News

WORCESTER, Mass. – John T. Broderick Jr. ’69, chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, will give the Thomas More Lecture on Monday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The lecture, sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, is free and open to the public.

The Thomas More Lecture honors a graduate of Holy Cross who exemplifies the College’s dedication to the integration of faith and learning. The alumnus or alumna is invited to speak about his or her own profession, vocation, and the ethical opportunities and challenges faced there.

Broderick was sworn in as chief justice in 2004. He was appointed an associate justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court in 1995 after many years as a private practitioner in Manchester, N.H. He served as president of the New Hampshire Bar Association from 1990-1991, is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is a past president of the New Hampshire Trial Lawyers Association. In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Broderick to the board of directors of the national Legal Services Corporation.

Broderick is a passionate advocate for making legal services more accessible, affordable and efficient for all.

In an address to New York state judges last year, he said, “We need to do all we can as often as we can to ensure that the people and the politicians across this country are as concerned publicly about universal access to justice, as they are about universal access to healthcare.”

In 2007, the New Hampshire Supreme Court established an Access to Justice Commission, comprised of mostly lay people to explore initiatives to improve citizens’ access to the courts. That year, Broderick was selected by the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Pro Bono Referral Program to receive its annual pro bono award in recognition of his efforts to encourage lawyers in private practice to offer their services without charge, or at low cost, to help meet the legal needs of the poor. For his advocacy, Broderick also received an honorary degree from Vermont Law School.

Prior to taking a seat on the Supreme Court, Broderick had practiced with the law firm of Devine Millimet Stahl & Branch in Manchester, N.H., and later opened his own firm. He holds degrees from Holy Cross and the University of Virginia Law School.

To learn more about this program and other Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture events, visit www.holycross.edu/crec.

About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College’s commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at the College of the Holy Cross will sponsor a Catholic/Atheist discussion, “Contemporary Physics and Christian Faith: Conflict or Consonance?” on Monday, March 23 at 2 p.m. in Rehm Library. The event is free and open to the public.

Rev. Paul A. Schweitzer, S.J., a Holy Cross alumnus and professor of mathematics at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, and Matthew Koss, associate professor of physics at Holy Cross, will try to understand each other’s reasons and beliefs about a God who intervenes in the laws of nature.

Fr. Schweitzer has a long-held interest in the relationship of the physics of cosmology and quantum theory to Christian faith. For 30 years, he has defended the position that the indeterminacy of quantum mechanics combined with the theory of chaos show both “how God can act in the world without violating the laws of nature he created, and in a certain sense how we humans can have free will,” he says.

While Koss acknowledges that God could exist without violating the laws of physics, he does not believe that scientific reasoning is compatible with divine action.

“It seems that even though some of a proposed god’s actions could be compatible with fundamental laws of physics,” explains Koss. “Claims of virgin birth or resurrections violate some equally important emergent laws of nature and we can find better explanations without reference to God or gods.”

Fr. Schweitzer ‘58, received an honorary doctorate from Holy Cross in 1983. He also holds degrees from Princeton University, Weston College and Weston School of Theology. A professor at Pontifical Catholic University since 1971, he has also taught at the University of Notre Dame, Fairfield University, Boston College, Northwestern University, Harvard, and the University of Strasbourg.

Prior to joining the Holy Cross faculty in 2000, Koss spent a decade conducting research and teaching in the materials science and engineering department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He holds a B.S. from Vassar College and a Ph.D. in experimental condensed matter physics from Tufts University.

To learn more about this program and other Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture events, visit www.holycross.edu/crec.

About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College’s commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Outside The Classroom announced yesterday the recipients of the 2008-2009 Prevention Excellence Awards. Held annually, the Prevention Excellence Awards honors individuals, institutions, and Greek organizations that have achieved excellence in their alcohol prevention efforts, thus significantly improving the quality of student life.

Eight institutions and five Greek organizations were recognized at a gala award ceremony at the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington. This year, the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., and Delta Gamma Fraternity were distinguished for their outstanding prevention success, receiving highest honors and a donation of $10,000 in the name of the team who helped develop and implement prevention programs. Jacqueline Peterson, vice president for student affairs at the College of the Holy Cross, and Beth Searcy, president of Delta Gamma Fraternity, accepted the awards on behalf of their institution and organization.

Additional recipients of the Prevention Excellence Award include Bentley University, Eastern Illinois University, Emory University, Harvard University, Miami University, St. John’s University, the University of Iowa, Chi Omega Fraternity, Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity, Sigma Nu Fraternity, and Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity. All applications were evaluated by an independent review panel made up of previous Prevention Excellence Award recipients and nationally recognized prevention experts. Applications were evaluated on five criteria: Implementation Practices, Communication Strategy, Programmatic Linkages, Organizational Linkages, and Program Evaluation.

The Prevention Excellence Awards also recognize an outstanding alcohol and other drug professional for his or her continued commitment to the field of alcohol prevention.  The recipient of the 2009 Outstanding AOD Professional Award was Glen L. Sherman, Ph.D., associate vice president and dean of student development at William Paterson University.

Award recipients demonstrated their dedication to the health and safety of their students by implementing comprehensive alcohol prevention programs on their campuses. Their efforts included a variety of strategies, including AlcoholEdu, a primary prevention program that incorporates evidence-based prevention methods. The recipients also implemented policy initiatives, peer education programs, and events that underscore the importance of safe behaviors. These initiatives were supported with communications to faculty, peers, and community members, as well as evaluation to assess the impact of these programs on student behaviors.

“We are continually impressed with the progress being made in this field,” said Brandon Busteed, founder and CEO of Outside The Classroom. “The Prevention Excellence Awards had an enormously successful fourth year, due in large part to the outstanding applications we received. It is truly an honor to work with these individuals, institutions, and organizations that are leading the way in alcohol prevention on our nation’s campuses.”

High-risk drinking continues to be one of the most significant, perennial challenges facing colleges and universities, making effective alcohol prevention programs an absolute necessity. Recent data from the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) found that the problem of college drinking exceeds previous estimates. The report cites that more than 1,800 alcohol-related deaths, 550,000 alcohol-related injuries, and 95,000 alcohol-related sexual assaults, and 675,000 assaults by another student who has consumed alcohol happen each year among college students.

The Prevention Excellence Awards program is sponsored by Outside The Classroom, Inc., founder of The Alcohol Prevention Coalition and the developer of the AlcoholEdu suite of online prevention programs. AlcoholEdu is used on over 500 campuses nationwide and by 36% of all first-year students at America’s four-year higher education institutions, making it the field’s most widely used educational tool for curbing high-risk drinking. More than 1.4 million students have graduated from AlcoholEdu.

About Outside The Classroom
For nearly a decade, Outside The Classroom has been committed to strengthening the field of alcohol prevention by providing institutional leaders and their students with the information needed to develop well-informed, cost-effective strategies for reducing alcohol-related risk and preventing harm. Today, the organization’s flagship educational program, AlcoholEdu® for College, is used on over 500 campuses and by 36% of all first-year students at America’s higher education institutions. In 2008, Outside The Classroom launched The Alcohol Prevention Coalition to take on the larger scope of the work – providing institution-wide solutions to the key challenges threatening effective alcohol prevention. All of Outside The Classroom’s programs are developed under the leadership of national prevention expert William DeJong, Ph.D.  For more information please visit www.outsidetheclassroom.com.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Musician Josh Kelley will play the third annual IGNITE benefit concert at the College of the Holy Cross on Sunday, March 22. The doors will open at 7 p.m. in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom, and student performer Matt Partain ’09 will open for Kelley. Tickets are $10 for the Holy Cross community and $15 for the public. Tickets are for sale in the Hogan Campus Center Lobby March 11 – 13 and March 16 – 20 from 11 am. – 4 p.m. All proceeds will go to the Beverly School of Kenya.

The event is sponsored by the Beverly Connection, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and the Multicultural Peer Educators (MPEs).

Singer-songwriter Kelley, born in Augusta, Ga., discovered his musical talents early on and started a band with his younger brother at age 11. Kelley has released five albums, including his most recent, Special Company (2008). He launched his own record label, DNK Records in 2006. For more information, please visit www.joshkelley.com.

The Beverly School of Kenya was founded by a Holy Cross staff member, Abdi Lidonde. His mission was to honor his late mother and provide an escape from poverty for children. At least 50 percent of the student population is dedicated to positions for Kenyan orphan children. The supportive environment provides a comprehensive approach to learning, including both traditional subjects and a working farm. The Beverly School hopes to instill a sense of confidence and pride in its students, and to help improve the community of Kenya. For more information, please visit www.beverlyschoolofkenya.com.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Rev. Paul A. Schweitzer, S. J., a member of the College of the Holy Cross class of 1958 and a professor of mathematics at the Pontificia Universidade Catolica (PUC), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will give the 16th annual Leonard C. Sulski Memorial Lecture in Mathematics on Tuesday, March 24 at 8 p.m. in room 519 of the Hogan Campus Center at the College.  The lecture, titled “Surfaces and 3-dimensional Manifolds: How Geometry Comes to the Aid of Topology,” is free and open to the public.

After graduating from Holy Cross, Fr. Schweitzer earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from Princeton University and has been a member of the faculty at PUC since 1971. In 1983, Fr. Schweitzer was awarded an honorary degree from Holy Cross for his distinguished research in topology, and his work in developing the mathematics program at PUC.

Fr. Schweitzer will discuss the recent work of the Russian mathematician G. Perelman in proving Thurston’s geometrization conjecture.  A consequence of Thurston’s conjecture is one of the most famous problems in mathematics, the Poincaré conjecture for which Perelman has received much acclaim.  Fr. Schweitzer’s lecture will describe this problem and its solution in a manner accessible to a general mathematical audience.

The annual lecture series is a tribute to Professor Sulski, who taught in the mathematics department at Holy Cross from 1965 until his untimely death from leukemia in 1991.

The lecture will be preceded by a dinner co-sponsored by the department of mathematics and computer science and the Mathematical Association of America in the Hogan Campus Center. For more information about the dinner or the event contact Tom Cecil, professor of mathematics at Holy Cross and organizer of the event, at 508-793-2719 or e-mail tcecil@holycross.edu before March 16.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Junior forward Eric Meister  (Boalsburg, Pa.) had a career-high 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots, to lead the Holy Cross men’s basketball team to a 61-44 victory over Colgate at the Hart Center in the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament. Meister hit nine out of 10 shots from the floor on the day, setting a new school-record for best field goal percentage in a Patriot League Tournament game (90.0 percent). Holy Cross improves to 18-13 overall, and advances to the Patriot League championship game, where it will play at American on Friday, March 13, at 4:45 p.m. Colgate concludes the season at 10-20.

The Crusaders jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first five minutes of play, before the Raiders scored four straight points to keep things interesting early on. Holy Cross was then up 16-11 with six minutes left before the intermission, before closing out the half on a 12-3 run to take a 28-14 advantage into the locker room.

Colgate was able to trim the Crusaders’ lead to 12 points (36-24) with 16 minutes remaining in the game, before Holy Cross used an 8-0 spurt to increase the lead to 20 points and put the game away. The Crusaders would eventually lead by as many as 27 points (53-26 with 9:55 left to play), before finally posting a 17-point victory.

Holy Cross posted a 40-26 rebounding advantage on the day, while holding the Raiders to just 31.9 percent (15 of 47) shooting from the field.

Freshman guard R.J. Evans (Salem, Conn.) finished the game with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Crusaders, while sophomore guard Andrew Beinert (Floral Park, N.Y.) added eight points, six assists and five rebounds. Colgate was led by Yaw Gyawu with 13 points and four rebounds.

On Friday, Holy Cross will be playing in the Patriot League championship game for the seventh time in the last nine years, and the 10th time overall. The Crusaders’ 10 total conference title game appearances are the most in Patriot League history.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross men’s basketball teams continues play in the 2009 Patriot League Tournament when it takes on Colgate in the semifinals at the Hart Center on Sunday, March 8. The Crusaders stand 17-13 overall, and placed second in the conference with an 11-3 mark in league games. The Raiders have an overall record of 10-19 on the season, and tied for fifth in the Patriot League with a 5-9 mark in the conference. Tickets are available through the Holy Cross Ticket Office.

This will be the 66th meeting between the Crusaders and the Raiders on the hardwood, with Holy Cross leading the all-time series 49-16. The Crusaders swept the regular season series this year, but Colgate swept the regular season series is 2007-2008. Over the last 15 years, Holy Cross holds a 20-14 lead in the series, but previously the Crusaders had won 29 of the first 31 meetings between the schools. For games played in Worcester, Holy Cross holds a 27-5 advantage, with an 18-5 mark at the Hart Center. The schools first met on Feb. 11, 1947, with Holy Cross posting a 67-39 victory at the Boston Garden.

The Holy Cross women’s basketball team begins play in the 2009 Patriot League tournament on Saturday, March 7, when they play Army in the quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m. Holy Cross is the fourth seed in the tournament, while the Black Knights are seeded fifth. The winner of the Holy Cross-Army game will move on to face the Lehigh-Colgate winner in the semifinals on Sunday, March 8, with the championship game set for Wednesday, March 11. This year’s Patriot League tournament is being hosted by Lehigh at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa.

This will be the 43rd meeting between the Crusaders and the Black Knights on the hardwood, with Holy Cross leading the all-time series, 28-14. Last time out, Army edged the Crusaders, 63-62, in West Point, N.Y. on Feb. 11. In the first meeting of the season,  Holy Cross ended a seven-game losing streak to Army, posting a 57-41 victory in Worcester on Jan. 14. For games played in the Patriot League tournament, Holy Cross leads, 3-1. The last time the teams met in the tournament was in the championship game on March 8, 2006 with Army winning, 69-68, at Christl Arena in West Point, N.Y.  The Crusaders’ last win in the post season against the Black Knights was in Worcester on March 12, 2003, picking up a 78-65 victory in the championship game.

Briana McFadden has been named to the 2008-2009 All-Patriot League first team in women’s basketball, as voted upon by the conference’s head coaches. In addition, Bethany O’Dell was named to the All-Patriot League second team. This is the second first team honor for McFadden and the third time O’Dell has made the second team.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Dinty Moore, nationally recognized author and editor, will give a reading on Thursday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m.  in Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. This lecture is part of the College’s Visiting Writers Lecture Series. Co-sponsored by the College’s Creative Writing Program and the Lilly Vocation Discernment Initiative’s Writers on Vocation Series, this event is free and open to the public.

Moore, born in Erie, Penn., in 1955, received his B.A. in English from the University of Pittsburgh and his M.F.A. in fiction writing from Louisiana State University. He is the author of numerous books including Between Panic and Desire (2008), Toothpick Men (2000), The Accidental Buddhist (1997), The Emperor’s Virtual Clothes (1995), and the writing guide, The Truth of the Matter: Art and Craft in Creative Nonfiction (2006). He has published numerous essays and stories in The Southern Review, The Georgia Review, Harper’s, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Gettysburg Review, Utne Reader, and Crazyhorse.

Moore has been an educator since 1990, and currently teaches nonfiction writing as a professor in the Ph.D. program at Ohio University. Moore has also worked in several editorial positions, most notably Brevity Magazine: Concise Literary Nonfiction, which he also founded in 1997.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Daniel Bitran, associate professor of psychology at the College of the Holy Cross, will give a lecture titled “Lessons from the Shoah: Why we teach the Holocaust at Holy Cross” on Tuesday, March 17 at 4:30 p.m. in Rehm Library. The lecture, sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, is free and open to the public.

The lecture derives from Bitran’s participation in seminars on Holocaust education at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. In July 2008, he traveled to Israel to attend the 6th International Conference on Holocaust Education, a summit of more than 700 educators from nearly 50 nations; and the International Seminar for Educators Teaching about the Shoah (or Holocaust) and Antisemitism, an intimate and intensive 19-day workshop at the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem. For three years, Holy Cross has sent faculty to study at Yad Vashem, and the College will continue its participation in 2009.

Bitran, a neuroscientist by training, set off for Yad Vashem with the intent of learning about the Shoah to test a thesis on what drives people to help others: was it a function of the nervous system, or something else? But once there, Bitran found himself overwhelmed by the experience and, like other participants, trying to understand how the Holocaust could have taken place and what can be done to prevent it from ever happening again.

“By the end of the seminar,” said Bitran, “I became convinced that teaching the Shoah should be an integral part of educating all students at Holy Cross. Its Catholic identity, mission of social justice, and educating men and women for others, make Holy Cross ideally suited to explore the issues that led to the tragedy of the Holocaust. The seminar series was life altering in many ways, and I want that impact to flow from me to others on this campus.”

The lecture is part of the Kraft-Hiatt Program for Jewish Christian Understanding, which supports campus and community-wide educational initiatives that foster understanding of Judaism and Jewish culture, and dialogue between Jews and Christians. To learn more about this program and other Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture events, visit www.holycross.edu/crec.

About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College’s commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Poet and translator Marilyn Nelson will give a reading and presentation on Wednesday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Montserrat— the College’s new living-learning program for first-year students.

Nelson has authored or translated 12 books and three chapbooks. Her works include The Homeplace (1990), which won the 1992 Annisfield-Wolf award and was a finalist for the 1991 National Book Award; The Fields of Praise: New and Selected Poems (1997), which won the 1998 Poet’s Prize and was a finalist for the 1998 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, the 1997 National Book Award, and the PEN Winship Award; and A Wreath For Emmett Till (2005), which won the 2005 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and was a 2006 Coretta Scott King Honor Book, a 2006 Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and a 2006 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book.

After earning her B.A. from the University of California, Davis, Nelson went on to obtain post-graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (M.A.) and the University of Minnesota (Ph.D.). Nelson has received two NEA creative writing fellowships from the National Endowments for the Arts, two Pushcart Prizes, an A.C.L.S. Contemplative Practices Fellowship, a Fulbright Teaching Fellowship, the 1990 Connecticut Arts Award, and a fellowship from the J.S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. She served as Poet Laureate of Connecticut from 2001-2006. Nelson also is the founder and director of Soul Mountain Retreat, a small writers’ colony, and she serves as a professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Marvin Meyer, one of the foremost scholars on early Christianity, will give a lecture titled “The Gospels of Judas, Mary, and Thomas: The Good News About Marginalized Disciples in Early Christian Literature,” on Thursday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The lecture, sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, is free and open to the public.

Meyer’s talk will focus upon gospels discovered in the last century in the sands of Egypt that provide a mystical, gnostic perspective on Jesus and early Christianity. The talk will feature disciples who are typically marginalized in Christian literature – Judas Iscariot, Mary Magdalene, and doubting Thomas – but who now may be seen in a very different light.

“The gospels of Thomas, Mary, and Judas have all come to the attention of scholars and other interested readers in the past few years,” said Meyer, “and since their discovery they have suggested exciting new possibilities for how we may choose to read and interpret the history of the Christian movement, from the earliest days until the present.”

The ancient papyrus gospels portray Thomas as the guarantor of the sayings of Jesus, Mary as a beloved disciple, and Judas as the one who knew Jesus best and followed him with the greatest loyalty.

Meyer is the Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies and co-chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., where he is also director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute. He is the director of the Coptic Magical Texts Project of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity. Meyer is the author of numerous books and articles on Greco-Roman and Christian religions in antiquity and late antiquity, and on Albert Schweitzer’s ethic of reverence for life. Among his recent books are The Gospel of Judas, The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus, The Gospels of Mary, The Gospel of Thomas, and The Nag Hammadi Scriptures. He has been interviewed on television programs that have aired on ABC, BBC, CNN, PBS, A&E, the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, and the National Geographic Channel, where he translated a recently discovered gospel of Judas.

He received his B.A. from Calvin College, a master’s in divinity at Calvin Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate School.

During his visit to Holy Cross, Meyer will also speak to philosophy professor Pedrag Cicovacki’s “Creating Values” classes about Albert Schweitzer, a humanitarian, theologian, concert organist, physician, and winner of the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize.

To learn more about this program and other Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture events, visit www.holycross.edu/crec.

About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College’s commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Senior Stephanie Couzin  (Chicago, Ill.) was named the ECAC Open Most Outstanding Player as the Holy Cross women’s ice hockey team defeated Sacred Heart, 4-2, in the ECAC Open Championship Sunday afternoon at the Hart Center. With the win, the Crusaders close out the 2008-2009 season with an overall record of 24-2-1 (17-2-1 ECAC) and are named the 2008-2009 ECAC Open Champions while the Pioneers close out the season 13-16-2.

Holy Cross set the tone of the game with a quick goal to start the first period. Junior Kathryn O’Connor (Brookfield, Conn.) scored at the 1:36 mark to give Holy Cross the early one goal advantage. O’Connor scored from in the slot, assisted by junior Kathryn Kelley (Dedham, Mass.) and freshman Nicola Garat (Princeton, N.J.). The Crusaders then took advantage of the power play opportunity when sophomore Jocelyn Kratchmer (Watrous, Saskatchewan) scored at the 6:42 mark to give Holy Cross the 2-0 lead. Kratchmer, assisted by Couzin and freshman Stacey Hochkins (New Boston, Mich.), crashed the crease to score the goal. Sacred Heart responded at the 9:48 mark when Lauren Fontaine took advantage of the power play opportunity to score the Pioneer’s first goal of the game. Sophomore Emily Henry (Lumsden, Saskatchewan) answered back for the Crusaders, scoring the unassisted goal and eventual game-winner from just inside the blue line at the 17:26 mark to close out the first period in favor of the Crusaders, 3-1.

The Crusaders pounded the goal in the second period, out shooting Sacred Heart 16-6, but were unable to get past Pioneer goalkeeper Amanda Nagel. Neither team was able to take advantage of multiple power play opportunities, ending the second period with no score change; Holy Cross 3, Sacred Heart 1.

Sacred Heart brought the game with in one goal when Fontaine scored the power play goal just 25 seconds into the third period. Holy Cross responded with a power play goal at the 6:45 mark scored by Couzin, assisted by junior Lisa Wilson (Corunna, Ontario). Couzin and Wilson teamed up to score the goal and end the game in favor of the Crusaders, 4-2.

Sophomore Lindsay Atkinson (Westbank, British Columbia) made the start in net for the Crusaders, earning her 11th win of the season, maintaining a perfect 11-0-0 record, while Nagel falls to 13-14-2. Atkinson made 15 saves on 17 Sacred Heart shots, while Nagel made 45 saves on 49 Holy Cross shots. The Crusaders went 2-6 on the power play opportunity, while Sacred Heart went 2-5.

Couzin was named ECAC Open Most Outstanding Player, while Kratchmer and Wilson were named to the ECAC Open All-Tournament team.

The 2008-2009 ECAC Open All-Tournament team:

Stephanie Couzin (Holy Cross)
Jocelyn Kratchmer (Holy Cross)
Lisa Wilson (Holy Cross)
Gina Arnone (Sacred Heart)
Lauren Fontain (Sacred Heart)
Emily Paquin (St. Michael’s)
Maria Dougherty (St. Anselm)

The 2008-2009 season was a record-breaking season, as Hochkins ends the season with a school-record 53 points, her 25 goals are second all-time and her 28 assists rank her first at Holy Cross. Atkinson’s .936 save percentage is the best in Holy Cross school history, while all three Holy Cross goalkeepers ended the season with a goals against average under two and broke the Holy Cross school record. Atkinson ended the season with a 1.00 goals against average, sophomore Monique Gallant (Antigonish, Nova Scotia) with 1.27 and freshman Carly Dominick-Sobol (Syracuse, N.Y.) with 1.67.

Holy Cross closes out the 2008-2009 season with 24 victories, the most in school history. It’s 117 single-season goals scored ranks number one all-time at Holy Cross, its 37 single-season goals allowed is fewest all-time and its seven shutouts are second all-time.

WORCESTER, Mass. – On Jan. 15, 2005, Pat Doherty  finally had a chance to show what he could really do. As a true freshman, he had seen action in Holy Cross’ first 14 games of the season, but had a limited role as a back-up to starting point guard Torey Thomas. Then, eight minutes into a game against Colgate at the Hart Center, Thomas went down with a shoulder injury.

Doherty went on to total 14 points, five assists and four rebounds in 29 minutes of action against the Raiders, while hitting three of four three-point shots in a 74-64 victory for the Crusaders. He then started nine of Holy Cross’ next 10 games, scoring in double-figures three more times and helping the team to a win in each contest. Doherty went on to average 6.8 points and 2.8 assists in conference action, and was named the 2005 Patriot League Rookie of the Year.

Unfortunately, for someone who had his first chance to shine due to another player’s injury, Doherty has gone on to be nagged by numerous injuries of his own over the next four years. He played the first five games of the 2005-2006 campaign after being diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, but was unable to go on and was forced to sit out the remainder of the season as a medical redshirt.

Doherty then started strong in 2006-2007, before breaking a bone in his hand during practice and missing six games. He did come back from that injury to serve as the Crusaders’ sixth man down the stretch, helping the team to the 2007 Patriot League title, and was in the starting lineup for the first 12 games of the 2007-2008 season. But during a victory at San Francisco, Doherty suffered an injury to his achilles, which forced him to miss four more games and play a limited role for the rest of the year. That same injury kept him out for the first 14 games this season.

“It has been real frustrating over the last four years with all of the injuries I have had,” said Doherty. “But I was always able to get back on the court and give it everything I have, and that is all I can do.”

Since returning to the court in early January, Doherty has led the Crusaders to a 10-3 mark in Patriot League play, while handing out 49 assists with just 25 turnovers in conference games. Even though he spends most of his time on the court as the team’s top ball handler and play-maker, he has still shown the ability to score, putting up 18 points in the Jan. 17 victory at Bucknell.

“It has been great to get back on the court and just do what I can to help the team win,” said Doherty. “I know that I am good to go now, so I just go out every day and play as hard as I can in practice and in games.”

Even though he has dealt with much uncertainty throughout his career due to injuries, one constant during Doherty’s time on Mount St. James has been the support of his family. His father, James, is a Holy Cross graduate, as are several other members of his family. Having those relatives around has helped him through all the adversity he has faced.

“My family has been there for me since day one, when I first set foot on the Holy Cross campus” said Doherty. “Their support has been just so unbelievable. My older sister, Grace, was in school here during my first two years on campus, and the last two years my younger brother, Jack, has been here. It has been great to have them around. And my parents make it to every game, and have been really supportive. Without my family, I am not sure if I would have been able to get through everything I have faced.”

Now that he is back on the court and has only a few games left in his collegiate career, Doherty remains focused on helping the team improve every day. The ultimate goal for him and his teammates is to make a run to the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

“We are going into our last regular season game on Saturday against Lehigh looking to close out the season strong, and go into the Patriot League playoffs at our best,” said Doherty. “In the Patriot League, it comes down to three games at the end of the year. I think we have done a good job this season of getting better consistently, and hopefully we can finish that off Saturday and go into the Patriot League Tournament strong.”

As someone who has already been part of the 2007 team which advanced to the NCAA Tournament and the 2005 squad which took part in the National Invitation Tournament, Doherty believes the 2009 Crusaders have what it takes to make it to the postseason once again.

“If we can just put everything together, we can get to the NCAA Tournament,” said Doherty. “That is something I would like to end my career with, and I think this team is capable of it. We are a well balanced team, and if we play up to our ability, we will give ourselves the opportunity to get back to the NCAA Tournament.”