Roundup

NORTH CLARENDON — Mill River Union High School announced its has hired Marley Rosario as the school’s next softball coach.

The Minutemen are coming off a 4-11 season this past spring.

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

Spartans honored

MARSHFIELD, Mass. — Taylor Adams and Victoria Bakopanos of Vermont State University Castleton women’s hockey team have been named to the New England Hockey Conference’s weekly honor awards, as per the league Monday afternoon.

Adams was named Player of the Week after collecting her first career hat trick and the game-winning goal in Castleton’s 6-2 victory over Worcester State. The Frankford, Ontario native earns her third NEHC weekly accolade to her career.

Bakopanos was named Co-Goalie of the Week after exploding for 88 saves in two games for the Spartans this past week. She set a new career high 63 stops against Williams college, which is the most by a Spartan since 2015 and just the second goalie to surpass 60+ saves in program history. She then followed up with a 25-save performance against Worcester State to secure her third victory of the season. This is Bakopanos’ second career NEHC weekly honor.

VTSU Castleton returns to action after the holiday break to host The Bagley Invitational on January 3 and 4.

MEN’S HOCKEY

McHardy tabbed

MARSHFIELD, Mass. — Emmett McHardy of Vermont State University Castleton men’s hockey team was named New England Hockey Conference Rookie of the Week, per the league announcement Monday afternoon.

McHardy earned his first-career conference accolade after a three goal, two assist performance in VTSU Castleton’s series against New England Hockey Conference opponent Salve Regina University.

The Vancouver, British Columbia native provided one assist in game one against SRU . He then followed up the next day with three goals to earn his first career hat trick and an assist to help Castleton secure their first NEHC victory of the year, taking game two 5-3 against the Seahawks.

MEN’S SOCCER

Middlebury staff

The Middlebury men’s soccer coaching staff has earned United Soccer Coaches Division III Region I Staff of the Year. Head coach Alex Elias, along with assistant coaches Tim Peng, Ben Potter, and Leland Gazo, led the Panthers to a 17-2-4 record and their second NCAA Semifinal appearance in program history.

The group guided the squad to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in program history and the seventh-straight campaign.

Middlebury advanced to the NCAA Semifinals for the second time ever.

The staff led the team to a 13-0-3 mark in the regular season and a combined 25-0-7 record over the past two years. It is the first time since the 1972 (9-0-1) and 1973 (10-0-0) campaigns that the team went into postseason action unblemished in consecutive seasons.

The Panthers found the back of the net a program-record 55 times this fall.

Middlebury has conceded just 14 goals all season, its lowest total since allowing nine in 2021.

The team has tallied the second-most shutouts in a campaign (14) with only the 2007 NCAA Championship team ending a campaign with more (17).

Elias owns a 74-21-25 record and holds a .721 winning percentage over his seven seasons at the helm.

Middlebury swept the top NESCAC individual awards with Luke Madden being tabbed the league’s player of the year and Keagan Harder earning the conference’s rookie of the year.

The Panthers had five all-conference selections, headlined by Madden and William O’Brien on the first team.

Madden became the 41st player in program history to earn an All-American honor with his first-team selection. He is the first field player to be named to the first team since Deklan Robinson in 2015.

Middlebury tallied five College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honorees (Shane Farrell, Madden, Kyle Nilsson, Gavin Randolph and Joey Waterman).

Five players earned spots on the United Soccer Coaches All-Region teams.