campus news Men’s Volleyball Downs Three Top-10 Teams, Earns National Ranking Abram ’11 Named Division III National Player of the Week The Emmanuel men’s volleyball team wrapped up an unprecedented week on March 7th, which included wins over three top-10 teams, setting a new program record for wins in a season and an undefeated run at the MIT Invitational Tournament. The team looks to continue its success through the final stretch of the season.
“This is a very seasoned team, facing the toughest schedule in the history of the program, and the team is stepping up to the challenge,” said Head Men’s Volleyball Coach Christopher Wright. “I think the biggest difference this season is that everyone is committed to pushing themselves and pushing each other in practice and in games. The leadership of my co-captains Jake Deluise ’11 and Michael “Angus” Townsend ’10 has been fantastic this season. It’s nice to have competition and good leadership because it brings the best out of everyone.”
After knocking off No. 6 Rivier College and No. 10 Milwaukee School of Engineering in one week, the Saints won four matches at the MIT Invitational, including a 3-1 win over No. 5 Carthage College. With the winning streak, the Saints achieved their first-ever 20-win season and their first national ranking at No. 11 in the country.
Outside hitter Curtis Abram ’11 was named the Sports Imports/AVCA Men’s Division III National Player of the Week in the first week of March for his play during the MIT Tournament. This marks just the second time an athlete from Emmanuel has received this honor, as Townsend took home the accolade in 2009. Abram reached the highly coveted 1,000 kill
Setter Taylor Lowe ’10, the program’s all-time leader in assists, also reached an impressive personal mark during the invitational, as he dished out his 3,000th career assist. He entered the opening tournament game just 12 assists shy of 3,000 and he easily surpassed the mark in the Saints’ 3-0 win over New Haven. With only a handful of games left before the postseason, the Saints look to finish strong.
Abram ’11
milestone against Carthage College to become one of just four Emmanuel players to total more than 1,000 kills. For his efforts, he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Tyson Rietz ’11 received All-Tournament Team honors for Emmanuel as well.
“Coming out of spring break we had a good week of competition that helped us ease back into some bigger, nationally ranked opponents,” said Wright. “Hopefully, this will get us in the right mindset for the GNAC Tournament and potential Northeast Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Conference Championship. I know the guys are not satisfied, so they are resting up this break for one last push into the postseason.”
Davis ’10 Becomes Emmanuel’s All-Time Leading Scorer Iman Davis ’10 became the women’s basketball program’s all-time leading scorer in a win over Wesleyan University on February 3rd. Davis surpassed the mark of 1,626 points set by All-American Lesa Dennis, who played for the Saints from 1984-1988. Davis is one of Emmanuel’s all-time most decorated student-athletes. She is also the all-time leading scorer for The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), and was named the conference’s Player of the Year both as a sophomore and a junior. Along with these honors, Davis has also been named to ECAC and D3hoops.com All-New England region teams. Davis was chosen as a pre-sea-
Davis ’10
son All-American this year and helped lead the Saints to their fourth-straight GNAC championship.
Women’s XC Named 2009 All-Academic Team The Emmanuel College women’s cross country team was recognized by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as one of the All-Academic Teams for the 2009 season. The Saints recorded a combined grade point average of 3.25 to meet the requirements of the All-Academic Team. Emmanuel was one of 153 Division III women’s programs nationwide to receive this honor. For a team to be considered for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team award, they must have competed in and compiled a team score at an NCAA regional meet. The team must also have a minimum 3.10 team cumulative grade point average. To read more about the team and this honor, visit www.goecsaints.com.
Kristin LeBel ’11 and the Saints won their fourth-straight GNAC title with a 75-61 win over Norwich University on February 27th.
Women’s Bball Wins GNAC; Earns Program’s 15th Trip to NCAA Tourney Emmanuel’s women’s basketball team made its 15th appearance in the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament, taking on Babson College on March 5th in the first round at Colby College in Waterville, ME. The Saints received an automatic bid to the national tournament after winning their fourth-straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship on February 27th, defeating second-seeded Norwich University, 75-61. After winning the GNAC Championship game, the Saints finished their regular season with a record of 22-5.
Iman Davis ’10 led all scorers and posted a near triple-double, as she poured in 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out eight assists and collected five steals on her way to being named the GNAC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Kristin LeBel ’11, who entered the contest just 25 points shy of 1,000 for her career, finished with 13 points and three assists and received All-Tournament honors along with Casey Shevlin ’11, who also kicked in 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting, to go along with her four assists.