Seeded-third in the 1998 New England Regionals of the NCAA Division III baseball tournament, the Corsairs hopes of advancing to the World Series were dashed by Little East Conference rival and the region's top seed, Eastern Connecticut State University. In the championship round of the New England regionals, the Corsairs came out of the loser's bracket but came up short against the eventual Division III national champions.

For Coach Bruce Wheeler's Corsairs the 31 victories against 12 losses were the most in a season since UMass Dartmouth participated in the NCAA Regionals back in 1992 with a 32-11 record. But the season-ending loss to Eastern Connecticut takes nothing away from the record breaking season UMass Dartmouth enjoyed and its strong showing in the regionals as evidenced by UMass Dartmouth's ranking of 11th in the country and second in the Northeast Regional behind only Eastern Connecticut.

With an offensive attack among the top in Division III nationally, the Corsairs put together one of the most productive seasons in UMass Dartmouth baseball history. The Corsairs team batting average of .358, the highest in the 27 years since Wheeler took over the Corsairs, ranked them 17th in the country. UMass Dartmouth was 10th in scoring (10.1 runs/game), fourth in HRs (1.84/game) and 10th in slugging percentage (.591).

Batting clean-up in the middle of all the action was senior outfielder Pat Schultz (Wareham, MA). After setting school records for home runs and runs batted in and earning several league and regional all-star honors, Schultz capped his senior season by being named the NCAA Division III Player of the Year. Schultz was also named to the 1998 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings NCAA Division III All-American team as well.

The Little East Conference Player of the Year, the ECAC Division III Player of the Year and a First-Team New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-Star, Schultz set UMass Dartmouth records for HRs (22) and RBIs (70), while leading the Corsairs in most offensive categories, including at bats (186), runs (69), hits (70), singles (54), total bases (164), slugging percentage (.882) and on-base percentage (.540). Schultz finished the year second in NCAA Division III in HRs, eleventh in RBI, fifth in scoring (1.6 runs/game). ninth in slugging percentage and was the eighth most difficult player to strike out, averaging one K every 37.2 at bats.

After the season was over, UMass Dartmouth sent five representatives to the annual New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-Star game, pitting the Division I All Stars against a team of Division II and III All Stars at Navigator Stadium in Norwich, CT. By being selected as the NEIBA Division III Coach of the Year, Wheeler was chosen to manage the Division II and III all stars. The New England Coach of the Year Award was also named Little East Conference Coach of the Year.

For a second year in a row, Eric Alberto (Fall River, MA) , the Corsairs' senior captain and Schultz were invited to the NEIBA All Star game by virtue of their selection to the NEIBA Division III All-New England First Team. Joining their Corsair teammates on their first trip to the New England College All-Star game were first-time Division III All-New England selections junior Eli Munkholm (Salem, MA) and freshman Brian Ronayne (Bridgewater, MA).

While Schultz was earning the ECAC's top Division III and First Team All-Star honors, Munkholm was named the ECAC First Team catcher. Senior Steve Pereira (New Bedford, MA), the two-time Little East Conference Pitcher of the Year and an LEC First-Team selection, was an ECAC Second Team pick as were Ronayne and Alberto. Pereira was the Corsairs' top pitcher again this season, compiling a 10-3 record plus a save and a 4.06 ERA. As a designated hitter, Pereira hit .368 with 3 HR and 19 RBI.

The captain of this year's UMass Dartmouth squad, Alberto was third in hitting with a .401 batting average with 7 HRs and 54 RBI. In addition to solid year in the field, which included a return to the infield earlier in the season, Alberto was perfect in 18 stolen base attempts. Munkholm came on strong at the end of the season earning All-Tournament distinction at the NCAA Division III New England Regionals. Munkholm was the All-LEC First Team catcher after hitting .377 with 9 HRs and 53 RBI.

Ronayne capped an outstanding first season in the New England All-Star game, after earning First-Team All-LEC and Rookie of the Year. Ronayne was second in hitting for the Corsairs at .411 with 11 HRs and 63 RBI and a .724 slugging percentage. He was also 1-0 with two saves and a 1.13 ERA coming out of the bullpen in relief.

Also earning honors from the NEIBA for 1998 were Pereira , a Second Team All-New England selection, and senior John Connole (Auburn, MA), who was named to the All-New England Third Team. Connole was an All LEC Honor Roll selection as was senior Brian Sullivan (Wareham, MA) (.329, 4 HR, 30 RBI).

Coach Wheeler also had several strong performances by some of the underclassmen on the team, setting the stage for years to come. First-year pitchers Bob Haskins (Brockton, MA), Jason Hinchliffe (New Bedford, MA) and Tim Troup (Halifax, MA) combined for 16 victories. Haskins, who turned in a sparkling 16-strikeout, complete-game performance in the NCAA Regionals against Bridgewater State, earned LEC All Tournament Team and LEC All-Star Honorable Mention honors. Troup posted a 5-3 mark with a 4.75 ERA, while Hinchliffe was 3-4 with a 5.89 ERA.

UMass Dartmouth put together a perfect 11-0 season, the first undefeated Corsair men's tennis team since Coach Gerry Aillery's 1972 team went 8-0. Coach Warren Preti's Corsairs had come within one game of a perfect season twice in the last two years. In 1996, the Corsairs were 9-1 and last season they finished at 12-1. The 1998 season brought the Corsairs not only a perfect record, but also extended their streak of consecutive Little East Conference men's tennis championships to three straight.

UMass Dartmouth clinched the LEC championships held at Plymouth State College to successfully defended their LEC title for a second time. The Corsairs won all six singles matches and two of the three doubles matches for a total of 26 points, finishing ahead of second-place Southern Maine.

For the second straight year, co-captain John Guilfoy (Mansfield, MA) captured the #1 singles title, defeating Southern Maine's Darryl Hitchcock, 6-1, 6-4. This year's #1 singles title is the third LEC title of Guilfoy's career. He was the LEC #2 singles title winner in 1996 and the #1 singles champion in 1997 and 1998.

Exchange student Jan Bussiek (Preetz, Germany) was the LEC #2 singles champion, defeating Plymouth State's MIke Bradley, 6-0, 6-1. At the #3 singles spot, Mike Gomes (Dartmouth, MA) was the LEC champion, defeating Pat Prendergast of Rhode Island College, 6-4, 6-2. Co-captain Anthony Baldman (Dedham, MA) won the #4 singles crown, knocking off James Scavone of Western Connecticut, 6-0, 6-1. Baldman was on the Corsairs #3 doubles LEC title team last season.

Chris Costa (Mansfield, MA) defeated Eric Provencal of Rhode Island College, 6-4, 6-2 for the #5 LEC singles title. At #6 singles, Casey Hohne (Mattapoisett, MA) defeated Ken Marcotte of Rhode Island College, 6-2, 6-4 for the LEC crown. In doubles action, the team of Gomes and Steve Gordon (Middletown, MA) were 6-1, 7-5 LEC champs at #2 doubles and the team of Costa and Brian Sexton (Canton, MA) were the #3 doubles champions by scores of 6-4, 4-6, (7-4).

UMass Dartmouth's' third consecutive LEC championship is second only to Rhode Island College's four-year hold on the title from 1992-95. The only other schools to win the LEC men's title are UMass Boston (1990) and Plymouth State (1991).

For Coach Preti, the 1998 men's championship is his fifth consecutive LEC tennis title. His men's teams have won the title in 1996, 1997 and now, 1998. Preti's women's teams captured the LEC women's title in 1996 and 1997. UMass Dartmouth's women's team will try for its third LEC titles in a row when they compete this fall.

Guilfoy capped his four year career at UMass Dartmouth with a perfect 10-0 record at #1 singles. Guilfoy posted a 40-7 career mark for the Corsairs, playing three years at #1 singles and one year at #2 singles.

Among the Corsairs other top singles players, Hohne and Costa were both 9-0, while Gomes finished at 8-2 and Gordon was 6-0. As a team UMass Dartmouth was 57-7 in singles. The Corsairs' top doubles team of Gomes and Gordon were 4-1 as UMass Dartmouth went 22-8 in doubles.

Coach Gerry Jennings' first-year Corsairs finished their season with a 23-6 loss to Eastern Connecticut State University in the quarter finals of the New England Women's Lacrosse Association playoffs. UMass Dartmouth (5-7 overall) finished fourth in the Southern Division of the NEWLA with a 3-5 record.

Top-seeded Eastern Connecticut made sure there wouldn't be any first round upsets by the underdog Corsairs, who became the first NEWLA to qualify for the playoffs in their first varsity season. The Warriors raced out to a 13-2 first-half lead and cruised to a 23-6 victory.

The first round elimination did not diminish the Corsairs' first varsity season. From a small club team organized only a few years ago, the players, coaches and supporters of the program took great pride in their team's accomplishments during the 1998 season.

Several Corsairs distinguished themselves during the season, including a trio of high-scorers, senior Lisa Haynes (Pembroke, Bermuda), senior tri-captain Emily Rowe (Falmouth, MA) and junior Janice Hopper (Dracut, MA). Haynes was the Corsairs' leading scorer with a team-high 31 goals plus 7 assists for 38 points. In 11 games, Haynes had 82 shots on goal, averaging 2.8 goals per game and 3.5 points per game. Haynes also had the season's top goal-scoring effort, netting seven goals and an assist in the Corsairs' 16-10 victory over University of New England.

Rowe finished second in goals and goal scoring with 18 goals and 5 assists for 23 points. Hopper was third in scoring with 17 goals and three assists for 20 points. Rounding out the rest of UMass Dartmouth's top scorers were first-year player Sarah Tuxbury (Sudbury, MA) (11-5-16), senior tri-captain Lisa Coffey (Plainville, MA) (8-4-12) and junior tri-captain Stacy Millen (Weston, MA) (10-0-10). Millen also pulled double duty by filling in as the Corsairs' goaltender in the playoff loss to Eastern Connecticut.

Sophomore Shannon Weaver (Blanford, MA) and first-year player Kristen Keene (Sudbury, MA) handled most of the goaltending duties during the regular season. Weaver finished third in the NEWLA with a .585 saves percentage. In 7 games, she made 134 saves, an average of 13.6 per game and a goals against average of 13.4. Keene appeared in five games and came up with 63 saves, an average of 13 saves per game and a goals against average of 14.4.

Add Gary Mello's (Woburn, MA) name to the long list of track and field athletes from UMass Dartmouth who have attained All-America status. With a sixth-place finish in the NCAA Division III national track and field championships, Mello earned All-America honors in the 5,000 meters. Mello posted a time of 14:46.43 at the national championship meet hosted by Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Mello's national championship appearance capped a tremendous individual season, which included two provisional qualifications for the nationals on consecutive weekends. He earned a provisional qualification to the NCAA Division III national track and field championships at the All-New England Championships held at Northeastern University when he placed seventh in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14.45.33. Mello's time left him .11 seconds away from earning an automatic qualification to the nationals. One week earlier, had a provisional qualification for the national championships with a third-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the New England Division III men's championships held at Middlebury, Vermont. Mello's time was 14:49.17.

Among the other Corsairs who wrapped up their seasons by participating in the All New England Championships, which include the top athletes from Division I, II and III schools in the region, Tim Garcia (Fairhaven, MA finished 10th in the 100 meters (11.04) and 10th in the 200 meters (22.34).

The Corsairs were well represented at the New England Division III meet in both the triple jump and 200 meters. Dan Almeida (Attleboro, MA) took fourth in the triple jump at 44-3 1/2 and teammate Mitch Sousa (Fall River, MA) finished two spots back in sixth with a jump of 43-5 1/2. In the 200 meters, Garcia placed fourth with a time of :22.11.

First-place finishes by Gary Mello (Woburn, MA) , Brendan McEvoy (Newburyport, MA), Almeida and the Corsairs' 4x100 relay team helped UMass Dartmouth to a fifth-place finish in the Alliance Championships held at Bridgewater State College on April 25. The Alliance Championship features teams from both the Little East Conference and the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference competing in one meet.

In addition to taking first place in the 5,000 meters with a time of 15:14.90, Mello qualified for the New England Division III meet. McEvoy was the pole vault winner with a height of 11-0, while Almeida won the triple jump with a leap of 42-2 1/2. Almeida also placed third in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of :16.75. The Corsairs' 4x100 relay team, Sousa, Jon Perry (New Bedford, MA), Dave Loughlin (Haverhill, MA) and Garcia, finished first in :44.29. Sousa also took second in the long jump at 20-6 3/4 and third in the triple jump behind Almeida with a leap of 41-11 1/2.

At the annual Springfield College Invitational held Garcia had a day to remember. He captured first place in three different events and set a new school record in one of them. Garcia established a new university record in the 100 meters by posting a winning time of :10.86. He also captured the 200 meters in :22.31 and added a victory in the long jump with a leap of 22-3 1/2. Right behind Garcia in the long jump was Sousa, who finished third at 20-9 1/2. Sousa also added a second in the triple jump at 42-9.

Julie Briggs (Jefferson, MA) had a record breaking season in 1998, twice setting a new UMass Dartmouth record in the hammer. Competing in the ECAC Championship meet at Tufts University on May 9 , Briggs earned a fourth-place finish with a hammer throw of 142-8. Her record-setting toss snapped the school record she set on April 25 when she finished second in the Alliance Championships with a throw of 142-1.

The Corsairs also had several strong performances at the first Alliance Championship held at Bridgewater State College. Behind first-place finishes by Natarsha Silva (Brockton, MA) and Maura McDonald (Greenfield, MA), UMass Dartmouth placed fourth in the Alliance Championships from a field of 11 teams. the Alliance Championship features teams from both the Little East Conference and the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference competing in one meet. Silva posted her first-place finish in the 100 meters with a time of :12.40, while McDonald captured top honors in the 3,000 meters in 10:57.09. McDonald also added a second-place finish in the 1500 meters with a time of 5:11.59. Becki Robitaille (Acushnet, MA) finished third in the 100 meters behind Silva with a time of :13.23 and qualified for the ECAC and All-New England meets. With a second place finish in the 200 meters (:27.63), Laura Caselden (Westfield, MA) qualified for the New England Division III meet in that event.

Earlier in the season at the annual Springfield College Invitational, McDonald turned in the Corsairs' top performance, finishing third in the 1500 meters at 4:58.98. Robitaille took fourth in the 100 meters at :13.99. Competing in two events each, Caselden posted a fourth in 400 meters (:62.14) and sixth in 200 meters (:27.36), while Karla Jarquin (Shrewsbury, MA) had fifth-place finishes in the 3,000 meters (11:25.98) and javelin (89-3).

After qualifying in three events for the NCAA Division III national championships last season (long jump, 100 meters, 200 meters), Natarsha Silva (Brockton, MA) earned a return trip to the NCAA Division III championships, to be held at Macalister College, Minnesota, with her time of 12.33 in the 100 meters at the recent Connecticut College Meet. A late-season injury prevented Silva from competing in the nationals.

One of Silva's best performances of the season resulted in three first-place finishes at the Rhode Island College Invitational. Silva took first place in the long jump (16-11 1/2), 100 meters (:12.6) and 200 meters (:26.4) and qualified for both the ECAC and New England Division III championships in each event.

Coach Marilyn Ritz headed into the 1998 season with a young and inexperienced team but when the season finally ended, the Corsairs owned one of the biggest surprise victories of the season. UMass Dartmouth finished with a 6-28 overall record and a 3-11 mark in the regular season of the Little East Conference.

Seeded seventh for the LEC post-season tournament, the Corsairs faced a trip to second-seeded Western Connecticut in the quarterfinal round. Instead of an early exit, the Corsairs pulled the upset of the tournament, scoring a 7-1 victory to eliminate Western Connecticut from the eight-team tournament. The victory lifted the Corsairs into the LEC double-elimination championships where they were eventually eliminated with losses to Southern Maine and Keene State.

Although held to only two hits on the day, UMass Dartmouth broke the Western Connecticut game wide open w ith a seven-run third inning with the benefit of only one hit. First year pitcher Jessica Boudreau (Westminster, MA) was the beneficiary of the Corsairs' big inning, as she held the Colonials to six hits in a seven-inning complete game victory. A pair of first-year players, Heather Louro (Dartmouth, MA) and Melinda Amaral (Cape Coral, FL) had the Corsairs' two hits.

UMass Dartmouth's big inning started with a Beckey Medeiros (Fall River, MA) walk and was followed Erin Laperriere (Freetown, MA) reaching base on an error. A Cheryl Arruda (Fall River, MA) walk loaded the bases and Medeiros scored the first run on a wild pitch. Senior co-captain Maureen Maloney (Blackstone, MA) and Boudreau walked, forcing in another run for UMass Dartmouth. Meghan Farris (Walpole, MA) walked to force in another run and Louro's double to left scored two more Corsair runs. With two out, Medeiros reached on an error as Ferris and Louro scored the last two runs of the inning. UMass Dartmouth scored seven runs on one hit, with two Colonial errors.

In her first year with the Corsairs, Boudreau proved herself to be a workhorse, starting and completing 34 complete games on the mound. Boudreau pitched 205 innings for UMass Dartmouth and finished with a 4.68 earned run average. She also helped her own cause on offense, finishing second in hitting for the Corsairs with a .265 average

Maloney was the Corsairs' leading hitter with a .304 batting average. She led UMass Dartmouth in runs (17), hits (28), and total bases (28). Farris finished third in hitting with a .279 batting average and a team-leading 12 RBI. Medeiros and Louro tied for second in RBI with eight each.

A 15-8 Pilgrim League loss to Plymouth State College in the final game of the regular season knocked UMass Dartmouth out of the playoff picture and brought to an end the Corsairs' first varsity lacrosse season. Despite not making the Pilgrim League playoffs, Coach Jeff Feroce's Corsairs had an outstanding season, posting a 10-3 record with three players earning Pilgrim League Northwest Division First Team honors.

Sharing the post-season honors on the 1998 Northwest Division All-Star team for UMass Dartmouth were sophomore Mike Monturio (Weymouth, MA) at attack, junior Chris Greeley (Newton Centre, MA) at midfield and junior Steve Brandt (Newton, MA) in goal. The Corsairs finished their season at 3-2 for third place in the Pilgrim League's Northwest Division.

Prior to the loss to Plymouth State in their final game, the Corsairs had put together a solid first season. UMass Dartmouth posted its first varsity win with a 21-8 victory over New York Maritime. Monturio sparked the Corsairs to their first victory by scoring eight goals plus four assists in his first varsity game for the Corsairs. He closed out the season with another goal-scoring flourish, netting eight more goals in the season finale loss to Plymouth State.

UMass Dartmouth averaged 14.4 goals per game while allowing 8.9 per game. With a team high 47 goals and 21 assists, Monturio was UMass Dartmouth's top scorer. Junior tri-captain Nat Moor (Falmouth, MA) was second with 27 goals and 27 assists for 54 points and junior tri-captain Dan Hemenway (Weymouth, MA) was third (19-20-39). Rounding out the Corsairs other top scorers were Greeley (23-10-33), sophomore Michael Dion (Waltham, MA) (23-9-32) and junior Mike Cusilito (Falmouth, MA) 13-3-16).

Brandt appeared in goal for ten games with a 10.31 goals against average and a save average of 9.3 per game. Sophomore goalie Adam Centofanti (Waltham, MA) appeared in six games with a 5.63 goals against average and 3.8 saves per game. Centofanti was in net for UMass Dartmouth's 22-0 shutout of Franklin Pierce College, the Corsairs first shutout in history.

In it's first season of varsity competition, UMass Dartmouth's equestrian team has its first regional champion. Competing in the ride-off of the Novice Equitation Over Fences Division, Mary Ellen Blombach finished first and captured the regional championship at Johnson and Wales University. Blombach and two other riders advanced to the Zone 1.

Blombach wrapped up her season with a sixth-placed finish in the Zone 1 championships at Stonleigh Burnham School in Greenfield.

Blombach was joined at the Zone 1 Regional Championships by six of her UMass Dartmouth teammates following their participation in the University of Connecticut Horse Show in Storrs, CT. Also qualifying for the regionals in their first season of competition were Cara David (Mendon, MA), Andrea Dodge (E. Bridgewater, MA), Lisa Haynes, Stephanie Pacheco (Dighton, MA), Sarah Richardson (Barrington, MA) and Becky Torres (Mattapoisett, MA).

At the UConn Horse Show, Dodge finished first in Open Fences and Fifth in Open Flat, while Sarah Roberts placed third in both Intermediate Fences and Intermediate Flat. David took fourth in Novice Flat and Blombach was third in both Open Flat and Open Fences. Becky Reddick took second in Advanced Walk-Trot Canter, Richardson was third in Novice Flat, and Torres was sixth in Novice Fences. Morse placed fifth in Walk-Trot and Pacheco finished fourth in Intermediate Flat.

Under the direction of new coach Paul Fistori, the Corsairs' golf team returned to competition during the Spring 1998 season. UMass Dartmouth competed in a series of invitational events, posting several impressive team finishes sparked by strong individual efforts.

One of the Corsairs top performance was a second-place finish at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational held at Country Club of New Bedford. The Corsairs finished at 333, eight shots behind the overall winner, Salem State (325). Roger Williams University finished third at 357 and Worcester State took fourth with 394).

Sophomore Matt Drake (Sturbridge, MA) turned in the low round of the day for UMass Dartmouth, carding an 81 over 18 holes. Junior Joe Henderson (Cotuit, MA) w as two shots back at 83 along with junior Jon Ruel (Mattapoisett, MA). Sophomore Brendan Meehan (Webster, MA) had an 86 to round out the Corsairs' scoring. Also competing in the event for the Corsairs were junior Matt Lane (Holden, MA) (89) and sophomore Chris Pendelton (Tewksbury, MA) (102).

UMass Dartmouth captured a three-team event with Worcester State and Franklin Pierce College. The Corsairs took top honors with 406, ahead of Franklin Pierce (418) and Worcester State (470). Lane's 77 was the Corsairs' low round of the event, followed by Meehan's 81. Sophomore Mark Loud (Pocasset, MA) and Ruel tied at 82.

At the Worcester State College Invitational played at Sterling Country Club, the Corsairs finished third in a field of eight teams. UMass Dartmouth posted a combined score of 322, trailing only first-place Salem State (315) and Amherst College (320) in the eight-team event. The Corsairs low round score came from Meehan, who followed a 40 on the front nine with a 38 on the back nine. Drake was the Corsairs' second low scorer with a 42-37 79, followed by Ruel(41-41 82), Lane (42-43 83) and Henderson (91).

UMass Dartmouth finished ninth among 18 teams at the Massachusetts Intercollegiate Championships. Meehan was the Corsairs' leader with a 79 followed by Drake (83), Ruel (85), Lane (86) and Loud (90).

Senior Laura Caselden (Greenfield, MA) made a clean sweep at the 1997-98 UMass Dartmouth All-Sports Banquet on May. 11. She captured the Senior Scholar Award presented to the top student-athlete on campus, the women's Robbins/ECAC Scholar-Athlete Award, plus four-year and captain's awards along with an Outstanding Academic Achievement Award.

A psychology major and part of the 1998 graduating class at UMass Dartmouth, Caselden competed for the Corsairs' cross country and track teams, serving as the cross country co-captain for the last two seasons. She qualified for the New England Division III Indoor and Outdoor Track Championships from 1995 through 1998 and earned a 3.72 grade point average on a scale of 4.0 after her first seven semesters. A three-time Chancellor's List (3.8 or better) honoree plus four semesters on the Dean's List (3.2 or better) also qualified her to be a three-time selection to the National Cross Country Association Academic All-America Team from 1995 through 1997.

Sharing the Robbins/ECAC Scholar-Athlete Award was the men's winner, Anthony Baldman (Dedham, MA). A four-year member of the Corsairs' men's tennis team, Baldman was a co-captain and captured his second Little East Conference tennis title this season. Last year, Baldman was part of the LEC #3 doubles championship team and one year later, captured the #4 singles title. A sociology major with a 3.67 grade point average through seven semesters and a 1998 UMass Dartmouth graduate, Baldman has been named to the Chancellor's list four times and the Dean's List twice.

Sears Collegiate Conference Championship Trophies were presented to four UMass Dartmouth conference championship teams. Both of Coach Warren Preti's men's and women's tennis teams captured Little East Conference Championships, while Coach Brian Baptiste's Little East Conference basketball champions and Coach John Rolli's ECAC North/Central/South ice hockey champions were also presented with trophies from Sears.

The John E. Frye Alumni Service Award, named in honor of the late John E. Frye, SMU Class of '71 and a 1995 inductee into the UMass Dartmouth Hall of Fame, was presented to Mike Silva. A special recognition plaque was also presented to Head Athletic Trainer Dena Smith, who will be leaving UMass Dartmouth after almost five years of service.

A total of 67 student-athletes, representing 23 different teams, earned academic distinction during the Fall 1997 semester. Of the students who received honors, eight were named to the Chancellor's List with a grade point average of at least 3.8 (on a scale of 4.0), while the remaining 59 students were named to the Dean's List with a GPA of at least 3.2 or better. The Chancellor's list student-athletes included Christin Cardoza (Fairhaven, MA), Laura Caselden (Westfield, MA), Sara Dipilato (Shrewsbury MA), Melissa Eslinger (Tiverton, RI), Christopher LaFratta (Revere, MA), Sandra Methe (Whitinsville, MA) and Jennifer Raxter (Fall River, MA).

Jim Mullins moved over from the UMass Dartmouth News Office to the Athletic Department on a full-time basis as the Administrative Assistant for Promotion and Public Information.

The long-awaited construction and field improvements project got underway during the spring on the UMass Dartmouth athletic grounds. The project's first stage includes replacement and renovation of the softball field, soccer field and running track. Marli Contracting Corp. in the general contractor for the $600,000 project. The existing six-lane track will be removed and a new eight-lane track will be installed. The soccer field will be widened with new irrigation, drainage and sod installed. An area for pole vault, long jump and triple jump will be added, plus a new scoreboard and timing system. At the conclusion of the softball season, the softball field will be regraded and a new irrigation and drainage system will be installed along with new sod. A new electronic scoreboard and flagpole will be added. Improvements to the lacrosse and football fields are also included in this project which is expected to be completed in time for the Fall 1998 season. The field will be regraded and new irrigation and drainage plus new sod will be added. The existing scoreboard will be relocated from the east to the west end of the field as well.

With a time of 16:13, Mike Norton captured the 1998 Workers' Memorial Day 5K Road Race at UMass Dartmouth on April 19. Co-sponsored by the UMass Dartmouth Athletic Department and the Arnold M. Dubin Labor Education, the race is a fundraising event for both departments. Barry Merrill finished second overall with a time of 16:26 followed by Robert Ruel (16:32), Steve Brightman (17:00) and Craig Samey (17:28). Michelle Fobert was the women's overall winner with a time of 18:25. Taking second place was Lynn Robillard (19:29), followed by Leona Corrigan (20:53), Terry Przystarz (20:59) and Lily King (23:24). Jason Cordeira and Katie Loranger were the junior winners, Barry Merrill and Leona Corrigan were the Sub Masters winners, Robert Ruel and Lynn Robillard captured top honors among Masters. Jack Daniels and Mary Fitzgibbons were the Senior winners. The UFCW 791 team of Ruel, Brian Adams, and Jason Cordeiro finished first.

Corsair men's soccer coach Niall O'Donnell was among 11 new inductees into the New England Soccer Hall of Fame at Fox Point. O'Donnell, who will be entering his second season at UMass Dartmouth this fall, represented Ireland internationally on the Irish College team from 1975 through 1978. He was the captain of the Carlow Technical College team and led them to the 1978 Irish National Championships. O'Donnell played professionally for St. Patrick's Athletic and was a key member of its 1980 Irish FA Cup Finalists. After coming to the US in 1981, O'Donnell had an outstanding career in the Luso American Soccer Association, earning all-star honors 13 times.