The following press released was submitted by Read This: Sophomore women's soccer player Tory Benoit, of Shrewsbury, has been named the Roger Williams University Female Athlete of the Week. Benoit scored two goals in a 3-minute span as the Hawks picked up their first win of the season, defeating Commonwealth Coast Conference foe Eastern Nazarene by a score of 4-0. Benoit scored in the 76th minute when she collected the rebound off her own shot following a cross from Laurin Pendelton. Benoit found the back of the net again in the 79th minute on a cross from Alexa Maher. Benoit is the former …

Sometimes it takes a little push from one’s parents to achieve success in all aspects of life, especially sports. That was the case for Alex Freilich, a 2010 graduate of St. John’s High School and current freshman at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, who was encouraged by his father to take part in the sport of wrestling. “My first experience with wrestling was in seventh grade,” Freilich said. “My dad was actually working on one of the Hudson High School wrestling coaches’ houses.” “He was talking about it, and then I met the coach. He said he wanted me to get into it, so I first came to …

Dean Diamantopoulos loves the game of baseball, but more specifically, is fixated with pitching. Ever since his freshman season at Shrewsbury High School, when Diamantopoulos transitioned to pitching from catching, he has focused on improving his game on the mound. “I love to pitch because I love being in control of the game, and I love the pressure and adrenaline during tight situations,” Diamantopoulos said. Diamantopoulos just finished his junior year at Anna Maria College, where he played on the baseball team and finished with a 4-2 record, a 3.56 ERA, 23 strikeouts and 6 walks. “My worst…

It was purely coincidental that Kyle Morette discovered he had a knack for track and field, but there was nothing accidental about the success he enjoyed in the sport soon after. Morette, a 2008 graduate of St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury and a current junior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), discovered his track ability in gym class during his freshman year. “I started track because of a broad jump that I did during gym class,” said Morette, a captain of WPI’s track and field team. “I don’t remember how long it was, but it was exceptionally long and the gym teacher thought it …

Jackie Jankowski didn’t start rowing since the summer after seventh grade, but ever since, she hasn’t been able to put her paddles down. Jankowski, a senior captain of the Holy Cross women’s rowing team, is a 2007 graduate of Shrewsbury High School, where she rowed for seven years under coaches Jason Abraham and Pam Krause. “It’s just the ultimate team sport,” said Jankowski about rowing. “A lot of other people say I play softball, I play basketball, and that’s a team sport. This is really different in that you actually couldn’t do anything without the other people that are in that boat with …

Playing baseball at the collegiate level takes a lot of hard work, and Garret Smith knows that. Smith, a 2007 graduate of St. John’s of Shrewsbury, has gone from playing baseball at the high school level to playing the sport for the Boston College Eagles at the Division I level in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Thanks to Smith's grit and determination, he has turned into a solid everyday player at college. “I give all the credit to my parents because they put up with all the traveling and all the driving to the games,” Smith said. “I give credit to my dad, too, because he was always in the …

Shawna Amatucci was lucky enough to have a chance to start at catcher for the Clark University softball team in her freshman season. So far, she has not disappointed. Through 30 games, Amatucci is second on the team with a .302 batting average and has 4 home runs, 16 RBI and 42 total bases to lead the Cougars to a 15-16 record and a playoff berth. What makes Amatucci’s feat even more impressive is the fact that she was not the starting catcher at her high school, Shrewsbury High School, where she graduated in 2010. “I’ve been catching basically every game,” said Amatucci, who served as the …

Griffin Murphy was flying high after his senior season at St. John’s in Shrewsbury after leading the team to a Division IA Super Bowl title and winning the team MVP Award. Yet, fate had a different path for Murphy in his freshman season earlier this year at Fordham University, where he enrolled with intentions of playing quarterback for the Rams’ varsity football team. In the summer before his freshman year at Fordham, Murphy suffered a major setback when he tore his hamstring and was forced to sit out for the season with a medical redshirt. “I definitely would have had a chance [to play this…