Athletics

Warriors softball wins 4th championship in 5 years

The Warriors softball team claimed their fourth LEC title in five years on May 11, capping a four-game run through the 2024 LEC championship tournament with a victory over the University of Southern Maine. At the UMass Boston Softball Field, third-seeded Eastern outscored (21-7), out-hit (31-17) and out-defensed (3 errors to 5) its opponents and rode the resilient right arm (and bat) of graduate pitcher Alyssa Vilchez of Brampton, ON, who was named tournament MVP for the second time in four years.

Julia SanGiovanni

Graduate third baseman Julia SanGiovanni enjoyed two historic career milestones April 17 in a non-conference doubleheader against the University of Hartford at Clyde Washburne Field. SanGiovanni became only the fourth player in program history to reach 200 hits in the first game, and was hit by a pitch (HBP) for an NCAA Division III record 81st time. SanGiovanni concluded her career with 220 hits and 89 career HBP. Her HBP total is more than four times as many as any other player in program history.  

Outdoor track & field claims LEC title

Two weeks after setting program and Little East Conference pole vault records in winning the LEC outdoor title on April 27, with a mark of 12’ 1½”, sophomore Natasha Frisch became the first Eastern athlete to claim a New England Open (all divisions) title with a winning mark of 11’ 10½” at the College of the Holy Cross. At the open, Frisch was one of eight competitors to jump 11’ 10½” but was the only one to nail the height on her first try, which made her the champion. Frisch’s record at the LEC championships left her 1½ inches shy of qualifying for the NCAA national championships at Coastal Carolina University.

4 Warriors inducted into Athletics Hall of Fame

Goalkeeper Jonathan “Jay” Barney ’08 helped rescue the men’s soccer program from nearly two decades of mediocrity by leading the Warriors to their first LEC playoff championship and first NCAA tournament berth as a senior in 2007, launching a run of seven straight seasons of 10 or more wins that included five Little East Conference titles. Over four years, Barney recorded 23 full shutouts and shared six more with a 0.84 goals-against average. A resident of West Hartford, Barney holds a B.A. degree in sport and leisure management and is employed as an assistant loan processing manager at RCN Capital in South Windsor.

During her four years as a starter, Kara (Bradley) Cyr ’07helped the women’s lacrosse program to its first two LEC playoff championships. Cyr started all 73 possible matches between 2004 and 2007 as a midfielder and defender and led the Warriors to 26 wins in 32 Little East matches and their first two LEC playoff titles. Bradley Cyr holds a B.S. degree in biology and is employed as director of quality control and assurance at Vesta Biotherapeutics in Branford. She resides in Clinton with husband Jason Cyr ’08 and their two children.  

Eugene Julien ’11 was a fulltime starter at three different positions and was the shortstop on the 2002 NCAA Division III national championship team. Julien hit with power (58 career extra-base hits) and for average (.346). Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Julien helped enhance the baseball program’s tradition of success as the Warriors qualified for NCAA tournament play each season in his career. Julien holds a B.A. degree in Spanish and is a chief warrant officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He resides in Sneads Ferry, NC, with his wife Meghan and their daughter Mila. 

In her senior year, honorable mention All- American Jill (Ritrosky) Roach ’16 capped a remarkable career as a three-time team captain and a scholar with a near-perfect GPA who remains the only CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree in program history. The Pittsfield, MA, native never missed a game in four years, averaging just under a double-double in her career (12.5 points/9.8 rebounds). She holds a B.S. degree in sport and leisure management from Eastern and an M.S. in clinical exercise physiology from Springfield College. She is employed as an exercise physiologist at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA. She and her husband, Caleb, reside in Worthington, MA, with their infant son, Lucas.

Kyle Gallo named golf coach

Veteran college coach Kyle Gallo, an accomplished amateur and professional golfer for the past 25 years and a member of the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame, was named head men’s golf coach this past summer.  

A Kensington native and four-time Connecticut Open champion and 2013 New England Open champion, Gallo has served as a collegiate coach for five years at three different institutions, most recently as an assistant men’s and women’s coach and recruiting coordinator at Division I College of the Holy Cross last year.  

For three years beginning in fall 2015, Gallo directed the Division I program at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), where he was named a Northeast Conference (NEC) Coach of the Year in his final season after leading the Blue Devils to their first NEC title in 13 years and into the NCAA Division I tournament.  

Gallo becomes Eastern’s third part-time head golf coach in five years after the program was reinstated in fall 2020 after a 38-year hiatus. Marc Senia (2022-24) and Chris Wojick (2020-22) were the program’s previous two head coaches, leading Eastern to Little East Conference titles each year and earning LEC Coach of the Year honors.

Tamara Mills named associate athletic director

Tamara Mills, a native of Hopkinton, MA, was hired as Eastern’s associate director of athletics this past summer. Previously she was the assistant director of athletics for internal operations at the College of Saint Rose.  

At Saint Rose, Mills handled myriad responsibilities, including game-day management for 14 intercollegiate athletic programs, ticketing, promotions, scheduling, budget review, special events and supervising student workers/graduate assistants. Prior to Saint Rose, Mills handled administrative and coaching responsibilities at McDaniel, DePauw University and Russell Sage College. At Sage, Mills served as assistant director of recreation and fitness and head field hockey coach for three years.  

At Eastern, Mills is responsible for the overall direction and development of programs that support the success of the student-athletes, including compliance and academic mentoring. She will also oversee club and recreation sports.  

Mills earned her B.S. degree in business, organization and society from Franklin & Marshall College in 2016 and an M.S. in kinesiology from McDaniel College in 2018. Mills replaces Cynthia Washburne ’85, who will retire this coming January after serving as associate athletic director since the summer of 2013.

Cunningham throws first pitch on military appreciation day

Michelle Cunningham ’08, a 2012 Athletic Alumni Hall of Fame inductee, threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Military Appreciation Day on April 5 prior to a non-conference game against Mitchell College. Cunningham is a major in the Connecticut Army National Guard, serving as the deputy state surgeon and as medical operations officer.