Fall Athletics Preview: A Look at the Crusaders

The Holy Cross Crusaders are gearing up for the fall season, with seven women’s teams and six men’s teams ready to compete.

And what better way to usher in the new season than with a completely redesigned Holy Cross’ athletic Web site, GoHolyCross.com? Holy Cross Athletics partnered with PrestoSports to create the new site, which includes several new features, including a video player on the main page, as well as on each sport’s home page. The Hall of Fame now includes biographical information and a photo of each of the 291 members of the Varsity Club Hall of Fame.

Here’s a glimpse at the fall season.

Cross Country The women’s team, led by senior co-captains Claire Luke, Sarah Croteau and Meghan Dunne, along with the men’s team, led by senior co-captains Tim Richard and Kyle Rougeot, are preparing to race in the first meet of the season at the Blue Devil Invitational taking place on Sept. 12. The teams have 10 meets scheduled for the season. Both teams were selected to finish sixth in the Patriot League Championship according to last week’s preseason poll.

Field Hockey Seniors Kaitlyn Barnes and Courtney Callahan head the team, forecast to finish fifth by a Patriot League preseason poll. The Crusaders are preparing for their next game against Dartmouth on Sept. 13 at home.

Football Crusader football, led for the third consecutive year by Dominic Randolph ’10, was picked first in the Patriot League preseason poll and ranked 25th in the nation by the Sports Network in its 2009 preseason poll for the football championship subdivision. The players will face off 10 more times this season, with half of those games occurring at home. In its home opener, Holy Cross beat Georgetown 20-7, and will face off against Sacred Heart at 1 p.m. on Sept. 12 at home.

Golf The women’s golf team, led by senior co-captains Johanna Gavin and Meghan Doherty, is scheduled to compete in four tournaments this fall, the first of which takes place at the Dartmouth Invitational in Hanover, N.H., on Sept. 19 to 20. The men will begin the first of five scheduled events on Sept. 12 to 13 at the Mulekicker Fall Classic in West Point, N.Y. Senior co-captains Colin Andrade and Tim McGovern will lead this year’s team.

Rowing The women’s rowing team, led by senior co-captains Abby Hammond and Mara Piltin, along with the men’s team, led by seniors D.J. Estes and Daniel McGlinn, are preparing for their first of four meets scheduled to begin on Oct. 10. Holy Cross will host the meet, called Snake Regatta, on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester.

Soccer The women’s soccer team, predicted to place seventh in the Patriot League Championships by a preseason poll, has won two out of its three matches played thus far. The Crusaders have 17 matches left this season, the next taking place on Sept. 9 vs. Providence College. Seniors Kendra Demakis and Shelby Stand join junior Lauren Wright as tri-captains on the field. For the men, tri-captains Thomas Booth ’10, Peter Siclari ’10 and Kyle Miller ’11, will lead the team through 17 of 18 matches left this season, following an opening 1-0 loss to Providence on Sept. 5.

Tennis The women’s tennis team is preparing for its first of seven matches at the Salve Regina Doubles Invitational on Sept. 12 at the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. Coach Lisa Meola begins this season as the new head women’s tennis coach. The men are also gearing up for an opening match on Sept. 12, when they host Coast Guard in a dual-match at Holy Cross. This season, new head coach Evan Gaudreau will lead the men, succeeding Mike Lucas, who led the program for 10 years. Five other matches complete the men’s schedule.

Volleyball Junior co-captains Angela Chisholm and Chelsey O’Donnell lead the women as they continue through their 30-game season. Ranked eighth in a Patriot League preseason poll, the team has fallen in each of its four games so far.

By Claire Luke ’10

Pictured: Senior defensive lineman Alex Carson