LOCAL COLLEGE NOTES

Camel highlights

• The Connecticut College men’s basketball team is enjoying its best season in years. The Camels have won five New England Small College Athletic Conference games for the first time since the 2001-02 season. Their 14 wins overall is the program’s most since 2007-08. The Camels (14-10, 5-5) qualified for the NESCAC tournament as the No. 7 seed. They’ll visit No. 2 Hamilton (16-8, 7-3) at 2 p.m. Saturday in the quarterfinals. The two teams met on Feb. 5 at Hamilton, with the home team scoring a 72-62 win.

Junior David Murray is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 13.7 points and 7.6 rebounds. A stingy defense has fueled the Camels this season, as they’re ranked second in the league in points allowed per game at 61.3.

• The Conn College women’s hockey team already has three more wins overall than last season, standing at 12-9-1 with two regular-season games remaining. Senior forward Melanie Conca has set her season best for goals (14) and points (18) while also leading the Camels (6-7-1 in the NESCAC) in those categories. She’s third in the conference in goals and goals per game.

Mariners riding a wave

• Mitchell College senior Mikey Buscetto (Waterford) was named New England Collegiate Conference Player of the Week for the second straight time. He averaged 10.7 points, nine assists, four rebounds and three steals in three wins. He leads the league in steals per game at 3.0.

Alfonzo Stokes is the league’s top scorer at 21 points per game and ranks second in field goal percentage at 49.4. He has scored in double figures in all 23 games this season. The Mariners (20-3, 5-0) enter the final week of the regular season in first place, with games remaining on the road against Westfield State and Eastern Nazarene. They’re riding a 10-game winning streak.

• In women’s basketball, Kyrsten Lucas was named the NECC Player of the Week after averaging 9.5 points and shooting 54.5 percent from the field in two wins. Mitchell (14-9, 5-0) enters the final week of the regular season residing in first place. After hosting Fisher on Tuesday in non-conference action, the Mariners, who’ve won 11 of 13, host second-place Eastern Nazarene on Saturday. Senior forward Amina Wiley leads the team in scoring (14.6) and rebounding (10.7).

Tracking the Bears

• The nationally-ranked Coast Guard Academy wrestling team is preparing to compete in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship, which will take place Feb. 25-26 at the University of Southern Maine. The Bears went 9-2 in the dual meet portion of their schedule.

• The women’s basketball team is battling to qualify for the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference tournament. With two regular-season games to go, the Bears (12-11) are 4-4 and in sixth place in league play. They host fifth-place Springfield Wednesday and visit seventh-place Emerson Saturday. Sophomore Glory Blethen was selected as the NEWMAC’s Defensive Athlete of the Week.

Around the region

• At Southern Connecticut State University, senior Olivia Strelevitz (Ledyard) won a team-high six medals to help the Owls repeat as Northeast 10 Conference swimming champions last weekend in Worcester, Mass. Strelevitz finished first in the 200-yard backstroke (2:04.69) and helped the 800 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay and 200 medley relay all earn gold. She also competed on the silver-medal winning 400 freestyle relay and won bronze in the 200 freestyle.

• Also at Southern, junior Cameron Belton (Norwich Free Academy) won the shot put with a season-best throw of 56 feet, 5.75 inches, at the 17th annual Geigengack Invitational weekend at Yale.

• Senior Liam Spellman (Waterford), a starting guard, is averaging 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds for the Ithaca College men’s basketball team through 23 games. In one of his best games this season, he had a season-high tying 11 points and six rebounds in a 75-56 win over Skidmore on Feb. 4. Ithaca (16-7, 12-4) is in first place in the Liberty League with two regular season games remaining.

• Freshman Nikki Hahn (East Lyme) helped lead the Savannah College of Art and Design swimming team to a second-place finish in the Sun Conference Championships last weekend. Hahn finished first in the 200-yard breaststroke in a personal best two minutes, 18.06 seconds, placed second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:03.98 and fifth in the 200 IM in 2:08.72.

• Freshman guard Valerie Luizzi (Bacon Academy) chipped in 15 points, three rebounds and three steals in Keene State’s 72-51 win at Western Connecticut on Feb. 4. She’s averaging 9.4 points – second on the team– and 3.8 rebounds. She’s second on the team in steals with 22.

• Senior guard Julianna Bonilla (Waterford), a starting guard for the Marist College women’s basketball team, is averaging 4.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 23 games.

• At Hofstra, starting guard Rosi Nicholson (New London) had seven points and seven rebounds in a 70-60 loss to Stony Brook on Sunday. A senior, she is averaging 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds and ranks first on the team in steals with 41.

• Babson senior guard Megan Bauman (East Lyme) scored a teamhigh 15 points and added six assists and four steals in a 77-49 win over Wellesley on Feb. 8. In a 80-67 loss to Smith College on Saturday, Bauman chipped in 20 points and five assists while playing all 40 minutes. She climbed to 11th on the program’s career scoring list.

• Junior forward Taina Pagan (New London) contributed 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in Post University’s 58-33 win over Wilmington University on Saturday.

• Senior guard Max Lee (St. Bernard) had a season-high 17 points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal to help the Eastern Connecticut State University basketball team rally past Southern Maine, 70-56, on Saturday. Lee leads his team in steals (42) and assists (83).

• Also at ECSU, senior Collin Wiltshire (Ledyard) was named the Little East Conference Co-Field Athlete of the Week after recording a school record mark of 48 feet, 2.5 inches in the triple jump at the Hampshire College Black Sheep Invitational Sunday in Boston. His jump is tied for the eighth best in the country this season.

• At Mercy College, senior guard Kellie Nudd (Bacon Academy) continues to make an impact playing for the women’s basketball program. Nudd is averaging 7.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in a starting role.

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