And after a cool spring weather-wise, mother nature went crazy yesterday, blistering athletes with temperatures in the 90s. Which meant in-season conditioning became a major factor for all the athletes involved.

Here’s a quick roundup of winners, losers (though to be politically correct, they are runners-up), and more, including clips from the local sports media…

FRIDAY:
Westhill wins Class LL Baseball Title
I slammed Westhill pitched T.J. Hickey’s mound antics in a post a few weeks ago. He’s recovered nicely and, on the mound, became the go-to guy a lot of us saw during the football season. As he kept Masuk batters in check, Bobby Migliazza and Greg Smith led the offense in a 12-1 win up at Palmer Field in Middletown.

The clips: Stamford Advocate game story; Stamford Advocate sidebar; Connecticut Post.

Also Friday: Darien takes volleyball title; Staples wins again in Class L.

SATURDAY
The links:

• Masuk phenom Rachele Fico shuts down Naugatuck: Connecticut Post; New Haven Register.
• Law upsets Ludlowe for Class L baseball title: New Haven Register; Connecticut Post.
• Danbury takes Division II girls lacrosse championship: News-Times; News-Times sidebar.
• Prefect ending for New Fairfield lacrosse team: News-Times.
• Prep tops Ridgefield in 3OT to take Class L lacrosse title: Connecticut Post.
• Darien girls defeat Wilton again for girls lacrosse championship: Stamford Advocate.
• Blue Wave Boys make it a lacrosse sweep: Stamford Advocate.

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.

Three players received $500 scholarships to be used towards their college education as well: William Bass (Bassick), Richard Holmes (Danbury), and Chris Payne (Wilton).

Wilton’s Tim Eagen was introduced as the FCIAC’s coach of the year by his mentor, Tom Fujitani, who he served under as an assistant coach for several years, and thanked his assistant coaches and the Warriors’ booster club for its efforts in helping to build a top-notch program. Ridgefield’s Kevin Callahan introduced one of his former players, New Fairfield’s Andy Buchsbaum, as the SWC’s coach of the year.

Carl Cairo (Greenwich) and John Pereira (Pomperaug) received their league’s respective assistant coach of the year awards.

The scholar-athletes honered were:

• William Bass, Bassick
• Nick Verderosa, Bethel
• Chris Green, Brien McMahon
• Kenneth Cobb, Bridgeport Central
• Steven Moss, Brookfield
• Jeffrey Farrell, Bunnell
• Greg Passineau, Canterbury
• Richard Holmes, Danbury
• George Rhein, Darien
• Matthew O’Laughlin, Fairfield Ludlowe
• Thomas Marx Jr., Fairfield Warde
• Jonathan Meyers, Greenwich
• Scott Hickling, Joel Barlow
• Victor Ciancetta, Masuk
• Chris Lemoine, New Canaan
• Patrick Cassidy, New Fairfield
• Jonathan Henion, New Milford
• Eric Puffer, Newtown
• Cyprian Oyomba, Norwalk
• Patrick Purrell, Notre Dame-Fairfield
• Stephen Barton, Pomperaug
• Tyler Strittmatter, Ridgefield
• Michael Dinihanien, St. Joseph
• Jason Zins, Staples
• Justin Shumyhora, Stratford
• John O’Leary, Trinity Catholic
• Jameson Cherilus, Trumbull
• John Midy, Westhill
• Dylan Hannum, Weston
• Chris Payne, Wilton

Also honored were a few unsung heroes of the game, the referees. Without them, of course, the games wouldn’t count in the standings. Bob Seirup, who has been working with the Fairfield County Football Association for 54 seasons, was honored as its official of the year. Bill Vasutro was the Colonial Football Association’s honoree.