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(11/13/14 12:28am)
The last day of football season is always an interesting intersection of past and future. Next fall, a new class of first years will replace this year’s seniors, who, like most of the thousands of Panthers who came before them, will probably not have a chance to play on a football team again.
Last Saturday, the Panther football team came together to finish out their season proudly as they dismantled Tufts at home on Youngman Field, racking up points en route to a 48-13 win.
As fans of the Middlebury football team have grown accustomed to this season, the Panthers opened the game with a display of defensive prowess. Middlebury crippled Tufts’ passing offense, allowing only one first down on Tufts’ two first drives.
Following the second of such drives, Middlebury took over on their own 22 yard line, where quarterback Matt Milano ’16 and company got to work on offense.
Following a slew of nice runs from running back Jon Hurvitz ’17, Milano found a rhythm with his talented receivers.
Finding tight-end Daniel Fulham ’18 for a few key receptions, Milano capped off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown throw to Fulham for his first career touchdown, putting the Panthers’ up 7-0.
The ensuing drive featured play uncharacteristic of a typically disciplined unit. An unsportsmanlike conduct call negated what would’ve been a sack by nose-tackle Kyle Ashley ’16, and Tufts completed two passes to gain 20 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown strike against the Middlebury pass defense. Tufts, refusing to lie down, equalized the score at 7-7.
In the Panthers’ next offensive drive, running back Andrew Miller ’16 showcased Middlebury’s running game, gaining 30 yards on the drive. To complete the drive, Milano completed a six-yard pass to Fulham at first-and-goal to record Fulham’s second touchdown of the day.
The teams then traded possessions as Middlebury’s defense shut the Jumbos down.
With standout linebackers Tim Patricia ’16 and Jake Vacovec ’15 making frequent visits to the Jumbos backfield, Tufts found it difficult to gain footing. In response, the Milano found Matt Minno ’16 for a 57-yard bomb down the sideline.
In the second quarter Tufts would took over at midfield after a fumbled punt. Following a big run against Middlebury’s front seven, the Jumbos scored with less than three minutes remaining in the half to make the score 21-13. Middlebury countered with an impressive two-minute drill, capped by a 34-yard strike by the talented Brendan Rankowitz ’15 to set up the Panthers on Tufts’ one-yard-line. During this drive, Rankowitz took on the first defender at the six yard line before dragging two additional defensive backs over five yards, a play which elicited raucous cheers from the assembled crowd at Youngman Stadium.
Milano, on a timely third-down run, ran to score the last touchdown of the half, which ended with a score of 27-13 after the extra point was blocked.
Midway through the third quarter, Middlebury added to their already considerable lead. After a twenty yard completion to Ryan Rizzo ’17, Milano completed the drive with a 13-yard pitch and catch with Rankowitz.
A key sack by Addison Pierce ’17 on the ensuing Tufts drive allowed the Panthers to again take the helm at offense. Apparently time was at a premium on the Middlebury sideline, as Milano found the speedy Rizzo for a 72-yard strike on the fifth play of the drive. After yet another forced three-and-out by Tufts, Milano found Rankowitz for a 33-yard score through the air, which signified the last significant action by the starters of the day.
The final score tallied in at 48-13 in Middlbury’s favor, with Milano responsible for seven touchdowns, including six on the ground and one through the air.
Finishing the year with a record of 6-2, the Panthers finish third in the NESCAC behind undefeated Amherst and 7-1 Wesleyan, the two teams to whom they lost.
Over the past four years the team has won 24 out of 32 games, including last year’s NESCAC title — a shining period in Middlebury football history that the seniors ought to be proud of.
Meanwhile, the team has answered the greatest question mark that they faced at the beginning of the season: the replacement of all-everything quarterback Mac Foote ’14. After starting the season slowly, Milano has rebounded to record one of the most prolific passing seasons in the history of the program. With Milano back at the helm in 2015, the Panthers will look to improve upon this year’s record.
(11/05/14 6:52pm)
Traveling to Clinton, NY to face the Hamilton Continentals after beating perennial power Trinity College last week, it would have been easy for Middlebury to relax. However, the stakes were arguably higher this week: the Rocking Chair Classic was on. The victor of the matchup between Middlebury and Hamilton has, since 1980, taken home the “Mac-Jack” rocking chair. Not wanting to go home without an extra place to sit, the Panthers came to Hamilton with their emotions at a fever pitch.
Perhaps struggling to deal with all the pressure of retaining such an esteemed prize for the Middlebury faithful, the Panthers started the game making uncharacteristic mental errors on both sides of the ball. With the defense causing, yet inexplicably failing to recover two fumbles in the first four minutes of the game – although defensive end Jake Clapp ’16 deserves credit for an excellent sack to cause one of them, major opportunities to get on the Continentals early and often were lost.
Similarly, following offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on both teams, Middlebury would settle for only a field goal to put the Panthers up 3-0.
Middlebury would make good on their next drive, with quarterback Matt Milano ’16 finding Matt “the Fish” Minno ’16 with an expertly thrown pass over the top for a 42-yard gain. Stationing the offense on Hamilton’s 13-yard line, the former Duxbury Dragon, running back Jon Hurvitz ’17, would only need one carry to find the end zone, putting Middlebury up 10-0, as the first quarter drew to a close.
Hamilton would not go down quietly, however, busting Middlebury’s coverage in a rare lapse from the Panther’s vaunted defense, where Hamilton’s Jim Fisher wrangled a 64-yard pass down the sideline to bring the Continentals within range of the Panthers. However, following a great return on the ensuing kickoff by Middlebury first-year Kevin Hopsicker, ’18, Milano and company would have a short field with which to play with on offense. After finding the speedy Ryan Rizzo ’17 for a few completions underneath, Milano would again go over the top and find Minno for the touchdown on a 25-yard strike.
The defense would follow up the touchdown by forcing an excellent three-and-out, spurred by a sack from linebacker Addison Pierce ’17, causing an 11-yard loss. With a solid return from Rizzo, the Panthers would again take a short field. On third and goal, following some nice work by Hurvitz, Milano would find captain Brendan Rankowitz ’15 on a slant for the score, putting Middlebury up 23-7.
As Middlebury’s offense would score another touchdown, Middlebury’s defense would force another three-and-out from Hamilton.
This time keyed by crucial stops against the run from free safety Matt Benedict ’15 and defensive tackle Gil Araujo ’16, Middlebury would take over again on offense with little over five minutes left in the half.
Starting on their own 21-yard line, the offense would put on a master class in execution. With Milano finding Rizzo and Grant Luna ’18 repeatedly underneath, Middlebury would drive the length of the field in little under 4 minutes, before Milano found Minno again for the score.
Going into the half up 30-7, the Panthers would begin to cruise. Receiving the ball to start the second half, Milano would, wasting no time, find Matt Minno again for the score, putting the Panthers up 37-7. Minno’s third score of the day, the Panthers would soon pull the starters and go into an extended victory formation, the final score remaining 37-7. With such a dominant win, the Panthers could rest easy – the Mac-Jack rocking chair would remain in merry, merry Middlebury for another year.
(10/30/14 4:25am)
Following last year’s game against Trinity — an instant classic in which Middlebury downed the heavily favored Bantams to earn a share of the NESCAC title — the Panthers went into this year’s rematch knowing Trinity would have the loss firmly on their minds. Trinity, again considered one of the strongest teams in the conference, went into last weekend’s game sporting an undefeated streak at home spanning 53 games and 13 years.
With Trinity having not lost a game at Jessee-Miller Field since before many of the team’s current first-years were even in kindergarten, coming away from Hartford with a win seemed like a daunting task for Middlebury. However, it seems that the Middlebury football team doesn’t care much for history, as they not only beat, but thoroughly routed Trinity by a score of 27-7.
Middlebury’s offense started strong with a 25-yard return from Ryan Rizzo ’17 to the 30-yard line, followed by a series of moves from Matt Milano ’16 and company.
Setting the tone for the day, Milano linked up early and often with receivers Matt Minno ’16 and Brendan Rankowitz ’15, finding the pair for completions of 15 and 26 yards on the drive respectively. Reaching Trinity’s four-yard line before stalling and botching the field goal attempt, Middlebury’s offense showed great facility in throwing the ball downfield.
Middlebury’s defense came out just as strong as the offense, shutting down Trinity and their vaunted running game. Gil Araujo ’16 and Tim Patricia ’16, part of Middlebury’s tough front seven, found themselves frequently in the Bantam backfield during the first quarter of play, with Patricia infiltrating Trinity’s offense’s A-gap to record a particularly impressive tackle resulting in a loss of seven yards for the Bantams.
The hard work done by the Middlebury defense would be rewarded late in the first quarter.
After a three and out, the Panther offense took over on their own nine yard line following a booming 62-yard punt by Trinity.
The Panthers disregarded their adverse field position, driving the ball at will. With Milano completing passes to five different receivers on the drive, and running backs Drew Jacobs ’18 and Jonathan Hurvitz ’17 picking up solid chunks of yardage on the ground, the 91-yard drive only took four minutes of game time, with Milano completing a 28-yard score to Minno to put the Panthers up 7-0.
The game would break open again early in the second quarter with a great play from the Panthers defense. With the Bantams driving down the field, and the goal line in sight, Trinity looked poised to score.
However, Middlebury’s Dan Pierce ’16 had other intentions, picking off the ball in the end zone, the junior defensive back took the return 71 yards, giving the Middlebury offense a great field position just outside Trinity’s red-zone.
Milano and Minno decided to give the rest of the offense a breather, with two passes, including a four yard touchdown reception, giving the Panthers a bigger lead. A failed field goal attempt would make the score 13-0, which held to the end of the half.
Having elected to receive the ball to begin the 3rd quarter, Trinity set up for the return.
Catching Trinity off-guard, Middlebury successfully pulled a surprise-onside kick, with Pierce coming up big on the recovery. Just 40 seconds later, Milano found Minno for a 24-yard score, the third touchdown for both on the day. Putting the Panthers up 20-0, the Panthers did look back.
The ensuing drive from Trinity was another three and out, with big stops from Patricia and defensive tackle Nick Burdeau ’15.
The Panthers offense, however, sputtered, causing the two teams to trade punts for much of the third quarter. Some semblance of action came late in the third, with Trinity finally breaking through on the scoreboard. A 33-yard score early in the fourth quarter proved to be a rare misstep for the dominant Middlebury defense.
Pierce, recording his second interception of the game, then set up the offense near midfield. Milano soon capped off the drive with a 26-yard pass to Brendan Rankowitz ’15 for the final score of the game.
With the Panthers up 27-7, the Middlebury defense rode out the rest of the game to secure the win.
For their efforts, Milano and Pierce were the respective NESCAC Players of the Week on offense and defense.
Milano, going 25-36 on the day for 286 yards and four touchdowns, turned in his finest effort as a starter to date, showing continued and sustained development at the quarterback position.
Pierce, meanwhile, was all over the score sheet, doing a little bit of everything for the Panthers defense. Recording 12 tackles on the day, including 10 solo tackles, as well as 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and an onside kick recovery, there really was nothing the defensive back didn’t do.
Milano and Pierce were not alone in their outstanding performances, as the win was truly a team effort, with the offense, defense and special team units all contributing to the victory.
Going into next weekend’s matchup against Hamilton, a lesser opponent than Trinity, the Panthers should be more than confident about their ability to win.
(10/22/14 8:29pm)
While every week the goal is to get a win, when a team plays its homecoming game riding a 26-game winning streak against its opponent, the importance of winning can seem quite certain. Welcoming Bates to Alumni Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, the Middlebury Panthers did just that. Firing on all cylinders against the 1-3 Bobcats, Middlebury dominated their opponent from Maine.
Following a first drive on which the offense drove the ball deep into Bates territory before turning the ball over on downs, cornerback Nate Leedy ’17 would continue his impressive season, picking off the Bates quarterback and getting the ball back for the Panthers on Bates’ 33 yard line.
Quarterback Matt Milano ’16 and the Middlebury offense, having been set up with great field position, would not let it go to waste, scoring on the very next play. A strike from Milano to the veteran Brendan Rankowitz ’15 for a 33-yard touchdown, put the Panthers up 7-0 following the extra point conversion from placekicker Michael Dola ’15.
On the following drive, a simple slant route on what should have been an easy tackle resulted in Bates’ Mike Tomaino taking the pass 74 yards for the score. Despite missing the extra point, the lapse in coverage noticeably aggravated the Middlebury defense, and it showed, with the Panthers defense playing angry the rest of the game.
Starting the second quarter with possession of the ball, Middlebury’s offense seemed energized by the strong play on defense. Driving the ball from midfield at will, Milano found his target Matt Minno ’16 on a 21-yard touchdown throw to cap the drive. Using his size to advantage, Minno displayed great body control on the score, which put the Panthers up 14-6.
After several deep drives from Middlebury, the Panthers would score again shortly before the half. With less than a minute remaining before play would stop, outside linebacker Jake Vacovec ’15 showed great awareness in falling on a botched snap in the end zone, an action easier said than done considering the confusion following the fumble. After going up 21-6 on that play, Middlebury would cruise into the half comfortably in the driver’s seat.
The second half of play would prove reminiscent of the first. Following several drives in which Bates could not muster any progress against the tough Middlebury defense, the Panther offense would piece together another scoring drive, with Milano finding Rankowitz again for a two-yard score. However, special mention goes to receiver Ian Riley ’16, who again showed a propensity for making clutch catches to prolong drives, especially on his 11-yard grab on a tough fourth-and-nine conversion. Following a Bates drive on which the
Bobcats yielded yet another sack to Tim Patricia ’16 and, following great pressure, another big play to Vacovec, this time an interception, Middlebury would take over early in the fourth quarter at their own 40.
After a pass underneath to Ryan Rizzo ’17, Milano would go over the top and find deep threat Minno for his second score of the day, putting the Panthers up 35-6. Middlebury would ride this game out for a blowout win.
On a day in which the defense forces multiple turnovers and even scores a touchdown, the quarterback throws for four touchdowns, and the offense moved the ball at will, it is hard to find any room for criticism.
Middlebury moves on to face a tough Trinity football team on Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Bantams’ home field.
(10/08/14 10:26pm)
Some of the greatest games in football history have come in inclement weather – earning titles like the Ice Bowl, the Sneakers Game and most recently, the “Tuck Rule” game.
The Panthers’ game on Oct. 4 against Amherst, however, did not rank in greatness alongside these other legendary games. The persistent, driving rain that fell over Youngman Field last Saturday interfered with both teams’ offenses, and the Panthers ended up falling 7-0 to the Lord Jeffs despite their confidence coming off of a great performance against Colby on Sept. 27.
With the loss to Amherst, Middlebury football now has a 1-2 record on the season. With two losses in a relatively short eight-game season, the team now faces long odds in their goal of repeating as NESCAC co-champions this season. While their position is not optimal going forward, the Panthers need to win each of their final five games in order to keep their title hopes alive.
After a quick three and out from the Middlebury offense to start the game, the Lord Jeffs went on to record their longest drive of the day, advancing 66 yards in 11 plays. This ended prematurely when Amherst’s kicker sailed a 23-yard field goal attempt wide left. Middlebury did not capitalize on the momentum, with an ugly sequence on offense that included a false start and a sack, resulting in yet another three and out.
Both offenses would trade possessions until Dan Pierce ’16 intercepted a promising play by Amherst and gave Middlebury the ball on it own 34 yard line. Despite a nice completion on third and long from Matt Milano ’16 to Drew Jacobs ’18 on a day when passing yardage came on a premium, Middlebury did not gain enough yards to keep the drive going and use Pierce’s turnover to full effect. So the Panthers were forced to punt as the first quarter of play came to an end.
In the second quarter, both teams struggled to do much of anything. Neither team advanced into its opponent’s side of the field on offense, and a flurry of three and outs along with fair catches brought the game into the half.
Amherst, having won the coin toss at the start of the game, elected to start with the ball in the second half. Following a decent kick return, Amherst opened up the half with a 59-yard scamper from running back Nick Kelly, which put them up 7-0 over Middlebury. On the ensuing series, Middlebury, aided by multiple personal fouls by Amherst, advanced the ball deep into Amherst territory. Within sight of the red-zone at Amherst’s 27, the rain again proved to be a massive hindrance to Middlebury’s pass-heavy offense, and the Panthers turned the ball over on downs.
While opportunity presented itself again in the form of Pierce’s second interception of the day, the Panthers offense sputtered to another 3 and out. Following this trend, Michael Dola ’15 recorded 13 punts in this game alone. With the clock running out on this dreary Saturday, the Panthers left the field disheartened to say the least.
It really is hard to take positives out of a game like this- two for 17 on third down conversions, 129 yards of total offense, and less than two yards per carry running the ball. Objectively speaking, these statistics are far from optimal. However, the numbers in no way reflect the talent the Panthers have on the field. Held back by rain, Middlebury simply could not go about business in the manner of which it is accustomed, from the line to the wide receivers.
All things considered, on a day that featured better weather, the Panthers very well could have won this game.
If there is a silver lining to all the clouds (pun intended) the Panthers encountered on Saturday, it is the continued high-level play of the defense, especially in the secondary. With two picks from Pierce, and Matt Benedict ’15 winning NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week with his 20-tackle effort from the free safety position, the defensive unit has continued to be one of the league’s very best.
The Panthers should be able to rebound nicely this coming weekend when they travel to Williams on Oct. 11, so long as they steer clear of rain.
The Ephs, whose record also sits at 1-2 after three conference games, are another team who is looking to get back into the NESCAC fray in the second half of the season. After falling 19-12 to Bates on Saturday, Oct. 4, however, Williams’ prospects of reaching the top of the league appear bleak.
(10/01/14 8:09pm)
After a hard-fought opening-day loss to Wesleyan, the Middlebury football team made the long trek up I-95 to Waterville, Maine for a matchup with the Colby Mules on Saturday, Sept. 27, coming away with both a win and clarity on the subject of their quarterback situation.
In only his second career start, quarterback Matt Milano ’16 delivered a breakout performance reminiscent of his prolific predecessor, garnering NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors by completing 22-33 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns.
Not allowing the offense to outshine them, the Middlebury defense continued making Sunday morning the worst day of the week for the opposition by sustaining its hard-hitting, physical play, allowing only seven points to Colby.
Following a shaky first drive and subsequent punt from the Middlebury offense, the Middlebury defense forced a quick punt from Colby to give the ball back to Milano. Starting from their own nine yard line, the Middlebury offense executed to perfection. Coming off the sideline, running back Jonathan Hurvitz ’17 put his open-field elusiveness on display on the drive. Darting through open holes with impressive agility and turning the corner on slower linebackers, Hurvitz ran for 27 yards on the drive, keeping the Colby defense off balance. Milano found his go-to target Grant Luna ’17 underneath for three receptions on the drive, before hitting deep threat Matt Minno ’16 over the top of the Mule secondary for a 37-yard strike. Setting up a first and goal, the Panther offense sent in Jacobs to take a goal-line handoff, punching it in from a yard out.
Taking a 7-0 lead, Middlebury would soon find itself with the ball again courtesy of lights out play from the Panther front seven. Featuring great ball play from defensive ends Jake Clapp ’16 and Jack Crowell ’15 in tandem with middle-linebacker Tim Patricia ’16, Middlebury forced a Colby punt.
Milano and company resumed the rhythm they found on the first drive, driving down the field with ease. First-year running back Drew Jacobs ’18 gashed the Colby defensive front with repeated handoffs up the gut, setting up Milano and Middlebury’s receiving corps to great effect. After a nice string of completions, Milano capped the drive with a 25-yard pitch and catch to Luna to put the Panthers up 14-0.
Colby, having played perennial power Trinity to a tie through nearly three quarters in week one, would not lie down without a fight. Following the kickoff, Colby would piece together a nice drive against the Panthers defense. Aided by two personal foul flags which gifted the Mules 30 yards, Colby took full advantage, scoring on a two-yard run to make the score 14-7 with 10 minutes left before the half.
After a stop from Zach Faber ’15 forced Colby to punt, the Middlebury offense picked up its solid form from the first quarter. Milano found Trevor Wheeler ’15 with a bomb of a throw for 66 yards, setting up the offense with a first and goal. Showing great athleticism for a converted offensive lineman, senior tight end Brett Harasimowicz ’15 came up big with a diving catch to put the Panthers up 21-7, notching his first career touchdown.
“At that point, it was a one score game, and we needed to put together a solid drive and score before the half,” Harasimowicz said. “That has historically been a great play for us in the red zone and Milano put the ball in a perfect spot for me to make a play.”
With the Panthers’ sideline energized from a drive spanning 76 yards in a little over a minute, the defense went out and took care of business. With two stops in a row from cornerback Will Bain ’15, including an impressive play against the rush on which Bain snuffed out an outside run for a loss of three yards, the Mules again ceded possession to the Middlebury Panthers on a three-and-out.
With only a little over two minutes remaining in the half, the Middlebury offense showed it also could execute well in its hurry-up offense. Despite facing pressure, Milano fired a 34-yard strike to put the Panthers in field goal range with 3 seconds to go in the half. Despite being iced by Colby, kicker Mike Dola ’15 showed great composure and split the uprights as time expired in the first half to put Middlebury up 24-7.
With the game in control, Middlebury began to grind the Colby defense as the Panthers began the second half with the ball. Featuring a healthy dose of the bruising running back tandem of Jacobs and John Jackson ’18, the Panthers sat back and let the duo play old-school football behind the offensive line. Milano stepped in when necessary, firing off several third-down throws to wideout Brendan Rankowitz ’15.
This drive resulted in Middlebury eating up half the clock in the third quarter on 20 plays before another Dola field goal extended the Middlebury lead to 27-7.
Arguably the highlight of the game was the development of Milano. Although only two games into the season and facing a significantly diminished challenge before him in the Colby defense, Milano showed that his decision-making ability is improving on a weekly basis, showing the down-field passing ability that he was missing last week in order to guide the Panther offense on several impressive drives.
The Middlebury offensive line – featuring Jake Lebowitz ’15 making his first start at right guard – also performed admirably, letting the Mules knock down Milano only twice and working hard in run blocking. Behind Lebowitz and company, Middlebury ran the ball nearly 50 times against Colby.
Featuring extensive use of its nickel package against a Mules offense that often put multiple receivers on the field, the Middlebury secondary was impressive. Bain, playing the open field cornerback, is as fast as they come in the NESCAC, and it showed: he led the game in tackles and broke up several passes. Stalwart Matt Benedict ’15 again came up big from the free safety position in run support, notching a tackle for a loss as well. Bruising cornerback Nate Leedy ’17 forced a fumble on another crunching hit and nickelback Dave Elkhatib ’15 performed more than capably in his first significant action of the season.
Going into a pivotal matchup against Amherst this Saturday, Oct. 4 at home, Middlebury will look to play like the defending NESCAC champions they are against such a major opponent.
(09/24/14 10:48pm)
Saturday, Sept. 20, was in many ways a new era for the Middlebury football program. Following the departure of two-time NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year McCallum Foote ’14 and multiple other players at skill positions – including offensive stalwarts in the pairing of All-NESCAC Tight End Billy Sadik-Khan ’14 and running back Matt Rea ’14 – to graduation, the team inevitably had to move on. In their first opportunity to do so this weekend, the Panthers were unable to capitalize on a fourth-quarter comeback as they fell at home to Wesleyan by a score of 22-14.
Leading the Panther offense at quarterback, having seized the open quarterback position during training camp, Matt Milano ’16 made his first start at quarterback for the Panthers against the highly touted Wesleyan Cardinals.
Following a scoreless first quarter in which the teams traded possession, the game opened up less than a minute into the second quarter when Wesleyan receiver Jay Fabien capped off a 66 yard pitch and catch with a devastating spin move, scoring a touchdown down the left sideline off of a deep throw from quarterback Jesse Warren.
Middlebury would take the following kickoff for a touchback, setting up Middlebury on their own 20. Following a hard Drew Jacobs ’18 run on first down, Milano and the Middlebury offense found a nice groove. Milano found receiver Grant Luna ’17 repeatedly underneath, allowing the athletic Luna to gash the Wesleyan defense on yards after the catch.
Only a minute and fifty-seven seconds after taking possession of the ball, the Panthers drove the length of the field with Milano finding his favorite target Luna on a crossing route on the right side of the end-zone. The sophomore showed nice body-control in getting both feet down for good measure on his touchdown reception, giving him three receptions for 40 yards and the score on that drive alone.
The Cardinals, starting near mid-field after a solid kick return, would drive the remaining 51 yards of the field to score before the half, putting the Cardinals up 13-7. Middlebury’s All-NESCAC linebacker Tim Patricia ’16 was able to block the extra point – shooting through a mess of bodies, Patricia somehow deflected the kick, leading to the impaired kick bouncing harmlessly off the goal post.
Middlebury, receiving at the ball at the beginning of the second half, carried over some momentum in driving the ball up the field against the stout Wesleyan defense. Former Milton Academy standout Jacobs again displayed great patience on the drive in following his blockers in Middlebury’s zone-blocking scheme. Letting Middlebury’s physical interior lineman, including guard Blake Shapskinsky ’15, reach the second level before making his cut, Jacobs ran the play better than any first-year could reasonably be expected to.
The drive would reach an early end with Wesleyan defensive back Jake Bussani robbing Milano of his second touchdown of the day with a spectacular over-the-shoulder interception.
However, Wesleyan would be stonewalled on offense with a three-and-out on the ensuing drive, with middle linebackers Patricia and Addison Pierce ’17 denying the Cardinals offense any room to breathe, making consecutive plays at the line of scrimmage to force the punt.
Trading possession for the rest of the third quarter, disaster struck for Middlebury. Seeing a similar route that previously caught him off guard, Wesleyan defensive back Justin Sanchez jumped Milano’s throw, taking the ensuing pick 41 yards to the end zone for the
touchdown to put Wesleyan up 19-7. Following another missed extra point, the Cardinals would stay put at 19 points.
The two picks in the third quarter from Milano and running back Jacobs’ being shaken up caused the Middlebury offense to sputter briefly to open the fourth quarter, and the first few drives proving unproductive. The Middlebury defense, however, galvanized the offense with a goal-line stand following a huge punt return from Wesleyan captain Donnie Cimino. Despite starting on the Middlebury 10, Wesleyan was unable to reach the end zone and settled for a field goal to make their lead 22-7.
On the ensuing drive, Milano rebounded, finding Luna again underneath for 25 yards before finding the agile Ryan Rizzo ’17 for a nine-yard touchdown strike to cap off a 10-play, 64-yard drive and make the score 22-14, late in the fourth quarter.
With the game now only one possession and the Middlebury offense executing at a high level, a comeback now seemed inevitable.
True to its form all day, the Middlebury defense did more than its part following the kickoff, forcing a three and out, punctuated by a third-down sack from defensive end Jake Clapp ’16.
With Wesleyan pinned deep in their own territory for the punt, a good return would have given the Middlebury offense more than a fighting chance of equalizing the score and forcing overtime.
However, a heartbreaking run into the punter penalty flag gave the Cardinals a first down with only minutes left on the clock. Middlebury, with no timeouts, could do nothing as Wesleyan took a knee to drain the clock to zero.
While the loss was painful, Middlebury should go into next week’s game against Colby feeling confident about the future of their young team, particularly with respect to their defensive play. Wesleyan, perhaps the premier offensive team in the NESCAC, looked uncomfortable all day against the stout Panther defense.
Gil Araujo ’16 played a great ballgame at the three-technique defensive tackle spot, maintaining gap control when needed to free up the talented linebackers behind him, but more impressively showing great quickness in being an agitator up front. Araujo and linemate Clapp were in the Wesleyan backfield seemingly all afternoon, limiting the potent Wesleyan running game to less than yards per carry.
Similarly, the Middlebury defensive backs played a fine ballgame, especially when coming up in run support. The group was anchored by the play of free safety Matt Benedict ’15, who led all players in tackles. Corner Nate Leedy ’17 proved himself to be worthy of his reputation as one of the NESCAC’s best at the position, playing a physical bump and run style defense against the Wesleyan receivers and absolutely punishing a Wesleyan receiver who had the misfortune of going over the middle on him near the end of the first half.
On offense, Milano made a fine first start at the quarterback position, being thrown into the fire against a strong defense and showing a great rapport with receiver Luna.
On the offensive line, right tackle Danny Finta ’15 proved himself worthy of a starting spot, largely neutralizing Nik Powers, Wesleyan’s 6’7” 260-pound All-NESCAC defensive end. Finta battled Powers all day, taking any opportunity to both agitate and drive his opponent into the ground- resulting in a visibly frustrated the Weselyan defensive end.
Perhaps the top highlight for Middlebury, however, was the play of first-year running back Jacobs, whose feel for the position was apparent throughout the game as he brought a level of athleticism that has not been seen in the Panther backfield in years. Jacobs kept the Wesleyan linebacking corps on their heels with his downfield vision and knack for making significant yardage out of nothing.
Particularly given the shortened length of the NESCAC season, a loss is far from ideal for the Panthers football squad, but the team played the game with an impressive physical presence that should worry future opponents.
Middlebury travels to Colby this Saturday, Sept. 27 to face off with the Mules. Colby, 32-7 losers to NESCAC contender Trinity this past weekend, will provide a litmus test for the Panthers as they aim to show that they can contend for the conference title again this year.
With one loss already to their record, the Panthers cannot afford another on their quest for the NESCAC crown.
(02/26/14 8:55pm)
Following a weekend of excellent individual play at the D3 Singles Championship, the focus for the athletes in the Middlebury women’s squash program was once again on team play at Team Nationals from Friday, Feb. 21 to Sunday, Feb. 23.
Following a regular season in which the Panthers went 8-7 against some of the best competition in the country, the women found themselves this weekend at Princeton University ranked 14th nationally. This ranking translated to the Panthers’ earning the 6th seed in the B Division at Team Nationals, competing for the Kurtz Cup.
On Friday evening, the women’s squash team drew 11th ranked George Washington University in the first round of play.
The Colonials were no strangers to Middlebury, with the two sides having squared off at the Yale Round Robin a month ago. With George Washington having taken the first match 7-2, the Panthers were eager to balance the series.
Unfortunately, the Colonials showed their might and proved too much for Middlebury to handle. Play opened poorly for the Panthers, with the usually dominant trio at the top of Middlebury’s lineup, Abby Jenkins ’14, Charlotte Dewey ’15 and Annie Wymard ’15 falling to their counterparts from George Washington. Despite solid wins from the consistent Zoe Carey ’16 and Saskia Pownall-Gray ’16, the final score was not favorable to the Panthers, who fell 6-3 to George Washington.
Despite the early setback, the Panthers still had a full weekend of play ahead of them. While the possibility for a championship was gone, the women’s squash team had the opportunity to compete and improve its national ranking. In the consolation bracket, Middlebury once again faced a familiar foe in Williams College. Having dropped their previous matchup against the Ephs 5-4, Middlebury was aware of the challenges winning would entail, but were confident in its ability to compete with Williams.
Jenkins, after falling behind early, got Middlebury off to a fine start with a win in the first singles slot. However, Williams’ 2nd through 5th ranked players shut down Middlebury, who did not record a win until Carey and Amanda Chen ’14 both picked up their second wins of the weekend at the tail end of the match. After falling 6-3 to Williams, the women were left with only one matchup left to determine the 7th and 8th place finishers in the Kurtz Cup.
The Panthers then faced conference foe Hamilton, a matchup that presented the opportunity to exact some revenge on a team that scored an unexpected win over Middlebury in the Panthers’ first match of the season.
Middlebury took great measures to ensure the match against Hamilton would not be as dramatic this time around. With all around dominant performances, Middlebury won the first eight matches against Hamilton, leaving absolutely no doubt as to who the winner would be.
At the end of the tournament, Carey and Chen remained undefeated through this tough weekend of play.
In addition to the weekend’s play, a pair of women’s squash players were named to All-NESCAC teams over the weekend. Both Jenkins and Dewey represent Middlebury on the all-conference first team. This is Jenkins’ third time on the first team, and Dewey’s second.
With the win over Hamilton, the team finishes up the 2013-2014 campaign with an even record of 9-9, with their primary highlight coming in the form of a third-place finish at the NESCAC championships. Middlebury ends the season with the 15th ranking overall in the country.
(02/19/14 4:05pm)
After a long season full of travel times exacerbated by inclement weather, the squash season finally reached its endpoint for the men at the Summers Cup, hosted at Harvard. With team nationals being divided into different flights, and with each flight containing eight teams, the Panthers, ranked 17th coming into Nationals, drew the first seed in the C Flight, also known as the Summers Cup.
Having found themselves in this bracket four times in the last seven years, the Panthers were aware of the challenges that were presented before them.
“Of 77 teams competing in the Division 1 squash,” Rob Galluccio ’15 said, “we were going against some of the best teams not to be in the top 16. With traditional powers like some of the Ivies in our bracket, we knew we were in for a tough weekend of play.”
While Galluccio was correct in assessing the Summers Cup field as challenging, the Panthers played with the confidence of the favorite. Play opened up Friday evening with Middlebury taking on a familiar opponent in Hamilton. Having defeated their NESCAC peers handily 9-0 earlier the season on their home courts, the Panthers played with a predictable swagger. The lineup played to its potential, with Parker Hurst ’14, Will Moore ’14, Harrison Croll ’16, Reed Palmer ’15 and Ben Krant ’17 all coasting to victories without dropping a single game to their counterparts from Hamilton. Having won handily against Hamilton, the Panthers prepared for a second-round match with George Washington University.
Against the Colonials, Middlebury also understandably entered the match with a degree of confidence, as earlier this season, at the Yale Round Robin, the Panthers defeated George Washington without much difficulty, 6-3. However, with George Washington having shown considerable improvement in recent years, and with many up and coming younger players, Middlebury did not make the mistake of underestimating its opposition.
The Panthers were jolted in the top two slots, where George Washington’s players beat the usually formidable duo of both Hurst and Andrew Jung ’16. However, Middlebury showed off the depth of its lineup following the initial setback, and went on to win every other match in the game.
Particularly impressive about the efforts of slots 4-9 of Middlebury was just how they won; after Middlebury’s number three player Andrew Cadienhead ’17 beat his man in five games, Middlebury did not drop a single game to George Washington thereafter, sweeping every match in three straight games.
Following the impressive win over George Washington, Middlebury went on to face Brown in the Summers Cup final.
Following the prevailing theme of the weekend, Middlebury had also defeated Brown soundly earlier in the season, but Brown proved more competitive this time around.
Following a tough start to the match in which Middlebury would only take one match in the first five slots, pressure was on the bottom half of the lineup to perform, or else lose the Summers Cup Championship.
Croll righted the ship, breezing to a shutout win in the six slot to keep Middlebury’s hopes alive. Showing some veteran savvy, Palmer and Galluccio both won their matches to draw a decisive battle at the seventh slot, with the score tied at 4-4. With everything riding on the performance of Will Hanley ’15, Hanley overcame an early deficit to win not only his match, but also the Summers Cup for Middlebury.
With the season coming to an end following their final victory over Brown, the Panthers finished with a final ranking of 17th nationally and an 11-8 overall record.
(02/12/14 7:06pm)
As the majority of the student-body enjoyed some well-deserved time off last week during February break, the Middlebury squash teams were hard at work. Playing not only an extremely competitive schedule but also being arguably the College’s most well-traveled team, the squash teams spent their February breaks competing in both the NESCAC and Div. III Singles tournaments, with both the men and women turning in solid performances across the board.
In a prelude to their championship tournaments, the squash teams participated in a round robin at Yale before the NESCAC and individual tournaments. The women defeated their only Div. III opponent, Franklin & Marshall, while dropping matches to fifth-ranked Yale, 11th-ranked George Washington, and a close defeat to 10th-ranked Brown.
At the Yale meet, the men fared better, albeit against lesser ranked competition. Winning two of three matches, the men defeated number-20 Brown and George Washington, while losing a well contested match to 14th-ranked Navy.
Crucial to both teams’ rankings, the weekend of Jan. 31 saw the men and women take on their NESCAC competition for the team conference championships.
The men, seeded fifth in the conference, drew fourth-seeded Wesleyan in their opening game of the competition. Strong performances by Parker Hurst ’14 and Andrew Cadienhead ’17 buoyed the Panthers, allowing them to best Wesleyan by a score of 5-4.
The upset was not easily attained, as many of the matches went long. With multiple matches going to the fifth and decisive games, the Cardinals of Wesleyan did not make life easy for Middlebury.
The next game, against national powerhouse and top-seeded Trinity, would prove to be unfavorable to the Panthers, as the Bantams beat them soundly 9-0. Other than a strong performance from Andrew Jung ’16 the Panthers were outplayed down the line from an exceptionally strong Trinity team that would similarly shut out Williams in the final to take the NESCAC team championship.
In consolation play for third place, the Panthers took on Bates. The Bobcats had an answer for Middlebury’s usually formidable top half of the lineup, beating the Panthers’ first through fourth singles players. Despite sound wins from Wyatt French ’17, Reed Palmer ’15 and Will Hanley ’15, Middlebury would ultimately come up short and fall to Bates 6-3.
For the weekend, Middlebury finished fourth in the NESCAC, outperforming their seed, but still not the performance a talented roster such as Middlebury’s is capable of producing.
The women’s team, also seeded fifth in the tournament, opened against fourth-seeded Hamilton. The Panthers put on quite the display in their opening match, defeating the Continentals by a score of 7-2. The lineup has clearly benefited from the return of the Dewey cousins, Charlotte ’15 and Katie ’15.
The next round found them taking on Trinity, who were seeded first in the women’s bracket as well. The women fared no better than the men; Trinity, clearly the class of the NESCAC in squash, shut out Middlebury 9-0.
However, Middlebury would rebound strongly from this defeat and in the consolation game, beating Williams 5-4 to take third place in the NESCAC. With shutout victories from Charlotte Dewey and Zoe Carey ’16, as well as a well fought come from behind victory at first singles from Abby Jenkins ’14, the Panthers were able to take down the Ephs in a close matchup.
The strong play from the women continued in the inaugural Div. III Singles Invitational at Bowdoin College this past weekend. Sending Jenkins, Dewey, Carey and Saskia Pownall-Gray ’16 to the top-tiered “A” flight, the women’s delegation from Middlebury had a very strong showing.
Ranked 29th in the field of 32, Pownall-Gray scored the tournament’s biggest upset, defeating Williams’ number-one player in the second round of play, before falling in the next round. Carey and Charlotte Dewey also breezed past their competition before falling in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. The biggest splash, however, was made by Jenkins, who dominated all she played, losing only one game in match play on her way to taking the singles championship.
The men did not see that level of success from their representatives at the tournament, but Jung and Harrison Croll ’16 turned in strong performances. In the “A” flight, Jung won his first match in three straight games, before falling in the round of 16. Croll, who entered the “B” flight, played sharply, winning his first two matches handily before falling to the eventual flight champion in the semifinals.
Both the men’s and women’s teams return to action for the Team Nationals tournament. The men travel to Harvard this weekend, Feb. 13-16, for the tournament. The following weekend, Feb. 20-23, the women will compete at Princeton.
For both squads, Team Nationals will provide one final opportunity to match up with top players from around the country with the intention of improving their national ranking.
(01/23/14 5:44am)
The men’s and women’s squash teams took to the road this past weekend, Jan. 18 and 19, taking on Williams and Drexel in an arduous weekend doubleheader that saw them travel to Williamstown, Mass. and Philadelphia.
One of the more overlooked aspect of small college athletics is the time spent traveling; without large enough budgets to fund air travel, many of our athletes spend as much time each weekend on a bus as they do practicing during the week. This was the case for the squash teams this weekend.
At Williams, play started early in the afternoon with a tight matchup between the female players. Losing matches in two of the top three slots, Middlebury rebounded well with consecutive wins at the fifth through seventh slots, including a well deserved win by Katie Dewey ’15, who, after losing the first two games in her match, came back and won three consecutive games to take her match.
Strong play also came from Zoey Carey ’16, who continued her recent stretch of impressive victories. Middlebury dropped the last two matches and fell to Williams 5-4.
The men, ranked 19th nationally, took on the 18th-ranked Ephs later that day and fell to a similar fate. Parker Hurst ’14 took an impressive victory at the first slot off of Williams’ top player, which was the only victory Middlebury would take from Williams in the top half of the lineup. The afternoon was filled with matches that went to the maximum of five games, of which the Panthers won only three.
The lone bright spot for Middlebury was the play of Robert Galluccio ’15, who was in complete control of his opponent from Williams, making short work of him en route to victory in just three games.
Sunday was no kinder than Saturday to the Panthers, with both teams losing again at Drexel. 14th-ranked Drexel came up victorious against the 17th-ranked women’s squash team of Middlebury, in a very close match.
Middlebury’s Abby Jenkins ’14 started play off with a hard-fought victory in the top slot, beating her opponent in three games, and wasting no time doing so. Drexel would prove a tough opponent, however, as Middlebury would not claim another match in the top half of the lineup.
Just like the day before at Williams, Carey and Dewey both played strong matches, and picked up their second victories of the weekend. Unfortunately, those would be the last matches the women’s team would win on the weekend, as they fell to Drexel 6-3.
The men, facing a Drexel team ranked 15th nationally, played in a back and forth match that came down to the wire.
With surprising losses in the top of the lineup, Will Moore ’14 got the Panthers off on the right track with an efficient three-game victory over his opponent from Drexel. Middlebury would then go on to garner wins from Harrison Croll ’16, a dominant win from Reed Palmer ’15 as well as Galluccio’s second win of the weekend, but it would not be enough, as Middlebury would fall 5-4 to the Dragons of Drexel.
“It was a tough weekend with a lot of traveling,” Moore said. “This is by no means a step back. We feel really strong and we’re going into next weekend hungry for some wins.”
(01/16/14 3:31am)
In their first competitive play in the new squash facility, on Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8, the Middlebury men’s and women’s squash teams played host to a number of top-ranked teams.
In a weekend matchup featuring Colby, Bowdoin and St. Lawrence, the Lady Panthers rose to the occasion, going undefeated while the men’s team split its results for the weekend. The women’s team started off the new year with a 9-0 trouncing of Mount Holyoke on Saturday, Jan. 11. The Panthers then continued with a strong showing against Amherst, with both the men and women securing 8-1 wins over the Lord Jeffs.
Starting off by facing off against Colby, Middlebury showed its depth, coasting to an easy 9-0 victory. Starting the match off with easy straight set wins from Abby Jenkins ’14, Annie Wymard ’15 and Tiffany Hau ’16 at the top three slots, the team never let up, with every member of the Middlebury team winning in convincing fashion.
Of particular note was the play of Zoe Carey ’16, who not only won convincingly, but was in complete control of her opponent, Liz Brehman of Colby. Carey ceded only nine points to her opponent throughout the entirety of the match, including a second game in which she blanked Brehman en route to victory.
Later that afternoon, Middlebury played host to Bowdoin, and won in similarly convincing fashion. The Panthers opened up play with six consecutive wins through the top slots, before seeing Audrey Ellen ’17 and Isabel van der Linden ’17 lose very tightly contested games at the seven and eight slots. Middlebury would then rebound with a win in the ninth slot by Grace Backe ’15.5.
The next day, however, provided the true test to the women’s squash team. Facing the historically strong squash program of St. Lawrence, the match truly went down to the wire.
However, perhaps in a testament to the overall strength of the women’s team, rare losses dealt to Jenkins and Hau were overcome by decisive victories in the lower slots. The Panthers fourth, fifth, and sixth slots put on quite the show, with a dominant victory from Saskia Pownall-Gray ’16, including a third game in which she didn’t allow one point. With the game tied up following a victory from Amanda Chen ’14, Ellen came up clutch in a massive fashion, winning her game and getting the fifth and decisive victory in Middlebury’s 5-4 victory over the Saints.
Following the strong performance against three quality opponents before the winter break, the women’s squash team has kept up its excellent play as of late, recently recording a 9-0 trouncing of Mount Holyoke.
The men also played host to Colby, Bowdoin and St. Lawrence before winter break, experiencing some degree of success. Opening the weekend against Colby, the men, like the women blanked the Mules, winning convincingly 9-0.
A testament to the control Middlebury had over Colby, only two players from Middlebury had to play more than the minimum three matches in order to secure the win.
Middlebury then completed a similarly pleasantly uneventful game against Bowdoin, with the Panthers thoroughly in control against the Polar Bears, roaring to an 8-1 victory. Parker Hurst ’14 and Andrew Jung ’16 continued their solid play of late, beating their opposition from Bowdoin in straight sets. First-year Andrew Cadienhead ’17 continued to assert himself as a strong player, with another competitive win at the difficult third slot.
“The team proved to be reaching our prime by beating Bowdoin,” Rob Galluccio ’15 said. “[The match] was a good indicator as we gear up to play similar competitors like Williams and Drexel, matches which will be more important in establishing our ranking going forward.”
The match against St. Lawrence, however, was not in Middlebury’s favor. The fourth-ranked team in the country, and a perennial contender at the NCAA championships, St. Lawrence provided the Middlebury men with a stiff challenge. St. Lawrence lived up to their reputation, handing the Panthers a 9-0 defeat.
While a discouraging result superficially, Middlebury competed well against perhaps the best competition they will face before the championship season begins.
Both the men’s and women’s teams displayed their dominance against NESCAC-foe Amherst on Tuesday, Jan. 14, each downing the Lord Jeffs 8-1.
“We were much better against Amherst than we were in the same match last season,” Galluccio said. “We played at our best and we’re coming into the most important part of the season really confident about what we can accomplish.”
Both teams continue with NESCAC play at Williams on Saturday, Jan. 18.
(12/04/13 8:37pm)
The men’s and women’s squash teams both traveled to Clinton, NY to take on Hamilton on Saturday, Nov. 23. The Continentals provided the Panthers with their first NESCAC competition of the season.
The Panthers, ranked 12th nationally, started the day off with four consecutive losses in match-play at the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth slots, with Hamilton’s players playing very impressive squash. Amanda Chen ’14, despite losing at the sixth slot, showed determination, taking her opponent, Hannah Coffin, to five games. The marathon game was featured as the Harrow Sports Collegiate Squash Match of the Week, for which Coffin earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors.
Middlebury picked up its first win on the day at the fifth slot, with Saskia Pownall-Gray ’16 dominating her opposition from Hamilton, winning in straight sets. Pownall-Gray was incredibly efficient, winning each game by a considerable margin.
Middlebury kept up the dominant play at the third and fourth slots, with Tiffany Hau ’16 and Zoe Carey ’16 both winning in straight sets. Carey in particular impressed, allowing her opponent to score only five points in each of the last two games. Middlebury split the final two games at the first and second slots, with Abby Jenkins ’14 winning her number one match in five games, and Annie Wymard ’15 taking her opponent to a fifth game but coming up short.
Twentieth-ranked Hamilton upset the higher-ranked Panthers with a final tally of 5-4. The win marked Hamilton’s first over the Middlebury women’s squash program since Feb. 3, 2000.
On the men’s side, the seventeenth-ranked Panthers completely dominated the number 24 Continentals. Having blanked Stanford 9-0 the weekend before, the Panthers were able to duplicate that feat, utterly controlling the match against a talented Hamilton team.
Reed Palmer ’15 and Bent Krant ’17 opened play at the eighth and ninth slots respectively with wins, followed by Wyatt French’s ’17 and Robert Galluccio’s ’15 manhandling over their opponents in straight sets at the sixth and seventh slots. After a five game win by Harrison Croll ’16 at the fifth slot, Middlebury would then go on to win the final four matches all in three games.
Andrew Cadienhead ’17, playing in the fourth slot, swept his opponent from Hamilton. In the third slot, senior Will Moore ’14 took care of business in short order. Andrew Jung ’16 held down the second slot, and Parker Hurst ’14 ended the day on a positive note with a clean sweep of Hamilton’s Martin Bawden. Senior leaders Hurst and Moore appear to be playing in good form, a good sign going forward for the Middlebury men’s squash team.
Both teams have busy weekends ahead, as the women will play four and the men five matches between Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8.
The women will host conference foes 22nd ranked Colby and 17th ranked Bowdoin on Saturday. On Sunday, St. Lawrence and Tufts will be in town to challenge the Panthers.
On the men’s side the Panthers will see some stiff competition. They will welcome conference foes Colby and 20th ranked Bowdoin to Middlebury on Saturday and square off with out-of-conference opponents Bard and sixth-ranked St. Lawrence on Sunday. Finally, the men will play Tufts on Sunday evening at 4:00 p.m.
(11/20/13 6:49pm)
In the first match in the Middlebury Squash Team’s new facility, the 17th-ranked Panthers played host to the fifth-ranked Rochester Yellowjackets. Unfortunately, the contingent from Upstate N.Y. put a damper on the facility’s inaugural match, soundly defeating the shorthanded lineup Middlebury sent out, 9-0.
Missing a number of upperclassmen, Middlebury was able to get a very talented first-year class some exposure to high-level collegiate play. One such matchup was between Andrew Cadienhead ’17, who drew Rochester’s All-American sophomore Neil Cordell at the second slot. While Cadienhead failed to take a game from Cordell, he demonstrated an impressive array of creative shots in addition to excellent court coverage.
Similarly, Ben Krant ’17 played a solid match at the seventh position; while losing all three games he played against Rochester’s Aria Fazil, Krant, a tall player who used his length to great advantage, connecting with balls seemingly out of reach. While the end result left much to be desired, the first-years put on a promising showing.
The lone Panther to win a set on Friday was Henry Pearson ’17, playing out of the number nine slot.
Andrew Jung ’16 played Rochester’s top man, but fell in straight sets.
Saturday, however, boded better for the Panthers, as the men’s side split a pair of matches in action at Williams’ facility. The first match of the day saw Middlebury sweep Stanford 9-0. Middlebury’s Parker Hurst ’14 won his first match of the current campaign 11-5, 11-3 and 11-5 over Stanford’s Parker Odrich in the top slot. Also of note was Krant, continuing his solid play over the weekend, allowing his opponent onlythree points over the course of three games.
Will Moore ’14 and Cadienhead rounded out the top three for Middlebury, also sweeping their opponents.
In truly dominant fashion, the Panthers did not drop one single game over the course of nine matches.
Later that day, however, the Panthers faced another steep challenge in playing University of Western Ontario, ranked ninth nationally. Middlebury was not as successful against its counterparts from London, Ontario, with the Panthers dropping seven of nine matches.
The squad’s two victories came from sixth man Wyatt French ’17 (11-9, 11-8, 11-5) and Krant (5-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-7), playing in the nine slot.
However, despite the final score, against such a high quality opponent, the Panthers played admirably. All matches were close, with several that could have gone either way. Against a team such as the University of Western Ontario, the outcome, while far from preferred, was encouraging, nonetheless.
While the mark of 1-2 over the weekend may not be superficially appealing, Robert Galluccio ’15 believes the team had a productive weekend, despite the lopsided score due to the caliber of the opposition.
“Rochester and University of Western Ontario are some of the best squads in the country, and for us to go out there and compete, regardless of the outcome, can only make us better,” Galluccio said, while adding that he would have liked to see a more favorable outcome.
With competitive matches against teams such as Williams and St. Lawrence on the horizon, the men’s squash team looks to use this weekend as a building block for the rest of the season.
The women’s team, meanwhile, opens its season Saturday, Nov. 23 at Hamilton in a matchup of the 12th- and 20th-ranked teams in the country, respectively.
(10/16/13 5:30pm)
Opportunities to compete against national level competition are few and far between for NESCAC schools, but the Middlebury Tennis program has historically made the most of its chances. The duo of Brantner Jones ’14 and Palmer Campbell ’16 continued this winning tradition at the ITA Small College Championships in Fort Myers, Florida from Thursday, Oct. 10 to Sunday, Oct. 13.
Representing the New England ITA delegation following the inability of Ben Fife and Joey Fritz of Amherst College to compete, Jones and Campbell stunned the field and took the Small College National Championship in doubles play.
The duo started the long weekend of tournament play with a (6-3) (6-3) victory over the 4th seeded doubles pairing from Wisconsin-Whitewater.
This easy win was followed with another one, with Jones and Campbell demolishing the top-seeded team from North Carolina Wesleyan. Knocking off the top team in the field cleared Jones’ and Campbell’s path to the finals, where they faced Andrew La Cava and James Rivers of Whitman College. This year marked the athletes from Whitman College’s second straight appearance in the finals. Playing in top form, the Panther duo cruised past their opposition, earning a decisive (6-3) (6-2) victory to earn the championship.
The Middlebury players not competing in ITA play also played exceedingly well this weekend, participating in the Wallach Invitational at Bates College on Saturday, Oct. 12 and Sunday, Oct. 13.
In a promising showing, Alex Johnston ’14 appeared to be coming into form, coasting through the “A” singles bracket in straight sets before meeting his teammate Teddy Fitzgibbons ’14 in the finals. Johnston would defeat Fitzgibbons in a bit of friendly competition, (6-1) (6-4), winning the bracket.
The younger members of the Middlebury team also played well, with strong showings by Jackson Frons ’16 and Ari Smolyar ’16 in the “B” bracket, who both advanced to the semifinals. While it is still early in the season, it appears that the Panthers have put the NESCAC on notice with their play- they clearly seem to be one of the teams to bet.
(10/02/13 5:31pm)
Competing in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Championships, the men’s and women’s tennis teams faced some of the best players in New England from Friday, Sept. 27 to Sunday, Sept. 29. While the weekend had no bearing on the team’s standing, many Panthers rose to the challenge in the individual competition.
The men’s tennis team hosted the New England Region ITA Tournament, and fielded multiple Panther entrants in both the singles and doubles tournaments. In singles play, Alex Johnston ’13, Brantner Jones ’13, Jackson Frons ’16 and Palmer Campbell ’16 all were able to win multiple match-ups.
Of particular mention was Campbell, who advanced to the tournament’s semi-final. Campbell and Williams’ Conrad Harron squared off in a battle that lasted over two hours. Campbell easily took the first set on the strength of strong play at the net, (6-1), preceding a grueling second set. The war of attrition continued, with neither Campbell nor Harron content to give up a point, until Harron finally took the set (7-5), before winning the3rd and final set (6-2).
Campbell, the last remaining Middlebury athlete in the singles tournament, rebounded in doubles play with partner Jones. The duo meshed well, playing in lockstep with one another. Easily beating their initial opposition, Jones and Campbell advanced to the final of the tournament where they met Ben Fife and Joey Fritz of Amherst College. In yet another marathon matchup for Campbell, the Middlebury pair split the first two sets with their opponents before falling 10-7 in the tiebreaker to end their day.
“Palmer played very well throughout the weekend and was the only player to be in the semi-finals of both singles and doubles,” head coach Bob Hansen said. “He and Brantner will represent our region at the ITA Small College Championships on Oct. 10-12 and have a chance to compete for the Div lll National Small College doubles title.”
The women’s team, also competing in the ITA tournament, traveled to Williams College.
Ria Gerger ’16, played a strong tournament, picking up multiple wins with ease. She breezed past her first three opponents (6-1, 6-1), (6-2, 6-1) and a dominant (6-3, 6-0) in the round of 16, before falling in the quarterfinals.
Gerger also advanced far in the doubles tournament with teammate Sadie Shackelford ’16. The sophomores rolled to two early wins in the tournament, besting their opposition (8-1) and (8-2) before losing to the entrants from Williams in the quarterfinals.
“This was our first tournament together as a doubles team, but we definitely worked well together and got to play several NESCAC teams that we’ll see in the regular season, which was a helpful preview for the future,” Shackelford said.
As the major tournament for the Panthers in the fall season, the ITA has set an impressive precedent after facing some of the best competition they will see this year. The men return to action in the Brown Hidden Dual tournament on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6, while the women will travel to Mount Holyoke to take part in the Newitt tournament on Friday, Oct. 18.
(09/18/13 11:38pm)
The Middlebury men’s tennis team hosted the Middlebury Invitational on Saturday Sept. 14 and Sunday Sept. 15, drawing competitors such as NESCAC foes Trinity, Bates, Wesleyan and Tufts, while the women’s team traveled to Williams for the Lindsay Morehouse Invitational.
The men posted a strong showing in early season individual contests. Despite the surprising early round exit of 1st singles Alex Johnston ’14 in the A Singles Division, Middlebury’s other entrants in the A flight performed exceptionally well.
In a dominant display, Teddy Fitzgibbons ’14 dominated his first round opponent, Nikola Telkedzhiev of Tufts, in straight sets. Fitzgibbons in particular impressed with his clinical play up close from the service line and the net, constantly creating different shot angles and stymieing any attempts from his counterpart to hit a shot with any weight.
“Overall, it was great to be back on our home courts competing with the rest of the guys on the team,” Fitzgibbons said. “I certainly fed off of their energy and played well all weekend.”
Brantner Jones ’14 also handily beat his first two opponents, before falling to his teammate Fitzgibbons in the semifinals. In the finals of the A flight, Fitzgibbons overcame a 1st set holdup to eventually defeat Jay Glickman of Tufts 1-6, 6-3, (10-7) for the singles championship.
In other flights, Palmer Campbell ’16 of was fantastic in the B singles flight, cruising through the entire field in straight sets, before finally besting teammate Courtney Mountfield ’15 in the finals. The sophomore appears to be in great form early in the season, a good sign for the already formidable men’s tennis team.
Before the day was over, Mountfield would get a bit of friendly “revenge” over Campbell, as he and his doubles partner, Ari Smolyar, would win the A doubles field over Jones and Campbell in a closely contested matchup, (9-8).
In the women’s tournament, players hailed from Williams, Middlebury, Vassar, Bowdoin and Skidmore, with the weekend matches played in a round robin format, crowning no champion.
The women Panthers, nonetheless, had a strong weekend, with a few individual performances standing out. In the top women’s singles flight, Ria Gerger ’16 earned a win in the finals over Kara Shoemaker of Williams. Also of note was Katie Paradies’ ’15 advancement to the final in the second flight, as well as the undefeated doubles pairing
Margot Marchese ’16 and Jennifer Sundstrom ’17 in round robin play.
Gerger believes that the tournament is a good starting point for the women Panthers.
“The tournament was a good way to see what we still need to work on, but also to see how well we are doing,” Gerger said. “This was just a glimpse of what we have to offer this fall and spring.”
The men will host the Intercollegiate Tennis Association New England Regional Championships Sept. 27-29. Last year at Williams College Campbell advanced to the semifinals and Johnston reached the quarters. The women will head to Williams that same weekend to compete in the ITAs as well, where last year Gerger placed second.