Springfield, Mass. - July 6, 2010 - With the 2009-2010 season in the books, Springfield College finished 34th nationally (of 432) in the NACDA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Division III standings. Over the past year, Springfield had its' men's lacrosse team play in the NCAA Tournament, while 15 individuals competed in NCAA postseason play, with a pair winning individual national championships. Springfield accumulated a total of 414.25 points this year as it earned all its' points during the winter and spring portions of the season. Points in the coveted Directors’ Cup are awarded based on teams’ success in NCAA Championship play. In another successful year, the Pride started with 238.50 points in the winter before tacking on 175.75 points during the spring campaign.
Overall, Springfield was ranked sixth among New England colleges and universities from Division III, as three of the top four schools in the final rankings were all from New England. Williams once again won the Directors Cup with a total of 1292.25 points, followed by Amherst with 905.75. Washington (Mo.) was third with 858.50, followed by Middlebury with 751 points. Tufts finished in sixth place with 699 points, while MIT placed 11th with 662.75 points.
Springfield finished second among schools in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) as MIT took home top conference honors. Other NEWMAC schools included Wheaton (Mass.) (53rd with 292.50), Wellesley (88th with 110), Babson (106th with 174.50), Coast Guard (193rd with 93), and Clark (Mass.) (174th with 102.50).
The complete Directors’ Cup standings can be found on the NACDA website.
Leading the way this year was the senior duo of Steve Headley and Nikki Hay, who wrapped up their illustrious track careers at Springfield. Headley won the national title in the 100 meter dash in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, while also finishing national runner-up in the 200 meter dash. He joined teammates Tom Brognano, Matt Amendola and Nickel Hay as they finished second in the country in the 4x100 relay. Headley also finished national runner-up in the 55 meter dash at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Hay, who was just recently selected to represent the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) in national balloting for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, had a standout year. She was crowned the triple jump national champion at the NCAA Indoor National Championships and went on to be named the USTFCCCA Outstanding Women's Field Performer at NCAA Championships after adding a third place finish in the long jump. She followed that up by being named the NEWMAC Women's Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year and went on to take fifth in both the long jump and triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The 4x100 relay team of Laurie Jenkins, Crystal Davis, Erika Marks, and Hay also took fifth to earn Springfield points in the final standings.
Both the men's and women's diving programs sent a pair of divers to the NCAA Championships, and in total, the group earned seven All-America honors. Brian Sobel was the national runner-up on the 1-meter board as he and Matt Fitzgerald helped Springfield finished 26th at the NCAA's. Michelle Reggio placed third in the 1-meter diving competition and Meghan Kijanka earned an eighth-place finish on the 3-meter board. At the end of competition, the duo powered Springfield to a 25th-place finish nationally on the women's side.
For the third-straight season, the men's lacrosse team won the Pilgrim Lacrosse League Championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Led by All-Americans Joe Macchi and Mark Eaton, the Pride toppled Widener University in the first round of the NCAA's before falling to national runner-up Salisbury University in the Round of 16.
Two other individuals scored points for Springfield with impressive showings on the national level. Sophomore Kevin Coyle finished eighth in the country in the long jump to earn All-America honors in his first trip to the NCAA's at the indoor championships. Also during the winter season, freshman Joe Grippi won a title in 133-pound weight classification during the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Championships and wrestled at the NCAA Championships, where he went 1-2.
