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The Game: Stonehill College looks to close out the regular season on a winning note as it visits Pace University for a Northeast-10 Conference matchup at Pace Stadium this afternoon. The Skyhawks have dropped two in a row after winning three of four after Saturday’s 30-6 setback to nationally-ranked Assumption. The Setters are still in search of their first win of the year after falling to nationally-ranked LIU Post, 35-17 last weekend.
Media Info: Live video of today’s game is available via pacesetters.com/watchlive, with links to the live stream and stats also available through stonehillskyhawks.com. Mike McGinnis will have the call of the game on play-by-play, with Chris DeAngelo providing the color.
What’s the Scenario: Stonehill currently sits in a tie for sixth place in the Northeast-10 standings with American International. The Yellow Jackets hold the head to head tiebreaker over the Skyhawks, meaning Stonehill would host either Merrimack or Saint Anselm for NE-10 Championship weekend on November 12 if everything remains the same in the standings after Saturday’s games. Stonehill can claim sole possession of the No. 6 seed for Championship weekend next Saturday with a win and AIC loss at #15 Assumption today. That would place the Skyhawks on the road at either Bentley, New Haven or Southern Connecticut State who enter the final weekend of the regular season in a three way tie for third place in the NE-10 standings.
He’s Honored: Senior defensive end Andrew Kibarian (Lynnfield, Massachusetts) earned a spot on the Northeast-10 Conference’s weekly honor roll for the second straight week on Monday. He spearheaded a Stonehill defense which limited No. 16/25 Assumption without a touchdown in the first half and 16 points under its season average overall and a rushing attack which averages nearly 200 yards per game to just 87 yards in Saturday’s 30-6 setback. Kibarian totaled eight tackles (six solo), including 2.5 tackles for a loss of seven yards, and a sack.
Saluting Our Seniors: Stonehill honored its 21 seniors playing in their final regular season home game prior to Saturday’s matchup with No. 16/25 Assumption. This group have been a part of the Skyhawks first NE-10 Championship when they claimed a share of the regular season title in 2013, entering today’s game with a 23-19 record overall in their careers, including 20-15 in Northeast-10 play. The class’ 23 wins rank as the sixth-highest four year total in the program’s varsity era (since 1988).
Ryan Saving Defense: Senior linebacker Ryan Doherty (Methuen, Mass.) is one of just 18 players in Stonehill history with 200-plus career tackles and his six tackles against Assumption on Saturday moved him into the program’s career top ten with 252 stops in 39 career games played. He is currently 12 tackles behind Ed Brooks ‘96 (264) for ninth place all-time, while his 24.0 career tackles for loss are three shy of cracking the program’s career top ten. Doherty has posted eight career double-figure tackle performances, including 11 stops (six solo) against New Haven in week seven. He leads the team lead with his 67 tackles this season (36 solo) - good for tenth in the NE-10.
Iron Man: Senior defensive end Andrew Kibarian (Lynnfield, Mass.) started his 40th straight game on the Stonehill defensive line against Assumption on Saturday. He has started 40 of his 43 games played over his career and moved into a tie for tenth on the program’s career list for tackles for loss as his 2.5 on Saturday give him 27.0 for his career, matching Mike Minicucci ‘98.
Block That Kick: Stonehill leads the Northeast-10 Conference and ranks third nationally in Division II with its program-record matching seven blocked kicks this season. The Skyhawks have matched the record total set in 2014, having blocked a kick in two straight games, including senior Justin Kaffenberger’s (Monroe, N.Y.) blocked field goal against Assumption on Saturday. Junior linebacker Andy Steck (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) leads the NE-10 and ranks fourth nationally with his team-high three blocks, which is tied for second on the program’s single-season list, while senior Mark Trudeau (Duxbury, Mass.) is tied for second in the NE-10 and eighth nationally with two blocks. Kaffenberger was the fourth Skyhawk with a blocked kick this season.
Academic Success: Stonehill College was recognized for its academic performance with regard to graduation rate by earning a 96-percent Academic Success Rating (ASR) as released by the NCAA last year. The ASR considers the academic success rate of the institution based on the graduation rate of student-athletes while also giving credit for any student-athletes that transferred from the institution while in good academic standing. In addition to Stonehill’s overall ASR of 96%, 12 of Stonehill’s 16 athletic programs (cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field are combined by the NCAA) received perfect scores of 100%. Stonehill’s 96% ASR ranks third among NE-10 institutions and ranks fifth overall in NCAA Division II. The football team has an ASR of 90% - signifigantly higher than the federal rate of 73%. Stonehill has earned the NCAA Division II Presidents’ Award all five years of its existence for having an ASR of 90% or higher.
Getting Social: Fans and media members of Stonehill athletics now have three social media outlets to get updates on all 20 varsity programs. The department’s Facebook page is www.facebook.com/stonehillskyhawks, and you can also follow @SkyhawkTalk on Twitter and “StonehillSkyhawks” on Instagram. Stonehill football also has its own Facebook and Twitter accounts: @SCskyhawksFB.
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