On Monday, we ran an article checking in on and highlighting five local college athletes from the recently-ended winter season, and the recently-underway spring campaign.
It was thankfully well received, and a few more submissions quickly came in.
So here’s what a handful of other former high school stars from our area have been up to recently. As always, if you would like to shout out a local college athlete who hasn’t been mentioned in these past two articles, please send an email to: kgaudete@newburyportnews.com.
Ben Turpin named to NEILA Team of the Week
It’s just been a dominant start to Ben Turpin’s sophomore year for the Saint Anselm men’s lacrosse team.
As in, the Groveland native and former Pentucket superstar was just named to the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association’s Team of the Week, following a 2-0 stretch for Saint Anselm. Turpin scored two goals with an assist during the team’s 14-7 win over Mercy University, then was unstoppable with seven goals and two assists in a 17-3 blowout of Franklin Pierce. The undefeated Hawks (5-0) are currently ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II by the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Poll, and Turpin sits second in the NE10 conference in goals per game (3.60) and third in points per game (5.00).
Through just five games, Turpin leads the Hawks in scoring with 25 points, sending home 18 goals to go along with 7 assists. He has already almost doubled his point total from his freshman season a year ago, where he played in 14 games (with two starts) and had 8 goals with 6 assists.
Turpin shattered every Pentucket scoring record during his time in high school. The three-time Daily News All-Star and two-time MVP is first all-time in goals (272), assists (138) and, of course, points (410).
Nick Kutcher has delivered for Framingham State We knew how good of a baseball player Nick Kutcher was at Pentucket.
It was an all-around skillset that the West Newbury native showed during his rookie season at Framingham State University a year ago. One of only two freshmen pitchers to make the team last year, the 6-foot-1 righty made seven appearances with three starts, striking out 10 batters across 19.2 innings pitched before his season was cut short with an elbow injury.
But so far this spring, he’s been back with a vengeance.
Kutcher is still rehabbing his elbow to pitch, but managed to crack the starting lineup regardless. Through eight games — played against top NCAA D-III teams down in Florida — the designated hitter is batting .417 (10-for-24) with 3 RBI and 3 stolen bases.
Two years ago as a senior at Pentucket, Kutcher was a three-sport Daily News All-Star in golf, hockey and baseball.
Kate Trojan out fast for RIT lacrosse
It’s been a great start to the new spring season for Kate Trojan.
The Rowley native and former Triton lacrosse standout is now a senior at Rochester Institute of Technology, and through nine games she’s scored 10 goals with 2 assists. She’s had a trio of two-goal games against Merchant Marine, Bridgewater State and Vassar, and in the process helped her Tigers (8-1) open the year with some lopsided wins.
With the start, Trojan now has 40 career goals with 8 assists for Rochester. But perhaps her most impressive “stat” is that the chemical engineering major has been named to the Liberty League All-Academic Team in each of the past two years. Of course, Trojan was a two-time Daily News All-Star during her time at Triton who finished with 150 career goals and 57 assists.
Jack Lindholm a staple for Keene State hockey
Last winter, the Keene State College men’s hockey program returned to the varsity level following a 40-year hiatus. And helping to lead the comeback was incoming freshman Jack Lindholm, who arrived on campus following a highly-successful career at Triton Regional.
Two years later, and Lindholm still hasn’t missed a single game.
The 6-foot-2 sophomore defenseman has played in all 48 games across his two seasons with the Owls, and this winter he got to celebrate his first collegiate goal against New England College. During his high school career at Triton, Lindholm was a three-time Daily News All-Star who finished fourth in the area in scoring his senior year with 7 goals and 21 assists.
Growth for Jon Groth at Wesleyan
It’s been quite the hockey journey for Jon Groth since leaving High Street.
The former Newburyport standout was our Daily News MVP for the 2021-22 season, scoring 17 goals with 26 assists to finish his Clipper career with 85 total points (32g, 53a). Groth then did a post-grad year at Proctor Academy where he scored 10 goals with 16 assists, which was followed by a year playing juniors for the Seacoast Spartans of the EHL where he dominated with 23 goals and 40 assists in 45 games.
And that earned him a scholarship to Wesleyan University.
Groth only appeared in one game a year ago as a freshman, but this winter he played in 14 games for the Cardinals (9-16-0). The 5-foot-11 forward nearly scored his first collegiate goal in a win over Suffolk, peppering the net with a career-high four shots on goal.