The accomplishments of two coaches and their respective teams at UMass Dartmouth highlighted the Corsairs' Fall '95 season.

For cross country coach Jon Hird, the season produced yet another pair of Little East Conference (LEC) cross country championships for both his men's and women's teams. In women's soccer, 1995 marked the final season for Coach Ray Cabral, who is credited with establishing the Corsairs' nationally-recognized women's soccer program. In his seventh and final season, Cabral's team qualified for the 1995 ECAC tournament, their sixth consecutive post-season tournament invitation.

For the second straight year, UMass Dartmouth's men's and women's cross country teams captured their respective LEC cross country championship race, taking first place in both team events at Mansfield (CT) Hollow State Park on October 28.

UMass Dartmouth's men's team kept its LEC championship streak intact, winning its eighth consecutive LEC men's team championship, while the women's team captured its fourth LEC title in eight years. The Corsairs had five men and four women earn All LEC honors for placing in the top seven spots in their respective races.

The Corsairs' men were led by two-time All LEC runner Thomas Steele (Weymouth, MA), who finished first overall with a time of 26:17 over the 8,000-meter course. UMass Dartmouth runners finished fourth through seventh to help the Corsairs (23 points) easily outdistance second-place Eastern Connecticut (49 points) and third-place UMass Boston (60 points). UMass Dartmouth's second finisher was Tim Gonet (New Bedford, MA), who was fourth overall at 27:08, followed by an All LEC repeat performer Mike Paulin (Westfield, MA) in fifth (27:10), Andrew Simons (Dartmouth, MA) in sixth (27:20) and Wayne Demery (Blackstone, MA) seventh (28:05).

The women's team race was a little closer, but the results weren't any different. The Corsairs' women finished with 35 points, one better than second-place University of Southern Maine (36 points). Michelle Doane (Wrentham, MA) earned All-LEC honors for a second straight year, placing second overall and tops among Corsair runners. She covered the 5,000-meter course in a time of 20:03. The Corsairs' other All-LEC honorees included Maura McDonald (Greenfield, MA), who finished fifth (21:00), two-time All LEC recipient Maureen McIssac (Foxboro, MA) was sixth (21:01) and Laura Caselden (Westfield, MA) took seventh (21:05).

Ray Cabral, the only women's soccer coach UMass Dartmouth has ever known, stepped down from his head coaching position at the end of the 1995 season. In his seven varsity seasons with the Corsairs, he posted a 92-26-8 overall record.

"Working with the athletes at UMass Dartmouth has been the greatest experience of my life," said Cabral, a four-time Little East Conference Coach of the Year.

Cabral is credited with taking a new program from its infancy in 1988 to the NCAA Division III finals in 1992, establishing the Corsairs as one of the top women's soccer programs in New England.

In his final season at UMass Dartmouth, the Corsairs posted a 10-5-3 overall record, finishing 4-2 for third in the LEC behind champion Plymouth State College. The Corsairs were invited to the 1995 ECAC Division III New England Tournament, marking their sixth consecutive tournament appearance in the program's seven-year history. UMass Dartmouth was eliminated in the tournament's first round, 1-0 , by Plymouth State.

UMass Dartmouth placed two players on the LEC First Team All-Conference team for the 1995 season. For the second consecutive season, Kim Serrecchia (Wakefield, MA) was All-LEC at back and Kathy Ciempa (Ludlow, MA) was named for the first time. Michelle Howland (Holliston, MA) and Jennifer Mullet (West Springfield, MA) both received Honorable Mention recognition.

Jill Toloczko (Rockland, MA) finished with a team-high 12 goals plus an assist for 25 points, second-best among LEC scorers this season. Corsair goalie Christine O'Connell (Rockland, MA), who made 9 saves in the ECAC Tournament loss to Plymouth State, finished third among LEC goalies with a 1.25 goals against average, allowing 21 goals in 16 games. She made 69 saves in 1515 minutes for a .767 saves percentage and a 9-5-3 record with 6.5 shutouts.

Highlighted by a pair of victories from freshman Kelly Berger (Buzzards Bay, MA), Coach Warren Preti's team (6-4 overall) earned 13.5 points and a third-place finish at the LEC Tournament hosted by the Corsairs in October. Playing at #6 singles, Berger captured her singles title and later teamed with another freshman, Kasha Gula (Mansfield, MA), to win the #3 doubles championship. Rhode Island College captured the tournament team title with 20 points and Plymouth State was second with 16 points.

In the New England Championships played in Springfield, MA, Emily Traubel (Pennington, NJ) and her doubles partner, Amy Kennedy (Danvers, MA), were the only Corsairs to record victories before being eliminated from the tournament. Traubel defeated Nancy Kirwin of Salem State, 6-2, 6-3, before being knocked out in the second round of singles action. Kennedy and Traubel defeated Anna Greenlices and Autumn Shurin of Bates, 8-5, at #1 doubles before getting knocked out in the second round.

The 1995-96 UMass Dartmouth cheerleaders are busy throughout all three sports seasons and the summer as well. In addition to performing at Corsair home games, they attended the NCA Collegiate Cheerleading Camp during the summer and took first place at a cheerleading competition held at Boston College High School. At the NCA Collegiate Cheerleading Camp, three cheerleaders were named NCA Collegiate All-Americans, including Reggie McCormick (Fitchburg, MA), Steve Belanger (Fairhaven, MA), Christie Cardoza (Fairhaven, MA). Belanger was also named "Top Gun Tumbler" and "Top Gun Jumper" at the camp. As a team, the Corsairs cheerleaders received the Top Team Award, Best Spirit Routine Award, Best Home Cheer Award and received a bid to the NCA Collegiate Nationals.

Under the direction of Coach Lisa Cabral and assistant coach Janice Cardoza, team members who attended NCA Collegiate Cheerleading Camp included Lynne Feeley (Quincy, MA), Eric Bichao (Gloucester, MA), Nicole Couture (Tiverton, RI), Sarah Grillo (Fitchburg, MA), Kevin Leduc (Somerset, MA), and Michelle Minichello (Quincy, MA). This same group along with Amy Carroll (Fall River, MA), Jenelle Herlihy (Danvers, MA), Kasey Leblanc (Wareham, MA), Tammy Morgan (Billerica, MA), Erin O'Sullivan (Rockland, MA) and Jennifer St. Laurent (Freetown, MA) made up the first-place team.

The search for a permanent director of athletics at UMass Dartmouth got underway during the fall when a search and screen committee held its first meeting in November Assistant Chancellor for Resource Development, Dr. Richard Burke was the search and screen committee chairman......Kerrin Parkinson (Sterling, MA), a former two-sport athlete for the Corsairs, was named to the National Softball Coaches Association's All American Scholar Athlete for the 1994-95 Academic Year. A four-year letter winner in softball and a co-captain last season, Parkinson was also a member of UMass Dartmouth's swim team. In order to qualify for the honor, students must have a 3.5 grade point average for the academic year. Parkinson finished with a 3.66 GPA and was named to the Chancellor's List in her final semester......Dan Sousa (Fall River, MA) concluded his career at UMass Dartmouth by being named to the LEC All-Conference First Team for the second straight season. Sousa was also Honorable Mention LEC as a sophomore in 1993. Honorable Mention honors were presented to sophomore Erik Reis (Westport, MA). In their second season under Coach Jim Cook, the Corsairs' men's soccer team posted a 6-8-2 record......The UMass Dartmouth cheerleaders took first place at the Fourth Annual Invitational Cheerleading Competition held this fall at Emerson College. The Corsairs' finished first in the small, co-ed college category.......Coach Marilyn Ritz's field hockey team finished the fall season with a 7-10-1 record......Senior captain Paul Salsinha (Fall River, MA) was named Second Team on the 1995 ECAC Division III New England Football All-Star Team. Linebacker Matt DeGrandpre (Marion, MA) was named to the New England Football All-Conference First Team in voting by the New England Football Conference coaches. DeGrandpre was a second-team NEFC All Star last season. Named to the NEFC Second Team were three of Coach Bill Kavanaugh's Corsairs (4-6 overall), including defensive backs Adam Lynch (Easton, MA) and John Skabeikis (Dorchester, MA) and tight end Herb Devine (Whitman, MA). Devine was an NEFC Second Team player at defensive end last season.......Quarterback Bill Casey (No. Easton, MA) tied an NCAA football record with a 99-yard touchdown run in the season opening 13-0 victory over Norwich University. Casey's run tied the record for longest run from scrimmage by a quarterback......Coach Stephanie Ponte's volleyball team posted its second consecutive winning season with a 16-14 record. At the LEC Tournament played at Eastern Connecticut, the Corsairs posted a 1-2 set record with a 6-7 record in matches in the four-team tournament. UMass Dartmouth dropped a 3-2 decision to Western Connecticut, defeated Rhode Island College, 3-1, before losing 3-1 to the tournament host and champion, Eastern Connecticut. Stephanie King (Acton, MA) was the Corsairs' representative on the All-Tournament team...... Former UMass Dartmouth two-sport student-athlete Julie Smalley (Brockton, MA) was inducted into the Brockton High School Athletic Hall of Fame. She played both soccer and softball for the Corsairs and served as an Asa S. Bushnell Intern in the ECAC office after her graduation from UMass Dartmouth......With a 10-8 victory over Southern Maine, Coach Bruce Wheeler's baseball team captured the LEC's 1995 Fall Baseball tournament played at Eastern Connecticut. UMass Dartmouth put together a 4-1 record in the two-day, double-elimination tournament. The Corsairs won their opener, 11-5, over Western Connecticut, but fell into the loser's bracket with a 3-0 loss to Southern Maine. Facing elimination with a loss, the Corsairs defeated Rhode Island College, 13-7, and Plymouth State, 7-2, to advance to the finals for a rematch with Southern Maine. A six-run second inning by UMass Dartmouth gave the Corsairs a lead they never relinquished, hanging on for the 10-8 final. Freshman Jason Cook (Bellingham, MA) picked up the victory with relief help from Dean Macedo (Fall River, MA) in the ninth inning. Mike O'Leary (West Roxbury, MA) had three hits for the Corsairs while Frank Sniezek (Fairhaven, MA) and Eric Alberto (Fall River, MA) added two hits each......At the University of Southern Maine Invitational played October 15-16 at Gorham (ME) Country Club, Coach Don Daley's squad placed third in a six-team field with a combined score of 665, seven strokes behind the champions from Husson College. The Corsairs were led by Eric Kostecki, who shot an 78-82 160 to tie for third place among individual finishers. Mike Sturdevant (81-82 163) was fourth.