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(03/08/18 12:29am)
The fourth-ranked women’s lacrosse team opened their season last weekend with a pair of road wins. The Panthers showed no signs of any first-game nerves against Bates in Lewiston, Maine, as they toppled the Bobcats 12–5 on Saturday, March 3. And the solid start did not stop there, as the team travelled to Springfield, Massachusetts, on Sunday, March 4, where they came from behind to beat Springfield 7–3.
The Panthers proudly flaunted the strides they made during the offseason with the seamless team dynamic they exhibited from the moment they took the field against Bates.
Middlebury was the first to notch a tally. Within the first three minutes of play, Casey O’Neill ’19 slapped in a pass from Georgia Carroll ’18. Soon after, Carroll would take matters into her own hands, scoring her first goal of the season. Kirsten Murphy ’21 then doubled the Middlebury total in the course of 11 seconds as she hammered two more shots past the Bates goalie. Just after the halfway mark of the first half, Hollis Perticone ’18 added a goal to make the score 5–0.
Despite their comfortable lead, the Panthers kept their heads down and kept their pace up. Sara DiCenso ’19 and Perticone combined for a pair of goals as the first half wound down, both assisted by Carroll, which made it a 7–0 game. Before the half came to a close, Bates snuck past the Panther goalie, narrowing the lead to six.
Despite coming out of the locker room for the second half with a six-goal lead, Carroll did not take her foot off the gas. She once again fought her way past the Bobcat defense to find the back of the net twice in the first 10 minutes of the half, which earned her a hat trick to go along with four assists.
Carroll commented on the team’s energy going into the competition, noting that the fourth-ranked visitors trekked confidently to Maine and were especially excited for the chance to start their season off with a bang.
“We were excited to get started as preseason was coming to a close, and I think that nervous excitement showed itself on the field,” said Carroll. “Our game plan was to balance pushing the pace and settling into our set attack/defense. We definitely had some first-game jitters, but we are proud of the persistence and grit that made this weekend a success.”
Julia Keith ’20 soundly defended the Panthers’ goal, making five saves in the course of the Middlebury victory.
With their first win under their belts, the Panthers journeyed to Springfield on Sunday looking to finish their opening weekend strong.
This time, however, the Panthers had to play from behind, as it was Springfield who grabbed the early lead. Eleven minutes into the game, the referee awarded the Pride a free position opportunity, on which Springfield’s Ann Mahoney managed to capitalize by finding the back of the net.
After almost 11 minutes of scoreless play, Middlebury responded with a goal by Jenna McNicholas ’19, despite playing a player down after a penalty. Although that would end the first-half scoring, Middlebury did have multiple scoring opportunities before time ran out.
Emerging from the locker room deadlocked with Springfield at one goal apiece, the Panthers quickly conceded another Springfield goal only minutes into the second half. Springfield’s Kate Sarnacki scored an unassisted, man-down goal just over a minute into the second half. Things then stayed quiet for a better part of the next eight minutes, until Sarnacki’s teammates Kayla Schroeher and Shelby Corsano combined to find the back of the net for Springfield, which increased the Panthers’ deficit to 3–1 with just over 20 minutes left in the game.
Although the Panthers outshot their hosts 30–9, Springfield held their margin until deep into the second half. The Panthers still had yet to narrow the two-goal deficit by the 12-minute mark in the second period. However, this would soon prove to mark the first time this season that the team faced and overcame adversity.
With three-fourths of the game gone, the Panthers came back firing in the remaining time they had to mount a comeback. Not only were they successful, but they did so by scoring six unanswered goals — the first four coming in a four-minute span — to close out the game. Carroll racked up two more goals to her total, and Henley Hall ’19, McDonagh, Perticone, and Murphy all found the back of the net before the final whistle.
Keith would stop Springfield from increasing their total, as she racked up three second-half saves to help the Panthers close out the contest with a 7–3 score.
Carroll reflected on the team’s confidence going against next weekend’s challengers.
“We are grateful to have these two games under our belt,” said Carroll. “This weekend was a great learning opportunity and will serve to build our confidence. This week we will be ramping up the pressure in practice and continuing to push each other.”
The Panthers will be back in action on Saturday, March 10, when they will travel to New London, Connecticut, to face conference rival Connecticut College.
(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.
(03/08/18 12:24am)
On Saturday, March 4, some members of the track and field team headed down I-89 South toward Boston to participate in the Tufts Last Chance Meet for what was another non-scoring event mostly against other Division III competition. There were four notable performances by Middlebury athletes at this meet.
The first notable performer was Anna Willig ’20, who clocked a time of 2:30.51 in the 800-meter run, which was good for 10th place. Kreager Taber ’19 was also impressive in the pole vault event. She vaulted 33.31 meters, which qualified her for seventh place.
Jon Perlman ’19 had a nice performance in the mile run, finishing with a time of 4:15.26, good enough to capture third place. John Natalone ’19 did well in the pole vault event with a vault of 34.36 meters, netting him fifth place.
Even though Natalone was not able to qualify for the championship meet, he gave high praise to his team:
“The team’s outlook is great heading into nationals,” Natalone said. “Jimmy Martinez ’19 is ranked second in the nation for the men’s 400, and Kate McCluskey ’18 is ranked sixth for the women’s 400. We’re all excited to watch them race for that national title.”
Many members of the team also had high praise for the distance medley relay teams. Natalone added, “We’re also sending distance medley relay teams on both the men’s and women’s side[s], both with the ability to place really well. It’ll be a fun meet to watch!”
Talia Ruxin ’20, who had an excellent, fifth-place showing in the 5,000 meters two weeks ago at the Boston University Last Chance Meet, is optimistic about the team’s prospects going forward.
“The team is optimistic heading into nationals,” Ruxin said. Because both the men’s and women’s distance medley relay teams have the second-best times recorded in DIII so far this season — which they recorded two weeks ago at the Boston University Last Chance Meet — Ruxin said the team looks forward to seeing if they can raise the bar even higher going forward.
“The team is really excited to see what we can do,” Ruxin said.
Abigail Nadler ’19, who is one of the four runners on the Panthers’ top distance medley relay team, talked about how much they are looking forward to the opportunity at NCAAs.
“The team and I are super excited for NCAAs,” said Nadler excitedly. “For the distance medley relay, our goal all season was to be one [of] the top teams in Division III and have fun while doing it. We all bring different experiences and strengths, but we all want to end up on the podium on Friday night.”
Nadler further emphasized the routine that the medley team will be following this week and the skill that the team brings.
“This week we want to stay as relaxed as possible and pop a really good race,” Nadler said. “We have a really strong relay across the 1200, 800, 400 and 1600, so if we each can deliver a strong race we know we will achieve our goal.”
As the NCAA Championships get closer, the men and women’s track and field teams continue to prepare. Both the men and the women will be competing in the two-day NCAA Championships tomorrow and Saturday, March 10, in Birmingham, Alabama. Given how the team has progressed over the course of the season, they have a good chance to make the most of their opportunity.
(03/07/18 11:57pm)
“I am a girl. I am seven years old. I live in Kasur. I love mangoes.”
Zainab Amin, only seven years old, was kidnapped, raped and murdered in Kasur, Pakistan, on Jan. 4. Her body was found in a heap of trash five days later.
News of rape is heartbreaking, but more so, it is angering. I was angry because hearing this news from my country was not unusual. I was angry because my reaction was so customary, and I never thought that the world would reach a stage where stories like this are “just so sad, but it happens.” My social media feeds were overflowing with #JusticeForZainab posts, photos of the young girl with a mere hashtag that would somehow miraculously undo the incident and transform my society. A day later, 20-second long, black and white security camera footage of Zainab being led by a mysterious man along the street outside her house was surfacing on the web. Her playful skips, her innocence and her blind trust were unnerving.
There is a grave issue, a flaw, in my society. We always tend to focus on the wrong thing, the more futile thing. We tend to focus on what the girl did that put herself in the situation, rather than what actually happened to her. We tend to blame. And who do we usually blame? The victim. While there is no doubt that there are many progressive Pakistanis, the majority of my country is entwined with and fastened to a very rural and narrow mindset.
One month later and the #JusticeForZainab posts have simmered down, almost as though she has been forgotten. However, there has been some progress made in the Pakistani Supreme Court. The suspected murderer and rapist of Zainab has been identified as Imran Ali, and there is a nationwide demand that he be publicly hanged. Now, whether this public hanging will scare society and prevent cases like this from happening again is uncertain; it is a shame that a part of my society does not know that rape is not okay. After Zainab’s case, there were a few other victims that were discovered, but their stories did not reach social media platforms, hence few knew that there was yet another girl whose life was taken.
I often ponder over whether there is a way to use social media to directly make a change, because I feel it has made us normalize other people’s pain and suffering. In addition, it has normalized the bad in the world. While Zainab’s case is only one out of the many unfortunate cases that happen and have happened, I felt that voicing an incident in my country to you, the reader, would make you think about the happenings on the other side of the world.
Mangoes — “aam” — symbolize immortality and love in my culture. Zainab is the aam of my society: a sweet fruit that will receive justice and ripen in a vast field of other mangoes, a field that will hopefully become safer.
(03/07/18 11:54pm)
The Community Council has been working tirelessly on a number of recommendations that were presented during the tenure of former co-chair of Community Council Kyle Wright.
In response to a number of events that occurred last year, the Community Council has drafted seven action points in support of communities of color on campus. At this stage, the Community Council is in conversation with various cultural organizations to obtain their input before drafting an official recommendation. Once edited and voted on by the council, these points will be given to the president’s office as further guidance for different administrative bodies.
Another initiative underway is the establishment of a committee to review the various elements of residential life on campus. Over the next few years, this project will identify different aspects of residential life on campus that need changing, modifying, or removing based on the review conducted by the new committee, as well as external reviews.
We will also be voting on a recommendation to convert bathrooms in new and renovated public buildings and on campus to be inclusive and accessible for all identities.
As we focus on other changes to be made, the council is working on two new recommendations. The first is regarding current issues with the course registration system. The second is about ordering textbooks for use during the add/drop period and to mitigate issues posed by the online bookstore system.
All members of the college community are invited and encouraged to gather feedback, brainstorm solutions to a problem, and present their own concerns, questions or recommendations. Please feel free to contact us at ccouncil@middlebury.edu or attend our weekly meetings on Mondays at 4:30 p.m. in Axinn 104.
(03/07/18 11:53pm)
This is the first in a series of three op-eds from the carbon pricing campaign at Middlebury. This week’s is focused on the federal level, next week’s is focused on carbon pricing in Vermont, and the last week’s endorses a carbon pricing mechanism at Middlebury College. To learn more or to get involved, come to Sunday Night Environmental Group at 8 p.m. at Hillcrest.
It is unacceptable and irresponsible for Middlebury to further delay joining the other colleges and universities that have endorsed carbon pricing. If you have ever watched “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Before the Flood” or another climate documentary, you were probably left with a bitter taste of dread and a sense of helplessness. While these documentaries do a great job of highlighting the danger of climate change, they often stop short of presenting real, practical policy to address climate change. Middlebury College, a long-time leader in environmental activism, must stand by its values and students by endorsing carbon pricing policy.
The idea behind a carbon price is simple: the government collects a tax for every ton of carbon dioxide which is emitted. A commonly held misconception is that this tax would disproportionately harm the pocketbooks of lower-income people; however, most proposed plans include rebates and tax returns to account for the increased cost on consumers. Funds can also be used to invest in building and researching clean energy solutions.
Carbon pricing is not radical, nor is it flashy. But it works. It is an equitable and science-based first step in combating climate change which accounts for the real cost of burning fossil fuels. This tax would work within the market to incentivize replacing fossil fuels with clean energy. A carbon tax is rooted in neoliberal economic theory –– it has also been shown to work in markets around the globe. According to Vox, over 40 countries currently have or are implementing carbon pricing.
British Columbia, Canada, has had a carbon tax since 2008. From 2007 to 2014 the province decreased carbon emissions by 5.5 percent despite an 8.1 percent increase in population. Over this same time, the province’s real GDP increased by 12.4 percent. Sans economic jargon, a carbon tax improved both the economy and the environment. According to The Globe and Mail, British Columbia’s carbon tax has been so successful that the Canadian government is instituting a national carbon tax by the end of 2018.
Support for carbon pricing spans the political spectrum. Carbon pricing has been endorsed by Barack Obama, Lindsey Graham, Angela Merkel, Rex Tillerson and even our very own Bill McKibben. These endorsements make it easier to have a national conversation about carbon pricing. In 2009, the American Clean Energy and Security Act passed the House but was never brought to a vote in the Senate. This bill would have instituted a national cap-and-trade market like that found in the EU. The bill was never brought to a vote due to a lack of enthusiasm from lawmakers to do so at the time. In the midst of the financial crash and the efforts to pass Obamacare, potential carbon pricing legislation was ignored. In order to let legislators know that there is public support for carbon pricing, we must continue to gain nonpartisan support from our institutional leaders.
This year, Sunday Night Environmental Group (SNEG), along with the Environmental Council, partnered with Our Climate’s national Put A Price On It campaign. One of the goals of this campaign is to gain endorsements from college presidents to demonstrate to lawmakers that institutions shaping tomorrow’s leaders are committed to solving climate change. In the past year, over 35 colleges have officially endorsed Put A Price On It, including UC Berkeley, Swarthmore College and Wesleyan College. We have collected over 1,200 signatures from Middlebury students asking the administration to also endorse carbon pricing. Given that the new Middlebury College mission statements aims to “foster the inquiry, equity, and agency necessary for [students] to practice ethical citizenship at home and far beyond our Middlebury campuses,” it is our sincere hope that our educational leaders will lend their support in this critical struggle.
(03/01/18 1:18am)
Particularly in the current political climate, the fact that women make up less than 20 percent of the representatives in Congress concerns many. Elect Her is a national program that encourages more women to run for government and gives them the skills and resources necessary to alter this pattern of male-dominated political leadership.
On Saturday, March 3, the Women’s Resource Center at Chellis House is bringing the Elect Her workshop to Middlebury’s campus. Also sponsored by Feminist Action at Middlebury (FAM), Middlebury College Democrats, the Center for Community Engagement, MiddVote, the Student Government Association (SGA) and the political science department, the workshop will run from 12:30–4 p.m. in Wilson Hall of McCullough.
All female-identifying or non-binary students are encouraged to attend by signing up at go/electher. Free sushi and desserts will be available for lunch.
The Elect Her program was originally developed in 2007 by Running Start and the American Association of University Women (AAUW), national nonprofit organizations that train young women interested in politics to run for office. Running Start has discovered that only four women in Congress today are under 40 years old, and that although women running for office win at the same rates as men, many fewer women run in the first place. As a result, Running Start’s mission is to empower young women to find their voice and gain the confidence they need to put themselves out there.
In addition to their Elect Her program, which alone visits about 50 colleges per year and has trained over 10,000 college women since its creation, Running Start also runs several internships and has recently initiated a social-media campaign to challenge sexism in politics. Distributing sheets of paper that read #ILookLikeAPolitician at their workshops, Running Start has encouraged young women to pose with the hashtag and post their photos to social media in order to change societal perceptions of who can be a leader.
Rana Abdelhamid ’15, now an internationally recognized human-rights advocate, first brought the Elect Her program to Middlebury in 2013. It found huge success, with about 100 students in attendance.
However, the workshop has not been held at Middlebury since, and Chellis House director Karin Hanta, who collaborated with Abdelhamid five years ago and went on sabbatical immediately afterward, initiated its return this March.
“At the time we did [the first workshop], there hadn’t been a female student-government president for a long time,” Hanta said. Following the workshop, a female SGA president was voted into office for the first time in what Hanta estimated to be about seven years.
Though female representatives now make up 50 percent of Middlebury’s SGA, this statistic is not reflected at the state or national level, and Hanta said that she decided to bring the Elect Her workshop back to Middlebury in light of the current political climate. “We just want to keep up the heat,” she said.
Susannah Wellford, who is the co-founder of both Running Start and the Women Under Forty Political Action Committee (WUFPAC), will facilitate the Elect Her workshop this year. She co-founded WUFPAC, Running Start’s predecessor, in 1999 with a similar dedication to electing young women to political office. The organization is now the only nonpartisan political action committee in the United States.
Ruth Hardy, Lauren Sampson and Kristina Guerrero Sylvester from Emerge Vermont will also be attending the workshop to speak on a panel about local female elected officials. Hardy is the executive director of Emerge Vermont, which is the state chapter of Emerge America, a democratic training program for women leaders that supports candidates throughout their campaigns. Sampson and Sylvester are both alumni of Emerge Vermont’s program, and Sylvester is also the founder and CEO of TurboPUP, a company that sells compact bars of dog food to take on the go.
Throughout the four-hour training, students will work in both small and large groups to develop leadership skills. The four central exercises will help students formulate their main campaign issue, learn how to build their network of support and give an elevator pitch and then give them a taste of a real campaign through a group simulation. The workshop will also include an interview with two female representatives from Middlebury’s SGA about their own experiences running for office.
Though the Elect Her workshop is designed to train young women to run for government positions, this year’s program organizers emphasized that the training can be beneficial for anyone.
“[The workshop] is really good for getting women into government positions and that kind of thing, but also for just general leadership and being inspired in that way,” said workshop organizer Mikayla Hyman ’20. “These are general skills that cross over no matter what you want your career to be, and there are a lot of different ways you can learn from this.”
(03/01/18 1:13am)
On Wednesday, February 21, over 40 students, staff and faculty members gathered in the Axinn Center’s Abernathy Room to hear black faculty members speak about their experiences navigating primarily white spaces, including Middlebury.
The panelists included literatures and cultures librarian Katrina Spencer, computer science instructor Jason Grant, associate professor of history William Hart, assistant professor of American studies Jessyka Finley and artist and J-Term professor William “Kasso” Condry.
Middlebury’s fall 2017 student body profile reported that only 4.1 percent of the student body identifies as black or African American, and Data USA reported that 0.73 percent of the town of Middlebury’s residents are black. But for many of the professors who spoke on Wednesday’s panel, Middlebury was not the first predominantly white space they had faced. They bring the influences of these past environments to their work here.
Spencer spoke about the significant impression left on her by her undergraduate experience, which she said had a similar environment to Middlebury. “ I felt very unseen,” Spencer said. “I was a human body in the class, but people didn’t see me as a human being, so it definitely affects how I interact with students because I try to see them as whole people.”
Grant discussed being a minority among students pursuing Ph.D.’s in Computer Science. He described an incident that occurred in his last year of school, when his senior work professor told his adviser that he couldn’t reach Grant or his black classmates because of the “cultural gap.” That ostracizing experience led Grant to a new pedagogical outlook.
“I try to find any type of way to connect to my students because once that professor said he couldn’t teach me, I felt like I no longer belonged there,” he said. Grant also added that at Middlebury he feels “extreme pressure to represent the black community.”
Professor Hart said that he and his siblings were the only black students at their high school and explained that at Middlebury he feels subjected to a similar “uninvited hypervisibility.” Hart also said that people in the community outside his department see him as a “black person interested in only black things.” He recounted an interaction with a well-meaning colleague who presumed he had read a book because it was by a black author and also described an encounter with someone he ran into on the street who told him that reading the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” had made him think of Hart.
While these professors are working to positively influence Middlebury through their work, they are also still facing the challenges of living and working in a predominantly white community here at Middlebury. However, it is not only words, but also the lack of discussion, that some of the panelists find problematic about Middlebury.
“There is a lot of silence around race and social justice,” Spencer said. “There is a fear white people have about talking about race. They don’t want to say the wrong thing, so instead of the wrong thing they say nothing, which creates another silence.”
Professor Finley emphasized that despite these challenges, the ability to teach at places like Middlebury is an amazing opportunity that black professors want to take advantage of, and that the administrations at rural schools like Middlebury should be aware of this. “
There is this assumption on the part of a lot of people who are doing the hiring that people like us don’t want jobs here, can’t hack it here, can’t get our [hair cut here], and [that] we’re city people, but we want jobs, and this is a good job,” Finley said. She added that extending more faculty job offers to people of color, as well as increasing financial aid, will help to increase diversity at places like Middlebury.
“This institution is over 200 years old — it’s probably going to take that long, if not longer, for it to be equal as far as white and black here,” Condry said. “But that’s where it comes in with the type of teaching you’re doing, to hopefully inspire that next person to inspire the next person.”
(03/01/18 12:43am)
Davia Nelson, co-producer of NPR’s Kitchen Sisters, will deliver a lecture as part of the college’s “Meet the Press” lecture series next Wednesday, March 1. The lecture is entitled, “The 12 Commandments of Storytelling: NPR’s Kitchen Sisters Talk Radio and Podcasting.”
Hidden Kitchens is an award-winning series on NPR’s Morning Edition. Nelson has also co-produced, along with Nikki Silva, Lost & Found Sound and The Sonic Memorial Project, two Peabody Award-winning NPR series. Their work has received numerous other accolades, including Webby and de-Columbia awards, and their first book, “Hidden Kitchens,” was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
The lecture will take place in McCardell Bicentennial Hall 220 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.
(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.
(02/28/18 11:53pm)
In 2016, the Middlebury men’s lacrosse team lost to Tufts in the Nescac championship game by a score of 20–14, finishing their season with a 12–7 record. In 2017, the Panthers finished sixth in the Nescac in the regular season, but made a run to the finals in the playoffs. In what would have been an unlikely story, the Panthers ultimately fell short to Wesleyan 9–8 in the Nescac championship game.
With the past two seasons in the back of the returning Panthers’ minds, they aim to finally get over the hump and win the conference title for the first time since 2007, the end of Middlebury’s stretch of dominance in Nescac men’s lacrosse when they won the conference title eight straight years.
As one of the team captains, Nick Peterson ’18, points out, a Nescac championship is the team’s long-term goal. There are many small steps the Panthers need to take in order to have a chance at their larger goals.
“We always enter each season with the mindset of one game at a time and try not to look too far ahead,” Peterson said. “That being said, we want to win the Nescac championship before anything else. In order to compete for a National Championship, we first need to win our league and enter the month of May playing our best lacrosse. Our expectations are to approach each practice and game with the same mentality day in and day out.”
In the Nescac playoffs last season, Middlebury upset third-seeded Amherst 12–11 and previously undefeated and top-seeded Bates 14–13 to reach the Nescac finals, where its season ended with a 9–8 loss to Wesleyan.
Still, the Panthers were playing their best lacrosse at the end of the season.
“I think the reason our season ended on a strong note with our run to the finals was because we so enjoyed being together as a team, and did not want our time with each other to end,” Parker Lawlor ’18 said. “We played like we had nothing to lose.”
If the Panthers want to challenge for the Nescac title this spring, a good place to start is repeating what they were doing at the end of last season.
They will be without six of last season’s starters due to graduation, but the Panthers still return a wealth of experience, including their top-five point-getters from last season.
“It’s always hard to replace any senior class, but we feel that we have a great group of returning players who can step into the roles that we lost to graduation,” Peterson said. “The biggest position we lost last year was our long stick middies, but we have a few younger guys who have worked hard in the offseason and the preseason to step into this spot and be productive for our team.”
A.J. Kucinski ’20 scored 38 goals and 36 assists to lead the team in points, and Henry Riehl ’18 led the team in goals with 53. Lawlor and Danny Jacobs ’20 both added 29 points.
Returning on defense are Eric Rogers ’18, who started 13 games, and Clay Hunt ’19, who started in 11. Chase Midgley ’19 started in 11 games in goal last season, and saved 55.4 percent of shots in net.
Leading the team will be seniors, Peterson, Lawlor, Riehl, Rogers, Wes Quinzani ’18, Henry Giarrusso ’18, John Jackson ’18, Stephen Clarke ’18 and Kenan Yates ’18.
Lawlor is convinced that his fellow classmates have done an excellent job in creating a welcoming and encouraging environment for all of the team’s players.
“I think that, as a senior class this year, we have focused on building strong relationships and building a culture in which everyone is valued, no matter their role on the team,” Lawlor said. “I feel confident saying that this is the tightest team I have played on in my four years here.”
The tight-knit community Lawlor describes will be crucial with the addition of 14 first-year players, who will be eager to contribute to the team.
After last season’s successes, including its win over previously undefeated Bates, and failures, its loss to ninth-place Colby, for example, Middlebury knows its season can take a lot of different routes.
“We can beat anyone,” Lawlor said.
But, as last season demonstrated, beating one good team does not make a season. As Peterson and Parker pointed out, the Panthers need to treat every moment on the lacrosse field as if it is their last, if they want to achieve their lofty goals.
The men’s lacrosse team’s first game is this Saturday, March 3, at 1 p.m, when the Panthers will host No. 14 Bates, a rematch of last year’s Nescac semifinals.
(02/28/18 11:52pm)
With the conference playoffs of winter sports coming to a close, spring sports practices are well underway. Although the crisp Vermont weather may not be ready for women’s lacrosse to get on the outdoor turf, the Panthers are ready to dive into another season. After losing in the NCAA Regional Final against The College of New Jersey last year, they are ready to avenge their defeat and get another NCAA ring for their collection, after taking the sixth national title in 2016.
Middlebury loses four players from last season’s team that finished second in the Nescac and lost in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.
“We lost four key teammates to graduation, but gained eight incredible first years and have twenty-four uniquely excellent returners on the 2018 squad,” said Evie Keating ’18, one of Middlebury’s three team captains. “We’re lucky to have such a wide range of skill sets and personalities on our team and to have so many great leaders within each class. Definitely don’t sleep on the first-years. We have the best 2021s out there! Each one of them has so much to offer to the team both on and off the field. They will certainly be large contributors to the team’s success this year.”
Kate Livesay, a former Middlebury defender, enters her third season as head coach of the Panthers. The four-time Nescac Coach of the Year, she coached Trinity before returning to her alma mater, and two-time national champion will attempt to push her team towards another championship season.
Katie Ritter ’15 is Livesay’s newest assistant coach. During her playing career at Middlebury, Ritter was a two-time All-American. Ritter knows the ins and outs of Panther lacrosse, in addition to being a Middlebury native, and the girls are thrilled to have her on the coaching staff.
Hayden Garrett ’20, who had been sidelined with an ACL injury for first season, commented on Katie Ritter joining the coaching staff.
“Katie Ritter has been an amazing addition to our coaching staff this season and she brings excitement and enthusiasm to our team, as well as a deep knowledge of the game,” said Hayden Garrett ’20. “One of my favorite things about our coaching staff is that both grew up in the town, graduated from Middlebury, and have so many personal connections to the community.”
The team has been training hard over the course of the last few months to get ready for their first matchups in the following weeks. They worked to get their fitness back and on more technical skills.
Middlebury returns its second and third leading scorers from last season, Emma McDonagh ’19 and Hollis Perticone ’18. Perticone was the 2017 Nescac Player of the Year, and scored 33 goals, along with assisting on 11 more. McDonagh tallied 40 goals and 15 assists, and Georgia Carroll ’18 scored 9 goals and assisted on 14 more in only 13 games.
Sara DiCenso ’19 returns in the midfield after starting all 21 games last season. Keating and Alex White ’19 will bolster the Middlebury defense.
The Panther’s opening day will be on Saturday, March 3 on the road against Bates followed by a matchup against Springfield on Sunday, March 4.
(02/28/18 11:47pm)
Advancing to their 16th Nescac semifinal on Saturday, Feb. 24, the Middlebury Panthers dismantled the Wesleyan Cardinals 5–0 in the quarterfinal round.
Maddie Winslow ’18 started the Panthers off four minutes into the first period with a beautiful shorthanded goal. Wesleyan mishandled the puck at the right point of the ice, and Winslow pounced on the loose puck to pass it to Jessica Young ’18. Young carried the puck down the ice, moving into the right circle and feeding Winslow who one-timed it passed Wesleyan’s goalie. Sidney Portner ’20, who would score later in the second half, almost put the hosts up, but her shot ricocheted off the post and back onto the ice.
The hosts ran away with the lead in the second period, scoring three goals over the course of the stanza. Ellie Barney ’21 led the charge, breaking in from the left wing and securing the puck before scoring with a short-side shot. The score was Barney’s four career goal and eighth point on the season in 25 games played.
Madie Liedt ’21, who has had a phenomenal run in the last several games, scored her first of two goals on a power-play advantage. With the Panthers swinging around the outskirts of the zone, Hayley Lafontaine ’18 fed Leidt, who blasted the puck from the top of the zone and through the outstretched pads of Wesleyan’s goalie. Porter would redeem her missed bid in the first, adding to the hosts lead. Young took a shot on goal, which was saved, but pushed out onto the open ice. Porter found the loose puck and blasted a shot into the corner to give the host a 4–0 lead.
Leidt, for her second score of the game, struck after a Wesleyan power-play expired. Winslow found the loose puck and fed it to Leidt who dangled up the ice and blasted a shot off the back crossbar to put the Panthers up 5–0 and give them the win. Wesleyan could not find the back of the net all game, taking a meek 10 shots on goal — all of which were denied by Lin Han ’20 for her sixth shutout of the season. In contrast, Middlebury took 36 shots on goal, showing off the offensive skills that propelled them to the semi-final match.
Rachael St. Clair ’19 reflected on the team’s goals for the weekend:
“I think we just focus on what’s in front of us and tackle the battles one at a time. We know that every practice and game from here on out is a privilege and maintaining focus and energy throughout the week have been two key components to our success so far.”
“We’re playing for one more week together and that is what has kept us going,” said Janka Hlinka ’18. “We’ve kept the chemistry going by spending time on and off the field — whether it that be watching film or getting meals. Our drive to accomplish the same goal has built our chemistry and we look forward to playing this weekend.”
Elizabeth Wulf ’18 echoed her captain’s sentiments of motivation, team chemistry and determination.
“We are laying for a common goal and we are taking it one game at time. We know our next game could be our last, so we go into each game playing like it is the last one we will ever play. We are so focused on playing the way we know how, every shift, every period and every game. I mean, you can see our team chemistry, from the way we move to the way we pass the puck. We are just pumped for this weekend.”
Middlebury will face the Bowdoin Polar Bears on Saturday, March 3, and the winner of the contest will advance to the Nescac championships.
(02/28/18 11:43pm)
The NCAA DIII men’s basketball committee chose Middlebury as one of 21 at-large teams to play in the 2018 championship this past Monday, Feb. 26.
Despite facing a whopping 10 ranked opponents this season, the Panthers finished 19–6, and went 4–6 against those ranked teams. Middlebury took care of business against the teams they needed to, going 15–0 against non-ranked teams.
Five of its six losses were on the road, with the lone home loss coming against Swarthmore on Jan. 2. And five were to NCAA tournament participants, the exception being Middlebury’s loss to Amherst, who was part of the five-way tie for first in the Nescac and won the conference by tiebreakers.
Middlebury will make its ninth appearance in the NCAA tournament in 11 years. The last two years, the Panthers earned automatic bids into the field by winning the Nescac championship, although last season they surely would have earned an at-large bid with a 24–3 record entering the tournament.
They will play Lebanon Valley in their first-round game at Eastern Connecticut State tomorrow, March 2, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Connecticut State will host the four-team regional, and will play Johnson & Wales after Middlebury’s game on Friday. The winners of these two matchups will meet on Saturday, March, 3 to determine who advances to the final sixteen teams in NCAA Sectionals.
Lebanon Valley (18–9) made its way into the tournament by winning its first Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth championship since 1995. The Flying Dutchmen defeated longtime rival Albright 70–68 on a three-pointer with less than 10 seconds to play on Saturday, Feb. 24. Sam Light and Andy Orr lead Lebanon Valley on the offensive end, as they average 23.3 and 18.2 points per game, respectively.
Coincidentally, Lebanon Valley and Middlebury both lost to Hamilton, their one common opponent, 102–83.
Host Eastern Connecticut State (25–3) is the highest-seed in the regional, after winning the Little East Conference championship for the second straight season. Tarchee Brown leads the Warriors in scoring with 19.9 points per game. They fared very well against the Nescac this season, going a perfect 4–0 against Connecticut College, Colby, Amherst and Trinity.
Middlebury enters the tournament on a three-game losing streak, after losing to Hamilton and Amherst in the regular season and Wesleyan in the first round of Nescacs on Saturday, Feb. 17. The Panthers will return to the court nearly two weeks after their loss to the Cardinals in the playoffs.
In their last two losses, Middlebury recorded its lowest two scoring outputs of the season, shooting below 36 percent in each of its losses. On the season, the Panthers average 80.7 points per game. They also struggled to generate second-chance points off their misses in these losses.
“They were able to keep us off the offensive glass down the stretch,” said team captain Jack Daly ’18, after Middlebury’s loss to Wesleyan. “That’s been one of our biggest strengths this year and they did a great job of limiting our shot opportunities each possession.”
Daly and the Panthers firmly believe their losing streak is just that: neither emblematic of their whole season nor indicative of their future in the NCAA tournament.
“As Coach has been saying all year,” Daly said, “we just need to stay the course despite the bumps in the road.”
(02/22/18 2:44am)
The women’s hockey team clinched the first-seed in the Nescac playoffs by tying at Williams 3–3 on Friday, Feb. 16, and dismissing the Ephs from Kenyon Arena 4–2 on Saturday, Feb. 17. These results extended the No. 4 Panthers’ unbeaten streak in the Nescac to 12 games entering the Nescac playoffs, where they will host eighth-seeded Wesleyan in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m.
Middlebury traveled down to Williamstown for the first game of the weekend doubleheader and it was truly a battle. Williams took an early lead in the opening period, making the most of its shots and scoring on its first bid, which was also a power play situation. A shot from the bottom of the left circle ricocheted, but the rebound bounced off Lin Han’s ’20 pads into the back of the net to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Williams’ Anna Fucillo doubled the host’s lead a minute and a half later. But the Panthers cut into the lead on power play goal by Madie Leidt ’21, her tenth goal of the season. Jessica Young ’18 one-timed a cross-ice pass to Leidt who deposited the puck into the back of the net.
In the second stanza, Middlebury evened the score five minutes in. Elizabeth Wulf ’18 broke up a Williams’ breakout attempt, and Sidney Porter ’21 took over from there. Portner carried the puck up the ice, then fired a shot from the top of the circles past the Eph goalie.
The hosts responded quickly and reclaimed the lead within two minutes of Portner’s goal on another power play.
Back-and-forth the game went. With seven minutes left in the third period, the Panthers completed the rally to tie the game at three. After a Panther power play ended, Alexis Ryan ’21 caught the puck and threw it on the ice — at the right point. Maddie Winslow ’18 then picked it up, dangled it between defenders, and tipped it into the net, setting up overtime.
In the extra period, the Panthers took all seven shots in the five-minute span, with Wulf and Leidt both being denied late in fourth period. No one could find a score and the teams finished deadlocked at three goals apiece.
Han finished with 14 saves, while the Panthers put up 39 shots against Williams’ goalie. Although not a loss, Middlebury was not satisfied with Friday’s result against Williams, who entered the weekend doubleheader only 3–5–5 in conference play.
“After the tie, we knew we needed to come out harder and faster right out of the gate on Saturday,” said Julie Neuburger ’18. “Part of why I love playing in the Nescac is because any team can win on any given day. Every game is a battle and when we win, it makes the victories that much more satisfying — especially knowing you had to work really hard to earn them.”
Janka Hlinka continued, “after tying the first game, we had to refocus for Saturday and play the way we knew we were capable of playing. Every game matters and we had to bring a sense of urgency to Saturday’s game.”
The Panthers recognized its six seniors — for their achievements, including two-time Nescac champions — on Saturday, and the outgoing Panthers made sure their last home regular season game was one to remember.
To highlight the special night, Leidt had herself an amazing game, completing a hat trick along with a goal by Young to give the hosts a win over the Ephs.
Middlebury took an early 1–0 lead when Ledit recorded her first score of the night. Katherine Jackson ’19 found Leidt entering the zone. The first-year fired a shot from the top of the left-faceoff circle, which bounded off the crossbar and into the back of the net.
Williams had no real opportunity in the opening period, as Neuburger simply denied all shots, and the hosts headed into the second stanza holding on to a one goal advantage.
Williams erased the deficit in the opening 17 seconds of the second period, sneaking the puck past Neuburger off a scramble for a loose puck.
Young, however, responded for the Panthers, redirecting a shot by Leidt into the back of the net for her team-leading 15th tally of the season on a five-on-four power play advantage.
Young and Leidt found themselves in tandem again in the following period. On Middlebury’s third power play opportunity six minutes into the third period, Young found Liedt from the left point, who one-timed the puck into the back of the net for her second score of the game.
For good measure, Young and Leidt connected one more time, as the first-year notched her first career hat-trick and sealed the deal for Middlebury. Williams scored later in the third period with its goalie pulled, but Middlebury got the 4–2 win.
Neuburger picked up 13 saves, and the offensive unit put 38 shots on goal in Middlebury’s last game of the regular season, an unforgettable way for the Middlebury seniors to go out.
“Senior night was so special,” said Wulf, one of the six seniors. “Our teammates did an amazing job of making it special. We all couldn’t believe the night was already here, but we soaked it all up and enjoyed it as much as we could.
“Starting all the seniors was a moment I’ll never forget, it was awesome. It was definitely an emotional night, but we were so happy to come away with a win. It was a night I’ll remember forever, and I would not have wanted to celebrate it with anyone other than my five other classmates.”
Actually, the seniors and their teammates are not done in Kenyon Arena yet this season. They will host Wesleyan on Saturday, Feb. 24, and, if they win, will host the Nescac semifinals and finals the following weekend. Ranked fourth nationally, Middlebury will almost assuredly get to host at least one game in the NCAA tournament as well, not to look ahead too far.
First, Middlebury plays Wesleyan, whom the Panthers beat twice earlier in the season, 3–0 and 4–0. The Cardinals enter the quarterfinal matchup with a 2–10–4 Nescac record, but earned a spot in the playoffs by upsetting third-seeded in the last weekend of the regular season.
(02/22/18 2:41am)
Behind 50–44 with 9:55 remaining on their home court, No. 14 Wesleyan outscored No. 18 Middlebury 29–15 the rest of the way to defeat the Panthers 73–65 in the Nescac Quarterfinals last Saturday, Feb. 17. The fourth-seeded Cardinals (20–5) defeated the fifth-seeded Panthers (19–6) for the second time this season to move on to the Nescac semifinals, while Middlebury will wait until Monday, Feb. 26, to see if it receives an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Entering this year, Middlebury had defeated Wesleyan 15 games in a row, dating back to the 2004-05 season, but the Cardinals snapped that streak with their 80–70 win on Jan. 6.
Wesleyan’s rise in the Nescac hierarchy has corresponded with the arrival of Joe Reilly as head coach, who has brought Wesleyan from a 1–8 conference record the year before he became coach to a 7–3 record and a tie for first-place in the Nescac this year. Reilly has also guided the Cardinals to the NCAA tournament two of the last three seasons.
Middlebury jumped out to a 4–0 lead in the first half of Saturday’s game, but never led by more than six points in the first half. Wesleyan tied the score on four different occasions in a low-scoring first half. The Panthers turned Wesleyan’s 11 first half turnovers into nine points to take a 32–28 lead into halftime. The Cardinals hung around by hitting six of their 13 three-point attempts, including Antone Walker coming off the bench to drain all three of his shots from beyond the arc.
Out of the locker room, Wesleyan converted an old-fashioned three-point play and made another from beyond the arc in the first minute of action to take a two-point lead, their first of the game. Seven minutes later, behind by one point, Middlebury, driven by seven points from Griffin Kornaker ’21, went on a 9–2 run to retake the lead, 50–44.
Once more, Wesleyan responded, tying the game at 50 before going on what would prove to be the game’s decisive run. From Kornaker’s layup at the 9:55 mark to put Middlebury ahead 50–44, until another Kornaker bucket with 2:08 remaining, the Panthers made only one field goal in six attempts, from Jack Daly ’18 and turned the ball over four times. Wesleyan outscored Middlebury 20–7 in that crucial stretch of almost eight minutes.
As Daly noted, Wesleyan “was able to keep us off the offensive glass down the stretch. That’s been one of our biggest strengths this year and they did a great job of limiting our shot opportunities each possession.”
Entering the game, Middlebury averaged 15.67 offensive rebounds per game, almost two more than any other team in the conference. On Saturday, Middlebury grabbed 12, most of which were team offensive rebounds off blocked shots, and zero as Wesleyan took the lead in this eight-minute stretch. Wesleyan blocked 11 shots as a team, including eight by Jordan Sears.
Kornaker’s basket at the 2:08 mark brought Middlebury within five, 64–59, but Wesleyan made enough free throws in the last two minutes to secure a 73–65 victory and a spot in the Nescac Semifinals.
65 points is Middlebury’s lowest scoring mark this season, for a team that averaged 81 points per game entering the playoff game on Saturday.
A lot of credit goes to Wesleyan, who has had one of the stingiest defenses in the Nescac this season, ranked first in opponent field goal percentage and second in scoring defense.
“Wesleyan is one of the best defensive teams in the country, so we knew it was going to be a battle,” Daly said. “Offensively, we had great movement on the perimeter, but not much attacking and dishing the ball in the last 10 minutes.”
Daly led the Panthers in defeat with 20 points, including 14 in the second half, and six assists. Matt Folger ’20 added 17 points, six rebounds and four steals, and Kornaker scored nine off the bench.
Wesleyan will play top-seeded Amherst this Saturday, Feb. 26, in the semifinals. In the other semifinal game, second-seeded Williams matches up with third-seeded Hamilton.
The Panthers will hold their breath until Monday, Feb. 19, when the NCAA DIII Committee makes its selections for the 64-team tournament field. 43 conference champions receive automatic bids into the tournament, leaving 21 spots for at-large teams. Middlebury is no. 18 in this week’s D3hoops.com national poll. In the final poll before last season’s selections, 13 of the 21 teams to receive at-large bids were not ranked. The Panthers should be in a good position to receive a bid, but no one knows for sure until the committee releases its decisions on Monday, Feb. 26.
The Panthers were as high as No. 5 in the country before three consecutive losses that knocked them out of the first-seed in the Nescac playoffs and then the playoffs themselves. But those losses were on the road to No.13 Hamilton, Amherst, and Wesleyan, three of the teams who tied for first in the Nescac, along with Middlebury and Williams.
“Right now it’s all about keeping a positive mindset, practicing hard every day, and watching as much film as we can to learn from our mistakes,” said Daly. “It’s all about remaining focused over the next couple of weeks. As Coach has been saying all year, we just need to stay the course despite the bumps in the road.”
The Panthers had a stretch like this one earlier in the season, when they lost to three out of five games to No. 12 York, No. 11 Swarthmore and Wesleyan. That time, they responded by rattling off 12-straight victories, including a win over Nescac rival, No. 8 Wesleyan.
If Middlebury is chosen for one of the 21 at-large bids, they will play in the NCAA tournament for the ninth time in 11 seasons. However, unlike last season when the Panthers hosted all four of its tournament games, they will likely be on the road in every game they play. 16 teams host the first two rounds of the 64-team tournament, and as the 18th-ranked team eliminated from the Nescac playoffs early, Middlebury is most likely on the outside looking in at that conversation. Head Coach Jeff Brown is not unfamiliar to playing on the road in the NCAA tournament though. In Middlebury’s first and only trip to the Final Four in the 2010-2011 season, the Panthers received a bye in the first round and won its second game at home, before going on the road to win their next two games to advance to the national semifinals.
At the beginning of the season, the Panthers set their sights on returning to Salem, Maine, to play in the Final Four. Despite this recent losing streak, that goal is still within reach, provided history holds.
Seniors Daly, who has already left his mark on the Middlebury record books, Nick Tarantino ’18 and Adisa Majors ’18 certainly are not prepared to let the season and their careers end. They and the Panthers have won a lot this year, and lost some close games to tough teams. Still, it seems like the final chapter on the 2017-2018 Middlebury men’s basketball team has not been written yet.
(02/22/18 2:40am)
Following a third-place finish at Nescacs earlier this month, where the Panthers pulled off a 5–4 win over Amherst, the 15th-ranked women’s squash team headed to the CSA Team Championships in Boston last weekend to compete in the B draw for the Kurtz Cup. They finished their season ranked 15th, after losing their first two matches of the weekend then defeating Amherst in a rematch on Sunday, Feb. 18.
Middlebury entered the weekend as a huge underdog — the Panthers were the 15th-ranked team in a draw that features the ninth through 16th-ranked teams. While they were the second lowest ranked team in the draw, their morale was high.
They began by facing No. 10 Dartmouth, the same team the Panthers lost to 8–1 earlier this season on their home courts.
Virginia Schaus ’21, who performed consistently well throughout her first season with the Panthers, claimed Middlebury’s only point against Dartmouth in a four-set triumph (11–3, 9–11, 11–7, 11–7) against Julia Potter at No. 6.
While the Panthers only tallied one point against the Big Green, several matches stood out as near misses for Middlebury. One of those was Alexa Comai ’19’s matchup in the No. 3 slot.
Comai battled into the fifth set against Dartmouth’s Sandra Reiss despite dropping the first game of the match 11–5. Comai quickly recovered though, and manufactured some momentum as she fought back to win the next two games 11–3 and 11–4, which made the next two games potential close-out sets. Unfortunately, after a hard fought fourth set, Comai ’19 fell 11–9, she could not get her energy back up for the fifth game and lost 11–3.
In the middle of the ladder, Anne Glassie ’20 and Natalie Madden ’21 missed the chance to pull off victories in their matches that went all the way to a fifth set. At No. 4, Glassie ’20 dropped the first two games against opponent Brynn Bank, 11–3, 11–7. But the tide changed when she fought tooth and nail for the third set, securing it with a score 13–11, before falling in the fourth set 11–7.
Madden ’21, another outstanding Panther rookie lost at No. 5 against Janel Gaube in a closely contested four set match 11–3, 11–7, 8–11, 11–4.
After falling to Dartmouth, Middlebury went on to play No. 14 Virginia in the consolation semifinal, where the Panthers fell to Virginia for the second time this season. Although, by only falling 7–2 this time around, the Panthers improved on their 8–1 showing earlier in the season.
In last weekend’s meeting with Virginia, the Panthers managed to get off to a good start when Natasha Lowitt ’20 tied the overall match 1–1 by winning a four set nailbiter in the No. 9 slot (11–7, 4–11, 13–11, 14–12). Unfortunately the winning streak didn’t last as Virginia won the next six matches, leading with a score of 7–1.
Mira Chugh ’20 put up a good fight in a tough five set match at No. 8 against Isabelle Ezratty. Chugh led the match with a two-game lead, 14–12, 11–5 but was then overtaken the next three sets 11–4, 11–8, 11–9.
At the top of the ladder, Beatrijs Kuijpers ’19’s match was the last on the day for the Panthers. Kuijpers ended the match on her terms as she defeated Carey Danforth in a well played four set match (11–9, 7–11, 11–4, 11–6). Their 7–2 loss to Virginia sent the Panthers onto the 15th-versus-16th-place game against Amherst. The matchup with the Mammoths offered a chance for the Panthers to finish in the top 15 in the year-end rankings for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons.
The team’s head coach, Mark Lewis, talked about how proud the team should be given the level of competition it faced in the first two rounds at nationals.
“We played really strong teams in the first two rounds (Dartmouth and UVA), played pretty well and learned that the team that applies pressure, sustains that pressure and relieves pressure tends to win.” But even after the two losses, the Panthers looked forward to apply pressure against Amherst to claim the 15th rank.
Rounding out the three day tournament with a 6–3 victory over Amherst in the 15/16 match, the Panthers finished their season with a 12–10 record.
Lowitt got things started on the right foot for the Panthers in the No. 9 slot, as she won a four-game match over Ashira Mawji. Undeterred from losing the first set 11–8, Lowitt powered through full force, claiming the next three sets, 11–5, 11–7, 11–7.
The Mammoths went on to two consecutive victories at No. 3 and No. 6 to gain a momentary 2–1 advantage. Comai put up a fight with a five set match in the No. 3 slot, narrowly falling by a score of 9–11, 11–6, 11–8, 5–11, 11–8. The loss at No. 6 by Schaus was also closely contested (6–11, 11–3, 11–8, 13–11).
Chugh’s result in the No. 8 slot broke the Mammoths winning streak. She racked up a four-game triumph over Pierson Klein. After losing the first set relatively quickly 11–3, Chugh made a huge comeback and won the next very close three sets, 11–9, 11–8, 11–8.
After that, the tide changed for the Panthers as they went on to win the next three consecutive matches. The wins came from Madden at No. 5, Emily Beinkampen ’21 in the No. 7 slot, and Lucy Bostwick ’18 at the No. 2.
Madden slipped past Madison Chen with a close four setter with a score of 11–9, 8–11, 11–8, 11–9. Beinkampen locked down her match in only three games (11–7, 11–7, 12–10), rounding out her first season on a positive note. Bostwick clinched a deciding five set match against Haley McAtee with a close score of 9–11, 11–5, 11–3, 8–11, 11–1.
The Mammoths gave a final push, breaking the Panthers’ winning streak with a three-game win at No. 4 (11–5, 11–6, 11–8), making the score 5–3. Kuijpers closed out the match, and tournament, with a three-game triumph against Kimberly Krayacich (11–6, 12–10, 11–9) in the top spot on the ladder.
Comai reflected on the tournament and the season in general.
“This season obviously had its high and low points,” Comai said. “I felt that overall the team really came together both on and off the courts.”
Coach Lewis agreed with Comai’s sentiments.
“In the match against Amherst we put in a really strong performance,” Lewis said. “Overall the season was good. Every team member had some wins and in their losses hopefully walked away with some valuable takeaways.”
Some great contributing factors to a solid season for the Panthers boiled down to great leadership and a strong support system, even from the underclassmen.
“We had a lot of great freshman who had an enormously positive contribution to the team and I am excited to see how they can help us to be even better next year,” said Comai.
“This year we had amazing leadership under our captain, Lucy Bostwick, as well as the rest of the senior class. We feel super grateful for everything that they have done for us and will miss them dearly.”
The women’s squash team is officially finished with their season, except for a select few competing in the Individual CSA championship in Washington D.C., March 2–4. After a grueling and competitive season, most of the Panthers are ready for a break, but also looking forward to continue training hard, getting prepared for the next season.
“I think after a little break we want to try to do a lot of match play and captains practices this spring to keep our skill level and fitness high,” Comai said on behalf of her Panther teammates who are already looking forward to the team’s potential going forward. “We also want to try to incorporate a lot of mental fitness training this spring and fall in order to allow each of us to be in our best competitive headspace come season.”
(02/22/18 2:35am)
Kenyon Arena was roaring with a rambunctious crowd last weekend as Middlebury fans spilled in each and every door for the last action of the 2017-18 season. In their first contest on Saturday, Feb. 17, the Panthers fell to Hamilton 1–0 after the Continentals found the back of the net in the final period. On Sunday, Feb. 18, the Panthers tied Amherst 2–2 — demonstrating the strides the team has made throughout the season, as they fell to the Mammoths 4–1 just over a month ago.
Knowing that these two games would be their last of what has been a tough campaign, the Panthers gave it all they had, sliding around the ice to defend their net. Despite their strongest efforts, Hamilton scored the only goal of Saturday’s matchup in the third period to win 1–0.
Stephen Klein ’18 was a hero once again, blocking shot after shot in the first 40 minutes of play.
Although both teams had many offensive opportunities to take the lead, it was Hamilton who finally found a way past Klein six minutes into the third stanza. Nick Ursitti did not give the Panthers a fair chance when he nailed a shot inside right post of the host’s territory.
Klein rounded out the game with a resounding 36 saves compared to the Hamilton goalie’s 27.
The following day the Panthers skated onto the ice looking to close out their regular season with a bang. Earlier this season they lost to Amherst and were hungry to leave their season with a win over their rivals. But, after a hard-fought campaign, Middlebury tied the Mammoths 2–2.
Middlebury opened the competition with flashes of strong offense and nearly got on the scoreboard when a shot by Kamil Tkaczuk ’19 was deflected by the Amherst goalie.
The game held scoreless until the 10:52 mark when Thomas Lindstrom skillfully drove the puck past Klein. But Middlebury was not ready to let their season end on that note. Just over five minutes later, Eric Jeremiah ’21 earned his first goal of the season that would bring the teams back even at 1–1 as they headed in for the first intermission.
The Nescac foes entered the second period prepared to nail down the hatches on the defensive side of the ice. With strong defensive plays from both sides, it was tough for either to breach the opposing barriers.
It was not until the 7:45 mark that Jack Fitzgerald forced his way through and tallied a second goal for the Mammoths, putting the Panthers back into a one-goal hole, 2–1.
In the last game of the season, the Panthers would not go down this easily.
Ten minutes later they answered the purple visitors with the support of a noisy arena behind them. Off a power play, Mitch Allen ’20 stepped up to the challenge and found Owen Powers ’20 who powered the puck home to knot the score.
The Panthers went into the third stanza ready to leave it all on the ice, as this would be their last chance to skate in Kenyon until next winter. While the Mammoths toppled Middlebury’s defense — they got 23 shots off compared to the Panther’s four — Klein held his own in the net and sent the game into overtime knotted at 2, where the score would remain.
It was Klein’s last chance to wear blue and white and he concludes his career in the annals of Panther history with a record 2,122 saves in his four years and 730 career stops in this season.
Klein commented on his final appearance in Kenyon Arena.
“Playing my last game as a Panther came with a lot of mixed emotions,” Klein said. “It’s crazy to look back over the past four years and how fast it all went by. We had a lot of ups and downs in my time here, but after my last game I found that only the really good moments stuck with me and that I am very grateful for all of those memories.”
The Panthers finish the 2017–2018 season with a record of 4–17–3, but they look forward to an optimistic future as many of their top players are underclassmen.
Klein left the team with some words of wisdom from his past four years in Vermont.
“I think the best advice is to treat every game like it means everything for your season,” Klein said. “With only 24 games it is incredibly hard to dig yourself out of a hole. We were in a lot of close games this year that we couldn’t find a way to win and I think there is a great group of players returning next year that are going to find a way to take that next step we were missing.”
(02/22/18 2:33am)
To cap off syllabus week, the Middlebury nordic and alpine ski teams competed in the Williams Carnival. After Friday and Saturday, Feb. 16 and 17, Middlebury finished in third place as a combined team.
The men’s nordic team opened the competition in a strong way, finishing first in the 10K Classic event. Sam Wood ’19 highlighted the day with his first career victory, leading the entire pack and finishing in 29:45.4. Just two seconds behind him at 29:47.1 was Lewis Nottonson ’19 with a career-best finish of his own (second place). Rounding out the top-ten for the Panthers were Adam Luban ’18 (eighth place – 30:18.4) and Peter Wolter ’21 (tenth place – 30:26.9). Jacob Volz ’18 also contributed a fine effort, placing 14th (30:45.0).
When asked what led to such a strong showing, Luban said a lot of things came together. “The snow conditions were actually really sloppy and terrible, but our coaches did a fantastic job on our skis. We’ve worked a lot on mental toughness this year and being able to tough out the tough days and that really showed.” Luban emphasized that the men’s margin of victory (22 points) was the “largest margin of victory for our team in a decade.”
The woman’s side also saw some fantastic individual efforts and finished in second place, with Cate Brams ’18 tying a career-best finish of second place (16:39.4) in the Women’s 5K Classic. Katie Feldman ’18 placed eighth (17:16.5), while Alexandra Lawson ’21 achieved a tenth-place finish (17:28.4). Also doing well were Annika Landis ’20 (12th place – 17:35.3) and Orli Schwartz ’20 (15th place – 17:50.6).
For the Alpine teams, Caroline Bartlett ’19 paced the women’s squad with a two-run time of 1:45.43, good for 11th place in the Giant Slalom. Lexi Calcagni ’19 also finished in the top-20, finishing in 1:45.91 (16th place).
Erik Arvidsson ’21 was the first finisher for the men with a time of 1:42.25 (eighth place) and Riley Plant ’18 was the other top-20 performer (11th place – 1:42.54). Plant, however was .02 seconds away from a top-ten finish, and the men finished the Giant Slalom in second place.
On day two, Brams put on another strong performance in the 3.8K Freestyle. Brams crossed the line at 9:39.6, good for seventh place. Behind her were Feldman (13th place – 9:51.4), Lawson (16th place – 9:55.0), and Schwartz (19th place – 9:58.6). Wood also skied well, posting another top-ten finish at eighth place (8:28.8), with Wolter and Luban also earning points (13th place and 19th place, respectively). Both teams finished the event in third overall, with Brams and Wood named EISA women’s and men’s nordic skiers of the week, respectively.
In the Slalom event, Lucia Bailey ’21 finished in 2:09.38, which cracked the top-10. Katie Utter ’20 also finished in the top-20, ending up in 16th place (2:10.6).
Arvidsson continued to race well, posting a second-place time of 1:52.79. Plant was the lone other Panther male to score points, finishing in 19th place.
This Friday and Saturday the Panthers will return to the mountain for the Middlebury Carnival (EISA Championships) at the Snow Bowl. For Luban and the Nordic squad, they are “looking forward to throwing down at our home carnival and then sending a full contingent to NCAA championships.”
“We always joke on the team that [the Middlebury] Carnival is the only weekend that matters, but coming up to the last time I’ll race at Rikert, it doesn’t feel like a joke,” Bram’s explaims. “There’s so much pride in hosting NCAA Regionals at Middlebury, and then there’s also something special about the last Carnival of my college career being Midd Carnival. It’s always the best weekend of the year, and I’m just stoked to see what the team can do.”
With the College providing shuttles to the Bowl, come one, come all and bring the noise.
(02/22/18 2:28am)
The Middlebury track and field teams competed in their first championship meets of the indoor season last weekend in DIII New Englands. The women’s team was in action last Saturday, Feb. 17, while the men’s side hosted the meet in Virtue Field House last Friday and Saturday, Feb. 16–17. The women’s side finished third with a score of 73, and the men’s side finished fourth with a score of 83.
On the women’s side, Williams came in first and MIT came in second with scores of 149 and 127, respectively.
Overall, Middlebury competed hard throughout the meet. In the 200-meter dash, Kate McCluskey ’18 came in third place with a time of 26.09, setting a new school record in the race. McCluskey came in second place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.52.
Other highlights included the efforts of Meg Wilson ’20 and Brianna Bisson ’18 in the 800-meter run, in which they placed second and third place, respectively. Wilson had a time of 2:16.75 and Bisson had a time of 2:18.88.
With a time of 17:41.50, Talia Ruxin ’20 received second place in the 5000-meter run. Middlebury placed in third in the distance medley featuring Katie Glew ’21, Gretchen McGrath ’21, Olivia Mitchell ’20 and Kate MacCary ’19. The group clocked in with a time of 12:19.27. On the “field” side of things, Helene Rowland ’20 threw a distance of 12.19 meters to place third in shot put.
On behalf of the men’s side, Jimmy Martinez ’19 remarked how he had never seen his teammates put in an effort like they did last weekend.
“The team competed harder than I’ve ever seen them compete before,” Martinez said. “I’m so proud of every one of my teammates for giving it everything and for bringing so much energy. We knew that hosting a championship meet was not something we get to do all that often, and I could tell everyone brought a little extra juice because of that.”
Ahead of the men’s team was Tufts with 110 points, MIT with 97 points, and Williams with 92.50 points.
Martinez and Nick Hendrix ’20 came in second and third place in the 200-meter dash with times of 22.40 and 22.42. Martinez also captured first place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.66.
Kevin Serraro ’18 competed in the 1000-meter run where his recorded time was 2:32.11, good for a fourth-place finish, and the one-mile run where he finished fifth with a time of 4:16.71.
Middlebury’s A team for the 4X400 relay — composed of Martinez, Mathew Durst ’21, Tyler Farrell ’18 and Cam Mackintosh ’20 — came in second place with a time of 3:21.57, while the Panthers’ A team for the distance medley included Jon Perlman ’19, Paul Malloy ’18, Nathan Hill ’20 and Will Meyer ’20 who captured first with a time of 10:21.57. Also, Minhaj Rahman ’19 threw 17.22 meters to come in fourth in the weight throw.
Martinez spoke of how the team is looking even more enthusiastically toward upcoming meets given their performances last weekend.
“The team sees now what it takes to be the best in New England,” Martinez said, “whether that be individually or as a team. Individually, many of us (especially the young guys) see just how close they are to being great. I tell my sprinter group that the work will pay off, and that they just have to trust it. As for the team, we see now just how balanced we are.”
Both the men’s and women’s teams will compete at home in the Middlebury Track Carnival tomorrow and Saturday, Feb. 23 and 24, which will take place in the Field House.
