Allyce Brand, swimming ‘ It seemed that Brand, from Highland Park, Ill., was the top finisher for BU in every meet. Competing on a women’s swim team that struggled this season, she was consistently finishing well in her events. She participated in the ECAC Open championships and performed well in the back stroke races, but excelled in the breast stroke. She was a big part of Binghamton’s best relay team, grouped with Lindsay Wright, Kelly Harris and Aleksandra Grubic, who swam to solid finishes whenever they entered the pool.
Jasmine Hinson, track and field ‘ Hinson, from Beacon, N.Y., has excelled on relay teams and as an individual during her first season at BU. She has teamed with Kim Williams, Keisha Short and Deahna Vinson on the school’s 4×100 relay team, which has placed first at many meets. At a home meet earlier in the season against Syracuse and Albany, Hinson won the 55-meter dash by .02 seconds. She has also shined on her own, recently finishing in seventh place in the 100-meter dash at the Virginia Onesty Invitational.
Nicole Montoya, soccer ‘ Montoya was faced with the difficult task of replacing one of the best defenders in school history, Meghan Taylor. The freshman from Long Beach, Calif., made the job look easy. Montoya started all 17 games she played in, and played an integral role on a Bearcat back line that posted eight shutouts and allowed only 1.18 goals per game. She was rewarded for her efforts when the America East named her to the conference’s All-Rookie team, the only defender to receive that honor. The back line returns intact next year, but its impact will be needed even more as it will feature a new goalie.
Kate Gromatsky, lacrosse ‘ It’s been a rough season for the women’s lacrosse team, but Gromatsky and fellow rookies Erika Travis, Sammy Jo Kanekuni, Tracy Weinstein, Kelsi Cleary-Hammarstedt and Jamie Franke have shown that the future may not be so dark for the Bearcats. All but Franke have seen significant time as starters, with Kanekuni starting every game and Gromatsky starting all but one. It is Gromatsky who stands out above her classmates, scoring 12 goals and registering three assists on the season. The Smithtown, N.Y., native is third on the team with 24 groundballs, and has a .600 shooting percentage, far and away the highest on the team.
Deahna Vinson, track and field ‘ Vinson, a sprinter from Suffern High School, teamed with star Kim Williams, Keisha Short and fellow freshman Hana Wright to break the school 4×400 relay record in 3:48.84 at the America East Indoor championships at Boston University. Their time in the 4×400 has already qualified them for the ECAC meet this season. Vinson has also been a key member of the school’s 4×100 team, which has been among the highest finishers at many races and has qualified for the ECAC championships. Both the 4×100 and 4×400 teams should be very competitive at the America East championships next weekend.