The Top 10 Of 2010

WORCESTER, Mass. – With the 2010 calendar year drawing to a close, it’s time to take a look back at the top moments in Crusader Athletics over the last 12 months. There were too many outstanding performances to mention them all, but here are the top 10 of 2010 (listed in chronological order):

February 21: Reid Dominates At Patriot League Championship
At the Patriot League Championship for women’s indoor track and field, Tiffany Reid won two individual titles on her way to taking home Athlete of the Meet honors. Reid first captured the 60-meter dash title, winning in a school record time of 7.65 seconds. She then took first place in the 200-meter dash, clocking a time of 24.98 seconds. On the shoulders of Reid’s outstanding performance, the Crusaders took fourth place overall in the meet for the second consecutive year.

February 28: Women’s Ice Hockey Beats St. Anselm 3-1
Coming off a 5-2 victory over St. Michael’s the day before, Holy Cross faced St. Anselm in the championship game of the ECAC Open Tournament. With the score tied at 1-1 midway through the second period, Stacey Hochkins scored her 25th goal of the season off a pass from Colleen Krmpotich to give the Crusaders the lead. Holy Cross held onto that one-goal advantage until the final minute of the third period, when an empty-net goal by Hochkins put the game away. Monique Gallant made 20 saves in goal to help lead the Crusaders to their second straight ECAC Open championship.

April 17: Moriarty Honored By Gridiron Club
Jack Moriarty was the first ever recipient of the Holy Cross Gridiron Club Leadership Council Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor was then renamed the Jackie Mo Lifetime Achievement Award. From 1971-2009, Moriarty was an athletic trainer and equipment manager for the Holy Cross athletic department. Widely regarded as the backbone behind all Crusader athletic teams, he was seen at almost every home event during his almost 40 years on the staff.

March 13: Men’s Lacrosse Defeats Colgate 9-8
In the history of the men’s lacrosse program at Holy Cross, the team had never defeated Colgate. The Raiders held a 20-0 lead in the all-time series between the schools heading into this contest. But with the score tied at 8-8 late in the fourth quarter, James Kennedy found the net with just three seconds remaining to give the Crusaders their first-ever victory over the Raiders. Kennedy finished the day with four goals, while Kenny Minor was also a force on offense with three goals. Connor Sweeney made seven saves in goal for Holy Cross.

May 16: Baseball Downs Lehigh 3-0
In the semifinal series of the Patriot League Tournament, Holy Cross and Lehigh were tied at one game each heading into this winner-take-all contest. In the fourth inning, Eric Oxford gave the Crusaders a 1-0 lead with an RBI groundout. Stephen Wadsworth added an RBI double in the sixth, then scored on an RBI single by Oxford to make the score 3-0. That was all the offense Holy Cross would need, as Chris Blanchard allowed just four hits in eight shutout innings. Nate Koneski came on in the ninth inning to earn the save, as the Crusaders advanced to the Patriot League championship series for the first time ever.

August 10: Zychowski Qualifies For U.S. Amateur
It had been over 35 years since a Holy Cross golfer had earned a spot in the United State Amateur Championship. But Steve Zychowski broke that dry spell with an outstanding performance in a qualifying tournament at the Trump National Golf Club in Colts Neck, N.J. After shooting an even-par 72 in the opening round, he set a course record with a six-under-par 66 in the second round. Zychowski’s total of 138 strokes over two rounds earned him a second-place finish in the event, and qualified him for the U.S. Amateur. He would go on to finish in 155th place out of 312 golfers at the U.S. Amateur.

August 27: Volleyball Beats Boston College 3-0
It had been 19 years since the Holy Cross volleyball team posted a victory over Boston College, with the Eagles winning 15 straight matches in the series. But in the season opener, the Crusaders earned a resounding victory by scores of 25-15, 25-22, 25-16. Holy Cross never trailed after the midway point in any of the three sets, earning the win in dominating fashion. Megan Lynch led the team with 15 kills and 11 digs, while Chelsey O’Donnell added 36 assists and seven digs.

October 23: Football Defeats Colgate 31-24
The Crusaders stood just 3-4 heading into this game, and were coming off a tough loss at Dartmouth. On top of that, they had not won a game in Hamilton, N.Y., since 2000. But Holy Cross came out of the locker room on fire, jumping out to a 24-7 halftime lead. After Colgate came back to tie the score at 24-24 in the fourth quarter, Ryan Taggart led the Crusaders on a game-winning drive, throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to Bill Edger with just five seconds remaining to claim the victory.

October 28: Holy Cross Places Third In Graduation Success Rate
The NCAA released its annual Graduation Success Rate report, and Holy Cross once again ranked among the top schools in nation. The Crusaders had a Graduation Success Rate of 97 percent for all student-athletes, which was the third-best mark among all Division I schools in the nation. In addition, 21 different Holy Cross teams had a perfect 100 percent graduation rate.

October 30: Sutherland Places Fifth At Patriot League Championship
The Patriot League Championship took place in Easton, Pa., and Paige Sutherland once again turned in an outstanding performance for the Crusaders. Sutherland finished the race in fifth place with a time of 20:28, earning first team All-Patriot League honors in the process. This marked the second straight season Sutherland excelled at the Patriot League Championship, after she earned a second-place finish in 2009. Led by Sutherland’s strong performance, Holy Cross earned a fifth-place finish in the meet for the second-straight season.