Local college notes

Tracking the Bears

• Coast Guard Academy catcher Jesse Richardson was named the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference softball rookie of the year.

Richardson was joined on the first team by senior teammate Hayley Feindel and junior designated player Holli Bastinck. The trio helped the Bears (26-17) win the NEWMAC tournament championship and earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III tournament.

Richardson ranked second in the conference with a .451 batting average and had 10 doubles, three home runs and 26 RBI. She set a single season school record with 45 runs scored.

Feindel set the NCAA Division III all-time win mark (122) last week. She is first in the NEWMAC in wins (19) and strikeouts (225) this season and owns a 19-8 record with a 1.81 earned run average.

Bastinck leads the Bears with nine home runs and 49 RBI and also has a conference leading .465 average. She's hit safely in 25 of the last 26 games.

• The following Bears made the NEWMAC all-academic team in their respective sports: Senior Myles McCarthy (track), junior Erik Oredson (tennis), Joe Sullivan-Springhetti (tennis), senior Katie Schumacher (track), junior Julia Kane (track), sophomores Kelcie Laroche (track), Hannah Seeland (track) and Ben Wolhaupter (track).

Mariners making a splash

• Lindsey Romagnino became the first Mitchell College softball player to be chosen as the New England Collegiate Conference rookie of the year and five teammates made the all-conference team.

Romagnino, an outfielder, batted a team-high .492 in conference play to go with a league best four home runs and 22 RBI. Overall, she had a .384 average with five home runs and 29 RBI.

She joined senior pitcher Marissa Thomas and senior shortstop Stacey Suplicki, both of New London, and junior first baseman Tiffany Person on the first team. Senior outfielders Shannen Pelletier and Brittany Zaccaria made the second team.

Thomas, who was a second team selection last season, went 8-1 with a 3.17 earned run average in NECC play. Overall, she struck out 68 and walked 18.

Suplicki hit .417 with 17 RBI in 18 NECC games. She started all 36 games and batted .319 overall with 20 RBI.

Mitchell, 21-15 overall, finished second in the NECC and qualified for the conference tournament.

• Freshman Nick Carlson of Old Lyme was named to the All-NECC baseball second team and freshman Drew Doyle, a Fitch High School graduate, earned honorable mention honors while senior Tommy Derosier was a first team pick.

Carlson, a shortstop, batted .345 in conference action and ranked second on the team overall with a .359 average.

Doyle, an outfielder, ranked third with a .444 average in conference action. He batted .319 overall with 18 RBI in 27 games.

Derosier, a second baseman, batted .299 with a team-high 23 RBI and 13 runs scored in 27 games.

Mitchell posted a 10-18 overall record and tied for fourth in the NECC with a 9-9 mark.

Around the region

• Nichols College freshman Brandon Roode of Griswold was selected as the Commonwealth Coast Conference tennis co-player of the year, top rookie and first team singles player. He also was named second team doubles.

Roode, a three-time Eastern Connecticut Conference singles champion, went 15-5 in singles, including 9-2 at the top flight. The Bisons (17-3) will appear in their first NCAA Division III tournament, playing Marywood on Friday in Amherst, Mass.

• Senior Caitlin Quinn, a Montville graduate, recently received the Coaches Award for women's basketball at the St. Michael's College awards dinner.

• Plymouth State junior Rew Wilson, an East Lyme graduate, belted a three-run home run and had an RBI single in a 5-0 shutout of Middlebury College.

• St. Bernard graduate Tyler Wild drove in the go-ahead runs with a two-run double to help St. Michael's College beat No. 18 Franklin Pierce, 5-3.

• Sophomore Dana Tricarico of East Lyme was named co-captain of the Siena College swimming and diving team for the 2012-2013 season.

• Central Connecticut State University senior Sam Alexander won the 10,000 (31:36.04) and 5,000 (14:36.45) meter races last weekend at the Northeast Conference Outdoor Championships. Alexander, who's from Waterford, paced his team to third overall.

Other locals competing: Andrew Hill, a Bacon Academy graduate, ninth in the 10k (33:45.50) and 15th in the 5k (15:41.09); Ben Lazarus of Waterford, 4:02.78 in the 1500; Brian Biekert, Fitch graduate, sixth, 1500 (3:58.22), and 24th in 5k (15:59.14).

Last week during the school's annual senior banquet, Alexander shared the Gladstone Award, which goes to CCSU's most outstanding senior male athlete, with Ken Horton of the men's basketball team.

Alexander, Hill and Lazarus were named to the Travelers' Athletic Directors All-Academic team.

• Also at CCSU, junior Kelsey Barlow of Montville was one of four winners of the school's Coca-Cola Academic Award. Barlow, who plays softball, earned the honor for most improved.

- Gavin Keefe