Fall Highlights
Women’s cross country finished 17th at the NCAA Division III Championships for another top 20 finish. The Mules also placed fourth at the New England Region NCAA Qualifier, third at the NESCAC meet, and the Mules won the Maine State title. Cassi Knight just missed All-American honors by placing 36th (top 35 earn honors) at the national meet. She also led the Mules by placing 12th at the New England Region meet and 17^th at the NESCAC meet. Katrina Gravel was the second runner in each of those meets, including 49th at the NCAA race. Emma Linhard was second overall, Gravel took third, Knight was fifth, and Nora McCall seventh at the state meet.

The football team finished 3-1 at the new Harold Alfond Stadium, including a win in the home opener against NESCAC defending champion Middlebury College. Sam Handler earned All-New England honors and first team All-NESCAC honors for his play at defensive end. He was fourth in the conference in sacks (5.5) and had 30 tackles while putting plenty of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Defensive back Tom Daley and defensive tackle Kevin Bird each earned All-NESCAC second team honors. Daley had 46 tackles and finished tied for first in NCAA Division III in fumble recoveries per game (0.63) with five total. Bird helped stuff the run with 30 tackles and the Mules ranked third in the league in rushing defense (82.8 per game). Gardiner Parker (58 total tackles), Chris Copeland (54, 3 interceptions), Lamont Henry (47), John Murphy (46), and Alex Halls (44) also were leading tacklers. Running back Dan Prunier had 460 yards and six touchdowns to lead the offense for Colby (3-5).

Defense was the key for women’s soccer in making the NESCAC playoffs. The Mules allowed 25 goals in 15 games, but the team gave up just one goal or less in nine of the 15 games. Colby (5-9-1) took a 1-0 overtime win over rival Bates in the regular season finale to get into the league playoffs before falling to eventual champion Williams. Su-Lin Del Guercio earned all-conference second team honors for her play on defense. Del Guercio and teammate Lexi Bohonnon moved from their regular midfield spots to the center of the defense this season. Loni Pisani, Colby’s goalie, had 10 stops in a 1-0 league win over Trinity and added 11 stops in a 0-0 conference tie with Connecticut College.

The field hockey team made the NESCAC playoffs and got plenty of offense from leading scorer Meryl Poulin, who earned all-conference honors with eight goals and 10 assists for 26 points. She was second in the league in assists per game and ninth in points per game. Poulin had five goals and four assists in the nine conference games for Colby (5-10). Heather Quadir (team-best 9 goals, 7 assists) and Amy Campbell (7 goals) also were threats. The team had to play most of the season without three-time All-NESCAC selection Mary Clare Snediker, who sat out a good portion of the season with a knee injury. Snediker finished her career with 29 goals.

Men’s soccer had a fine season with a 7-6-1 overall record and a 3-5-1 mark in the NESCAC. However, the balanced and strong NESCAC was so good that the Mules just missed out on the league playoffs despite three wins and a tie. Senior defender Tom Milaschewski earned All-NESCAC second team honors and played in the New England Intercollegiate Soccer League game for senior all-stars. Logan King also earned second team league honors with his two goals and four assists for eight points. Josh Lyvers (7 goals, 1 assist) and Andrew Cheit (4 goals, 3 assists) were leading scorers. The team earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the eighth straight year, the longest streak of NESCAC men’s soccer teams.

The final three players from the 2005 NESCAC and New England Regional volleyball championship team played their final seasons at Colby. Seniors Jenny Lawrence, Meredith Lawler, and Carlie Minichino. Lawrence set a single-season record for assists in 2005 with 1,473 and ended her four years as Colby’s career leader in assists (4,024) and service aces (332). Lawrence, an ESPN the Magazine District I All-Academic selection, played in the New England Women’s Volleyball Association Senior Classic. Lawler also played in the senior match after finishing her career with 1,135 kills and setting a four-game match record with 23 kills. The Mules finished 12-16 this past season and got a solid first season from Andrea Rosengarten (227 kills).

Men’s cross country placed fourth out of 10 teams at the Maine state meet and took 23rd out of 49 teams at the New England regional. Mike Bienkowski, Andy Maguire, Chris DeRoo, and John Hall led the squad.

The golf team finished seventh out of 12 teams at the Maine State meet. Hans Noering and Sam Rouleau led the team during the season.

Winter Highlights
Men’s alpine skiers Josh Kernan and Vincent Lebrun-Fortin each earned All-American honors for great finishes at the NCAA Skiing Championships at Sunday River. Kernan earned first team honors for placing fourth in the slalom and was on the second team for taking seventh in the giant slalom. Lebrun-Fortin made the second team for placing sixth in the giant slalom. Kernan was first among Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) skiers in the slalom and was first among U.S. skiers, while Lebrun-Fortin has earned All-American honors in three of the four races he has competed in at the national meet over the past two years. Kernan was a combined (slalom and giant slalom) seventh among EISA skiers heading into the national meet and Lebrun-Fortin was ranked 11th. The Colby ski teams also hosted the Eastern Championships at Sugarloaf and the men took advantage of skiing on the home course. Lebrun-Fortin was third in the slalom and Kernan took fifth place as the Mules placed second in the event. Brian Morgan was 12th in the slalom and 14th in the giant slalom at Easterns, while Sam Witherspoon took 16th in the giant slalom.

Women’s alpine skier Emily Colin went to the NCAA Skiing Championships at Sunday River after two clutch performances at the Eastern Championships at Sugarloaf. Colin, needing good runs in the slalom and giant slalom for a chance to qualify for nationals, took seventh in the slalom and 10th in the giant slalom to get into the national meet. Colin took 21st place in the slalom and 27th in the giant slalom at the NCAA competition. Dana Breakstone, who had skied at the NCAA meet in 2008, finished in 21st in the giant slalom at the Eastern meet.

Women’s Nordic skier Lucy Garrec may have been the biggest difference-maker of any first-year athlete at Colby in a long time. She won the Nordic ski program’s first-ever (male or female) ski carnival race and was among the top five Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) female skiers. Garrec and teammate Kathleen Maynard also made the NCAA Skiing Championships and were the first female Nordic skiers to make the national meet since Jenny Lane Townsend in 1998. Garrec had six top-three finishes during the EISA ski carnival season, including a second in the 5-kilometer classical race in the Eastern Championships at Sugarloaf. Garrec also placed eighth in the Eastern mass start race before taking 14th in the 5-kilometer classical at the NCAA meet and 27^th in the mass start race (she briefly fell with another competitor in that race). Maynard, in her final season at Colby, took 17th in the mass start race at Easterns. Colby women finished fourth in the classical event and fifth in mass start at Easterns.

Men’s Nordic skiing did not send anyone to the NCAA meet after sending a full team of three skiers in 2008, but the Mules still managed to have a solid season. Colby finished in a tie for fourth place in the mass start at the Eastern Championships and the squad had three skiers in the top 19. Matt Briggs was ninth, Sam Mathes took 16th, and Silas Gill was 19th. Wyatt Fereday took 14th in the classical event at the Eastern meet.

Dick Whitmore won his 600th career game and became just the 52nd men’s basketball head coach in NCAA history (all divisions) to win 600 games. In his 38th season at Colby, Whitmore defeated Bowdoin in a league game to earn the milestone victory. Junior forward Adam Choice earned D3hoops.com Northeast All-Region Third Team honors, was on the NESCAC first team, and was the Maine State Player of the Year for the second straight season. Choice has 1,077 points and 486 rebounds heading into his senior season. Senior point guard Artie Cutrone made the NESCAC and Maine State second team. He finished his career at Colby with 802 points and 227 assists. Michael Russell averaged 12.8 points and 8.4 rebounds for the Mules. Colby finished the season at 17-8 overall and hosted a NESCAC quarterfinal game after finishing fourth in the league.

The Colby women’s basketball team used balanced scoring by one of the youngest teams in NESCAC to post a 13-12 overall record. The Mules did not have a senior on the roster and just three juniors. Rachael Mack was named the Maine Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) Rookie of the Year and made the state all-rookie team for her play. Mack led the NESCAC in three of the eight statistical categories the league publicizes. She was first in blocked shots per game (1.56, 39 total), field goal percentage (.558, 101-for-181), and tied for first in free throw percentage (.846, 66-for-78). Mack averaged 10.7 points and was fifth in the conference in rebounding at 7.4. The team had balanced scoring with Mack, Alison Cappelloni (11.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg), Julianne Kowalski (10.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg), and Sam Allen (10.1 ppg). Cappelloni broke the program’s career made 3-point field goal record with 123 heading into her senior year.

Women’s hockey made it to the NESCAC semifinals for the third time in four years before falling 4-2 to Middlebury. Senior goaltender Lacey Brown finished with 56 saves in the game and ended a stellar career with a 27-20-8 record, a 2.63 goals against average, and 1,618 saves. Senior forward Becky Julian was named an All-NESCAC second team selection for the second straight year after scoring 20 goals and dishing nine assists. Julian finished her career with 66 goals and 45 assists for 111 points. Sophomore forward Stephanie Scarpato led the Mules in scoring with 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points and was second in the league in points per game (1.23). Senior forward Laura Anning added nine goals and 15 assists this season and also broke 100 career points with 60 goals and 58 assists for 118 points. Amanda Comeau (33 goals, 38 assists), Colette Finley (23 goals, 30 assists), and defender Heather Nickerson (10 goals, 31 assists) also helped the senior class to a 51-39-12 record over the past four seasons, including a trip to the NESCAC title game in 2008.

Men’s hockey lost more than 500 career points and two All-Americans to graduation in 2008, forcing the 2009 team to be in a youth mode. The top nine scorers for this year’s 6-15-3 squad were juniors or younger and two of the top three were first-year players. First-year Michael Doherty led the team with 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points. Sophomore Billy Crinnion (6 goals, 9 assists), first-year Dan Nelson (6 goals, 9 assists), sophomore Wil Hartigan (5 goals, 6 assists), and junior Jeoff Jarnot (1 goal, 10 assists) were leading scorers. Sophomore goalie Cody McKinney has made 1,135 saves in two years at Colby. The Mules did have a thrilling 1-0 win over rival Bowdoin in front of a sellout crowd at Alfond Rink.

Women’s senior swimmer Kelsey Potdevin earned All-American honors in the 100-yard backstroke after taking eighth place in the championship final. She broke her own school record in the event in a preliminary race at the national meet with a clocking of 56.92. Potdevin holds Colby backstroke records in the 50, 100, and 200. She set a NESCAC meet record in the 50 backstroke with a 26.56, but the 50 backstroke is not run at the NCAA meet. Potdevin, who also finished second and earned All-NESCAC honors in the 100 backstroke, and the Mules finished 6-3 in dual meets and had a fine fifth place finish at the NESCAC meet. Colby also won its sixth straight Colby-Bates-Bowdoin (CBB) title with victories over their Maine rivals. Mandy Ferguson earned All-NESCAC honors for taking third place in the 1,650 freestyle, while Danielle Carlson set a school record in the 400 individual medley (4:34.34) and Chelsea Heneghan set a program record in the 200 freestyle (1:54.11). The relay team of Potdevin, Heneghan, Carlson, and Ferguson also set a school record in the 800 freestyle.

Men’s swimmer Sam Wampler earned All-NESCAC honors in the 100 freestyle by placing third at the league meet and set five school records during the conference meet. Wampler had individual records in the 50 freestyle (20.71), 100 freestyle (45.70), and 200 freestyle (1:41.99). He also joined forces with Ben Gross, Mason Roberts, and Peter Williams for school records in the 200 medley relay (1:34.68) and 400 medley relay (3:29.85). Wampler’s big league meet helped the Mules finish a solid eighth at the NESCAC meet.

Men’s squash got a big lift from first-year first position player Harry Smith to finish the season ranked 19th in the country. Colby took a 6-3 win over Tufts in the 19th-20th place match at the national team meet. Smith was an All-NESCAC second team selection after going 15-12 at the top spot. Smith, the younger brother of Colby women’s first position player Samantha Smith, played in the national individual meet and had a 2-2 record. Jake Leiby played at the second spot for the Mules, while Justin Russell played at three.

Samantha Smith earned All-NESCAC second team honors after leading the women’s squash team from the first position for the second straight year. She had a 17-10 overall record and finished 2-2 at the national individual meet. The Mules finished the season ranked 23^rd in the country. Catherine Monrad played at the second spot and Maddie Dufour was at three for the Mules.

Emma Linhard picked up her second indoor track and field All-American honor after placing sixth in the mile at the NCAA meet for the Colby women. Linhard had a time of 5:00.44 in the event after placing fourth in the mile at the New England Division III meet and fifth at the Open New England competition. Linhard won the mile and the 800-meter run at the Maine State meet. Heather MacDonald took second in the 1,000-meter run at the ECAC meet and won the event at the Maine State competition. Brianna Kondrat took fourth for the Mules in the weight throw at the New England Division III meet. Erin Beasley was the other winner at the Maine meet with a victory in the 55 dash, while Katrina Gravel (3,000), Danielle Sheppard (high jump), and Mandy Ivey (5,000) all took seconds.

Ben Ossoff placed sixth in the 1,000-meter run at the New England Division III meet and ninth at Open New Englands for the men’s indoor track and field team. Mark Ozarowski took second in the shot put and was sixth in the weight throw at the Maine State meet. David Lowe added a sixth in the high jump and an eighth in the 400 at the state meet.

Spring Highlights
Women’s lacrosse had the greatest season in program history, winning a second straight NESCAC title and making the NCAA tourney for the third time in four years. The Mules finished the season ranked eighth nationally at 16-2 and were 8-1 in the conference. Colby went to Tufts University this year to win the NESCAC title and then hosted an NCAA regional at Bill Alfond Field. Kate Sheridan earned her fourth straight All-American honor and finished her career as the school’s all-time leading point leader. She also had career marks for goals and was tied for the career assist record. Sheridan became the first Colby athlete in any sport to win two NESCAC Player of the Year honors and also earned ECAC New England Player of the Year honors for the second straight year. Amy Campbell and Heather Nickerson each earned All-American third team honors from the IWLCA. Sheridan, Nickerson, and Campbell also earned NESCAC first team honors, while teammate Caroline Duke was on the second team. Those four players along with Claire Donegan and Kathleen Kramer were all-region selections. Donegan also was named to the womenslacrosse.com All-Rookie Team. Sheridan, Snediker, and Nickerson played in the North/South Senior All-Star Classic. The North squad is led by Colby head coach Karen MacCrate Henning. Colby’s senior class finished with an amazing 55-17 record in four years.

The Colby men’s lacrosse team, led by first-year head coach Jon Thompson, made the NESCAC playoffs for the first time since 2002 with an 8-7 overall record and a 4-5 mark in the conference. Sophomore midfielder Craig Bunker is Colby’s first All-American since 2002 after earning honorable mention honors. Bunker was fifth in NCAA Division III in groundballs (8.73) and 12th in face-off percentage (.645). He led the NESCAC in both categories and earned league first team honors. Junior attacker Whit McCarthy made the NESCAC second team after scoring 41 goals and dishing 11 assists for 52 points. Senior attacker Caddy Brooks finished his career with 91 goals and 79 assists for 170 points and participated in the USILA Senior Lacrosse All-Star Classic.

Brianna Kondrat won the New England Division III title and the NESCAC title in the hammer throw for the women’s outdoor track and field team. She earned the NESCAC Performer of the Week honor four times during the regular season. Kondrat broke a 14-year-old school record with a toss of 167-01 in the hammer throw and was also second in the discus throw at the NESCAC meet. The senior went on to compete in the NCAA meet for the first time in her career. Meanwhile, sophomore Danielle Sheppard won the New England Division III title and the NESCAC title in the high jump. Emma Linhard won the New England Division III 1,500-meter run, while Devan FitzPatrick was second in the league meet and earned NESCAC all-conference honors along with Kondrat and Sheppard. Colby was eighth in the New England Division III meet and finished sixth in the NESCAC meet.

Softball started the season with a 10-0 spring trip to Florida and ended the year with a 4-0 victory over St. Joseph’s College in the final game for retiring head coach Dick Bailey. He spent 13 years at Colby and compiled a 197-177-3 record and also had 11 years at St. Joseph’s for an overall record of 443-296-3. The Mules (18-11 overall) had solid pitching from Brittany Tasi (7-3, 2.24 ERA), Randi Arsenault (4-2, 2.41 ERA), and Alyssa Crowell (7-6, 2.58 ERA). Allyson Cheever (.398), Carlie Minichino (396), Alyssa Lepore (.384), and Alex Essman (.338) led the offense.

Senior men’s tennis players Bryan Brown and Alex Chin earned NESCAC second team honors after going 7-2 during the spring season in first doubles play against league opponents. Brown and Chin won the Middlebury Invitational ‘A’ flight during the fall season. Brown earned the Clarence Chaffee Sportsmanship Award, given annually to a NESCAC men’s tennis player.

The women’s tennis team was one of the more improved spring squads after going 3-5 in NESCAC play after going just 1-7 in 2008. The team took a 5-4 win over rival Bates after losing 6-3 a year ago and also won 5-2 against Connecticut College after falling 8-1 to the Camels the season before. Katie Muto and Caroline Reaves were the top two singles players, while the second doubles team of Tara Davidson and Katie Brezinski had a solid season.

Craig Cooper finished with 139 career hits and made the NESCAC all-conference second team for the baseball team. He led the Mules this year in batting average (.398), homers (4), RBI (32), and slugging percentage (.610). Senior catcher Kyle McKay batted .311 and led the team in walks (24). He finished his career with 88 hits and a .410 on-base percentage. Wil Hartigan led the pitching staff with a 2-2 record, three saves, and a team-best 2.75 earned run average. Matt Moore led the squad in wins with three.

David Lowe competed in the men’s decathlon at the Open New England Championships and came away with a sixth-place finish. He won the 1,500 meters in the event and had two fourths. Ben Ossoff won the men’s track and field team’s first race ever at the new Harold Alfond Stadium with a victory in the 800 meters. Chris DeRoo was second in the 400 meters at the state meet and Ossoff took a third in the 800 meters.

Men’s crew placed second in the petite final (places 7 to 12) at the New England Championships. The team also got a victory from their varsity 4 boat in a dual against University of New Hampshire on Messalonskee Lake.

Women’s crew, with mainly first year and sophomore rowers, placed second in the CBB races. The novice 8 boat was first against Bowdoin and Bates in the CBB meet.

Academic highlights

• Colby had 89 student-athletes make the NESCAC fall, winter, and spring all-academic team.
• Volleyball player Jenny Lawrence, softball player Brittany Tasi, and women’s lacrosse player Kate Sheridan earned District 1 (New York and New England) All-Academic honors.
• Numerous Colby teams and athletes earned all-academic honors through their respective sports.