Conn’s Mason a steeplechase All-American (again)

Coast Guard’s Mooney closes freshman season with a 10th in the 5,000

La Crosse, Wisc. — Connecticut College junior Scott Mason earned All-America honors for the second straight season by finishing fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday at Wisconsin La Crosse's Roger Herring Stadium.

Mason, who placed sixth in the event at last year's NCAA meet, punched in a time of 9 minutes, 14.86 seconds. After falling back to ninth with two laps to go, Mason kicked into high gear, running the bell lap in 1:07.761. Conn's men's track team has now had five athletes earn All-America accolades a total of nine times.

In addition, Conn's Danny Aschale placed 13th in the 5,000 meters in 15:16.63.

Women’s track

• Coast Guard Academy freshman Kaitlyn Mooney closed out her freshman season by placing 10th in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in La Crosse, Wisc. Mooney navigated the day's extreme heat to finish in 17:42.76.

Mooney's exceptional rookie season included a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championship, where she earned All-America honors. She was then an All-American twice during indoor track season, finishing fifth place in the 3,000 (9:46.79) and anchoring the distance medley relay to a seventh-place finish (11:50.97).

Women’s sailing

• Coast Guard Academy senior Dana Rohde was named The Quantum Women's Sailor of the Year on Saturday at the Sperry College Sailing Women's National Championship at the Old Dominion Sailing Center in Norfolk, Va.

The Quantum Women's Sailor of the Year is awarded annually to an individual who has performed at the highest level of competition in district and national championships. The ICSA All-America committee evaluates with great detail all of the finalists' results and calculates the winner.

Rohde, of Richmond Hill, Ga., was the only finalist for the award. Rohde won eight women's events this season and she was second in the A division at the national championship.

"This award honors the most elite in the sport and she is most certainly that," Coast Guard coach Brian Swingly said in a press release. "I am proud and thrilled for her; she is an incredibly professional athlete who works hard every day to make herself and teammates better. I cannot think of anyone more deserving."

Baseball

• No. 3 UConn lost to No. 4 East Carolina 4-3 in the American Athletic Conference tournament final at St. Petersburg, Fla. Former Wheeler standout Troy Stefanski was 2-for3 with a stolen base and two runs scored for the Huskies (35-20-1), who are ranked 22nd in the country. Anthony Prato was 3-for-5 and Christian Fedko singled and doubled for UConn.