Softball team back in GNAC playoffs
Hockey club reaches championship,Kapur, McKinney win GNAC honors
After being named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year in 2005, junior tennis player Aman Kapur has been named GNAC Player of the Year.
“It is a big step from being Rookie of the Year to being named Athlete of the Year,” Kapur said. “It’s amazing when you get rewarded after three years of just playing and enjoying a sport.”
“Aman came in as a freshman with a winning attitude and skills,” said Coach Keith Warner. “He can play at the baseline, he can beat you at the net and he has a wonderful serve.”
Warmer also noted Kapur’s impeccable footwork, which stems from playing soccer back in Peru.
His teammate, sophomore Matt McKinney, was also named to the GNAC All-Conference team due to his 2-0 singles record and 2-1 doubles record. Kapur and McKinney teamed up at number-one doubles for over half the season.
Kapur said he is happy to win personal awards but is proud of his team for doing well as a whole.
“We will give our best in every match and if we win, amazing,” Kapur said. “If we don’t then I could not be more proud.”
Softball team back in GNAC playoffs
After a more tumultuous season than most, the Emerson softball team once again finds itself in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference playoffs.
Since beginning the season 2-8, the Lions have gone 16-4 to secure the fourth seed.
And since a slide mid-season, in which they lost four of five games, the team has recovered to win its last six.
Sophomore catcher Bri Papa said it was just a matter of the team coming together.
“I think we’ve finally meshed as a team,” she said. “We’ve been more relaxed as the season’s gone on.”
Their 2-8 start may also have been a blessing in disguise for the Lions. Last year, after cruising through the regular season, they stumbled in the playoffs. Papa said she thinks this year will be different.
“I think facing adversity early in the season will really help us in the playoffs,” she said.
Hockey club reaches championship
The Emerson men’s hockey club will play for the New England Senior Hockey League (NESHL) championship today after beating Brandeis University last Sunday.
Emerson won 4-2 behind a hat trick from freshman Eli Woodhall.
The Lions will face Suffolk University, a team that beat them 2-1 earlier in the round-robin tournament in a grueling eight-round shootout.
Junior captain Matt Porter attributed much of the team’s success to the play of freshman goalie Greg Cohen.
“He’s in a zone where he’s really stopping everything he sees,” Porter said. “He’s been on fire.”
Although the Lions lost to Suffolk, Porter said he was confident in the way his team was playing.
“We just need to keep playing the way we’ve been playing and hopefully, we’ll come out on top,” he said.