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OCTOBER 2012

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT | 400 THE FENWAY | BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02115

Living the Dream with Christopher Clark Growing up, many youngsters dream of becoming a professional athlete in the sport they love. For Christopher Clark (Class of 2008), that dream came true. Over the past five years, Clark has travelled the world playing professional soccer, living out his childhood dream. His road to the pros wasn’t exactly an easy one, in fact sometimes during his travels there were not even roads but his undying love for the game has continuously prevailed, allowing him to play the sport he loves and can’t live without. Following his graduation from Emmanuel, Clark decided to see how far he could go playing soccer. He knew he wanted to try and reach his highest potential as a player and if that meant relocating, his bags were packed and ready to go. Since making the decision to pursue his dreams, Clark has played professionally in Hungary, London, Thailand, Singapore and Australia. “The decision to keep playing was easy,” said Clark, “but there were so many challenges along the way.” Challenges like international quotas for foreign players. Many countries limit the amount of players on their roster that do not have local citizenship, so for every tryout, Clark had to make sure he was twice as good as the locals just to get a roster spot. Once on a roster, many other obstacles would come into play like finding a place to live for the season, adjusting to the local food and culture, not to mention trying to just simply communicate with

the locals and your teammates. “It was really hard at first but you learn to live on your own and find your way,” said Clark. “It was important to just be persistent and not give up, even when I wanted it to all happen overnight. It took some time and sacrifice but eventually I was able to save up and make some connections that helped point me in the right direction.” One such connection showed him the ropes in Hungary by taking him around to the local clubs and knocking on doors for a tryout. “You just never knew what could happen so every door I knocked on was my next potential team,” said Clark. “At one tryout while in Hungary I was able to train with the national team’s assistant coach and this led to a positive referral to a very competitive team.” Through his networking connections, Clark was able to play with Martin Tyler’s team in London. Tyler, an international soccer legend, was recently named the FA Premier League Commentator of the Decade. During his travels, Clark has also played with a professional foreign player’s team in Bangkok that had pro players on

Christopher Clark graduated from Emmanuel College in 2008 as the all-time leader in goals, assists and total points for the Men’s Soccer program.

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Go Saints!

By the Numbers – On September 24, sophomore women’s tennis player Jenni Hewes (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) registered a “golden match” against her Mount Ida College opponent during Emmanuel’s 9-0 victory. Hewes scored 48 consecutive points en route to her 6-0, 6-0 win in No. 5 singles play, not allowing a single point or making an error in her two sets of flawless play.

Get up-to-date news, game results and schedules or watch a game live at goecsaints.com.

Click here to read the full story.

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EMMANUEL COLLEGE SAINTS SPOTLIGHT NEWSLETTER

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By the Numbers – On Thursday, Sept. 27, senior libero Yun-Ting Lee (Keelung, Taiwan) recorded 27 digs to become the all-time leader in digs for the women’s volleyball program. The 2011 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year surpassed her former teammate, Jenna Ross (Class of 2012) who had set the record just last season at 1,565 digs.

Click here to read the full story.

Upcoming Games

MEN’S VARSITY SPORTS • BASKETBALL • CROSS COUNTRY • GOLF • INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD • LACROSSE | OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD • SOCCER • VOLLEYBALL WOMEN’S VARSITY SPORTS • BASKETBALL • CROSS COUNTRY • INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD • LACROSSE • OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD • SOCCER • SOFTBALL • TENNIS

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VOLLEYBALL

Men’s Soccer

10/3 10/6 10/8 10/10

Golf Shoots Record Low On Sept. 13, the Emmanuel men’s golf team fired off a record low team score of 325 at Putterham Meadows in Brookline, MA. Four of the five golfers competing in the match were first-year players.

Click here to read the full story.

vs. Norwich Univ. vs. Emerson College at Mount Ida College at Curry College

Women’s Soccer 10/2 10/6 10/8 10/10

vs. Johnson & Wales Univ. vs. Emerson College vs. Curry College vs. Simmons College

10/7 at USM Fall Classic 11:00 am 10/13 at Westfield St. Invitational 12:00 pm 10/20 at GNAC Championship 12:00 pm (Blackstone CC - Sutton, MA)

10/3 10/8 10/8 10/10

vs. Suffolk Univ. at Rivier Univ. vs. Emerson College at Johnson & Wales Univ.

Women’s Tennis Layout Daniel Campagna

Writers Daniel Campagna Alexis Mastronardi

Design Direction/ Graphic Design Helen Kimeria

Photographers Tom Kates Photography Merrill Shea Carla Osberg Photography EC Sports Information Dept.

Published Monthly by Athletic Department 400 The Fenway Boston, Massachusetts 02115

W W W. E M M A N U E L . E D U

7:00 pm 3:00 pm 7:00 pm 7:00 pm

Men’s Golf

Women’s Volleyball

Editor EC Sports Information Dept.

7:00 pm 12:00 pm 1:00 pm 7:00 pm

10/2 10/3 10/6 10/8

vs. Rhode Island College at Simmons College at Emerson College vs. Johnson & Wales Univ.

7:00 pm 11:00 am 1:00 pm 7:00 pm

6:30 pm 4:00 pm 12:00 pm 3:30 pm

Cross Country

10/14 at USA T&F New Englands 9:30 am (Lars Anderson Park - Brookline, MA) 10/27 at GNAC Championship 12:00 pm (Rivier University - Nashua, NH)

Get the full schedule at www.goecsaints.com

W W W. G O E C S A I N T S . C O M

OCTOBER 2012

GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS!

EMMANUEL COLLEGE SAINTS SPOTLIGHT NEWSLETTER

Shining Saints

P.J. Levesque Men’s Golf

Levesque opened his collegiate career with a bang and a few birdies, shooting a program-record low 75 to help pace a record-low and for his efforts, the rookie was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week.

Thomas Tallo Men’s Cross Country

Tallo, who was named the GNAC Men’s Cross Country Rookie of the Week, helped the Saints to two solid performances on consecutive weeks to kick off the 2012 season. The Lincoln, Rhode Island native finished within the top-seven for the Emmanuel men in both of the Saints’ opening meets. The rookie ran a 17:44 5k race at the 4th Annual Fens Classic on September 1st, to finish 5th for Emmanuel and 19th overall in his collegiate debut. Tallo then ran an 18:32 5k at the Roger Williams University Invitational on September 8th to finish 7th for the Saints.

Amanda Woznicki Women’s Tennis Woznicki, a native of Bristol, Connecticut, led the Saints to an undefeated week during the week of Sept. 17-24 with team wins over Salem State University and Albertus Magnus College. Woznicki went the entire week without giving up even one game to her singles opponents. She kicked off her perfect singles display by defeating Salem State’s No. 2 player, 6-0, 6-0, last Thursday. She then won a No. 1 singles match by the same scores, topping Albertus Magnus’s top player in New Haven on Saturday. For her efforts, Woznicki was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Week.

CAMPAGNA’S CORNER

As a former Emmanuel College student-athlete, returning to work for the Saints has been a

Dan Campagna

dream job for me. To be able to come back to where it all began and now contribute towards

graduated from Emmanuel in 2007 and now serves as the Assistant Sport Information Director

a department that was so important to be as a student is a pretty special feeling. I bleed Blue & Gold and now that I’m back, I really can’t picture myself anywhere else. The Emmanuel student-athletes that you’ll read about in this newsletter are very lucky to have a department that supports them the way they do and I’m very lucky to be able to give back and be on that support staff because I know how much it means.

GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS!

OCTOBER 2012

WOMEN’S VARSITY SPORTS • BASKETBALL • CROSS COUNTRY • INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD • LACROSSE • OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD • SOCCER • SOFTBALL • TENNIS MEN’S VARSITY SPORTS • BASKETBALL • CROSS COUNTRY • GOLF • INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD • LACROSSE | OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD • SOCCER • VOLLEYBALL

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The Norton, MA native will look to continue to lead the Saints in the program’s fourth year of varsity competition.

VOLLEYBALL

the Men’s Golf team on Sept. 13 at Putterham Country Club in Brookline, MA. The Saints team score of 325 was also

EMMANUEL COLLEGE SAINTS SPOTLIGHT NEWSLETTER

Living the Dream with Christopher Clark cont.

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VOLLEYBALL

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1...

the roster from professional club teams such as Celtic FC, Copenhagen FC and the Korean League. Along the way there have been some unforgettable moments for Clark that help paint the picture of playing professional soccer. When he was in Buenos Aires, Argentina he served as a volunteer coach for youths in La Boca near a neighborhood of Maradona’s former team, one of the greatest South American teams to date. The field he coached on was made mostly of dirt and covered in broken bottles, discarded tires and other debris. The children still played, some barefoot, and were carefree. Clark describes this experience as ‘sublime and very inspiring’ because these children had ‘the spirit of the game.’ Another memorable moment was when Clark scored the game-winning goal in the 93rd minute in the 2010 United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) National Amateur Cup Championship for his Boston Olympiakos FC team. “For every memorable moment along the way there’s probably a disaster story too,” said Clark. “But overall this experience has been an amazing opportunity that I’ll never forget and forever be thankful for. The people I’ve met along the way have inspired me to continue to do what I love and for that I am grateful.” Clark also recalls some fond memories from his Emmanuel College playing days when the men’s soccer program was in its infancy stages. “To this day several of my EC teammates are some of my closest friends who I still keep up with and try to see as much as I can,” said Clark. “I remember the team jokers who still make me laugh about some of those antics on bus trips and practice sessions. And of course the games too, they weren’t always pretty and those teams weren’t always the most skilled but we played

with a lot of heart which goes a long way at any level.” Even five years after his graduation, Clark is still the Saints’ all-time leader in goals (28), assists (12) and points (68). “I’m sure some newcomer will break those soon,” said Clark with a smile. While Clark’s professional soccer career has taken off, so has the Saints men’s soccer program. Last season the team posted a program-best 11 wins and won their first-ever Great Northeast Athletic Conference playoff game. “It’s great to hear the program is doing well,” said Clark. “We worked hard to get it off the ground back when the school was just going co-ed so it’s nice to know that we had a part of that growth.” Even with the Saints’ recent success, Clark doesn’t recommend that collegiate players attempt to continue to play professionally unless the sport is something they can’t live without. “It’s a very hard road and if you decide to go for it then make sure you really love the game so that you can keep everything else in perspective,” said Clark. “Be able to take criticism and don’t believe the praise either. Know yourself, be humble and work hard. Attitude is everything so learn to express yourself on and off the field.” Clark just wrapped up a professional season in Australia and for the first time in over a year will return to the United States to see his family and friends. “It’s a bittersweet feeling but I’m very excited to see everyone,” said Clark. As he continues his professional soccer journey, his next stop is still an openended question. “I’m considering trying my luck in Brazil, so we’ll see.” One thing is certain, if there’s a ball and a net, there’s a chance that Clark is right around the corner.

D’Ottavio Makes History in Net for Saints Senior goalkeeper Jessica D’Ottavio (Pawling, NY) made history earlier this season with her shutout against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on the opening day of the 2012 season. With the 1-0 victory on Aug. 31, D’Ottavio notched her 12th career shutout to becoming the all-time leader in the category. D’Ottavio also became the all-time leader in minutes in goal played and is currently ranked third all-time in career saves. Click here to read the full story.

SuperFan of the Month Halo (Emmanuel College Mascot) – We spotted Halo at the Women’s Soccer game on Sept. 26 and asked him who should be the SuperFan on the month. He pointed at himself so we decided that since he comes to almost every home game, always wearing the EC Blue & Gold, he had a point. Congratulations Halo on being named SuperFan of the Month!

Will you be the next SuperFan? Get spotted in the stands! Go to www.goecsaints.com for a full game schedule.

OCTOBER 2012

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EMMANUEL COLLEGE SAINTS SPOTLIGHT NEWSLETTER

A Glimpse into the Saints 2012 Fall Seasons... The Saints are off and running for the fall seasons that have already seen several exciting milestones and individual accomplishments reached along the way. As all the teams prepare for their respective conference championships at the end of October, we invite you to take a glimpse into EC Athletics.

Cross Country

The Saints Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams competed in four meets during the month of September. The Emmanuel men combined for the program’s lowest combined time on September 15th in UMass Dartmouth’s Shriners Invitational. The Emmanuel women finished 2nd out of six competing teams in the 4th Annual Fens Classic on September 1st.

Women’s Tennis

The Women’s Tennis Team is off to another solid start, boasting a streak of five wins in late September, including

The Emmanuel Men opened the 2012 campaign with a 1-0 nonconference shutout of Daniel Webster College. The Saints then went seven games without a victory, before rebounding on September 25th with a 4-1 GNAC win over Rivier University. Emmanuel stands at 2-5-2 overall and 1-3 in conference play heading into October.

Women’s Soccer

The Saints Women’s Soccer Team has had nine of their first ten games of the year decided by just one goal. Three of the end-to-end battles have resulted in overtime finishes. The Emmanuel women are currently 5-41 on the season and 2-2-1 in GNAC games.

Women’s Volleyball The Women’s Volleyball Team played a tough non-conference schedule to kick off the

Bryan Mahoney Assistant XC Coach Emmanuel Assistant Cross Country, Track & Field Coach Bryan Mahoney won the 2nd Annual Surftown Half Marathon in Westerly, Rhode Island on September 16th.

Mahoney paced a field of nearly 1,300 runners en route to his firstever half marathon victory. The second-year Assistant Coach for the Saints ran at a pace of 5:37 per mile and set a new personal record by more than three minutes with his winning time of 1:13.32, giving him a three-minute cushion over the second place finisher. Mahoney used the 13.1 mile race as part of his training for the Bay State Marathon in Lowell on October 21st.

Read more about the race by clicking here.

2012 campaign. The Saints competed in two tournaments in September, including the Oneonta State Invitational and the Brandeis University Invitational. Emmanuel wraps up the first month of the season

VOLLEYBALL

Men’s Soccer

Freshmen men’s soccer player David Field (Laguna Niguel, CA) clears a ball during the Saints 0-0 tie vs. Newbury College on Sept. 11 at Roberto Clemente Field.

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The Emmanuel Men’s Golf Team opened the 2012 season in fine fashion, setting a new program record. The Saints shot an all-time team low team score of 325 on September 13th in a tri-match at Putterham Meadows. Starting four rookies on the squad, Emmanuel has continued its stellar play and tied the 325 record again on September 26th, finishing 3rd out of 15 teams in the Elms College Blazers Invitational.

a 7-2 upset over 2011 NCAA automatic qualifier Salem State University. The Saints stand at 6-3 overall and finished the first month of the season undefeated in GNAC matches at 3-0.

at 6-12 overall and 1-0 in GNAC play.

GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS!

OCTOBER 2012

Men’s Golf

EMMANUEL COLLEGE SAINTS SPOTLIGHT NEWSLETTER

Athlete of the Month Abdihakim Ibrahim

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VOLLEYBALL

Men’s Cross Country

Birthday: Hometown: Class Year:

January 22, 1989 East Boston, Mass. Senior

Major: Position: Nickname:

Elementary Ed. NA Abdi

What do you like most about Emmanuel?

Favorite pre-game song to get pumped up?

The facilities are great.

Bubbly by Colbie Caillat

Favorite place on campus?

Pepsi or Coke?

The cafe

Neither... Sprite!

Favorite sports team?

Guilty Pleasure TV Show?

LA Lakers

Golden Girls (Used to watch it with my mother)

Favorite athlete?

Favorite cereal?

Kobe Bryant

Golden Grams

Lucky #?

Best Halloween costume you’ve worn?

Not really into Halloween

Something that most people don’t know about you?

Favorite city or town?

I used to have an afro haircut

Favorite ice cream?

Favorite vacation spot?

Chocolate Chip with Oreo

Hull, MA

How many foreign countries have you been to?

Accomplishment you are most proud of in your sport?

Boston, MA

Just 1

Counselor

If it could rain something other than rain, what would it rain?

Favorite holiday?

Grapes or M&M’s

New Year’s

Favorite Family Guy character?

Do you have any pets?

Stewie

Favorite Person at Emmanuel?

Favorite movie?

David Allen

Braveheart

Favorite quote?

Favorite music artist/band?

“Follow your heart.” - anonymous

Being voted by my campers as the Best Summer Camp

2Pac!!

OCTOBER 2012

GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS!

EMMANUEL COLLEGE SAINTS SPOTLIGHT NEWSLETTER

Coaches Corner and the Community Get to know the Saints coaching staff a little better with some fun facts and interesting stories about the leaders in the huddle. This section also highlights the Emmanuel student-athletes’ involvement in the local community, an area in which all Emmanuel College head coaches feel very strongly about. Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Denitra Seals is closing in on 100 career wins. Seals is currently in her 6th season as head coach for the Saints. However, she served as an assistant coach for five seasons, prior to being named the program’s head coach in 2007. On October 1st, Coach Seals had a total of 90 career head coaching victories. She is Emmanuel’s second all-time winningest women’s volleyball coach. When Coach Seals reaches the 100-win milestone, she will be the fourth head coach on the current Emmanuel athletic staff to have coached the Saints to 100 or more victories. Seals will join men’s basketball coach Jamal Jackson, women’s soccer coach Wayne Currie, women’s tennis coach Rob Miller and women’s basketball coach Andy Yosinoff in the hundred-plus win club.

Since taking over as Head Coach in 2007, Coach Seals has helped lead the Saints to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament every single season while also gaining a berth to the ECAC tournament in 2009 & 2011.

Emmanuel Softball Coach Rob Spofford is the only newly appointed Saints head coach for the 2012-13 seasons. Spofford has taken over the reigns of the Emmanuel program after spending three years as an Assistant Coach at local GNAC rival Emerson College. During his three years at Emerson, Spofford helped coach the Lions to consecutive trips to the GNAC Finals. Prior to coaching collegiately, Spofford spent two years as the head coach of the girls varsity softball team at Cohasset High School, where he led his squad to a South Sectional Championship and a trip to the Massachusetts Division III State Finals.

Lending a hand in the Community The Saints Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams and the Women’s Basketball Team volunteered at the 9th Annual Brian Honan 5k road race in Allston/Brighton on September 23rd, taking part in what has proven to be an annual day of community service for the three Emmanuel teams. Both teams were involved in the set-up and event registration. The Women’s Basketball Team was seen throughout the 3.1 mile course, working the water stations. The Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams manned the finish line, tracking race results and distributing medals to all of the finishers. All proceeds from the Honan 5K go to the Brian J. Honan Charitable Fund, which has supported local youth programs since City Councilor Honan’s death in 2002. This local road race is one of many community service events in which Emmanuel student-athletes are active participants each year.

Support Emmanuel College Athletics Today! The Saints Booster Club supports Emmanuel athletics by providing additional resources to keep our program comprehensive and competitive and ensure the continued growth and success of our student-athletes.

Visit www.goecsaints.com to support Emmanuel College Athletics.

GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS! GO SAINTS!

OCTOBER 2012

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And the newest Saint is...

VOLLEYBALL

Success over the Years

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT 400 THE FENWAY BOSTON, MA 02115 WWW.EMMANUEL.EDU WWW.GOECSAINTS.COM