Our College Stars

Mike McMahon

The only word that Jim Wood could think of was "surreal."

Trinity, which captured the Division 3 national championship in a dramatic 5-4 win over Johns Hopkins, nearly completed the feat with an unblemished record. Heading into the World Series final, Hopkins needed to beat the then 43-0 Trinity squad twice in a row to win the title, whereas the Bantams needed just one win to lock up the championship.

A wild pitch in the ninth inning of Game 1 cost the Bantams their perfect season.

There was no time to grieve, though.

"We had literally 20 minutes between games, just enough time for them to redo the field," said Wood, a Windham native. "It was probably a good thing. There were some guys that were really disappointed, but to me, if we won the national title, then that's all that mattered. That's what we went there to do. Luckily, we were able to pull off the second game and take it home."

North Reading's Matt Sullivan, a St. John's Prep grad, drew a walk to force in the tying run and the next batter also walked to force in Wood with the winning run.

Wood said, "It was crazy. We lost the first game in the last inning when they scored on a wild pitch, then we win in the ninth inning of the second game on walks. It was just nuts. The only way I think to describe it is surreal, the whole year was surreal."

The loss in the first game certainly stung, but the national title served as the perfect remedy.

"We knew that if we were going to lose, and break the streak, it would be a case of us beating ourselves," he said. "That's what happened, too. It would have been nice to go undefeated, but as soon as the first game ended, it was over for me. At that point, it was all about refocusing for the next game because there was so little time. We won the title, that's all that matters. Two losses and no title would have been a lot worse, believe me."

Despite school already being out, the Bantams returned to a heroes' welcome.

"When we got back, there was a bunch of people welcoming us, it was really cool," said Wood. "There were some camera crews there, and it was a nice welcome. We had one last night on campus with everyone before we split up for the summer, but it was great to have that one night after we got back."

At the very least, they'll be a favorite to repeat as national champions.

"We only lose our shortstop and third baseman, so that side of the infield is gone, but we have a lot of really great players coming back," Wood said. "We graduate our top pitcher, too, but we have a lot of young talent who can certainly move up and take those slots."

The Bantams were reminded ad nauseam of the New England Patriots' pursuit of perfection, and how it ended in February.

"During the year, we didn't talk about (the streak) that much at all," Wood said. "Obviously, we all knew what happened with the Patriots, and that's the last thing we wanted. There was so much attention put in them possibly going undefeated.

"There was a lot of attention on us, too. ESPN had filmed some stuff, we were getting a lot of attention in the local media, but we had to try, as hard as it was, to tune it out. It would have been great to be the undefeated national champion, but I think losing that first game to Johns Hopkins really made the whole team refocus. The streak was over at that point, and we could all concentrate on our goal of the national title."

Wood, a sophomore who enjoyed a brilliant career as a three-sport athlete Bishop Guertin, had a big year. He batted .356 with 38 runs and 50 RBIs.

It was the Bantams' third national title in five years, and they've made the NCAA tournament in seven of the last 10 seasons.

Cooke, Eagles win national title

Andover's Evan Cooke is a national champion, helping lead the Boston College sailing team to a title at the ICSA/APS National Championship race in Newport, RI. Cooke was on a crew that went 11-3 in the three days of competition.

Local pair nabs academic awards

Haverhill's Ian Ferguson and Andover's Lindsay Schoen were named to the Northeast-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll. Ferguson, a junior who went to school in Maynard but now lives in Haverhill, was named a gold scholar, meaning that he finished in the top five percent for grade point average among student-athletes at his institution. Schoen, a sophomore, was a silver scholar, meaning she finished in the top 10 percent.

Braithwaite leads the pack

Merrimack sophomore goaltender Andrew Braithwaite led all Warriors with a GPA of 3.97, and was one of 10 Merrimack hockey players to be named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team.

Joining Braithwaite on the team, which recognizes players with a GPA of 3.0 or better, were senior captain Derek Pallardy, Grant Farrell, Kurt Astle, Joe Cucci, John Jamieson, John Goebel, Matt Moulakelis, Francois Ouimet, and J.C. Robitaille. Maine (16), UMass Lowell (13), and UMass Amherst (12) had the most honorees.

Andover's John McCarthy, one of Boston University's captains for next season, was one of just three Terriers to make the squad.

Maine's Chris Hahn, UNH's Brad Flaishans, and UMass Lowell's Frank Stegnar all tied for the Hockey East Scholar-Athlete of the Year with a perfect GPA of 4.0.

Giordano a top scholar

Colby-Sawyer attacker Lisa Giordano of Londonderry was named to the All-Commonwealth Coast Conference academic team. The senior netted 23 goals this season, and was named the Wyn Jesser McGrew Scholar Athlete winner at Colby. To be eligible for the All-TCCC Academic Team, players must have a GPA of at least 3.5, while also being a starter or significant reserve.

Gillespie seconds the notion

North Andover's Christine Gillespie was the starting shortstop for Colby College. Gillespie hit .216 and was second on the team with 13 RBIs and in runs with 15. A Dean's List student, Gillespie will be a junior in the fall.

Sweeney named All-American

Andover's Jaclyn Sweeney finished with a 73.67 spring average for Oklahoma State's golf squad. The freshman was named to GolfWeek's 10-golfer All-American Team.

Mike McMahon is an Eagle-Tribune sports writer. If you have information on a local college athlete, e-mail him at MMcMahon@eagletribune.com