Top 10 Moments: #6 - Softball Dominates HVWAC, Returns to USCAA Nationals

We round out the first half of our Top 10 list with the winningest team in St. Joseph’s College athletics history, the Lady Bears softball team. 

Led by the senior class of Alyson Chiaramonte, Caitlyn Kakavas, Lisa Scheer, Jillian Troise, and Emily Palmieri, the Lady Bears captured four straight Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference titles and earned four straight berths to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Tournament. As mentioned in #9, the senior class set a school record in any sport with 107 wins, producing no fewer than 26 wins in each season.

St. Joseph's remained undefeated in HVWAC play over the past four years posting a pair of run-rule shutout victories in the HVWAC Tournament over Sarah Lawrence and Albertus Magnus highlighted by Troise hitting for the cycle and collecting six RBI en route to tournament MVP honors. Troise followed three other members of her class who also received the honor – Scheer in 2009, Palmieri in 2010 and Kakavas in 2011 – contributing to the Lady Bears' dominance. 

Their four straight USCAA National Championship appearances currently ranks second behind women's basketball who made six straight trips to the national tournament from 2001-06.

The Lady Bears entered nationals with high hopes of repeating their high finish in 2010 (3rd place), but ran into the eventual national champions, Spalding University, in the opening round and were later eliminated in a tight one-run battle with Penn State Beaver. The Lady Bears didn’t return home empty-handed however, cruising past Penn State Mont Alto in the 7th place game, capping the seniors' careers with a win.

A summer feature on www.SJCBears.com, we look back at the highlights from the 2011-2012 season in St. Joseph’s College Brooklyn Athletics. We will reveal a new moment on the list every Wednesday throughout the summer ending in August right before the start of the new season. 

#10 – Diamonds Sparkle on National Stage at Disney
#9 – 2011-12, One For The Record Books...
#8 – Multi-Purpose Facility Construction Commences
#7 – Louison's Outstanding Rookie Campaign Nets Rookie of the Year Honors
#6 – Softball Dominates HVWAC, Returns to USCAA Nationals
#5 – Check back on July 25th!