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(11/16/12 3:44pm)
Squash
After posting a successful 16-9 season last winter, the Middlebury men’s squash team looks to come back firing on all cylinders under the leadership of senior captains Spencer Hurst ’13 and Jay Dolan ’13. With the loss of number one player Valentin Quan ’12 and number seven Addi DiSesa ’12, the Panthers will rely on a large class of returning, seasoned players, along with the help of some younger players who will need to step up to fill the rest of the team’s spots.
The men will be led by the captains Hurst and Dolan as well as Parker Hurst ’14, who received second team All-NESCAC honors last year.
“The team is looking pretty good and ready for this upcoming season,” said co-captain Hurst. “We are well rounded, and only lost two players from last year.”
Coming off a 16-8 season, the Middlebury Women’s squash team looks to rely on a number of returning, seasoned players, and a number of new highly skilled freshman in order to fill the spots missing from last year’s graduating seniors, including number 1 player Eleina Laird ’12.
Abigail Jenkins ’14, who is currently abroad, will be returning this season, and will most likely be playing in the number one spot next year. Charlotte Dewey ’15 received second team All-NESCAC honors after finishing the season 16-3 in the #3 spot.
Under the leadership of captains Lindsay Becker ’13, and Molly Hubbard ’13, the Panthers will look towards other sophomore standouts such as Katie Dewey ’15 and Carter Makin ’15, along with several promising first-years.
Swimming and Diving
The women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams will look to improve on last year’s solid finishes as they hit the pool for the 2012-2013 season.
On the women’s side, the Panthers return seven NCAA qualifiers from last year’s fourth-place NESCAC squad. The NCAA-finalist 200-meter medley relay team of Andie Tibbets ’14, Jamie Hillas ’15, Maddy Berkman ’15 and Ann Carpenter ’15 is back from last year. Hillas was a national finalist in the 100-meter breaststroke a year ago. Middlebury also returns three legs of an honorable mention All-American 800-meter freestyle relay of Nora Daly ’13, Jen Friedlander ’13 and Courtney Haron ’15.
“On the women’s side, we definitely had a solid season last year,” said head coach Bob Rueppel. “We have very high goals for the women’s team. That’s a big reason I came here. I think the sky’s the limit.”
The men’s team will need to replace their top scorer from last year as they hope to improve on a seventh-place NESCAC finish. Diver Skylar Dallmeyer-Drennen ’14 is the team’s top returning scorer as the Panthers also return a pair of freestyle relay squads that scored in the conference a year ago. The men will also benefit from the return of Ian Mackay ’14, who won a pair of events at NESCACs in 2011 before sitting out last year with an injury.
“For the men we have very high goals,” said Rueppel. “I think we’re going to surprise some people this year.”
Middlebury’s swimmers open their season at Tufts and Connecticut College on Saturday, Nov. 17. The long season runs through NCAAs in late March.
“The first meet is to see where we are,” said Rueppel. “We started ten days ago in great shape, so I’m ecstatic over that starting point. It creates a great competitive atmosphere. We’ve bumped it up a little bit this year, and they’ve been great.”
Track and Field
The Middlebury men’s and women’s track and field teams open the winter season Jan. 13 in Hanover, N.H. at the Dartmouth Invitational.
The teams will participate in a series of meets around New England culminating in the the ECAC Championship beginning March 1 at New York Armory. A handful of Panthers should qualify for the National Championship at North Central College in Naperville, Ill. the following weekend in March.
A number of National Championship competitors return to the team this year, including high-jump All-American Grace Doering ’13, Lauren Pincus ’14 in the javelin and cross country star Addie Tousely ’13 in the 5,000.
On the men’s side Jack Davies ’13, last year’s top seed in the steeplechase, and Patrick Hebble ’13 in the 1,500, both come off a strong cross country season to run for the Panthers this winter.
Last year’s indoor track team set high expectations for the 2013 squad, breaking program and national records in a number of different areas including the men’s and women’s Distance Medlay Relay, the 400-meter dash and the 200-meter dash.
While many talented runners return to the team, the Panthers will have to replace Margo Kramer ’12 and Michael Schmidt ’13 two of the most successful runners in program history.
Skiing
The Alpine and Nordic Ski Teams are expected to bring a lot of excitement to campus this winter, not only because they will be hosting the NCAA Championships from March 3-9 at the Snow Bowl, but also because they are coming into this season with a champion mindset.
The men’s Alpine Ski Team is spearheaded by all three members from last year’s Slalom National Champion Team, namely Hig Roberts ’14, Andrew McNealus ’13, and captain Bryan Shpall ’13. The team also will feature Dave Donaldson ’14, who could not compete last year as a transfer due to NCAA rules.
“Those four, and juniors Nick Bailey ’14 and Liam Mulhern ’14, will be contributors to the Middlebury team at Carnivals,” said assistant coach Abby Copland.
On the women’s side, the young, but experienced, Panthers are expected to make a splash in the league that features the best skiers in the country. Copland is confident that the roster, composed of largely underclassmen and led by sole senior and captain Christine Schozer ’13, will be able to bring their hard-earned experience from last season to the table. The Panthers will head west to the slopes over Thanksgiving to test out their crucial pre-snow conditioning work.
The Nordic skiers are eager to make this year the best they have had under seven-year head coach Andrew Gardner.
“The team is looking really strong,” said captain Hilary Rich ’13. “We have a lot of strong returning skiers (including 2 NCAA participants), as well as three new first-year men and five first-year women who are looking promising for this coming season.”
After extensive dry-land training this fall, both alpine teams will set out to West Yellowstone in Montana for Thanksgiving Break for some time on the snow and a chance to compete in their debut skate-sprint individual race.
Both the Alpine and Nordic Ski Teams will begin action during J-term, with the Alpine leading the way in the Vermont Carnival, January 11th and 12th.
Women's Basketball
Middlebury will look to improve on a 2011-12 season that saw them unable to secure a win in NESCAC play, and finish with a record of 7-17 overall. After leading her team to 11 NESCAC or ECAC tournaments in her first 14 seasons, head coach Noreen Pecsok looks to return to her winning tradition. One of the key aspects Middlebury will look to improve from last year is its defense. Last season the Panthers were outscored by their opponents by 192 total points, which averaged to 63.5 points per game for opponents to Middlebury’s 55.5.
“We are looking to improve our consistency this year and our overall team play,” Pecsok said. “I think there will be a measurable improvement in our defensive intensity.”
Despite losing three players from last season including key rebounders, the Panthers return with a strong starting lineup including last year’s leading scorer, tri-captin Tracy Borsinger ’13, who finished with a field goal average of .398, accounting for 238 of the team’s overall tally of 1331 points.
In addition to challenging her players everyday in practice to keep improving, Pecsok is also looking for her team to build a good reputation on and off the court.
“Our goal this year is to be competitive every time we step on the floor,” she said. “To be team oriented in everything that we do and to represent Middlebury, the athletic department and ourselves in the best way possible.”
The Panthers start their season this Saturday Nov. 17 against the University of Massachusetts-Boston in the Tip-Off Classic at Simmons College.
Men's Basketball
The fourth-ranked Middlebury men’s basketball team tips off its season this weekend at Lebanon Valley College. The Panthers, who finished the 2011-12 season 26-4, return 14 members of last year’s team including four of five starters. The team’s biggest challenge, however, will be replacing 2012 Regional Player of the Year, Ryan Sharry ’12, who led the team in points, rebounds and blocks last season.
“It will take a full team effort to fill [Sharry’s] role,” co-captain Peter Lynch ’13 said. “Some people are going to have to take more shots and hopefully convert at the rate he was able to, some people are going to have to get a rebound or two more a game and some people are going to have to bring the same passion to the game.”
The Panthers will rely on the combined play of Lynch and juniors James Jensen ’14 and Jack Roberts ’14 to fill out a deep, but largely unproven front court. Chris Churchill ’15 and first-year big man Matt Daley ’16 will provide the team with size and depth off the bench as well.
While the Panthers’ front court will look very different from seasons past, the Middlebury backcourt — the deepest and most talented group in the NESCAC — returns all three starters from last year, including two-year captain Nolan Thompson ’13 and gives the team an opportunity to play a faster brand of basketball this season.
“The biggest difference from last year is we are really focusing on getting out and pushing the ball and putting pressure on our opponents,” said Lynch. “If we can run and score a couple more layups each game it will give us a whole different dynamic for defenses to focus on.”
Friday, Nov. 16 and Saturday Nov. 17 the Panthers will face their first test in the four-team tournament that features the College of Staten Island, a Sweet 16 team a year ago.
“This weekend will be a tremendous opportunity for our program to begin our 2012-13 campaign,” said assistant coach Alex Popp. “All four [teams] in the tournament are capable of playing in March this season.”
Women's Hockey
The women’s ice hockey team opens the season on Friday, Nov. 16 and Saturday, Nov. 17 with a two-game series against Colby. The following weekend the Panthers host Amherst, Elmira and Plattsburgh in the Panther/Cardinal Classic.
The team returns a number of talented players from the 2011-12 team that won the NESCAC championship before falling in the NCAA quarterfinals to finish with a 21-4-3 record.
“We have worked hard this fall and are really looking forward to starting games this weekend,” said tri-captain Heather Marrison ’13. “Not only do we have a lot of impact returners, we also have a strong freshman class that will help us out greatly this season.”
Lauren Greer ’13, a second-team All-American last year, led the team in scoring with 29 points, and in penalty minutes with 21. Her 71 career points lead a crowded field of returning scorers., which includes sophomore standout Hannah Bielawski ’15 who finished second on the team in points last season and Sarah Ugalde ’14, the Panthers’ top goal-scorer with 14 goals during the 2011-12 campaign. While Greer, Bielawski and Ugalde headline the Panthers’ attack, virtually all of the Panthers offense from last season – the top eight scorers, and 14 of the top 16 – return to the ice this year.
Middlebury also returns its top netminder, Annabelle Jones ’15, who handled the bulk of the time between the posts last season, finishing with a .930 save percentage and a 1.44 goals-against average in 22 games.
Men's Hockey
While it finished with a record of 14-10-3, last year’s Middlebury men’s hockey team proved to be anything but predictable. In the throes of a woeful stretch in January that saw them allow 24 goals in six games (including one 7-0 and a pair of 5-0 losses,) the Panthers then rebounded to win seven of their final nine games and came within one goal of the NESCAC championship.
Head coach Bill Beaney commented on his team’s resiliency.
“I thought that we were in stormy waters at the beginning of last year,” said Beaney. “We were playing the best hockey of any team in the NESCAC down the stretch. We outplayed Amherst in the title game and I thought we deserved to win.”
From a personnel standpoint, the Panthers will need to fill the offensive void left by the graduation of the top-three scorers from a year ago: Charlie Strauss ’12 (24 points), Charles Nerbak ’12 (20 points) and Martin Drolet ’12 (19 points.)
However, captain Chris Steele ’13 is confident in his team’s ability to compete.
“Although we lost some firepower up front, we are confident that we will get a lot more contribution from the returnees,” said Steele. “There is also a great opportunity for some of the first-years to contribute offensively to make up for loss of a some key seniors from last years team.”
Beaney also suggested that several first-years could see significant ice time as the Panthers travel to Colby and Bowdoin this weekend, Nov. 16 and 17.
“I am thrilled with the first-year’s contribution,” said Beaney. “The upperclassmen also have reached out and let the younger guys get acclimated to Middlebury and to college hockey.” The coach, set to begin his 26th year behind the bench, also pointed to Tom Freyre ’14 and captain Trevor Pollock ’13 as important pieces going forward.
Steele and fellow captain Mathieu Castonguay ’13 will anchor a back line in front of goaltenders Dan Fullam ’15, Nick BonDurant ’14 and Liam Moorfield-Yee ’16.
DAMON HATHEWAY, LOK SZE LEUNG, ALEX MORRIS, FRITZ PARKER, OWEN TEACH, and GABE WEISSMANN contributed to this report.
(11/15/12 12:32am)
After beating Trinity, Bowdoin and Connecticut College to win the NESCAC Championship last weekend, the Middlebury volleyball team defeated Southern Vermont College 3-1 in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament on Friday night, Nov. 9. The Panthers could not advance out of the regional round on Saturday, however, as Clarkson ended Middlebury’s season by the same score.
Despite the second-round exit, the campaign was a resounding success for the Panthers, recipients of their fourth conference title.
“The championship was a total team effort with everyone contributing to the wins,” said outside hitter Meg Anderson ’14.
The Panthers’ first-round opponent, Southern Vermont College, entered the tournament with a 24-7 record in comparison Middlebury’s 23-6. The two teams were evenly matched, and it took Middlebury four sets to take down Southern Vermont and take home the final victory (21-25, 21-25, 25-21, 22-25).
Middlebury’s defense was unstoppable in the first two sets, putting intense pressure on the Southern Vermont offense and denying them multiple opportunities to put points on the board.
In the third set, however, the Mountaineers took over and won the set by four points. Southern Vermont senior Jessica Alvarez led her team by contributing 21 kills and totaling a .343 hitting percentage in the game. After letting one set go, however, the Panthers came back to claim the fourth set and seal the victory.
Kathryn Haderlein ’16 led the offense with a productive 52 assists and nine digs, while tri-captain Caitlin Barrett ’13 steered the Panthers to success with a team-high of 15 digs. Piper Underbrink ’15 finished the first round of the NCAA tournament making a statement with a .444 hitting percentage and four blocks to go along with it. The 3-1 win advanced the team to the second round of the NCAA tournament, against the host squad, third-seeded Clarkson University.
The game on Saturday also finished 3-1, but this time the result was not in favor of the Panthers, who dropped three straight sets after winning the first. Middlebury saw their season come to an end after the tough four-set match (21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-18.)
Middlebury took immediate control from the start of the first set, keeping the lead the entire set and finally winning by four points with assistance from Lizzy Reed’s ’15 and Haderlein’s aces. In the next couple of sets Middlebury trailed behind Clarkson by a few points and in all situations the lead got the best of them and kept the Panthers from grasping a win in any of the last three sets.
“A few of the Clarkson hitters got hot hands in the last three games and we couldn’t get a good block on them,” Barrett said. “The first game we came out really agressively and played really well. We made a few unforced errors in the last three games and that kind of changed things around.”
Although the team did not leave the court as victors, they still had some notable moments from the match. Amy Hart ’14 had 15 kills and digs, while tri-captain Megan Jarchow ’14 also reached 11 kills and a trio of block assists. Haderlein had another remarkable game with 35 assists.
Middlebury finishes their season with an impressive 23-7 record, improving from last season’s mark of 23-9. Led by tri-captains Barrett, Madeline Firestone ’13, and Jarchow, the 2012 Middlebury volleyball team — and the graduating senior class, in particular — has a lot to be proud of as they hang up their jerseys, leaving the program considerably stronger than when they arrived.
“Looking back on things, it’s really cool to see how far the program has come since my first year,” said Barrett. “As a senior class we went our first years to NESCACs just happy to be there and hoping we could make a run. And now the past two or three years we go to the NESCAC Tournament expecting to win and hoping to go as far as we can in the NCAA Tournament. It’s really cool to see each recruiting class is stronger and stronger and that’s awesome for the program.”
(11/15/12 12:30am)
For the 21 seniors playing in their final collegiate game, Saturday’s 35-13 win over Tufts (0-8) was an unforgettable finish to a historic season. The game will be remembered for the records that were broken — wide receiver Zach Driscoll ’13 broke both the NESCAC single season receptions record as well as the conference’s single season touchdown record while quarterback Mac Foote ’14 surpassed Donnie McKillop’s ’10 single season NESCAC passing-yards mark — and for the highlight-reel plays made by a number of seniors. Driscoll, Josh Amster ’13 and tri-captain Billy Chapman ’13 all caught touchdown passes in their final game — with Chapman’s coming on what was, for all intents and purposes, Middlebury’s final offensive play of the season. Defensive captain John Wiet ’13, meanwhile, made the play of the year, recovering a fumble at the Middlebury 10-yard line and rumbling 65 yards before lateraling the ball while being tackled to defensive back Jared Onouye ’14 who took it the final 25 yards for the touchdown, cementing a 7-1 season for the Panthers.
Middlebury’s day fell just short of perfect as Trinity, who trailed much of the day at Wesleyan, forged an improbable comeback, ultimately winning in overtime, thereby completing an unbeaten season and ending Middlebury’s hopes at a share of the NESCAC title.
Tufts, who entered the game against Middlebury having lost 22 consecutive games, jumped out to an early lead, taking the opening drive of the game 65 yards on seven plays for a touchdown as John Dodds connected with Dylan Haas from 10 yards out. The score was set up by a 29-yard run on an end around from wide receiver Mike Howell.
Middlebury, which has struggled with slow starts all season long, quickly gave the ball back to the Jumbos, punting after picking up just one first down.
The Jumbos threatened to score again on the second drive, but on third-and-five from the Middlebury 25-yard line, Dodds’s pass intended for Haas was intercepted by defensive back Joel Blockowicz ’15 — his third pick of the season.
Foote and the offense found their rhythm on the second drive, as the NESCAC’s top passer accounted for all 67 yards on the drive. Middlebury was aided by a key pass interference call on third-and-short to pick up a first down in Jumbos territory. Foote then hit Driscoll for gains of 19 and 14 yards, the latter coming on a post route in the middle of the end zone to tie the game.
After the Panthers forced a turnover on downs deep in their own territory, Foote made his only mistake of the half, forcing a ball into coverage that was deflected into the secondary and intercepted. After playing bend-but-don’t-break defense on the Jumbos' previous two drives, the Panther defense made its first stand of the game, stuffing a third-and-one run as Tim Patricia ’16 made one his team-leading 10 tackles.
With 2:25 remaining in the first half Foote orchestrated a masterful drive, completing eight of nine passes covering 79 yards and a score in just 1:56. Driscoll caught three passes including a one-yard touchdown reception, breaking both records on the possession. On the touchdown play, Driscoll lined up on the far side of the field behind first-year wideout Matt Minno ’16 in what appeared to be a power run formation. Pre-snap, however, Driscoll came in motion into the slot before darting back towards the sideline as the ball was snapped and hauling in a low pass, perfectly placed by Foote.
“A lot of teams like to go man-to-man at the goal line, so we thought if we could get in motion, if they were in man we’d see it,” Driscoll said. “Meanwhile, I’d go in motion, keep carrying [my defender inside] and get his hips turned and then pop back out.”
Foote finished the half 23-32 from the air for 220 yards and two touchdowns in what was his most impressive half of the season.
“I felt really good in the beginning of the game,” Foote said. “They were only rushing three so it gave me a lot of time to find guys and I was able to hit some underneath routes.”
Middlebury extended its lead shortly after the break. Following stalled drives for both teams, Foote led a nine-play, 42-yard drive as much with his feet as with his arm. Facing third-and-nine from the Tufts 18-yard line, Foote escaped from a collapsing pocket, scampering to the sideline and absorbing a hit for a six-yard gain. On the next play — a fourth-and-three — Foote took off for the second time, lowering his helmet at the first down marker and falling forward for a crucial first down. After missing a wide-open Amster in the end zone on a sure touchdown pass, Foote connected with Amster on the next play, threading the needle between two Jumbos defenders in the back of the end zone.
Having conceded 21 straight points, the visitors responded, driving almost 70 yards in just over two minutes to cut the lead to eight. On the ensuing point after try, however, Patricia broke through the middle of the line, extending to block the kick.
Leading now by just one score, the Panthers worked their way down field as running back Remi Ashkar ’13 carried the ball four times for 26 yards on the drive. Two straight incompletions following a four-yard run from running back Matt Rhea ’14, however, brought on Jake Feury ’16 and the kicking team to attempt a 25-yard field goal. Middlebury failed to extend its lead, however, as Tufts first-year linebacker Matt McCormack broke through the line of scrimmage and blocked Feury’s low line drive kick.
The Jumbos and Panthers traded possessions with neither team able to pick up more than two first downs. Facing fourth-and-six from the Jumbos’ 39-yard line, Driscoll dropped an end-over-end punt at the five-yard line, which hopped into the arms of Dan Kenerson ’13 inside the one-yard line.
Undaunted, Tufts converted a third-and-long from the shadow of its own end zone, triggering three straight first down plays. Dodds and the Jumbos offense took 13 plays to go 89 yards into the Middlebury red zone, where it all went wrong for Tufts — as things tend to do during a 22-game losing streak — as Dodds and running back Jeff Weaver botched the exchange on a handoff, leading to a bouncing ball that was scooped up by Wiet.
“It was a quarterback draw and [Matt Crimmins ’14] forced the fumble and it squirted into the backfield where I happened to be,” Wiet said.
At his own 10-yard line, with nothing but daylight in front of him, Wiet took off, racing 65 yards before being dragged down by Tufts tight end Nick Kenyon. Alertly, albeit dangerously, Wiet twisted before hitting the ground and pitched the ball to Onouye who hopped over Kenyon and his fallen teammate and ran the final 25 yards for the score, sending the sideline and an enthusiastic crowd at Youngman Field into a frenzy.
“[Onouye] was attempting to block for me and [Kenyon] outran him,” Wiet said, “but I heard him off to my left saying, ‘Here to your left! Here to your left!’”
Trailing on the play, Onouye accurately determined that Kenyon was going to catch Wiet before he reached the end zone.
“I realized that [Wiet] was running out of gas,” Onouye said. “I moved to the left [which gave Kenyon] a chance, but I knew he’d pitch it to me because I’d been calling for it for a while and I knew he wanted the defense to score. After we scored I ran up to him and we just hugged each other but [we] were so tired that we didn’t actually say anything. We just went over to the sideline and called for water.”
Elated fans also wondered at Wiet’s decision to lateral the football.
“I had a few people come up to me after the play and ask me if [Wiet] was a rugby player because of his heads up play,” Chapman said. “That’s something I’ll never forget.”
The Tufts offense never recovered. Dodds threw three consecutive incompletions and the Jumbos punted the ball away on the next possession.
Middlebury added one final touchdown despite Rhea’s best attempts to run out the remainder of the clock as he carried the ball on eight of the first nine plays on the next drive for 36 yards. On third-and-eight, from the Tufts 43-yard line and just over two minutes remaining, however, Foote went to the air, finding Chapman down field for first down yardage. Chapman, sensing that it might be the final play of his career, broke a tackle and outran another defender to the pylon for the clinching score.
Fittingly, Chapman began his career with a very similar play.
“My freshman year, [in the] first game I played, we were up 38-0 against Colby — and I know [coach] Ritter was probably kicking himself — but we ran a play right down the middle and I caught a touchdown on a catch-and-run for 60 yards or so,” he said. “So this [time], as I was running, I thought, this isn’t really the best play for me to catch a ball. But he came back to me and one guy bounced off me and I thought ‘Alright, I can make a play here,’ so I ran for the corner of the end zone.”
Chapman’s touchdown proved to be the final offensive play of the season for the Panthers, save one final kneel down. The Panthers finished the season 7-1 for the first time since 2007 and made great strides both on offense and defense where they ranked second and third in scoring offense and scoring defense, respectively.
“It was a year of timely defense — we came up with stops [and] turnovers when we needed them,” said Wiet. “That final play was just a perfect example of the change our defense has made from last year to this year. We were opportunistic, we took advantage of other [teams’] mistakes, we caused turnovers and scored some points for our offense as well.”
The Middlebury defense has improved drastically under second-year defensive coordinator Doug Mandigo. The unit will be headlined going forward by Onouye, Blockowicz, who intercepted his third pass of the season Saturday, and safety Matthew Benedict ’15, who finished third on the team with 59 tackles. The strength of the team, however, will be the returning linebackers, including Tim Patricia ’16 who finished second in the conference in tackles and is a frontrunner for NESCAC Rookie of the Year.
On the other side of the ball, Offensive Player of the Year candidate Foote returns for his senior year with a number of rising stars at the wide receiver position including Brendan Rankowitz ’15, Minno and Harrison Goodkind ’16.
The most significant loss for the Panthers will most likely be on both the offensive and defensive line, where Middlebury will lose six starters, three starters on each side of the ball, including tri-captain Ryan Moores ’13. Moores is the leader of a group that allowed just five sacks all season, by far the fewest in the conference.
“They were really unbelievable,” said Foote. “They took pride in what they did. They didn’t ask for a lot of recognition, but they deserve all the credit in the world.”
(11/14/12 10:19pm)
On Nov. 7 students and faculty gathered in Crossroads Café for the first monthly Campus Open Forum event. This month’s forum, organized by Dean of Students Shirley Collado, Student Government Association (SGA) President Charlie Arnowitz ’13 and Student Co-Chair of Community Council (SCOCC) Barrett Smith ’13, focused on discussion of on-campus sexual assault and policy.
The concept of an open forum event was first proposed by last year’s SCOCC, Luke Carroll-Brown ’13, who collaborated with Collado last spring to plan the event after identifying the need to create a space and time on campus for students to engage each other in serious discussion.
“We were talking last spring about our collective wish to gather students face-to-face once a month in an open forum to engage in issues and topics that are important to them,” said Collado of the decision to create the Campus Open Forum events.
This month’s topic of sexual assault was chosen by Arnowitz and Smith, following the suggestions from the Community Council, SGA and other students who demonstrated an interest in learning more about the College’s resources in the wake of an open letter written by a sexual assault victim printed in the student newspaper at Amherst College.
“What we’re really after is cultural change, trying not just to tweak things that already exist and build on what we already have, but really trying to be creative and imaginative in saying, ‘What would a campus look like that would be completely devoid of these issues, and how do we get there?’” said Director of Chellis House Karin Hanta in her introduction at the forum. Hanta also serves as head of the Sexual Assault Oversight Committee (SAOC).
Following a brief introduction by Hanta with three student members of the SAOC as well as a brief speech from SGA Director of Health and Wellness Addie Cunniff ’13, the evening’s participants broke into small groups to discuss questions addressing sexual assault on campus.
The small group discussions led to conversations regarding the lack of role models and larger discussion surrounding sexual assault on campus. Some of the student participants suggested creating a discussion similar to MiddUncensored, an event normally held at first year orientation, but instead tailoring it to upperclassmen conversation.
“We don’t have a lot of role models on campus” said Alex Strott ’15, speaking to one of the impediments to opening conversation about sexual assault. “Without role models, it is difficult to find people to lead conversations on serious topics.”
“It’s important to draw on people in the community and what they want to discuss at these forums. It’s all about giving more voices and having discussions that we wouldn’t normally be having,” said Smith.
Participants at the November event were asked to submit future forum topic ideas before leaving. After submitting their suggestions, many attendees lingered afterwards to continue their conversations.
While November’s forum was well-attended, finding ways to motivate members of the community to attend future forums is a concern for Arnowitz, Smith and Collado. The forum organizers anticipate that identifying widely-appealing and relevant discussion topics as well as spreading awareness of the events will be key to the forums’ success.
Open forum events will be held for one hour, once each month. Topics will be dictated by student submissions and shared by email.
(11/08/12 1:07am)
After a disappointing performance in Hartford, Conn. gave the football team its first loss on Oct. 31, the Panthers rebounded with a resounding 50-21 win over Hamilton in the “Old Rocking Chair Classic” on Saturday, Nov. 3. Quarterback Mac Foote ’14, who earned NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the third time this season, and wide receiver Zach Driscoll ’13 both set school records en route to the Panthers’ 17th consecutive victory over the Continentals. Foote finished the game with a career-high 456 yards passing while completing 40 of 58 attempts and five touchdown passes — the fourth time this season he has accomplished such a feat. The Newton, Mass. native finished the game with 27 touchdowns on the season, breaking both the Middlebury and the NESCAC single season touchdown records in the game, eclipsing Donnie McKillop’s ’11 school mark of 22 touchdowns in a season as well as Pat Moffitt’s (Williams) NESCAC single season record of 25 touchdowns. Foote also ran for a score, his second of the season.
“I couldn’t do anything without my teammates,” Foote said. “If one guy doesn’t block his guy on one play then I can’t do my job. It’s the ultimate team game and it’s special when we’re able to succeed as a unit.”
Driscoll, meanwhile, hauled in 14 receptions for 177 yards and a touchdown, breaking the Middlebury career receiving yard record previously set by Tom Cleaver ’04, becoming the first wide receiver in program history to eclipse the 2000-yard mark in a career. Driscoll is four catches, 128 yards and two touchdowns short of breaking the single season NESCAC records in each category.
“[Driscoll and Foote] are playing at a really high level,” said head coach Bob Ritter. “We’re expecting so much from them that when they have games like they did this past week, it’s almost taken for granted. And really what they’re doing is incredible.”
“I think from day one of preseason we started on the same page,” said Foote. “I know where he’s going to be when we run routes where he can adjust to coverages. Both of us have been in this offense for a while now and so we really understand what we need to do and where he needs to be and where I need to put the ball for him.”
Despite great field position on the Panthers’ opening drive, the Panthers failed to capitalize, punting after a quick three-and-out. Driscoll, however, punting from the Hamilton 41-yard line placed the ball inside the one-yard line. The defense forced the Continentals into their second straight three-and-out, giving the ball back 1:30 later to the offense at the 34-yard line in positive territory. Foote needed just one play on the second drive, finding Billy Chapman ’13 wide open at the 20-yard line with the big tight end doing the rest of the work, rumbling in for the opening score and his seventh of the season. Chapman finished the game with eight catches for 94 yards and the touchdown, earning a spot on the D3Football.com National Team of the Week for his performance.
The home team would tie the game three possessions later as Hamilton running back James Stanell broke off a 56-yard touchdown run up the middle, virtually untouched. Stanell showed that the Middlebury run defense still has work to do, carrying the ball 24 times for 129 yards after the unit was burned for 385 yards the week previously by Trinity. The Continentals as a team rushed for 202 yards on the day.
Though the game was tied at seven after the first quarter, Middlebury blew the game open in the second quarter, scoring on each of its three drives in the quarter. Foote keyed the drives with his most impressive play of the season, completing 14 of his first 15 passes — and 18 of 20 — to begin the second quarter including two touchdown passes.
With Brendan Rankowitz ’14 sidelined with an injury, first-year wide receiver Matt Minno ’16 took the place of the versatile second-year player and lost no time developing a rapport with Foote. Minno entered the game with just one career catch. Saturday, he had eight catches for 106 yards and three touchdowns, including back-to-back scores to begin the second quarter.
“He did a great job stepping in,” Ritter said of Minno. “That’s not an easy role for a first-year to step in towards the end of the season and be in a spot where the ball goes a lot. The way our game plan was set, the ball was going to go to [him] a lot and he responded really well. Most of his catches were tough catches, in traffic or thrown to a spot where only he could catch it.”
On the opening drive of the quarter, Foote wove together an 11-play, 85-yard touchdown drive, spreading the ball to four different receivers with surgical precision, completing nine of 10 passes, culminating in a 19-yard fade route to Minno for the score.
The Middlebury defense followed in suit, forcing a three-and-out, highlighted by Jimmy Tilson’s ’13 stuff of Stanell behind the line of scrimmage on third-and-two. Driscoll gave the Panthers good starting field position once again, returning a 40-yard punt from Hamilton punter Garret Hoy 12 yards to the Middlebury 34-yard line.
Foote then connected on four straight passes, connecting twice with Driscoll for gains of 23 and 21 yards on consecutive plays, advancing to the Continentals’ 22-yard line. After a failed screen pass to running back Matt Rhea ’14 lost two yards, Foote found Minno over the middle at the five-yard line. Minno evaded two defenders, spinning his way into the end zone for the touchdown, extending the Middlebury first half lead to 21-7.
“He’s a great talent,” said Foote. “I’m really excited about him not only for this game, but in seasons to come. He’s a really tall kid, can run well, great hands and has a good understanding of our offense which is impressive for a [first-year].”
On the other side of the ball, the defense once again held the Hamilton offense in check, conceding just one first down and nearly coming away with a turnover when linebacker Matt Crimmins ’14 stripped wide receiver Simon Jia of the football but could not come up with the recovery. The defense forced a punt with three minutes left in the half, giving the ball back to the offense with 2:56 remaining and the football at the 20-yard line.
Foote found five different receivers including Josh Amster ’13 and William Sadik-Khan ’15 on the ensuing drive, which stalled when Foote threw three consecutive incomplete passes from the Hamilton eight-yard line, ending an incredible stretch of 18 completions in 20 attempts. First-year kicker Jake Feury ’16 connected on a 25-yard field goal, his fourth of the season, giving Middlebury a 24-7 lead at the half.
The break did nothing to slow the Middlebury offense, which scored touchdowns on each of the first two drives of the third quarter. Foote capped of a nine-play 63-yard drive in just under two-and-half minutes by scampering into the end zone from four yards out on third-and-three for his second rushing touchdown of the season.
The defense, which held the Continentals to just 54 yards in the second quarter, gave the ball right back to the offense as Dan Kenerson intercepted Hamilton quarterback Jordan Eck’s first pass of the second half, giving the opportunistic defensive back four interceptions on the season.
“He did a nice job rerouting his guy and being in coverage,” Ritter said of Kenerson’s interception. “We forced [Eck] out of the pocket so he was forced to make a throw on the run and [Kenderson] did a nice job sitting in the zone, reading the quarterback’s eyes and [made] a nice break on the ball.”
On the Panthers’ subsequent possession, Foote connected with Minno on a key fourth-and-one play from the Hamilton 33-yard line for 17 yards and wasted no time going right back to his first-year target, finding Minno in the side of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown throw and catch as Minno demonstrated great body control keeping his feet in the field of play as he secured possession of the football.
“I didn’t really know what to expect in my first college game, but I was pretty confident and definitely happy with the way things worked out,” Minno said. “I just tried to stay dialed in, make sure I was running the right routes and make plays for my team.”
Hamilton responded by making a run of their own, scoring touchdowns on consecutive drives to cut the Middlebury lead to 16 at the end of the third quarter as Eck threw for one touchdown and ran for another.
That was as close as the Continentals would come, however, as the Panthers opened the fourth quarter with consecutive touchdown drives as Foote threw his fifth touchdown of the game, this time to Driscoll who had four catches for 45 yards on the drive. The visitors tacked on one more touchdown on the subsequent possession as Rhea ran for 34 yards, adding 11 more through the air and scoring the Panthers’ seventh and final touchdown of the game on a 20-yard run. Middlebury’s 50-point performance on Saturday was the team’s highest scoring game since a 55-31 win over Hamilton in 2003.
The Panthers return home Saturday, Nov. 10 for the team’s final game of the season against Tufts. The Jumbos are winless in their last 21 games.
(11/08/12 12:46am)
The day is January 1, 2013. A jaw-dropping 100,000 spectators pack Michigan University’s football stadium to see the annual NHL Winter Classic contested between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. This is outdoor hockey, the way the game was meant to be played.
Over the past five seasons the Classic has become a symbol of the new-look National Hockey League, a league that has grown exponentially in both popularity and financial might since the labor stoppage that canceled the 2004-2005 season. The Winter Classic now regularly competes for television ratings with traditional NCAA Football bowl games, once a pipe dream for NHL enthusiasts. In fact, the Classic has spun off an annual, popular HBO documentary series called 24/7 that tracks players from the two competing teams leading up the game.
Sounds good, right? One can therefore imagine the hockey world’s collective frustration as last Thursday commissioner Gary Bettman canceled the Classic as part of the ongoing labor dispute between the owners and players’ union.
The league’s immense financial expansion since the last lockout (up to $3.2 billion revenue in 2011-2012) has led the disputants to yet another labor standoff, which began when the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expired on Sept. 15, signaling a halt to the league’s progress over the last seven years. This is why today, nearly a month after the “Opening Night” of Oct. 11, we have yet to see the players touch the ice.
As an ardent hockey fan, even I can understand why owners might balk at the league’s current financial system. Contract values are growing at an unsustainable rate, as exemplified by the Minnesota Wild handing out a pair of 13 year/$98 million mega-contracts to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter this past off-season.
Owners and players are also negotiating the split of hockey-related revenues, a sore subject for the players who received 57 percent under the previous CBA. Other mundane financial factors in the negotiations include the salary cap and free agency terms.
However, nothing epitomizes a lose-lose situation more than a canceled season.
Financially, both sides are already suffering. With the cancelation of all regular season games through Dec. 1, not to mention the Winter Classic, the NHL has already forfeited almost $1 billion in revenue. It is hard to imagine how arguing over percentage points of long-term revenue split makes up for that kind of dough.
In terms of reputation, the NHL is becoming the laughing stock of major American pro sports. Facing its second season cancellation in the last eight years, the NHL is the only league to have lost an entire season due to labor discord. The NFL and NBA both faced similar situations last season, but got deals in place. Setting aside the blame game, both the owners and the players are losing credibility as the lockout continues.
I remember going to Washington Capitals games following the 2004-2005 lockout to see 5,000 fans in the Verizon Center. In recent seasons, that quarter-full arena regularly reached capacity, a trend equally fueled by hockey’s growth and the play of Capitals sensation Alex Ovechkin. Either way, that type of popularity takes years to build and far less time to lose.
Another aspect of the labor stoppage is the ripple effect on the larger hockey economy. Here, I mean the arena ushers, snack vendors and parking attendants that will have at least 41 less days of work this year. While owners and the big-name players get the attention, this consequence is the most unfortunate.
Not to mention the fact that the players are unevenly affected by the lockout. Players who have been in the league for only two or three seasons count on their (often short) careers for life-long financial security. A lost year to them is devastating.
If a deal is reached in time for a shortened season, fans will forgive the NHL. Today, this looks like a long shot. Either way, the lockout is disheartening for life-long fans and takes away from a game that has produced many memorable moments in my life.
I hope that I am wrong. I hope that the two sides reach a new CBA before this article is in print. However, my hope is wearing thin.
With the Redskins fading and the Wizards tanking, how long until MLB spring training?
(11/06/12 1:03am)
The Office of the Dean of the College, Community Council and the Student Government Association (SGA) will hold the first Community Open Forum on Wednesday, November 7th at 7:30 in Crossroads Café.
The Community Open Forums will take place once a month and are designed to be an additional open space where students, organizations, faculty, staff and other community members can discuss any issue.
“The idea is to have a monthly forum for students to express their ideas on a range of issues to the broader community,” said SGA President Charlie Arnowitz ’13.
“It’s a way to build community, create dialogue and address issues of concern to students.”
Each Community Open Forum will have a topic in order to guide discussion.
The topic for next Wednesday’s forum is sexual assault on campus — in part selected because of the active community discussion surrounding Angie Epifano’s account of sexual assault at Amherst College.
“I think [the Amherst] article has had an amazing effect on Middlebury by mobilizing students to investigate ways that we can better aid survivors in accessing the justice and support that they need,” said Emily Pedowitz, student chair of the Sexual Assault Oversight Committee and a member of It Happens Here.
It is expected that the Sexual Assault Oversight Committee and It Happens Here as well as Active Minds, and Women of Color will co-sponsor the event with the SGA, Community Council and Dean of the College’s Office.
Such collaboration between organizations is the model that the organizers expect to use in future forum discussions.
Dean of the College Shirley Collado believes that these forums will “create a space where students can have conversations around important topics of their choice.”
The idea of having an open forum for students to speak their minds was first brought up last spring, born of the desire on the part of students and community members to have an open space to discuss relevant issues.
While the forums are expected to be largely driven by students, input from faculty, staff and community members is also essential to the creation of an open space.
“Anybody at the forum can be a full participant,” said Collado. “The topic of pass/fail that came up last year would have been a great forum topic because it involved both faculty and student interests.”
“During this first forum, we would like students to give their input on how these Community Open Forums should be used, since they are designed to reflect student interests,” she said.
While the topic of future Community Open Forums is largely up to students, Dean Collado listed social life, improving the use of spaces across campus, and communication across the student body as possible future topics of discussion.
“Ideally, we’ll spend half to three-quarters of the meeting on our featured topic and then open the floor to other topics—but we’re going to play it by ear and see how this first one goes,” said Arnowitz ’13.
“I think it’s vital for students and members of the community to have the opportunity to express themselves on important issues — it makes us all more connected and strengthens the work that all of us are doing,” said Arnowitz ’13.
The Community Open Forums will last for 1 hour and will be held on different days of the week at different times each month in order to accommodate the schedules of the most students.
(10/31/12 8:44pm)
With its fair share of both high points and low points, this season’s edition of Middlebury men’s soccer certainly left something to be desired. The Panthers quietly bowed out in the first round of the NESCAC tournament via a lopsided 4-0 defeat at Amherst, and with it began a long offseason of work to return the program to its championship-caliber stature.
Its 6-7-1 final record marks the first time that the team finished under .500 in Dave Saward’s 28 years as head coach, and prompts the question of how a program typically amongst the best in the region struggled so mightily this year.
The Panthers were hit hard by injuries, with crucial players Jon Portman ’13, Tyler Smith ’14 and Sam Redmond ’15 sidelined for significant portions of the year. Goalie Eric Wilson ’13 also never saw the field. Saward commented on the slew of injuries this year.
“I think that at the end of the day, the number of players that we lost for almost the entire season had a massive impact,” said Saward. “It went on and seemed never-ending, with at one point almost nine players out. I point specifically to Portman, a player that we had counted on to play in influential areas in the midfield. I don’t believe in making excuses, but it certainly had both an emotional and technical impact.”
Sam Peisch ’13.5 refuses to use injuries as an excuse.
“It’s always tempting to say ‘What if ...’ but the reality of the season is that we didn’t get it done when we had to,” said Peisch. “The guys that played in the games didn’t do enough to win. We only have ourselves to blame for that.”
To seal its fate as the NESCAC tournament’s seventh seed, the Panthers traveled to Williams last Wednesday, Oct. 24. Despite being tied 1-1 in the second half, the Ephs quickly countered Harper Williams’s ’15 61st minute goal with one of their own in the 63rd. They then tallied again in the 80th to win 3-1.
In the tournament quarterfinal last Saturday, Oct. 27, Amherst controlled the run of play from the first whistle. The Lord Jeffs converted in the 32nd minute and carried a lead into halftime. Amherst then buried the Panthers in the second half, scoring three goals to seal the final score of 4-0. Saward was impressed with the opponent’s performance.
“In my 28 years of doing this I have watched a lot of good teams, and Amherst is one of the best teams that I have seen at this level,” said Saward. “I was proud how my team represented Middlebury, but the better team won and talent took over. I think that Amherst could go on a run to win the national championship.”
Despite the loss, Peisch’s comments showed that his team never stopped believing.
“To be honest, we all believed we had a shot against Amherst. Our regular season loss against them at home was by no means a blowout, and we had chances to get back into the game,” said Peisch. “In the quarterfinal game we were simply overwhelmed by their combination of size, skill and work ethic.”
Middlebury is now left to turn the page on this season and look towards 2013, a year that contains an equal measure of promise and uncertainty. Sophomores Williams and Dan Skayne ’15 provided flashes of brilliance, while Saward is also excited about the development of Deklan Robinson ’16, a player who played both central midfield and defense this year.
However, without an entrenched starting goalkeeper and question marks on offense, the Panthers line-up next year is far from set.
Regardless of personnel, Peisch is clear on the team’s goal.
“Our task next season is to restore the men’s soccer program as a perennial NESCAC and national championship contender,” said Peisch. “We are excited both about the potential of our incoming [first-years] and a number of underclassmen who started or played in a majority of our games this season. With a small, core group of four-year varsity players as seniors, we are going to dedicate the offseason and summer to achieving this goal.”
Saward has a similar mentality.
“I think the talk might be negative right now, but when the dust settles the team can look at the experience and grow to become better players,” said Saward. “With the addition of a few recruits, we have the pieces. We need to stay healthy, and this is something you can never predict.”
(10/31/12 8:38pm)
The outspoken and oft-controversial University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma made headlines again last week advocating that the NCAA should lower the rims in women’s college basketball in order to make the game more popular. Auriemma’s comments created a firestorm of responses on both sides of the issue ranging from open support to fiery opposition that went as far as to call his comments sexist.
Auriemma argued that his idea is consistent with other discrepancies in men’s and women’s sports. The net in women’s volleyball is shorter than the net in the men’s game; tee boxes in women’s golf are closer to the hole; and the women’s basketball is smaller and lighter than the men’s ball. Auriemma also cited the difference in height between the average men’s player and the average women’s player, which he estimated to be about six inches. Mustering all the political skill he could, the winningest male coach in women’s basketball suggested that the rims should be lowered 7.2 inches in honor of Title IX, which was passed in 1972 and is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
While Auriemma can use whatever rhetoric he wishes, many, including junior guard Sarah Marcus ’14, believe that lowering the rims would hurt the women’s game.
“Trying to popularize a sport to the degree of its male counterpart would perpetuate the male-dominated power structure that exists within society,” said Marcus. “By lowering the rims, the NCAA would be telling women that men are inherently better at the sport.”
“To [improve] the level of play in women’s basketball we need not further the separation that exists between the men’s and women’s game, but rather encourage a union between the two games,” she continued. “The women’s game will only get more exciting when girls become less afraid to play basketball with the guys, not when it is made more difficult.”
Perhaps it is impossible to look beyond the immediate juxtaposition between men’s and women’s basketball, but I believe that Auriemma’s suggestion has merit. Pushing aside, for a moment, the differences between women’s and men’s abilities — an argument certain to draw strong, polarized views — Auriemma’s is most convincing when you look at women’s basketball through the lens of sports in America more broadly.
Athletics, college and professional, men’s and women’s, is about making money. And in the 21st century, the demand for more scoring and greater pace of play has driven every league in the United States to change the way the game is played and officiated.
Long before player safety became one of the NFL’s top priorities, the league rewrote the rulebook limiting what is considered legal contact, thereby incentivizing more passing and ultimately creating the up-tempo, high-scoring game we watch today. In the MLB, multiple teams have opted to move their fences closer to home plate, heeding the cries of fans and players who want to see more runs scored and fewer pitching duels — once considered the pinnacle of the sport. The emphasis on allowing greater scoring is most blatant in the NBA where defenders are not allowed to spend three straight seconds in the key, traveling is like an infomercial — often seen, but rarely called — and the continuation rule allows players to make “and-one” plays seconds after the foul takes place. Even college basketball has followed suit. Last year the NCAA implemented the cylinder area underneath the basket, outlining where players are restricted from taking charges — a rule dissuading good help defense and encouraging more NBA-style finishes.
Auriemma’s idea, therefore, should not be dismissed summarily because it creates a greater distinction between the men’s and women’s game. If Auriemma’s idea is struck down, it should be on the basis that it would drastically alter the shooting mechanics of women players — something that Marcus noted as well — or because having different sized hoops for men and women is infeasible.
I cannot agree, however, that different sized hoops creates greater gender inequality.We will achieve total gender equality not when we eliminate the differences between genders, but rather when we fully understand and accept those differences. Arguing for lower rims is no more an indictment of women than calling for smaller ballpark dimensions is of men. Auriemma’s idea should be considered on its merits, not dismissed on its assumptions.
Written by DAMON HATHEWAY ’13.5, a sports editor of London, UK
(10/31/12 8:31pm)
The football team’s run at a perfect season came screeching to a halt Saturday in Hartford, Conn. where the Panthers (5-1) were mauled 45-7 by Trinity (6-0). With the blowout victory, the Bantams extended their home winning streak to 46 games — the longest such streak in the nation.
The Middlebury offense, which has struggled at times with slow starts this season, never got in rhythm and failed to score in the first half for the first time this season. Quarterback Mac Foote ’14 was intercepted on the first two drives of the game and finished the game with a season-low 133 yards as a combination of accuracy issues, drops by his receivers and a dominant Trinity defense resulted in the passer’s worst performance in his Middlebury career.
Meanwhile, the defense also foundered. Though the unit had made significant strides after a dismal 2011 season in which they finished last in the league, they returned to dismal form on Saturday, giving up big plays and failing to make tackles. The Trinity offense had their way with a defense that had allowed just 14 points per game entering the day. The Panthers conceded 585 total yards — 385 of which came on the ground. Trinity running backs Evan Bunker and Ben Crick ran roughshod over the Middlebury defense, which allowed a season worst six plays of 20-plus yards, five of which were plays of 40 yards or more.
“The reason why our defense has been so successful is [because] we’ve really limited big plays,” said head coach Bob Ritter. “That’s been the biggest difference between our defense this year and last year. And in this game we gave up way too many big plays.”
In a game between the NESCAC’s final pair of unbeaten teams with heavy implications for the league title, Trinity left little doubt who the conference’s top team is.
The Panthers quickly found themselves in a hole as Trinity kicked a field goal on its opening drive. Then, on Middlebury’s first possession of the game — the only time the visitors were within one score — Foote’s pass on second-and-five, which was intended for Billy Chapman ’13 deflected off the tight end’s foot and into the waiting arms of Bantams’ linebacker Stephen Goniprow. The Bantams struck quickly on the ensuing drive, scoring on the third play on a 59-yard touchdown pass over the top of the Middlebury secondary. The long catch and run came on third-and-21 after the Panthers sacked Trinity quarterback Ryan Burgess and stopped Crick for a three-yard loss. The score gave the home team a 10-0 lead just seven-and-a-half minutes into the game as the Bantams proceeded to score 31 unanswered points in the first half and the first 38 of the game.
Already trailing by double digits the Middlebury offense managed to move the ball on its second possession, driving into the red zone as part of an 11-play, 51-yard drive. On first-and-10 from the Bantams 19-yard line, however, Foote threw his second interception, this time in the end zone targeting wide receiver Brendan Rankowitz ’15 on a deep out route.
Instead, Trinity cornerback Nick Campbell broke underneath the route for his second interception of the season.
Crick and Bunker carried the load much of the rest of the way offensively as the two dynamic runners combined for 363 yards of total offense and five touchdowns.
After trailing 31-0 at the half, things only got worse for Middlebury.
Facing a third-and-26 from the team’s own 34-yard line, Trinity head coach Jeff Devanney opted to run the football despite the imposing down and distance. On a stretch play to the left, Crick cut up field, shaking off an arm tackle at the line of scrimmage and bursting into the secondary. After nearly losing his footing, he hop-stepped around two diving defenders near the original line of scrimmage and broke another tackle at the first-down marker before scampering the remaining 20 yards into the end zone giving the Bantams a 38-0 lead.
“At each turn where we had a chance to make a big play and turn the momentum, both offensively and defensively, we didn’t come up with one and when they needed [a big play] they came up with it,” said Ritter.
The Middlebury offense finally ended its scoring drought on the next drive as Foote pieced together an eight-play, 75-yard drive, which featured completions to four different receivers. The possession culminated in an 18-yard touchdown pass to Zach Driscoll ’13. Driscoll finished the game with five receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown — far below his 156 yards per game receiving average entering the game.
The Bantams responded, however, as Burgess, who finished the game nine for 16 for 193 yards and two scores, orchestrated a six-play, 77-yard drive. Bunker capped off the drive and the day with an 11-yard touchdown run on his first carry of the second half.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, with the game out of hand, the Panthers’ backups replaced the starters. Second-string quarterback Matt Milano ’16 was effective in his first career collegiate quarter, passing for 74 yards on nine of 14 attempts and narrowly missed throwing his first-career touchdown pass. Big tight-end Daniel Finta ’15 was also impressive, hauling in three passes for 24 yards receiving in limited action.
All is not lost for the Panthers who, Saturday’s debacle aside, have enjoyed their most successful season since 2007. And while a shot at a NESCAC title looks grim, Middlebury would share a three-way tie for the title if Amherst (5-1) beats Trinity this Saturday and all three teams finish the season 7-1. Ritter and his team, however, are only focused on the game in front of them.
“Week to week we have a chance to go out as a group and play a game that we love and that really is the core of what we’re doing,” he said.
The Panthers travel this weekend to Hamilton, N.Y. to play Hamilton (1-5).
“Our guys are anxious to get going and get the taste out of our mouth," said Ritter. “We’re fortunate that wasn’t our last game. We have a chance to go out there and play at the level that I think we’re capable of.”
(10/31/12 8:24pm)
After wrapping up the regular season with a win over Williams, the top-ranked Middlebury field hockey team rolled past eighth-seeded Connecticut College in a NESCAC tournament quarterfinal match on Saturday, Oct. 27, jumping ahead early and never looking back en route to a 7-0 victory.
Having already clinched the top seed for the NESCAC tournament with their win over Bates, the Panthers went on the road to Williams for their regular-season finale on Wednesday, Oct. 24, defeating the host Ephs by a score of 4-0. After 22 minutes of scoreless play, Cat Fowler ’15 bested the Williams keeper to give Middlebury the edge. Lauren Greer ’13 added a goal minutes later to give the Panthers a 2-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, Katie Theiss ’14 and Anna Kenyon ’16 each found the net for the Panthers, sealing the 4-0 win. Greer led the Middlebury attack with a goal and two assists, while Fowler finished with a goal and an assist of her own. Goalkeeper Madeline Brooks ’13 played all 70 minutes en route to the shutout.
“Just being confident and playing behind such a strong unit of defense allows me and the rest of the team to focus on other aspects of the game,” said Brooks. “They certainly make my job in [the] net easier.”
In defeating Williams, the Panthers finished the regular season with a record of 14-0, their first perfect regular season since 2004.
Returning to action in its quarterfinal contest at home against Connecticut College, Middlebury got on the board early once again with a first-minute goal from Greer. Kenyon then converted off a feed from Theiss for a score before Greer found the net again, this time with an assist from Alyssa Dimaio ’15. Greer completed the first-half hat trick 20 minutes in, taking a pass from Fowler off of a penalty corner and beating the Camels’ keeper. The assist was Fowler’s 15th of the season, just one shy of Greer’s school record of 16 set last season.
The Middlebury defense also allowed neither a shot nor a penalty corner in the first half.
“Our defense has been extremely poised all over the field,” said Margaret Souther ’13. “Especially in playoffs as the games become more and more competitive, we try to play a clean, deliberate game.”
The Panthers continued their strong play in the second half, as Greer scored her fourth of the game on a penalty corner. Fowler then found the cage for Middlebury, corralling a loose ball at the top of the circle and sending a hard shot past the keeper for the score. The Middlebury defenders continued their tough play in the half, with Brooks making a spectacular stop – coming out of goal to deflect the ball away from a charging Camel attacker – to hold Connecticut College scoreless. Fowler’s second of the game gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead, which they retained over the final 25 minutes for the win.
“I have confidence in every single player that we put on the defensive line,” said Brooks. “I know that if [Souther,] Meredith [Rowe ’15] or Tayla [Satkwich ’15] gets the ball inside the circle, they will clear it out and will make the necessary play to get the ball back on offense.”
The shutout was Middlebury’s ninth of the season, including a streak of eight consecutive shutout wins. Both figures are school records. The team has not allowed a goal since its Sept. 29 game at Wesleyan. Brooks’s goals-against average of 0.46 is also tied for first amongst Division III players.
“That stat really reflects how strong we are on defense all over the field, starting with the forward line and going all the way back to the goalie,” said Souther. “I think we all enjoy the shutouts and will work to keep up our streak, but in the end a win is a win.”
Greer currently leads the nation in both goals per game (2.07) and points per game (5.0,) and is on track to break her own school records for both goals and points in a season.The Panthers advance to play Amherst in a semifinal game at home Saturday, November 3. The fifth-seeded Lord Jeffs defeated Trinity in an overtime quarterfinal contest to reach the semifinals. Middlebury defeated Amherst 3-1 in the teams’ first meeting over a month ago on Sept. 23.
“We will be playing a lot of really good teams coming up so it will be a little tougher, but I think we’re all excited for the challenge,” said Souther. “I would say our primary goal is to win, go out there and outplay our opponents and hopefully maintaining our shutout streak will follow suit.”
(10/31/12 4:46pm)
On Monday, Oct. 29 Library and Information Services (LIS) announced the launch of a new online discussion board.
The online forum is intended to serve as a way for the campus to communicate through a less formal medium than all-school emails. The forum allows for members of the college community to create topics and add comments to online conversations.
The College has been experimenting with new forms of all-school communication over the past year. In the past, it was possible for students to simply hit “reply all” to emails sent to the college community, allowing students the capability to send emails to over 5,000 recipients.
In 2009, the College implemented policies requiring students, faculty and administrators to obtain permission before sending out emails to the large all-campus distribution lists. LIS later enacted technological restrictions to prevent all-school emails.
Despite these restrictions, some groups — such as participants in the Hunt and more recently, members of the Dalai Lama Welcoming Committee — have nonetheless found ways to access large all-campus listservs.
Even with the serious limitations on all-campus emails, students continued to complain about the high volume of messages flooding their inboxes. These complaints, and a desire for improved forms of all-campus communication, led to the creation of the Portal system.
LIS launched Portal in January 2012. The platform combines campus news, sports scores, dining menus and quick access to other pages on the College’s website. Despite LIS’s attempts to make Portal an interactive and customized experience, students failed to embrace the platform, citing the site’s lack of user-friendliness and accessibility.
Since Portal proved to be an ineffective way to reach many members of the community, the College took a new approach to all-student emails this fall through the introduction of MiddNotes.
MiddNotes, which aggregates and summarizes campus-wide announcements into a weekly email sent out to students and faculty, aims to broadcast campus announcements while decreasing the overall number of all-school emails.
In addition to limiting the number of emails students receive, Dean of LIS and Chief Information Officer Michael Roy hopes MiddNotes will address a current gap in communication on campus.
“For the very personal, there’s things like Facebook; for the purely academic, there are things like Moodle, but there’s this space that bridges between those two worlds,” said Roy. “There’s a gap there, and this [discussion platform] could potentially fill that gap.”
Last spring, in an effort to try and fill this space, Brian Foster ’13 sought funding first from the College and later from the Student Government Association (SGA) for the creation and implementation of a new site, EdLiberty.
Foster’s site would have included a ThinkTank discussion board feature, a virtual bulletin board events platform and a Newsroom function for sharing web content. While Foster’s EdLiberty failed by a vote of 10-7 in the SGA, due in part to the large sum of funding the project required, Foster maintains that the institutional need for this platform still exists at the College.
“We have so many students working independently on amazing projects, art and businesses,” said Foster. “But there is no go-to way for them to collaborate and communicate. This is where great technology can make all the difference. It can connect, inspire and accelerate.”
Roy cited Foster’s original proposal as part of the genesis for the concept at the administrative level.
Roy described the new discussion board, which can be found at go/discuss, as a forum for announcements, discussions or debates.
“In many ways, its an open question to the student body to see what are the things [they] want to talk about,” said Roy.
(10/25/12 3:21am)
In front of a capacity crowd on alumni weekend at Youngman Field on Saturday, Oct. 20, the football team overcame a slow start to improve to 5-0 with a 38-23 win over Bates (2-3). There were plenty of fireworks in the team’s narrowest win of the season thus far, and none bigger than wide receiver Zach Driscoll 13’s record breaking performance.
Driscoll, who entered the game with 128 career receptions, needed 10 catches to break the all-time Middlebury receptions record, previously held by A.J. Husband ’98. On the Panthers’ first possession of the third quarter, the Concord, Mass. native did just that, hauling in his 10th reception of the game and the 38th of his brilliant career, on a six-yard pass from quarterback Mac Foote ’14. Driscoll, who was named NESCAC Player of the Week following a 12-catch, 250-yard, three-touchdown performance in Middlebury’s 40-13 win over Williams the week previously, followed that with a career high 15 catches for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Driscoll also broke the Middlebury single season record for touchdown catches with his 10th and 11th scores of the season, eclipsing the previous mark of nine, held jointly by Phil Pope ’71, Beau Coash ’81 and Andrew Varney ’83.
“I like being as involved [in the offense] as possible,” said Driscoll of his performance. “I’ll take hits if it means making a play. We’ve been through enough pain and suffering over the past three years … the records and stuff are great … but it’s all about the game. I’d trade all the records for 8-0 any day.”
In the early going, however, it was running back Remi Ashkar ’13 and the Middlebury rushing attack that got the offense in rhythm. Ashkar rushed for 69 yards in the first half, 45 of which came in the first quarter. The 5’11’’, 205-pound running back set the tone early, converting on a fourth-and-one on the team’s opening drive, lowering his shoulder and picking up seven yards on the play.
“Our offensive line did a great job of getting some push up front to allow [Ashkar] that initial burst,” said head coach Bob Ritter, “and then he did a really nice job of picking and finding some open space.”
“Fourth-and-one plays are obviously very crucial for keeping the drive alive,” Ashkar said. “My mentality going into these types of plays is to see where the offensive line sets up its blocks, then find the hole and burst through it.”
The team, however, could not capitalize on its early success running the ball as Foote and Driscoll were a step out of sync. Foote overthrew his top receiver twice with Driscoll running free behind the defense. Then, on the 11th play of the drive from the Bates 21-yard line, targeting Driscoll once again, Foote was intercepted in the end zone.
“In the type of offense that we run there’s going to be some overthrows, some incompletions … that’s part of it,” Ritter said. “It’s important that you don’t overreact one way or the other to some of those things. Certainly [Foote] finds a rhythm and is very accurate when it’s all said and done. We don’t change things or overreact to things at the start … We just try to stay consistent with what we’re doing offensively.”
Already trailing 7-0 after allowing the first opening drive touchdown of the season, the Middlebury defense found an answer to the Bobcats’ triple option offense on the second series, forcing Bates to punt after picking up just one first down.
Taking the field for the second time with the ball at the Middlebury 37-yard line, the offense leaned again on Ashkar who had four of the first five touches on the drive, accounting for 32 yards. After a Middlebury personal foul backed the Panthers up to the Bates 35-yard line, Foote finally connected with Driscoll, lofting a high-arching ball down the field placed perfectly over the cornerback in underneath coverage and before the safety in zone coverage could get to the ball. Driscoll caught the ball in stride, stepped out of the grasp of the lunging safety and tight-roped his way into the end zone against the sideline, tying the game and breaking the single season touchdown record.
“It was a press corner look so they were in Cover Two,” explained Driscoll. “I knew that corner would try to hold the flat and get a jam on me and use [his] outside leverage. [Foote] and I had talked during the week that if they bring that guy down with outside leverage — [normally] I’m supposed to run an out on that play and get the [first down] — but when I have that outside leverage we worked on me jab stepping him [to the] outside and getting on the inside. We had practiced that enough times this week that [Foote] and I were right on the same page. He threw a perfect ball right over that defender and I was there.”
The defense forced a punt after conceding just one first down again on the ensuing Bates drive as Bobcats head coach Mark Harriman elected to punt facing fourth-and-one from the Middlebury 38-yard line.
The Panthers failed to take advantage of the Bobcats conservative play calling as their third drive of the game stalled at the Middlebury 47-yard line. The visitors fared no better, however, as a 13-yard reception by first-year wideout Harrison Murphy at midfield was negated by offensive pass interference, creating second-and-23 for the Bobcats at their own 22-yard line; three plays later, Bates was punting again.
After a second personal foul penalty — this one called against the sideline on the punt — pushed the Panthers inside their 20-yard line, the offense began to operate in earnest as Foote engineered a nine-play, 84-yard touchdown drive in three minutes. Foote found four different receivers on the drive, which culminated in a two-yard touchdown pass to first-year receiver Harrison Goodkind ’16, the first of his Middlebury career.
The Bobcats responded in kind, however, using 4:24 of clock on a touchdown drive of their own as quarterback Trevor Smith and running back Patrick George ran the triple option with clinical precision. The play of the drive came on third-and-10 from the Bates 40-yard line when Smith appeared to be sacked in the backfield. Instead, the dual threat quarterback bounced off the tackle, changed direction and, throwing across his body, found Murphy for a 17-yard gain. George, meanwhile, converted a crucial third-and-two from the Middlebury 35-yard line, ripping off a 21-yard run — the longest of the game for either team. Three plays later, on third-and-10, Smith found wide receiver Shawn Doherty open in the flat. Doherty promptly cut back across the field, against the flow of the defense into the end zone. It was the first of two touchdowns for the slot wide receiver, who led Bates with five catches for 50 yards in addition to the pair of scores.
The Panthers found a spark on the subsequent kickoff as Brendan Rankowitz ’15 returned the ball 26 yards to the Middlebury 38-yard line. With good starting field position, the Panthers needed just 2:06 to reclaim the lead as Foote found tight end Billy Chapman ’13 from 11 yards out to give Middlebury a 21-14 lead with 1:16 remaining in the first half.
As it turned out, the offense scored too quickly as Bates marched 55 yards on 11 plays before attempting a 27-yard field goal with three seconds remaining, which kicker Charlie Donahue converted to cut the Bobcats’ deficit to four at the half.
That was as close as the Bobcats would come, however, as Middlebury opened the second half with two touchdowns in 5:29, extending the lead to 35-17. On the opening kickoff of the second half, Rankowitz found a seam on the left side of his blockers, returning the ball 38 yards to the Middlebury 45-yard line. On second-and-two from the Bates 16-yard line, Foote connected again with Chapman in the back of the end zone, extending the Middlebury lead to 11.
The Panthers then caught a break as kicker Jake Feury ’16’s short kickoff was muffed at the 20-yard line and unintentionally booted forward to the 40-yard line where Feury fell on the ball. On the second play from scrimmage, Foote hit Driscoll for a six-yard catch over the middle, breaking the record previously set by Husband in 1998. Driscoll then caught the very next pass and two more on the drive, including a two-yard touchdown catch.
Despite leading by 18 with 9:31 left in the third quarter and holding the Bobcats without a score the remainder of the quarter, Middlebury was unable to put Bates away. On the third play of the fourth quarter Foote was intercepted for the second time of the game, this time on an errant throw over the middle. For the first time in the game, the Bobcats were able to cash in on a Middlebury mistake as Smith capped of a six-play 47-yard drive with a 30-yard completion to Doherty, who scampered past the Middlebury defense and into the end zone.
After a Middlebury three-and-out it appeared Bates might have an avenue back into the game. But with 10:13 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Panthers’ defense finally made a play. On first-and-10 from the Bates 39-yard line, Smith took a deep shot on a double move. Sophomore cornerback Joel Blockowicz ’15, who made six tackles and broke up two more passes, bit on the fake, but recovered excellently to make a tremendous play on the ball in the air, leaping up to make the interception.
The game appeared over, particularly when Rankowitz made a spectacular leaping grab at the two-yard line on a jump ball for a 43-yar gain. Instead, the Panthers fumbled on first-and-goal, fortunately recovered by Foote, which set up a 27-yard field goal for a 15-point lead. Feury converted the kick, improving to three for five on the season and extending the Middlebury lead to 38-23.
Still trailing by just two scores, Bates failed on three consecutive passing plays and elected to punt the ball back to the Panthers who successfully ran out the clock.
The game was particularly successful for the Middlebury backfield as Ashkar finished the game with 106 rushing yards — the first time he has broken the century mark on the ground this season. Foote, meanwhile, finished the game with 436 yards passing and five touchdowns, albeit accompanied by two interceptions, and was awarded the NESCAC Player of the Week award as a result, his second of the season.The Panthers’ offensive line, meanwhile, received some much deserved recognition as the unit was named to the D3 Football Team of the Week. For the third time in five games, the offensive line did not allow a sack and this time was able to spring Ashkar for long gains in between, as well.
Defensively, the captain of the unit John Wiet ’13 led the way with 15 total tackles along with Matthew Beniedict ’13, while first-year middle linebacker Tim Patricia ’16 managed 12 tackles including one for a loss and a pass break up, which he nearly intercepted.
All in all it was an up-and-down performance for the defense, which played considerably better in the second half, allowing just six points. The team was uncharacteristically soft against the run, however, allowing 219 rushing yards at 4.6 yards per carry.
The defense will have to make adjustments as it plans for Trinity (5-0). The Bantams boast the NESCAC’s top rushing game, averaging nearly 300 yards per game at a 5.3 yards per carry clip. The game features the final remaining undefeated teams in the conference and will most likely determine the winner of the NESCAC championship.
“It’s always a big game when we play Trinity,” Ritter said. “They’re awfully tough period, but they’re particularly tough at home. I told our guys that this is a great opportunity — it’s really exciting to go down there and compete and we’ll be ready.”
“If we can be sharp in practice, show a lot of energy, get to our spots and run our routes, we’ll be very hard to stop,” Driscoll said.
(10/25/12 1:12am)
The Middlebury Men’s Rugby Club (MCRC) emerged victorious in their match Saturday against the University of Albany, 91-7, while the Middlebury Women’s Rugby Club (MCWRC) blanked Williams on the road 39-0. Due to heavy rain over the course of the week prior to the match, the game was moved to Essex Tree Farm in Burlington when the pitch in Middlebury was deemed unplayable. This change of pitch did not disrupt the Panthers, who, after winning their match by a commanding score, to remain undefeated with a record of 4-0.
“In five years of coaching the team I have never seen us play so well for 80 minutes,” said coach John Phillips. We had a really good week of practice and it all came together on Saturday.”
The dominating performance attests to teamwork and depth, as over the course of the match MCRC notched 13 tries from 10 different players.
“We have a starting squad of 24 players, so any of these players can come on at any time and fit right in,” said Phillips.
Highlights of the game include a 31 point performance from Middlebury captain Brian Sirkia ’12.5, who finished the match with 1 try, 10 conversions, and 2 penalties, and a 15 point performance from Alex Ruocco ’13, who finished the match with a three-try hat trick.
The Panthers took an early lead and ended the first half up 41-0. The relentless offensive continued in the second half, allowing only one try from the University of Albany and tacking on another 50 points.
This win comes a week after Middlebury was ranked 16th nationally in Division I-AA, and a week after Middlebury shut out the University of Connecticut Huskies by a score of 49-0.
MCRC hosts American International College next Saturday, and host Boston College the following week Nov. 3, their last match of the season.
“I’m not worried about overconfidence,” coach Phillips said. “The boys know what needs to be done the rest of the season.”
The Middlebury Women’s Rugby Team (MCWRC) travelled to Williams to defeat the Ephs 39-0 on Saturday, Oct. 20. MCWRC dominated possession, and converted the advantaged into seven tries and two conversions, to improve their season record to 3-3.
Four first-half tries from Melanie Haas ’13 put MCWRC up 22-0 at the half. Hooker Rae Colombo ’13 and fullback Julianna Gardner ’14 added second-half tries, and Captain Jess Berry ’13 converted twice, to cement the score at 39-0.
Berry was happy with her team’s effort.
“We went into this game knowing it wouldn’t be as difficult as our last two, but I was happy with how strong we started regardless,” said Berry. “Williams has some big players, so we still needed to work really hard on the field in order to get that win.”
Haas’s offensive outburst, coupled with the patience and field control of the Middlebury backs, never allowed Williams into the game.
“Haas was crucial for the win. She’s an incredibly fast player, and having her out on the wing is really deadly,” said Berry. “Plus we had tries come from outside of our typical back-line players. Colombo had an awesome try in the second half, and then actually had a second that the referee deemed illegitimate. Overall we had great play all over the field, and we’re really using these final games of the season to prepare for playoffs in.”
Fly-half Julia Gulka ’13 and inside center Marissa Shaw ’14 controlled play from the backline and stymied any Williams attempts to break through the Middlebury defensive line. Ultimately, steady advancement and overwhelming possession proved the best defense for the MCWRC side.
The women travel to Lewiston, Maine to face Bates on Saturday for their final match of the regular season. The women are assured of one playoff game in early November. Teams advance with each win in the competition for the league title that lasts until the middle of the month.
GABE WEISSMAN contributed to this article.
(10/24/12 5:44pm)
The FUN. concert that was originally scheduled for Friday, Nov. 2, has been rescheduled for Thursday, Jan. 17. The band cannot perform at the College in November due to a scheduling conflict with a Saturday Night Live performance.
Middlebury College Activities Board (MCAB) Concert Commitee Co-Chairs Molly Sprague ’13 and Nick Mallchok ’15 explained that representatives for FUN. contacted MCAB just recently to notify them of the conflict.
“MCAB was contacted by the band the week before fall break notifying us that FUN. had been offered a spot on Saturday Night Live for Nov. 3,” wrote Sprague and Mollchok in an email. “Unfortunately, the Middlebury show conflicted with a mandatory SNL rehearsal for the band on the Friday before [on Nov. 2].
“Despite our efforts to circumvent this scheduling conflict, we were forced to cancel the Nov. 2 show.”
After news of the cancellation, MCAB worked with FUN.’s tour management to find an alternate date.
“The choices were limited as FUN.’s tour schedule was booked for the remainder of the fall, in addition to a European tour in the spring,” wrote Sprague and Mallchok. “FUN. had only two dates to offer, and one of them conflicted with an athletic event, leaving Jan. 17 as our only option.”
Scheduling concerts requires the approval from various departments across campus, which limits the dates the MCAB concert committee can choose from.
“After a lot of work and coordination, the Concerts Committee was able to confirm this date with the approval of Facilities, the Athletic Department and members of the college administration,” wrote Sprague and Mallchok.
Students are reacting to the rescheduling in a variety of ways. For some, the rescheduling has no effect. However, others who cannot attend the January show are disappointed.
“I was really looking forward to seeing the band live, but I am going abroad so I will not be able to attend the show now,” said Hana Kahn ’14.
On the other hand, some students who could not attend the November concert are excited about the new date.
“When I heard that FUN. was playing this fall, I was so upset that I couldn’t go. Now, with the rescheduling, I have the chance to see a great live band play,” said Danielle Hirshberg ’14.
Overall, MCAB feels optimistic about the rescheduling of the show.
“If anything, FUN.’s name and reputation will be even bigger when they come in January, and we are sure that it will be a fantastic show,” wrote Sprague and Mallchok. “While we are obviously upset about the date change, MCAB is planning a live screening of the SNL performance on Nov. 3rd in Crossroads Café to get ready for January.”
All tickets for the November show will be honored at the January show, and refunds will be available for those who are unable to attend.
The refund period begins Wednesday, Oct. 17 and ends Wednesday, Nov. 7. There will be a resale period beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 5 for students and Wednesday, Dec. 13 for the public.
(10/24/12 5:01pm)
Welcome to the first edition of the Student Government Association’s (SGA) bi-weekly column, From the President’s Desk with SGA President Charlie Arnowitz ’13. In this column, we will be discussing issues of importance to the SGA and the student body. This week I am joined by SGA Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair Peter Mattson ’14 to talk about the Student Activities Fee, our financial situation and funding for student organizations.
The SGA is responsible for allocating money to the nearly 175 organizations on campus, from the African American Alliance to the Youthful Alliance for Merrymaking, in the form of annual budgets, new money requests and loans. Generally, student organizations have enjoyed tremendous financial support from the SGA. In addition to funding student organizations, we also fund our own initiatives that serve the student body. Last year, the SGA passed a series of exciting initiatives that made a significant impact on the College’s student life, including a dramatic expansion of the MiddView and the YouPower bike room.
All of this good work is funded by the Student Activity Fee, the $380 that every student pays in addition to the Comprehensive Fee. Collectively, the sum of these fees makes up the SGA budget. The SGA Finance Committee budgets all of these funds to student organizations each spring. If student organizations do not spend the entirety of their budgets, those funds come back to the SGA as reserves. If the SGA chooses, these reserves can be spent on projects like the ones mentioned above.
As a result of the SGA’s allocation of generous budgets to student organizations and legislative agendas over the past two years, the Student Government Reserve Fund fell from $413,000 in the fall of 2011 to $121,000 today. Demand for funding is booming like never before and this year will likely bring a further drop in the reserves.
These reserve levels are problematically low. Good financial practices dictate that we keep a small amount of liquid capital on hand for emergencies, and in such cases the SGA is committed to ensuring we can adequately serve student organizations.
We have a new financial situation and therefore ask for your patience. Student organizations should keep a few guiding principles in mind when they approach financial planning for the coming year. Plan ahead — programs planned far in advance that attract students will likely receive more funding. Spend responsibly, and keep your spending focused on the mission of your organization. Collaborate with other clubs to take advantage of shared resources. If the College Democrats and Republicans can plan a successful election night at the Grille together, then we know valuable collaboration between other groups on this campus is also possible.
Planning well, spending responsibly and collaborating are key ways to help program effectively for the year, but it’s also important to realize that funding will be tight. Nonetheless, we are fully dedicated to ensuring that student organizations have adequate resources to fund creative and effective student ideas, initiatives and programming.
If learning more about the SGA interests you, come to our open Senate meetings at 7 p.m. on Sundays in the Crest Room, and check us out at go/sga, on Facebook and on Twitter.
(10/18/12 2:10am)
As the regular season winds down for all but one of the fall sports, Middlebury has maintained its dominance in the NESCAC making a strong push in the first trimester of its defense of the Directors’ Cup. The football team — 4-0 for the first time since 1992 — and the top-ranked, 12-0 field hockey team headline the group, while the women’s soccer and volleyball teams are both a game out of first place in the conference. Only the men’s soccer team has struggled this season, falling into eighth place in the NESCAC after a rash of injuries and hard luck in front of net. But the men haven’t lost in their last four games, with two wins and a draw against NESCAC opponents keeping their postseason chances alive. The cross country teams, meanwhile, continue to outrun the competition as the fifth-ranked women and 17th-ranked men prepare for the NESCAC Championships and the NCAA Tournament. The tennis teams are set to wrap up a successful fall season, which was highlighted by Lok Sze Leung ’15’s return to the ITA Finals. Also looking forward to the spring season are the men’s and women’s golf teams, both of which hope to enjoy successful postseason tournament success in the spring. It’s all about the here and now, however, for …
1) The football team, which beat Williams for the first time with head coach Bob Ritter at the helm, ending a streak of 11 consecutive losses against the Ephs dating back to 2001. With the win, Middlebury matched its best start in two decades since the ’92 team began the season 5-0. Zach Driscoll ’13 is proving that he is one of the top wide receivers in Division III football, earning NESCAC Player of the Week honors for the second time this season with 12 catches for 250 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Driscoll is third among Division III wide receivers with 144.5 yards receiving per game.
“Coach Ritter has done an amazing job of finding ways to get me matched up in favorable situations,” Driscoll said. “I think [Mac Foote ’14] has faith in my ability to get open, and I know I can trust him to make a great throw when we get the look we want. Any time you have that kind of relationship between a quarterback and receiver, you have a much better chance of executing on a big play.”
While Foote and Driscoll have lit up scoreboards, the defense has been the biggest difference this season, improving from worst to first in the NESCAC in points allowed. A unit that gave up more than 31 points per game last season has allowed fewer than 12 at the halfway mark of the 2012 season. The unit’s turn around cannot be attributed to any one player: in the win over Williams, senior defensive back Dan Kenerson ’13 had three interceptions to lead the way; linebacker Tim Patricia ’16 leads the team in tackles in his first collegiate season; and defensive captain John Wiet ’13 and Matt Crimmins ’14 have turned the unit into a big-play, ball-hawking defense.
“Our defense is playing with a lot of confidence in each other,” said head coach Bob Ritter. “They are trusting each other to do their assignments, which allows them to focus on what they need to do themselves.”
A smothering defense with an explosive offense is a formula for success beyond football, demonstrated by …
2) The field hockey team, which has played flawlessly in the month of October, outscoring its five opponents an astounding 36-0 en route to the number one spot in the Division III polls. On Saturday, Oct. 13, 12th-ranked Trinity became the latest victim left in the Panthers’ wake, as Alyssa DiMaio’15 scored on either side of the half to drive Middlebury’s 4-0 win over the Bantams. Middlebury has beaten five top-15 teams by a combined score of 16-5.
“We have had success against top-ranked teams because we score goals early and set the tone and because we posses the ball as a team,” said tri-captain Lauren Greer ’13.
While Greer provides much of the firepower for the offense, the team has found greater balance this season with Greer accounting for 35.9 percent of the team’s goals compared to 44.8 percent last year. The senior forward still leads the NESCAC, however, with 57 points on the season, 25 better than anyone else. Katherine Theiss ’14, meanwhile, is second on the team in scoring and third in the conference and senior goaltender Madeline Brooks ’13 is second in the NESCAC in goals allowed, having conceded just five goals to conference opponents and nine total on the season. Brooks is on pace to break the school record for goals allowed, averaging 0.57 per game a hair under the program’s best mark of 0.70. With all the pieces falling into place, the field hockey team has its sight set on a return to the NCAA Finals, somewhere …
3) The women’s soccer team would love to go. A year after falling in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, the Panthers have a great opportunity to go even further in 2012. The team opened the season undefeated through its first nine games — the only blemish a 0-0 draw against 12th-ranked Amherst. Oct. 17 the women lost their first game of the year, 1-0 at Connecticut College, but have responded with two 2-1 wins against Trinity and Skidmore, the latter coming in double overtime. After posting shutouts in each of the first six games, however, Middlebury has managed just two in its last six games. Junior striker Scarlett Kirk ’14, who scored both goals in the Panthers victory over Skidmore, leads the team with six goals on the season. The team as a whole, however, averages just 1.6 goals per game, good for just sixth in the conference, despite goals from 11 different scorers.
“Our team has been focusing on improving our finishing in the final third,” said co-captain Amy Schlueter ’13. “We want [to] dominate our opponents through our shutout defense, our composed passing and our focused finishing.”
While the offense has struggled at times, the Panthers are led by the NESCAC’s best defense, which has allowed a stingy 0.32 goals per game. Junior goalkeeper Elizabeth Foody ’14 has played a large role in the Panthers’ defensive success, leading the conference with a .941 save percentage having conceded just two goals in 12 games played.
“I don't think we have hit our high point yet this season — I think it is yet to come,” Kirk said. “The loss [to Conn. College] reminded us of what we need to work on going forward and the importance of finishing our chances.”
Losing to Connecticut College also spurred on the …
4) The volleyball team, winners of nine of their last 11 after falling in consecutive games to the Camels and the Coast Guard. Middlebury is 14-5 with less than two weeks remaining in the season and one win away from matching last season’s 15-5 record through the first 20 games. The team is hoping for a repeat of the late season magic from 2011, which culminated with an appearance in the NESCAC title game and two wins in the NCAA Tournament — the deepest run made by the team in the program’s history. This year’s squad has been led by a triumvirate of outside hitters in Amy Hart ’14, Megan Jarchow ’14 and Olivia Kolodka ’15, each of whom average well over two kills per set and three in the case of Hart who is third in the conference in kills and second in service aces. The success of the aerial attack has its foundation in the defensive play and distribution of libero and tri-captain Caitlin Barrett ’13 and setter Julia Gibbs ’13. Barrett leads the NESCAC in digs per set with 5.28, more than half a dig better than Anna Brown of Hamilton, second in the conference with 4.7 per set. Gibbs, meanwhile, leads the team in assists with eight per frame. The team’s strong senior leadership and young talent could propel Middlebury back to the NESCAC title game, a feat …
5) The men’s soccer team failed to accomplish last season for the first time since 2005, losing in double overtime to Amherst in the NESCAC semifinals after a turbulent regular season. The 2012 season certainly has seen its share of highs and lows. After four straight games without a loss, the 6-4-1 Panthers sit in seventh place in the conference standings. Before this spell of good form, however, the team was held scoreless in three straight conference losses that had them on the brink of last place in the league.
The offensive turnaround can be traced back to a stunning win at Castleton State on the 2nd of this month, when the combination of Sam Peisch ’13.5 and Ben Tabah ’13 along with a Castleton own goal, helped Middlebury claim a 3-0 victory, all in the final 12 minutes of the game. Since the win at their Vermont rivals, the Panthers have witnessed the emergence of second-year players Harper Williams ’15 and Dan Skayne ’15 in the midfield, who were integral to a 2-0 win at Hamilton on October 6. Alvand Hajizadeh ’13 also re-discovered his scoring touch at Trinity Saturday, Oct. 13, netting his fourth goal of the season and his first since Sept. 16 in a game at Plymouth State. Hajizadeh leads the team (and is eighth in the conference) in scoring with four goals and two assists.
Goalkeeper Zach Abdu-Glass ’13, meanwhile, has played every minute in net for the Panthers, and holds a save percentage of .840 with four shutouts.
While the men’s soccer team fights to save its season …
6) The cross country teams rest in preparation of the beginning of their true season with the NESCAC, ECAC and NCAA Tournaments in consecutive weeks. Seniors Addie Tousley ’13 and Jack Davies ’13, co-captain of the men’s team, pace their respective teams as both runners took first place in the St. Michael’s Invitational on Friday, Oct. 13 — the last prep race before the final three races at the end of the season.
“We’re taking this weekend off, which is our first weekend all year,” said Davies. “We’ve moved out of our base phase, we’re not doing any speed [and we’re] cutting the actual distance we [run] in a week, which gets your legs fresh.”
Both the men and women have set a high standard, finishing 13th and second in the NCAA Tournament in 2011, respectively. Finishing as the runner up is a tremendous accomplishment as many members of the …
7) The tennis teams undoubtedly told Lok Sze Leung ’15 who fell just short of defending her ITA singles title, which she claimed last fall as a first-year. Leung was defeated in the 2012 finals 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 by Gabrielle Clark of Emory who Leung has already competed against four times in less than two years including in last season’s ITA singles finals and the singles finals of the NCAA Tournament, which the sophomores split.
“I enjoy playing against Gabbie [Clark] more and more now,” said Leung. “It is fun to have this rivalry because it is one of the reasons that motivates me to work harder every day. It is kind of like a Federer-Nadal thing ... I know how much both of us hate losing to each other, but I respect [her] as an athlete and an opponent — she is very talented and is a fighter.”
Though Leung did not complete the repeat, both the men’s and women’s teams have a promising spring season to look forward to after the conclusion of the fall schedule. The men’s team received a boost from junior transfer Alex Johnston ’14 and first-year Jackson Frons ’16, among others. Senior Spencer Lunghino ’13 will be one component of a strong senior class who will lead the team in the spring, aided by the return of ITA All-American Brantner Jones ’14 for the spring season.
On the women’s side, first-year Ria Gerger ’16 gave people reason to be excited for the future of the women’s tennis team, as she advanced to the ITA Regional Finals where she lost to Leung. Gerger advanced to the finals with relative ease before being knocked off by her teammate in straight sets. In addition to the impressive group of rising underclassmen, senior Leah Kepping ’13 had a strong showing in the fall, displaying the versatility of her game with success in both singles and doubles. The fall season will come to a close with home matches for both teams in the next two weeks, but for the tennis teams and …
8) The men’s and women’s golf teams the year hinges on what happens in the spring. Both the men and the women situated themselves well for postseason play, with the women finishing second at the Williams Invitational, which doubled as the NESCAC Tournament, and the men qualifying for the NCAA Tournament with a fourth place finish in the NESCAC Tournament behind captain Billy Prince ’13’s strongest performance of the fall season. Prince was named to the All-NESCAC team for the third time in his four year career after he shot a 148 in the qualifier. Prince finished in a tie for second place one stroke off the low mark of the tournament shot by Greg Palmer who led Trinity to the 2012 NESCAC title. The women, meanwhile, finished behind hosts Williams with captain Keely Levins ’13 leading the way, finishing in fifth with a 161 over the two rounds.
But while the golf teams enjoy the completion of a successful fall season and await warmer weather, the spring and a spot at Nationals still seems a long way off for …
9) The Middlebury College Rugby Club (MCRC) who have started the season 4-0, including a win over 2011 East Coast Conference champions (ECC) and perennial Division II-A powerhouse Northeastern. Most recently, the team ran through the University of Connecticut to the tune of 49-0. The shutout came shortly after the Panthers lost in overtime to Northeastern in the finals of the East Coast Rugby Conference 7s tournament.
“15s is still our main focus, and there we remain undefeated,” said fullback Allan Stafford ’13.5. “We also demolished all the other competition and sent a message to the conference that we [are] the top dogs this year.”
While Saturday’s performance is further evidence that the Blue are indeed the team to beat in the ECC, the MCRC cannot rest on its laurels with four more conference games standing between them and a shot to play in Nationals come spring time.
The Middlebury College Women’s Ruby Club (MCWRC) meanwhile, finishes its season this fall with two games against NESCAC opponents and then the playoffs. The team has shown vast improvement from last season, throttling Tufts 33-0 after losing 31-0 to the Jumbos last year. The MWCRC still haven’t found a way to beat Bowdoin, the class of the conference, who beat Middlebury 62-10 last season and again this season in a 26-point game, albeit closer than the final score would suggest. The impending playoffs, however, provide another opportunity, says captain Jess Berry ’13, for the squad to exact its revenge on the Polar Bears.
“I'm hoping that weekend [of the playoffs] we get a chance to meet Bowdoin again,” Berry said. “I'd like to be the best in the NESCAC, and I think with this team, it's more probable than possible.”
And while we’re on the subject of more probable than possible …
10) The football team has to like its chances of winning a NESCAC title in 2012. At 4-0, the Panthers are flirting with the idea of a perfect season, something the team has accomplished only twice, in 1936 and again in 1972. With the number one scoring defense and the number two offense in the conference, the Panthers have the balance necessary to win the NESCAC. Perhaps more important, however, is the way the team has approached its newfound success.
“The team's approach for the last four games is the same as it was for the first four — go 1-0,” Driscoll said. “We have to put in a championship level effort every week if we want to be successful, and that is what we have been doing. There is a ton of excitement and intensity at practice like we've never had before, and to win games that has to be the case every week.”
Driscoll, Foote and company are halfway to achieving what many would have thought impossible before the season began. But midway through the season, it doesn’t seem impossible anymore. If anything, it’s beginning to seem more probable than possible.
OWEN TEACH, TOM CLAYTON and FRITZ PARKER contributed to this report.
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The second-ranked Middlebury field hockey team pushed their record to an unblemished 11-0 with three wins in the span of four days, outscoring their opponets 22-0. The Panthers began by blanking visiting Hamilton 8-0 on Saturday, Oct. 6 before going on the road to Connecticut College and emerging with a 5-0 victory on Sunday. Tuesday, Oct. 9 the team finished a special week with a 9-0 decimation of Keene State in Keene, N.H.
Lauren Greer ’13 opened the scoring for the Panthers against Hamilton in a rain-soaked contest, converting a penalty corner off of an insert from Alyssa Dimaio ’15. Greer added another tally minutes later on a penalty stroke to push the lead to two. Katherine Theiss ’14 got on the board for the Panthers 20 minutes in, converting a feed from Charlotte Gardiner ’13 before Greer added another to stretch the lead to 4-0 less than 25 minutes into the half. Middlebury continued to rain shots on the Hamilton keeper for the remaining 10 minutes, as Greer and Theiss each added another goal to give the Panthers a 6-0 lead going into the half.
In the second half, Gardiner hit a crossing pass from the right wing that found Theiss, who made an acrobatic diving finish for her third goal of the game.
“Charlotte’s pass to me on the far post is a play that we work on a lot,” said Theiss. “I was able to dive for it before it got to me because I knew it was coming.”
A career-best fifth goal from Greer two minutes later, her 20th of the season, capped the Panthers 8-0 victory.
“Greer’s offensive ability is crucial to our team’s offensive success,” said Theiss. “She generates a lot of great offensive plays and is really easy to work with on the field. Every team we play tries to shut her down by face-guarding or double-teaming her, but they rarely succeed.”
The Panthers returned to action the following day, Oct. 7, against conference opponent Connecticut College, with Anna Kenyon ’16 recording an early goal off an assist from Cat Fowler ’15 to get Middlebury on the board. Fowler added a goal of her own for a 2-0 halftime advantage, before Theiss, Kenyon, and Erin Petry ’16 each added second-half goals to give the Panthers the 5-0 victory.
Middlebury did not allow either NESCAC opponent to record a shot over the weekend, as they racked up a 56-0 shooting margin while also holding a 26-1 advantage in penalty corners. Madeline Brooks ’13 and Emily Knapp ’15 each saw time in goal for the Panthers, though neither saw any action en route to the two shutout wins.
Middlebury finally allowed a pair of shots — one on goal, no less — in the game at Keene State. It took 18 minutes for Middlebury to get on the board, with Kenyon finally beating the Owls keeper to give the visitors the lead. The Panthers would add four more first-half goals en route to the 9-0 victory. Fowler led Middlebury with two goals and four assists on the night. Kenyon and Greer each added two goals as well, while Theiss contributed a goal and an assist.
At 11-0 overall and 7-0 within the NESCAC, Middlebury currently sits atop the conference standings while trailing only Salisbury (Md.) in the national poll.
The Panthers resume NESCAC play at second-place Trinity this Saturday, Oct. 13.
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As a steady trickle of rain fell onto the soggy pitch, the Middlebury women’s soccer players, their socks caked in mud and shirts drenched, battled to a 1-0 win against Hamilton on Saturday, Oct. 6. Just a day later, however, on Sunday, Oct. 7, the Panthers’ undefeated season came to an end with a 1-0 loss on the road to Connecticut College.
On Saturday, Middlebury started off the stronger of the two sides and dominated possession. With build-up controlled by the center midfielders, especially Maddy Boston ’13, the Panthers offense gave Hamilton little respite with one surge after another.
The Continentals weathered the storm and eventually established themselves the game, resulting with a good chance for Alex Rimmer who placed her shot wide after a through ball in the 38th minute. Middlebury striker Scarlett Kirk ’14 had a similar opportunity in the 41st minute, knocking the ball wide during a one on one confrontation with the goalkeeper after muscling through a Hamilton defender.
Playing conditions were less than ideal, as many players struggled to keep their footing, resulting in several misplaced passes. However, Middlebury showed both their technical skill, by controlling a slippery and rapidly travelling ball, as well as their physical presence with strong slide tackling.
The Panthers made a breakthrough halfway through the second period off the foot of Amy Schlueter ’13. The co-captain found the back of the net from outside the 18-yard box with a powerful strike. The only goal of the game also brought Hamilton’s undefeated season to an end.
“We felt very confident after [the game against Hamilton], not just because we won but because we outplayed the team as well,” said Head Coach Peter Kim. “It was our biggest test so far and we proved that we could play.”
While the game against Hamilton proved to be a boost, Connecticut College brought the team back down to earth. Middlebury’s undefeated run came to an end on Sunday in a gruelling match against the Camels, during which the women conceded their second goal of the season in the defeat.
Astrid Kempainen of Conn. College made the difference with a 25-yard strike in the 35th minute, assisted by Alina Torres. The scoreline didn’t reflect the number of chances Middlebury had in the game, however, as the Panthers outshot Conn. College 20 to nine. Camel’s goalkeeper Natalie Signor was also forced to make three more saves than Middlebury goalkeepers Elizabeth Foody ’14 and Jocelyn Remmert ’13, who both saw action in the contest.
“The Connecticut game was a textbook example of what happens when you overlook a weaker opponent,” said co-captain Lucy Wagner ’13. “ While we all came into the match knowing that we needed to work hard to get the win, we allowed ourselves technical lapses that in the end we were punished for. We are committed to fixing the mistakes we made and I have no doubt we will come back better than ever to take on Trinity next weekend.”
The team faces the Bantams in Hartford this Saturday, Oct. 13, before returning home against Skidmore on Oct. 16.
