Author Lorraine Millington

The Fairfield athletic department announced Wednesday what had been reported more than a week ago in a CBSSportsline column: that ChampSearch, a leading head-hunting firm, has been hired to kick off the search process as the university looks for its next men's basketball coach.

Head Men's Basketball Coach Tim O'Toole isn't my friend. If he was, I wouldn't be doing my job, and neither would he. But count this sportswriter as one whose heart sunk to the floor when the words "we're not going to be back next year," came out of O'Toole's mouth last Friday in the Pepsi Center press conference room.

There are perhaps as many on-the-court issues to discuss as Fairfield basketball looks toward 2006-07 as there have been in any off-season in recent memory. But like it or not, the biggest discussion, and probably the most important, is about the guy who will be on the sidelines next year.

At the end of the day, there can be only one champion. The teams left behind can either retool or continue to build. The MAAC tournament gave Fairfield women's basketball something to build on after beating eight seed Siena in overtime and nearly upsetting defending champion Canisius in the quarterfinals losing 60-55.

Students are excited about Spring Break quickly approaching, but it didn't feel anything like spring weather as the Fairfield women's lacrosse team fell to Stony Brook, 13-10, March 4 on Alumni Field. The brisk wind and recently fallen snow left a cold air lingering through the first half, causing the teams to score seven goals altogether.

by Lorraine Millington The regular season came down to its final weekend of games, but each team has a chance to determine their own destiny going into the MAAC conference tournament. But despite perhaps the best game yet from freshman point guard Megan Caskin, Fairfield fell to Loyola Feb 25 on Senior Night -- a loss that dropped the Stags into the No.

by Ben Doody For the Fairfield men's basketball team, Senior Night, Feb. 25 against Marist, was, to quote the great American philosopher Yogi Berra, deja vu, all over again. Such was the case for a number of reasons, starting with the fact that, like the last two games and four of the last five before it, they lost.

The longer days of sunlight not only mean warmer weather is coming, but that spring sports are ready to get into full swing. The Fairfield women's lacrosse team began their 2006 season with a loss to Lehigh 14-13 on Feb. 22. But the Stags rebounded with their first regular season win over Villanova; a 13-5 rout on Feb.

First place, third place, fifth place, and even last place are still to be decided in the MAAC conference standings, as the season enters its last weekend of regular season games. The Fairfield women's basketball team is in a four-way tie for fifth place in the conference tournament, after beating Siena College 71-69 in overtime on Feb.

by Lorraine Millington As the season winds down, the Fairfield women's basketball team is trying to fight their way through a four-game losing streak. The Stags went 0-2 this weekend, losing on the road to Manhattan College, 58-52, Feb. 9 and at home to Canisius College, 76-62, Feb.