EDISON, N.J. – Four of the most decorated Fairfield University student-athletes have been named to the MAAC 35th Anniversary Team for Spring Sports, as announced today by the conference office. Joe Michalsin ’12 and Matt Callaghan ’98 were honored on the men’s team with Kristen Coleman ’10 and Melissa Santos ’03 tabbed to the women’s team.
Joe Michalsin, Men’s Tennis – First Team
The MAAC Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010, Joe Michalisin totaled seven All-MAAC honors in his Fairfield career. He was First Team All-MAAC singles in 2009, 2010 and 2012, First Team All-MAAC doubles in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and Second Team All-MAAC Doubles in 2009. Also the MAAC Rookie of the Year in 2009, Michalisin won a program-record 27 singles matches in that campaign (27-5, .844). His best doubles season came in 2010-11, when he was victorious 25 times as a part of a 25-6 (.806) mark. Michalisin was also a three-time MAAC All-Academic selection and a two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete.
He helped lead the Stags to the final round of the MAAC Championship in all four of his seasons, culminating with a conference title in 2012 to stake Fairfield to its first-ever NCAA postseason berth.
Matt Callaghan, Men’s Lacrosse – Second Team
Though he played just three of his four seasons in the MAAC, Matt Callaghan made an impact on the conference and on the Fairfield University men’s lacrosse program that ranks him among the all-time greats. From 1996-98, he racked up 118 goals and 87 assists for the Stags, totaling 205 points. Even disregarding his freshman season of 1995 – when Fairfield was a Division I independent – Callaghan would still rank second all-time in goals at the University, third in points and tied for second in assists in program history. Including his 1995 stats, he is Fairfield’s all-time leader in points (247) and ranks second in both goals (146) and assists (101).
Callaghan was a two-time MAAC Player of the Year (1997 and 1998) and earned three consecutive First Team All-MAAC nods from 1996-98. His 75 points in 1997 established a program record that stands today (now tied with Spencer Steele), while his 45 goals in that season were a program record at the time and still rank second in Fairfield history. Additionally, his 30 assists in 1997 currently slot at third in program annals. Also in the single-season record books at Fairfield, Callaghan shares the program high with 33 assists in 1998, ranks third with 41 goals in 1996 (a program record at the time) and fourth with a pair of 65-point seasons in 1996 and 1998. A team captain of Fairfield’s 1998 squad, Callaghan was inducted into the Fairfield Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
Callaghan’s play translated into team success for the Stags as well. Fairfield was a perfect 23-0 against MAAC competition from 1996-98 as a part of a 30-18 (.625) overall record in those seasons. The NCAA did not award automatic bids into the 12-team NCAA Championship field during that era, but Callaghan helped lead Fairfield to a postseason title with victories over Boston College and host Colgate to win the 1998 ECAC Tournament.
Kristen Coleman, Women’s Lacrosse – First Team
In just three seasons, Kristen Coleman dominated the record books as the all-time leading scorer in Fairfield and MAAC women’s lacrosse history. She compiled 257 career points fueled by 186 goals – also a Fairfield and MAAC record total – and also tops the Stags’ all-time list with 71 assists. She started her career as the MAAC Offensive Player and Rookie of the Year in 2008, scoring a Fairfield-record 68 goals – which stood as the MAAC record until 2016 – en route to the 90 points that also topped the MAAC ledger until this past spring. She repeated as Offensive Player of the Year after an 88-pont campaign in 2009 and earned her third First Team All-MAAC nod in 2010 with 79 points. Coleman was a three-time IWLCA All-Northeast Region Second Team and MAAC All-Academic honoree. She was chosen by her teammates as a co-captain for the 2011 season, though she was out of action for the campaign due to injury.
Coleman was the leading scorer on three straight MAAC Regular Season Champions from 2008-10, including the 2009 squad that won the MAAC Championship to advance to the NCAA postseason. In her three active years with the Stags, Fairfield went 18-0 in the MAAC as a part of a 47-10 (.825) overall record.
Melissa Santos, Softball – First Team
Melissa Santos finished her softball career as Fairfield and the MAAC’s all-time leader in wins (83), appearances (147), and strikeouts (1,156) She was a two-time MAAC Pitcher of the Year and also added a co-Pitcher of the Year award during her four-year career. Santos earned three All-Region nods from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). She won at least 17 games in all four of her seasons with the Stags, highlighted by a 22-win season in 2001 and a personal-best 27-win campaign in 2002. Santos finished the 2002 season with a 0.95 ERA, aided by her 13 shutouts. She averaged better than a strikeout per inning pitched with 1,156 in 890.2 innings pitched.
Fairfield won three straight MAAC regular season championships during her tenure in the circle, finishing atop the standings in 2001 (co), 2002 and 2003. The Stags went 48-16 (.750) in the MAAC in that span as a part of their 125 total victories in four years.
