STAC Golf, Chargers Basketball Succeed

Harvard’s Pucci honored

Juniors Josephine Pucci of Pearl River, for the second time, and Jillian Dempsey of Winthrop, MA, of the Harvard University women’s hockey team have been named to the New England Hockey Writers all-star team.

The honor is the first for Dempsey, who is one of two ECAC forwards named to the team, joining Quinnipiac’s Kelly Babstock of Mississauga, Ontario.

Dempsey had a stellar junior season with the Crimson, leading the team in scoring with 27 goals, 21 assists and 48 points.

Pucci, an assistant captain of the Crimson, is the lone ECAC defenseman chosen to by the New England hockey writers. She received all-ECAC second-team accolades as a junior and was a finalist for the league’s Best Defensive Defenseman award.

Pucci finished the season with 21 points on five goals and 16 assists, and was 10th in the nation in points per game among defensemen, averaging 0.81 per contest.

Pucci will be honored at the hockey writers’ banquet on April 10 at the Prince Restaurant in Saugus, MA, when all awards and all-star teams will be presented. Festivities are expected to start at 6 p.m.

Coaches, student-athletes, family members and friends are encouraged to attend. Contact Pete Souris at 781-245-2122 for information. Cost is $40 per person.

Keep your head down, and follow through

Led by senior John Casey of Garnerville, the St. Thomas Aquinas College men’s golf team won the fifth Charger Challenge hosted by Dominican College at Spook Rock Golf Course in Suffern. 

Casey shot back to back rounds of 72 to place second. Mike Gunderson of Duxbury, MA, and Jack Rice finished fifth and sixth, respectively, with totals of 146 and 148. 

Thomas Linehan of Dansville rounded out the Spartans scorers by finishing 11th with a two-day total of 152.

The Spartans completed Day One in a four-way tie with Goldey-Beacom, Dowling and St. Rose, all finishing with a team score of 303.  STAC shot 285 on Day Two, holding a 15-stroke lead over runner-up Goldey-Beacom of Wilmington, DE.

Dominican, led by Keith Prokop of Ramsey, NJ, who tied for 25th, finished eighth in the 11-team field.

Carol Fonacier of Valley Cottage played as an individual with a combined score of 167 (79-88).

The Chargers return to action Sunday and Monday in the Dr. Edwin Cottrell Invite at Penn Oaks Golf Course in West Chester, PA.

This weekend the Spartans compete in the Dowling College Peter King Memorial at Long Island National Golf Club in Riverhead.

Nyack College, meanwhile, finished second a week earlier in the STAC Invitational at Rum Pointe Golf Club in Ocean City, MD, posting a team score of 302 after a strong opening round.        

Sean Lawrence of Monroe Township, NJ, led the Warriors with 74-80—154 while Andres Aranguen of Madrid, Spain carded 75-80—155, Zhao Yang of Bayside 75-81—156 and Matt Yun of Flushing 78-78—156.

Nyack is back in action on Monday at the Griffin Invitational in Jeffersonville, PA.

Chargers’ star recognized

Cory Quimby of Otisville, who guided the Dominican College men’s basketball team to a 19-9 overall mark, has been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District East first-team.

Quimby was a first-team Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) all-star choice after previously being recognized as the Central Atlantic Athletic Conference (CACC) Co-Player of the Year.

The 6-foot-6 post player, who helped Dominican College finish second in the CACC North Division, ranked third among CACC scoring leaders at 18.1 points per game while adding 11.4 rebounds per contest, which also ranked second among NCAA national leaders.

Mortarboard musings

• Senior Chrissy Gutenberger of Stony Point and freshman Carly Cappello will be back in action on Saturday when the Manhattan College women’s lacrosse team wraps up a four-game road trip, in Buffalo, against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opponent Canisius at 11 a.m. The Jaspers (2-6) are coming off a 15-5 loss to Villanova (2-5).

• Dominican College junior softball pitcher Delaney Childers of Johnstown, OH, received consideration for CACC player of the week honors after posting a 2-0 mark with a 1.00 ERA, including a two-hit shutout against Felician (NJ) College.

• Junior Ben Shapiro of Katonah is 3-4 on the Quinnipiac University tennis team, which was to visit Fairleigh Dickinson University today at noon. Shapiro, a graduate of The Harvey School, won seven matches last season for the Bobcats, who will be in Philadelphia, PA, on Monday at 1 p.m. to challenge Villanova.

• Senior Dan Fiorito of Yonkers is second in batting on the Manhattanville College baseball team. The Fordham Prep alum has a .472 average, while junior John Bucci of Port Chester is fourth on the club with a .404 norm. Freshman Tom Kilkenny of Pearl River is batting .333, and sophomore Elias Tsouristakis of New Rochelle is hitting .286. The Valiants are in Purchase today to entertain Wilkes University at 3:30 p.m., and then travel to Wilkes-Barre, PA, on Saturday for a doubleheader scheduled at 1 p.m. The Valiants return home on Sunday to meet Alvernia University of Reading, PA, in a 1 p.m. twin-bill.

• St. Thomas Aquinas College women’s lacrosse player Genevieve Stickney of Bayport was named East Coast Conference (ECC) rookie of the week after a six-goal, one-assist effort in a 22-15 victory over Marywood College. Stickney leads the Lady Spartans with 18 goals and four assists, while sophomore midfielder Margaret Sharp of Suffern is second with 13 goals and two assists. STAC will host Lake Erie College (4-2) on Saturday at 11 a.m., and stays home on Sunday to meet once-beaten Seton Hall University at 12:30 p.m.

• Freshman Danielle Hoffman of Bedford, a member of the Brown University gymnastics team, is one of 10 Bears who qualified to compete in the USAG Collegiate Nationals April 12-14 at the University of Bridgeport. Hoffman competes in vaulting for the Bears, who have scheduled a practice and banquet on April 11. Prelims will be held at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on April 12, with the event finals set for April 14 at 1 p.m.

• Sophomore Sam Fife of Scarsdale is a member of the Brown University men’s tennis team, which will take an impressive 13-3 record into a meeting at Princeton University on April 7 at 2 p.m.

• Benjamin Toro Jr. of Yonkers and Vinny Todino of Eastchester are sixth and seventh in batting, respectively, for the College of Mount Saint Vincent baseball team. Toro is hitting .333 while Todino is hitting .328 for the Valiants, who will be in Patchogue on Saturday for a noon-time twin-bill against St. Joseph’s College. The Valiants are also set for two games on Sunday against Maritime College at Concordia College in Bronxville. First pitch is at noon. Pitcher James Puma of Thornwood, an alum of Westlake High, is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA, good for third-best on the team.

• The Dominican College baseball team, which is coming off a 5-4 non-conference loss to visiting C.W. Post University, now takes to the road. The Chargers visit Felician (NJ) College tonight at 7 p.m., and play at Queens on Saturday at noon. In the loss to C.W. Post, Andrew Camardella of Pelham drove in three runs. Camardella shares the club lead in RBI at 14 with Tyler Clark of Cheshire, CT.  Peter Martinez of White Plains also had an RBI against C.W. Post.

• Dominican College freshman Allison Smithwick of Commack was selected as the ECAC Division II Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week after recording 13 goals and seven assists as the Chargers went 2-1.

• Freshman right-hander Mike Scarinci of Nanuet, the reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rookie of the week, pitched two solid innings out of the bullpen to earn his second straight victory as the Manhattan College baseball team defeated New York Institute of Technology, 8-5, at Van Cortlandt Park in Riverdale. The Jaspers (5-17) return to Van Cortlandt Park on Saturday for their first conference home series. Manhattan will play a doubleheader against Iona College at noon, with the series scheduled to conclude on Sunday, also at noon. Eric Capowski of Yonkers is fifth on the Gaels with a .323 batting average, and Pete Ladis, also of Yonkers, has made four appearances on the mound.