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With Giveaways and ‘Midd Night Strolls,’ Town Encourages Shoppers to Stay Local

MIDDLEBURY — While campus remained quiet with many students traveling over Thanksgiving break, downtown Middlebury welcomed the annually occurring Small Business Saturday. Local businesses greeted shoppers with hot cocoa, cider, and special deals on Saturday, Nov. 24, providing refuge from the unusually cold and snowy weather. The event was launched by American Express in 2010, when, according to the company’s website, “small businesses [were] hurting from an economy in recession.” For the past eight years, communities across the country have continued the tradition, organizing efforts to “shop small” and support local businesses on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. In 2017, more than 7,200 neighborhoods across all 50 states participated. According to the Addison County Economic Development Corporation, the idea behind the event is twofold. First, to encourage people to support their local economies and second, to build community, “because a visit to the family-owned shop or a stop at the neighborhood eatery not only supports local economies, but also promotes thriving communities,” the website reads. The Middlebury Selectboard released a statement proclaiming Nov. 24, 2018 as Small Business Saturday, urging the residents of Middlebury and communities across the country “to support small businesses and merchants on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year.” “Middlebury has been participating in Small Business Saturday for a number of years,” said Karen Duguay of the Better Middlebury Partnership. “A few years ago, the former Main Street store, Clementine, was profiled nationally as part of the campaign,” she recounted.   The feature on Emily Blistein, owner of Clementine, highlighted how Blistein engaged with customers through digital marketing. She used an email list and social media to keep them up to date on goings-on at the store. The video and article were published by Sterling Payment Technologies, a credit card processing company, in 2017. [pullquote speaker="KAREN DUGUAY" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]These businesses are owned by community members who are contributing to our local economy ... They truly are the backbone of our community.[/pullquote] This year, the Vermont Book Shop on Main Street hosted John Vincent, of A Revolutionary Press, who sold a selection of his prints and ran a tabletop printing press. The independent bookstore also distributed copies of a young adult novel to underserved children in the community. IPJ Real Estate contributed to the day’s festive atmosphere, offering free gift wrapping, cocoa, cider and doughnuts to anyone purchasing gifts locally. “For this year, IPJ took on the planning for wrapping gifts and hosting their Small Business Saturday event,” said Duguay. After describing the special events of this Saturday, Duguay discussed her organization’s plans to continue their work of supporting small businesses. “The Better Middlebury Partnership is focused on extending the initiative of local shopping promotion beyond Saturday and throughout the entire shopping season, with Very Merry Middlebury events coming up, including two extended evening shopping events in the Downtown and Marble Works,” Duguay said. “Those evenings will feature great deals, promotions, specials, free tastings and more.” The shopping evenings, or Midd Night Strolls, will be held on Dec. 6 and Dec. 13. Pop-ups, tastings, specials and giveaways are planned for both nights, according to the Experience Middlebury website. “These businesses are owned by community members who are contributing to our local economy, they are sponsoring events, donating to little league teams and non-profit auctions,” Duguay said, speaking to the importance of supporting locally-owned small businesses. “They truly are the backbone of our community.”  She encouraged customers to shop at these businesses not only on special days like this past Saturday, but all year-round. Shopping local, she said, is a great way to “explore what’s here and connect to something real.”

Panel Explores Injustice of U.S. Immigration

Speakers discussed the painful and sometimes tragic experiences of immigrants seeking new lives in the United States during a Nov. 15 panel in Dana Auditorium, titled “Trauma and the U.S. Immigration System.”  The panel featured University of Vermont College of Medicine Professor Dr. Andrea Green, Albany Law School Professor Sarah Rogerson, Migrant Justice activist Marita Caneda and Hannah Krutiansky ’19, who worked as a summer intern with the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES).  Meron Benti ’19, who was born in Ethiopia and moved to Italy before making her way to the United States, served as the moderator. She opened by talking about her own experience as an immigrant and her 18 month wait for asylum. Krutiansky shared her experiences working with RAICES, a non-profit based in San Antonio, Texas, where she spent time in detention facilities and worked directly with detainees to provide legal support. She focused on injustice faced by indigenous migrants that she observed during the job. [pullquote speaker="Hannah Krutiansky ’19" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]What they really need is counseling, but what they’re going to get is interrogation about the most intimate, traumatic, events of their life.[/pullquote] “I was in a courtroom where the mother and the interpreter clearly were not understanding each other and the judge just said, ‘Please give your best interpretation,’” she said.  Krutiansky’s work with RAICES gave her a first hand perspective of the trauma that immigrants endure.  “They’ll be told that they need to sign a paper that might be in English and if they ask what they’re signing a very typical response could be, ‘Do you think I have time to explain this to you?’” she said. “What they really need is counseling, but what they’re going to get is interrogation about the most intimate, traumatic, events of their life.”  In one incident, she and other RAICES staff were forced to leave the holding facility without explanation.  “We exited visitation and we were met by a literal army of ICE officers, it was probably anywhere from 30 to 50 officers in bulletproof vests, guns, shields, handcuffs,” Krutiansky said. “This was just to terrorize this population.”  After this incident, 16 fathers were randomly selected and put in solitary confinement for a day with no explanation. One of the fathers tried to commit suicide.  Krutiansky witnessed the effect that this attack had on the children whose fathers were taken away with no explanation.  “One seven-year-old boy whose eyes were completely glazed over after the incident, bloodshot, you could have put your hand in front of him and he wouldn’t have flinched,” Krutiansky said. Rogerson elaborated on immigration from a legal perspective and described a variety of legal terms. She also described traumatic experiences helping 300 refugees who had been flown to a county jail in Albany to be detained.  “No one ever told them where they were, so the first thing that the lawyers did when they went in was draw a map of the United States and show them where they were, and where their family members were in some cases,” she said, describing many of the refugees as “incredibly disoriented.” [pullquote speaker="Albany Law School Professor Sarah Rogerson" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]The Trump administration made the decision to limit asylum claims for people who were fleeing gang violence and people fleeing domestic violence.[/pullquote] Rogerson criticized many recent changes to immigration policy.  “The Trump administration made the decision to limit asylum claims for people who were fleeing gang violence and people fleeing domestic violence,” she said.  She also emphasized collaboration with law enforcement.  “We’re creating our own system of humane immigration system enforcement and we’re using law enforcement allies to do it,” Rogerson said.  Dr. Green, a pediatrician with experience serving refugees, focused on the physical effects of trauma and immigration, especially on children. “Young people, they will trade sex for their basic needs,” she said, calling it “survival sex” which leads to sexually transmitted infections, in addition to other diseases and injuries acquired through the arduous process of coming to the United States as an asylee or refugee.  “The bigger issue, in addition to all those health issues, is the effects of trauma,” she said. “Stress, trauma causes inflammation in the body, and that inflammation in the body affects health in the long term, and actually changes your genetic makeup.” The effect at a broader level is a higher suicide rate among immigrants. Green spoke about her own experience serving Bhutanese refugees in Vermont, which has twice the suicide risk of the general population. “That trauma affects that parents ability to parent that child,” she said during discussion of parents coming to the U.S. to get a better life for their children. “That trauma is now a multi-generational trauma.”  Caneda, a Migrant Justice activist, gave a brief overview of the organization’s current work. She spoke about its mission to protect Vermont dairy workers with the goal of improving lives of migrants and advancing human rights, and highlighted that immigrants do not have the same human rights as others.  “Since 2014, a lot of members of migrant justice have been arrested” she said. “Nine of those detentions have clear evidence of retaliation for coming in and speaking out about human rights.” Caneda added that many detentions and arrests by ICE also involved illegal cooperation with the DMV.  Caneda emphasized that not all immigrants are necessarily fleeing violence, but also lack of opportunity and unsafe working conditions.  “When the only options to work are for a fracking company or for an oil company or joining the army, a lot of people don’t have those values and they come and migrate here and end up working on the dairy farms” she said. “When you work at a dairy farm you live on the farm, you become a 24/7 worker” Caneda said, pointing out food safety concerns. “When you live on a farm, especially up north, you depend on others to bring you food, sometimes it’s every 15 days, so if day 13 you run out of food, you don’t have an option and you spend two days without.”  [pullquote speaker="Migrant Justice activist Marita Caneda" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]Right now in Vermont anyone can get a driver’s license regardless of your immigration status, which was a big change because now people could start driving cars, going to stores, not depending on others for food.[/pullquote] In a positive moment, Caneda explained that this condition has improved.  “Right now in Vermont anyone can get a driver’s license regardless of your immigration status, which was a big change because now people could start driving cars, going to stores, not depending on others for food,” she said.  This panel fit within a larger national conversation around immigration. The narratives of the speakers stood in striking contrast with the president’s recent military response to the alleged “migrant caravan” of immigrants approaching the border from Central America. 

Men’s Basketball Has High Hoops Hopes

Following an exit in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen last season, the Middlebury men’s basketball team will look to make a serious run for a NESCAC crown and another NCAA tournament appearance in this year’s campaign.  The Panthers certainly took a hit with the graduation of All-American Jack Daly ’18 as well as experienced forwards Nick Tarantino ’18 and Adisa Majors ’18.  Daly is the program’s all-time leader in assists and ranks third all-time in steals. Seniors Eric McCord ’19 and Hilal Dahleh ’19 will captain this year’s squad. McCord has been a consistent rock throughout his Middlebury career, and will continue to control the glass and anchor the defense. With toughness as his defining characteristic, Dahleh can execute hard drives to the basket and hit contested shots on the perimeter. Despite losing Daly, the Panthers’ leading scorer from last season, Matt Folger ’20, who averaged 13.7 points per game (PPG) last season, is one of the most gifted scorers on the team and will look to lead the Panthers from both the paint and the three-point line. Joey Leighton ’20 backs up a consistent shot with the ability to run the floor with command and leadership. Perry DeLorenzo ’20 provides tenacious defense and an aggressive game at the rim. A large sophomore class will continue to provide crucial minutes for the Panther squad. Jack Farrell ’21 started at point guard last season and likely will continue in that role with high speed and the team’s best three-point percentage. Griffin Kornaker ’21, Max Bosco ’21 and Will Ingram ’21 are skilled shooters and defenders who can keep plays alive as aggressive rebounders. Like Folger, Ryan Cahill ’21 is as deadly from the three-point arc as he is on the block. James Finn ’20.5 can run the floor and, like McCord, can clean up around the rim with plenty of rebounds and put-backs. As for the new class of first-years, Alex Sobel ’22 is a promising big man with unique skill around the rim, and a big presence in the paint on both ends of the floor. Thomas Zodda ’22 is a speedy post player with great offensive and defensive reach alike. Nash Goldman ’22, a skilled three-point shooter, has shown maturity in the preseason with his distribution abilities. Peter Carlson ’22 will provide forward depth around the paint and has shown potential in his perimeter shooting as well. This season will be Head Coach Jeff Brown’s 22nd year managing the blue and white. He will be joined by returning assistants Russ Reilly and Rob Alberts, as well as new assistant Connor Merrill.  The team begins NESCAC play in January, and will play host to Connecticut College, Wesleyan, Trinity, Hamilton and Amherst over the course of the season. Away contests include bouts with Bates, Tufts, Williams, Bowdoin and Colby.

Football Finishes Fourth in NESCAC, Loses to Tufts

The Middlebury football team fell to the Tufts Jumbos 35-13 this past Saturday, concluding its season with a 5-4 record and a fourth-place finish in the NESCAC conference. Though Middlebury put up a tough fight, Tufts took the game in the third quarter, sealing the Panthers’ fate. Throughout the first half, both teams were able to come away with a pair of touchdowns. Middlebury set the tone in its first drive of the quarter, plucking away at yardage, until sophomore QB Will Jernigan punched the ball in from the seven-yard line. A high-intensity Panther defense came onto the field in response, looking to deflect a Jumbo touchdown. Tufts, however, made its way down the field a few minutes later. With 6:12 left in the quarter, the Jumbos connected in the end zone to even out the scoreboard, 7-7. The rest of the quarter went scoreless. Two more scores created a thrilling second quarter, starting with a Panther interception by junior Coltrane Marcus. After this turnover, Jernigan was able to hit senior wide receiver Jimmy Martinez with a 28-yard reception. Martinez brought the ball down to the nine-yard line, where Jernigan sealed the touchdown. After a missed extra point attempt, the Panthers were up 13-7. One more Jumbo score right before halftime, making the score 14-13, altered this Panther momentum. Going back onto the field after halftime, Tufts was able to come out guns blazing. Three more touchdowns later, and a clock set to 0:00, both teams’ seasons ended. The 35-13 win placed Tufts third in the conference, while the Panthers ended up fourth. Overall, the Panther team’s season was highlighted by a big win against Williams, redeeming the last-second loss of the 2017 season. The team also beat a .500 record, placing them in the top half of the conference. 

Women’s Soccer Finishes Season Second in NESCAC

Middlebury women’s soccer fought valiantly in the final stretch of the season, and suffered the team’s first loss of the season with Tuesday’s final game against Williams. The Panthers managed to win both games on the weekend of Oct. 13 and 14. The victories boasted equally impressive scores, when Middlebury crushed Trinity 4-1 and then followed up that performance with a five-goal shutout against Wesleyan.  This past Saturday, Oct. 20, the Panthers played Bates at home for Homecoming Weekend. Like many of Middlebury’s previous opponents, Bates was unable to contain the blue and white. Middlebury won 3-1. Sophomores Maggie Moskun and Eliza Van Voorhis and junior Sabrina Glaser each put one in the net for Middlebury. The goals helped the Panthers rally for the win despite an early goal from Bates. The weekend brought much excitement, many alumni and even more fans. “We draw on energy from each other during the games but more important we draw on energy from the fans,” said senior captain Amanda Dafonte. “We have had so many amazing supporters coming out with signs and cheering loudly [regardless of weather]. It gives everyone such a great boost and makes that run that seems impossible possible.” “We have had an amazing season and owe it to ourselves to finish the regular season the way we started it — with wins,” continued Dafonte. “Our motto this season has been ‘one game at a time.’ We never look back at what we’ve done and we never look past the game right ahead of us. Every single team in the NESCAC is competitive and every game is a challenge.” Where Middlebury came up short, unfortunately, was their final game of the regular season against their Route 7 rival, Williams College. After a hard-fought battle, Williams emerged victorious, 0-1. The match was predictably close, since the Ephs were ranked third amongst Division III women’s soccer teams, and the Panthers fifth.  Although Middlebury outshot Williams 9-4, the Panthers had trouble connecting the ball to the back of the net. Goalie Eva Shaw made one save, while the Williams goalie, Olivia Barnhill, made five. The Panthers also had a chance to tie the game in the 78th minute, when Ellie Greenberg ’20 received a pass from Virginia Charman ’20 in the box. Greenberg’s shot was then denied by Barnhill. Women’s soccer’s loss was the first of its season, and will finish the regular season with a record of 13-1-1. The team will begin the NESCAC tournament this Saturday as the second seed, playing seventh seed Bowdoin at 12:30 p.m.

Women’s Tennis Ends Season Strong

Women’s tennis ended their fall season with a bang at their home invitational on the weekend of Oct. 13. Over the course of three days, Middlebury hosted the Brandeis and Williams women’s tennis teams, and the Panthers ultimately demonstrated strides in their doubles play. Competition took place inside the Nelson Recreation Center, where the Panthers played four to five singles matches and three doubles matches against each team. The singles matches were played in the traditional best two out of three format, with a tiebreaker set for the third. The doubles matches consisted of one pro-set.  In spite of injuries and study-abroad trips plucking away at the team’s depth, the Panthers managed to come in swinging for their Friday’s evening doubles match. Sophomore Ann Martin Skelly and senior Christina Puccinelli edged the Williams duo of Chloe Henderson and Emily Zheng, 8-5. “Historically, Williams has been quite the rival for us, but all that has done is pushed us to be better year after year,” said Puccinelli. She especially feels confident in the team’s ability to match Williams in the event they face one another in this year’s NESCAC finals. This fall, Middlebury spent time focusing on doubles training, where they worked to attack early in on matches and to execute bigger moves at the net. The team’s hard work continued to show throughout the weekend, when they posted victories in three out of four matches on Saturday.  In Saturday’s doubles matches against Brandeis, Skelly and Puccinelli were once again a force to be reckoned with, as they defeated Olivia Leavitt and Lauren Bertsch (8-3). Nora Dahl ’22 and Emily Bian ’21, meanwhile, clinched an 8-3 win against Sophia He and Ana Hatfield. Spirits were high across the board, and the team’s unwavering positivity gave them momentum for the rest of the weekend’s matches. “Our opponents could constantly hear us cheering on one another from across the courts,” said Bian. “Even when we were down in our respective matches, you couldn’t tell. There was always someone pumping you up.” In Saturday’s singles matches against Williams, Puccinelli claimed a 6-3, 6-3 win over Henderson, while Emma Gorman earned a hard-fought 4-6, 6-4, 11-9 victory against Maxine Ng. Later in the day, Gorman cruised over He (6-3, 6-1), while Skelly defeated Michele Lehat in straight sets (6-3, 6-3). Dahl dropped just three games in a 6-3, 6-0 triumph over Isabel Cepeda. On Sunday, Middlebury competed against Brandeis in both singles and doubles. Skelly and Puccinelli picked up an 8-1 victory over Bertsch and Leavitt, while Bian and Dahl won 8-6 against Khromchenko and Lehat. In singles, Puccinelli knocked off Leavitt in straight sets (6-0, 7-6 (4)). Gorman earned her third singles win of the weekend, with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Khromchenko. Looking confidently towards the spring, the Panthers will continue to train intensely, and await five juniors returning from study abroad. “In the spring, it’s really going to be about coming together again as a whole team of eleven instead of the six of us we had in the fall,” said Puccinelli.  Until then, the primary focus remains on capitalizing on the growth they saw this fall. Their sights are set high; they want to clinch the team’s first national championship. 

XC Readies for NESCACs

After weeks of anticipation and hard work, the NESCAC Championships are on the horizon for the men’s and women’s cross country teams.  The Panthers’ most recent meet was the Connecticut College Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 13. At the meet, the men were able to obtain third place in a field of 27 teams.  They had a score of 96, while Amherst came in first with 72 points and Williams came in second with 76 points.  The top three runners for the Panthers were Matt D’Aquila ’21, who placed seventh, Theo Henderson ’20, who placed 10th and Henry Fleming ’20, who placed 15th.  D’Aquila finished in a time of 25:09.0, Henderson finished in 25:19.7 and Fleming finished in 25:23.4.  “As a whole, both the women’s and men’s cross country teams did a great job at Conn,” Rory Kelly ’19 said of the Panthers’ performance at the meet. “The women’s team had a particularly strong day as we came away with the win, beating strong competition. I was overjoyed with my performance and even more so for our team win. It was a great day for us.” With a score of 67, the women captured first place in a field of 25 teams. Kelly was the top runner for the Panthers, and she came in fourth place with a time of 21:38.2. Next up for the Panthers was Cassie Kearney ’22 with a time of 22:07.5 which got her seventh place. Then came Tasha Greene ’21 in 14th place with a time of 22:19.0. “I think that going into the race, our strategy was to not be afraid to push ourselves and to trust in the training that has built us up to be this strong at this point in the season,” Kearney said when asked to describe the women’s race strategy.  The Panthers will be competing in the NESCAC Championships on Saturday, Oct. 27 at Franklin Park in Boston.  If the team competes as hard as they always do, they should be able to make a statement at the championships.    “We are very excited for NESCACs,” Kelly said. “This race is a major culmination point in our season. In terms of preparation, we are getting our bodies and minds rested and ready to throw down.” Additionally, Kearney said, “I think collectively we share a really positive mindset going into NESCACs after last week’s win. We’re getting so much stronger each week, so I’m super excited to see how we do next Saturday at Franklin Park.”

Commons Review Shows Discontent in Student Life

An internal review of the college’s commons system revealed a significant disconnect between students and their commons, and highlighted key areas of concern within residential life, including a lack of student spaces and a strong feeling of disconnectedness among minority students, low income students and Febs.  Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Baishakhi Taylor presented the results of the “How Will We Live Together” study at a Community Council meeting last month. The study was conducted last spring by a team of students, faculty and staff, and was the first such review since the commons system started in 1998.  Psychology professor and faculty co-chair of the review Robert Moeller gathered data in focus groups, and developed and distributed a survey to 440 students in the classes of 2018-2021.5. Of the surveyed students, 27 percent identified as a racial or ethnic minority, 27.6 percent played at least one varsity sport, and 15.4 percent were Febs. Taylor said the student sample was highly representative of the larger campus. Students participated voluntarily and remained anonymous. They demonstrated their level of agreement with given statements using a five-point scale, ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” More than half of those surveyed students responded “agree” to the statement, “I am satisfied with the residential experience at Middlebury,” with another 10.5 percent strongly agreeing. However, responses relating specifically to the commons system were more neutral or negative.   About two-thirds of students surveyed either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement: “My Commons is a strong part of my identity,” while 13.7 percent agreed or strongly agreed. For other questions, students were more ambivalent — a strong majority of respondents neither agreed nor disagreed with statements such as, “I like being a part of a Commons for all four years” (45.7 percent), and “I feel like I am a valued member of my Commons” (43.4 percent). Responses were spread more evenly across the five options in response to, “The Commons system is a valuable part of my experience,” and “My Commons FYC or RA is a valuable resource to me.” Minority students and low income students reported a drastically lower sense of belonging compared to other students.  “The theme of not belonging at Middlebury was strongly expressed among racial/ethnic minority students and students who described their family socioeconomic statuses as low,” the summary reads. The summary reports that most students socialize in the dining halls, but a division between minority and non-minority students reportedly exists there as well. 93.8 percent of respondents said they used the dining halls as a social space and 94.9 percent said it was important to them that all students have equal access to the dining halls. However, several students reported that “students of color tend to eat lunch in one dining hall, while other groups of students may eat in another.” Though the How Will We Live Together team could not confirm this alleged trend, they write that “the perception of segregated spaces in the dining halls was pervasive.” Students reported frustration with the college’s requirement that they live in their commons during sophomore year. 25 percent agreed or strongly agreed that “picking a sophomore year roommate from my same Commons is a good idea,” with 37 percent disagreeing or strongly disagreeing. Many said the requirement prevented them from forming “meaningful communities of their own.”  Dislike for the two-year requirement was even stronger among feb participants. Feelings of isolation and disconnectedness “persist through their sophomore year, due largely to the 2-year-in-Commons residency requirement that forces them to remain housed in a Commons with which they feel little affinity.”  The summary directly implicates the commons system as a potential obstacle to an inclusive community.  “The decentralized nature of the Commons system may in some ways unintentionally limit movement towards full inclusion, as their largely autonomous natures make coordinated cross-commons programming difficult and further divides students,” the report reads.  The internal review details an insufficient number of social spaces on campus, and recognizes that this lack could contribute to general student unhappiness.  [pullquote speaker="" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]Spaces for socializing, both informal ones such as residence hall lounges, and reservable spaces for events of all sizes, are extremely limited and in some cases and buildings, nonexistent[/pullquote] “Spaces for socializing, both informal ones such as residence hall lounges, and reservable spaces for events of all sizes, are extremely limited and in some cases and buildings, nonexistent,” the summary reads. “The loneliness and isolation many students report is consistent with the availability and organization of spaces we provide students.” John Gosselin ’20, a member of the How Will We Live Together team, shared his thoughts on the results in an interview with The Campus.  “My preliminary takeaways are that the commons system is working to a certain extent, but could work better, that the current student center is wholly ineffective as a social space, and that the sophomore housing requirement may be detrimental to students’ general development, although I would like to reserve my final judgment until the external review is complete,” Gosselin said. Moeller sees the study as an opportunity to change several aspects of student life for the better.   “We’re trying to improve the student living experience, make meaningful improvements to the student social experience, which has been declining, find opportunities to make this a community all students feel welcome in and better integrate the Febs, among other things,” he said. Student activities dean Derek Doucet was the other faculty co-chair of the study.  [pullquote speaker="Derek Doucet, student activities dean" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]They suggest, not surprisingly, that students’ perceptions of the present system are mediated by their various identities, and so it would be a mistake to imagine a single student experience of residential life and the Commons[/pullquote] “The findings are fascinating,” Doucet said. “They suggest that there is much that our present system does well, and also that there are areas for considerable growth and improvement. They suggest, not surprisingly, that students’ perceptions of the present system are mediated by their various identities, and so it would be a mistake to imagine a single student experience of residential life and the Commons. “Overall, I’m more excited than ever to see where the project takes us from here,” he said. The study is only one half of the review process. During an external review that will begin in late October, residential life experts from similar colleges will come to campus and submit their own report. Moeller said that the How Will We Live Together committees will then look at both the internal and external reviews, draft recommendations and present them to the college community.  As a final steps, the committee will consider feedback and submit the final recommendations to Taylor, who will then decide which recommendations are implemented. The executive summary of the review’s results and the survey data can be found at go/commonsreview.  *Editor’s Note: News Editor Bochu Ding is a member of the How Will We Live Together steering committee. Ding played no role in the reporting. Any questions may be directed to campus@middlebury.edu.

Julia Alvarez’ Border of Lights Organization to Host Commemorative Vigil to Parsley Massacre

Border of Lights (BOL), an organization founded by the college’s Writer-in-Residence Emerita Julia Alvarez, will be holding a spiritual gathering on campus on Oct. 5 to mark the 81st anniversary of the Parsley Massacre. In 1937 Dominican troops slaughtered over 13,000 Haitians under the orders of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. The event became known as the “Parsley Massacre,” because one’s pronunciation of the spanish word for parsley – perejil – indicated whether they were native to the Dominican Republic or secondary Spanish speakers from Haiti. Though the massacre would fuel Haitian-Dominican strife for several more decades, it went largely undocumented and is not even a commonly known event in the Haitian community.   In attempt to raise awareness about this tragedy and retroactively heal, Alvarez founded BOL in 2012. BOL annually commemorates victims of the Parsley Massacre and leads community projects to mend the residual ethnic tensions between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. “The reason we call it Border of Lights is because we are not looking to erase the differences, but show that there are spaces for illumination, connection, curiosity, and care.” Alvarez said. She warned that as much as borders act as the foundation for national identity and culture, one must also look beyond them to uncover the true power of community. “When does a border become a fortress?” she asked. “There is a connection and synergy that can only happen when we step outside of our safe spaces. How else can we survive on a planet with diminishing resources if we do not find mutuality and understanding?” Each year in October, BOL organizes a vigil where Haitians and Dominicans can meet at their border. While there, participants light candles as a symbol of remembrance and solidarity and place them on the barb wire fence. Since its inception six years ago, the organization has grown significantly in scale. Alvarez attributed the success of BOL to its younger participants. “The second year we marched to the border there were big barracks erected,” she said. “(The government) didn’t want us to go but the young Border of Lights people said ‘well, a group of us will go symbolically and get as close as we can, take a selfie, and then make it an online vigil…’ What ended up happening was that instead of hundreds showing up [in person], there were thousands for the online vigil.” The campus vigil will begin at 7 p.m. outside of Old Chapel and participants will walk up the hill toward Mead Chapel. Following the procession there will be an open mic at the Gamut Room’s Amphitheater, where Alvarez along with Haitian and Dominican students will pay tribute to the massacre victims. The event is open to the community and all are invited to speak, perform or contribute to the event’s altar built to promote peace, community and healing. This year’s vigil will be held in collaboration with Chellis House and the Anderson Freeman Resource Center. *If you would like to participate in the online vigil, you may post photos of yourself with a candle on Oct. 6 between 7-9 p.m. using this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/702906540072319/   Amanda Rodriguez contributed reporting.

Men’s Soccer Shocks, Beats Amherst on Home Turf

The Middlebury men’s soccer team headed into their September 15 game against Amherst, ranked 10th in the nation, with a winless record. The Panthers and the Mammoths battled it out for a tough 90 minutes with Middlebury coming out of the match with 14 shots compared to the Amherst’s 13. The match was physical from the start, and each team committed over 15 fouls; the referee dished out a whopping six yellow cards, four to Midd and two to Amherst. The tussle finally paid off when junior defender Henry Wilhelm brought the Panthers to glory with an unassisted goal in the 72nd minute. The Panthers locked down the defensive side of the field for the next 18 minutes, leading goalkeeper Matt Hyer ’21 his second shutout on the season after making four saves during the match. With three games in a six day span coming up this week, a win was vital for the team atmosphere under its new coaching staff. “This game meant everything for the direction of this program,” Raffi Barsamian ’21 emphasized. “It gave us a snapshot of what we can be -- which is the best team in the country.” Barsamian noted that the Panthers were able to handle the Mammoths by outperforming them at their own style of play, while still maintaining their own flair. “Typically Amherst is the team that comes in and is going to bully you and play in the air -- a really scrappy team,” Barsamian said. “We did that to them. We outfought them, [and] outworked them, while still conforming to our style.” Alex Elias, first year head coach ‘08, said he could not have been more proud of the Panthers after the win. Barsamian noted that when the match was over, Coach Elias approached them in the huddle and applauded them for their dedication and effort to the team. “[He said], ‘do you feel that energy? Do you feel this? This is what every game should feel like. You guys battled, and you won the fight,” Barsamian recalls. As previously mentioned, Panthers have started a busy week. On Tuesday, September 18 the men headed to New York to face Mt. St. Mary at 7 p.m.. This weekend, September 22-23, the Panthers will play a NESCAC doubleheader with a home game against Bowdoin on Saturday, followed by an away game against Hamilton on Sunday. As usual, the NESCAC battles will not be easy. When asked about how the Panthers can keep up the same energy that propelled them to the win against Amherst, Fazl Shaikh ’20 noted that it comes down to focus. “We have the capabilities to do that game in and game out, [but] we need to focus on battling for 90 minutes,” Shaikh said. “‘It’s easy to say but harder to do. The games we lost, we had 50-60 good minutes. We need 90 good minutes every game.” Greg Conrad ’17, first year assistant coach, is prepared to help the men find this focus. “This upcoming week will be a good test for the group as mental preparation will be the biggest key to our success,” Conrad said. “We put together a great 90 minutes on Saturday and will need to continue to find that type of attention to detail throughout the year. Training this week will be very deliberate, and we hope to capture the intensity of the weekend and make it the standard.” The players aren’t the ones who should be delivering intensity for those 90 minutes every game. To all fans, you are encouraged to come out and support the Panthers this weekend. The team's energy is electric and contagious; let's show them we have their backs.

2018-19 Print Issues

Volume 118, Number 25 — May 9, 2019 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged_c938cf69247b41 Volume 118, Number 24 — May 2, 2019 (Zeitgeist) https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged_5095f997d8b1ab Volume 118, Number 23 — April 25, 2019 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged_790d9b2d7c30aa Volume 117, Number 22 — April 18, 2019 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged_387b9e2091f19a Volume 117, Number 21 — April 11, 2019 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged__2_ Volume 117, Number 20 — April 4, 2019 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged__1__compressed Volume 117, Number 19 — March 21, 2019 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged__1__ca67f0de5f4e14 Volume 117, Number 18 — March 14, 2019 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged__1__3d76ccd7b3ad12 Volume 117, Number 17 — March 7, 2019 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged__1__49dcbc3438a054 Volume 117, Number 16 — February 28, 2019 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged__1_ Volume 117, Number 15 — February 21, 2019 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged__1__fe66a5d50317f4 Volume 117, Number 14 — February 14, 2019 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged_5f60252fa17a09 Volume 117, Number 13 — January 24, 2019 (Staff Issue) https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged_72be6bd4e8c36b Volume 117, Number 12 — January 17, 2019 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged_c39e2906110e28 Volume 117, Number 11 — December 6, 2018 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged_a25cfcf9adb281 Volume 117, Number 10 — November 29, 2018 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged_d80718f6efb71d Volume 117, Number 9 — November 15, 2018 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/pg01-1115-merged Volume 117, Number 8 — November 8, 2018 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/pg01-1108-merged Volume 117, Number 7 — November 1, 2018 (Election Issue) https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/pga1-1101-merged Volume 117, Number 6 — October 26, 2018 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged_35cf851ab3a87e Volume 117, Number 5 — October 11, 2018 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged_888e333a53993b Volume 117, Number 4 — October 4, 2018 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/ilovepdf_merged Volume 117, Number 3 — Sept. 27, 2018 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/pg1-0927-merged Volume 117, Number 2 — Sept. 20, 2018 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/pg1-0920-merged__1_ Volume 117, Number 1 — Sept. 13, 2018 https://issuu.com/middleburycampus/docs/pg1-0913-merged

Women's Lacrosse: Champions Again

The women’s lacrosse team earned another piece of hardware last weekend when they became the Nescac champions for the ninth time. Despite cruising past Trinity and Bowdoin in the regular season without breaking a sweat, the two rivals came out with nothing to lose and gave the Panthers a run for their money. But the Panthers fared well under pressure and toppled their rivals. Middlebury skated past Trinity 16–13 on Saturday, May 5, in the semifinals, followed by a championship win over Bowdoin on Sunday, May 6. Last year in the conference tournament, the Panthers did not fare as well, falling to Colby in the second round. During this year’s regular season, Middlebury fans watched as the Mules once again took the women down in a regular-season matchup, 14–12. The women were prepared to avenge that loss in a game with higher stakes, but they didn’t have to worry about the pesky Mules because they were knocked out by Amherst in the quarterfinal to end a down season for Colby.  Although the Panthers had beaten Trinity handily 14–8 in the regular season, anything can happen in a conference tournament. The heightened pressure of qualifying for NCAA’s invigorates an underdog and creates a lack of security. On top of that, they were the top seed. “There definitely is a lot of pressure being the No. 1 seed in the tournament as well as hosting,” Zecca said. “After losing in the semis last year and watching two other teams compete for the championship on our own field, we knew there was nothing stopping us from getting there this year. No. 6 Trinity upset No. 3 Tufts in the quarterfinals, so we knew that they [were capable of pulling off an upset].” The Panthers were reminded of this lesson this weekend when they had a tight matchup with the Bantams, once again coming from behind in the second half to win 16–13. The Panthers had some trouble getting off to a strong start throughout the season but seemed to overcome this weakness in the conference playoffs. The hosts punched first, swatting three goals past the Bantam goalie within two minutes of play when Hollis Perticone ’18 scored her 29th goal of the season. She was quickly followed by Erin Nicholas ’21, as well as Emma McDonagh ’19, who would go on to score three more goals.  The hosts needed to be more than a second-half team because they couldn’t afford to put so much pressure on themselves in the final stanza given the high postseason stakes. The Bantams were able to sneak two more goals by Julia Keith ’20 to narrow the margin until Casey O’Neill ’19 found the back of the cage. With a score of 4–2, Trinity continued to climb back, adding one more tally to their total at the 21-minute mark. With about 20 minutes left to go in the period, the visitors would go on to outscore the hosts 5–3, claiming the 8–7 advantage as the teams headed into halftime. Middlebury was not concerned with this one-goal deficit, as they had dug themselves out of much deeper holes earlier in the season. They were a second-half team and would prove it today, with their home crowd behind them. The Panthers did not win the race to the scoreboard this time. The Bantams found openings in the Middlebury defense and capitalized on their quick breaks. After the visitors continued to increase their total to a 10–7 lead, Emily Barnard ’20 found Georgia Carroll ’18 to bring it back to a two-goal game. The visitors continued to preserve their edge, climbing to 12 goals. Sara DiCenso ’19 and Jenna McNicholas ’19 hammered two shots past the Bantam goalie in between the two visitor goals. After feeling the sting of another Bantam goal, something clicked for the Panthers. Middlebury picked up four goals within the next six minutes of play. Kate Zecca ’20 was the first of the four, exploiting a perfectly executed pass from Carroll. The Panthers were now confident at a 14–12 lead and could not let their margin be ripped from their hands. In the final 10 minutes, the hosts allowed only one Trinity ball to enter their cage, while nailing two more shots past the Trinity goalie. Once again, Keith and Kate Furber ’19 split time between the poles, with Keith making three integral saves in the first half and Furber making one in the final stanza to bring the Panthers to victory. It was all smiles on Kohn Field when the last whistle blew to finalize the score of 16–13. They were on to the final and were ready for a fight. “Overall, our team felt really confident about facing Bowdoin again in the championship,” Zecca said. “Though we played them earlier in the year, it was in the very beginning of the season. We knew they had been able to develop and better their play since we last saw them, so we knew that this game couldn’t be taken lightly.” On Sunday, the Panthers had nothing left to lose and planned on leaving everything on the field. They took the field with confidence, knowing they had defeated Bowdoin by 10 goals earlier in the season. From time to time, this confidence did waver, as the women remained neck and neck throughout the game. The first half kept fans at the edge of their seats, as both teams had a response for each goal scored. Bowdoin tallied the first goal as Allison Williams snuck a shot in after the first five minutes. Hannah Hirchfield’s goal was then sandwiched in between two Middlebury goals, one from McDonagh and one from Grace Getman ’21. Bowdoin increased their lead by two in the next five minutes. With under ten minutes to go, Kirsten Murphy ’21 showed up once again to toss a goal in the hosts’ direction. Carroll contributed her share, following the freshman, just before the Polar Bears were able to knock one more back. Then, McDonagh knotted the score 5-5 to finish out the period. Once again, the pressure fell on the Polar Bears with the sound of the second-half whistle. Middlebury was now infamous for its second-half runs. But the visitors were the first to earn a goal. Three minutes later, we heard from McNicholas, who kept her team in the game. This momentum was followed by Perticone and Zecca, making the score 8–5. The Polar Bears were willing to leave it all on the field as they fought back to a tie game. With a little more than five minutes to go, the Panthers found their lungs to preserve their one-goal lead. McDonagh and Carroll were able to slap back two more shots to secure the trophy for Middlebury. The Panthers’ defense once again played a major role in their victory. The seniors led the stats, knowing this would be their final conference tournament. Evie Keating ’18 grabbed three ground balls and forced two turnovers, while Perticone helped her out with seven draw controls and another two turnovers. Susana Baker ’19 contributed her share with three turnovers and three ground balls. Keith and Furber showed up where they needed to. In the first period, Keith prevented three balls from netting the cage. In her second-half appearance, Furber made a tremendous effort with eight stops. The fourth-ranked Panthers will host their regional this weekend. They will play the winner of Babson and Castleton on Sunday, May 13, and are preparing by focusing on the fine points of their game, according to Zecca. “In both the [conference] semifinal and championship, we have had to come back from three- to four-goal deficits,” said Zecca. “Although we have come out on top in those close games, it would be undoubtedly better for us to come out strong and prove that we are playing to win for a full 60 minutes. “We are confident that we have what it takes to make it all the way to the Final Four,” Zecca added. “We just need to play the way we know we can.”

Farmers’ Market Kicks Off Spring Season

[gallery ids="39020,39021,39022,39023,39024"] The Middlebury Farmers’ Market (MFM) started its summer market season last Saturday, May 5, featuring a variety of products including fresh produce, prepared foods and other Vermont crafts. This year’s outdoor summer market will run every Saturday and Wednesday morning from 9:00am to 12:30pm until Oct. 27. The Middlebury Farmers’ Market is especially known for its variety in organic vegetable and dairy items. The summer market, unlike in the winter season, is held outdoors and offers a wider variety of different products. The summer season also brings musicians and special events such as the Grand Opening on May 26, Dairy Day on June 16, Red White and Blue Day on July 7, and the Harvest Festival on Oct. 13. This year’s summer market has also reached out to community partners for more special events like Homeward Bound’s meet and greet with dogs up for adoption this past Saturday. While MFM was previously located at Marble Works, the ongoing rail bridge construction project led to a permanent relocation last summer to 530 Exchange Street, a less visible location from downtown Middlebury. “It’s a shame that there isn’t more interest from the city and downtown retailers to support a more centrally located Farmer’s Market,” said Laura Quill of Quill Hill Farms about the new location. Though the past location was more easily accessible to pedestrians, the market has worked to make both parking and biking easier at the center for Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). “The VFW does have its advantages,” said MFM’s promotions and outreach liaison Elisabeth Woronzoff. “More space for more vendors, a beautiful green space to sit and enjoy the event, easy access to an ATM, a new and improved parking methodology and access to other great businesses located on Exchange Street.” BENJY RENTON Still, MFM remains a significant component of Middlebury’s community. “Addison County is so rich in resources that our market can offer an amazing assortment of fruits and vegetables, cheeses, meat, breads, crafts, and other products,” Woronzoff said. “The vendors are also creative and interested in experimentation, so you never really know what products are available until you stroll through their offerings.” For instance, Quill Hill Farm tries to stand out in the market by offering a more unusual variety of vegetable products, including unique heirloom tomato starts, mixed purple green beans, spicy chili peppers, and distinctive garlic powders. “Our garlic powders are also unique in that they are a small batch made using a blend of eight varieties of garlic where some are spicier or sweeter,” said Quill. “We also dehydrate at lower temperature than traditional commercial garlic powders, which gives our powder a really deep, fresh flavor that you don’t get from garlic powder in the store.” Woronzoff said that MFM is unique because “our vendors are also willing to collaborate with each other and other businesses in town. Having our vendors come together to show how their products work together is a key element to engaging customers.” For some farms like Quill Hill Farm, MFM is crucial because restaurants and co-ops typically pay only 50 percent of the cost of the wholesale product, while the farm can sell to customers at full price at markets. Their sales at markets comprise half of their income. The market is also an opportunity for farms to expose tourists to their unique products, which can aid in progress toward online purchasing. However, selling at the farmer’s market does not come without its challenges. BENJY RENTON “One of the largest struggles we face here in Vermont with the Farmers’ Market is population size. Vermont just doesn’t have a lot of people, so while you as a farmer can produce tons of food, selling that food is difficult,” said Hill. “It’s also a struggle to figure out supply and demand of products/what customers will want that week. It’s often a guessing game which makes it especially challenging when your product is so perishable.” Beyond the business, farms still consider the farmers’ market a rewarding venture. Hill said, “ I love talking to customers and sharing farming stories and educating people on growing organically.” The market provides an opportunity for vendors to interact directly with their customers and to share growing techniques and farming philosophies, Hill explained. “At the market we swap recipes with customers, see babies grow bigger, share in sadness and triumphs of life, learn all sorts of new things, and simply enjoy getting off the farm for a few hours a week being a part of a like-minded community.” The MFM has also impacted individuals in the town of Middlebury beyond its farmers by bringing in many people from outside the town, who then stay for activities and events around town. “Essentially, the Middlebury Farmers’ Market contributes to the local economy and acts as a community hub,” said Woronzoff. “But the market also impacts more than the town, it has a huge impact on the county as well. Our vendors are from across the county, thereby creating an interconnection across sweeping farmland. That interconnection is an advantage for the town but then expands even further across the county. Our emphasis is on the local and that supports the individual and the collective.” Woronzoff is also excited about the future of MFM and hopes to see it continue to expand and evolve. “Whether that means doing more outreach with community partners, hosting more vendors, or offering an even greater variety of products,” said Woronzoff, “the market must grow to ensure the success while contributing to our local economy.”

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Women’s Tennis Loses to Williams Again, But Will Host NCAA Regional

“To be perfectly honest, given the talent on both teams, I think the match could have gone either way,” said Christina Puccinelli ’19 after the women’s tennis team’s 5–4 loss to Williams back on April 7. “They happened to come out on top this time, but we came away from the match with absolute confidence that we have what it takes to win in the future.” On Sunday, May 6, the two teams met again, this time in the Nescac championship at the Bay Road Tennis Club in Amherst, Massachusetts. Once again top-seeded Williams (18–0) prevailed, this time by a score of 5–3, to win its third consecutive conference crown over second-seeded Middlebury (14–3). But Puccinelli’s words rang true once again on Sunday. Despite losing the match and being swept in doubles, the Panthers outscored Williams because all their singles wins came in straight sets, while their losses all went down to the wire, requiring the full three sets to finish. Trailing the Ephs 3–0 after doubles, the Panthers mounted a comeback, winning the first two singles matches to pull within one. All at once, Middlebury had fought its way back into the contest. Christina Puccinelli ’19 and Maddi Stow ’18 bounced back from first-set losses to win their second sets, and Catherine Blazye ’20 won her first set in dominant fashion, 6–1.  For the second time this season, the match between the conference’s best could have gone either way, but Williams outlasted Middlebury to win its sixth championship in the past eight years, riding its doubles’ dominance to victory even after the Panthers’ surge in singles play. Going into the playoffs, the Panthers knew they had some work to do in doubles after losing two out of three against Amherst in the last match of the regular season. “We did not come out as strong as we would have liked in doubles, so this week we are going to focus a lot on our doubles play,” said Katy Hughes ’20 after the Amherst match. “We want to — we must — have a stronger start.” In their semifinal match against Wesleyan on Saturday, the Panthers came out stronger than they did against Amherst, winning two of three doubles matches — the only loss came to the reigning NCAA doubles champions, Eudice Chong and Victoria Yu, in the first slot. In fact, just like in Middlebury’s first match against Wesleyan, Chong and Yu were the only Cardinals to score victories on Saturday, as the Panthers controlled the rest of the ladder to win 5–3 and earn a spot in the conference championship match the next day. Stow and Catherine Blazye ’20 won 8–2 in second doubles, while Heather Boehm ’20 and Ann Martin Skelly ’21 remained undefeated as a pairing by defeating their opponents 8–6. Blazye, Boehm and Stow all won in straight sets to set up Middlebury’s match with Williams, who shut out Tufts 5–0 in the other semifinal to move into the championship. Middlebury could not replicate Saturday’s doubles success against Williams on Sunday. The Ephs leapt out to what seemed to be a commanding 3–0 lead for the winners of 30 consecutive matches overall, a streak dating back more than a year to April 8, 2017, when Middlebury beat Williams 6–3. But then the Panthers made a move of their own. Hughes made a statement by dominating Leah Bush 6–2, 6–0 in second singles. Then Boehm, after trailing 5–2 in the first set of her match with Chloe Henderson in the third slot, rattled off 11 straight games to win in straight sets as well. Both Hughes and Boehm pushed their doubles struggles out of their minds to bring Middlebury back within one match of Williams. “It is really hard to lose all 3 doubles to a team as good as Williams,” said head coach Rachel Kahan. “But after the doubles points, regardless of who we are playing and what happened in the doubles, our mindset is that the match resets. We look to go out and win all six singles matches.” Meanwhile, Puccinelli lost her first set 6–1 to Juli Raventos in first singles, as did Stow, 7–6, to Korina Neveux in the sixth slot. But both of them bounced back too, as Stow wasted no time winning her second set 6–1, and Puccinelli came back in her second set to win in a tiebreaker 7–6 (7–5). Williams regained some hold of the match when Neveux beat Stow in the third set to put Williams one win away from the conference championship. But Blazye countered in fourth singles, winning 6–1, 6–1 over Mia Gancayco to keep Middlebury alive. Raventos won Sunday’s decisive match, outlasting Puccinelli in a three-set victory, 6–1, 6–7 (5–7), to secure Williams’ third-straight Nescac crown. At that point, Skylar Schossberger ’20 led Julia Cancio 3–0 in the first set of their match, but they stopped when Williams clinched the match. Since Williams last lost in that match to the Panthers over 13 months ago, the Ephs have won one national title and two conference championships, and will enter this month’s NCAAs 18–0. But Middlebury inched a little bit closer on Sunday. The Panthers dominated three singles matches, led in a fourth, and lost in three sets in the other two. “The team fought extremely hard, and I felt the belief that we could win through the whole match,” said Kahan. “Every match with Williams has been close and has come down to a couple of points.” More than anything else, Sunday’s match demonstrated the fickle nature of sports. “Once again, the results could have gone either way, and once again we drew the short end of the stick,” Puccinelli said. She and the rest of the Panthers remain firmly convinced that they can beat Williams and any other of the top teams in the country.  Simply viewing Sunday’s match as a loss is a waste of time because of how well Middlebury played. “My team competed with energy, composer and grit, and I could not be more proud,” said Puccinelli. “We came out with energy and determination, and we did not waver in either throughout the full five-hour battle.” Not only did the Panthers play extremely good tennis, they did so in the face of adversity after falling into a daunting 3–0 hole. Middlebury’s full body of work this season is much more representative than one loss. And because of their hugely successful spring, the Panthers will host one of the NCAA Regional brackets, starting today and running to Saturday, May 12. The Panthers have a bye through the first round of the seven-team draw and will play their first match tomorrow. No. 18 Skidmore is the only other ranked team in the regional. If the Panthers win on Friday and Saturday, they will advance to the quarterfinals which will be held in Claremont, California. The Panthers are one of five Nescac teams in the NCAA tournament, along with Williams, Wesleyan, Amherst and Tufts. And Middlebury and Williams are on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning a rematch between the two squads would not come until the national championship. Middlebury has demonstrated throughout the season it is one of the nation’s top teams, having defeated No. 5 Wesleyan (twice), No. 6 Tufts, No. 7 Pomona-Pitzer and No. 8 Amherst, while giving No. 2 Williams two of the biggest challenges the Ephs faced all spring. And it’s become increasingly clear how little separates Middlebury from Williams, and the other two teams ranked ahead of them, No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and No. 1 Emory. CMS beat Middlebury 7–2 on March 30, but that feels like the distant past, given how well the Panthers played in the Nescac. “I believe that the results in the final rounds will simply come down to who wants it more,” Puccinelli said. Sunday’s loss stoked the Panthers’ fire even more. “Each opponent we face from here on out will be determined and resilient, since a loss means the end of a season,” said Puccinelli. “We love the challenge and want the title more than we ever have.” In 2003, Middlebury qualified for its first NCAA tournament. Two seasons later, the Panthers reached the semifinals of the tournament, but then did not return to that point for another 11 seasons, when they were one of the final four teams in 2016. Last season, Middlebury reached the semifinals again, where Williams beat the Panthers. The Ephs have now beaten the Panthers in four consecutive matches, while CMS has defeated Middlebury six straight times and Emory has knocked them out of the tournament three times since 2013. To put it lightly, the Panthers want to beat these teams ranked above them. And they have shown they can compete with them. Is now the time for the Panthers to finally conquer the perennially dominant DIII teams?

SGA Weekly: Lessons Learned

Dear MiddKids, To begin, thank you to all who helped out with Staff Appreciation Day! It was a huge hit and the staff greatly appreciated the dinner as well. This was the 2nd Annual Staff Appreciation Day, and we hope it will continue and improve in the many more years to come. For this column, we will share some final updates from SGA along with some lessons learned this year. SGA Updates: 1. SGA 2018–2019 Bylaws Amendments: There were some internal SGA bylaws amendments that were discussed and passed at the Apr. 29th Senate meeting. Here are a few of these changes: Publicity Committee was renamed Communications Committee, SGA committees for the sophomore and junior classes were formed and matched to the model of the SGA First-Year Committee, Commons Senator positions will be on a semester basis instead of the current yearly basis, a formal structure for the appeals process was formed, and more. Please check at go/sga under Archives to see an official version of the passed bylaws amendments. 2. Finance Committee Budget Allocations of $10,000 and More Presentations: The SGA discussed and ultimately approved of the budget allocations by the SGA Finance Committee at this past May 6th Senate meeting. Budget allocations of $10,000 and more included Club Sports (Crew, Equestrian, Mens Rugby, Sailing and Women’s Ultimate Frisbee), InterCommons Council (ICC), Middlebury College Activities Board (MCAB), Middlebury Intercultural Leaders Coalition (MILC), Middlebury Mountain Club (MMC), Service Cluster Board (SCB), Student Government Association (SGA), The Campus Newspaper, WRMC (Middlebury College Radio Station) and YouPower. Throughout these conversations there were discussions around student employment and hiring by organizations, needs for organizational restructuring and more. Be sure to check out the SGA minutes for a more comprehensive look at our discussions. These budget allocations will go into effect Fall 2018. 3. Spring Finals Week Library 24/7 Hours: Thank you to all those who submitted survey responses to Library 24/7 Hours for finals week. The survey results showed that 60.2 percent of student respondents used the library during 24/7 hours this past Fall finals week, and most hours of usage were from 12 p.m. – 3 a.m. followed by a resurge in numbers at 7 a.m. 51.5 percent of student respondents answered that the library should not be opened the full 24/7 hours for this upcoming Spring finals week. In the comments section, many student respondents encouraged the library to be open until 2 a.m. and then to re-open at 7 a.m. during finals week to meet students’ needs and library constraints. After presenting the survey results to Michael Roy (Dean of the Library), he decided to keep the 24/7 hours for this Spring finals week and begin plans to keep the library open until 2 a.m. for Fall 2018 finals week. 4. Common Agenda Updates & Cabinet Final Reports: Be on the look-out for final common agenda updates and an SGA cabinet report that will be published for the student body in the coming weeks! 5. Board of Trustees: Middlebury College Trustee Members will be in town for their final meeting of this academic year from Thursday (05/10) – Saturday (05/12). The College Board of Overseers will be in all three dining halls during Friday lunch to directly engage and converse with students. The SGA is working to release the College Board of Overseers agenda to the student body, so please check your emails for this. If you have any concerns or comments, feel free to contact sga@middlebury.edu. Lessons Learned: It has been an honor to serve as the SGA President and Deputy Chief of Staff this past year. Along the way we’ve learned some important lessons that we’d like to share with the larger Middlebury community as you all look towards next year at Middlebury. 1. Students at Middlebury are passionate about various causes, ideas and beliefs. This is incredibly important and valuable to the community. And we’ve also realized that many of us, including ourselves, fail to provide needed time and attention to the things that our peers may be passionate about as well. Caring more about the things that may matter to another person (possibly someone who is widely different from you) could help to create a more empathic and open-minded environment. 2. We all come from different backgrounds and communities. It’s important to recognize your own background and privileges that you may carry. We all have moments where we act unintentionally and fail to recognize our own privileges in our actions with one another. Particularly staff members at Middlebury College are often negatively impacted by our failure to be more aware of our privileges. By being more intentional and aware of our privileges, our actions can better reflect who we actually are and what we value. 3. Truthfully, change is not easy nor fast. This is something that many of us at Middlebury are already aware of. We’ve also realized that oftentimes students want more short-term and immediate change while administrators and others who have been here for longer than four years look towards more long-term and institutional implementation. These differences in priorities, although sometimes they do overlap, continue to cause tension in our community. We don’t have the answer for overcoming this tension, but being aware of this discrepancy could be the key in understanding how to work together. Persistence and accountability in action are other important factors to working together. 4. At the same time it’s important to acknowledge that there isn’t just tension between students and administrators, but also between students and students. We all work to positively contribute to the Middlebury community in different ways, and there are some students who do more than others. It’s time to work to not just keep administration, faculty or staff more accountable to the Middlebury community but also your fellow peers. Accountability should apply to everyone — this is your community.  These are just a few of our closing thoughts from this year, and we are aware that you may disagree with these lessons we’ve learned. We also want to thank you for staying engaged and committed to the Middlebury community in the ways you have this past year. As always, all past and current bills (including the ones mentioned above) are accessible at go/sga under Weekly Updates and/or Archives. The final SGA Senate meeting will be Sunday (05/13) from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Enjoy the final days of this semester and remember to take moments for self-care in the midst of finals! Jin Sohn is SGA President. Annie Cowan is SGA Deputy Chief of Staff.

A Target on Their Backs: Men’s Tennis Enters Postseason as No. 1 Team in the Country

Just days after the new ITA Division III rankings came out, new national No. 1 Middlebury men’s tennis ended the regular season on Sunday, April 29 with a dominant 7–2 win over Nescac championship hosts No. 8 Amherst. The men are anxious to prove themselves at Nescacs and NCAAs, but this won’t come easily, as the other teams in the top five in the country are all looking for another shot at the Panthers.  Middlebury hosted Amherst on Sunday in their sixth and final home match out of 21 total matches. Sent inside by the rain, the Panthers showed their fondness for the Nelson Recreation Center indoor courts as they bested the fourth-best team in the Nescac in convincing fashion.  Amherst tennis is no stranger to tennis glory, however. The Mammoths won both Nescac and national titles in 2011 and 2014, and their only losses this year have come against the current top five teams in DIII tennis. Their closest test came against Williams the day before that team snuck by the Panthers 5–4 on April 7.   On Sunday, Middlebury showed no mercy to the Mammoths, closing out conference and regular season play. Starting the match, the Panthers doubles squads returned to the excellence to which they have been accustomed this season. Timo van der Geest ’18 and Peter Martin ‘19 picked up their 13th win of the season as they stomped Oliver Kendall and Jesse Levitin by a score of 8–2 at No. 3 doubles. At No. 2, William de Quant ’18 and Noah Farrell ’19 notched their eighth straight win, also by a score of 8–2. Lubomir Cuba ’19 and Kyle Schlanger ’18 tallied their seventh straight win to move to 16–3 this spring. Panthers doubles teams moved to an impressive 50–13 this spring as they once again gave the team a 3–0 lead heading into singles.  Schlanger was first off the court on Sunday with a routine straight-sets win over Amherst’s Jayson Fung as the senior made it six in a row moving into his last postseason. Facing adversity early was standout Cuba, who ended up losing a battle in the third set to Amherst freshman phenom Sean Wei, a recent five-star prospect who was ranked 26th in his recruiting class nationally. With a comfortable 4–1 lead, the Panthers still found themselves in several battles down the stretch.  Senior William de Quant found himself in one of these tight matches after being forced into a decisive third set after splitting the first two lopsided sets. Assistant coach Andrew Thomson said of de Quant’s match, “He played a [player] who … played No. 1 for Amherst last year … [s]o a very talented player. Will got off to a very hot start and won the first set decisively, and the second set didn’t go his way, but to his credit he really bounced back strong and remained confident.” De Quant commented on how he was able to turn the tide in the third set, saying, “The difference between the second set and the third set was actually quite subtle. Whoever was on the front foot and controlling from the baseline was the one winning the most points, and I forced myself in the beginning of the third set to step into the court and dictate. Once I did this, I found it easier to spread my opponent out and keep the outcome of the points on my racket and not his.” De Quant was able to overpower his opponent in the third set by a score of 6–1 to clinch the match for the Panthers. The drama still was not over for Middlebury as Farrell found himself in a tight second set requiring a tie-break. For Thomson, Farrell’s demeanor was plenty indication that he would figure it out and secure the win.  “It was awesome watching him play,” Thomson said of Farrell. “Noah did a great job playing his game and being patient and enjoying being out there. He always plays better when he’s having fun on the court.” Farrell’s win grew the Panthers’ lead to 6–1.  The first-years at the bottom of the ladder were left, then. Andre Xiao ’21, who has posted an impressive 12–6 record thus far, has fallen into somewhat of a funk lately, and lost his fourth straight match on Sunday, falling in straight sets. Nate Eazor ’21 had a different match, however, as he shut down his opponent 6–3, 6–4 to complete the 7–2 win for Middlebury.  The next test for the Panthers could come as early as Friday, May 4, when the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds face off in the opening round of the Nescac tournament at Amherst. As of Sunday, the team did not know its seeding for the tournament.  “From a seeding perspective, Bowdoin, Williams and Middlebury are all tied for first, but due to … tie-breaking rules, we could well end up being third seed,” de Quant said. Though they sit atop the national rankings, the Panthers could be nagged by a previous loss to Williams, which created a triangle between the Ephs, the Panthers, and the Bowdoin Polar Bears, who suffered their only loss at the hands of Middlebury several weeks ago. With the No. 3 seed, Midd would have to play an opening-round match against the No. 6 seed, potentially Wesleyan or Bates. With the No. 1 or 2 seed, they would get an automatic bye into the semifinals.  Their No. 1 national ranking guarantees the Panthers nothing in the Nescac tournament, where they may get a chance to settle the score with Williams.  “Of course, we would love to get a swing at Williams again, as we are a different team than we were when we came up just short to them a few weeks ago,” de Quant said. “Despite now being No. 1, we feel we are only starting to heat up, and we have not yet reached our peak level.” Revenge against Williams, or a conference-tournament win punctuated by another win against national No. 3 Bowdoin, could be just what the Panthers need to remove all doubt surrounding their new ranking.  “I think [our new ranking] was well deserved on our part. However, there are a lot of very good teams out there, and it’s definitely a year where there’s a lot of strong teams at the top and you could certainly make a case for them being really strongly ranked,” Thomson said. Because of the strength of the Nescac as a whole, Thomson added, this weekend could be a good test for the Panthers to prove themselves yet again.  “We’ve done a good job beating some really good teams recently, but they’re going to be hungry and coming after us, especially after the latest rankings, so I think we have a little bit of a target on our back,” Thomson said. The Panthers are sure to see some familiar faces this weekend at Nescacs. “Every year we set a goal to win the Nescac championship. The Nescac is the deepest conference in the country. To be the best we have to beat the best,” de Quant said.  The Panthers did not know their fate for the weekend after receiving the No. 1 ranking or even after beating Amherst. This, however, does not change their goal. They are sure not to look past the familiar opponents in the Nescac for this weekend.  De Quant said it best: “We go into the weekend ready for any opponent, focused on controlling what we can control.”  The Panthers are deep, talented, healthy and ready for another go at the best conference in the country this weekend at Amherst.

Men’s Lacrosse Season Ends at the Hands of Tufts

For the first time in four seasons, the sixth-seeded men’s lacrosse team (9–7, 5–5) failed to win a game in the Nescac playoffs, when they lost to No. 6 Tufts, the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, 16–12 on Saturday, April 28, in Medford, Massachusetts. After ending last year on a high note by making an improbable run to the Nescac championship game as the sixth-seed, the 2018 season ends in disappointment for a group that looked primed to make some noise in Nescacs after winning six of its last seven regular season games. “Obviously we were aiming higher than what we ended up doing, but this team is full of heart and tremendous character,” A.J. Kucinski ’20 said. Middlebury lost to Tufts 13–10 one week before Saturday’s matchup, but led 7–3 early in the second half before the Jumbos scored seven unanswered goals. The Panthers learned they could compete with the Jumbos, but it would take one of their best efforts to beat the sixth-ranked team in the nation, which had lost only one game the entire season. “Having just played a week ago, we knew what to expect, as did they,” said Kucinski. The higher-seeded hosts dominated early on, scoring the game’s first three goals in the first seven minutes of action and taking a 6–2 lead at the end of the first quarter. “In that first quarter, they executed quickly and built a lead,” Kucinski said. “But there was still plenty of lacrosse to be played after that.” But the Panthers discovered how difficult it was to come from behind against the Jumbos. Every time Middlebury cut the lead to three goals, Tufts came back with a goal of their own, and after three quarter, the Jumbos still led by four, 11–7. Tufts gradually spread the icing on the cake in the final quarter, extending its lead to as big as 15–8 before Middlebury scored four of the last five goals to make it a 16–12 final. With seven days separating their two games, the Panthers felt they adjusted themselves to the Jumbos’ game plan effectively. As mentioned time and time throughout the season, however, the Nescac is a tight and competitive conference that can see matches going in any direction.  “It just came down to them executing a few more plays than we did,” Kucinski said. “That’s obviously a tough pill to swallow, but that does not mean we did not compete, and I’m proud to call myself a part of this group.”  With the season ending prematurely, the returning Panthers will now take the time to rest, recuperate, and think about the next season. But it’s the end of the line for Middlebury’s nine seniors, a group that included four team captains, seven regular starters, and the team’s leading scorer (Henry Riehl ’18). In their four seasons in the blue-and-white, the seniors made two NCAA tournaments and two Nescac championship games while going 43–29. “On Saturday, I had a few opportunities to score big goals to give our team momentum, and I did not execute,” Riehl said after his last game at Middlebury. “With that being said, I gave it everything I had, and that’s all you can ask for. I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to play four years with so many amazing guys.” The senior class of any sports team is integral to setting the tone with regard to season expectations and team culture. Although Middlebury was unable to advance past the quarterfinals this season, the seniors have helped instill a certain mentality among the underclassmen, who look forward to return next season determined to bask in success.  “We were led by a tremendous senior class who were examples on and off the field to us, and we will miss them in both regards, but they have laid a great framework for the rest of the team, and our expectations are very high for the future,” Kucinski said. 

A Target on Their Backs: Men’s Tennis Enters Postseason as No. 1 Team in the Country

Just days after the new ITA Division III rankings came out, new national No. 1 Middlebury men’s tennis ended the regular season on Sunday, April 29 with a dominant 7–2 win over Nescac championship hosts No. 8 Amherst. The men are anxious to prove themselves at Nescacs and NCAAs, but this won’t come easily, as the other teams in the top five in the country are all looking for another shot at the Panthers. Middlebury hosted Amherst on Sunday in their sixth and final home match out of 21 total matches. Sent inside by the rain, the Panthers showed their fondness for the Nelson Recreation Center indoor courts as they bested the fourth-best team in the Nescac in convincing fashion. Amherst tennis is no stranger to tennis glory, however. The Mammoths won both Nescac and national titles in 2011 and 2014, and their only losses this year have come against the current top five teams in DIII tennis. Their closest test came against Williams the day before that team snuck by the Panthers 5–4 on April 7.   On Sunday, Middlebury showed no mercy to the Mammoths, closing out conference and regular season play. Starting the match, the Panthers doubles squads returned to the excellence to which they have been accustomed this season. Timo van der Geest ’18 and Peter Martin ‘19 picked up their 13th win of the season as they stomped Oliver Kendall and Jesse Levitin by a score of 8–2 at No. 3 doubles. At No. 2, William de Quant ’18 and Noah Farrell ’19 notched their eighth straight win, also by a score of 8–2. Lubomir Cuba ’19 and Kyle Schlanger ’18 tallied their seventh straight win to move to 16–3 this spring. Panthers doubles teams moved to an impressive 50–13 this spring as they once again gave the team a 3–0 lead heading into singles. Schlanger was first off the court on Sunday with a routine straight-sets win over Amherst’s Jayson Fung as the senior made it six in a row moving into his last postseason. Facing adversity early was standout Cuba, who ended up losing a battle in the third set to Amherst freshman phenom Sean Wei, a recent five-star prospect who was ranked 26th in his recruiting class nationally. With a comfortable 4–1 lead, the Panthers still found themselves in several battles down the stretch. Senior William de Quant found himself in one of these tight matches after being forced into a decisive third set after splitting the first two lopsided sets. Assistant coach Andrew Thomson said of de Quant’s match, “He played a [player] who … played No. 1 for Amherst last year … [s]o a very talented player. Will got off to a very hot start and won the first set decisively, and the second set didn’t go his way, but to his credit he really bounced back strong and remained confident.” De Quant commented on how he was able to turn the tide in the third set, saying, “The difference between the second set and the third set was actually quite subtle. Whoever was on the front foot and controlling from the baseline was the one winning the most points, and I forced myself in the beginning of the third set to step into the court and dictate. Once I did this, I found it easier to spread my opponent out and keep the outcome of the points on my racket and not his.” De Quant was able to overpower his opponent in the third set by a score of 6–1 to clinch the match for the Panthers. The drama still was not over for Middlebury as Farrell found himself in a tight second set requiring a tie-break. For Thomson, Farrell’s demeanor was plenty indication that he would figure it out and secure the win. “It was awesome watching him play,” Thomson said of Farrell. “Noah did a great job playing his game and being patient and enjoying being out there. He always plays better when he’s having fun on the court.” Farrell’s win grew the Panthers’ lead to 6–1. The first-years at the bottom of the ladder were left, then. Andre Xiao ’21, who has posted an impressive 12–6 record thus far, has fallen into somewhat of a funk lately, and lost his fourth straight match on Sunday, falling in straight sets. Nate Eazor ’21 had a different match, however, as he shut down his opponent 6–3, 6–4 to complete the 7–2 win for Middlebury. The next test for the Panthers could come as early as Friday, May 4, when the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds face off in the opening round of the Nescac tournament at Amherst. As of Sunday, the team did not know its seeding for the tournament. “From a seeding perspective, Bowdoin, Williams and Middlebury are all tied for first, but due to … tie-breaking rules, we could well end up being third seed,” de Quant said. Though they sit atop the national rankings, the Panthers could be nagged by a previous loss to Williams, which created a triangle between the Ephs, the Panthers, and the Bowdoin Polar Bears, who suffered their only loss at the hands of Middlebury several weeks ago. With the No. 3 seed, Midd would have to play an opening-round match against the No. 6 seed, potentially Wesleyan or Bates. With the No. 1 or 2 seed, they would get an automatic bye into the semifinals. Their No. 1 national ranking guarantees the Panthers nothing in the Nescac tournament, where they may get a chance to settle the score with Williams. “Of course, we would love to get a swing at Williams again, as we are a different team than we were when we came up just short to them a few weeks ago,” de Quant said. “Despite now being No. 1, we feel we are only starting to heat up, and we have not yet reached our peak level.” Revenge against Williams, or a conference-tournament win punctuated by another win against national No. 3 Bowdoin, could be just what the Panthers need to remove all doubt surrounding their new ranking. “I think [our new ranking] was well deserved on our part. However, there are a lot of very good teams out there, and it’s definitely a year where there’s a lot of strong teams at the top and you could certainly make a case for them being really strongly ranked,” Thomson said. Because of the strength of the Nescac as a whole, Thomson added, this weekend could be a good test for the Panthers to prove themselves yet again. “We’ve done a good job beating some really good teams recently, but they’re going to be hungry and coming after us, especially after the latest rankings, so I think we have a little bit of a target on our back,” Thomson said. The Panthers are sure to see some familiar faces this weekend at Nescacs. “Every year we set a goal to win the Nescac championship. The Nescac is the deepest conference in the country. To be the best we have to beat the best,” de Quant said. The Panthers did not know their fate for the weekend after receiving the No. 1 ranking or even after beating Amherst. This, however, does not change their goal. They are sure not to look past the familiar opponents in the Nescac for this weekend. De Quant said it best: “We go into the weekend ready for any opponent, focused on controlling what we can control.” The Panthers are deep, talented, healthy and ready for another go at the best conference in the country this weekend at Amherst.

Men's Lax Season Ends Early, Falls to Tufts in Conference Quarters

For the first time in four seasons, the sixth-seeded men’s lacrosse team (9–7, 5–5) failed to win a game in the Nescac playoffs, when they lost to No. 6 Tufts, the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, 16–12 on Saturday, April 28, in Medford, Massachusetts. After ending last year on a high note by making an improbable run to the Nescac championship game as the sixth-seed, the 2018 season ends in disappointment for a group that looked primed to make some noise in Nescacs after winning six of its last seven regular season games. “Obviously we were aiming higher than what we ended up doing, but this team is full of heart and tremendous character,” A.J. Kucinski ’20 said. Middlebury lost to Tufts 13–10 one week before Saturday’s matchup, but led 7–3 early in the second half before the Jumbos scored seven unanswered goals. The Panthers learned they could compete with the Jumbos, but it would take one of their best efforts to beat the sixth-ranked team in the nation, which had lost only one game the entire season. “Having just played a week ago, we knew what to expect, as did they,” said Kucinski. The higher-seeded hosts dominated early on, scoring the game’s first three goals in the first seven minutes of action and taking a 6–2 lead at the end of the first quarter. “In that first quarter, they executed quickly and built a lead,” Kucinski said. “But there was still plenty of lacrosse to be played after that.” But the Panthers discovered how difficult it was to come from behind against the Jumbos. Every time Middlebury cut the lead to three goals, Tufts came back with a goal of their own, and after three quarter, the Jumbos still led by four, 11–7. Tufts gradually spread the icing on the cake in the final quarter, extending its lead to as big as 15–8 before Middlebury scored four of the last five goals to make it a 16–12 final. With seven days separating their two games, the Panthers felt they adjusted themselves to the Jumbos’ game plan effectively. As mentioned time and time throughout the season, however, the Nescac is a tight and competitive conference that can see matches going in any direction. “It just came down to them executing a few more plays than we did,” Kucinski said. “That’s obviously a tough pill to swallow, but that does not mean we did not compete, and I'm proud to call myself a part of this group.” With the season ending prematurely, the returning Panthers will now take the time to rest, recuperate, and think about the next season. But it’s the end of the line for Middlebury’s nine seniors, a group that included four team captains, seven regular starters, and the team’s leading scorer (Henry Riehl ’18). In their four seasons in the blue-and-white, the seniors made two NCAA tournaments and two Nescac championship games while going 43–29. “On Saturday, I had a few opportunities to score big goals to give our team momentum, and I did not execute,” Riehl said after his last game at Middlebury. “With that being said, I gave it everything I had, and that's all you can ask for. I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to play four years with so many amazing guys.” The senior class of any sports team is integral to setting the tone with regard to season expectations and team culture. Although Middlebury was unable to advance past the quarterfinals this season, the seniors have helped instill a certain mentality among the underclassmen, who look forward to return next season determined to bask in success. “We were led by a tremendous senior class who were examples on and off the field to us, and we will miss them in both regards, but they have laid a great framework for the rest of the team, and our expectations are very high for the future,” Kucinski stated.