College Notebook: Rudolph makes debut for UMass-Lowell

Less than a year ago Lynn?s Brianna Rudolph was spearheading the St. Mary’s girls basketball team’s drive to a state title. Friday night she was on the court at Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion as a member of the UMass Lowell women’s basketball team.Although the River Hawks didn’t fare well against the No. 3-ranked team in the country, losing 105-51, Rudolph came off the bench and saw considerable time (17 minutes, 3 points). St. Mary’s coach Jeff Newhall said Rudolph started two preseason scrimmages against Dartmouth College and Southern New Hampshire University and did well, scoring nine points and 17 points, respectively.?Brianna is obviously a tremendous kid. To be able to do what she did in high school and nine months later be on the court against Notre Dame, a national powerhouse, is unbelievable,” Newhall said. “To be able to play in that venue her first year in college is a tremendous opportunity.”UMass Lowell is only in its second year as a Division 1 program, but the River Hawks have games against some of the top programs in the country. In addition to Notre Dame, they will travel to Duke, in February.While they’re at Notre Dame, Newhall said the team will get to attend the Northwestern vs. Notre Dame football game this weekend.Rudolph is one of nine former St. Mary’s players who are currently competing at the college level. Tori Faieta, Sharell Sanders and Ann Marie Idusuyi are playing in a tournament this weekend at Stonehill College ? Faieta’s home court. Sanders, who was a freshman at St. Mary’s when Faieta was a senior and the Spartans won a state title, plays for Caldwell College in New Jersey. The two teams meet today at 1:30 p.m. Idusuyi plays for Assumption College, which is also in the tournament.Cassie Amenta, who played with Faieta on the 2011 St. Mary’s state championship team, turned in the best offensive performance of her college career Friday. Amenta scored 19 points to lead the Merrimack College women’s basketball team to a 77-57 win over Post Friday at Merrimack.Kirsten Ferrari, also on the ?11 state championship team, is starting for Wheaton College;.Jennie Mucciarone, of the 2014 state championship team, is playing at Tufts. Emily Doyle plays for Wheelock College and Erin Fahey, the UMass Dartmouth.UPeabody?s Catarina Rocha led the way for the Providence College women’s cross-country team, which qualified for the NCAA Championships after taking second place in the New England Regional Championship at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City yesterday. Rocha was the first Friar, finishing seventh overall, at 20:23, on the six-kilometer course. The NCCA Championships are scheduled for Nov. 22 in Terre Haute, Ind.UMalden Catholic’s Austin Batchelor of Peabody signed his National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Boston College next year. Batchelor is a four-year varsity baseball standout and a two-year varsity basketball player for the Lancers. Batchelor was one of the earlier Division 1 baseball commits in Massachusetts when he made a verbal pledge in the summer of 2012, following his freshman year, to play for the Eagles. Batchelor, a right-handed pitcher, has played in the New England Elite Baseball League for the East Cobb New England Expos. Next summer Batchelor will play for the North Shore Navigators at Fraser Field in Lynn in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.