Where Are They Now: Fall Success Stories

By Jay Turner

Thanksgiving is almost here, and with it comes the unofficial end of the fall sports season. On the local level, there have been numerous success stories — from the Canton High volleyball team’s bid for a perfect season to the individual domination of CHS soccer phenom Lauren Berman. Three Canton teams won regular season titles, while the CHS golf team captured its second straight Hockomock championship with a memorable performance at the Granite Links golf course. Across town, the Blue Hills Regional football team currently sits in first place and appears poised to make a run at another Super Bowl berth.

Chris Lerner

But it’s not just the high school athletes who are having success this season. The entire New England region is littered with native sons and daughters who are excelling at the college level.

Headlining this group of collegiate performers is Amherst College senior Chris Lerner, who has helped guide the men’s soccer team to a second consecutive NESCAC title and into the third round of the Division III NCAA tournament. A team captain and two-time All-NESCAC first team selection, Lerner has started all 18 games at left back, anchoring a defense that is tops in the nation with just two goals allowed all season.

Recently, Lerner was awarded NESCAC Player of the Week honors for his work on both ends of the field in the conference tournament. The Thayer Academy graduate not only led the team to two more shutout victories; he also helped create both of the Lord Jeffs’ goals in their 2-0 win over Williams in the championship game.

Lerner and the Jeffs are now 16-0-2 and will host Swarthmore College this Saturday in the NCAA sectional semifinals. A win in that game would propel Amherst into the NCAA quarters and put them one step closer to their ultimate goal: a trip to the “final four” in San Antonio and a chance to battle for the Division III title.

Brianna Trabucco

Although Lerner might be the only Canton native gunning for a national championship, at least a few other hometown athletes have had strong finishes to their college careers this fall, including Canton High alumni Ray Bass (Stonehill College) and Brianna Trabucco (Merrimack College).

Bass, a former three-sport standout for the Bulldogs, started at linebacker this season for the Skyhawks football team (5-5) and piled up 69 tackles — good for second on the team — to go along with one sack, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions.

Trabucco, a former two-time Hockomock League MVP, recently wrapped up her finest individual season with the Merrimack women’s volleyball team. The Warriors’ starting setter, Trabucco led the squad with 926 assists, finished second with a .945 serve percentage, fourth with 201 digs, and sixth with 55 kills. Earlier in the season, Trabucco was named the Northeast-10 Conference Setter of the Week after her MVP performance in the NE-10/ECC Challenge at Bentley College.

Also wrapping up their college careers this season were CHS graduates Claire Grogan, a midfielder on the University of New Hampshire field hockey team; Nicole Santosuosso, a forward on the Bates College field hockey team; and Matt Carney, a key member of the Roger Williams men’s cross country team. Grogan played in eight games for the 12-8 Wildcats, finishing with four shots on net and one goal. Santosuosso played in 14 games and tallied two goals for Bates, while Carney posted several strong times for the Hawks, highlighted by an 11th place finish in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship on October 27.

Michelle McNeil

Meanwhile, as the seniors were enjoying their farewell tours, a whole new crop of Canton athletes burst onto the college scene this fall, led by high school sweethearts Chris Murray and Michelle McNeil.

Murray, who was the first boys’ soccer All-American in CHS history, started all 16 games in his freshman season at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, finishing second on the team with seven goals while helping to lead the squad to an 11-5 overall record.

Across town at Holy Cross, McNeil was every bit as impressive in her debut season on the field hockey team, earning All-Patriot League second team honors for the Division 1 Crusaders. A former three-sport captain at CHS, McNeil started every game this season and finished third on the team with five points.

McNeil was joined this season in the Division 1 ranks by former Bulldog teammate Emma Compagna, who played alongside Grogan at UNH. Another three-sport star while at CHS, Compagna played in all 20 games and was a key contributor for a Wildcats team that finished first in America East with an undefeated conference record.

Nicki Johnson

In addition to Murray, McNeil and Compagna, several other CHS ’12 classmates also made the jump to the college level this past season, including Scott Levy, who played in 17 games and tallied one goal for the Bentley University men’s soccer team; Kensey Waterman, who played in nine games — including six starts — for the Siena College women’s soccer team; Colby Gavigan, who played in one game in net for the Endicott College men’s soccer team; Zach Levenson, who ran cross country at Fitchburg State; Dara D’Agostino, who joined the equestrian team at Stonehill College; and Kelsey Aufiero, Stephanie Bradley, and Rebecca Pulcini, who are all members of the UNH cheerleading squad.

Meanwhile, another college freshman with Canton roots, Nicki Johnson, has made her mark with the William Smith (NY) women’s soccer team. A graduate of the Rivers School, Johnson was recently named the Rookie of the Week for her stellar defense and successful penalty kick in the Herons’ 2-1 win over RIT in the Liberty League semifinals. Johnson’s team went on to capture the tournament title and earned a berth in the Division III NCAA tournament, finishing 14-2-4 overall.

In other college sports news:

* CHS graduate Vicki O’Brien, a junior captain on the Worcester State women’s volleyball team, was named to the All-MASCAC team for the second straight season after once again leading the Lancers in digs with 243. O’Brien is now just 144 digs away from the 1,000 milestone and 51 off the school record.

Vicki O'Brien

* Sarah Healey, a former standout goalie for the Bulldogs’ field hockey team, started 11 games in net and tallied a team-high 86 saves in her sophomore season at St. Michael’s College (VT).

* Former CHS football star Jordan Guyton led the UMass Dartmouth football team in rushing and finished as the second-leading receiver with 24 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown.

* Xaverian Brothers graduate Chris Tamasi had a strong sophomore season for the Amherst College football team (6-2). Tamasi played in all eight games at linebacker and finished sixth on the team with 32 tackles to go along with one sack and one interception.

* CHS graduate Nora Bosteels, a junior midfielder on the Regis College women’s soccer team, played in 15 games with 12 starts and helped lead the team to a program-best record of 11-4-3.

* CHS graduate Brianna Lyons, a junior forward on the Elms College field hockey team, played in 20 games and finished sixth on the team in scoring with six total points.

* CHS graduate Kevin O’Donnell wrapped up his junior season on the Fitchburg State cross country team with a solid showing at the ECAC Division III championships, finishing third on the team with a time of 31:39.

* Former CHS and Stonehill College hockey player Dan Muse recently began his fourth season as an assistant coach of the Yale University men’s ice hockey team. The team has compiled a 45-21-6 record since Muse joined head coach Keith Allain’s staff.

* Former CHS and Endicott College football player Israel Abraham recently completed his first season as the running backs coach for the Stonehill football team.

Did we miss your collegiate accomplishments? Send us an email at submissions@thecantoncitizen.com.

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