Repeat success stories - Keith Rose's pursuit of his second Division III All-America honor and the Corsairs' successful defense of its Little East Conference men's tennis championship - were the highlights of Spring 1997 at UMass Dartmouth. The season also included a look at the future as Natarsha Silva's first season started with her breaking an 11-year school record in the long jump and ended up in the NCAA Division III national championships.

On the very last throw of his college career, Keith Rose (Harwich, MA) earned All-America honors for a second consecutive season with an eighth-place finish in the new javelin at the NCAA Division III National Championships held at University of Wisconsin Lacrosse. Earlier in the week, Rose broke his own UMass Dartmouth record to reach the final round of the event. Rose's throw of 204-6 broke his school record of 203-3 set last year. In the final round of the competition, Rose reinjured his hamstring and was suffering from an elbow injury, yet was able to move up from ninth place to finish eighth with a throw of 189-6 and earn All-America distinction.

Rose is UMass Dartmouth's first two-time All-America performer in men's track and field since James White earned back-to-back All-America honors in 1985 and 1986. Rose earned Division III All-America distinction as a junior with his fourth-place finish (196-10) in the 1996 NCAA Division III Nationals.

Division III All-America status caps an outstanding senior season for Rose, who qualified for his second consecutive Division III Nationals when he threw the new javelin 197-8 at the Tufts University Snowflake Classic. Rose's throw of 182-7 earned him first place at the Rhode Island College Relays.

For a second consecutive season, the Corsairs were the Little East Conference (LEC) men's tennis champions. Coach Warren Preti's squad cruised to an easy victory, dominating both the singles and doubles competitions at UMass Boston. UMass Dartmouth players won five of the six singles titles and two of three doubles events. The Corsairs finished with 27 points, outdistancing second-place Southern Maine (10 points) and third-place Rhode Island College and Plymouth State College (nine points each).

Four of the Corsairs' five singles champions were second-time winners, while Mike Ring (Peabody, MA) captured his third LEC crown in as many years. Ring was the #6 singles champion in both 1995 and 1996, moving up to #5 singles this season and clinching another championship. At #6 singles this year, another multiple-year champion in doubles moved into the singles lineup. Nate Brinker (Dudley, MA) had already captured a pair of LEC titles, sharing a piece of the #3 doubles title in each of the last two years. Brinker stretched his LEC championship streak to a third straight year with a victory at #6 singles this season.

John Guilfoy (Mansfield, MA) was the LEC #2 singles champ last year and one year later, he's moved up a step on the ladder and is now the LEC's top player. Guilfoy added his second LEC title with a victory at the #1 singles position. Ryan Todd (Wrentham, MA), last year's #3 singles LEC champion, also moved up a notch and came home with another title, winning the #2 singles crown. Eric Corracio (Westford, MA) won the #3 singles title, moving up from his #4 singles championship last year.

In doubles competition, Ring and Guilfoy completed a singles/doubles sweep, winning the #2 doubles championship. Guilfoy was a member of UMass Dartmouth's #1 doubles team last year which captured the LEC crown. While Anthony Baldman (Dedham, MA) was the lone Corsair who did not bring home a singles championship, he and Alex Castner (Westford, MA) teamed up at the #3 doubles to win the LEC crown, the first for either player.

With easy victories over Salve Regina and Rhode Island College in the final week of the season, the Corsairs closed out a very successful campaign with an overall record of 12-1. The Corsairs' 12 victories were the most by a UMass Dartmouth men's squad since the program's initial two seasons in 1967 and 1968 when the Corsairs posted back-to-back 12-0 seasons.

As a starting guard for the Corsairs' women's basketball team, first-year player Natarsha Silva (Brockton, MA) gave fans a few glimpses of her athleticism, but it wasn't until she set foot on the long-jump runway during the spring that her outstanding athletic ability become obvious. Beginning with a first-place finish in her first meet for UMass Dartmouth, Silva put together a tremendous season which included school records, national recognition and a berth in the NCAA Division III championship meet.

Silva qualified for the NCAA Division III Nationals when she leaped 18-1 at the Connecticut College Invitational. That jump broke an 11-year UMass Dartmouth record (17-7 1/2) set in 1986 by Denise Finkle. Silva broke her own school record again with a first-place jump of 18-4 1/2 at the Brown University Invitational. Silva also added an ECAC Championship to her resume when she captured first place with a jump of 18-0, 1/4. At the New England Division III meet, she was part of the Corsairs' 4x100 relay team that took sixth place with a school record time of :50.88.

In the All-New England meet, featuring the top athletes from Division I, II and III schools, Silva placed fourth with a long jump of 18-6 3/4, another school record. That jump earned her recognition by Eastern Track Magazine which selected her to its 1997 All-East Outdoor Track and Field Team as the top Division III long jumper in the east.

Competing in her first NCAA Division III Nationals, Silva did not reach the finals of the long jump. Her best long jump came in the qualifying round (17-8 1/2) but was not enough for her to advance into the finals. Silva also qualified for the NCAA Division III championships in both the 100- and 200-meters but chose not to compete in those events.

Emily Traubel (Pennington, NJ) and Sean Donovan (Quincy, MA) were the top two student-athletes honored at the 1997 University of Massachusetts Dartmouth All Sports Banquet.

Traubel, a senior economics major and women's tennis player for the Corsairs, was honored as the first recipient of the UMass Dartmouth Senior Scholar-Athlete Award. Presented to the top UMass Dartmouth senior varsity student-athlete, Traubel earned the distinction with a 3.74 grade point average on a scale of 4.0. In addition to the Senior Scholar-Athlete Award, Traubel was joined by Donovan as UMass Dartmouth's 1996-97 Robbins/ECAC Scholar Athlete Award recipient.

A member of the 1997 graduating class, Traubel played three seasons for UMass Dartmouth's women's tennis team, serving as its co-captain as a junior and senior. During her final season, she captured the Little East Conference #2 singles championship and was part of the #1 doubles championship team as the Corsairs earned their first women's LEC team championship. Through seven semesters, including one semester when she studied in France at the University of Grenoble, Traubel was named to the Dean's List for three semesters and to the Chancellor's List for another three semesters.

Donovan was one of the most versatile athletes for UMass Dartmouth this season. He was a member of the Corsairs' Little East Conference championship men's basketball team in the winter and was a pitcher for UMass Dartmouth's men's baseball team this spring. Donovan played baseball for four seasons at UMass Dartmouth and for two seasons in basketball. He was a Little East Conference and ECAC Player of the Week in basketball and was named to the Little East Conference All-Tournament team in baseball.

A History major with an Education Certification, Donovan has a 3.23 grade point average and graduated with the Class of 1997. He earned Dean's List four times during his academic career. He was busy outside the classroom, serving as a member of the UMass Dartmouth Student-Athlete Advisory Board, the campus MASS PIRG chapter, a Residence Hall suite representative and as a lector at his church.

Also presented at the banquet was a special recognition plaque for Aquatics Director Jim Filippo, honoring him for his more than 20 years as men's and women's swimming and diving coach at UMass Dartmouth.

Less than a year after accepting the director of athletics position at UMass Dartmouth, Ken McBryde left to take a similar position at Connecticut College in New London, CT. McBryde had been appointed athletic director at UMass Dartmouth in July of 1996.

During his brief tenure at UMass Dartmouth, McBryde was responsible for negotiating a $270,000 increase in student fees for the athletic department to be used to establish three new teams - men's and women's lacrosse and equestrian - and reestablish the men's golf team. McBryde developed a reorganization plan within the the department and was responsible for significant developments in the planning of the campus' $1.9 million Title IX-funded addition to the Tripp Center. He played an important role in reinvigorating the university's intramural programs and moved the athletic department's weight room into the Tripp Center lobby.

Former director of athletics Bob Dowd was appointed interim director on July 1, 1997, following McBryde's departure.

Eric Alberto (Fall River, MA) and Pat Schultz (Wareham, MA) put offense back into the Corsairs attack, leading Coach Bruce Wheeler's baseball team to a 22-16 record and a berth in the first Little East Conference Tournament. Although eliminated in the finals by the eventual national champions from Southern Maine, the Corsairs placed three players on the All-LEC team, including Alberto (10 HR, 48 RBI), Schultz (.382) and Steve Pereira (New Bedford, MA). Schultz was the LEC Tournament's Most Valuable Player. Alberto, who led the Corsairs with a .412 batting average, and Schultz, UMass Dartmouth's home run (13) and RBI leader (48), also earned All New England Division III honors from the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association. Alberto was also named to the ECAC New England Division III All Star Team. Pereira (6-1, 2.59 ERA) was the LEC's Pitcher of the Year and earned First Team All-LEC honors as a designated hitter after posting a .374 average with 4 HR and 33 RBI. Shortstop Jeff Cross (Holden, MA) (.394, 5 HR, 32 RBI) was LEC Rookie of the Year and a Third Team NEIBA selection. The Corsairs finished the regular season ranked #6 in New England.

In addition to Keith Rose and Natarsha Silva, UMass Dartmouth' men's and women's track teams were well represented at their respective post-season meets. On the women's side, Laura Caselden (Westfield, MA) (400M), Becki Robitaille (New Bedford, MA) (100M) qualified for the New England Division III meet. Caselden (1500M), Karla Jarquin (Shrewsbury, MA) (Javelin) were the Corsairs' representatives at the ECAC Division III meet. Robitaille (100M) was the only Corsair to qualify for the All-New Englands. For the men, the 4x100 relay team qualified for the New England Division III meet while Elee Pierce (Weymouth, MA) and Mitch Sousa (Fall River, MA) had strong efforts at the New England Division III meet. Pierce took second in the 100 meters (11.0) and Sousa was third in triple jump (43-11).

With her 19-13 record last spring, softball coach Marilyn Ritz moved into eighth place on the Easton Victory Club's list of Division III softball coaches in the country. Entering her 13th season at UMass Dartmouth, Ritz has compiled 238 victories against 119 losses and two ties......By a margin of 11 seconds, David Warren crossed the finish line first and captured the Fifth Annual Workers Memorial 5K Road Race at UMass Dartmouth. From a field of 136 runners, Warren finished first, ahead of Mike Norton (16:13), Robert Ruel (16:16) and Francisco Trejo (16:25). Madalena Boudreau was the first woman to cross the finish line, posting a winning time of 18:12. Michele Fodert placed second in 19:02, followed by Jenn Bogan (19:47), Lynn Robillard (19:50) and Ann Desrosiers (21:00). Trejo and Jennifer Silva (23:41) were winners in the Junior Divisions, while Norton and Fodert were the Open Division winners for men and women. Warren was also the top Sub Master on the men's side and Boudreau took similar honors in the women's event. Ruel was the top Master among the men and Robillard was the top woman in the Master Division. Ken Skelly finished in 17:03 (9th overall) to win the Senior Men and Romona Skelly took the Senior Women in a time of 24:12. In the team competition, UFCW 791 took home the trophy, edging second-place UMass Dartmouth Faculty Federation 1895.

Richard L. Quintin of Fairhaven and Niall O'Donnell of Somerset were appointed as new head coaches during the spring. O'Donnell will coach men's soccer and Quintin will coach women's volleyball. Quintin comes to UMass Dartmouth after three seasons as the head varsity volleyball coach at Apponequet Regional High School in Lakeville. He established the school's volleyball program in 1994, coached the varsity team and established both the junior varsity and freshman programs as well. Prior to his appointment at UMass Dartmouth, Niall O'Donnell enjoyed a lengthy career as a soccer player and coach for several teams from the New England area and Ireland. Holder of a United States Soccer Federation B Coaching License, O'Donnell started his coaching career in 1978, while continuing his playing career in Ireland. From 1978 to 1981 he was a youth soccer coach in Athy Town, County Kildare in Ireland.

Women's basketball coach Cathy Houtman was part of the first class of athletes inducted into the New Bedford High School Hall of Fame. Described by some as the finest female athlete in the history of New Bedford High School, she competed in swimming, basketball and softball. Following her outstanding high school career, Houtman attended Emmanuel College before transferring to UMass Dartmouth where she became the all-time career leading scorer for the Corsairs. She has already been inducted into the UMass Dartmouth Corsair Hall of Fame......Sophomore forward Sara Dipilato (Shrewsbury, MA), a member of the UMass Dartmouth field hockey team was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Squad for the 1996 season. In order to qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.3 grade point average during the semester. Dipilato played in 17 games for Coach Marilyn Ritz's Corsairs this season and was credited with a pair of assists.

First-year second baseman Jennifer McGuinness (E. Taunton, MA) was UMass Dartmouth's lone representative on the Little East Conference All Star team for 1997. McGuinness earned Honorable Mention at second base with a .348 batting average (second on the team) in 21 games for the 5-16 Corsairs. McGuinness was 23-66 with nine RBI and 18 runs scored. She had 18 singles, a double, three triples and one homerun to go along with a .500 slugging percentage and a .392 on base percentage. Kary Kieltyka (Westport, MA) led Coach Marilyn Ritz's squad with a .375 batting average, going 18-48 with four RBI and six runs scored. Following McGuinness (.348), the Corsairs' next best hitters were Audrey Sanford (Tiverton, RI) (.333), Becky Medeiros (Fall River, MA) (.283), Maureen Maloney (Blackstone, MA) (.269) and Jill Byam (Lakeville, MA) (.263). Byam led the Corsairs in runs batted in with 16 followed by Sanford with 12 RBI. On the mound, Sanford was the Corsairs' only pitcher this season, appearing in all 21 games with 21 complete games to her credit. Sanford's record was 5-16 with a 6.03 earned run average in 116 innings.

Mary Beth Callahan, an assistant women's soccer coach at UMass Dartmouth, was named to the roster of the W-League's Boston Renegades. The W-League is the nation's top-level amateur women's soccer league. Callahan was a member of the 1992 UMass Dartmouth women's soccer team that posted a 17-3-2 record and came within one goal of winning the Division III national championship. Callahan and her teammates from that 1992 squad were inducted into the UMass Dartmouth Athletic Hall of Fame last year.