2015-16 Suffolk Athletics Year in Review
BOSTON – Over 200 student-athletes comprised Suffolk Athletics' 13 varsity teams and now Ram Nation has the chance to get the whole picture of the 2015-16 year and the Rams successes in competition, the classroom and the community.
With the level of excitement advancing with the seasons, history repeated itself from a year ago with the highest achievement for Suffolk's blue-and-gold as the baseball team lifted the GNAC banner for the second straight season and sixth time overall. Anthony Del Prete's Rams would make the program's sixth and first ever back-to-back appearance in the NCAA Tournament and finish with the second-most wins (33) in the 69-year history of Suffolk baseball.
Across the newly dubbed home of Suffolk Athletics in East Boston, the softball team hosted the GNAC Tournament for the second-straight season thanks to its back-to-back regular-season title. Along the way, the Rams became the winningest team in the program's 32-year history and head coach Jaclyn Davis picked up her 100th career collegiate coaching victory.
Ed Leyden's women's basketball team continued its post season plunge with its 22nd consecutive appearance in the GNAC Tournament, taking the fourth seed, while the Rams also took the hardwood in their eighth ECAC New England Championship. On the ice in Charlestown, also a new home for the blue-and-gold, Chris Glionna's Rams skated their way to the fourth seed in the ECAC Northeast Tournament to host the quarterfinals for just the second time in program history and marking the first time since 2008 two of Suffolk's teams earned high enough seeds to host quarterfinal action. The Rams' men's basketball squad defied the odds and made sure 100 percent of Suffolk's winter teams made a run for conference glory.
Academically, Suffolk athletes combined for a grade-point average of 3.2 with 67 individuals earning all-conference academic recognition – 54 GNAC, 13 ECAC Northeast. In addition, 16 Rams achieved a 4.0 grade-point average over the course of 2015-16, with baseball junior Matt Brenner, hockey's freshman Connor Henry and senior Justin Selep, men's basketball senior Caleb Unni and sophomore Sydney Littlefield, who played both softball and volleyball, reaching the milestone in the both semesters.
In the community, Suffolk worked with Big Brothers and Big Sisters to mentor students at the Donald McKay School, while teams continued their individual community outreach like softball's Coaches vs. Cancer contest.