BEARS IN THE NEWS

Adam Raine ’18 Lands in CFL

When Adam Raine ’18 got the call to play professional football for the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Elks this past spring, he had just a few days to pack his belongings and make the long trip from Connecticut to northwestern Canada to join his new team. The trip to an unfamiliar place reminded Raine of his journey to Berkshire in 2017, when he left home in England for a postgraduate year in America.

Raine made the decision to play football at Berkshire in August, just a couple of weeks before the start of the school year. “At the time I thought, ‘Okay, pack up your bags and go,’” he recalled. “Coach [Mike] McCabe really made me feel at home.”

It didn’t take Raine long to adjust to his new surroundings under the Mountain, as he guided the Bears to an undefeated season and a league championship, and he earned the New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He had a similar impact at Yale, where he earned a degree in economics and helped the Bulldogs win two Ivy League championships while being selected honorable mention All-Ivy.

“Yale was transformative,” Raine said. “I grew physically a lot, I grew technically. The coaches really invested in me.”

This past May, just a few months after his playing days at Yale ended, Raine received the call he’d been dreaming of—he was invited to the Washington Commanders’ rookie mini camp for a chance to earn a spot on an NFL team.

“It was great to be around the quality of players they had at camp,” he said. “I played well, but the way it goes sometimes they don’t have a spot to offer you.”

While he hopes to get another shot at the NFL, Raine has settled in at Edmonton. The opportunity to play professionally, whether in Canada or the States, isn’t lost on Raine. For now, he’s content with his new surroundings. “Football jobs are very hard to come by,” he said. “I’m very happy to be here.”

Michigan lacrosse teammates Jack Whitney ’20 and Michael Frechette ’21 celebrated winning the team’s first ever Big Ten tournament championship in May. Whitney, a defenseman, earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament team. The Wolverines advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, losing to topranked Duke 15–7.

Jacob Shaffelburg ‘19 scored the first international goal of his career in July while playing for Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal match against the United States. Shaffelburg currently plays for Nashvillle SC of the MLS.

Will Byrne ’20 was named First Team AllNew England and First Team All-NESCAC after leading Bowdoin men’s lacrosse with 83 points (45 goals and 38 assists).

Cavan Brady ’19 was named the Div. III Region 1 Player of the Year after finishing his senior season at Wheaton College with a .405 batting average, seven home runs, and a Div. III-leading 77 RBIs. Brady also earned the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Baseball Athlete of the Year. Brady and Kevin Matos ’21 helped the Lyons capture the team’s third straight conference championship and a spot in the NCAA Div. III tournament.

Jack Harrison ’15 led Leeds United Football Club in assists (7) and was second in goals (5) during the team’s Premier League season.

Kiro Manoharan ’22 finished the season with an 8–5 record for the No. 6-ranked Columbia University women’s squash team.

Holley Riva ’19 was named captain of the Elmira College women’s ice hockey team for the upcoming 2023–24 season. Riva finished last season with 10 goals and 14 assists while leading the Soaring Eagles to the New England Hockey Conference championship game.

Cooper Tuckerman ’18 raced with Dartmouth’s Lightweight Varsity Eight boat in the IRA National Championships in June. Tuckerman, who will vie for a spot in the 2024 Olympics, was named Academic All-Ivy for his performance in the classroom.

Athi Msiza ’22 was named Centennial Conference (CC) Rookie of the Year and earned All-CC Second Team honors after starting all 18 games for the Gettysburg College men’s soccer team. He led the Bullets with five assists and scored three goals on the season.

Jake Lachance ’19 Named Player of the Year, All-American

Wesleyan University’s Jake Lachance ’19 collected some impressive hardware following his senior season. The Cardinals’ defenseman was named New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Player of the Year and a Div. III All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) after finishing the year with seven goals and 19 assists. Lachance, a co-captain for the Cardinals, led Wesleyan to the NESCAC regular season championship (15–7–3 record) and earned NESCAC All-Academic honors while studying economics and history.

“My time at Berkshire was amazing, and I could not have asked for a better year overall. There are so many people that helped prepare me for success at the next level. All of my teachers, with special shoutouts to Mr. Gappa and Mr. and Mrs. Bowler, truly cared about the successes of their students, as they made it enjoyable to come to class every day. All of my teachers at Berkshire prepared me very well for college courses. Athletically, I owe everything to Coach [Dan] Driscoll, Coach [George] Stetson, and Coach [Becky] McCabe for having confidence in me and helping me prepare for success at the next level. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for them. Berkshire helped me in every way possible for my time at Wesleyan, and I will take away lessons I learned there for the rest of my life.”—Jake

Lachance ’19

Alexis Moragne ’19 averaged 8.7 points per game as a senior at Delaware State, and scored a season-high 27 points against Hampton University on Nov. 12. Moragne started 47 of 49 games over her final two years for the Hornets.

Kacey Bellamy ’05 came out of retirement to join the Premier Hockey Federation’s (PHF) Connecticut Whale. Bellamy, who retired from the U.S. National Women’s Team in 2021, previously served as PHF’s scout and player relations liaison.

Josh Bernstein ’22 scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Tufts University in the team’s first-round victory in the NCAA Div. III Men’s Basketball tournament against Widener.

Hank Morgan ’21 scored a team-high 15 points for Hamilton College in the second round of the NCAA Div. III tournament against Johns Hopkins. Morgan, who led the team in scoring at 14.0 ppg, helped the Continentals capture the school’s first NESCAC Men’s Basketball championship.

Antonia Matzka ’17 signed a one-year contract to play professionally with the Buffalo Beauts of the Professional Hockey Federation. On November 5, she scored her first goal of the season and finished with three goals and five assists. Matzka also represented Team World in the PHF All-Star Weekend in Toronto.

Aidan Thompson ’20 , drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2022 NHL Draft, finished with 10 goals and 22 assists for the University of Denver.