In Review
ALL-AMERICAN: Frances Tseng ’13 earned All-America honors in women’s tennis and was ranked No. 20 nationally as a singles player in the final poll. Tseng is the fifth Rochester woman to earn All-America honors in tennis. (Photo: Athletics & Recreation)Four spring sports were represented in the NCAA Division III national championships and a fifth sport battled its way into the Liberty League playoffs with a strong finish.
Softball: The Yellowjackets returned to the NCAA playoffs for the first time in three years, receiving one of two Pool B bids (teams in leagues that do not have an automatic bid) into the 61-team field. The Yellowjackets were seeded third of eight teams in a regional hosted by Eastern Connecticut State University. Rochester lost its opener to St. John Fisher, bounced back to defeat Salem State (Mass.) College, then lost to second-ranked Eastern Connecticut. The Yellowjackets finished 29–15. The win over Salem State was the 300th all-time softball victory in 15 years. Brittany Grage ’15 was named the MVP of the Liberty League championships. She earned two victories in the league championships. Nina Korn ’14 was named first team all–Liberty League and first team all–UAA. Korn hit two home runs at NCAAs and was named to the all-regional tournament team.
Men’s outdoor track and field: Frank Ramirez ’12 and James Vavra ’12 earned trips to the NCAA championships in California. Ramirez, running 55 miles from his California home, finished ninth in the 800-meter run. Vavra finished 16th in the 10,000 meters. Ramirez finished second in the 800 at the ECAC championships and broke his own school record in the process. Rochester finished fifth at the New York State championships, which the Yellowjackets hosted in early May.
Women’s tennis: First singles player Frances Tseng ’13 was chosen for the NCAA championships in North Carolina, her first NCAA appearance and the second straight year that Rochester was represented. (Lia Weiner ’11 competed in 2011.) Tseng was ranked No. 7 in the Northeast and was paired against Mackenzie Knoop of Trinity (Texas), the third-ranked player in the West Region. Tseng lost 6–4, 6–7 (5), 3–6. She finished with a 24–5 singles mark this year.
Golf: Nick Palladino ’14 made his second straight appearance at the NCAA golf championships, this time in Florida. He fired a 36-hole total of 152 (74–78), leaving him eight over par. Palladino, the top-ranked singles player in the Northeast region, was named to the Golf Coaches Association of America/PING All-America team for the second straight year.
Baseball: Rochester won 10 of its last 11 and grabbed the No. 4 seed in the Liberty League playoffs. The Yellowjackets finished 18–21 overall. Jon Menke ’13 was named the Liberty League Pitcher of the Year.
Women’s outdoor track and field: The 4-by-400-meter relay of Brittany Porter ’15, Claire Crowther ’13, Abby Zabrodsky ’14, and Becky Galasso ’14 broke the school record at the ECAC championships after coming close on two other occasions. Rochester finished 22nd at the ECAC championships and third at the New York State championships.
Men’s tennis: Rochester posted back-to-back dominating wins over Ithaca (8–1) and Nazareth (9–0) in late March and earned all six wins against New York State opposition.
Women’s lacrosse: Ten of the 12 returning players from this year’s team finished their freshman or sophomore year, giving the Yellowjackets a nucleus around which to build.
Women’s rowing: Strong performances in the spring season catapulted the Yellowjackets into the NCAA rankings. The Varsity 8 defeated 11th-ranked WPI in a meet involving Holy Cross and four nationally ranked Division III programs. Rochester followed that with a Varsity 8 win over Ithaca while the Second V-8 and Novice 8 both finished second in their races.
O’Donnell is director of communications for the Department of Athletics and Recreation.
