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(04/09/14 4:33pm)
College is famously known and remembered as “the best years of our lives.” Four (or more) years to explore, experiment, learn and find ourselves, so that we can (hopefully) sort out our passions and plan our futures — including the development and cultivation of our own signature style.
I realized the value and significance of these years and their impact on our individual future in fashion when interviewing Charlotte Michaelcheck ’15. Michaelcheck was born and raised in New York City, attending school in Manhattan before venturing to the Green Mountains. Most people either know Michaelcheck for her improv skills (she is a member of Middlebrow), her quirky collection of backpacks, her dedication to her neuroscience major or her bold, outrageous “going out outfits,” as she calls them.
Michaelcheck refers to her style as, “all over the place.”
“Sometimes I look like Woody Allen in drag,” she said. “And then other [times], very skimpy 90’s.” Whatever you know her for, we all can recognize that this girl has got personality, style, confidence and brains — and it seems to run in her family.
Michaelcheck’s wisdom in fashion is rooted and influenced greatly by her mother and sister. Her sister is a New York City-based fashion designer considered a rising star among high fashion experts. In addition to her sister’s incredible success in fashion, Michaelcheck’s mother “has always been adept at putting herself together.” Those two women “veto most of my choices so that any resultant style is mostly a product of abject constructive criticism I’d say.”
Even though Michaelcheck has a distinct style, she is still figuring out who she is and how she wants to be portrayed. When asked about where her look will end up, Michaelcheck said, “I have some things I know I will hold onto and others I really hope to lose — at this point that ratio’s probably more in favor of the latter.” But for right now she hopes to portray herself in a versatile way.
“When I feel well dressed it’s mostly in something that’s at least in part conservative,” she said. “When I dress to go out or for more casual purposes I almost never consider it to be fashionable. I want to feel confident in what I wear, even if it isn’t necessarily a good outfit.”
Michaelcheck isn’t afraid to stray away from what is “fashionable” for something that makes her feel good — and isn’t that what is ultimately most important? Fashion is fun and exciting but if it doesn’t make you feel self-assured then it is simply a materialistic form of expression. That is why Michaelcheck goes the extra step when it comes to her selection of clothing.
“People pick out clothing usually in anticipation for some event or a new season,” she said. “So in that aspect, fashion is positively associated with fun things or something you’re looking forward to. It’s another, maybe superfluous, preparation step that makes otherwise not so enthusing events a little more exciting. Especially when costumes are involved: the more ridiculous the better.”
Interestingly enough, a girl with such a natural ability to express herself through clothing does not believe that fashion is fundamental to a person’s character.
“I never really focused on fashion,” she said. Michaelcheck approaches fashion in a lighter hearted way, dressing up to simply please herself as opposed to make a statement.
“If someone wants to wear something that isn’t necessarily in keeping with what the rest of the population is doing, I think they should. If it’s a form of self-expression, great, if you just want to wear something ridiculous for attention, that’s fine too.”
After her years in the mountains, Michaelcheck plans to get rid of some of her more revealing garb as she gets older.
“At some point it just gets ridiculous, or tired,” she said. “Hopefully I will accrue some things that last a little longer and can be worn in most public settings (which cannot be said for much of what I currently own).”
In the future Charlotte also aspires to follow her mother’s footsteps in her classic uniform attire, meaning that she wears a basic framework for every outfit that is always the same but changes the details so that every look is somewhat unique but still honest.
“My mother does that with button downs and straight leg black pants. Her closet is the best because it’s filled with different variations of the same structured outfit. For me, I think that’s the ideal.”
Middlebury may be a difficult place to try out outrageous things in the fashion realm, simply because fashion is not that prevalent on campus, but at least there is no pressure to be up-to-date on all the trends. College is a transitional stage between high school and the real world—on one hand it’s your chance to wear what you will never be able to again, but on another hand, it’s also the place and time to develop your own style and cultivate a wardrobe. Even if you are like Michaelcheck and “still in transition,” keep trying new things, go out of your comfort zone and put time and effort into fostering a wardrobe that you are proud of.
(03/06/14 2:28pm)
As I was walking down the Axinn hallway for my interview with John Hawley ’14, I noticed him from 20 feet away. He was wearing a bright, but soft, yellow button-down shirt with simple faded blue khakis, sophisticated rectangular glasses and a classic pea coat thrown over the chair next to him. We exchanged a friendly greeting and got right into the interview after a few minutes of chitchat. However, what I didn’t realize until a couple minutes into our interaction was that his simple faded blue khakis were actually not so simple and his classic pea coat was not so classic after all. His pants had a hidden line of colorful pattern on the inside of the back pocket, and his coat was lined with a preppy fabric.
At first look, Hawley’s outfit was very typical of a Middlebury guy — put together, modest and definitely “cool.” Yet, after further investigation, I noticed that Hawley’s outfit was extremely detailed, thought-out and subtly high fashion. After a very enjoyable 20-minute conversation I learned that this is John’s “mantra” if you will. He loves to wear things that “pop,” adding bits and pieces into his outfit that stand out without “standing out.”
Hawley is a senior Econ major and plays on the men’s rugby team. He was born and raised in New York City, which he still calls home, with his older sister, mom and dad. His mom is a Broadway actress and his dad is a lawyer. Hawley says having parents in those two professions makes him the “world’s perfect liar,” although he laughed and quickly confessed that he is actually a terrible lair. His mom and sister seem to inspire him most, not so much in fashion, but rather in life. He admires the fact that his mom succeeded in a business that is so difficult and takes such passion and dedication to pursue. And he really values his sister’s ability to be confident wearing ridiculous clothes while pulling them off extremely well.
Hawley had a very exciting background growing up in NYC. He says that growing up he saw so many different types of people everyday either in the subway, walking down the streets or playing basketball at public courts around the city. This made it impossible for Hawley to be close-minded and forced him to accept and acknowledge the large and greatly diverse world we live in. After attending prep school in the city, Hawley continued his education at the College and studied abroad in Argentina. It is through all these experiences that Hawley has shaped his style and sense of fashion. He loves to take bits and pieces from all facets of his life, combine them and paint a story of where he has been, what he has seen, the people he has met and perhaps even tell where he wants to go. This guarantees that his style is unique — simply because no one has lived the exact same life John has and therefore cannot share the same story.
What I love about Hawley’s approach to fashion is that he doesn’t confine himself to one “genre” or “style.” He wakes up in the morning and decides what to wear based on how he feels and what version of himself he wants to be that day. Who wants to be one-dimensional? We all can relate to and admire so many different types of clothing, so why should shouldn’t we explore all of them?
Hawley says his true interest in clothes began in high school, partly because he was starting to hangout with girls, but also because he went to a prep school with a dress code, and he didn’t want to be stuck in its boundaries. In a concerted effort to not look like everybody else and not get bored by wearing the same thing every single day to school, Hawley had no choice but to get creative with this clothing. This meant little touches and additions to things that made him stand out (again, without “standing out”). Unfortunately for Hawley, this was a difficult task and allotted him numerous detentions for wearing things such as “illegal pants.” So it was in the halls of Fordham Prep in New York City’s Bronx borough that Hawley came to develop his distinctive sense of style.
Similar to Middlebury’s last style icon Kathleen Gudas ’16.5, Hawley likes to look for a good bargain. He shops at all the common stores you would suspect like J.Crew and H&M, adds in some Bonobos clothing (which is a men’s tailored clothing line out of New York City), but also values items from thrift shops and vintage clothing stores. Once again, it’s about taking things from all corners of the world and putting it together to create the myriad of himself.
I love to ask every style icon why they like fashion and what exactly they think fashion gives to people, and in a greater sense, to the world. This usually tells a lot about a person, their background, their mindset and their idea of the world. and I find it extremely interesting to hear the different responses. According to Hawley, fashion gives people a chance to “create something artistic everyday and to express anything they want through a pretty manageable medium.” Hawley claims that he has “atrocious” fine motor skills, so for him fashion is not that hard of an art form to succeed in; after all, “everyone knows how to put on pants.” If you are the person putting together an outfit, you are undergoing a creative process in your own way. Artistic expression is important and to John, this is his version of it.
Inspired by his sister, Hawley tries to approach fashion with a “don’t give a f***” attitude. However, what might surprise you is that his mom is the one exception to his free-minded way of expression. Hawley says that he does not wear anything he would not want his mom to see him in. He can wear something she would think is crazy or ridiculous, but nothing that she would deem inappropriate in anyway. I think all of our moms would hope this is our mindset when getting dressed in the morning. As far as icons go, Hawley takes inspiration from all sorts of people from Johnny Depp and Benedict Cumberbatch to random kids on the streets of NYC. He likes to take what he thinks looks cool on others and replicate them and incorporate them into his own wardrobe.
As Hawley gets ready to graduate this spring, he will be moving to Boston to work for a private equity firm. That means no more t-shirts, sweatpants or skinny jeans, but slim-fitting suits and shiny loafers. John relates this upcoming stage in his life back to his high school days and will have to challenge himself to be creative in the new confines he will confront in the working world. He will have to achieve professionalism, while still expressing himself in a way that allows him to be excited when he gets up in the morning to get dressed. Although challenging, something tells me he will impress those Bostonians just fine.
Who thought a rugby-playing, econ major Midd kid would be so interested in fashion? Hawley represents creativity and artistic ability in a new light. He never wants to feel pigeon-holed into one style of clothing simply because he plays a particular sport or attends a certain school.
“Everyone has their own personality and style that is unique in some way – being able to non-verbally reflect that through your clothing is a pretty powerful thing,” Hawley said.
(02/19/14 6:30pm)
eBay. Everyone is familiar with it, understands what it is used for and most likely has been on it themselves or has known someone that has. The website is most popularly known for selling things like old furniture, vintage cars, NFL jerseys and objects of that sort. However, what you probably didn’t know is that eBay has an expansive array of designer clothing for sale. In fact, eBay has an entire section specifically designated to fashion where you can buy anything from the new Prada bag to Eddie Bauer Women’s flannel lined jeans. I can guarantee you there is something for every type of style on that website.
I first heard about shopping on eBay from Middlebury’s very own Kathleen Gudas ’16.5. Gudas has a natural eye for fashion and is always seen looking very put together. I would describe her style as classic vintage. She wears lots of patterns and bright colors but in a very casual way.
“I loves comfy clothing: jeans, boots, and a chunky sweater,” she said. “I also loves silver jewelry.”
Gudas grew up in Binghampton, New York where she currently lives with her parents, sister and dog. She was educated in Binghamton until her freshman year of high school when she transferred to the Westminster School and repeated a grade. She ended up at Middlebury partly because Westminster has such a large contingency of students that continue on to study the College, but she also has family connections to the town itself. Gudas’s grandparents used to live in Middlebury; Gudas even took her first steps on the Middlebury golf course. In a way, attending Middlebury was simply bringing her life full circle.
You could say Gudas’s love for fashion emerged through her passion for jewelry. When she was younger, she and her sister had a small jewelry business where they participated in local trunk shows and sold their merchandise to a few retail stores.
“I didn’t become interested in clothing until around junior year of high school. I had some friends who sparked my interest in fashion, and I started to look at fashion blogs and read magazines from then on,” Gudas said.
When she began making money and buying her own clothes, Gudas started her mission for great deals and got into “bidding wars” on websites like eBay.
Gudas thinks that people underestimate eBay and even claims that she gets most of her clothes from the site.
“If I see something in a magazine that I think looks cute, I’ll look up the item or style on eBay, and something always pops up,” she said. “It’s always much cheaper than the original price. Even if the clothes are pre-owned, you can usually tell by the pictures how much the person actually wore them.”
So why don’t more people shop on eBay to buy their clothing? Most likely it’s because people don’t realize that they do not need to spend a fortune on clothing, accessories or even jewelry. The same exact Frye boot that you have been saving up for could be on eBay for half of its original cost, and you could spend that other money on something far more important or meaningful. After all, we are all college students struggling on little income, so why not save a few bucks and jump onto eBay or other bidding sites?
Like me, you may have assumed that eBay only sells used clothing, when in reality you can buy clothing with the tags still on them. Nevertheless, buying clothing that has been worn “a couple of times” is very similar to buying a new piece of clothing in a store that has been tried on several times by plenty of different customers. You also have to spend two to three times as much for an item that has not been worn over an item that has only been worn once.
Gudas’s alternative form of shopping may be a great new option for many of us college students. It allows us to keep up with the trends and the high designer items without giving up every cent in our wallet. So next time you have a craving for online shopping, saw a great leather jacket in this months Vogue, or have a themed party that you need overalls for, it might be worth your time to scroll through eBay before you make a huge financial investment elsewhere.
(01/22/14 4:31pm)
Exactly one year ago, I was tapped on the shoulder in Ross Dining Hall by a sophomore guy who asked me, “Are you the girl that wore those patterned leggings last week?”
My answer was “yes,” as I grinned ecstatically, so incredibly pleased that someone noticed those leggings that were going to be either a total hit or miss. That conversation sparked the first of many, many conversations that Ola Fadairo ’15 and I have shared over our love of fashion.
Even if you do not know Fadairo, you know Ola. You have heard him, noticed him, admired him, and I guarantee you’ve wanted to befriend him. He walks around campus in his classic black pea coat, sporting either some type of NYC flat cap or exceedingly cool sunglasses.
The kid has style and there is no question about that.
Born and raised in New York City, Fadairo’s style originated in what some would call the fashion capital of the world.
“Every time I go out I feel like I need to be on par with everyone else in terms of what I wear,” he said. “I like seeing what I can do with my wardrobe in the context of a city where fashion is an essential part of its identity.”
Both of his parents emigrated from Nigeria and have become extremely successful individuals in their new New York City home. His father has his Ph.D. in computer science and is the chair of the computer science and information systems department at Medgar Evers College in New York. His mother has her masters in architecture and works as a real estate broker. His parents’ motivation to come to a different country for a better life and more opportunities has inspired Fadairo to “treat every facet of [his] life with dedication.”
According to his parents, part of success is “looking the part.” They believe that dressing maturely is an essential part of achievement, especially in a professional environment. Bottom line, they teach Fadairo that he will be assessed on the way he presents himself.
One of the things I admire most about Fadairo is his ability to admit the obvious. You will be judged. Everyone will be judged. Even though you cannot stop that, you can have some sort of control over what people think of you through the way you dress.
Fadairo’s style is a combination of urban and prep. Growing up in New York City, he rolled with a circle of people that were from lower-end parts of the city, but attended the private schools of high society. Their involvement in both ends of the economic and social demographics of the city influenced their mixture of hip-hop and classic elite prep.
“It isn’t too often you’ll find men from an urban background in a private school setting,” he said, which is why his hybrid style is not just for show, but a political statement.
By diving deeper into this idea of fashion as a kind of political propaganda, one can understand why Fadairo feels caught between two worlds.
“If I dress too urban, certain negative normative judgments will be passed and the same is true on the preppy side,” he said. “Finding the balance not only allows me to look good, but it makes my life a lot easier. It’s kind of crazy to think that the way one dresses has social implications.”
Fadairo was not always into fashion. When he was younger, he simply wore what fit. It was not until a guy two years older than him at Collegiate High School “took [him] under his wing in terms of transforming [his] sense of style.”
It was then that everything his parents had taught him about presenting himself properly made sense. The way Fadairo used to dress represented the way he was feeling on the inside, which at the time was purposeless. Once he really took a look at the way he dressed, he started taking himself more seriously and started having dreams and aspirations.
“It’s kind of ironic that something that can be viewed as superficial, such as fashion, helped me find myself on a deeper level,” he said. “Isn’t that what fashion is about? Dressing to express yourself, make a statement or just bring you confidence and happiness…not to imply your economic status or capability to wear things that others cannot.”
As far as inspiration goes, Fadairo is most profoundly impacted by his older brother’s fashion. His brother owns his own public relations firm in New York City and is surrounded by the industry, as he works fashion weeks in New York, London and Paris. To Fadairo, his greatest advice is to be yourself regardless of what people may think.
“He believes being stared at is a privilege,” he said. If people take time out of their day to acknowledge you regardless of their opinion, it means you’re doing something worth noticing.”
With that type of attitude as his role model, Fadairo “likes to take risks and develop something new everyday.”
Fashion can be seen on multiple levels. On the one hand it can be interpreted as superficial, materialistic and egotistical. On an entirely different spectrum, fashion can be used as a technique to bridge the gaps of our society and our world — it is up to you to decide which path you will let fashion take you down.
“Fashion connects humans on a more personal level than people realize, so if I can achieve a more personal interaction with people based on the way I dress, I’m content,” he said.
I think the relationship Ola and I have is a perfect example of that idea. We connected over fashion; it brought us together regardless of our different genders, interests, hobbies, backgrounds etc. So I leave you with the wise words of Fadairo and his incredibly unique taste:
“Fashion gives us a sense of identity. To know that you own a piece that is unique to you or that has some sort of sentimental value is a special value. I constantly ask myself ‘why are you wearing this?’ Some might consider this level of analysis to be too in-depth, but I feel if I’m not questioning myself, I’m going through life blindly.”
(12/05/13 12:15am)
Hunter boots, polo shirts, the newest Tory Burch flat or even a classic barbour jacket are the last things you will find in Hannah Deoul’s ’14 closet. The senior, originally from Baltimore, has a style far too unique to blend in with the crowd. Known for her Berlin-style clothing, “Doodles” (as she is referred to by most) breaks the boundaries and sets new limits on what most consider a very homogenous college campus.
Perhaps it’s Deoul’s energy, contagious spirit or overall personality that brightens every room she walks into, but the brightness can also be attributed to her pure confidence and bravery to make statements through her fashion.
“Life is too short to wear boring clothes,” Deoul said. “Confidence is key.”
Deoul’s style can be best described as, “bohemian-chic, funky, and fun.”
Her favorite looks for fall and going into winter include layers, boots and scarves.
“A baggy tee and black leggings. Ugh too good!” Deoul said.
Her look this week included black booties, leather leggings, an oversized ‘LOVE’ knit sweater, jean and cotton jacket and a huge skull scarf. Topped off with a black cross body bag and a patterned headband, the look is completely Berlin chic.
What is most striking to me is her amazing ability to turn everyday clothing into something entirely original.
Deoul, like many girls at the College, loves to shop at Urban Outfitters.
“I walked into Urban last week and literally loved everything in sight.” Deoul said. Her other favorite go-to spots include LF’s 60 percent off semi-annual sale, Free People and of course “a good thrift store.”
Deoul is very much inspired by Cara Delevingne, specifically for her love of the beanie. Delevingne is a high fashion model that embodies a “free spirited” approach to fashion. She is most frequently seen in vintage outfits that have a rock and roll edge to them.
Her other fashion icons are the Olsen twins, and their ability to go both casual and dressy depending on their attitude every day. Deoul looks to Mary-Kate for a grungy, independent style and Ashley for those “feeling pretty” days.
But these icons only go so far in Deoul’s eyes because she is most heavily influenced by her experience studying in Berlin. Deoul, a German major, spent her junior fall living and studying in the city.
“My style completely elevated after being abroad in Berlin,” she said. “A city with the motto of “sexy but poor,” Berlin is the perfect environment for one to experiment with their hipster and artistic side. Deoul would go thrift store shopping and “up-cycle” every ensemble. Short black boots have become her staple to complete any look.
“My favorite takeaway from Berlin is to radiate confidence, and others will believe it.”
Deoul’s fashion revelations hit her while she was abroad, in an entirely new world, by herself. To this day, Deoul is still taken by her experience in Germany and carries that experience with her in everyday life. Is this the step we all need to take to find our own inner bravura? Going abroad (or really going anywhere new) to a place that inspires us; not only benefits one intellectually, mentally, and spiritually, but also challenges one to find themselves in an art form through which people declare themselves to the world: fashion. The clothes that someone put on their body are an expression of emotion, personality and creativity. They can reveal so much about an individual and provide a canvas that illustrates a person’s past experiences and sometimes disclose where they want to go in the future.
Since fashion is interpreted in millions of different ways all over the globe, it serves as the perfect method to learn about different cultures and to experiment with different philosophies around the planet. Deoul brought Berlin’s style back to Middlebury and left a little bit of Middlebury there. Through this, she is broadening her own horizons as she simultaneously expands others as well.
Fashion and individual style is a way to bring the world closer, to connect groups of people all around the world. If Middlebury hasn’t already convinced you to study abroad, then maybe this will? Take a chance at finding yourself, sharing your flair and collecting a little piece of the world to carry with you for the rest of your life.
(10/30/13 9:52pm)
If you’ve already purchased a pre-made and unoriginal costume for Halloween, it’s never too early to start thinking about next year’s costume. Why not try an alternative to the classic itchy polyester costume packaged in a seal-tight plastic bag?
In town, Mendy’s, a high quality, fashion forward women’s clothing store on Main Street, lies “The Good Witch.” Named after Glenda the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz, “The Good Witch” is a costume shop owned and operated by the manager of Mendy’s herself, Addy Dorman.
Dorman crafts the costumes by hand, selects the accessories and works all year long to create the most creative and elaborate costumes for this exciting time of year.
At age 10, Dorman’s mother taught her how to sew because she foresaw her daughter being too small to fit into her clothes. After years of practice, she started working with recycled materials such as jersey knit t-shirts. By age 17 , Dorman was selling her original skirts constructed out of old recycled t-shirts.
After graduating high school, Dorman attended the College for a brief time before she transferred to the Massachusetts College of Art. She graduated in 2009 with a BA in Fine Arts 3D, with a concentration in fibers. After graduation she came back to Middlebury and worked at Mendy’s where she then began her first entrepreneurial endeavor.
Ever since she was a young girl, Dorman has always loved “dress up,” but was particularly fond of Halloween. Some might even say that her passion for the fall holiday began at birth. She was born on Oct. 27, just four days before Halloween. According to Dorman, however, her fondness for this holiday stems from her life goal: being her own person. By designing and creating Halloween costumes, Dorman is able to live out a life in fashion with her own sense of direction and self-autonomy.
This year, for the first time, The Good Witch is carrying both men’s and women’s costumes. Dorman commented on a theme she noticed regarding the most popular getups. The top three costumes most admired by both men and women have been, a super hero, a Native American and a pirate.
Out of the three, Dorman’s favorite is Wonder Women.
“Every girl wants to be Wonder Women,” Dorman said. “And any guy would be superman, batman, the green lantern, the hulk, ironman, and captain America. Men like to dress up as superheroes and so do girls.”
Dorman provided some advice for girls attempting to dress up as Wonder Woman. She suggests starting out with a onesie, then adding tights, a gold crown, cuffed wrists, a red corset, a gold bust and a star-spangled banner bottom.
According to the costume expert herself, there is no need for a college student to spend more than $40 to $50 on a costume. Further, no one should ever be exceeding $100. In Dorman’s eyes, a great outfit only must include, “$40 for the dress or body piece and $15 to $20 for accessories”.
Wondering what the Queen of Halloween is dressing up as herself? Dorman will be going as a white pegacorn, which is a combination of Pegasus and a unicorn. Inspired by the original Disney fantasia, she will wear a white horse costume with wings and a horn.
Dorman offered some final words of advice when it comes to dressing up on Halloween.
“Have fun with the costume, don’t be afraid to push the limits, go all out and dress as your alter ego,” she said.
As for Halloween night, “Be a good sport, join the party and be part of the event,” Dorman said. “Most importantly, however, admire other costumes and gather inspiration from the night.”
(10/10/13 12:27am)
Unbeknownst to many students at the College, there lies a world past Porter Hospital — a picturesque community of charmingly identical houses and apartments called Eastview. Within that community live Heather and Charles Robinson, two very proud College Alumni.
I was greeted at Eastview last Wednesday by Heather, waiting for me at the entrance to the main building in a grey Middlebury sweatshirt. She then introduced me to her husband, Charles, and together, their excitement over this interview and their Alma Mater was contagious. In the most unusually beautiful way, it felt like I had met Charles and Heather before — the couple seem to represent every student that walked around the Middlebury Campus fifty years ago, works in the library now, and will live in Battell in 20 years’ time. They are Panthers, just like every single student here now.
The three of us sat in a meeting room for 40 minutes, reminiscing about their experience at Middlebury, what they did with their lives after graduation, and how they always ended up gravitating back towards their favorite place in central Vermont.
When asked why they came to Middlebury 56 years ago, Heather responded with a giggle, saying, “I was a romantic eighteen year old girl from Illinois and I fell in love with New England.”
She grew up right outside Chicago and attended New Trier High School, where she recalled graduating with around 700 classmates — 95 percent of whom went on to college, with only 15-20 percent coming to the east coast.
Charles, on the other hand, grew up just south of Middlebury in a small Vermont town where only three out of the 31 students in his class went to college.
Their tracks were different; Heather choosing to attend the College for adventure and Charles being highly encouraged and financially inclined to go to Middlebury — Charles’ father said Middlebury was the only school he would pay for him to go to.
Those tracks finally came together at the College in their studies as well their relationship. Both Heather and Charles studied sociology. Heather was involved in intermural sports and Charles was part of a “Dixie land jazz band” known as “The Old Chapel Six.” During winter carnival season, Charles and his band traveled to surrounding schools to perform on Saturday nights. Heather jokingly admitted that if she wanted a Saturday night date, she would tour with the band.
Besides Proctor being converted to a dining facility, McCullough transforming from the women’s gymnasium to the current student center and the current athletic center expansion, not much has changed. Heather and Charles agree that the College has remained very similar to the place they once called home, besides the sushi bar, which Charles teasingly confessed that some of his friends thought is a tad bit over-the-top.
The most important aspect of the College, to Heather, is that it has stayed so consistent over the years in keeping a small community. The number of students has remained low in comparison to other academic institutions, which creates a feeling of true community and a sense of home for students as well as alumni.
The only grave difference that Charles has noticed over the years is society-triggered. 56 years ago when students were graduating college, the question was not “will you get a job,” but rather, “what job will you take.” And according to Charles, this has had an affect on the way that students approach and experience college. Instead of studying what they please, and enjoying themselves, students are bogged down with concerns of what classes, grades, and extracurricular activities will look good on their resume.
When Charles graduated, they did not have that pressure. He went to the army for two years directly after graduation and had a handful of jobs to choose from when he returned.
To counterbalance that idea, Heather commented on the wonderful job professors do in combining multiple disciplines so that students are not pigeon-holed into a major chosen only based upon practicality as opposed to passion.
The Robinson’s starting dating when Heather was a sophomore and Charles was a junior and got married the August after her graduation. Back then, men and women lived on separate sides of campus and everyone had to be in their dorms by 11:00 or 12:00 p.m., depending on their year. These rules were expected, however, and not questioned or contested by the student body. This mentality could be attributed to the times or to the fact that the 1950’s was known as the “silent generation” — rarely did students speak up for themselves.
When discussing romance on campus, Charles and Heather both told stories that they remember fondly from their days at school. Outside Battell South, Heather recalls watching several women on campus receive their goodnight kisses under a Weeping Willow tree. And Charles’ favorite memory of the College is the story behind generations of students marrying within the community. According to Charles, legend says that the high percentage is due to the winters being so cold and students needing to somehow “stay warm.”
The Robinsons returned to Middlebury for the first time during their ten-year reunion. From then they started coming back every two years. Since their move, Heather has audited a class every semester. Charles recently started as well. This semester Heather is taking Glenn Andres’ “American Design” and Charles is taking Anne Knowles’ “History of Cartography.”
Having been involved in the College community as students and now as alumni, the Robinsons have had a very close relationship with the school. They have watched the college grow over the years and noticed its major changes. The College has always had a strong reputation but it has gotten exceedingly stronger over the years.
At the end of the interview ,when asked what advice they would give to students at the College now, Heather waited a few seconds before responding. She said she would advise students to meet as many different people as they can and to be mindful of the different types of students in the community. The College is small and isolated and Heather thinks that these four years are the greatest time to interact and learn from the people around you who come from all different cultures and walks of life. The quality of the faculty is another thing that Heather would recommend people to not take for granted. Charles, on the other hand, highyl reccomends studying abroad.
“Go somewhere that is very different from you,” he said. “Have a real understanding on what people do for work…go to the job center early and see the workforce as a whole. Do not approach it thinking only a few types of jobs or experiences will make you successful.”
The Robinson’s experience at the College was a great one, so full of memories and happiness that they returned. Their wise words and age tell us to take advantage of the opportunities presented to us at this school and to not miss a moment.
(09/18/13 11:40pm)
The Middlebury women’s volleyball opened the 2013 season with four wins at the Johnson & Wales Tournament, Friday Sept. 13, and Saturday, Sept. 14. Not only did they acquire the victory over all four teams they competed against in the tournament, but they did so in dominant fashion, winning each contest in a 3-0 shutout.
Notable moments in the first game included senior Captain Amy Hart ‘14’s nine kills and Piper Underbrink ’15’s eight on 11 attempts. Further contributing to the offense was senior Captain Megan Jarchow ’14 who added seven kills and Kathryn Haderlein ‘16 who led the team with 32 assists. Defensively, Lauren Alper ’16 kept the team in points with eight digs while first-year middle hitter Melanie English ’17 finished with a pair of blocks. The Panthers made relatively easy work of the host school, dropping Johnson and Wales 25-14, 25-18, 25-19.
“Our first win felt great,” English said. “It was great for the team to start off with a solid three-set victory on the JWU’s home court.”
Jarchow shined again during the game against University of New England, the first game of a Saturday triple-header, adding nine kills and six service aces. Defensive specialist Alper excelled as well, sprawling for 15 digs on the defensive side. The Nor’Easters gave the Panthers their biggest scare in the first set, taking 21 points before Middlebury closed out the set. The Panthers surrendered just 32 points over the final two sets en route to their first victory of the day.
English had another strong performance against Wheaton College, earning eight kills and accumulating an .889 hitting percentage. Underbrink led the squad with nine kills, followed by Olivia Kolodka ’15 and English with eight apiece as Middlebury made quick work of Wheaton in three sets (18, 12, 18).
The last game of the tournament was another shutout in which senior captain Megan Anderson ’14 hit .727 with eight kills to lead the team against Mount Ida. Lizzy Reed ’15 contributed nine kills and first-years Gabi Rosenfeld ’17 and Hannah Blackburn ’17 recorded seven kills and five digs, respectively, joining English as first-year players making immediate impacts.
“Our first-year class is extremely strong this year,” Alper said. “We have two middles, an outside and a right side hitter—all front row positions—so their presence has already made an impact in the front row.”
The game-readiness of the first-year class and the improvement of the teams returners will help ease the departure of a talented senior class that included 2012 Defensive Player of the Year Caitlin Barrett ’13 as well as Second Team All-NESCAC right hitter Julia Gibbs ’13.
“We may have lost some great volleyball players, but the team really hasn’t skipped a beat,” Anderson said. “We have returners who have stepped up to fill the shoes of the graduating seniors and we have a lot of depth in our team that will allow for competitive practices.”
The 4-0 start is the first step in a season full of promise for the 2013 squad, which believes the biggest opponent to back-to-back NESCAC championships and a fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance is themselves.
“There is no one particular team that we see as our greatest competitor this year,” Anderson said. “Teams change from year to year, and we have to go into every match this season with equal intensity.”
The team opens its NESCAC schedule on Saturday, Sept. 21 against Colby in Pepin Gymnasium.
(05/09/13 3:38am)
With the clock showing double zeros and the final horn having sounded, members of both the Middlebury men’s lacrosse team and the visiting Wesleyan Cardinals celebrated on Middlebury’s Youngman Field. Just seconds previously Jon Broome ’16 — the NESCAC Rookie of the Year, and the conference’s leading goal-scorer — had maneuvered his way into the heart of Wesleyan’s stingy zone defense and, as time expired, unleashed a shot into the lower left-hand corner of the goal.
Pandemonium ensued — Broome and his teammates under the impression that the first-year phenom had tied the game with no time left, sending the NESCAC semifinals into overtime, Wesleyan players convinced that Broome’s shot hadn’t broken the plane of the goal before time expired. The moment of confusion ended up being just that — a moment — as the referees converged, waving off the goal that might have saved the Panthers’ season.
Instead, Middlebury lost in heartbreaking fashion in the NESCAC semifinals, 9-8 to fourth-seeded Wesleyan, denying the Panthers a spot in the NCAA tournament in the process.
“I don’t think losing on Saturday was a function of being too confident,” said Scott Redmond ’13. “Wesleyan was a really good team and they were able to control the tempo of the game. They played us to within one goal in the regular season, and this game came down to the wire as well. I do think we all expected to play better than we did because of how well we played a week before against Amherst.”
After scoring a NESCAC-tournament-record 19 goals in the quarterfinals the week before against Amherst, Middlebury again started the game on the offensive end, opening up an early lead against the NESCAC’s top defensive team. Darric White ’14 and Stew Kerr ’13 each notched first quarter goals while Broome tacked on two more to give the team a 4-1 lead after the opening 15 minutes.
Dave Campbell’s team extended its lead to four late in the second quarter as Andrew Metros ’13 and Eric Pfeffer ’13 scored back-to-back long-range goals to give Middlebury a 7-3 lead with 3:44 remaining in the first half. That’s where things began to fall apart for the NESCAC’s top seed, as the Cardinals drew back two goals before the halftime break. Then, with seconds remaining in the half, Middlebury’s John Duvnjak ’13 was called for an ill-timed slashing penalty, giving Wesleyan an extra man opportunity to start the second half and guaranteed the Cardinals possession of the ball, as well.
The Cardinals carried the momentum into the second half, capitalizing on the advantage to start the half, scoring just 17 seconds after the re-start. Then, 62 seconds later, Wesleyan tied the game as Graham Macnab scored the third of his game-high four goals. Middlebury retook the lead later in the quarter as Billy Chapman ’13 scored the team’s only second half goal on a perfectly-executed fast break. Chapman, a first-team All-NESCAC selection, collected a pass from Panther goaltender Nate Gaudio ’14, raced the length of the field and exchanged a give-and-go pass with Mike Giordano ’13 before releasing a close-range shot that left almost no reaction time for Cardinals’ goaltender JD Dieterich.
This time, however, the lead was short-lived for the hosts as Wesleyan found another equalizer shortly after to send the game into the fourth quarter tied at eight. Both teams were denied multiple goal-scoring opportunities early in the quarter by the woodwork, including a sequence of three straight Wesleyan shots in a single offensive possession that ricocheted off of different sections of the goal.
The game remained tied at eight until the final minute when Macnab scored the game’s final goal with 46 seconds remaining, lulling Panther defenders to sleep before rocketing a shot into the top corner.
Middlebury then scrambled off of a lost face-off to re-gain possession of the ball for the game’s final sequence. Campbell called a timeout with 13 seconds remaining to draw up the team’s final play. Middlebury waited too long to set up Broome’s final shot, however, killing valuable seconds that cost the team an opportunity to tie the game and, ultimately, return to the NCAA tournament.
Despite the truncated postseason, the team made great strides from a season ago when it finished 4-9 and failed to qualify for the NESCAC tournament. And while a number of talented seniors depart, Broome and Joel Blockowicz ’15 — two of the team’s six double-digit goal scorers return, along with a talented crop of juniors and underclassmen.
“I would urge the underclassmen to work even harder next offseason than we did this year, and not to get complacent because of the success we had this season,” said Redmond. “I think this team has a bright future. This first-year class is one of the most talented classes I’ve seen in my four years.”
DAMON HATHEWAY ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT
(05/01/13 8:15pm)
This past Saturday, April 27, the Middlebury men’s lacrosse team played host to Amherst in a NESCAC quarterfinal matchup, securing a spot in the semifinal round with a 19-9 win. The Panthers edged Williams in their regular-season finale the previous Wednesday, April 24, by a final score of 15-14.
The Williams game was tight from the opening whistle, with the score at the end of the first half knotted at seven. The Panthers were able to open up a 12-8 third-quarter lead before withstanding a late run from the Ephs and holding on to win by one.
In beating Williams, Middlebury was able to lock down the number-one seed for the NESCAC tournament, and to secure some momentum heading into the quarterfinals against eighth-seeded Amherst.
In Saturday’s contest, Scott Redmond ’13 opened the scoring for the Panthers with a goal in the game’s eighth minute. First-year standout Jon Broome ’16 added his first goal before Redmond added another to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead. A pair of Amherst goals cut the Middlebury lead to two before Broome’s second gave the Panthers a 4-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Panthers added to the lead in the second quarter, with Darric White ’14, Erich Pfeffer ’13 and Joel Blockowicz ’15 working goals around a single Lord Jeff tally to help Middlebury to a 7-3 halftime lead.
Coming out of the break, Middlebury exploded on the offensive end. Four different Panthers recorded goals in the quarter – including three from Broome – to stretch the Middlebury lead to 10 before a pair of Amherst goals trimmed the lead to eight. At the end of the third, the Panthers held a convincing 15-7 lead.
Broome took over the game in the fourth quarter, recording four goals to push his total to eight. Broome’s eighth and final goal – with 1:12 remaining in the game – would also be the last for the Panthers, who secured the win by a final score of 19-9.
“Scoring eight goals was definitely exciting, and I’m happy that I was able to finish when opportunities presented themselves,” said Broome. “I think setting the team scoring record for the tournament is even more impressive; it was one of those days when everybody stepped up and stuck shots.
Broome’s eight goals in the game are a new NESCAC tournament record, though he was quick to assign credit for the win to his teammates.
“Darric White had an absolute rip and Mike Giordano’s two goals and five assists should not get overlooked,” he said. “This win is a testament to the hard work we’ve put in this entire year, the senior leadership and our coaches.”
Middlebury held a 51-47 advantage in shots in the game, though the Lord Jeffs picked up five more ground balls and won three more faceoffs, holding edges of 39-34 and 17-14 in those two categories, respectively.
“The game against Amherst was exciting for a lot of reasons,” said Broome. “It was the first time we really put together a complete game in both the offense and defensive end. In a few other games, we’ve gotten out to a good lead and then let the other team back in it, but on Saturday, we kept the foot on the gas throughout the whole game.”
The Panthers are currently ranked sixth in the nation as they advance to the semifinals of the NESCAC tournament, where they will play Wesleyan at home this Saturday, May 4, with a spot in the conference title game on the line.
“If our team plays with that level of intensity, I think we have a good chance of winning the tournament,’ said Broome.
Despite winning the tournament seven times in the past 12 years, the Panthers have not won the NESCAC tournament since 2007. Last year also marked the first time that the Panthers failed to qualify for the tournament since its inception.
Middlebury defeated Saturday’s foe, Wesleyan, by a score of 7-6 on March 23 of this year. Broome recorded a hat trick in that contest, as the Panthers traded goals with the Cardinals until late in the fourth quarter when Sean Carroll ’16 sealed the game off an assist from Driscoll.
Wesleyan took down Bowdoin 8-7 in overtime in its quarterfinal tilt.
(04/25/13 1:11am)
This past Saturday, April 20, the Middlebury men’s lacrosse team suited up to take on Colby in front of parents, friends and alumni. The men had no problems with the Mules, running to a 16-10 win.
“Having the alumni up here for alumni weekend is always a lot of fun, and it is encouraging to see the support that we have from a group of people who really care about the program,” said goalie Gabe Weissmann ’15. “Given that last year’s game was a loss for us on alumni weekend, they were all really excited to see us dominate Colby, especially since Colby ended our hopes at making playoffs last year.”
The teams traded leads early, but a Middlebury goal from Mike Giordano ’13 kicked off a 10-goal barrage to give the Panthers solid control of the game. Jon Broome ’16 added a goal to give Middlebury a 4-3 lead before Erich Pfeffer ’13 added one of his own to give the Panthers a 5-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Tim Giarrusso ’16, Stew Kerr ’13 and Andrew Metros ’13 added goals to separate the Panthers from the Mules. By the end of the half, Middlebury had opened up a 10-3 lead.
Coming out of the break, Joel Blockowicz ’15 nailed a lefty shot to reopen the Panther scoring. By the time Colby was able to answer the Middlebury barrage seven minutes into the half, the Panthers had racked up a 12-4 lead which they would not relinquish. The teams traded goals in the fourth quarter – including a tally from Metros – and the Mules were able to trim the deficit to six, but the Panthers held on to win 16-10.
Giordano finished the game with three goals and two assists while Broome added two goals and two assists. Pfeffer and Metros added hat tricks to the stat sheets, while Kerr ended his penultimate regular-season game with two goals and an assist.
Nate Gaudio ’14 recorded 10 saves in the net for Middlebury before being relieved by Jack Reilly ’13 in the game’s final minute.
Middlebury out-shot Colby 53-36 on the day, including a 31-17 first-half advantage. The Panthers also held significant advantages in ground balls and turnovers.
“A combination of hard work, driven attitudes and an ability to play loose on game days are all contributing to the success of our season,” said Weissmann. “Our ability to continue to push ourselves in practice and never settle for mediocrity is a contributing factor as to why this year has been so different.”
After beating the Mules, the Panthers advance to 11-2 on the season and 7-2 in NESCAC play. The win also secured the team’s place in the NESCAC quarterfinals, which they will host this Saturday, April 27 on Youngman Field.
“We are going to approach this game as we do with every other game, worrying about what we need to do to carry out our game plan between the starting and ending whistles and nothing else,” said Weissmann.
(04/17/13 11:14pm)
This past weekend April 13 and 14, the men’s lacrosse team faced off against Trinity College on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium. The Panthers came away with a win against the Bantams, advancing to a 6-2 NESCAC record. Then, the team traveled to Skidmore to down the Thoroughbreads 12-5 on Tuesday, April 16, in a non-conference tilt to push its overall record to 10-2. The 12th-ranked Panthers will play two more regular season games and two more NESCAC games before the NESCAC quarterfinals begin on April 27.
“One of the team mottos that we’ve had over the years is ‘Do what we do,’” said senior tri-captain Stew Kerr ’13.
“Every time we step out on a field we try to play our game, no matter who the opponent is. That being said, we were definitely motivated to beat Trinity after losing a close game to them last year. I think that mentality was in our heads the entire game, and it pushed us to keep our focus even when Trinity made a comeback.”
After a back and forth start to the game, Middlebury shot ahead of Trinity at the 9:08 mark, with five straight goals. Mike Giordano ’13 started off the streak for the Panthers with and then continued shortly after to assist Kerr at 7:44. Giordano scored once again 22 seconds later, and was followed by goals from underclassmen Joel Blockowicz ’15 and Jon Broome ’16.
The Panthers held a very comfortable 8-1 lead over the Bantams in the second quarter. Broome tallied two goals followed by fellow first-year Steve Brown ’16 with one. Trailing by seven goals,
Trinity came back hard and brought the score back to 8-6, after a series of five quick goals.
The third quarter was more of a back-and-forth game, as both teams traded goals, maintaining a two-to-three-point score differential. The score stood at 10-8 when Giordano executed a tremendous wrap-around shot from behind the net with his left hand to score his third goal of the game with 0.4 seconds remaining, giving is team an 11-8 lead to end the quarter.
The Panthers started the fourth quarter off strong as tri-captain Billy Chapman ’16 grabbed the ball after the faceoff and scored unassisted. After trading goals back and forth, the score remained 14-10 with just over seven minutes left in the game.
Trinity was not going to give up and scored twice more before the game ended, bringing the score to a tight 14-12 finish. Middlebury’s defense stayed strong and the offense played smart as they let the time run out to ensure the two-point lead. With this close win over Trinity, the Panthers advance to 9-2, a record already far and away better than last year.
Broome tallied four goals, Giordano three, Kerr and Blockowicz two, Darric White ’14 one, Steve Brown ’16 one and Chapman one. Giordano, George Curtis ’14, Erich Pfeffer ’13 and Scott Redmond ’13 made assists for the Panthers in the close win.
Middlebury outshot the competition by 21 goals, picked up 26 more ground balls and won 21 out of the 28 face-offs.
“At this point in the season it’s easy to look ahead at NESCAC playoffs or NCAAs, but we’re really focusing on taking each game one at a time,” said Kerr. “All three left are big games, and we need to make sure that we are extremely focused in our preparation. We’d like to keep getting better every day and make sure that we’re playing our best lacrosse during these last few games.”
In its midweek tilt against out of conference opponent Skidmore, the Panthers used a dominant first half run to cement an 8-2 lead at the end of the first frame.
Despite allowing the game’s first goal just under three minutes into the contest, Middlebury came back with a 4-0 streak to lead 4-1 at the end of the first quarter. This included tallies from Kerr and Broome, with Andrew Metros ’13 netting two.
Broome went on to record three goals and an assist in the contest, stretching his team lead in goals to 33.
In the second quarter, Cal Williams ’15, Harrison Goodkind ’15, Broome and Pfeffer anchored another 4-1 Middlebury run.
The third quarter started in Skidmore’s favor, with two Thoroughbread goals bringing the home side to 8-4.
That’s the closest the host’s would get to the Panthers, however, as another four straight goals from Blockowicz, Kerr, Giordano and Broome would see the visitors to a 12-4 lead.
The Panthers will play Colby on Saturday, April 20 at home in their second to last NESCAC game before the playoffs.
The team, now with a record of 10-2, has already far surpassed last year’s 4-9 mark. The Panthers also sit at second in the NESCAC and have almost surely secured a spot for the upcoming NESCAC tournament — a clear improvement over last year’s absence.
(04/10/13 9:54pm)
Since students departed for spring break on March 22, the men’s lacrosse team has played six games, recording four wins and two losses. The Panthers’ record currently stands at 8-2 overall, with a 5-2 mark in NESCAC play.
Recently, the Panthers faced off on the road against Tufts and Amherst, recording a 10-8 win and a 14-13 loss on April 6 and 7, respectively.
Mike Ford ’15 commented on the team’s mentality before the games.
“The team was definitely feeling good going into the weekend, but we still knew that we hadn’t played our best lacrosse yet so we were excited to go out and compete against two great teams,” he said.
Over the break, the team earned wins over Wesleyan, Hamilton and New England College, while falling in a one-goal game to Bowdoin. Since then, the team played conference road games against Amherst and Tufts on Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and 7.
“We were looking to rebound from our first loss on the season, and in the NESCAC, against two great teams in Amherst and Tufts,” said tri-captain Billy Chapman ’13. “This was our biggest weekend of the season thus far and we were excited at the opportunity we had in front of us.”
Ford also spoke of the loss to the Polar Bears as a reality check for the squad.
“I think the loss to Bowdoin was a good thing for us as a team,” said Ford. “It showed us how competitive the NESCAC is and that any team can win on any given day. We all learned a lot from that game and it definitely made us better and will for sure help us down the road.”
On this past Saturday against Amherst, the squad scored three goals in 68 seconds as part of a 4-0 second-quarter run to take an 8-3 halftime lead. The run featured Jon Broome ’16, Christian Johansen ’16 and Joel Blockowicz ’15 all scoring in just over a minute to run the Panther lead to 8-3 at the half.
In the second half, the Lord Jeffs mounted a late comeback, but ultimately fell short, and Middlebury went on to win by a final tally of 10-8.
Broome tallied a game high three goals, while George Curtis ’14, Blockowicz, tri-captain Stew Kerr ’13, Mike Giordano ’13, Scott Redmond ’13, Spencer Macquarrie ’14 and Tim Giarrusso ’16 each added one to the winning effort.
The Panthers outshot the Jeffs 49-44 in the game, while Amherst held advantages in faceoffs and ground balls.
“It always feels good to win a NESCAC game, but the Amherst win felt especially good,” said Chapman.
The next day the Panthers traveled to Boston to challenge conference foe Tufts. The Jumbos took control for the majority of the game and came out with a one-point lead to end the game with a score of 14-13.
The Panthers started the game off with a 4-1 lead before Tufts turned the momentum to tie the score at the beginning of the second period. Early in the fourth period, the Jumbos took control of the game, running their lead to six at 14-8.
In the final nine minutes of the game, Redmond started a run of goals that led to four more Panther goals. Even with the final run, however, Middlebury fell just short and the final buzzer blew with Tufts holding a 14-13 lead.
Middlebury once again outshot their components, this time 47-41. The Jumbos held advantages in faceoffs and ground balls.
“Our plan for our last four games is to get better each game and play a complete game for all 60 minutes and our goal going into NESCACs is to be clicking on all cylinders and playing our best lacrosse,” said Chapman.
Middlebury returns to action when they play host to Trinity this Saturday, April 13. The Panthers then travel to Skidmore for a non-conference game against Skidmore on Tuesday, April 16.
“Coming off a disappointing season last year the mentality of the team this year was to play with a chip on our shoulder,” said Ford. “We had something to prove this year and that was to carry on the tradition of Middlebury lacrosse. The next four games are all equally important, as every team we play has a great program, and we need to come out and play our best to get some momentum heading into NESCACs.”
While the Panthers certainly have much left to prove, the team has already recorded twice as many wins as last year’s squad, which finished 4-9.
With just four contests remaining before the start of the NESCAC playoffs, the Panthers are inching towards a trip back to the conference tournament after not making the tournament last year.
They will face their next NESCAC opponent Saturday, April 13, at home against Trinity, and then will only face two more NESCAC opponents before playoffs begin.
(03/20/13 8:50pm)
The Middlebury women’s ice hockey team flew to Wisconsin last week to compete in the “Frozen Four” of the NCAA tournament. Saturday, March 15th, the team claimed a 4-1 victory over previously undefeated Plattsburgh Sate, advancing Middlebury to the national championship game on Saturday, March 16. Unfortunately, Sunday did not conclude in the same fashion, as the Panthers fell to Elmira 1-0. The Soaring Eagles scored the game’s lone goal 12:32 into the second period and the Panthers, despite attempting 30 shots on goal could not beat Elmira goaltender Lauren Sullivan, who earned her 11th shutout of the season, stymieing Middlebury’s championship aspirations.
In addition to sending the Panthers to the national championship game, Friday’s victory over Plattsburgh State also avenged the team’s Jan. 30 loss to the Cardinals in the regular season. The game remained scoreless for the first 10 minutes until senior forward Lauren Greer ’13 tapped in the opening goal. The Panther goal came during a power play and was assisted by Hannah Bielawski ’15. The score remained 1-0 for the remainder of the period despite six penalties between the two teams.
Plattsburgh opened the second period with a hard shot on net that almost tied the game 34 seconds into the period. However, the Panthers answered as Emily Fluke ’15 scored her 17th goal of the season at the 3:40 mark. The goal was unassisted as Fluke had the puck to herself when she nailed the wrist shot and brought the game to 2-1. The second period finished 2-0, however, the roles were reversed as Plattsburgh had four more shots on net than Middlebury and tallied up two more penalties for their squad. In the third period, Plattsburgh scored their first goal of the game at the 3:07 mark. Molly Downey ’13 then brought back the two-goal lead with an unassisted goal at the 17:25 mark. With less than 20 seconds left in the game, Maggie Woodward ’13 proved that Middlebury was not content with a 3-1 game and scored her second goal of the season on Plattsburgh’s open net.
Throughout the game, goalie Annabelle Jones had a total of 20 saves — two in the first period, nine in the second and nine in the third. Plattsburgh totaled three more penalties over Middlebury’s six.
On Sunday, March 16, the Panthers sought to earn their fourth NCAA championship as they stood up against Elmira. Despite taking 30 shots on goal — the Panthers outshot Elmira by four shots over the course of the game — and solid play from all three shifts, the Panthers fell 1-0 to the Soaring Eagles.
Saturday’s national championship game marked the fifth time that Middlebury has appeared in the NCAA title game. The Panthers finished the 2012-13 season with a 20-8-2 record.
Elmira, who Middlebury beat twice in the regular season, edged out the Panthers to win the trophy by scoring the game’s only goal.
The first period was scoreless as the teams combined to take just six shots on net, failing to test either Jones or Elmira golatender Lauren Sullivan.
The second period looked similar until Elmira’s Taylor Steadman scored at the 12:26 mark. Steadman cleaned up a rebound off a shot from teammate Sam Curk, and fired a shot past Jones, who appeared to have trouble tracking the puck.
The game started to get physical as Middlebury tallied up two penalties in the second period and Elmira one — the Soaring Eagles’ fourth of the game. And despite a power play opportunity and 13 shots on net, Middlebury was unable to connect for a goal and the scored remained 1-0.
The Panthers’ inability to find the back of the net continued throughout the third period and the Panthers fell just short of a fourth national championship.
“The weekend was a whirlwind,” said Heather Marrison ’13. “I think everyone is extremely happy with the result and obviously we would have loved to win it all, but we are excited because we accomplished a lot to get there. Beating previously undefeated Plattsburgh was definitely one of my favorite moments in the season.
Middlebury held a 30-26 advantage in shots on net in the loss. Elmira had eight penalties, while Middlebury only had four, meaning that the Panthers had four extra minutes of power play, which proved unsuccessful.
Marrison was named to the all-tournament team while Madison Styrbicki ’13 earned All-American honors as both capped off tremendous senior seasons.
“Overall, I think that it was a great way to end the season and is a feeling we will hold on to for a while,” said Marrison.
(03/14/13 12:31am)
Last Saturday, March 9, the Middlebury women’s ice hockey team played in the quarterfinals for NCAA tournament against Norwich University. The Panthers put up an outstanding fight and 60 minutes of regulation play ended in a 2-2 tie. After 14:28 of overtime play, Katie Sullivan ’15 tapped in the game-winning goal to advance her team to the Frozen Four.
Middlebury will now travel to Superior, Wisc. this Friday, March 15, to take on Plattsburgh in the national semifinals.
“You have to beat the best teams to consider yours the best; we knew it wasn’t going to be an easy road to a national championship,” said Lauren Greer ’13. “But we’ve played Plattsburgh twice this season, and have lost both times, and we know that neither of those times we’ve put in a full 60 minutes of hard play. Third time is the charm. We know we have to score first, and we know any opportunities we get – and there will be few – we have to capitalize.”
Norwich took control of the game early in the first period. The Cadets scored two goals in the first 20 minutes of the game to Middlebury’s one. The first goal from the Panthers was Sullivan’s assisted by Greer.
The second period remained uneventful with no goals by either team. However, the game turned into an exciting battle when Middlebury scored at the 15:32 mark to tie the game. Sullivan contributed her second goal to the game with another assist from Greer. The two proved to be quite a dynamic duo throughout the competition.
With a tie game, the two teams headed into overtime. The first 14 minutes of play were a constant back-and-forth effort from both sides of the ice, however, and neither team could put in a goal.
At the 14:08 mark, Norwich earned a checking penalty, giving Middlebury an opportunity to score with a player advantage. Within the first 20 seconds of the power play, Sullivan tapped in her third goal of the game to win it for the Panthers. Katie Mandigo ’16 and Heather Marrison ’13 assisted Sullivan’s goal, and the Middlebury team poured onto the ice in celebration of their victory and advancement to the semifinals.
Throughout the game, Middlebury totaled only three penalties, one shy of Norwich to give them two extra minutes of power play time. The two teams were extremely close with shots on net, with Middlebury recording 28 to Norwich’s 29.
Annabelle Jones ’15 had a very strong game in goal, saving 27 goals in the game. Sullivan was awarded first star recognition while Annabelle Jones ’15 earned second star.
“The Final Four is exactly where we want to be; making it here has always been a goal for our team, and especially after last year,” said Greer. “This year we get a chance to avenge that loss against Plattsburgh (the same team) in higher stakes: the winner gets to play in the national championship game, and we have the chance to upset an undefeated team. We’re the underdogs, just like we were against Norwich.”
“Last week we wanted to win so we could have another week playing together,” said Greer. “This week it’s about leaving it all out on the ice – this is as far as our season goes, but we want to be the ones playing in the national championship game. We want the chance to say we’re the best team in the country.”
(03/13/13 11:54pm)
This past Saturday the men’s lacrosse team traveled to Maine to compete against Bates in their first game of the season. They beat the Bobcats 10-8, in spite of the 18-point shot advantage that Bates held over Middlebury. Members from all four classes contributed to the 10 goals, with first-years scoring the first two goals.
The first quarter concluded in a 1-1 tie, as less then three minutes into the game, Jon Broome ’16 scored his first career goal as well as the first goal in the team’s 2013 season with an assist from Andrew Metros ’13. However, three minutes later, Bates fired back with a goal to tie up the game 1-1.
Bates quickly scored in the second quarter to take the lead, but Harrison Goodkind ’16 came back for the Panthers, tying up the game once again. After much back and forth action, Bates eventually scored two more goals and got their biggest lead of the game at 4-2. Joel Blockowicz ’15 and Broome tapped in a goal each to bring back their squad and head into halftime with a tied game.
The third quarter began with a 5-4 lead by Bates but Billy Chapman ’13 swiftly picked up a ground ball after a Bates turnover, leading to a fast break for the Panthers, with Mike Giordano ’13 feeding Broome for the hat trick and a 6-5 Middlebury lead. Shortly after, Chapman and Broome got two more goals for the team, advancing them to an 8-5 lead with 3:57 left in the third quarter.
Stew Kerr ’13 entered the scoring column with 1:35 to go in the third, taking a feed from Metros and burying it past Bell to give the Panthers a 9-5. Kerr then made it 10-5 with 10:37 to go in the fourth quarter. Bates scored three more goals in the fourth quarter to finish the game with a 10-8 victory for the Panthers.
“Our offense really stepped it up in the third quarter, and the defense forced Bates to take difficult shots the entire game,” said Broome.
Bates outshot Middlebury with 47 shots on net compared to Middlebury’s 29. The Panther goalie, Nate Gaudio ’14 had a successful game with 17 saves. The team also forced 18 turnovers and won 36 ground balls.
Broome proved his talent in his first college game with four goals for the Panthers.
“Playing against Bates Saturday was an experience I will never forget,” remarked Broome. “The senior leadership has been amazing leading up to the season, and I knew we were well-prepared as a team. I was definitely nervous going into the game, but Coach Campbell told me to treat it like any other lacrosse game, which helped calm my nerves.”
After a 4-9 season last year, the road NESCAC win was encouraging way for the team.
“Winning a NESCAC game on the road was a great way to start off the season, and I was glad I could contribute to the win,” said Broom.
The Panthers’ next game is this Wednesday afternoon, March 13, at 4:30 p.m. at Alumni Stadium against Springfield. Middlebury fell to Springfield by a 14-5 final tally a year ago en route to a 4-9 season record.
“To prepare for Springfield, we need to have two highly productive practices,” said Broome. “Everybody on the team is excited for the home opener, and if we play our game, we can definitely win.”
The men then resume NESCAC play on Saturday, March 16, with an away contest against Connecticut College.
(03/07/13 1:02am)
This past Saturday and Sunday, March 2 and 3, the Middlebury women’s ice hockey team hosted the NESCAC tournament in Kenyon Arena, falling short in their quest for a consecutive conference championship.
On Saturday the Panthers took on Connecticut College in the semifinals of the tournament and won the game 4-1 to advance to the finals the following day. Sunday’s matchup brought together the top two teams in the league, Middlebury and Bowdoin, head-to-head to compete for the league title. The game ended in a devastating 2-1 loss for the Panthers.
Middlebury’s game against Conn College resulted in a 4-1 win with one goal in the first period, one goal in the second and two goals in the third period. During a power play at the 14:53 mark in the first period, Madison Styrbicki ’13 had a shot that was rebounded by Emily Fluke ’15 to put the Panthers in the lead by one. Fluke’s goal was her 16th of the season, putting her on top of the stats sheet as the leading scorer for the 2013 season.
Nearly two minutes into the second period, Jennifer Krakower ’14 made a long pass to Madeline Joyce ’14 who tapped in her sixth goal of the season. Connecticut College came back with a goal less than a minute later, but the Panthers continued to stay in the lead on the scoreboard and in control on the ice. The third period began with another quick goal for the home team, scored by Katie Sullivan ’13 and assisted by Hannah Bielawski ’15 and Joyce. At the 11:32 mark, the Panthers took an even more comfortable lead when Joyce tapped in her second goal of the game with the help of teammates Sullivan and Bielawski.
Middlebury took the lead in shots on net, totaling 38 compared to Conn. College’s 29. Conn. College, however, took the lead in penalties, giving Middlebury eight extra minutes of power plays throughout the game. Goalie Annabelle Jones ’15 had an extremely impressive game with 28 saves.
“Ending the way we did definitely brought our team some confidence going into Sunday’s game as our previous record with them was 1-1,” said Krakower.
Even with that confidence, however, the game on Sunday did not end in Middlebury’s favor. The team played hard and put up a serious fight against Bowdoin but fell just short at the end of the 60-minute game.
Bowdoin set the pace for the game within the first 58 seconds of the first period when Chelsea MacNeil scored their first goal for the Polar Bears. Middlebury came back halfway through the first period, however, to equalize the score at 1-1 with a goal from Lauren Greer ’13, assisted by Sara Ugalde ’14 and Styrbicki.
Both teams failed to score in the second period, ending 40 minutes with a 1-1 tie.
Bowdoin managed to take the lead 2:49 into the third period, advancing the score to 2-1. Krakower and Sullivan took multiple shots for the Panthers but failed to score down the stretch.
With 1:10 remaining in the third period, Middlebury pulled their goalie in hopes to create some opportunities but were unable to crack the stout Bowdoin defense.
The game ended with a 2-1 loss for the home team and a conference title for the Polar Bears, their first since 2004. Middlebury struggled to top Bowdoin in shots on net; Bowdoin tallied 38 shots and Middlebury only 25. Jones had a notable 36 saves to help the Panthers stay in the game.
“To be completely honest, you can never really be content when you lose,” said Krakower. “Bowdoin is a team that works really hard but so are we. We put in one of our bests efforts this season. However, there is always something more you can do. It wasn’t a lack of effort. We just could not capitalize on our chances.”
Regardless of the loss, the Panther women have received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, the squad’s 11th tournament appearance in the past 12 years. Middlebury has qualified for NCAAs every year since 2000, with the exception of the 2010 season.
The women have won the NCAA championship five times in the program’s history, most recently after the 2006 season. Last year, the Panthers lost in the quarterfinal round to Plattsburgh, 4-2.
Middlebury will play in the quarterfinals in Norwich this Saturday, March 9.
“We ended the season on such a strong note that we are feeling confident going into NCAAs,” said Krakower. “We have only played Norwich once this year and we lost, so now is our chance to beat them. We are heading into this tournament wanting to show everyone that we belong there. This is the biggest part of the season and there is nothing more that we’d want than to meet Bowdoin again [at NCAAs] in Wisconsin.”
(02/27/13 11:29pm)
The NESCAC tournament began this past Saturday, Feb. 22, in Kenyon Arena where the Middlebury women’s hockey team went head-to-head with Colby in quarterfinal action.
The Panthers came out on top with a 6-0 win and will now advance to the semi-finals next weekend. As the fourth-ranked team in the nation and the conference’s top seed, the Panthers will host the conference championship this weekend.
The Panthers distributed goals evenly throughout the game, with two each in the first, second and third periods.
The women came out hard in the first period, tapping in two goals in 10 seconds to take the lead and raise the intensity. Sara Ugalde ‘14 notched Middlebury’s first goal with assists from Lauren Greer ’13 and Emily Fluke ’15. Molly Downey ’13 scored the second goal, assisted by Heather Marrison ’13 and Julia Wardwell ’16.
Within the first 4:15 of the second period, the Panthers ran the score to 3-0. A pass from Ugalde to Katie Sullivan ’15 saw a goal from Hannah Bielawski ’15. Greer then proceeded to net her ninth goal of the season at the 15:39 mark to boost the Panther lead to four. Bielawski and Fluke both contributed assists to Greer’s goal.
The Panthers continued their run of success in the third period, scoring two more goals to finish the game off at 6-0. Sullivan scored her ninth goal of the season, and Katie Mandigo ’16 reached number seven. Jennifer Krakower ’14 and Madeline Joyce ’14 contributed to Sullivan’s goal, while Mandigo’s was assisted by Downey Mackenzie Martin ’15.
“We have certainly become a lot stronger as a team since we started back in November, but competing against another team, especially a team we haven’t played in a while, allows us to see where we measure up,” said team captain Maggie Woodward ’13. “We have been working towards playing a solid 60 minutes, so it felt good to be able to sustain pressure, shut them out and head into the remainder of the playoffs with some momentum.”
Middlebury outshot Colby 43-19 throughout the game and tallied up one fewer penalty. Colby finished with a total of eight penalties and 27 minutes of power plays against them, while Middlebury finished with eight penalties and 14 power-play minutes.
Goalie Annabelle Jones ’15 had a respectable game with 19 saves, five in the first and seven each in the second and third periods.
The women return to action this at 1pm Saturday, March 2, for a semifinal date with Connecticut College. If they beat the Camels, the Panthers will play for the conference championship, against either Amherst or Bowdoin, at 2pm the following day.
“NESCAC playoffs are an extremely exciting time of year for us and our fans, so we will certainly be ready to go this weekend,” said Woodward.
(02/20/13 6:20pm)
This past Saturday, Feb. 16, the Middlebury women’s ice hockey team competed in their last regular season game against third-ranked Elmira. The game ended in a 3-1 win for the six-ranked Panthers, who locked down the top seed for the upcoming NESCAC tournament with the win.
The first period of the game ended without any scoring after back-and-forth attempts by both teams came up empty. In the second period, however, Middlebury tapped in two goals to Elmira’s one to take the lead. The first was scored by Lauren Greer ’13 and assisted by Julia Wardwell ’16. For the second goal, Emily Fluke ’15 fed Katie Mandigo ’16, who tapped in the puck for the score.
While the third period was another shutout for Middlebury, the team scored one more goal to end the game with a score of 3-1. The final goal of the game was tallied by Molly Downey ’13 and assisted by both Mandigo and Mackenzie Martin ’15.
“It was a really big win and has given us a lot of confidence going into the NESCAC tournament,” said tri-captain Heather Marrison ’13. “Elmira was an extremely strong team but we played very well.”
Goalkeeper Annabelle Jones ’15 stood out for the Panthers, recording 29 saves to keep Middlebury in the game throughout.
Overall Middlebury recorded an aggressive game with four penalties to Elmira’s three. The Soaring Eagles did manage seven more shots than the Panthers, holding a 30-23 advantage.
The Panthers came up empty on three power-play opportunities in the game, while the Soaring Eagles were one of four in power plays.
Despite playing two more player-down minutes and suffering a shot deficit, the Panthers still brought home the victory, leaving them in a strong position heading into the postseason.
“NESCACs will be a great test of how far our team has come and how determined we are to win,” said Wardwell.
The Panthers pushed their record to 16-6-2 with the victory over Elmira, and will look for a jump in the national poll following a victory over a higher-seeded opponent.
Entering as the conference number-one seed, the Panthers host Colby in a NESCAC quarterfinal contest on Saturday, Feb. 23 in Kenyon Arena. If the Panthers prevail against the Mules, they will host the conference semifinal and championship on the following weekend.
“We played Colby the first games of the season and we are now excited to get to play them again to see how much progress we have made.” said Marrison.
(02/13/13 10:22pm)
February recess was a successful week for the women’s ice hockey team, however the team fell to top-ranked Norwich on Tuesday, Feb. 12. The team went 3-1 in NESCAC games with two wins against Williams and a split against Connecticut College. The three out of league games, against Plattsburgh, St. Anselm and Norwich, all resulted in losses. The team now stands with a 15-6-2 (12-2-2 in NESCAC) record and has one more game to play until they compete in the NESCAC tournament.
Both games against Williams concluded in a 4-1 win. The squad played the Ephs at home on Feb. 9 and then traveled to Williams to play the team on their ice. The Panthers took charge straight away, while under heavy pressure from the Ephs, scoring two goals within the first period. Lauren Greer ’13 had the first goal, with assists from Emily Fluke ’15 and Kate Moreau ’15. Hannah Bielawski ’15 tapped in the second goal of the first period with help from Greer and Fluke. The home team continued to keep the lead by scoring one more goal in the second period as Julia Wardwell ’16 passed to Madeline Joyce ’13 for the goal, allowing the team to enter the third period with a 3-0 lead. Molly Downey’s ’13 assist to Mackenzie Martin ’15 advanced the score to 4-0 but the team’s hope for a shut out were dashed when William’s Sam Weinstein scored a goal with 7:03 left on the clock.
Middlebury statistically had more control over the game, with 35 shots on goal against the Eph’s 18. The Panthers also earned one more penalty than Williams, giving them two more minutes on the clock for chances to make a comeback.
After making the four-hour drive to Williamstown, Mass., the team clenched another 4-1 win against the Eph’s. The team once again beat the home squad by 17 shots on goal and Williams was penalized 12 more times than the College, earning them 12 minutes of power plays. Williams came out strong and scored the first goal of the game in the first period, shutting out the Panthers for the first 20 minutes.
However, the Panthers came back and tallied up two goals in the second period, one by Heather Marrison ’13 assisted by Greer, and the other by Katie Sullivan ‘15 with help from Downey. The last 20 minutes of the game began with a 2-1 lead by Middlebury, who wrapped up the game for a 4-1 victory. A strong pass from Greer to senior tri-captain Madison Styrbicki ’13 executed the third goal of the game, and the fourth and final goal of the game was a beautiful unassisted goal by Fluke.
“Our team is feeling good. We played two tough games against Williams this weekend, and came out with solid wins,” said Katie Mandigo ’16. “We’ve had a few disappointing losses in the NESCAC this season, and I think everyone on our team would like another opportunity to play teams like Bowdoin and Conn College to avenge our losses against them earlier in the season.”
Tuesday night, Feb. 12, the team played Norwich University at Kenyon arena and came out with a loss. The Panthers came out strong and held a 2-1 lead over the cadets going into the second period but the visiting team fought back to beat the home squad 5-3.
Looking forward toward the end of the season, the team has clenched the top seed for the upcoming NESCAC tournament. With that they will host the quarterfinal game on Feb. 23 and have earned the right to host the championship weekend on March 2 and 3 if they win in the quarterfinals.
“We’re excited about the NESCAC quarters approaching,” said Greer. “It’s another opportunity to prove ourselves given that we are the number one seed going into it – we want to make that finite.”
“We won’t do a whole lot of new things [to prepare for post-season],” said head coach Bill Mandigo. “We will just spend a little more time on the power play and the penalty kill. We hope to get some of our injured players back, which will help a great deal.”
This week the Middlebury women’s ice hockey team will wrap up their regular season with an away matchup against Elmira.
“All of our non-league games are big games,” says Mandigo. “We try to play the best teams we can outside of our league because we believe playing the top competition will help us when we play our NESCAC schedule.”