WPI has named its spring captains for the upcoming season. Seniors Pete Manolakos (Peabody, MA) and Tim Caldwell (Dover-Foxcroft, ME) will lead the track & field team. Senior Jeff Ross (W. Bridgewater, MA) and junior Scott Townsend (Hollis, ME) are co-captains of the baseball team. Senior Stephanie Torrey (Worcester, MA) and juniors Lyn Dubois (Cumberland, RI) and Sarah Thompson (Conway, NH) will lead the softball team. Seniors Ranjit Kher (Northboro, MA) and Nathan Hendrix (Imlay City, MI) are co-captains of the tennis team. The captains of the women's track team are senior Sunny Hwang (Manchester, CT) and junior Heather Mazzaccaro (Bristol, CT).
Manolakos and Caldwell have been with the track program for four years. Manolakos is hoping to rebound from an injury that shortened his outdoor season last year while Caldwell is hoping to continue his fine year where he was the leading runner on the cross country team this past fall and All-New England for indoor track. Manolakos is a key ingredient for the relay squads as well as one of the top 200/400 men on the team. Caldwell will lead the middle distance team for the squad this season.
Ross and Townsend are already making an impact in the early season for WPI as they are 4-4. Ross is a returning three-year letterwinner for the Engineers as mostly a pitcher out of the bullpen. This season he has added strength and depth to the WPI outfield. He is currently batting .375 in two starts in the outfield and has a 1-1 record in three appearances as a pitcher with a 4.05 era. Townsend has been WPI's starting shortstop for two years and is having a fine season thus far. He has started every game and is batting .407 while leading the team in runs scored with nine. He also has five stolen bases in five attempts.
Torrey, Dubois and Thompson are all returning letterwinners and starters for WPI. Torrey is the number one catcher and has seen some time in the outfield in the early going. She is currently batting .250 with a team leading five RBIs. Dubois has been the starting second baseman for the Engineers during her first two years. She is a versatile player who can also play shortstop. She is currently the leading hitter on the team with a .312 average and leads the team in hits (10). Thompson returns as the team's starting centerfielder and has started all 10 games this year. She has scored four runs and has stolen three bases.
Both Hendrix and Kher are returning lettermen for WPI. Hendrix will begin the season at number one singles, a spot he held for some of last year, and a spot that he has earned this year. Kher will begin the season at the number five singles spot as he will have the opportunity to contribute in this spot this season. Last season Kher was mostly a doubles player, but did get to play singles in a couple of matches.
Hwang is a returning three-year letterwinner and has been a versatile and outstanding track & field athlete during her four years at WPI. Last year she garnered All-ECAC honors after finishing fifth in the 110-meter hurdles. Mazzaccaro is another returning letterwinner who burst on to the scene as a freshman and made an instant impact on the program. Although her first season was cut short by injury, she has rebounded nicely to be an integral part of the team's sprinters and relay teams.