How winter sport college athletes with Upper Valley ties fared

By TRIS WYKES

Valley News Staff Writer

Published: 04-10-2023 10:22 AM

Here’s a look at some of the Upper Valley residents who played varsity college sports this winter.

Women’s basketball

Drew (Mass.) University went 17-8 with freshman forward Beth Dobrich (Sharon/Hartford) averaging 4.6 minutes, 1.1 points and 1.7 rebounds... Senior guard Alexis Matte (Lebanon) was part of Norwich’s 11-14 campaign. The Mount Royal Academy product appeared in 16 games, averaging 6.1 minutes, 0.9 points and 1.2 rebounds… Virginia Tech graduate student Taylor Soule (West Lebanon/KUA), who transferred after playing four seasons at Boston College, helped the Hokies won the ACC championship and advance to the Final Four. She averaged 28.6 minutes, 10.9 points and 5.6 rebounds… Stonehill (Mass.) College was 9-20 during its inaugural Division I season. Freshman forward Melissa Whitmore (Hanover) started 13 of the 20 games in which she played, averaging 16.1 minutes, 5.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest… St. Michael’s struggled to a 1-24 record, freshman forward Reese Perry (Windsor) appearing in 14 games and averaging 5.1 minutes per contest… Maine was 16-14 with junior guard Olivia Rockwood (Windsor) playing every game and starting 18 times. She averaged 6.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per outing… Penn went 17-12 with senior forward Silke Milliman (Hanover)starting one of the 28 games in which she played and averaging 6.1 minutes, 1.0 points and 1.7 rebounds per contest.

Men’s hockey

Middlebury was 5-18-1 with freshman forward Zach Whitehead (Meridan) contributing four goals and two assists in 22 games… Junior defenseman T.J. Beaver (Hanover) produced a goal and two assists while playing 20 games for St. Michael’s (14-2-1)… Cornell (21-11-2) upset defending national champion Denver in the first round of the NCAA Division I tournament with sophomore forward Sullivan Mack (KUA) scoring six goals and adding four assists during action in 25 games… Michigan (26-11-3) roared into the Frozen Four with freshman brothers Luca and Adam Fantilli (KUA). Luca Fantilli, the Big Ten Conference’s rookie of the year and one of three finalists for national player of the year, scored 29 goals and added 35 assists in 35 games. He is expected to be the second selection in this year’s NHL entry draft. Adam Fantilli had two goals and five assists in 36 games… Williams (Mass.) College sophomore Owen Standheim (Lyme/Hanover) produced four goals and four assists in 23 games for the Ephs (9-16-2), who secured the NESCAC tournament’s eighth and final berth. Williams upset top-seeded Wesleyan and advanced to the tournament final… Senior Tate Singleton (West Lebanon/Lebanon) and Ohio State (21-16-3) reached the NCAA Division I quarterfinals with the forward appearing in every game and producing 11 goals and 16 assists… Graham Chickering (Grantham/Lebanon) was a freshman forward at the University of New England (21-7-2), which lost in overtime during the NCAA Division III semifinals. He had two goals and an assist during eight games played.

Women’s hockey

Plymouth State endured a 3-19-1 campaign. Junior forward Marissa Pickman, a Bradford, N.H. resident who played for the combined Lebanon-Stevens-Kearsarge high school team, skated in 13 games… Northeastern’s 34-3-1 season ended with a loss to top-seeded Ohio State in the national semifinals. Graduate student and forward Mia Brown (Woodstock/KUA) played in 36 games and had eight goals and three assists… Amherst lost three overtimes during the Division III title game, going 26-3 and receiving three goals and three assists from freshman defender Gretchen Dann (Hanover/KUA) who played in 29 games… Norwich (19-8-2) won the New England Hockey Conference before exiting the NCAA Division III playoffs in the opening round. Senior defender Molly Flanagan (KUA) played in 27 games and produced three goals and 11 assists.

Men’s skiing

Keelan Durham of Williams(Corinth/Oxbow) finished 36th out of 40 individual nordic competitors at the NCAA’s all divisions championships at Lake Placid, N.Y. The sophomore clocked 1 hour, four minutes on the 20k course… Plymouth State finished fifth at the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association championships, senior Liam McKim (Plainfield) landing in 75th place after his first slalom run and failing to qualify for a second… Middlebury junior Charlie Lang (Norwich) turned in a stretch of three consecutive top-20 alpine finishes for the Panthers… Dartmouth finished fifth at the NCAAs. Freshman Jack Lange (Lyme/Hanover) earned second team All-American nordic honors by finishing ninth in the 20k race in 56:30… At the same meet, Dartmouth sophomore Oliver Morgan (Hanover) was 11th in the slalom at 54.31 on his first run, but didn’t finish his second attempt… Colby senior Chauncey Morgan (Hanover) was 23rd in the alpine portion of the NCAAs, posting a best time of 55.40 as the Mules finished 13th out 16 teams.

Track

Jack Simack (Sharon/White River Valley) tossed the weight a career-best 33 feet, 3 inches during St. Lawrence’s Feb. 17 meet… Brown senior Abayomi Lowe (White River Junction/Hartford) finished 20th in the 60 meters (7.12 seconds) and 21st in the 200 meters (22.82) at the Ivy League championships. A week earlier, he ran a career-best 7.01 in the 60 and during a home meet…Plymouth State junior Mackenzie Labrie (Canaan/Mascoma) was part of the Panthers’ winning, 4x200 meter relay team at the Little East Conference championships. The four teamed for a time of 1:49.19, three seconds better than the runners-up. Also competing for PSU that day was freshman Kylie Tyler (Orford/Rivendell), who was selected to the meet’s All-Rookie team after posting the best weight throw, 9.57 meters, her second-best of the season… St. Lawrence freshman Amelia Berthold (Hanover) cleared 1.43 meters in the high jump to finish eighth at the Liberty League championships. Saints senior Laken Mooney (Lebanon) chipped in a season-best 4.77 meters, good for second place… UMasss-Lowell graduate student Izzy Giesing (Bradford/Oxbow) earned second team All-American honors for the second time in her career. She finished 12th at the NCAA Division I championships in the 800 meters, finishing in 2:06.72... UNH freshman Opal Shinnlinger (Canaan/Mascoma) finished second in the weight throw during the Wildcats’ late-season tri-meet with UMass-Lowell and UVM. Her effort was measured at 42 feet, 6 inches... Leila Trummel (Etna/Hanover), a senior at Maine’s Bowdoin College, ran a season-best 4:59.38 in the 200 meters preliminaries at the NCAA Division III championships. She narrowly missed a berth in the finals… Roanoke (Va.) College finished third at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship meet. Sophomore Eleanor Hinckley (Hartford) was sixth in the high jump at 1.55 meters… Trinity (Conn.) College junior Kennedy Mullen (Wilder/Hartford)earned NCAA Division III All-Mideast Region honors for running 57.58 in the 400-meter dash… Bethany Davis (White River Junction/Hartford), a Castleton freshman, was 12th in the mile at 6:07.17 at the Little East championships... At Southern Maine, freshman Janiah Young (Perkinsville/Windsor) placed fifth in the 200 in 25.93 at the NCAA Division III New England championships. It’s the third-fastest such time in program history. Young also competed in the 60 meters and finished 12th at 8.04 seconds.

Other sports

Plymouth State freshman swimmer Baillie Mako (Lebanon) finished the 100-yard freestyle 29th in 1:08.27 at the Little East Conference championships, a personal best by more than five seconds… Another swimmer, Middlebury senior Madeline Hiller (Woodstock) won the 200 breaststroke in 2:29.58 when her team hosted a five-team meet on Jan. 27-28… Tufts senior diver Kai Renshaw (Hanover) qualified for the NCAA Division III Regionals but was unable to attend… Basketball guard and graduate student Nick Timberlake (Kimball Union Academy) averaged 17.7 points and was the leading scorer at Towson (Md.) University (21-12)… Plymouth State men’s basketball was 10-15. Freshman guard Max Galbraith (Hanover) started one of the 21 games in which he appeared, averaging 7.2 minutes and 2.2 points per game.

Who did we miss? Let us know at twykes@vnews.com.

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