With a new director of athletics in the fold, UMass Dartmouth athletes and teams welcomed Kenneth McBryde to campus by winning three Little East Conference (LEC) championships during the Fall 1996 season.

Leading the championship teams during the Fall were the Corsairs' men's and women's cross country teams, who both successfully defended their LEC team championships in their respective sports. UMass Dartmouth's women's tennis team captured its first LEC title in the program's history and no less than three teams either tied or set school records for most victories in a season. The Corsairs football team (8-2) and the field hockey squad (13-4) both tied team records for wins in a season and the women's tennis team (11-3) set the record for most wins, breaking the record of nine during the 1993 season.

Overseeing all of this success during his first season as the new director of athletics was Kenneth McBryde, who was appointed by Chancellor Peter H. Cressy on July 22, 1996. A former director of athletics at NCAA Division IAA, II and III institutions, McBryde replaced longtime Director of Athletics Robert Dowd, who stepped down from the position last year, but remained in the department as staff associate in charge of educational programs.

McBryde came to UMass Dartmouth with a background as a successful athletics administrator at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD, Virginia State University in Petersburg, VA and Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ.

McBryde enjoyed an outstanding career as both a coach and an athlete before entering athletics administration. From 1979 through 1984, he was assistant track and field coach for men and women at Rutgers University. He also was head coach of the Livingston College women's basketball team from 1979-81.

Prior to entering the coaching ranks, McBryde enjoyed an outstanding track and field career. He was twice a triple-jump finalist at the U.S. Olympic Trials (1972 and 1976), twice ranked in the top 20 in the world and was a member of the World University Games team in 1973. He earned All-America distinction at Manhattan College six times and was named the outstanding track and field performer at the school.

For Coach Jon Hird's cross country teams, the double team victory is the third straight time both men and women have captured their respective LEC title races. Led by co-captain Tom Steele (Weymouth, MA), who successfully defended his title of individual race champion, UMass Dartmouth's men kept two streaks alive - nine straight LEC titles and five consecutive Corsair runners to win the individual men's championship. For the women, co-captain Maura McDonald (Greenfield, MA) was the overall winner, leading the Corsairs to their third straight title and fifth overall in the LEC's nine-year history.

A three-time All-LEC selection, Steele captured his second straight LEC championship race and three of his teammates earned All-LEC honors as the Corsairs swept their ninth consecutive LEC Men's Cross Country title in the conference's nine-year history. Steele placed first over the 8,000-meter course at Mansfield (CT) Hollow State Park, almost a minute ahead of the race's second-place finisher.

Michael Paulin (Westfield, MA), Wayne Demery (Blackstone, MA) and Tim Gonet (New Bedford, MA) earned All-LEC honors by finishing third through fifth respectively. Paulin, who was clocked at 27:00 for third, joins Steele as a three-time All-LEC runner. Demery, a two-time All-LEC honoree, followed behind Paulin in 27:27 for fourth and Gonet earned his second All-LEC honors at 27:34 for fifth. UMass Dartmouth took the team title with 21 points.

McDonald was the LEC women's race champion by a narrow, three-second margin. But with four of her teammates close behind, UMass Dartmouth grabbed its third straight LEC Women's Championship. McDonald covered the 5,000-meter course at Mansfield (CT) Hollow State Park in a time of 19:17, three seconds ahead of Eleanore Anderson of Southern Maine (19:20). Her first-place finish also gave McDonald All-LEC honors for a second straight year.

The Corsairs took three of the next four places with All-LEC honors going to Karla Jarquin (Shrewsbury, MA), who placed third at 19:21, Tara Carson (Beverly, MA) in fifth at 19:51, and Kerri Millet (New Bedford, MA) in sixth at 20:21. Co-captain Laura Caselden (Westfield, MA) was 10th in 20:55.

Both UMass Dartmouth teams concluded their seasons with solid showings at the NCAA Division III Regionals. The men finished 12th in the regionals at Williams College as Steele was the Corsairs' top finisher in 14th place overall (26:34). McDonald's 22nd place finish helped UMass Dartmouth to a 13th place finish at the NCAA Division III Regionals at Westfield State College.

Coach Warren Preti's women's tennis team capped a very successful 11-3 regular season with their first LEC championship trophy. UMass Dartmouth captured all three doubles events and four of six singles titles at UMass Boston, cruising to its first LEC women's tennis title. The Corsairs finished with 23.5 points, 10.5 better than second-place Plymouth State (13 pts).

Having used a variety of doubles combinations throughout the regular season, Coach Warren Preti had a pretty good idea of which would be his best doubles teams for the tournament. In the #1 flight, Amy Kennedy (Danvers, MA) and Emily Traubel (Pennington, N.J.) were 6-3, 6-1 winners in the finals after needing a three-set win in the semis. Kelly Berger (Buzzards Bay, MA) and Kasha Gula (Mansfield, MA) needed three sets to take the #2 flight title, winning 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Ashley Kennedy (Holliston, MA) and Mary Bourque (Rochester, MA) had the easiest time, taking the #3 flight in four straight set. In the #3 flight finals, Kennedy and Bourque were 6-1, 6-0 winners.

The Corsairs also had LEC winners at #2, #4, #5 and #6 singles, each winning their matches in straight sets. Traubel captured the #2 flight with a 6-3, 6-2 win to go along with her doubles title. In the #4 flight, Bourque added to her doubles win by taking the #4 crown with a 6-2, 6-2 victory. Anne Weyand was the #5 flight winner with a 6-0, 6-3 decision and Olivia Cunha (New Bedford, MA) swept through her semi-final match with a 6-0, 6-0 win before clinching the #6 flight championship with a 7-6 (2), 6-0 victory.

A 3-1 quarterfinal round loss to third-seeded Connecticut College knocked sixth-seeded UMass Dartmouth out of the ECAC New England Division III Field Hockey tournament. Coach Marilyn Ritz's Corsairs, ranked ninth in last regular season NCAA Division III Northeast Region poll, finished the season with a school record 13 victories against four losses.

Trying to avenge a 2-0 regular season loss to Connecticut College two weeks before, the Corsairs fell behind late in the first half. Connecticut College broke open a scoreless game with 11:40 left to play in the opening half. Less than three minutes later, a second goal gave them a 2-0 lead and third goal with 34 seconds left before halftime put UMass Dartmouth in a 3-0 hole they couldn't climb out from.

Heleen Vos' (Bloemendaal, Netherlands) team-leading 12th goal of the season, with assists to Maureen Maloney (Blackstone, MA) and Monique Sorel (Westport, MA) at 18:54 of the second half, cut the deficit to 3-1, but the Corsairs couldn't get any closer. Connecticut College outshot UMass Dartmouth, 19-17, forcing Corsairs' goalie Audrey Sanford (Tiverton, RI) to make 13 saves in a losing effort.

Following the season, Maloney was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches' Association All-America New England Region Second Team. Vos was UMass Dartmouth's top scorer on the season with 12 goals and six assists for 30 points. Maloney was second in scoring (7-5-19), followed by six goals and two assists for 14 points. Sanford was the Corsairs' top goalie, posting a 12-4 won-loss record with six shutouts and a 1.33 goals against average.

After splitting the season's first two games, the Corsairs ran off a 10-game winning streak. UMass Dartmouth outscored its opponents 24-5 during the run which included five overtime games. Beginning with a 3-2 OT win over Worcester Polytech, the Corsairs had four straight OT victories, including wins over MIT (1-0), Babson College (1-0) and Southern Maine (2-1). A 2-0 loss to Connecticut College finally snapped the Corsairs' winning streak and the same Connecticut College team closed out UMass Dartmouth's season in the ECAC tournament.

Season-opening losses to Norwich University and Worcester State College did not dampen the prospects for a successful football season at UMass Dartmouth. Instead, the 0-2 start set the stage for an incredible eight-game winning streak that tied a school record for football victories in a season and left Coach Bill Kavanaugh's Corsairs ranked 7th in the ECAC New England Division III football poll. UMass Dartmouth (7-1) finished second in the NEFC behind two-time champion, Worcester State College.

There were a host of postseason award winners for the Corsairs led by John Barbarossa (Billerica, MA). The senior was a New England Football Writer's College Division First Team All Star and earned an invitation to the first USA Division III College Football All Star Classic in New Jersey. He was the first player from UMass Dartmouth selected for a postseason all star game and one of only four players from New England invited.

Barbarossa was an All-New England Football Conference selection at three positions, including tight end, defensive end and punter and Second Team as a place kicker. He was joined on the All-NEFC First Team by offensive tackle Kevin Magnussen (Millis, MA), who also appeared in a post season all star game - the National All-Star Football Classic in Florida. Second Team All-NEFC honors went to linebackers Matt DeGrandpre (Marion, MA) and Rob Carney (Leicester, MA), defensive backs Paul Barnett (Wareham, MA) and John Skabeikis (Dorchester, MA), offensive tackle Andrew Timo (Bourne, MA) and running back Joe Goodine (New Bedford, MA).

The Corsairs fielded a high-powered offense led by Goodine and quarterback Jay Furtado (Swansea, MA). UMass Dartmouth averaged more than 32 points per game during the eight-game winning streak. Averaging 109.8 yards per game, Goodine finished second in the NEFC rushing race with eight TD's and second in All Purpose Yards with a 139.7 yards per game average. Furtado connected on 95 of 203 attempts for 1528 yards and 11 TD's to spark the Corsairs' offensive unit.

Both players had some monster performances during the regular season. Goodine had three TDs and 203 yards rushing in a 49-22 win over Fitchburg State, 126 yards and a TD in a 24-0 shutout of UMass Boston and 118 yards and a TD in an exciting 28-21 win over Mass. Maritime. Furtado tossed three TD passes in the 41-26 win over Westfield State College, he hit 15 of 29 for 243 yards and a TD pass plus another TD on the ground in a 35-14 win over Framingham State and he connected on 12 of 17 for 211 yards and a pair of TD passes in a 35-7 win over Nichols College.

First-year coach Alexandre Silva's women's soccer team finished in a tie for second place with Western Connecticut in the LEC's Pre-Season Coaches' Poll. Defending champion Plymouth State was first with 48 votes (six 1st place) followed by UMass Dartmouth and Western Connecticut (one 1st place) with 37 votes each. The Corsairs posted a 7-7-2 overall record and tied for fourth in the LEC with a 3-2-1 record. Kathy Ciempa (Ludlow, MA) and Jill Canelli (Norfolk, MA) were both named to First Team All-LEC, while Kelly Parent (Dudley, MA) and Tracy Melville (Pembroke, MA) were second team selections......The Corsairs' men's soccer team finished fifth in the LEC with a 1-3-2 record and 5-10-3 overall. Three players from UMass Dartmouth were named Second Team All-LEC, including Rolando Lopes (Brockton, MA), Jeff Hentschel (Kingston, MA) and Erik Reis (Westport, MA). Nelson Melo (Fall River, MA) represented the Corsairs at the annual New England Intercollegiate Soccer League All Star game. ....UMass Dartmouth's Admissions Department, in conjunction with the Athletic Department, invited hundreds of middle school and high school students from throughout southeastern Massachusetts for a series of Community Days on campus during the Fall sports season. The students had an opportunity to tour the campus prior to the athletic contests and attend the athletic contests taking place that afternoon......A new face joined the Department of Athletics staff. Assistant swimming coach Gerry Jennings joined the department as the new Administrative Assistant for Athletics and Intramurals. Previously, Jennings had served as diving coach for the Corsairs.

Christie Cardoza (Fairhaven, MA) was named to the Collegiate All-America team and the UMass Dartmouth Corsair cheerleaders earned first place in the Fight Song Competition at the 1996 National Cheerleaders Association Collegiate Cheerleading Camp held at Boston University in August. Members of the Coach Lisa Cabral's Corsair cheerleading squad who participated in the camp were captain Eric Bichao (Gloucester, MA), Stephen Belanger (Fairhaven, MA), Amy Carroll (Fall River, MA), Jennifer St. Laurent (Freetown, MA), Erin O'Sullivan (Rockland, MA), Kasey LeBlanc (Wareham, MA), Jessica Dwelly (Fairhaven, MA), Rebecca Morris (Somerset, MA), Nicole Hennessey (Leominster, MA) and Cardoza......Tri-captains for the 1997 UMass Dartmouth baseball were announced. Seniors Mike O'Leary (West Roxbury, MA), Derek Handler (Harwich, MA) and Alex Tikinoff (Middleboro, MA) will lead Coach Bruce Wheeler's Corsairs next spring. O'Leary was a starter in the outfield last season, Handler played first base for the Corsairs and Tikinoff was UMass Dartmouth's top reliever out of the bullpen.

Coach John Rolli announced UMass Dartmouth ice hockey captains for the 1996-97 season. Senior Marc Salvi (Cheshire, MA), 10th on the UMass Dartmouth career scoring list heading into the season with 49 goals and 69 assists for 118 points, is the Corsairs' captain. Last season Salvi was second in scoring with 23 goals and 32 assists for 55 points. Assistant captains for UMass Dartmouth are seniors Brett Flint (Danvers, MA) and Jeramie DiBona (Weymouth, MA). Flint was chosen to the Colby Face-Off Class All Tournament team last season and DiBona has played on two ECAC Championship teams (1993 and '95) during his career at UMass Dartmouth.

Members of the field hockey and ice hockey teams participated in the YWCA Week Without Violence program on Oct. 6 at UMass Dartmouth. Twenty-four student athletes from the two squads hosted the "Replacing Violence with Sports and Fitness" portion of the YWCA program at the Tripp Athletic Center. Thirty boys and girls between the ages of 10 to 14 from St. Vincent's Home in Fall River took part in a variety of activities with the student-athletes......Through the efforts of UMass Dartmouth students Eric Bichao (Gloucester, MA) and Eric Deandrea, the UMass Dartmouth Athletic Departments' site on the university's World Wide Web home page (http://www.umassd.edu.) appeared with schedules, stories and information about the Corsairs......Former UMass Dartmouth basketball player Steve Motta (Fall River, MA) was appointed assistant men's basketball coach for the Corsairs' men's team this season. Motta graduated last year from UMass Dartmouth and returned to the Tripp Center as an assistant coach, joining head coach Brian Baptiste.......Construction of a new baseball infield at the Tripp Center was completed during the Fall. Improvements included a new infield and drainage system and new sod infield......UMass Dartmouth announced a temporary suspension of the varsity golf program for the fall season Last year's coach Don Daley submitted his resignation in August and a new coach has not been hired. The golf program was expected to resume in Fall 1997......Although they posted a win-less season, UMass Dartmouth's volleyball team had some solid individual contributions. Kara DeTerra (E. Freetown, MA) was named to the All-LEC Tournament Team and the Salem State College Tournament Team......At the end of the Fall season, the athletic department was in the market for a pair of new coaches following the resignations of men's soccer coach Jim Cook and volleyball coach Stephanie Ponte. In three seasons at UMass Dartmouth, Cook's team were 22-24-5. Ponte coached volleyball for the Corsairs for three seasons and posted a 35-57 record.