Greetings to all Clark Athletics fans and welcome to the first winter season wrap-up of the year. Over the past week, both basketball teams began play, the cross country teams took part in the NCAA regionals, and several NEWMAC members competed in their respective national tournaments. Without further ado, let us examine what events Clark teams competed in over the past seven days and how they performed.  

This Week’s Competitions

Starting off on Tuesday, Nov. 8 with the men’s basketball season opener, the team went on the road to take on Lesley University. The Cougars took care of business, burying the Lynx 101 to 51. Clark’s opening night victory was led by sophomore standout Isaiah Taylor, who scored 17 while maintaining high efficiency. 

Moving forwards to Thursday, Nov. 10, the men’s basketball squad was on the road once more, this time for a matchup with Division I Merrimack. Despite falling 48-64 in this exhibition game, Clark didn’t make things easy for the home team: the Cougars got within two points of tying the score, but ultimately lost after a late 14-0 run by Merrimack. Still, the Cougars should feel confident after this game, having demonstrated their ability to compete effectively against an opponent two divisions their senior. 

The women’s basketball team kicked off their season Friday night with a game against Worcester State in the Worcester City Tip-Off Tournament. Our Cougz emerged with a great start to their 2022-23 campaign, taking down the Lancers 62-57. The Cougar victory was spearheaded by guard Jacqueline Faulise, as the junior collected 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Fellow junior Alaina Schatzabel also secured nine boards for Clark, tallying 16 points on 63% field goal percentage. 

Saturday, Nov. 12 saw several Clark competitions, starting off with cross country in the late morning. Both cross country teams raced in the NCAA East Regionals; the men’s side came in at #32, while the women’s detail finished their race at the 24 spot. Given the number of strong competitors at this event, both Cougz teams should be proud of the efforts they put in to cap off their seasons. One Clark racer’s season is not over, however, as round-up veteran Ruby Krasnow ran well enough to qualify for the NCAA championships in Lansing, Mich. next week. Krasnow finished in eighth place out of over 240 racers, crossing the finish line with a time of 22:43.6. This race also earned the sophomore all regional honors. 

Also on Saturday, Nov. 12, both basketball teams competed in their respective afternoon matchups. The women’s team fell to WPI in the Worcester City Tournament Final, losing 48 to 72. Mariah Harris led the Cougz in scoring, securing 15 points on the day. The men’s basketball team faced Bates in their third straight away game to start the year; Clark returned from Lewiston, Maine victorious (63-60) after a nail-biter that went down to the wire. Both teams were knotted at 60 all, when with only one minute remaining, guard Isaiah Taylor sank three clutch free throws. This put the Cougars up by one possession, a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the competition. Once again, Tylor led the way for Cougz b-ball, scoring 27 of Clark’s 63 points. Nine of Taylor’s 27 points came from behind the arc, shooting 75% from three. 

Weekly Accolades 

For this edition of the round-up, my pick for Athlete of the Week goes to sophomore men’s basketball player Isaiah Taylor. The guard picked up right where he left off last season during his rookie campaign; across the two non-exhibition games this week Taylor averaged 22 points per game. Not only was Taylor proficient in his volume of scoring, but the biology student also maximized his efficiency, shooting 52% from the field and an outstanding 85.7% from three. Taylor, a graduate of Lowell Catholic High School, performed well individually and led the Cougz to a two and zero record to start off the season, an achievement deserving of this week’s award.

The game of the week award also goes to the men’s basketball team with their 63 to 60 conquest over Bates College. After starting off the season with a blowout win, the Cougz were able to travel up to Maine and capture victory in a tightly contested matchup. This shows that Clark basketball has the capacity for large offensive outbursts, but also holds the proper resolve to pull out victory in close games. Isaiah Taylor led the team in scoring, but there was balance in the Cougar attack, with three players in the starting lineup scoring over 10 points. The Bates Bobcats went on two second-half runs, including an eight-to-zero stretch, which put them up by as much as eight. Despite this, Clark did not cave in and stood firm, climbing back and eventually grabbing the lead with only one minute remaining. The team’s impressive ability to remain in the contest, even while down, earned them this week’s game of the week.

Before we zoom out to the NEWMAC, Clark’s award recipients deserve a round of applause. Graduate student Jamie Joseph took home NEWMAC Player of the Year, honoring her as the best overall player in the conference this season. In addition to this lofty title, Joseph earned a spot on the NEWMAC’s first team all-conference for her outstanding box-to-box play. First-year defender Jayme Brown was also recognized with a spot on the first team. Forward Siobhan Lounsbury earned a spot on the NEWMAC all-conference second team for clutch goals throughout the season. As for the men’s side, William Lopez was honored on the all-conference second team. Congratulations again to all four of these athletes for their outstanding performances this season. 

Around the NEWMAC

Several of Clark’s conference peers took part in national NCAA tournaments to decide the country’s champion for Division III. We start first with Babson volleyball: the Beavers lost in the second round of the tournament to Tufts U. after a tight five set competition. MIT field hockey was trampled by number two Middlebury College (8-0) in the second round. Babson field hockey was able to reach the regional final, but fell to Johns Hopkins U. in a fiery match (1-0). Sticking with Babson, their men’s soccer team was upset by Vassar College in the initial round of the tournament on penalties (3-1). Emerson College women’s soccer also failed to win in the first round, getting knocked out by Westfield State (2-1). MIT women’s soccer could not capture victory against Williams College, losing in a penalty shootout in the second round. Quick side note: MIT ran roughshod over my sister’s alma mater, Sarah Lawrence College, beating them six to nothing in the first round of the tournament (shout-out Anna). Only one NEWMAC team remains alive in their tournament, with MIT volleyball making it to the quarterfinals after three straight three-nothing victories. The team was ranked sixth out of the remaining eight teams, and is set to take on Trinity U. (Texas) on Wednesday, Nov. 16 with a possible trip to the Final Four on the line. Finally, last week, although not an NCAA tournament match, Springfield football won their second straight conference title, beating Catholic U. 35 to 21 and punching their ticket to the postseason.

That just about wraps up this week’s edition of the Clark Athletics and NEWMAC recap. Both basketball teams got out to a strong start this season, and will look to keep up the momentum going forward. The next Cougar competitions come on Wednesday Nov. 16, as the men’s team is set to take on New England College on the road, and the women’s squad will host Fitchburg State for their first home game of the year. On Saturday, Nov. 19, women’s swim and dive will face off against Rhode Island College, Ruby Krasnow will take part in the NCAA Championships, men’s basketball hosts York College (N.Y.), and women’s b-ball will play Salve Regina at home. As always, we will hope Clark wins in these upcoming events, and until then, roll Cougz!