Weekly Roundup: May 3, 2017

For John Johnson and Matt Milano, childhood dreams became reality when their name flashed across their television screens. Drafted by the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills, in the third and fifth rounds respectively, they became the latest Boston College alumni to join the NFL ranks while continuing a standard of individual excellence expected by student-athletes.

Johnson will fill a major need for the Rams at safety. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Rams entered the offseason with a lack of "quality depth" in their defensive backfield. They have just two safeties with experience at the position, meaning he can project to the same immediate impact as Justin Simmons has in Denver. Simmons finished his rookie season with 30 tackles and two interceptions and his blocked extra point against New Orleans was returned for a game-winning conversion safety in a 25-23 win.

Milano, meanwhile, is already being referred to as a "smaller Brian Cushing" who could make an "immediate special teams impact." His stock rose significantly thanks to the NFL Combine, where he was third among linebacker in the bench press and fourth in the broad jump. And while he's undersized for the professional game, the Bills loved a "motor" that will assist in making immediate contributions.

Boston College isn't listed among the typical football factories. Other schools churn out natural athletes with tools that can make scouts drool. But the Eagles are undeniable in their ability to refine talent. A recent ESPN.com feature touted the Eagles as one of the best programs in terms of return on investment. Over an eight-year stretch, the program is second to only Miami in terms of long-term NFL starters, a credit to the fully developed, intelligent players produced by the school.

The NFL Draft is always one of the most fun times of the year. It's one of the few cross-sections where the college and pro game meet, a place where college fans can brag about their players' impacts while professional fans project and prognosticate previously unknown commodities. It's a theater unto its own, having been developed into the kind of primetime drama the NFL is known for generating.

BC is wildly underrated for its role in that theater. Other schools lay claim to more highlights when a player walks across the screen, hugs the commissioner and gets a hat, but underneath the spectacle is pure football, a place where the Eagles excel more than arguably any other school.

*****

Emotional Win Caps Key Weekend

Having followed the softball team for the bulk of this season, there's been plenty to be excited about. The Eagles loudly announced that a Northeast team can succeed and compete among the nation's best in the ACC and they've done it with a record-breaking flash that makes this team primed for a run at a national bid.

But for all the stories that come out of the season, none are going to match the Senior Day victory over NC State. Co-labeled as "Back the Blue Day," the Eagles paid homage to police officers, in particular Ronny Cortez. Cortez is the longtime Houston Police Department officer injured during active duty this year and the father of senior Tatiana Cortez.

Trailing 6-1 halfway through the game, it's fitting Cortez put the finishing touches on the day. After BC scored three in the bottom of the fifth, her walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh gave BC its 13th league win of the season and pushed the team back into second place in the ACC. From a pure softball perspective, it's a huge, league win for a team fighting for postseason respect.

But it was so much more than that. Earlier this year, I talked to both Cortez and head coach Ashley Obrest about this season. Obrest remarked to me about Cortez and her character under immeasurable personal difficulty, while Cortez herself talked with an extreme maturity that few could measure. In a way, softball becomes the conduit as an outlet, and it was hard not to get emotional watching that walk-off hit.

As someone who latched onto this team this year, it's been an amazing ride. The regular season comes to a close this weekend at Notre Dame, but it won't end there. There's still time to load the train for this team and its band of characters who deserve all of the recognition they're earning.

*****

Queens of the Track

Kudos are in order for the women's track team, who picked won the Skyhawk Invitational last weekend at Stonehill College. With 217 points on the day, the Eagles easily outpaced the rest of the field, which included a number of local colleges, including Division I opponents like Rhode Island, Holy Cross and Boston University.

Isabelle Kennedy and Molly McCabe set facility records for the track in nearby North Easton, winning the 3K and 800, respectively. McCabe's time was good enough to qualify her for the ACC Championships, happening in under 10 days at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

The duo were two of six BC athletes to win their respective events. Of those six events, two were clean sweeps. Mary Kate Vaughn won the 5K with Delia Hayes and Amanda Rickert finishing in second and third, while Laura Leff won the steeplechase with Sarah Marvin and Denna Levin rounding out the top three finishers.

*****

Another Record Breaker? Yes, please.

Though eventual-champions North Carolina eliminated Boston College in women's lacrosse's ACC Championship, the Eagles earned a good mountain of respect along the way. They once again pushed the top-ranked Tar Heels to the limit, rallying from a 7-1 deficit early on in the game. Down the latter portions of the game, BC outscored UNC, 6-2, though it ultimately fell just short.

It was a game that featured a record-breaking performance by Sam Apuzzo. She scored four goals, with her third goal in the first half tallying her 92nd point of the season. That moved her ahead of Laura Costello's single-season record set back in 2010, and it helped elevate her to All-Tournament Team recognition.

The Tewaaraton Award is the Heisman Trophy of college lacrosse. The leader in the proverbial ACC points clubhouse, she's one of 25 nominees looking to make the finalists list announced on May 11. The award is given out on June 1 in Washington, DC.

*****

What's Up, Doc?

There's a lot to love about this time of year. April showers are starting to give us May flowers. The warm, summer sunshine is closer than ever, and exam time means the academic year is starting to wind down.

There's only one downside to all of this - the end of the sports calendar. Summertime brings the dog days of sports where not much happens, meaning we all have to appreciate these final few games. So if you're in the respective areas or just want to follow a team before it's too late, here's some options.

The aforementioned softball team renews the Holy War with Notre Dame in South Bend. They hold the inside track to the second seed in the ACC Championship, which might also put them on a potential collision course with top-ranked and ACC-undefeated Florida State.

Baseball heads to Wake Forest for a key series on Tobacco Road. The Eagles are still in the hunt for the conference tournament, but it starts on Friday with the first of three games against the Deacons. You'll recall that BC and Wake played a wild one last year that went to extra innings thanks to a Nate Mondou grand slam before the Eagles walked off on the day they retired Pete Frates' number.

With BC softball playing at Notre Dame and the rematch with Wake Forest, it's worth sending recognition to Notre Dame baseball. The Irish will host its Strike Out ALS game against Louisville this weekend, and it's worth watching this video from former BC and current ND head coach Mik Aoki.

Sailing is gearing up for multiple national championship events towards the end of this month, which means we'll likely see some Eagles earn recognition. BC already has a couple of national championships thanks to a highly-successful fall.

And, finally, the women's lacrosse team, which finished the year on an amazing run into the ACC Championship, will likely its name called as part of the national tournament. The pairings come out this week, with BC expected to among the field of 20.

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