Senior Student-Athletes Honored at Annual Banquet

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College Department of Athletics hosted its annual senior awards banquet on campus in the Weller Center on Wednesday, May 8th. The event, which drew over 100 guests, featured a series of end of year awards, along with recognition of the senior athletes in the class of 2024 as the academic and athletic year comes to an end.

The event began with opening remarks from Director of Athletics, Matt Finlayson and Dr. Tracy Espy, President of the College. This was followed by a special tribute to men's basketball head coach, Todd Peretz, who just concluded his 25th year coaching at Mitchell College. During his tenure in New London, Peretz has racked up 284 wins, and prior to Mitchell's move to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference GNAC, he guided the Mariners to four straight appearances in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) title game, resulting in three championships and NCAA Tournament berths. During that span, Peretz was named the NECC Coach of the Year three times (2023, 2022, 2019). Peretz also enjoyed many successful campaigns while directing the men's program through its transformation from a junior college to a NCAA Division III institution. In 2002 he led Mitchell to a New England Championship and national tournament appearance and was named Region and District Coach of the Year.

Following a short break for dinner, each head coach was given the opportunity to step to the podium to share words on their senior student athletes. At the conclusion of each presentation, seniors from each team gathered to collect a student-athlete sash and a gift bag put together by the department. Once the coaches concluded, the evening moved into the awards category, with nine trophies distributed in a variety of categories.

The first award given out was the Dean Roberts Distinguished Service Award, given annually to a student who can be an athlete, team manager, or intern that embodies the concepts of selflessness, commitment, and community service.

Emily Reynolds (Somers, Conn.), a junior on the softball team, was the winner of this year's award. Reynolds serves as the President of Mitchell's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and recently traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, to represent Mitchell College at the 2024 NCAA Convention. Also a member of the GNAC SAAC Commissioner's Council, she has helped organize and run food drives, is active giving tours to prospective students, serves as the PA voice of Mitchell basketball, is member of Chi Alpha Sigma, and recently at the College's campus awards, received the Servant Leadership Award, given to students who have made significant contributions to the campus community and who do not seek or receive public recognition for their efforts.

The next award handed out was the Mariner Excellence Award, presented annually to the male and female graduating student-athletes who have excelled athletically while also attaining an outstanding academic record (minimum 3.3 cum GPA).

On the women's side, the award was presented to Yasmine Santos (Pawtucket, R.I.) from the women's basketball team who majored in Psychology and graudated with a cumulative grade point average of 3.89. During her career, Santos played in 77 career games and helped lead the Mariners to back to back conference championships. This season she earned All-Conference first team honors after averaging 25.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, both program records and was named to the D3hoops.com All-Region 1 Third Team. She also surpassed 1,000 career points in the regular season finale, becoming just the fifth player in program history to reach the milestone. Off the court, Santos is active in the campus community, is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, and at the recent College awards, she earned the Donald B. Helms Merit Award in Psychology, earned the Ted and Barbra Hargrove Service Award, and was inducted into the Psychology National Honor Society.

On the men's side, the award went to Dontae Pollard (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.), a member of the men's basketball team who majored in Communications and graduated with a cumulative grade point average of 3.33. Pollard played in 66 career games with the Mariners, and was a key contributor on teams that won back to back conference championships and made two consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The lone senior on this year's men's basketball team, he averaged a career-high 13.1 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, 1.7 assists per game, and 1.2 steals per game. Off the court, Pollard spent the past semester interning in the College's communication department, helping with content creation, story writing, social media, and more efforts to help increase the visibility of Mitchell College, and he is also active in his work assisting the Athletic Department in all facets of game day operations.

The night then transitioned to the Doug Yarnall Coaches Award, which goes to the graduating male and female student-athletes who contribute most to the varsity athletics program by promoting excellence through sportsmanship, passion for the sport, and dedication to their team and teammates.

The female recipient of the Doug Yarnall Coaches Award was Katelyn Lipsky (Plantsville, Conn.), a four-year member of the softball program and team captain, who concluded her career with 35 career wins, a program record 419 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.86. A dedicated teammate on and off the field, Lipsky has been named conference Pitcher of the Year twice, has been a First Team All-Conference Selection twice, and battled injuries to help the Mariners win 40 games across her junior and senior seasons, as many wins as the team had combined in the previous four years. A two-time Academic All-Conference Team selection, she is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma and at the recent College awards was given the Hospitality Management Award of Excellence, presented to the student who in the judgement of the department demonstrated exemplary service to the hospitality industry and dedication to the study of hospitality management.

The male recipient of the award went to Camren Varney (Manchester, N.H.), one of the most dedicated players in the history of the Mitchell baseball program. A fifth year senior who has played a role in three conference championships and been a part of three NCAA Tournament teams, he entered the event with 192 and one third innings pitched, 55 appearances, the most in the Division III era of the program. Always willing to do what the team needs, as of Wednesday evening he had started 30 games and made 25 appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 16-6 career record with a 4.16 ERA and 181 strikeouts.

Next up was the Newcomer of the Year Award, presented to the male and female student-athlete that overall has had most prolific first year as a varsity athlete.

The female recipient was Morgan Fontaine (Cheshire, Conn.), a first-year player for the women's soccer team, who started in all 17 games and was the driving force behind the Mitchell offense during her debut season in New London. Fontaine was named to the GNAC All-Rookie Team, finishing with eight goals and two assists for 18 points. The eight goals and 18 points were both team high figures, and she finished with multiple goals in two games. Her play remained strong throughout conference play, as she netted five goals on 32 shots on goal to go along with a pair of assists.

The male Newcomer of the Year was presented to freshman Michael Ficocelli (North Providence, R.I.), a one-time GNAC Rookie of the Week selection who is in the midst of one of, if not the, strongest freshman seasons in the conference. Entering Wednesday's event, his .386 batting average ranked fourth on the team among all players to register at least 50 at bats. A nightmare for opposing pitchers, his 61 hits were tops in the conference, while he was tied for second in the GNAC with 16 doubles, tied for third with three triples, and ranked sixth with 41 runs scored.

The night then concluded with the presentation of the Athlete of the Year award, presented to the male and female student-athlete considered to be the most accomplished athlete in the varsity sports program.

The 2024 Female Athlete of the Year went to junior Gemma Landry (Lewiston, ME), a standout on both the soccer pitch and softball field. This fall she was one of the most challenged goalkeepers in the country, facing more than 11 shots a game. However, despite the volume of shots, she was able make the stop more often than not and finished the regular season in the in the top-20 nationally in total saves with 150, which also led the GNAC. This player was challenged to make seven or more saves 11 times and had double-digit save totals six times. She also picked up two clean sheets in conference play, helping her earn Goalkeeper of the Week honors in the week ending October 15th. In the spring, this player continued to make an impact on the diamond, anchoring the Mitchell softball team with her play at shortstop. She finished fifth on the team with a .298 batting average, while leading the Mariners with 37 hits, 17 runs scored, and four steals. Her play only improved in conference play, where is batted .343, with 23 hits, including two doubles, and three triples, to go along with 13 runs scored and nine RBI. A one-time GNAC Player of the Week this spring, as a junior this player collected the 145th hit of her career on April 25th, breaking the record for the most hits in the Division III era of the Mitchell College softball program.

And finally, the 2024 Male Athlete of the Year was presented to senior Cole Lalli (Coventry, Conn.), a one-time GNAC Player of the Week for the baseball team. Lalli delivered a breakout season for the Mitchell baseball team, which saw him emerge as one of, if not the, most feared hitter in the conference. Entering Wednesday's event, he was second in the conference with a .398 batting average, and led the GNAC with 52 RBI. He was also within the top-10 conference wide with 16 doubles, two triples, and six sacrifice flies. His performance and production remained impressive across 15 games of conference play, as this senior batted .403 with one home run, eight double, one triple, 23 RBI, and 13 runs scored against GNAC opponents during the regular season.