NORTH HAVERHILL — A state Superior Court judge has sentenced a Dartmouth College alumnus to 20 to 40 years in state prison for raping a woman at a campus fraternity house in 2022.

Kyle Clampitt, 27, could be out of prison in less than 17 years, providing he abides by the numerous terms of his sentence and completes sex offender treatment while incarcerated.

Clampitt’s fate was determined at the end of a two-hour hearing on Monday morning in Grafton County Superior Court in North Haverhill that included a 30-minute statement from his victim.

The woman was an 18-year-old freshman when Clampitt, a 2020 Dartmouth graduate, assaulted her on the rooftop of the Delta Theta Chi fraternity in the early morning hours of April 24, 2022.

“I thought he was going to kill me,” the woman said, as she recounted how Clampitt ignored her repeated cries to stop.

The woman’s friends and supporters filled every seat on the prosecution’s side of the courtroom visitors gallery. She spoke about the physical, emotional and psychological toll she suffered at the hands of Clampitt and the humiliation of having her rape graphically detailed before the public in court.

“Now a senior at Dartmouth, I’m no longer scared,” she said, standing at a podium, her back to the gallery and facing the judge and defense table, where Clampitt, wearing a blue blazer and tie, sat expressionless. “I’ve had to tell myself that so many times when I’ve woken up from nightmares but now standing here today, I want to look him in the eye and say it again that you do not scare me.”

The Valley News generally does not identify the victims of sexual assault crimes.

Unlike the trial, when the defendant’s side of the visitor’s gallery was empty except for Clampitt’s parents, about half a dozen supporters of Clampitt’s showed up at his sentencing, including Daniel Perez, a former mayor and police commissioner of Greenwich, N.J.

Before the judge pronounced the sentence, Clampitt himself went to the podium to speak. He only obliquely referred to his crime.

“Your honor, for my entire life it has never been my intention to cause harm to anyone,” Clampitt said. “If someone has felt this to be the case, I’m truly sorry … there’s no way to express the regret I feel for making them feel this way. These charges do not accurately represent who I was, who I am and who I ever will be. And I’m going to fight for the rest of my life to make sure that’s true.”

The sentence was less than the 30 to 60 years sought by prosecutors, but more than the eight to 20 years recommended by the defense. If Clampitt completes sex offender treatment, he will be eligible to have three years suspended from the minimum amount of time served.

Clampitt had returned to Hanover the weekend of the assault for the Dartmouth lacrosse team’s last game and a party at the Theta Delta Chi fraternity, where he had been member. It was at the party where he encountered the victim.

During the six-day trial in January, the victim testified about how Clampitt lured her to the rooftop of the fraternity with a promise “to see something really cool.”

After they had ascended a ladder to the rooftop, the victim recalled she heard the hatch door slam shut behind her as Clampitt “scooped” her by the ankles and overpowered her and assaulted her.

After only a few hours of deliberation, the jury found Clampitt guilty on 12 courts of aggravated felonious sexual assault. Each count carried a potential prison sentence of 10 years to 20 years.

Calling the facts of the student’s rape “horrific,” Judge Jonathan Frizzell said he wanted to impose a sentence that ensures Clampitt is punished severely for his actions and “has an effect on the general community” concerning the consequences of committing such a violent crime.

“It should be clear in no understated terms that ‘no’ means no,” Frizzell said.

Contact John Lippman at jlippman@vnews.com.