Extra conditioning and a strength-training program have made Cranston's Brad Dressler one of the best tennis players in the New England Men's and Women's Athletic Conference this spring.

Dressler (Cranston West) is playing No. 3 third singles and No. 1 first doubles for Wheaton College and is 9-0 in dual matches in singles and 6-2 in doubles. He is 11-2 overall in singles and 13-5 in doubles.

"Brad has been doing a great job for us this year ..... I think he's the strongest No. 3 number three singles player in the conference," Wheaton coach Lynn Miller said.

Dressler, a senior, has been the NEWMAC player of the week three times, twice in doubles. Miller began to notice a change in his game last year, after he started working with former assistant athletic trainer Adam Eastwood.

"I saw him play in high school and knew he could help us," Miller said. "But to get to the next level you need to make use of the resources we have here at Wheaton."

Eastwood put together a program for sprint training and strength training.

"The sprint program is an hour long, and I do it two or three times a week. It's helped me so much. I'm quicker to the ball, sometimes too quick," Dressler said yesterday.

"I was aware he was doing extra work, and it shows," Miller said. "When he came here, he was a skinny little kid. He understood the game very well and was technically oriented, but the extra training, the physical part, were missing. Now he is stronger and getting more balls because he is faster." Miller said.

Dressler also works out in the gym four days a week. He had Eastwood design a program specifically for his back and rotator cuff, which he had injured in high school. He is stronger now, which makes his left-handed serve, delivered with various spins, more effective.

"I'm working off my legs, jumping into the ball. My serve is the best it's ever been," he said.

The extra work has not made Dressler any bigger. He is 5-foot-9 and weighs 140 pounds.

Dressler played all sports growing up -- - a decision that helped him avoid burnout -- - and started concentrating on tennis in high school. He was a first-team All-State selection as a senior in 2003, when he led Cranston West to an undefeated season in Class B and to the championship round of the playoffs. He was second-team All-State in 2002 and first-team Class B South All-Division in 2001. He played second singles on the 2000 Class C championship team.

At Wheaton, he has been part of the best men's teams in school history. "I had three great recruiting classes," Miller said.

Dressler played at the bottom of the ladder as a freshman in 2004 and was 2-0 in singles and 6-0 in doubles. He moved up in 2005 and finished 13-3 in singles and 11-1 in doubles. Last year, he was 12-6 in singles and 13-6 in doubles. He was All-NEWMAC in 2005 and 2006.

He and Brian Danishevsky were so close this year in the battle for No. 2 second singles that Miller had them play off. Danishevsky won a close match and has compiled a 7-2 record at number two No. 2, while Dressler is undefeated at number three No. 3. Payum Payman is 7-2 at number one No. 1.

Dressler and Payman are 8-3 at first doubles. Miller paired Dressler instead of Danishevsky with Payman because he "has a head for doubles."

Dressler and Danishevsky are 4-1 in doubles. They beat Coast Guard last week in their only dual match of the season. Dressler and Will Stoddard are 1-1.

Dressler's four-year record is 81-23. He is 38-11 in singles and 43-12 in doubles.

Dressler is optimistic that this is the year that Wheaton can knock off MIT, the perennial NEWMAC champion. "They lost their No. 1 number one player and are showing signs they can be beaten," Dressler said. "We play them the week before the NEWMAC tournament and then hopefully in the touurnament tournament final."

Dressler comes from a well-known Rhode Island tennis family. His parents, Rick and Rena, directed the Todd Morsilli Junior Championships at Roger Williams Park for many years, and his brother Keith played tennis at Providence College before studying dentistry at the University of Connecticut. He is a dentist in Middletown, Conn., now.

Perry back at Brown

The greatest quarterback in Brown football history and the most prolific passer in Ivy League history is back on College Hill. James Perry, one of the heroes of Brown's 1999 Ivy League championship team, has returned to coach quarterbacks and receivers.

Perry holds Ivy League records for passing yards in a season (3,255) and career (9,294), completions in a season (309) and career (789), touchdown passes in a game (6) and career (74) and total offense in a career (9,236). He has six 400-yard passing games.

In 1999, Perry was a Walter Payton Award finalist, Bulger Lowe Award recipient as the outstanding offensive player in New England, New England Football Writers Gold Helmet of the Year Award recipient and Ivy League player of the year.

Perry worked as an assistant coach at Dartmouth in 2001, University of San Diego in 2002, Williams College in 2003 and 2004, University of Maryland in 2004 and 2005 and the University of Delaware in 2006. He has coached quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs and as a graduate assistant at Maryland, where he earned a master's degree in education policy and leadership, he broke down game film and assisted with the scout team and offensive line.

N.E. golf at Triggs

The University of Rhode Island will host the New England Division I Golf Championships this weekend at Triggs Memorial Golf Course in Providence. URI has won five of the last six and eight of the last 10 New England titles.

Rhody's chances this year will hinge on senior Ben Spitz's shoulder. He injured it on a swing during a proactice practice round two weeks ago and completed only two rounds at the Bradford Creek Invitational in Greenville, N.C., last week. He shot 75-77 before sitting out the third round. Jason Pannone (East Greenwich) tied for 21st, and Devon Quigley (Rumford) tied for 64th. URI finished 11th of 15 schools.

All-American honors

Denise Scott, CCRI's freshman guard, is an NJCAA Division II first-team All-American. She averaged 14.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 3.1 steals during the regular season and 21.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 steals in five post-season playoff games. She scored 36 points against Dean in the Region 21 Championship and 30 against Edison in the first round of the national tournament.

Pat Dame (West Greenwich), point guard on the CCRI men's team, received NJCAA Division II All-American honorable mention. He led the Knights in scoring (13.6) and assists (3.7)

Northeast gymnastics

URI senior Kelly Gurney and freshman Ananda Fraser and Brown freshman Alicia Sacramone and sophomore Jennifer Sobuta will compete at the NCAA Northeast Regional Gymnastics Championships at the University of Michigan Saturday night. Gurney and Sacramone have qualified for the all-around, Fraser on the vault and Sobuta on the beam.

This will be Gurney's third NCAA Regional, her second as a Ram. She competed for Auburn as a freshman.

Six teams are in the field. The top two finishers, plus the top two individuals who are not on the first-place and second-place teams, will advance to the NCAA National Championships April 26-28 at the University of Utah.

Roundup

Brown midfielder Zach Caldwell is the Ivy League rookie of the week in men's lacrosse. He scored five goals, including the game-winner, for a 10-9 victory over Yale, Brown's first Ivy League triumph in almost two years. Brown is 6-3, 1-1 ..... Salve Regina junior Robbie Norton is the Commonwealth Coast Conference co-player of the week and Steve Masso (North Scituate) the co-rookie of the week in men's tennis. Norton has earned the award three times and is 12-3 in singles and 9-3 in doubles. Masso won in singles and doubles against Wentworth ..... Jessica DePolito of Wheaton is the NEWMAC softball co-player of the week. The first baseman was 9-17 with 2 home runs, 2 doubles, 11 RBI and 7 runs in a 4-2 week ..... RIC sophomore Lionel Noel (West Warwick) was the medalist in the season-opening quad meet at Triggs. He shot a 76 as the Anchormen beat Wesleyan, Brandeis and Worcester State ..... Sage Shanley (Westerly) is winning at fourth and fifth singles for the Connecticut College tennis team ..... Dave Marshall (Jamestown) is crewing for the Connecticut College coed sailing team ..... CCRI's Michelle McNamee (Cranston) broke her own school record in the javelin with a toss of 37.28 meters (123 feet) for a third-place finish at the non-scoring Bryant Invitational.