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Amherst native Chelsea Larivee refreshed after studying abroad

By Staff | Apr 19, 2013

Nothing rekindles a passion for a sport like a few months away. Fortunately, for Bentley University junior lacrosse standout Chelsea Larivee, of Amherst, those few months away were spent studying abroad in Florence, Italy.

While her teammates were doing their fall workouts and attending team meetings, Larivee was touring Europe most weekends, visiting London, Switzerland, Austria and Spain, among other destinations. She spent an Oktoberfest weekend in Germany.

She brought along her lacrosse stick for individual skill sessions, earning strange looks from Italians unfamiliar with the predominantly North American sport.

When Larivee returned to the United States, she knew she needed to do a little catching up physically, so she spent four days a week during the holiday break working out with Scott Prunier at Top Fitness in Nashua.

“It was a nice break, because I really hadn’t put my stick down since I started playing in the sixth grade,’’ Larivee said. “It also reminded me of how much I love the sport.

“My coach wanted me to spend time in the off-season on foot work, and Scott was able to get me going.’’

The results are certainly reflected in her statistics so far this spring. After a strong sophomore year during which she scored 29 goals, third best on the team, she has 18 so far this spring, including four in recent win over Saint Anselm.

But it’s another stat that reveals how Larivee continues to improve: She has a team-high 35 ground balls this spring, compared to 28 all last season. And her 20 caused turnovers also lead the team.

“I think those stats tend to get overlooked,’’ Larivee said. “More than anything, I think I’ve improved as a defensive player.

“Going after ground balls is all mental. You have to really want that ball on your stick.’’

Larivee said the maturity of being an upperclassman has helped her confidence, and she says she’s beginning to take a leadership role on the field.

“This year, I’m not as worried about taking risks and taking the ball to set up a play,” Larivee said.

Larivee is a marketing major with a minor in computer information systems. She’ll put it all to use this summer as an intern at Fidelity in Merrimack.

But you can bet her lacrosse stick won’t be far away.

Bekah Jackson

Junior shortstop Bekah Jackson, of Nashua, is having another incredible year for the Plymouth State softball team.

She leads the Panthers in just about every offensive category, including hits (44), runs scored (37), home runs (6) and RBIs (30).

She’s batting .506 with a .570 on-base percentage and 17 stolen bases in 19 attempts.

Jackson, who broke the school record for hits last season, has a school-record 10 triples this season.

Brandon Cox

Junior third baseman Brandon Cox, of Nashua, leads the Plymouth State baseball team in batting this spring at .366 and has a .465 on-base percentage.

The Nashua South graduate also leads the team in hits (30), RBIs (19), runs scored (21) and doubles with eight.

Katie Donovan

Katie Donovan, a member of Alvirne’s 2011 Division I champion softball team, has started all 35 games at shortstop this spring for the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

Donovan is hitting .240 with a .303 on-base percentage.

Jess Underwood

Freshman pitcher Jess Underwood, of Hudson, has started 11 games this spring for the Assumption College softball team.

Underwood, a member of back-to-back Division I championship teams at Alvirne, is 3-4 with a 4.04 ERA.

Bill Ferriter

Nashua’s Bill Ferriter is rounding out his career as the starting center fielder for the University of Connecticut baseball team.

The senior is hitting .257 for the Huskies and leads the team in stolen bases with 22 and doubles with eight. He’s among the team leaders in run scored (24) and hits (37).

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