanipoel (Bloemfontein, South Africa) was 8-2 (7-0 in duals). Samper and Ferreira were both 8-3 and 5-2 in dual matches. Kyme closes his fine career with a 59-10 record (3rd all-time in wins), while Smith finishes an astonishing 47-1 (3rd all-time in winning percentage), and Baglio ends up 43-2 (4th all-time in winning percentage). Roberts closes his career with 24 triumphs and 0 defeats to become the second Bantam to finish his career with 20 or more wins without a loss.

Indoor Track Goes to Championship Meets, Bak to USA Indoor Meet

The Trinity College men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams finished ninth and 18th, respectively, in their respective New England Division III Championships at MIT and Bowdoin on Feb. 21-22. The Bantam teams sent representatives to the New England Open Championships at Boston for the men and Smith for the women on Feb. 28-Mar. 1.

Senior tri-captain Ryan Bak (Suffield, Conn.) ran his way to yet another pair of titles, winning both the 1,000- and 1,500-meter runs in the New England Division III Championships. Bak emerged victorious with College record times of 2:27.47 in the 1,000 meters and 3:47.84 in the 1,500 meters (also a New England Division III Indoor Championship Meet Record). Trinity senior tri-captain Jim Emord (Bridgewater, Mass.) ran a 15:25.16 in the 5,000-meter run for a fifth place finish, and classmate Josh Griffis (Templeton, Mass.) tossed the shot 46’07.50” to place sixth.

Sophomore Christina Kane (Springfield, Mass.) finished fourth in the 1,500-meter run with a time 4:36.49, while senior tri-captain Leanne Rheaume (Pittsfield, Mass.) clocked in a time of 18:22.69 in the 5,000 meters for an eighth place finish. Kane, junior Elizabeth Brown (Belmont, Mass.), freshman Jackie Kupper (Wethersfield, Conn.), and senior tri-captain Kate Klein (Huntington, Vt.) finished eighth in the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 9:53.95. The three men’s and five women’s competititors were all named All-New England for their outstanding performances.

Bak finished eighth in the 1,500-meter run in the United States Track and Field Indoor Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center at Northeastern University on Mar. 1. Bak set a personal record of 3:44.61 in the race and was a bit over two seconds behind the winner in a race where Bak was competed against an elite group of Olympic hopefuls. Fellow Bantam senior Jim Emord (Bridgewater, Mass.) finished 12th in the New England Open Championships at 15:02.47.

Trinity will compete in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Championships at Tufts on Mar. 7-8.

The Trinity College men’s basketball team lost at Wesleyan, 88-76, in the quarterfinal round of the 2002-03 NESCAC Championship Tournament on Feb. 22.

In the NESCAC Quarterfinals at No. 4-seeded Wesleyan, Trinity, seeded No. 5, shot just 39.5 percent from the field in the second half (15-38), and made four three-pointers in the game in 20 tries. Freshman forward Tyler Rhoten (Ridgewood, N.J.) led the way with 30 points, his third 30-plus point effort of the season, making 14 out of 21 field goal attempts. He also pulled down a team-high, 15 rebounds. Trinity sophomore guard Jesse Farrell (Minneapolis, Minn.) added 12 points and five assists, and senior tri-captain forward Ryan Uszenksi (Woodbridge, N.J.) totaled 11 points and three steals.

Trinity, coached by Stan Ogrodnik, finished the regular season in a three-way tie with Tufts and Wesleyan for third place in the NESCAC. Trinity leads the NESCAC in field goal percentage at 47.8 percent (710-1485) and is third in rebounding margin at +4.1 boards per game. Senior tri-captain forward Corey Days (Baltimore, Md.) leads the league in blocked shots at 2.04 per game (49) and field goal shooting at 61.7 percent (87-141), while Farrell is second in the conference and third in the nation in assists with 7.33 per game (176 is third highest total in Trinity history). Rhoten leads the conference in free throw shooting at 83.6 percent (61-73), is second in the NESCAC in scoring with 19.6 ppg, fifth in rebounding with 8.1 per contest (194), and third field goal shooting at 54.8 percent (205-374). Sophomore guard John Halas (White Plains, N.Y.) is fourth in the league in steals with 1.88 per game (45), eighth in assists with 3.38 per game (81) and 16th in scoring at 13.0 ppg. Uszenski is sixth in the NESCAC in steals with 1.70 per game (39) and 10th in assists with 2.96 per contest (68). Rhoten was named to his fourth consecutive NESCAC honor roll for his great performance in the NESCAC Tournament.

Following Rhoten and Halas among the Trinity scoring leaders, was Uszenski with 11.6 ppg, Days with 9.1 ppg, and junior guard Shaun Smyth (Manchester, Conn.) with 8.2 ppg. Rhoten played in all 24 games with 23 starts, adding 55 assists, 24 steals, and nine blocks to his other impressive statistics. He led the team in rebounds 16 times and scoring 14 times this season. Halas started all 24 games at guard, averaging 3.5 rebounds per game and totaling 14 blocked shots. He shot 41.2 percent from the field (105-255), 36.7 percent from three-point range (51-139), and 70.4 percent from the foul line (50-71). Smyth played in all 24 games with one start at shooting guard, averaging 1.9 rebounds, and totaling 34 assists, and 20 steals. He shot 49.7 percent from the field (74-149), 33.9 percent from beyond the three-point line (20-59) and 70 percent from the foul line (28-40).

In addition to owning several statistics that appear among the NESCAC’s best, Uszenski and Days were both complete players with superior defensive skills. Uszenski started 23 games at forward, finishing third on the team at 11.6 ppg and 4.8 rebounds per contest. He shot 40.5 percent from the field (102-252), 26.8 percent from three-point range (22-82), and 72.7 percent from the foul line (40-55). Days played in all 24 games with 21 starts as an undersized center, finishing second on the team in rebounds at 6.2 per game and averaging 9.1 ppg. Days totaled 38 assists and 23 steals, while shooting 66.2 percent from the charity stripe (45-68). Uszenksi finishes his career with 710 points, 340 rebounds, 168 assists, and 142 steals. Days ends his three-year career with 324 points, 252 rebounds, 60 assists, 41 steals, and 91 blocked shots.

Farrell started all 24 games at the point, averaging 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, and notching 34 steals. He shot 44.9 percent from the field (48-107), 30.3 percent from three-point territory (10-33), and 66.7 percent on free throws (44-66). Classmate Darren Baker (Lakehurst, N.J.) played in all 24 games at forward with four starts, averaging 6.9 ppg and 3.1 boards per game. He shot 50.8 percent from the field (65-128) and 66.7 percent from the foul line (28-42).

Other Bantams who made significant contributions to the team this season include senior tri-captain guard Benjamin Max (Bantam, Conn.), sophomore forward Aaron Goldstein (Edina, Minn.) and freshman forward Kevin Reed (Downsville, N.Y.). Max played in 18 games, averaging 0.4 points and 1.1 rebounds. He finishes his two-year career with 25 games played, seven points, 22 rebounds, and 10 assists. Goldstein, also a two-year letterwinner for Trinity’s NESCAC Champion football team and an outfielder/first baseman for the Bantam baseball squad, walked on to the basketball team this season. He played in 14 contests, averaging 0.9 points and 1.2 boards per game. Reed played in 16 games and averaged 3.1 ppg and 2.9 rebounds per game. He shot 36.2 percent from the field (17-47) and 69.6 percent from the foul line (16-23).

The Trinity College women’s basketball team lost at Bowdoin, 88-53, in the quarterfinal round of the NESCAC Championship Tournament on Feb. 22

In the NESCAC Quarterfinals at Bowdoin, which was ranked No. 1 in New England and No. 6 in the nation entering the game, the top-seeded Polar Bears outscored the Bantams 48-16 in the second half. The Bantams went on a 19-8 to take a 35-34 lead in the first half and trailed by a point in the second half, before a 42-4 Bowdoin run over the next 12 minutes put the game pout of reach. Trinity ended with three players in double-digits, led by freshman forward Jennifer Gargiulo (Boxborough, Mass.) with 17. Sophomore forward Michelle McCaffrey (West Springfield, Mass.) had 14 points and nine boards, and classmate Rebecca Bell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added 12 points and four steals for the Bantams.

Trinity, coached by Maureen Pine, finished the regular season tied with Amherst for eighth place in the NESCAC with a 2-7 league record. Sophomore guard Tracy Nesbit (Wellesley, Mass.) leads the league in assists at 4.55 per game (100), while Bell is third in the conference in three-point field goal shooting at 37.9 percent (36-95, 36 made tied for team-high this season, 37.9 percentage is fifth best in Trinity history) and 12th in scoring with 13.1 ppg. McCaffrey is fourth in the NESCAC in scoring with 16.0 ppg, eighth in rebounding with 7.0 per contest (155), sixth in free throw percentage at 73.5 percent (75-102), and seventh in field goal percentage at 49.5 percent (138-279). Gargiulo is second in the league in rebounds with 9.5 per game (208) and 19th in scoring at 10.6 ppg.

Following McCaffrey, Bell, and Gargiulo among the Trinity scoring leaders, was senior captain guard Elizabeth Bontempo (Granby, Mass.) at 6.7 ppg and Nesbit with 4.2 ppg. Bontempo started all 22 games at guard, averaging 1.9 rebounds per game and totaling 44 assists and 42 steals. She shot 29.6 percent from the field (53-179) and 28.1 percent from three-point range (36-128, 36 made tied with Bell for team-high). Bontempo finishes her career with 78 games played (35 starts), 463 points (5.9 ppg), 161 rebounds, 128 assists, and 65 steals. She shot 37.7 percent from the field (155-411), 35.0 percent from three-point range (55-157), and 76.0 percent from the foul line (2nd highest percentage all-time, 98-129). Nesbit started all 22 games at point guard, totaling 61 rebounds (2.8 per game) and 25 steals. She shot 34.7 percent from the field (33-95) and 60.5 percent from the foul line (26-43).

McCaffrey started all 22 games at forward, totaling 61 assists and 44 steals. She led Trinity in scoring 12 times and rebounding seven times this season. Bell played in 22 games with 21 starts at forward and center, averaging 4.5 rebounds per game and notching 50 assists, 36 steals, and 15 blocks. She shot 43.2 percent from the field (108-250) and 74.0 percent from the foul line (37-50). Gargiulo played in all 22 games with 18 starts, finishing with 43 assists and 25 steals and shooting 42.1 percent from the field (80-190) and 67.3 percent from the charity stripe (74-110). She led trinity in rebounding 13 times this season.

Freshman guard Kerri Stumpo (Walpole, Mass.) played in 21 games with one start, totaling 72 points (3.4 per game), 34 rebounds (1.6 per game), and 36 assists. She shot 26.3 percent from the field (21-80), 31.0 percent from three-point territory (13-42), and 70.8 percent from the foul line (17-24). Freshman guard Deidre Savageau (Framingham, Mass.) played in 10 games between transferring to Trinity in mid-season and suffering a season-ending injury. She totaled 49 points (4.9 per game) and 11 assists. She shot 34.9 percent from the field (15-43) and 66.7 percent from the foul line (16-24). Another freshman guard, Lindsey Freeman (Hudson, Mass.), played in 14 games, totaling 18 points (1.3 per game) and 14 rebounds (1.0 per game).