Stonehill Clinches Share of Sixth NE-10 Championship

Senior Bacall Brooks was a double-winner for the Skyhawks as they clinched at least a share of the NE-10 regular season title.

Skyhawks round out regular season with 8-1 win over Merrimack to earn a share of their sixth NE-10 regular season championship in program history

EASTON, Mass. (April 13, 2012) – Stonehill College, ranked sixth in this week's NCAA Division II East Regional rankings, clinched a share of the Northeast-10 Conference regular season championship with an 8-1 decision over Merrimack College in NE-10 women's tennis action at Charles Watt Tennis Courts today.

Stonehill (14-4, 12-1 NE-10) wins the NE-10 regular season championship for the sixth time in program history, its first since the 2008-09 season. The Skyhawks must now sit and wait out the final regular season contests for Adelphi University and Southern New Hampshire to see if they will win the title outright or share it up to three ways. Depending on the results of this weekend's matches, the Skyhawks could be seeded as high as first or as low as third for the upcoming NE-10 Tournament that kicks off with first round action on Wednesday, April 18, at 2 p.m. Should Stonehill earn one of the top two seeds, it would receive a first round bye and host a semifinal matchup on Friday at 2 p.m.

Merrimack (9-13, 8-5 NE-10) will be the sixth seed for the upcoming NE-10 tournament and will visit the No. 3 seed on Tuesday. NE-10 Tournament seeds and pairings will be announced this weekend following the final regular season matches.

Seniors Bacall Brooks (York, Maine/St. Thomas Aquinas) and Sarah Hickey (Lee, Mass./Lee), as well as junior Paige Frost (Brigantine, N.J./Holy Spirit) and freshman Meryl Lawrence (North Scituate, R.I./Mount Saint Charles Academy) were all double-winners to lead Stonehill to its third straight win and tenth over the last 11. Frost and Hickey combined for an 8-1 victory at No. 1 doubles as the Skyhawks swept the three doubles matches. Frost followed with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Merrimack senior Courtney Garvey (Woburn, Mass./Arlington Catholic) at No. 3 singles, while Hickey wrapped up a perfect career in NE-10 regular season singles matches with her 6-0, 6-1 decision over sophomore Alyx Barnes (Portsmouth, N.H./Portsmouth) at No.4 Hickey, who is now 58-2 over her career in singles matches, caps her career in NE-10 regular season play with a 35-0 clip.

Match Highlights

Post Match Interviews

Brooks teamed up with junior Jacquelyn Harrow (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) for a 9-8 (7-5) victory at No. 2 doubles and then claimed an 8-1 decision at No. 6 singles. Lawrence combined with senior Amy Toegemann (Narragansett, R.I./The Lincoln School) for an 8-1 triumph at No. 3 doubles before posting an 8-4 win at No. 5 singles. Freshman Katie Gilligan (Wakefield, R.I./The Prout School) also earned a point for the Skyhawks with her 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 comeback win over Merrimack sophomore Kara Hole (Portsmouth, R.I./The Lincoln School) at No. 2 singles.

Freshman Shakee Messina (Caracas, Venezuela) captured the lone point for Merrimack with her 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 comeback winy over Toegemann at No. 1 singles.

Stonehill 8, Merrimack 1

Singles:

1. Shakee Messina (MER) def. Amy Toegemann (STO) 1-6, 6-2, 6-1

2. Katie Gilligan (STO) def. Kara Hole (MER) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2

3. Paige Frost (STO) def. Courtney Garvey (MER) 6-1, 6-2

4. Sarah Hickey (STO) def. Alyx Barnes (MER) 6-0, 6-1

5. Meryl Lawrence (STO) def. Mollie Fitzgerald (MER) 8-4

6. Bacall Brooks (STO) def. Erin McMahon (MER) 8-1

*Doubles:

1. Frost/Hickey (STO) def. Barnes/Garvey (MER) 8-1

2. Brooks/Jacquelyn Harrow (STO) def. Hole/Fitzgerald (MER) 9-8 (7-5)

3. Toegemann/Lawrence (STO) def. Messina/McMahon (MER) 8-1