Three members of the graduating class of 2009 turned in impressive athletic seasons at their respective colleges this past year:

Karina Scavo | University of New England

As a standout freshman on the Nor’easters’ soccer team, Scavo helped lead UNE to a second place finish in the Commonwealth Coast Conference, with an 11-2 record, and a birth in the ECAC Championship. She finished her season with 7 goals and 3 assists for 17 points, good enough for third on the team.  She also had the team’s highest shooting percentage, scoring on .179% of her shots.

She began her post-Stony Brook career in spectacular fashion, registering a point in each of her first three collegiate matches against Maine Maritime, the University of Southern Maine, and Eastern Nazarene College. One of her biggest performances came against UMass Boston in the semifinals of the ECAC tournament. With UNE clinging to a 1-0 lead, Scavo found the back of the net in the 76th minute, which proved to be an important strike when UMass tallied a goal of their own three minutes later. On the merits of her outstanding season she was named All-Commonwealth Coast Conference Honorable Mention.

Danielle Spiliotis | Cedarville University

After a stellar high school basketball career that saw her elected All-League five times, All-County twice, and All-State twice, Spiliotis signed a letter of intent to play for Cedarville University.

During the Yellowjackets’ 2009-10 campaign, she played in 32 games scoring 102 points and grabbing 54 rebounds. Her .447% from the field was good enough for third best on the team while her .375% from behind the arc placed her second on the team. Spiliotis helped Cedarville wrap up the regular season title in the Division II American Mideast Conference before they moved on to the NAIA National Tournament.

John Kanas | Gordon College

As a freshman, Kanas proved to be a major contributor for Gordon’s baseball team, making a team-high 12 appearances and logging 50 innings of work. He posted a 4.32 ERA while striking out 40 while opponents batted a slight .231 against him as he led the Commonwealth Coast Conference with 2 shutouts. One of John’s finest performances came on April 11th vs. Nichols College as he pitched a shutout, scattering 4 hits over 7 innings and surrendering only 1 walk while striking out 9. The closest Nichols came to scoring came in the top of the 6th inning when two Bison reached scoring position, but Kanas neutralized the threat with a strikeout and sat Nichols down in order in the 7th for the complete game victory.

One week later Kanas topped this performance by pitching a gem against New England College. The former Bear surrendered a single to NEC’s leadoff hitter, which proved to be the Pilgrims’ final hit of the game as the Fighting Scots pitcher threw a 1-hit complete game shutout with 5 strikeouts. Kanas also stepped up for Gordon in an unfamiliar role on April 24th against Salve Regina University. With a berth in the CCC playoffs on the line and the Scots holding a 4-1 advantage, John pitched a perfect 7th inning, inducing three ground balls for his first collegiate save. He was named Honorable Mention All-CCC as a result of his stellar freshman season.

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