Senior tri-captain Ryan Bak (Suffield, Conn.) won the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:30.61 to lead Trinity to a best-ever, seventh place finish in the NCAA Division III Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships at DePauw University this weekend. Bak was also named the NCAA Division III New England Regional Runner of the Year and the NCAA Division III National Runner of the Year for Indoor Track and Field. He won the 1,500-meter run and was seventh in the 5,000 meters, which took place the same day as the 1,500-meter preliminary race, last season.

Bak also teamed with freshman Thomas Walsh (Springfield, Mass.), sophomore James Porter (New Haven, Conn.), and fellow senior tri-captain Bob McGovern (Warwick, R.I.) to finish fourth in the distance medley relay. All four were honored as All-Americans for their outstanding performance. Trinity women’s indoor track and field sophomore Christina Kane (Springfield, Mass.) finished ninth in her preliminary heat of the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:54.30.

The Trinity College women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams finished eighth and 11th, respectively, in their NESCAC Championship Meets at Bowdoin and Williams, on Feb. 21-23 and Feb. 28-Mar. 1.

Freshman Lindsey Jordan (Summit, N.J.) finished seventh in the 50-yard backstroke at 29.36 (tied College record with 29.10 in preliminary) and eighth in the 100-yard back (new College record of 1:02.04) in the NESCAC Championships. Junior Jennie Bartlett (Marblehead, Mass.) and freshman Amy Corvino (Florham Park, N.J.) also earned the Bantams valuable points with ninth-place performances in the 50- (32.63) and 100-yard breaststrokes (1:10.32), respectively. Corvino added an eighth-place finish in the 100-yard individual medley (1:04.59). Trinity edged Connecticut College, Bowdoin, and Wesleyan each by less than 100 points to earn its best-ever finish in the Championships.

Senior co-captain Jesse Hammond (New London, Conn.) placed eighth in the 50-yard freestyle at 21.88, while sophomore Matt DeRosa (Setauket, N.Y.) placed ninth in the 200-yard backstroke (2:00.65) in the NESCAC Championships. The 800-yard freestyle relay foursome of freshman Christian Greer (Fairfield, Conn.), senior Maurice Lee (Wayne, Pa.), DeRosa, and Hammond placed seventh with a time of 7:22.52.

Jordan finished with the team’s top time in six events this season, while Bartlett, Corvino, and freshmen Holly Thompson (Wall, N.J.) and Ashley Plosky (Vernon, Conn.) each posted the team’s top time in two events. Jordan finished the 50-yard freestyle in 26.61, the 100-yard freestyle in 58.19, the 50-yard backstroke in 29.10 (tied College record), and the 100-yard backstroke in 1:02.04 (new College record), the 200-yard backstroke in 2:21.13, and the 50-yard butterfly in 28.35. Bartlett posted times of 32.61 in the 50-yard breaststroke and 2:32.19 in the 200-yard breaststroke, while Corvino swam times of 1:10.23 in the 100-yard breaststroke and 1:04.59 in the 100-yard individual medley. Thompson had times of 5:25.61 in the 500-yard freestyle and 18:53.08 in the 1,650-yard freestyle, while Plosky posted times of 2:39.97 in the 100-yard butterfly and 2:23.08 in the 200-yard butterfly.

For the men’s team, DeRosa and Greer both posted the team-best time in six events, while Hammond has posted team-best times in four events. DeRosa finished the 50-yard backstroke in 26.19, the 100-yard backstroke in 55.94, the 200-yard backstroke in 2:00.65, the 100-yard individual medley in 1:00.02, the 200-yard individual medley in 2:10.56, and the 50-yard breaststroke in 31.89. Greer swam a 1:50.02 in the 200-yard freestyle, a 4:55.95 in the 500-yard freestyle, a 10:10.49 in the 1,000-yard freestyle, a 17:03.53 in the 1.650-yard freestyle, and a 2:08.15 in the 200-yard butterfly, and a 4:49.27 in the 400-yard individual medley. Hammond finished the 50-yard freestyle in 21.52 (new College record), the 100-yard freestyle in 47.99 (new College record), the 50-yard butterfly in 24.29 (new College record), and the 100-yard butterfly in 57.63.

Several other Bantam swimmers made significant contributions to the squads in 2002-03. Sophomore Elizabeth Ramaley (Old Greenwich, Conn.) had the team’s best time in the 200-yard free (2:03.47) and the 400-yard IM (4:52.85), junior Julia Kaye (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) swam a team-best time of 11:17.48 in the 1,000-yard freestyle, classmate Elizabeth Stoker (Westwood, Mass.) posted a team-best time of 2:21.54 in the 200-yard IM, and freshman Katie Tucker (Latham, N.Y.) recorded a team-best time of 4:57.82 in the 400-yard individual medley. Senior co-captain Kathyrn O’Donoghue (Old Westbury, N.Y.) had season-best times of 19:57.48 in the 1,650-yard freestyle and 5:04.62, both of which were the third best for the team this year. She finishes her intercollegiate career. Lee had a team-best time of 1:08.13 in the 100-yard breaststroke for the Bantam men, and classmate Michael Tobin (Upper Montclair, N.J.) swam a team-best time of 2:31.21 in the 200-yard breaststroke.

In the relays, Ramaley and Thompson combined with freshman Elena Wetmore (Trumbull, Conn.) and Jessica Zimmer (Meadville, Pa.) to post the team’s best time of the season in the 200-yard free at 1:47.05. Wetmore, Jordan, Stoker, and Kaye swam a team-best time of 3:53.22 in the 400-yard free relay, and Kaye, Posky, sophomore Brianne Barrett (Haverhill, Mass.) and Thompson finished the 800-yard free relay in a team-best time of 8:23.19. In the medley relays, Jordan, Corvino, Zimmer, and Thompson posted a team-best time of 1:56.62 in the 200-yard event, and Jordan, Bartlett, Stoker, and Thompson swam a team-best time of 4:15.62 in the 400 yards.

For the men’s relay teams, Hammond, Greer, senior co-captain Ryan Bares (New Hartford, Conn.), and freshman Chris Swanson (Wellesley, Mass.) teamed up for a team-best time of 1:30.99 in the 200-yard freestyle. Hammond, DeRosa, Greer, and sophomore Tom Pacchia (Edison, N.J.) combined to post a team-best time in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:19.91), and Greer, Lee, DeRosa, and Hammond posted a team-best time of 7:22.52 in the 800-yard free relay. DeRosa, Lee, Hammond, and Bares posted the team-best time of 1:43.82 in the 200-yard medley, and DeRosa, Lee, Greer, and Swanson had the team-best performance in the 400-yard medley event at 3:52.27. Bares, Hammond, Lee, and Tobin have finished their fine intercollegiate careers for the men.

The Trinity College wrestling team closed the regular season with a 42-11 win at Coast Guard on Feb. 6, a sweep of Springfield, 23-16, Johnson and Wales, 37-13, and Plymouth State, 35-10, in a home quad-match on Feb. 8, a sweep of Wesleyan, 27-9, and Division II American International, 38-8, in a home tri-match on Feb. 12, and a split against Rhode Island College (29-8, W) and Bridgewater State (20-18, L) at Bridgewater on Feb. 15. The Bantams finished second in the New England College Conference Wrestling Association (NECCWA) Championships at Roger Williams on Feb. 22 and 23, and tied for 36th in the NCAA Division III National Championships at Ohio Northern on Mar. 7 and 8.

Freshman heavyweight Michael Blair (Plymouth, N.H.) won six out of seven matches and pinned his final two opponents at the New England Championships. The Bantams boasted seven All-New England performances including Blair’s which qualified him for the NCAA Division III National Championships. Trinity, coached by Sebastian Amato, enjoyed some post-season accolades on the bench as well, as the team was awarded the NECCWA Sportsmanship Award, the NECCWA Highest grae-point average, and Gary Alford was named as the league’s Assistant Coach of the Year.

Blair, the top-seeded heavyweight and the No. 7 in his class nationally, pinned his first round opponent and edged the No. 8 seed, 3-1, in the second round before suffering his first loss in three months in the winner’s bracket semi-finals. He won two matches by decision in the consolation bracket to reach the finals. In the loser’s bracket final, Blair pinned the No. 6-seeded heavyweight, and recorded a pin in 1:28 in the heavyweight championship match.

Junior co-captain Wesley Connell (Simsbury, Conn.) reached the finals of the 165-pound weight class, winning four out of five matches on the way, but fell to the top-seeded grappler for the second time of the weekend, 7-3, in the championship match to place second. Fellow junior co-captain Michael Doros (East Hartford, Conn.) was seeded atop the 184-pound division, but lost to the No. 3 seed and eventual champion, 3-2, in the winner’s bracket finals. Doros then dropped a 3-1 decision in the loser’s bracket finals to place third.

Senior 149-pounder Eric Egolf (Glastonbury, Conn.) finished his career on a high note, winning four out of six matches to finish fourth, while sophomore 197-pounder Matt Webster (Foxboro, Mass.) won two out of four matches and also finished fourth. Freshman Luis Murillo (Meriden, Conn.) went 2-2 to finish sixth at 125 pounds, while classmate Mark Romeo (Ridgewood, N.J.) took three out of four at 141 pounds to place fifth. All seven Trinity wrestlers who finished sixth or better earned All-New England recognition for their performances, and Blair was named as the NECCWA Rookie of the Year. Blair earned the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Football Defensive Rookie of the Year in the fall.

Blair edged his opponent in the seventh-place match, 4-3, in the heavyweight division at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships at Ohio Northern University this afternoon. Blair rebounded from a heartbreaking, 4-3 loss in the consolation quarterfinals against the nation’s No. 4 heavyweight earlier in the day. In all, he won three out of five matches in two days, losing by just four points against the No. 1-ranked heavyweight wrestler in the quarterfinals and posting a win of 12-7 against the No. 8-ranked grappler and a 10-2 triumph to clinch his All-American status in his third match yesterday.

Connell led Trinity with a 27-3 record, while Blair finished, 30-4 (team-high win total), Doros went 12-2, Webster was 20-6, sophomore David Bucco (Paramus, N.J.) was 23-7, and Romeo finished 24-8. Egolf closed with a 22-12 mark this, classmate Lucas McKittrick (Lincolnville, Maine) was 18-9, and Murillo boasted a 15-11 mark. Webster had a team-high 12 pins, while Connell had 11, Romeo had nine, and Blair and Bucco each pinned eight opponents. Egolf finishes his career with a 57-33 record, 12 pins and McKittrick ends his career with a 36-31 record with six pins.

The Trinity College men’s ice hockey team defeated Massachusetts College, 5-2, on Feb. 7 and Skidmore on, 6-0, on Feb. 8 in a pair of Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East contests at home. The Bantams dropped a road game at NESCAC rival Middlebury, 4-2, on Feb. 14 but trounced league foe Williams, 5-1, on Feb. 15. Trinity closed the regular season with a 4-2 win over Connecticut College on Feb. 21 and an 8-3 drubbing of Tufts on Feb. 22. The Bantams edged Williams and Colby, both 3-2 in overtime, in the NESCAC Quarterfinals on Mar. 1 and the league semifinals on Mar. 7 in Middlebury, respectively. Trinity defeated Middlebury on the road, 4-2, on Mar. 8 to win its first NESCAC title, but dropped a 5-4 decision at eventual champion Norwich in the NCAA Division III Championship Quarterfinals.

Senior co-captain forward Greg O’Leary (Reading, Mass.) had two assists against Connecticut College, leading a well-balanced offensive attack with goals scored by five different players. O’Leary and fellow senior co-captain Andrew Halder (Rivers Edge, N.J.) each scored a goal in their final regular season home games against Tufts. sophomore forward Joseph Ori (Niles, Ill.) and freshman forward Bryan Crabtree (North Andover, Mass.) also notched a pair of goals for the Bantams, while sophomore forward Ryan Stevens (Concord, N.H.) electrified the crowd in the second period when he took the puck from the blue line and beat two defenders before flipping in a wrist shot at an impossible angle for another Trinity score.

Halder scored the game-winning goal 2:42 into overtime in the NESCAC Quarterfinals against No. 7-seeded Williams. Halder pushed in the clincher after a scramble in front of the net, converting on assists by junior forwards Kevin Dmochowsky (Macon, WIC.) and Thomas Pierandri (Ridgefield, Conn.). The Bantams forced the extra frame with 37 second left, when freshman defenseman Brendan Timings (Arlington, Mass.) put in a rebound after Trinity had pulled its goalie for the final minute. Trinity sophomore forward Jeff Natalie (Hamden, Conn.) bullied his way toward the center of the ice and blasted a shot off the pads of the Williams goalie to set up Timings. Sophomore goalie Doug Kisielius (Park Ridge, Ill.) made 48 saves to keep Trinity in the game. Stevens had opened the scoring at 16:54 in the first period, stuffing the puck in after a snapshot by junior defenseman Tim Jounces (Branford, Conn.) deflected off the goalie and trickled just in front of the net. Natalie and Jounces each finished with two assists for Trinity.

Natalie scored the game-winning goal 4:23 into overtime against No. 3-seeded Colby in the league semifinals. Natalie skated down the right wing and wrested a shot into the top of the net.

The Bantams had taken a 1-0 lead late in the first period when Timings shot from the right wing deflected into the net. Freshman forward Cameron Finch (Acton, Mass.) took advantage of a giveaway right in front of the Colby net to tie the game at two. Chisels made 29 saves in goal.

Kisielius made 32 saves in the NESCAC Finals at Middlebury, which was seeded No. 1 and , ranked No. 2 in the nation entering the game. Trinity earned its first-ever bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament with the win. Trinity got on the board first at the 6:16 mark as freshman defenseman Peter Langella (Manchester, N.H.) hit Stevens with a great crossing pass in transition for the goal. Trinity scored again 12:04 into the second frame, when junior forward Steve LaBrie (Springfield, Mass.) beat his defender on the left wing and snapped a shot into the top left corner of the net. The Bantams rallied a third time only 43 seconds after a Middlebury goal, when junior forward Dan Gyllstrom (Hudson, Mass.) scored from the slot on a rebound following a shot from Finch. The Bantams sealed the game with an empty-net goal at 16:37 Ori on a slapper from close range. Middlebury outshot the Bantams, 34-17, and Trinity was outshot in each of its three NESCAC Tournament games by a combined tally of 115-60, winning a pair of 3-2 overtime contests to reach the finals. Gyllstrom and Ori tallied a goal and an assist apiece, while Langella and Finch each finished with two helpers for the Bantams.

At Norwich, Trinity held leads of 2-0 after one period and, 4-1, at the end of the second period, but gave up four goals in the third frame. Stevens started the scoring 8:08 into the contest, beating the Cadet goalie on an unassisted breakaway. Ori put in a rebound off a shot by Timmins to make the score, 2-0, with 5:21 left in the first period. Trinity dominated play in the opening stanza, outshooting Norwich, 14-4. Finch converted on a pass from Ori just 31 seconds after a Norwich goal that to push the lead back to two scores at 3-1, and LaBrie netted another Trinity goal with 2:50 remaining in the second period for a 4-1 Bantam advantage. Norwich pummeled Kisielius with 20 shots in the third period, who finished with 29 saves.

Trinity, coached by John Dunham, finished the regular season in second place in the NESCAC with a 15-3-1 record. The Bantams led the NESCAC on the power play with a 33.3 percentage (38-114) and finished third in scoring defense with 2.70 goals allowed per game. Ori finished in the conference in scoring and ninth in assists, while O’Leary led the NESCAC in assists and Stevens was second in the league in goals. Kisielius was third in the conference in save percentage and in Goals Against Average. He was named as a NESCAC Player of the Week for his outstanding play against Colby in the league tourney.

Ori led Trinity in scoring with 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points, while Natale totaled 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points, O’Leary notched six goals and a team-high 24 assists for 30 points, and Stevens had a team-high 20 goals and eight assists for 28 points. For his career, O’Leary finished with 82 games played, and 26 goals and 61 assists for 87 points.

Finch added 13 goals and eight assists for 21 points, while Gyllstrom (9 g, 12a), Timmins (7g, 14a), and Joncas (4 g, 17a) also tallied 21 points. Rounding out the double-digit scorers for the season, LaBrie finished with 13 goals and seven assists for 20 points, Langella had three goals and 10 assists for 13 points, and Crabtree notched six goals and four assists for 10 points.

On a stifling defense that held opponents to 125 less shots on goal than the Trinity offense, Joncas, Timmins, and Langella teamed with junior Colin Wilson-Murphy (Southboro, Mass.) and freshmen John Newhall (Winchester, Mass.) and Rico Murtha (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) for the majority of the games. Each dished out six assists to aid the Bantam offensive effort as well. Kisielius started 26 games in goal for the Bantams, finishing with 1,553 minutes (new College record), 676 saves for a .912 save percentage, 65 goals allowed for a 2.41 GAA, and five shutouts.

Other Bantams who made significant contributions to the team this season include Halder, Pierandri, and Dmochowsky, sophomore forward Kevin Hathway (Thomaston, Conn.), sophomore defenseman Andris Kozlovskis (Riga, Latvia), and freshman forwards Rick Masucci (Winthrop, Mass.) and Barrett Wilson-Murphy (Southboro, Mass.). Halder recorded four goals and four assists in 27 games, Pierandri notched three assists in 20 games, Dmochowsky scored one goal and one assist in 18 games, Hathway had three assists in 17 games, Kozlovskis recorded one assist in 13 games, Masucci totaled two goals and six assists in 26 games, and Wilson-Murphy registered a goal and three assists in 10 games. For his career, Halder had 77 games played, and 17 goals and seven assists for 24 points.