A Little East Conference (LEC) championship, an All-America track athlete, two ECAC post season tournament berths, and Academic All-America honors - the athletic teams at UMass Dartmouth made the Spring of 1996 a very competitive and exciting season.

Coach Warren Preti's men's tennis team captured its first LEC championship in grand fashion, sweeping all nine championship matches for the title. Keith Rose (Harwich, MA) became the Corsairs' 47th track athlete to achieve All-America status by finishing fourth (196' 10") at the NCAA Division III National Track and Field Championships after capturing the New England Division III title and twice setting a new school record. Coach Marilyn Ritz's softball team finished 19-13 and were invited to a fifth straight ECAC tournament. Coach Bruce Wheeler's baseball team rebounded from a slow start by winning 11 of its last 13 games to finish with a 20-15 record (ranked #8 in New England), including a spot in the ECAC Tournament. Coach Jon Hird's cross country team received its second straight Academic All-America Award for a cumulative team grade of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) during its season and standout student-athletes David Kreiss (Dartmouth, MA) (tennis) and Michelle Doane (Wrentham, MA) (cross country, track and field) were selected UMass Dartmouth's ECAC/Robbins Scholar-Athletes of the Year.

And it all happened during the 11-week Spring 1996 sports season.

The Corsairs completely dominated the 1996 LEC Men's Tennis Championship, winning all six singles and three doubles flights enroute to their first conference championship. Playing on their home court at the Tripp Athletic Center, Coach Warren Preti's Corsairs accumulated 27 points to easily outdistance second-place Plymouth State (16) and the rest of the field. UMass Dartmouth singles players went 14-0 and its doubles players posted a perfect 7-0 mark in the two-day tournament.

Three UMass Dartmouth players successfully defended their LEC championships from last year's tournament, including Mike Ring (Peabody, MA) (#6 singles) and the team of Chris Costa (Mansfield, MA) and Nate Brinker (Dudley, MA) (#3 doubles).

UMass Dartmouth's top four singles players also teamed up to form the Corsairs' #1 and #2 doubles teams and capture a total of six LEC championships combined. Tri-captain David Kreiss (Dartmouth, MA) captured the #1 singles title with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Tim Lukens of Plymouth State in the finals. In the #1 doubles flight, Kreiss and teammate John Guilfoy (Mansfield, MA) defeated Lukens and Dan Vermeersche of Plymouth State, 6-4, 6-4 for the LEC title. Guilfoy also won the #2 singles title. Tri-captain Ryan Todd (Wrentham, MA) captured the #3 singles crown and tri-captain Eric Coraccio (Westford, MA) did the same at #4 singles. Todd and Coraccio also teamed up to win the #2 doubles crown. Joshua Freeman (Raynham, MA) won the #5 singles title.

With a javelin throw of 196' 10" at the 1996 NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships in Naperville, Illinois, Keith Rose (Harwich, MA) became the 47th Division III All-America track athlete at UMass Dartmouth. Rose's throw earned him fourth place overall and Division III All-America status, the Corsairs' first in track and field since Eric Lopes captured similar honors in the 110-meter hurdles in 1992. The last javelin thrower to achieve Division III All-America honors at UMass Dartmouth was Kathy FitzGibbons in 1991.

Rose's road to the NCAA Division III championships started at the Tufts University Snowflake Classic on March 30. His first-place throw of 197' 10" provisionally qualified him for the NCAA championships and broke the UMass Dartmouth school record of 186' 6" (new javelin), set in 1986 by Renaldo Sylvia. Sylvia won the Division III New England title that year. Rose's best throw of the 1996 season helped him take first place at the Brown University Invitational on April 28. Rose's winning throw of 203' 3" broke his own school record. Rose also captured the New England Division III championship with a throw of 185' 4" at Williams College.

A 1-0 extra-inning loss at third-seeded Wheaton College eliminated sixth-seeded UMass Dartmouth from the ECAC Division III Softball Tournament and closed out the Corsairs' 1996 season. Coach Marilyn Ritz's Corsairs finished the season with five straight losses after winning 11 of 15 games heading into the final weeks of the season.

With the game scoreless through the first seven and a half innings, Wheaton College scored the game's lone run in the bottom of the eighth inning to win the game and advance to the tournament's semi-final round. Elisa Paparo (Lakeville, MA) went the distance for UMass Dartmouth and took the loss, dropping her record to 11-10 on the season. Although only one run was scored in the game, both teams combined for 21 hits, including 10 by UMass Dartmouth. Leading the Corsairs on offense with a pair of hits each were Paparo, Jill Byam (Lakeville, MA) and Kelly Roy (Swansea, MA). Audrey Sanford (Tiverton, RI) went 2-3 for UMass Dartmouth.

Jill Cross (Holden, MA) was named Second Team All-Northeast Region by the National Softball Coaches' Association. Three Corsairs were named to the All-LEC First Team including Cross, Roy and Paparo. Maureen Maloney (Blackstone, MA) was an Honorable Mention selection. Roy earned Second Team honors on the 1996 ECAC Division III New England Softball All Star Team.

For the season, UMass Dartmouth posted a team batting average of .335, while opponents batted only .270 against Corsair pitching. UMass Dartmouth finished 19-13 overall and 5-5 for fourth place in the first season of LEC competition. The Corsairs were 10-7 at home and 9-6 on the road. Roy was the Corsairs' top hitter, leading the team in almost every offensive category, including batting average (.461), slugging percentage (.730), on base percentage (.505), RBI (29), hits (41), doubles (15), triples (1), and home runs (1). Second in the batting average race was Byam (.395), followed by Kim Otis (Lakeville, MA) (.391) and Shelly Albanese (Westport, MA) (.379). Among the other Corsairs who topped the .300 mark were Paparo (.356), Dawn LaCroix (Lawrence, MA) (.325), Cross (.324), and Maloney (.322).

Paparo was the workhorse on UMass Dartmouth's pitching staff. In 24 games, she had 20 starts and 15 complete games, posting an 11-10 record with an ERA of 2.18. She pitched 141.3 innings, allowed 20 walks and had 38 strikeouts. Shannon O'Malley (Acushnet, MA) was 5-2 in 10 games with four complete games and a pair of shutouts in 41.3 innings. O'Malley walked 15 and struck out 9 with a 2.71 ERA. Rounding out UMass Dartmouth's pitching staff were Sanford (2-0, 2.47), Kasey LeBlanc (Wareham, MA) (1-1, 2.84 ERA), and Otis (0-0, 4.94 ERA). The Corsairs' staff ERA for the season was 2.47, while opposition pitchers finished with a 4.51 ERA.

Second-seeded UMass Dartmouth was eliminated from the ECAC Division III tournament following a 10-6 loss to seventh-seeded Massachusetts Maritime Academy at Tufts University. The loss closed out UMass Dartmouth's 1996 season and snapped a five-game winning streak. The Corsairs finished the season by winning 11 of their final 13 after going 9-13 through the first 22 games.

Coach Bruce Wheeler's Corsairs gave up six runs in the Mass. Maritime third inning and could never overcome the deficit. Trailing 7-2 in the bottom of the sixth, the Corsairs cut the Mass. Maritime lead to 7-5 with three runs, including a pair of home runs by Steve Pereira (New Bedford, MA) and Eli Munkholm (Salem, MA). But the Bucaneers came back with two in their half of the seventh and UMass Dartmouth could muster only one more run for the 10-6 final score. Pereira led the Corsairs' 11-hit attack with three hits. UMass Dartmouth's starter, Ryan Pinto (New Bedford, MA) took the loss, dropping his record to 1-3 on the season.

Pereira topped the Corsairs' offense with a .313 batting average (3 HR, 19 RBI), was first in slugging percentage (.552) and second in total bases (53) and home runs. Eric Alberto (Fall River, MA) was UMass Dartmouth's most productive hitter, leading the team in seven different categories, while finishing second in hitting (.308). Alberto led UMass Dartmouth in runs (34), RBI (28), hits (40), home runs (5), total bases (64), tied for first in stolen bases (14) and on-base percentage (.428). Rounding out the Corsairs' top five hitters (team batting average .279) were Munkholm (.296, 1 HR, 18 RBI), Derek Handler (Harwich, MA) (.290, 1 HR, 19 RBI) and captain Ed Morais (Gloucester, MA) (.285), who was second in RBI (27). Trevor Florent (New Bedford, MA) (.221) was third in RBI (20) and walks (15) and tied for first in stolen bases (14).

Jason Cook (Bellingham, MA) led the Corsairs' pitching staff with a 6-2 record and a 3.64 ERA in 54.3 innings. Pereira had a 4-1 record on the mound with a 3.88 ERA in 55.7 innings, while Brandt Wadja (Milford, MA) was 3-0 with a save and a 6.92 ERA. John Alves (Fairhaven, MA) was 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA and Sean Donovan (Quincy, MA) also posted a 2-1 record with a 4.83 ERA. Alex Tikonoff (Middleboro, MA) was a busy man out of the UMass Dartmouth bullpen this season, appearing in a team-high 17 games and finishing with a 1-1 record with three saves and a 1.73 ERA. Among the other Corsair pitchers this season, Joe Trottier (Wareham, MA) was 1-0 (6.14 ERA), Derek Hast (Oxford, MA) was 0-1 (5.63 ERA), and Dean Macedo (Fall River, MA) was 0-5 (4.09 ERA). UMass Dartmouth's staff ERA was 4.07.

Cook and Pereira were named to the 1996 New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association's Division III Third Team All-New England All Star team.

A pair of senior psychology majors, who also demonstrated outstanding abilities in tennis and track, were among the top student-athletes honored at the 1996 UMass Dartmouth Athletic Awards Banquet.

UMass Dartmouth's 1995-96 Robbins/ECAC Scholar Athlete Award recipients were David Kreiss (North Dartmouth, MA) and Michelle Doane (Wrentham, MA). In order to qualify for the award, the student-athlete must be a starter or significant reserve with at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale. They must have reached sophomore athletic and academic status and must have completed at least one full academic year and competed in at least 50% of the sport's contests.

For Kreiss, the award is the second in as many years. A two-year captain for the Corsairs' tennis team, he captured the #1 singles title in the LEC Men's Championship Tournament this season. As a junior last year, he was part of the LEC championship #2 doubles team. A 1996 graduate, Kreiss has been on the Chancellor's list (3.8 GPA minimum) for every semester at UMass Dartmouth. He attained a 4.00 GPA during four of his semesters. He was UMass Dartmouth's winner of the 1994-95 Robbins/ECAC Scholar-Athlete Award and was named the 1996 LEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men's tennis.

The captain of this year's Corsair cross country team, Doane is a two-time All LEC runner. In 1994 and 1995, she led her team to the LEC cross country championship. She is an outstanding distance runner on both the indoor and outdoor track teams. Also a member of the Class of '96, Doane has earned Dean's List designation during six of her seven semesters at UMass Dartmouth. She was named the LEC Scholar Athlete of the Year in women's cross country and is a member of UMass Dartmouth's Academic All- America cross country teams teams for 1994 and 1995.

For a second straight year, seven members of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's cross country team has earned an academic distinction unmatched by any other team in university history. Coach Jon Hird's women's cross country team was honored by the NCAA Division III Cross Country Coaches' Association's with a 1995-96 Academic All-America Award for achieving an overall team grade point average of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) during the Fall 1995 semester. Last year, the Corsairs' squad won a similar award with a 3.409 grade point average.

Team members Jennifer Aurelio (Cumberland, R.I.), Maureen McIsaac (Foxboro, MA), Lisa Aurelio (Cumberland, R.I.), Maura McDonald (Greenfield, MA), Laura Caselden (Westfield, MA), Robin Holzer (Groton, MA) and captain Michelle Doane (Wrentham, MA) received their award from UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Peter Cressy and the Athletic Department's Faculty Representative Professor John Caruso. In addition to the team awards, individual academic achievement awards went to Jennifer Aurelio, Lisa Aurelio and Caselden. The awards were presented at the annual UMass Dartmouth Athletic Department Awards Banquet.

For a third year in a row, Doane earned All LEC honors while first-time All-LEC award winners included Caselden, McDonald and McIsaac . The seven-member Corsair women's cross country won their second straight LEC title last fall, their fourth in eight years.

Coach Don Daley's team placed 14th at the 22nd annual Lou Flumere Massachusetts Intercollegiate Golf Championships played April 19 at Stow Acres CC in Stow, MA. The Corsairs compiled 368 points in the 17-team event, featuring collegiate golf teams from across Massachusetts. Aaron Lee (Middleboro, MA) turned in the Corsairs' best round over the par-72 layout with an (46-42) 88, for 35th place overall. Adam Fernandes finished in a tie for 51st with a (46-44) 90, Eric Kostecki shot a (47-45) 92 for a tie for 59th and Eli Dunn tied for 74th with a (50-48) 98......Men's soccer coach Jim Cook added another award to his collection by being inducted into the Fox Point Soccer Hall of Fame of New England. Cook, who came to UMass Dartmouth two seasons ago, after an outstanding coaching career in Rhode Island at Roger Williams University and Tiverton High School, was one of nine former soccer greats to be welcomed into the hall during its 19th annual induction ceremonies on May 18th. Cook captured the Commonwealth Coast Conference title while at Roger Williams in 1991 and in 16 seasons at Tiverton HS, he earned six league title and state championships in 1987 and 1988. He is already a member of the Rhode Island Coaches' Hall of Fame......In the New England Division III Meet at Williams College, Marc Brady (Wrentham, MA) captured third place in the discus with a throw of 144' 6". Elee Pierce (Weymouth, MA) placed fifth in the 100 meters with a time of :11.31, while the 4 x 100 relay team of Rose, Anthony Longabard (Wrentham, MA), Ken Papetti (Dedham, MA) and Pierce took sixth place in :44.61......Tri captain Michelle Doane (Wrentham, MA) turned in the Corsairs' top performance at the ECAC Division III Championships held in Middlebury, VT. Doane placed sixth in the 800 meters with a time of 2.29.0......Baseball coach Bruce Wheeler spent two weeks in May at the Division III College Baseball World Series held in Salem, Virginia. In his second year of a three-year term as the Division III National Baseball Committee chair, Wheeler and his committee were responsible for overseeing Division III's national championship tournament won by William and Patterson College of Wayne, NJ.......The big winners at the 1996 Workers' Memorial Day 5K Road Race held at UMass Dartmouth were Robert Chasen and Carol Ann Days. Chasen captured first place in the Men's Division with a winning time of 15:57, 23 seconds head of Valdmir Krivoy and another 47 seconds ahead of third-place finisher, Bill Starz. Finishing 13th overall, Days was the Female Division winner in 18:36, followed by Jen Dopart in second at 19:13 and Michelle Tetreault (18:36) in third place. From a field of 134 competitors, the division winners included Jess Frizzel (Junior Boys, 19:57), Glenn Buybanek (Sub-Master Men, 17:55), Chasen (Master Men), Starz (Open Men), Dan Victorino (Senior Men, 19:42), Jacqueline Sylvia (Junior Girls, 23:56), Dopart (Open Women), Days (Sub-Master Women), Jane Staples (Master Women, 21:47), and Barbara Belanger (Senior Women, 27:24). Team champions were the UFCW.