A Year in Review

BASEBALL
2009 Review

As the fifth seed, St. Mary's was one win away from advancing to the CAC championship game. The Seahawks finished the season with a 15-22 (7-11 CAC) overall record. Numerous injuries throughout the season hindered the team's success as St. Mary's dropped nine contests by two or less runs.

Highlights from the 2009 campaign included the Seahawks four-game sweep of conference rival, the University of Mary Washington. SMCM posted a three-game sweep of the Eagles during the regular season, marking the first time since 2000 that the Seahawks have swept UMW. St. Mary's then went on to eliminate Mary Washington from the CAC tournament with a 6-5 decision in 10 innings. The Seahawks also posted a 2-1 victory over nationally ranked Salisbury University.

Catcher J.P. Debrowski led the Seahawks at the plate as Debrowski registered a .337 clip with team-highs of 23 RBI and eight doubles. Shortstop Matt Baden was second offensively as Baden batted .310 with team-highs of 35 hits, 30 runs, eight doubles, and four triples.

The argument could be made that the last three years of St. Mary's men's basketball has been the most successful stretch in the program's history. The Seahawks have had a winning record all three years, along with back-to-back record-setting seasons in which the team set the single-season record for most wins. Take into account that St. Mary's in just three years earned the program's first-ever berth in the NCAA Division III Men's

Basketball Championship tournament (2008), dancing all the way to the round of 16; captured the program's second CAC championship title (2008) as well as the first-ever CAC regular-season title (2008-09) and claimed the 2008 Provident Pride of Maryland Tournament title for the bragging rights as the top Division III school in Maryland.

The 2008-09 season saw the Seahawks finish with the most wins in school history (since joining the NCAA), posting a remarkable 21-5 record. St. Mary's was nationally ranked throughout the season, including the program's highest rank of No. 14 in the D3hoops.com Top 25. Camontae Griffin and Alex Franz both earned spots on the All-CAC First Team, while Griffin was also named to the D3hoops.com All-Middle Atlantic Region Third Team.

The Seahawks did graduate three seniors who have played a vital role in the recent success of the program. Calvin Wise, a 6-5 power forward, was head coach Chris Harney's first-ever recruit. Wise averaged 9.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and shot 60.5-percent from the field in his final campaign, while reaching the 1,000-point milestone. Alex Irmer, a 6-7 center, was a highflying one man show, averaging 11.8 points and 6.2 boards all while shooting a league-leading 65.4-percent. Tom Cosgrove finishes out the trio of seniors who graduated from the program as one of the two team captains in 2008-09.

It was a tough second year for head coach Barb Bausch as a small squad and injuries plagued the Seahawks from the beginning. St. Mary's notched nine wins, including finishing second at its own Cherry Cove/Seahawk Tip-Off Tournament and sweeping conference opponents, Gallaudet University, Hood College and Stevenson University.

The team's leading scorer and rebounder, Allie Scott finished her career with her fourth consecutive All-Capital Athletic Conference Second Team selection.

2009 is the inaugural season of the men's and women's cross country programs under the direction of first-year head coach Tom Fisher. Coach Fisher is optimistic that the Seahawks will be competitive in their first-year of racing in the Capital Athletic Conference.

St. Mary's will be tested early in the season when the harriers travel to their first meet - the Green Terror Split Distance XC Challenge hosted by McDaniel College on September 12. The Seahawks next two races will be hosted by conference schools, York (Pa.) and Salisbury, before traveling to Goucher.

SMCM will get a sneak peek at the CAC championship course when they race at the Hood Open on October 17.

The Seahawks will then spend three weeks preparing for the CAC Championships on November 7.

For the second consecutive year, the Seahawks advanced to the Capital Athletic Conference championship game as the No. 2 seed in the CAC tournament with a 5-1 conference record.

In her first year as a collegiate head coach, Katie Lange coached the program's second NFHCA All-America selection in Emily Smithson as well as three all-conference selections.

The 2008 CAC Co-Player of the Year, Smithson led the team in scoring with 10 goals, three assists, and 23 points. Julia Puzak, an All-CAC First Team pick, helped the defensive unit boast a 2.00 GAA as Puzak recorded a team-best four defensive saves.

In the classroom, St. Mary's continued its excellence as 16 Seahawks were named to the 2008 NFHCA Academic Team, the third-highest total in program history.

In Chris Hasbrouck's first year at the helm of the Seahawks, he guided the squad to an 8-7 (5-2 CAC) finish, including the program's first win over 15-time defending Capital Athletic Conference champion, Salisbury University, in over 30 years. The Seahawks, who finished ranked 10th in the NCAA South Region, notched a dominating 9-2 win over Dickinson College along with a 12-7 victory over the College of Wooster, two schools which have earned NCAA tournament berths in the past. With a 5-2 conference mark, the Seahawks earned a first-round bye as well as the No. 2 seed in the CAC tournament, earning the right to host third-seeded Salisbury in the semifinals.

For his efforts in his first year as the Seahawk mentor, Coach Hasbrouck was selected by his peers as the 2009 CAC Coach of the Year. The squad also had Marc DiPasquale and Ryan Alexander pick up honorable mention All-America honors, while having six players named to the All-CAC teams. DiPasquale, Alexander, and Ryder Henry were selected to the all-conference first team, while Dennis Rosson, AJ Armstrong, and Pat Simpson were tabbed for the second team.

Kara Reber had a solid first season at the helm of the Seahawks, guiding the team to a 12-5 overall record and a spot in the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals as the No. 2 seed with a 6-1 league mark. St. Mary's was ranked all season long, reaching as high as No. 15.

Lauren Carrier completed her stellar four-year career as the school's all-time leader in both goals (246) and points (311), having scored at least one goal in 59 consecutive games. For her efforts during her senior campaign, Carrier was selected as the CAC Player of the Year and picked up her second straight All-America nod. She was a four-time IWLCA All-Chesapeake Region First Team as well as a four-time All-CAC First Team pick during her tenure at St. Mary's.

Joining Carrier as an all-region selection were Allie Zerhusen, Emily Norris, and Arianna Larrimore. Zerhusen was second on the team in scoring with 43 goals and 15 assists followed by Norris' 40 points (29g, 11a). Larrimore helped anchor the defense with 24 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers.

St. Mary's ended the campaign on a high note by winning the crown jewel of college sailing - the ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship title - by 20 points over Yale University. Prior to capturing the coed national title, the Seahawks were just one win away from claiming the program's fifth ICSA/APS Team Racing National Championship crown.

During the fall season, Sara Morgan Watters finished eighth at the ICSA Women's Singlehanded National Championship, while Michael Menninger placed 13th at the ICSA Singlehanded National Championship. St. Mary's was unable to defend its 2007 ICSA Sloop National Championship as the Seahawks came in third.

Megan Magill was named to the Women's All-America Team after being an honorable mention in 2008. Jesse Kirkland and Michael Menninger earned spots on the Coed All-America Team, while team captain Jen Chamberlin and Kelly Wilbur were both selected as All-America Crew.

Year in and year out, head coach Herb Gainey creates one of the most challenging schedules in the region and time after time, the Seahawks have proven that they are a formidable opponent not to be taken lightly. The 2008 campaign was no different as St.

Mary's faced seven squads who advanced to the 2008 NCAA tournament, including eventual national champion, Messiah College. Three opponents were ranked in the top 25, including York (Pa.) College and Messiah at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

The Seahawks hung tough with everyone on their schedule, playing to four draws and losing three one-goal matches, including a 1-0 loss to No. 2 York.

For the second straight season, Wesley College put an end to St. Mary's CAC tournament run as the Wolverines notched a 2-1 overtime win in the quarterfinals.

Four Seahawk players earned all-conference honors as Benard Agyingi, Cyrus Albertson, Chris Madrigal, and Chris Quamina were all named to the All-CAC Second Team. In his first season with the Seahawks, Quamina led the team with six goals and 14 points, while Albertson was third with four goals and eight points followed by Agyingi's seven points (3g, 1a). Madrigal added two goals and an assist from his defensive back position.

The Seahawks had a phenomenal campaign in 2008 with a few program firsts:

Dodging a York (Pa.) defensive tackle, Kaitlin Boswell picked up her dribble and went deeper in the box before sailing a high chip over the Spartan keeper's head for what proved to be the game-winner in the Capital Athletic Conference championship game, giving the Seahawks their first-ever CAC title as well as their first-ever berth in the NCAA tournament.

St. Mary's registered its first-ever national ranking of No. 25 on October 7 after establishing a 7-0-3 record in the season's first 10 games. The following week, the team moved up one more spot to No. 24 for its highest ranking of the season. The Seahawks also spent eight consecutive weeks ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Middle Atlantic Region poll.

The Seahawks placed seven players on the All-CAC squads, tying a program record set by the 1992 team. Lauren Carrier became just the third Seahawk to earn CAC Player of the Year honors, while Carrier, Sophia Esparza, Katie Klotz, and

Marie Oben were named to the All-CAC First Team. Carrier and Esparza went on to earn NSCAA all-region honors as well.

Coach Brianne Weaver, who was named CAC Coach of the Year, became the first-ever Seahawk mentor to be selected as the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.

In addition, the Seahawks got it done in the classroom as Oben, Sarah Grady and Karissa Carroll all earned NSCAA scholar all-region laurels, while Grady was a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team selection.

WOMEN

St. Mary's posted its most successful season in the history of Seahawk women's swimming, setting 16 out of 19 possible school records, nine Capital Athletic Conference championship meet records, four NCAA 'A' cuts as well as eight NCAA 'B' standards. The Seahawks also sent two to the NCAA Division III Swimming Championships in Brie McDowell and Rachel Hotchko.

McDowell claimed three All-America citations at the NCAAs, including a fourth-place finish in the 200 backstroke, while Hotchko had her highest finish in her trips to the NCAAs with her 23rd-place finish in the 100 butterfly. With the duo's strong performance, the Seahawks finished 22nd in the team standings at the NCAA Championships - the highest ever in SMCM history.

The Seahawks finished second at the CAC Championships for the second year in a row as St. Mary's claimed gold in 10 events, while McDowell captured a conference record seven first-place finishes en route to her second CAC Women's Swimmer of the Year title.

MEN

Mike Preston established five school records (three individual, two relays) in leading St. Mary's to a third-place finish at the CAC Championships - the team's highest finish since 2003. Overall, the Seahawks set six school records as Jackson Webb now holds the record in the 200 butterfly. Seven swimmers garnered 15 All-CAC honors a year ago.

The tennis programs continued to make strides in 2008-09 as both the men and women notched winning records for the first time this decade.

WOMEN

Sarah Weisse earned All-Capital Athletic Conference Second Team laurels at singles as Weisse posted a 10-8 overall record at No. 1 singles, including winning five matches in a row from March 12 to April 4. Weisse and her doubles partner, Michelle Compton, picked up All-CAC Second Team honors after notching an 11-8 mark at No. 1 doubles. The duo won eight straight matches from February 24 through April 4. The Seahawks (12-8, 3-3 CAC) finished the year with a school single-season record of 12 wins and advanced to the CAC semifinals for the second year in a row as the No. 5 seed.

MEN

Kenny Nugent led the Seahawk men (11-10, 3-3 CAC) to the CAC semifinals as Nugent set a school record with 15 wins on the season en route to All-CAC Second Team honors. Nugent and Thomas Hoesman were both named CAC Player of the Week, while the Seahawks dominated their three Pennsylvania opponents during Spring Break.

After opening up the season with a 1-1 mark, the Seahawks went on a tear as they won 13 consecutive matches, including sweeping nine of their opponents. St. Mary's finished the year with a 27-7 overall record (7-1 CAC) after making its second straight trip to the Capital Athletic Conference championship match.

Katie Ewing became the program's second All-American in as many years as Ewing earned honorable mention from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), while Ewing and Claire Kodan garnered all-region honors as well.

The Seahawks had three players receive All-CAC laurels as Ewing picked up a first team nod, while Kodan and Becca Tursell were named to the second team.