Men’s and women’s soccer teams among Fall 2012’s athletic stand-outs
The Westfield State University women’s soccer squad was joined in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament during the 2012 fall semester by the Westfield State men’s soccer team, which stunned Salem State, 3-0, in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) championship game.
It was the Owls’ first NCAA appearance in six years and the first time both Westfield State soccer teams earned NCAA berths in the same season. (See related story page 28.)
The men’s soccer team peaked at the right time, posting a 4-0-1 record in its final five regular season games. The Owls traveled to Carlisle, Pa., for the NCAA Tournament game, dropping a 4-0 decision to Dickinson College. Westfield State was led by first-team all-conference senior midfielders Jared Spicer and Jon Principato, and second-team selections Bill Reagan and Dan Brady.
Adding more hardware to the Woodward Center trophy case was the Westfield State women’s cross country team, which captured its ninth straight MASCAC championship. In a dominating performance, the Owls placed seven runners in the top 10 in winning the conference crown for the 13th time in the past 15 years.
Westfield State sophomore Amy Trainque paced the Owls with a runner-up time of 18:30.01 over the 5,000 meters layout. Trainque also earned All-New England honors by placing 26th in the NCAA regional championships that were held at Stanley Park in Westfield. Trainque missed qualifying for the national championships by six seconds.
The Owls’ other all-conference runners were: senior Rachael Cardin, freshman Ashlynne Xiarhos, sophomore Victoria VanAlstine-Tauer, freshman Abby Monette, senior Lynsay Wray, and sophomore Olivia Marshall.
The Westfield State men’s cross country team placed a close second behind rival Bridgewater State in the MASCAC championships. Five Owls earned all-conference honors by finishing in the top 10: freshman Tim Shea, senior Anthony Frissora, junior Tevin Honohan, freshman Justin Connolly and freshman Mike Skelly.
In field hockey, senior forward Liz Hall and sophomore defender Kelsey Carpenter were selected to the all-conference second team. Hall was the sixth leading scorer in the 12-team Little East Conference with 33 points (11 goals, 11 assists). Her 11 assists are the second-best single-season total in school history. Carpenter was a defensive standout for the Owls, and she posted an 11-7 record (7-4 conference) under the direction of first-year head coach Jessica Bergen. Carpenter ranked second in the conference and 16th nationally with nine defensive saves.
The University’s women’s volleyball team was unable to win its fourth straight MASCAC crown as it placed third in the conference and posted a 10-22 overall record. All-conference selections were junior Julia Warner and junior Lindsay Rescott.
The Westfield State football team finished with a disappointing 3-7 record in the highly competitive New England Football Conference. Despite the sub-par record, the Owls landed seven players on the all-conference team. First-team selections were: senior linebacker Justin Ehrhardt, senior defensive lineman Chris Walker, junior tight end Jeff Winchell, senior punter Dan Dowling and senior placekicker Kennan Startzell. Second-team picks were senior defensive back Mike Szydlowski and senior return specialist Kevin Parnell. Walker, Dowling, Winchell and Startzell were first-team all-division for the second consecutive year. Walker was also a first-team selection during his sophomore season, earning first-team honors for the third straight year, despite being sidelined with injuries for three games this season. Walker posted 32 tackles and a team-high five quarterback sacks from his defensive end position. Ehrhardt, also an Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-Star, led the Owls and ranked third in the New England Football Conference (NEFC) with 100 tackles. Dowling, the team’s second leading tackler at linebacker, excelled as punter for the second consecutive year. He averaged 37.6 yards per boot, and 22 of his 57 punts were inside the 20-yard line. Startzell ranked second in scoring for the Owls with 41 points; the hard-working senior converted 29 of 30 extra points and four of six field goals. He set career school records for field goals made (15), field goal percentage (15 for 20, .750) extra points made (75), extra point percentage (75 for 79, .949) and consecutive extra points made (59). Winchell was the Owls’ fourth-leading receiver from his tight end position with 18 catches for 261 yards. Szydlowski ranked second in the NEFC with six interceptions and 14 passes defended. Parnell averaged 19.1 yards on kick returns and 18.2 yards on punt returns. He also led the Owls in receiving (41 catches, 562 yards) and ranked fifth in the NEFC with 1,183 all-purpose yards.
