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By Frank Mastrandrea ’88
Field Hockey
The two-time defending Patriot League champions ran into
a tough stretch to begin the 1999 season, opening with
a 2-8 record. But the team rebounded into form, winning
six of its final eight games heading into the Patriot League
tournament. A 4-2 loss to Lafayette ended their attempt
for a three-pete with an 8-11 mark, but served notice that
the Crusaders are here to stay. Senior goalkeeper Maquel
Salley (Waterville, Maine) finished her career with 10
shutouts and the 1999 Patriot League Tournament MVP earned
Second Team All-PL honors this year. Junior Annie Lavigne
(Sullivan, N.H.) was HC’s only First Team All-Patriot
League selection, adding First Team All-Northeast Region
to her list of awards after the season. Also returning
next year will be sophomore Lifon Huynh (Patterson, N.Y.)
and junior Colleen Schmitt (Amherst, Mass.) both of whom
earned Second Team honors this year.
Football
The Crusaders finished with a 3-8 record, but were transformed
over the final four weeks of the season, thanks to the
emergence of freshman quarterback Brian Hall (Dallas,
Texas). Hall,
who earned Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors despite
starting just four games, led a Crusader offense that averaged
nearly two touchdowns more per game with him as starter.
He also became the first player in school history to throw
for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game,
accomplishing the feat against Colgate in the season
finale. Along with
Hall, the 2000 Crusaders will also return a pair of First
Team All-Patriot League players in senior captain David
Puloka (Arlington, Mass.) and senior punter Frank Traupman
(McKinney,
Texas). Senior captain Patrick Quay (Cincinnati, Ohio)
also returns after earning Second Team All-Patriot League
honors
as a center last year, his second consecutive year earning
All-League honors.
Soccer (M)
The Crusaders posted a 9-4-4 record, including a 5-0-1 mark
in Patriot League play, earning the right to host the 1999
Patriot League Tournament. A heartbreaking 2-1 double overtime
loss to eventual champion Lafayette, however, ended their
season short of their goal of their first-ever NCAA tournament
appearance. A pair of seniors—Jeff Carroll (Thornton,
Col.) and George Maillis (Nassau, Bahamas)—led the
way by earning All-Patriot League honors last year. Carroll
was chosen to the First Team (after earning Second Team
honors in 1998) and finished his career ranking sixth all-time
in HC career scoring with 48 points. Maillis earned Second
Team honors for the third consecutive season. And while
Maillis and Carroll will be departing, head coach Elvis
Comrie—who was chosen as the Patriot League Coach
of the Year for the second time in his career—will
return a pair of freshmen who earned All-League honors
in Rusty Guidici (Highlands-Ranch, Col.) and Matt Ney (McLean,
Va.). Guidici started every game and was one of just two
freshmen in the League to be chosen First Team. Ney finished
the regular season as the team’s leading scorer with
18 points (eight goals, two assists) and led the squad
with three game-winning goals.
Soccer (W)
It was a banner season for the women’s program, as
its 12-6-1 mark accounted for the second-best winning percentage
in school history, and is tied for the most wins in school
history. In addition with a 22-11-4 mark over the past two
years, head coach Mary Curtis has led the Crusaders to the
best two-year stretch in the program’s history. All
this, and it could get better. The Crusaders had just two
seniors on the team last fall, and will return three All-Patriot
League players next year. Freshman Caitlyn Lynch (North Easton,
Mass.) who was HC’s lone First Team All-Patriot League
player, while junior Colleen Cushing (Dudley, Mass.) and
sophomore Kate O’Shaughnessy (Marion, Mass.) both earned
Second Team All-Patriot League honors. The key to the season
was excellent defense; the Crusaders allowed just 16 goals
in the entire season, and finished the year with 10 consecutive
shutouts prior to losing to Colgate in the Patriot League
tournament. Junior goalie Tiffany DeCoff (Danvers, Mass.)
had a sparkling 0.98 goals against average and 12 shutouts.
Cross Country (M & W)
The National Catholic Championships provided the Crusaders
with one of the highlights of the fall, as the combined
finish for the men’s and women’s squads was
the best ever by a Crusader team. The women finished sixth
in a deep field, while the men finished ninth of 29 schools.
Senior Sarah Johnson (Medfield, Mass.) and sophomore Emily
Hogan (Northboro, Mass.) were HC’s top two finishers
at 19:08 and 19:10 respectively. Freshman Sean McCarthy
(Chelmsford, Mass.) and senior captain Steve Turner (Portland,
Maine) ran 1-2 for the Crusaders in a tight pack. Only
47 seconds separated the Crusader women’s top five
finishers, while just 25 seconds separated the men.
Volleyball
The Crusader volleyball team finished with a 4-23 mark in
the third year of head coach Peter Viteritti’s tenure
in that position, but again showed signs of moving in the
right direction. The team has gone 2-20, 4-29, and 4-23
under Viteritti, but has seen its individual games won
total climb from 12 to 22 to 31 last year, boding well
for a team that will return intact from 1999. Junior outside
hitter Katie Lynch (Wantagh, N.Y.) was the Patriot League
Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, and continued
her excellent play last fall. Lynch set school records
for digs in a season (430) and in a career (1085) last
season.
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