Men's track results -  NJCAA Division III Nationals, Delhi , N.Y.

TEAM SCORES: 1, N.Y. Delhi, 148 1/2; 2, College of DuPage, 105; 3, William Rainey Harper, 87; 4, Howard, 73; 5, Alfred St., 72; 6, N.Y. Cobbleskill, 66 1/2; 7, Kingsboro, 50; 8, CCRI, 48; 9, Suffolk County, 45; 10, Bergon CC, 44; 11, Mohawk Valley, 28; 12, Thadius Stevens, 23; 13, N.Y. Morrisville, 18; t14, Erie CC and Nassau CC, 12; 16, Queensboro, 10; t17, Herkimer and Middlesex County, 4; 19, Montgomery, 3.

CCRI RESULTS: 100 -- 4, Aidoo, 11.38; 8, McGill, 11.81. 200 -- 4, Aidoo, 22.64. 400 hurdles -- 2, Dalton, 56.21. 4x100 -- 3 (McGill, Estrada, Dalton, Aidoo) 43.90. 4x400 -- 6 (McGill, Estrada, Dalton, Aidoo) 3:29.78. Hammer -- 2, Kao, 42.96m; 3, Reynolds, 42.21. TJ -- 3, Aidoo, 13.56m.

Women's track results -  NJCAA Division III Nationals, Delhi , N.Y.

TEAM SCORES: 1, College of DuPage, 159 1/2; 2, N.Y. Delhi, 152; 3, Mohawk Valley, 104 1/2; 4, Alfred St., 59 1/2; 5, CCRI, 58; 6, Bergon CC, 54; t7, N.Y. Morrisville and N.Y. Cobbleskill, 29; 9, Herkimer, 27; t10, Erie CC and Middlesex County, 22; t12, William Rainey Harper and Bronx CC, 20; 14, Howard, 14; 15, Montgomery and Suffolk County, 13; 17, Nassau CC, 12 1/2; 18, Thadius Stevens, 8; 19, Queensboro, 7; 20, Kingsboro, 4; 21, Columbus St., 1.

CCRI RESULTS: Javelin -- 3, Cullen, 32-06m; SP -- 4, Cullen, 10.86m. Discus -- 1, Cullen, 40.91m. Hammer -- 1, Cullen, 44.18m (new league record); 2, Bento, 38.16. 200 -- 4, McCormack, 26.48. 400 -- 4, McCormack, 1:00.62. 4x400 -- 4 (Dellay, Simas, McCormack, Cullen) 4:25.93. TJ -- 5, McCormack, 10.26.

The CCRI men’s and women’s outdoor track squads- both unprecedented Northeast District champions- had All-American performances by Orlagh Cullen (Offaly, Ireland), Jennifer Bento (Providence), Justin Dalton (Warwick, RI) and Billy Kao (Cranston, RI) at the 2004 NJCAA Division Three Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Championships held May 5-7 at the Delhi Institute of Technology in New York.

NJCAA Div. Three Women’s Track Nationals- Delhi, NY.

Orlagh Cullen will have to expand her trophy and plaque case- considerably- again. She earned two more NJCAA Division Three First Team All-American plaques, winning two NJCAA national women’s meet championships in the hammer and the discus. The CCRI women’s squad scored an all-time best total of 58 points in the 21–team field, trailing ending up just 1 ½ points from 4^th-place Alfred State College (59 1/2).

Cullen, a sophomore, finished her CCRI athletics career with an all-time CCRI high total of seven All-American designations, including six in outdoor track and one in women’s soccer. In winning the hammer throw on Thursday at 44.81 meters, Cullen also broke the former national record of 43.56 meters set three years ago by CCRI All-American, Sara Johnson of Warwick. Cullen was 3^rd in the javelin at 32.06 meters and 4^th in the shot put at 10.86 meters

Cullen, who’ll be attending Sacred Heart University next year on an athletic scholarship to play women’s soccer, leaves a legacy that will be hard to follow. She set new marks in the shot put discus and javelin and participated on two record setting-relay teams, too

Jennifer Bento became a NJCAA Division Three Second Team All-American by placing second with behind teammate Cullen. The freshman threw the hammer a distance of 38.16 meters.

Sophomore Jennifer McCormack (Dublin, Ireland) , one of the school’s most versatile and talented student-athletes ever at CCRI (participated in 9 events at the Northeast District Meet) culminated her superb track and field career with 4^th place finishes in the 200 meters (26.48, a new school record breaking her former record) and in the 400 meters (1:00.62, also breaking her former mark) while also ranking 5^th in the triple jump at 10.26 meters, yet another new CCRI standard. She, too, leaves a legacy of excellence having established new records in the 100, 200 and 400 meter runs, the triple jump and on the 4-by-100 meter and 4-by-400-meter relay teams

McCormack also was on the 4^th-place 4-by-400 meter relay squad along with freshman Missa Dellay (East Greenwich), sophomore Jennifer Simas (Cranston) and Cullen) in a time of 4:25.93, breaking the old relay mark by almost 10 seconds.

2004 NJCAA Div. Three Men’s Track and Field Nationals, Delhi. NY

For the CCRI men, who finished 8^th among 18 teams, Billy Kao, a freshman, earned 2004 NJCAA Division Three All-American Second-Team All-American selection with a second-place heave of 42.96 meters in the hammer.

Sophomore Justin Dalton, former Warwick Veterans Memorial High School standout, also earned 2004 NJCAA Second-Team All-American honors. The sophomore finished second in the 400-meter intermediate high hurdles in 56.21 seconds, yet another new CCRI record.

Several other men’s competitors, by placing 3^rd or 4^th in respective events, just finished out of the loop for All-American designations, though they added to the team scores with impressive efforts.

The contributions of freshman Lawrence Aidoo (Providence/ Ghana, Africa) absolutely can’t be overlooked. The multitalented athlete added several points to the Knight tracksters’ men’s score. By placing third in the triple jump at 13.56 meters, 4^th in the 100 meter-dash in 11.38 seconds and 4^th in the 200 meters at 22.64 seconds and with his participation on both relay teams , he had a hand in 30 of the Knights 50 points.

The relay team of Eric Estrada (Providence), Aidoo, Dalton and Evan McGill (Providence) came in 4^th in the 4-by-100-meter relay in 43.90 seconds, and then set a new record in the 4-by400-meter relay of 3:29.78, shattering the record they set earlier in the season by over 10 seconds.

Sophomore Jonathan Reynolds (Cumberland) had a third-place throw of 42.21 meters in the hammer, an effort that left him just behind Kao.

CCRI Softball magic ends at the District Championships at the hands of Delaware Tech on May 8

The CCRI women’s fastpitch softball team’s magical post-season ride ended at the 2004 NJCAA Northeast District Division Two playoffs as the Knights were dealt a double loss, 2-1 and 13-3, by host and NJCAA Region XIX champion, Delaware Technical Community College last Saturday.

The Knights (14-12, 8-5 in region and 8-5 vs. Division Two competition) captured their first NJCAA Region XXI championship and second overall in five years two weeks ago. And they were perhaps a hit away from registering a big upset in the first game of the double-elimination championship against the favored and #13 nationally-ranked, whose record heading into the NJCAA Nationals championships at Fort Dodge, Iowa on May is 38-4.

For after DTCC scored a run each in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings to finally break a scoreless deadlock featuring a mound duel between the DTCC pitcher and CCRI hurler Mary Madison (N. Kingstown), the Knights finally broke through in the top of the seventh. After freshman first baseman Lindsay Cavanagh (Warwick) and freshman shortstop Amanda Ward (East Hartford, CT) singled, sophomore second baseman Melissa Houston (Warwick) drove in a run with another single. But the Knights couldn’t push across another run with two runners on first and third bases, respectively, and the game ended.

Madison pitched a gem, allowing just six hits. The Lady Knights were led by Cavanagh, who had two hits, including a single that came in the fourth inning to halt a possible no-hitter.

In the second game, the Knights never could muster enough firepower against yet another strong pitcher on the DTCC pitching staff. However, the Lady Knights did strike for two runs in the third inning on a Lindsay Cavanagh RBI single and an RBI sacrifice fly by Amanda Ward. In the sixth, after a Melissa Houston double, sophomore Beth Charpentier (Little Compton, RI) drove her in with a single.

It was the end of an excellent season for the Knights, who won three of four games in the regionals and reached the districts for only the second time after capturing the team’s second regional title in the program’s history.

Amanda Ward, despite joining the season late because of her contributions on the national tournament-qualifying women’s basketball team, ended the softball season with one of the highest batting averages ever- .567- (34 for 60) for a CCRI player. Pending the end of the season stats for other teams, she currently stands as the NJCAA Division Two #4 hitter nationally, #9 player in home runs (7) including the nationally-publicized and epic three-grand slam homer game and at #21 nationally in RBIs (38). Her slugging percentage was an unbelievable 1.100 and had an on-base percentage (.556). She struck out only once all season– that coming in the districts!

Lindsay Cavanagh, the nation’s #13 hitter, was right behind Ward in hitting with a .494 average, and was the leader in several offensive categories. She led the squad in hits (42), singles (28), triples (4) and runs scored (30). She was second in doubles (7), on-base percentage (.546) and was tied for second in RBIS (28) and homers (3)

Melissa Houston (Warwick), a former Toll Gate High School sports standout, was another major offensive force for the Lady Knights. She was the third teammate that hit over .400 (407- 35 for 86, #50 nationally) and tied for second in homers and RBIs, 3 and 28, respectively, with Cavanagh.

Sophomore catcher Meredith Merchant (Danielson, CT) hit a robust .375 with 30 hits in 80 at bats. She scored 17 runs and had three sacrifices, tops on the squad.

Aubrey Fisher (Somerset, MA), another basketball player who joined the team late, still managed a healthy .279 average on 17 hits in 61 at bats. The freshman left fielder, who tied for the team lead in walks with 14, was also fourth in runs scored with 18.

Sophomore Lindsey Sokol (Middletown, RI) had a .307 with the 4^th highest number of hits on the team (30) and added power with two homers, four doubles, and 20 RBIs.

Freshman second baseman Chris Campo (Coventry HS) hit for a steady average of .271 with 25 runs scored (second on the team) 23 hits and 9 RBIs.

Sophomore third baseman Beth Charpentier was steady with the glove in the field and batted .262 with 17 hits in 65 at bats. She added 9 RBIs.

The team batting average was .343, tied for 9^th nationally with Allegheny Community College.

Other players, their hometowns and averages were: freshman Janelle Tabalada, Bellingham, MA, .391, 9 for 23; freshman backup pitcher and utility player, Becky Boisvert, Uxbridge, MA; Jackie Charpentier, .Little Compton, RI, 278, 5 for 18; sophomore Natasha Sepe, Cranston, .133, 2 for 15; sophomore second baseman Lisa Vitiello, Walpole, MA, .115, 3 for 26, sophomore outfielder Nicole DeSorcy, Pawtucket, .0000, 0 for 4 and freshman outfielder Elise LaMontagne, Burrillville HS, 000, 0 for 3 and freshman outfielder Natalie Nault (Lincoln, RI) , .000, 0for 2.

Despite fine pitching efforts, CCRI baseball team eliminated after close losses in NJCAA Region XXI playoffs.

The season for the Community College of Rhode Island baseball team ended following a 2-1 loss to Mitchell College and a 5-3 defeat to #4 nationally-ranked, tourney top seed and eventual region champion University of Connecticut at Avery Point on Saturday afternoon at the NJCAA Region XXI Division Two Tournament championship held at Washington Park in New London, Connecticut. The Knights finished with an overall record of 16-17, including 8-9 against Region XXI teams and 4-8 versus Division Two opponents.

The bats for the Knights, whose regular season ended with seven wins in their last nine games, were mostly silenced by Mitchell’s and UCAP’s starting pitchers each of whom pitched complete games.

While Knights starter, freshman lefthander Kyle O’Connor (West Warwick) scattered just six hits and allowed only one earned run in five solid innings of work, the CCRI hitters mustered just three hits, walked once and struck out six times against Mitchell starting pitcher Kyle Wellington. All the scoring in the game, however, would be over by the fourth inning.

Mitchell scored in the first inning on an error followed by an RBI double.

In the top of the third, CCRI freshman shortstop Luis Felix (Cranston) was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a fielder’s choice and was knocked in on a RBI single to center field by freshman catcher Tom Kelly (West Warwick).

Mitchell, in the bottom of the fourth, scratched out a run on a walk, a questionable balk call advancing the runner to second and an RBI single to center field.

Sophomore Brian Thurber (Seekonk, MA) normally a starter, pitched brilliantly in relief for the Knights. The sophomore righthander twice pitched out of jams and allowed no runs and one hit with three strikeouts, providing the Knights some hope for a late-inning rally.

But CCRI’s hitters, though often hitting the ball hard, couldn’t find the gaps against Wellington. Sophomore outfielder Bob DiLibero (E. Greenwich) and freshman outfielder Rich Jenkins (Middletown), each with a single, were the only other Knight players to manage a hit in the first game.

UCAP.

Against UCAP, Knights hopes for a rebound win brightened considerably when they scored one run in the first, second and fourth innings against freshman righthanded hurler Jose Ortiz, the region’s leading pitcher with a 7-0 record and 0.27 ERA. Indeed, prior to this contest, Ortiz had given up only one earned run against all region foes.

In the first inning, DiLibero stroked a double just inside the first-base line to deliver the first run home.

In the bottom of the first, the Knights remained ahead when they snuffed out a run on a play at the plate. Following a wild pitch by Knights starting pitcher Ryann Foss (Westerly), catcher Tom Kelly quickly retrieved the ball at the backstop and threw to Foss, tagging out UCAP runner Will Huntington, who had tried to scored all the way from second on an aborted hit-and-run effort.

Foss got out of a base-loaded jam in the second by forcing a fly-ball out

Jenkins had a solo homer over the left field fence in the second to give the Knights their biggest lead, 2-0. But in the third, UCAP tied the score on a sacrifice fly and a ground-ball error.

Jenkins came though again in the fourth with an RBI double to stake the Knights to a 3-2 leads.

But unfortunately for the Knights, after leaving three runners on in the first four innings, Ortiz settled down.

The Pointers finally created breathing space for their pitching ace by scoring three times in the sixth on two hits and two long sacrifice flies- one of which was a spectacular catch by Greg Allen (Dighton-Rehoboth Reg. HS) near the fence in left- gave them the first lead of the game. Another long fly ball couldn’t be caught and it was ruled an error, driving in another run.

Freshman Andy McNulty (Norwood, Mass.) came in as a reliever in the sixth and he responded by shutting down UCAP the rest of the way with one-hit ball, allowing no earned runs, and recording one strikeout.

Knight notes:

Westerly’s freshman duo of Ryann Foss and Troy Sainsbury each had very solid seasons for the Knights. Sainsbury, with a 2-0 record, appeared in 9 games, three in which he started. In 16 innings pitched, he yielded just 11 hits, only 5 earned runs, issued 12 walks, struck out 89 and registered a 2.81 ERA.

Among starting pitchers, Kyle O’Connor ended the season as the Knights leader in wins at 4-2 and was the second leading pitcher in ERA at 3.43 The freshman, in 10 appearances and 27 innings, allowed just 10 earned runs, gave up 24 hits, and struck out 17 while issuing a mere 9 walks the entire season, exhibiting excellent mound presence and control.

Foss ended the season as one of the top five Division Two junior college pitchers in strikeouts per inning with 69 K’s in 49 innings pitched, or 1.41 per inning. He had a 2-3 record with a 3.67 ERA in 8 total appearances. He gave up just 35 hits, yielded 20 earned runs and walked 21 batters.

McNulty, who finished with a 3-5 mark with 15 appearances- 6 of them as a starter. In 53 innings he gave up 22 earned runs, struck out 55 batters and walked 23 for an ERA of 3.74.

Thurber (0-6, 7.57 ERA) saved his best efforts for the last part of the season. The 6-1 righthander, who started 7 games among his 12 appearances, pitched superbly in relief his last three appearances. Besides his sterling effort against Mitchell, he allowed just one hit and no runs in a 11-5 win over Roxbury in 1 2/3 innings. He held Navy Prep scoreless in one inning in a 12-2 win. In 35 innings, he had 32 strikeouts. He will be attending Central Connecticut State University, an NCAA Division One institution next season on an athletic scholarship.

Last year, the righthander had a 3-4 record with a fine earned-run average of 3.53, the second-best ERA among starters on the squad. He also had an excellent strikeout per inning ratio, whiffing 30 batters in just 26 innings (1.1) Majoring in Business Management, he has achieved a 3.42 GPA, earning him 2003-04 CCRI Distinguished Student-Athlete honors.

The leading hitter for the Knights this season, especially in the last half of the season, and one of the top batters in the region, was freshman third baseman Greg Allen (Dighton-Rehoboth Reg. HS) with a .387 average. In 93 at bats, he scored 28 runs, had 36 hits, had 19 RBIs, 18 doubles- or half his hits, one homer and walked 17 times. Allen had raised his average all the way to .424 (#4 nationally) before the regionals.

Second baseman Dave Giorgi (N. Kingstown) finished his career with a .326 average this season. In 92 plate appearances, he scored 19 runs, had 30 hits 19 RBI, 5 doubles, 1 triple. The 2044 NJCAA Region XXI Defensive Player of the Year, he made just one error in 85 chances with a near-perfect .989 average. He had 39 assists and 6 putouts. Allen had raised his average all the way to .424 (#4 nationally) before being shut down in the regionals.

One of the Knights most consistent hitters all season was Bob DiLibero. The sophomore from East Greenwich ended his season with a .321 average, going 27 for 84 with 18 RBIs, 8 doubles and a team-leading (tied) three home runs. He also led the squad in walks with 21.

Rich Jenkins was the hottest batter for the Knights the last three weeks of the season, raising his average from .188 to .315. He was 17 for 54 with 11 RBIs and 4 doubles and scored 18 runs. He was the team’s second leading basestealer with 7 stolen bases in 8 attempts.

CCRI baseball team enters the Division II Regional tournament on a three game win streak......

The CCRI baseball team knocked off Roxbury Community College, 11-5, to end the regular season on a three-game win streak. Winners of 7 of their last 9, the Knights are currently 16-15, 8-7 in NJCAA Region XXI competition and 4-6 in Division Two. Sophomore second baseman Dave Giorgi (N. Kingstown HS) went 3-for-5 with a double and a triple while freshman shortstop Rich Jenkins (Middletown HS) walloped a 380-foot homer over the left-field fence

Greg Allen (Dighton-Rehoboth Reg., HS, MA) has skyrocketed into the 34th leading hitter nationally after his combined efforts (7 for 9) against Navy Prep on Tuesday and Roxbury Community College on Thursday. The freshman third baseman went a perfect 5 for 5 in a 12-2 win over Navy, scoring two runs and driving in three with three doubles. Allen followed up with a 2-for-4 effort against Roxbury

The Knights are seeded third in the NJCAA Region XXI Division Two Tournament beginning tomorrow (Sat., May 8) and hosted by the University of Connecticut at Avery Point at Washington Park in New London, Connecticut. On Saturday, Game One will feature Mitchell College the #2 seed (14-10 overall and 6-4 in Reg. XXI), versus #3 Community College of Rhode Island (14-15, 4-6) starting at 11:00 a.m. at Washington Park. The loser of Game One meets UCAP, the seed and # 4 nationally-ranked (33-4, 9-1) in Game Two at 2:30 p.m. The winner of Game One plays the winner of Game Two in Game Three on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. On Sunday, Game Four will be played at 12:00 noon with Game Five, if necessary, to follow immediately afterwards.

Here’s a breakdown of the other athletes as they prepare for the regionals on Saturday against Mitchell College and the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. The team is batting .305, a significant improvement over a few weeks ago and have a team ERA of 4.99

The leading hitter for the Knights is Allen, .424 with 19 RBIs and a team-leading 36 hits, 18 doubles and David Giorgi, a solid .357 with 30 hits (tied for second) and six stolen bases in six attempts.

Sophomore outfielder Robert DiLibero (East Greenwich) has been steady all season. Hitting .321, he has 25 hits in 78 plate appearances with 18 RBIs. He leads the team in homers (3) and in walks (19).

Rich Jenkins (Middletown) has upped his average lately to .298, going 14 for 47. The freshman is second on the Knights with two homers and has 9 RBIs.

Sophomore designated hitter/first baseman Chris Bugyi (Milford, CT) is batting .267 with a team-leading 22 RBIS on 23 hits.

Freshman outfielder Dan Horan ( Narragansett) has a batting average of .261 with 12 hits in 46 at bats and 4 RBIs.

David Fyfe (Attleboro, MA) is batting .233 with 7 hits in 30 at bats.

Freshman catcher Tom Kelly (West Warwick) has a batting average of .255 12 hits in 47 at bats with 10 RBIs and 4 doubles.

Josh Ladig (Pompano Beach, FL) is hitting .220, with 13 hits in 59 at bats.

Freshman infielder Louis Felix (Cranston HS East) is hitting .152, going 7 for 46.

Freshman Ryann Foss (Westerly) , meanwhile, continue to be one of the nation’s leaders in strikeouts per inning. With 66 in 48 innings, he’s whiffing an average of 1.37 batters per inning, or 5^th nationally. Foss has a 3.14 ERA and has allowed 22 earned runs in 43 innings while issuing 18 bases on balls.

Freshman Kyle O’Connor (West Warwick) leads the Knigths in wins with a 4-1 record and a fine 3.27 ERA, allowing 8 earned runs giving up 18 hits in 22 innings while walking eight.

Freshman righhanded pitcher Marek Deska (Onatrio, Canada) at 3-1 leads the pitching staff in ERA at 2.41. In 21 2/3 innings, he’s surrendered only 16 hits and given up 7 earned runs while walking just two.

Troy Sainsbury (Westerly) has a 2-0 record with a 2.81 ERA. In nine relief appearances, in 16 innings of work, he’s yielded only 11 hits and 5 earned runs, striking out 8 batters and walking 12.

Andy McNulty (Norwood, MA), with a respectable 3.88 ERA, has a 3-5 record. In 14 appearances, he has pitched 51 innings and given up 22 earned runs, while surrendering 49 hits, striking out 54 opponents (second on the squad) and walking 23.

Freshman righthanded pitcher Josh Pickering (Attleboro, MA) has a 1-0 record.

Sophomore righty Chris Farmer (N. Kingstown HS) has a 0-0 record as a pitcher and is hitting .222 with 2 hits in 9 at bats.

Freshman righthanded hurker Dan Lanoue (Cranston East HS) has a 0-0 record with a 5.41 ERA. In 3 1/3 innings, he’s given up 4 hits and 2 earned runs.

Sophomore pitcher and utility player Kevin Maguire (S. Kingstown) has a 1-0 record and a 6.60 ERA. In 15 innings of work, Maguire has given up 12 hits, struck out 14, walked 11 and yielded 11 earned runs. Maguire is hitting .217 with 5 hits in 23 at bats.

Sophomore Brian Thurber (Seekonk, MA, St. Rapahel Academy) has a 0-6 mark. In 11 appearances and 32 2/3 innings, he’s given up 30 earned runs, striking out 29.

Several members of the CCRI indoor track team established school records at the Wesleyan College Invitational the past week. Sophomore Jennifer McCormack (Ireland), was named CCRI Female Athlete of the Week for breaking two women’s records. First McCormack took .01 second off her own prior record in the 55-meter dash by finishing third in 7.81 seconds. Her sixth-place time of 2:39.59 in the 800-meter run is also a school record. Sophomore Jason Andrade (Warwick), in just his first time running the 1000 meters, established a new school record of 2:44.71. Freshman Matthew Zompa’s (Providence) time of 8.65 seconds in the 55-meter hurdles is also a new standard. The men’s and women’s squads travel to Hudson Valley Community College (NY) on Friday to prepare for competition at the 2004 NJCAA Northeast District Championships this weekend.

Men’s Basketball.

In a wild offensive contest Globe Institute of Technology (New York, NY) outlasted CCRI, 110-105, in a non-conference contest held in New York City on Saturday. It was the first loss for the Knights (14-12) in five games. GIT, a squad ranked among the top 30 in Division One nationally, improved to 21-4.

GIT had its hands full with Division Two CCRI as the Knights trailed by 16 at one point, by just three, 52-49, at halftime and went ahead by as much as 10 in the second half. CCRI had trouble however, guarding the duo of Nichols, who had a game-high 36 points and McNair, who added 25.

Greg Simoneau’s 27 points moved him all the way into 11^th place all-time in CCRI men’s scoring history with 940. The 6-3 sophomore forward from Warwick has averaged 21 points a game in the past three contests, and with this effort moved into the team scoring lead with an average of 17.5.

MD Mazique (Brooklyn) added 28 for CCRI in his return to his home city, including four three-pointers. Two more players hit career-high- Sophomore guard Pat O’Brien (Narragansett) notched 20 points while freshman forward Jose Rico (Cranston) hit career-high totals of 17 points and three treys.

The Knights have three contests left, including an away game tonight at Navy Prep in Newport and an important Div. Two matchup on Thursday at home vs. Mitchell College.

Women's Basketball

CCRI defeated Globe Institute of Technology, 67-42, in New York on Saturday for the second time this season. It was the Division Two Lady Knights sixth win over a Division One club this season, an all-time record, improving their overall mark to 18-8, the best in 13 years and only two off their all-time record of 20.

Freshman Amanda Ward (E. Hartford, CT) led the way with 15 points while sophomore guard Jamie Angell (Cranston) had 11 points.

The next two weeks could prove to be historic for the Lady Knights. On Thursday is a very important regular-season game against defending region champion Mitchell College, with both teams having split during the season. A win by either squad will guarantee a spot in the region finals during the playoffs with a likely meeting again between the two for the championship hosted by CCRI on Feb. 29.

CCRI’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are starting to peak at exactly the right time especially after knocking off two highly-regarded national squads last week. And with the NJCAA Region XXI playoffs for men and women being held at the CCRI-Warwick campus on Feb. 28 and Feb. 29, a stronger possibility than ever exists for both teams to capture a region title. That would be a first for the school.

The CCRI women, winners of 8 of their last 10 contests, are on a three-game win streak after their road conquest of two Maryland teams. Indeed, Steve Ceseretti, in his first year as head coach at CCRI, has already surpassed each of the previous two seasons in wins. The Knights record of 17-8 represents the most wins since the 1990-91 season when the Lady Knights were 19-5. And they have a winning record against Division One programs, going 5-4 thus far with a 9-3 Division Two mark and 3-1 record against NJCAA Region XXI clubs.

Last weekend, the Lady Knights overcame Prince Georges CC, 72-52, and then followed up with an important #19 nationally-ranked 72-67 win over Cecil College (14-5), ranked #5 nationally in the pre-season.

Jamie Angell has picked up her intensity and focus the past week. The 5-5 sophomore point guard from Cranston was named as CCRI Female Athlete of the Week after a 23-point outing in an 87-70 loss to #13 nationally ranked Louisburg College, and proceeded to have two more impressive appearances. She had 10 points and 6 assists against Prince George and 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting versus Cecil.

The Lady Knights couldn’t slice the offensive loaf any closer with NO players averaging in double figures! Amanda Ward (Hartford, CT) has a 9.7 ppg average closely tailed by Sara Duszkiewicz (S. Kingstown, RI), 9.3 ppg, Rebecca Haynes (Australia), 9.1 ppg and Angell, 9.0 ppg. Roxanne Reid (Ontario, Canada) is at 8.0 ppg and Carla Hands (Boston, MA) is at 6.9 ppg. Angell has 2.3 assists per game with Jeannell Hughes (Baltimore, MD) at 2.0 apg. Angell leads in steals at 2.3 and Haynes has 2.2 spg.

So CCRI seems to have just one task remaining: defeat perennial champion Mitchell College, who’ll be leaving the juco ranks after this season for NCAA Division Three. CCRI and Mitchell, who’ve split this season, clash on Feb. 19 in Warwick at 6:00 p.m. to conclude the regular season. A win earns an automatic spot in the region championship on Sun., Feb. 29 in the playoffs hosted by CCRI.

The CCRI men (13-11 and 12-4 in NJCAA Region XXI) made huge strides toward asserting themselves as one of the top teams in Division Two after two sizzling wins over region foes last week.

On Thursday night, their 91-64 triumph over #13 nationally-ranked and defending champion Dean College (13-3) in Franklin, Massachusetts was their first over the Bulldogs in four games. Dean also sustained their first defeat in the region this year after 10 straight wins. MD Mazique (Brooklyn, NY) had a career-high 36 points and 7 three-pointers while Greg Simoneau (Warwick) added 22 points to help break open the game.

On Saturday afternoon the Knights clinched a region playoff spot with a win, their third win in a row, with a decisive 95-71 win over host Holyoke Community College. Greg Simoneau (Warwick) notched 28 to lead all CCRI scorers and Oscar Smith (Memphis,TN) had 19 to lead four players in double figures.

Simoneau, Smith and Mazique- all sophomore tri-captains- remain amazingly close in scoring for the past two years as the trio continue their collective climb toward the top 10 or higher. Indeed, all three are in striking distance of 1,000 points for their career. Simoneau now stands at 889 for 16^th,, Smith at 857 (17^th) , and Mazique is in 19^th. Only 8 CCRI players (men or women) have scored 1,000 points or more for their career.