Stonehill Skyhawks - Skyhawk Talk 11-7

Field Hockey
Pam Arpe		Stonehill earned its second straight berth in the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships on Monday, as Head Coach Pam Arpe's Skyhawks are seeded second in the North Region and will host third-seeded Bentley in a national quarterfinal match on Saturday afternoon at W.B. Mason Stadium beginning at Noon. Stonehill, 17-4 overall and regular season champions of the Northeast-10 Conference, will host the North Region national quarterfinal for the second straight season against the Falcons (15-5), as the Skyhawks bested Bentley by a 1-0 final in last year's NCAA meeting. The two rivals will meet for the seventh time since September 2005, and Stonehill has won five of the last six match-ups with the rival Falcons, as the two squads split their two regular season meetings this fall, with each winning 2-0 decisions on their respective home fields. The winner of Saturday's Stonehill-Bentley North Region national quarterfinal advances to the national semi-final round to be played on Thursday, November 16th at the Brosnham Soccer Complex in Pensacola, Fla. against North Region top seed UMass Lowell (18-4). Click here for the Skyhawk field hockey home page!

Women's Cross Country
Dana DeIngenis		Make it six titles in seven seasons for Stonehill, as Head Coach Karen Boen's Skyhawks reclaimed the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship on Sunday afternoon with an eight-point win over 2005 titleist UMass Lowell at Franklin Park in Boston to advance to the NCAA Division II National Championships for the seventh straight season. Senior co-captains Dana DeIngenis (Cranston, R.I.) and Kelly Chaisson (Walpole, Mass.) led the way by placing third and fourth, respectively, for Stonehill with times of 22:42 and 22:44 over the 6K layout, while senior Jill Allen (Peabody, Mass.) and sophomore Jackie Oates (South Easton, Mass.) followed in 12th and 13th place, respectively. Junior Lesley Clunie (Newburyport, Mass.) closed out the Skyhawk scoring by placing 15th individually, as all five Stonehill scorers earned all-regional accolades for their efforts and Boen was named by her peers as the 2006 NCAA Northeast Regional Coach of the Year for the sixth time in seven seasons. The Skyhawks will compete for the 2006 NCAA Division II National Championship on Saturday, November 18th as part of the Division II Fall Sports Festival in Pensacola, Fla. beginning at 10:15 a.m. at the Escambia County Equestrian Center. Click here for the Skyhawk women's cross country home page!

Men's Cross Country
David Metzger		Stonehill earned its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Division II National Championships on Sunday with a runner-up finish to UMass Lowell at the 2006 NCAA Northeast Regionals at Franklin Park in Boston. Head Coach Karen Boen's Skyhawks scored 45 points in the championship race, as juniors Keith Gill (Brockton, Mass.) and David Metzger (Ellington, Conn.) led the way by placing third and fourth, respectively, with times of 31:20 and 31:23 over the 10K layout. Senior Tim Catoggio (Bradford, Mass.) and junior Joe Ryan (Chelmsford, Mass.) were next in ninth and 10th place, respectively, and joined Gill and Metzger in earning all-regional honors for their efforts, while freshman Josh Andrews (Chelmsford, Mass.) closed out the Stonehill scoring by placing 19th individually. The Skyhawks will compete for the 2006 NCAA Division II National Championship on Saturday, November 18th as part of the Division II Fall Sports Festival in Pensacola, Fla., as the championship race will take place at the Escambia County Equestrian Center beginning at 9:00 a.m. Click here for the Skyhawk men's cross country home page!

Women's Basketball
Alisha Collins		An early season visit to the Sunshine State proved to be a successful one for Stonehill, which opened the 2006-2007 campaign by winning all three of its contests at the 2006 Disney Division II Tip-Off Classic in Orlando, Fla. over the weekend. Head Coach Trisha Brown's Skyhawks opened the year with a 65-62 win over Augustana (S.D.) on the strength of a 19-point, eight rebound effort by senior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y.)., and Stonehill then posted an 82-41 triumph over Felician in a game that saw Collins become the 21st player in school history to reach the 1,000 career point plateau with another 19-point outing. The Skyhawks rounded out the tournament with an impressive 76-68 victory over 11th-ranked West Texas A&M, as junior Erika Stupinski (Topsham, Maine) led five players in double figures with 12 points. Collins was named as the Northeast-10 Player of the Week for her efforts at the Disney Tip-Off Classic, while freshman Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y.) was tabbed as the league's Freshman of the Week after averaging nine points off the bench, including 15 against Felician. Stonehill opens Northeast-10 Conference play on Tuesday, November 21st when the Skyhawks host Southern New Hampshire at Merkert Gymnasium beginning at 5:30 p.m. Click here for the Skyhawk women's basketball home page!

Football
Mike DeBye		Stonehill closed out the 2006 campaign on Saturday afternoon by dropping a 28-6 Northeast-10 Conference decision to American International at John Homer Miller Field in Springfield, Mass. Head Coach Chris Woods's Skyhawks cut a pair of deficits in half in both the second and third quarters on a pair of field goals by junior Sean Donahue (Plymouth, N.H.) of 33 and 34 yards, respectively, but the host Yellow Jackets used touchdowns late in the third quarter and early in the final stanza to post their triumph. Senior Paul Stone (Somerville, Mass.) rushed for 94 yards in his final collegiate contest for Stonehill, which also received 49 rushing yards from senior Cliff Mason II (Santa Ana, Calif.). Junior Mike DeBye (Burlington, Mass.) paced the Skyhawks defensively with 11 total tackles and a sack on the day, as Stonehill finishes the season at 1-9 overall and 1-8 in Northeast-10 play. Click here for the Skyhawk football home page!

Equestrian
Jamie Marsalise		Stonehill posted a pair of top five finishes in two competitions over the weekend, as Head Coach Sara DelVecchio's Skyhawks placed fifth at the Endicott Intercollegiate Horse Show on Sautrday and tied for third at the UMass Dartmouth Intercollegiate Horse Show on Sunday. Sophomore Jenna Boyd (Middleton, Mass.) posted a pair of first place performances in the walk trot for Stonehill, while senior Heather Marban (Ridgefield, Conn.) and freshman Rachel Foster (Townsend, Mass.) placed second in the intermediate and novice flat, respectively, at Endicott. Sophomores Jamie Marsalise (Laurel Hollow, N.Y.) and Brianna Touzjian (Hopkinton, Mass.) placed first in the open fences and walk trot canter, respectively, at UMass Dartmouth, while freshmen Megan Martinez (New York, N.Y.) and Kelsey Hill (Dover-Foxcroft, Maine) were second in the novice flat and novice fences, respectively. Stonehill, which stands one point behind Wheaton for second place in the IHSA Regional standings, will compete at the Boston University Intercollegiate Horse Show on Saturday morning beginning at 9:00 a.m. Click here for the Skyhawk equestrian home page!

Men's Basketball/Ice Hockey
Soap Toun		Stonehill will tip off its 2006-2007 slate on Friday evening when Head Coach David McLaughlin's Skyhawks head to Kingston, R.I. to take on Division I Rhode Island in an exhibition game at the Ryan Center that tips-off at 7:30 p.m. Stonehill is coming off of the best season in school history at 27-7 overall that included the Skyhawks' first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Final Four, as nine letterwinners return from that squad, including senior co-captains Lance Clarke (Cambridge, Mass.) and Soap Toun (Cranston, R.I.), who will making a "homecoming" appearance with Friday's tilt. The 2006-2007 Skyhawk ice hockey season also faces off this week, as Head Coach Scott Harlow's squad will host Suffolk in its lid-lifter on Thursday evening at the Bridgewater Ice Arena beginning at 8:20 p.m. before heading to Portsmouth, R.I. on Saturday afternoon to take on Salve Regina at 2:30 p.m. Stonehill returns 13 letterwinners from last year's team that tied the school record for single-season victories (14) and advanced to the Northeast-10 Conference semi-finals. Click here for the Skyhawk men's basketball home page! Click here for the Skyhawk ice hockey home page!