Men’s Basketball: Ishmael Leggett
Leggett’s third season wearing Keaney Blue also served as his most impactful one. The Rams’ leading scorer, Leggett’s 16.1 points per game ranked 7th in the entirety of the Atlantic 10.
Leggett’s three double-doubles went along with two 30-point performances, one of which came at the Cayman Island Classic in November, where he shot a career high seven three-pointers. During that stint in the Caribbean, Leggett was also named to the Cayman islands Classic All-Tournament team.
Leggett will play the remainder of his collegiate basketball career at the University of Pittsburgh, but that does not take away from his tremendous impact during the 2022-23 season.
Women’s Basketball: Mayé Touré
Touré entered the 2022-2023 season as a third-year who averaged 2.4 points per game during her second season and left it with multiple honors from the Atlantic 10.
Touré averaged 13.5 points per game during her breakout season in which she earned A-10 Most Improved Player and All A-10 First Team honors. Touré became a force for the Rams on both offense and defense as she averaged 8.2 rebounds per game and 1.12 blocks per game. Touré appeared and started in all 33 games, ranging from non-conference games like the opener against Harvard to a Super 16 WNIT appearance, unlikely enough, also against the Crimson.
Touré improved highly from 2021-22 to 2022-23 and will return for at least one more season in 2023-24.
Baseball: Billy Butler
Butler ended 2022 not knowing if he would ever play the sport of baseball again. In the first game of the year, Billy hit a home run during his only at bat before injuring his shoulder on a play in the outfield, ending his 2022 campaign.
Butler proved doctors wrong and was back on the diamond with his teammates in 2023. He is currently enjoying one of the best years of his career. Butler has a batting average of .319 with a slugging percentage of .486% in 35 games in 2023. Butler has also added four home runs and 23 runs-batted-in (RBI’s) as he continues to help lead the Rams to conference success.
Butler is in his fifth year with URI. This season, he has continued to be a leader and help the Rams fight for their place in the A-10 standings.
Softball: Skyler Rapuano
Rapuano’s fifth-year season is one that revolves around proven leadership and success. Currently, the outfielder’s 13 RBI’s ranks third on the Rams and her .398 on base percentage leads all players with over 35 at-bats.
In late March, Rapuano was named Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week, alongside St. Louis’ Gabbie Kowalik. Rapuano batted .700 over four games the week prior, three of those being multi-hit games. Rapuano also compiled an on base percentage of .750 over the course of the week as well.
Rapuano is the only Ram this season to receive the honor of A-10 Player of the Week.
Swimming: Marta Baumann
Through personal bests and podium finishes galore, Marta Baumann’s 2022-23 season resumé proved to buoy above others in the pool.
The Harrison Andersen Invitational in November saw Baumann set a personal record in the one meter dive, setting a score of 302.55. A meet at La Salle later in the season showcased a personal best 261.80 score on the three meter dive.
Five victories in the one meter and two in the three meter boosted Baumann’s prowess in the pool along with being named Atlantic 10 performer of the week in November. Her seven total victories ranked highest not only among divers, but the entire team.
Men’s Track and Field : Johnathan Buchanan
Buchanan is in his sixth year with Rhode Island and has made headlines since his first year with the Rams. This year though, he has broken records, including the record for the longest weight throw in Mackal Field House history. On Jan. 21, Buchanan set the record with a throw of 21.03 meters, breaking the previous record of 20.67 set in 2019.
The record earned him A-10 performer of the week and he worked for a long time to break the record. Buchanan has been one of the best performers for the Rams in 2023 and has continued to place near the top at events every week. Buchanan got his degree from URI last year and he has continued to improve in his graduate years.
Women’s Track and Field: Trinity Smith
With record breaking performances and conference-wide recognition, Trinity Smith has made a splash in her fifth-year season for the Rhode Island Women’s Track and Field team.
Smith’s victory in the 60 meter at the Beacon Invite in December was the catalyst for a continued success down the stretch. Smith then broke the school record for the 60 meter at the Boston University Valentine Invite in February, clocking a final time of 8.49 seconds.
Fast forward to April, and Smith is receiving conference wide recognition for her achievements. On Apr. 18, she was named Atlantic10 Track Performer of the week. She earned this recognition through a second place finish in the 100 meter hurdles with a school record and A-10 leading time of 13.52 seconds. She also placed fourth in the 400 meter hurdles. Both events occurred at the UConn Northeast Challenge.
Tennis: Sophie Herman
Herman is a first-year here at the University of Rhode Island and has impressed in her first year. The Rams tennis team has struggled at times this season, but Herman has continued to be one of the best on the court. During a 4-1 loss to Bryant on April 6th, Herman won her doubles match and was leading her singles match before the match was halted prior to completion. The match prior against Richmond, Herman also picked up a singles victory.
Herman has been the MVP for the Rams in 2023 as she continues to shine in her first year since joining the team.
Rowing: Julia Fortin
Holding a spot on the Varsity 8+ boat, Graduate student, Julia Fortin has paddled her way into an MVP caliber season.
In six races this season, the Varsity 8+ boat has been victorious in five of them, their only loss coming to a race in which they finished third behind Princeton and Brown.
As a result of this dominance, the boat was named Atlantic 10 Boat of the Week on Apr. 13. Consequently, the boat was also ranked first in the conference in the bi-weekly ranking.
With Fortin serving as the boat’s veteran member, she is a majority contributor to the success of the boat and the entire program this season.