“Coming into the season I didn’t know what to expect from Laura,’’ said coach David Bostick, whose team finished 13-5, and 7-1 in the conference. “But during the preseason, I knew she was the missing piece we needed to win our conference championship.’’

Mimms, who was honored as the NECC’s Rookie of the Year and the team MVP, won the conference’s No. 2 singles and doubles championships, posting a 13-4 singles record, going 3-3 at No. 1 doubles and 9-0 at No. 2 doubles.

“Tennis has always been fun for me, ever since my dad started hitting with me when I was five years old at the Warren Center near our home,’’ said Mimms. “When I came to Becker, because the women play a fall season, I wasn’t sure if I could balance my studies with the team practices and matches, but Coach did see me hit over the off-season and said he’d like me on the team. I played over the summer with a few friends back home, but I even said to Coach I wasn’t sure how sharp I’d be at the start of the season.’’

Mimms hardly skipped a beat despite her layoff from competitive tennis. “Without Laura, we would not have been able to win this conference,’’ said Bostick.

“She was a great asset and a great kid to coach.’’

Westfield (13-1-2, 5-0-1 Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference) took a program record 15-match unbeaten streak into yesterday’s key game at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

“Meg was a highly recruited goal scorer in high school and she brought that confidence with her to Westfield State,’’ Owls head coach Todd Ditmar said. “She made an immediate impact on our offense as a freshman, scoring and assisting on almost every goal we scored.’’

However, Gearin had to sit out her sophomore season because of several concussions. She returned last fall to lead the Owls in scoring, and helped fuel their run to the program’s first MASCAC championship and a berth in the NCAA Division 3 tournament. She was leading the team with 16 goals and 35 points this fall.

“It’s amazing that Meg continues to score points, as opposing teams design their game plans to stop her,’’ said Ditmar. “She still succeeds because she’s a special player.’’

Quinn made the Nationwide’s top 25 money list - and earned a PGA Tour card - by the slimmest of margins, as his $191,467 take for the year edged the 26th player by less than $3,000.

The 44-year-old Quinn had to battle through a urinary tract infection that required IV antibiotics to get him through the final two rounds at the championship. He wound up 22 strokes behind the tournament’s winner, but his $3,750 paycheck was just enough.

“On Sunday, I didn’t know if I could play when I woke up. I was under the weather, just weak,’’ the Holden resident said in an interview published by the Nationwide Tour. “I didn’t know if I could break 80 the way I felt,’’ he said, but managed a 2-over 74.

A former Massachusetts Amateur and Massachusetts Open champion who played the PGA Tour in 1992, Quinn had endured several close misses at Qualifying School over the years.

Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or marvin.pave@rcn.com.