MCC Athletic Department Alumni Update

Erika Murphy (Torrington) finished out her college career with an explanation mark when she scored three points in the final six seconds for Elms College (Chicopee, MA) in New Collegiate Conference (NECC) championship game and a berth in the NCAA DIII tournament.

The senior forward, who was a key player on Robert Turner Jr.’s MCC team that finished fourth in the NJCAA DIII National Championship tournament in 2010, was the NECC’s Player of the Week on February 27. Murphy led the Blazers (20-9) in minutes played (30.4 per game), averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 42% from the floor and 77% from the free-throw line. She scored 594 career points over a 51-game, two-year career at the Elms.

Two-time NJCAA All-American A. J. Lowers (Newington), a senior at Central Connecticut State University and catcher on the baseball team, is hitting .364 (8 for 22) for the 12-8 Blue Devils.

Lowers was 3 for 4 with three RBI in a 7-4 win at Sacred Heart on May 18 and scored the game-tying run in a dramatic 5-4 win over Fairfield on March 22. Lowers was the NJCAA DIII Defensive Player of the Year while playing at MCC in 2009 and has not made an error in 11 games this season against NCAA, DI competition.

Julia Connor (Ellington) was an Academic All-American, a two- time All-New England selection as a soccer player and sports information assistant for the athletic department while at MCC.

Connor took her talents to Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA) where she will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in sports management in May. She is currently working for the Lynchburg Hillcats, the Atlanta Braves affiliate in the Class A Carolina League in game operations.

Hami Kara (Wethersfield) played two soccer seasons in the Big East at the University of Pittsburgh. The 2009 NJCAA All-American started 18 games for the Panthers over two seasons with six shutouts….
Two-time NJCAA All-American baseball player Kevin Madera (Newington) is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA while pitching at DII Southern Connecticut this spring. He has nine strikeouts over 7.1 innings in four relief appearances for the 14-5 Owls…
Peter Burgio (Bolton), who played baseball at MCC in ’08 and ‘09 is showing no ill-effects of the injury that kept him out of the Keene State lineup all of last season. The outfielder/DH is hitting .320 with a team-leading 13 RBI…
Kevin Wodatch (Wallingford) leads Anna Maria College (Paxton, MA) three homers, five doubles and 13 RBI…
Four former MCC baseball players – Patrick McMahon (South Windsor), Chris Rivera (New Britain), and A. J. Silberman (Meriden) and Andrew Tremley, (Meriden) – found new homes at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts.