Chris Gionta
@Chris_Gionta
During Springfield’s annual spring break, multiple Pride athletes earned All-America honors, and a team punched its ticket to the national championships.
Wrestlers Jacob Deguire and Chase Parrott took the sojourn to Roanoke, Va. to compete at the Division III National Championships on March 10 and 11. Competing in the 157-pound weight class, Deguire won six of his seven matches, with all of the victories coming via pin. That got him to 30 pins on the year, which are the most in all of college wrestling, and tied for most in Division III history since the NCAA began tracking the statistic. Deguire finished third in the country in his weight class.
Parrott received seventh place nationally in the 149-pound weight class after a spectacular 29-5 season. In Roanoke, he won three of his five matches. The second of his victories was a gritty comeback performance that earned him All-American prowess.
Mikaili Charlemagne earned national recognition for her efforts in the pool on March 15, as she finished seventh in the country in the 50-yard freestyle. She became the first Springfield women’s swimmer to earn All-American honors since 2017. She finished her two races at the Division III National Championships in Greensboro, N.Y. with times of 23.34 and 23.41 seconds respectively.
Kay Shen also competed in the 50-yard freestyle at the event, and her, Charlemagne, Erin Kelaher, Lefteri Roba and Natalie Chamberlin swam numerous relays. On the men’s side, Luca Brashear competed on the one-meter and three-meter boards and finished in the top 25 in both.
While those athletes were wrapping up their seasons on the biggest stage, spring seasons were just beginning. The baseball, softball, and men’s and women’s tennis teams had many games and matches in Florida.
On March 11, the women’s gymnastics team earned its second consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III National Championships. This was after it placed second in the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association East Regional Championships. It is the first time the Pride have qualified in back-to-back seasons since they did it in 1999 and 2000.
Individually at the meet, Annie Kelly broke a school record in the vault with a score of 9.750. MacKenzie MacLeod, Devon Rosier and Stacy Taylor each scored a 9.700 in the floor routine, which made for Springfield’s best event.
The Pride will be in Winona, Minn. for the national championships on March 25.
Photo Courtesy Springfield College Athletics