LOCAL COLLEGE NOTES

Mariners riding a wave

• Mitchell College junior Ashley Murtha was selected to the New England Collegiate Conference first team for women's lacrosse after finishing with 39 goals and 41 points, both first in conference play. She leads the NCAA Division III in goals per game at 6.44. Junior Sherine Thompson made the all-sportsmanship team.

• In men's lacrosse, junior J.D. LeMay earned the NECC goalie of the year honors. He was first in saves with 56 in conference games and had a league-best save percentage of .700. Freshman midfielder Jacob Setzko and senior defender Maxx Crowley also made the first team while freshman Owen LaPorte was a second team pick. Senior Aaron Sladyk was on the all-sportsmanship team.

• Senior first baseman Shannon O'Neil collected two All-NECC softball honors, receiving first team and all-sportsmanship team honors. O'Neil led the Mariners in hits (40), RBI (22) and doubles (nine). Junior pitcher Brittany Fiederlein, senior outfielder Jenny Groman and freshman designated player Taylor Duchesneau made the second team.

• The NCAA tournament-bound Mariners, the NECC regular season and tournament champions, placed three players — senior pitcher Al Jordan Johnson of Groton, junior outfielder Chandler Whitney and junior designated hitter Tyler Pina — on the All-NECC baseball first team. Sophomore second baseman Kyle Hartenstein was on the second team while junior Francis Prettitore and junior Alex De Jesus earned spots on the third team. Senior Evan Dickerson made the all-sportsmanship team.

Tracking the Bears

• Several Coast Guard Academy athletes earned spots on the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference All-Academic team. The following Bears received honors: John Behnke and Jeff Bors, men's lacrosse; Daria McKenna, women's lacrosse; Matt Navetta, Kevin Petow, Park Suski, Andrew Brown and Raeford Penny, men's track and field; Tara Larkin, Jennifer Haley, Caitlin Piker and Emily Cox, women's track and field. It was the third straight season that Navetta, Petow and Suski made the academic list while Larkin, Haley and Piker received honors for the second time.

Camel highlights

• Senior Derek Bertolini ended his Connecticut College men's lacrosse career tied for sixth place on the program's all-time assist list with 74. He had a team-high 49 points on 19 goals and 30 assists this season. The Camels finished 7-9 overall and lost in the quarterfinal round of the New England Small College Athletic Conference tournament.

• Playing his final match of his Conn career, Jonathan Kraiger won at No. 1 singles in a 5-4 loss to Ithaca College on Sunday.

• The women's tennis team finished over .500 for the first time since 2007, posting an 11-10 overall record.

Around the region

• The Quinnipiac University 4x100 relay team that includes New London High School graduate Francine Jacque fell just short of the program record while competing at the Yale Springtime Invitational on Sunday. The quartet finished in a winning time of 47.59 seconds, just .03 seconds shy of the mark. NFA graduate Brittany Grabill recorded a personal best 5.15 meters while placing fourth in the long jump.

• Adam Howard, a Western Connecticut State University sophomore from Waterford, won his singles matches in straight sets a 6-3 win over Salem State on Saturday.

• Eastern Connecticut State University shortstop Alyssa Hancock, a senior from Waterford, became the third player in program history to record 200 career hits in Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Rhode Island College. Hancock had a double, triple and RBI as well as seven runs scored and four stolen bases. She has 202 career hits. The Warriors clinched the sixth seed in the conference tournament. They'll visit top-seeded Keene State on Tuesday. In other Eastern news, senior Lee Cattanach of New London captured three individual titles on Saturday in the New England Alliance/ Little East Conference track and field championships. He finished first in the NEC and LEC 1,500 meters in 3 minutes, 59.84 seconds, and took first in the conference 800 race in 1:54.27.

• Fitch High School graduate Dave Hall, a senior infielder for the Plymouth State University baseball team, is batting .289 with seven doubles, one triple, one home run and 14 RBI in 36 games. The Panthers are 18-18 overall with four regular season games remaining.

• UConn senior Megan Chapman of Stonington placed seventh in the discus throw last week at the prestigious Penn Relays. Her throw covered 45.65 meters. Chapman also competed in the Brown Invitational, finishing second in the discus with a toss of 47.78. Ledyard graduate Lauren Scahill was sixth in the 800 in 2:16.86.

• Sophomore attack Erin McCarthy of Old Lyme has helped the Endicott College women's lacrosse team earn the No. 2 seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. McCarthy is ranked second on the team in goals and points with 28 and 32, respectively. The Gulls play University of New England in first-round action on Wednesday.

• For the second straight week, ECSU junior midfielder Paige Schneider of East Lyme and freshman attack Michelina Pinto of Groton were named Little East Conference offensive player and rookie of the week, respectively. A two-time all-conference player, Schneider had 10 goals in two wins last week. She forced overtime by scoring with four seconds left in regulation in a 16-15 overtime win over Keene State. She has scored 31 of her 54 goals in the last six matches. This is Pinto's third rookie of the week honor. She led the team in points last week with seven goals and five assists and won 12 draws. She set up the game-winning goal in overtime versus Keene. • Elms College freshman Vanessa Vurno of Salem received the NECC rookie of the year award for women's lacrosse. She ranked second in overall points with 79 on 46 goals and 33 assists.

• Wheelock senior Emma Marrs of Old Lyme was named to the NECC women's lacrosse first team after leading the conference in assists (36) and points (83).

• Please send college notes submissions to g.keefe@theday.com — Gavin Keefe