Three Saint Michael’s fall Athletic teams complete record-breaking seasons

As another fall semester comes to a close, three Saint Michael’s athletic teams have etched their names in the record books with historic seasons.  

Women’s Volleyball, Women’s Soccer, and Men’s Soccer all qualified for the Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) Championship this year, with both soccer teams breaking long dry spells without appearances. All three teams also racked up a plethora of team and individual accolades. This marks a significant milestone for the College’s Athletic program, showcasing the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of student-athletes.  

Members of the Saint Michael’s College Women’s Volleyball team, including Alexandra Baéz Rentas ’25, left, celebrate during a fall 2024 game. (Photo by Jim Laskarzewski ’86)

Women’s Volleyball 

During the 2023 season, Women’s Volleyball clinched a playoff berth for the first time in 28 years. This year, they continued their record-breaking streak, making consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since the run between 1990 and 1995.  

The team concluded its season with the highest win total in nine seasons and the best conference winning percentage in 30 years. As a team, the Purple Knights accumulated 1,578 digs, the fifth highest in program history and the most since the 2012 season.  

“Overall, this year reinforced that our program has a bright future,” said second-year Head Coach Lauren Brough. “We are incredibly grateful for our group of seniors that created the vision, committed hard to the process, and in turn, really turned the program around in their four years.” 

A significant contributor to the team’s success was Alexandra Baéz Rentas ’25, a senior setter hailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Baéz Rentas earned her second career all-conference honor this season – the fourth player in program history with multiple career all-conference honors – and was selected for the All-Conference Second Team. She also became the only player in program history to join the 2,000/1,000 club, finishing her career with 2,095 career assists and 1,057 career digs.  

“I just feel very proud of the things that this program has accomplished over the past two years,” Baéz Rentas said. “I went from winning one game my first two seasons to making the playoffs two years in a row. It’s an indescribable feeling because it still feels unreal. It’s hard to believe that I was part of history and that I helped change this program.” 

Joining Baéz Rentas with their first career conference honors were first-year outside hitters Nora Schulze ’28 and D’Niaya Settles ’28, who each earned their place on the NE10 All-Rookie Team. Throughout the season, several other players maintained spots on NE10 stats leaderboard, including Schulze, Baéz Rentas, Kyla Farnan ’27, and Grace Almeida ’27.  

But for Head Coach Brough, the work does not end here.  

“Two consecutive years of making the NE10 playoffs is something to celebrate,” she said. “But in this past season and in the years to come we are hoping to rise higher in the ranks of the conference and the region.”  

Members of the Saint Michael’s College Women’s Soccer team (white uniforms) celebrate during a fall 2024 game. (Photo by Jim Laskarzewski ’86)

Women’s Soccer 

Women’s Soccer qualified for the NE10 Championship for the first time since 2002 and set a school record with 11 wins in the season. The team also achieved a 10-game unbeaten streak, matching the previous school record. With one of the strongest offenses in program history, the team was regionally ranked for much of the season, and it only narrowly missed qualifying for the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance.  

For 12th-year Head Coach Wendy Elles, this season was truly special. With the mainstays of a strong team culture, youthful energy and competitiveness, and a relentless dedication to improve each day, the team was able to reach new heights, she said. 

“We completely embraced the process, learned from our mistakes, and most importantly, loved every minute of being together,” Elles said, adding with enthusiasm, “I really love this team!” 

A major contributor to the season’s success was first-year forward Sarah Gormley ’28, who was named NE10 Rookie of the Year and became the program’s first student-athlete to earn a major postseason conference honor. With six goals and 15 points on the season, Gormley led all NE10 first-year women’s soccer players in points, while tying for fourth in the NCAA East Region among first-years.  

Gormley also landed herself on the NE10 All-Conference Second Team and NE10 All-Rookie Team, with four teammates joining her and combining for eight total postseason honors. Fifth-year senior midfielder Claire Williams ’24 and senior back Christina Cummings ’25 were selected for the All-Conference Second Team, Scarlett Brookes ’28 for the All-Conference Third Team and All-Rookie Team, and first-year back Julia Palmese ’28 for the All-Rookie Team.  

Alessandro Pescina ’25, left, and Tyler Santaniello ’25 of the Saint Michael’s College Men’s Soccer team celebrate during a fall 2024 game. (Photo by Jim Laskarzewski ’86)

Men’s Soccer  

This year, Men’s Soccer competed in the NE10 Championship for the first time since 2015.  

The Purple Knights totaled nine wins on the season, the most since 2014, and four conference wins, the most since 2015. By virtue of their playoff-clinching win against Bentley University on the final day of the regular season, 15-year Head Coach Wade Jean earned his 91st win at the College – a new school record – and his 200th career win as a collegiate coach.  

Sophomore forward Ronnie Riby-Williams ’27 was a key offensive force, leading the team with five goals and 11 points on the season. On the defensive end, junior goalkeeper Garrett Smith ’26 stood out, ranking third in the NE10 for save percentage (.818), goals-against average (1.08), and saves per game (4.8) in his first season for the Purple Knights since transferring from Division I Bryant University.    

For fifth-year senior midfielder Alessandro Pescina ’25 and senior defender Tyler Santaniello ’25, this season was more than just another chapter in their careers—it was the perfect culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and resilience.   

“About three or four years ago, the coaches started changing the mindset and bringing in players who believed we could compete with any team in the conference,” Pescina said. “Finally making playoffs this year meant so much to me, as I’ve been part of this journey from the start and got to see the team’s growth in confidence, quality, and belief materialize on the field.”  

Santaniello echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the importance of teamwork in achieving their goals.  

“It took a lot of hard work and team bonding to create the result we wanted,” he said.  

The determination and perseverance of Pescina, Santaniello, and the rest of the senior class were instrumental in shaping the team’s success and will leave a lasting legacy for seasons to come.