Trinity College/Kendra Lena earn NCAA Selection

The Trinity College Women's Soccer team, which has a best-ever 12-4 record and reached the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Semifinals for the first time this past season, achieved another program first when the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament field was announced on the NCAA Selection Show.  The Bantams, coached by Michael Smith (17th Season), were selected to the 64-team field for the first time.  Trinity, was ranked No. 2 in the NCAA New England Regional Poll after downing Amherst twice in four days to set a new College record for wins in a season with 12.  Trinity was one of five NESCAC teams to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, joining Middlebury, Amherst, Bowdoin, and Williams as representatives from the league in the tournament field.

Trinity Head Coach Michael Smith shared the following comments about the team and Madison resident Kendra Lena, DHHS 2013. "This was a special season in so many ways. We had a large group of returning players who were not only open to change - they embraced it. Coming off two disappointing years, in which we didn't make our conference tournament, we knew we needed to make some adjustments to the way we did things. The end result was a complete overhaul of everything we did and our veteran players took it all in stride.  There were moments of discomfort but through trial and error, and many conversations, they showed exceptional character.  Our incoming freshmen class didn't know any other way so it was far less impacting on them. As a result, they were free to concentrate on making adjustments to their games allowing them to better meet the demands of the college game.  Kendra Lena was one such freshman. Kendra earned a starting spot as our holding midfielder. From day one she displayed the poise of a veteran player, helped lock down the midfield defensively and was a pivotal player in the orchestration of our attack.  We are very excited to have Kendra and the rest of her class back next season as we look to build off of this season."  Lena recorded a 50 goal high school career including a  21 goal and two assist senior year at DHHS and earned the following accolades: Top Female Scholar Athlete, MVP, Three time All SCC Honors, All State Honors, and Top Offensive Player both her freshman and senior years.