Fairfield University Athletics 2013-14 Annual Report
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FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS 2013-14 ANNUAL REPORT FOLLOW THE STAGS ALL YEAR LONG ON THE WEB FAIRFIELDSTAGS.COM ON TWITTER @FAIRFIELDSTAGS ON FACEBOOK FACEBOOK.COM/FAIRFIELDUATHLETICS ON INSTAGRAM @FAIRFIELDSTAGS AMeet Message the Stags from the AD Dear Friends, Change is never easy. Just the thought of doing things a new way or starting something that you have never done before can cause a sense of apprehension in even the most confident individuals. Yet, we somehow accept the challenge of change and find a way to endure in the most difficult of situations. Athletics is filled with challenges and obstacles. If you think back to some of the greatest sports moments, you would realize that each one of those special memories occurred because an individual or a team beat the odds when no one thought there was a chance for success. In 2013-14, our student-athletes faced many challenges, and each time, they persevered. Sometimes their efforts were rewarded with victories, and other times they met defeat. Either way, the players represented themselves, their program, and Fairfield University with pride and dignity. In competition, the volleyball team accepted the challenge of defending their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship. Despite being tar- geted by every team in the conference, the program fought for the right to repeat as MAAC Champions and earn the conference’s NCAA Tournament berth. The men’s lacrosse team battled through another national-caliber schedule to reach its highest national ranking during the spring season. The baseball team posted its first 30-win season in school history, while the women’s basketball team registered another 20-win campaign and reached the semifinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitational. Alex Taylor became the second consecutive Stag to win the MAAC individual golf tournament title and collected a spot in the NCAA Regional played in Columbia, Mo. The University’s administration accepted the challenge of building a new lacrosse stadium which broke ground in April. Rafferty Stadium is scheduled to open on February 14 as the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams will host a doubleheader at the state-of-the-art facility that will be one of the finest venues in the region. This facility will continue to help our men’s and women’s lacrosse programs flourish and solidify their place both regionally and nationally. In the classroom, our student-athletes enjoyed another banner year as 68 percent achieved at least a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) during the Spring 2014 semester. In all, 304 student-athletes, including 25 with a perfect 4.0 GPA, earned spots in the Athletic Department’s 3.0 Club while 150 of those student-ath- letes were named to the University’s Dean’s List. Seven Fairfield University athletic teams were cited for excellence in the classroom by receiving the NCAA Public Recognition Award, the most of any MAAC institution. Men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s lacrosse, men’s swimming and diving, and men’s tennis collected the award by achieving an Academic Progress Rate (APR) that ranked among the top 10 percent in their respective sport. All of this success could not have been achieved without the guidance and support of faculty. Our professors continue to provide our student-athletes with the resources necessary to be valuable members of the community. Through their academics, participation in athletics, and community service, our stu- dent-athletes live the Jesuit ideal of cura personalis – care for the whole person. As we move forward into the 2014-15 academic year, I am sure that the months ahead will provide all of us with new challenges. But I also know that our coaches and student-athletes will be ready to meet those challenges and produce another exciting and successful year for Fairfield University athletics. Sincerely, Eugene P. Doris Director of Athletics Volleyball MAACSENIOR REGULAR t SEASONCATCHER CHAMPIONSHIP t 5-7 t 185 tt MAACR/R t TOURNAMENT STATEN ISLAND, CHAMPIONSHIP N.Y. t MONSIGNOR t NCAA TOURNAMENT FARRELL t FULLAPPEARANCE BIO LEEBER INVITATIONAL MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TEAM CHAMPIONS • The Stags successfully defended their MAAC Championship in 2013, downing • Individually, Rachel Romansky was named the MAAC Setter of the Year for Marist, 3-0, in the final to earn their second consecutive NCAA berth. the third consecutive season, a first in the history of the league. Romansky finished her career with 4,552 assists, good for second all-time at Fairfield, and • Fairfield headed to Nebraska for the NCAA Tournament and finished their sea- 1,132 digs, ninth all-time. Romansky is only the second Stag in program history son with a 19-13 overall record. to record more than 4,000 assists and 1,000 digs in a career. • The Stags went 14-4 in league play to earn a share of their 13th MAAC Regular • Marilyn Peizer joined Romansky on the All-MAAC First Team while Hayley Moyer Season Championship. earned a spot on the All-MAAC Second Team. • During the course of the season, Fairfield notched its 500th program victory. • Romansky signed a professional contract with Lyngby Indoor Volley Elite (LIVE) in Copenhagen, Denmark. Cross Country LEEBER INVITATIONAL MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TEAM CHAMPIONS Men’s Team Women’s Team • The Stags had another successful season which was highlighted by their efforts • The women’s team won their first-ever team title at the Leeber Invitational. It at the Leeber Invitational, winning the team title for the fourth straight season. marked the first time in program history in which both the men’s and women’s teams won the event in the same season. • The Stags also won the O’Neil Invitational team title. • Fairfield won the University of Saint Joseph’s Blue Jay Invitational and the O’Neil • The men’s team placed fourth at the MAAC Championships. Senior captains How- Invitational team titles. ie Rosas and John Lobo placed 21st and 22nd, respectively, to lead the Stags in the men’s 8K. • The Stags took seventh at the MAAC Championships as junior Maureen Crimmins finished 29th overall. Men’s Soccer SENIOR t CATCHER t 8-5-35-7 OVERALLt 185 t tR/R 5-3-2 t MAACSTATEN t ISLAND,MAAC TOURNAMENT N.Y. t MONSIGNOR HOSTS FARRELL t FULL BIO 12-7-2 OVERALL t 7-2-1 MAAC t MAAC CHAMPIONSHIP FINALISTS • Five Stags received invitations to play in the Premier Division League (PDL), • Six Stags were designated as MAAC All-Academic student-athletes, namely Jor- namely forward Reco McLaren, defenders Matt Danaher and Ben Whitcomb, and dan Ayris, Matt Danaher, Sean Fahy, George Newton, John Sullivan, and Matt goalkeepers Joe Martin and Matt Turner. Turner. • Reco McLaren received a berth to the National Soccer Coaches Association of • The men’s soccer team finished with an 8-5-3 overall record, the 13th time the America (NSCAA) All-Region team. He was also a member of the All-MAAC First Stags have posted a winning record under Carl Rees, who just finished his 18th Team. season at the helm. Women’s Soccer 12-7-2 OVERALL t 7-2-1 MAAC t MAAC CHAMPIONSHIP FINALISTS • Fairfield advanced to the MAAC Championship Final at the ESPN Wide World of • Fairfield spent its Spring Break in England for a week of games and sightseeing. Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Stags took to the field for three competitive games against top-flight British teams. The Stags went 2-0-1 during their stay, outscoring their opponents, 11-5, • For the third consecutive year, a Stag picked up the MAAC Defensive Player of the along the way. Fairfield defeated Doncaster F.C., 3-2, and the Queens Park Rang- Year award as junior back Emma Pichl received the honor. Pichl was also named ers, 6-1. Their game against Leiceister City F.C. ended in a 2-2 tie. to the All-MAAC First Team. • Nikki Stanton signed a professional contract with the Sky Blue FC of the National • Also earning All-MAAC First Team honors were graduate student Nikki Stanton Women’s Soccer League in June. In her final season, she led the Stags with sev- and junior Ashley Small. Sydney Arestivo, Anna Borea, and Molly Moran repre- en assists and tallied 11 points en route to All-MAAC First Team and All-NSCAA sented the Stags on the MAAC All-Rookie Team. All-Northeast Region First Team accolades. Field Hockey SENIOR t CATCHER11-7 OVERALL t 5-7 t t 3-1185 AMERICA t R/R EAST t STATEN t AMERICA ISLAND, EAST N.Y. TOURNAMENT t MONSIGNOR APPEARANCE FARRELL t FULL BIO SEVEN PROGRAM RECORDS SET t 32 ECAC QUALIFIERS • Felicitas Heinen was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Associa- • Valerie Buurma finished the season ranked 15th in the nation with 0.56 assists tion (NFHCA) All-Mideast Region First Team. She finished the year tied as the per game. second-leading scorer in the America East with 16 goals and six assists for 38 points. She was a unanimous All-America East First Team selection for the sec- • Three Stags were invited to compete in the prestigious USA Field Hockey Cham- ond consecutive season as well as a 2013 America East All-Academic Selection. pionships in June. Emily McCauley and Kaitlyn Taddeo were chosen for the 2014 Heinen finished the season ranked 11th in the nation with 0.89 goals per game, Under 21 Women’s National Championship while Ann Burgoyne was selected for 12th in points per game (2.11), and tied her single-season program records for the 2014 Women’s National Championship.