Saint Anselm Athletics 2020 Year In Review

12/31/2020 6:00:00 PM

The year 2020 began just like most before on campus, with its winter sports teams competing on the hardwood and on the ice. Late winter also saw baseball, softball, men's and women's lacrosse head to Florida for their annual spring break trips with the goal of returning to the Northeast and competing for conference and national championships.

With March's news that NCAA postseason play for the winter sports teams would be cancelled and the additional notification that the Northeast-10 Conference canceled its spring sports schedules, attention then turned to supporting Saint Anselm student-athletes through unprecedented times in the College's, and our country's, histories.

With the health and safety of Saint Anselm student-athletes, coaches, administrators, staff and campus communities at the forefront of the College's decision-making, the Anselmian community was able to accomplish something that few other athletics programs in the region were able to achieve - a meaningful on-campus student-athlete experience for its varsity sports teams this past Fall.

Join us in looking back on the calendar year that was on the Hilltop.

BASEBALL: Under the guidance of first year Head Coach Jerod Edmondson '06, Saint Anselm posted its best start in 28 seasons after opening the campaign with a 4-0 record. The Hawks found themselves in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) East Region Poll, ranking 10th in the region.

Through the team's 4-0 start, the Hawks outscored their opposition by a combined 34-to-11 margin. Saint Anselm finished its year on a two-game winning streak, defeating Northern State by a 10-2 margin on Friday, Mar. 6 before posting a 6-1 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday, Mar. 7.

FIELD HOCKEY: Big news came out of the NCAA offices in April as the Hawks nationally-ranked field hockey program earned three team NCAA statistical championships. Then-junior goalkeeper Julia Hand (Reading, Mass.) earned two individual championships.

As a team, Saint Anselm finished atop NCAA Division II in cumulative save percentage (0.870), goals-against average (0.26) and shutouts per game (0.87). Individually, Hand posted the nation's finest goals-against average (0.25) and logged a save percentage of 0.868.

The Hawks finished as the national runners-up in Fall 2019, posting an NCAA Division II record by winning all 20 of its games via shutout. Against Northeast-10 Conference programs in conference, non-conference and postseason play, the Hawks won 18 out of a possible 19 games and outscored league foes by a 63-to-1 margin.

Most recently, the NCAA announced in October that Saint Anselm has been selected to host the 2023 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship. Grappone Stadium will facilitate the national semifinals and championship games.

FOOTBALL: With over 75% of the record-setting 2019 program returning, big things were in store for the Saint Anselm football team in 2020. With the fall sport season postponed, however, the Hawks turned their attention to training and have set themselves up nicely for when game action returns.

Saint Anselm finished the 2019 season with four wins, the most in a season since 2014. Defeating three of the top five teams in the 2019 NE10 Preseason Coaches' Poll, the squad fell just one victory shy of matching a program record for conference wins.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Saint Anselm won its ninth Northeast-10 Conference postseason championship on Mar. 7, defeating the University of New Haven in overtime to earn an automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the national championships were cancelled just before the Hawks were slated to take on Le Moyne on the campus of the University of Bridgeport.

Winning both the NE10's regular season and postseason championships in 2020, the Hawks currently own the third-longest active NCAA appearance streak in Division II, drawing a spot in the national postseason across eight consecutive seasons. Once official games resume, Saint Anselm will enjoy an active 11-game winning streak, the sixth-longest active streak in NCAA Division II as of last season.

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY: The Hawks carried the momentum of last season's strong NCAA Division II East Regionals finish into training exercises this past Fall. The squad finished 14th out of 26 teams at last season's regionals and used this past semester to prepare, alongside seven newcomers to the roster, for a return to competition.

MEN'S GOLF: Under the watchful eye of first-year Head Coach Shaun Bishop, the men's golf team at Saint Anselm was able to train at nearby Candia Woods Golf Links, the College's long-time practice facility. The Hawks also added Robbie Forti to the 2020-21 squad as the lone freshman of what is an experienced group of student-athletes.

MEN'S ICE HOCKEY: The Hawks posted a four-game winning streak in January 2020, defeating Salem State, Southern Maine and Post twice in that span. This past semester, the men's ice hockey team capped off its 2020 calendar year with a blue & white scrimmage on campus. The Hawks also celebrated Senior Day, honoring the five members of the senior class in a pre-game ceremony.

MEN'S LACROSSE: Saint Anselm finished the shortened 2020 season with an undefeated 3-0 record, picking up two victories over nationally-regarded programs. The Hawks logged a season-opening win over No. 18-ranked New York Tech to crack the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's national coaches' poll. After an overtime victory against Florida Tech next time out, the Hawks handed Georgian Court, a team receiving votes in the national poll, a convincing 15-6 defeat.

The Hawks finished the season ranked as high as No. 18 in NCAA Division II and through three games posted the nation's best clearing percentage (0.938) and was one of only 11 teams in the division without a defeat. The group of seniors reached the NE10 Tournament in each of its first three seasons, including the program's first appearance in the NE10 Championship back in 2018.

MEN'S SOCCER: The men's soccer team at Saint Anselm conducted practices and strength & conditioning workouts this past semester, welcoming in eight newcomers to the fold in August upon the squad's return to the Hilltop. The Hawks strong alumni base received excellent news in mid-January as Kevin Nylen ‘03 was named Head Coach of the Boston University men’s soccer program.

SOFTBALL: The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm softball team began the 2020 campaign with their best start in program history with a 6-0 record down in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The hot start helped the Hawks push into the top-15 of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Coaches' Poll, moving up as high as 12th.

Saint Anselm concluded its season with three straight wins, including one over No. 24 Southern Indiana on Saturday, Mar. 7, to finish with a 16-4 overall record. Five student-athletes comprised the Hawks' senior class, the winningest in school history - the group won over 40 games in each of the previous two seasons, highlighted by a national runner-up finish in 2018. The squad also won the program's first NE10 postseason title in 2019.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Saint Anselm wrapped up last season's pandemic-shortened campaign with a 21-7 overall record which helped them to a Northeast-10 Conference championship game for the first time since the 1998-99 season. The Hawks also earned an NCAA Division II East Region Championship berth and were set to defend their East Region Championship from the 2019-20 campaign before the event's cancellation.

Under the guidance of fourth-year Head Coach Corey Boilard, the Hawks logged their second consecutive 20-win campaign and finished the 2019-20 season ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II East Region official poll.

Last season, Saint Anselm led the NE10 in several statistical categories, including rebounds per game (43.86), rebound margin (9.9), and defensive rebounds per game (30.4). Saint Anselm also averaged 4.5 blocks per contest, falling just percentage points behind the eventual NE10 statistical leader.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY: The early months of 2020 brought great news to the Hawks women's cross country team. The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named two Saint Anselm student-athletes to its Academic Awards list. Sophomore Dominique Engle (Rutland, Mass.) and freshman Delaney Flanagan (Bedford, N.H.) were honored for their work in the classroom.

The women's squad was also one of 148 women's programs in NCAA Division II nationwide that earned overall team All-Academic honors for its combined academic achievement.

WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY: The Hawks had a busy 2020 campaign, if only taking into account that the team played in the longest women's ice hockey game in NCAA history! Competing in the New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) semifinals on Feb. 22, junior Madison Sprague (White Bear Lake, Minn.) cashed in with a game-winning goal at 147:24 of the game - the fifth overtime - to set the NCAA record for minutes played.

Amanda Conger ‘20 was also the recipient of the prestigious Hockey Humanitarian Award, donating an organ to someone in need prior to her senior season with the Hawks women’s ice hockey team. Off the ice, the Hawks landed 10 student-athletes on the 2019-20 NEWHA All-Academic Team and recently conducted a blue & white scrimmage where President Dr. Joseph Favazza (pictured above) addressed and lauded the team for its hard work, academically and athletically, during the Fall 2020 semester.

WOMEN'S LACROSSE: Saint Anselm posted its best start since 2014 this past spring, opening the 2020 campaign with a 4-0 record.

Saint Anselm started the season off with a convincing 13-3 victory over No. 16 Saint Leo. That victory propelled the Hawks into the national coaches' poll, starting at No. 25. Two days later, the Hawks followed with an 18-11 triumph over Embry-Riddle (Fla.). Midway through their Florida trip in early March, the Hawks battled Wingate to a 17-12 score ending in favor of Saint Anselm.

The squad finished the trip after taking down Saint Thomas Aquinas by a 19-9 margin. With a 4-0 record, the Hawks found themselves ranked 20th in the final 2020 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II Coaches Poll.

WOMEN'S SOCCER: The Hawks women's soccer team was not unlike most on the Hilltop this past semester, training in anticipation of playing intercollegiate games at some point during the 2020-21 academic year. Under the direction of Head Coach Joel Bancroft, the Hawks conducted meaningful training opportunities with the ultimate goal of improving upon the team's seven-win campaign in 2019.

Women's tennis waits in line on Photo Day

WOMEN'S TENNIS: With one of its largest rosters in recent memory, the Hawks women's tennis team practiced and welcomed four newcomers to the program in the Fall of 2020. With ample training opportunities this past semester, Saint Anselm will look to return to action next semester with additional experience.

VOLLEYBALL: The Hawks had a strong 2019 season, earning the College's third-straight appearance to the NCAA Division II Tournament. With the fall sports season postponed in 2020, Saint Anselm began their training outside on grass fields and worked their way up to practicing indoors as the College's COVID-19 return to play plans allowed.

Head Coach Braden Zamore also announced the signing of seven high school seniors to the institution's Class of 2024. After losing just two seniors to graduation in 2019, Zamore welcomed two middle blockers, two defensive specialists, and three outside hitters to campus with the goal of returning to the NCAA postseason when play resumes.

OTHER NEWS STORIES FROM 2020

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