Johnson State Spring Sports Preview
Johnson, Vt. (March 17, 2008) -
Johnson State College will get set to open their spring sport schedules in the next couple of weeks. Meet the teams:
Men's Lacrosse
Last Season: 3-7 Overall; 1-6 North Atlantic Conference (6th Place)
Returners: Sr. Darin Harvey, Sr. Evan Pestone, Sr. Kegan Pettit, Sr. Matt Martin, Jr. Matt Riani, Jr. R.J. Fleming, So. Mike Murphy, So. Billy Noyes, So. Steve Noyes, So. Brendan Sawyer, So. Erik Tillberg, So. Nate Willard
Newcomers: Sr. Lance McGrath, Jr. Andy Lane, So. David Derick, Fr. Quentin Bowen, Fr. Matt Burnham, Fr. Nate Durick, Fr. Jason Dubie, Fr. David Gale
Season Opener: Saturday, March 22 at Emerson College (Boston, Mass.) - 5:00 pm
The men's lacrosse team will look to build on another competive season in 2007 as the team did not lose a senior and returns much of its production from last year. Interim Head Coaches Mike Osborne and Aaron Sanford will lead a squad that has won six games the last two seasons, the most in a two-season span since becoming a full NCAA program. The Badgers also suffered three losses of two goals of less last season and will look to break through in those close games in 2008.
Senior goalkeeper Evan Pestone (Cohasset, Mass./Cohasset) decided to return for his fourth-year of eligibility and will key the JSC defense. Pestone, a three-year starter and holder of most JSC goal keeping records, will be joined by another fourth-year player in Darin Harvey (Jericho, Vt./Mount Mansfield Union) who decided to play and switch his position due to the condition of his knees. Harvey assisted on three goals in two goals last year before season-ending knee surgery.
The JSC defense will also be led by junior R.J. Fleming (Brattleboro, Vt./Brattleboro). Joining Fleming on the defensive side will be sophomore Nate Willard (Jericho, Vt./Mount Mansfield Union) and freshmen Dave Gale (Underhill, Vt./Mount Mansfield Union), Matt Burnham (Lowell, Mass./Lowell), and Nate Durick (South Burlington, Vt./South Burlington).
The top four scorers return and pair of those were freshman attackmen in 2008. Now sophomores, Billy Noyes (Boston, Mass./Northeast Metro Tech) and Erik Tillberg (Randolph, Vt./Randolph) will look to build on a season in which they both tallied at least 20 points. Noyes, a North Atlantic Conference Honorable Mention, led the team in points with 21 by scoring 11 goals and assisting on 10 others. Tillberg led JSC in scores with 17 goals and assisted on three to record 20 points on the season.
Senior Matt Martin (Vergennes, Vt./Middlebury) is also back to give the Badgers a formidable set of attackmen. Martin scored seven goals and assisted on six others for 13 points in 2007.
A pair of NAC 2nd Team members key the midfield for JSC in senior Kegan Pettit (South Freeport, Maine/Freeport) and junior Matt Riani (Jericho, Vt./Mount Mansfield Union). Pettit recorded 17 points (9 g, 8 a) while playing in just about every role possible for JSC. Pettit has 46 career points to be JSC all-time leader in scoring. Riani is second in that category with 37 career points with 17 of those points (10 g, 7a) coming in 2007.
Sophomores Steve Noyes (Barre, Vt./Spaulding), Mike Murphy (Woodstock, Vt./Woodstock Union), and Brendan Sawyer (East Greenwich, R.I./East Greenwich) round out the JSC midfield.
New to the JSC roster are Andy Lane (Charlotte, Vt./Champlain Valley Union) and David Derick (Newport, Vt./North Country Union), both whom are standouts on the JSC soccer team. Fellow newcomers include Lance McGrath (St. George, Vt./Champlain Valley Union), Jason Dubie (South Burlington, Vt./South Burlington), and Quentin Bowen (Bennington, Vt./Mount Anthony Union).
Softball
Last Season: 0-19 overall; 0-11 North Atlantic Conference (7th Place-NAC West Division)
Returners: Jr. Heidi Bellemore, Jr. Allie Cunningham, Jr. Christina Gilbert, So. Julie Gervais, So. Erin Glock, So. Miranda Robtoy
Newcomers: Jr. Ashley Allegrini, So. Kathleen Garrity, Fr. Lori Badolato, Fr. Stephanie Girard, Fr. Kayla Golfin, Fr. Cara Mondugno, Fr. Hillary Seel, Fr. Emily Sullivan
Season Opener: Saturday, March 29th at Green Mountain College - 1:00 pm
Johnson State will look to build up the program after a tough 2007 season. Third-year Head Coach Nelson Murray returns six key players and adds eight solid newcomers to the roster as they look to climb up the North Atlantic Conference Standings.
The team's two top pitchers return from 2007 in junior Allie Cunningham (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Central) and sophomore Julie Gervais (Enosburg Falls, Vt./Enosburg). Gervais led the Badgers in innings pitched with 59.1 and strikeouts with 30 while starting 12 games. Cunningham pitched 35.2 innings in 2007 while striking out 28 batters in seven starts.
Cunningham is also JSC's top returning hitter. The right-hander led the team with a .333 batting average as with with six runs batted in. She also led the team in slugging percentage (.424) and in fielding percentage (.958).
Gervais was third on the team in hitting at .239 while lacing a team-high three doubles.
Also back are utility player Christina Gilbert (Newport, Maine/Nokomis Regional) and infielders Erin Glock (South Woodstock, Vt./Windsor) and Heidi Bellemore (Lowell, Mass./Lowell). Gilbert started in all 17 games she played while batting .147 with a pair of doubles while stealing a team-high four bases. Glock started in all 19 games for JSC and hit .162. Bellemore returns after sitting out a season. Bellemore hit .167 in 20 starts in 2006 with a pair of doubles and a team-high eight walks.
Miranda Robtoy (Barre, Vt./Spaulding) also returns to the JSC line up. Robtoy saw most of her time at first base for JSC in 2007 while hitting .211, fourth on the team for the season.
Joining the team in 2008 will be Emily Sullivan (Hollis Center, Maine/Bonny Eagle) who also played on the JSC soccer team in the fall. Also added to the roster are Ashley Allegrini (Cos Cob, Conn./Greenwich), Lori Badolato (Exeter, N.H./Exeter), Kathleen Garrity (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury), Stephanie Girard (Wallingford, Conn./Mark T. Sheehan), Kayla Golfin (Castleton, Vt./Fair Haven Union), Cara Madugno (Bakersfield, Vt./Enosburg), and Hillary Seel (Barre, Vt./Spaulding).
Men's Tennis
Last Season: 5-4 Overall; 1-1 North Atlantic Conference; 2nd Place NAC Championships
Returners: Sr. Nick Gendron, Sr. Chris Lanthier, So. Justin Kutler, So. Cameron MacDonald
Newcomers: Sr. Mike Fink, So. Django Koenig, Fr. Jarryd Audette, Fr. Hunter Borisch, Fr. Patrick Kantlehner
Season Opener: Monday, March 24 at Norwich University - 3:00 pm
2007 North Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year Dean Writer returns four players from last year's second-place team but will need to replace members that played the year at the top three flights in 2007.
Senior Nick Gendron (Colchester, Vt./Colchester) returns after playing the majority of his season at the #4 flight for the Badgers. Gendron won his last six matches to win the #4 singles flight a the 2007 NAC Championships. Overall Gendron went 7-4 in singles play and 5-6 in doubles action, all in the #2 flight.
Also back are sophomore's Justin Kutler (South Burlington, Vt./South Burlington) and Cameron MacDonald (Roanoke, Va./Manheim Township). Kutler played most of the season at the #5 singles flight while finishing in 3rd place in the NAC Championships at that flight. Kutler finished the season 4-7 overall in singles play and 7-4 in doubles play teaming with MacDonald in all but one of those matches. MacDonald played all his singles matches at the #6 flight and was the runner-up at the NAC Championships. MacDonald went 7-3 overall on the year including a six-match win streak and 7-3 in doubles action.
Senior Chris Lanthier (Schaghticoke, N.Y./Hoosic Valley) also returns after having an 0-1 record in 2007.
The team will look to senior Mike Fink (Manchester, Conn./Manchester), sophomore Django Koenig (Plainfield, Vt./Twinfield Union) and freshmen Jarryd Audette (Underhill, Vt./Mount Mansfield Union), Hunter Borisch (West Bend, Wis./West Bend West), and Pat Kantlehner (Somerville, Mass./Somerville) for some immidiate production in 2008.