GARCIA AND GARR EARN NCAA SWIM & DIVE CHAMPIONSHIP BERTHS
 Clark University’s Eileen Garcia ’12 and Ryan Garr ’12 took two completely different paths to the pool. However, one element they share in common is a berth to the NCAA Division III swimming and diving championships held at the University of Minnesota’s Aquatic Center in Minneapolis on March 18-21.
"In the program’s 35 year history, only a handful of student-athletes have earned selections to the NCAA Championship Meet,” said head coach Paul E. Phillips, in his sixth season at the helm of Clark’s men’s and women’s swim team. “To see two freshmen achieve this honor in the same season is remarkable."
Garcia, who had never stepped foot on a diving board competitively, joined the Cougars’ swim and dive team on a whim. Initially, she never imagined a qualification for the national meet was within her reach.
“After meeting some people on the (swim and dive) team, I emailed Coach Phillips and asked if I could try it out for a week or so,” Garcia said. “The next thing I know, I’m training for nationals.”
The New York, N.Y. native looks like a “natural” on the boards, but eight-years of gymnastics certainly helped mold the twists, turns, and tucks into the pool. “Once I realized I had the ability to compete at this level, it sparked the desire to go as far as I could.”
Garcia’s impulse paid off as she not only became the third diver in school history and the first since 1999 to qualify for nationals, but she also set three new Clark records en route to the Minnesota meet.
Turns out, Garcia almost never made it to the pool. A jack-of-all-trades, she contemplated trying out for the Cougars’ women’s soccer team after a three-year career and Defenseman of the Year nod from New York City’s Lab School.
Instead, she chose to dive into unchartered territory. Provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championships twice this winter, Garcia had to submit tapes of her best dives to determine if she would officially make the cut.
“It was kind of frustrating because I still had to practice, without really knowing if I was going or not,” she said.
But after almost a two week wait, Garcia learned she earned a ticket to the Twin Cities last Thursday. “I was so excited.”
While Garcia is optimistic about her chances, she will seize next week’s experience like any other meet on the schedule. “All I can do is what I’ve been doing all year,” she said. “I’m still a freshman, so I have three more years to go. I’m just happy to go and represent Clark and all the hard work we’ve been doing this year.”
"Our diving coach, Laura (O'Tell) has done an outstanding job with the diving group this year," Phillips said. "I can't say enough about Eileen’s tenacity and enthusiasm - what a great story."
Garr, on the other hand, is accustomed to championship caliber swimming. He joined the Cougars’ program after a standout career at South Kingstown High School, where he broke state records in both the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard freestyle events – surpassing 15 and 25 year marks, respectively.
Originally from Wakefield, R.I., Garr, who holds Clark marks in all three backstroke events and earned All-Conference honors at the NEWMAC Championships, qualified for the national meet in the 100- and 200-back.
"Ryan has had a terrific first year here at Clark,” said Phillips. “It's been awhile since we've had a conference champion and National Qualifier (L. Parker Barnum, 2003). I am very proud of how hard he has worked.”
"I am very excited to see our student-athletes once again represent Clark University competitively at the national level. We hope this is a trend that will continue."
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VAYDA NAMED NEWMAC MEN’S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR; TWO COUGARS EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Clark University's Brian Vayda was named Rookie of the Year and two Cougars received All-Star recognition as the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced its 2009 basketball honors on Tuesday. It marks the first time a men's basketball player has received rookie of the year honors since Dave McNamara '04 earned the award in 2001.
"I didn't expect to have the season that I had coming in as a freshman," said Vayda, who led the team in rebounds with 7.4 per game. "It feels great to be recognized, but I know that I still have a lot of work to do. I have three seasons ahead of me, so hopefully our team can improve and make a strong run to get back to the NCAA Tournament."
 Vayda, a freshman forward from Sturbridge, Mass., started in every game for Clark this season. He produced six double-doubles, 17 double-digit scoring performances and career-highs of 23 points at WPI and 15 boards in a win against then nationally ranked Engineers. Vayda ranked third in scoring (12.4) on the team and finished in the top-10 in the conference.
Vayda was a standout player at Tantasqua Regional High School, where he helped the Warriors to a Division 2 Massachusetts State Championship his junior year and the state finals as a senior. The two-time Most Valuable Player earned the 2008 Central Mass. Player of the Year honor.
 Junior Mark Alexander and senior Sarah Roderigue garnered second-team All-Conference recognition.
Originally from Providence, R.I., Alexander earned the All-Conference nod for the third straight season. The Cougars' three-year leading scorer (16.4) also topped the team in assists (4.0), steals (46/1.8) and blocks (17/.7). Alexander notched double-figures in points in 22 of 25 games en route to a fifth place finish in scoring in the conference. This year he surpassed the 1,000-point plateau, becoming the 24th Clark men's basketball player to reach the coveted milestone. Alexander now sits 20th on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,151 points.
 Roderigue, a three-time NEWMAC All-Star, also eclipsed the 1,000-point landmark while averaging 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The Oakland, Maine native and two-year captain has led the Cougars in scoring for the past three years and is ranked 11th on Clark's all-time list with 1,314 points. Roderigue finished sixth in the conference in scoring after recording 20 double-figure performances this season. She capped her career with career-highs of 32 points at Wellesley College (1/20/07) and 18 rebounds at Coast Guard (2/27/08) and a D3hoops.com All-Northeast Region second team honor last year.
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CLARK BASKETBALL MEMBERS EARN NEWMAC ALL-ACADEMIC HONORS
Clark University basketball teams placed four student-athletes on the 2009 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) All-Academic teams, it was announced by the conference office on Wednesday.
Women’s basketball player Sara Hagstrom ‘09 (Yarmouth, Maine) led the honorees as the only three-time NEWMAC All-Academic recipient. She was joined by teammates Emily Skelton ’10 (Litchfield, Conn.), a two-year All-Academic pick, and first time selection Blaize Denfeld ’10 (South Windsor, Conn.).
David Opp ’11 (Hudson, Mass.) was the only men’s basketball player to receive an All-Academic mention. It marks his first appearance on the academic all-conference roster.
Honorees must have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5/4.0 scale or 4.35/5.0 scale after the 2008 fall semester, achieved second year academic status at his/her institution, and been a member of the varsity team for the entire season to be considered for All-Academic recognition.
The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference consists of 10 highly selective institutions committed to academic excellence: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
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CLARK SWIMMERS & DIVERS EARN NEWMAC ALL-ACADEMIC HONORS
Twelve Clark University student athletes from the swim and dive team were named to the 2009 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) All-Academic team on Monday.
The women’s swim and dive team represented 10 of the NEWMAC All-Academic recipients, tying MIT for the institution with the most all-academic picks. Seniors Jess Baker (Queensbury, N.Y.), Korin Danchise-Curtis (Reading, Mass.) and Kayleigh Lagasse (Pawtucket, R.I.) are three-time all-academic honorees, while graduate student Caitlin Hanson (Reading, Mass.) and junior Corrie Stewart (Avon, Conn.) pick up their second nod. Grad student Cassie Crawford and sophomores Jen Aballo (Windham, N.H.), Theresa Lindboe (East Brunswick, N.J.), b (North Attleboro, Mass.) and Emily Rouleau (Bristol, Conn.) are making their first appearance on the NEWMAC Academic squad.
Senior Sal Pezzella (South Windsor, Conn.) and junior Jeff Amari (Braintree, Mass.) earn their first conference All-Academic award.
Honorees must have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5/4.0 scale or 4.35/5.0 scale after the 2008 fall semester, achieved second year academic status at his/her institution, and been a member of the varsity team for the entire season to be considered for All-Academic recognition.
The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference consists of 10 highly selective institutions committed to academic excellence: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
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WARREN JOINS CLARK UNIVERSITY SOFTBALL STAFF
Heather Warren ’08 has been named an assistant coach with the Clark University softball team.
Warren, originally from Upland, Calif., joins the Cougars’ coaching staff after a standout four-year career (2004-2008) with the team. A former NCAA Division III RBI Champion and the program’s first-ever National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Player of the Week, Warren owns Clark records in homeruns (12), total bases (113), slugging percentage (.934) and tied the mark for RBI with 59.
“Heather had an outstanding career at Clark and was one of the best softball players we’ve had in the program,” said head coach Linda Wage. “The players know and respect her, and we’ve already given her a lot of responsibility on the offense. She’s somebody that has the drive for success and wants everyone to be the best. She has been a tremendous help.”
Warren played shortstop at Clark, where she finished her career fifth on the program’s all-time hit list with 160 hits in 126 games. She also capped her career with numerous accolades, including two New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) and NFCA All-Star selections, a New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches Association (NEISCA) All-New England honor, and an ECAC All-Region award. She also served as one of the top pitchers on Clark’s staff.
Warren, who earned a bachelor’s in sociology last spring, is working towards her masters in Clark’s fifth-year program.
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ONE-STOP SHOP: CLARK TEAMS UP WITH TURFER
 The Clark University athletic department, in conjunction with Turfer Sportswear, has launched a brand new merchandise and apparel store through the Cougar athletics website. With a greater demand for sports-specific athletic gear, Clark teamed up with Turfer, a company based out of Providence, R.I., for high-quality paraphernelia and accessories at a reasonable price. So, why wait? Wear your colors proud today by clicking here.
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The highlights for this newsletter are provided by
Dalya Qualls, Sports Information Director, 508-793-7164.
Email: dqualls@clarku.edu
Newsletter designed/maintained by Joe Brady
(Head Women's Soccer Coach/Athletic Web Site Administrator)
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GARCIA AND GARR EARN NCAA SWIM & DIVE CHAMPIONSHIP BERTHS
