The Sacred Heart University Department of Athletics has made attendance at its NCAA Division I home games during the 2008-09 seasons even more affordable for local families. In recognition of the tight budgets that many Connecticut residents are facing these days, children 14 and under will be admitted free to all games throughout the coming seasons.

The decision continues the Sacred Heart mission to make the University a comfortable and affordable place for families to go. Earlier this year, Sacred Heart University announced a decision to offer free tuition to full-time undergraduate students from Fairfield County high schools.

“We want area parents and family care providers to know that Sacred Heart athletic contests are affordable, safe and enjoyable places for families to gather and enjoy quality time with each other,” said SHU Associate Director for External Relations, Mark Adzigian. “In the past, we have hosted many youth groups, birthday parties and sponsored Take a Kid to the Game promotions. Now there’s no reason why every SHU game can’t be just like that.”

The football season opens at home on August 30 and a family of five can attend the game on Campus Field for as little as $16 – the price of two adult tickets. The Pioneers have six home games during the 2008 season.

A similar policy will hold for all basketball and hockey games during the 2008-09 season, as well as men’s lacrosse games in the spring of 2009. All general admission adult tickets for those sports will also be $8, with the exception of $10 for men’s basketball.

“The University is a very proud member of both the local and regional communities. By offering these programs, focusing positively on both academics and athletics, we are able to be an inclusive and contributing neighbor in our surrounding communities and show how important it is to enjoy family time together, especially during challenging economic times,” Adzigian concluded.

To check the home schedules for each team and order tickets online visit SacredHeartPioneers.com.

Ted Spencer has decided to retire after serving 13 seasons as Fairfield University’s head men’s lacrosse coach, and has accepted an administrative position as Associate Director of Athletics at the school. The change will allow Spencer to remain at the University while he continues to regain his health from his battle with cancer.

“I am pleased that Ted will remain part of the Fairfield athletics family by accepting the associate director of athletics position,” Director of Athletics Gene Doris said. “I am grateful for his hard work and dedication that built our men’s lacrosse program into a competitive and respected program both regionally and nationally. Ted’s decision to retire from coaching was a difficult one, but I am sure he will bring the same vigor to his new position that has made him successful in everything he has done. This position has been in our athletics strategic plan and it became obvious that Ted is the right person to fill it. He will continue to have our support in his fight against cancer and will take some well earned time for himself before transitioning into his new role.”

“This was a difficult choice for me, but in the end, I had to do what was best for me and my family,” Spencer said. “I feel a strong commitment to the student athletes who I recruited this past spring and who will return for the 2009 season. In speaking with the team, I know that I have their support in making this change and I am thankful to have been associated with such a group of fine young men.”

Spencer completed his 13th season at the helm of the Fairfield University lacrosse program in 2008 and owned a 93-90 overall record at the school. He coached the team during the spring despite undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments for cancer. The team finished the campaign with a 4-9 overall record and a 1-5 mark in its third season as a member of the ECAC Lacrosse League.

With Spencer at the helm, the Stags competed in two NCAA tournaments (2005 and 2002), as well as to two Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) titles. He was named the GWLL Coach of the Year in both of those seasons.

Before joining the GWLL, Spencer led the program to three Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championships (1996-98). The program qualified for four straight ECAC tournament appearances from 1996-99, and captured the tourney title in 1998 and 1999. He was named the MAAC Coach of the Year in 1996.

Players have flourished under his guidance and three have earned All-American Honorable Mention honors. Seven continued their playing careers in Major League Lacrosse, including Greg Downing, Mike Bocklet, and Nate Bauers in 2007.

Spencer’s new duties as associate director of athletics will include general athletic administrative oversight responsibilities and support of the athletic department’s external relations including the support of student-athlete recruitment programs, representing the Director of Athletics at external functions, and working with the University’s Advancement Division on development activities in support of Fairfield Athletics.

Doris said that the University will immediately begin a national search for the head men’s lacrosse position.

EAST HARTFORD - Team Connecticut needed a spark late in the second quarter of the 10th -annual Governors’ Cup, and it came from a pair of Stratford kids.

With the game tied at 7, Stratford grad Octavias McKoy returned a kickoff 64 years, and two plays later, Bunnell receiver Michael Easley caught a 34-yard pass in the corner of the end zone to regain the lead.

And Connecticut would not look back, as it rolled to a 31-10 win over neighboring Rhode Island at Rentschler Field.

McKoy, who will play at Garden City Community College, and Easley, who is heading to Central Connecticut, were not the only stars from Fairfield County to shine.

• Offensive guards Kyle Duncan (New Canaan) and Dewayne Guscott helped anchor an offensive line that did not allow a sack, and paved the way for a phenomenal rushing attack led by Sacred Heart University-bound Tim McNeil (Ledyard).
• Mike Escobar (Danbury) had a few defended passes, and one coach mentioned that the Southern Connecticut-bound corner was arguably the top defensive player for Connecticut.
• Though he doesn’t live in Fairfield County (but plays for an SWC team), Pomperaug lineman Matt Walker may have been the defensive star of the game. He forced a fumble that led to Shelton’s Geoff Schultz’s 20-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and recovered a fumble that led to Connecticut’s opening score.

Bridgeport Central’s Trevardo Williams started for Connecticut as a defensive end on the field he will be playing on regularly starting in 2009. Williams has signed a letter of intent to play for UConn, but will do a year at Canterbury School first.

“It’s just great to be a part of this win,” Williams said. “I had some great teammates, some great coaches, and they all deserve some credit. I’m looking forward to the chance to play here again.”

Escobar played sparingly on defense as a senior, since he moved to the Hatters’ starting quarterback role, but is slated to play defense at Southern.

“I feel these two weeks (of practice) really helped me get ready for college ball,” Escobar. “Getting to play in this game will hopefully give me an advantage at Southern.”

And for Duncan, who will play at Division III Bowdoin, it was a chance to play in a Division I facility.

“I’m not going to get a chance to play in a stadium like this,” Duncan said. “I’m glad I got to, and that we beat up on Rhode Island.”

Other locals on the Connecticut roster included:

• Josh Maignon, a Stamford receiver who will be teammates with Guscott at Lackawanna College.
• Jonathan Jackson, Bunnell, who has a slight MCL injury that kept him sidelined. He will be a part of New Haven’s revived team in 2009.
• Andrew Mastrioni, Pomperaug, who will play at Western New England
• Torrey Mack, Stratford, the Virginia-bound star who saw a few snaps at running back.
• Mike Mainiero, Shelton, who anchored the Connecticut defensive line. He will attend Curry.
• Timothy Reece, Central, a late edition to the roster who will play at American International.

See photos from the 2008 Governors’ Cup here.

Sacred Heart University student-athlete Lisa Moray of Hopewell Junction, NY passed away early Wednesday morning as the result of an auto accident near her home in Dutchess County, NY. Lisa, a senior at Sacred Heart, was a four-year member of the women’s basketball team.

A wake service and calling hours will be held on Thursday and Friday at McHoul Funeral Home in Hopewell Junction with a funeral mass on Saturday morning at St. Columbia Church.

“This was a tragic ending to a very promising life of someone who we cared about a great deal,” said Director of Athletics, Don Cook. “Our sympathies and prayers go out to her family, her parents Donna and Walter, and her sisters, Sherry, Lori and Debi, at this difficult time in their lives.”

Moray ended her four-year Sacred Heart career this past March helping to guide the Pioneers to yet another winning season and what was their ninth-straight appearance in the Northeast Conference Tournament. She ended her career having appeared in 112 games while finishing with 160 career three-point field goals, a mark that leaves her third on the all-time list at Sacred Heart.

As a sophomore during the 2005-06 season, she was a key member of a Pioneer squad that finished with a school record 26 wins and claimed the university’s first-ever Northeast Conference championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament. During her junior campaign, Moray set a new school record for three-point makes in a season burying 69 on the year to lead the Pioneers to their second-straight NEC regular season title. She also went on to lead the NEC in assist to turnover ratio that year, handing out a career-best 106 assists.

Calling Hours and Funeral Information:
Wake Calling Hours: Thursday 7-9pm and Friday 2-4pm and 7-9 pm at the McHoul Funeral Home, 895 Route 82, Hopewell Junction, NY (phone # 845-221-2000).

Funeral Mass: Saturday 10:00am at St. Columbia Church, 837 Route 82, Hopewell Junction, NY (phone # 845-227-8380).

Fairfield Ludlowe boys lacrosse coach Chris Parisi is a fan of artificial turf, but he knows it has its downside. Like those little rubber pellets that get into your shoes and cause discomfort as the game goes on.

“These fields work, there’s tons more advantages to these fields, but they are going to have their drawback,” Parisi said. “And one of those is the pellets. You get one of those in your shoe and it’s going to bother you.”

But instead of complaining about those little pebbles, Parisi and former coaching mate Mike Mulvey did something about it.

They created a product called Turf Dawg, which as it turned out, became more than apparel that slips over your cleats to keep the pebbles out. They also became an additional accessory to a lacrosse team’s uniform.

“The exciting thing for us is we’re rolling them out to programs and getting players’ numbers on them,” Parisi said. “The kids are so fired up to get these, because you can customize your shoe.”

Here’s how Turf Dawg works: The neoprene sleeve slips over the shoe like a sock. The laces slip through the Turf Dawg’s grommets to help keep the rubber pellets (and other field debris) from getting in the shoe.

“The beauty of it is there’s only one attachment point, so it’s universal, you can use it on any shoe that you like,” Parisi said. “No matter the type of cleats you have, how thick the bottom is, they’re going to fit.”

Parisi said he is working on getting Turf Dawg into retail stores, but for now, it’s a custom team product. Wakeman Boy’s Club of Fairfield’s lacrosse teams are using them this season, and Fairfield University will use them starting this fall.

How is the Turf Dawg message being spread? Mostly by word of mouth. It helped sell the FCIAC and CIAC Class M champion Darien Blue Wave consider them for the future.

When Ludlowe played at Darien this season, Parisi said the Blue Wave players were complaining about getting pebbles in their shoes. And when he showed the players the Turf Dawg product, Parisi said they all wanted to know where they could find a pair.

Darien kids, were complaining about all the stuff getting in their shoes and I was standing right there. “You out to get Turf Dawg,’ I told them. It was like a perfect commercial for Turf Dawg. They were like, ‘Yo, where did you get that? Where can I find one?’” and now the team will be wearing them.

Parisi said he had another marketing breakthrough in the form of an audience. He tested concepts and product names and designs on his homeroom students.

“I don’t know what’s cool, I’m 40 years old,” Parisi said. “So I ask them, what do you think is cool? If you think it’s cool, and you want it on your shoes, then we’ll do it. But I do rely on the kids a lot. My designer in Maryland will draw something up, I’ll show it to my kids. I rely on them.”

Parisi says he’s hoping to spread Turf Dawg beyond the lacrosse fields this fall, by encouraging it as an offering for field hockey, soccer, and football.

The Sacred Heart track & field teams won five individual titles over the weekend at the 2008 New England Championships, with seniors Arman Dixon (Beacon, NY) and Marsha Locke (Danbury) taking home a pair each. For the third-straight year the Pioneer men improved on their best-ever finish at the event this year coming home third overall. The women took fifth overall.

Dixon continued his stellar senior season with New England titles in the 200 meters and long jump. Dixon turned in his fastest time of the season in the event, clicking in at a NCAA Regional qualifying time of 20.86 to dust the field in the 200 and come up with the win. His leap of 23′10″ (7.26m) won him the long jump title as well. Dixon will also compete in the long jump as well as the 400 meters at the NCAA Regional Championships.

Locke successfully defended her New England shot put title by besting the field by over two feet. Her throw of 48′11.75″ (14.93) won the event and met the NCAA Regional qualifying standard. Locke already qualified for the NCAA Regional meet with her winning throw at the NEC Championship. Locke picked up her third career New England title by winning the javelin with a throw of 134′11″ (41.12m). Locke also picked up points by finishing fourth in the discus with a throw of 136′10″ (41.72m).

Sophomore Brittany Dexter (Ballston Lake, NY) defended her New England title in the high jump, clearing the bar at 5′8.75″ (1.75m) to meet the NCAA Regional qualifying standard. Dexter won the event for the second-straight year as well at the NEC Championship meet a week ago with a height of 5′7″.

Senior Scott Giordano (Hamden) picked up points by finishing fourth in the 200 meters with a 21.83 second clocking. Senior Michael Barrett (Islip Terrace, NY) scored with a sixth-place finish in the 100 meter dash finishing in 11.25 seconds. Freshman Peter Conti (Mansfield, MA) picked up points in his first New England meet showing by taking fourth in the 110 meter hurdles. Conti crossed the finish line in 14.93 seconds.

Junior John Kenworthy (Gloversville, NY) finished fifth in the 3000 meter steeplechase, shaving two seconds off his time at last week’s NEC Championships with a 9:27.76 clocking. Sophomore Brett Luongo (North Attleboro, MA) took fifth in the javelin with a throw of 188′10″ (57.55m).

The SHU trio of sophomore Keith Rowe (Taunton, MA), junior Brian Germain (Wallingford) and junior Thomas Hyatt (Hopewell Junction, NY) finished second, third and fourth, respectively, in the decathlon. Rowe racked up 6,134 points to finish 152 points off the top-spot. Rowe won the 100 meter dash (11.46), the 110 meter hurdles (15.45) and the long jump (22′0.75″) in the decathlon. Germain won the discus throw (125′9″) and the javelin (165′8″) while Hyatt took the pole vault (13′9.25″).

Senior Melissa Kostan (Salem, NY) took second in the heptathlon with 4,831 points. She finished second in the 200 meters (25.16), the 100 meter hurdles (15.04) and the long jump (17′7.50″) and third in the high jump (5′5″) and the javelin (98′9″).

Senior Christine Yakubec (Greenwich, NY) took third in the discus with a throw of 140′1″ (42.69m) with fellow senior Sarah Hickman (Amherst, MA) finishing sixth throwing 135′3″ (41.23m). Junior Sarana Hyatt (St. Albans, NY) took sixth in the 400 meter hurdles (1:04.70) and eighth in the long jump (17′7.00″). Senior Lenahndem Tankeng (Yonkers, NY) finished eighth in the hammer throw (154′6″).

The Pioneers will compete at the ECAC and IC4A Championships this weekend at Princeton University.

Call it a no-brainer, but Western Connecticut’s two All-Americans — Catherine Nathans and Tom McDonald — were named the Danbury university’s Athletes of the Year.

In 2007, Catherine Nathans became the most decorated women’s soccer player to ever put on a Colonials’ uniform. In her second season at WestConn, after transferring from Iona College, she helped lead her team to the Little East Conference regular-season and tournament titles, the NCAA New England Region Championship and Western’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Women’s Soccer Final Four at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

This past fall, Nathans, of New Fairfield, led the team in scoring with 17 goals, seven assists, for 41 total points. Eight of her 17 goals were game-winning goals. In two seasons, she has the same amount of game-winning goals as the number she wears proudly on her back each game, 14.

And she’ll be back for her senior season this fall.

Her long list of post-season honors are quite impressive. She was named to:

• D3 soccer.com’s All-American First Team and All-New England First Team
• Little East Conference First-team (and Offensive Player of the Year)
• New England Women’s Intercollegiate Soccer Association’s First Team
• National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-New England First Team
• National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American First Team

Like Nathans, McDonald was the first player at Western in a particular sport to be named to an All-America team. And he recently completed his playing career as one of the top left tackles the WestConn football team has ever had.

Game in and game out over the past four seasons, McDonald was the last line of defense on the Colonial quarterback’s blind side.

This past fall, not only his coaching staff, but nearly every coach in the nation recognized him among the elite at his position. The New Jersey Athletic Conference coaches named him to their Offensive All-Star First Team. And the coaches in the Eastern College Athletic Conference named Tom to the Southeast Region All-Star First Team.

In college football, the National Football Coaches Association Division III All-America Team is widely recognized as the pinnacle of football All-America team. There isn’t a Second, Third or Honorable Mention category… Since 1945 the NFCA has recognized the top players nationally and since 1965 if you were not one of the top 11 offensive or defensive players in the United States, you weren’t a true All-American.

Western Connecticut State University’s softball team earned an at large bid to the NCAA Division III tournament, one day after the Colonials mens lacrosse team reached their’s by winning the Little East championship.

The Colonials softball team will travel to the seven-team regional at Rowan University this Thursday, and makes its ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They will take on the bracket’s fourth-seed, Kean University, at 10 a.m.

Offensively, senior second baseman Kristen Lugovich leads the team in batting with a .417 average. The lefty slap hitter has six doubles and 17 runs batted in. Classmates Cortney Romyns and Stacey DiMaggio follow with .383 and .375 batting averages, respectively. Romyns, who has a 6-3 record from the mound, has four home runs, three triples and seven doubles. She is third on the team with 27 RBI. DiMaggio has five home runs and is second on the club with 33 RBI.

In 2002, Western advanced to the NCAA Division III College World Series in Eau Claire, WI. The Colonials last appeared in the NCAAs in 2006 and advanced to the third round.

The mens lacrosse team will travel to Western New England College and take on the Golden Bears Wednesday at 4 p.m. The Colonials, 13-6, defeated Plymouth State University, 18-7 on Saturday to win their first Little East Conference championship and the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

The winner of Wednesday’s first round match will travel to St. Lawrence University to take on the 11-2 Saints on Saturday, May 10 at North Country Field in upstate New York in the tournament’s second round. The NCAA Division III Finals will be at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA on Sunday, May 25.