Tabb Wins NESCAC Player of the Week as Men’s Basketball (10-3, 1-1) Splits

The Trinity College men’s basketball team defeated Middlebury, 79-65, on the road on Jan. 19, but lost at Williams, 85-75, on Jan. 20.

Senior tri-captains Colin Tabb (Somers, Conn.), Bryan Dion (East Haven, Conn.), and Matt Jones (Meriden, Conn.) combined for 54 of the teams 79 points at Middlebury. Tabb led the way with 21 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, and Dion totaled 17 points and a team-high 10 boards. All six of Jones’ field goal attempts were three-pointers of which he made five.

At Williams, which was ranked No. 3 in New England and No. 19 in the nation, Tabb led all scorers with 29 points, including 19 in the second half, and made all 10 of his shots from the foul line. Dion had a 17-point second half for a total of 23 points, and added seven rebounds, while junior forward Ryan Uszenksi (Woodbridge, N.J.) notched nine points and a team-high 11 boards for the Bantams. Trinity attempted 38 three-pointers in the game, making 13 including five by Tabb in 12 tries.

Tabb was selected as the NESCAC Player of the Week for his outstanding play over the last three games. He averaged 27.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists against Middlebury, Williams, and in a win at Southern Vermont on Jan. 14. Tabb shot 50 percent from the field (23-46), 53 percent from three-point range (9-17), and 90 percent from the foul line (27-30) for the week.

Trinity, coached by Stan Ogrodnik, is currently tied with Bowdoin, Connecticut College, and Middlebury for the fourth-best overall record in the NESCAC at 1-1. Tabb leads the league in scoring with 24.8 ppg, is tied for second in free throw shooting with a 83.9 percentage (78-93), fifth in rebounding with 8.3 per game and in three-point shooting with a 45.7 percentage (38-83), and tied for ninth in field goal shooting with a 52.8 percentage (103-195). Junior forward Corey Days (Baltimore, Md.) leads the NESCAC with 2.7 blocked shots per contest, while Dion is second in the NESCAC rankings in rebounding with 9.5 per game, fourth in blocked shots with 1.0 per game, fifth in field goal shooting with a 54.8 percentage (85-155), and eighth in scoring at 17.0 ppg. As a team, Trinity is second in the league in field goal shooting at 47.8 percent (354-740).

Trinity will host NESCAC rivals Tufts, which is ranked among the top nine teams in the NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Poll, and Bates on Jan. 25 and 26, respectively.

The Trinity College women’s basketball team lost to Union, 73-64, on Jan. 15, and began its NESCAC schedule with a 64-61 win over Middlebury on Jan. 19. The Bantams lost the next day, 73-59, against Williams.

Against Union, senior guard Alison Hadden (Drexel Hill, Pa.) paced Trinity with a season-high 16 points and added six assists, while senior co-captain backcourt mate Bridget Dullea (Longmeadow, Mass.) tallied 15 points, including three three-pointers, and seven assists. Freshman forward Michelle McCaffrey (West Springfield, Mass.) added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Bantams.

Junior center Kate McCloskey (Uxbridge, Mass.) tallied a team-high 18 points against Middlebury, which was ranked No. 8 in New England and No. 28 in the nation entering the game. Hadden joined McCloskey in double figures for Trinity with 13 points, while Dullea added 10 points, and McCaffrey notched five assists and five steals.

In the Williams game, McCloskey finished with a game-high 30 points and eight rebounds, making 13 out of 18 shots from the field. Dullea had seven assists and McCaffrey notched seven points, six boards, and six assists for the Bantams.

McCloskey was named to the NESCAC honor roll for her strong performances in the three games, averaging 18.7 points and 7.7 rebounds.

Trinity, coached by Maureen Pine, is currently tied with Middlebury for fourth place record in the NESCAC at 1-1. McCloskey leads the league in scoring at 19.6 ppg, rebounding at 10.5 per game, and field goal shooting at 59.8 percent (98-164). Dullea is second in the league in assists with 5.3 per game, McCaffrey is fourth in the NESCAC in rebounding at 8.0 per game, and Hadden is seventh in assists with 3.8 per contest.

Trinity will visit NESCAC rivals Tufts and Bates, which is ranked No. 35 in the d3hoops.com national poll and No. 5 in the New England Women’s Basketball Association (NEWBA) Division III Poll, on Jan. 25 and Jan. 26, respectively.

The Trinity College women’s ice hockey team lost, 4-0, at Sacred Heart on Jan. 15 and, 6-4, to NESCAC rival Wesleyan on Jan. 12.

After Bantam sophomore goalie Mimi MacKinnon (Glen Cove, N.Y.) made 31 saves in a losing effort at Sacred Heart, Trinity recovered from a four-game scoreless streak to net four goals in the first period against Wesleyan. Bantam junior forward Katelyn Bowman (Summit, N.J.), who missed the first seven games while studying abroad in the fall semester, scored her first goal of the season and assisted on a second in the period. Freshmen forward Sabra Carman (Wilson, Wyo.) scored her first career goal, and MacKinnon had 33 saves for the Bantams.

Trinity, coached by Katie Busniuk, is currently in seventh place in the NESCAC with a 2-9 league record. The Bantams will visit New England College on Fri., Jan. 25, before returning to Connecticut for a NESCAC contest at Wesleyan on Sat., Jan. 26.

The Trinity College men’s squash team shut out Yale, 9-0, on Jan. 16, Cornell, 9-0, on Jan. 18, and Dartmouth, 9-0, on Jan. 19.

Senior co-captain Lefika Ragontse (Gaborone, Botswana) allowed just four points in his 3-0 victory at the No. 3 position at Yale, which was ranked No. 3 in the nation entering the match. Trinity freshman Bernardo Samper (Bogota, Colombia) blanked Yale No. 1 and the nation’s No. 16 player, 9-0, 9-7, 9-3.

Samper allowed just two points in a pair of 3-0 victories at the No. 1 position against Cornell and Dartmouth, which were ranked No. 7 and No. 6 nationally entering the weekend. Trinity senior co-captain Rohan Juneja (Bombay, India) did not allow a single point scored against him at the No. 5 position against Cornell, while junior Nickolas Kyme (Pembroke, Bermuda) allowed only one at the No. 4 spot. Samper, ranked as the top individual player in the nation, defeated the nation’s No. 15-ranked player in the Dartmouth match.

Trinity has seven players ranked among the top 20 in the nation, including Samper at No. 1, sophomore Michael Ferreira (Stamford, England) at No. 3, junior Jonathan Smith (Leeds, England) at No. 4, Ragontse at No. 7, Kyme at No. 8, senior Rohan Bhappu (Singapore) at No. 17 and sophomore Nadeem Osman (Port Elizabeth, South Africa) at No. 20.

Trinity, coached by Paul Assaiante, is ranked No. 1 in the National Intercollegiate Squash Racquets Association (NISRA) national poll. The Bantams will visit Amherst, along with MIT, on Wed., Jan. 23, No. 10-ranked Pennsylvania on Sat., Jan. 25 and Franklin and Marshall on Sun., Jan. 26.

This week’s NISRA national poll:

1. Trinity (Conn.)

2. Harvard

3. Yale

4. Princeton

5. Williams

6. Dartmouth

7. Cornell

8. Western Ontario

9. Denison

10. Pennsylvania

Women’s Squash (4-0) Downs Yale and Dartmouth

The Trinity College women’s squash team won at Yale, 7-2, on Jan. 16 and defeated Dartmouth, 9-0, at home on Jan. 19.

Senior co-captain Samantha Lewins (Bromley, Zimbabwe) posted the most dominant victory against Yale, which was ranked No. 4 in the nation entering the match. Bantam sophomore No. 3 Pamela Saunders (Harrare, Zimbabwe) also won easily, downing her opponent in three 9-1 games, while sophomore No. 1 Amina Helal (Manchester, England) and freshman No. 2 Lynn Leong (Kota Bharu, Malaysia) each won 3-0 matches as well. Helal, the nation’s No. 1 player posted her victory over the No. 9 player in the nation.

Leong posted the most dominant win of the day against Dartmouth, which was ranked No. 8 nationally. Trinity won six of the nine matches by 3-0 scores, including a 9-1, 9-5, 9-2 triumph by Helal over the No. 20 player in the nation.

Trinity has six players ranked among the top 25 in the nation, including Helal at No. 1, Leong at No. 5, Saunders at No. 7, freshman Bronwyn Cooper (Harrare, Zimbabwe) at No. 21 senior co-captain Mollie Anderson (Buffalo, N.Y.) at No. 22, and junior Clare Austin (Banbury, England) at No. 23.

Trinity, coached by Wendy Bartlett, is ranked No. 2 in the Women’s Intercollegiate Squash Association (WISA) national poll. The Bantams will visit No. 10-ranked Amherst on Wed. Jan. 23, before competing in the Constable Tournament from Fri., Jan. 25 until Sun., Jan. 27 at Princeton.

This week’s WISA national poll:

1. Harvard

2. Trinity (Conn.)

3. Princeton

4. Yale

5. Cornell

6. Brown

7. Pennsylvania

8. Dartmouth

9. Williams

10. Amherst

Wrestling (7-7) Finishes Seventh in New England Duals Tourney

The Trinity College wrestling team dropped a 38-7 decision at Division I Sacred Heart on Jan. 15, before winning two out four matches in the New England College Conference wrestling Association (NECCWA) Duals Championship Tournament at Wesleyan on Jan. 19. The Bantams defeated Williams, 36-12, and Norwich, 33-12, but lost to Johnson and Wales, 42-10, and Roger Williams, 23-16, in the tourney.

Trinity junior Mark Foresi (West Springfield, Mass.) and sophomore Wesley Connell (Simsbury, Conn.) recorded victories for the Bantams at 149 pounds and 165 pounds, respectively, at Sacred Heart.

Foresi went on to win all four of his matches, pinning one of his opponents and outscoring the other three by a combined tally of 48-17, in the NECCWA Duals Championship. Trinity junior Eric Egolf (Glastonbury, Conn.) and freshman David Bucco (Foxboro, Mass.) each won three out of four matches, with both posting victories in more than one weight class.

Three Bantam wrestlers are currently ranked among the top six in their weight class. Foresi is No. 2 at 141 pounds, Connell is No. 5 at 165 pounds, and sophomore Michael Doros (East Hartford, Conn.) is No. 5 at 184 pounds. Connell leads Trinity with a 10-1 record this season, while Bucco is 13-5, Foresi is 10-3 and Doros is 8-3. Freshman Matt Webster (Foxboro, Mass.) is 10-5 with a team-high five pins.

Trinity will visit Roger Williams, which is ranked No. 6 in the New England Division III Coaches Poll and No. 10 in the New England All-Division Coaches Poll, on Wed. Jan. 23. The Bantams lost to Roger Williams, 23-16, last Saturday in the NECCWA Duals Championship Tournament. Trinity will travel to New York Maritime for matches against the hosts, Western New England, and the Merchant Marine Academy.

This week’s NECCWA Top Ten:

1. Springfield 6-2 80

2. Johnson and Wales 14-2 72

3. Wesleyan 9-2 64

4. Plymouth State 7-4 60

5. Coast Guard 5-7 48

6. Roger Williams 10-5 40

7. Worcester Tech 5-8 32

8. Trinity (Conn.) 7-7 24

9. Norwich 5-10 16

10. Rhode Island College 5-9 7

The Trinity College men’s and women’s swimming and diving each lost to Wesleyan on Jan. 15 and at Tufts on Jan. 20. The Bantam men lost, 148-74, against Wesleyan and, 112-70, at Tufts, while the women lost, 131-106, against Wesleyan and, 119-93, at Tufts.

Against Wesleyan, Trinity sophomore Julia Kaye (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) won both the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events with times of 2:03.56 (team-best this season) and 5:31.29, while Bantam freshman Beth Ramaley (Old Greenwich, Conn.) took first in the 100-yard freestyle at 57.65 s (team-best this season). Trinity men’s captain Christian Sterling (Glastonbury, Conn.), junior Chris Rorer (Villanova, Pa.), and freshman Matt DeRosa (Setauket, N.Y.) finished first in the 200-yard butterfly (2:09.83), individual medley (2:09.45), and backstroke (2:10.05 was team-best this season), respectively. The Trinity women held a 95-88 lead with three events remaining before the Cardinals finished strong in the three-meter diving, the 200-yard breaststroke, and the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Junior Jesse Hammond (New London, Conn.) and freshman Kate Mortensen (Bedford, N.H.) won the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke, respectively, at Tufts. Hammond finished the 50-yard free in 23.11 s, and Mortensen finished the 100-yard back in 1:06.81.

Kaye has posted the Bantam women’s top time in four different events this season, while sophomore Elizabeth Stoker (Westwood, Mass.) and Jennifer Bartlett (Marblehead, Mass.) and Mortensen have each posted the team’s top time in three events.

Kaye finished the 200-yard freestyle in 2:03.56, the 500-yard freestyle in 5:29.70, the 1,000-yard freestyle in 11:13.57, and the 400-yard individual medley in 5:00.70. Stoker posted times of 26.83 in the 50-yard freestyle, 30.11 in the 50-yard butterfly, and 1:05.35 in the 100-yard butterfly. Bartlett swam a times of 35.78 in the 50-yard breaststroke, 1:15. 84 in the 100-yard breaststroke, and 2:46.53 in the 200-yard breaststroke, while Mortensen had times of 30.08 in the 50-yard backstroke, 1:05.18 in the 100-yard backstroke, and 2:26.07 in the 200-yard backstroke.

For the men’s team, Sterling has each posted the team-best time in five events and Rorer has posted team-best times in four events. Sterling swam a 1:54.73 in the 200-yard freestyle, a 5:10.83 in the 500-yard freestyle, a 10:24.76 in the 1,000-yard freestyle, a 58.69 in the 100-yard butterfly, and a 4:46.02 in the 400-yard individual medley. Rorer finished the 50-yard breaststroke in 30.03, the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:04.53, the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:23.59, and the 200-yard individual medley in 2:09.45.

Trinity will host Wheaton (Mass.) on Sat., Jan. 26.

The Trinity College men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams competed in the Brandeis Invitational on Jan. 19.

Junior men’s tri-captain Ryan Bak (Suffield, Conn.) finished first overall in the 800-meter run and the 3,000-meter run, setting a new College record in the latter, at Brandeis. Bak finished the 800 meters in 2:00.07 and shattered his own Trinity 3,000-meter record of 8:43.29 by 13.46 seconds (8:29.82). Trinity junior Josh Griffis (Templeton, Mass.) won the shot put with a toss of 45’10.50", freshman Paris Farrell (Philadelphia, Pa.) placed second in the 55-meter dash at 6.73, and senior Nick Fox (Dublin, N.H.) came in second in the weight throw at 45’05.00".

For the women’s squad, freshman Christina Kane (Springfield, Mass.) finished second in the 1,000 meters at 3:04.32 and third in the 1,500 meters at 4:45.09. Both were the top times for a Trinity runner in the event this season and career-highs for Kane. Sophomore Kristina DePeau (Stafford, Conn.) finished second in the 5,000-meter run at 18:26.05.

Trinity will travel to Boston University for the Terrier Classic on Sat., Jan. 26.