Racquetball club teams win Division II National Championship

Bryant men’s and women’s teams take home top honors at national tournament.

Bryant athletics took home another piece of hardware recently as the Bryant men’s and women’s racquetball club sport teams were crowned Division II National Champions.

The teams competed March 25-30 in Overland Park, Kansas, in the nationals against 46 schools at the Division I and II levels. More than 300 student-athletes took part in the competition.

The men’s team ladder (ranked one through six) is made up of Stephen Corndell ’08 (South Easton, MA), Michael Paradiso ’09 (New Milford, CT), Michael Mutrie ’09 (Walpole, MA), Ryan Lewis '08 (Hooksett, NH), Andrew Corndell ’10 (South Easton, MA), David Landry ’09 (Smithfield, RI), and alternate Larry Troiano ’11 (Islip, NY).

The women’s team ladder (ranked one through six) includes Julie Richard ’08 (Sutton, MA), Chelsey Rink ’09 (Guilford, CT), Dana Pepa ’09 (Windham, NH), Allison Peppel ’11 (Charlton, MA), Melanie Unwin ’11 (Rutland, VT), Colleen Scanlon ’11 (North Attleboro, MA), and alternate Brittany Dutch ’11 (Monroe, CT).

Players compete in singles and doubles matches against similarly ranked players from other teams. The matches of the top-ranked players earn the most points for their teams. The team with the total points is the winner.

In order to compete in the nationals, a school must have both a men’s and a women’s team, and all team members must be full-time students in good academic standing.

The men’s and women’s teams punched their tickets to the nationals by finishing first and second, respectively, at the regional competition.

The championship was a hotly contested affair that came down to the last match. In the end, both the men’s and women’s teams finished at the top of their divisions, which earned Bryant the overall title. Bryant finished ahead of the University of Colorado (Colorado Springs), Clarkson University, Renesselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Springfield College.

(L-R) Top row: Ryan Lewis '08 (Hooksett, NH), Stephen Corndell ’08 (South Easton, MA), David Landry ’09 (Smithfield, RI), and Mike Paradiso ’09 (New Milford, CT). Second row: Andrew Corndell ’10 (South Easton, MA), Dana Pepa ’09 (Windham, NH), Chelsey Rink ’09 (Guilford, CT), Melanie Unwin ’11 (Rutland, VT), and Colleen Scanlon ’11 (North Attleboro, MA). Bottom row: Larry Troiano ’11 (Islip, NY), Allison Peppel ’11 (Charlton, MA), Julie Richard ’08 (Sutton, MA), Britany Dutch ’11 (Monroe, CT), and Mike Mutrie ’09 (Walpole, MA).

“The feeling of being a national champion is something that will never go away,” says Corndell, a dual concentrator in management and marketing and the president of the men’s team. “It was a 100 percent team effort.”

“It felt amazing,” adds Richard, a management concentrator and the leader of the women’s team. “Four years of hard work has paid off.”

During the regular season, both Corndell and Richard earned the number one ranking in the Eastern Collegiate Racquetball Conference (ECRC). Each player lost only one game all year.

Lewis, the vice president of the men’s team, says the title is a perfect way to end his career at Bryant.

“I have learned so much as a student during the last four years,” says Lewis, a marketing concentrator. “To be able to bring home a national championship is a perfect way to leave Bryant.”

Rink, a communication major on the women’s team, says, “I attribute the team’s success to our dedication and the support we gave each other throughout the year.”

Shane Wood, the commissioner of the ECRC, praised the Bryant players for their commitment to the team.

“The Bryant University Racquetball Team members are national champions in every sense of the word,” says Wood. “This title was truly a team effort and is a result of their support for each other, hard work, and dedication to success.”