Women's basketball standout Kristy McLean and two-year hockey captain Anthony Canzoneri were recently named the 2008-09 Outstanding Senior Athletes at Bentley University.
McLean was one of the premier players in the Northeast-10 Conference during her final collegiate season while helping the Falcons to a 21-12 record, a berth in the Northeast-10 Conference championship game and the program's 26th NCAA tournament berth in 28 years.
She was selected first-team All-Conference and WBCA first-team Division II All-Region, and was also an honorable mention WBCA Division II All-America.
McLean led Bentley in scoring, with her 17.0 average the second highest ever recorded by a Falcon guard, and was also number one on the club in rebounds (7.4 average), steals (81) and 3-pointers (55). She ranked in the top five in the NE-10 in scoring, steals, minutes and double-doubles, and finished her career with 1,127 points, tying for 20th on Bentley's all-time list.
Canzoneri helped lead the Bentley hockey team to arguably its most successful season ever.
The Falcons won the second most games in school history with 19, which is the most since Bentley began competing in Division I. It also set the program record for Atlantic Hockey wins with 15, advanced to the Atlantic Hockey Tournament semifinals and beat Maine for the team's first-ever win over a Hockey East school.
Individually, Canzoneri put up impressive numbers during the 2008-09 season. He led the team in assists with 27 and was third in points with 35, which placed him seventh and tied for 13th in Atlantic Hockey, respectively. His 27 assists are the second highest single-season total in Bentley's Division I history, and he finished his career as the program's all-time leader in assists at the Division I level with 84. Canzoneri's 112 career points are tied for 10th all-time.
He won both the Atlantic Hockey's Best Defensive Forward Award and the Individual Sportsmanship Award, becoming the first player in team history to win either award.
Women's Volleyball
Falcons welcome five
Five student-athletes, including three 6-footers, are set to join the Bentley University women's volleyball team later this summer. Each hailing from a different state, they comprise coach Sandy Hoffman's 2009 class of recruits.
Hoffman has received commitments from Grace Conner of Santa Barbara, Calif, Candace Howell of New Braunfels, Tex., Bridget Lawson of Glen Ellyn, Ill, Amy Waitkus of Phoenix, Ariz., and and Endicott College transfer Morgan Knees of Newtown, Conn.
Conner, a 6-1 middle hitter, earned first-team All-Channel League honors. She plays for the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club. Howell, a defensive specialist who played for the Texas Juniors, will become the third St. Mary's Hall product on this year's club, joining Cassie and Maitlyn Kraft. Cassie is a senior libero and Maitlyn a junior defensive specialist.
Lawson, a middle hitter who played for the Sports Performance Club, will be the team's tallest player at 6-2. Waitkus, a 5-10 outside hitter, earned second-team All-Region and honorable mention Class 4A All-State honors. She played for the Arizona Volleyball Academy.
Knees, a 6-foot middle, averaged 1.1 kills and 0.81 blocks last fall while helping the Gulls to the NCAA Division III tournament. The former Connecticut Juniors player hit .208 in 98 sets for Endicott.
Bentley returns 10 of its top 11 from last year's 21-12 club, which made the Falcons' fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Division II tournament.
The Falcons open the season on Sept. 4 with a tournament at Dowling College.
