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Rollins senior women's golfer Mariana De Biase capped of her fantastic career with a victory at the 2006 NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament. The Brazil native sank back to back birdie putts to score a one shot victory. Her clutch play down the stretch also ensured Rollins their fourth straight team national championship. De Biase was named All-American every year of her college career and was named the Rollins College Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year as she carries a 3.7 GPA in International Business.

The Rollins women's golf team overcame horrid weather, lofty expectations and a determined field to become the first ever program with four NCAA Division II National Championships as Rollins rolled to the 2006 title on Saturday. Senior Mariana De Biase birdied the final two holes to complete a round of even par and capture the individual title by one stroke.

The Tars carded rounds of 297, 314 and 308 for a tournament total of 919 and finished six shots ahead of runner-up Ferris State University. The margin of victory was the closest in Rollins championship run as they won the previous three titles by an average of 47 strokes. Lynn University was a distant third, 32 strokes behind Rollins with host Grand Valley State and Western Washington rounding out the top five.

“We struggled a little today, but that's why you build leads,” said Rollins head coach, and the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year, Julie Garner. “This championship is very emotional since it's the end of the line for our seniors. All of our titles have been very different, this one was a little exciting since it was so close, but I can't think of a better way to end this amazing run.”

De Biase birdied 17 and 18, all while knowing the leader's score in the clubhouse, to capture the individual crown. The Rio de Janeiro native was the most consistent player the entire week, shooting 74 in each of the first two rounds before firing even par 72 on Saturday for a total of 220 strokes. She went into the day tied with Florida Southern's Lindsey Bergeon atop the leader board and knew where she stood the entire round. De Biase bogeyed No. 2, birded No. 4 and bogeyed No. 7 to head into the turn one over on the day. She lost another stroke on the par four 15th, but posted two amazing birdies on the final two holes to snatch away the championship.

“There isn't a better unheralded player in the country than Mariana,” said Garner. “To do what she did in these conditions was absolutely amazing. Heading down the stretch, I didn't tell her the team score, but knew if she took care of herself, we would be fine.”

Fellow senior Charlotte Campbell ended her spectacular career with a solid seventh place finish. The four-time National Player of the Year, opened the tournament with a 73, struggled to an 84 in the second round and came back with a 76 on Saturday to finish four shots back of De Biase. Battling a head cold since the Tars left Winter Park, she got off to a rough start on Saturday, swallowing bogey on each of the first two holes. She got back on track with a birdie on No. 5 and played just two more holes over par the rest of the way.

Marie-Pierre Bernier and Vanessa Vela tied for 10th place, each totaling 236 strokes in the tournament. Bernier carded rounds of 77-76-83 in the tournament while Vela went 74-81-81. After a spectacular round in winter-like conditions on Friday, Bernier couldn't get rolling on Saturday, shooting par on nine holes, taking bogey on eight and carding a triple on No. 7. Vela birdied two of the first three holes before carding five bogeys to finish out the front. She birdied No. 10 and got up and down for par on 18, which proved to be a huge score for Rollins in the team scoring. Freshman Cristina Gugler ended her first championship in a tie for 14th place after rounds of 76-83-79. She was solid on the front, taking bogey on two of the first three holes, but carding birdie on No. 4 to make the turn at one over. The back wasn't as kind, but her 79 was still one of the top scores in the final round.

The victory solidifies Rollins place in the history books as they have won a school best 11 national championships and an NCAA Division II best four (2006, 2005, 2004, 2003), breaking their tie with rival Florida Southern. Mariana De Biase and Charlotte Campbell become two of very few student-athletes to capture four national championships in their careers.

The Rollins women's golf team swept every major award handed out by the NCAA and NGCA in 2006. Charlotte Campbell was named National Player of the Year for the fourth year in a row, winning it outright in 2003 and 2004 and being named Co- in 2005 and 2006. She was also named SSC Player of the Year, first-team All-SSC, first team All-Region and first team All-American. Mariana De Biase, on top of her win at the National Championship, won the SSC Tournament and was first-team All-SSC, first team All-Region and first team All-American. Head Coach Julie Garner swept every coaching award, being named Conference, Region and National Coach of the Year in 2006.

Playing for pride in the final week of the season, the Rollins baseball team finished strong, going 1-2 with the losses coming by just one and two runs. The Tars traveled to Lakeland on Wednesday and fell to the Mocs 4-3 behind a walk off homer. They ended the year with their first ever trip to Florida Gulf Coast and split a pair of games, winning 8-7 on Friday and falling 6-4 on Saturday.

Freshmen Jesse More and Anthony Soto each hit .500 on the week to lead the Tars bats. More also added three RBI, including two doubles, with Soto also knocking in a run.

Eduardo Chile picked up the Tars win on the hill, scattering five hits and allowing three earned runs in his final start as a Tar.

The Tars seemed to have fate working against them on Florida Southern's senior night in Lakeland . Senior Paul Ryan's walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the Moccasins a 4-3 victory. The Tars (27-26) gave the Mocs (38-17) a battle, but in the end the defending National Champs were able to get the big hit in the clutch and the Tars weren't. Senior Rob Cloar pitched brilliantly for the Tars in the no decision. Unfortunately for the Tars, the bullpen couldn't hold a 3-1 lead in the final three innings as they gave up runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth en route to the loss. Freshman outfielder Anthony Soto led the Tars offense, going 3-4 with a double. Stefano Foggi, Ryan McKenzie and Eugene Martinez all added RBI for the Tars. Gary Martoccio, Brent Magnuson, Gene Howard and Jesse More all had hits for Rollins.

The Rollins baseball team played spoiler on Friday night knocking off Florida Gulf Coast 8-7. The Tars used a six run sixth inning and a gritty outing by senior Eduardo Chile to squeak out an 8-7 victory. Chile pitched very well in what was his final collegiate start. The six foot senior pitched six solid innings giving up three earned runs on five hits while striking out four. He finishes his career at Rollins with 26 wins, 237 strike-outs in 310.1 innings pitched with nine complete games and four shutouts. He is tenth on the Rollins career wins list and thirteenth in career strikeouts. Freshman catcher Eugene Martinez led the Tars offense going 2-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Jesse More went 3-5 with a RBI and a run scored. Ryan McKenzie and Anthony Soto also added two hits and a RBI. Gary Martoccio, Tyler Hartman, Gene Howard, Stefano Foggi and Steve Mannenbach all added hits in the Tars' win.

The Rollins baseball team finished their season on a sour note on Saturday in Ft. Myers , falling to the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 6-4. Rollins took a big blow in the bottom of the first inning as they lost their starting pitcher after only three batters. David Nathanson took a line drive directly off of his right forearm after pitching 0.2 of an inning, promptly ending his day. He suffered a broken right wrist and was taken directly to a hospital following the injury for further treatment. Jon Wano worked in relief of Nathanson and struggled to keep the Tars in it. Wano gave up six earned runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings of work.

The Tars were led on the offensive end by freshman outfielder Jesse More. More finished 3-5 with a double and two RBI. Kevin Schnacke went 2-4 with a run scored. Brent Magnuson finished his collegiate career with a 2-5 day, scoring a run and knocking in two runs on a double. Jason Cutlip, Anthony Soto and Gene Howard also had hits for the Tars.

Howard won the Tars batting title, hitting .384 on the year. He put out the best offensive numbers on the team, banging out 21 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 49 RBI. David Nathanson posted the best record of Rollins' starters, going 5-5 with a 3.65 ERA. Part-time starter and number one reliever Jon Wano had the best ERA of the season, posting a 3.11.

The Rollins men's and women's crew teams ended their 2005-06 season with a good showing at the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia last weekend. The women's varsity pair advanced to the semifinals while the men's varsity 8 was fifth in their qualifying heat.

The pair of Kim Lucy and Megan Wise finished third of six teams in the first qualifying heat of the women's pair to earn a spot in the semifinals. They posted a time of 8:45.52, just a few ticks back of runner-up Charleston University, but well ahead of fourth place finisher Nova Southeastern. In the semi's they were turned back by a very tough field and finished in fifth place with the top three advancing to the final.

In the men's competition, Colleen Reagan, Drew Brodnax, Shawn Tavares, Skylar Wilson, Eric Fraser, Trevor Luna, David Bagby, Brandon Koch and Collin Campbell teamed in the Rollins varsity 8. The Tars finished fifth in their heat and didn't advance to the semifinals.

Junior women's tennis star Tasi Purcell received one of the most prestigious awards in collegiate tennis on Thursday. Purcell was awarded the ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship. The award goes to a player who exemplifies outstanding sportsmanship and leadership on the tennis court, in the classroom, and around the community.

Purcell is a junior from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando , Florida . She is an economics major and has excelled in the classroom by posting a 3.31 cumulative GPA in her three years at Rollins. In addition, Purcell is active in the Rollins chapter of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) as the women's tennis representative.

Purcell has also played a roll in her surrounding community. She and her teammates held a youth tennis clinic, which allowed junior players from the Eatonville area to come and learn tennis from the Tars and use the Martin Tennis Complex on campus.

Purcell is the oldest player on a team full of young talent. Rollins head coach Beverly Buckley says Purcell sets a standard for other players to follow at Rollins.

“Tasi leads by example, both on and off of the court,” Buckley said. “She's a hard working player in practice and in games and she always gives 100 percent. She's a great role model because of her excellent work ethic. Her hard work rubs off on the rest of the younger players.”

Purcell had another stand-out year for the Tars women's tennis program in both singles and doubles play. She earned her second straight first team All-SSC singles nomination this season. She finished with a 16-5 overall singles record as the team's No. 1 performer this season. She also won her last six matches, and went 7-1 over her last eight.

Over the past two seasons, Purcell has posted an overall singles record of 32-9. Last season, she went 16-4 and earned first team All-SSC and first team All-American honors. In the latest ITA Division II singles poll, Purcell was ranked No. 14 in the nation.

Purcell and Marnie Mahler have made a lethal doubles pair over the last two seasons. Last year, the two went 22-1 en route to first team All-SSC and All-American honors. This season was a little bit more of a struggle, but the duo still earned All-SSC honorable mention. They finished 14-8 on the season.

Buckley has also been impressed with Purcell's presence and composure out on the courts.

“I think Tasi is the perfect candidate for this award because of her great court demeanor. She exudes great sportsmanship out on the court. I am personally very proud to have her as one of my players. I think she is a great representative of Rollins College .”

Senior shortstop Kelly Cruz received some much deserved recognition for her hard work on both the playing field and in the classroom on Thursday. Cruz was named to ESPN the Magazine's Academic All-District Softball team. Cruz was a second team selection in the District 3 College Division.

Cruz is a senior shortstop from Winter Springs High School in Winter Springs, Fla. She is set to graduate from Rollins with a degree in Elementary education where she posted a 3.63 GPA over the last four years.

Cruz helped the Tars to a banner year in 2006. Rollins set a record for team wins under head coach Michelle Frew, going 45-16 and finishing fourth in the SSC. While helping her team to one of the best seasons in the program's history, Cruz also rewrote several chapters of the individual record book at Rollins.

The Sunshine State Conference awarded the shortstop with an All-SSC Honorable Mention nomination for the second time in her Rollins career. She was also nominated to the All-SSC second team in her freshman and junior years as well as the All-South Region team in her freshman and sophomore seasons.

She led the Tars during the 2006 season in RBI with 44, total bases with 93, and extra base hits with 21, while finishing second in batting average with a .351 mark. Her 18 doubles led the entire conference, and she finished third, fourth and fifth in the SSC in total bases, RBI and hits. She also helped the Tars become the best defensive team in the SSC by posting her own career best .976 fielding percentage at one of the most crucial defensive positions on the field.

Cruz was a four year starter at Rollins, and following her superb senior campaign, she was able to carve out a name for herself in the Rollins career record book. She became the Tars' all-time leader in hits this season, finishing at 223. She is second in both doubles and runs with 42 and 124 respectively. She's third in stolen bases with 59, fourth in RBI at 106, and she posted a career .322 batting average.

On the heels of being named to the ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-District Softball team, senior shortstop Kelly Cruz was named to the All-South Region second team on Friday. This is second time she has received this honor, as she also made the second team in 2003 as a freshman.

Cruz (Winter Springs, Fla.) finished the 2006 season with a batting average of .351 and a team leading 191 at-bats, 67 hits, 18 doubles and 44 RBI. She became the Tars All-Time hits leader on April 1, 2006, as she finishes her four year career with 223 hits, 29 more than any other player in Rollins softball history.

Cruz was a steady force in the field, recording only five errors all season from her shortstop position. With her steady defense and powerful bat, Cruz led the Tars to a 45-16 record on the season.

End of the year honors for the Rollins College softball team rolled in on Tuesday morning as four players were selected to the All-Sunshine State Conference teams. Freshman OF Jamie Rausch and senior DP Kallie Jones were named to the second team while senior SS Kelly Cruz and freshman P Nicole Anderson received honorable mention. The Tars finished the 2006 season with an overall record of 45-16 and 14-10 in the conference. The 45 wins were the most wins for the team under head coach Michelle Frew.

Rausch (Ocoee, Fla.) led the Tars this season with a .368 batting average, which also placed her ninth overall in the conference. The freshman saw action in all but two games the entire season, finishing first on the team with 41 runs scored, second with 60 hits and five home runs and third with 32 RBI. She had 16 multiple hit games, including going 3-3 with one run scored and two RBI in the Tars 3-1 victory over No. 10 Barry University.

After missing the beginning of the season with an injury, Jones (Chandler, Okla.) came on strong down the stretch, finishing third on the team with a .327 batting average. Jones, a natural catcher, saw action in 39 games this season, with 26 of those appearances coming as the Tars' designated hitter. She finished the season with 32 hits including nine doubles, two triples and three home runs, 22 runs scored, and 24 RBI. Her .551 slugging percentage led the team.

Cruz (Winter Springs, Fla.) was the Tars most consistent player all season as she wrapped up her four year career at Rollins. She started all 61 games at shortstop, committing only five errors all season. At the plate, she led the team and the conference with 191 at bats and finished first on the team and fifth in the conference with 67 hits, one hit shy of tying the Rollins All-Time season hits record. Included in her 67 hits were a team and conference leading 18 doubles, one triple and two home runs. Cruz hit safely in 43 of the 61 games and had multiple hits in 20 games. She also had 38 runs scored and 44 RBI, including a team high five RBI in the season opening game against Webber International. On April 1, Cruz became the Tars All-Time Hits leader and she finishes her career with 223 career hits, 29 more hits than any other player.

Anderson (Brandon, Fla.) began her collegiate career on a high note by opening the season with a no-hitter in the Tars 9-0 victory over Webber International. She went on to finish the season with a record of 25-11 and an ERA of 1.10. In 216.0 innings of work, she allowed only 134 hits, including five home runs, while walking only 36 and striking out a team leading 260 batters. Her 260 strikeouts placed her second overall in the conference. She averaged 1.2 strikeouts per inning and had a season high 14 strikeouts in the Tars 2-1 loss to No. 3 Florida Southern. On the season she had a total of three no-hitters and held her opponents scoreless in eight games.

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