WINTER 2010
We Are The Champions!
To Our Readers
CRUSADER nation
Dear Friends of Crusader Athletics,
Director of Athletics Richard M. Regan, Jr. ’76
As another spring semester atop Mount St. James gets underway, I wanted to take this opportunity to recap a very exciting football season. The Crusaders clinched the Patriot League championship for the first time since 1991 with a thrilling 28-26 win over Lafayette at Fitton Field on Nov. 14 and advanced to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 1983. The Crusaders performed admirably in that game falling to the ultimate national champion Villanova 38-28. No team scored more points against the Wildcats last season. We congratulate Tom Gilmore, the coaching staff, our student-athletes and other support staff on a superb job. Senior QB Dominic Randolph led the nation in total offense, was named an AP All-American and broke virtually every single Holy Cross passing record in his career. This fall we launched our new athletics Web site at www.goholycross.com. The site features interactive video, a new Hall of Fame section and a lot of great information about Crusader Athletics. This site is a very good way to keep in touch with our teams from wherever you live. We were also very excited this fall to unveil our new artificial turf field. It is located behind the Hart Center and is used as a practice field by our Football team and is also the permanent home of our Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse teams. This project would not have been completed without the help of fundraising dollars. I sincerely thank those of you who contributed to making this much needed project a reality. It is my hope that you enjoy this issue of Crusader Nation which contains a cover story about our fantastic football season as well as a feature story on our Women’s Soccer program under the direction of Coach Darren Gallagher, who recently completed his first season. The Crusader Athletics Fund is now in its fourth year. The main fundraising vehicle for our varsity teams had a successful third year “holding serve” in a very tough economic climate. Please know that your dollars and continued support are more important than ever to the sustained success of our varsity programs. As stated many times, all of the dollars raised through this Athletics Fund are budget enhancing, allowing each team to do much more than they could without your continued support. An envelope is included inside should you wish to contribute to the enhancement of our student-athlete experience. I look forward to seeing many of you on campus this spring and at events throughout the country. Your loyalty and support will continue to help achieve our goals both on and off the field.
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Associate AD/Business Manager Bill Bellerose ’77 Associate AD/Senior Women’s Administrator Ann Zelesky Associate AD/Men’s Administration & Compliance Rosemary Shea ’87 Assistant AD/Marketing & Media Relations Frank Mastrandrea ’88 Director of Media Relations Charles Bare Assistant Director of Media Relations Jim Wrobel Assistant Director of Media Relations Meredith Cook Media Relations & Compliance Assistant Anna Poulter-Hendrickson Manager of Events Jen Kagno
EDITORIAL STAFF Editor/Writer: Scott Graham Contributing Editors: Tom Cadigan ’02, Richard Phelps Contributing Writers: Charles Bare, Meredith Cook, Christopher Edmonds ’04, Anna Poulter-Hendrickson, Ryan Holt ’10, Katie Nugent ’10, Jim Wrobel For the most recent updates on Crusader Athletics, please visit our official Web site at www.goholycross.com If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail crusaderathletics@holycross.edu
Richard M. Regan, Jr. ’76 Director of Athletics
CRUSADER ATHLETICS FUND
We Are The Champions! Football program wins its first title since 1991 by Christopher Edmonds ’04
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he 2009 Crusader Football team had it coming—at least, those in the program and those who follow it hoped they did. Smarting from near misses in the recent past, this year’s team had loose ends that needed sewing. And, boy, did the team stitch them up in a big way.
record-setting quarterback and Associated Press second team All-America pick.
Those close calls in 2007 and 2008— season-ending, Patriot League titledeciding, one-point losses to Colgate— helped spur the Crusaders to the top of the conference heap in a season that was in almost every way historic.
In several ways, 2009 was a banner season for the Crusaders: first Patriot League championship since 1991; third team in school history to appear in the postseason; recorded nine wins for only the ninth time since the program started in the 1800s; one of the school’s all-time greats played quarterback and won numerous awards; featured 15 All-Patriot League selections and four All-New England players; head coach was nominated for national coach of the year honors.
“That sour taste in our mouths from the Colgate game motivated us that little bit more,” said Dominic Randolph, the team’s
Impressive as that partial list is, there was much more to this year’s Crusaders than accolades. There were tough victories and
tougher defeats, and through all of that, there was a team that set goals and achieved them. “People can look at a season like this and see so many positives that they can take from it,” said Head Coach Tom Gilmore. “The biggest thing was that we battled through some adversity and injuries at different times, and we found ways to pull out big wins in close games.”
Ready from Day 1 Hear the players tell it, and the tone for the season was set long before the team’s season-opener against Georgetown. That happened at preseason camp, where double sessions and long hours in the weight room
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weren’t the grind they might have been. Not this year and not for this team. “Camp is usually pretty draining—we lift every other day and have double practices—but it seemed like there was a different feeling,” said senior linebacker Andrew Cialino. “We were having a lot of fun, and we were doing stuff to make it fun and make sure the everyday grind didn’t get to us. From camp on, there was a different excitement and a different feeling about the season coming up. We were excited for what was ahead of us.” Even in camp, the season was laden with high expectation. Holy Cross was picked to win the Patriot League and came in at number 25 in the preseason national rankings. Add those factors to the close losses of past seasons, and the pressure to succeed mounted. “I’d like to say no, but admittedly, really there was some pressure,” Gilmore said. “And I think that came from the expectations within the program rather than external expectations around campus, around central Massachusetts, around the league, around the country.” The pressure, however, didn’t have much of an effect on a team that reeled off four straight wins to start the season, including early-season signature wins over thenranked Harvard and Northeastern.
“We went in with a big chip on our shoulders against Northeastern,” said junior defensive back Anthony DiMichele. “We were playing a scholarship program, and all week the coaches were saying they didn’t give any of us a chance.” The chip-on-shoulder approach led to a 42-21 win. A week later, the Crusaders dropped a game against Brown. For a championshipminded team, the loss to the 1-2 Bears wasn’t expected, but it did serve up one of the year’s defining moments in the eyes of student play-by-play announcer Ryan Holt. “We’d steamrolled our way into Brown, coming off big wins against Harvard and a couple of cupcakes,” the WCHC Sports president said. “Then we went into Brown, and we coughed one up. But we came out the next game, blew Dartmouth out of the water, left no doubt and rolled from there.” The homecoming win over Dartmouth came a week before then-number 17 Colgate arrived at Fitton Field for the College’s family weekend. The Crusaders exorcised previous disappointments by quashing the Raiders’ celebrated running game and pummeling their conference rival 42-28. Lest the fouryear starter leave any doubt, Randolph accounted for all six Holy Cross touchdowns: throwing for four and running for two. “The Colgate game was huge,” Cialino said. “We came out prepared and with a fire
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in us. We went out and had a great game on offense and defense.”
Championship in sight Their nemesis dispatched, the Crusaders still had plenty of work to do if they were going to win the Patriot League title: four conference games remained and three were to be played away from Mount St. James. A week after Colgate, Lehigh presented the perfect trap game. Lehigh was just 2-6 overall but 2-1 in the Patriot League, and despite Holy Cross’ advantages on paper and on the field, the game came down to a bit of Randolph magic. With the Mountain Hawks up 20-17 in the fourth quarter, Randolph orchestrated an eight-play, 81-yard drive, capped off with a four-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Santana with 1:03 remaining in the game. That fourth quarter, Gilmore said, “said a lot about the mental toughness of the team. We needed a couple of defensive stops and—boy, oh, boy—we came up with them. We got the ball back to our offense, and the offense went down the field very methodically and got the job done.” A week later, back in Worcester, Holy Cross held on against Lafayette for a 28-26 win and—after a succession of oh-so-close seasons—captured the Patriot League title. The victory not only earned the Crusaders their first league title since 1991, but it also CRUSADER nation
guaranteed them a spot in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Hoisting the Patriot League trophy was a moment Randolph remembered as “surreal.” The sentiment was shared among his teammates. “Every year when we talked about our goals, we talked about winning the Patriot League,” Cialino said. “When it was finally here, oh my God, I was on cloud 9. I didn’t know how to take it in.” “I haven’t won a championship since I was a freshman in high school, and this was 10 times better than that—all the hard work we put in, being right there the last two years,” DiMichele said. “I’m glad we were able to get it. It was a tremendous feeling, unlike any other.”
On to the playoffs After disappointingly dropping their regular-season finale against Bucknell, the Crusaders entered the playoffs facing a mighty task: Go on the road and beat No. 2 Villanova, a one-loss team that scored an average of nearly 30 points a game, while surrendering only about 10. “In the last 20 years, Villanova was one of the finest I-AA teams I’ve ever seen,” said long-time Holy Cross play-by-play announcer Bob Fouracre. “They were very, very good. They had a good defense, a good offensive line, good skill players at quarterback and receiver, and their special teams were very good. They were number 2 in the nation for a reason.”
The underdog Crusaders showed they could play with the elite. They answered Villanova touchdown for touchdown in the first quarter, fell back by half time, and made their move in the third and fourth quarters, when they outscored Villanova 17-14. Despite scoring more points and totaling more yards than anyone all year against the Wildcats, the Crusaders wound up on the wrong end of a 38-28 final score. Villanova then went on to win three more games and the 2009 FCS National Championship. “We had a couple of mishaps on offense, some overthrows, some things that just didn’t go our way,” Randolph said. “It was
frustrating at times, but we felt we could play with them, and we certainly competed really well. We just didn’t take advantage of a couple of things.” For a program transformed and a team that lived up to its hype, the loss to Villanova left the Crusaders devastated. “It hurt,” Randolph said. “We were emotionally drained, especially after the season we’d had. Granted, we played a heck of a game and battled for 60 minutes, but it was sad for a lot of us seniors. We’re done playing football for Holy Cross—even Coach was getting choked up.”
‘Everything clicked’ How good were the 2009 Crusaders? Fouracre, who has been calling Holy Cross football games since 1970, doesn’t hesitate: “It was the best year Holy Cross has had since 1991 when the team went undefeated.” “It’s been a long time since Holy Cross has had an outstanding team like this,” Fouracre said. “Crusader Nation, as they say, was thirsting for this.” As successful as the 2009 season was, how it ended lingers on. There are, as head coach Tom Gilmore said in the weeks following the team’s first-round playoff exit against Villanova, “no moral victories in the game of football.” (continued on p. 7) CRUSADER nation
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Turning it Around New head coach leads Women's Soccer to most wins since 2000 By Ryan Holt ’10
B
efore most students had returned to Mount St. James from their summer retreats, the Holy Cross Women’s Soccer team was hard at work under the direction of new Head Coach Darren Gallagher. From the first game on, it was clear to see that this Crusaders team would be a little different than years past. It was Aug. 28 and the team just finished beating the UMass Minutewomen for the first time in the program’s history. “The UMass win was so exciting,” said sophomore Liz Early. “It gave us a sense of bragging rights in the area and really got the year off on the right foot.” The Crusaders went on to finish with a 7-9-3 record, good for the most singleseason wins for the program since 2000.
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For Gallagher, who took over the program after the resignation of Deb Cox, the tremendous makeup of a Holy Cross student-athlete attracted him to the position. “It’s a challenge. To not only build a soccer program that such a respected institution can be proud of, but to also develop both the student and player is extremely worthwhile,” Gallagher said. “The girls had a great work ethic and a willingness to learn which made my transition easy.” Making the transition to a new head coach is never easy for a group struggling to find an identity. The change, however, revitalized the team. “Coach hates to lose,” stressed sophomore Katherine Donnelly. “He hates losing as much as we do and I
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think he takes it harder than us. He makes us want to win and do our best. He will not let us settle for anything less.” Gallagher came to the Crusaders after coaching multiple teams in the Massachusetts Premier Soccer system as well as the Boston Renegades, a semiprofessional team in the USLW League. Growing up a Celtic (the soccer, not basketball team) fan in Scotland, Gallagher was able to take important character values from his biggest supporter, his father. “With so much more time spent with the players, I was able to be more strategic this season and patient in my preparations,” Gallagher stated. In addition to the major victory over UMass, the Crusaders résumé included wins over New Hampshire, Northeast Conference regular season champion Central Connecticut State Blue Devils, and a strong Yale Bulldogs team. It was these out of conference victories that gave the team strength throughout the season. “A few years ago, we were happy to share the pitch with teams like that,” senior Chelsi Pugliese said. “Now, we’re not only competing with them, but we’re collecting points against them. It’s a good sign for the future.” Captain Kendra Demakis ’10 echoed her fellow senior’s thoughts. “We’re just one big family,” Demakis reflected. “For many reasons, it just clicked this season. It was a little disappointing with the way the Patriot League shaped out, but it will only make the team better in the upcoming seasons.” The team struggled its way to a 1-5-1 record in a very competitive Patriot League, but an in-depth look at the conference schedule and it’s easy to see the strides made. Their best effort came at home against eventual league champion and NCAA tournament participant Colgate. After controlling the majority of the game, including most of the overtime periods, the Crusaders fell, 2-1, with just a few minutes left in the second overtime. “We fell short on some of our larger goals, but we began to foster a winning soccer culture here at Holy Cross both on the training field and on game day,” remarked Gallagher. “The players adopted great training habits and believed in the style of play that we presented.”
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There were also individual honors for the team as senior captain Shelby Stand and Donnelly both picked up first-team AllPatriot League awards for the second time in their careers. Stand led the Crusaders offensively with 10 goals and now ranks sixth on the all-time list at Holy Cross with 22 career goals. Her totals are all the more impressive considering the injuries Stand has withstood throughout her Holy Cross career. Recently, she received an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA and will return to The Hill next fall to add more goals and once again lead the team. “I’m so excited to be returning to Holy Cross,” exclaimed Stand. “Soccer is such a team sport and I would never have the success scoring goals if it wasn’t for them. I know our team has the ability to do damage in the Patriot League and it’s nice to be a part of the development once again.”
One of the players who will be charged with providing Stand the time and space to create up front will be Donnelly who continued her strong freshman campaign with an even better sophomore season. She led the Patriot League with eight assists which tied the Crusaders single-season assist record. “Individual awards are just icing on the cake,” said Donnelly. “I’m nothing without my teammates. It’s an honor to be recognized by the coaches, but I think it says more about our team’s overall success.” The Crusaders will be joined by eight new faces next season in their quest to make the Patriot League tournament. Expectations will be even higher for these freshmen and the team next season. As Gallagher is able to bring in his new classes of recruits, there are certain qualities he sees as extremely important for the team. “The Patriot League demands a high level of physicality and athleticism, but I also place a very high regard on skill level and decision making abilities,” said Gallagher. “It’s amazing how well the student-athletes here are able to adjust their school work with the time spent training. This personality is perfect for the school and our program.” With Gallagher and second-year assistant Heather Lipp at the helm, the future looks bright for the Women’s Soccer program. The team entered off-season training with a new vigor and added enthusiasm to take the pitch next season. Expectations couldn’t be higher for the club. With the leadership returning along with the incoming freshmen talent, the Crusaders will be determined to meet their goals of advancing to the Patriot League tournament and winning their first title since 2000. winter 2010
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Crusader Connections Throughout the year, dozens of studentathletes take part in on-campus Athletic Thank-a-Thons in which they call and thank donors to the Crusader Athletics Fund. This creates a great opportunity for students to talk individually with alumni and parents, and gives the student-athletes a chance to update donors on the happenings at Holy Cross and in Worcester. The next time your phone rings, please pick up. There may be a Crusader on the other end!
Softball player Nicole Ortiz ’12 (Whittier, Calif.)
Basketball players, from left, Whitney Fremeau ’11 (Manchester, N.H.), Alyssa May ’11 (Oradell, N.J.), Meredith Ward ’12 (Westerly, R.I.), and Marygrace Jay ’12 (Vienna, Va.)
Cross Country runners, from left, Chris Bergan ’11 (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Kevin Turner ’13 (Charlton, Mass.)
Baseball captain John Sills ’10 (Milton, Mass.)
Holy Cross Athletics: Teaching Life-Long Lessons “Holy Cross Athletics has helped me to engineer a strong work ethic, both on and off the ice.” Ryan Driscoll ’10 (Ice Hockey) “Participation in HC athletics has taught me how to overcome obstacles. Success is one step closer when you refuse to give up.” Jessica Pearson ’10 (Basketball) As our student-athletes can attest, involvement in varsity athletics is an important part of the Holy Cross experience. Teamwork, dedication, perseverance, and preparation are just a few of the many lessons learned from participation in HC athletics. Your gift to the Crusader Athletics Fund helps to make this experience possible for our student-athletes. Please consider making a gift to the 2009-2010 Crusader Athletics Fund before the June 30 fiscal year-end. For more information, contact Tom Cadigan ’02 at (508) 793-2415 or tcadigan@holycross.edu.
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(continued from p. 3)
“We came up short, and the team was crushed,” Gilmore said. “A lot of people were proud that we hung in there, and I am too, but at the same time, we’re all really disappointed that we didn’t win the game. Ultimately, that’s the change in attitude and the change in expectation that’s happened over the last few years.” With that last sentence, Gilmore sums up what may be most remarkable of all about the 2009 Crusaders football team. The rebuilding that has followed 2003’s 1-11 season has led to here, six seasons later, with Holy Cross conference champions and optimistic about a future of continued success.
Donor Profile Joe ’00 & Carrie ’00 Leto (Lacrosse)
How would you describe your experience as Holy Cross student-athletes? Participating in the athletic program was a huge part of our overall experience as students. It was certainly challenging to balance the academic curriculum of a top liberal arts school with the requirements of a competitive Division I schedule. It took a tremendous amount of commitment and dedication to play a varsity sport. Early morning lifting sessions, late night practices, and weekends away on road trips were, at times, demanding, but we wouldn’t trade any of them for the experiences we had as members of the Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse teams. The lessons we learned as student-athletes about teamwork and perseverance continue to be applicable to our lives and careers. The best part about playing on the Lacrosse team was the camaraderie that led us to form lifelong friendships.
What inspires you to give back to the Lacrosse program through the Crusader Athletics Fund?
“Hopefully by the time I’m leaving, it should be expected that Holy Cross will be in the playoffs, that Holy Cross will be Patriot League champions,” DiMichele said. “But nothing’s a given, and we’ll be working just as hard next year as we did this year.” The 2009 Crusaders had everything a team could want to be successful: experience on all sides of the ball, senior leadership, a quarterback in Randolph who broke every record he could throw a spiral at, quality coaching and engaged fans. “I don’t know if it was a destiny thing or a fate thing, but it just clicked,” Cialino said of the season. “We’ll look back and maybe that’s it: it clicked, everything clicked.” CRUSADER nation
We recognize that in order to have a successful athletic program, an institution must have the support of its alumni athletes. When the Crusader Athletics Fund was launched four years ago, we were thrilled to be able to direct our gift to an activity that was so personal to us. We have made a commitment to give back to the sport that gave so much to us during our time at Holy Cross. We have tremendous appreciation for the alumni who came before us and who helped support the Lacrosse program and other Holy Cross athletic teams. We feel that it is our responsibility to pay it forward and assist the current student-athletes in any way we can.
How would you encourage others to give to the Crusader Athletics Fund? We make an effort to get back to Worcester each spring to watch a lacrosse game, and every time we visit we notice new and exciting enhancements to the programs. As enthusiastic alumni, we are thrilled to see the new turf field, stands, uniforms, helmets, and sticks of which the players are taking advantage. We know that many of these enhancements are possible because of supportive and generous alumni and parents. It is wonderful to watch a program that we were a part of continue to grow and mature. We hope that other alumni will reflect on the many ways their experiences as Holy Cross Crusaders helped shape their lives, and will consider donating to the Athletic Fund. winter 2010
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Sports Recap FOOTBALL The Crusaders won the Patriot League championship for the first time since 1991 with a thrilling 28-26 win over Lafayette at Fitton Field. The team finished with an overall record of 9-3, including a 5-1 mark in league play. Holy Cross fell to eventual national champion Villanova 38-28 in the first round of the FCS playoffs. Holy Cross senior quarterback Dominic Randolph (Amelia, Ohio) was named the 2009 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, as voted by the conference’s head coaches. In addition, head coach Tom Gilmore was honored as the Patriot League Coach of the Year. Randolph was joined on the 2009 All-Patriot League first team by junior defensive back Anthony DiMichele (McKees Rocks, Pa.), junior placekicker Rob Dornfried (Berlin, Conn.), junior defensive lineman Mude Ohimor (Stoughton, Mass.), senior offensive lineman Chris Poole (Scituate, Mass.), senior linebacker Marcus Rodriguez (Peoria, Ariz.) and senior defensive back Michael Wright (Fort Washington, Md.). Eight other Crusaders were selected to the All-Patriot second team, in junior wide receiver Luke Chmielinski (Walpole, Mass.), junior defensive back Alex Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.), senior offensive lineman Aaron Jones (Springfield, Ohio), junior punter Don Lemieux (Gardner, Mass.), junior offensive lineman Mike McCabe (Watertown, Conn.), junior wide receiver Freddie Santana (Staten Island, N.Y.), sophomore tight end Alex Schneider (Inner Grove Heights, Minn.), and senior offensive lineman Chris Smith (Buffalo, N.Y.). Randolph became the first player in conference history to earn Offensive Player of the Year honors three times, after completing 310 of 485 passes this season for 3,776 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing this year, carrying the ball 113 times for 480 yards and seven scores. Randolph led the nation in total offense, while ranking second in points responsible for, third in completions, fourth in passing yards, and 15th in pass efficiency. Over the course of his career as a Crusader, he completed 1,131 of 1,786 passes for 13,455 yards and 117 scores, while amassing 14,240 yards of total offense. Randolph ranks fourth all-time in NCAA football championship subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) 8
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history in passing yards and yards of total offense, while standing fifth in touchdown passes. He also set the New England collegiate record for most passing yards, and broke the NCAA football championship subdivision records for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass (42) and most consecutive games with 200 passing yards (41). Randolph was a three-time finalist and placed fifth in the voting this year for the Walter Payton Award as the National Player of the Year in the FCS and was selected as the 2009 recipient of the Harry Agganis Award presented annually to the most outstanding senior football player in New England. Randolph joins Gordie Lockbaum (1987) as only the second Crusader to ever win the award. Gilmore earned Patriot League Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career, after previously winning the award in 2006. He led the Crusaders to their first conference title since 1991, with Holy Cross posting an overall record of 9-3 and a 5-1 mark in the league. Gilmore will also lead the team into only the third postseason appearance in school history, when it faces Villanova in the first round of the NCAA playoffs this week. This year’s squad has won nine games for only the ninth time in school history, while posting a 3-1 record against ranked opponents. Gilmore’s career record now stands at 39-28 over six seasons, including a 36-20 mark since the beginning of the 2005 campaign. DiMichele played in nine regular season games with eight starts at strong safety for Holy Cross this season. Despite missing two games due to injury, he ranked second on the team with 75 total tackles, including 63 solo stops, one sack and five tackles for loss. DiMichele also posted two interceptions, five pass breakups and a fumble recovery. He finished the regular season ranked fourth in the Patriot League in passes defended, seventh in tackles and eighth in interceptions. Dornfried led the team in scoring this season with 57 points, while making seven out of nine field goals and 36 of 37 extra point attempts. He currently has streaks of four straight field goals and 25 consecutive extra points made. In addition to placekicking, Dornfried saw some action at punter early in the season, and averaged 40.8 yards on 13 punts. He currently ranks first in the Patriot League in field goals made and extra point percentage, and second in scoring. Ohimor started all 11 regular season games this season for the Crusaders at defensive end. He led the team with seven quarterback sacks and nine tackles for loss this year, while his 33 total tackles are the most among all Holy Cross defensive linemen. Ohimor finished the regular season ranked fourth in the
Patriot League in sacks and sixth in tackles for loss. Poole earned All-Patriot League honors for the second straight year, after being a second team selection in 2008. He started all 11 games for the Crusaders at right guard this season, as part of an offensive line which paved the way for Holy Cross to rank third in the nation in passing offense (312.0 yards per game), seventh in total offense (437.3 yards per game) and 14th in scoring offense (32.5 points per game). Poole started all 34 of Holy Cross’ games over the last three seasons on the offensive line. Rodriguez was selected All-Patriot League for the second year in a row, after he was a second team honoree in 2008. He started all 11 games this season for the Crusaders at inside linebacker and leads the team with 97 total tackles, including 70 solo stops and two tackles for loss. Rodriguez also has six pass breakups and a forced fumble this year. He ranked fifth in the conference in total tackles and 14th in passes defended. Wright earned All-Patriot League honors for the second straight year, after being a second team selection in 2008. He started all 11 games at cornerback for Holy Cross this season, and led the team with three interceptions and 13 pass breakups. Wright also totaled 49 tackles on the year, including 46 solo stops and a tackle for loss. He finished the regular season ranked second in the Patriot League in passes defended and fourth in interceptions. Chmielinski played in all 11 regular season games this year at wide receiver, starting six times, and led the team in receiving this season with 56 catches for 722 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed six times for 31 yards and a score, while posting a teambest 753 all-purpose yards. Chmielinski currently ranks fourth in the conference in receiving yards and fifth in receptions. Johnson started all 11 games at free safety for Holy Cross this season. He ranks sixth on the team with 50 total tackles, while posting five pass breakups and an interception. In addition, Johnson returned 28 kickoffs for 627 yards this year. He finished the regular season ranked third in the conference in kickoff returns and 14th in passes defended. Jones earned All-Patriot League honors for the second straight year, after being a first team selection in 2008. He started all 11 games for the Crusaders at left tackle this season, as part of an offensive line which paved the way for Holy Cross to rank third in the nation in passing offense (312.0 yards per game), seventh in total offense (437.3 yards per game) and 14th in scoring offense (32.5 points per game). Over the last three seasons, Jones started 33 of Holy Cross’ 34 games on the offensive line. Lemieux punted 20 times for 793 yards this season, for an average of 39.7 yards per punt. He dropped three of his punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, while forcing two fair catches. Lemieux also handled the kickoff duties for the Crusaders this year, averaging 61.1 yards with 10 touchbacks on 66 kicks. In addition, he saw some action as the backup placekicker, converting all 10 of his extra point attempts and one field goal for 13 points scored.
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McCabe started all 11 games for the Crusaders at right tackle this season, as part of an offensive line which paved the way for Holy Cross to rank third in the nation in passing offense (312.0 yards per game), seventh in total offense (437.3 yards per game) and 14th in scoring offense (32.5 points per game). He was also named ESPN The Magazine Academic AllDistrict for his work in the classroom. Over the last three seasons, McCabe played in 24 games with 13 starts along the offensive line. Santana played in all 11 games this year at wide receiver, starting twice. He leads the team with eight touchdown receptions, while totaling 42 catches for 575 yards. Santana ranks second on the squad with 752 all-purpose yards, including 112 yards on 15 punt returns. He currently ranks second in the conference in punt returns and eighth in scoring. Over the course of his collegiate career, Santana has totaled 69 catches for 885 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Schneider played in all 11 games as Holy Cross’ top tight end, starting six times. He totaled 26 receptions for 223 yards and four touchdowns, to rank fifth on the team in receiving. Schneider is also a key blocker, helping the Crusaders to rank third in the nation in passing offense (312.0 yards per game), seventh in total offense (437.3 yards per game) and 14th in scoring offense (32.5 points per game). Smith started all 11 games for the Crusaders at center this season, as part of an offensive line which paved the way for Holy Cross to rank third in the nation in passing offense (312.0 yards per game), seventh in total offense (437.3 yards per game) and 14th in scoring offense (32.5 points per game). He was also named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District for the third straight season, for his work in the classroom. Smith has started all 44 of the Crusaders’ games over the last four seasons, setting new school records for games started and consecutive games started.
FIELD HOCKEY The Field Hockey team wrapped up its season with a 4-14 overall record and went 2-3 in league play, good for a fifth place finish. It posted a 3-7 home record while going 1-7 on the road. The team’s two captains, Kaitlyn Barnes (Honesdale, Pa.) and Courtney Callahan (Acton, Mass.), were named to the 2009 first and second team All-Patriot League squads respectively.
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Barnes earned the honor for the first time in her career while Callahan took home second team accolades for the second consecutive year. Barnes has played in every game over her Holy Cross career. She led the squad in both interceptions (40) and tackles (46) for the second straight season and also recorded four defensive saves this past season, a career-high. She also registered four assists, leading to the most points she has tallied in a Crusader uniform. Callahan, who scored her ninth goal of the season against Brown in the team’s non-conference finale, completed the year as the squad’s leader on offense, scoring nine goals and tallying one assist for a teamleading 19 points. Her nine goals were a career-high for a single season and her 19 points were also a career-high. She ended the 2009 campaign in a tie for fifth in the Patriot League in goals and ninth in points. Senior goalkeeper Kelly Casey (New Egypt, N.J.) also had a career year. She finished the season with 108 saves, second-most in the Patriot League. She also ranked third in saves per game (6.00) and fifth in goals-against-average (3.23). Her 108 saves topped her previous career-high of 26 saves in a season by 82. She was truly the team’s rock in goal, starting in and playing every minute of the team’s 18 contests. She earned her first career Patriot League honor, being named Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 12. Junior Alanna Sikorski (Glen Gardner, N.J.) also took home Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors after scoring her first career hat trick against Colgate on Oct. 17. On the season, Sikorski registered five goals, second most on the team. Her five goals were a career-high for a single-season and her 11 points are just one point shy of her career-high of 12 points, which she tallied in 2008. Defense was a huge factor for Holy Cross this season and junior Breezy Rush (Denville, N.J.) stepped up tallying five defensive saves, a career high. She led the team and was ranked second in the Patriot League.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY The Men’s Cross Country team completed the 2009 regular season with a sixth place finish at the Patriot League Championship held in Hamilton, N.Y. on Oct. 31. Sophomore Cory Loftis (Branford, Conn.) led the Crusaders with a 22nd place finish with a time of 27:11.2, while sophomore Dan Altenau (Eastchester, N.Y.) finished in 26th place with a time of 27:20.4. Rounding out the top five for Holy Cross was senior Tim Richard (Attleboro, Mass.) in 28th place with a time of 27:21.6, freshman Kyle Shepard (White Plains, N.Y.) in 54th place with a time of 28:28.5, and senior Garrett Huddy (Columbus, Ohio) in 57th place with a time of 28:32.9. Richard was named Patriot League Runner of the
Week for his team leading 62nd place finish at the New England Championship with time of 25:50. His performance was his third top team finish of the season as he opened with a team leading second place finish at the Blue Devil Invitational and was the top Holy Cross performer at the Murray Keatinge Invitational on Oct. 3. Richard was the top finisher in 10 races over his career at Holy Cross, leading the Crusaders four times as a freshman, once as a sophomore and twice as a junior. Freshman Kevin Turner (Charlton, Mass.) earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors for his performance at the New England Championship. He was the fourth Crusader to cross the line with a time of 26:43. Freshman Dylan Leazes (Providence, R.I.) was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week for his performance the week of Sept. 14-20. He competed in the 8K at the National Catholic Invitational on Sept. 18 in Notre Dame, Ind., where he finished 46th with a time of 27:03.6. His effort helped the Crusaders finish fifth overall in the meet. Sophomore Stephen Madsen (New Providence, N.J.) ran the 8K in a career-best 26:29 and finished in 72nd place to lead Holy Cross to a 16th place finish at the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational on Sept. 19. Sophomore Ben Brink (New Rochelle, N.Y.) also ran a career-best, finishing second for Holy Cross in 82nd place with a time of 26:48. Junior Chris Bergan (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was next for the Crusaders in 109th with a time of 27:20.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY The Women’s Cross Country team completed the 2009 regular season with a fifth place finish at the Patriot League Championship held in Hamilton, N.Y. on Oct. 31. Sophomore Paige Sutherland (Groveland, Mass.) finished in second place with a time of 22:54.6 and led the Crusaders for the fifth consecutive race this season. Sophomore Sarah Mellea (North Arlington, N.J.) crossed the line in 27th place with a time of 24:24.6, senior co-captain Claire Luke (Delmar, N.Y.) finished in 34th place with a time of 24:31.5, sophomore Elizabeth Humphries (Siler City, N.C.) crossed the line in 35th place with a time of 24:32.4, and junior Jacqueline Imse (Simsbury, Conn.) rounded out the top five Crusader finishers with a 41st place finish and time of 24:46.4. Sutherland was named to the first team All-Patriot League for her performance at the Patriot League Championship. Sutherland has been the top Holy Cross performer in 12 of 13 races in her career. In addition, Sutherland’s second-place finish at the Patriot League Championship tied the highest individual placement for a Crusader Women’s Cross Country runner at the Patriot League Championship. Nancy Sullivan finished second for Holy Cross in 1990. Sutherland led Holy Cross to the team’s best finish in
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the conference championship since 2001, when Holy Cross tied for third. Sutherland was also named the Patriot League Runner of the Week twice, on Sept. 15 for her performance at the Blue Devil Invitational in New Britain, Conn., and again on Oct. 13 for her team leading sixth place finish at the New England Championship. Freshman Elizabeth Harkins (Latrobe, Pa.) was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week for her top rookie performance at the New England Championship. Harkins was the seventh Crusader to cross the line, finishing with a time of 20:03. Harkins was the top rookie for Holy Cross seven times in seven races over the course of the 2009 season. Freshmen Stephanie Bray (Fairfax, Va.) and Caiti Derenze (Jamesport, N.Y.) each were a top rookie for Holy Cross in a meet this season. Bray led the class at the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational while Derenze topped all freshmen at the Central Connecticut Mini Meet. Senior co-captain Meghan Dunne (Mendham, N.J.) finished in 43rd place with a personal-best time of 19:22, leading Holy Cross to a 13th place finish at the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational on Sept. 19. Dunne also led the Crusaders with a 34th place finish at the Central Connecticut Mini Meet on Oct. 24. Dunne finished the 3K race with a time of 11:08.76.
MEN’S SOCCER
The Men’s Soccer team finished the 2009 season on a three-game win streak, just missing a bid to the Patriot League Tournament. Overall, the team went 6-10 and was 4-3 in league play. They had an identical 3-5 record at home and on the road. They averaged 9.19 shots per game and 1.81 goals per game (12 goals total). Junior forward Kyle Miller (Woodbury, N.J.) was named to the 2009 second team All-Patriot League squad. This was the second consecutive year that Miller had been named to an All-Patriot League team as he was named to the first team in 2008. Miller played in all 16 contests this season, finishing first on the team with seven points (three goals and an assist). He scored his first goal of the season against Northeastern, leading the team to a 2-1 victory. After a 10-game scoring drought, Miller finished the season with a goal in each of the final two contests, tallying points against American and Army. He recorded his first assist of the season against Boston College and also led the team with 39 shots taken. Defense remained a strong suit for the 2009 squad, as the team finished its campaign with just 18 goals allowed, ranking third among the team’s singleseason records. Junior Tom Van Grinsven (Chicago, Ill.) made a great impact as he picked up Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career on Nov. 2. He also scored his first career goal this season also tallying his first points in a Holy Cross uniform. Senior goalkeeper Thomas Booth (Patchogue, N.Y.) 10
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completed his final season in the net with 70 saves and a 1.09 goals against average. His 2009 goals against average ranks fifth on the Holy Cross singleseason records list. He also averaged 4.38 saves per game, third-most in the Patriot League. He also recorded four shutouts on the season, giving him 16 shutouts over his career. He wraps up his career ranking second on the Holy Cross career records list in shut outs and in goals against average (1.44). Freshman Shane Regan (Quincy, Mass.) led all newcomers with two goals, including two gamewinners (tying the team-high). His four points ranked third on the team. He earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors after scoring his first career goal in the 46th minute of the 1-0 triumph over Albany. He then added another game-winner against Colgate just two minutes into the following match and ended the season with a team-high .400 shot percentage. Fellow freshman Pat McCann (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) started in the team’s final seven contests. He tallied his first career point against American, picking up an assist. He also led his class with 14 shots taken, third-most on the team.
WOMEN’S SOCCER The Women’s Soccer team completed the 2009 season with an overall record of 7-9-3, the most wins in program history since the 2000 season, and went 1-5-1 in the Patriot League. Senior forward Shelby Stand (Douglas, Mass.) and sophomore midfielder Katherine Donnelly (Londonderry, N.H.) were named to the first team All-Patriot League. This was the second honor for Stand and Donnelly as last year both were also named to the first team. Stand led the Crusaders with 10 goals for 20 points. She completed the season second in the Patriot League in shots per game, goals per game, points per game and game winning goals. Her 10 single-season goals are tied for fourth on the Holy Cross singleseason record list; her 51 career points tied her for seventh all-time at Holy Cross and her 22 career goals are sixth. Stand was named the BRINE Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career on Sept. 8 Donnelly led Holy Cross and the Patriot League with eight assists. She tied the Holy Cross single-season assist record and is tied for eighth all-time at Holy Cross with 11 career assists. Last season Donnelly was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Holy Cross senior defender Chelsi Pugliese (Pembroke, Mass.) was named the BRINE Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for games played the week of Sept. 20. Pugliese scored her first career goal in the 6-0 victory over Wagner on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium. Pugliese scored the second Crusader goal of the game at the 15:18 mark. Senior midfielder Paige Harrison (Sutton, Mass.) was
named the AT&T Crusader of the Week for competition from the week of Aug. 30. Harrison led the Women’s Soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Massachusetts in its opening game of the season. During the 2-0 win over the Minutewomen, Harrison netted the game-winning goal for the Crusaders. She scored at the 6:22 mark of the first half on a penalty kick to put Holy Cross up 1-0. Freshman midfielder Maura Fox (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was named the AT&T Crusader of the Week, for competition the week of Oct. 18. Fox led the team to a 4-1 victory over Yale and a 0-0 tie against Lehigh. In the victory over Yale, Fox scored two of the Crusaders goals, including the game winner. Her first goal was an unassisted tally at the 15:34 mark, which gave Holy Cross a 2-0 lead at the time. Fox then scored again at the 86:00 mark when she buried a shot off of a scramble right in front of the goal mouth to conclude the scoring. Senior goalkeeper Jessica Stone (Rockville, Md.) wrapped up her career with 178 saves, eighth all-time at Holy Cross. She ranks seventh with a career 2.03 goals against average and eighth with nine wins.
VOLLEYBALL The 2009 Volleyball team (5-24 overall, 3-11 Patriot League) had the most overall wins and the most Patriot League victories since the 2006 season (520, 3-11 Patriot League). The Crusaders had some
very impressive performances this season. Freshman Megan Lynch (Mendham, N.J.) had an outstanding rookie campaign becoming the first ever Holy Cross freshman volleyball player to earn All-Patriot League honors as she was named to the second team. She recorded 371 kills which are the second most at Holy Cross for a single-season and the most ever by a Crusader freshman. She was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week twice as she became only the second Crusader to earn that award. Lynch finished the season ranked second in the Patriot League with her 371 kills and 3.53 kills per set. Junior setter Chelsey O’Donnell (Pittsburgh, Pa.) ended the season with 893 assists which are second on the Holy Cross all-time single-season list. Junior Angela Chisholm (Millis, Mass.) concluded the season with a career-best 360 digs which are third all-time at the school. Senior Samantha Surface (Fresno, Calif.) had a strong senior season as she ranked third on the team with 188 kills and 1.86 kills per set, while she was also third with a career-best 221 digs. Sophomore Kathleen Colpoys (Scituate, Mass.) led the team with a .258 hitting percentage, while freshman Callie Black (Fallon, Nev.) had a strong season at the net as she led the team with 58 blocks and 0.55 blocks per set. Junior Rebecca DeSanti (Hampden, Mass.) surpassed her best single-season statistics with 101 kills and 34 digs, while freshman Elizabeth Watters (San Francisco, Calif.) finished the season fifth on the team with 191 digs and 1.85 digs per set.
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Crusaders in the Crowd
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Jacqueline Imse
Kaitlyn Barnes
Junior, Women’s Cross Country (Simsbury, Conn.)
Senior, Field Hockey (Honesdale, Pa.)
The junior was the second Crusader to cross the finish line in the Blue Devil Invitational, National Catholic Championship, New England Championship and Murray Keatinge Invitational where she recorded a season best time of 18:43:66 in the 5K race.
The senior captain started 74 of 75 career games as a Crusader. She tallied career highs with four defensive saves and three assists this season while leading the team in interceptions (40) and tackles (46). Barnes was named to the All-Patriot League first team.
Cory Loftis
Marcus Rodriguez
Sophomore, Men’s Cross Country (Branford, Conn.)
Senior, Football (Peoria, Ariz.)
Loftis led the Crusaders at the Patriot League Championship finishing with a time of 27:11. He also was the first Holy Cross runner to cross the line at the National Catholic Championship with a time of 26:03.
Rodriguez started all 12 games and led the team in total tackles with 102, solo stops with 75 and assists with 27. He also had six pass breakups. He was named All-Patriot League first team and was selected to the 2009 New England FCS All-Star team.
Katherine Donnelly
Andrew Keister
Sophomore, Women’s Soccer (Londonderry, N.H.)
Junior, Basketball (Galloway N.J.)
The second year forward led the Patriot League with eight assists which tied the all-time Holy Cross single-season record. She is now tied for eighth alltime in career assists with 11 in just two seasons.
The tri-captain was named All-Patriot League first team in 2009 and to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll three straight times. In league play, Keister averaged 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in 2008-2009.
Tom Booth
Maggie Gousman
Senior, Men’s Soccer (Patchogue, N.Y.)
Senior, Swimming & Diving (Fanwood, N.J.)
The three-year starter recorded 16 career shutouts and a 1.44 goals against average, both good for second all-time at Holy Cross. He finished his college career with 22 wins.
The senior is the school record holder in both the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:05.47 and the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:25.60. She was named team MVP the first three years of her career.
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Alumni Athletes Reunite
Field Hockey Alumnae Weekend Wet Worcester weather didn’t detour field hockey alumnae and their families from returning to The Hill on Saturday, Sept. 12 for a friendly Alumnae Game and tailgate with Head Coach Ali Hawk ’98 and Assistant Coach Susie Whalen ’07. The party then continued with a social gathering at Funky Murphy’s in downtown Worcester.
Volleyball Alumni Weekend Head Coach Marritt Cafarchia and her staff served up a great tradition by hosting the 2nd annual Volleyball Alumni Weekend Nov. 1–2. A strong group of alumni and friends returned to the Fieldhouse to cheer on the current Volleyball team as they played Army, then laced them up for the Alumni Game the next morning. Participants then relaxed and reconnected over refreshments, and started plans for next year’s event.
Men’s Lacrosse Alumni Game More than 40 lacrosse alumni and friends returned to Mount St. James on Saturday, Oct. 17 under sunny skies to check out the program’s new synthetic turf facility and to take part in the annual Alumni Game. Following this Homecoming Weekend game organized by Coach Adam Pascal and Assistant Coach Patrick Hart ’05, participants reconnected at an alumni tailgate, then cheered on the current men’s team as they scrimmaged McGill University.
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Head of the Charles Alumnae Boat Nine adventurous alumnae rowers got back in the boat and participated as a Holy Cross alumnae entry at the Head of the Charles Regatta on Saturday, Oct. 17. Despite high winds and some ominous weather in Boston, the group put on a great showing. The team included, from left, Nina Villanova ’02, Abigail Scully ’07, Delia Rissmiller ’07, Maura Droney ’05, Megan Seavey ’06, Krista (Yarashefski) Haith ’05, Catherine Eberl ’03, Melissa (Irving) Christensen ’04, and Christine Henwood ’99.
5th Annual Alumni Swim Meet Swimmers and divers returned to the Hart Center pool for the 5th Annual Holy Cross Alumni Swim Meet on Saturday, Nov. 7. The adventurous alumni raced against the current Holy Cross team in a friendly meet that included a t-shirt relay, a balloon relay, and a “photo race.” Following the meet, alumni and families gathered for a buffet dinner in the Hart Center with Head Coach Barry Parenteau and his staff. Special thanks to Kate Reilly ’04 and Mike Toner ’63 for organizing this ever-growing event.
Baseball Alumni Game Alumni warmed up under the Fitton Field lights then took the field for the annual Baseball Alumni Game on Saturday, Sept. 19. This was the first such event held under the lights, and gave alumni and their families a chance to reconnect and to meet the current crop of Crusader Baseball student-athletes. Head Coach Greg DiCenzo greeted all the alumni attendees,and updated everyone on the upcoming 2010 Holy Cross season.
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Crusader Replay
1980 1990 MEN’S BASKETBALL – 30 YEARS AGO
The Men’s Basketball team finished with an overall record of 19-11 and won the ECAC Championship with an 81-75 win over Boston University and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Senior captain Ronnie Perry led the team in scoring and became the all-time Holy Cross and New England Division I scoring leader. Other top players were Leo Kane, Garry Witts and Ernie Floyd. The head coach of the team was George Blaney, assisted by Togo Palazzi.
WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD – 20 YEARS AGO
The Women’s Track & Field indoor team had 15 individuals qualify for the New England Championship including champion Sue Daley in the 55-meter hurdles. The outdoor season produced 17 individual qualifiers and the team finished in an impressive sixth place overall. The 4 x 800 foursome of Terry Livingston, Kristin Kraeger, Courtney Finn and Nancy Sullivan that won the championship were ranked nationally and competed in the Penn Relays Championship.
1999 MEN’S SOCCER – 10 YEARS AGO
The Men’s Soccer team won the Patriot League regular season championship for the second time with a mark of 5-0-1 and overall record of 9-4-4. The senior-dominated squad was led by captains Drew Larson and Matthew Maloney. Other senior team members included Kyle Bartlett, Jeff Carroll, Charles Chiesa, J.D. Garcia, Jason Lee, Matt Leitao, George Maillis, Lawrence Shelley and Nicholas Vuono. Freshman Matt Ney led the team with nine goals and 20 total points.
College of the Holy Cross Crusader Athletics Fund One College Street Worcester, Massachusetts 01610-2395