Whitman-Hanson soccer standout Sam Mewis verbally commits to UCLA

By Adam Riglian
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
Tue Dec 08, 2009, 02:46 AM EST

HANSON - Sam Mewis is one of the best athletes Massachusetts has to offer. It’s true, there’s no doubting it.

And now, after three fantastic years in the midfield at Whitman-Hanson High School, and time spent on the U17 and U20 U.S. women’s national teams, the junior has finally found a college to match her talent and ambition.

Mewis will head west to sunny California, to UCLA, the school she made a verbal commitment to attend in the fall of 2011. The Bruins have one of the top women’s soccer programs in the country, not to mention sunshine, beaches and strong academics.

“The major reason I chose UCLA was because I’ve had the coach (Jillian Ellis) as a national coach before, I really like her style of coaching,” Mewis said. “The girls were really welcoming and nice, it’s California so obviously the weather’s great. It was the right pick for me.”

Mewis said she isn’t certain on her field of study, although her interests currently lie in physical therapy, kinesiology and physical science.

While she has plenty of time to decide, the period between now and Day One of school isn’t exactly a vacation. The regular trials and troubles of a high school student aside, Mewis, a Hanson resident, is currently training for a spot on the U20 U.S. women’s national team, which is headed to Guatemala in January to play in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for July’s U20 Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Germany. Her sister Kristie, who currently plays for Boston College, is also training for the squad.

“I think I have more to prove being one of the younger ones,” Mewis said. “I have to work harder at home and try to keep up, because most of the girls are in a college season.

“It’s so exciting, it is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I’m so glad I am involved in it.”

Athletically, Mewis counts her time with the Panthers as another one of those “best experiences,” particularly this season, when she, along with a strong supporting cast, won the Div. 1 South Sectional title before bowing out in the state semifinals. Panthers’ coach David Floeck couldn’t say enough about Mewis importance to that run.

“Sam’s great, the soccer stuff aside, I mean obviously anybody who sees her play recognized her talent,” Floeck said. “All of that’s great, but in terms of coaching her, she’s just a phenomenal kid.

“She’s the first one to pick up equipment, she earns the respect of all her teammates ... She has the true mark of leadership, which is to get someone to do what they need to do, without them getting upset when you’re telling them to do it.”

“She’s like having another coach on the field as well, she’ll at different times, during a break, she’ll tell one of the younger players that you want to cut inside on that run or vice versa.

“Her playing ability obviously makes everybody around her better, with that type of skill. It’s amazing the impact she has on the team with her personality and leadership.”

Mewis’ talents and work ethic have done a great deal for the Panthers’ soccer program, which is one of the best in the state. The team’s success this season bodes well for their future, and perhaps a chance to take home a state title.

“It’s definitely one of the best experiences I’ve had with a team,” Mewis said of her high school club. “Socially we were real close, we had no drama. Everyone did such a good job, we worked so hard in practice and everybody wanted to go as far as they could.

“I wish it wasn’t over, I’m doing track right now and it’s kind of said, I miss soccer.”

She may miss it, but it isn’t going anywhere. There will certainly be a lot of soccer in her future. After next season’s high school campaign, and presumably a second World Cup appearance (she played in the U17 Women’s World Cup), she’ll be a Bruin, playing on one of the most competitive teams in women’s college soccer. UCLA has made 13 NCAA tournaments and won nine Pac-10 Championships since the program’s inception in 1993.

“With each team and each different personality, I grow more and I think it keeps me interested and working hard in the sport,” Mewis said.

If things keep to form, it won’t be long before Mewis will be on the full-fledged national team, perhaps even by 2011, when the U.S. women will have the opportunity to travel to Germany for the Women’s World Cup.

Sectional title to world title in two years? Now that would be a feat.

Adam Riglian can be reached at ariglian@enterprisenews.com.

Olivers Ames’ Battista all revved up for Bentley

By Adam Riglian

ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER

Posted Dec 11, 2009 @ 01:16 AM

Last update Dec 11, 2009 @ 01:33 AM

BROCKTON — Oliver Ames basketball star Lauren Battista had several college Div. 1 offers on the table, but in the end, the senior went with what she knew. Battista knew that she wanted to go to business school and that the NE-10 was the conference for her. While growing up in Easton had Battista cheering for Stonehill most of her life, Bentley University was ultimately her choice.

“It was definitely a hectic process, going to visit all the schools and trying to impress all the coaches,” Battista said. “I spent a lot of my junior year going around (to different schools).”

There were plenty of factors that led her to choose Bentley over several other schools that were after her. She wanted to compete for a national title, to major in something business-related and to play for a solid coaching staff.

“I think it was a long process,” said Laney Clement-Holbrook, Battista’s coach at Oliver Ames. “I think the fact that they obviously are a program that is of the highest quality helped her decision-making.

“I think she is very respectful of Bentley’s basketball reputation, but I also think it was a good match for her academically.”

Bentley also held one additional bonus over the other schools — a family connection. Battista has had several relatives attend Bentley, which also happened to be the meeting place for her parents.

“They both had a great experience, so they’re excited for me to carry on the family name at Bentley,” Battista said.

While she made one coaching staff very happy with her decision, Battista ultimately had to reject several notable schools, including Boston University, Holy Cross, Northeastern, Siena, Hartford, and of course, her hometown college of Stonehill.

“At first, I thought, ‘If I can go to D1, I should go there,’ but later, I decided to choose the school for the school,” said Battista who elected to play in Div. 2, noting that Bentley is more competitive than many Div. 1 programs.

In the past, the Falcons have taken on, and beaten, higher-division schools, including an exhibition victory earlier this season over the University of New Hampshire.

Choosing against Stonehill was a bit more difficult.

“It was very hard, because I was also being recruited heavily by Stonehill,” Battista said, remarking that the Skyhawks’ coaching staff was understanding of her decision. “It was hard to say no to them. I grew up going to Stonehill games, and watching their rivalry games against Bentley.

“I know it was a tough decision because she has great respect and admiration for (women’s basketball head coach) Trish Brown at Stonehill,” Clement-Holbrook said. “She knew she was going to make one person happy and a lot of people upset.”

With her decision finalized and her letter of intent signed, Battista can now focus on her final season as a Tiger before she joins Jacqui Brugliera of Wachusett and Christian Bakolas of Manchester, N.H., on the floor at Bentley next season.

Last season as a junior guard and forward, Battista averaged 23 points and 11.5 rebounds in her third year as a starter to reach 1,000 career points.

A four-time Enterprise All-Scholastic in both, volleyball and basketball, the six-foot Battista is averaging 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists over her career and is capable of playing all five spots on the floor, although she will be looked to as more of a forward in the collegiate ranks.

“In my estimation, she is probably one of the most balanced players I’ve had the great fortune to coach,” Clement-Holbrook said. “And I’ve coached a number of kids who have been exceptional basketball players.”

Her high school performance to date has been good enough that she should compete as a freshman next season.

“I think I’ll definitely see some minutes my freshman year,” Battista said.

Her ultimate goal with the Falcons is to finish with a degree in a business-related field and battle for a national title.

“It’s definitely a good name to have on a resume when I go and look for jobs after college,” Battista said.

A national title wouldn’t look bad either.

http://www.enterprisenews.com/sports/high_school/x962894926/Olivers-Ames-Battista-all-revved-up-for-Bentley

Middleboro's Holmgren well armed on baseball field

Enterprise, The (Brockton, MA) - Tuesday, August 11, 2009

By Adam Riglian
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER

Left, right, left.

It may sound like a sergeant leading soldiers on a march, but the words could just as easily be shorthand for the story of Middleboro ballplayer Brett Holmgren.

Now bound for the ball fields at Div. 2 Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., the 18-year-old Coyle-Cassidy alumnus has circumvented injuries to both arms that would have kept a lesser player off the diamond.

Holmgren's baseball odyssey began in 2006, during the early part of his freshman baseball season at Coyle-Cassidy High School.

"We were practicing pickoffs and I went to throw a ball and it literally felt like someone stabbed me right in the elbow," Holmgren said. "(I had) Pain up and down my arm. The pain lasted for 10 seconds and then my whole arm went numb."

Despite the pain, Holmgren, whose father, Ron, is the American Legion baseball coach for Middleboro Post 64, continued to play for the rest of the season, although he didn't pitch. Initially, he was told the pain in his elbow was tendinitis, a diagnosis that didn't make much sense to the Holmgrens given the nature of that injury.

Finally, at a meeting with his orthopedist, Brett learned what was causing the pain in his arm.

He had developed osteochondritis dissecans, a joint disorder that strains the flow of blood to bone, causing "dead bone" to form. Although fairly uncommon, the disorder occurs more often in gymnasts and has some prevalence among younger ballplayers.

Holmgren is still unsure why it happened. His father always had him on strict pitch counts throughout his baseball career, and Brett diligently did the arm-strengthening exercises that are supposed to ward off such an injury.

"We're assuming it's over-use," Ron Holmgren said. "Why him, where we did everything we possibly could ... that's life I guess."

Brett didn't want to get surgery on the arm, which he eventually did have done, because at the time, he and his family thought it could be restored with physical therapy. Either way, playing baseball as a lefty was no longer an option for him.

But while sitting in the doctor's office, Brett had an idea.

He asked if there was any reason why he couldn't field left-handed and throw right-handed. The doctor had no reason as to why not so from the time they got home, Brett was practicing in the backyard with his father, learning to throw right-handed.

"In the beginning, it really wasn't that pretty," Brett recalled. "I couldn't reach second base from first base," said. "I kept working at it and working at it because I didn't really want to stop playing."

Brett lucked out in that his hitting was not affected by the elbow injury. Still, with a new glove hand, throwing and footwork to deal with, it was no cakewalk.

"In the beginning, it really wasn't that pretty," Brett said.

When physical therapy alone had failed to rehabilitate his left arm, Brett opted to have the surgery, the first of two procedures he would have on the elbow. A three-season athlete, Brett had to give up his hockey career because of the surgeries.

The initial surgery restored the blood flow to the dead section of his elbow, but he later needed a second surgery to repair damaged cartilage in the elbow.

After the surgery and some rehab, Brett was fit enough to try out for the varsity high school squad, still as a righthander.

Despite his spot on the squad not being as secure as it would have been, Brett persevered. He batted over .400 in his sophomore season as a right fielder for the Warriors, playing in more than half the games.

The following fall, he continued his soccer career as a junior, playing goalie for the Warriors. When his arm bothered him, particularly after the cartilage surgery, he had to cede the goalkeeper position and play as a defender.

His junior baseball season went uncharacteristically smooth. He had another fine year at Coyle-Cassidy, similar to his sophomore season, and played in the Bay State Games.

Holmgren's freedom from injury did not last, however. During his senior soccer season, he injured his right arm, but didn't think much of it, dealing with the pain and finishing out the season.

In the months leading up to his senior baseball season, the pain in his right arm became worse and it became apparent in indoor baseball workouts that something was wrong.

Another trip to the doctor revealed that he had a torn labrum, a ligament in his right shoulder.

The doctor gave him the OK to play baseball, but added that the soreness would not go away. Holmgren knew that if he did play ball, he would not be effective in the field and would be forced to DH.

"He had a decision to make on whether to have surgery in March, or to hold it off after the season," Ron Holmgren said.

The decision didn't come easy. Brett weighed finishing what he had started with the Warriors against a college career. He knew he had a spot on the Catawba College team, and he knew what he risked if he put off surgery on his right arm.

In a baseball career filled with setbacks, Brett chose to look forward.

"It was more for the future then looking at it right then," he explained. "I wanted to get it done so I'd have plenty of time to rehab my shoulder. I didn't want to go to college and rush it down there.

"It was hard. It wasn't an easy choice, but I didn't want anything to hurt my opportunity in college."

Brett said the decision to head south was part baseball, but mostly education.

"I'm going to major in sports management, I definitely knew that," he said. "There aren't a lot of schools up here that have that as a major, but that's definitely something they have down south."

He made one last comeback to local baseball this summer, playing left-handed for the Middleboro Post 64 Legion team coached by his father. As luck would have it, he was medically cleared the day that the season started.

"My left arm is almost back to full strength," Brett said. "Fielding-wise I'm a little more comfortable left-handed, but I can definitely go out and play right-handed when my arm comes back to full strength."

Since the end of the Legion season, Brett has kept fit on a local U18 team. He'll ship off to North Carolina before the end of the month to attend college

And after years of coaching, practices and surgeries, Brett's parents now only have one problem: getting to North Carolina to watch him play.

Something that would not even be possible if a 14-year-old Brett walked out of the doctor's office and called it a day.

Adam Riglian can be reached at ariglian@enterprisenews.com.

BAY STATE GAMES: They watch the birdie in badminton

Enterprise, The (Brockton, MA) - Saturday, July 11, 2009

By Adam Riglian
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER

Badminton is thought of by most as a gym class throwback or summer barbeque sport. For a select few entering this weekend's Bay State Games being held at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, it's a little more serious.

Kevin Black of Hanson is one of the few, along with fellow enthusiasts Rich Orlandi, Dave Hickey and Eric Brunelle, who will compete in the net sport at the games.

"Badminton is a fantastic game," said Black, 56, of Hanson, who first played the sport in college. "People who get hooked on it get a great workout and a great release for their competition.

"It's a very fast game and it's an aerobic game, but it's also a game that has a lot of skill to it too - the drop shots and the deep smashes."

Black, a physical education teacher at Hanson Middle School who coaches track and cross country at Whitman-Hanson High School, has organized a badminton adult education class at the middle school for the past four years.

The class has become a subsequent success, growing in number over the years.

"We have a core group of very dedicated badminton players, about 30, who want to play all the time," Black said. "To bring some of my group into the tournament is even more fun (for me)."

The four players from the class competing this weekend are entered in the recreational bracket. Black acknowledged that other local players have far more experience than his group, but knowing that won't affect his group's spirit.

"As you get into the world of badminton, there is an exceptional level of talent and I don't possess it at all," Black joked. "I don't expect to go too, too far in the tournament, but I do expect to have a good physically active day in a good environment. I'm looking forward to it."

"There is so much to be gained from sport and competition. Not only are we physically active when we play, but there is also a competitive spirit in every human being."

Brunelle, a technology education teacher at Hanson Middle School from Whitman, will compete in singles. He joined Black's group two years ago and has taken to the game.

"He's very knowledgeable about it, but he's also brought in some players who have played competitively and shown us some different things," Brunelle said. "We're planning to get the group a little more competitive so we can kind of bring it to the next level.

"To see some of the other people who are really good, it will be interesting for us to see. We're going to play, but also to watch."

The group doesn't just play for the fun of it. Black extols the games calorie-burning and aerobic virtues.

"You might not be able to go out and jog for two hours, but you can go out and play badminton for two or three hours and really burn a lot of calories and get a great workout."

This is the group's first foray into organized competition, but Brunelle and Black believe that the continued commitment from members will likely increase competitiveness and spread the game around the communities of Whitman and Hanson.

Even students are getting involved.

"It's one of our most popular sports at the middle school," Black said.

Singles events at the Bay State Games will take place today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The doubles groups will play on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston.

Catching waves: Hingham teen a surfing star

Patriot Ledger, The (Quincy, MA) - Saturday, August 1, 2009

By Adam Riglian
For The Patriot Ledger

Did you know you can surf year-round in New England? James McGraghan does, and it shows in his performance.

The 16-year-old from Hingham was the top-ranked junior long board and short board wave-rider in Southern New England last year.

McGraghan rides like a pro despite his tender age, but he may never have conquered his first wave if it weren't for a chance encounter with the sport on vacation three years ago.

"I went on vacation in Hawaii, I asked my parents to get me lessons and the moment I did it I just loved it," McGraghan said. "It's pretty tricky, but I caught on pretty fast. It was the best thing I had ever done."

Now McGraghan is a competitor in the sport, ranked in Eastern Surfing Association and setting his sights on bigger and tougher competitions.

In July, McGraghan took on his latest challenge, the ESA Cape Cod Championships in South Wellfleet. He came away with first place in the junior men's long board, third in the open short board and fourth in the junior men. He'll add that junior long board title to the one he collected at the 2008 ESA Holiday Surfabout in Narragansett, R.I.

McGraghan didn't get this far without practice, which is difficult sometimes as a surfer is always at the mercy of the ocean. He practices all over the state and in Rhode Island, though Nantasket Beach in Hull sees his shadow most often.

"I usually surf down in Nantasket, and sometimes I go to Scituate and Marshfield," McGraghan said. "I think my favorite place is this little spot up in Nantasket that not a lot of people know about, but it gets really good there."

Power is what makes for a good day of surfing. A day without it on a board is a waste; a day with it, a joy.

"For me, it has to be a pretty powerful wave, something that can help me surf better. Really bad waves, no matter what, you're going to surf awful," McGraghan said.

It's not just a man vs. nature conquest for McGraghan. While there's no doubt something empowering about a surfer taming the force and power of the ocean, he sees it as an outlet. Plus it's fun.

"I like the fact that you can just be as creative as you want with it, and you can do it by yourself or with all your friends," McGraghan said. "No matter what mood you're in, something about surfing can make you feel good."

That good feeling carries him year round, even when he has to don a second wetsuit to contend with 40-degree ocean temperatures in the winter, to which he simply responds, "it's definitely worth it."

All that practice and his previous successes have sparked the idea of increasing his level of competition. The only things standing in his way are distance and learning where competitions are held, given surfing's fractured infrastructure.

"I'm still trying to figure out where some of the bigger ones are," he joked. "The only one I've struggled with was the regional surfing event in New Jersey. That was pretty tough, going against other kids from different parts of the East Coast. But I'm competing there next year, and doing the Easterns in September (in North Carolina)."

McGraghan hopes someday to be able to explore the surf in California and Hawaii, but for now, Nantasket Beach will do just fine.

A family tradition in Hingham

Patriot Ledger, The (Quincy, MA) - Saturday, May 2, 2009

By Adam Riglian
The Patriot Ledger

The javelin is an art form that few master. It is separate from the rest of the track and field events, not requiring the brute strength of the shot put or the endurance of the two-mile.

Javelin requires repetitious practice, technique and form. Those virtues must run in the Lincoln family. The clan has had a vice-grip on the Hingham High School record books since the 1970s.

On April 8, Ben Lincoln took down the record his uncle Mark had held for 32 years, throwing 185 feet, 2 inches in a meet against Middleboro and Silver Lake.

"We're excited he has the record. We're happy for him," said Tom Lincoln, Ben's father, who also held the Hingham javelin record - from 1972-77, until his brother Mark displaced him.

The family's history in the sport dates back roughly 40 years, and has included almost a dozen people over multiple generations.

The first of the Lincolns to compete at Hingham was Richard, the eldest of the four brothers who threw for the Harbormen in the '70s. It was Richard's involvement that piqued the interest of his brother, Tom.

"My brother Richard had thrown it in high school, and I wasn't very good at baseball," Tom said, "so I went out for track and started throwing it."

Tom, a 1972 graduate of Hingham High, set the school record in the javelin at 182 feet during his days as a Harbormen. He later went on to compete at Harvard, throwing as far as 211 feet, before becoming an emergency room doctor at Cape Cod Hospital.

His record did not stand all that long. Both of his younger brothers, Mickey and Mark, also threw the javelin at Hingham. It was Mark who set the mark in 1977, topping out at 184 feet. Mark's record stood untouched for 32 years - until Ben came along.

Tom returned to Hingham as a javelin coach nine years ago, and has since coached four children - Jennifer, Rachel, (who set the girls record) Hannah and Ben - plus a nephew (Brennan).

"My daughter Jennifer was on the team and begged me to come down" to practice, Tom Lincoln recalled, "so I said, "Ah, OK', so I came down and I stayed."

His coaching may have ended up being better than his throwing, as he has now led two more Lincolns to school records.

"He's a really good guy, and he's been instrumental in our program," Hingham coach Fred Jewett said. "Having Tom Lincoln is just a blessing."

The first Lincoln to set a record under Tom's tutelage was Rachel, who in 2007 threw 117-3 - a record which still stands.

Then, it was Ben's turn to carry the mantle. For him, breaking the record was years in the making.

"It's hard to say (when I started) - competitively (by the) ninth grade," Ben said, "but by seventh grade I was familiar with it."

His improvement since that time has been steady. In 2007, his best throw was 167 feet. Last year as a junior, he finished second at Division 3 States with a distance of 176-7, and one week later finished fourth at the All-State Meet. All but one of the throwers that finished ahead of him have graduated; the other is Justin Siekierski from Minnechaug.

"(Winning the state championship) is one of the main goals," Ben said. "I'm friends with most of the big throwers; we see each other at all the big meets."

Last Tuesday, Ben furthered his own record, throwing 191-4. The new mark creates some breathing room between him and any future Lincolns and inches him towards state records.

Win or lose at the state level, Ben's track career is far from over. He is headed to Wake Forest University, where he will continue throwing in the ACC - one of the most competitive track conferences in the nation.

"I like big challenges, so that will make me work harder towards my goals," Ben said.

When he's home from school, there will still be plenty of opportunities for him to throw. The family takes trips to meets around the country and Ben continues to compete locally at the Bay State Games.

"We practice in the summer, we go out as a family and throw the javelin just for fun," Tom said. "On and off, all year long since they were kids, it's sort of a unifying thing."

The Lincolns have traveled to the West Coast and even Omaha, Neb., for meets during the year.

"Who goes to Omaha, right?," Tom joked.

The same people that have to ask to baggage check a javelin.

Pats weren't only losers on Super Sunday

Patriot Ledger, The (Quincy, MA) - Tuesday, February 5, 2008

By Adam Riglian
The Patriot Ledger

Had the Patriots won the Super Bowl, local stores would have been buzzing today with people buying 19-0 shirts and Super Bowl XLII championship hats.

With $15.95 and a PayPal account, you can still get one of those Patriots Super Bowl championship T-shirts on eBay, but it's not exactly the same for fans or certainly for local businesses.

Lisa Seyffert, co-owner of Pre-Game Sports in Marshfield, estimates that her store will miss out on about $5,000 in Patriots merchandise sales because of Sunday's Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants.

"We were tripling our days last year (leading up to the game)," Seyffert said. "We made up everything we lost on ice skates and then thousands. It's going to be a tough February if those (cranberry) bogs don't freeze back up."

A smaller sporting goods store like Pre-Game puts in an "if-win" order for Super Bowl merchandise, which would have arrived today. But while the smaller stores do not have to pay up-front for the goods, manufacturers like Canton-based Reebok produce Patriots championship shirts and hats before the game and are left in a much different position.

Dan Sarro, a Reebok representative, said the company donates the losing team's goods to World Vision, a charitable organization based in Washington.

Karen Kartes, a World Vision spokeswoman, said the organization used to get a couple of hundred losing-team shirts and caps that were made up in advance for distribution on the field.

"In recent years, it has gotten bigger," Kartes said. "The NFL has asked their retail affiliates to give to World Vision."

Last season, World Vision received roughly $2.5 million worth of Chicago Bears apparel following the Bears' Super Bowl loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Those unwanted shirts and hats and jackets that the National Football League wants out of sight are distributed in poorer countries around the world.

"It ends up going to people that desperately need it," Kartes said. "Some of these people have never worn a new shirt, and they don't really care what's on it."

This year, Patriots goods will reach about a dozen countries, including Romania and Nicaragua. ESPN will follow the journey of the shirts to Nicaragua as part of a special report.

Sporting goods stores and manufacturers aren't the only losers after the Patriots' crushing defeat.

The Patriot Ledger had prepared a special 24-page section commemorating the Patriots' perfect season. It would have been in today's paper as the Patriots rolled through Boston in a victory parade.

Adam Riglian may be reached at ariglian@ledger.com.