Athletics

Softball

Ferreira named All-American

Freshman second baseman Jess Ferreira was selected to the Louisville Slugger/ National Fast Pitch Coaches Association All-American second team for Division III.   Ferreira, from Cambridge, MA, hit .428 on the season with 59 hits in 138 at-bats and 13 homeruns, a Suffolk school record. She had 58 RBI and 13 stolen bases. At second base, she had a .953 fielding average with only six errors on the season

Ferreira was also named to the first team All-Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches and was the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year. She was named honorable mention by the New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches Association at second base.

Suffolk finished with a 32-10 overall record and was the runner up in the GNAC Tournament. The Rams were selected as the third seed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference New England tournament and won their first round game before weather cancelled the tournament. Ferreira attended Rindge and Latin High School in Cambridge, MA.

Three players named to All-Region team

Senior outfielder Jill Grant was named to the first team New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches Association All-Region team for 2006. Sophomore Natalie West was named to the second team as a utility player and freshman Jess Ferreira was selected to the honorable mention team as an infielder.

Grant, Belanger named ESPN Co-SIDA Academic All-American second team

Seniors Jill Grant and Angela Belanger were named to the 2006 College Division District I ESPN The Magazine Co-SIDA Academic All-American second team.

Grant, an outfielder from Duryea, PA, is a Management major with a 3.5 GPA. Belanger, an infielder from Poland Springs, ME, is an Advertising major with a 3.54 GPA. Candidates must have a 3.2 GPA to be nominated. Voting is done by the College Sports Information Directors. Grant finished with a batting average of .384 on the season and Belanger hit .348 this season.

Elwell, Ferreira earn top honors from GNAC

Suffolk softball players earned the conference Pitcher and Rookie of the Year honors for the 2006 season in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. Sophomore Jenn Elwell was named Pitcher of the Year and freshman Jess Ferreira was named Rookie of the Year in the GNAC.

Elwell (Tewksbury, MA) had a 0.69 ERA and a 12-1 record against GNAC teams. She is 20-6 overall with a 1.23 ERA. Ferreira (Cambridge, MA) hit .436 in GNAC games with eight homeruns. Overall, Ferreira hit .428 with 13 homeruns.

In addition to Elwell and Ferreira, Suffolk had two other first team all-conference players. Senior outfielder Jill Grant (Duryea, PA) and senior catcher Brenna Burr (Beaver, PA) were named to the first team. Sophomore Natalie West (E. Bridgewater, MA) was named to the GNAC second team as an infielder.

Four softball players honored by National Fast Pitch Coaches

Four Suffolk softball players earned All-Region honors on the 2006 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III team. Freshman second baseman Jess Ferreira was selected to the first team All-Region and will move on to the All-America balloting.

Two players were named second team, senior outfielder Jill Grant and sophomore utility player Natalie West. Senior catcher Brenna Burr was honored with an at-large spot on the third team.

Baseball

Five players named All-Conference, Pinnetti named Rookie of the Year

Suffolk placed five baseball players on the 2006 Great Northeast Athletic Conference All-Conference team, including Rookie of the Year honors for freshman first baseman Mark Pinnetti from Stoughton, MA.

Joining Pinnetti as first team all-conference were senior pitcher Rony Mercado (Boston, MA) and senior outfielder Trevor Grimshaw (Macungie, PA).

Suffolk had two players named to the second team All-GNAC, junior catcher Marc Exarhopoulos (Hudson, MA) and senior outfielder Jared Blandino (Dorchester, MA).

Pinnetti started 11 conference games at first base and hit .413, with six doubles and one home run and a team high 20 RBI. Pinnetti had a .971 fielding average with 65 putouts and one assist. Mercado had a 3-1 conference record with a 0.96 ERA with 28 innings pitched and 28 strikeouts. Grimshaw hit .453 in conference with 24 hits in 53 at-bats. Exarhopoulos hit .460 and had 17 RBI in conference games and Blandino hit .417 with 10 stolen bases.

Ice Hockey

Blais, Rocchio honored as ECAC All-Conference

Two Suffolk University hockey players were honored by the ECAC Northeast for the 2005-06 season. Senior goalie Greg Blais was selected to the Honorable Mention All-Conference team. Freshman forward John Rocchio was named to the All-Rookie team.

Blais, from Saulte Saint Marie, Ontario, played in 22 games this season and had 849 saves for a save percentage of .890. Rocchio, from East Greenwich, RI, played in 22 games and scored 15 goals and had 16 assists to lead Suffolk in scoring.

Women’s Basketball

Klecha named third team All-GNAC

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference announced the 2006 women’s basketball all-conference team. Suffolk University sophomore guard Katlyn Klecha was selected to the third team . Klecha (Fairfield, CT) averaged 10.3 points per game to lead Suffolk. She also ranked in the top five in the GNAC in steals with 2.3 per game. The Rams finished the season with a 15-11 overall record, 7-5 in the GNAC.

Men’s Basketball

Murphy named first team All-GNAC

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference announced the 2006 men’s basketball all-conference team. Suffolk University junior guard John Murphy was selected to the first team. Murphy (North Reading, MA) averaged 21.7 points per game this season and leads the GNAC in scoring. The Rams finished the season 11-15 and the sixth seed in the GNAC tournament.

Murphy set new conference regular season records in 3 point field goal attempts with a total of 171 and an average of 8.89. He also set both records for 3 point field goals made with a total of 61 and average of 3.39 per game.

Soccer

Ndour, D’Andrea named second team All-GNAC for soccer

Suffolk senior Babacar Ndour and sophomore Marco D’Andrea were selected to the second team of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference All-Conference team in soccer.

Ndour, a midfielder from Dakar, Senegal, finished with season with 13 points, five goals and three assists. D’Andrea, a forward from Belmont, MA, finished the season with 22 points, seven goals and eight assists.

Women’s Tennis

Nelson named Player of the Year in Women’s Tennis

Suffolk sophomore Jennifer Nelson was named the 2005 Great Northeast Player of the Year in Women’s Tennis. Nelson (Newburyport, MA) was undefeated in GNAC play at the No. 1 singles position. She had a 10-0 record against GNAC teams. Her season record was 11-1, losing only to UMass Boston. Nelson also had a 10-1 record at the No. 1 doubles position.

Volleyball

Hemlin, Conrad named third team All-GNAC for volleyball

Senior setter Katie Hemlin and sophomore outside hitter Kristen Conrad were selected to the third team of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference All-Conference team in volleyball.

Hemlin, a four-year starter for Suffolk, led the team in assists with an average of 4 per game. She also averaged 2.36 digs per game and had 46 service aces. Hemlin is from Houston, TX.

Conrad, a two-year starter for Suffolk, led the team in hitting with 2.33 kills per game. She also led in blocking with 54 on the season and in service aces with 55. Conrad is from Hanover, MA.

Cross Country

Hyland named All-Conference in women’s cross country

Catherine Hyland, a freshman from Concord, NH, placed third in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference meet at Western New England College on Oct. 29. Her time of 20:49 put her in third place on the 8K course.