Staff Writer
Kelly Curtis of the women’s track and field team and Ryon Lynch of the men’s lacrosse team had outstanding individual performances that propelled their teams, earning them the Springfield Student Newspaper Players of the Week award for 2/23/12 through 2/29/12.
Athletes of the Week for 2/23/12–2/29/12
Kelly Curtis
Kelly Curtis had a strong perfor mance this week, placing fourth in the pentathlon at the All New England Championships last Friday. This came on the heels of her second straight win in the same event at the New England Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships the week before. She posted a 9.4 in the 60 meter hurdles, 5-feet-1 3/4 inches in the high jump, 36 feet 5-3/4 inches in the shot put, 16 feet-10.5 inches in the long jump, and 2:41.21 in the 800 meters. The performance vaulted her to third in the NCAA Division III rankings. Curtis has helped the women’s track and field team to three first-place finishes this season.
Q. You finished fourth in the pentathlon at the All New England Championships. How does it feel placing that high in a meet like that?
A. It feels great. The whole point of competing in that pentathlon was to stay in competition mode while I prepare for nationals, so the placement was just an added bonus.
Q. Which is your favorite event that you run out of the five in the pentathlon?
A. Depending on the day, my favorite event is either the hurdles or the high jump.
Q. How does it feel being the No. 1 pentathlete in New England Division III?
A. It’s a confidence booster going into the National Championship. I’ll be able to relax and reflect once this indoor season is over.
Q. What are your plans for the spring?
A. I do the heptathlon in the spring, which consists of the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter, long jump, javelin, and 800-meter over two days.
Ryon Lynch
Ryon Lynch continued his out-standing play in the early part of the season, scoring five goals with three assists in Springfield’s 15-7 win over Nazareth on Saturday. Just a sophomore, Lynch is leading the team in scoring through two games as the Pride have climbed to No. 18 in the USILA Division III rankings. Last season Lynch registered just six points the entire year as he saw limited time as a freshman. The Frederick, Md. native has been impressive thus far, but with two games against Stevens Tech and Middlebury coming up, the sophomore will need to keep bringing the “Lynchsanity” for the Pride to continue this run.
Q. I know it’s early, but do you think the team’s success can last throughout the season?
A. I do think that the team’s success can continue throughout the season. The coaches do a great job preparing us for each game and every day everyone on the team comes ready to get better.
Q. What are the team’s keys for success this season?
A. Just to stay humble and keep working hard. Like I said the coaches do a great job preparing us for each game and it is our job to show up and execute. We just need to stay focused every day and we will be fine.
Q. As a sophomore, how big of an impact do you think you can have on the team in the future?
A. Hopefully a huge impact. I mean I try to be a leader on and off the field and I hope that the guys on the team, especially the younger guys see that and realize that no matter how old you are you can still be a leader.
Q. Do you see yourself as a scorer or a playmaker?
A. I don’t really consider myself either of those. I just do what is asked of me every time I step onto the field. The coaches do a great job of putting people in spots to be successful, whether that be creating an opportunity for other people to score or scoring myself, it takes all six guys on offense to be successful.
Nick Lovett may be reached at nlovett@springfieldcollege.edu