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(12/08/16 5:00pm)
Middlebury College announced today that it has met its goal of a net zero carbon emissions footprint by the end of 2016, fulfilling a commitment made in 2007 by then-president Ronald D. Liebowitz and making Middlebury the fourth college campus in the U.S. to declare itself carbon neutral.
Nearly all of the current carbon footprint will be offset by carbon credits earned from a land trust agreement on 2,100 acres of College-owned forest land in the Bread Loaf Wilderness in Ripton, Vt. The tract will be protected through a conservation easement held by the Vermont Land Trust.
The College established the Bread Loaf Preservation Fund in 2014 to preserve the land “in perpetuity.” The fund is financed in part by the Moore Charitable Foundation, which is chaired by Louis Bacon ’79, a conservation philanthropist and a College trustee.
Bluesource LLC, a privately-held firm based in Utah, conducted field studies on the tract in October and November to estimate the amount of carbon sequestered in the forest. Another party will have to independently verify this number before the College can apply to the American Carbon Registry, a nonprofit organization that issues official carbon credits that can be bought and sold on a market.
Once the College receives its credits — which are expected to exceed the 12,905 metric tons of carbon necessary to reach net zero emissions — it will sell the remainder of them.
The idea for carbon neutrality at Middlebury first came about in the late 1990s. It gained traction when the Environmental Council started a project called the Carbon Reduction Initiative in 2002. They presented a report to the Board of Trustees recommending that the College reduce its carbon footprint by levels specified in the Kyoto Protocol — 8 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
The report proposed projects that could reduce the College’s fossil fuel consumption levels. The trustees approved one of these projects, the biomass gasification plant, in 2006. The plant cost $12 million and burns about 24,000 tons of woodchips purchased from local timber companies.
During gasification, wood chips are super-heated in an oxygen deprived environment to the point that they smolder and release gases. The gases are then ignited to heat the boiler, producing steam. The filters in the biomass facility are rated to remove 99.7 percent of the particulates from the exhaust.
Biomass gasification at this plant is considered carbon neutral becauses the forests that supply the wood chips are growing at a faster rate than timber is being harvested. Local foresters frequently verify the growth rate of the forests, according to Mike Moser, director of Facilities Services.
In 2006, student activists in Sunday Night Group, emboldened by the trustee’s approval of the biomass plant, proposed to then-president Liebowitz that the College pledge to become carbon neutral. He agreed to let them present to the trustees at their next meeting. In May 2007, with Liebowitz’s backing, the trustees formally resolved to make the campus carbon neutral by the end of 2016.
Beginning in 2012, the College financed three solar projects to source some of its electricity. One solar farm is along College Street, across from the recycling center; another is called South Ridge on state Route 7 in Middlebury; and a third is being constructed at Wilber Electric in Pittsford, Vt. The College has also financed 87 renewable energy projects, including a manure digester being constructed at Goodrich Farm in Salisbury, Vt., which will turn cow manure into methane gas that can be used to heat campus buildings.
At the end of fiscal year 2016, carbon emissions totaled 13,539 metric tons. For the past nine years, Middlebury College Snow Bowl has purchased an average of 590 metric tons annually in carbon credits from Native Energy, which funds renewable energy projects and is based in Burlington, Vt. The sequestered carbon in the Bread Loaf forest will provide at least 12,905 metric tons worth of carbon offsets, enough to yield a balance of zero carbon emissions.
The College was emitting 14,473 metric tons of carbon at the close of fiscal year 2015. It reached neutrality in the past fiscal year in part by consuming 70 percent less in No. 6 oil and using compressed natural gas to make up the lost energy. But the offsets certified by the American Carbon Registry for the sequestered carbon in the Bread Loaf forest — offsetting 85 percent of 2015 emissions alone — were the most significant factor in reaching net zero carbon emissions since the biomass plant was completed in 2009.
“An awful lot of carbon neutrality is definitional,” said Churchill Franklin ’71 of Cornwall, Vt., a benefactor of the Franklin Environmental Center, in a video posted on the College’s Vimeo channel. “By some definitions, there’s plenty of work still to do.”
Credits from the sequestered carbon will hold their value for five years, according to Jack Byrne, director of sustainability integration. A third party must reassess the sequestration credit values by conducting field work at the five year mark, and can adjust the values if the studies show changes. If the credits lose all their value, the College will have to find another solution for maintaining carbon neutrality, Byrne said. But the College is always looking to make the campus more energy efficient and to do more with less, he said.
Representatives for the College projected pride in making the announcement today, reflecting on the success of an idea nearly sixteen years in the making.
“I am thrilled to announce this significant moment in Middlebury’s history of environmental leadership,” said Laurie L. Patton, the College’s president, in a statement. “I encourage the campus community to pause and reflect on the importance of this achievement and recognize the visionary work of so many people who brought us to this point.”
Nan Jenks-Jay, dean of environmental affairs, said that achieving net zero emissions was a collaborative project that was driven considerably by student input.
“This is really about an institution committing to bold sustainability goals, collaborating and innovating with learning and leadership at the core,” Jenks-Jay said. “Middlebury’s carbon neutrality achievement demonstrates how a community can engage in bringing about important environmental solutions — solutions that are more important each day.”
The announcement comes amid President-elect Donald J. Trump’s transition to the White House, which has dogged environmental activists because of Trump’s promises to bring back coal and to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement signed by President Obama earlier this year. When asked about how President-elect Trump’s environmental agenda will affect the College’s sustainability efforts, Byrne said he sees the College continuing to serve as a model for other institutions seeking to take local initiative.
“A lot of the significant progress in this area has taken place at the local and state level over the years,” Byrne said. “What goes on at the federal and global level is extremely important, and policy and tone matter a lot. But in the absence of that — which we may have, or we may have less of — I think it’s important to continue to show how you can do this on your own.”
The College, he said, “can promote and inspire and encourage others — not just educational institutions — to show that you can do this environmentally, economically and morally.”
(11/17/16 10:43pm)
News of Donald J. Trump’s election as the nation’s 45th president sent waves of shock and uncertainty throughout campus, prompting students to stage protests against the president-elect and discussions of what the next four years will bring.
For many, election night was a surprising and ultimately devastating display of the American electoral system at work. The long election season culminated in a packed Crossroads Café Tuesday night Nov. 8. When, at 7 p.m., Vermont projected to go for Hillary Clinton, the group of mostly liberal-leaning students cheered loudly, proud of the state for being the first in the country to vote for Clinton.
Most students felt optimistic at this point, and Crossroads had a celebratory feel. People chatted with friends and shouted happily when early states were projected for Clinton. For some students, a Clinton victory was all but inevitable.
“I’m very confident in a Hillary victory; I’m just curious to see how much America will go for Trump,” James Callison ’17.5 said early in the night. “The only thing I am concerned about, however, is the Senate election. I’m worried it’s going to go 51-49 Republicans.”
Others did not share Callison’s certainty, but nonetheless felt that Clinton would most likely end up pulling through.
“[I feel] sort of cautiously optimistic, which is bad, because you want to feel hopeful that reasonably optimistic predictions from statisticians and political watchers… are solid predictions that you have faith in,” Noah Liebmiller ’17.5 said. “But at the same time, there’s a lot of self-doubt. I would hate to have my hopes crushed at the end of the day. One in four things happen all the time. Cubs came back from 3-1 the other day. Cavaliers came back from 3-1 in July. Nothing’s ever sure.”
At the same time, Liebmiller felt excited for election night and looked forward to watching the contest unfold.
“We’ve been waiting for this to happen for almost two years, and every day it got a little bit more intense, and so many crazy things have happened,” he said. “If you’re a nerd who loves politics, this is like Christmas morning, but it’s only once every four years.”
Charlotte Massey ’18, on the other hand, did not have much optimism and half-jokingly explained her contingency plan if Donald Trump were to emerge victorious.
“We’re flying to Europe tomorrow for a debate tournament, so the mindset is, if Trump wins, we’re just staying there,” she said.
In spite of the nerves, the atmosphere remained relaxed and congenial well into the night. Students enthusiastically grabbed free Grille food and watched as Matthew Dickinson and Bert Johnson, professors of political science, commented on the results as they rolled in. Until about 9 p.m., Dickinson and Johnson reiterated that Donald Trump had a very narrow path to victory.
And then it became clear that Trump was outperforming expectations. Dickinson and Johnson began to express surprise as states like Virginia, Michigan and Wisconsin remained extremely close with slight Trump leads.
The hum of conversation in Crossroads softened as students realized what was happening. The cheers for the few states that were called for Clinton became even louder. Conversations turned toward expressions of anger and frustration.
“It really pisses me off that it’s even this close because if she wins it’s still really depressing about what’s happening in America,” Caley Henderson ’18 said.
“So many people seemed so confident, and I thought I was ready mentally for the idea that it was going to be close,” Liebmiller said. “And I’m still not clear whether it’s close yet, but it’s starting to feel really close, and that’s not a pleasant thing.”
By 12 a.m., many of the students at Crossroads were thinking back to that moment that Vermont was projected and wishing the rest of the night would have gone much differently. Crossroads had closed, and Pennsylvania would soon be called for Trump.
At 3 a.m. on Wed. Nov. 9, Trump had been declared victorious and gave his acceptance speech to the nation.
“I felt that the values of America had failed those that are most vulnerable in society,” Callison said later about his reaction when he realized that Trump had won.
He and several other students gathered in Crossroads again on Wednesday morning to discuss the results, express their feelings and commiserate. Political Science professors, including Johnson, Sarah Stroup, Erik Bleich and Orion Lewis, led the conversation and attempted to give students some context for the election. But even they had a challenging time making sense of the results.
“This has been one of the most extraordinary elections in memory, with a result that most political scientists would not have bet on,” Johnson said later. “Those of us who study U.S. elections will now have to examine why the polling data leading up to the election was out of step with the result.”
While the students had come together to watch Hillary Clinton’s concession speech, the gathering ended up being a catharsis of sorts. It was a moment for students and professors alike to try to make sense of the intense emotions they were feeling.
For the rest of the week, many students and staff at the College struggled to figure out how to move forward. Some professors canceled class or delayed tests; others attempted to keep conducting business as usual. But among many students, the overriding emotions were confusion and sadness. Some professors and staff who have worked at the College for many years compared it to the days after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks; others were shocked at the depth of the emotional response from students.
“I have not seen our campus so paralyzed,” Stroup said. “Optimism and articulation were suspended. Our first years are navigating this historic moment in a new environment. Usually I can find some evidence and arguments from political science to these events, but we all got it wrong -- which requires some humility.”
Johnson perceived the same strong, passionate reaction from students. “The state of alarm on campus is something I have not seen before in my twelve years here,” he said. “I can understand why many are concerned with the result, and to be frank, I share many of their concerns.”
As a result of the election, the College organized several different opportunities later in the week for students and faculty to come together. During one such event, which took place on Friday, Nov. 11, members of the College community broke up into small groups to converse and reflect on the election and how to move forward.
In one group, the participants talked about the different ways that people might get active to make a change, the ability of faculty to take a stance against certain political rhetoric and how people might deal with the despair and hopelessness they feel. The participants agreed to be anonymous, but they all expressed an appreciation for the cathartic effect of the meetings.
For many, the willingness of students to engage in difficult and rewarding discussions at events like this was a particularly bright spot in an otherwise tough week.
“I have been surprised at and comforted by the range of conversations I have had,” Stroup said. “Yes, these are based on little sleep and half-formed thoughts, but people have reached out to discuss and deliberate.”
In response to the results, President of the College Republicans Club, Hayden Dublois ’17, emphasized the crucial importance of being there for those who are marginalized or scared by a Trump presidency.
“Even as a Republican, I’m disgusted by Donald Trump and disagree with his policies. But rather than rioting, I think there is a two-fold response that is more effective. First, be there for those who feel marginalized and scared by a Trump presidency,” said Dublois in an email to the Campus. “Second, oppose Donald Trump’s policies that you disagree with. Call your Congressman or Senator; donate to an interest group; join an advocacy organization — whatever you have to do to oppose the particular policies you disagree with.”
As the days passed, sadness and confusion transformed into anger and a desire to act. In conjunction with several students, Travis Wayne Sanderson ’19 helped plan and organize an election protest, which was held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13 outside Mead Memorial Chapel. Sanderson thought of the idea after taking note of similar events at different campuses. He saw it as a good method to transfer our community’s emotions into a constructive goal.
The Facebook event page, which garnered interested from over two hundred students, read: “Our presidential election has ended in terror for the lives and livelihoods of millions of marginalized people. We cannot sit still in a time of injustice. On Sunday, our Middlebury community will gather at the front steps of Mead Chapel to stand together against racism, fascism, hatred and all forms of oppression. We hope you can join us in standing up in this moment of history.”
Students eagerly gathered around the steps of Mead Chapel right at 4 p.m., with the crowd gradually growing as the protesters made their way down toward Davis Memorial Library. Many students held cardboard signs with slogans reading, “Not My President,” “Stronger Together” and “Love Trumps Hate.” The crowd, comprised of roughly 250 students, chanted as they then made their way across campus from Davis to McCardell Bicentennial Hall. Two of the chants that echoed across campus were “Immigration, Not Deportation” and “Build Bridges, Not Walls.”
Back on the steps of Mead, Sanderson took the stage first. Several speakers followed Sanderson, offering individual stories touching upon topics ranging from immigration reform to discrimination within on our own campus.
“Overall, I’m happy with how the protest went,” said Charles Rainey ’19, a student representative of Community Council, who spoke at the event. “The message is clear — we have a passionate subset of the population, a diverse group of kids that came out to really show that love trumps hate, that black lives matter, that the pussy grabs back and that we stand in solidarity with LGBTQ+ folks. I hope that this leads to a broader discussion for how these values we hold dear, and our feelings about the election, can be translated back on campus and make this campus a more inclusive one.”
As part of his speech, Rainey read two poems by Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib. He emphasized the need to cultivate constructive conversation moving forward.
Moving beyond the protest, Sanderson envisions cultural organizations, as well as other student groups active in inclusivity, helping to continue the dialogue on a more permanent basis. However, he recognizes that this is a democratic effort.
“The conversations that have to be cultivated in the next months and years rely on people and organizations not only hosting them and making the spaces for them, but also on people in dining halls and other spaces making sure there isn’t a tolerance for intolerance in this place,” said Sanderson. “Even if you’re not directly involved, there’s space to be more inclusive and more of an exception to the dominant narrative of intolerance that has taken the nation since last week.”
(11/17/16 4:41pm)
News of Donald J. Trump’s election as the nation’s 45th president sent waves of shock and uncertainty throughout campus, prompting students to stage protests against the president-elect and discussions of what the next four years will bring.
For many, election night was a surprising and ultimately devastating display of the American electoral system at work. The long election season culminated in a packed Crossroads Café Tuesday night Nov. 8. When, at 7 p.m., Vermont projected to go for Hillary Clinton, the group of mostly liberal-leaning students cheered loudly, proud of the state for being the first in the country to vote for Clinton.
Most students felt optimistic at this point, and Crossroads had a celebratory feel. People chatted with friends and shouted happily when early states were projected for Clinton. For some students, a Clinton victory was all but inevitable.
“I’m very confident in a Hillary victory; I’m just curious to see how much America will go for Trump,” James Callison ’17.5 said early in the night. “The only thing I am concerned about, however, is the Senate election. I’m worried it’s going to go 51-49 Republicans.”
Others did not share Callison’s certainty, but nonetheless felt that Clinton would most likely end up pulling through.
“[I feel] sort of cautiously optimistic, which is bad, because you want to feel hopeful that reasonably optimistic predictions from statisticians and political watchers… are solid predictions that you have faith in,” Noah Liebmiller ’17.5 said. “But at the same time, there’s a lot of self-doubt. I would hate to have my hopes crushed at the end of the day. One in four things happen all the time. Cubs came back from 3-1 the other day. Cavaliers came back from 3-1 in July. Nothing’s ever sure.”
At the same time, Liebmiller felt excited for election night and looked forward to watching the contest unfold.
“We’ve been waiting for this to happen for almost two years, and every day it got a little bit more intense, and so many crazy things have happened,” he said. “If you’re a nerd who loves politics, this is like Christmas morning, but it’s only once every four years.”
Charlotte Massey ’18, on the other hand, did not have much optimism and half-jokingly explained her contingency plan if Donald Trump were to emerge victorious.
“We’re flying to Europe tomorrow for a debate tournament, so the mindset is, if Trump wins, we’re just staying there,” she said.
In spite of the nerves, the atmosphere remained relaxed and congenial well into the night. Students enthusiastically grabbed free Grille food and watched as Matthew Dickinson and Bert Johnson, professors of political science, commented on the results as they rolled in. Until about 9 p.m., Dickinson and Johnson reiterated that Donald Trump had a very narrow path to victory.
And then it became clear that Trump was outperforming expectations. Dickinson and Johnson began to express surprise as states like Virginia, Michigan and Wisconsin remained extremely close with slight Trump leads.
The hum of conversation in Crossroads softened as students realized what was happening. The cheers for the few states that were called for Clinton became even louder. Conversations turned toward expressions of anger and frustration.
“It really pisses me off that it’s even this close because if she wins it’s still really depressing about what’s happening in America,” Caley Henderson ’18 said.
“So many people seemed so confident, and I thought I was ready mentally for the idea that it was going to be close,” Liebmiller said. “And I’m still not clear whether it’s close yet, but it’s starting to feel really close, and that’s not a pleasant thing.”
By 12 a.m., many of the students at Crossroads were thinking back to that moment that Vermont was projected and wishing the rest of the night would have gone much differently. Crossroads had closed, and Pennsylvania would soon be called for Trump.
At 3 a.m. on Wed. Nov. 9, Trump had been declared victorious and gave his acceptance speech to the nation.
“I felt that the values of America had failed those that are most vulnerable in society,” Callison said later about his reaction when he realized that Trump had won.
He and several other students gathered in Crossroads again on Wednesday morning to discuss the results, express their feelings and commiserate. Political Science professors, including Johnson, Sarah Stroup, Erik Bleich and Orion Lewis, led the conversation and attempted to give students some context for the election. But even they had a challenging time making sense of the results.
“This has been one of the most extraordinary elections in memory, with a result that most political scientists would not have bet on,” Johnson said later. “Those of us who study U.S. elections will now have to examine why the polling data leading up to the election was out of step with the result.”
While the students had come together to watch Hillary Clinton’s concession speech, the gathering ended up being a catharsis of sorts. It was a moment for students and professors alike to try to make sense of the intense emotions they were feeling.
For the rest of the week, many students and staff at the College struggled to figure out how to move forward. Some professors canceled class or delayed tests; others attempted to keep conducting business as usual. But among many students, the overriding emotions were confusion and sadness. Some professors and staff who have worked at the College for many years compared it to the days after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks; others were shocked at the depth of the emotional response from students.
“I have not seen our campus so paralyzed,” Stroup said. “Optimism and articulation were suspended. Our first years are navigating this historic moment in a new environment. Usually I can find some evidence and arguments from political science to these events, but we all got it wrong -- which requires some humility.”
Johnson perceived the same strong, passionate reaction from students. “The state of alarm on campus is something I have not seen before in my twelve years here,” he said. “I can understand why many are concerned with the result, and to be frank, I share many of their concerns.”
As a result of the election, the College organized several different opportunities later in the week for students and faculty to come together. During one such event, which took place on Friday, Nov. 11, members of the College community broke up into small groups to converse and reflect on the election and how to move forward.
In one group, the participants talked about the different ways that people might get active to make a change, the ability of faculty to take a stance against certain political rhetoric and how people might deal with the despair and hopelessness they feel. The participants agreed to be anonymous, but they all expressed an appreciation for the cathartic effect of the meetings.
For many, the willingness of students to engage in difficult and rewarding discussions at events like this was a particularly bright spot in an otherwise tough week.
“I have been surprised at and comforted by the range of conversations I have had,” Stroup said. “Yes, these are based on little sleep and half-formed thoughts, but people have reached out to discuss and deliberate.”
In response to the results, President of the College Republicans Club, Hayden Dublois ’17, emphasized the crucial importance of being there for those who are marginalized or scared by a Trump presidency.
“Even as a Republican, I’m disgusted by Donald Trump and disagree with his policies. But rather than rioting, I think there is a two-fold response that is more effective. First, be there for those who feel marginalized and scared by a Trump presidency,” said Dublois in an email to the Campus. “Second, oppose Donald Trump’s policies that you disagree with. Call your Congressman or Senator; donate to an interest group; join an advocacy organization — whatever you have to do to oppose the particular policies you disagree with.”
As the days passed, sadness and confusion transformed into anger and a desire to act. In conjunction with several students, Travis Wayne Sanderson ’19 helped plan and organize an election protest, which was held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13 outside Mead Memorial Chapel. Sanderson thought of the idea after taking note of similar events at different campuses. He saw it as a good method to transfer our community’s emotions into a constructive goal.
The Facebook event page, which garnered interested from over two hundred students, read: “Our presidential election has ended in terror for the lives and livelihoods of millions of marginalized people. We cannot sit still in a time of injustice. On Sunday, our Middlebury community will gather at the front steps of Mead Chapel to stand together against racism, fascism, hatred and all forms of oppression. We hope you can join us in standing up in this moment of history.”
Students eagerly gathered around the steps of Mead Chapel right at 4 p.m., with the crowd gradually growing as the protesters made their way down toward Davis Memorial Library. Many students held cardboard signs with slogans reading, “Not My President,” “Stronger Together” and “Love Trumps Hate.” The crowd, comprised of roughly 250 students, chanted as they then made their way across campus from Davis to McCardell Bicentennial Hall. Two of the chants that echoed across campus were “Immigration, Not Deportation” and “Build Bridges, Not Walls.”
Back on the steps of Mead, Sanderson took the stage first. Several speakers followed Sanderson, offering individual stories touching upon topics ranging from immigration reform to discrimination within on our own campus.
“Overall, I’m happy with how the protest went,” said Charles Rainey ’19, a student representative of Community Council, who spoke at the event. “The message is clear — we have a passionate subset of the population, a diverse group of kids that came out to really show that love trumps hate, that black lives matter, that the pussy grabs back and that we stand in solidarity with LGBTQ+ folks. I hope that this leads to a broader discussion for how these values we hold dear, and our feelings about the election, can be translated back on campus and make this campus a more inclusive one.”
As part of his speech, Rainey read two poems by Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib. He emphasized the need to cultivate constructive conversation moving forward.
Moving beyond the protest, Sanderson envisions cultural organizations, as well as other student groups active in inclusivity, helping to continue the dialogue on a more permanent basis. However, he recognizes that this is a democratic effort.
“The conversations that have to be cultivated in the next months and years rely on people and organizations not only hosting them and making the spaces for them, but also on people in dining halls and other spaces making sure there isn’t a tolerance for intolerance in this place,” said Sanderson. “Even if you’re not directly involved, there’s space to be more inclusive and more of an exception to the dominant narrative of intolerance that has taken the nation since last week.”
(03/23/16 10:52pm)
The Middlebury women’s hockey team ended their NCAA tournament run on Friday, March 18, after falling 5-3 to top-ranked Plattsburgh State in the semifinal round. They finished the season with a record of 21-6-3, the team’s most since the 2010–11 campaign and the first time the Panthers punched a ticket to the Final Four since their run to the 2012-13 NCAA final. The teams have now each won three NCAA tournament games against the other — the Panthers won in their most recent meeting in the 2013 national semifinal.
The Panthers recorded 10 straight wins leading up to the semifinal, nine of which were shutouts.
Middlebury had the first scoring opportunity of the game, going on a power play at the 3:08 mark but not capitalizing. Two minutes later Plattsburgh State took a power play of their own and turned it into a 1-0 lead just as it was about to expire. For the goal, Karen Hudson one-timed a pass in the slot.
The Panthers bounced back after stopping a second Cardinal power play at 9:48. Seconds later, Jessica Young ’18 received the puck from Janka Hlinka ’18 and wristed a shot around a defender into the far corner of the net.
Middlebury tried several times to take the lead before the end of the first, but failed. Maddie Winslow ’18 shot from point-blank range on a feed from Young, but Cardinal goalie Camille Leonard denied the puck. Plattsburgh State closed the first period with a 13-7 shot-on-goal advantage.
The Cardinals continued their momentum early in the second. A minute in, Kayla Meneghin placed her own rebound into the goal to bring the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. She nearly extended that again at 4:32 on a dramatic breakaway, but her shot went high above the crossbar.
At 5:36, the Cardinals made it a 3-1 game with a hard wrister from Muna Fadel in the slot. They had two chances to extend that lead within half a minute, but Panther netminder Julia Neuburger ’18 made both saves at 12:50 and 13:10. She then came in clutch with a glove save after Megan Delay of Plattsburgh State shook two defenders and blasted the puck from the left point.
The Cardinals extended their lead to 5-1 to close out the second period. They went went on the power play at 16:04 and scored within six seconds. A minute later, two Plattsburgh State forwards worked a pass-and-cut play all the way to the net. Plattsburgh State led Middlebury 16-5 in shots on goal for the second period.
Middlebury turned up the heat in the final period in a last-ditch effort. Their second goal of the game came more than halfway through the period, with Young netting her second goal of the game when Elizabeth Wulf ’18 batted down a puck mid-air for Young to place over the goal line. It was Young’s 13th goal of the season.
With two minutes remaining, Wulf scored a goal of her own as she one-timed a Winslow pass to the back of the net. At the 18:04 mark, Middlebury pulled Neuburger from the net in favor of an extra forward. The Panthers managed to keep constant pressure on the Cardinal net, even going on a power play with 50 seconds left, but could not score.
Plattsburgh State finished with a 41-23 advantage in shots on goal, having gone 1-for-6 on the power play compared to Middlebury’s 0-for-4. The Panthers last made the finals in 2013 when they fell in a gut-wrenching 1-0 defensive thriller against Elmira; their last NCAA title came in 2006.
“I was proud of the way the team responded in the third, scoring two goals and not giving up any,” Head Coach Bill Mandigo said. “It was a very good season. Winning the NESCAC championship in Kenyon and making it to the Final Four was something the team did not think was possible in December.”
Mandigo praised the players for their collective effort. “The team worked hard and got better every day. This was a very good group to coach and I will miss seeing them on a daily basis,” he said.
With their hopes for a national title dashed, the Panthers played in a consolation game on Saturday, March 19, against Elmira, falling 4-1 to take fourth place in the tournament.
Elmira took the lead 14 seconds into the game on a rebound. At 3:57, Middlebury answered on a power play, with Jenna Marotta ’19 one-timing a pass from Winslow. Elmira made it a 2-1 game at 14:38 in the first period. Middlebury nearly had an answer seconds later, but the Soaring Eagle goalie blocked the shot.
Elmira extended their lead to 3-1 in the second period with a backhander from the right faceoff circle. The Panthers had two opportunities in the period, a power play at 5:18 and a big flurry at 10:10, but could not convert either.
In the third period, Middlebury upped the pressure on the Elmira net, but still were unable to score the puck. With 1:48 remaining, Elmira added an empty-net goal, handing Middlebury a 4-1 loss.
The Panthers began the year with a tough schedule that included top-ranked opponents like Elmira and Norwich. They made an impressive run to the tournament, surpassing last year’s loss in the NCAA quarterfinal round and winning the NESCAC title. With an impressive young roster, headlined by NESCAC player player of the year Winslow, as well as a solid in-comming freshman class, the team has a good chance of continuing to dominate on the national stage next year.
(03/23/16 10:42pm)
The Middlebury women’s lacrosse team continued its early-season success on Saturday, March 19 winning its home opener over Wesleyan. The team scored six goals within the first nine minutes of the game and never looked back as the Panthers drubbed the Wesleyan Cardinals by a score of 13-5.
Middlebury established control of the game right out of the gates as senior co-captain Alli Sciarretta ’16 tallied two goals within the first 2:37 of the first half to give the Panthers an early 2-0 advantage. Claire Russell ’18 followed with a beautiful finish off a feed from Chrissy Ritter ’16. The Panthers maintained momentum and mounted a scoring streak as the first hard continued.
Bea Eppler ’17 found the back of the net 41 seconds later followed by Bridget Instrum ’16 to make it a 5-0 game. The scoring did not stop there as the Panthers took a 9-1 lead into the half thanks to a pair of goals from both Sciarretta and Ritter.
Wesleyan ended the shutout with 1:07 left in the half on a goal from Martha Harding. Defensively, the Panthers dominated the half allowing only three shots on goal the entire half. The half ended with a score of 9-1 in favor of Middlebury.
The impregnable defense can be attributed to the “confidence in [the team’s] goalies as well as their confidence in each other, which has allowed the team to play with a lot of intensity and take some risks that [they] may not take otherwise,” Maggie Caputi ’16 said.
The Panthers came out strong to start the second half with a 3-0 run. Ritter got the scoring going with a goal 1:19 into the second half while the Cardinals were down a player. Megan Griffin ’16 set up the next two goals, with her first assist going to Eppler and the second to Russell to establish a 12-1 lead with 16:10 remaining.
Middlebury’s run ended with 15:33 left in the contest with a goal from Wesleyan. Unfortunately, the Cardinals were able to finally break through the defensive wall and score two more goals, resulting in a score of 12-4 with 6:06 left in the contest.
Jenna McNicholas ’19 responded for the Panthers, tallying her first career goal with 1:17 left in the second half to conclude the Panther scoring effort on the day.
Caputi was at the helm of the defense throughout the contest, causing four turnovers and scooping six ground balls. Hollis Perticone ’18 contributed to the win by recording a team-high four draw controls.
Tough defense and key saves between the pipes from Madeleine Kinker ’16 and Kate Furber ’19 allowed the Panthers to cruise to the eventual 13-5 win over Wesleyan.
“The success of any defensive unit is dependent on the strength of the goalie, and [Kinker and Furber] have been extremely effective and integral to our wins,” Caputi stated.
Middlebury’s dominant offensive performance was reflected in shots, with the Panthers outshooting the Cardinals by a 29-11 margin. Middlebury also held a slight advantage in ground balls, scooping 25 compared to Wesleyan’s 23. The Panthers were strong from the faceoff-X, controlling 13-7 draws on the afternoon.
Fourth-ranked Middlebury (5-0, 3-0) will return to action Saturday, March 26, when they host Bowdoin at 12 p.m. The Panthers beat Bowdoin 14-8 in regular season play last year before experiencing a tough 14-8 loss to the Polar Bears in the NESCAC semifinal matchup.
“The team is excited for Bowdoin this weekend,” Eppler said. “[We look] forward to working hard this week in preparation for Bowdoin. This game is going to be competitive and will test [the team] in new ways which will allow us to gain a better understanding of where we stand in the NESCAC.”
Following that, the Panthers will travel to Pennsylvania on Tuesday, March 29 to play a non-conference game against Dickinson. The team will then travel to Maryland, where they will face Stevenson in another non-conference matchup.
(03/17/16 2:56am)
As the sun shined bright and Main Street bustled with attendees of the 8th Annual Vermont Chili Festival, the seventh-ranked Middlebury men’s lacrosse team welcomed defending national champions and top-seeded Tufts to Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium on Saturday, March 12. After going down by three goals early in the game, the Panthers battled back to eventually tie their NESCAC rival in the fourth quarter before ultimately falling to the Jumbos by a score of 12-10.
The Jumbos got on the board quickly with a Jake Gillespie goal just 22 seconds into the contest, followed shortly by a nice finish from Tim Giarrusso ’16 to tie the game at one apiece. Gillespie, along with the rest of the Tufts offense, maintained momentum and powered the Jumbos to a 3-0 run with his Gillespie’s second of the day, in addition to tallies from Ben Andreycak and Austin Carbone over a span of just 1:50 in the first quarter. The Panthers stopped the bleeding with a rally from senior leadership as co-captain Jon Broome ’16 found midfielder Jack Cleary ’16 from behind the cage for a high shot to notch the score at 4-2 for the remainder of the first quarter.
The Panthers came out with a new level of intensity in the second quarter, peppering Tufts goaltender Alex Salazar with three shots in quick succession before Giarrusso found the net for his second goal of the day to bring the home team within one with 13:57 remaining. However, the Jumbos offense picked up right where it left off in the first quarter and responded by scoring four of the next five, including two bouncers from Cam Irwin and Kyle Howard-Johnson at 10:12 and 9:15, respectively. Again, a Panther senior stepped up to keep Middlebury in the game as Sean Carroll ’16 converted a Broome feed with 6:46 remaining. After a pair of Tufts goals only 31 seconds apart from John Uppgren and Andreycak, the Panthers put together a quality extended possession that ultimately culminated in a Henry Riehl ’18 goal and another Broome assist. Their efforts brought the score to 8-5 in favor of the Jumbos as the first half came to an end.
The game settled down in the second half as the Middlebury defense locked in and prevented the extended scoring streaks that had defined much of the first half. Instead, the Panthers put together a streak of their own with goals from Kyle Soroka ’16 and Jack Gould ’19 at 10:51 and 9:29. Tufts’ Connor Bilby responded to Middlebury’s best offensive run of the day with a piece of individual talent in a nice dodge and finished with just 3:02 remaining in the third quarter. Momentum swung back to the home side, however, when solid play on both sides of the ball resulted in a Middlebury goal. After causing a turnover in the final minute, Parker Lawlor ’18 scooped the ball before firing a goal with just eight seconds left to bring the Panthers within one heading into the final quarter.
Although Andreycak’s third tally with 12:13 remaining gave the visitors the 10-8 advantage, Middlebury continued to demonstrate their defining grit and resolve throughout the final quarter. John Jackson ’18 was a force from the faceoff, affording the Panthers valuable possession opportunities by going 15-25 in addition to scooping six ground balls. Gould got the offense rolling in the fourth, converting on a man-up opportunity just a minute before Lawlor scored his second unassisted goal of the day to level the score at 10-10 with 9:05 remaining. Only 20 seconds later, Gillespie dodged from the right side and found the back of the net for the eventual game-winning goal, while Andreycak added another at 7:38 to round-out Tufts’ offensive effort. The Panthers fired four shots in the remaining minutes but could not pull any closer as Tufts took possession in the final minute and ran out the clock.
While ultimately unable to gain the advantage in scoring, the Panthers outplayed Tufts in many categories throughout the contest. Notably, Middlebury nearly doubled their opponent in shots, posting a 59-30 advantage as well as a 32-27 edge in ground balls. The Jumbos relied on consistent goaltending in the win, with Salazar recording 18 saves on the day while Will Ernst ’17 made nine stops for the Panthers.
Clearing was a strength for both teams, with the Panthers finding success on 13 of their 15 opportunities, while the Jumbos went 18-22. Middlebury was 2-3 while playing with an extra man, while Tufts posted a goal in four tries.
“We just need to keep improving on a daily basis,” said Broome, one of Middlebury’s captains. “The game against Tufts showed that we can play with any team in the country, but it was also clear that we still have a lot of work on. Specifically, we need to be better in unsettled situations on both ends of the field.”
The Middlebury men’s lacrosse team dropped their second straight game on Tuesday, March 15 when St. Lawrence came to Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium. In nail-biting double overtime fashion the Saints took a 14-13 victory from the Panthers at home, a place where victories traditionally do not come easily to opponents. As a result, Middlebury’s record drops to 2-2; a line they will look to improve this Saturday when they travel to Wesleyan to play an ever-important NESCAC matchup. St. Lawrence returns to action on Saturday as well when they travel to Davenport, Fla. to take on Western New England University.
Both sides came out of the gate hot as the Saints’ Conor Healy opened the game only 1:10 into the contest a little more than a minute before Cedric Rhodes ’17 responded with an underhand strike from 10 yards away. The trend continued as Jordan Dow ’18 put the guests back in front at 9:36, only to bring on another Middlebury response as Michael McCormack ’19 ripped his first career goal with 9:12 remaining. St. Lawrence began to take the game over, however, as Healey and Dow led the Saints on a four goal run to put the visiting side up 6-2. After Jon Broome ’16 finished a Jack Cleary ’16 feed with only half a second left in the first quarter, Middlebury started the second quarter with a Rhodes man-up goal to make it a 6-4 contest with 13:49 left. Again, the Saints responded with a multiple goal run to give the visitors the 8-4 advantage. To counter, Middlebury looked to its senior leadership and found some in the form of two straight goals from Broome, on scoop and dish assists from Kyle Soroka ’16 and Harrison Goodkind ’16, respectively. Andrew Jarret ’17 gave St. Lawrence the 9-6 advantage heading into the half when he scored with only 24 seconds remaining.
After an offensively dominated first half which saw 15 goals, the third quarter had just three. Middlebury opened the final quarter by going on a four goal run of their own including the final two from a Jack Gould ’19 goaland the same connection culminating in a Soroka goal to give the Panthers a 12-10 advantage with 10:47 left. After a two goal counter by the Saints and Gould’s third of the day, an unassisted rip with only 2:11 left on the clock, Dow scored his fourth to equalize the contest at 13-13 and force overtime with just six seconds left. Sean Carroll ’16 had the best look in the first four-minute overtime period when he found space 10 yards out but ripped it just high. St. Lawrence’s Vautor then found space with just over a minute left in the second period, only to be denied by goalie Will Ernst ’17, who had 10 saves on the day. After a Middlebury possession that yielded a pair of shots with a man-up chance, Dow ended the game in the closing seconds redirecting a pin-point pass by Alec Dietsch ’17 from the right side for the Saint victory.
(03/10/16 4:04am)
Last weekend, March 4-6, Saskia Pownall-Gray ’16 and Tiffany Hau ’16 competed at the College Squash Association individual championships at Chelsea Piers in Stamford, Connecticut. Pownall-Gray and Hau entered the tournament ranked 51st and 60th.
Powell-Gray faced 46th-ranked Hedvika Suchanova of Dickinson College in her opening match. She was defeated in a five-match marathon, losing the deciding game 11-7.
Powell-Gray then entered the consolation bracket, and lost to George Washington’s Abigail Shonrock in a three-game match. In the last game, Pownall-Gray showed signs of comeback, but ultimately Shonrock gained the upper hand and won 15-13.
Hau competed against 37th-ranked Alexandra Toth from Princeton and unfortunately fell in three games (11-5, 11-4, 11-7). However, Hau remained upbeat about her time at the championships.
“I had a wonderful weekend and played some of the best squash I had all season,” Hau said. “It was really exciting [playing at Chelsea Piers that] I hadn’t been to before.” Hau had a crowd of supporters on hand, including her family, Panther teammates, Coach Mark Lewis and friends from home.
After her loss in the opening-round match, Hau beat 69th-ranked Brandy Williamson from Mount Holyoke in a four game showdown. She won the final game 11-5. Though she lost in her next match against 53rd-ranked Victoria Arjoon of Bates College, Hau put the weekend in perspective.
“It was nice being able to finish on that [note] being a senior in my last weekend of squash,” Hau said.
When asked about her goals, Hau said she just wanted to enjoy her time and compete to her best potential.
“I wanted to enjoy it,” Hau said, “it was my last weekend of collegiate squash so I wanted to leave the weekend feeling proud of myself and the way that I played. I wanted to be able to look back and remember how fun it was. I definitely achieved that and with those good feelings definitely came some good results.”
Hau also gave praise to her teammates for their support and encouragement.
“[Though] it was strange not having the whole team together,” Hau acknowledged, “hearing from [teammates] and remembering the energy from the weekend before at Nationals definitely propelled me through the tournament.”
(03/10/16 4:03am)
The Middlebury men’s lacrosse team opened up the season last Saturday, March 5, with a big 5-4 win over their NESCAC rival Connecticut College, followed by a 16-10 defeat of Endicott on Tuesday, March 8.
With the win, the Panthers, currently ranked sixth nationally, continued last year’s trend of domination at home. The Panthers have now won 11 straight games on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium after going 10-0 on their home turf in 2015.
After the Panthers held Conn. College scoreless in the first quarter, in large part due to the play of goalkeeper Will Ernst ’17 who made three of his 12 saves in the opening period on his way to being named NESCAC Player of the Week, the Camels’ Ross Thompson broke the tie with 13:10 left in the second quarter with an unassisted shot from 12 yards out.
The Panthers refused to stay down for long, however, as Joey Zelkowitz ’17, a First Team All-NESCAC selection last year, responded with a caused turnover and a coast-to-coast goal less than three minutes later. The Panthers kept firing and took advantage of a man-up opportunity at the 7:05 mark when Kyle Soroka ’16 fed first-year Jack Gould ’19 for Gould’s first career point.
The Camels, in typical gritty NESCAC fashion, evened the score at 2-2 with 2:35 left in the first half when Tucker Mscisz scored his first of two goals on the day.
Mscisz’s second tally came early in the second half when he snuck a low burner past Ernst at the 13:07 mark to give Conn. College the 3-2 lead. The Panthers had an answer, however, as Gould fed a pass to Captain Sean Carroll ’16, who smoothly finished to end yet another quarter with the game all knotted up.
Both teams continued to play tight defense in the fourth quarter as neither side could break the tie until Henry Riehl ’18 found a pocket of space at the 8:24 mark and converted on a Parker Lawlor ’18 pass.
The Camels responded quickly with 6:26 left in the game as Thompson assisted a PJ Kelleher goal. At the 5:44 mark the Riehl-Lawlor connection produced what would be the game winner as Riehl’s second goal of the day put the Panthers up 5-4 heading into the final minutes of play.
At a crucial and potentially deadly point with 4:40 remaining the Panthers found themselves man-down for one minute. Ernst came up huge with two saves on Kelleher on back-to-back point-blank opportunities only to make a third on Mscisz, following a timeout from the Camels.
After a high shot with 10 seconds left and an ensuing Middlebury timeout, Conn. College found themselves in an opportunity to win the game with a good look at the net. Unfortunately for the Camels, as was the case all afternoon, that also meant a good look at Ernst who yet again came up big for the Panthers and stopped a Derek Bertolini shot as time expired.
Senior Captain Jon Broome ’16 was happy to start the season on the right foot but he was far from satisfied.
“The first few games of the season are always interesting because every team is still trying to figure out what works, schematically and personnel-wise. Our defense played well and our offense generated some good looks, but we still have plenty of room for improvement,” Broome said.
Riehl, with two goals, Gould, with a goal and an assist and Lawlor, with two assists, led the Panther offense on the day. On the other side of the ball seven different Panthers caused turnovers. Middlebury held a 31-30 edge in shots, while Conn. College won the groundball battle by a margin of 23-16. The Panthers cleared 12-16 opportunities, while the Camels went 15-23.
On Tuesday, Middlebury defeated Endicott 16-10. Carroll led the Panthers with five goals, while Broome scored twice and assisted on four goals.
The Panthers will take on Tufts, the defending national champions, at home on Saturday, March 12 at 2 p.m.
(03/10/16 4:01am)
The Middlebury women’s lacrosse team opened its season on the road with a 17-6 win over Connecticut College on Saturday, March 5 and a 17-5 win at Rensselaer on Tuesday, March 8.
Saturday’s matchup was the women’s first contest without the leadership of former Head Coach Missy Foote, who led the program for 34 seasons. In her final season, Foote guided the team to a 16-4 record and an appearance in the NCAA Final Four. Replacing Coach Foote is Kate Livesay ’03, who returns to Middlebury after serving as head coach of the Trinity women’s lacrosse team from 2010-2014 before joining the Panthers as an assistant coach in 2015. Coach Livesay commented on her first win as Middlebury’s head coach following Saturday’s victory.
“[The win is a] nice affirmation of all the hard work over preseason,” Livesay said. “You never know exactly what team is going to show up when there is no game to scout prior to playing a new team. For us, it was important that we were able to have success in many of the new things we were trying and to have a win on top of that is great.”
Middlebury’s win was a team effort with nine different players scoring goals. However, the undeniable star of the game was captain Laurel Pascal ’16, who matched Conn. College’s entire scoring effort by adding six of her own on the day.
Pascal was not the only midfielder who had an outstanding game. Alli Sciarretta ’16, Hollis Perticone ’18 and Bridget Instrum ’16 each finished the game with two goals apiece, while Mary O’Connell ’17 dished out six assists in addition to scoring a goal herself. The scoring was rounded out by Chrissy Ritter ’16, Bea Eppler ’17, Hailey Cosseboom ’17 and Emma McDonagh ’19, who each contributed a goal to the win.
Middlebury established a fast pace early on in the contest, quickly surging to a 5-0 lead. Conn. College responded with two goals to round out the score at 5-2. From that point, the Panthers dominated the game, mounting a 7-0 run to close out the first half.
Leading 12-2 at the half, the Panthers kept the pressure on Connecticut College by maintaining a strong offensive effort throughout the remainder of the game.
First-year Goaltender Kate Furber ’19 played the majority of the game, recording four saves in her collegiate debut. Madeleine Kinker ’16 finished the game in the net for the Panthers. Livesay believes that Furber is going to make an immediate impact for the Panthers.
“She is very aggressive, vocal and quick. She also anticipates very well,” Livesay said.
The coach expects Furber to be a “big presence” within the team’s high tempo defense as the season progresses. Outside of the cage, the Panther defense was anchored by strong performances from Maggie Caputi ’16 and Jessie Yorke ’17.
“Defense was the strength of our team that day,” Livesay added.
Having an extra week of preseason before their first game this year allowed the team to “both mentally and physically prepare for the season,” Kate Hodgson ’16 said. Several members of the team believe that the extended preseason preparation was an integral part of their win this past weekend.
“As a whole, we are stronger and faster than we have ever been in past years and I think that comes from our conditioning in preseason,” Eppler said.
On Tuesday, Middlebury dominated Rensselaer from the beginning, jumping out to a 3-0 lead within the first 3:20 of play and cruising to a 17-5 win. Ritter and Sciarretta both scored three goals, while O’Connell assisted on two.
The team will travel to the Boston area this weekend for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 12 against Tufts followed by a second contest on Sunday, March 13 versus MIT. Tufts handed the Panthers one of their four losses last season in a tight game that was decided by a score of 12-11.
(03/10/16 3:58am)
The men’s basketball team’s Cinderella run came to a halt on Saturday, March 5 with a 74-72 loss to Keene St. at Stockton University in Galloway, NJ. The previous night, March 4, Middlebury held off 24th-ranked Salisbury’s comeback bid with a 75-73 upset victory, but on Saturday it was the Panthers’ comeback attempt that fell short.
After earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament with a surprising run through the NESCAC Tournament, few outside of Middlebury expected the Panthers to advance beyond the first round. Their first round opponent, the Salisbury Sea Gulls, came into the evening with the second-ranked defense in the country and a desire for revenge against the NESCAC — a year ago, Trinity knocked Salisbury out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament — but Middlebury jumped out to an early lead.
Playing in the early game of the evening, with host Stockton set to play Keene St. later that night, only a sparse crowd got to witness Middlebury’s hot start. The Panthers led 18-7 after 7:22 of play, thanks in large part to Matt Daley ’16 who had four points and a dunk in the opening moments of the game and Matt St. Amour ’17 who had six early points.
Throughout the first half, Middlebury was able to stifle the Sea Gulls’ offense. Salisbury fired up 15 three pointers in the first half alone but only connected on two of those attempts. Meanwhile, the Panthers pounded the ball inside, relying on their size advantage to shoot 14-25 (56.0 percent) from the floor and out rebound their opponent 22-12 en route to a 36-25 halftime advantage.
Salisbury came storming back out of the break, making it a 43-41 game a little over five minutes into the second half. The Panthers tried to stretch the lead, but the Sea Gulls kept fighting back, getting within one point at 62-61 with 4:54 to play.
Nursing a 73-70 lead with under 30 seconds to go, the Panthers fumbled possession and Salisbury’s Justin May came away with the steal. At the other end Middlebury denied the Sea Gulls a chance at a game-tying three pointer, but Salisbury’s All-Conference forward Gordon Jeter laid the ball in off a rebound to make it 73-72 with nine seconds to go. Salisbury then immediately fouled St. Amour on the inbounds pass, sending him to the line where he calmly sank two free throws.
Down by three, the Sea Gulls were on the hunt for a game-tying three point attempt, but St. Amour wisely fouled Salisbury’s point guard Adrien Straughn to send him to the line for two foul shots. Straughn hit the first to make it a two-point game and then intentionally missed the second, hoping to create a tip-in opportunity. The ball ricocheted around the rim and bounced out of bounds with a measly fraction of a second remaining and Salisbury in possession. The Sea Gulls attempted a last ditch effort for a tip in, but the release was too slow and the shot was waved off, giving the Panthers a thrilling 75-73.
Amidst his game-high 27 points, St. Amour became the 20th player in Middlebury men’s basketball history to hit the 1,000 point mark, finishing the game with 1,006. Daley (13 points, six rebounds) and Zach Baines ’19 (14 points) joined St. Amour in double figures, and Jack Daly ’18 grabbed a game-high 11 boards. The Panthers crushed Salisbury on the boards, snagging 37 to the Sea Gulls’ 26, and shot a terrific 21-26 (80.8 percent) from the free throw stripe.
The Panthers felt good about their Second Round match up with Keene St., whom Middlebury had beaten 83-74 earlier in the season on the road, but the Owls proved to be on top of their game this time around.
Middlebury struggled to take care of the basketball in the first half, usually a point of strength for the Panthers. Keene St. forced eight first half turnovers, which allowed the Owls to take 16 more field goals than Middlebury in the first half. The Owls were also lights out in the first period, shooting 17-38 (44.7 percent), and Middlebury failed to find any rhythm offensively. All told, Keene St. entered the break up 41-29 with Sweet 16 aspirations in their sights.
The script completely flipped in the second half, and the Owls sweet shooting was the only thing that kept them afloat. Middlebury hammered the boards, out rebounding Keene St. 30-13, and took care of the basketball, committing just four turnovers.
Middlebury chipped at the Keene St. lead over the course of the second half, playing with a single digit deficit for most of the frame. With 1:25 left, though, the Panthers’ hopes began to fade as Keene held on to a seven-point lead. Then St. Amour injected some life into his team. Despite the team’s struggles from the three point arc all night long, St. Amour confidently jacked up a three that found the twine to bring the Panthers within four, 70-66.
The Panthers entered full press mode, looking to cause turnovers. Matt Daley fouled Keene St.’s Ty Nichols on the next possession, and Nichols made both free throws, again appearing to lock up the victory. On the other end the Panthers looked for the first clean shot from deep, and it was Jake Brown ’17 who got an open look from the left corner. His attempt went far too long, but Jack Daly fought his way into possession for an offensive board. Amidst a sea of opposing Owls, Daly found Brown in the exact same spot who hoisted up another trey and this time canned it to make it a 72-69 game and Middlebury immediately called a timeout.
Almost as if it were scripted, Keene St.’s inbounder did the unthinkable on the following play and made a risky, looping pass towards center court that Jack Daly was able to tip and St. Amour corralled for the steal. Without hesitation, St. Amour took it to the rim for an easy two, making it 72-71. Daley fouled on the inbounds, sending Keene St. to the line with 40 seconds left. Keene St.’s Lucas Hammel sunk both to make it 74-71.
Back on offense, Daly erred on his three point attempt, but Matt Daley kept the play alive with an offensive board and found St. Amour who was fouled. Normally money from the charity stripe, having shot over 80 percent all season, St. Amour made his first but missed his second attempt and the Owls came down with the board.
Up 74-72 with 20 seconds to go, Keene St. had a chance to ice the game. However, the pressure must have gotten to Keene St.’s Nate Howard, because the big man missed both free throws. Jack Daly grabbed the board and pushed the ball up the court where Middlebury called a timeout with 11 seconds to go needing a bucket of any kind.
Inbounding from the left side of the court, the Panthers ran Brown off of a double screen but he was covered well. St. Amour followed Brown and received the inbounds pass. His first look at a potential game-winning three was quickly closed off by a Keene St. defender, so he found Daley near the free-throw line. Daley made a move toward the rim and tried an off balance shot that careened off the cylinder and bounced to Daly. His put back was no good, but somehow the ball once more fell into the Panthers’ hands as the final seconds ticked away. St. Amour, the team’s go-to scorer all season long, had one last chance to tie the ball game - a spinning, fadeaway jumper with three defenders bearing down on him - from the left short corner. Unfortunately his attempt hit the front of the rim with the Owls ahead, 74-72, as the final buzzer sounded.
On the night, St. Amour racked up a game-high 18 points, while Jake Brown had 17, Daley had 13 points and 13 boards and Daly had 12 points and 11 boards.
(03/10/16 3:56am)
Last weekend, March 4-6, David Cromwell ’16 and Wyatt French ’17 represented the men’s squash team at the College Squash Association individual championships at Chelsea Piers in Stamford, Conn. Cromwell and French won the consolation championships in their respective pools within the Molloy Cup draw. The CSA’s top 16 players play for the national title in the Pool Cup draw, while individuals ranked 17 to 80 play in the Hoehn Cup draws. Heading into the weekend, Cromwell and French were ranked 55th and 56th nationally.
Both Cromwell and French drew tough opponents in their first matches of the weekend. Friday morning, March 4, French opened against Trinity’s Afeeq Ismail, who holds the 41st ranking nationally and is rated a high 5.6 by U.S. Squash.
Even in the underdog role, French played with his characteristic grit and stole the first game from Ismail, winning 11-5.
“I think I did take him by surprise in the first game with good length and high pace,” French said. However, as one of the top players in the country, Ismail bounced back and defeated French in each of the next three sets.
“It was great to play Afeeq [to begin the weekend],” French said. “However, in the last three games, he wore me down and did a great job of keeping me under pressure.”
Meanwhile, Cromwell took to the court on Friday morning to face off with Princeton’s Cody Cortes to begin his tournament slate. Cortes played much of his first collegiate season in the second slot on the Tigers’ ladder. Cromwell spent the first two sets adjusting to the lefty, dropping both 11-6.
“I was a bit thrown off because he was a lefty and I haven’t played many lefties this year,” Cromwell said.
Cromwell managed to squeak out a 13-11 victory in a back-and-forth third set, but dropped the fourth set 11-7 to lose the match.
“I didn’t play particularly well and I never really settled into a rhythm and didn’t find ways to really hurt him so he took the match,” Cromwell continued. “I was frustrated because that [match] was definitely winnable, but I knew I had to move past it. It helped clarify some things I needed to do if I wanted to win the next one.”
And win the next one both Cromwell and French did. They were both up early Saturday, March 5, to prepare for 9 and 9:45 a.m. matches, respectively. In the first round of the Molloy A group consolation bracket, French went up against Dickinson freshman Brian Hamilton. Hamilton was no match for French, as the Middlebury number two took down Dickinson’s number two in straight sets.
Cromwell began his run in the Molloy B group consolation bracket by facing C.J. Smith, a senior from Colby who was named second team all-NESCAC earlier last month. After winning the first set 11-6, Cromwell had to mount a comeback against Smith. The second set slipped from Cromwell’s grasp, as he narrowly lost 12-10. It appeared as if Smith would take the match after he edged ahead two sets to one with a big 11-3 third set victory, but true to form Cromwell held out. The Panther senior battled back and controlled the rest of the match, winning the fourth set 11-8 and the decisive fifth set 11-5.
With their victories, Cromwell and French then played again that afternoon. Once again, French steamrolled an outmatched opponent, MIT’s number one Justin Restivo, in straight sets. Cromwell was tasked with facing a familiar foe, Brown’s Jack Blasberg. The Panthers have already narrowly defeated Brown twice this season, the most recent bout coming two weekends ago, Feb. 26-28, in the CSA team championships 15th-16th-place playoff. Cromwell played Blasberg on one of those two occasions, during the Middlebury round robin, Jan. 16, and won a closely contested four set victory.
This time, Cromwell had to overcome a hamstring issue aggravated over the course of the weekend. Nevertheless, an extra hurdle could not stop Cromwell. He took the first game 12-10 and then fought back after dropping the second and third sets with another 12-10 win to even the match at two sets apiece. He took the match with an 11-6 fifth set victory.
French and Cromwell entered the championship matches of their pools on Sunday, March 6, looking to end two brilliant seasons with an exclamation point.
This time it was French who took on the familiar face, Williams number three Galen Squires, who French has had a lot of success against this season.
“I definitely had a mental edge going into the match because I had already beaten him twice,” said French “He is a really solid player and it was fun to play him again. But I did play pretty well and he was also less consistent than usual.”
French made clean work of Squires, beating the Williams senior in straight sets for the third time this season.
Cromwell’s final collegiate match came against Rochester’s Lawrence Kuhn, a high quality freshman who spent much of the season hidden at fifth on the Rochester ladder despite his semi-professional experience in his home-country, South Africa, and the fact that he finished the season ranked 34th nationally. Yet, it was Cromwell who looked the part of the higher-ranked favorite on Sunday morning.
Cromwell and Kuhn swapped 11-8 victories to start off the match.
“I had a hamstring issue heading into the match, and I knew I had to capitalize on opportunities and cut the points a bit shorter than usual,” Cromwell said.
Cromwell used the attacking strategy to propel himself to victory, as he defeated Kuhn 11-6 in the third set before finishing him off in the fourth.
“Turns out,” Cromwell quipped, “that attacking style serves me well. I should play like that more often.”
Cromwell is not done, though. After an inspiring, stellar senior season in which he traversed the Panthers’ ladder and won the clinching match against Brown in the 15th-16th-place playoff in the top slot, he will look to continue playing squash on the pro tour.
“I am taking a couple days off this week,” Cromwell said of his future plans, “and then I will continue training because [next week, March 14] I head down to Virginia to compete in the U.S. closed nationals.”
Cromwell then plans to train rigorously for the rest of the spring under the watchful eye of Coach Mark Lewis, who formerly played on the tour himelf.
“[Coach Lewis] is going to guide my development,” Cromwell said, “which will help me keep a steady rate of improvement before I start playing in tournaments this summer.”
French will return to the team next year for his senior season. Having played most of the season in the third slot and with Andrew Jung ’16 and Cromwell graduating, French will likely occupy one of the top slots on Middlebury’s ladder again next season.
“It does seem like I will play high on the ladder next year,” French said. Yet, he echoed what team has said since the season ended with six recruits set to join the team next season. “Everyone is very motivated to improve.”
(03/09/16 10:52pm)
By Will Nathan
1. Every other Tuesday
2. Shirts off
3. A drink and a church
4. Atwater dining hack
5. New kids on the block
6. A general and our president
7. THURSDAY!
8. Movies and fistpumps
9. Proctor ______
10. Tiny desk concert
11. Ross mystery
12. King of salad dressing
13. D1
14. WOMPWOMPWOMP
15. RIP ______ House
16. Justin Bieber, eg. migratory birds
17. Atwater ceiling and BiHall Window
18. This Saturday
19. Freshman dorms and that professor
20. “It’s not JV, its ______!”
21. It hangs low
22. Not pizza?
23. “Biddie” dessert
24. Free samples
25. Nonsensical water animal
26. Pond and sculpture
27. Art History department local, abb.
28. _____ Back Mountain
29. Battell and Dunmore
30. A drink and our ex-dean
31. Light beverage and commons dean
32. Number of beers you can fit in a frisbee
33. Allegedly invented here
34. ___-palooza
35. Given at graduation
36. Largest window in Vermont
(03/02/16 6:27pm)
The men’s basketball team punched their ticket to the Division-III edition of March Madness by beating the NESCAC’s two best regular season teams on championship weekend. Two weeks prior, Middlebury (17-10) lost to Trinity (19-7) and Amherst (22-5) by a combined total of 24 points, but that meant nothing to the Panthers entering this game.
“Playoffs are a different game and it’s all about who wants it more,” Center Matt Daley ’16 said.
Middlebury earned their spot in the semifinals of the NESCAC Championship by beating Wesleyan 86-74 on Saturday, Feb. 20. On Saturday, Feb. 27 Middlebury took it to the hosting Bantams, winning 70-58. The following day, the Panthers eked out an 81-79 victory over Amherst in a game that featured 23 lead changes, clinching the third NESCAC title in program history following previous championships in 2009 and 2011. Unlike in those championship seasons when Middlebury played as the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC tournament, the Panthers were the no. 4 seed this year.
“The difference with this championship,” Coach Jeff Brown said,”was that in order for us to get to the NCAA tournament, it was very clear and very apparent that we would have to win that championship game. So I was certainly a lot more relaxed [in 2011 and 2009]. This past weekend we knew it was do-or-die.”
On Friday night, against top-seeded Trinity, Middlebury led for the majority of the contest, scoring the first basket and maintaining the lead until the 7:11 mark of the first half. Daley had eight of the Panthers’ first 16 points, kicking off what would prove to be a dominant weekend for the senior big man. Trinity took a 23-20 lead on a Jeremy Arthur three-pointer with 6:39 to go in the first, but the advantage would be short-lived for the Bantams once Matt St. Amour ’17 drilled a three-pointer of his own a minute and a half later to regain the 24-23 lead. Middlebury ended the half on a 10-2 run capped by a Zach Baines ’19 lay up to make it 34-25.
The Panthers kept Trinity at bay throughout the second half, never letting the lead go below six. Middlebury was able to halt every Trinity run with a stop and a big bucket of its own. Unlike in their
previous meeting, the Panthers defended the three-pointer well and only allowed Trinity to shoot 6-27 (22.2 percent) from deep by switching all perimeter screens and not giving the Bantams open looks.
Trinity made the Panthers anxious when Andrew Hurd made a deep three with 34 seconds to play to make it a seven-point deficit, but a pair of free throws from Adisa Majors ’18 effectively iced the game.
St. Amour lead all scorers with 20 points and added nine rebounds. Matt Daley (18 points, six rebounds), Jake Brown ’17 (11 points, eight assists), and Majors (11 points, six rebounds) all joined St. Amour in double figures.
Unlike Friday’s contest, there was no time to relax for the Panthers on Saturday against Amherst in a game that went down to the wire. The Purple and White have a long history in the NESCAC Championship. Of the 17 NESCAC title games that have been played since the conference was formed in 2000, Amherst has competed in 14 of them and, after the loss to Middlebury, has compiled a 7-7 record. That history meant nothing to Middlebury, as the Panthers refused to go away, even after falling behind by 11 midway through the first half.
Amherst started the game hot, and their nationally top-ranked three-point defense stifled Middlebury’s shooters all day long. The Panthers began chipping away at the 11-point lead with some contributions from players who do not usually score a lot of points. Jack Daly ’18 made a free throw, Baines tallied six out of eight points at one stretch, and Hilal Dahleh ’19 finished at the rim. The final 2:28 of the first half were crucial for Middlebury. After Jayde Dawson of Amherst made it a 36-29 game in favor of the Purple and White, the Panthers stopped Amherst from scoring for the rest of the half. A pair of baskets by Majors and Baines made it a three-point game, and just before the buzzer Jake Brown went coast-to-coast and made a circus shot to make it a one-point game, 36-35 Amherst, at the end of the first half.
Amherst quickly opened up a six-point lead early in the second half, but Middlebury came right back. From the 18:04 mark until there were 10 seconds left in the game, neither team led by more than three points.
After very few fouls in the first half, Middlebury was able to get to the line 26 times in the second half alone, making 18 of those attempts (69.2 percent), and keep Amherst off of the free throw stripe (9-16, 56.3 percent, in the second half).
With the score knotted so closely, every possession had a unique intensity to it. The turning point came with 33 seconds left in the ball game. Following a missed jumper by Majors, Amherst’s Johnny McCarthy corralled the board and took off down the court. With two Panthers in his way around the free throw line, McCarthy tried a hesitation move and crossed over to his left. But as he rose up to attempt the go-ahead runner, the whistle blew and the official called a carry against McCarthy, a call that is rarely seen even once during the course of a typical game. Down
by one, Amherst was forced to foul and sent Baines to the line. The rookie calmly sank two free throws, McCarthy missed
a three-pointer at the other end, and St. Amour followed that up with two more free throws to make it an 81-76 game. McCarthy’s half court three-pointer fell, but in vain, as time expired and Middlebury went home with the 81-79 championship win.
Daley was phenomenal again with 16 points on 7-8 (87.5 percent) shooting and five rebounds, despite going up against two of the league’s best defensive centers in Trinity’s Eg Ogundeko and Amherst’s David George.
“My body is hurting from this weekend, to be honest,” Daley said, “because of the shots I took from those guys, who are savages in the paint.”
St. Amour’s 22-point, seven-rebound day was enough to earn him NESCAC Player of the Week Honors as the de facto Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Daly racked up a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards, and Baines added 12 points off of the bench.
“The biggest difference [from the first weekend against Trinity and Amherst] was how motivated we were,” Majors said. “We needed the two wins this weekend 7 and we all played like it.”
Middlebury will travel to Stockton University in New Jersey to face off with Salisbury University in the NCAA First Round on Friday, March 4 at 5:30 PM. A victory will set the Panthers up for a match up with the winner of the game between the host Stockton Ospreys and the Keene State Owls, whom Middlebury beat earlier this season.
After a 3-5 start to the season, Middlebury has played like a different, better team of late, and the Panthers are confident that their season will not end this weekend, including Matt Daley.
“We’ll keep the momentum,” Daley said.
(02/25/16 3:01am)
The women’s basketball team made their final road trip of the season on Saturday, Feb. 20. The Panthers travelled to Medford, Mass. to take on top seeded Tufts in the NESCAC Quarterfinal playoff round. As the top seed in the NESCAC tournament, the Jumbos entered with a dominant 21-2 record, highlighted by an undefeated 10-0 NESCAC campaign. The score was 31-19 coming out of the halftime break, and a dominant 26-6 third quarter by Tufts ultimately did the Panthers in.
The Panthers were paced by Sarah Kaufman ’18 with 10 points and Eileen Daley ’18 with eight points and 11 rebounds, both of whom finished their sophomore campaigns strongly.
With this loss, the Panthers fell to 12-13 on the season, including a 3-7 in-conference mark. This was the first year since 2007-2008 that Middlebury made consecutive appearances in the NESCAC playoff tournament.
The future looks bright for the Panthers. The team’s lone junior, Elizabeth Knox ’17, is the most seasoned player currently on the roster, but she was lost for the season to an injury. That left the team to rely on underclassmen for the duration of the year.
First-year Catherine Harrison ’19 had an outstanding opening year as she averaged a double-double with 11.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, garnering two NESCAC player of the week accolades and also surely in the running for All-NESCAC honors. Kaufman led the Panthers with 14.7 points-per-game, while adding 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Daley started all 25 games for the Panthers, averaging 34 minutes-per-game. Colleen Caveney ’19 also came on strongly at the end of the season and averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Middlebury will have the same core group of players for the next two to three years, allowing them lots of time to work as a unit and develop. Some of their highlights on the year included a 76-59 win over Wesleyan and a close five-point win on the road against Bates that clinched the team’s spot in the conference tournament. Looking to the future, Middlebury will have a long but hopeful off-season as they work to qualify for NESCACs for the third year in a row.
“Since we are such a young team we are all really excited for next year because no one is graduating,” Harrison said. “We are returning with everyone extremely invested and everyone already knowing their position and role on the team.”
(02/25/16 2:58am)
The Middlebury women’s club Water Polo team successfully opened their season at the Natatorium last weekend, Feb. 20-21, where they hosted the first tournament of the season for the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA)’s Women’s New England Club Division. The Panthers, who ranked 11th out of the 16 teams competing for the 2015 National Collegiate Club Championship, emerged from the weekend in a tie for first place with their 3-1 record.
Middlebury went 2-0 with consecutive wins over Boston College and Dartmouth on day one of the tournament, followed by their convincing 11-point victory over Northeastern and hard-fought loss to Boston University on Sunday, Feb. 21.
After just four days of official team practices, the Panthers opened the season with a one-point victory over Boston College in a nail-biter on Saturday, Feb. 20. Middlebury got on the board in a hurry against the Eagles, as first-year Kate Claman ’19 scored the first two goals of her career at Middlebury in the first two minutes. Claman went on to sink three of the Panthers’ six goals in the first half, en route to a team-high of four goals.
Hannah Grotzinger ’16, one of the four senior team captains, explained why Claman’s performance was integral to the Panthers’ success.
“I play the set position — in front of the center of the goal on offense — and Boston College decided to double or triple-team me, so the shots on goal had to come from players at other positions,” Grotzinger said.
Following Claman’s initial 2-0 lead, Grotzinger traded goals with Boston College (BC), who brought the score to 5-3 by the end of the first quarter.
Co-Captain Alex Spencer-Wong ’16 then broke the Eagles momentum with a counterattack goal to open the second quarter, and Grotzinger tied the game at five goals apiece three minutes later. BC proceeded with a goal of their own before Claman shot from the outside to knot up the game at six apiece.
It looked like the teams would head into the halftime break tied at 6, but Boston College managed to score its seventh goal in the waning seconds, taking a 7-6 lead into halftime.
Emily Bustard ’17.5 led the charge for the Panthers after her stint as goalie in the second quarter, and added two goals in quick succession to put Middlebury on top 8-7.
Boston College would score with 13 seconds remaining in the third, leaving the fans on the edge of their seats with the game tied at eight as they awaited the final quarter.
The Panthers looked to continue putting pressure on the Eagles.
“Our goalie [Anna Lueck ’18.5] hasn’t been able to play recently, so some of our starters were playing in goal for the entirety of the tournament,” Grotzinger said.
“Because of [Lueck’s absence], our strategy against Boston College (and all teams) was to put a lot of pressure on their offense and guard them tightly to make passing difficult [and minimize their shots on goal].”
The game was in the balance until the very end, as Boston College went up 10-9 with 2:29 remaining on the power-play. One minute later, Claman found the back of the net for the Middlebury equalizer. Then, just as the game seemed destined for overtime, a five-meter penalty shot was awarded to the Panthers with 10 seconds left; Grotzinger’s five meter shot found the back of the net, allowing the Panthers to pull off an 11-10 victory.
The Panthers took on the Big Green of Dartmouth that same evening, coming through with a 9-6 victory.
“We were really excited before the game,” Grotzinger said. “Dartmouth has been our biggest rival for many, many years so we had a very strong desire to win before the game even started. This mentality definitely helped us during the game.”
It only took Grotzinger 20 seconds to get the Panthers on the board.
“In all the games we won this weekend, we scored the first goal of the game,” Grotzinger said. “The first team to score a goal in a game gets a very positive surge of adrenaline, and a lot of the sport is based on mental strength, not only physical strength.”
The Dartmouth game was all but over at the half, which began with a score of 6-1. “I think the most decisive point in the Dartmouth game came at the end of the second quarter after four different players on the Middlebury team had scored goals and we had prevented Dartmouth from scoring.”
“We had great momentum coming out of the second quarter, and one of our goals for the season is to be able to keep that going, even against a high-pressure defense like the one we faced from Dartmouth in the second half,” said Bustard, who scored her second goal of the game in the second half.
The Panthers held on in the second half for a 9-6 win. In addition to two-goal contributions from Bustard and Grotzinger, Co-Captain Christina Denbow ’16 scored 3, while co-Captainn Sam Horn ’16 put away one goal.
The Panthers hit the pool early on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 9 a.m. to commence a 13-2 rout of Northeastern. Middlebury jumped out to a 7-0 lead, going into the half up 8-1 over the Huskies.
“[The] Northeastern game was great because our newer players got to see a lot of game-time [where they could] practice the skills we’d been working on in practice,” said Grotzinger, who found the back of the net five times against the Huskies.
Other goals against Northeastern came from Bustard (4), Spencer-Wong (2), Julie Ehrlich ’17.5 (1) and Amanda Geller ’16 (1), while Denbow won three of the four sprints to start each quarter.
“Our team is naturally fast, so we were able to score on many counter-attacks against Northeastern — despite the fact that we’d only been training for four days before the tournament, compared to the other teams who had been practicing since mid-January,” Grotzinger said.
A few hours later, the Panthers took to the pool for the last time of the weekend against conference newcomer Boston University. The Panthers fell 7-4 but played the Terriers closely.
The Terriers jumped out to a 1-0 lead when they scored just under five minutes into the game. Grotzinger quickly answered with a backhand goal assisted by Horn.
Denbow began the Panthers’ second-quarter scoring as she netted an assist from Bustard off of the counter-attack. But every time the Panthers scored the Terriers had an answer, and then another when they scored just a minute later. Nevertheless, Bustard rounded out the quarter by sailing in a lob shot from the set position.
The third quarter began with another Grotzinger backhand goal, but again Boston responded with a quick goal to break a 4-4 tie. The Terriers followed with another three goals in the final half of play.
Despite ending the weekend with a loss, the Panthers had a successful first weekend and are in good position in the conference standings.
“I’m proud of the way we played this weekend, especially with it being so early in the season,” Bustard said. “I can’t wait to see what we can do in our next home tournament in April,” Grotzinger said.
(02/25/16 2:55am)
The fourth-seeded Middlebury Panthers defended their home court with an 86-74 victory over the visiting Wesleyan Cardinals in the NESCAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 20. The Panthers were supported by one of the most energized crowds in recent memory as Matt St. Amour ’17 and Adisa Majors ’18 carried the offensive load with a combined 41 points.
Middlebury kept the momentum of play in their favor throughout the contest. Facing the Cardinals, who had the third-best field goal percentage defense in all of Division-III coming into the game, Middlebury tallied an incredible 45 points in the first half. St. Amour was particularly effective in the game’s opening minutes. The Vermont native opened the scoring with a three-pointer assisted by Connor Huff ’16, and outscored the entire Wesleyan team for the first quarter of the game. St. Amour took seven minutes to record his first 11 points, while the Cardinals required over nine minutes to do the same.
Led by backup junior guard Harry Rafferty, who would finish with a team-high 19 points on the afternoon, Wesleyan began to close the gap late in the first half, but each run by the Cardinals was rebutted by a big shot from one of the Panthers. Wesleyan shrunk the lead to seven with 8:11 to play in the first half, but the crowd soon erupted after a Liam Naughton ’17 three-pointer cut the deficit back to double digits. Moments later it was Huff, who usually does his offensive work from 15 feet in, drilling a three-pointer to give the Panthers a 12 point lead. The first half ended with Middlebury up by a score of 45-32.
The pace slowed to start the second half. The score stood at 51-41 with 16:09 left to play and Wesleyan seemed to be chipping away at the Panther lead when Zach Baines ’19 ignited the Panther fans with a dunk off of a pass from Jake Brown ’17.
“The crowd was amazing,” Brown said. “As an athlete you dream of playing in an environment like that.”
Later in the second half, Wesleyan was more successful in closing the scoring gap. Over a stretch of three and a half minutes, players from the Wesleyan bench added 12 points, shrinking the lead to as little as five with 5:08 to play. From that point on, the Middlebury defense made everything tough for Wesleyan. Offensively, Majors was the key for Middlebury with 12 points of his own in the game’s final 7:44.
The game looked to be over after Majors’ layup with 2:38 remaining gave the Panthers a 74-65 lead. Shortly after, Wesleyan point guard BJ Davis, a NESCAC First Team candidate, converted on a three-point opportunity. Moments later, senior guard Jack Mackey drilled a 35-foot three-pointer to put Middlebury ahead by a score of 77-71. History repeated itself on the next possession when Davis netted a similarly long-distance three-point shot, making it 79-74. With the Cardinals in need of a bucket on their next possession, Majors stepped up once again, getting a hand on two consecutive Wesleyan attempts, eventually corralling the rebound and making two free throws to set the score at 81-74 with under a minute left. Down the stretch it was only a matter of making free throws and contesting some wild shot attempts from the Cardinals. Middlebury earned the victory as time expired, besting Wesleyan by a final score of 86-74.
“The biggest thing is that we trusted each other, we knew if we left our man to help someone else would rotate and force tough looks,” Brown said.
St. Amour led all scorers with 23 points in addition to six boards and three assists. Majors tallied 18 points on 7-10 shooting and had eight rebounds. Baines might have provided the most excitement all day with four blocks to go along with seven points and four boards. Brown was effective throughout the game with his slick ball handling and court vision, finishing the day with 11 points, seven assists and four steals on the defensive end.
The Panthers are set to travel to Hartford, Conn., the site of the NESCAC semifinals and finals. They are set to face top-seeded Trinity, and with a win will advance to the finals against either second-ranked Amherst or third-ranked Tufts.
“I think we need to have better toughness [this Saturday against Trinity] than we showed last time,” Brown said. “Our help defense needs to be there like it was last Saturday. If we bring both of those things, I think we’ll be in great shape.”
Two wins would earn the program a third NESCAC title and the opportunity to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
(02/25/16 2:47am)
The women’s hockey team finished the regular season with two shutout wins against Williams last weekend, skating to a 2-0 away win on Friday, Feb. 19, and a 7-0 victory on Saturday, Feb. 20 in Chip Kenyon ’85 Arena. With the victories, the Panthers secured the top seed for the NESCAC women’s hockey tournament for the sixth-straight and 11th time overall.
On Friday, the Panthers beat Williams (12-10-1, 8-7-0) 2-0 in Williamstown, Mass. Middlebury took an early lead 6:29 into the game on the power play via the sophomore squad: Jessica Young ’18 scored her ninth goal of the season and was assisted by Elizabeth Wulf ’18 and Maddie Winslow ’18.
In the second period, the Panthers extended their lead to 2-0 at the 15:42 mark. Rachael St. Clair ’19 passed the puck to Katherine Jackson ’19, who skated in one-on-one against Eph goalie Julia Mini, faked to the right, then lifted a wrister to the short side above the shoulder of Mini for her fifth goal of the season.
The Ephs fought hard in the third period to make up lost ground. They held a 10-4 advantage in shots on goal that period, and pulled their goalie with a minute left in favor of an extra attacker. The Williams squad outpaced Middlebury in overall shots on goal (24-20) and had five power plays, but converted none of them into goals.
Middlebury goalie Julia Neuburger ’18 picked up her fourth shutout of the season with 24 saves between the pipes.
The two teams faced off again on Saturday, Feb. 20, in Kenyon Arena in a “Pink the Rink” game in support of finding a cure for breast cancer. The fans, decked out in pink, also celebrated the graduating seniors for Senior Night: Captain Julia Wardwell ’16, Alternate Captain Katie Mandigo ’16, Marisa Dreher ’16, Micaela Thibault ’16 and Anna Van Kula ’16.
The Panthers scored four goals in the first period, and the first three came within a span of less than two minutes. At the 7:48 mark, Julia Wardwell ’16 drove the puck into the back of the net from the left point for her first collegiate goal. Thirty seconds later, Rachael St. Clair ’19 doubled the lead with a wrap-around goal. Twenty-one seconds later, Haley LaFontaine ’18 sent the puck from inside the blue line through the legs of Williams goalie Mini. Eight minutes after, on the power play, LaFontaine passed the puck to Kelly Sherman ’17, who directed a shot on goal from along the goal line that Mini touched but could not block. The Panthers dominated the first period with a 4-0 lead and a 13-3 edge in shots on goal, including not allowing a single shot in the first 10 minutes of the period.
Middlebury made it a 5-0 game 3:56 into the middle period, scoring again on the power play when Wardwell cut into the slot and kept the puck low into the back of the net for her second goal of the season on assist by Winslow. Williams had two shots on a power play later in the period, but Middlebury goalie Neuberger made a pair of stick saves to keep the Ephs scoreless.
Winslow picked up her team-leading 13th goal of the season at the 13:50 mark to bring the score to 6-0. With 1:24 left in the third period, Shanna Hickman ’19 tipped in an insurance goal — not that it was needed for the victory. Middlebury held a 29-17 edge in shots on goal for the game. The Panthers went 3-5 on the power play, while Williams was scoreless in its man-advantage.
“I think we have played well in the past few weeks,” Head Coach Bill Mandigo said. “The players are working hard and many are making significant contributions. I am excited about this team and their prospects as we head into the playoffs.”
The Panthers will be looking for their eighth conference title when quarterfinal action starts on Saturday, Feb. 27. If the Panthers win on Saturday, they will host both semifinals and the final on March 5 and 6 as the highest seed remaining. This year’s NESCAC champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Middlebury (17-4-3, 13-0-3 NESCAC) has won 12 of its last 13 games since Jan. 15. The team looks to win their first NESCAC title since 2012, which would be the eight in program history. Last year, Middlebury advanced to the championship game before falling to Trinity in overtime, 3-2.
The Panthers, ranked seventh nationally, will face No. 8 seed Colby (3-12-1) in the quarterfinal round. A Middlebury victory against Colby would bring the Panthers’ unbeaten streak to 30 games and give them home ice for the semifinals and finals. The Panthers hope to avenge last year’s fumble in the finals at the hands of third-seed Trinity.
(02/18/16 4:16am)
After a long season of preparation, the Middlebury Swimming and Diving teams recorded multiple best times over the past three weeks in two of the most important culminating meets: the Middlebury Invitational and Women’s NESCAC Championship. Though team scores were not recorded in the Middlebury Invitational (Jan. 29-30), this last meet of the regular season gave the Panther men and women the opportunity to race tough competitors from Williams, Springfield, Tufts and the University of Vermont. Two weekends later, the Middlebury women hosted NESCAC Championships, placing fourth out of 11 teams with 1,090.5 points over the course of three days (Feb. 12-14).
The ‘A’ relay team of Bryan Cheuk ’16, Paul Lagasse ’16, Jack McLaughlin ’18 and Brendan Leech ’19 began the meet for the Middlebury men with a victory in the 200 freestyle relay (1:26.07). Building upon their teammates’ success, Justin Cho ’17, Stefan Pla ’18, Jack Dowling ’19 and Stephan Koenigsberger ’16 later touched the wall first in the 400 medley re- lay in 3:35.08.
The quartet of Eric Stanton ’17, Dowling, Andrew Grant ’17 and Leech went on to earn second in the longer, 800 free re- lay (7:11.57), while the teams of Noel Antonisse ’17, Nathaniel Smith ’16, Alex Smith ’18 and Koenigsberger, and Lagasse, Grant, Charlie Nuss ’19 and McLaughlin, each finished third in the 200 medley relay (1:38.57) and the 400 free relay (3:16.15), respectively.
Dowling and Grant each picked up victories for the Panthers with top individual performances in the 200 fly (1:57.47) and 100 breast (1:01.33), respectively.
Meanwhile, Connor McCormick ’18 placed second in the 1,000 free (9:48.55), and Chris Mombello ’18 took third in both the 200 IM (1:59.91) and 100 breast (1:01.78).
Michael McGean ’17 secured fourth place in the 200 free with his personal-best time of 1:46.43, coming in just behind Koenigsberger who took third (1:46.17). Koenigsberger missed the podium in the 500 free by just 58 hundredths of a second (fourth, 4:52.69).
Elissa DeNunzio ’18 (363.15) and Will Greene ’19 (408.35) finished third in the one-meter diving competition, while Greene earned enough points (439.35) on the three-meter board to clinch second.
On the women’s side, Middlebury won four relays in the 200 free (Morgan Burke ’17, Isabel Wyer ’18, Megan Griffin ’16 and Stephanie Andrews ’18, 1:37.42), the 800 free (Burke, Wyer, Caitlin Carroll ’17 and Maddie Pierce ’16, 7:49.97), the 200 medley (Caroline Kelly ’16, Liza MacCowatt ’19, Griffin and Kelly Delane ’18, 1:49.95) and the 400 medley (Claire Treesh ’17, MacCowatt, Margaret Pollack ’18 and Grace Stimson ’19, 4:03.50). The women clocked in podium finishes in individual events as well. With a time of 58.00, Griffin won the 100 fly — the event in which Audrey Bangs’ ’18 personal record of 58.85 earned her fifth place. Griffin went on to place second in the 50 free (24.52) as well.
Meanwhile, Bangs and Katie Aman ’19 swept the top two spots in the 200 fly with times of 2:11.64 and 2:13.48, respectively, and Andrews placed third in 200 free (1:58.27) — just 0.07 seconds off of the second place time.
Middlebury earned second through fourth place in the 500 free, with Alaina Pribis ’19 in second (5:14.84), Burke in third (5:15.02) and Bangs in fourth (5:15.61, PR).
Wyer was runner-up in the 200 IM (2:09.05), and won the 200 back (2:04.88), just in front of second-place finisher Katie Corrigan ’19, who clocked her second personal record of the meet at 2:12.70.
When it came to breaststroke events, Pierce placed third in 200 (2:30.87), while Jen Koide ’17 placed third in the 100 (1:08.34) with MacCowatt less than a second behind (1:08.98, PR).
Coming out of the Middlebury Invitational, the women had two weeks before hosting the Women’s NESCAC Championship on Feb. 12-14, where they placed fourth out of 11 with a score of 1090.5: just one position below last year’s finish.
On the diving platform, DeNunzio racked up enough points to secure seventh place in the one-meter final (347.50) and fifth place on the three-meter platform (391.25).
“This was a team that set out day one to be successful while enjoying each other and performing instinctively. They achieved all of that,” said Bob Rueppel, who was named the NESCAC Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year on Tuesday, Feb. 16 after five years at the helm of the program. His swimmers have set a total of 24 school records and multiple All-American accolades.
Not only did Griffin and Wyer make the All-NESCAC team with their top- three finishes in the meet, but they also broke a total of three school records in the process. On top of their record-breaking swims, Griffin placed seventh in the 100 fly (56.86), and Wyer placed sixth in the 200 back (2:03.27).
Griffin bested her own record by 0.05 seconds on Friday in the preliminary rounds of the 50 fly (25.29), before placing third in the event final with a time of 25.44.
Wyer’s won the 500 free final by a margin of 2.74 seconds earlier that night; time of 4:54.36 in the 500 free earlier that night was fast enough to win theNESCAC by a margin of 2.74 seconds, and to break Middlebury’s record (set by Marika Ross in 2007) by 4.51 seconds.
On Saturday, Feb. 13, Wyer swept the championship heat of the 200 free with her second record-setting time of 1:50.36, eclipsing Nora Daly’s 2010 mark of 1:51.00. Burke touched the wall less than three seconds later to come in fifth (1:52.63).
The Panthers’ 200 free quartet of Burke, Wyer, Griffin and Andrews (1:36.47) finished fourth, and the medley relay of team of Sarah Bartholomae ’18, MacCowatt, Griffin and Andrews placed eighth (1:47.00).
Burke, Griffin, Wyer and Andrews also earned sixth in the 400 free (3:29.31), while Wyer, Burke, Kristin Karpowicz ’19 and Andrews touched the wall fifth in the 800 free (7:36.82).
Individually, Burke tied for 10th in the consolation final of the 50 free (24.40), and clinched fourth in the 100 free 51.94.
Lily Sawyer ’16, Carroll and Pollack placed 10th, 11th and 13th in the 200 fly with respective times of 2:08.94, 2:09.03 and 2:09.74. Additionally, Pierce got eighth in the 400 IM (4:39.66), fol- lowed closely by Stimson in 11th place (4:39.04).
In the Panthers’ distance events, Lucy Scott ’16 swam to ninth in the 1,000 free (10:33.09) and eighth in the 1,650 free (17:41.22).
Cumulatively, the Middlebury women clocked in eight NCAA ‘B’ Cut times, which they hope will qualify them to compete in the NCAA Division III Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina on March 16-20.
“Our 800 free relay is currently ninth in the nation but fifth in the NESCAC... an indication how good this conference is in swimming,” Rueppel commented. “We hope the 400 free relay [will make] the cut. Isabel [Wyer] will compete in the 500/200 free and 200 back, and Morgan Burke in the 200/100 free. If the 400 free relay makes it, Meg [Griffin] will swim the 100 fly.”
Rueppel “was thrilled with our weekend. Simply put, [it was] a culmination of 5 years of work. Our seniors were my first recruiting class and had blind faith in the future of the program[, and our] NESCAC performances were a reflection of that. They [have] led this team to success I hoped for but never imagined.”
The men’s teams will travel to Williams for NESCAC Championships this coming weekend, Feb. 19-21.
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The Middlebury women’s hockey team, now 15-4-3, continued their perfect record in the NESCAC, winning two victories each against Colby, Hamilton and Wesleyan. However, they were unable to carry the momentum outside the conference, falling to Norwich in a tight 3-2 matchup.
On Friday, Jan. 29, the team traveled to Clinton, NY, to take its first victory against the Hamilton Continentals, going 1-0 on Friday. Katherine Jackson ’19 made the early game-winning goal at 15:30 of the first period, latching on to the rebound off two failed attempts by Shanna Hickman ’19. The goal was made entirely by first-years, with both Rachael St. Clair ’19 and Hickman being credited for the assist.
With just under a minute left in the game, Hamilton pulled goalie Sam Walther for an extra attacker, but could not sink a shot against Neuberger, fixing the final score at 1-0. Hamilton could not convert on their one power play, but neither could Middlebury on their two. The Panthers more than doubled the Continentals in shots on goal, 23-11.
Middlebury returned to Russell Sage Rink the next day on Jan. 30 to shut out Hamilton 2-0. Grace Jennings ’19 scored her first collegiate goal 16 minutes into the first period after ripping the puck from a Hamilton defender near the blueline. Nearing Hamilton goalie Walther, Jennings wristed a shot that Walther nearly stopped. The Continentals had no answer for the second period.
The Panthers furthered their lead to 2-0 at 12:26 of the third period on the power play, when Kelly Sherman ’17 made her fourth season goal from an assist from Anna Van Kula ’16. A pulled goalie and a Panther penalty in the final two minutes gave Hamilton a six-on-four advantage, but it proved fruitless, handing Middlebury a 2-0 victory.
A battle of top-10 women’s hockey foes went down in Northfield, Vt. on Tuesday, Feb. 2, when a late goal by the Norwich Cadets earned them a 3-2 win over Middlebury. The game was also a battle of sisters — Katarina Shuchuk ’19 for Middlebury and her twin Maki Shuchuk for Norwich — who squared off after playing on many of the same teams growing up. Both sisters were on the ice for the opening faceoff of the game.
The Cadets took a promising lead just 56 seconds into the game with dual-assist shot taken from a Middlebury skater and one-timed by Erin Joyce, who was waiting in the slot for the puck. Though dominating 5-2 in shots on goal in the first period, Middlebury could not provide an answer. In the second period, Norwich locked a 2-0 lead after the Panthers lost a face-off and Adelle Murphy notched a goal just four seconds into a power play.
Outshooting the Cadets 8-4 in the second, the Panthers finally posted an answer halfway through the period, with Janka Hlinka ’18 tipping a blueline shot by Julia Wardwell ’16 into the net. And at 13:48 of the third, Katherine Jackson ’19 hooked a loose puck on a wraparound move to tie the game, with assists from Elizabeth Wulf ’18 and Jennings. With three minutes remain- ing, though, Norwich’s Bryn Labbe shot a wrister from the middle of the slot straight past netminder Julia Neuburger ’18. The Panthers, who were outshot 2-4 by the Cadets in the third, could not force a tie, and Norwich won the game 3-2.
“The loss was a wake-up call,” Hlinka said. “If we are going to have a chance at be- ing the best, we are going to need to find a way to win against teams outside of the NE- SCAC.”
The Panthers returned to Kenyon Arena on Friday, Feb. 5, to take on Wesleyan in a two-game homestand. Wesleyan made the first statement seven minutes into the first off a wrist shot that was tipped in by Cici Frattasio. The Panthers nearly answered a minute later with a shot from the right by Jenna Marotta ’19, but the puck hit the crossbar. Jessica Young ’18 redeemed that attempt at 14:37 in the first by taking a loose puck from the neutral zone, racing up the left side, and launching it past Cardinal goalie Laura Corcoran.
The Panthers took the lead at 9:30 in the second when top-scorer Maddie Winslow ’18 placed the puck behind Wesleyan’s goalie and Hickman tipped it in. Winslow scored again in the third period to make it 3-1, bringing her season total to a team-leading nine goals. Wesleyan responded shortly on a power play after a scramble for the puck in front of the Panther net left a loose puck open for a Wesleyan attack. But with 35 seconds remaining, Young placed an insurance goal into Wesleyan’s open net to seal the game 4-2.
Middlebury took 33 shots on goal com- pared to Wesleyan’s 14, though Wesleyan went one-for-one on the power play and Middlebury oh-for-two.
The Middlebury women recorded a 5-0 shutout the next day against Wesleyan, their 50th victory against the program, bring- ing the overall series record between the teams to a staggering 50-0-3. Wulf scored on the first shift for the Panthers off a short pass behind the net from classmate Jessica Young ’18. With 3:35 left in the opening period, Grace Jennings ’19 placed a drop pass from Katherine Jackson ’19 over Cardinal goalie Corrine Rivard’s left shoulder.
The Panthers added two more goals in the second period to extend their lead to four. Hickman tallied the first of those, as she swatted in a centering pass from Winslow at 5:11 into the middle frame. Winslow made it 4-0 after Young created a turnover just inside the Wesleyan blue line, using a backhander to beat Rivard with 27 seconds left in the period.
Middlebury finished off the scoring in the third period, as Winslow collected a puck in the slot and fired a hard shot under the crossbar for her second goal of the game. The Panthers nearly doubled the Cardinals in shots on goal, 32-18, and Wesleyan could not capitalize on their one power play. Ver- plancke earned her first collegiate shutout with 17 saves. Wardwell played in her 100th career game for the Panthers and earned the primary assist on the team’s goal in the third period.
“Our games against Wesleyan were a great test of our grit and or progress. Our underclassmen really stepped up and got us some crucial points for the win,” Wardwell said. “Playing in my 100th game was sur- real.”
The team took to Waterville, Me., on Friday, Feb. 12 to face the Colby Mules, leaving with two victories, 2-1 and 1-0. The game on Friday went scoreless for the first pe- riod, with Neuburger making 16 saves. The Mules had the first goal at 11:58 in the second by Katie McLaughlin, to which the Pan- thers had no immediate answer despite 10 blocked shots in that period. But at 13:08 in the third, Winslow netted her team-leading 12th goal of the season, and three minutes later Hlinka brought the score to 2-1 for her second goal of the year. The Mules’ aggressiveness — with 30 shots on goal compared to Middlebury’s 23 — did not translate to the scoreboard.
On Saturday, the Middlebury women ran their NESCAC regular-season unbeaten streak to 27 — having only tied five times — with a 1-0 shut-out against Colby. The lone goal came on a power play at 17:58 in the middle period, when Young one-timed a pass by Wulf for her eighth of the
season. With the goal, Young extended her point streak to four games, recording three goals and seven assists (3-7-10) during that stretch. The Panthers held a 27-18 edge in shots on goal, after having been outshot 5-8 in the first period.
With their impressive conference record (11-0-3), matched only by Amherst’s 11-1-2, the Panthers have secured home ice for the NESCAC quarterfinal game, to take place on Saturday, Feb. 27 in Chip Kenyon ’85 Arena. Middlebury will secure the top seed if the ladies manage not to lose either of their final two games against Williams (8-6-0). Even with two ties against Williams, Kenyon Arena would become the site of the NESCAC semifinals and finals on March 5 and 6. The question is whether the lossless streak of 22 wins and 5 ties can last just two more games.
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The men’s basketball team secured a home playoff game set for this Saturday, Feb. 20 against Wesleyan with a couple of conference wins in February. In their first meeting of the season, Middlebury won 86-76 on the road in Middletown, Conn. against Wesleyan. Overall, the Panthers finished 3-3 (2-3 NESCAC) over the final six games, good enough to earn the fourth seed in the eight team NESCAC tournament. The semifinals and finals of the tournament will be played at the home site of the highest remaining seed after this Saturday’s quarterfinal action.
The Panthers finished off January with a road trip to Clinton, NY, where they took on Hamilton College and fell to the upstart Continentals 64-62 on a last second tip-in from freshman Andrew Groll. It was a frustrating result for the Panthers after they controlled the game for much of the first half and took a seven-point advantage into halftime. In the second frame, though, the Panthers went ice cold from the floor. They shot 10-34 (29.4 percent) from the field, going 2-8 (25 percent) from beyond the arc and went the final 6:04 of the contest without a basket.
Hamilton fought back and finally evened the score at 62 with 4:28 to play, and that was the last basket until Groll’s tip-in winner. Matt St. Amour ’17 led Middlebury with 14 points, while center Matt Daley ’16 had 12 and seven rebounds, and Adisa Majors ’18 racked up eight points and nine boards.
With a few days to get over their last second defeat, the Panthers took to the road on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and took on the Keene State Owls. Though an out- of-conference matchup, this game held particular significance for the team’s leading scorer, Matt St. Amour. Two years ago, St. Amour’s first-year campaign was cut short when the shooting guard blew out his ACL at Keene State. With that on his mind, St. Amour exploded for a spectacular 32 points on 8-15 (53.3 percent) shooting, 5-9 (55.6 percent) from beyond the arc and 11-11 from the charity stripe.
“I wouldn’t say there was extra pressure,” St. Amour said, “I was just very anxious. It brought back a lot of memories, just little things like the locker room and the spot I tore [my ACL]. After three quick fouls, I was starting to I’d never actually get the chance to play at Keene State. Luckily, the second half went very well.”
Coming out of halftime with the game knotted at 31, the Panthers went on a 17-5 run in the first five minutes, led by St. Amour with eight points and point guard Jack Daly ’18 with six points. Keene State. shrunk the lead to six with 5:05 to play, but otherwise the lead remained at a comfortable distance, and Middlebury finished off the 83-74 victory.
“It was a big win for us,” St. Amour said, “because it proved that we can travel on the road to a tough place to play and beat a tournament level team on their home court. It showed our toughness that we have developed throughout the season.”
The following weekend was very kind to Middlebury, as the seniors celebrated their final regular season home series with a pair of victories over Maine rivals Colby and Bowdoin.
The Colby Mules did not make it easy on Saturday, Jan. 6, and the Panthers had to claw their way to a two-point win, 67-65. In many ways, the Mules outplayed Middlebury, making nine three-pointers to Middlebury’s two and outrebounding the Panthers 45-28, but ultimately the difference came in the shape of 22 turnovers for Colby and just nine for Middlebury. The Panthers tallied 18 points off of those turnovers; Colby just one. The game featured a staggering 15 lead changes and eight ties. When St. Amour made a layup with 6:57 left in the first half to tie the game at 21-21, there had already been seven lead changes and the deficit had not gone beyond five points. St. Amour’s tying lay up came just moments after center Daley made an early exit from the ball game. The big man suffered an elbow to the mouth that caused a chipped tooth and some dizziness, but the injury seemed to spur the Panthers, who then finished the half on a 14-1 run to go up 35-22.
It took Colby nine minutes and 21 seconds to close the gap, tying the game at 47-47 after a 25-12 start to the half. Colby then proceeded to go up 54-47, capping a 32-12 run for the Mules. Middlebury chipped away for the remainder of the half, getting contributions from multiple different players. Majors and Daly scored the final two buckets, both assisted by point man Jake Brown ’17, that pushed the Panthers ahead for the 67-65 win. Brown had one of his best offensive games of the season with 18 points and six assists.
The Panthers had a slightly easier time on Senior Day the following afternoon when they bested the Bowdoin
Polar Bears 78-69. Bowdoin boasts the reigning NESCAC Player of the Year and top scorer in the league in senior guard Lucas Hausman and an electric freshman forward by the name of Jack Simonds. Stopping Hausman is usually a losing proposition, but Daly and his backcourt mates did well to force him into tough shots all game. The talented Hausman finished with 29 points but shot under 50 percent from the floor, while Simonds tallied 23 points. The rest of the Bowdoin roster scored just six field goals. For the Panthers, St. Amour matched Hausman shot-for-shot and finished with 26 points of his own and nine rebounds.
“We had a job going into that weekend,” Forward Connor Huff ’16 said, “and that was to sweep the weekend.
Middlebury’s final NESCAC weekend of the regular season saw the Panthers on the road against the league’s top two teams, Amherst and Trinity. Middlebury came into the weekend with the chance to secure the No.1 seed in the NESCAC tournament with a weekend sweep, but that proved too tall a task. While the contest between Middlebury and Amherst stayed competitive throughout, the home team never let the Panthers get too close, and Middlebury eventually fell 83-70. Amherst has maintained the best three point field goal percentage defense in all of Division-III for much of the season, and Middlebury was unable to overcome that strength, shooting just 2-11 (18.2 percent) from deep. On the other end, Amherst’s 10 made three pointers made the difference. Amherst sharpshooter Jeff Racy was lights out from beyond the arc, going 6-6 for 18 points. Amherst led by as much as 12 halfway through the first half and continually rebuked any Middlebury challenges over the remaining 30 minutes. Racy, of course, put the game away with two three-pointers in the final three minutes. St. Amour and Majors lead the Panthers in scoring with 20 and 18 points, respectively.
The following day’s trip to Hartford, Conn. had a similar feeling, as a 17-7 run by the Bantams midway through the first made the score 33-23 in favor of Trinity and the home team never looked back. The Bantams could not miss from the field or the stripe and wound up with the 97-86 victory. For Middlebury, guard Bryan Jones ’17 did his best to bring the Panthers back late in the second half. Jones entered the game with 6:13 to play and Middlebury down by 16, then proceeded to pour in 14 points in a four and a half minute span. The onslaught from Jones was not enough, however, as Trinity could not be stopped offensively. Majors lead all Middlebury scorers with 15 points while also hauling down eight rebounds, and St. Amour tacked on 12 points of his own.
The Panthers are set to host the Wesleyan Cardinals on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. The last playoff meeting between these two programs came in the 2013 NESCAC Championship quarterfinals, a game won by Middlebury 61-49, when this year’s seniors were first-years. Middlebury has defeated Wesleyan in the last 13 meetings between the two teams, two of which have come in NESCAC playoff tilts. The Cardinals’ last win came on Jan. 15, 2005. With a win, the Panthers will likely have to hit the road to either Trinity, Amherst or Tufts in pursuit of a third NESCAC title.
