SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – In the final installment of the Northeast-10 Conference weekly awards, seniors Breanne Gleason and Nicole Downs were named the NE-10 Pitcher of the Week and Player of the week, respectively. The pair led the Chargers to an 8-0 week, helping UNH finish with the NE-10 regular season title- the first time since New Haven joined the conference in the summer of 2008.

In the final installment of the Northeast-10 Conference weekly awards, seniors Breanne Gleason and Nicole Downs were named the NE-10 Pitcher of the Week and Player of the week, respectively.

In game two on senior day Gleason became just the 20th Div. II pitcher to reach the 1,0000th strike out milestone. She started six games, while coming in relief in two and picking up eight wins. The Bristol, Conn. native accumulated 70 strike outs over the eight-game span, including a career-high 15 vs. St. Anselm on Saturday. In 44.2 innings, Gleason allowed just eight runs on 18 hits, including just four extra base hits.

Downs accumulated 15 hits on 25 at-bats for .600 batting average on the week. The Seymour, Conn. native tallied 19 RBI, 11 runs, three doubles, four home runs and our walks with just one strike out. She had a career-high seven RBI in game two vs. Southern New Hampshire, with two home runs including a grand slam.

As the No. 1 seed in the NE-10 Championship, the Chargers will host the tournament May 7-9 at the UNH Softball Field. On Friday, UNH will play the winner of the No. 4 Adelphi vs. No. 5 Assumption/UMass Lowell game. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m., but could change depending on the length of time the games prior.

STARKVILLE, Miss. – University of New Haven senior softball player Nicole Downs has been named the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday, March 28, 2010.

University of New Haven senior softball player Nicole Downs has been named the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday, March 28, 2010.

Downs help lead the Charger to a perfect 6-0 week by going 11-for-13 with nine runs, five RBI’s, a double, three home runs, eight walks, no strikeouts and one stolen base. She boasted a .846 batting average, a 1.148 slugging percentage and a .870 on-base percentage.

Two of her three homeruns came against N.Y.I.T. on Thursday, helping to power UNH to the doubleheader sweep. Downs also led the Chargers to a pair of victories over Northeast-10 Conference foe Le Moyne College on Saturday afternoon, which included a 16-3 five-inning victory.

This season, Downs is averaging .478 at the plate with five home runs and 13 RBI’s. She currently holds the UNH record for career home runs, a record her and fellow senior Breanne Gleason broke last season.

Downs leads the Chargers back to action on Friday when they host Adelphi University for a NE-10 match up at the UNH softball complex. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

WEST HAVEN — University of New Haven women’s lacrosse student-athlete Mallory Ferrandiz and baseball student-athlete Tom Rombilus have been named the Charger Bulletin Athletes of the Week for the week ending Sunday, May 3, 2009.

Ferrandiz helped lead the Chargers women’s lacrosse team to the program’s first-ever Northeast-10 Conference Championship and NCAA appearance. She was named to the All-Northeast-10 Conference First Team, the Northeast-10 Conference All-Championship Team and was named the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Most Outstanding Player. She tallied eight goals and four assists in four games the past two weeks. She also grabbed 12 draw controls, including eight in the Chargers NE-10 Championship semifinal matchup.

Ferrandiz leads the Chargers into the NCAA Division II tournament on Saturday, May 9 at C.W. Post. Game time is still to be determined.

Rombilus helped led the Chargers baseball team into their first-ever Northeast-10 Conference Championship. New Haven clinched the fifth seed in the tournament and take on fourth seed Bentley University today for a spot in the semifinal round.

Rombilus led the Chargers with a .439 batting average in four wins. He tallied 18 hits in 41 at-bats. He drove in six runs and scored eight over the past two weeks. He tallied a two-week high four hits on Thursday, April 30 against Merrimack.

The Charger Bulletin Athletes of the Week are announced every other week in the Charger Bulletin and on the Chargers website at www.newhaven.edu/athletics. 

WEST HAVEN – University of New Haven softball pitcher Breanne Gleason and baseball second baseman Evan Okon have been named the Charger Bulletin Athletes of the Week for the week ending Sunday, April 19, 2009.

Gleason helped lead the Chargers’ softball team to a 13-3 record, including a 12-2 conference record, over the past two weeks. She became the Chargers all-time strikeouts leader on Monday, April 13 when she passed Jo-Lynn Cimino (1994-98) who previously held the record with 614. Gleason, only a junior, has 245 strikeouts so far this season and threw 119 over the last two weeks. She recorded 12 of the Chargers 13 wins in 100 innings pitched the last two weeks and only allowed 15 earned runs. Her 1.05 earned run average over the last two weeks helped her earned Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Pitcher of the Week honors as well as Northeast-10 Conference Pitcher of the Week honors last week. Gleason, also named the NE-10 Player of the Week for the week ending April 12, 2009, has also boasted a team-high .353 batting average and 14 RBI.

The softball team returns to action on Wednesday, April 22 when they host Stonehill College at 3 p.m. The softball teams concluded their 2009 regular season home games on Thursday, April 23 when they host Caldwell College.

Okon has helped to lead the Chargers to a 7-3 record over the last two weeks. He’s leading the team with by hitting .400 over the two weeks and has driven in seven runs. On Thursday, April 16 Okon broke the Chargers all-time hits record by passing former UNH standout and Hall of Famer Rob Skinnon (1998-01) who previously held the record of 233. With 44 hits this season, Okon has brought his career total to 236. In the same game, Okon hit a double to left center, which drove in the Chargers game-winning run, tying him with Michael Moras for the all-time doubles record of 53.

The baseball team returns to action on Weds., April 22 when they travel to Franklin Pierce University at 3:30 p.m. The Chargers return home on Friday, April 24 in a game against Bentley University.

WEST HAVEN -University of New Haven women’s lacrosse student-athlete Brigid Brady and baseball student-athlete Chris Smith have been named the Charger Bulletin Athletes of the Week for the week ending Sunday, April 5, 2009.

Brady helped lead the Chargers to four wins and just one loss over the past two weeks. The senior also scored five goals on Wednesday, April 1 in the Chargers 17-7 victory over No. 10 Dowling College. She also netted two game-winning goals, grabbed three ground balls and one draw control.

Smith led the Chargers in two decisive victories over the past two weeks. He started two games on the mound for the Chargers and tallied two victories. On March 28, Smith pitched eight complete innings and allowed four hits in the Chargers 12-1 victory over Stonehill College. He did not give up a run and struck out seven batters. Smith returned to the mound on April 4 and pitched six complete innings against cross-town rival Southern Connecticut. He struck out seven and earned the 5-1 win for the Chargers.

WEST HAVEN, Conn. – University of New Haven women’s lacrosse student-athlete Ashley Ferrandiz and baseball catcher Jimmy Rivas have been named the Charger Bulletin Athletes of the Week for the week ending Sunday, March 22.

Ferrandiz has helped guide the Chargers women’s lacrosse team to a perfect 5-0 start, including a 3-0 Northeast-10 Conference record. She’s tallied 19 goals and 15 assists in 284 minutes for the Chargers. The sophomore has also grabbed 20 ground balls and ten draw controls. Ferrandiz led the Chargers with a record-setting nine points (seven goals and two assists) in a 25-11 victory over Franklin Pierce on Monday, March 16. She followed that with a six goal, two assist performance against No. 10 Rollins College on Wednesday, March 18.

Ferrandiz leads the Chargers women’s lacrosse team back to action on Thursday, March 26 when they host St. Thomas Aquinas at 4:30 p.m.

Rivas has helped lead the UNH baseball team with a .333 batting average through ten games this season. He’s drove in a team-best 15 runs on 14 hits, including one homerun and five doubles. Rivas went 3-for-5 and drove in five runs on Tuesday, March 17 against Caldwell. One day earlier, the senior hit a grand slam against Molloy College. Rivas went 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored in the Chargers 8-3 win over Molloy.

The Chargers baseball team travels to Assumption College on Thursday, March 26. The opening pitched is scheduled for 3 p.m.

WEST HAVEN -Women’s basketball senior Lauren Hood and men’s volleyball sophomore Gregg Brisbin have been named the Charger Bulletin Athletes of the Week, for the week ending March 8, 2009.

Hood wrapped up her collegiate career by averaging 20.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game over the team’s final three games of the season. She shot .537 percent from the field and .455 percent from three-point distance during the three-game stretch. After recording 26 points and 11 rebounds against Merrimack College on February 24, Hood led the Chargers to a victory in the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Tournament against Assumption College, scoring 22 points while connecting on 3-of-4 shots from three-point range. Hood finished her career with 1,354 points which ranks ninth on the all-time scoring list at UNH.

Brisbin led the Charger men’s volleyball team with 33 kills and a .253 hitting percentage over the past two weeks. He recorded a season-high 14 kills and 11 digs against Sacred Heart at Charger Gymnasium on March 4 for his first double-double of the season. Brisbin is averaging 2.47 kills per set this season and is hitting at a .286 pace.

The Chargers went 2-2 at the MIT Invitational this past weekend, defeating Mount Ida and Hilbert in straight sets. Brisbin leads the Chargers back to action on Thursday, March 12 when they travel to Lasell College. The Chargers return home on Thursday, March 26 against SUNY New Paltz.

The Charger Bulletin Athletes of the Week will be announced every other week in the Charger Bulletin and on the Chargers website.

WEST HAVEN -Men’s indoor track and field student-athlete Kevin Downing and women’s indoor track and field student-athlete Shannon Gagne have been named the Charger Bulletin Athletes of the Week, for the week ending February 22, 2009.

The Chargers men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams competed at the 2009 Northeast-10 Conference Championship at Southern Connecticut this past Saturday.

After being seeded first for the 55-meter dash in a time of 7.27, Gagne ran past the field and three-time defending Northeast-10 Champion Symone Wong of Southern Connecticut State to win the event in a season-best time of 7.24. In the 200-meter dash, Gagne cruised to the victory in a time of 25.88, more than half of a second faster than her closest competition. Entering the meet, she had the 10th fastest time in NCAA Division II (25.01) that she posted earlier this season at the Yale Giegengack Invite. Gagne also set a season-best in the long jump, where her mark of 5.50 meters (18-0.50) provisionally qualified her for the national meet. She has already provisionally qualified in both the 60- and 200-meter dashes.

Downing entered the 55-meter dash seeded fourth, behind first-seeded teammate Tyrone Sawyer. That did not faze the freshman as he captured his first of two championship titles in a season-best 6.39 seconds, the third fastest time NE-10 Championship history. Entering the 200-meter dash, Downing had the 17th fastest time in NCAA Division II (21.96), and he nearly bettered that mark as he finished in 21.99. That time is the second fastest in NE-10 Championship history behind the 21.91 mark posted by Hafiz Greigre of Bryant University in 2007. Downing narrowly missed three first place finishes as he also finished third in the 400-meter dash (51.21).