LOCAL COLLEGE NOTES

Mariners riding a wave

• Mitchell College recently honored its 33 senior student-athletes from 12 programs and handed out major individual awards. The Alumni Excellent Award, which recognizes seniors who achieved the highest degree of competence in sports and also outstanding academic achievements, went to

Francesca Pinard and Peter Abate. A four-year letter-winner in cross country, basketball and lacrosse, Pinard earned All-New England Collegiate Conference honors in basketball (once) and lacrosse (twice). She set the lacrosse program record for assists and ranks third in scoring. During her career, she was named to the conference’s all-academic team six times, was a member of Chi Alpha Sigma and graduated with a cumulative grade point average of 3.79. Abate, a four-year letter-winner in baseball and three-year team captain, played in 131 career games (starting 113) at second base, third base and designated hitter. He was a two-time all-conference pick, a three-time academic all-conference selection and member of Chi Alpha Sigma. An environment science major, he finished with a cumulative grade point average of 3.75.

Kate McCormack and Domenico Santiago were selected as winners of the Wilbur Baratz Award, which honors the best all-around male and female athletes. McCormack, a three-sport athlete, was a two-time all-conference pick in lacrosse and ranks second in career scoring with 130 goals and 17 assists for 147 points. As a point guard for the basketball team, she ranks second all-time with 353 assists and played in 98 career games. She also is only one of four Mariner runners to ever achieve all-conference status. Santiago finished his outstanding career as one of the best players ever to wear a men’s basketball uniform at Mitchell. A three-time all-conference pick, he was the NECC rookie of the year and player of the year. He’s first all-time in rebounds (1,135) and third in points (1,653). He became the first Mariner to be named to the CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District team and earned all-conference academic honors three times and was a member of Chi Alpha Sigma. The Coaches Award winner was Markus Melendez, a four-year starter in baseball and team captain as a senior. A catcher, he appeared in 151 games (145 starts) and finished with the highest career fielding percentage in program history while ranking second in putouts and third in runs. Selected to the NCAA Division III Student Immersion Program in 2018, he represented Mitchell at the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis last year. Other award winners included: Michael Gonzalez, Michael T. Jenkins Memorial Award, given to a baseball player, through determination and love for the game, has overcome life’s adversities and joined the baseball team; Evan Bing, four-year member men’s basketball, Dean Roberts Distinguished Service Award, given to an athlete that embodies the concepts of leadership, selflessness and overall commitment to team and sport.

Tracking the Bears

The Coast Guard Academy women’s and coed sailing teams qualified for the ICSA national championship semifinals after finishing eighth at their respective New England championships. The Bears will compete in the ICSA Sperry Women’s National Championship on May 21 while they will race in the Gill Coed National Championship on May 28. Newport (R.I.) is hosting both events.

Around the region

• Fitch graduate Jackie Lewis helped the Eastern Connecticut State University softball team beat top-seeded and host Tufts, 5-1, on Monday to win the program’s 14th NCAA Division III regional championship. A senior second baseman, Lewis went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the first inning and a stolen base. The Warriors (32-11), one of 16 teams remaining, will play Rowan (N.J.) in the best-ofthree Super Regional starting Friday. Also at Eastern, senior Michelina Pinto, a Fitch graduate, was named to the Little East Conference third team in women’s lacrosse. Pinto hit the 30goal mark for the fourth straight year, finishing with 31, second on the team. She also had 30 ground balls, 30 draw controls and 19 caused turnovers. She finished her career tied for sixth all-time in program history in assists (50) and stood eighth in goals (144) and points (194). And freshman catcher Matt Malcom of East Lyme went 4-for-11 in three Little East tournament games for the Warriors. He finished the season first on the team in runs scored (43), doubles (14), home runs (six) and RBI (29) and second in batting average (.360) and hits (50) while playing all but two games. • Montville graduate Sam Kury had a sparkling NCAA tournament appearance debut. A freshman at Le Moyne College, he won 14 of 20 face-off battles and finished with four ground balls in a 14-4 win over Mercy College on Saturday. Le Moyne advances to the Division II semifinals and will host Merrimack on Saturday in Syracuse. • Former Old Lyme all-state standout Henry Hunt had a terrific junior season playing lacrosse for Hamilton College. Hunt started all 14 games, finishing with career highs in goals (37), assists (14) and points (51). All three totals also were team highs. • East Lyme graduate Katie Christensen was a four-year starting defender for the Smith College women’s lacrosse team and finished her career with 17 goals, 13 assists, 180 ground balls and 117 caused turnovers. As a senior, she was second in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference in both ground balls (57) and caused turnovers (45) while also chipping in a goal and two assists. She earned all-conference second team honors. She also was a four-time member of the conference’s All-Academic team. • The NECC selected Newbury College’s Geralson

Withrow, a sophomore from Mystic, as its track athlete of the year. Withrow, a Ledyard graduate, won the 800 meters, 5,000, 10,000 and ran a leg on the winning 4x800 relay team at the recent NECC meet, helping his team defend its track and field title. He’s also excelled in the classroom, being named the Newbury Scholar Athlete Award winner. He will attend Lasell College in Brookline, Mass., next fall. • Wheaton College senior Nicholas Hotary of East Lyme was chosen as the school’s male Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year award winner. He was a four-year member of the men’s tennis team. • Simmons University’s Molly Reinhold of Mystic was named to the All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference second team after leading her team with 66 points and 52 goals. Her totals represent the best for a Simmons sophomore in program history. Through 34 games spanning two seasons, she ranks ninth in career points (106) and goals (81) and fifth in draw controls (107). • Ledyard graduate Shane Fors, a junior member of the St. Joseph’s (Maine) lacrosse team, was named to the All-GNAC third team. It is his first all-conference honor. He was third in the league in ground balls (983) and fifth in face-off wins (146). He set the program’s single-game marks for face-off wins (22) and ground balls (18) and also ranks second in program history in career face-off victories (435) and third in career ground balls (230) in 49 games. • Waterford’s Michael LaForte, a freshman midfielder for the Grove City College men’s lacrosse team, received All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference third team honors. He had 16 goals and 15 assists in his first season for Grove City, which lost to New York Maritime, 14-13 in overtime, in the NCAA Div. III tournament first round • Former Fitch all-state standout Taylor Wolfgang made the Patriot League All-Tournament team after going 4-for-9 with two doubles and driving in five of Bucknell University’s nine runs in three games. A sophomore catcher, she finished the season with career highs in batting average (.294), hits (42), doubles (18), triples (one), home runs (seven) and RBI (41). She also was first on the team in doubles and RBI and tied for first in homers. • Please send submissions for college notes to g.keefe@theday.com