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(04/25/18 9:03pm)
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“We still have plenty to improve on, and that only excites us, as we have a huge stretch ahead to show how far we can go,” A.J. Kucinski ’20 said after Tufts snapped Middlebury’s five-game winning streak on Saturday, April 21.
Despite losing to No. 6 Tufts, who is currently in a three-way tie for first place in the Nescac, 13–10 on Saturday on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium, the men’s lacrosse team (8–6, 4–5) feels satisfied with their performance over the past few months as the season comes to an end. Though their five-game winning streak came to an end Saturday afternoon to one of the Nescac’s top teams, the Panthers look forward to entering the postseason to try to win the elusive Nescac title.
The Tufts game was a well-contested bout with the momentum in favor of Middlebury. After a low-scoring first quarter, the Nescac foes were tied at two. Chase Goree ’20 and Jack Gould ’19 scored Middlebury’s only goals.
But then the Panthers took control of the pace of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the visitors 3–1 to take a 5–3 lead into the locker room.
“In the first half, we played with great spacing and attacked our matchups very well and played fast, which was to our advantage,” said Kucinski.
Middlebury maintained its edge on Youngman Field to start the second half, scoring two more goals to grow its lead to four.
But then, just like that, everything shifted. The Jumbos came back to score 10 unanswered goals, six in the third and four in the fourth, to take a 13–7 lead with 7:44 remaining in the game.
In the last four minutes, Henry Riehl ‘18 scored three times — his third, fourth, and fifth goals of the game, respectively — but Middlebury got no closer than three goals, suffering a 13–10 defeat.
Tufts’ 10–0 run in a little under 20 minutes proved to be decisive in Saturday’s contest. In defeat, the Panthers outshot the Jumbos 55–31, won 19 faceoffs to the visitors’ seven, and committed one fewer turnover (13–12).
But their failure to mitigate Tufts’ run and to convert their scoring opportunities cost them against an opponent that does not allow for many miscues.
“We knew they were not going to go away, and it came down to just needing to weather that storm a bit better offensively,” Kucinski said. “We could have shot the ball better and converted a few more opportunities that would have helped out the defense, who played great.”
Middlebury finished its regular season against Williams yesterday on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium, after the newspaper went to print. Throughout the season, however, the discussion around rankings has not crossed the minds of the Panthers. They understand that the Nescac is a conference with elite competition that is bound to produce upsets and the impossible.
“There is no doubt that in the Nescac, the team that shows up on game day wanting it more will win the game,” Kucinski said. “Anybody can beat anybody in this league, and our mentality is to go out and bring it, and we know we always are in the fight.”
For evidence to the truth of Kucinski’s comment about the unpredictability of postseason conference play, one has to look no further than Middlebury’s sensational run in the playoffs last year. After beating Williams on their final day of the regular season, they went into the playoffs as heavy underdogs but made it to the championship, where they lost by one goal to Wesleyan.
“With so many returners from last year and a strong belief in each other as a whole, our goal is the same as always: win the Nescac and ride that confidence into the NCAA tournament,” Kucinski stated. “Our run last year was measured by heart, focus, and everyone doing their job, and with that experience under our belt we can prepare ourselves to take the necessary steps to come out on top.”
(04/25/18 8:57pm)
Middlebury men’s tennis made a convincing case for the top spot of the national polls by defeating No. 1 and defending national champion Emory during a weekend trip to Connecticut, where the Panthers also beat Trinity 6–3 on Saturday, April 21, and No. 13 Wesleyan 5–4 on Sunday, April 22.
The Panthers showed this past weekend that their 8–1 win against No. 2 Bowdoin on April 14th was not a fluke, and their championship aspirations were well founded. Just seven days later, they drove to Hartford for a matchup with No. 1 Emory on Trinity’s courts.
Before they played Emory, though, they had to show that the depth in their ladder could get through Trinity. Trinity was winless in the Nescac going into the match, and Middlebury gave their singles players some rest, though Andre Xiao ’21 played singles in both matches and ended up losing in a tight three-set match to senior Kyle Scheffers. Doubles standout Timo van der Geest ’18 also got the call to play No. 1 against Trinity, and lost in two closely contested sets, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. Despite the Trinity’s sharp top-of-the-ladder players, Middlebury secured the win down the stretch with confident wins from experienced stand-ins Alex Vanezis ’20 and Adam Guo ‘21, not to mention a doubles core that held nothing back.
The Panthers sent out their usual squad of doubles teams to secure three easy points, as Lubo Cuba ‘19 and Kyle Schlanger ‘18 picked up their 13th win in 16 matches. The Panthers held nothing back in doubles and punished the Bantams 8–2, 8–2, and 8–4 en route to a 6–3 match victory. The Panthers no doubt had their eyes on Emory for later that day.
Emory has certainly established itself of late as a Division III powerhouse. The Eagles have won the national championships twice in the past six years and haven’t even finished outside the top 10 in almost 20 years. They traveled up to Hartford undefeated in DIII play after fending off No. 3 University of Chicago, No. 13 Wesleyan, and No. 5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who handed Middlebury a 7–2 loss in California almost a month ago. That being said, neither team forgot the 6–3 loss Middlebury handed Emory last year — a defeat that failed to slow the Eagles trajectory to a national championship just two months thereafter.
Last year’s loss seemed perhaps all too familiar for the Eagles as the Panthers proceeded to dominate. The wins started early for Midd, who masterfully handled the Eagles at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, each by scores of 8–1. Van der Geest, playing on minimal rest, showed what he had left in the tank as he and Peter Martin ’19 rounded out the scoring to start the match off 3–0. Panthers duos are an impressive 47–13 this spring, and the players must be comforted each time they can jump out to such a big lead moving into singles play.
The Panthers singles players scarcely needed the boost, as they dominated the first through fourth singles spots. The upperclassmen at the top of the ladder made quick work of the men from Emory. Schlanger picked up his fourth-straight win of the spring, while the others finished without much commotion. The top and middle of the ladder left no double who is the better team.
“It took a belief in ourselves and a constant attention on staying focused in our execution of our individual game plans, which differ vastly based on the unique talents of each of our players,” assistant coach Andrew Thomson said.
After Cuba clinched the match with his 10th win of the spring, the first-years at the bottom of the ladder ran into trouble against Emory’s upperclassmen. Xiao, with little rest, and Nate Eazor ’21 could not finish the job as they fell in incredibly close three-setters with multiple tie-breaks. The upperclassmen had picked them up, however, and the Panthers emerged having tackled the No. 1 team in the country, handing them their first DIII loss of the season.
“Beating Emory was a monster win, no doubt about it,” Thomson said. “Anytime you beat a time with that much talent and that strong of a record, it demonstrates that we have a lot of things heading in the right direction for our group.
“Of course, it is very possible we will play Emory again and if we do so, we will expect it to be a war. They are always a tough team to beat and even though our victory was clear, we likely caught them on a day they were not playing their best. We will need to continue to improve so that we will be likely to win if we meet again and when they are playing better.”
Despite Saturday’s heroics, the result of the weekend still wasn’t certain until the very end. After van der Geest and Martin dropped a tie-breaker to Wesleyan’s Stephen Chen and Cam Daniels, the Panthers found themselves with a narrow 2–1 lead heading into singles against a Wesleyan team that plays an incredibly strong schedule and almost knocked off previously-No. 7 Washington University in St. Louis and previously-No. 8 Carnegie Mellon.
Looking to avoid any theatrical upsets, the rock-solid middle of the ladder for Middlebury took care of business in dominant fashion to quickly clinch the match for the Panthers. Schlanger picked up his 11th win in 15 matches, while Eazor and Will de Quant ’18 followed suit. If it weren’t for the order of the matches, the match might have looked in doubt for the Panthers. The Cardinals fought extremely hard, even unexpectedly winning at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, to bring themselves within two points of the Panthers, who led 5-3. Wesleyan’s Princeton Carter took advantage of Xiao’s exhausting weekend and pushed him to his limits, handing him a three-set loss.
The Cardinals narrowly missed the upset, and the Panthers survived the weekend unscathed and could finally celebrate their upending of the defending national champions.
When the updated ITA rankings come out later today, Middlebury figures to move up a few spots in the polls. Some have speculated that the Panthers may even be the ITA’s new top team heading into the tail end of the season.
“It will be interesting to see how the ITA committee decides upon both national and regional rankings as most teams have 1 or 2 losses at this point,” Thomson said. “While a No. 1 national ranking might be possible for us, the only benefit of it would be an improved draw for the NCAA tournament assuming we make it there.”
The Panthers must not look past Nescac championship host No. 7 Amherst in their final home match of the year on Sunday, April 29, as they await the seedings for the conference tournament.
“We will have to maintain the mentality of a team hungry to prove that we can beat anyone if we are to continue to have a successful season,” Thomson said. “This starts with Amherst this weekend, who will represent another extremely formidable Nescac opponent that is loaded with talent up and down their lineup.”
Though the Mammoths haven’t made any noise against top-five-ranked teams this season, they have been perfect against teams outside of this range, so look to the Proctor Tennis Courts on Sunday to see some heated action and a possible Nescac tournament preview.
(04/18/18 9:00am)
The sixth-ranked men’s tennis team stunned previously undefeated No. 2 Bowdoin on Saturday, April 14, dismantling the Polar Bears 8–1 in the Nelson Recreation Center. They showed no mercy on their opponents on Sunday, April 15 either, efficiently shutting out Colby-Sawyer and downing No. 26 Skidmore 8–1 to move to 12–3 this season.
The Bowdoin matchup presented the Panthers with an opportunity to defeat one of the nation’s best teams in Bowdoin, after falling to No. 6 Claremont-Mudd Scripps and No. 5 Williams the previous two weekends, and prove they belong in the conversation of the nation’s best teams.
To give some perspective on Bowdoin’s season, they were undefeated coming into Middlebury on Saturday. This is a team that won the Nescac and made a run to the NCAA Final Four last year.
Their record table for single-season wins is riddled with names of current players, including current junior Grant Urken, who set the Bowdoin record for wins in a single season last year with 31. They have had four players named as ITA All-Americans in the past two years. This year, they’ve beaten two top-five ranked teams, and this is reflected in their national ranking. To put it lightly, this is certainly an era of strong men’s tennis teams at Bowdoin College.
On Saturday, Middlebury dominated that same program. Middlebury’s stellar day began in doubles, when they won all three matches to set the tone in Nelson. After suffering a few setbacks against top teams despite what is usually an exceptionally strong doubles core, the Panthers doubles pairings struck back.
Of his own pairing with Peter Martin ’19, Timo van der Geest ’18 said, “After having two tough doubles matches at third doubles last weekend against Williams and Tufts, it was great to see us bounce back from that and get a very close win against Bowdoin.” Van der Geest and Martin have been each other’s main partners this spring, and they’ve been a mainstay in the lineup for the Panthers, playing all but one match together, all the while compiling a 10–6 record. They showed their chemistry well on Saturday, besting a familiar Bowdoin duo at No. 3 doubles 9–8 (7–2). “It felt really good to get the doubles win on Saturday; that’s the third time in a row that we’ve played against that same doubles team from Bowdoin, and the matches have always been pretty tight,” Martin said.
The rest of the doubles proved to be relatively routine finishes dominated by the Panthers’ singles studs. Lubomir Cuba ’19 and Kyle Schlanger ’19 combined for their 11th win of the year in first doubles, compared to just three losses, while William de Quant ’18 and Noah Farrell ’19 picked up their fourth win in five matches together in second doubles to give Middlebury momentum heading into singles.
“To be able to win all three doubles matches gave us great momentum to go into singles,” said van der Geest. After finding themselves on the other side two weekends ago when they lost all three doubles matches to rival Williams, Middlebury reversed that feeling on Saturday. Martin, who, like van der Geest, did not play in singles, remained focused on the team. “It definitely felt great to help the team get out to a big lead, which always seems to help give our guys a lot of confidence going into singles,” he said.
Confidence is a word van der Geest also used to describe the team sentiment on Saturday. “I think the Bowdoin win solidified the confidence we still had in our entire team, even after we had suffered two tough losses to CMS and Williams,” said the senior. “We knew we have the capabilities to beat any team in the country, and this reaffirmed that. However, our season so far has shown us that we have to show up every single time we go out to play.”
Playing No. 1 singles, Cuba showed up against Bowdoin’s Urken on Saturday, winning big in the third set after getting shut out in the second. Cuba has bounced back after back-to-back singles losses against his opponents from CMS and Williams, winning at Tufts last weekend and then twice this weekend.
“We definitely demonstrated that we can be a really tough team at every spot in the lineup when we are playing well,” said assistant coach Andrew Thomson ’10, convinced Middlebury’s depth is exceptional this season.
The rest of the singles players impressed, to Thomson’s point, but head coach Bob Hansen had a lot to say about his seniors in particular. “We had our senior celebration after the Bowdoin match, which was very fun and a fitting and well-deserved occasion, as the seniors went 5–0 against Bowdoin, leading the team to victory over a very strong team,” he said. He certainly had his eyes on de Quant and Schlanger, who won at No. 3 and No. 4 singles respectively, in addition to the doubles wins they and van der Geest picked up.
While the seniors shined on Saturday, Middlebury’s first-years had their moments as well. Andre Xiao ’21 made quick work at the No. 6 spot to move to 11–2 this spring, while Nate Eazor ’21 couldn’t come back after a tight 7–5 loss in the first set, suffering just his third loss of the spring. Both players have worked their way into Hansen’s regular lineup in their first seasons in the blue-and-white, as demonstrated by their presence against the nation’s No. 2 team.
The 8–1 match was not a walkover like the final score indicates, and the Panthers had to battle at every position to secure such a definitive win. Members of the squad were ready to learn from the match even in the face of what looked like a blowout on paper, very aware that any regular season win is a loss if they grow complacent afterwards. “It definitely meant a lot for us to prove we can put the pieces together against a tough and well-coached Bowdoin team and come away with a victory. Even though the final score was 8–1, the match was extremely competitive, and we will have to make sure to be prepared in the event we play them again,” said Thomson.
Hansen attributes the success to the Panthers’ preparation, and was quick to look forward to more improvements before their next match. “The weekend was a result of strong practices all week, and I look forward to another strong week of work heading into the very stiff competition next weekend. It was definitely taxing but should also really prepare us for the challenges ahead,” he added.
After giving some fresh bodies a chance against Colby-Sawyer and proceeding to down them 9–0, the Panthers put an exclamation point on the weekend with an 8–1 win against No. 26 Skidmore, during which they dropped only two sets total. The Panthers barely have a chance to relax, as next weekend presents another exciting opportunity.
Thomson was happy with the wins, but said they are not satisfied with anything just yet. “Now that we know we can play at an extremely high level on our home courts, we have a great opportunity this coming weekend to try to replicate our effort on the road versus three tough opponents, including No. 1 Emory,” he said. The team remembers the close losses to Williams and CMS well as they look forward to a shot at the top team in the country, but Hansen said he recognizes the advantages that come with the Panthers’ adversity thus far. “I like that we are building and that it has not all gone smoothly so far. Overall [I am] very proud of our strong, courageous and connected effort this weekend,” he said.
The team will need another courageous effort this weekend against the 2017 national champion, Emory (13–2), whom the Panthers will meet at Trinity (5–6, 0–5 in the Nescac) on Saturday, April 21 after a match with the Bantams that morning. However, little separates the top six teams in the country right now. Emory has had close calls with Chicago and CMS, as well as a loss against the same DII Azusa-Pacific team that Middlebury pushed in a close match. The match is up for grabs, so do not be surprised if the Panthers come out of the weekend having made a case for No. 1 in the country.
(04/11/18 8:51pm)
As the season is still in its early stages for the men’s and women’s outdoor track team, the runners are trying their best to build up momentum. Their early successes will be crucial for confidence building.
“We definitely exceeded our expectations,” Nick Hendrix ’20 said in reference to some of the Panthers’ previous meets. “To get off a flight on Friday and then win the PLNU Invitational the next day was a fantastic way to start the season. We had some excellent individual performances from some of our more experienced athletes, and the freshmen had some really encouraging performances.”
The spring trip, while challenging, has the track and field teams feeling prepared for the meets ahead.
“I think everyone was a bit tired going into the second meet after a week of hard training in the sun,” said Hendrix in reference to the California Collegiate Open, in which the Panthers partook over the spring trip. “We held our own against some high-caliber competition, including some DI schools, so I think this bodes very well for us going into the rest of the season.”
“People came in with a positive attitude, which helped us perform well,” added Katie Glew ’21.
All of this is good news for the Panthers, as the conference meet and DIII New Englands are only a few short weeks away. Due to the pace of the schedule, there is no time to waste. Improvements and getting the team to bond together will have to occur quickly.
On Saturday, April 7, the Panthers continued their success as they participated in the Amherst Spring Fling. Both the men and women came in fourth in total fields of seven teams.
The men were able to score 49 points at the meet, which WPI won.
Some important performers include Nathan Hill ’20, who was able to come in first in the 1500-meter race with a time of 4:00.40. In this race, Will Meyer ’20 came in fifth with a time of 4:04.00.
A time of 15:23.44 netted Theo Henderson ’20 a first-place finish in the 5000-meter race. Henderson was followed by Henry Fleming ’20, who had a time of 15:38.79 to get fourth place. Also, Minhaj Rahman ’19 threw a distance of 51.80 meters to capture first in the hammer-throw event.
The women’s team amassed 72 points, 17 behind the first place finishers, WPI.
There were several important performers for the women’s team. In the 400-meter dash, Gretchen McGrath ’21 and Kai Milici ’21 placed sixth and seventh, respectively. McGrath had a time of 1:03.30, and Milici had a time of 1:03.38. Abigail Nadler ’19 and Read Allen ’18 were able to capture the top two spots of the 5000-meter run with times of 17:47.34 and 18:12.81, respectively. Also, Panthers placed in each of the top three spots in the shot-put event. Helene Rowland ’20 got first-place honors by throwing 11.58 meters. Rowland was followed by Lauren Boyd ’21, whose toss went 10.46 meters, and Kiera Dowell ’20, who threw 9.88 meters.
“The team’s level of performance was good considering the elements,” said Meyer, the fifth-place finisher in the men’s 1500-meter race. “It was windy and in the high 30s for most of the day. We had a couple personal bests and performed well relative to the competition, winning several events.”
The excitement for what the outdoor season has to offer is growing, and hopefully that will lead to success.
“We have a really strong and supportive team this year,” said Glew, adding, “We’re definitely capable of accomplishing a lot this season.”
The track and field teams will host the Panther Spring Invitational tomorrow and Saturday, April 13–14. The festivities tomorrow are slated to begin at noon. Catch the Panthers as they hope to stay on track and continue to get settled into the season.
(04/11/18 8:41pm)
Last week, Middlebury baseball hit the road to take on the Wesleyan in the Panthers’ second Nescac series of the season. The previous week’s strong performance, in which the Panthers took two out of three from Williams, gave the team a boost of confidence going into the series. Unfortunately, it seems the Panthers were not able to channel the same fierceness and their high morale into last week’s games, as the Cardinals broke out the brooms.
The series kicked off with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 7, during which the Cardinals took a 1–0 lead right off the bat in the first inning. Middlebury was able to hold the Cardinals for the remainder of the game with strong defensive play on the mound from junior captain Colby Morris ’19, who managed to throw out eight Cardinals and let up only one run on four hits. The Panthers found little luck at the plate though, tallying 10 strikeouts and zero hits.
Errors and walks killed any shot the Panthers had in the second game of the series. The second inning was especially bad, as the Cardinals scored six of their 12 runs, registering only one hit in the process. The Panthers put up a strong fight, scoring four in the seventh inning and then four in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the Cardinals, and the game ended in a 12–8 loss for the Panthers. Sam Graf ’19, Brendan Donahue ’18, Henry Strmecki ’21 and Gray Goolsby ’20 all got on base and scored for Middlebury, and both Justin Han ’20 and Brooks Carroll ’20 finished with a pair of runs.
Will Oppenheim ’21 took a hard loss on the mound, letting up the six runs in the second inning. “I really need to be able to repeat my mechanics more so I can throw more strikes and go deeper into games and walk fewer people,” Oppenheim said.
However, this performance will likely be only a small bump in the road for Oppenheim. In his short time playing at the college level, the first-year currently sports a 3.14 ERA and 13 strikeouts, third only to captains Morris and Rob Erikson ’18, who have fanned 30 and 14, respectively.
Sunday’s get-out-of-town game brought a similar outcome for the Panthers. The Cardinals were again the first to score, putting up an impressive seven runs in the first inning. They then tacked on two more in the third and another in the seventh. Middlebury seemed to answer, scoring six runs by the end of the sixth inning, but they were not able to come back and fell 10–6.
According to Han, the team was well aware of Wesleyan’s skill going into the series and took measures to prepare for the challenge.
“We had scouting reports for Wesleyan’s pitchers to prepare for the weekend. We knew their guys would throw a lot of balls and [that] we would need to be selective at the plate,” Han said. The Panthers tried not to concern themselves too much with the other team’s past success, however.
“We just focused on playing our game,” explained Morris.
Understandably, the team’s vibe coming off this tough series was starkly different from that of the previous week’s games.
“Mentally we were confident after playing Williams and had faith in our lineup top to bottom,” said Morris — a readiness echoed by Han.
“We were very confident after a strong performance against Williams the previous weekend,” Han said. “We were prepared and ready to compete.”
Morris attributes the difference in last week’s performance to a lack of fire.“We didn’t play the whole series with confidence,” said Morris, who added, “we found ourselves on our heels, especially early on in games one and two.”
Despite this, he remains extremely positive and optimistic about what the future holds for the Panthers.
“We aren’t stoked with where we are, but that just makes us hungrier for the next game,” Morris said. “For whatever reason we like being the underdog, and we find ourselves in that familiar place again. People are going to doubt us after we doubted ourselves at times this past weekend, but it’s a privilege to play this game. So, regardless of our position, our mentality is for them to bring it on.”
Additionally, the team still has their sights set on winning the Nescac championship.
“We will not let a single win or loss deter us from our goal,” a determined Han declared.
After this week’s midweek action (barring weather), the Panthers host Amherst tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. for the first of three-game set.
“I think playing at home will be a huge advantage this week. Traveling definitely takes a toll on us, so being home this weekend will be nice,” Oppenheim said.
(04/11/18 8:39pm)
Travelling south to Massachusetts to take on No. 5 Williams and No. 15 Tufts for their first matches since spring break, the men’s tennis team had a lot to be excited about. For one, Williams recently beat No. 6 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who two weekends ago handed Middlebury their first loss of the season against DIII competition. On top of that, standout Noah Farrell ’19 made his return to play his first match of the spring, and Will de Quant ’18 was settling in in his second singles match of the spring. Thus, the Panthers drove to Williamstown with the goal of defending their high national ranking before the new Oracle ITA DIII National Rankings come out.
The Panthers, however, found themselves in a big hole early, losing all three doubles matches. Middlebury, who is 30–12 this spring in doubles, could not convert on any of the closely contested matches. De Quant, who is making his own return to the courts this spring, teamed up with Farrell in his much-anticipated return to action. The two lost in a tiebreak, 9–8 (7–4).
“What separates us from Williams in doubles was just one or two points,” de Quant assured. “Nothing more than that. That is the beauty of sports, and if we take away the most important information from that match and work on key things this week during practice, we will win those points next time and be in a stronger position going into singles.”
He may be right. Timo van der Geest ’18 and Peter Martin ’19 lost by the same close score, while Lubo Cuba ’19 and Kyle Schlanger ’18 went down 9–7 in just their third loss in 13 matches.
De Quant noted that such a 0–3 deficit to start the match can be demoralizing.
“Going down 3–0 by losing two doubles tiebreakers can be a big blow to the morale,” de Quant said.
“Our team displayed a lot of poise and competitive spirit in the face of an 0–3 deficit, and we battled back hard,” assistant coach Andrew Thomson said. De Quant was the first to do so, and in convincing fashion.
“My focus was on inserting as much energy and intensity into the overall match as possible,” de Quant said.
“We really wanted to get a point on the board as quickly as possible to build some momentum, and I knew that If I played focused and intense, I would be able to do that,” de Quant said of his rebounding performance against Williams’ Sachin Raghavan. De Quant must have been focused indeed, having the strongest win of the day with a dominant 6–2, 6–3 victory. Picking up his first win of the spring, de Quant added, “Even though I lost a tight match against CMS, I was happy to be back on court and competing at a high level for the team. After that match, I knew that if I focused on finding my rhythm and patterns again, my confidence would follow. I am enjoying being back out on court and still working to get back to the level of play I know I am capable of. This weekend was a step in the right direction.”
As for steps in the right direction, Farrell in the No. 2 spot was next to finish after de Quant. He came back from a 0–6 loss in the first set to power his way to a win 6–3, 6–3 in the final two sets. The coaching staff as well as the players were clearly anxious to get Farrell back on court. “It was a particular treat to watch [Farrell] back in action and competing with exemplary fight and courage in his three-set comeback victory,” said Thomson. On de Quant, he added, “[he] is also continuing to get healthier and healthier and matched Noah’s focused matchplay against Williams with a rock-solid performance.”
And it wasn’t just those returning from injury who impressed last weekend. De Quant added, “We competed very hard, and guys showed grit and determination down 3–0 against Williams.” Cuba fit this description well. Though he suffered his third loss of the season, he pushed Brian Grodecki to a marathon third-set tiebreak. This put the Panthers down 4–2. Any more singles wins for Williams would seal the match. The next three matches proved incredibly close. Schlanger won the first set in his match at No. 4, but lost the next two, sealing the match for Williams. The dense bottom of Middlebury’s ladder again proved too strong. The Panthers have dominated at the No. 5 and No. 6 spots, going 12–2 at both positions. Saturday was no different, as first-year Andre Xiao ’21 picked up an impressive ninth win this spring. Even so, Xiao himself needed a tiebreak to win, and van der Geest rounded out the scoring with a marathon comeback win, 10–8, in the third set. These wins did have significant meaning, assured Thomson, who said, “We are definitely remaining steadfast in our belief that each of these match experiences will bolster our resilience and also [provide] feedback on what we need to work on moving forward to increase the probability of pulling through when it matters most, toward the end of the year.” The final score was 5–4 for the Ephs.
“The team had to bounce back quickly and definitely responded brilliantly, getting a victory over a very tough Tufts team on the road,” Thomson said. The Panthers indeed had little time to waste or worry, with no small task in beating Tufts on the road the very next day. However, they started on the road to redemption early, winning two out of three doubles matches in convincing fashion. Though they struggled at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, the Panthers again dominated down the ladder, winning matches in the fourth through sixth slots, highlighted by a 6–1, 6–2 win by Schlanger.
At No. 1, Cuba also proved unfazed by yesterday’s close defeat and made quick work of Tufts’ Rohan Gupte. De Quant praised the performance of Xiao and Nate Eazor ’21.
“Two freshmen closed out our match against an inspired Tufts team, in difficult conditions and with huge pressure, so there are a lot of great things to take away from this weekend,” de Quant said. “Overall, we are on the right path upwards and have an amazing group of competitors top to bottom, so I am very positive going into the Bowdoin weekend.”
Remaining hopeful and rightfully pleased with the Tufts result, de Quant couldn’t help but make reference to this coming weekend’s slate. Current No. 2 Bowdoin will come over to Middlebury to face the Panthers on their home courts.
With everyone back from injury and in the swing of things, don’t take Midd’s losses to top-ranked CMS and Williams as indicative of a result this weekend. Undefeated Bowdoin has dominated numerous ranked opponents this year, including CMS, but be ready to watch the Panthers shake the rankings up again with their full lineup ready to go.
(04/05/18 1:33am)
MONTPELIER— On March 22, the Vermont State Senate unanimously passed the bill S.260, which would dedicate a committee, as well as other resources, to cleaning up water pollution.
Shortly after the bill was passed, Governor Phil Scott declared his opposition to it, stating, “I’m not familiar exactly with the details of the bill, but if it includes a tax or fee I would be opposed.” However, the bill does not necessarily implement taxes or fees for Vermont residents. Instead, it creates a committee that will look for and study long-term funding initiatives to help reduce water pollution levels.
The estimation for how much it would cost to bring Vermont public waters to the acceptable state and federal clean water level is $25 million, according to VTDigger. In order to achieve this kind of funding, the designated committee would have to either raise revenue, or reduce spending elsewhere within the state’s budget. One main area the bill targets is farming. Part of the money would be used for subsidizing farmers to invest in new technology that reduces their water pollution emissions, as well as fees for farmers that fail to reduce pollution.
The potential for the raise in revenues is the major reason for dissent from Scott. In his letter to the Vermont General Assembly, in which the bill is among 13 that Gov. Scott has deemed “problematic” because of “new or higher taxes or fees,” which he cannot support. Scott expresses that he wishes to find alternative ways for these proposals to pass, without jeopardizing his priority of providing “Vermonters with a break.”
Additionally, the bill allows for Vermont residents to sue state legislators if they feel they are not upholding their jobs. Gov. Scott considers this to “violate of the separation of powers”, as he wrote in his letter to the General Assembly. According to VTDigger, Scott’s administrators believe that citizens ability to sue legislators “will strain state resources and allow everyday citizens to dictate priorities for state agencies.”
Scott admits that something must be done, however, to tackle water pollution, and that long-term funding for this project is needed.
According to the Vermont General Assembly, “[W]ithin Vermont there are 7,100 miles of rivers and streams and 812 lakes and ponds of at least five acres in size.”
By the current assessment of State, “water or water segments indicates that there are: 101 waters or water segments that do not meet the State’s water quality standards for at least one criterion and require a plan for cleanup. 114 waters or water segments that do not meet State water quality standards and that do have a current cleanup plan, but which may not be meeting water quality standards…114 waters or water segments that are stressed, meaning that there are one or more factors or influences that prohibit the water from maintaining a higher quality; and at least 56 waters that are altered due to aquatic nuisance species, meaning that one or more of the designated uses of the water are prohibited due to the presence of aquatic nuisance species.”
The dichotomy between Gov. Scott’s pledge not to raise taxes or fees and the need for control of water pollution— with a need for additional revenue— is stalling the water pollution control that Vermont needs, despite warnings from the Environmental Protection Agency and the national government. Vermont was ordered to enforce agricultural rules and legislation meant to reduce water pollution from farms by 60 percent. By the end of 2017, Vermont was supposed to have identified funding, as well as a plan, for this legislation to be implemented, but the state has yet to do so.
Lynne Hamjian, the deputy director of the Ecosystem Protection Office in the EPA’s New England branch, has told legislators that they would be well advised to implement new farming practices that stem phosphorus pollution. Otherwise, the state could be ordered to take more costly measures.
Vermont is being warned that if the state does not act immediately, the costs are only going to increase. Hamjian emphasizes that if the state does not enforce these regulations now, Vermont could be required to upgrade to wastewater treatment plants—which would cost much more than what the bill S.260 proposes. According to VTDigger, it could instead end up costing Vermonters an additional 25 million to 30 million dollars each year for the next two decades.
Vermont’s water is in immediate and urgent danger with the continuation of water pollution and emissions that poison the pristine aquatic communities and wildlife.
The fight is not over whether this is an issue; it’s over who should pay. Is it the taxpaying citizen of Vermont’s duty? Should it come out of the government’s budget, reducing other government-funded programs? Is it the responsibility of the farmers that are the leading source of water pollution?
With this split, especially between the Governor and the Senate’s views on this bill, it is hard to tell what will happen. The destiny of bill S.260 will continue in the hands of the House, but overall, it must win Governor Scott’s signature to pass.
(04/04/18 8:25pm)
COLLEGE RELEASES CLASS OF 2022 DECISIONS
The college accepted 17.2 percent of its regular decision applicants for the class of 2022. Decisions were released March 27 and offered admission to 1,297 students from a pool of 9,230 total applicants. This is the largest number of applicants in the college’s history and includes a record number of international and domestic students of color.
These accepted students will join the 399 admitted through Middlebury’s early decision processes in December and February. The total 1,696 students represent a slight drop from the 1,753 students accepted last year to the class of 2021. Factoring in early decision admissions, this year’s overall acceptance rate was 18.4 percent, compared with last year’s acceptance rate of 19.7 percent.
Students accepted to the class of 2022 hail from 71 countries and all 50 states, most commonly New York, California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Illinois. Middlebury plans to award around $13.5 million in need-based financial aid to 45 percent of the class. The $1 million increase in aid from last year’s allocation of $12.5 million will boost the number of incoming students the College expects to assist by 5 percent.
According to a press release, the college hopes to enroll approximately 610 students in September 2018, followed by 100 in February 2019. The projected class size of about 710 for the classes of 2022 and 2022.5 is consistent with that of previous years. Last year’s combined enrollment of 751 for the classes of 2021 and 2021.5 was larger than expected.
Admitted students are invited to come to campus and learn more about Middlebury during preview days from April 16 to 18.
Regular decision applicants have until May 1 to accept Middlebury’s offer. - Nicole Pollack
PATTON & SGA TO HOST DINNERS WITH STUDENTS
The college’s Senior Leadership Group and Student Government Association will cohost two dinners with President Laurie L. Patton as part of their Common Agenda. The dinners, which are open to students, will be held on Thursday, April 12 and Monday, April 16 at 6:00 p.m. in Redfield Proctor.
Seating is limited to 100 per dinner and students are asked to bring food from Proctor up to the Redfield Room prior to the discussion.
“The goal is transparency and fostering a stronger sense of the shared work,” said Baishakhi Taylor, the dean of students and interim vice president for academic affairs.
Students can sign up for the dinner at go/pattonconversation. At that go/link, students can also submit topics and questions they would like Patton to discuss and answer. A group of students will sort through the most common suggestions beforehand.
Patton will begin each discussion with comments on the topics submitted. Then members of the Commons and Dean of Students Office teams will facilitate discussions about those topics.
Questions can be sent to sga@middlebury.edu or dos@middlebury.edu. - Will DiGravio
STARBUCKS COFFEE COMES TO WILSON CAFE
Dining services introduced Starbucks coffee to Wilson Cafe over spring break. Starbucks replaced Vermont Coffee Company, which is located in Middlebury. Vermont Coffee Company will continue to supply coffee to Midd Express, Crossroads Cafe, and the dining halls.
The addition is part of the college’s ongoing initiative to improve the retail food locations on campus. As reported in the last issue of The Campus, the college is reinvesting money saved from the swipe system back into other on campus dining options. Students are able to purchase Starbucks coffee with the $25 declining balance they receive on their ID card each semester.
The Campus spoke with students about the implementation. It is still unclear how students will respond to the changes, though many students are excited by the change. But, three students regretted the fact that the college would be moving away from a locally owned company in favor of a national brand. - Elaine Velie
(04/04/18 9:00am)
The women’s tennis team entered its spring break trip with a 3–0 record after dominating its first three opponents, defeating Tufts 6–3, Colby 9–0, and St. Lawrence 9–0. After continuing its undefeated run in its first three matches in California, No. 5 Middlebury lost for the first time in a 7–2 defeat to No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) on Friday, March 30. But the Panthers rebounded against their former coach, Mike Morgan, and his new team, No. 7 Pomona-Pitzer, with a 7–2 victory on Saturday, March 31, to end the West Coast swing on a high note.
They left the Golden State with a 7–1 record and have set their sights on returning to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps this May for the NCAA tournament, confident despite their first loss of the season.
“We are very excited to continue our season and are hoping that we will be back in California for the NCAA national tournament,” said the team’s No. 1, Katy Hughes ’20, after returning to campus.
A return to Claremont in May is a long ways off, but Middlebury knows the preparation needed to reach that point comes in every moment up until then, and the Panthers are convinced their spring trip will go a long way to achieving that goal. Heather Boehm ’20, one of Middlebury’s regulars in both the singles and doubles lineups, says that she and her teammates returned to Middlebury “closer than ever,” after using the trip to bond as a team.
“We play our best when we feel connected off the court,” said Boehm, after returning to campus from California. “We have more trust in each other than we have ever had, and have learned how much stronger we are together. Even though it is mostly an individual sport, we cannot win alone.”
On the court in California, Middlebury played outside for the first time in 2018 when they faced off with Grossmont on Sunday, March 25. The Panthers had no problem shutting out the Griffins, surrendering only two of 98 games on their way to a 9–0 victory.
The Panthers next travelled to Azusa Pacific to do battle with Cougars, the No. 13-ranked team in the DII polls, on Monday, March 26. Although Middlebury hails from a lower division, the Panthers came out on top with a 7–2 victory. While the Panthers lost individual matches to the Cougars, one in singles and one in doubles, their 7–2 win came in comfortable fashion.
After off-days Tuesday and Wednesday, Middlebury met up with Westmont at Pomona-Pitzer on Thursday, March 29. The Panthers shut out the Warriors 9–0, including dominant wins from two first-years. Emily Bian ’21 won 6–2, 6–1 in the fifth spot, and Ann Martin Skelly ’21 won 6–0, 6–0 at No. 6.
But the going got much tougher for Middlebury the next day, when the Panthers faced off with CMS, who is ranked third nationally. The Athenas entered Friday’s matchup with a 16–2 record, and their only losses came against the reigning NCAA champs, Williams, and last year’s runners-up, Emory.
CMS handed Middlebury its first loss of 2018, as the Panthers fell 7–2. Boehm and Maddi Stow ’20 won Middlebury’s only matches, with Boehm sweeping Caroline Cox 6–3, 6–3 in the No. 4 spot and Stow outlasting Jessie Cruz 7–5, 1–6, 10–8 in the sixth slot.
Unlike many of Middlebury’s matches that they won in dominating fashion, every Panther won several games against CMS, even in defeat.
“Even though we lost to Claremont, every match was close, and with a few more points here and there it could have been an entirely different match,” Boehm said with optimism and confidence in her team.
The Panthers needed to get past their first loss of the 2018 campaign quickly, especially because their next opponent provided another tough test. When they faced Pomona-Pitzer the very next day, they not only went up against the No. 7 team in the country, but they also went up against their former coach, Mike Morgan. Morgan left Middlebury before the fall season began to become the head coach at Pomona-Pitzer.
“It was really great to be able to see our former coach Mike Morgan. He is such a wonderful coach and is doing fabulous things at Pomona,” said Hughes. “He made such an impact on not only each of our tennis games, but more importantly on an individual level. The women’s tennis team will forever remember his contribution to shaping our program.”
While this made for a matchup full of emotion, Middlebury got back on track, defeating the Sagehens 7–2 to cap off spring break and return east to jump into Nescac play with a 7–1 record.
Boehm capped off a fantastic week by beating Summer Garrison 6–0, 6–3 at No. 3. She also paired with Christina Puccinelli ’19 to win 8–4 in No. 3 doubles. Boehm was Middlebury’s only player to play singles in all five matches and win in all five. She also did so without losing a single set, playing in the second, third and fourth singles spots.
Boehm believes her success thus far arises from her fitness, which has been a focus for the entire team in practices.
“The key to my success has been my fitness,” said Boehm. “We have really been working on maintaining that first explosive move throughout the entire match by mixing in different sprints during practice throughout the week. Knowing that I can outlast our opponents definitely gives all of us confidence that we can close out our matches.”
Besides her individual success, Boehm has experienced a rapid rise in doubles, after not making the top-four doubles spot in her first year at Middlebury. She and Puccinelli won four of their five doubles matches in the third spot on the spring trip, and are 7–1 so far this spring.
“Christina has taught me a lot about strategy and has helped me gain confidence playing in third doubles,” Boehm said.
After their loss to Claremont No. 3 pair, Boehm and Puccinelli know what they “need to buckle down on at practice this week.”
Even with Middlebury’s loss to CMS, Hughes was very pleased with Middlebury’s performance in California.
“I am beyond proud of us all,” Hughes said, who went 3–2 in singles and 3–2 in the first doubles slot, paired Skylar Schossberger ’20, in California. “We have worked so hard this year and to see it come together was truly amazing. Everyone competed so hard and played with such grace and integrity.”
After feeling the sting of defeat against CMS, the Panthers’ minds have turned to the practice courts, where they believe their hopes of avenging their loss lie.
“Although it was a tough loss, we are definitely determined to train harder than we have ever trained before to get to that next level,” said Boehm. “We want to get the W next time if we see Claremont again at NCAAs.”
Now, Middlebury turns to the thick of its Nescac schedule, including a showdown with Williams in Williamstown, Massachusetts, two days from now on Saturday, April 7. The Ephs have won eight of the last 10 NCAA championships, including last season’s. In 2017, Middlebury beat Williams in their regular season match then lost to them twice in the postseason: in the Nescac championship match, and in the NCAA semifinals. After winning 6–3 and losing 5–2 in the first two matchups, the Panthers were one win away from defeating Williams in the NCAA semifinals, holding a 4–1 lead, but lost the last four matches as victory slipped away.
In the print edition, this story stated Middlebury lost to Williams all three times in 2017.
(04/04/18 9:00am)
After a small break, the men’s and women’s track teams are beginning their outdoor season. Over spring break, the team participated in the PNLU Collegiate Invitational on Saturday, March 24 and the California Collegiate Open on Saturday, March 31. Both the men and the women did well in these opening meets. Hard work and dedication early on will definitely lead to success later in the season.
At the PNLU Invitational, the men came in first with a score of 155 in an 11-team field. Headlining the Panthers’ efforts were the usual suspects. Nick Hendrix ’20 captured fifth place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.85, and he got second place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.54. Jimmy Martinez ’19 also did well in the 200-meter dash with a fifth-place finish and a time of 21.78.
But Martinez left his biggest mark on the 400-meter race when he finished with a time of 47.78 to capture first place, setting a meet and school record in the process. For his record-breaking performance, Martinez was named Nescac Performer of the Week.
Some other notable performances were second- and third-place finishes by Connor Evans ’19 and Harrison Knowlton ’19, respectively, in the 5000-meter run. Evans had a time of 14:50.96, while Knowlton had a time of 14:56.41. Also, Middlebury’s “A” team for the 4x400-meter relay finished with a time of 3:22.13, which netted them second place. The team consisted of Matthew Durst ’21, Tyler Farrell ’18, Kevin Serrao ’18 and Arden Coleman ’20. Taylor Moore ’20 participated in the javelin throw and placed third; he threw 50.55 meters.
Moore and his teammates looked positively at the meet as a whole.
“I definitely can’t complain about my throws this weekend,” Moore said. “I started with a third-place finish at the opening meet, with a great distance given it was my first time throwing outside all year. The snow at Middlebury had kept us inside up to this point, so San Diego was a great opportunity to get outside and get some real training in. The second meet I had a great day. I actually threw my farthest throw ever, a personal record of 174 feet, which was good enough for a fifth place finish. I’m excited to keep it going through the rest of the season.”
“I think we did an incredible job at our meets this trip,” said Moore. “The men’s team won our first meet at Point Loma, which included two big Nescac rivals, Tufts and Williams. Really set the tone going into training that week and set us up well for the second meet of the trip, hosted by UC San Diego. We did not place as well at this meet due to a combo of better competition and being sore from all the training. That meet had athletes from USC, Louisville, and Wisconsin. [It] was great to see athletes from a higher level compete — it helped us push ourselves.”
The women’s team also performed well at the PNLU Invitational, where they came in second with a score of 114 in a total field of thirteen teams. The first-place team was Point Loma, with a score of 197.
The women did extremely well in the 1500-meter run with three top-10 finishers. Katie Glew ’21 finished second with a time of 4:38.50. Abigail Nadler ’19 and Read Allen ’18 finished in eighth and ninth place with times of 4:45.37 and 4:47.38, respectively. Kate MacCary ’19 had a great-first place finish in the 5000-meter run with a time of 17:13.03. The 4x100m and the 4x400m relay teams both had impressive outings, with times of 49.32 and 4:00.28, respectively, both good for fourth place. The 4x100m relay team consisted of Ellie Greenberg ’20, Kate Holly ’21, Alex Cook ’20 and Lizzie Walkes ’20. The 4x400m relay team comprised Kate McCluskey ’18, Lucy Lang ’19, Anna Willig ’20, and Holly. There were two top-five finishers in the javelin throw. Julia Lothrop ’19 finished in third with a throw of 37.65 meters and was followed by Helene Rowland ’20, whose 35.75-meter throw got her fourth place.
At the California Collegiate Open, the Panthers faced some of the toughest competition they will see this year. The men’s side still managed to finish seventh with a team score of 67. The first-place team was UC San Diego, with a score of 163.5.
At the California Open, the men’s 4x100m relay team finished in fifth place with a time of 43:13. The team consisted of Jackson Bock ’19, Jackson Barnett ’18, Joshua Howard ’19, and Hendrix. In the 800-meter run, Serrao got a time of 1:51.96 to receive second place, and James Mulliken ’18 got a time of 1:53.74 to receive fourth place. Jon Perlman ’19 and Will Meyer ’20 did very well in the 1500-meter run, capturing second and third place, respectively. Perlman had a time of 4:00.09, and Meyer had a time of 4:00.36. There were also three scorers in the 3000-meter steeplechase. These were Theo Henderson ’20 in fifth place, Ascencion Aispuro ’18 in sixth place and Thomas Tarantino ’21 in eighth place.
The women’s squad also found success at the California Open despite the top-notch competition, as they finished in fifth with 46 points. Wisconsin took the top spot in the meet with a score of 179.
McCluskey showed her skill by coming in first in the 400-meter run with a time of 56.18 and by breaking a school record with a time of 25.61 in the 200-meter dash. Willig dominated the 800-meter run by finishing first with a time of 2:12.73. In the 1500-meter race, Nadler placed third with a time of 4:39.16. MacCary and Allen placed sixth and seventh, respectively, with times of 4:45.19 and 4:46.10.
These two meets were great ways to start the season for the track team, and they all look forward to getting started with the outdoor season.
“The team is super excited heading into the outdoor season,” Moore said. “It goes by pretty quick with meets every weekend until the Nescac Championships like a month out. I think we have a good chance at winning it all — we were able to beat Tufts and Williams the first time around, and with our volume of training and positive energy I think we can do it. Go Panthers!”
Hopefully more success will follow. The team will be back in action on Saturday, April 7, when they head south down I-91 toward Amherst, Massachusetts, where they will take part in the Amherst Spring Fling.
(03/21/18 10:24pm)
Despite the Vermont cold front, with temperatures hovering in the teens all weekend, the women’s lacrosse team extended its winning streak to five games. The Panthers easily toppled Wesleyan with a dominant 13–1 win on Saturday, March 17, to move to 5–0 on the season and 3–0 in the Nescac.
To completely annihilate No. 12 Wesleyan — who entered Saturday’s matchup looking like a top Nescac competitor after defeating previously-ranked No. 2 TCNJ on Wednesday, March 14 — like Middlebury did took a complete team effort.
Seven Panthers scored on Saturday, as Middlebury outshot Wesleyan 27–5, with the defense doing their job in limiting Cardinal shot attempts. Evie Keating led the defense on her way to Nescac Player of the Week, which she garnered for forcing six turnovers and collecting four ground balls on Saturday.
You could tell the Panthers felt comfortable on their home turf, as they earned a spot on the scoreboard just moments after the first whistle and never lost their lead after that point. Emma McDonagh ’19 proved her position as a leading scorer when she slapped back the first of her four goals of the contest in the first 18 seconds of play. McDonagh doubled the score when she fired another one past the Wesleyan goalie on a free-position shot just minutes later.
Then it was Casey O’Neill ’19 who gave the Panthers a comfortable lead over the Cardinals after capitalizing on another free-position shot. With Middlebury up 3-0 after less than eight minutes of play, the women were not done yet.
Although the returning players were notching point after point on the board, it was Kirsten Murphy ’21 who made the next three goals happen. First, the first-year glided past the Cardinal defense on her own and hammered the ball past Allegra Grant, the visitors’ goalie. She then assumed a playmaking role, assisting both Georgia Carroll ’18 and Emily Barnard ’20.
Less than 17 minutes into the first half, Middlebury led 7–0.
“We talk a lot about playing as a team — our saying for this year is ‘the pack survives’ — and I think that has translated into our playing style on every part of the field,” said Henley Hall ’19. “While lacrosse is often seen as working on individual skills, a lot of it is team cohesion and reflective glory, or feeling like a teammate’s accomplishments are your own. I think we have also been doing a good job of approaching every game with the same mentality and confidence.”
McDonagh kept the Panthers’ first half momentum going on a free position shot to give herself a hat trick and to increase the Middlebury advantage to seven goals.
The Panthers closed out the half with three more goals, silencing the Cardinals’ hopes until the final 30 minutes of play. Carroll found her second goal of the contest, followed by Jenna McNicholas ’19, who took advantage of a strong assist from Murphy. With under three minutes to go, Barnard successfully breezed past the visitors and knocked in the final goal of the half.
Even though the freezing winds persisted, Middlebury did not let the icy air interfere with their second half of play. McDonagh once again led off the scoring, tallying her 10th goal of the season. After about 40 minutes of unsuccessful Wesleyan attempts to seep past the Panther defense, the Cardinals finally broke through. Abby Manning found the back of the net, despite an impressive attempt at a save by Middlebury goalie Julia Keith ‘20. About three minutes later, Middlebury had a response when O’Neill raced by the Cardinals to extend Middlebury’s double-digit lead. Kate Zecca ’20 completed the competition when she clubbed a shot back in, giving the Panthers a 13–1 victory.
Keith once again protected the net with skill, rejecting four Cardinal balls from her cage.
Middlebury will open its spring break with a matchup against Bowdoin at home on Saturday, March 24, at 12 p.m. The Panthers are seeking revenge after falling by one goal in overtime to their conference rivals around this time last year.
“While we have executed well against all the teams we have played so far, playing Wesleyan this past Saturday was an opportunity for us to take our game to the next level, and I think fortunately we were really able to do that and show ourselves how much potential we have,” said Hall. “We’re going into this week of practice with a lot to be proud of and a lot to work on, and we’re going to prepare for the Bowdoin game just as we do every other game. We’re excited to kick off our spring break trip with a competitive Nescac game.”
(03/21/18 10:16pm)
Last season the softball team finished 17–14–1 overall and 4–8 in the Nescac, placing the Panthers third in the Nescac West standings and six games out of the conference playoffs. Middlebury loses five seniors from that 2017 team to graduation, but the returners and newcomers are confident that this year’s edition of Middlebury softball can overcome its small roster size of 13 players to play to the best of its ability, hopefully returning to the Nescac playoffs in the process. After five straight trips to the Nescac playoffs, from 2011 to 2015 — including its only Nescac championship and NCAA tournament berth in 2011— the softball team has not made it to the postseason each of the last two years.
Leading the way this season will be senior captains Kati Daczkowski ’18, Ali Della Volpe ’18, Taylor Gardner ’18 and Allison Quigley ’18.
Last season, Quigley pitched in 18 games, starting 15 of those, and posted a 2.27 earned run average and 63 strikeouts in 98.2 innings. She finished sixth in the Nescac in ERA and seventh in strikeouts.
Daczkowski, Della Volpe and Gardner all played in 30 of Middlebury’s 32 games last season, primarily in the field — although Gardner chipped in 19.1 innings on the mound.
Daczkowski played in the outfield last season. In 85 plate appearances, she posted a .482 on-base percentage, finishing fourth in the Nescac in that category, while also recording a .368 batting average.
Della Volpe played both in the outfield and in the infield at second base last season. She hit .280 and stole a team-high six bases.
Gardner played mostly at second and third base, with a dash of pitching mixed in. Gardner finished tied for third on the team with 10 doubles, the second-most of any returning Panther, providing some pop for a Middlebury team that struggled to score runs in Nescac play.
Melanie Mandell ’20 will provide Middlebury’s biggest bat, after hitting .439 to go with three home runs, 12 doubles, and three triples last season. Mandell made the All-Nescac first team last season as a first-year. She had the second-best batting average among qualifying hitters in the conference, and the third-best slugging percentage (.714).
Mandell’s fellow sophomores Marybeth Stone ’20 and Olivia Bravo ’20 also plan to build on their strong first seasons in the blue in white, when they hit .405 and .380, respectively.
Although there are only 13 players on this season’s team, the captains emphasize small numbers play to their advantage, as they have grown closer as a team this school year.
“We have the best team chemistry we’ve had in years,” said Daczkowski. “We are a small team, so everyone has to go above and beyond to make up for the lack of bodies. No one can afford to slack.”
Quigley is convinced Middlebury’s small group is extremely versatile, motivated, and driven to get the best out of itself.
“We’re lucky to have a group of players who are willing and able to play more than one position. We have a group who isn’t afraid to push one another and strive to get the best out of themselves and their teammates,” said Quigley.
Middlebury’s 4–8 Nescac record in 2017 seems bad on the surface, but the Panthers lost a lot of close games, as four of their eight losses were by two runs or fewer and only two were by more than four runs. The Panthers ended their season by losing their last three games to eventual Nescac champion Williams 1–0, 5–1 and 3–1, showing they could hang with the conference’s best in three consecutive games.
The Panthers struggled to score runs in the Nescac last season, as they scored only 42 in 12 games, tied with Wesleyan for the fewest in the West division.
But Della Volpe agrees with Quigley that Middlebury has a balanced roster entering this season, with strengths on the mound and at the plate.
“We have a great pitching staff and have a strong hitting lineup,” said Della Volpe. “We have a lot of players who can hit for power, while also having some players who can put pressure on the defense with their speed and skill.”
After dedicating themselves to their craft in the offseason, Della Volpe is confident Middlebury will be able to hit the ground running this spring, even as the Panthers figure out how to fill the missing pieces left by last year’s graduating class.
“We have some underclassmen who are ready to step up and fill [the graduated seniors’] shoes this year,” Della Volpe said, “We have been working hard as a team to be strong and fit this year, to both prevent injuries and be in the best shape possible. We have also focused a lot on our communication and teamwork on defense, and worked on our mindset when we are at the plate.”
Because of numbers, Middlebury team will look to its underclassmen, including first-years Claire Tipler ’21, Emily Morris ’21, Kaylee Gumm ’21, and Emily Moore ’21, to step into the shoes of players lost to graduation.
The whole squad has high hopes, starting with their spring training trip to Florida.
“Our goals are to start the season off strong in Florida, and then come in and win our NESCAC games,” Della Volpe said.
“Our goal is to just win and have fun,” added Quigley. “The other seniors [and I] want to go out on a high note.”
The Panthers will first hit the field on Friday, March 23 in Clermont, Florida, for their season opener against Allegheny. They will play 10 games in Florida over spring break before returning to Vermont to play a doubleheader at Norwich on Friday, March 30. They begin Nescac play on April 6 and 7, when the Panthers travel to Amherst for a three-game series.
(03/21/18 10:06pm)
In its first away game against a ranked opponent, the men’s lacrosse team (2–2) lost 13–10 to the No. 8 Wesleyan Cardinals (4–1) on Saturday, March 17, in Middletown, Connecticut. After trailing 8–4 at halftime, the Panthers cut the deficit to one goal in the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals scored the last two goals of the game to give Middlebury its second loss of the season.
The first quarter seesawed, as the Panthers had an answer for every Wesleyan goal. The hosts got on the scoreboard less than three minutes into the match, which Middlebury’s A.J. Kucinski ’18 matched 33 seconds later. The Cardinals restored a one-goal lead at the 6:43 mark. Michael McCormack ’19 had the answer this time when he scored just 26 seconds later, after assisting on the first goal for Middlebury.
After a Wesleyan goal with 2:37 remaining in the first quarter, it looked like Wesleyan would take a one-goal lead into the break, but Danny Jacobs ’18 found the back of the net with just four seconds on the clock to tie the game at three.
The opponents traded goals to start the second quarter, as Henry Riehl ’18 scored an unassisted goal to bring the score to 4–4.
But Wesleyan rattled off four unanswered goals in the latter half of the second quarter to take an 8–4 lead into the locker room, doubling its scoring output from the first 22:40 in a span of 7:40.
Middlebury emerged from the locker room rejuvenated and outscored the hosts 5–2 in the third quarter to cut the lead to one goal entering the final quarter. The Panthers scored back-to-back goals within the first 2:09 of the quarter to make their first move of the half. McCormack tallied his second goal of the game, and Wes Quinzani ’18 scored his first off a feed from Riehl.
Wesleyan came back with two goals of its own to restore its four-goal lead, but Middlebury ended the quarter with a flourish, producing three goals to make the score 10–9 entering the fourth and final quarter. Riehl scored the first two goals of the run, completing his hat trick, and Chase Goree ’20 stamped his name on the scorecard with his first tally to bring Middlebury within one.
Behind by only one goal, the Panthers put themselves in position to complete their comeback and earn their first road win. Wesleyan scored first in the fourth quarter, at the 11:23 mark. Four minutes later, Frank Cosolito ’18 drove home a powerful shot from 15 yards out to cut the lead back down to one, 11–10.
After goalie Chase Midgely ’19’s save with 7:43 left, Middlebury had an opportunity to tie the game. But Jacobs hit the post, and the Wesleyan netminder saved shots from Riehl and Kucinski to keep Wesleyan in front.
Then, Wesleyan scored twice in the final four minutes to seal its 13–10 victory over Middlebury. With the win, the Cardinals stayed undefeated in the Nescac. Along with Amherst and Tufts, they are one of three unbeaten teams left in the conference. Middlebury fell to 1–2 in the Nescac and stand in a four-way tie for sixth place in the conference.
Riehl’s three goals brought his team-leading total to 10, while McCormack bolstered his team-leading points total with two goals and two assists.
After playing in only one game last season, McCormack entered his junior campaign having played in only 16 games, scoring one goal and assisting on three in his first two years. This season, he has started in all four of Middlebury’s games, scored eight goals, and assisted on five more to lead the Panthers with 13 points.
After a mid-week victory on Tuesday, March 20, over Plattsburgh, the Panthers aim to rebound in the Nescac, as they head to Brunswick, Maine, to face the Bowdoin (2–2) on Saturday, March 24, at 1 p.m. Like Middlebury, the Polar Bears are 1–2 in the conference and lost 8–6 Conn. College earlier this month. Bowdoin’s other Nescac loss came in a 16–15 shootout with Amherst, who remains unbeaten in conference play.
(03/14/18 5:50pm)
With six seconds remaining, Matt Folger ’18 grabbed an offensive rebound, dribbled to the three-point arc, and launched a three that bounced off the back of the rim, ending the men’s basketball team’s NCAA tournament run and its 2018 season last Friday, March 9. Middlebury lost to MIT 79–76 in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament at Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey. For the third straight year, the Panthers’ season ended with a loss in the NCAA tournament by four or fewer points in games that could have gone either way.
Seniors Jack Daly ’18, Adisa Majors ’18 and Nick Tarantino ’18 have all been a part of those three NCAA teams, including last season’s run to the Elite Eight, and two Nescac champion teams. After a 21–7 season as senior captains, Daly, Majors and Tarantino finished their Middlebury careers with an 83–29 record. They were parts of the first team to win back-to-back Nescac championships and the team that won 27 games last season, the second-most in program history.
For the third straight game, Middlebury threw the first punch on Friday evening, taking a 12–5 lead in the first six minutes of the game. In a game shaped by counterpunches, the Engineers responded with a 13–0 run to go ahead by six. But the Panthers came right back to score 13 out of the next 15 points and led 25–20 with 7:15 left in the first half.
Tied at 34, Daly set up a Folger three with three seconds remaining in the half, sending Middlebury to the locker room up 37–34.
The Panthers held the Engineers to below thirty percent shooting from inside the arc in the first half, as Folger rejected six shots, but MIT stayed in the game by hitting seven out of 17 threes from beyond the arc.
Jack Farrell ’21 stayed hot after scoring 19 in Middlebury’s win in the second round of the tournament, tallying 12 on five of seven shooting in the first half on Friday.
Over the first eight minutes of the second half, every time MIT got within two points, Middlebury answered to keep the Engineers at bay.
But, at the 11:31 mark, MIT tied the game at 54 and then at 57 less than two minutes later. The Panthers rebuilt their lead to five, 67–62, but then the Engineers made their move, scoring the next eight points to go ahead by three.
Farrell drilled a three to tie the game, then MIT went ahead by five to take a 75–70 lead with 3:50 remaining. Middlebury held MIT in check over the next two possessions, but could not score either until the 1:48 mark when Daly laid the ball in to cut the lead to three.
After an Engineer miss and a Folger rebound, Middlebury pushed the ball down the court and Daly finished in the lane to cut the lead to 75–74 with 54 seconds remaining. Out of their own timeout, the Engineers held the ball, but turned it over with 25 ticks left on the clock, as Farrell stole it.
Jack Daly ’18 got the ball and drove it into the lane, where he lofted a floater that rolled off the rim. MIT rebounded the basketball and made two free throws to take a three-point lead. Daly drew a foul at midcourt and sank two free throws, but MIT responded with two makes from the line. Behind 79–76, Daly missed the front end of a one-and-one after being fouled, which was the rebound Folger grabbed to launch Middlebury’s final chance.
In a game featuring four lead changes and seven ties, neither team led by more than seven points. In the second half, the lead was never greater than five—at no point in the second half were the two separated by more than two possessions. But some team had to win and MIT scored when it needed to most, outscoring Middlebury 17–9 over the final 7:10 to eke out a 79–76 victory over the Panthers.
For the second straight season, Middlebury came within four wins, they were within three last season when they made the Elite Eight, and lost in the last minute of each game, making the loss especially emotional for the Panther seniors.
“The closer you get to goals, like winning a national championship, the more crushing it is when you nearly miss achieving it two years in a row,” said Tarantino. “As a result, I think it’s been an emotional couple of days for all us.
“Nevertheless, I’m so proud of all we’ve achieved this year and over my last four years.”
The two Jacks led the Panthers on Saturday, as Daly scored 21 points and nabbed 13 rebounds, and Farrell added 15 points on three three-pointers. Folger tallied nine points, seven rebounds and six blocks.
Daly finished his career atop Middlebury’s career assist leaderboard with 611, and set the school single-season record this year by tallying 237. He also scored 1,067 points, placing him seventh in program history in that category, and grabbed 649 rebounds. Daly is believed to be the first player in Nescac history to tally 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.
Head coach Jeff Brown has coached many of the best players in Middlebury men’s basketball history, including 1,000-point scorers Matt St. Amour ’17, Joey Kizel ’14, Ryan Sharry ’12, Ben Rudin ’09, Nolan Thompson ’13, Greg Poulos ’98, Jake Wolfin ’13, and Nate Anderson ’04. And now Daly, who Brown considers to be one of the best players he has ever coached an one of the best in program history.
“Jack will go down as one of the best players ever to play at Middlebury,” said Brown, citing Daly’s senior season as one he will never forget. “He is the only player in the history of NESCAC basketball to accumulate 1000 points, 600 assists and 600 rebounds. He started his senior season with a triple double vs Fitchburg State and had one in our first NCAA game vs Lebanon Valley. He led the country in total assists this season.”
Brown knows his point guard’s skill on the court propelled him to a tremendous career in the blue and white, and that Daly’s drive to win had just as much to do with his individual and their team’s success.
“He is one of the most passionate players that I have ever coached,” Brown concluded.
Majors and Tarantino also played their last game in the Middlebury uniform on Friday.
Majors’ career took off in his sophomore season when he burst into the Panthers’ rotation, starting 11 games and averaging 7.2 points per game in 16.1 minutes. He started 19 games his junior year, while averaging a career-best 9.6 points per contest in 23.2 minutes. Majors embraced coming off the bench in his senior season, playing five fewer minutes per game but still averaging 7.6 points per game on 52.4 percent shooting.
Majors was one of Brown’s many big men who powered Middlebury to the Sweet Sixteen. Coach Brown recognized how important he was to Middlebury’s success this season.
“Adisa made strong contributions the last three seasons,” Brown said. “He provided us with inside scoring and made a lot of medium range jump shots. This season his 15-foot jump shot on the baseline against Bowdoin with 5 seconds left was the game winner. He developed into a great passer for us.”
Tarantino, along with Daly and Majors, was a team captain this season and Middlebury’s starting center. After sitting behind more experienced Panthers his first two seasons, Tarantino started 18 games last season and all 28 games this season. He averaged 6.8 points and six rebounds in his junior year, and career-bests 7.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks this season.
Brown is proud of his Tarantino’s, and all of his seniors’, selflessness on and off the basketball court.
“Nick started every game for us in his senior season,” said Brown. “He provided inside scoring, rebounding and good defense at the rim. He was able to create a spark for us with an exciting dunk or block. He was very active and athletic on the court and very unselfish.”
Majors and Tarantino also left their marks on the Middlebury record book, as this year’s team set Middlebury’s single-season rebounding mark by grabbing 1,329. Tarantino secured 6.8 rebounds per game, while Majors corralled five.
As much as Middlebury will miss its three seniors, they will miss being Panthers just as much. Being a part of coach Brown’s team meant much more to Daly than what happened on the court.
“Basketball has been a huge part of my life at Middlebury, and my best friends have all played on the team,” said Daly after Friday’s loss. “That is the unique part about continuing to play at the college level. It’s led me to relationships that I may never have created and has led me to people I may never have met. I am so grateful that I have crossed paths with everyone these last four years, players and coaches.”
“I’m sad to say my basketball career is over, but my passion for it will never stop,” said Tarantino, echoing his classmate’s sentiments. “I’ve taken away so many life lessons from the sport and have met many close friends through it. I have all the gratitude in the world for my teammates and coaches for making these past years the best four of my life.”
Ending their collegiate careers with a loss was certainly difficult for Daly, Majors and Tarantino, but they know their final loss neither represents their careers as a whole nor clouds their memory of their awesome times at Middlebury.
“We’ve had so much success during my four years, from winning back-to-back Nescac championships, to hosting NCAA tournament games, to making the Elite Eight and the Sweet Sixteen,” Daly said. “I can proudly say that I left everything all out on the court and have no regrets, which is why I can keep my head held high because there is nothing more I could have done.
“Obviously it’s sad to not have your last game be a win, but life goes on, and you have to be able to reflect on the good times because they clearly outnumbered the bad times we’ve had on the court.”
Once again, Middlebury will be hard-pressed to replace its three outgoing seniors who helped guide the Panthers to consistent success over their four years here. But Daly knows Middlebury will be in the good hands of his teammates and coaches.
“I wish returners nothing but the best of luck, and I know they will continue to keep this program at a high level,” Daly concluded. “The future looks extremely bright.”
(03/14/18 5:43pm)
The men’s lacrosse team showed that they have depth and are capable of competing with the nation’s best last Saturday, March 10, and Monday, March 12. At the same time, there is plenty of room for growth in a season that is still young.
Although they split their two games, they played No. 20 Connecticut College closely last Saturday, ultimately falling to the Camels by a score of 8–6 on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium but held 4–2 and 6–5 leads earlier in the game. Then, in their game on Monday, the Panthers laid it on St. Lawrence for a better part of three-quarters of an hour, leading 12–3 at the end of the third quarter, before having to hold on to barely beat the Saints 12–11.
In Saturday’s game against Conn. College, the Camels put Middlebury on its heels immediately by gaining the upper hand just 48 seconds into the first quarter. At the 9:57 mark, the hosts found an equalizer at the hands of Henry Riehl ’18. Midfielder Parker Lawlor ’18 found the back of the net with two minutes remaining in the first to give the Panthers a 2–1 advantage.
The Panthers continued to press until the very end of the quarter, scoring once more with 3.7 seconds left on the clock after the Camels committed a turnover. Michael McCormack ’19 burst into the crease and slotted the ball into the back of the net to put Middlebury ahead 3–1 at the end of the first quarter.
The visitors cut the deficit to one goal halfway into the second quarter. Then Frank Cosolito ’20 assisted a Riehl goal at the top of the crease to restore the two-goal advantage. But over the final four minutes of the first half, the Camels responded with two goals to knot the game at four going into the halfway point.
In the third quarter, Middlebury and Conn. College traded goals, before the Camels scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal with 2:20 left in the quarter. The visitors took its first lead 25 seconds into the quarter, but Alderik van der Heyde ’21 answered with his first career goal to tie the game at five. The Panthers regained the lead when A.J. Kucinski ’20 scored from the top of the crease. Kucinski’s goal was Middlebury’s last, as the Camels scored the last two goals of the quarter to take a 7–6 lead.
Conn. College scored an insurance goal with 10:34 left in the game. The Panthers had a few chances to score, ripping four shots at the end of regulation but could not find the back of the net. And Nescac foe Conn. College handed Middlebury its first loss of the young season, avenging its 8–6 loss to the Panthers last season.
Conn. College’s style and tactics proved a difficult code to crack for the Panthers of play proved. Defender Keaton Yates ’18 chimed in on the challenge the Camels posed for the Panthers.
“Their zone defense is a different look than we are used to going against,” said Yates. “It slows the game down and makes you move the ball patiently to get the looks that you want. Conn. College a is very disciplined team and works well within their system.”
After the tough loss at home, the Panthers had a one day turnaround to prep for the St. Lawrence Saints, in a game that was moved up from Tuesday, March 13, to Monday, March 12, due to the weather forecast.
Middlebury got off to a fast start against St. Lawrence — the Panthers scored six goals in the first 12 minutes, all by different players. Those who got in on the action were Lawlor, Cosolito, John Jackson ’18, Riehl, Danny Jacobs ’20 and van der Heyde. It was the first goal of the season for Jacobs, who scored 19 last year for the Panthers.
The Panthers went on to end the first half with a 7–1 advantage after Kucinski scored a goal assisted by Jacobs.
The fact that the Panthers have spread the goal-scoring around will prove to be a plus for the team going forward.
“On Monday, we had 10 different goal scorers, which is a testament to our depth and ability on the offensive end,” said Riehl, who led the team in scoring last season with 53 goals. “Each day in practice, we are becoming more comfortable as a unit and mastering our scheme a little bit better.”
A little over two minutes into the third, the Panthers held an eight-point lead following goals from Will Brossman ’21 and McCormack. The Saints responded with two rapid goals of their own, to which McCormack decided to score two additional goals to complete a hattrick for the game. Soon after McCormack’s double, Laurence Jackson ’21 was able to force a turnover and provide a goal for defender Eric Rogers ’18 with 4:53 left in the game.
The Saints answered back with a man-up goal and would hold the Panthers goalless in the fourth quarter. They were able to score seven goals in the final quarter but were unable to cap off their almost miraculous comeback.
Lapses on the defensive end and St. Lawrence’s sudden revival in the fourth put the Panthers into a corner during the final quarter.
“During that quarter there was a collective lapse in communication and some sloppy play on our defensive end,” said Yates. “We started to turn the ball over in the clear and allowed them to convert on possessions they had after those turnovers, which let them gain some momentum.”
Fortunately, the Panthers were able to salvage a win and will now prep for their first away game of the season for a Nescac bout against No. 9 Wesleyan.
“Wesleyan is a very good team and a challenging competitor every year,” Yates said, “but we are going to prepare for them like we would for any other Nescac game by making sure we are working hard and taking steps forward everyday in practice. It’s going to be important that on Saturday we win the ground ball battle and limit the time spent in the penalty box.”
The Panthers will head to Middletown, Connecticut, on Saturday, March 17, where the action against the Cardinals is set to start at 2 p.m.
(03/08/18 12:54am)
MONTPELIER — The state of Vermont has a history of being socially and politically progressive. Vermont was the first state to outlaw slavery in 1777. Montpelier is the only state capital without a McDonald’s restaurant. Vermont was the only state without a Wal-mart until 1996.
More recently, Vermont has continued to lead the way in progressive reforms both politically and socially. It was one of the first states to legalize civil unions, push for a single-payer health care system and legalize cannabis. However, Vermont’s criminal justice system does not follow the same progressive trend.
Vermont has one of the worst track records when it comes to the criminal justice system. According to Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform (VCJR) white people are equally as likely to be involved with drugs as black people are, yet, “on average, black and brown people are incarcerated in Vermont state prisons at a rate 5.1 times higher the imprisonment of whites. Vermont has a higher rate of incarceration of black and brown men than any other state. 1 in 14 black and brown men in the state of Vermont are incarcerated.”
“Drug laws exist to police people of color,” said Joanna Colwell, a community activist. “That is a national issue, though, not just a Vermont issue. It’s a double whammy: the law itself is racist and then you have those racist laws implemented in a way that is even more unfair to people of color.”
According to the 2010 census, while only 1.1 percent of Vermont’s population is black, blacks make up 10.7 percent of the Vermont prison population.
A recent study published by the University of Vermont found that black and hispanic drivers are more likely than white or Asian drivers to receive a citation once pulled over. The black arrest rate is almost double the white arrest rate. When a demographic of people are stopped and arrested more often, a higher percentage of them will end up behind bars.
“Racism is a systemic issue, not just a matter of a couple bad police officers,” said Nico Armador, an organizer for the ACLU. “Multiple disparities that are impacting people of color create a higher likelihood that they will end up in prison at some point in their life. Disparities include economic disparity, high rates of unemployment, discrimination and ways in which people of color experience the school system.”
While it has become evident that Vermont’s criminal justice system is racist, there is an overwhelming consensus that the current administration is dedicated to reforming many aspects of the criminal justice system here in Vermont.
“The good things that have happened are the results of policies that the legislature and the administration have put in place over the past decade,” said Robin Scheu, a representative for Addison County who sits on the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions. “Ten years ago, the prison population was projected to be 2800 people in 2018. Today, the population is down to 1700 prisoners.”
This downward trend in inmate population comes in conjunction with policies that have been passed by recent administrations. The current governor and state legislature have made a conscious decision to transition towards a restorative justice criminal justice system.
Vermont is the only state to have community justice centers in every county in the state. The state has also passed legislation that focuses on rehabilitation as opposed to punishment: People can no longer be kept in prison for misdemeanors, and programs have been created that use youth age court diversions to keep people from entering the criminal justice system.
Youth age court diversion programs are used with first-time offenders for minor crimes, and encourages their sentencing to be kept at a minimum. Vermont’s restorative justice system also gives offenders the chance to perform certain restitutions to avoid punishment, and pretrial services exist that allow people to receive services they need before they ever actually enter a prison system.
In light of the study published by University of Vermont, which emphasizes discrimination in the criminal justice system, the state legislature passed a bill to create The Racial Disparities in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice System Advisory Panel. The bill states that “the Panel shall review and provide recommendations to address systemic racial disparities in statewide systems of criminal and juvenile justice.”
The panel will be comprised of 13 members, five of whom will be appointed by the attorney general from “diverse backgrounds to represent the interests of communities of color throughout the State.”
In spite of these reforms, Vermont’s criminal justice system has a long way to go. All of the state-owned prisons in Vermont were built before the time of restorative justice. The prisons are designed to emphasize punishment as opposed to rehabilitation.
Colwell explained that the state of Vermont is currently paying Pennsylvania to house 262 Vermonters in a state prison, which not only makes it extremely difficult for relatives to visit inmates who are incarcerated but also inhibits prisoners’ access to rehabilitation programs.
The Vermont ACLU is pushing for cash bail reform and a reform to the role that prosecutors play in rates of incarceration. In order to alleviate the pressure from psychiatric hospitals and emergency rooms, the state would need to expand the number of beds in correctional facilities.
Although the creation of a panel to review the racial disparities in the criminal justice system is a good start, more reforms have been demanded to combat the systemic racism evident in Vermont’s justice system.
Editor’s note: This article is the first in a series.
(03/08/18 12:35am)
The squash season wrapped up last Saturday, March 3, when Jack Kagan ’20 walked off the court at the national individual championships in the nation’s capital. Off of their third-place finish in the C draw at team nationals a week before last, Feb. 23 to 25, in Connecticut, the men’s No. 1 Will Cembalest ’20 and No. 3 Kagan made the trip to Washington, D.C., where they both competed in the same 16-player “East” pool in the Molloy draw.
After finishing 15th at the team championships last month, nagging injuries on the heels on a long season and tough schedule kept members of the women’s team from attending the individual championship tournament. This marks the first time since the 2013–14 season that the women’s team has not sent a representative to the individual championships, although in both instances the Panthers’ top players were more than qualified to make the trip if they had chosen to do so.
Cembalest wrapped up his season last Friday afternoon when he lost to Grayson Bubrosky, a junior who finished the season in the No. 4 spot for the Virginia Cavaliers. In the round of 16 Friday morning, Bubrosky lost in a closer-than-it-looked straight-sets match against the eventual pool runner up in Carson Spahr, the Dartmouth No. 2. Against Bubrosky, Cembalest dropped the opening set 11–5 before rebounding to make things closer in the second and third sets, which Bubrosky took 11–8 and 11–7.
Earlier in the day, Cembalest got a crack at Hobart’s No. 1 Josh Oakley. It was a chance for Cembalest to get another taste of the top competition in the country, as Oakley won 11 of his 20 matches in the top slot for the Statesmen’s top spot on the ladder this season. While he lost in three sets to Oakley as well, 11–6, 11–5, 11–6, Cembalest was glad to have the opportunity to experience the event.
“Last weekend was very fun,” Cembalest said. “Jack [Kagan] and I had good exposure to the top players in the country in a fun, competitive atmosphere. Jack, [coach] Mark [Lewis] and I all had a fun time hanging out, watching some of the best players in the country compete, and had some nice bonding time.”
Like Cembalest, Kagan also dropped his first match of the championships earlier last Friday. However, Kagan had the opportunity to continue playing on Saturday thanks to a mix of his endurance and in-match adjustments that allowed him to outlast Raghav Kumar, the Tufts No. 1, in a four set consolation match on Friday afternoon.
After narrowly winning his first set against Kumar 11–9, Kagan let some of the momentum slip away in the second set, which went the way of the Jumbos’ sophomore, 11–7. But the match-making set was the third set, a marathon game that went 26 points. Ultimately, things went Kagan’s way in the third set, 14–12.
Up in sets, 2–1, it would have been understandable for Kagan to take his foot off of the gas in the fourth set — especially given that he had lost a five-set match just a couple of hours earlier to Navy’s Michael Kacergis, who spent the entire season at the top of the Midshipmen’s ladder. But there would be no exhaling for Kagan, who clearly meant business when he got back onto the court with Kumar for the fourth set, which was not even close. Kagan won 11–0.
“The fourth game with Kumar was just a culmination of confidence from winning a really tight third game that was pretty critical,” Kagan said. “I felt myself get a serious second wind in the third and noticed that I could keep going and raising my level.
“After winning the third I just wanted to keep the pressure on in the fourth and keep taking the ball in short when I had the opportunity,” Kagan said of his approach. “I had to be the one to put the attacking shot in and make him react, rather than the other way around. In that game, everything was working.”
By winning Friday afternoon, Kagan got a chance to partake in Saturday morning’s consolation semifinals, where he met up with Aryaman Adik, a Trinity first-year who went on to win the consolation bracket of Cembalest’s and Kagan’s pool. Adik was a challenging matchup for Kagan, but the Middlebury sophomore managed to play him very closely, especially after the first game.
“The first game I really wasn’t awake or very present, and his pace of play is so fast that it really caught me off guard,” Kagan said of his 11–4 setback in his first set against Adik. Undeterred, Kagan made some adjustments and managed to push Adik, who just the week before was celebrating with his Trinity teammates the Banthams’ completion of an undefeated, 20–0, national championship season.
“After the first set,” Kagan explained, “I really had to get my shots deeper in the court to take away his opportunities for attack which he used often.”
Kagan pushed Adik in the second set to a 15–13 final, and then went one point further in the final set, which Adik took 16–14.
“I think me being able to stay in the points for so long definitely frustrated him,” Kagan said. “It was a fun weekend and a good way to finish off the season especially since I feel like I kept up a high level of play.”
With the season now in the books for the Middlebury squash teams, Cembalest and Kagan, along with their underclassmen teammates, now look forward to getting on the courts in match play when the season gets into full swing next December.
Cembalest looks fondly back on what he and his teammates were able to do the weekend before last at team nationals. And while team nationals are a highlight for any collegiate squash player, the results Cembalest got in Connecticut were especially sweet because there was an aspect of revenge.
“Team nationals were an awesome way to end the season,” said Cembalest. “Beating the Williams No. 1 and the Bates No. 1, who both beat me earlier in the season” was a highlight that Cembalest will look to build on in his offseason preparation for next year.
Last weekend’s individual nationals also allowed Cembalest to come away with an idea of what it will take to go from start to finish next season at the top of the Panthers’ ladder playing his best squash.
“My biggest takeaway,” Cembalest said of the weekend in Washington, “was that my body was hurting a lot and that after the long season it was hard to push myself to perform at the level I was playing at earlier in the season.”
Kagan was fitter for the action last weekend, but said that what both he and Cembalest took away from another opportunity to be exposed to the best collegiate squash has to offer will pay dividends going into next season.
“The weekend was definitely a different vibe for individuals since there were only two of us,” said Kagan. “It was great to get off campus and play in a completely different style of tournament and see what we could do.
“We have some things that we succeeded with and some things we need to remember to keep working on for next year. Especially since there were only two of us, it was a very self-motivated tournament. You had to find motivation to warm up, to prepare, to perform, from within, not from the team. That’s hard, but can be exciting at a high level.”
Along with the pair of sophomores who made the trip to the individual championships, the Panthers will return almost their entire starting nine for next season. The prospect of the team breaking into the B draw at nationals looks very realistic.
The Panthers’ No. 1 is already looking forward to the challenge.
“I am very proud of the work I’ve done this season,” said Cembalest, adding, “but honestly, I want to be much stronger for next season. I am going to put a lot of off-season work in this summer and that will have a strong impact on my game for next season.”
(03/08/18 12:32am)
The men’s basketball team entered the NCAA tournament on a three-game losing streak, desperately needing to regain the form it had earlier in the season. In each of the Panthers’ two games last weekend, they reestablished themselves immediately by jumping out to 12–3 leads, forcing their opponents to call early timeouts, en route to victories in the first two rounds of NCAAs. Middlebury defeated Lebanon Valley 83–63 on Friday, March 2, and beat Eastern Connecticut State 83–58 on Saturday, March 3, to move onto NCAA sectionals.
Jack Daly ’18 continued his magical season with his second triple-double of the season, and second in program history, against Lebanon Valley. Daly scored 13 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and assisted on 14 more baskets to lead the way on Friday, and tallied 11 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in Middlebury’s second round matchup.
As one of the final 16 DIII teams left in the nation, Middlebury will play MIT at Ramapo College tomorrow, March 9, at 5:30 p.m. If the Panthers win, they will meet the winner of Ramapo and Franklin & Marshall on Saturday for an opportunity to play in the Final Four.
Middlebury’s first-round opponent, Lebanon Valley, entered the tournament on the heels of winning Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth with an 18–9 record. Coincidentally, Lebanon Valley played one Nescac team in the regular season, Hamilton, and lost to the Continentals 102–83, the exact same score of the Middlebury-Hamilton matchup.
On Friday, the Panthers could not have started the game any hotter than they did, getting out to a 10–0 lead just over two minutes into the first half by making their first four shots and forcing two turnovers. Daly assisted on the first three baskets, including on two transition baskets off turnovers, before getting one of his own to help account for Middlebury’s first ten points.
The Flying Dutchmen responded with a 19–5 run of their own to take a 19–15 lead. Back-and-forth the first half went, as Middlebury came right back to take a 26–22 lead. Lebanon Valley took another lead, 36–35, with 1:26 remaining in the first half.
With three of his big men facing foul trouble, head coach Jeff Brown turned to a four-guard lineup over the last two minutes in the half. Joey Leighton ’20 answered Brown’s call to his guards by hitting a three-pointer to give Middlebury a two-point lead. Then, Daly forced a Lebanon Valley turnover at midcourt, and finished off the half with a contested layup to put Middlebury in front 40–36 heading into the halftime locker room.
Ahead 50–46 almost seven minutes into the second half, Middlebury started to take control, going on a 10-point run to take its first double digit lead of the contest. Second-leading scorer Matt Folger ’20 sparked the run by scoring five straight points. After only scoring three points in the first half, Folger tipped in his own miss and then hit a three the next time down. Daly kept the pressure on the following possession by finishing a layup, forcing a Lebanon Valley timeout. Then, Leighton hit another three-pointer off a Daly offensive rebound to give Middlebury a 60–46 lead.
Lebanon stopped the bleeding temporarily with a three of its own next time down, but the Panthers kept extending their lead on the back of their defense and offensive ball movement. From the 14:38 to the 5:20 mark, Middlebury blew the game open. They extended their lead from a narrow four point margin, 50–46, to a 74–54 lead, which all but put the game away. The Panthers held the Flying Dutchmen to three of 11 shooting and forced four turnovers over that span of 9:18.
The 20-point margin would stay intact over the final 5:20, and Middlebury secured a 83–63 win in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
After a close first half, Middlebury ran away from Lebanon Valley in the second half, outscoring the Flying Dutchmen 43–27. Although the Panthers shot only two percentage points better than the Flying Dutchmen in the second half, they outrebounded Lebanon Valley 13–1, which led to Middlebury’s taking 18 more shots from the field.
Lebanon Valley’s leading scorer, Sam Light, who averaged 23 points per game this season, scored only 14 on Friday night, and only three in the decisive second half. Guard Jack Farrell ’21 had the assignment of Light for most of the night Friday night, as one of coach Jeff Brown’s quickest guards. Farrell and the Panthers knew if they slowed down Light they would be in very good shape to move onto the second round.
“Coming into the game we knew Sam Light was their guy, and that he could score from many different levels,” Farrell said. “It was all about putting everything I had into not letting him score the ball, or make other impactful plays. I knew I was quicker and a little bigger than him, so I tried to make sure he could feel me and know I was right there every time to get him out of his usual rhythm.”
Along with Daly’s triple-double, Folger added 14 points, and Eric McCord ’19 added 12 in 14 minutes off the bench.
As hot as the Panthers started on Friday night, their start on Saturday may have been more important. Eastern Connecticut State entered their matchup with Middlebury with a 26–3 record and a perfect 4–0 against Nescac opponents.
Middlebury came out in attack mode to take a 12–3 lead within the first four minutes of action. Eight of their first twelve points came in the paint, and the other four came on free throws. The nine-point lead forced Eastern Connecticut State to call a timeout, but that did not slow the tide. Middlebury continued to attack the basket with the drive and the pass, and to crash the boards ferociously. The Panthers built a 24–7 lead just over seven minutes into the first half.
From there, Middlebury slowed down offensively, and the Warriors started to make some shots. The home team cut the lead to 25–15, but could not get any closer in the first half.
Daly exited the game with 2:25 left in the first half with two fouls, opening the door for Eastern Connecticut State to make some headway into its 14-point deficit. But Middlebury’s supporting cast rose to the occasion to extend the Panther lead going into the halfway point. Ahead by 15, Max Bosco ’21 fought off some Warrior pressure to find Farrell on the wing for a three to give Middlebury a 46–28 halftime lead.
Only once did Eastern Connecticut State get closer than 18 points in the second half, less than two minutes in when two Warrior free throws made the score 47–30. Middlebury grew its lead to as many as 25 points, 73–48, with 7:04 remaining on its way to sealing an 83–58 victory.
Middlebury’s defense on its opponent leading scorer was crucial once more on Saturday. Tarchee Brown scored 19.4 points per game this season, but Middlebury held him to 12 points on four of 20 shooting.
“We knew Brown liked to shoot the three, so we tried to chase him over every screen and be right on him with high hands every time he caught the ball to make sure he wasn’t able to get off a good shot,” said Farrell. “Coach always tells us defense comes first and stops will turn into transition baskets. I think that’s what we did well this weekend as a team.”
Farrell led Middlebury in scoring with 19 points on an efficient five of nine shooting and seven of eight from the foul line.
“Coach Brown always stresses shooting with confidence and making smart plays,” Farrell said, when asked about his big scoring night. “I think that’s what I tried to go out there and do, have confidence in my ability to score, at a couple different levels. But I also think in the flow of the game I was given a couple opportunities to take a jumper or drive at my defender.”
Farrell was one of many Panthers who was aggressive in finding good shots. Middlebury outscored Eastern Connecticut State 46–28 in the paint, after dominating Lebanon Valley 42–18 there the night before. After failing to score above 68 points in their previous two games, the Panthers tallied eclipsed that total by 15 points in both games last weekend.
MIT, Middlebury’s next opponent, enters tomorrow’s matchup with a 24–5 record, having beaten Brockport and Johns Hopkins to get to the Sweet Sixteen. The Engineers won New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference to receive a bid to the tournament.
In the other sectional matchup, the sectional host Ramapo plays Franklin & Marshall. Ramapo (23–6) won the New Jersey Athletic Conference, and Franklin & Marshall (22–6) received an at-large bid after losing to Johns Hopkins in the Centennial Conference semifinals.
(03/08/18 12:26am)
The men’s lacrosse team (1–0, 1–0) kicked off their season in successful fashion, sealing a narrow win over No. 14 Bates (0–1, 0–1), 11–10, last Saturday, March 3, at Middlebury’s Youngman Field. This extended the Panthers’ streak of winning their season opener to three years in a row.
Bates was aggressive from the outset and even jumped out to an early 2–0 lead a few minutes into the game. With a bit of patience, the Panthers notched their first goal of the season courtesy of Henry Riehl ’18, who managed to cut down the middle of Bates’s defense before sending the ball past the keeper. Following six minutes of solid defense from both the Panthers and the Bobcats, Middlebury trailed 2–1 when the horn sounded to end the first quarter.
To open the second quarter, A.J. Kucinski ’20 showed a brilliant display of individual skill as he spun away from a defender to set himself up for an easy shot directly in front of the goal. The keeper had no chance. Frank Cosolito ’20 followed up Kucinski’s goal just a few minutes later with a shot that erased any concern raised by the early 2–0 hole the Panthers were in, as his goal with 8:27 left to play in the second quarter gave the Panthers a 3–2 lead.
Bates immediately charged towards Middlebury’s goal on the ensuing possession, but a stop at the 7:53 mark by goalie Charles Midgley ’19 diffused any chance of the Bobcats netting a potential equalizer.
Midway through the second quarter, Wes Quinzani ’18 fought hard to recover a scramble at midfield. The Panthers pushed their offensive line up and were able to find a goal through Michael McCormack ‘19, scoring off a second-chance opportunity. Bates responded with a goal of their own just 20 seconds later and finished the quarter with two additional goals to lead 5–4 at the half.
Coming out of halftime, Riehl scored early in the third quarter to momentarily give the Panthers a 6–5 lead, but Bates quickly moved to tie the game at six. Then, a short three minutes later, Kucinski and Riehl combined once again for another Panther goal. This time, Kucinski delivered a great ball to Riehl, who found the back of the net for his fourth goal of the game. John Jackson ’18 was able to set in motion an additional goal for the Panthers, as he fed a ball to newcomer Will Brossman ’21 — playing in his first collegiate game — who managed to bully off a defender for a clean shot on goal.
Before time expired in the third quarter, though, Bates showed why they are a perennially ranked team, as Matt Chlastawa found the back of the net on an unassisted goal, making the score 9–8 heading into the final 15 minutes.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the visitors’ bench started to turn up the volume in hopes of securing their first win of the season on the road. The bench went silent when McCormack managed to convert a well-placed rising shot into the top corner to give the Panthers a 10–8 lead 17 seconds into the fourth quarter. And that was not all. Momentum had clearly swung to the Panthers’ side when, two minutes later, Chase Goree ’20 added his name to the scoresheet with a patient play for the Panthers.
The next 10 minutes were scoreless until Bates secured a goal from a diving effort with three and a half minutes to play. Though the Bobcats were able to secure a late goal with 34 seconds on the clock to cut the lead down to one, their comeback fell short, as the Panthers won the ball in the ensuing face-off and ran down the clock.
Riehl led the Panthers in scoring with four goals, while McCormack had a brace with goals and assists. Midgley managed to stop 16 attempts successfully, just one more than the Bates keeper. This one additional save very well could have been the decisive factor in this Panthers win.
Overall, the Panthers were satisfied with their performance, particularly on the defensive end according to midfielder Parker Lawlor’18.
“One key takeaway was that our defense didn’t give up easy crease goals and our freshmen stepped up,” Lawlor commented.
The Panthers will be back in action on Saturday, March 10, when they host Connecticut College in a conference bout on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium at 1 p.m. After their first victory, the Panthers don’t seem to be slowing down and are already preparing for the new challenge that Connecticut poses.
“Connecticut traditionally plays a zone so that is something we are preparing for this week compared to bates who played mostly man,” Lawlor mentioned.
Middlebury will have their third straight home game on Tuesday, March 13, when the Panthers welcome St. Lawrence at 4 p.m. that afternoon.
(02/28/18 11:54pm)
Last week, Feb. 23 to 25, the men’s squash team was in Connecticut taking part in the College Squash Association’s (CSA) team national championships, where they competed in the C division for the Summers Cup — a trophy that the team has brought back to Middlebury six of the last nine years. The Panthers place third in the eight-team field, finishing the season ranked 19th in the country, two spots above their ranking entering the tournament.
The Panthers’ young roster found itself ranked 21st heading into the weekend, behind the likes of conference rivals Williams and Bates. And that fact was not lost on the Panthers, who beat Williams 8–1 just a few weeks ago at Nescacs in the third-place match.
The way the final regular-season rankings fell dictated the draws teams got at nationals. With the C division featuring teams ranked Nos. 17 through 24 in the CSA poll, the 21st-ranked Panthers were the five seed in their draw. Despite not being shown their due respect by the CSA poll, the Panthers’ seeding meant they got to matchup with No. 20 Williams immediately when the tournament began last Friday.
In the first of their three meetings this season, Williams edged Middlebury 6–3 in Williamstown on Jan. 6. Middlebury avenged its first loss in Nescacs, dismantling the Ephs win by a score of 8–1. The rubber match between Middlebury and their rival 100 miles to the south down Route 7 would more closely resemble the close match earlier this season than the drubbing the Ephs received courtesy of the Panthers at Nescacs. Middlebury’s 6–3 victory over Williams to begin nationals was in no way easy for the Panthers.
Out of the five matches that went to five sets, the Panthers got four team points. The only match the Panthers conceded that went the distance was in the No. 8 slot, occupied by the usually trusty Thomas Wolpow ’20. Even then, Wolpow’s match could have gone either way. The sophomore bookended two not-so-close games with 11–9 wins in the first and fourth sets to set up a rubber match with Williams’ Andrew Litvin.
To say Wolpow’s fifth set with Litvin was a marathon, drag-it-out battle would be a gross understatement. Litvin managed to edge out Wolpow in the deciding fifth set by a final score of 24–22. (24–22!) The result wound up as not only the longest of last weekend’s national tournament, but the longest of the entire squash season.
Jack Kagan ’20, in the third slot, also provided plenty of good highlights in Middlebury’s first match of the tournament. Kagan’s 11–9, 11–7, 11–8 straight-sets victory over Williams’ Will Means set the tone for the weekend — his own weekend particularly, as Kagan did not drop a match throughout the three-day competition. As with the rest of the team, Kagan fought off midseason adversity when the Panthers seemed to hit a wall to rebound and play some of his best squash at season’s end.
“I definitely feel like I’ve been at the top of my game lately,” Kagan said. “I think I have to owe it to my fitness which just seems much better than in the middle of the season. I have a defined and patient gameplan which I’m much more able to stick to now and I think I just have been playing so much and so many tough matches and practices that my overall fitness must have improved.”
At the top of the ladder, Will Cembalest held things down for the Panthers, as he got to play Williams’ Carl Shuck who narrowly beat him at Nescacs. Shuck had Cembalest on the ropes again last weekend — for the second straight meeting against Williams’ top player, Cembalest found himself in a 2–1 hole after the third set. Yet, this time Cembalest bounced back, winning the fourth set 11–8 and then the decisive fifth set 11–9.
The Panthers’ trio of first-years in five through seven slots was especially strong against Williams. No. 5 Wiatt Hinton ’21 and No. 7 Alex Merrill ’21 both had to come from behind to win their five-game sets.
After falling in the first set to Williams’ David Pincus, Hinton scrapped to an 11–9 victory in the second game. This he followed with an 11–6 loss in the third set and other nail-biter, 12–10, in the fourth set before finally finishing Pincus off in the fifth set 11–6.
“We had trained hard coming into nationals and that training combined with the experience I gained from the whole season made me a better player this weekend,” Hinton said upon returning to school from nationals last Sunday. Hinton echoed Kagan’s comments about how the team feels they were at the top of their collective games as the season ended: “I do feel that I am in peak form right now.”
Henry Pearson ’18, in his last collegiate squash tournament, also provided positives for the Panthers and got some revenge on Williams from an individual standpoint. Pearson defeated Williams’ Wyatt Khosrowshahi in a five-set match in the No. 4 slot. Khosrowshahi has played as high as the No. 2 this season for Williams — he fell in straight sets in that position to Jacob Ellen ’20 at Nescacs — and also dealt Pearson a straight-sets loss in the No. 4 spot back on Jan. 6 in Williamstown.
This time around, Pearson wasted no time getting into his match with Khosrowshahi. He took the opening game 11–5 and then nearly put Khosrowshahi in a 2–0 hole when they traded points in a 12–10 Khosrowshahi victory in the second set. Despite the close loss in the second game, Pearson did not lose any momentum as made clear by his 11–4 drubbing of Khosrowshahi in the third set. After that, Pearson and Khosrowshahi traded 11–5 results, which gave the match victory to Pearson.
The Panthers followed their 6–3 win against Williams with a 6–3 loss to Dickinson in the Summers Cup draw semifinals. Dickinson went on to win the championship by defeating Franklin and Marshall in the Summers Cup final 5–4.
As part of their unbeaten weekends, Kagan and Hinton both won their matches in four sets against Dickinson. Kagan dropped his first game against the Red Devils’ No. 3, Hal Holappa, by a close score of 12–10. The second set between Kagan and Holappa would not prove as close (Kagan took it 11–7), but the last two were both nail biters. In the end, Kagan triumphed 11–9 and 12–10.
After winning his first two games 11–5 and 11–7, Hinton could have won his match against Dickinson No. 5 Cory Litman in straight sets, but Litman managed a 13–11 victory in the third game. Hinton put any concern about the outcome of his match in the decisive fourth set, when he beat Litman 11–6.
In the sixth spot, Epley became the third and final Panther to get his team a point in the match against Dickinson. Like his fellow first-year, Hinton, Epley won his match in four games. Unlike Hinton, the final score shows that Epley had to fight Dickinson’s No. 6, Alex Wattles, to save a win. Epley and Wattles traded victories in the first two games, with Epley taking the first 11–8 and Wattles taking the second 11–5. After that, however, things proved much closer. Both the third and fourth games were pushed pashed 11 points, but Epley took both by a score of 12–10.
Middlebury did not have a lot of time to think about the loss to Dickinson, as the Panthers were back on the court within 24 hours to play Bates for the right to be the No. 19 team in the season’s final rankings and third in the C bracket.
The Panthers beat Bates, who went into nationals ranked No. 18, back on Jan. 12 in Lewiston, Maine, 5-4. Due to the way things shook out at Nescacs, the Jan. 12 matchup would be the only time the teams played prior to last Sunday. Nevertheless, the CSA poll still had the Panthers three spots behind the Bobcats in the rankings.
In the top spot for the Panthers, Cembalest faced a familiar foe in Bates’ No. 1, Mahmoud Yousry. Earlier this season, Yousry beat Cembalest in a very tightly contested four-set affair. As the box score of their latest meeting indicates, Cembalest and Yousry picked up right where they left off, playing close games.
Cembalest managed to pull out a 14–12 victory in the first set and then carried that momentum over into the second game, when topped Yoursy again, this time by an 11–7 tally. Yoursy got the best of Cembalest in the third game, denying the Panthers’ No. 1 a straight set victory by beating him 11–4. Cembalest, who will play in the individual championships in the nation’s capital this weekend, March 2-4, was not deterred. In fact, he managed to one-up Yousry in the deciding fourth set by beating Bates’ top player 11-3.
On the final leg of his undefeated final weekend of his first-year season, Hinton beat Bates’ McLeod Abbott, who has played as high as the third slot on Bobcats’ ladder this season. Hinton won the first set 11–6 and then pulled out a 14–12 victory in a long second set. At that point, the match was all but over, as Hinton’s meticulous grinding away at Abbott let to an 1114–124 third set victory.
“I saw that my opponent was getting tired and frustrated, so I stuck to a basic game plan and waited for him to make mistakes and I gradually gained an edge over him,” Hinton said of his strategy against Bates’ captain.
Epley, one spot down the ladder for the Panthers, completed an undefeated weekend on Sunday against Bates with a five-set victory in the No. 6 slot. After dropping the first set 11–6 to Anirudh Nambiar, Epley laid it on in the second set to get an 11–3 victory. The momentum Epley generated in the second set did not carry over into the third game, as Nambiar managed to gain a 2–1 set advantage with a narrow 11–9 win. After that, however, the match belonged to Epley, who wrapped up a 13-win rookie season for himself with 11–6 and 11–7 victories.
This season the Panthers had three first-years sandwiched in the middle of their ladder, No. 5 Hinton, No. 6 Epley, and No. 7 Merrill. Although they faced the typical ups and downs of rookie seasons, the lessons they learned from the 2017–18 campaign will be incredibly valuable from a growth standpoint heading into their second season.
“My biggest takeaway from this season has been the difference between junior and collegiate squash,” said Hinton. “There is a huge difference in both the intensity and fitness. I have gained so much experience from my first season and made strong developments both mentally and technically.”
Now that he knows what to expect, Hinton is looking to refine what he does between now and the start of the season next November.
“Next season I hope to add on to those improvements and am looking forward to another great year,” said Hinton.
Up the ladder from the trio of first-years in the No. 5–7 slots, Middlebury’s No. 3, Kagan, wrapped up his efforts at nationals by successfully executing his game plan against Omar Attia. Attia is a first-year so Kagan or his fellow sophomores at the top of the Panthers’ ladder will almost certainly be seeing him again in matches in the next couple of years.
Kagan had Attia on the ropes after taking the first two games 11–6 and 11–5. At that point, it seemed Kagan had Attia buried, but the Bobcats’ No. 3 managed to pull out back-to-back 11–9 wins, sending the match to a fifth set.
When asked what was going through his mind when he left the court after the fourth set, and what had changed in the third and fourth games, Kagan gave Attia credit for settling into the match and adjusting.
“After the fourth game with Omar, I knew something had changed and it wasn’t that I was playing worse,” said Kagan after the match.
“[Attia] was playing much better, and I didn’t adapt or change my game at all,” he added. “In games three and four he just stopped making errors which was huge. It was the main reason I had been beating him so soundly. When he made that change, it really leveled the playing field.”
Although he dominated the first two sets against Attia, Kagan said he still wasn’t comfortable at that point in the match.
“Because I wasn’t comfortable with my attacks,” Kagan continued, “basically, I had to hit even straighter than I already was and force his crosscourt — rather than mine — and then I had to volley everything and start attacking when he did give me openings. I had to make him work when he gave me the opportunity because he figured out my original passive game plan.”
Kagan ultimately buckled down in the fifth set, which proved quite anticlimactic as he won convincingly, 11–3.
In the Panthers’ 8–1 victory over Bates, sealing their No. 19 end-of-the-season ranking and third-place in the Summers Cup, Pearson, Sam Giddins ’18 and Cam Dewey ’18 saw their final collegiate action for the Panthers. Team captain Ryan Swope ’18 played in his final match the day before against Dickinson. Pearson beat Bates’ Coley Cannon in the No. 4 slot in four sets, most of which were close, by scores of 14–12, 11–5, 8–11 and 11–9. Giddins played in the ninth slot and lost in a very closely contested four–set match by scores of 6–11, 13–11, 12–10 and 11–6. Dewey won the unscored exhibition game in straight sets.
Cembalest and Kagan will be among those who head to the individual championships in Washington D.C. with members of the women’s team. Ellen would have joined them but had to pull out after an injury riddled season.
“Unfortunately, I pulled out of individuals next weekend just because I want to give myself time to rest after a tough season physically,” said the No. 2. “As a whole, this season was very frustrating to me. I felt like I was never able to be at my best because of things out of my control, but I am proud that I was able to play almost every single match to help my team out. This summer, I am going to work harder than ever physically to get into great shape and that will hopefully help me out for next season.”
Kagan described how much he looks forward to the opportunity.
“Individuals are a really unique opportunity to play against the best players in the country, and I’m excited and honored to be able to play amongst them,” Kagan said. On top of that, Kagan expressed how he and some of his fellow Panthers can benefit from the extra practice and the intensity of the matches.
“I’m excited this week to get some time in with Will and with coach to work on some of these attacks that have been pretty hot and cold for me lately,” Kagan said. “I also hope to do some of my own work on fitness in the short time that we have and maybe do some court sprints to make sure my lungs are up to the task for this weekend.”
The individual championships will start tomorrow, March 2, and run through Sunday, March 4, in Washington D.C.
