VIDEO: 2016-17 Regis Athletics Year In Review

VIDEO: 2016-17 Regis Athletics Year In Review

Regis Athletics had arguably its most successful academic year in school history in 2016-17. The year culminated with both the men's and women's programs earning the coveted New England Collegiate Conference Champions Cup, the second time both men and women have won it in the same year.

The school combined for eight NECC championships, with women's basketball and men's tennis winning their sixth titles, women's lacrosse and women's tennis their fifth, field hockey and women's volleyball their third, men's lacrosse winning its second, and women's cross country hoisting the trophy for the first time.

The eight conference championships is the most in school history, beating out the seven won in 2014-15. The Pride will move on to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference this summer, ending a six-year run in the NECC that saw the Pride lift championship trophies 32 times.

The Pride combined to take home 24 major NECC honors, including seven Tournament Most Valuable Player awards, five Players of the Year, five Rookies of the Year, four Coaches of the Year and one Defensive Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year award. Seventeen swimmers and one diver combined between the men's and women's teams qualified for the New England Championships on the year, while the track and field teams combined for four New England qualifiers on the indoor season, six New England qualifiers on the outdoor season and three ECAC Outdoor Track and Field qualifiers.

VIDEO: 2016-17 Year In Review | Photo Gallery

2016-17 Major Honors

NECC Coach of the Year

Kourtney Bonsey, Women's Cross Country | Renato Capobianco, Men's Soccer | John Ciarleglio, Men's Tennis | Courtney Duggan, Women's Lacrosse

NECC Players of the Year

Sean Bisnett, Men's Volleyball | Molly Curtin, Women's Cross Country | Chris Harrow, Men's Tennis | Jessie Lord, Women's Tennis | Brittany Stone, Women's Basketball

NECC Defensive Player of the Year

Amanda Hawkesworth, Women's Basketball

NECC Rookie of the Year

Kerri Anselmo, Women's Lacrosse | Maddie Boucias, Women's Cross Country | Ariana McCormack, Women's Tennis | Gabriel Montealegre, Men's Tennis | Katryna Veasey, Women's Volleyball

NECC Goalkeeper of the Year

Maresa Malcolm, Field Hockey

NECC Pitcher of the Year

Madi McLellan, Softball

NECC Champion

Women's Lacrosse | Men's Lacrosse | Women's Tennis | Women's Cross Country | Field Hockey | Women's Volleyball | Women's Basketball | Men's Tennis

Women's New England Qualifiers (Swimming)

Ashlyn DeRoche | Katherine Mariano | Amanda Graf | Elisabeth McQuaid | Jessica Higgins | Gloria Sutton | Sarah Leonard | Jessica Zernitsky

Men's New England Qualifiers (Swimming)

Cassidy Bastianelli | Kiet Luong | Paul Brennan | Nick Rainville | Michael Bruno | Lawrence Reynolds | Robert Ekberg | Ryan Tinney | Bryan Johnson | Joshua Unas

New England Qualifiers (Track & Field)

Matt Malone | Kate Cowden | ChiChi Akanegbu | Keegan Duguay

ECAC Qualifiers (Track & Field)

Kate Cowden | Keegan Duguay | ChiChi Akanegbu

NECC All-Academic
Complete Fall/Winter list
Complete Spring list (coming soon)

Men's Soccer - Schedule & Results | Statistics

The Pride men's soccer team enjoyed its second most successful season in program history in 2016, finishing the year at 10-8-2. Under head coach Renato Capobianco, the Pride made its first ever appearance in a conference championship game, where it lost 1-0 to Daniel Webster. Capobianco was named the NECC Coach of the Year with players Litchie Barbosa (Boston, Mass.), Emiky Pires (Boston, Mass.), Manny Santiago (Bristol, Conn.), Collin Thurston (Temecula, Calif.), Derek Triana (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) and David Venegas (Escondido, Calif.) receiving all-conference honors. Just a sophomore, Triana became the program's all-time leading goal-scorer (20), while senior Don Gomez (Lynn, Mass.) became the all-time leading scorer (47). Seniors Dillon Lanctot (Somersworth, N.H.) and Santiago both built on their program records set last season, as Lanctot finishes his career with 16 career assists and Santiago with 30 goalkeeping wins.

Women's Soccer - Schedule & Results | Statistics

The Regis women's soccer team matched its third best season in program history in 2016, finishing the year with a record of 10-7-2. After finishing with just five wins a year ago, the five-win improvement matches the second best turnaround in the program's 33-year history. Under first-year head coach Mike Webber, the Pride advanced the the NECC Semifinals before suffering a season-ending 3-1 defeat to Lesley. Senior Hannah Bouvette (Mattapoisett, Mass.), freshmen Noelle Garcia (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Rachel Kelly (Whitman, Mass.) and sophomore Jenna Novio (Rockland, Mass.) all received NECC all-conference honors on the season. Kelly's 27 points (11 goals, five assists) was the second most in a single season in program history, only behind Adena Joseph's 28 in 2011. Bouvette and graduate student Joana Rosa (Boston, Mass.) completed their careers both in the top 10 all time in points and goals scored in a career.

Women's Volleyball - Schedule & Results | Statistics

Despite having no seniors on its roster, the Pride women's volleyball team won its third consecutive NECC title, sweeping Daniel Webster in the championship match. The win earned the Pride an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament before falling to Stevens Institute of Technology in the first round. Freshman outside hitter Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.), the team's leader in kills, service aces and digs, was named NECC Rookie of the Year and First Team All-Conference. Joining her on the all-conference selections were sophomore Rachel Bartels (Edinburg, Texas) and junior Sydney Trusty (Durham, Conn.).

Field Hockey - Schedule & Results | Statistics

The 2016 season was one to be remembered for Regis field hockey with quite a few program records set in the process. The team claimed its second NECC Championship thanks to a clinching Carla Brito (Madeira, Portugal) penalty stroke goal with 1:04 remaining in regulation. With a final record of 12-7, the 2016 season was the best in program history, topping the previous mark of 10-8 set in 1996. The 12 overall wins and eight conference wins were also both school records, and the team entered the NECC Tournament as the top seed for the first time ever. Head coach Nikki Panciocco became the winningest coach in program history (36 wins) with a 6-0 win over Bay Path on Oct. 1, while sophomore Aineen Callahan (Diamond Point, N.Y.) set the record for most goals in a season with 13, besting the previous mark of 10 by Caitlin Connolly in 2004. Junior Maresa Malcolm (Barrington, N.J.) was named NECC Goalkeeper of the Year and First Team All-Conference with Callahan and senior midfielder Jenna Casello (Westborough, Mass.). earning first team all-conference as well.

Men's Cross Country - Schedule & Results 

The Regis men's cross country team was the NECC runner-up for the second consecutive year as the team competed in its fourth varsity season in 2016. With sixth and seventh place finishes respectively at the NECCs, sophomore Shane Romanchick (Trumbull, Conn.) and freshman Jovan Sematimba (Burlington, Mass.) earned spots on the NECC All-Conference First Team. Kyle Gillen-Hughes (Reading, Mass.), Nicholas Sahagian (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and senior captain Matt Norton (Weymouth, Mass.) garnered second team all-conference honors with their performances at the championship meet. Romanchick was the team's top runner in the 2016 season, leading the Pride in five of the team's seven races. The team graduated just one of the seven runners on the roster, and will return a solid core as it enters the Great Northeast Athletic Conference next season.

Women's Cross Country - Schedule & Results

It was a historic fall season for the Regis women's cross country team, as a handful of program records fell throughout the season, culminating in the team winning the New England Collegiate Conference championship on Nov. 5. In the first meet of the season, the Roger Williams Invitational on Sept. 3, junior Molly Curtin (Brockton, Mass.), senior Siobhan McLaughlin (Derry, N.H.) and freshman Maddie Boucias (Buckland, Mass.) became the first trio in program history to all complete a 5k race in under twenty minutes. The season opener was the first of three occasions on 2016 that the group completed the feat. In the NECC Championship, Curtin, McLaughlin and Boucias grabbed the top three spots overall, as the Pride claimed the championship. The finishes were all good to land the runners First Team All-Conference honors, with Curtin earning Runner of the Year Award and Boucias Rookie of the Year. Junior Sarah Backholm (Sutton, Mass.) finished the race in 13th place to earn a spot on the Second Team All-Conference.

Men's Swimming and Diving - Schedule & Results

Twelve new school records were set in a historic 2016-17 season for the Pride men's swimming team. The Pride finished second at the Great Northeast Athletic Conference championships, before multiple swimmers qualified for both the New England and ECAC Championships. The team finished sixth at the New England Championships, the third highest finish in program history. Senior Kiet Luong (Malden, Mass.), who set conference records in all four of his individual races at the GNAC Championships, won the New England Championship in the 100 yard butterfly, while teammate Nick Rainville (Reading, Mass.) found the podium with a third place finish. All five possible relay school records were broken on the season, including the 200-yard, 400-yard and 800-yard freestyle relays and 200-yard and 400-yard medley relays. Luong, Rainville, Cassidy Bastianelli (Newton, Mass.) and Bryan Johnson (Sudbury, Mass.) were the four legs in all five of the new school records. Luong was named the Regis Male Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete of the Year, his fourth such school honor.

Women's Swimming and Diving - Schedule & Results

The women's swimming and diving team finished second in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championships in 2016, setting the stage for an impressive championship season for the Pride. At the New England Championships, the Pride finished in sixth place, the best finish in program history. Six new school records were set in 2016-17, including the 1000-yard freestyle, where freshman Gloria Sutton (Suffield, Conn.) broke a 21-year-old school record at the GNAC Championships. The Pride's lone diver, freshman Elisabeth McQuaid (Marlborough, Mass.), claimed the GNAC Championship in the 1-meter dive, and received multiple New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association weekly honors. Head-to-head, the Pride dominated its opponents, finishing the season with a 10-2 record at dual meets and tri-meets. The team graduated just one of its rostered 16 swimmers and divers.

Women's Basketball - Schedule & Results | Statistics

The women's basketball team finished its run in the New England Collegiate Conference in style by winning its sixth consecutive conference title. The 92-49 win over Elms in the NECC championship earned the Pride an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year, where they fell short to number-one overall seed and eventual national champion Amherst College. Junior forward Brittany Stone (West Bridgewater, Mass.) scored her 1,000th career point midway through the season, and would go on to amass a pair of single-season program records, points scored (523) and field goal percentage (64.2%). Both Stone and senior Amanda Hawkesworth (Abington, Mass.) garnered First Team All-Conference selections on the season. The team completed an undefeated regular season run in NECC. With 108 straight conference, wins in the NECC and the last five in its final season in the Commonwealth Coast Conference in 2011, the Pride extended its NCAA record consecutive conference wins to 113. Regis graduated a pair of players in 2017, Hawkesworth and Mikayla Murphy (Attleboro, Mass.). Hawkesworth leaves the program as the Pride's third all-time leading scorer with 1,402 points in four seasons, while Murphy departs as the 2016-17 NECC assists leader after tying the program record with 129 assists on the season.

Men's Basketball - Schedule & Results | Statistics

The young Pride men's basketball team saw its 2016-17 season come to a heartbreaking end in the first round of the NECC Tournament, as the team fell 69-68 to Lesley on a last second three-pointer. The team finished with a mark of 9-17 on the season with sophomores Ademola Afonja (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Jordan Seldon (Everett, Mass.) and seniors Chris Leak Jr. (New Haven, Conn.) and Sam Jean-Gilles (Melrose, Mass.) all averaging double figures in points. In a game against Becker on Jan. 12, Jean-Gilles became the fourth player in program history to score 1,000 points, and left the program as the third all-time leading scorer with 1,149 points. The Pride's lone all-conference nod went to Leak, who was named to the All-NECC Third Team.

Men's Volleyball - Schedule & Results | Statistics

For the first time in program history, the Pride started its 2017 season with five consecutive wins in conference play, before the streak was snapped by Endicott on Mar. 23. The Pride rebounded with a thrilling five-set win over Elms two days later to return to the win column. Regis finished its season as the two-seed in the NECC Tournament, but was upset by Elms in the conference semifinals. Senior outside hitter Sean Bisnett (Oxnard, Calif.) completed the NECC major award hat trick in 2017, winning his first conference Player of the Year title. Previously, Bisnett had won Rookie of the Year in 2014 and Defensive Player of the Year as a junior in 2016. Bisnett and junior middle blocker Brett Krahl (Santa Clarita, Calif.) each earned first team all-NECC selections, while sophomore Drew Beimel (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and senior Joe Hanrahan (Coventry, R.I.) earning second team all-conference honors. Five of the Pride's 12 players got to have a homecoming of sorts on the spring, as the team traveled to California, the home state of Bisnett, Krahl, Beimel, Marcos Aguirre (Norwalk) and Jon Fuentes (Downey), for a four-match tournament over Spring Break in Thousand Oaks.

Men's Lacrosse - Schedule & Results | Statistics

2017 saw the men's lacrosse team win its second straight NECC title. The Pride went a perfect 4-0 in league play before downing Mitchell 16-8 in the tournament semifinal and Daniel Webster 12-6 in the championship. Junior AJ Karofsky (Barrington, R.I.) was the Pride's leading goal scorer, recording 32 on the season and was voted First Team All-Conference. Face-off specialist Brandon Mehler (Bay Shore, N.Y.) and long-stick midfielder George Nicolopoulos (Windham, N.H.) joined Karofsky on the first team. The Pride's signature win came against future GNAC foe Mount Ida, fending off a late Mustang comeback to secure an 8-7 victory. Goalkeeper D.J. Barrile (Medford, Mass.) made 16 saves in the win. The Pride finished the season at 7-9 overall.

Women's Lacrosse - Schedule & Results | Statistics

The Pride women's lacrosse team (15-5) recorded the most wins in a season in program history and earned a berth to its third straight NCAA Tournament. The berth was clinched when the Pride won a 15-13 come-from-behind thriller over Elms in the NECC Championship game for its fifth consecutive conference title. The women's lacrosse team exited the NECC as the lone Pride team to never lose a conference regular season (24-0) or tournament game. Freshman Kerri Anselmo (Natick, Mass.) was a dominating force on the Pride attack, tallying 56 goals and 19 assists for 75 points, garnering the honor of NECC Rookie of the Year, as well as receiving two NECC Player of the Week awards and five NECC Rookie of the Week awards. Anselmo and freshman Maddy Rodriguez (Amherst, Mass.) were named First Team All-NECC, while sophomore Taylor Assarian (Arlington, Mass.) and junior Linsay Bumila (Raynham, Mass.) were voted second team all-league. Freshman Brooke Ross (Hanover, Mass.) and junior goalkeeper Maresa Malcolm (Barrington, N.J.) rounded out the Pride's all-conference selections, earning spots on the third team.

Softball - Schedule & Results | Statistics

The Pride softball team had its highest NECC regular season finish this year, finishing with a conference record of 13-5 and earning the number three seed in the NECC Tournament, the highest ever seed in program history. In the single-elimination first round, Regis rallied three times to beat Elms before losses to Lesley and Newbury and its tournament run. The Pride opened its 2017 season with eight games in Myrtle Beach, S.C., but weather conditions repeatedly pushed back the team's local season-opener, leaving the Pride idle for nearly a month between its final tilt down south and its first game in New England. Upon returning, rookie pitcher Madi McLellan (Fremont, N.H.) was dominant in the circle, and finished the year ranked in the top 50 nationally and first in the NECC in strikeouts and earned run average. Her peak performance came on April 22, when she threw a perfect game against Daniel Webster. McLellan would be named NECC Pitcher of the Year with sophomores Brianna Napoleone (Medford, Mass.) and Allie Petillo (West Sayville, N.Y.), and juniors Alexa Nejaime (Sandisfield, Mass.) and Amanda Navarro (Stoneham, Mass.) named to the second team. Senior Allison Caloggero (Medford, Mass.) rounded out the Pride's all-conference selections with a third team nod for the second consecutive season.

Men's Track and Field - Schedule & Results

The indoor season saw sophomore Matt Malone (West Roxbury, Mass.) qualify for the New England Championships in the 60m hurdles, where he finished 22nd. The Pride got off to a strong start to their outdoor season as well, led by senior Matt Norton (Weymouth, Mass.) who placed seventh in the 800m run at the season-opening Bridgewater State Bears Invitational. The Pride has continued to shine as the season has rolled along, setting four new school records and sending one student-athlete to the New England Championships. Freshman Jovan Sematimba (Burlington, Mass.) set school records in the 1,500 meter and 3,000 meter runs, and was part of the 4x800 relay team with Norton, Kyle Gillen-Hughes (Reading, Mass.) and Fred Mathieu (Miami, Fla.) that also broke a program record in 2017. Sophomore Shane Romanchick (Trumbull, Conn.) set the Pride's other program record on the spring, setting the record in the 10,000 meter run. Malone qualified for the New England Championships in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 16.40 at the Sean Collier Invitational at MIT on April 22.

Women's Track and Field - Schedule & Results

The women's indoor track and field team featured three New England qualifiers as junior Kate Cowden (Wilmington, Mass.) and freshman ChiChi Akanegbu (North Easton, Mass.) both qualified in the shot put, while sophomore Keegan Duguay (Watertown, Mass.) qualified in the 60 meter hurdles. All three qualified and competed in the ECAC Track & Field Outdoor Championships as well. Cowden set a program record in New England Championships to advance to the ECAC Championships in Ithaca, N.Y. and earned All-New England honors with an eighth place finish. The same three qualified for the outdoor New England Championships in the very first meet of the spring season. Cowden qualified in both the shot put and the discus, and the following week at the Tufts Snowflake Invitational qualified for the ECAC Championships in the discus. In the final regular season meet of the year, freshmen Maddie Boucias (Buckland, Mass.) and Bernice Boateng (Danielson, Conn.) and sophomore Liz Ksepka (Calais, Vt.) all qualified for New England Championships in the 800 meter run, 100 meter dash and shot put respectively. Cowden, Akanegbu and Duguay continued their impressive runs with qualifying marks to compete and close the season at the ECAC Championships with Cowden placing second in the discus.

Women's Tennis - Schedule & Results | Statistics

For the fifth consecutive season, the Regis women's tennis team took home the NECC Championship in the fall, besting Lesley 6-3 in the conference title match in October. The match was clinched by a come-from-behind three-set win by Katasha Jarvis (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) in singles play, leading the sophomore to tournament Most Valuable Player honors. Senior Jessie Lord (Fall River, Mass.) was named the conference Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, while freshman Ariana McCormack (Worcester, Mass.) received rookie of the year honors. Lord, McCormack and senior Erica Murphy (Portsmouth, N.H.) picked up first team all-conference honors in singles play, while the tandems of Lord and McCormack, and Emily Rice (Pittsfield, Mass.) and Amy DiPace (Cambridge, Mass.) received the honor in doubles play. In the spring season, the Pride went a perfect 4-0 on the team's annual Florida spring break trip on its way to a program best overall mark of 16-1.

Men's Tennis - Schedule & Results | Statistics

After going 3-5 in the fall non-conference schedule, the Pride men's tennis team went a perfect 12-0 in its traditional spring season, capping the year with its sixth straight NECC title. The impressive spring season included a perfect 5-0 mark on its Florida spring break trip. Senior Jarid Polley (North Reading, Mass.) broke the program record for both singles and doubles wins on the spring, and finished his career with 57 in both categories. Junior Chris Harrow (North Reading, Mass.) was named the NECC Tournament Most Valuable Player as well as conference player of the year, while freshman Gabriel Montealegre (Managua, Nicaragua) claimed rookie of the year honors and head coach John Ciarleglio was voted coach of the year for the second time. Harrow, Montealegre, freshman Nolan Bebarta (Danville, Calif.) and sophomore Cam Charbonneau (Guilford, Conn.) were named First Team All-NECC in singles, while the tandems of Bebarta and Luke Horton (Bass Harbor, Maine) and Harrow and Montealegre represented the Pride on the doubles first team.

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