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THIS WEEK IN SAINT MICHAEL’S COLLEGE ATHLETICS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                               FOR MORE INFORMATION
October 31, 2005                                                                                Contact: Daniel O’Reilly
                                                                                                         Phone: (802) 654-2929

COLCHESTER, Vt. – The volleyball team (3-14, 1-11 NE-10) was able to avenge its September 13 loss at Plattsburgh State with a 3-2 victory over the Cardinals on Tuesday evening at the Ross Sports Center. The win marked the team’s second straight, and its first on its home court this season. After jumping ahead 2-0, the Purple Knights lost two straight games, forcing the deciding fifth game, which Saint Michael’s took by a score of 15-8. Senior co-captain Jessica Mulroy (Marcellus, N.Y./Marcellus) helped out with her game-high 57 assists, as freshman Stephanie Smetana (Independence, Mo./Truman) added four aces. Katie Ouellette (Hampton, N.H./Winnacunnet) led the Purple Knights with 21 digs, and finished the night with 29 kills on just four errors. On Saturday, the team was defeated in straight sets by Northeast-10 powerhouse Bentley College who has yet to lose a conference match this season. Kaitlyn Rae (Willbraham, Mass./Minnechuag Reg.) had eight kills and fellow senior Ouelette contributed 10 digs as well as two solo and two assisted blocks. Mulroy led Saint Michael's with 23 assists and also added seven digs.

The men’s soccer team (7-10-1, 5-7-1 NE-10) concluded its 2005 season with a 4-0 shutout of the College of Saint Rose on Wednesday. The victory was the 50^{th for ninth-year head coach Tim Kaleita, and
also matched the team’s most wins in a season since 1988. The game
marked the last collegiate contest for five Saint Michael’s seniors:
Andrew Akins (Lisbon, N.Y./Worcester Academy), Jerrod Hall
(Bennington, Vt./Mount Anthony Union), Patrick Melvin (Belmont,
Vt./Black River), Kimoi Seale (Brooklyn, N.Y./Prospect Heights)
and Charlie Zambri (Gloversville, N.Y./Gloversville). Melvin
stopped five shots to earn his sixth shutout of the season, while Hall,
and sophomores Yoshikazu Ishii (Tokyo, Japan) and Aaron Vine
(Saratoga, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) each tallied a goal and an assist.
Junior Glenn Sherman (Arlington, Vt./Arlington Memorial) also
scored, moving him past Jeff Winterton ’93 into sole possession of
third place in program history with 48 career points.

The women’s soccer team (5-12, 3-11 NE-10) ended its season on Wednesday
evening with a 5-0 loss to UMass Lowell, who finish in a three way tie for
third place in the Northeast-10. Sophomore Laura Tuveson (Norfolk,
Mass./King Philip Regional) made nine saves in the game for Saint
Michael’s who finish in 12th place out of 15 teams in the conference.

The field hockey team (10-9, 10-6 NE-10) was defeated on Wednesday in the
Northeast-10 Championship Quarterfinals to Southern Connecticut by a final
score of 4-2. After falling behind 3-0, Nikki Pickman (Southbury,
Conn.) put the Purple Knights on the board with her team leading
seventh goal, off of an assist from Johanne Skelley (Wolfeboro, N.H./Kingswood
Regional). With the score 4-1, Ashley Brown (New Boston, N.H.)
converted on a penalty corner with an assist from Cassie Dewey
(Lebanon, N.J./ Mount St. Mary's Academy) to end the game’s scoring.
Junior Tina Nardi (Rupert, Vt./Salem Central) recorded nine
saves for the Purple Knights, who are currently ranked 10th in the STX/NFHCA
Division II National Coaches Poll, and completed their 16th winning season
in the last 18 years.

On Friday, senior co-captains Meg McCarthy (Lunenburg, Mass./Lunenburg)
and Johanne Skelley were named to the Northeast-10 Field Hockey
All-Conference Second Team. McCarthy, a defensive back, started all 19
games for the Purple Knights in 2005. She recorded one assist on the
season, which came on the game-winning goal versus Franklin Pierce College
on September 14, and added one defensive save. More importantly, she
anchored a unit that allowed three goals or less in 15 of its last 17
contests, and helped Saint Michael's win nine of 11 games at one point
during the season. She started every game the last two seasons, played in
all 58 contests the last three years, and ends her career with six points
(all assists) in 69 games. Skelley, a midfielder, led the Purple Knights
with six assists in 2005 while starting all 19 contests. Skelley had a
pair of two-assist contests (versus Merrimack College on September 24, and
against Saint Anselm College on September 28), and was also part of the
defensive unit that allowed just 2.3 goals per game. Like McCarthy,
Skelley played in all 58 games over the last three seasons, and she ends
her career with two goals, 11 assists and 15 points in 65 contests.

Also on Friday, Nikki Pickman and Tina Nardi were named to the
Northeast-10 Conference Field Hockey All-Academic Team. Pickman received
First Team honors for the second consecutive season. A three-time NE-10
Commissioner's Honor Roll Bronze Scholar, Pickman led the Purple Knights
in scoring for the second straight year, tallying a team-best seven goals
and 16 points while playing in all 19 games. The business administration
major (3.64 GPA) is a member of the National Field Hockey Coaches
Association Division II National Academic Squad, and completed her career
with 14 goals and three assists for 31 points. Nardi was named to the
Second Team for the first time in her career. A member of the College's
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Nardi played every minute in goal for
the Purple Knights this season, amassing a 10-9 record. She is currently
third in the conference with five shutouts, fifth in victories, and tied
for sixth with 76 saves. A psychology major with a 3.41 GPA, Nardi was
named NE-10 Goaltender of the Week on September 12 after recording a pair
of shutout victories.

This Week’s Schedule:}

^11/1	^{Volleyball at Middlebury}	^{6:30 p.m.}
^11/4	^{Women's Hockey vs. MIT}	^{7 p.m.}
^11/5	^{Volleyball vs. Pace}	^{10 a.m.}
^11/5	^{Men's Basketball at UVM (ex.)}	^{1 p.m.}
^11/5	^{Swimming vs. UMass Dartmouth}	^{1 p.m.}
^11/5	^{Volleyball vs. Southern Connecticut}	^{2 p.m.}
^11/5	^{Women's Hockey vs. Holy Cross}	^{3 p.m.}
^11/5	^{Women’s Basketball vs. Carleton Univ. (ex.)}	^{5 p.m.}
^11/6	^{Cross Country NCAA Regionals Franklin Park, Boston, Mass.}	^TBA

###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

For more information please contact the SMC Sports Information Office at (802) 654-2537
Last Revised: October 25, 2002