Things couldn't have gone much better for Endicott College athletics over the weekend.
The men's lacrosse, women's tennis and softball teams all won their respective Commonwealth Coast Conference tournaments on Saturday, punching their tickets to the Division 3 NCAA tournament in the process.
In men's lacrosse, the Gulls upended Western New England, 9-4, in the CCC title game after topping Roger Williams three days prior in the semis. The women's tennis team bested Nichols, 5-1, to win the crown and remain unbeaten, while the softball squad wrapped up a phenomenal 19-2 campaign with a pair of convincing shut out wins over Western New England (4-0 and 8-0) in the championship series.
It was a day to remember for Gulls nation, and even more rewarding considering the fact that a competitive season was at one point not a guarantee.
"We didn't even know if we were going to play games this season so to go from that to playing the most games in New England was pretty remarkable," said Gulls' men's lacrosse coach Eric Hagarty, his team now 12-2 on the year. "I think we took a lot of pride in that to not only get to play a season but get to the championship. I give a lot of credit to our guys to persevere and now make it to the NCAA tournament."
In claiming the crown, Endicott got off to a fast start and never looked back.
The Gulls scored two goals in the first and three more in the second to seize a 5-1 halftime advantage and held on strong from there. Beverly's Sam Abate tied for the team lead with two goals along with Nick Pagluiso and Jack Sutherland, while Domenic Russo, Craig Claffin and John Koebel each scored a goal. Austin Fournier came up with 10 stops in net to help secure the win.
"I thought the talent was equal between both teams (in the championship) but our mindset was where it needed to be," said Hagarty, whose team is making its first appearance in the NCAAs since 2017.
"They communicated what they felt would lead to success and executed it. You always talk about two things heading into the season: winning the conference and then making a run in the tournament. We've done one of those things and now we're heading to the tournament, so the guys are really excited."
In addition to Abate, fellow former Panther Kevin Morency is also on the squad to round out the locals now competing at nearby Endicott. The Gulls will now await their draw in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, which is slated to begin this coming Saturday.
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Endicott's softball team has been equally impressive this season, dropping just two games — an 11-10 extra inning setback to Suffolk and a 7-6 extra inning loss to Gordon — in 21 tries. They've been utterly dominant along the way and continued to prove that in the two-game championship slate against Western New England where they earned back-to-back shut outs in convincing fashion.
Head coach Katie Bettencourt says their ongoing success can be attributed to sheer balance on both sides of the ball, as they've combined power hitting with top-tier pitching en route to numerous victories.
"I feel like if anything losing last season (to COVID-19) made the girls not take anything for granted and they wanted to come out and prepare that much harder and compete that much harder," said Bettencourt. "I think we've been pretty solid in all facets of the game, but our offensive power has kind of taken over."
That power at the plate was on full display in Saturday's triumphant championship series with Western New England as the Gulls generated 14 total hits, 12 RBI and four homers in the two games. Adrianna Favreau was particular impressive throughout, mashing two homers and finishing with an incredible seven RBI between the two games.
But perhaps the most important aspect of the wins came in the circle as Michaela Hamill (7 innings, two hits, two walks, five Ks in the first win) and Maria Hanchuk (5 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 6 Ks) both shined bright. The two aces are now a combined 13-2 on the season.
Bettencourt strongly believes her team will be ready for their next test in the NCAA tournament, which is set to begin late next week.
"Regionals will be a little bit different with more teams but it will be all the best teams in New England and I think we're going to stack up pretty nicely," said Bettencourt. "We have to make sure we use these next 10-12 days to take care of ourselves physically, stay safe and stay health and once it gets into game time you have to hope all that preparation pays off and you're clicking on all cylinders. We're excited for the challenge."
Locals looking to aid their squad in the postseason include Swampscott's Katie Watts, Georgetown's Katie Terban and Newburyport's Annie Siemasko.
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Last but certainly not least, the Gulls women's tennis team capped off a perfect 9-0 campaign with the 5-1 win over Nichols in the conference finals.
Winners in that one included the doubles tandems of Gretta Hartman/Frenanda Trevino at No. 1 (8-6), Justin Hoover/Ashley Keaveney at No. 2 (8-2) and Shelby Henry/Olivia Berler at No. 3 (8-3). Hoover also took her first singles match, 6-0, 6-1, as did Trevino at No. 5 (6-1, 6-2). The remaining singles matches were not finished as the five individual Endicott victories sealed the team win.
The Gulls, which dropped just seven individual matches all season, four of which came in the season opener against Gordon, will now await their draw in the NCAA Tournament which begins on Friday.
