Hardt key for James Madison

James Madison University captured its first Division I NCAA women's lacrosse championship on Sunday at Stony Brook and senior captain Morgan Hardt was a key performer for the team.

The No. 2 seed Dukes nipped No. 3 Boston College 16-15 after holding the Eagles scoreless the final 15 minutes of the game.

Hardt, from Guilderland Center (Guilderland High), scored two goals in the game. She also had two goals in a 15-12 victory over No. 4 North Carolina on Friday also in Stony Brook.

The 6-foot-2 attack had a breakout season to help James Madison set a school record with 22 victories and only one defeat.

She finished with 30 goals and three assists for 33 points with two game-winners. Entering this season, Hardt had scored seven goals with an assist in 37 career games.

Torie Rathwell (Guilderland)

The sophomore with the St. Michael's softball team was named to the Google Cloud District I Division II All-Academic team on May 10. She carries a 3.75 grade-point average as a biochemistry major. The Guilderland High alum was named to the Northeast-10 third team after she averaged .350 (36-for-103) with eight doubles, two triples, three home runs, seven runs scored and 18 runs batted in. She also was 2-11 with a 4.68 ERA in 14 games on the mound for the 10-25 Purple Knights.

Tom Kretzler (Albany)

The sophomore started all 38 games and hit .309 for the 18-20 Brockport baseball team. The Colonie High alum had 43 hits in 139 at-bats with 12 doubles, three triples and a team-high five home runs. He also led the Golden Eagles with 30 runs scored and 31 runs batted in and was 8-for-8 in stolen bases.

Kyle Marr (Clifton Park)

The junior attack scored two goals and had an assist but his Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team dropped a 14-9 decision to Duke in the Division I NCAA quarterfinals last Sunday in Annapolis, Md. Marr, a graduate of the Hill School in Pottstown, Pa., led the 12-5 Blue Jays with 41 goals and 58 points.

Emily Ankabrandt (Scotia)

The senior had a solid all-around year with the Pace women's lacrosse team, the Setters finished 14-5 after losing to Le Moyne in the Northeast-10 quarterfinals. The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake alum had 19 goals and five assists for 24 points along with 14 ground balls, 34 draw controls and 16 caused turnovers.

Justin Decker (Rotterdam)

The Dominican junior was named to the Central Atlantic Collegiate College second team and the Google Cloud District I All-Academic first team. The CBA alum hit .388 (71-for-183) with 18 doubles, two triples, 36 runs batted in and 36 runs scored. He has a 3.80 GPA majoring in financial management.

Christina Krowel (Amsterdam)

The senior scored 49 goals and added eight assists for 57 points for the 7-11 Buffalo State women's lacrosse team. The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake alum had a career-high eight goals in a 17-11 victory over Allegheny on March 10. In 66 career games, she finished with 146 goals and 26 assists for 172 points.

Kyle Chambers (Queensbury)

The junior right-hander had a 4-2 record with two saves and a 3.66 earned-run average for the St. John Fisher baseball team, which finished 29-16 after losing 7-5 to Ithaca in the Empire 8 title game on May 12. The Queensbury High alum worked 36 innings and gave up 37 hits and 22 runs with 36 strikeouts.

Tyler Moore (Stillwater)

The Geneseo junior right-hander had a 12-4 record with a save and a 2.35 earned-run average in 19 games with 17 starts and 12 complete games for the baseball team. The Stillwater High alum helped the Knights finish 32-9. Their season ended when they went 1-2 in the NCAA Regionals earlier this month in Rochester.

C.T. Alesandrini (Schenectady)

The sophomore goalkeeper posted an 8-4 record for the Hartwick men's lacrosse team, the Hawks finished 9-5 after a 16-9 loss to Stevens Tech in the Empire 8 Conference semifinals on May 2 in Hoboken, N.J. The Colonie High alum allowed 86 goals and made 95 saves this season.

billarsenault70@msn.com