In the NESCAC Championship Tournament, Trinity opened with a 9-8 triumph against Williams at American International on May 9, followed by a 3-2 defeat at Amherst the nest morning. The Bantams rallied to trounce Williams, 14-4, later that day, and swept Amherst, 11/5-6/3, on the road to win the league title on May 11. Trinity won its first three games in the NCAA Division III New York Regional Championship Tournament, 8-7, against Ithaca in eight innings on May 15, 8-6, against Mount St. Mary on May 16, and, 8-7, against Cortland State on May 17. The Bantams lost its first game on the final day of the tournament, 4-3, against Cortland in eight innings, but downed that team, 10-2, in the second game to capture the regional title on May 18. Trinity lost Christopher Newport, 7-3, on May 23 and to Wisc.-Oshkosh, 5-4, on May 24 in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament in Wisconsin.

Sophomore right-hander Chris Rodday (Concord, Mass.) scattered eight hits and a gave up three runs over seven innings with five strikeouts in the win at Amherst. Trinity pounded out 11 hits, led by sophomore Bill Wise (Longmeadow, Mass.), who doubled twice and scored a run. Classmate Jeff Natale (Hamden, Conn.) and senior Robert Dolliver (Norwich, Conn.) added a pair of hits and two RBI each for the Bantams.

Senior co-captain Jayme Dorr (Osterville, Mass.) belted a home run in each game, including a grand slam in the first game against Middlebury. Junior right-hander Kevin Tidmarsh (Meriden, Conn.) pitched a complete game in the opener, while sophomore righty Mark Tremblay (Hooksett, N.H.) pitched five strong innings for the Bantams in the nightcap. Senior co-captain Kurt Piantek (Wallingford, Conn.) was 3-for-3 in the second game and blasted a homer, while junior Eric Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, N.Y.) was 2-for-3 with a homer in the first game.

Tidmarsh remained flawless in seven starts, tossing a four-hitter with 13 strikeouts and no walks in the second game of the regular season ending weekend at Bates. Trinity hit three home runs, including a three-run shot by Natale and a grand slam by Dolliver in the second that was immediately followed by a solo blast from Piantek. Piantek made up for his 0-for-3 effort in the first game with a 3-for-6 performance with two runs scored and one driven in the nightcap, while Wise added three singles and three runs scored.

Dorr went 3-for-6 with three runs, two RBI, a double, and a home run in the regular season finale at Bates, whiled sophomore Andrew Fries (Dublin, Ohio) collected three hits and Rodday went five innings and fanned four batters.

Against Williams in the NESCAC Tourney opener, sophomore Robert O’Leary (Easton, Mass.) hit a pinch-hit, two-out grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Bantams advanced. Piantek led off the eighth with a single to right field, and a pair of two-out walks loaded the bases for O’Leary, who blasted an inside pitch just over the right field wall to give Trinity a 9-6 advantage.

In the winner’s bracket game at Amherst, Trinity lost on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, offsetting a two-run blast by Fries in the seventh frame that had given the Bantams a 2-1 cushion. Sophomore starter Joe Westcott (Holyoke, Mass.) pitched 6.1 strong innings before giving way to the Bantam bullpen.

Dolliver went 3-for-5 with three run and three RBI, including a two-run single to key a seven-run, seventh inning in its elimination game against Williams the next day. The Bantams overcame five errors with 12 hits and totaled for 13 of its 14 runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Fries finished the day with four hits in eight at-bats with seven RBI and a homer in each game. Tremblay got the win in relief of Rodday, tossing five outs of scoreless ball.

On the final day of the league tourney, Piantek went 5-for-8 with three home runs, four runs, and six RBI, breaking his own season records for home runs and runs batted in, to lead Trinity to a doubleheader sweep and its second league title. The Bantams pounded out 18 hits to overcome six errors in game one. Amherst led, 2-1, early on until Dolliver and Piantek tagged solo home runs in the third and fifth innings, respectively, to give the Bantams a 3-2 lead they would never relinquish. Trinity tacked on two more runs in the fifth on an RBI double by sophomore Aaron Goldstein (Edina, Minn.) and added two runs in the seventh and four runs in the eighth inning, highlighted by a solo homer over the 400-foot sign in centerfield by Fries, his third of the tournament, another solo shot by Piantek, his 13th of the season to break his own Bantam record set last spring, and a three-run blast by Wise.

Trinity received a heroic pitching performance from freshman southpaw Matthew Krant (Portsmouth, N.H.), who, despite pitching only 9.1 career innings entering Sunday, surrendered just two run on five hits with two strikeouts. Fellow rookies Cox and righty Greg Talpey (Westbrook, Conn.) and senior closer Craig Tredenick (Cornwall, Prince Edward Island) each threw an inning of relief. Piantek, Dolliver, Fries, Goldstein and sophomore Matt Engster (Glastonbury, Conn.) registered three-hit games for the Bantams. Engster also made a sparkling defensive play, robbing Amherst of a three-run homer in the second inning.
In the clincher, four Trinity pitchers, including Talpey, who drew the game-two start, limited the Jeffs to six hits. Trinity won the game with a two-run single by Piantek in the seventh inning. Piantek also drilled his 14th round tripper of the season and third of the day in the sixth, highlighting a four-RBI outing which included his 53rd of the season to break another of the Trinity season records he set a year ago. Talpey gave up two runs in five innings before giving way to Tidmarsh, Tremblay Tredenick. Tidmarsh picked up the win to up his record to 9-0 (tied College mark for best record) and Tredenick struck out the side in the ninth to earn his fourth save of the year.

Dorr singled in freshman Nick Baldelli (Cumberland, R.I.) for the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning in the NCAA New York Regional Championship opener against No. 4-seeded Ithaca, which was ranked No. 3 in New York and No. 29 in the nation entering the tournament. Trinity, seeded No. 4, got a two-run home run from Natale with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to force the game into extra innings. With two outs in the ninth, O’Leary delivered a pinch-hit single to extend the inning and Natale came up and drilled a line drive home run to leftfield to keep the Bantams alive. Two innings later, Baldelli singled, was bunted over, and advanced to third on a wild pitch before being singled home by Dorr.

After being held without a hit and committing four errors in the first 3.5 innings, the Bantams struck for three runs to tie the game in the fourth frame. Dorr doubled and scored on a single by Piantek and a base hit by Dolliver put runners on first and second base. One of two doubles by Goldstein with two outs scored both runners to knot the game. The Bantams cut the lead to 6-5 on a two-run home run by Piantek in the bottom of the seventh inning. Tredenick pitched five outs of relief to earn the win.

In the winner’s bracket against No. 5-seeded Mount St. Mary, the Bantams jumped out to a quick lead when Piantek hit a home run to deep left centerfield with Dorr on first base in the first inning. In the second inning, an error scored Wise and Dorr singled home O’Leary. Piantek then singled home Natale for another run en route to a 6-0 Bantam advantage. After the Blue Knights tied the game with two runs in the second and four in the third, the Bantams came back to take the lead in the top of the fifth inning. Fries, who had walked and advanced to second base on a passed ball, scored when Wise singled, and Trinty an insurance run on an RBI single by Goldstein. Piantek was 4 for 5, including the home run, with a run and three runs batted in. Westcott had 10 strikeouts while throwing 161 pitches in 5.2 innings, and Tredenick pitched the ninth inning to earn the save.

Dorr went 3-for-4, including a two-run single to key a three-run sixth inning in the winner’s bracket finals against top-seeded Cortland State, which was ranked No. 3 in the nation entering the tourney. Trinity scored runs in five consecutive innings, beginning with a solo home r off the bat of Natale and a solo shot by Piantek in the fourth frame. The Bantams tied the game in the fifth when Natale and Dorr singled and Piantek was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out, and Dolliver came through with a single that scored two runs. Trinity scored three more runs in the sixth inning to take a 7-4 lead. Goldstein led off with a single, stole second base and scored on a double by O’Leary A single by Engster advanced O’Leary to third base and a hit batsman loaded the bases. A single by Dorr scored two runs. Tredenick picked up his second save of the tournament in relief of Cox, who allowed eight hits and five earned runs over 7-plus innings to earn the win.

O’Leary went 3-for-4, including a two-run single to key a six-run sixth inning to send Trinity to the NCAA Division III World Series with a win in its second game of the final against Cortland State, which had forced a second game with a 4-3 win over the Bantams in 10 innings earlier in the afternoon. Trinity exploded for six runs in the sixth inning to win the deciding game in convincing fashion after an incredibly closely played tournament, during which the Bantams won its three previous games by a total of four runs and split two extra-inning contests.

The Bantams got on the board first inning with two runs in the bottom of the third inning when Dolliver singled home O’Leary and Natale who had both singled. Piantek started the sixth inning with a 425-foot home run to left centerfield on his way to being named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Trinity tacked on two more runs on an RBI single by O’Leary and a three-run home run by junior Angel Resto (Framingham, Mass.). Krant earned his first win of the tournament allowing just two runs and six hits over eight innings of work and Tredenick came on to work the final inning for the Bantams. Dorr homered in the loss to Cortland and Talpey suffered the loss in relief of Rodday, who allowed six hits and three runs over six-plus innings. Talpey yielded just one unearned run in three innings of two-hit relief. Dorr, Krant, Natale, O’Leary, Tredenick, and MVP Piantek were all named to the 2003 New York Regional Baseball All-Tournament Team for their outstanding performances this weekend.

In the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament opener against Christopher Newport, Trinity opened the scoring in the top of the third inning on walks by Resto and Dorr and an RBI single by Piantek. The Bantams cut a 6-1 deficit in the sixth inning when Goldstein scored Piantek on a sacrifice fly, and singles by Fries and Shattenkirk put Trinity runners on first and second with two out before the threat ended on a strikeout. In the seventh inning, Dorr doubled home Resto, who had led off with a single, and Trinity had runners on second and third with no outs, but a strikeout and a double play grounder thwarted the scoring chance. Tidmarsh gave up six runs but only three earned runs and seven hits in his seven innings.

The next day against Wisc.-Oshkosh, the Bantams appeared poised to advance to the next round, scoring runs in each of the first three innings to take a 4-1 lead one third of the way through the game. Fries singled home senior Dorr in the first inning, Natale belted an RBI double and Dorr added an RBI single in the second frame, and Natale drove home O’Leary on a base hit in the third inning. Rodday cruised through the first four innings, allowed just a single unearned run, before yielding three runs in the fifth frame. Wisc.-Oshkosh again slipped two runners across the plate despite outs by the first two batters of the seventh inning. Krant hit a batter and walked the next before yielding to Cox, who gave up the game-tying single. The deciding run scored on a Bantam throwing error during a pickoff play. Fries walked to lead off the ninth inning and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and an infield hit by Shattenkirk, the Trinity season ended on a groundout. Four Bantam hurlers allowed only three earned runs, including two scoreless innings by Tredenick.

Trinity, coached by Bill Decker, finished first in the NESCAC East with a 9-3 division record. Trinity finished second the NESCAC in hitting and is 18th in the nation with a .344 batting average, smacked a league-high 66 home runs, and is seventh nationally in scoring with 9.7 runs per game. Piantek paced the NESCAC and is third nation in hitting with a .514 batting average (71-for-138, new College record), led the league in hits with 71 (new College record), RBI with 62 (new College record, 4th in nation at 1.65 per game), home runs with 18 (new College record, second in nation at 0.49 per game), and total bases with 135 (new College record). He tied Dorr for the league-lead in runs with 50 (also new College record), and Dorr was also second in the NESCAC in doubles with 11, tied with Dolliver for third in home runs with 11, and fourth in total bases with 97. Natale led the NESCAC in doubles with 14, was fourth in the league in hitting at .412 (56-136), third in runs with 48, and fifth in total bases with 94. Dolliver closed at 10th in the league in batting average at .375 (57-152), second in RBI with 46, and third in total bases with 99.

Tidmarsh finished fifth in the NESCAC in earned run average at 2.86 to go with his 9-1 record (tied for league-lead, 13th nationally in wins) and paced the conference in strikeouts with 57, while Tredenick’s six saves (new College record) is also 13th in the nation. Fries was named as the final NESCAC Player of the Week for his outstanding play in the NESCAC Championship Tournament.

Trinity finished ranked No. 4 in the New England College Baseball Coaches (NEIBA) Poll., No. 2 in the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) New England Rankings, and No. 7 in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball National Poll.

In addition to all of their statistics that fell among the league leaders, Piantek also notched 10 doubles and 29 walks while starting all 39 games at 2B and 1B, Dorr totaled 56 hits and 40 RBI with a .331 batting average (56-169, set new College record with 169 at-bats) in 39 starts at 3B and SS, and Dolliver produced 40 runs and 10 doubles in 39 starts at 1B, C, and DH.

Piantek finished his career with 175 hits in 453 at-bats (new College record) for a .386 batting average (7th best all-time at Trinity). He notched 128 runs, 28 doubles, 38 home runs (new College record), 155 RBI (new College record), and 319 total bases (new College record), for a .704 slugging percentage (new College record). Dolliver finished his career with 135 hits in 368 at-bats for a .367 batting average. He notched 90 runs, 30 doubles, 15 home runs, 89 RBI, and 212 total bases. Dorr finished his career with 144 hits in 433 at-bats for a .333 batting average. He notched 109 runs, 35 doubles, 18 home runs, 108 RBI, and 233 total bases in four seasons.

In addition to his totals among the NESCAC’s best, Natale had eight homers in 33 games (32 starts) at 2B and in the outfield. Wise hit .326 (44-for-135) in 37 games (36 starts) at SS, and notched 23 runs, six doubles, two homers, and 21 RBI. Fries posted a .321 batting average (48-for-151) with 33 runs, seven doubles, five home runs, and 29 RBI in 38 starts at C and DH, while Goldstein batted .317 (33-for-104) with 24 runs, nine doubles, two home runs, and 19 RBI in 33 games (30 starts) at OF and DH.

Tidmarsh appeared in 11 games (team-high 10 starts) and led Trinity in innings pitched (72.1) tossed the Bantams’ only three complete game and walked only nine batters. Westcott was 4-0 on the mound in 38 innings with 42 strikeouts, and a 4.74 ERA in eight starts, while Rodday had a 3-0 record on the mound in 45 innings with 30 strikeouts, seven walks and a 4.20 ERA in 10 appearances (seven starts). In addition to record breaking save total, Tredenick was 2-2 in 26.1 innings with 35 strikeouts, 10 walks, and a 3.08 ERA in 24 appearances (new College record), while Tremblay finished at 3-3 in 34.2 innings with 25 strikeouts and a 3.12 ERA in 10 appearances (six starts). Tredenick finishes his career with a 6-4 record and six saves in 58 innings with 62 strikeouts and 39 walks with a 4.03 ERA in 34 appearances (six starts), while classmate Carlos Resto (Framingham, Mass.) totaled 12 relief appearances in three seasons with one save, 15 strikeouts, seven walks, and a 2.63 ERA in 13.2 innings of work.

Other Bantams who made significant contributions to the team this season include juniors Shattenkirk, Resto and Tony O’Shaughnessy (Manchester, N.H.), sophomores O’Leary and Engster, and freshmen hurlers Cox, Krant, and Talpey. Shattenkirk posted a .362 batting average (17-for-47) with 11 runs, three doubles, three homers, and 17 RBI in 20 games (nine starts) in the infield and at DH, while O’Shaughnessy had six hits in 44 at-bats in 21 games (12 starts) behind the plate, and Resto hit .289 (26-for-90) with 30 runs, five homers, 20 RBI, and a team-high seven stolen bases in 34 games (24 starts) in centerfield. O’Leary batted .275 (30-for-109) with 25 runs, six doubles, three homers, and 28 RBI in 34 games (31 starts) and Engster finished at .286 (20-for-70) with 18 runs in 26 games (18 starts). Cox was 2-1 with a 7.76 ERA in 31.1 innings with 26 strikeouts in 14 appearances (two starts, while Krant was 3-2 with a 4.56 ERA in 25.2 innings with 18 strikeouts in eight appearances (four starts), and Talpey was 1-2 with a 3.33 ERA in 24.1 innings with 18 strikeouts in 11 appearances (two starts).

The Trinity College women’s rowing team finished sixth in the NCAA Division III Championships at Indiana on May 30 and 31. The first varsity eight crew finished sixth in the final race in Trinity’s first trip to the NCAA Championships, which the Bantams received as an at-large bid.

The Bantam women qualified for the finals with a second place finish in the second repechage race, posting a time of 7:44.29. They had finished third in their preliminary heat. In the finals, the Bantams recorded a time of 6:58.17, which was 16 seconds behind first place and national champion Colby.

The Trinity second varsity eight finished fourth in its preliminary heat, third in its repechage race, and saved its best for last with a second place performance in the petite final.

The women’s first varsity eight line-up consists of senior Christine Horton (San Marino, Calif.) in the bow seat, senior co-captains Amanda Gifford (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.) and Ashley Donoghue (Humerick, Mass.), senior Elizabeth Guernsey (Essex, Conn.), sophomore Danielle Markel (Villanova, Pa.), freshmen Sarah Carter (Durham, N.H.) and Hadley Wilmerding (Haverford, Pa.), junior Carolyn Walker (Winston-Salem, N.C.), and sophomore coxswain Emily McLean (Fisher’s Island, N.Y.).

The Bantam women’s second varsity eight line-up lineup that won its New England Championship race consisted of sophomores Straight Schreder (Newport, R.I.) and Tara Maciog (Orange, Conn.), freshmen Tina MacDonald (Niantic, Conn.), Jayme Waldron (Braintree, Mass.), Julie Wheeler (Champaign, Ill.), Katie Chabalko (Wilmington, Del.), Jessica Zimmer (Meadville, Pa.), Emily Dorward (Harvard, Mass.), and freshman coxswain Kathleen Milnamow (Wilton, Conn.).

The Trinity College men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams each sent representatives to the NCAA Divission III National Championships at St. Lawrence on May 22-24.

Senior tri-captain Jim Emord (Bridgewater, Mass.) concluded his tremendous career with an 11th place finish in the 10,000-meter run, while sophomore Christina Kane (Springfield, Mass.) finished eighth in her preliminary heat but failed to qualify for the finals in the 1,500-meter run. Emord posted a time of 31:48.83 and Kane finished with the 16th best time of the day at 4:45.27.

Senior tri-captain Ryan Bak (Suffield, Conn.) finished in second place, just 0.09 seconds behind the winner, in the 1,500-meter run. Bak finished with a College record time of 3:46.75 to finish just behind Nick Symmonds, of Willamette, in the finals. Bak had won his preliminary heat in what was a new record time for Merrick-Pinkard Track, at 3:52.40. The time was also the best of all runners in the preliminaries, but Symmonds beat the field in with a time of 3:46.66 in the finals after finishing second in his preliminary heat. Bak also ran a 14:56.51 in the 5,000 meters to finish 16th overall. The 5,000-meter run took place just two hours after the 1,500-meter finals.

In the indoor and outdoor season’s combined, Kane and sophomore Kristi Wallin (Drexel Hill, Pa.) each finished with the women’s team’s best time in three events. Senior tri-captains Leeann Rheaume (Pittsfield, Mass.) and Lauren Young (Old Saybrook, Conn.), junior Amy Barry (Scituate, Mass.) and freshmen Kristen Geiger (Canterbury, N.H.) each posted the team’s top performance in two events.

Kane finished the 800-meter run in 2:16.96, the 1,500-meter run in 4:39.05, and the mile run in 5:04.19, and Wallin finished the 200-meter dash in 27.76, the 400-meter dash in 1:00.30, and the 600-meter run in 1:39.90. Rheaume posted a time of 10:44.33 in the 3,000-meter run and a time of 17:45.22 in the 5,000-meter run, and Young had a throw of 135’09.00” in the outdoor hammer throw and a toss of 41’09.75” in the indoor weight throw. Barry finished the 55-meter high hurdles in 10.10 and the 100-meter high hurdles in 17.97, while Geiger posted a time of 7.84 in the 55-meter dash and a time of 13.40 in the 100-meter dash.

In other team-best performances, junior Liz Brown (Belmont, Mass.) ran a time of 2:44.13 in the 1,000-meter run, sophomore Kathleen Forbes (Valley Falls, N.Y.) leaped a distance of 33’07.50” in the triple jump, sophomore Ashley Yanyac (Old Saybrook, Conn.) heaved the shot put 30’07.75”, freshman Breen Power (Wethersfield, Conn.) cleared a height of 4’08.00”, and classmate Lucy Hollis (Mount Kisco, N.Y.) leaped a distance of 15’05.00” in the long jump.

For the men’s team, Bak posted the team-best performance in six events, freshman Chris Orr (Hingham, Mass.) did so in five events, and sophomore Jarrod Bullock (Mattapan, Mass.) had team-best performances in three events. Emord, senior John Vancura (Palos Verdes, Calif.), and junior James Porter (New Haven, Conn.) posted team-best times in two events.

Bak finished the 800-meter run in 1:51.55, the 1,000-meter run in 2:27.42, the 1,500-meter run in 3:46.75, the mile run in 4:01.45, the 3,000-meter run in 8:19.78, and the 5,000-meter run in 14:00.53. All six set new Trinity records. Orr posted a time of 15.51 in the 110-meter hurdles, 54.29 in the 400-meter hurdles, 1:26.04 in the 600-meter run, and height of 6’02.75” in the high jump, and a score of 3,081 points in the indoor pentathlon.

Bullock leapt a distance of 21’04.00” in the long jump and ran a time of 6.79 in the 55-meter dash, while Emord had times of 30:32.63 in the 10,000-meter run (new College record) and 9:4.64in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Vancura threw the indoor 35-pound weight a distance of 41’06.00” and the outdoor hammer a distance of 153’02.00”, and Porter posted times of 2.61 in the 200-meter dash and the 50.31 in the 400-meter dash.

Several other Bantam men gave the team’s best individual performances of the 2002-03 track seasons, including senior Josh Griffis (Templeton, Mass.) in the discus (128’00.00”), and freshmen Nick Cantone (Carlstadt, N.J.) in the javelin throw (156’00.00”), and Michael Blair (Plymouth, N.H.) in the shot put (45’10.50”). In the men’s relays, Bak, fellow senior tri-captain Bob McGovern (Warwick, R.I.), Porter, and Orr recorded the season’s best time in the 4x400-meter relay at 3:24.50, while Bak, McGovern, Porter, and freshman Thomas Walsh (Springfield, Mass.) boasted the team’s best time of the season in the distance medley relay at 10:05.62.

Senior tri-captains Kate Klein (Huntington, Vt.), a middle distance runner, Rheaume, and Young, finished their outstanding careers this spring. Both Klein and Rheaume were All-New England selections during their careers, while all three were NESCAC All-Academic honorees during their four years. Bak, Emord, McGovern, Griffis, Vancura, distance specialists Steven Coakley (South Windsor, Conn.) and Ryan Lerner (Manchester, Conn.), long jumper and triple jumper Samnang Sonn (Attleboro, Mass.), and thrower Igor Titarenko (West hartford, Conn.) concluded their track and field careers. Bak, Emord, and McGovern were All-American selections during their intercollegiate careers.