By The Gatepost Sports Team
Men’s cross-country
By Sophia Oppedisano
Sports Editor
The men’s cross-country team rounded out its 2023 season with a fourth place finish out of seven teams at the MASCAC championship meet.
Patrick Walsh, the Rams’ top performer at the meet, put up a fourth-place finish on the 8K course. He also earned a spot on the 2023 MASCAC All-Conference Team, which is his third consecutive MASCAC honor.
Walsh, now a graduate student, is returning for the 2024 season as the lone captain of a team brimming with young recruits.
Head Coach Mark Johnson said the program recruited “one of the strongest men’s freshman classes that we’ve ever brought in,” and Walsh’s role is akin to a “big brother.”
“He’s been there, he's done it, he's put in the time and effort and led by example,” Johnson said.
The team has grown from its seven athletes last season to 11 with the new recruits.
The first-year class includes Vincent Gauthier, who was named MASCAC Rookie of the Week Sept. 10 and Aaron Courlette - the Rams’ top finisher in the 5K event at the Hartford Invitational Sept. 7 and the Keene State Alumni Meet Aug. 31, respectively.
The Rams earned the fourth-place spot in the MASCAC preseason poll, an improvement from a steady fifth-place prediction the past two seasons.
“We are a team on the rise,” Johnson said.
The Rams will travel to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for the Corsair Invitational meet Sept. 21.
Johnson said the meet will be a good “indicator” for where the team stands in the conference.
“We have an incredible group of athletes who come in day in and day out to show the conference - we are the Rams,” he said.
Women’s cross-country
By Sophia Oppedisano
Sports Editor
The women’s cross-country team concluded its 2023 season with a third-place finish out of seven teams at the MASCAC Championship meet.
The Rams were led by an eighth-place finish from Kate Buban in the 5K event. She was followed by teammate Meghan Johnston, who finished 14th.
Buban, a sophomore, and Johnston, a junior, are two of the Rams’ captains for the 2024 season. They are joined by junior Lydia Marunowski.
Head Coach Mark Johnson said this is the first time in his career he has named a sophomore as a captain.
Buban swept the women’s cross-country MASCAC honor of Rookie of the Week every week of the 2023 season. She was subsequently named MASCAC’s Rookie of the Year and named to the All-Conference Team.
She is starting her season with the honor of MASCAC’s Runner of the Week Sept. 10.
“To me, honor means having respect and admiration from others. I put the time and effort into running on the daily. It's nice to see my hard work paying off,” Buban said.
The Rams boast a young roster with an absence of seniors, although the Rams posted strong showings in their first two meets and were ranked third in the MASCAC preseason poll.
Johnson said this is the highest the women’s team has been ranked in the poll in recent years.
“It's nice that some of the other coaches at other schools are starting to acknowledge that we're a building program,” he said.
Among their three first-year recruits is Grace Avery, who was named MASCAC Rookie of the Week Sept. 3.
She competed in the two-mile course with a time of 13:43 at Keene State Aug 31.
Avery said the MASCAC honor “motivates me to compete more with not only other teams, but myself. It allows me to push myself every day and I have found myself showing up to practice every day with a smile on my face.”
The Rams are back to competing Sept. 21 at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for the Corsair Invitational 5K, where the seven MASCAC teams will be competing.
Buban said she is “hopeful that both the men’s and women's teams will turn some heads. I am looking forward to a fun and successful season.”
Field hockey
By Sophia Oppedisano
Sports Editor
The field hockey team concluded its 2023 season with an overall record of 11-10 and a loss in the MASCAC Championship game.
The Rams are already gearing up for redemption this season to claim the conference title they narrowly missed.
The Rams took third place in the MASCAC preseason poll after placing second in the poll last season. The Rams are seeded behind the reigning MASCAC Champions, Worcester State, and Westfield State, which the Rams beat in a double-overtime win to earn their spot in the championship match against Worcester.
Senior captain Kaylee Beck said the ranking will serve to “kick our team into overdrive.
“It's going to make us think, fine, we'll just have to beat you again,” she said.
Among the returners for the Rams is sophomore forward Ashley Malmquist. It was Malmquist who secured the Rams’ spot in the championship game last season with the overtime game-winning goal in the semi-final.
Malmquist earned MASCAC Rookie of the Year and All-Conference First Team honors after putting up 32 points including a team-high 13 goals and six assists last season.
Returning to the helm for the Rams is Co-Head Coach Allie Lucenta, who earned MASCAC Coach of the Year at the conclusion of last season. Lucenta will be joined this season by Co-Head Coach Bella Kondi.
Beck said the coaching staff is a “great oiled machine” and “they all bring something different to the table.”
Kondi said the coaching staff is aiming for a winning record, player recognition, and ultimately, a MASCAC title.
“I would like to have some more recognition of our players because we have so many utility players,” she said.
The Rams return to the field for games at Fitchburg State and Eastern Connecticut State on Sept. 20 and Sept. 25, respectively.
The team returns home for conference play and a mental health awareness game against Salem State Sept. 28.
Football
By Riley Crowell
Asst. Sports Editor
The Framingham State football team finished the 2023 season with a 5-4 overall record and a 5-3 conference record.
Framingham State football currently holds a record of 0-2, with losses to Husson University and Vermont State University-Castleton.
The Rams are led by 17th-year Head Coach Thomas Kelley, who possesses a 125-73-1 record at the helm of the Framingham State football program.
Framingham was ranked fourth out of 10 teams in the MASCAC preseason coaches’ poll.
The Rams roster consists of 27 upperclassmen and 70 underclassmen, 53 of whom are freshmen.
Kelley said, “It’s a very young team, the coaching staff is fairly new, the roster is probably 80% brand new, so it’s kind of a fresh start. I’m excited to get a bunch of young guys and see what we can do with them.”
One of the aforementioned freshmen is starting quarterback Treyvon Fields.
Fields threw for 167 yards on 15 completions against Husson, with two passing touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Fields followed up that performance by throwing for 124 yards on 12 completions against Vermont State-Castleton, with two passing touchdowns and one interception.
Kelley said, “He’s athletic, he’s a very bright young man, and he’s picking up the offense. The future is really bright for him.”
Despite the slow start, Kelley said he remains confident in his team and their ability to fix their mistakes, especially as a young roster.
“They work hard until the final whistle. There’s a lot of things that are fixable,” he said.
“When you’re coaching, challenges are always coming your way, I think the players are up for the challenge,” he added.
Men’s soccer
By Riley Crowell
Asst. Sports Editor
The Framingham State men’s soccer team finished the 2023 season with an 11-8-1 overall record and a 4-3 conference record.
Framingham State men’s soccer currently holds a record of 0-4-2, losing games against Trinity University, Suffolk University, Hartford University, and Gordon College, and drawing with University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Clark University.
Framingham is led by first-year Head Coach Adam Gabbard.
The team was ranked fourth out of eight teams in the MASCAC preseason coaches’ poll.
Gabbard said, “I think fourth keeps us hungry. We’re not too high, we’re not too low. It’s exactly where we need to be.”
A standout performer for the Rams so far this season has been sophomore forward Joao De Aquino. De Aquino has scored 5 goals in 4 games for Framingham this season, and won MASCAC Offensive Player of the Week Sept. 9.
“Joao is a big-time player for us, a kid with so much potential that I’ve known about for a little bit now. I actually played against him when I was [coaching] at Bristol Community College last fall,”Gabbard said.
De Aquino spent his freshman year at Massasoit Community College in Brockton before transferring to Framingham this year.
Gabbard said, “I texted him after they announced he was player of the week and said, ‘Joao, great stuff! Congrats on your first player of the week’ … and he said, ‘Coach, this is only the beginning.’”
The Rams possess an exceptionally young roster this season, with 13 underclassmen and only one senior.
Gabbard said, “Our older group has done a great job - in particular, Bryce Borletto-McCray, he’s our captain this year, and Lachlan Forgan is our alternate captain.
“They’ve done a phenomenal job taking these younger players under their wing, and there’s no doubt they’ll continue to do so,” he added.
Despite the slow start, Framingham remains confident and eager to prove themselves this season.
Gabbard said, “What people can really expect is that kind of ‘Never say die’ attitude. We’ve got a bunch of hungry older guys and younger guys who want to prove themselves at this level.”
Volleyball
By Izabela Gage
Asst. Sports Editor
In the 2023 season, Rams volleyball ended with a 21-11 overall record and a conference record of 4-3.
They claimed the MASCAC Tournament Champions title, beating Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 3-2. They concluded their season with a loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Ithaca College.
On top of their MASCAC Championship title, sophomore Natalie Reynolds earned the 2023 Rookie of the Year accolade, which helped her gain a spot on the All-Conference Second Team alongside junior Stella Bailey.
Framingham State took second place in the 2024 MASCAC preseason poll out of eight teams, right behind Westfield State, which they beat last year in the MASCAC Semifinals 3-2.
Sophomore Jaimee Lowe said, “Last year's team set the standard for our program. We are working hard to meet those expectations and show that we want it more than the other team on the other side of the net. Our mindset is to put ourselves in the best position to win the MASCAC again.”
As an incoming freshman, Sabrina Stadelman said, “It's a challenge to live up to. But I'm so glad to be part of a team that works hard at every practice. Always giving 100% effort is a big thing for us. I love being part of that.”
The Rams started the season with a short losing streak of 0-3, which they broke in a sweep against Elms College Sept. 7.
When asked about breaking the losing streak, junior captain Carly Beaulieu said, “It definitely has set a fire under all of us.”
As of press time, the Rams have a 3-5 record and play against the Roger Williams Hawks and the University of Massachusett Dartmouth Corsairs in a doubleheader at Roger Williams University Sept. 21.
Women’s soccer By Kyra Tolley Staff Writer The Framingham State women’s soccer team finished the 2023 season with a 1-12-2 overall record and a 1-5-1 conference record. Victoria Potter, a senior, was named a MASCAC All-Conference player during the 2023 season and is returning to the field this 2024 season as a captain alongside senior Megan McAuliffe. The Rams have Michael La Francesca coaching in his inaugural season as head coach for the program and they have begun their season at 0-5. They have yet to start conference play. The MASCAC 2024 preseason poll ranked the Rams in sixth place out of eight teams. La Francesca spoke of Potter and McAuliffe’s “leadership” and “knowledge of the history of the program. “My captains and seniors just have been a breath of fresh air,” he said. McAuliffe said, “We started from a really good place and I think that every practice we have, we build on what we have and our new players are bringing in more and more skill. “We care the most about character and who we are as a team - it's not necessarily about the losses. It’s about how we act after the losses,” she added. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is set to be the Rams’ first conference game of the 2024 season at home Sept. 21. La Francesca said, “We feel that with all the competition we’ve had so far, we’ve been making adjustments and we feel ready for our first conference game coming up on Saturday.” In 2023, the Rams shut out MCLA for a 2-0 win early in the season. “I’m very confident that with the youth on the team and the talent that they have, playing them [MCLA] first is going to light a fire. [The new players are] going to get what it's like to play in our conference and this will inspire them to keep going because we have a lot coming after that,” McAuliffe said.