Keene State Reaps Little East Annual Honors

KEENE, N.H. 05/16/05 - The Keene State College men’s lacrosse team was well represented in the Little East Conference annual awards announced on Monday. Eric Momnie and Matt Johnson were named offensive player and rookie of the year respectively, while head coach Mark Theriault was selected LEC coach of the year. Momnie and Johnson, along with four Owl teammates were Little East All-First team selections. KSC also placed one player on the second team. Momnie, a senior attackman from South Windsor, Conn., finished first in the conference and 14th in the nation in goals per game (3.67) and led the Owls with 67 points on 49 goals and 18 assists. Momnie, who finished his career by setting KSC career goal (158) and point (240) marks, is making his first appearance on the All-LEC team. A freshman goalie from Derry, N.H., Johnson anchored a KSC defense that surrendered just 32 goals in conference regular-season play this spring. He led the league and was eighth in the nation in goals against average (5.64 GAA). The three-time LEC defensive player of the week made a career-high 20 saves in the Owls’ 15-4 victory over Eastern Conn. earlier this season. Coach Theriault, in his sixth season, earned LEC coaching honors for the second time in four years (2002, 2005). The Lewiston, Me., native not only guided Keene State to a 10-5 overall record and an undefeated 6-0 conference mark, but its first-ever LEC title and NCAA tournament berth this season. Sophomore defenseman Ron Ward (Derry, N.H.), senior defenseman Garrett Keane (Amherst, N.H.), senior midfielder Meade MacKay (Stratham, N.H.), and long-stick midfielder Brian Walsh (West Hartford, Conn.) were also first-team selections. MacKay, who finished second on the team in scoring (20-33-53), set a KSC career assists record with 97. This is his first selection to the first-team; he is a three-time All-LEC second team recipient. Walsh and Keane earn their third LEC selection, while Ward receives his second. Freshman defenseman Ryan Githmark (Cheshire, Conn.) earned second-team All-LEC honors. BASEBALL KEENE, N.H. 5/16/05 - Ken Howe was selected Coach of the Year and four Owl players received All-Little East Conference baseball honors on Monday. Ken Howe, KSC’s 19th year coach, led his Owls (22-15) to their best regular season conference finish, tied for second, in the school’s history. The team’s 9-5 LEC record was a complete reversal from KSC’s 5-9 conference mark a year ago. This marks the second Conference Coach of the Year honor for Howe, a Keene, native, who received the award in 2000. Keene State was represented on the first team by sophomore catcher John Grainger (Keene, NH) and senior second baseman Mike Masseur (Warwick, RI). Grainger batted a team-high .414 to go with two home runs and 18 RBIs while Masseur posted a .354 average with 40 hits and 11 RBIs. Junior outfielder Jeremy Schilling (Centerville, Mass.) and freshman relief pitcher Greg Ford (Nashua, N.H.) were named to the second team. Schilling batted .352 with a home run and 15 RBIs. Ford had an impressive first season for KSC going 1-0 and not giving up an earned run (0.00 ERA) in 11 appearances and 10 innings of work on the mound. He also shattered the Owl record with eight saves. KSC (22-15) plays at Curry College in a quarterfinal ECAC Tournament game on Friday (12 p.m.). WOMEN’S LACROSSE KEENE, N.H. 05/16/05 - The Keene State College women’s lacrosse team faired well today in the LEC annual awards. Michelle Mason and Lauren Saunders were named to the All-LEC first-team, while three Owl teammates received All-LEC second-team honors. Mason, a senior attack from Fairport, N.Y., led the Owls in scoring with 70 goals, 23 assists, and 93 points. In just three years, she established KSC career goal (202), assists (82), and point (284) records. This is her third appearance on the LEC all-star team. Saunders, a midfielder from Fremont, N.H., finished third on the team in scoring with 33 goals and two assists and 35 points. She also had a team-high 17 caused turnovers. Junior attackman Kristal Lundegaard (Babylon, N.Y.), sophomore defender Melissa Gagnon (Saco, Me.), and junior goalkeeper Mandy Gray (Sharon, Mass.) were named to the second team. Lundegaard (33-20-53) finished second on the team in scoring with 33 goals, 20 assists and 53 points, Gagnon was a standout defender, while Gray posted a 10.61 goals against average. Keene State (10-9) advanced to the championship game of the ECAC Tournament. SOFTBALL KEENE, N.H. 5/16/05 - For the second year in a row, Meghan McLoughlin has been named the Little East Conference’s top pitcher. McLoughlin led the LEC and was tied for first in the nation with a minuscule 0.21 ERA. Her spectacular senior season included a 15-4 record with 18 complete games, nine shutouts and 172 strikeouts. With a 3-0 record in the LEC Tournament, McLoughlin earned the Most Outstanding Player award. The Owls earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament where they fell in the finals of the regional tournament. Two more KSC players, all freshmen, catcher Melissa Scata (Medway, MA) and outfielder Kaity Conklin (Selkirk, NY) earned first team honors. Scata had a team-high seven home runs and 25 RBIs to go with a .292 batting average while Conklin finished her first season with a .339 average, two home runs, and 19 RBIs. Ashlee Nicholson (Swanzey, N.H.) and Sarah Campbell (Auburn, Mass.) received second team recognition. Nicholson, a freshman first baseman, batted a team-high .343 with a home run and 16 RBIs while Campbell, a sophomore second baseman, had a .316 average with a home run and 14 RBIs. Keene State (34-8), which set a program record for wins, captured the Little East Championship and advanced to the finals of the NCAA Division III New England Tournament.

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