by Ken Lipshez, Staff Writer, New Britain Herald

     Former New Britain High three-sport star Missy Czeremcha has achieved a milestone rare in collegiate sports.
     Czeremcha, a 2000 NBHS graduate, passed the 1,000-point plateau in women's basketball Monday for Teikyo Post University in Waterbury. This past fall, she surpassed the 1,000 kill mark for the volleyball team. And after the winter's through, she'll pick up her outfielder's glove and play softball for the Eagles.
     "It's been awesome here, nothing but success," Czeremcha said. "Volleyball started out just like it did for me at New Britain High. We were awful at the beginning but as talent came in, we ended up going to the championship game. Basketball (has) been up and down but it's been fun. We're doing some damage in the league (Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference).
     "In softball, when I was a sophomore, we pulled a lot of upsets but never beat the top team (Georgian Court College). We lost four major seniors and weren't sure how we'd come back. We lost some games early but finally beat (Georgian Court). We had the fourth seed against the number one pitcher and we won. We played 11 innings against Caldwell College and we won the conference for the first time."
     Czeremcha, a sophomore point guard for the 1997-98 Class LL state champion Hurricanes, is the co-captain of the TPU hoop squad. She leads the Eagles (6-9) in steals (37) and assists (53) while averaging 11.1 points per game, second on the team.
     In volleyball, the 5-6 outside hitter knocked down 331 kills this season to place second on the squad. She totaled 1,181 kills for her career, the most in TPU history. She also holds the school mark for digs (1,087).
     "She started for four years and missed just one game. Same thing in softball," said Dawn Spellman, who serves as TPU head coach in both sports. "She helped us make the transition from NAIA to Division II. She's kept us very competitive.
     "As an athlete we'll miss her versatility. She'll try her best, work her hardest and probably succeed nine out of 10 times. She's been a pleasure to coach, never a problem on the field or court. When it comes to her team and sport, she's very committed."
     Czeremcha, a marketing major, will likely do some assistant coaching in softball and volleyball at TPU while she searches for a job after graduation.