2019-2020 Athletic Donor Report

ONE TEAM

2019-2020 Athletics Donor Report

Dear Donor, The 2019-2020 athletics year was full of triumphs and challenges. We saw the completion of the new Babson Recreation and Athletics Complex, which helps our campus community stay healthy. Our fall and winter seasons got the Beavers off to a strong start, thanks to the hard work of our student-athletes and coaches. Then, in response to the global health crisis, Babson made the difficult but necessary decision to send our students home for the rest of the spring semester in March and to cancel all varsity sports competitions for the fall semester in order to protect the health and safety of our community.

While academics continued online, athletics were put on hold. This has been difficult for everyone, and especially tough for our seniors.

However, I could not be prouder of the way our student-athletes have responded. They have shown incredible resilience and understanding throughout these challenges, exemplifying the values Babson strives to instill in all of our students.

The Babson community has shown tremendous compassion and unity during this challenging time. Faculty and staff celebrated our seniors through virtual events like the Athletics Senior Awards Banquet and Degree Conferral, while alumni, parents and friends showed support through messages of hope and offers to help our students in any way they might need.

Your support during this time, and throughout the year, enabled us to celebrate our 86 graduating senior athletes and ensured that all our student-athletes had the resources they needed to thrive, while sustaining Babson Athletics for future generations of Babson Beavers.

I am immensely grateful for your generous financial support and for your understanding of how important athletics programs are to our students.

In this report, you will find detailed information about the impact your generosity has had on our students and programs this past year.

Thank you again for your continued commitment to our student-athletes.

I look forward to seeing our teams get back in the game, and hope you’ll join us in cheering them on.

Until then, I hope you and your family stay safe and healthy.

Sincerely,

Mike Lynch Pamela P. and Brian M. Barefoot Senior Director of Athletics and Athletics Advancement

Babson Athletics

Fiscal Year 2020 Âť July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020 For our student-athletes, sports are an essential part of their Babson experience.

Athletics provides more than just a recreational outlet—it offers a strong sense of community and life-long connections, while teaching valuable lessons about work ethic and collaboration that our student-athletes will carry with them long after they graduate.

Our donors are an integral part of making this possible. With your help, Babson Athletics has the resources needed to offer exceptional programs, state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, unique opportunities for our student-athletes, and so much more to help them excel. Your support also shows our student-athletes how important they are to the Babson community and sets an extraordinary example of giving back.

Your generosity was particularly meaningful this year, when the COVID-19 crisis cut our athletics season short. Babson athletes and coaches were understandably disappointed, however, they showed incredible resilience. Through their perseverance and camaraderie, and with the kindness and generosity from our donors, our teams kept their spirits high and can look ahead to the future with hope. We sincerely appreciate your support throughout the year and hope you will join us in rooting for our teams once they return to their competitions.

2,248 total donors gave $1,588,441 to Babson Athletics in fiscal year 2020.

45 donors gave $372,304 to the Baseball Field Renovation Fund.

$133,012 donated to the Athletics Excellence Fund (supporting everything from technology enhancements and on-court coaching to team trips and partnering with a sports psychology group).

417 donors gave $167,015 in support of the hockey program.

During this year’s Barefoot Athletics Challenge,

1,173 donors gave $126,197 in just two days.

Babson Beavers

Highlights and Stats

Babson’s men tied for third place in the NEWMAC Presidents Cup all-sports standings.

Babson’s women finished second in the NEWMAC Presidents Cup all-sports standings.

Fall / Men’s Soccer

Team Stats:

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14-6-2 28th NCAA tournament in program history.

Won their second consecutive NEWMAC regular season title and the program’s 13th conference tournament crown.

Donor Stats:

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185 donors raised $36,688.

Women’s Soccer

Team Stats:

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9-9-2 Sixth NEWMAC semifinal appearance in the last eight years.

Head coach, Nellie Pineault MBA ’03, recorded her 100th career win.

Donor Stats:

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78 donors raised $17,445.

Donors helped fund warm-up shirts for the players and a Myers Brigg workshop with the office of career services.

Cross Country

Men’s Team Stats:

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Placed 26th at the NCAA New England Championship.

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Finished 5th at the NEWMAC Championship, securing their 11th consecutive top-five finish at NEWMACs.

Women’s Team Stats:

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Placed 25th at the NCAA New England Championship and 9th at the NEWMAC Championship.

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Junior Emma Cavanagh became the fourth woman in Babson cross country to earn all-conference honors at the NEWMAC Championship.

Donor Stats:

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168 donors raised $22,652.

Donors helped fund branded tents for meets for both the cross country and track & field teams.

Women’s Field Hockey

Team Stats:

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19-5 Tied for second-highest total wins in school history.

Advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after winning their fifth straight NEWMAC regular season title.

Donor Stats:

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178 donors raised $19,109.

Donors helped fund salary assistance for a part-time assistant coach, recruiting trips, preseason team activity, team dinner, new field hockey sticks, gloves, shoes, game balls, parkas, and goalkeeper gear.

Women’s Volleyball

Team Stats:

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33-2

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Set a new single-season record for victories.

Third straight NCAA appearance, advancing to second round.

Won their second consecutive NEWMAC Tournament Championship after claiming their first conference regular season crown since 2014.

Donor Stats:

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89 donors raised $23,065.

Donors helped fund locker room updates, increasing video review options for practice and scouting, post-match tailgates, and new volleyballs.

Winter / Alpine Skiing

Men’s Team Stats:

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Made their 13th USCSA National Championship appearance and placed 7th overall.

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Seniors MacIntyre Henderson and Jack Blanchard became the first seven-time All-Americans in program history.

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Henderson became the program’s first College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America selection.

Women’s Team Stats:

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Made their 5th consecutive USCSA National Championship appearance and matched the best finish (4th) in program history.

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Senior Elizabeth Baer and junior Sarah Mangiacotti both earned three All-America honors.

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Baer leaves Babson as the only female skier to collect seven All-America awards in program history.

Donor Stats:

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56 donors raised $7,600.

Donors helped fund new gates, a new drill, training fees, a video camera, and range-finder.

Men’s Basketball

Team Stats:

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20-7

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Matched the best start in program history by winning their first nine games.

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Ranked No. 12 in the D3hoops.com national poll.

Returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since winning the national championship in 2017.

Donor Stats:

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139 donors raised $43,805.

Donors helped fund travel suits, post-game meals, scouting software, and hotels for away games.

Men’s Ice Hockey

Team Stats:

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18-6-2 Earned first NCAA Tournament bid since 2014.

Finished second in the New England Hockey Conference.

Head coach, Jamie Rice ’90, became the winningest coach in program history with an OT victory at Castleton on November 23.

Donor Stats:

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249 donors raised $92,970.

Donors helped fund team travel expenses, salary assistance for two part-time coaches, team dinners at tournaments, and books for the team for summer reading. Another $5,000 funded the hockey travel endowment.

“

Our alumni, families and friends who donate and support our program are the backbone of our success. Our Babson hockey family is incredibly connected and transcends beyond the traditional financial contributions. They are a resource for our players in their off-ice endeavors and in understanding career paths, acting as a resource for internships and into the interviewing process. Their willingness to help out our players in any manner possible is overwhelming. When our season was halted prior to our NCAA Tournament game, many of our alumni emailed, texted and called. They reached out not from sympathy for what we had lost in not being able to play, but to see if there was anything they could do to help out; to see if the players needed anything.”

Jamie Rice ’90

Head Coach, Men’s Ice Hockey

Swimming & Diving

Men’s Team Stats:

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Finished fifth at the NEWMAC Championship.

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Set new school records in 12 events during the year, including five individual marks by first-year Charles Wang.

Went 10-2 in dual meets and recorded double-digit victories for the second time since 2002.

Women’s Team Stats:

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Finished seventh at the NEWMAC Championship.

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Set 12 records at the NEWMAC Championship.

Won 10 dual meets and surpassed the 1991-92 squad for the most wins in program history.

“

One of the first things that I tell the new freshmen every year is that you can do anything as a Babson student. Since my first steps on campus, the Babson family has supported me, pushed me and mentored me—athletics nurtured community, structure and drive. I am eternally grateful to the school that drove me to grow into who I am today.”

Connor O’Brien ’20

Swimming & Diving

Donor Stats:

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131 donors raised $26,743.

Donors helped fund new goggles, caps, training equipment bags, team swimsuits, and technical suits for NEWMAC/NCAA.

Women’s Basketball

Team Stats:

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18-8

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Head coach, Judy Blinstrub, recorded her 650th career win.

Captured their fourth consecutive NEWMAC regular season title by going undefeated (10-0) in league play.

Defeated three teams that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Donor Stats:

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92 donors raised $16,815.

Donors helped fund salary assistance for a part-time assistant coach, team travel expenses, travel gear, and the Judy Pearson ’85 Memorial Tournament.

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The donations we receive have benefited the overall experience for our student-athletes. It is so important and allows us to continue to run a first-class program. This support makes sure that every studentathlete is supported in a well-rounded environment on and off the court.

This includes offering health and wellness programs throughout the year to our student-athletes. My alumni, student-athletes and coaches have exchanged information about how to deal with adversity during the crisis. Many of the alumni have reached out to help with making sure internships and jobs were not impacted by the economy. I hope that next season we will be able to come back even stronger and closer as a group from all we have gone through during these unprecedented times.”

Judy Blinstrub Head Coach, Women’s Basketball

Spring / Men’s Golf

Team Stats:

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Won four of seven fall tournaments and set a new single-season program record with their 292.21 scoring average.

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Earned its highest ranking in program history (15th) in the March edition of the GCAA Bushnell Golfweek Division III poll.

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Senior Chris Bornhorst and sophomore Nicholas Gianelos both earned GCAA/PING Division III All-America honors.

Donor Stats:

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46 donors raised $19,525.

Donors helped fund vest sweaters, golf shirts, and team dinners on the road.

Track & Field

Men’s Team Stats:

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The team was not able to start their spring season.

Seniors Sean Haney, Sean Rezendes and Nicholas Virkler were all named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference team.

Women’s Team Stats:

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The team was not able to start their spring season.

Graduate student Sydney Forrest, junior Grace Regan and sophomores Mackenzie Forrest, Amanda Karch, Stephanie Mishler and Sterling Seymour all earned NEWMAC Academic All-Conference accolades.

Donor Stats:

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168 donors raised $22,652.

Donors helped fund branded tents for meets for both the cross country and track & field teams.

Men’s Lacrosse

Team Stats:

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3-3 before the remainder of their season was cancelled.

OT victory over Bates for the first time since 1990.

Senior Kevin Klempner and junior Alex Lesher were named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference team.

Donor Stats:

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130 donors raised $31,293.

Women’s Lacrosse

Team Stats:

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2-3 before the remainder of their season was cancelled.

Senior Maren Mellen and sophomore Gwen Borning were named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference squad.

Donor Stats:

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54 donors raised $16,620.

Donors helped fund salary assistance for second assistant coaches and partial support for video breakdown services.

Men’s Baseball

Team Stats:

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2-1 before the remainder of their season was cancelled.

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Senior catcher Sean Harrington earned CoSIDA Academic All-America and Academic All-District honors.

Ranked 3rd in the final D3baseball.com poll.

Seniors Sean Harrington and Hunter Salem and sophomore Andrew Dembowski earned NEWMAC Academic All-Conference recognition.

Donor Stats:

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272 donors raised $31,877.

Donors helped fund the team’s trip to Texas.

“

I will definitely miss what could have been with this year. I will miss playing baseball with these guys and all of my best friends. We’ve gone through so much over our four years. We stay strong and tough with whatever comes our way. We deal with it and don’t let it bother us too much. That’s the way our program is run.”

Will Gallagher ’20 Baseball

Women’s Softball

Team Stats:

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Coach Dave Canan recorded his 500th win.

Junior Elizabeth D’Agostino and sophomore Cara Harnick were named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference squad.

Donor Stats:

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70 donors raised $15,815.

Donors helped fund new equipment and salary assistance for a part-time assistant coach.

“

Playing for the Babson softball program is an experience I will forever be grateful for. It gave me an amazing community of people that support and encourage each other, along with memories and lessons that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my life. This sport has taught me to value dedication, to work hard and constantly grow not only for myself, but for the betterment of my teammates and coaches as well.

These lessons have transcended beyond the field into how I approach almost every aspect of my life. Being part of the Babson softball program means being a part of something special. This school became my second home and this team became my family. I am leaving Babson with a community of strong, inspiring and supportive women by my side.”

Victoria Casey ’20 Softball

Men’s Tennis

Team Stats:

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5-3 before the remainder of their season was cancelled.

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Junior Markus Nordby became the program’s first All-America selection since 1998.

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Seniors Dylan Pace and Dan Levitan and junior Chris Kolesnik were named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference squad. The trio also was among seven players to receive All-Academic Scholar-Athlete honors from the ITA.

Defeated nationally-ranked TCNJ and Vassar in February on the way to earning the first national ranking (37th) in program history.

Donor Stats:

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31 donors raised $47,921.

Donors helped fund travel bags, warm-ups for players, overnights for fall tournaments, and additional iPads for streaming matches.

“

Donors have a huge impact on the experience of our studentathletes. This was the first year that we were able to take both teams up to northern New Hampshire for a weekend of tennis and team bonding activities! We were able to fundraise money to stay at a summer camp called Tamarack, which has red clay tennis courts, hiking trails, games and other fun activities. We are hoping to make this trip an annual tradition. This trip served as a great way to learn more about our teammates and strengthen our team unity.”

Michael Kopelman Head Coach, Men’s and Women’s Tennis

Women’s Tennis

Team Stats:

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2-1 before the remainder of their season was cancelled.

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Six players were selected as ITA All-Academic Scholar-Athletes.

Senior Emily Roeper and juniors Ally Kaden and Carolina Merz earned NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honors.

Donor Stats:

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29 donors raised $7,454.

Donors helped fund travel bags, warm-ups for players, overnights for fall tournaments, and additional iPads for streaming matches.

Building a Happier and Healthier Babson The Babson Recreation and Athletics Complex (BRAC) opened this year, thanks to our donors, who collectively gave more than $2.5 million in support of this facility. BRAC is open not only to our teams, but to the entire campus—all students, faculty and staff benefit from this communal space every day. When we cultivate the well-being of each individual, the community can thrive as a whole, making Babson a happier and healthier place. BRAC includes the following facilities:

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Three courts for basketball, badminton, volleyball and tennis

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Hintlian Family Golf Performance Center

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25-yard indoor pool

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Lamere Plaza

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Lunder Fitness Center: a two-level fitness center with a 5,000-square foot strength training floor and a 5,000-square foot cardio floor

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Cross Family Athletic Excellence Suite

Indoor track Dance studio Two squash courts Racquetball court Locker rooms Bravo Family Sports Medicine Suite

Mr. Ken Romanzi ’82 & Dr. Nancy Major Romanzi Rehabilitation Clinic

Office of Advancement 231 Forest Street, Babson Park, MA 02457 babson.edu/giving / giving@babson.edu 781-239-4800