Coach Warren Preti's Corsairs captured four of six singles titles and two of three doubles championships to successfully defend their Little East Conference women's tennis championship. UMass Dartmouth finished first at the 1997 LEC championship tournament played at Plymouth State College by picking up 23 points, 8.5 points ahead of second-place Southern Maine.

This year's LEC title was the Corsairs' second championship in as many seasons. UMass Dartmouth captured the 1996 LEC championship played at UMass Boston by taking four of six singles matches and all three doubles matches for 23.5 points.

Kelly Berger (Buzzard's Bay, MA) led the way for UMass Dartmouth, winning her first LEC title in singles by winning the #2 singles championship with a 7-5, 6-3 win. Berger also became a three-time LEC doubles champion when she teamed up with Mary Bourque (Rochester, MA) to win the #1 doubles title. As a sophomore last year, Berger was the LEC #2 doubles champ, and the year before, as a first-year player, she had taken the #3 doubles crown.

Olivia Cunha (New Bedford, MA) was UMass Dartmouth's second repeat winner at the LEC championship tournament. Cunha became a two-time LEC champion at #6 singles with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-0) victory.

Stephanie Hauser (Germany) captured her first LEC championship when she cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 victory for the #4 singles crown. Shannon Kelleher (Saugus, MA) was also a first-time LEC champ with a 6-2, 6-1 win at #5 singles.

UMass Dartmouth's #1 doubles team of Bourque and Berger captured their first doubles crown together. In addition to Berger's two other doubles victories, Bourque became a two-time LEC doubles champion, having captured the #3 doubles in last year's LEC tournament. The Corsairs' second doubles crown belonged to the team of Cunha and Ashley Kennedy (Holliston, MA).

Earlier in the week, UMass Dartmouth improved its record to 10-2 with a 7-0 victory over Simmons College. The Corsairs swept the five singles matches with straight set victories and took both doubles matches. Singles winners included Bourque, Hauser, Cunha, Kennedy and Christine Mace (Abington, MA). In the doubles matches, UMass Dartmouth's winning combinations were Kelleher-Kasha Gula (Mansfield, MA) and Megan Harvey (Boxford, MA)-Cari Leslie (Glen Cove, NY).

Mike Masse (Wareham, MA) had a pair of touchdown runs and the Corsair defense held UMass Boston to only one touchdown as UMass Dartmouth picked up is fifth victory in six games with a 43-6 Homecoming Day victory over the Beacons. The victory improved UMass Dartmouth's record to 5-1 and 3-1 in the New England Football Conference.

Ranked #24 in NCAA Division III in scoring average with a 35.6 pts per game average , the Corsairs had plenty of offensive fireworks against UMass Boston. Jay Furtado (Swansea, MA) opened the scoring with the first of two TD passes, a 28-yard scoring strike to Charlie Hogan (Waltham, MA). Erik Lundell (Mansfield, MA) followed with the first of four extra points for a 7-0 lead. Masse helped build the lead to 20-0 with TD runs of two and 11 yards. With 48 seconds left in the second quarter, Ryan Bland (Dartmouth, MA) grabbed a 12-yard TD from Furtado for a 27-0 halftime lead.

Furtado increased the Corsairs lead to 34-0 on a 12-yard scamper early in the third quarter before the Beacons' scored their lone TD of the afternoon. UMass Dartmouth rounded out the day's scoring with a 12-yard TD pass from Matt McLaughlin (Mansfield, MA) to Sean McGlynn (Swansea, MA) and a 37-yard field goal by Lundell.

Ranked #6 in passing efficiency heading into the game, Furtado finished the day 13-16 for 221 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Bland, who was 11th in receiving yards per game (118.8) last week, had seven catches for 72 yards and McGlynn added six grabs for 128 yards.

UMass Dartmouth will try to extend its winning streak to five in a row next Saturday when they travel to Fitchburg State, Oct. 25.

Sarah Richardson (Barrington, RI) was tied for the leading rider at UMass Dartmouth's third event of the season, the University of Connecticut Horse Show held in Storrs, Connecticut. Richardson captured a first place in the Novice over Flat division for Coach Susan Yacubian's team.

Two other UMass Dartmouth riders had first-place finishes, including Cara David (Mendon, MA) in Novice over Fences and Becky Reddick (Walpole, MA) in Advance Walk-Trot-Canter.

Three Corsair riders finished third through fifth in the Intermediate over Flat with Mary Ellen Blombach (Hudson, MA), Sarah Roberts (Kingston, MA) and Andrea Dodge (E. Bridgewater, MA) taking the respective finishing positions. Dodge also took a second in Intermediate over Fences and Roberts was fourth in the same division.

Behind Richards who took first in Novice over Flat were Stephanie Pacheco (Dighton, MA) and David. Pacheco took fifth in Novice over Fences behind David's first-place finish. In the beginner Walk-Trot-Canter Beckey Torres (Mattapoisett, MA), Monica Asaff (Needham, MA) and Jill Pacheco (Dighton, MA) finished third through fifth respectively for UMass Dartmouth.

UMass Dartmouth picked up four victories in six outings last week including pair of wins at the annual UMass Dartmouth invitational held on campus Homecoming Weekend. Coach Rick Quintin's Corsairs improved their overall record to 9-12 with wins over Worcester State, Simmons College, Southern Maine and UMass Boston.

The Corsairs took third in the five-team UMass Dartmouth Invitational behind tournament champion Wheaton College (3-0) and University of New England (2-1). Heather Louro (Dartmouth, MA) capped a very strong tournament by being named to the All-Tournament Team. UMass Dartmouth opened the tournament with a 3-0 loss to Wheaton College but came back with consecutive wins over Southern Maine (3-1) and a straight-set win over UMass Boston (3-0). University of New England closed out the tournament for the Corsairs with a 3-0 defeat which including a pair of 15-13 losses by the Corsairs.

In a 3-1 win over Worcester State on Oct. 14, the Corsairs were sparked by Louro's 40 assists and eight serving points in the final game, a 15-5 victory by UMass Dartmouth. Allicia Pegg (Westport, MA) and Jessica Daggett (Chelmsford, MA) also turned in strong all-around floor games for the Corsairs. Against Simmons College two nights later, the Corsairs dropped the first two sets, 15-13, before coming back to win with consecutive 15-8, 15-7 and 15-10 victories. Amy Wilson (Dartmouth, MA) and Stephanie Wilson (Dartmouth, MA) had 17 kills each for UMass Dartmouth and Louro had 43 assists. Pegg added 21 total serving points, including seven straight in the fifth and deciding game.

With three runners finishing in the top 40, UMass Dartmouth finished 13th at the 19-team Westfield State College Invitational. The Corsairs posted 292 points with Tara Carson (Beverly, MA) finishing as the top UMass Dartmouth runner. Carson placed 16th overall with a time of 20:01 over the 5,000-meter course at Westfield State. Karla Jarquin (Shrewsbury, MA) was second, taking the 35th spot in 20:32 and Melissa Ying (Andover, MA), three places back at 38th in 20:35. Also competing for Coach Jon Hird's squad were Laura Caselden (Westfield, MA) (56th, 21:21) and Robin Holzer (Groton, MA) (124th, 24:20).

The Corsairs dropped a pair of games last week, evening their overall mark at 7-7 this season. Coach Marilyn Ritz's Corsairs were shutout, 3-0, by Babson College, before dropping a 2-1 decision to Southern Maine on Homecoming Weekend.

In the loss to Babson College, the Corsairs were outshot 12-2 as Paula Malcom (Milford, MA) came up with five saves. Alana Frieswick (Whitinsville, MA) relieved Malcom in goal but was not credited with a save.

Maureen Maloney (Blackstone, MA) gave the Corsairs a 1-0 lead on a first-half penalty shot at 24:09 of the first half. The Huskies tied the game two minutes later for a 1-1 halftime score. In the second half, Southern Maine, which outshot the Corsairs 19-6, scored the game-winner at 15:39 for the 2-1 final. Becky Medeiros (Fall River, MA) took the loss in goal for the Corsairs, stopping three shots on goal.

Maloney's goal against Southern Maine put her into a tie for second-place in scoring for the Corsairs. Her 11 points (5 goals, one assist) tied her with Ashley Dorman (Harwich, MA) (5-1-11) for second behind Kelly Place (Ashland, MA) (5-1-12).

UMass Dartmouth's overall record fell to 3-10 and 1-3 in the Little East Conference following a 6-2 loss at Plymouth State College. Amy Prendergast (Sudbury, MA) had an unassisted goal, her first of the season, and an assist in the loss. The Panthers scored three unanswered goals in the first half before Beth Salvia (Andover, MA) netted the Corsairs' first goal, with an assist from Prendergast at 23:30. Plymouth State increased its lead to 5-1 with two more second half goals before Prendergast scored her unassisted goal at 77:27. Jennifer Nelson (Medford, MA) made 15 saves in a losing effort for UMass Dartmouth.

With three goals each, Jennifer Tolson (Whitman, MA) and Stephanie Oles (Putnam, CT) are tied for the scoring lead at UMass Dartmouth six points. Tied for second with four points each are Corraine Butler (Beverly, MA) (2-0-4), Michelle Cameron (North Reading, MA) (2-0-4), and Aja Folino (Rockland, MA) 1-2-4).

Pierre Reyne (Fontbellon, France) was UMass Dartmouth's top finisher at the annual Westfield State College Invitational last week. Reyne covered the five-mile course in a time of 28:46 for 53rd place. Teammate Gary Mello (Woburn, MA) took 79th with a time of 29:06 and Pat Gallagher (Fairhaven, MA) was one spot behind in 80th with a time of 29:08. Jeff Reed (Westport, MA) was 90th with 29:46.

UMass Dartmouth remained winless in the Little East Conference when they were blanked 6-0 at Plymouth State College last Saturday. The Panthers jumped out to a 4-0 lead with four goals within a 15-minute span of the first half. Mike Ring (Peabod, MA) made five saves in goal and Rob Moles (Taunton, MA) added three saves in a losing effort. Coach Niall O'Donnell's Corsairs overall record stands at 4-8, 0-4 in the LEC.

The 1997 UMass Dartmouth Corsair Hall of Fame inductees honored at Homecoming Weekend ceremonies included William Kewer (SMU, `89), Paul Hart (SMU `89), Roger Canto (SMU `74), Charles Frascatore (BDCT, `61), Willard 'Phil' Wetterland (BDCT, 1957), Temple (Pettway) Mitchell (UMass Dartmouth '92) and the 1981-82 SMU women's swim team. Arnold Oliver, the first soccer coach at then Southeastern Massachusetts Technological Institute (SMTI) during the 1966 season, was honored posthumously.