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(10/08/14 10:30pm)
On Oct. 4-5, the Middlebury women’s golf team competed in the Williams Invitational, their fourth tournament of the fall. The team finished fifth place out of 16 teams, shooting a 336 on the first day of competition and a 335 on the second day. These similar scores demonstrate a consistency that the Panthers have been looking to maintain since the beginning of the season.
Middlebury was once again led by Michelle Peng ’15, who came in 10th place overall. She shot a 79 on day one and then completed the weekend with an 82 on day two. Peng’s 10th place finish at Williams marks the fourth consecutive top 10 finish of her fall season. She has come in second, fourth, fifth and 10th in the past four tournaments. Peng’s consistent record of top finishes places her near the top of the heap among NESCAC competitors.
Jordan Glatt ’15 was the next top finisher for the Panthers. She shot a 165 for the weekend to earn a 16th place finish. Glatt has also performed well this fall, consistently finishing near the top at each tournament. Peng and Glatt, who have successfully led the Panthers this season, will hope to continue that trend in the all-important spring season.
Hope Matthews ’18 finished the weekend with a 171, which secured her a solid 25th place while Theodora Yoch ’17 was just three strokes behind with a 174, good for 29th place. Emma Kitchen ’14.5 and Sarah Breckinridge ’18 also competed this weekend. Kitchen shot a 203 while Breckinridge finished with a 195.
With their finishes in the top fourth of the tournament, Peng, Glatt, Matthews, and Yoch made major contributions to Middlebury’s second place finish among NESCAC schools.
Unfavorable weather conditions posed an additional challenge for the Panthers as they played throughout the weekend. “Even though the weather didn’t cooperate on Saturday, we were fairly pleased with our performance given the extra obstacle of rain,” Glatt said. Looking ahead, Glatt stated: “Although our overall team score was consistent when comparing the two rounds, we look to improve next weekend at Wellesley.”
The Middlebury women’s golf team will complete its fall season next weekend at the Ann Bachelder Invitational, which will take place at Wellesley College.
(10/01/14 8:38pm)
A year after winning the NESCAC championship, the Middlebury men’s golf team took a big step towards repeating that accomplishment, earning a first place finish at the 2014 qualifying tournament. The event, held at Hamilton College, comprised ten teams vying for the chance to take part in the four-team NESCAC championship in the spring and also to host the conference tournament.
Middlebury finished the weekend with a 599, only one ahead of Hamilton’s final tally of 600. Eric Laorr ’15 dominated play this weekend with a 74 on day one and a 73 on day two. Fitz Bowen ’17 tied Laorr’s total, earning a 72 on day one and a 75 on day two. Laorr and Bowen were only two strokes off the first-place finisher for the weekend.
Charlie Garcia ’15, John Louie ’15, and Chris Atwood ’14.5 shot 152, 153 and 154 respectively.
Laorr commented on his team’s ability to perform under pressure over multiple days.
“For the most part, our level of play remained steady over the course of the weekend,” he said. “We were able to remain consistent because of our approach to the final day while holding a lead.”
The women’s golf team also had a great showing at home this weekend by finishing in second place behind Williams. Williams totaled 619 while Middlebury shot a 660.
Michelle Peng ’15 led the Panthers with a 158 for the weekend in which she shot an 80 on day one and a 78 on day two. Jordan Glatt ’15 kept pace as the second finisher for the Panthers. Glatt shot a 78 on day one and an 82 on day two to finish the weekend with a 160.
Theodora Yoch ’17 shot a 170 and Hope Matthews ’18 finished the weekend with a 172. Emma Kitchen ’14.5 rounded out the competitors for Middlebury.
“The team played with focus and commitment this weekend, in front of many of our families and friends,” Kitchen said.
Next weekend, the women’s team will travel to Williams to compete in their invitational on Oct. 4 and 5, while the men’s team has next weekend off and will not be competing until the ECAC championship in two weeks.
(09/24/14 10:45pm)
Both the men’s and women’s golf teams competed this past weekend, the women at the Mount Holyoke Invitational Tournament and the men at the Williams Invitational. Both teams finished strong with the women coming in third overall and the men placing fourth.
At the Williams Invitational, the men’s golf team finished the weekend in fourth place, trailing only RPI, Skidmore and Williams. RPI won the event with a 598, Skidmore and Williams both scored a 600, and the Panthers shot a 604. Even though the first day was not as ideal as the team would have liked, they turned it around on the second and improved by three places in the overall ranking.
Senior Eric Laorr ’15 tied for fourth in the overall event after a two-day total of 147. Competing in his first collegiate tournament, Rodrigo Andrade ’17 finished just two strokes behind Laorr with a final score of 149. Andrade’s score was good enough for seventh on the individual standings, an impressive debut performance given his limited experience in college sports.
Charlie Garcia ’15 finished tied for 23rd for the Panthers, John Louie ’15 was two strokes behind in 33rd, while Chris Atwood ’14.5 rounded out the Middlebury competitors with a 52nd-place finish.
Overall, the men were fourth in the 19-team event, finishing ahead of NESCAC rivals Trinity, Hamilton and Amherst.
At the Orchards Golf Club, the Middlebury women finished third at their respective event behind champion Williams and runner-up Ithaca. Williams shot a two-day total of 623, Ithaca finished with 635, while the Middlebury Panthers ended the weekend with a 640 mark.
Michelle Peng ’15 led the Panthers with a two-day score of 154, placing her six strokes behind the overall leader in a tie for fourth. Peng has been consistent lately and hopefully she will be able to continue her strong performance during other tournaments in the fall.
Jordan Glatt ’15 and Hope Matthews ’18 tied for 11th place for Middlebury with totals of 161. Theodora Yoch ’17 came in 20th with a 164 and Emma Kitchen ’14.5 finished in 54th with a 187 to round out the scorers for Middlebury – her first round of sub-90 golf since beginning her career three years ago.
“We had a solid performance this weekend, with two players shooting their lowest collegiate rounds” Glatt said. “Michelle led the team again with another impressive tournament. We hope to use this result to gain momentum for our upcoming home tournament this weekend.”
The men’s team will travel to Hamilton this coming weekend to take part in the NESCAC qualifier, where they bested the field last year. The women will stay home and compete in their own Middlebury Invitational.
Next weekend proves to be a good test for the women, but everyone’s eyes will be on the crucial men’s NESCAC qualifier. The NESCAC qualifier will determine the four teams that are given a spot in the NESCAC tournament in the spring.
(04/30/14 2:48pm)
The Middlebury men’s lacrosse team suffered a 13-9 loss to Williams in the quarterfinal round of the NESCAC tournament on Saturday, April 26. The loss to Williams was the second loss to the Ephs in four days for the Panthers, with the first coming on April 23 by a tight score of 9-7.
With their early exit from the conference tournament, Middlebury sees their season draw to a disappointing close.
In the first half of the game, Middlebury scored only one goal, which came from sophomore Tim Giarrusso ’16. In contrast to Middlebury’s lone goal, Williams compiled six goals during the first half. The Panthers were able to find shots in the half – matching Williams’ 11 shots by halftime – but struggled to score on Williams goalkeeper Dan Whittam, who recorded five saves in the opening period.
To start out the third quarter, Middlebury got a boost from sophomores Jack Cleary ’16 and Jack Rautiola ’16, who both found the net to cut the Williams lead to three. The Ephs were able to answer, however, beating Panther goalkeeper Nate Gaudio ’14 for two goals of their own.
Middlebury’s goal came in succession, a trend that has continued throughout their season. Even though they were able to put together a few runs that included multiple goals, the Panthers were not as effective in their ability to get the ball in the goal.
The fourth quarter saw both team hitting their stride on the offensive end. Panther Jon Broome ’16 scored a man-up goal to trim the deficit to 9-5 before Williams responded with a pair of goals that stretched the lead back out to six. Chase Clymer ’15, Broome and Giarrusso put together a three-goal run for Middlebury in the game’s closing minutes, but it was too little too late for the Panthers, who fell by a final score of 13-9.
“We played hard but not particularly well against Williams on Saturday at either end of the field,” said head coach Dave Campbell. “I certainly want to give a lot of credit to Williams for playing a great game as well.”
Middlebury was unable to win the game despite a significant advantage on face-offs throughout the game, as specialist Harrison Goodkind ’16 won 16 of the 20 face-offs he participated in. The Panthers also picked up five more ground balls than the Ephs, and – though they were outshot by a slight margin – simply failed to take advantage of the scoring opportunities that they had throughout the game. The Ephs played a cleaner game in terms of turnovers, with 15 to Middlebury’s 21.
While Gaudio held the Ephs at bay by recording eight saves, his Eph counterpart Whittam played to another level, stopping over half of Middlebury’s shots on goal.
With the loss, the Panthers finish their season with an 8-8 overall mark that includes a 6-4 record in conference play. The early exit from postseason play stings a bit more harshly for Middlebury given their disappointing finish to the 2013 season, in which they tied for first in conference regular-season play only to see an upset loss to Wesleyan in the NESCAC semifinals keep them out of the NCAA tournament.
“I’m very pleased with how our team progressed over the course of the season,” said Campbell. “It was certainly disappointing to have it end the way it did on Saturday, but I don’t want to lose sight of just how far we came since March.”
The Panthers have now failed to qualify for the national tournament during each of the past three seasons, a considerable shortcoming for a program that captured three consecutive national championships from 2000 to 2002.
There are thirteen seniors on the Middlebury team who will be graduating this year. The loss of Gaudio leaves a significant hole for the Panthers to fill given his tremendous success minding the net for much of the past three seasons. In addition, midfielder Stephen Seymour ’14 will be missed given the rapid development of his game over the course of this season. Other seniors who have seen significant playing time this season include midfielders Chris Peterson ’14 and Brian Ayers ’14, and defenders Geoff Vrla ’14 and Darric White ’14.
If their 2015 campaign will see the team return to the heights that they aspire to, the Panthers will rely heavily upon offensive stalwarts Jack Rautiola ’16 and Jon Broome ’16. Broome – last year’s NESCAC rookie of the year – has drawn the attention of opposing defenses all season and will merit consideration for the all-conference team.
(04/24/14 3:41am)
The men’s lacrosse team won its sixth consecutive NESCAC game as they took down Colby on the Mules’ own turf. Middlebury won by a convincing score of 12-6.
Eight Middlebury players contributed to the 12-goal tally. Adding more than one score were Jack Rautiola ’16, Stephen Seymour ’14 and Jon Broome ’16.
Broome was impressive during the game, tying a school record with six assists. This mark was last reached by a Middlebury player on March 24, 2009. As his scoring ability demanded the attention of the Colby defenders, Broome’s ability to set his teammates up was a significant factor in the Panthers’ win.
The Panthers started quick as they accumulated a 3-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Tallying first-quarter goals were, in order, Chase Clymer ’15, David Murray ’15 and Broome. To start off the second quarter, Middlebury added two more goals from Rautiola and Jack Cleary ’16.
Colby scored twice after the five-point Middlebury run to make it 5-2. The back and forth scoring continued the rest of the game as the score amounted to a final 12-6 win for the Panthers.
Senior goalie Nate Gaudio ’14 had eleven saves, four ground balls, and just one turnover to help the Panthers. Coach David Campbell commented on Gaudio’s play this weekend.
“Nate Gaudio played a terrific game both in and out of the cage,” Campbell said. “He was seeing the ball very well and showed why he’s the best goalie in the league.”
Broome reflected on the game as well.
“The team played well against Colby,” Broome said, “but there is definitely room for improvement. Our six-vs.-six offense and defense have come a long way in the past month and that showed on Saturday. Unfortunately, we did not play very well in transition, which resulted in several turnovers and cost us a few goals.”
Middlebury will take part in its last regular season game when it hosts NESCAC rival Williams at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23.
Broome also shared his thoughts on the importance of the team’s game against Williams.
“Williams will be a big test for us,” Broome said, “and we need to play the best game of our season to beat them. To prepare for the game on Wednesday, we need to work on our transition offense.”
Campbell reflected on the team’s play but specifically Broome’s level against Colby.
“Jon Broome started off slowly with a few uncharacteristic turnovers but bounced back to have one of his best games of the season,” Campbell said. “As a team we spend a lot of time talking about making the next play and getting past a mistake or two over the course of a game. The mental toughness Jon displayed up at Colby is exactly what we’re going to need across the board if we want to keep our season going past this weekend.”
(04/16/14 3:09pm)
The Middlebury men’s lacrosse team won its fifth straight NESCAC game this Saturday, April 12 at Trinity by a score of 15-4. With the win, the Panthers tied up their overall record at 6-6. While their number of wins and losses are even, the majority of the team’s wins have come in the second half of the season.
Head Coach Dave Campbell commented on his team’s trend of improvement.
“We did change our style of play a bit after our first few NESCAC games but the turnaround in our team has come from gaining experience and confidence during the first part of the season,” Campbell said. “We’ve played arguably the toughest schedule in the country up until this point and have learned a lot about ourselves along the way.”
Against Trinity, many of Middlebury’s goals came in quick succession. To start of the contest, Middlebury scored six times; however, the Bantams were quick to answer, scoring with only 23 seconds left in the first half. As halftime neared, a faceoff went the way of Middlebury and they were able to increase their lead from a five to six.
Going in to the third quarter, the Panthers pushed forward and were able to extend their lead as they scored eight more goals. Five more goals were netted for Middlebury as they closed out the contest with a final mark of 15 goals.
Five goals from Stephen Seymour ’14 were instrumental in the Panther victory, and he came away as the largest contributor to Middlebury’s goal tally.
“Stephen has raised his game throughout the season and has turned himself into one of the better off ball players in the league,” Campbell said.
Sophomores Jon Broome ’16 and Tim Giarrusso ’16 also aided Middlebury with three goals apiece. Contributing two more was fellow sophomore Jack Rautiola ’16. Harrison Goodkind ’16 caused two turnovers and also scooped up a pair of ground balls.
Senior Nate Gaudio ’14 was impressive again in the net, recording 12 saves in the win.
“Nate Gaudio has been outstanding for us in goal,” Campbell said. “Nate is one of the best goalies in the country and to have him directing our defense allows everyone on the field to play with more confidence.”
Coach Campbell also gave credit to junior defender Christian Bonaventura ’15, who came off the bench to help Middlebury secure the win.
“[Bonaventura] is one of the most selfless members of our team. We wouldn’t be where we are right now without the attitude and energy he brings each day.”
Back in action on a rainy Youngman field against Skidmore on Tuesday, April 15, the Panthers used a four-goal second quarter to breeze past the Thoroughbreds 18-10.
Broome led Middlebury against Skidmore with four goals, while David Murray ’15 added a hat-trick of his own. Rautiola’s four assists were tops for Middlebury in the game.
The Panthers have another game this weekend when they are away at Colby on Saturday April 19. As they near the end of the regular season, the final conference games become important in determining Middlebury’s seed in the NESCAC tournament. Once Middlebury receives its seed, the location of the tournament’s first round will be announced.
“Our goal for the rest of the season is to improve as much as we can each day we’re together and to keep our journey going as long as we can,” Campbell said. “The exciting thing about this team is we are so young and relatively inexperienced that we can still make some great strides in a short period of time. I can’t wait to see where we are as a group come playoff time.”
(04/09/14 2:54pm)
The Middlebury men’s lacrosse team looks apt to turn around their early-season futility, winning four of the past five games against strong competition. This streak started against NESCAC rival Bowdoin on March 22, a game which they won convincingly 10-4.
Though had a setback in their 14-12 loss to Endicott on March 25, the team has since gotten back on track with a three-game winning streak. They squeezed out a tough one against Amherst 8-7 on March 29, had a somewhat routine win on the road at Hamilton 12-6 four days later and defeated Bates 10-7 on Saturday, April 5 to improve their conference record to 4-3 and their overall record to 5-5.
With their win over Bowdoin, Middlebury earned their long-awaited first win against a NESCAC school of the 2014 season.
A scoreless stretch of over 41 minutes from Bowdoin’s offense helped Middlebury cross the finish line in front. In addition, nine consecutive goals from Jon Broome ’16, Tim Giarrusso ’16 and Stephen Seymour ’14 helped the Panthers keep the pressure on Bowdoin. Panther goalkeeper and team captain Nate Gaudio ’14 made a season-high 19 saves during the game.
Middlebury then battled against 17th-ranked Endicott at Brown University but came up short 12-14. The game came down to the wire but Endicott was able to score three late goals in the final 2:30 of the game. Broome performed well once again, helping put four points on the board for Middlebury. Jack DeFrino ’17 and Cal Williams ’15 helped Middlebury keep it close by adding four and five ground balls, respectively.
The intense rivalry between Middlebury and Amherst did not disappoint during the Panthers’ 8-7 clutch victory over the 18th-ranked Lord Jeffs. With the win, Middlebury halted Amherst’s five-game win streak and also posted their second NESCAC conference victory.
The highlight of the game for Middlebury was the team’s strong defensive play, as they limited Amherst to just seven goals, well below the Lord Jeffs’ season average of 15 goals. Sophomore Jack Rautiola ’16 stood out for the Panthers on the offensive end, scoring three of Middlebury’s eight goals on the afternoon.
With the Panthers back in action four days later, a 12-6 win over Hamilton in a midweek contest gave Middlebury a third consecutive NESCAC win.
Six consecutive goals in the second half helped Middlebury put away the competition. Jack Cleary ’16 led the Panthers with three goals and fellow sophomore Broome contributed another two. Seymour also added two goals to pace the Panthers over Hamilton.
In their fourth successive NESCAC victory, the Panthers defeated Bates 10-7. Rautiola helped the Panthers with three goals and Cleary scored two. Rautiola’s hat-trick during the fourth quarter gave his team a gap that the Bobcats could not overcome.
Middlebury held a 40-37 advantage in shots over Bates for the game. The Panthers also picked up four more ground balls and committed fewer turnovers in order to maintain consistent pressure on the offensive end throughout the afternoon.
Four games remain in the Panthers’ regular season, including home matchups against Skidmore on April 19 and against Williams on April 23. The men hope to keep their win streak alive and carry their positive momentum into the NESCAC tournament, which kicks off at the end of April.
Next up for Middlebury is a road matchup against Trinity on Saturday, April 12. A win over the Bantams would set up the Panthers nicely for a potential home game in the conference quarterfinals.
(03/19/14 2:53pm)
The Middlebury men’s lacrosse team lost to 10th-ranked Wesleyan by a score of 11-5 on Saturday, March 15. Middlebury has yet to reach double digit goals in any of its four games.
The Panthers got off to a quick start against the Cardinals. Only 2:31 into the game, Taylor Pirie ’15 found Mike Ford ’15 to get Middlebury on the scoreboard first; however, Wesleyan responded in a powerful way, scoring the next 10 goals to take a 10-1 lead with 11:38 left in the game. In the final 10:49, Jack Rautiola ’16 managed to score twice, Ford took his tally to two, and Jon Broome ’16 scored his lone goal for the game.
One player heavily influenced the Cardinals’ goal total. On the Wesleyan side, Matt Prezioso had an impressive showing on his home turf, scoring five of the 11 total goals.
There were some highlights from the loss for the Panthers though. Jack DeFrino ’17 won nine of 12 face offs, earning him game-high honors in ground balls alongside George Curtis ’14 and Broome. In addition, goalie Nate Gaudio ’14 finished the contest with a total of 19 saves.
Ford admitted that the team has a long way to go to get where it wants to be.
“Everyone played hard against Wesleyan,” Ford said, “but I think we all realized that we need to improve and work even harder. I don’t think we have played a complete game yet and that is something that we continue to strive for. As a team we learned that we need to elevate out level of playing from top to bottom and do everything better. After watching film and learning from our coaches, everyone knows they need to step up and contribute more going forward.”
Returning to the field on Tuesday, March 18, for a matchup against 20th-ranked St. Lawrence, the Panthers again were unable to stop their opponent on the defensive end and lost by a score of 14-7.
Middlebury was able to keep the score close early, tying the score at one with a goal from Jack Cleary ’16 three minutes in. A tally from Rautiola in the opening minutes of the second quarter brought the St. Lawrence lead back down to one at 4-3, but that was as close as the Panthers would get.
A string of four unanswered goals spanning the second and third quarters would be too much for Middlebury, who went on to lose its third straight game.
Middlebury was again outshot handily by their opponent. St. Lawrence racked up 45 shots over the course of the game to Middlebury’s 24. The Saints also dominated in the faceoff circle and in the ground-ball game, winning 17 of 23 faceoffs and picking up 13 more ground balls than the Panthers.
In the upcoming games, Ford that thinks their “main focus will be to come out with high intensity but also be composed. If everyone does what they need to do and our team plays at the level we know we are capable of playing, good things will happen.”
Sitting at 1-4 and 0-3 in conference play, Middlebury will have to work quickly to pull its game together if they are going to have a chance to resurrect their floundering season.
The Panthers will have a chance to do just that when they take on NESCAC foe Bowdoin on Saturday, March 22. Following that game, Middlebury will face a tough slate of competition over Spring Break, matching up with Endicott and Amherst over the course of the week.
(03/12/14 2:29pm)
The Middlebury ski teams took part in the 2014 NCAA Championships held at the University of Utah March 5-8. Alpine events were held at the Park City Mountain Resort while the nordic events were held at the Soldier Hollow Resort.
The conditions out in Utah were unique, but Heather Mooney ’15 believed the host did a great job.
“We arrived in Utah to green grass on the golf course outside our condo,” Mooney said. “The venue has done an amazing job making and conserving snow all year, and had a 3ft deep, 14ft wide ribbon of snow along the 5k course, with bare ground everywhere else. The conditions held up quite well considering, freezing overnight for really fast skiing early morning.”
The men’s alpine representatives were Hig Roberts ’14, Christopher McKenna ’17, and Nick Bailey ’14. Yina Moe-Lange ’15 was the lone representative for the women’s alpine team. As for the nordic events, Ben Lustgarten ’14 was the lone qualifier for the men’s team; however, his injury took him out of NCAA competition. Mooney and Stella Holt ’15 took part in the women’s nordic competition.
Wednesday, March 5 marked the first day of competition on the slopes. The giant slalom started off the competition and Middlebury had a good showing. Roberts placed 15th, McKenna came in at 17th, and Bailey rounded out the Middlebury alpine men with a 22nd place finish. Moe-Lange represented Middlebury tremendously well as she came within two places of All-American status. Her 12th place run was impressive as she finished off her season in a time of 2:00.52. After day one, Middlebury sat in seventh place with 58 points.
Day two kicked off the nordic events and Middlebury came away with two solid runs. Mooney earned a 22nd place finish while teammate Holt was close behind, finishing 28th.
The slalom event and 15K freestyle took place to close out the competition. Roberts once again finished as Middlebury’s top performer, closing out a great college career with a 13th-place finish. McKenna was 20th and Bailey was 23rd. Moe-Lange finished her junior year at Middlebury with a 19th place run. The 15K freestyle event ended with Mooney and Holt finishing only six seconds apart. Holt’s 27th place finish edged out Mooney’s 29th place run.
While celebrating her individual success, Moe-Lange acknowledged that the team felt disappointed about how the weekend turned out.
“Individually, I felt like I did well and I’m pretty stoked on my performance this week,” Moe-Lange said. “As a team we struggled a little bit. It is always hard to compete with the bigger teams, especially when we lost Ben Lustgarten to injury, but overall we all worked extremely hard.”
To conclude the NCAA ski season, Middlebury finished in 12th place overall.
Mooney is already looking forward to next year.
“The biggest thing I’ll take out of this year is confidence in my racing and ability to ski consistently through the season,” Mooney said. “I can see the gaps between me and the top skiers, and know what I need to do to be there by next season. That said, knowing I can perform consistently, I have confidence that if I train really well this spring, summer and fall, I’ll be able to be there consistently. Being at NCAAs this year was really fun to race, but also a good motivation to get to work for next year. Training for next season starts now, so I’m excited to see what I can do. Especially on the girls’ side, we have a really strong team going into next year, so it will be really fun to all push each other to the next level.”
(03/05/14 11:31pm)
The 18th-ranked Middlebury men’s lacrosse team got its season off to a slow start on Saturday, March 1, as they lost to fifth-ranked Tufts 24-6 in front of a home crowd at Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium.
Coming into the game, one of the biggest question marks for the Panthers was the performance of the defense. After losing a pair of senior All-Americans from last year’s squad, Midwdlebury had a few fresh faces playing on the defensive end against Tufts.
Taylor Pirie ’15 netted Middlebury’s first goal of the game and of the season at the 12:56 mark of the first quarter. Thought Middlebury got on the scoreboard first, Tufts went on a streak of eight goals to gain a lead 8-1 at the beginning of the second quarter. Tim Giarrusso ’16 got one of his three goals at this point but was matched by another four-goal addition by Tufts extending their lead to 12-2. Giarrusso came up big again in the final seconds of the second quarter.
By halftime Tufts had fired 40 shots – including 23 in the second quarter alone – to Middlebury’s 17. Middlebury goalkeeper Nate Gaudio ’14 saved ten shots in the half, but it was all he could do to withstand the barrage of shots from the Jumbos.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Tufts built their lead as they netted four more goals to increase their already significant lead to 16-3. Jon Broome ’16 – the second leading scorer in the NESCAC a year ago – found the net with a lefty shot to put another on the board for Middlebury at 11:37 in the third quarter, but Tufts kept firing shots on the Middlebury goal at a high rate.
To close out the third quarter, Tufts scored seven more to increase their lead to 18. Down 23-5 at the start of the fourth quarter, Giarrusso was impressive as he collected his third goal of the game with 5:47 left on the clock to make it 23-6, before one final Tufts goal ended the game at a final score of 24-6.
The 18-goal loss was the worst suffered by Middlebury since the 1961 season, when Harvard beat Middlebury 23-3.
A bright spot for Middlebury was the play of senior faceoff man Brendan Gallagher ’14, who kept pace with his more experienced Tufts counterpart throughout the game. Gallagher was 10-21 on face-offs in the game, giving the Panthers a few scoring opportunities. It was ultimately not even close to enough, however, as the 77-33 final shot margin speaks to the total dominance that the Jumbos achieved on the day.
On Tuesday, March 4, the Panthers picked up their first win of the season, holding off Plattsburgh in a 9-7 win.
Middlebury scored the game’s first four goals, including a pair from Stephen Seymour ’14, before a trio of Cardinal goals cut the Middlebury lead to one, where it would stand going into the half.
In the second half, a quick goal from Plattsburgh tied up the score before Seymour’s third of the game put the Panthers up for good. After Plattsburgh cut the lead to one with 10 minutes remaining in the game, Broome put the win on ice for Middlebury with his second goal on a man-up opportunity for the final 9-7 score.
Middlebury was able to play a much more balanced game against Plattsburgh, slightly outshooting the Cardinals and winning an even half of the game’s face-offs. Gaudio had 10 saves in net for Middlebury.
The Panthers return to NESCAC play when they play host to Connecticut College on Saturday, March 8. The Panthers and Camels each finished 8-2 in conference play a year ago, and the winner of Saturday’s game will have an early leg-up in the race to keep pace with Tufts atop the conference.
(02/26/14 8:59pm)
The EISA Championship annual ski races took place this weekend as part of the 91st Middlebury College winter carnival. Despite some tough conditions, races commenced on time and the usual suspects steamed out to a lead on day one. UVM sat in first place on Friday night, Dartmouth wasn’t far behind in second and host Middlebury rounded out the top trio. At the end of day two, the top three stayed the same and UVM held on for another first-place finish with 1,031 points. Dartmouth ended with 905 points while Middlebury made its mark with 664 points.
At the Rikert Nordic Center, Ben Lustgarten ’14 had a dominant day one as he claimed his first win of the season in a time of 27:18 during the 10K race. The astounding part about his victory is that the second place finisher was a significant 50 seconds behind. The other two scorers for the men’s nordic team on day one were Dylan McGarthwaite ’15 and Patrick McElravey ’17, who came in at 25th and 31st respectively.
Lustgarten’s masterful performance is even more meaningful given that he recently overcame an injury.
“I had some rest following the U23 World Championships in Italy due to my concussion that I suffered during the 30KM pursuit just over three weeks ago,” Lustgarten said. “I was unable to train for one and a half weeks but was happy to be able to race in the Williams Carnival. I was not in my best physical condition for these past two races due to lack of training and recovering from my concussion.”
Heather Mooney ’15 continued to lead the women’s Nordic team with an 11th place finish. Emily Attwood ’14 was a mere 15 seconds behind Mooney as she came in at 17th place. Stella Holt ’15 also grabbed a top-25 finish, coming in at 24th to complete the scorers for the nordic women’s team.
Mooney has set a personal goal of improving on her EISA performance.
“My biggest goal for this season is to be top-8 at NCAAs,” Mooney said. “It’s kind of an all-encompassing goal.”
The Alpine events were held at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl and on day one conditions were ideal for the women’s event. The women were only able to get one run in, but Kara Shaw ’15 weathered the conditions better than most as she earned herself an 11th-place finish. Katelyn Barclay ’15 and Yina Moe-Lange ’15 came in within the top 20 going 17th and 19th respectively.
The men’s alpine teams were able to get both runs in, and Middlebury certainly did not disappoint. Nick Bailey ’14 and Hig Roberts ’14 gave everything they had as they skied on Winter Carnival weekend for the last time. Bailey had a season best finish of fifth place, while Roberts claimed eighth place. Christopher McKenna ’17 was equally as impressive, finishing just outside the top 10 in 12th position.
The men’s nordic team was strong in the 20K, despite having Lustgarten out with an injury. Adam Luban ’17 had a season-best finish coming in at 17th place, Austin Cobb ’14 was 21st, while McGarthwaite was 27th. In the 15K freestyle race, the Middlebury women’s nordic scorers were 14th-place finisher Kelsey Phinney ’16, Holt in 17th and Attwood in 19th.
For the third consecutive Giant Slalom event, Roberts walked away with a first place finish, ending his last Winter Carnival race on a high note. Liam Mulhern ’14 was second for the Middlebury men, crossing line in 17th place, while Ghassan Gedeon Achi ’16 came in at 21st place.
After a successful weekend, Roberts looked ahead to future challenges.
“I hope to ski well at NCAAs at the end of the year and repeat some of the great performances we have had at this race,” Roberts said.
Elle Gilbert ’16 led the alpine women’s team in the Giant Slalom event, earning a time good for fourth place. The race marked Gilbert’s best run this season. Isabel Kannegieser ’17 did not shy away in her first carnival event of the season and was able to grab 23rd place. Lisa Schroer ’17 came in just after Kannegieser in 26th place.
The Middlebury Winter Carnival was the last chance for the ski teams to perform before they head to NCAAs, which are being held March 5-8 at the University of Utah.
(02/19/14 3:44pm)
The Middlebury ski team traveled to Williamstown, Mass. this past weekend, Feb. 14 and 15, to take part in the Williams Carnival. Jiminy Peak was the venue for the carnival’s alpine events while Prospect Mountain held the Nordic events.
Middlebury found itself in a tie for fourth place after day one, but was able to improve on day two to claim third place overall. UVM won the carnival with 970 points, Dartmouth was next with 834 and Middlebury followed with 640.
In the men’s slalom event, Middlebury was impressive with five finishing in the top ten. Hig Roberts ’14 led the Panthers again, claiming fourth place. Colin Hayes ’17 was second for Middlebury in sixth place, Ghassan Gedeon Achi ’16 was seventh and Christopher McKenna ’17 rounded the consecutive trio in eighth. Nick Bailey ’14 was the fifth Middlebury man to finish in the top ten, snagging tenth place.
The women’s alpine team’s top finisher was Kara Shaw ’15, whose two runs cemented her just outside the top ten in thirteenth place. Yina Moe-Lange ’15 crept into the top 20 while fellow junior Katelyn Barclay ’15 was 25th. Elle Gilbert ’16 was only 27 hundredths of a second behind Barclay, good for 26th place.
The Nordic teams took part in relays on day one. Each team comprised three racers and each individual time was added together to determine the team time. The Middlebury men’s top team combined for a time of 31:34, good for ninth place. That squad was made up of Patrick McElravey ’17, Dylan McGarthwaite ’15 and Ben Lustgarten ’14. Lustgarten was dominant in his individual performance, finishing the course in the fastest time amongst all competitors.
The top Middlebury women’s Nordic team also raced to a ninth-place finish in a time of 38:34. The top three women competing were Heather Mooney ’15, Kaitlin Fink ’16 and Stella Holt ’15.
On day two, the alpine teams competed in the giant slalom event. Roberts was the only competitor under 1:43.00, as he finished the course in 1:42.81. With this time, the senior won the giant slalom event and his second first-place finish in the event this season.
First-year McKenna was also impressive as he came away with fifth place.
Moe-Lange finished the carnival with her sixth top-10 finish, coming in at eighth place. A fifteenth-place finish for Gilbert is the best yet for the sophomore. The last scorer was Shaw, who finished in 26th place.
The men’s Nordic team took part in the 10K classic on day two and had a strong showing. Lustgarten finished fourth overall, McElravey was 22nd, and Adam Luban ’17 was 35th.
The same three women highlighted the 5K classic for the Nordic competition. Mooney continued her consistent performances as she finished the weekend with her seventh top-ten finish. Holt was eighteenth while Fink finished in 43rd place.
“As a women’s team one of our goals throughout the season has been to utilize pack skiing, meaning using our depth as a team during races and pushing each other towards even better results,” Holt said. “Next weekend at Middlebury Carnival there will be a mass start race, meaning everyone will go at once, a huge opportunity for us as a women’s team to show our ability to have a strong race together.
This coming weekend, Middlebury will host the Eastern Intercollegiate Skiing Association (EISA) Championships as part of the 91st annual winter carnival. The contest will take place over two days, Friday, Feb. 21 and Saturday, Feb. 22. The Middlebury College Snow Bowl will hold the alpine events and the Rikert Nordic Center will host the Nordic events.
“We would again like to win a carnival as a team like we were able to at UVM two weeks ago,” Holt said. “To do this we know we have to get three skiers in the top ten and likely need one or two within the top five, so we would be especially proud to pull it off again. All of these goals are only within reach because of the depth of our women’s team this year.”
As the end of the season nears and each skier’s carnival finishes become increasingly important, a proper plan is important and has been constructed by the Middlebury ski team.
“From here until the end of NCAA’s, proper rest becomes really important,” Holt said. “Between now and mid-March we will be finding the balance between rest and training enough to keep our bodies moving and our brains happy and confident in our ability on skis.”
(02/12/14 7:01pm)
The Middlebury ski team had a busy past couple of weeks, competing in the UNH, UVM, and Dartmouth Carnivals. The Panthers placed fourth at UNH, third at UVM, and fifth at Dartmouth.
On day one at UNH, the men’s and women’s ski teams competed in the giant slalom event. Hig Roberts ’14, Christopher McKenna ’17, and Ghassan Gedeon-Achi ’16 all finished in the top six. On the women’s side, Yina Moe-Lange ’15 led the Panthers with a second place run.
The top three performers for the women’s Nordic team finished within five seconds of each other, taking home the sixth, seventh, and eighth places. Kelsey Phinney ’16 edged out teammate Heather Mooney ’15 by two seconds in a time of 14:59, and Stella Holt ’15 was close behind with a time of 15:04. The Nordic men – missing key senior Ben Lustgarten ’14, who was competing in the U23 World Championships in Italy – came away with 13th, 32nd, and 36th place finishes in the 10K event.
T
he following day, Sunday, Jan. 26, the alpine teams competed on the second day of the UVM Carnival. Roberts paced the men with a third place finish, while Kara Shaw ’15 was the top Panther woman, placing 16th.
In the Nordic competitions at UVM, the women starred on day one, winning the sprint event with three skiiers in the top 10. Holt finished third, followed closely by Mooney. Phinney snuck in with a tenth-place finish. Austin Cobb ’14 was the top men’s finisher, coming in 10th.
On day two, Holt was successful again, placing fourth, while Cobb again paced the men. Middlebury placed third overall at the event.
The ski teams then travelled east to Dartmouth College to take part in their carnival, on Friday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 8.
Roberts took advantage of favorable conditions to win the giant slalom event in a time of 2:02.59 while McKenna finished eighth.
Moe-Lange remained determined at Dartmouth where she earned her fifth top-10 finish of the year. Mooney led the Middlebury women in sixth place.
The team is finding that pacing itself is becoming more difficult.
“The biggest thing for our team as a whole right now is resting and building energy back up for the coming weekends,” Mooney said. “Although our racing season is short, it is really intense with two races each weekend for six weeks straight. Coming into the fifth week of carnival races, the fatigue is definitely building so the goal for this week is to take it easy and bounce back so we’re on fire again at Williams.”
Day two at Dartmouth was a mixed bag, bringing some great runs and some disappointing runs.
In the slalom event, the Middlebury men’s alpine team came away with fifth, 11th, and 15th finishes and the women’s alpine team crossed in at 21st, 26th, and 28th place. The Nordic women also had a poor day, finishing the 15K classic with 22nd, 26th, and 34th place finishes. The men’s Nordic team did not do as hoped, as they took 26th, 40th, and 44th places in the 20K classic.
Next, the Middlebury ski teams travel to Mass. to take part in the Williams Carnival, which is held on Friday, Feb. 14th and Saturday, Feb. 15th.
“[We] will have a pretty normal week of training leading up to Williams,” Roberts said. “The hill at Williams is steep so we will be focusing on the elements that make us fast on the steeps this week…As a team, we are looking to qualify as many teammates for NCAAs in Park City, UT. Also, getting top-three in the next carnivals as a team would be a great way to enter NCAAs.”
(01/23/14 5:54am)
The Middlebury ski team finished in third place at the Colby Carnival, one spot ahead of their standing after day one. The Vermont Catamounts topped the charts this weekend with 1,012 points, Dartmouth came in next with 882 points, Middlebury followed by an exact 200 margin with 682 points, and the University of New Hampshire rounded out the standings with 620 points.
The conditions did not play in the skiers favor, as hard snow and ice led to a slick track. Low light also caused difficulty since skiers were unable to commit to the course with the usual level of confidence.
On the first day of competition, a notable run by Yina Moe-Lang ’15 earned her a second straight top 10 finish in the giant slalom, finishing in a time of 2:20.80. In her first race ever as a Panther, Lisa Schroer ’17 came in at 23rd and Katelyn Barclay ’15 ended the race in 26th place.
Kara Shaw ’15 had a standout performance this weekend, finishing in ninth place with a time of 1:40.51, despite having trouble on the first day.
“I skied through the panel of a giant slalom gate and it whipped around and hit my back which knocked the wind out,” Shaw said. “Even though I didn’t finish the GS, I was happy with the way I was skiing and I carried that confidence into the second day and tried not to hold anything back.”
Despite her top ten finish at the slalom carnival this past weekend, Shaw wants to improve upon her results.
“Aside from qualifying for NCAAs, my main goal is to podium in a giant slalom carnival race,” Shaw said. “So far I’ve had disappointing results in the first two giant slalom races, but I’m feeling good with my skiing so I’m looking forward to this weekend to finally put two strong runs together.”
Moe-Lang finished in a time of 1:43.90 earning herself a 21st place finish in the GS. To round out the women’s alpine finishers in the GS was Elle Gilbert ’16 who was less than a second behind fellow teammate Moe-Lang, crossing the line in a time of 1:44.56.
In the giant slalom, the men’s alpine team was led by Christopher McKenna’s ’17 fifth place finish, his second straight top five finish in the giant slalom. Nick Bailey ’14 ended up 13th and Colin Hayes ’17 came in at 29th place.
The men’s alpine team was impressive this weekend as well in the slalom, with two skiers finishing in the top ten. Sixth place finisher Hayes led the Panthers with a time of 1:29.93, while eighth place finisher Liam Mulhern ’14 came in only seventeen-hundredths of a second behind Hayes with a final time of 1:30.08. McKenna’s run in a time of 1:31.22 landed him 16th place.
The women’s nordic team held their own as well in Maine, with three top twenty times in the 10K race. Heather Mooney ’15 led her team with a time of 29:03, giving her a fifth place finish. Fellow classmate Stella Holt ’15 charged her way to 11th place, landing a final time of 29:43. The final scorer for the women’s nordic team was Kaitlin Fink ’16 who came in at 16th in a time of 30:11.
The trio of Mooney, Holt, and Fink also scored the top three finishes for Middlebury in the 10K race. Once again, Mooney led her team in ninth place, Holt had her first top ten finish ending in a remarkable 10th place, and Fink came in at number 24.
Ben Lustgarten ’14 led the men’s nordic team with remarkable results both on day one and day two of the carnival. He earned himself a second place finish in the 10K classic race in a time of 31:34 and a third place finish in the 15K freestyle race in a time of 36:47.
Austin Cobb ‘14 and Jack Steele ‘16 were the other two scorers for the men’s nordic team. Cobb worked his way to a 27th place finish in the 10K and a 15th place result in the 15K event. Steele rounded out the scores with 36th place in the 10K and 33rd place in the 15K.
The ski teams compete at the UNH Carnival this coming weekend, on Jan. 24 and 25.
(09/25/13 7:44pm)
The Middlebury women’s volleyball team faced its first NESCAC competitor on Saturday, Sept. 21 and came away with a convincing 3-0 sweep in the first home game of the season. The Panthers followed with an out-of-conference victory over Colby-Sawyer two days later, dropping their first set of the season in the process.
On Saturday, Colby pushed the Panthers in each of the three sets (17, 22, 18) but failed to register a win as Middlebury ran its streak of consecutive sets won to 15.
“There are definitely some minor kinks to work out as is true with every team especially this early in the season,” Piper Underbrick ’15 said. “However, if we just focus on our side of the net and continue to make strong plays and work as a unit we have the opportunity and the talent to go very far.”
During the first set, the teams went back-and-forth, seemingly setting the stage for a closely contested game. With the set tied at 13-13, the Panthers settled into the game and went on to win 12 of the next 16 points and settled the score at 25-19.
The second set was even closer than the first, with Colby leading 16-13 and then again 21-20. However, the Panthers stayed strong to snatch the second set by a score of 25-22, giving them a stronghold on the overall game.
Colby looked like snatching the third set but yet again lost a solid lead, going ahead 10-5 in the third set. With Megan Jarchow ’14 starting to serve for the Panthers, they claimed four straight to make it a 10-9 match. Colby came back with a 17-16 and looked like forcing the match into a fourth set, but Middlebury showed composure to win nine of the next 10 points, clinching the contest by a score of 25-18.
The Panthers were guided to the win by strong upperclassmen leadership. With explosive jumping and raw power, Amy Hart ’14 led with 17 kills and a .485 hitting percentage as well as bolstering the team defensively with 13 digs. Olivia Kolodka ’15 successfully tooled the block several times, leading to many of Middlebury’s points. Kathryn Haderlein ’16 helped set up the kills, who tallied 30 assists.
“[The game] was the perfect opportunity to get the first game jitters out of our system,” co-captain Meg Anderson ’14 said. “Now we can focus on increasing our consistency and continually improving our game.”
The jitters may have manifested themselves in the Panthers’ second home game of the season, however, as Middlebury narrowly defeated Colby-Swayer, 3-1. The Panthers took the first two sets of the game before the Chargers stole the third set 25-22. Middlebury rebounded with a 25-23 fourth-set victory to seal the victory.
The Panthers are back in action against Southern Vermont on Thursday, Sept. 26, before traveling to NESCAC competitor Hamilton on Saturday, Sept. 28.
(05/09/13 3:14am)
The Middlebury women’s tennis team took part in the NESCAC tournament this past weekend, May 3 and 4, at Amherst College. The team competed against Tufts in the quarterfinals on Friday, May 3, and came out on top by a score of 5-1. With the win over the Jumbos, they advanced to the semifinals on Saturday, May 4 to set up a rematch with national number-one Amherst, who defeated the Panthers 5-4 one week before.
For the second time in two weeks, Amherst defeated the Middlebury women 5-4, although this time the match was much closer, when the Panthers came within a single point of winning the match.
Middlebury started off the Tufts match with a lead as the number-one and doubles positions and won by scores of 8-0 and 8-1, respectively. The number-three team for the Panthers fell 8-4.
Ria Gerger ’16 quickly gave Middlebury a singles point, as she did not lose a game, winning 6-0, 6-0. Lok Sze Leung ’15 only gave up one more game than Gerger, claiming a victory at the number-one position 6-1, 6-0. Dorrie Paradies ’14 won her first set 6-3, but then went down 4-1 in the second set. Dorrie Paradies showed resiliency and won five straight games on her way to a 6-3, 6-4 win, clinching the overall contest and giving Middlebury a 5-1 win.
With their win over Tufts, the Panthers gave themselves another opportunity to take on Amherst. The first and second doubles matches were decided in straightforward fashion as Brittney Faber ’13 and Leah Kepping ’13 went down 8-2, while Leung and Gerger convincingly defeated their opponents 8-3. At third doubles, sisters Dorrie and Katie Paradies ’15 were up 5-2, then 7-6, and held a match point against Caroline Richman and Safaa Aly in that game, but were unable to convert it. They went on to lose the next three games in a row to lose 9-7.
The Paradies duo showed tremendous fight against an Amherst team that has now won 11 dual matches in a row. The 9-7 defeat is the closest a team has come to beating this team in all 11 of their wins.
After a short break, the singles began and Amherst had the momentum as they were up 2-1 after doubles. The first singles match to finish was number-four singles, where Dorrie Paradies went down to Gabby Devlin 6-1, 6-2. First-year Gerger came through once again giving Middlebury a second point by taking out Jennifer Newman in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
With four matches left on the court, Middlebury won first sets on three of the courts. Kepping scrapped her way to a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 win at number-three singles, the third time Kepping has defeated Sue Ghosh this year.
Leung won by the same score in the third when she took out Jordan Brewer 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. Leung has the ability to grind her opponents down both physically and mentally by swinging her opponent side-to-side, up and back using her tricky lefty forehand. She is also able to mix up the spins and pace of the ball, keeping her opponent from getting into a rhythm.
Faber improved upon her 6-1, 6-2 loss to Zoe Pangalos last week as she was taken out in three sets by a score of 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. With the match tied at 4-4, first-year Margot Marchese ’16 was in her third set. She lost the first set 6-3 but was able to came back to win the second set 6-4. Unfortunately, Marchese cramped during the third set and ended up succumbing to her opponent 6-3 in the third.
In her 14th and final season at Middlebury, women’s assistant coach Karen Wells commented on the team’s weekend.
“Though the loss was heartbreaking, there’s always NCAAs and I know they’re going to bring their best this weekend,” she said. “They were all reminded how much fun college tennis is. The team came out this time with even more belief and a stronger desire to beat them, if that’s possible. They rallied together and supported each other throughout the entire match.”
Middlebury has now lost two of their last three matches to finish the regular season, with both setback coming against the national number-one seeded Lord Jeffs.
The Panthers travel to Bowdoin this weekend to compete in the NCAA tournament. If they pass through this weekend’s regional competition, they will then travel to Kalamazoo, Mich. later this month for the final rounds of the NCAA tournament, with the tournament final to be played on Wednesday, May 22.
Middlebury enters NCAA play as the sixth-ranked team in the nation.
The Panthers open regional play on Saturday, May 11, when they take on the winner of a match between MIT and Simmons to be player the day before.
MIT currently sits in the 22nd spot in the national poll, while Simmons is not in the top 30.
Should they win that match, Middlebury will likely have a rematch with NESCAC foe and national number- five seed Bowdoin in the regional final. The Panthers lost a 5-4 heartbreaker to the Polar Bears in the teams’ last meeting back on April 13.
The Panthers enter the tournament having played each of the top-five seeded teams already this season.
(05/01/13 8:04pm)
The Middlebury women’s tennis team welcomed a pair of nationally ranked teams this past weekend, including 19th-ranked Skidmore and top-ranked Amherst. They came away with one win, relentlessly defeating Skidmore 9-0 on Saturday, April 27, but suffered a marginal loss of 5-4 to the Amherst Lord Jeffs on Sunday, April 28.
Middlebury’s dominant win over Skidmore advanced their record to 10-4. The match began with the Panthers taking all three doubles points. This marked the seventh time this season that they have grabbed all doubles matches. Brittney Faber ’13 and Leah Kepping ’13 – currently ranked sixth in the Northeast – won handily over fourth ranked Nataly Mendoza and Lee Ford by a score of 8-1. Lok Sze Leung ’15 and Ria Gerger ’16 defeated their opposition 8-2 while Margot Marchese ’16 and Lauren Amos ’16 edged out an 8-6 victory.
The singles match wins were straightforward, as Middlebury did not lose a set in all six positions. Katie Paradies ’15 steamed to a 6-0, 6-1 stomping of her opponent at the no. 6 position while Dorrie Paradies ’14 gave up only one more game than her sister, ending the match 6-1, 6-1.
The Panthers’ next match was bound to be a tough one, as they have not lost a Division III match this year. Amherst took two of the three doubles matches, securing wins at the no. 1 and 3 positions. Faber and Kepping’s 8-3 loss came to the number-one-ranked team in the Northeast. Amherst’s Devlin has won the past two individual doubles national championships with two different partners, so this was a good test for the Middlebury pair. Leung and Gerger weathered a back and forth fight, eventually serving out their match 8-6. This win was a major step forward for the Panther women. The no. 3 position of Marchese and Amos fell to their Lord Jeff opponents 8-1.
Coming out of doubles, Middlebury needed four out of the six singles points to defeat the Lord Jeffs. They just barely missed this mark, coming away with just three wins.
Kepping gave Middlebury its first singles point, quickly finishing off 24th-ranked Sue Ghosh 6-2, 6-1. Currently first place in the Northeast, Leung counter-punched her way to Middlebury’s second singles point as she took down hard-hitting and second ranked Jordan Brewer 6-4, 6-3.
Gerger, currently sitting at number eight in the region, went the distance and upset seventh ranked Jennifer Newman 1-6, 6-3, 7-5. After losing the first set 6-1, Gerger did not show negativity, but instead an impressive amount of positive energy. In the second set, Gerger started to attack Newman’s serve, allowing her to be more in control of the match. Even though Middlebury won at positions one through three, they lost at positions four through six, with Marchese, Paradies ’14, and Faber all losing in straight sets.
Despite the loss, attitudes are positive heading forward.
“As the season has progressed, the team has really become one unit,” said Marchese. “When we improve and move forward the 10 of us do it together, and we can feel it. We all have a few kinks in our game and we are doing what we can to iron those out in order to bring our best tennis to NESCACs. We are confident in the intensity and ability that we possess and can’t wait to prove it to the rest of the NESCAC teams this coming May. If we continue to play the way we have recently, with the same fire, the rest should take care of itself.”
The Panthers head to Amherst College this coming weekend to compete in the NESCAC championships and will play in their first match on Friday. The result of the tournament will be instrumental for NCAA regional host selection.
(04/25/13 12:39am)
Security concerns following the marathon bombings in Boston forced the Middlebury women’s tennis team to cancel its match against MIT and postpone another against Tufts to Sunday, April 21.
The Panthers ultimately defeated the Jumbos 7-2, improving their record to 9-4 overall.
“While we had to be flexible in waiting to see what transpired with the tragic events in Boston, we had some great extra practices and had a great match against a scrappy Tufts team on Sunday,” said head coach Mike Morgan.
The Middlebury women started off the match well by taking two of the three doubles points, at the no. 2 and 3 positions. The second doubles team of Lok Sze Leung ’15 and Ria Gerger ’16 won by a convincing score of 8-4, while first-years Lauren Amos ’16 and Margot Marchese ’16 dominated their opponents 8-3 in the third doubles match. The first-year pair improved their record to 8-2 on the season with the victory as the combination of Amos’s fiery play along with Marchese’s accurate and consistent shots have worn out their opponents. Middlebury’s lone doubles loss came in the no. 1 match as Brittney Faber and Leah Kepping lost a close contest by a score of 8-6.
Middlebury continued its dominant play by taking five of six singles matches, with the sole loss in the no. 4 match, by a tight score of 4-6, 7-5, 10-8. In the top singles match Leung kept her nerve, beating Lindsay Katz 6-0, 7-6 (2). After Leung blanked her in the first set, Katz came out firing in the second, but Leung’s tricky lefty game eventually took a toll on her opponent. Gerger, in the no. 2 position, downed here opponent 6-3, 7-5, improving her remarkable singles record to 10-2. Gerger’s penetrating serve combined with her tremendous baseline and net play gives her multiple ways to win points, much to the demise of many of her opponents. Senior Leah Kepping ’13, meanwhile, only conceded three games during her match, leaving the court with a 6-3, 6-0 win. Another Middlebury singles victory came from the no. 4 position, where Marchese used her improved serve and anticipation to fight her way to a 3-6, 6-4, 12-10 win.
After a long road back from surgery, Faber is once again in the singles lineup. Playing singles for the first time since May 2012, Faber revealed her mental strength with 6-4, 6-0 victory. A strong all-round player, Faber had success pushing her opponent behind the baseline and finishing points at the net.
“Brittney always brings great fight to her matches,” added Morgan.
The women host a pair of matches Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, competing against Skidmore and top-ranked Amherst, respectively. These mark the final regular season matches. Middlebury will travel to Amherst a week later for the NESCAC championships.
The Panthers enter the stretch run of the season having won three of their last four matches and playing strong individual tennis.
“Every player improved in at least one area, but most importantly they all played with determination and owned their individual matches,” said Morgan. “It was great to see.”
(04/17/13 11:36pm)
The third-ranked women’s tennis team traveled to Maine April 13 and 14 to take on NESCAC foes Bowdoin and Colby, falling just short against the Polar Bears on Saturday before returning to rout the Mules in nearby Waterville the following day.
The first match of the weekend was a significant test for the Panthers, who lost to Bowdoin in the round of 16 in last year’s NCAA championship.
The women started the match on a high note as they snagged two of the three doubles points. Lok Sze Leung ’15 and Ria Gerger ’16 continued their domination in the second doubles position with an 8-3 victory. The senior duo of Brittney Faber ’13 and Leah Kepping ’13, meanwhile, survived a back-and-forth match, eventually defeating their opponents 8-6. The Panthers’ no. 3 doubles team was defeated 8-4, however.
Heading into singles play, the women carried a 2-1 advantage, and needed just a split of the six singles matches to guareantee a victory. Despite a pair of wins, Bowdoin grabbed four of the six singles points — including a decisive three-setter — and the match.
Margot Marchese ’16, Katie Paradies ’15 and Gerger lost in straight sets, while Kepping lost in three sets. Coming away with wins for Middlebury were Leung – who dominated 15th-ranked Kellen Alberstone 6-4, 6-1 in the no. 1 singles match – and Dorrie Paradies ’14, who fought hard to win a tight contest 7-5, 6-4.
Despite the loss against Bowdoin, the Panthers confidently await the approaching NESCAC tournament with a potential rematch against the Polar Bears in the future.
“It was definitely a disappointing loss for us, but we know Bowdoin is a team that we will see again later in the season, possibly in two weeks’ time,” said Leung.
The next day, the women traveled to Waterville, Maine to take on the Colby Mules. From the start, the Panthers began play in impressive fashion against tge Mules, capturing all three doubles points.
The lefty-righty combination of Leung and Gerger was overpowering in the first doubles match, as the pair thrashed their opponents 8-2. The Paradies sisters, meanwhile, came away with an 8-4 win at no. 2 doubles, while Marchese and Kepping eased their way to a convincing score of 8-3.
Singles began with Gerger, who took over for Leung at the no. 1 position to win a seesaw match 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. Gerger used her all-court style of play in the match and showed her resilience in the three-set win for Middlebury. In the second singles match, Kepping used craftiness and aggression to dominate her opponent 6-2, 6-1. At the no. 3 position, Marchese barely let her opponent in the match, winning 6-1, 6-0. Sarah Macy ’15 and Sadie Shackelford ’16 also claimed wins for Middlebury, defeating their opponents 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 and 8-2, respectively.
The match of the day, however, belonged to Katie Paradies, as she climbed back from a tremendous deficit to win 9-8 (4). Paradies trailed 7-3 at one point in the match and saved multiple match points before clawing her way back to victory.
“Everyone on the team is pretty fired up right now in terms of narrowing down our practices to the specifics and pushing each other to raise our games to the next level,” said Leung. “On top of our work ethic and talent, I think our determination, honesty, confidence and closeness will take us very, very far.”
The women travel to Boston this weekend, April 19 and 20, to take on M.I.T. and Tufts. They will then have only two more matches before the NESCAC championships begin May 3.
Middlebury’s final match of the regular season will take place on April 28 at home against Amherst (12-1, 5-0 in NESCAC).
The Panthers currently sit in second place in the NESCAC with a 5-1 conference record.
“At this moment, we are trying to take one match at a time and focus on the coming weekend against M.I.T. and Tufts,” said Leung.
(04/10/13 9:39pm)
The Middlebury women’s tennis team’s rise to the top seems even more clear after an 8-3 start to the season. After the team won three of its five matches during its trip to California over the spring recess, the Panthers split a pair of home matches against third-ranked Emory and NESCAC foe Wesleyan, April 5 and 6.
The spring break trip is usually a good indication as to where the team is at this part of the season, and they showed that they are a force to be reckoned with going forward. The five matches in California consisted of a match at Cal State Northridge, a Division I team, Claremont, Depauw, Williams and Pomona-Pitzer. The four Division III teams were ranked second, 11th, fifth, and 12th in the country, respectively. The ninth-ranked Middlebury women were able to come away with three wins, besting Depauw, Williams and Pomona-Pitzer while falling to Claremont and Cal State Northridge.
The victory over fifth-ranked Williams was particularly significant for Middlebury as the Ephs, in addition to being a conference rival, have won five consecutive national championships.
“The ladies all know that we have to beat teams like that sometimes three times in a season, so there is a lot of work still to do,” said head coach Mike Morgan. “But for that match, against that team, playing at a beautiful location in Southern California, it was a lot of fun.”
Held at the prestigious Riviera Tennis Club, the match started with Middlebury sweeping all three doubles points, including the first-year pair of Lauren Amos ’16 and Margot Marchese ’16 squeezing out an 8-6 win at the third position. Seniors Brittney Faber ’13 and Leah Kepping ’13 brought their experience into the match and rolled through their opposition 8-1. The singles matches were tighter, in which Middlebury took three of the total six singles matches. The singles wins came from Lok-Sze Leung ’15, Ria Gerger ’16 and Margot Marchese ’16. Gerger ran through her opponent on her way to a 6-4, 6-0 victory at the no. 2 position. Leung, meanwhile, gave Middlebury the necessary fifth point by a score of 6-3,7-5 over Kara Shoemaker who has defeated Leung — the second-ranked singles player in the country — in the past. Marchese, meanwhile, fought against the 42nd-ranked player in the country as she outlasted the experienced Nancy Worley of Williams 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Marchese demonstrated her ability to excel under pressure with wins in both singles and doubles. The 5-4 outcome marked Middlebury’s first victory over Williams in six years.
“It’s always a great feeling to beat someone or a team that we’ve struggled with,” Gerger said. “I think that it shows our potential for this year, and the hard work we’ve put in. However, we aren’t satisfied yet. We want to beat them again in the NESCAC tournament and hopefully at the NCAA [championships].”
The Middlebury women then blanked Depauw 9-0 and downed Pomona-Pitzer by 7-2.
With Gerger out for the singles matches, however, the team dropped its first match of the season to a Division III team, falling to Claremont 7-2. While the Panthers only picked up two wins, they lost a number of close finishes. Leung lost 2-6, 7-6 (4), 10-7 to Kristin Lim, the third-ranked singles player nationally, while Marchese fell 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 and Sadie Shackelford ’16 dropped another three-setter 4-6, 6-2, 6-0. Shackelford competed well in her match given she was unaware she would be competing until shortly before it began.
A week later, the Panthers held matches against Emory and Wesleyan. They lost Emory by a score of 7-2, with wins coming at the no. 1 and 2 single positions. Leung avenged her loss in the ITA Finals to Gabbie Clark, the top-ranked player in the country, with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 victory. Gerger also won comfortably, defeating Emory’s Marissa Levine 6-3, 6-4. Kepping was unable to compete in the singles against Emory, so first-year Lauren Amos ’16 took over at the number six position and showed moments of brilliance, but eventually went down 6-4,6-1.
Head coach Mike Morgan had many highlights from the California trip and the weekend of matches they held at home, but he highlighted the importance of improving in doubles a key to moving forward.
“I think the team is playing incredibly well, for being tested so early in the season,” he said. “It is really nice right now to feel like we can get back to work on some of our projects as we get ready for the end of the season.”
The team will have an opportunity to demonstrate their improvements this coming weekend when they travel to Maine. The Panthers play at Bowdoin on Saturday, April 13 and at Colby on Sunday, April 14.