Babson senior is leading scorer
Elise Conley, a senior forward and tricaptain on the Babson College field hockey team, was leading the nation's Division 3 players with 23 goals and 55 points through 17 games. Her play was a big reason the Beavers were 14-3 overall and 6-0 in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference.
Conley, a 2002 Shrewsbury High graduate, was following a tough act -- her own.
Last year, she had the finest season in program history, finishing second nationally with 77 points (30 goals, 17 assists), and was named first-team All-NEWMAC, first-team All-New England, first-team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference, and first-team All-America by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
She was just the third All-American in Babson field hockey history and only the second to earn first-team honors.
Conley entered her final collegiate season with 41 goals and 22 assists for 104 career points. She holds the school records for: goals (4) and points (10) in a game; goals (30), assists (17), and points (77) in a season; and career goals and points. Earlier this fall she became Babson's all-time assist leader. She now has 31 in her career. Those numbers came after she was limited to just 13 games in her sophomore season, when her career nearly ended after she was struck in the eye by a free hit.
A four-year letter-winner in softball and field hockey at Shrewsbury High, Conley has been part of a Babson team that had gone 60-26 (.698) and earned three straight ECAC Tournament bids going into this past week's schedule. This season, the Beavers posted their first-ever win over seventh-ranked Springfield -- with Conley scoring the game's only goal -- to take sole possession of first place in the conference. Heading into a game this weekend against Mount Holyoke, Babson was on the verge of clinching its first NEWMAC regular-season championship, which would put it in position to host the conference tournament Nov. 5 and 6.
''Elise has been amazing this fall," said first-year head coach Kully Hagerman, an assistant during Conley's first three seasons. ''She has always been a spectacular player, but what has truly set her apart this season has been her ability to make everyone else around her better. Our entire team is playing with confidence, and a lot of that comes from her presence and leadership on and off the field."
Conley's teammates include sophomore back/midfielder Caitlin Quaranto, a 2004 graduate of Hopkinton High, who has appeared in 16 of Babson's 17 games and scored one goal. In high school, Quaranto was a four-year letter-winner, captain, and league all-star in field hockey and lacrosse. She played in 21 of the Beavers' 23 contests as a freshman last fall, scoring a pair of goals.
''Caitlin has provided us with a huge spark off the bench," Hagerman added. ''She plays excellent defense and is another reason why we're enjoying so much success this year."
Dana Hall opens
athletics center
The Dana Hall School in Wellesley celebrated the opening of the Shipley Center, the school's new, 94,000-square-foot athletics and health facility, last Friday. ''This facility is crucial to the school's program, not only for our sports teams, but for the health, fitness, and enjoyment of all our students," said Blair Jenkins, head of the school. ''Not every girl is an athlete, but every girl can benefit from fitness and from the state of good health and self-satisfaction that comes from being active and taking physical challenges."
The center features a 21,000-square-foot gymnasium with two NCAA-regulation basketball courts that also accommodate volleyball matches; a three-lane suspended indoor track; a 6,589-square-foot aquatics center that features a six-lane pool; and a squash center, a fencing studio, a climbing wall, a weight and fitness room, a dance studio, health center, student lounge, snack bar, classrooms, locker facilities, and offices. It is named for Dana Hall alumna and benefactor of $5 million (largest gift in the school's history) Lucia Farrington Shipley, class of 1938.
Newton girls win
tournament again
The Newton Girls Lightning (under 12) soccer team won the Division 1 title at the 17th annual Columbus Day Invitational Tournament in their hometown for the second consecutive year. The team won all four of its eight-on-eight games via shutouts over Attleboro, Wellesley, the Newton Orange Crush (their sister team), and Winchester. The last game was won on a goal by Abby Rice with just over a minute to play. The rest of the squad: goalkeeper Emma Friedman; backs Juliana Rordorf, Ana Horowitz, and Maggie Heffernan; forwards Mikayla Bogart, Simone Chad-Friedman, and Becca Hayley; and midfielders Lauren Smith, Emily Snider, Kathleen Garrity, Tess Levy, and Brooke Stoller. Stoller, Smith, Horowitz, and Garrity were members of last year's team. The Lightning are coached by Michael Stoller and assistants Sam Levy and Guy Rordorf.
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