Players to Watch Spring 2022

Williamsburg, KY – The start of a new year brings excitement and renewed sense of energy of what’s to come and that couldn’t be more true than at the University of the Cumberlands as the Patriots spring sports are in their final days until they kick-off their seasons.  Over the past half-decade, Cumberlands spring sports have accounted for 21 Mid-South Conference championships, 20 NAIA postseason appearances, which has made the Patriots a staple at the conference and national levels. UC’s impact at both the Mid-South Conference and the NAIA levels have resulted in consecutive top-ten finishes in the Learfield Director’s Cup.  Success at these levels has come in part to outstanding student-athletes that have elevated their programs at the conference and national levels.   With the 2022 season getting underway shortly, here are five players to watch from the spring sports that have made an lasting impact on their respective sports and Patriot fans should keep an eye on this year.

Cumberlands men’s tennis has been a program on the rise over the past several years that has seen four NAIA All-Americans, a pair of top-conference honors, and 14 Mid-South Conference All-Conference selections.  A focal point of the Patriots success has been Martin Barbier, who is entering his fifth year at UC and is looking to build on his already stacked resume. Barbier is already the most decorated player in program history, was named UC’s men’s tennis player of the decade, but is also seeking his third straight MSC Player of the Year award.  That feat would put him an elite club within the MSC as he would become just the second player in the conference to garner that award three times as Barbier is already the first Patriot with multiple Player of the Year 

Opening the season 3-0 in both singles and doubles play this fall, aided Barbier in making program history becoming the first Patriot player to win at least 50 singles and 50 doubles matches in a career. He has compiled a 51-12 singles record and a 52-19 doubles record as a Patriot, including going 41-7 in singles and 36-7 in doubles over the past three seasons.  The Guadeloupe, France native became the first Patriot to be a three-time NAIA All-American in program history, while being named an ITA Singles All-American (2020) and ITA Doubles All-American (2021), marking it the first time a Cumberlands player garnered that accolade.  Barbier has found success individually during his fall season as he won the 2020 ITA singles and doubles regional championships and has advance to the ITA Cup twice in his career. Cumberlands is seeking its third consecutive trip the NAIA National Tournament and looking to build on its 13th place ranking that they ended the 2021 season with. 

The Patriots women’s lacrosse program has been one of the most consistent programs on UC’s campus over the past half-decade with three regular-season conference titles, a pair of  conference tournament titles and a 71-14 record, which is the most wins by any NAIA program over that span.  Cumberlands has advanced to three straight NAIA Tournaments, including becoming the first women’s sports team to advance to a NAIA national championship game and became just the third team at Cumberlands to close out a season at the NAIA national runner-up.  One of the keys to their success has been Bella Ricchiazzi, who led the NAIA in goals and assists last season.  The Framingham, MA native is seeking to become just the third Patriot to surpass 200 career goals and the fourth player to clip 300 points.

Ricchiazzi comes into the season with 164 goals, 97 assists, and 261 points after having a breakout season last year, where she set career-highs with 81 goals, 119 points, 41 ground balls, 20 caused turnovers, and 38 draw controls.  The 2021 MSC Offensive Player of the Year helped Ricchiazzi climb the program milestones as she is ranked fourth for points in a season, while being ranked fifth in both goals and assists.  The junior is averaging 6.07 points per game over her career and is looking to become just the second Cumberlands player to dish out over 100 career assists joining Emily Heim and is 114 points away from the program’s all-time point’s record of 375 points.  Ricchiazzi’s success has been seen each year as she is a two-time All-American, the 2019 MSC Freshman of the Year, two-time member of the NAIA All-Tournament Team, and is a two-time MSC First-Team All-Conference selection. 

Breaking program records is starting to become synonymous with Patriots softball whether it’s a team record or individual success.  Over the past three seasons, Cumberlands has compiled an 81-49 record with a pair of 30+ wins seasons, including a program record 41-16 mark last season. Cumberlands has posted five seasons of at least 30 wins and the past two were the first since 2001 with the 2020 season getting cut short due to CoVID.  Maddie Sickau has been one of the catalyst for the Patriots recent surge as she excelled in all facets of the game.  The junior has helped UC rewrite the record books, while garnering countless honors since stepping foot on the field.  Sickau is ranked in the top five of the program in four different offensive categories, including holding the career RBI record with 104. 

 Sickau is coming off of a career-year where she set new career-highs in almost every offensive category, including RBI where she tied Bethany Davis (2015) for the single season record.  The Anderson County, TN native blasted 12 homers, which is second most for a season as she is in a three-way tie for fourth place in career homers with 14.  Beyond the power numbers, the junior has a career average of .374, which is third all-time, while her 139 defensive assists last year ranked her third in the NAIA.  Her success on the field culminated in Sickau becoming the Patriots first NAIA All-American selection as she garnered second team honors, while also being named a Second Team NFCA All-American.  The two-time First Team All-Conference selection was the 2019 MSC Freshman of the Year and has a MSC Gold Glove to her credit.  Sickau is on pace to finish top-five or break school records in multiple offensive categories, including average, hits, doubles, homers, and games played. 

Over the past decade, the UC women’s tennis program has been led by strong players at their top position leaving their marks on both the conference and national levels.  Tomomi Nagao is entering her fifth season at UC, and is on pace to be the winningest player in program history, while she is continuing to etch her name into the Patriots records book as she is closing in on a pair of milestones including the program record for singles win, which is set at 63 by Neesha Thirumalaichevlam, and becoming the first Patriot player to collect 50 singles and 50 doubles wins over their career.  She has also played an instrumental part in UC qualifying for three straight NAIA National Tournaments and capturing the 2021 MSC regular season title, the program’s first since 2001. 

Heading into her fifth season, Nagao is a three-time NAIA All-American, the reigning MSC Player of the Year, and is a three time all-conference selection.  The senior has found success since she stepped on the court in Williamsburg as she became Cumberlands first player to be named the MSC Freshman of the Year, which she garnered in 2018.  Nagao has added a plethora of honors including winning the ITA Regional Singles Championship in 2019, becoming the seventh Patriot to achieve that, and qualifying for the ITA Cup twice.  In 2020, Nagao made program history once again as she became the program’s first ITA Singles & Doubles All-American.  Nagao is already the winningest doubles player in the program with a 44-26 career mark and ranks second in singles wins with a 51-14 career record.

Coming off a breakout season in which he set career-highs in goals, assists, points, and caused turnovers, Patriots attacker Dylan Crouch has already rewritten the Patriots record books and will look to build on that success this spring.  Crouch tallied a program-best 58 points last season as he closed out the season ranked ninth in the NAIA in both assists and points.  The Trenton, OH native has been helping define Patriots men’s lacrosse legacy as he been part of three teams that have advanced to the NAIA National Invitational and one AAC regular season title (2019). 

Heading into his fifth season with UC, Crouch is has already set several program’s milestones including being the first Patriots to net at least 100 goals in a career as he currently holds the program record with 105.  The senior also ranks first in the program’s history with 63 assists and 168 points.  Crouch’s performances for UC has earned him a plethora of accolades including being named a NAIA Second Team All-American last season, making him the first Patriots attacker to earn All-American recognition.  He is also a two-time AAC All-Conference selection and will look to build on that resume this season as Cumberlands looks for its fourth consecutive trip the NAIA tournament.