Northeastern University Athletics | Huskies 2008-09 fall season in review

Huskies 2008-09 fall season in review
June 29, 2009
Boston, Mass.

Northeastern's fall 2008 season was incredibly successful with a CAA regular season championship, three CAA Tournament championship game appearances, a CAA Tournament championship, 18 All-Conference and/or All-Rookie selections, one CAA Player of the Year, an All-American and an NCAA Tournament victory. The fall season set the tone for what has become one of the most successful athletic seasons in Northeastern history.

To view the Northeastern 2008-09 Season in Review video, click here.

Men’s Cross Country

Teddy Vrountas The men's cross country team had a strong 2008 campaign, finishing 6th at the CAA Championship and 26th at the New England Championship. Teddy Vrountas (pictured) was one of the strong runners for the Huskies and was named CAA Runner of the Week twice during the year. Vrountas was named the overall champion at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, running a blistering 25:04 while averaging a 5:01 mile. Vrountas also placed second at the Blue Devil Invitational at Central Connecticut State.

At the CAA Championship in Centreville, Va., the Huskies finished sixth and had three runners finish in the top 50. Vrountas finished 18th while Sebastian Putzeys finished 39th and Joe Siravo finished 47th. Both Vrountas and Putzeys competed in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship and finished 61st and 169th, respectively, out of 239 runners.

Women’s Cross Country

The women's cross country team completed a standout 2008 season by finishing fourth at the CAA Championship, its best conference finish ever. The Huskies were led by Brittany Moriarty (pictured) who was twice named the CAA Runner of the Week and helped vault the Huskies to numerous high finishes.

The best finish of the season for NU came at the Dartmouth Invitational when the Huskies took second overall. Moriarty finished fourth overall while Jess Barton took sixth overall. Three more Huskies rounded out the top 20 of the 77 runners.

At the CAA Championship, Moriarty earned All-CAA honors by finishing fifth on the 6k course. NU finished 15th at the NCAA Regional in New York and had two runners finish in the top 100 of the 247 racers.

Field Hockey

Pam Aldridge The field hockey team played a very competitive schedule that saw the Huskies finish the 2008 season 7-13 overall, 1-7 in the CAA.

Despite the record, the Huskies had some impressive victories that included wins over Northwestern, Boston University, Brown and Stanford. In addition, four of their losses came against teams that finished in the top 20 in the STX/NFHCA Division I national coaches poll: No. 20 Massachusetts, No. 15 Boston College, No. 14 Drexel, and No. 4 James Madison.

The postseason brought many awards for Northeastern. Four Huskies, Pam Aldridge (pictured), Kaela Barker, Carolyn Malloy and Jillian Wilkes earned All-CAA honors. Barker was named CAA Rookie of the Year, a first in program history. She was also named to the CAA All-Rookie team with Malloy. Aldridge, who led the team in points with 23, and Wilkes were named to the All-CAA second team.

Three Huskies earned All-Region honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA), as Aldridge was named to the All-Northeast Region first team and Wilkes and Ashley Bascetta were named to the second team.

Northeastern as a team was recognized as one of the recipients of the 2008 NFHCA Division I National Academic Team Award for achieving a team-wide average GPA of 3.0 or higher during the first semester of the 2008-09 academic year. Ten members of the team, Aldridge, Barker, Wilkes, Annie Clayman, Beth Cobby, Montana Hewlett, Katrina Murray, Sam Roach, Samantha Sewell and Anne-Reike Stuhlmann, were named to the NFHCA Collegiate National Academic Squad, which recognizes student-athletes for achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.

Football

Nate Thellen The Huskies, who compete in the toughest conference in all of Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), once again played an incredibly tough schedule that featured games against two members of Football Bowl Subdivision and five games against nationally ranked teams. The Huskies had a 2-10 record, but that did not reflect the toughness and competitiveness they had on the football field.

Northeastern displayed a plethora of talent on the field in 2008 that resulted in multiple honors. The Huskies placed five players on All-Conference teams, including second-team pick Brian Mandeville and third-team picks Alex Broomfield, Phil Higgins, Kevin Newhall and Nate Thellen (pictured). Mandeville and Higgins were also named All-New England.

Thellen had one of best games ever for a Northeastern defender. Against UC Davis, the sophomore free safety intercepted three passes and returned one of them 92 yards for a touchdown. He is just the fifth Northeastern football player to ever pick off three or more passes, and he was rewarded with CAA Defensive Player of the Week, Sports Network National Defensive Player of the Week and ECAC Co-Defensive Player of the week honors.

On the academic side, 10 Huskies were named to the CAA Football Academic All-Conference team, including Zack Abrams, David Akinniyi, Jay Bornstein, Ron Conway, Kevin Newhall, Greg Niland, Anthony Orio, John Sperrazza, Thellen and Jason Vega.

In addition, Orio, who graduated Northeastern summa cum laude, was named a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy, given to the nation’s best football student-athlete. He was also a honoree in the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society and a FCS Athletics Directors Academic All-Star.

Men’s Soccer

Mike Kennedy The 2008 men's soccer team experienced new highs, advancing to the CAA Tournament championship game for the first time and finishing above .500 for the first time under head coach Brian Ainscough. Northeastern took down Old Dominion in the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament and upset No. 1 seed UNC Wilmington in the semifinals. Through the first two rounds, the Huskies did not allow a goal. The Huskies fell to George Mason in the championship game 1-0.

Defense was key for the Huskies, as they set team records in shutouts with 10, fewest goals allowed with 17 and tied for fewest losses in a season. The offense did not have a ton of goals, but scored when it counted the most with 11 of its 20 goals coming after the 70-minute mark and five of those 11 being game-winning or game-tying goals.

The Huskies earned much praise from the CAA for their efforts. Junior midfielder Lars Okland and sophomore defender Petur Vidarsson were both named All-CAA first team. It was Okland’s second consecutive first-team honor and it was the first such honor for Vidarsson, who was also named to the NSCAA All-South Atlantic Region third team. Freshman forward Mike Kennedy (pictured), who led the Huskies with 13 points, five goals and three assists, was named to the All-CAA third team and the CAA All-Rookie team. Midfielder Alexander Volk earned his second consecutive All-CAA third team honor. In addition, Okland, Volk and Brendan Ennis were named to the CAA All-Tournament team.

Women’s Soccer

2008 CAA Champions The 2008 women’s soccer team had the best season in program history. Going 13-9-2 (6-5 CAA), the team won its first-ever CAA championship and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in its first appearance.

After winning their last two regular season games just to qualify for the CAA Tournament, the Huskies knocked off UNC Wilmington on the road in the quarterfinals, then defeated James Madison in the semifinals at William & Mary. In the championship game, Liza Rebello sent the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament with a golden goal in double overtime, dispatching Hofstra 1-0. The team made CAA history by becoming the first-ever No. 6 seed to win the title.

The success did not end there as Northeastern went on to knock off Harvard in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Boston College in the second round.

Many of the Huskies earned national and conference honors. Freshman Veronica Napoli earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors after leading the team with a scoring line of 12-6-29. Napoli was also named to the 2008 NSCAA/adidas All-America third team, All-Northeast Region first-team and All-New England. She also joined Gabbi Jatkola on the CAA All-Rookie team and All-CAA third team. Emilee Ellison, Stephanie Gordon, Jenna Lucchesi and Tinna Nielsen were all named to the CAA All-Tournament team, and Lucchesi was also named the CAA Tournament MVP.

Volleyball

Lauren DeTurk The volleyball team finished a remarkable 2008 season going 19-11 and winning the CAA regular season crown with a 12-2 mark.

The first-place finish was Northeastern’s first since 1992. The Huskies also advanced to their conference tournament final for the first time in seven years.

After a 2-7 start, the Huskies went on an 11-match winning streak, the fourth longest in Northeastern history, and opened a perfect 7-0 in the CAA en route to securing home court and a first-round bye in the CAA Championship. After dispatching Hofstra in the semifinals, NU came within two points of capturing its first CAA title, but lost the fifth set of the championship match to Delaware 15-13.

The Huskies’ remarkable season did not go unnoticed as senior Lauren DeTurk (pictured) was named 2008 CAA Player of the Year, All-East Region Honorable Mention, first-team All-CAA and CAA All-Tournament. Junior Leah Neubeck also made the All-Tournament team, and sophomore Britney Brown was also a first-team All-CAA selection. For his efforts in leading the Huskies, head coach Ken Nichols was named CAA Co-Coach of the Year.

For the season, NU topped the conference in hit percentage and service aces. DeTurk was second in kills (364) and points (3.94), third in service aces (32), and sixth in digs (345). Brown was first in service aces (41) while Neubeck finished fifth in digs (374). Caitlin Tittl and Jessica Tkachuk finished seventh in the CAA in hit percentage and assists, respectively.



	HUSKIES HEADLINES SCHEDULES & RESULTS CALENDAR OF EVENTS RADIO & TV SCHEDULE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HUSKIES INSIDER NORTHEASTERN TWITTER CAA BLOOD CHALLENGE DIRECTIONS SPECIAL EVENTS TRAVEL RSS FEEDS HUSKY ATHLETICS FUND CORPORATE PARTNERS MERCHANDISE TICKET INFORMATION iPHONE APPLICATION NCENTIVES HALL OF FAME CHEERLEADING MISSION & GOALS HISTORY STAFF DIRECTORY FACILITIES CAMPS & CLINICS MEDIA GUIDES NCAA COMPLIANCE NCAA CERTIFICATION SPORTS INFORMATION SPORTS MEDICINE STRENGTH & CONDITIONING STUDENT ATHLETES FIRST SUPPORT SERVICES P.A.W.S. INITIATIVE NORTHEASTERN WEBSITE BOSTON CAMPUS RECREATION SPORT IN SOCIETY GoNU.com INDEX	Huskies 2008-09 fall season in review June 29, 2009 Boston, Mass. Northeastern's fall 2008 season was incredibly successful with a CAA regular season championship, three CAA Tournament championship game appearances, a CAA Tournament championship, 18 All-Conference and/or All-Rookie selections, one CAA Player of the Year, an All-American and an NCAA Tournament victory. The fall season set the tone for what has become one of the most successful athletic seasons in Northeastern history. To view the Northeastern 2008-09 Season in Review video, click here. Men’s Cross Country The men's cross country team had a strong 2008 campaign, finishing 6th at the CAA Championship and 26th at the New England Championship. Teddy Vrountas (pictured) was one of the strong runners for the Huskies and was named CAA Runner of the Week twice during the year. Vrountas was named the overall champion at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, running a blistering 25:04 while averaging a 5:01 mile. Vrountas also placed second at the Blue Devil Invitational at Central Connecticut State. At the CAA Championship in Centreville, Va., the Huskies finished sixth and had three runners finish in the top 50. Vrountas finished 18th while Sebastian Putzeys finished 39th and Joe Siravo finished 47th. Both Vrountas and Putzeys competed in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship and finished 61st and 169th, respectively, out of 239 runners. Women’s Cross Country The women's cross country team completed a standout 2008 season by finishing fourth at the CAA Championship, its best conference finish ever. The Huskies were led by Brittany Moriarty (pictured) who was twice named the CAA Runner of the Week and helped vault the Huskies to numerous high finishes. The best finish of the season for NU came at the Dartmouth Invitational when the Huskies took second overall. Moriarty finished fourth overall while Jess Barton took sixth overall. Three more Huskies rounded out the top 20 of the 77 runners. At the CAA Championship, Moriarty earned All-CAA honors by finishing fifth on the 6k course. NU finished 15th at the NCAA Regional in New York and had two runners finish in the top 100 of the 247 racers. Field Hockey The field hockey team played a very competitive schedule that saw the Huskies finish the 2008 season 7-13 overall, 1-7 in the CAA. Despite the record, the Huskies had some impressive victories that included wins over Northwestern, Boston University, Brown and Stanford. In addition, four of their losses came against teams that finished in the top 20 in the STX/NFHCA Division I national coaches poll: No. 20 Massachusetts, No. 15 Boston College, No. 14 Drexel, and No. 4 James Madison. The postseason brought many awards for Northeastern. Four Huskies, Pam Aldridge (pictured), Kaela Barker, Carolyn Malloy and Jillian Wilkes earned All-CAA honors. Barker was named CAA Rookie of the Year, a first in program history. She was also named to the CAA All-Rookie team with Malloy. Aldridge, who led the team in points with 23, and Wilkes were named to the All-CAA second team. Three Huskies earned All-Region honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA), as Aldridge was named to the All-Northeast Region first team and Wilkes and Ashley Bascetta were named to the second team. Northeastern as a team was recognized as one of the recipients of the 2008 NFHCA Division I National Academic Team Award for achieving a team-wide average GPA of 3.0 or higher during the first semester of the 2008-09 academic year. Ten members of the team, Aldridge, Barker, Wilkes, Annie Clayman, Beth Cobby, Montana Hewlett, Katrina Murray, Sam Roach, Samantha Sewell and Anne-Reike Stuhlmann, were named to the NFHCA Collegiate National Academic Squad, which recognizes student-athletes for achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher. Football The Huskies, who compete in the toughest conference in all of Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), once again played an incredibly tough schedule that featured games against two members of Football Bowl Subdivision and five games against nationally ranked teams. The Huskies had a 2-10 record, but that did not reflect the toughness and competitiveness they had on the football field. Northeastern displayed a plethora of talent on the field in 2008 that resulted in multiple honors. The Huskies placed five players on All-Conference teams, including second-team pick Brian Mandeville and third-team picks Alex Broomfield, Phil Higgins, Kevin Newhall and Nate Thellen (pictured). Mandeville and Higgins were also named All-New England. Thellen had one of best games ever for a Northeastern defender. Against UC Davis, the sophomore free safety intercepted three passes and returned one of them 92 yards for a touchdown. He is just the fifth Northeastern football player to ever pick off three or more passes, and he was rewarded with CAA Defensive Player of the Week, Sports Network National Defensive Player of the Week and ECAC Co-Defensive Player of the week honors. On the academic side, 10 Huskies were named to the CAA Football Academic All-Conference team, including Zack Abrams, David Akinniyi, Jay Bornstein, Ron Conway, Kevin Newhall, Greg Niland, Anthony Orio, John Sperrazza, Thellen and Jason Vega. In addition, Orio, who graduated Northeastern summa cum laude, was named a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy, given to the nation’s best football student-athlete. He was also a honoree in the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society and a FCS Athletics Directors Academic All-Star. Men’s Soccer The 2008 men's soccer team experienced new highs, advancing to the CAA Tournament championship game for the first time and finishing above .500 for the first time under head coach Brian Ainscough. Northeastern took down Old Dominion in the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament and upset No. 1 seed UNC Wilmington in the semifinals. Through the first two rounds, the Huskies did not allow a goal. The Huskies fell to George Mason in the championship game 1-0. Defense was key for the Huskies, as they set team records in shutouts with 10, fewest goals allowed with 17 and tied for fewest losses in a season. The offense did not have a ton of goals, but scored when it counted the most with 11 of its 20 goals coming after the 70-minute mark and five of those 11 being game-winning or game-tying goals. The Huskies earned much praise from the CAA for their efforts. Junior midfielder Lars Okland and sophomore defender Petur Vidarsson were both named All-CAA first team. It was Okland’s second consecutive first-team honor and it was the first such honor for Vidarsson, who was also named to the NSCAA All-South Atlantic Region third team. Freshman forward Mike Kennedy (pictured), who led the Huskies with 13 points, five goals and three assists, was named to the All-CAA third team and the CAA All-Rookie team. Midfielder Alexander Volk earned his second consecutive All-CAA third team honor. In addition, Okland, Volk and Brendan Ennis were named to the CAA All-Tournament team. Women’s Soccer The 2008 women’s soccer team had the best season in program history. Going 13-9-2 (6-5 CAA), the team won its first-ever CAA championship and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in its first appearance. After winning their last two regular season games just to qualify for the CAA Tournament, the Huskies knocked off UNC Wilmington on the road in the quarterfinals, then defeated James Madison in the semifinals at William & Mary. In the championship game, Liza Rebello sent the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament with a golden goal in double overtime, dispatching Hofstra 1-0. The team made CAA history by becoming the first-ever No. 6 seed to win the title. The success did not end there as Northeastern went on to knock off Harvard in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Boston College in the second round. Many of the Huskies earned national and conference honors. Freshman Veronica Napoli earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors after leading the team with a scoring line of 12-6-29. Napoli was also named to the 2008 NSCAA/adidas All-America third team, All-Northeast Region first-team and All-New England. She also joined Gabbi Jatkola on the CAA All-Rookie team and All-CAA third team. Emilee Ellison, Stephanie Gordon, Jenna Lucchesi and Tinna Nielsen were all named to the CAA All-Tournament team, and Lucchesi was also named the CAA Tournament MVP. Volleyball The volleyball team finished a remarkable 2008 season going 19-11 and winning the CAA regular season crown with a 12-2 mark. The first-place finish was Northeastern’s first since 1992. The Huskies also advanced to their conference tournament final for the first time in seven years. After a 2-7 start, the Huskies went on an 11-match winning streak, the fourth longest in Northeastern history, and opened a perfect 7-0 in the CAA en route to securing home court and a first-round bye in the CAA Championship. After dispatching Hofstra in the semifinals, NU came within two points of capturing its first CAA title, but lost the fifth set of the championship match to Delaware 15-13. The Huskies’ remarkable season did not go unnoticed as senior Lauren DeTurk (pictured) was named 2008 CAA Player of the Year, All-East Region Honorable Mention, first-team All-CAA and CAA All-Tournament. Junior Leah Neubeck also made the All-Tournament team, and sophomore Britney Brown was also a first-team All-CAA selection. For his efforts in leading the Huskies, head coach Ken Nichols was named CAA Co-Coach of the Year. For the season, NU topped the conference in hit percentage and service aces. DeTurk was second in kills (364) and points (3.94), third in service aces (32), and sixth in digs (345). Brown was first in service aces (41) while Neubeck finished fifth in digs (374). Caitlin Tittl and Jessica Tkachuk finished seventh in the CAA in hit percentage and assists, respectively.