Where Are They Now: Spring Athletes & Coaches Corner

By Jay Turner

Another spring sports season is officially underway, and a quick glance at college rosters shows that Canton is indeed well-represented, with no fewer than a dozen hometown athletes currently suiting up for programs throughout New England and beyond.

Headlining this group are three members of the Canton High class of 2011, including two former Bulldog track stars who have found instant success at the highest levels of NCAA competition.

Jon Vaughn

Over at Boston College, freshman Jon Vaughn has quickly made a name for himself as one of the Eagles’ top sprinters. During the indoor season, Vaughn, who won two MIAA Division 3 championships during his time at CHS, ran the second fastest 60-meter dash in BC history with a blazing time of 7.12 seconds. And the four-time MIAA all-state participant is off to a fast start this spring, with several top finishes in both the 100- and 200-meter races. Just last week, Vaughn cracked the 11-second barrier in the 100 for the first time in his career, finishing second at the Stonehill Skyhawk Invitational in 10.98 seconds to earn his first New England qualifying standard of the outdoor season. The former Bulldog running back also placed third at the meet in the 200 with a solid time of 22.64 seconds.

Meanwhile, about 300 miles south of Chestnut Hill, just outside Philadelphia at Villanova University, Matt Sidney, one of Vaughn’s former teammates and a CHS record holder in the high jump, is enjoying an outstanding debut season for the Division 1 Wildcats. A two-time MIAA high jump champion, Sidney burst onto the scene at the NYC Gotham Cup in January, clearing 2.01 meters to qualify for the Big East Championships, where he went on to place fifth with a jump of 2.04 meters while his team took fourth place overall. Sidney, like Vaughn, has continued to impress in the early part of the outdoor season, including at the recent Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he placed sixth in the high jump at 2.01 meters.

While Sidney has proven he can compete in the Big East, another one of his CHS classmates, UMass Dartmouth freshman Olivia Kenyon, has been busy tearing up the Little East as a member of the Corsairs softball team.

Olivia Kenyon

A former Hockomock League all star, Kenyon took home LEC Rookie of the Week honors after going 9 for 15 with two triples and three RBIs during a four-game stretch in which the team went 3-1. She is currently the team leader in nearly every offensive category, including hits (28), doubles (6), RBIs (12), batting average (.394), and slugging percentage (.507). She has also made six appearances as a pitcher, including three starts, and has struck out 10 batters over 17 innings of work.

Also representing Canton this spring at the collegiate level are a couple of private school products: Catholic Memorial graduate Trevor Boyce and Thayer Academy alum Harrison Slutsky. Boyce, a junior outfielder on the Babson College baseball team, is enjoying his best season at the plate with career highs in batting average (.339) and RBIs (12). He also recently hit his first career home run — a two-run shot against Coast Guard on April 4.

Harrison Slutsky

Slutsky, a former two-time Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic, is having a breakout season of his own at Columbia University, where he is currently second on the Lions’ pitching staff with an earned run average of 2.89. The senior right hander has been the team’s top reliever, having allowed just 24 hits in 28 innings of work while striking out 16.

Lastly, it appears that the Canton lacrosse programs have done something right, as there are currently at least six native sons and daughters contributing at area colleges, including five former Bulldogs.

On the men’s side, senior attackman Alex Vinciguerra has played in all ten games and scored five points for the St. Anselm Hawks, who currently sit in second place in the Northeast-10 Conference with an overall record of 8-2. Staying in New Hampshire and heading just 20 miles south, another CHS grad, Eric Mulford, is having a solid season as a starting midfielder for the Daniel Webster Eagles. And out west in Troy, New York, former BC High player Mike Hicks is enjoying a strong sophomore season at attack for the 9-3 Rensselaer Engineers.

On the women’s side, former three-sport CHS captain Meaghan Daly has started all 12 games as a defenseman for the Assumption College Greyhounds. The senior captain scored her first career point in a game against Queens College earlier this season. Meanwhile, another defenseman, Bridgewater State sophomore Kinsley Willis, has played in 11 games and collected six points for the 6-6 Bears, while fellow sophomore Allison Boudreau has seen some game action as a midfielder for the Quinnipiac Bobcats.

Coaches Corner

Kristine Stigas

While the athletes mentioned above are all busy making a name for themselves on the college playing fields, at least a few former stars have moved on to the coaching ranks, including former Boston College field hockey standout Kristine Stigas, who has taken on an assistant coaching position at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Stigas, a former three-sport athlete at CHS, was the Eagles’ starting goalkeeper for her final two seasons and racked up numerous accolades, including NFHCA second team regional All-American honors in 2009.

Over at Newbury College in Brookline, CHS alum Ryan Sevieri has been named the interim head coach of the Nighthawks’ men’s tennis team after spending the previous season as an assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s teams. In addition, Canton native Corrine Jones recently completed her second season as assistant coach and first season as recruiting coordinator for the Niagara University women’s basketball team. And the Canton Citizen’s own Connor Erickson, a former standout soccer player at CHS, recently completed his first full season as the assistant men’s soccer coach at his alma mater, Wheaton College, after previously serving as an assistant coach at Bridgewater State.

In related alumni news, former CHS field hockey star Julie Santosuosso has accepted a position as the marketing coordinator for USA Field Hockey in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A member of two state championship teams (2004 and 2006) at CHS, Santosuosso went on to play for three seasons at Amherst College, graduating in 2011 with a BA in political science. A former intern with the United States Olympic Committee, Santosuosso will be responsible for managing key accounts of USA Field Hockey’s sponsors, suppliers and licensees.

Quick Hits: Winter 2011-12

* The Stonehill men’s ice hockey team, featuring three Canton residents and coached by Canton native Patrick Leahy, made it all the way to the finals of the Northeast-10 Conference tournament, falling 3-1 to top-seeded St. Anselm. Sophomore forward Bryan Rooney and freshman forward Kevin Aufiero both finished the season with 17 points, while junior forward Sean McNeil finished fifth on the team with five goals. Aufiero was also named to the NE-10 All-Rookie team.

Colleen Moriarty and Erika Bornemann

* UMass Dartmouth teammates and former CHS standouts Colleen Moriarty and Erika Bornemann both earned second team All-Conference honors while leading the Corsairs to their most wins (15) since 1992. Moriarty, a junior, averaged 16 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, and Bornemann, a sophomore, averaged a double-double with 11.3 points and 10.7 rebounds.

* Dino Federico, a junior forward on the Franklin Pierce men’s ice hockey team, finished second on the Ravens with six goals and nine assists.

* Matt Hadge, a junior goalie on the Wesleyan hockey team, played in nine games this season and posted solid numbers with an .893 save percentage and 2.80 goals against average.

* Matt Buckley, a former CHS hockey standout who led the Bulldogs to the 2010 state title, played in eight games this season as a defenseman for the NE-10 champion St. Anselm Hawks.

* Gerard McEleney, a graduate of St. Sebastian’s School, played in 10 games and scored two goals for the Norwich Cadets, winners of the ECAC East hockey title. Norwich (24-3-2) came within one victory of reaching the NCAA Division III national championship game, falling to St. Norbert in the semifinals 4-1.

* Ryan Hayes, another St. Sebastian’s grad, played in seven games this season for the 25-6 Stonehill College men’s basketball team. The Skyhawks’ magical ride ended in the Division II NCAA final four, where they lost to eventual national champion Western Washington 71-66 in Highland Heights, Kentucky.

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