1000 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(02/16/18 11:33pm)
While the rest of campus enjoyed February break either in the sun or on the slopes, the men’s hockey team celebrated the competition in the rink. Middlebury earned a tie against both Conn. College on and Tufts, leaving the weekend before break with a 2–2 score against the Camels on Friday, Jan. 26, and a 1–1 count, Saturday, Jan. 27, against the Jumbos on Saturday. The men then fell to three conference teams over the next two weekends, losing to Wesleyan 3–1 on Friday, Feb. 2, Trinity 3–0 on Saturday, Feb. 3, and Williams twice by a score of 2–1 on Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10.
The Panthers kicked off the last weekend of January hosting the Camels in Kenyon Arena and looked to avenge a 5–0 loss earlier in the season.
Both teams’ defenses held tough throughout the first period, preventing either offense from gaining any advantage. It was not until five minutes into the second stanza when Conn. College’s Mason Evans capitalized off a power play. He slid a shot past the Panther goalie to lift his team ahead, a lead that would hold until the third period.
The hosts found the back of the Camel net just 56 seconds into the last period. Frank Cosolito ’20 worked his way past the Conn. College defense with ease, when he slapped the puck giving the Panthers their place on the board. The pressure was on both teams as they skated around Kenyon searching for an opportunity. The Camels were the first to respond five minutes later when Ryan Petti reacted quickly to his teammate’s rebounded attempt, and knocked a shot past Middlebury.
With time running out, the Panthers were anxious to equalize the competition. Although the Conn. College defense was impenetrable, Kamil Tkaczuk ’19 finished off Cosolito’s rejected effort with only a few minutes remaining, tying the game at two. Neither team scored in overtime, and the final score remained.
After their 5–0 loss earlier in the year, Middlebury tied Conn. College this time around, holding their own in Kenyon Arena.
“I think for us it comes down to being focused and playing our game for the whole 60 minutes,” said Danny Tighe ’20. “Earlier in the year we came out flat against them, whereas this time around we were ready to go from the start.”
On Saturday, Jan. 27, Middlebury faced Tufts for the second time this season, after beating the Jumbos 2–0 in December, and hoped to sweep the visitors. Their hopes were not realized as the Jumbos put up a tough fight, tying the Panthers 1–1.
Neither team was able to edge past one another in the first period. Stephen Klein ’18 played well all game, allowing only one of the 40 shots on goal past him.
“Klein has been playing great in net for us, but we just need to bury more of our own offensive chances,” said Tighe. “I think that starts with us placing heightened emphasis on executing when we work on scoring in practice.”
At the 9:31 minute mark in the second period, Tufts broke the tie. Ross Delabruere quickly jumped on a rebound, and Tufts led 1–0. But Middlebury had an answer for the visiting Bostonians less than eight minutes later, when Vincent Gisonti ’18 scored his third goal of the season on a power play opportunity. Brendan Dawson ’20’s shot was blocked, but Gisonti stayed with the play and hammered the rebound past the Jumbo goalie, tying the game at one. The score stay that way, as neither team could break through the rest of regulation or in overtime.
The Panthers traveled to Connecticut the following weekend to face Wesleyan on Friday, Feb. 2, looking at another opportunity to redeem themselves after dropping their last matchup 6–1.
Neither the Panthers nor their opponents scored in the first period for the third straight game, but Wesleyan snuck their way past Klein at 10:12 in the middle period on a powerplay. Four minutes later, the Cardinals doubled their lead when Matthew Zandi slapped the puck Klein
In the final stanza, Brett Dineen ’20 found the back of the net to put Middlebury on the board. The Panthers hope of knotting the score was quashed soon after when Jordan Jancze increased the Cardinal lead to two. Middlebury could not respond to that goal, and fell to Wesleyan 3–1.
On Saturday, Feb. 3, the men continued their journey in Connecticut when they faced Trinity. The men once again fell to the No. 5 Bantams by the same 3–0 score.
Following the same pattern, Middlebury defense proved impermeable in the first period but could not score either, entering the locker room knotted at zero still. It took the Bantams until the 17:34 mark in the second period to get by Middlebury. Michael Grande earned Trinity their first of three goals after a creating his own opportunity in a remarkable effort.
The Panthers refused to back down from this one-goal deficit. They continued to hold Trinity at bay, despite the Bantams offensive onslaught on Klein.
Trinity closed out the game in the final period. Ryan Pfeffer hammered in an easy shot six minutes into the stanza, giving the hosts a two-goal lead. Nicholas Polsinelli followed up Pfeffer, scoring on an empty net to give Trinity a 3–0 victory.
Heading into this past weekend, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9 and 10, the Panthers had two good opportunities to topple a Williams team in the bottom half of the Nescac standings as well.
In the first contest on Friday at Williams, neither team scored in the first period. This continued Middlebury’s trend of strong defense, despite Williams significant advantage in shots. Finally, 10 minutes into the second period, Gisonti broke the silence. Off a Williams turnover, he broke past the Ephs to drive home his fourth goal of the season.
Gisonti’s goal fired up his teammates, as well as the Williams offense. So much so, that the Ephs has a response at the 17:40 mark in the same period. The hosts matched the visitor’s tally when C.J. Shugart got past Klein to make it anybody’s game once more.
Both teams grinded for the win in the final stanza but neither could break the tie in a highly contested third period, and the game entered overtime.
With no score in the first 4:30 of overtime, Middlebury pulled its goalie, needing a win to if they wanted to move out of last place and into the Nescac playoffs. But the move backfired when Williams’ Colby Cretella found the back of the empty net with ten seconds remaining to give Williams the 2–1 win.
Middlebury trailed Williams in shots on goal by 22 shots (43–21), as Klein turned in another impressive performance, stopping 41 shots.
On Saturday, Feb. 10, the two teams returned to the ice, this time in Kenyon Arena.
For the seventh game in a row, the Panthers held off their opponents in the first period. Although the Panthers did not score, they Trevor Turnbull ’20 and Kamil Tkaczuk ’19 had separate opportunities when they almost did beat the Williams netminder.
In the second period, C.J. Shugart again proved to be a danger to the hosts. Within the first minute, he took advantage of a power play and redirected a shot from his teammate to put his team in the lead. But, the junior from Toronto was not satisfied yet. With just a few moments remaining in the period, Shugart’s teammate found him after collecting a rebound, and whipped a shot past the Panthers.
Despite going down by two, the hosts were determined to find a way past Williams. The Panthers found some life in the eighth minute of the final stanza. Alex Heinritz ’21 slid in his second goal of the season on a power play to give bring his team within one and give it a fighting chance.
Middlebury found some opportunities in the final remaining minutes, but was unable to finish them off, losing its fourth straight game.
Middlebury will look for a way to end its losing streak when they play their last two games of the regular season this weekend. Mathematically eliminated from the Nescac playoffs, the Panther seniors will play their last two games in the blue and white on Friday, Feb. 17, when they host Hamilton, and Saturday, Feb. 18 when they welcome Amherst to Kenyon Arena.
(02/15/18 2:03am)
“I can honestly say I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment,” said field hockey captain Lauren Schweppe ’18 just days after her team won it all for the first time — after years of highs and lows, of high expectations and dashed hopes. Not the NCAA Division III National Championship, mind you. In case you forgot, when she and the rest of the Middlebury field hockey team brought home the national title last fall, it was their second in three years. And as monumental as their achievement was, who’s ever heard of someone “waiting their whole life” to win something for the second time?
“Losing in ’05 was rough,” she continued, “but I think we all felt like this year was our chance for redemption, and it was.” Naturally, she was talking about her hometown team and the champions of Super Bowl LII: the Philadelphia Eagles. And if Schweppe thinks she’s waited a long time, imagine how her parents, her grandparents — heck, the whole city of Philadelphia — feel. Despite being one of the oldest franchises in the NFL (founded in 1933), the Eagles were one of nine teams who had been around for all 51 Super Bowls and hadn’t won a single one.
But on Sunday, February 4 the Eagles crossed their name off the list of teams who have come up short 51 times and hoisted the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy (still remaining are the Bills, Browns, Cardinals, Chargers, Falcons, Lions, Titans, and Vikings). For most Philadelphia fans, the joy of the victory has as much to do with the company that they’re joining as with the past they’re leaving behind. The two sides are inseparable: for a place that Time Magazine dubbed “The Worst Sports City in America” as recently as 2015, the long-awaited championship tasted that much sweeter on account of all the heart-wrenching seasons that Philadelphia fans have suffered in the past.
Brendan Donohue ’18, a lifelong Eagles fan as well as a member of the Middlebury baseball team, still hasn’t given up hopes for his first collegiate championship — but also didn’t let that get in the way of celebrating Philadelphia’s success. “I grew up as an Eagles fan and watched every game with my dad,” he recalled. “I still remember the devastating feeling we felt each year watching them lose. I can’t explain how amazing it feels to be Super Bowl champions.
“As a 9 year old in 2005, I cried when we lost. This time I cried even harder when we won.”
As befits the city of Philadelphia, the Eagles’ road to the championship was hardly uneventful. After a blistering 10-2 start that had them positioned as easy favorites to win the NFC, their quarterback and MVP candidate Carson Wentz suffered a torn ACL in their week 14 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Although fans of some teams might have had their doubts, Philadelphia fans — accustomed as they are to hardship and suffering — see doubt as a luxury not worth indulging in. “Philly fans never give up on their team,” said Schweppe. “Even after we lost Wentz, the overwhelming feeling was that we were confident in our team and confident in [Nick] Foles. We knew the Birds would pull through no matter what.”
Nick Foles, the unassuming backup with the goofy grin and who nearly hung up his cleats two years ago, took the helm in Philadelphia after Wentz’s injury. First, a little background: Foles was a third-round pick for the Eagles in 2012, and would step in to play when the starter, Michael Vick, suffered a concussion about midway through the season. In 2013, he tied an NFL record with seven touchdown passes in a single game and finished with one of the best single-season passer ratings of all time (119.3). The next season, Foles’ record was not nearly as clean, as he threw 13 touchdowns but also 10 interceptions in eight games. In his ninth game of the season Foles broke his collarbone, ending his season. At the time the Eagles were 6–2, but they went 4–4 the rest of the way and missed the playoffs. Foles was traded to the Rams after the 2014 campaign, ended up losing the starting position to Case Keenum, and asked to be released after the team drafted Jared Goff the next year. At this point, Foles was moments away from calling it quits and moving on from the NFL, he has said openly since that time. However, he took a chance and signed a contract with the Chiefs to play as a backup under his former coach Andy Reid. He saw limited action as a backup, but wasn’t satisfied with his role on the team and asked to be released; luckily for him, his skillset convinced the Philadelphia Eagles to re-sign him as backup before this past 2017 campaign.
Which brings us back to the weeks following Wentz’s injury. The Eagles had an uncertain finish to the regular season, to say the least: Foles showed some flashes but didn’t look outstanding on the whole, and it would be hard hard to say that the Eagles were coming in to the playoffs on a hot streak after their 6–0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in week 17 (of course, the Eagles’ starters barely saw the field — after all, that contest didn’t affect their place in the standings — but it certainly wasn’t a high note to end the regular season).
Despite being the number one seed in the NFC coming into their divisional round matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, there was enough doubt surrounding the Eagles team that Las Vegas books actually had them as the underdog coming into the game — at home, to boot. Philadelphia managed to come away with a 15–10 win behind a solid performance from Foles: certainly not resounding enough to silence their critics, but enough to keep them alive for one more week.
But the team kept on driving, and their fans followed suit, doubling down on their grit and even getting a little cocky about it. “The biggest surprise for me,” Donohue said, “was seeing how resilient the team was once we lost our MVP-caliber QB in Carson Wentz. Everyone talks about the Patriots’ ‘Next Man Up’ mentality, but I could guarantee they don’t make it past the divisional round with a backup QB.”
That faith paid dividends during Philadelphia’s head-turning performance in the NFC championship. Facing a Vikings team led by Case Keenum — the same quarterback that took his job a few years earlier on the Rams — Foles threw for three touchdowns and 352 on 26 for 33 passing en route to a 38–7 trouncing of Minnesota. The highlight of the game came with Foles under center with a 24–7 lead on the Vikings’ 41-yard line: Doug Pederson, the Philadelphia coach who never met a trick play he didn’t like, called the flea-flicker that would seal the game when Foles lofted a pass carefully into the hands of Torrey Smith just inside the end-zone pylon.
Sure, there was some time left in the game at this point, but the narrative for Super Bowl LII was already starting to take shape. Waiting for the Eagles were the New England Patriots juggernaut, led by the Brady-Belichick duo with five Super Bowls to their credit — including last year’s, which they won with the greatest comeback in NFL history, let alone on the biggest stage in football. It was the evil empire versus the lovable losers, the playoff perennials that everybody loves to hate against the against-all-odds, down-but-not-out upstarts with their eyes on the throne. Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vader; Rocky Balboa versus Apollo Creed.
Any sports fan could find a team to root for under such circumstances; still, many student-athletes might feel a special affinity for the thrill of this particular athletic contest, since so often in their own careers they’ve been in the place of one if not both teams on the field. Take Schweppe, who, despite being a Philadelphia fan, plays for a Middlebury team that has more or less been the New England Patriots of Division III field hockey, let alone the Nescac, over the past few years. The fact that she could personally relate to the swagger and absolute confidence that the Patriots play with, only made it all the more exciting for her to root for her underdog Eagles on the big stage. “I think any athlete can relate to the competitive spirit of the Super Bowl,” she later said. “Although it’s definitely more stressful being a spectator who can only sit and scream at her TV than being one of the actual athletes on the field with the game in your hands.”
The game itself was nothing short of an absolute classic, a back-and-forth thriller guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Even if you didn’t have skin in the game, it was damn good football. Although Foles gave the Eagles a 38–33 lead with his third TD pass of the game with 2:25 remaining, the game was far from over: indeed, the Philadelphia faithful were more than likely seeing visions of the Patriots’ comeback from last year’s Super Bowl. With the Eagles holding a five-point lead, overtime seemed out of the question in this contest: Brady and the Patriots were set for an all-or-nothing drive, end zone or bust. But just two plays in, Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham beat his man to strip sack Brady well within New England territory, and the Eagles fell on the fumble. Foles and company would play it safe and settle for the field goal to push the score to 41–33 with about a minute remaining. Of course, Brady managed to put the Patriots in position for in a last-second Hail Mary, as everyone more or less knew he would, but Eagles fans across the country leapt for joy as the pass was swatted to the ground to seal the victory.
The City of Brotherly Love may not be known for its hospitable fans, but their victory was one that everyone outside of New England — and a good deal of folks within it — could take at least some share in rejoicing over. With characteristic Philadelphian irreverence, Donohue summed up what the victory meant for him and, by extension, countless others. “Being a Philadelphia fan is in my blood,” he said: “it’s something my dad and I bonded over during my childhood. Being an Eagles fan isn’t just about sports for me. It’s about family, and I don’t care if people think we’re scumbags, because now we’re scumbags who are champions.”
Unlike Schweppe, Donohue is still waiting on his turn to taste a championship in his Middlebury career. But that hasn’t stopped him from taking lessons from his fandom and putting them to use on the diamond. “I love to take the grit I’ve developed over the years as an Eagles fan and apply it to the grit I have on the baseball field,” he later explained. “I never really knew that ‘tears of joy’ were a thing until the Eagles won, and I can’t wait to bawl my eyes out again when the baseball team takes home the Nescac title.”
Here’s to all those underdog dreams coming true — for Middlebury students and athletes alike.
(02/15/18 2:01am)
Middlebury women’s hockey played eight games in the span of two weeks, winning six of them and solidifying a top spot before the playoffs begin. The team’s most recent victories came against the Colby Mules on Feb. 9 and 10
Even though the Mules held the Panthers scoreless through the first period, Middlebury shot 15 of the 16 shots on goal, keeping Colby’s goaltender busy. The visitors finally broke the stalemate at the 6:39 mark. Haley LaFontaine’18 started the play behind Middlebury’s net, dangled the puck up the ice and then found Ellie Barney ’21 on the left side, who finished in the bottom right corner — the shorthanded goal came at the 6:39 mark.
After Barney’s firsts score, Middlebury could not find another opportunity in the second period and moved to the third with a 1-0 lead. The Mules could not find a shot passed Lin Han ’20, who would finish with her team-leading fifth shutout. With two minutes left, the Mules pulled their goalie hoping to find someway around Han, but Middlebury iced the game with .3 seconds left, as LaFontaine found the back of the open net. The win marked the tenth shutout victory for the Panthers this season and would return to action on Saturday to close their doubleheader.
Middlebury completed the sweep at Colby, outscoring their opponents 7-2, while taking an unprecedented 52 shots on goal over the course of the game. The Panthers took the lead on a power-play opportunity thanks to a score by Jessica Young ’18, assisted by Janka Hlinka ’18. Barney scored her second goal in just as many games moments later, poking the puck through the legs of Colby’s goaltender giving the guests a 2-0 advantage.
The Mules got on the board for the first time all weekend in the second stanza, but not before Middlebury cashed in on another power-play. Anna Zumwinkle ’20 took a pass from the left point, skated to the high slot, fired the shot through several defenders and found the back of the net to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead. Their momentum was sustained throughout the third period as Middlebury saw scores four scores from three different Panthers.
Madie Leidt ’21 wristed the shot past the goaltender on the third power-play opportunity for the Panthers making it 4-1. Katrina Shuchuk ’19 scored her first of two goals three minutes after Ledit, one timing a pass from Elizabeth Wulf ’18 and finding the back of the net to give the guest a 5-1 advantage. The Mules scored to cut into the lead, but the Panthers handily response with another power-play goal, this time by captain Janka Hlinka ’18 shooting from the penalty box and giving the guests a 6-2 lead. Shuchuk tacked on her second goal of the night to give the Panthers a season-high, seven goal win.
To say it has been a long and tough stretch, would be an understatement,” said Elizabeth Wulf ’18. “We will be taking this week to get healthy, rest our minds and bodies and be ready to play our best hockey heading into the playoffs. We want to solidify our spot at the top, while carrying the momentum. Our mentality is simple: we feel that we can beat any team in the country and in order to do so, we need to play our best hockey”
The Panthers return to action this weekend with a Nescac doubleheader against the Williams Purple Ephs.
(02/15/18 1:59am)
The women’s basketball team played its final pair of regular season games on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9 and 10. Middlebury defeated Hamilton (14–10) in Pepin Gym on Friday 53–44, ensuring they would host a quarterfinal game in the Nescac playoffs. The Panthers lost their final home game of the regular season at home to the defending Nescac and NCAA Division III champions Amherst, 68–41.
Hamilton looked aggressive from the opening minutes on Friday. After a brief moment of being tied at four, the Continentals were effortlessly finding the bottom of the net to go on an 11–0 run. On the defensive end, Hamilton managed to cut off much of Middlebury’s movement inside the paint. Hamilton’s lockdown defense forced the Panthers to take difficult shots, only allowing seven points to Hamilton’s 17 at the end of the first quarter.
The Panthers stepped up on the defensive end in the second quarter. They hustled tenaciously on both ends of the floor, and scored the opening six points of the quarter to cut the lead down to four. Sabrina Weeks ’18 came up with a huge steal and finished the layup to keep the Panthers close at 19–15 with three and a half minutes to play. The final few minutes saw Hamilton score five of the next eight points to give themselves a half-dozen point lead heading into halftime.
The visitors opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer to extend their lead to nine. But the Panthers continued their strong defensive efforts and fluid ball movement to go on a 14–2 run, limiting the Continentals to just one basket and forcing nine turnovers. The Panthers finally managed to take the lead off a 3-pointer from Sarah Kaufman ’18 late in the quarter.
Catherine Harrison ’19 opened the final quarter with a jumper to give the Panthers a 39–33 lead. An exchange of runs ensued for the remainder of the game, and the Panthers led 48–40 after a pair of Maya Davis ’20 free throws. The Panthers overcame a six-point halftime deficit to win by nine, 53–44. Harrison led the Panthers in scoring with a season-best 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting.
The following afternoon, defending champion Amherst immediately looked dominant in the opening quarter as they led 10–0 after seven minutes of play. The Panthers found their first basket of the game on a Lily Kuntz ’20 3-pointer with 2:45 left in the first ten minutes.
Behind 16–5 at the beginning of the second quarter, Middlebury began to slowly chip away at the large deficit, eventually cutting the lead down to six on another three from Kuntz. The Mammoths immediately retaliated and cemented a 25–15 lead going into halftime.
The Mammoths looked unstoppable coming out of the locker room for the third quarter, putting together a 13–5 run over the first half of the quarter. Middlebury could not slow the Mammoths this time, and the lead ballooned as many as 26 in the third quarter.
Though the fourth quarter was tight in scoring, 16–15, the Mammoths were able to end their regular season with a 27-point win away from home.
Kuntz was the Panthers’ top scorer with 11.
Though the Panthers would not have liked to end their final game of the season at home with such a tough loss, the errors and shortcomings should be internalized quickly to prepare themselves for the playoffs. Amherst has not lost a game since the start of the 2016-2017 season, making them undefeated in their past 57 games. If the Panthers are looking to make a run for the Nescac title, they can almost assuredly expect to face Amherst again.
Fourth-seeded Middlebury, who boasts a 17–7 overall record and 6–4 record in the conference, will host fifth-seeded Wesleyan (5–5, in the Nescac) on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m. The Panthers defeated the Cardinals 77–60 at Pepin Gym earlier this season.
This is the second straight season Middlebury will host a quarterfinal game, but only the third time since 2002, the first and only time the Panthers advanced to the Nescac championship game. If the Panthers win on Saturday, they will advance to the semifinals held the following weekend at the highest-remaining seed’s gym.
(02/15/18 1:57am)
The Middlebury Track and Field team faced competitive challengers in their two most recent meets. The first was a two-part meet, the David Hemery Invitational, on Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10. The second was the Gordon Kelly Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 10. Both meets were non-scoring.
In the David Hemery Invitational both teams accomplished great feats. On the men’s side, Jimmy Martinez ’19 achieved a time of 22.23 in the 200 meter dash to place 43rd. Along with that performance, Martinez registered a time of 44.55 in the 400 meter dash to place 21st. Paul Malloy ’18 had ran a time of 1:08.17 to get himself 31st place in the 500 meter dash. A final highlight for the men’s side was the eighth-place finish of the long distance medley relay team of Nathan Hill ’20, Arden Coleman ’20, James Mulliken ’18 and Kevin Serrao ’18. The quartet registered a time of 9:58.61.
For the women, Kate McCluskey ’18 did well in the 400 meter dash with a time of 56.21 which broke a school record. In the 800, Anna Willig ’20 placed in 75th and Brianna Bisson ’18 placed in 79th with respective times of 2:18.68 and 2:19.02. In the distance medley, Tasha Greene ’21, McCluskey, Meg Wilson ’20 and Abigail Nadler ’19 crossed the line with a time of 11:52.53. In the field portion of the meet, Alex Cook ’20 provided a highlight for the Panthers with a jump of 5.19 meters in the long jump, good for a 27th-place finish.
In the Gordon Kelly Invitational, the team pulled out some top notch finishes. Nate Evans ’20 had a time of 2:53.50 in the 1000 meter run to get first place for the men’s squad. Jake Guth ’19 ran the mile in 4:54.84 which was good for a fifth-place finish. Tyler Farrell ’18 placed third with a time of 8.77 in the 60 meter hurdles and Max Memeger ’21 competed in the long jump and reached 6.18 meters to get third place.
The highlight of the weekend, however, had to be the performance of Minhaj Rahman ’19, who broke a school record in the weight throw with a throw of 16.69 meters which happened to net him second place.
Minhaj was excited that his hard work paid off.
“Words couldn’t explain [how I feel],” said Minhaj about how breaking the record made him feel. “I came into Midd after a big accident that set me back far making me take months of therapy and taking medical leave for my first semester. Walking in to Midd, I wanted to make an impact on the team but I was too weak because of the accident and so that feeling pushed to try to improve.
“Ever since I walked into Midd, I wanted my name on that board and it was finally done. Because I’m one of the smallest throwers out there the division, I have to use my form to try to beat out the 250 lbs throwers out there. When I released the throw, I just knew that it beat the record. The throw felt effortless as it should and knowing that I had such a supportive coach and team that brought me to this stage made it more worthwhile.”
Cook and Lizzie Walkes ’20 competed in the 200 meter dash and achieved first and third place respectively for the women’s squad. Cook had a time of 27.15 and Walkes had a time of 27.45. Olivia Mitchell ’20 had a time of 2:30.00 in the 800 meter dash, good for seventh place. Julia Jaschke ’20 placed second in the 3000 meter race with a time of 10:55.41. Kreager Taber ’19 had a height of 3.35 in the pole vault to get fifth place. In the triple jump, Kisha Kalra ’18 got fourth place and Emily Allardi ’21 got seventh place. Kalra had a distance of 10.45 meters and Allardi had a distance of 10.08 meters. Lastly, Emily Ray ’20 competed in the weight throw and achieved eighth place with a throw of 14.18 meters.
“We wanted to create good standards to walk into DIIIs and the rest of the championship season with and I say we’re in a good place right now,” Minhaj said when asked about the last two meets. “We had great pole vault performances, the sprinters got good times on the banked track, our capt. Kate McCluskey also broke the 400 record, and my weight throw partner Emily also had a big pr as well so all in all we are looking solid and happy that we are finally in the championship season.”
Tomorrow and Saturday, Feb. 16-17, both teams will compete in the Division III New England Championships where they will use their experiences of the last few weeks to do their best. The men’s squad will be competing at home while the women’s side will be competing in Springfield.
(02/15/18 1:56am)
The Middlebury Panther Swimming & Diving Squads suffered one loss and gained a win in their tri-meet with the Hamilton Continentals and Williams Ephs on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Williams. Both teams lost to Williams, the men 189-94, and the women, 177-114. Against the Continentals, both the men’s and women’s teams claimed a victory, 206-78 and 209.5-84.5, respectively.
Mike Chirico ’20 continued his successful season with a first-place finish on the boards in the 1-meter and 3-meter events, with 287.25 and 284.32 points. Chirico was the only male Panther to win two events for the squad.
The other individual victory on the men’s side came from Will Pannos ’20 in the 100 butterfly (54.15).
The men accounted for many second-place finishes, as Nick Handali ’20 of the panthers touched the wall behind Pannos in the 100 butterfly in a time of 54.21. Morgan Matsuda ’19 and Connor McCormick ’18 were also second on the podium for their events. Matsuda was second in the 500 free with a time of 4:58.34, while McCormick touched the wall second in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.30).
Two Panthers also won on the women’s side on Saturday. Frances VanderMeer ’20 claimed an individual victory in the 50 butterfly (26.43). VanderMeer, along with Sarah McEachern ‘21, who won the 100 individual medley in 1:05.99, controlled the day for the Panther team. VanderMeer contributed further with her second-place finish in the 50 backstroke (27.54).
The 200 free relay team for the Panthers, consisting of VanderMeer, Erin Kelly ‘21, Stephanie Andrews ‘18, and Maya Gomez ‘20, touched the wall first in a time of 1:40.37.
Second-place swimming finishes came from VanderMeer in the 50 backstroke, Gomez in the 50 and 100 breaststroke (31.73, 1:09.54), and Kelly Delane ’18 in the 50 fly (28.15). Elissa DeNunzio ‘18 took second-place in both the 1-meter (255.30) and 3-meter (246.97) diving events.
More recently, in an unscored meet with Williams, Tufts, University of Vermont, and Springfield, on February 2nd and 3rd, the Panthers competed to prepare for their upcoming NESCAC championships, which will start off in a few weeks.
Stephanie Andrews and Maya Gomez successfully conquered the competition in their individual events, Andrews placing first in the 50 free in 24.46, Gomez in the 100 breaststroke in 1:05.83. The 800-yard freestyle relay team, made up of Andrews, VanderMeer, Georgia Houde ’20, and Angela Riggins ’19, also placed first with a time of 7:57.06.
Connor McCormick, the lone top-place finisher for the men’s team, beat his competition in the 100 breaststroke to win with a time of 59.43.
This weekend, the women will travel to Williams again to compete at the NESCAC championships on Friday to Sunday, Feb. 16 to 18. The men have the weekend off before making their way to Bowdoin for the Nescac championships from Feb. 23 to 25.
(02/15/18 1:50am)
Following a third-place finish at Nescacs earlier this month, punctuated by the Panthers’ dismantling of Williams 8–1 in the third place match to avenge a narrow road loss on Jan. 6, the 21st-ranked men’s squash team rode into last weekend’s trip to No. 16 Navy, No. 11 George Washington and No. 12 Drexel aiming to defeat a more highly ranked team which could have propelled the Panthers into the CSA top 16 and the B bracket draw at nationals.
Despite Middlebury’s 8–1 victory over Williams just two days prior, the rankings the CSA released on Feb. 6 slotted the No. 21 Panthers one spot below No. 20 Williams.
“It was discouraging to not jump Williams in the rankings after beating them as badly as we did,” team captain Ryan Swope ’18 said, “but that actually ended up being motivation for us moving into this weekend.”
The road trip began last Friday, Feb. 9, with Middlebury taking on No. 16 Navy in Annapolis. In what was the program’s first trip to Navy’s home courts in Bancroft Hall, the Panthers figured that the matchup against the Midshipmen would be their best chance of the weekend to knock off a top 16 opponent and pull closer to their goal of breaking through to the B bracket.
“Navy was expected to be the most winnable match but we just didn’t come ready to play – Navy also happens to be, unsurprisingly, one of the toughest teams mentally and physically,” said Swope, which posed problems for a sluggish Panther team.
The Panthers’ record over the last few seasons in matches against Navy suggested they had the potential to push the Midshipmen last Friday. However, the Panthers came out flat and lost 9–0, with no one pushing his Navy opponent past four sets—Sam Giddens ’18 managed to sweep Navy’s Danny Finnegan in straight sets in the exhibition match.
John Epley ’21, who has played well in his rookie campaign, narrowly missed the chance to send his match with Navy’s Dylan Sweeney into a fifth set. After dropping the first set to Sweeny 11–4, Epley made things closer in the second set which he lost 11–7 before he managed to turn the tide in the third set with a convincing 11–5 victory. With some momentum on Epley’s side, the first-year pushed Sweeney in the fourth and deciding set before falling 14–12.
At the bottom of the ladder, Swope and Thomas Wolpow ’20 also narrowly missed on playing a fifth match against their Navy opponents. In the No. 8 slot for the Panthers, Wolpow rebounded from a 0–2 set deficit to defeat Navy’s No. 8 11–9 in the third set before falling 11–9 in the deciding fourth set. In the nine spot for Middlebury, Swope made things closer in his second and third games than the final score indicates. Swope won his second set over Navy’s Greg Hyer 11–8 and dropped a marathon third game 16–14 before Swope bowed out in the fourth set by losing 11–2.
Understandably deflated by the lopsided loss to a Navy team they needed to challenge in order to have a shot at achieving their goal of finishing the season in the top 16, the Panthers had a hard time rebounding when they headed to the nation’s capital last Saturday, Feb. 10, to take on a very talented No. 11 George Washington squad.
The Panthers’ Nos. 2 and 3, Jacob Ellen ’20 and Jack Kagan ’20, along with Swope at No. 9, all managed to get off to a good start against GW by winning their first sets. Ellen’s 11–5 victory in his opening game was the most convincing of the three, but Kagan and Swope also scored emphatic 11–7 victories.
Unfortunately, Ellen and Kagan were overmatched by their top-of-the-ladder opponents from George Washington, who evidently stepped up their urgency after falling behind. Ellen lost to Jamie Oakley, who has played well for the Colonials at the top of their ladder, 11–5, 11–6, 11–7 in the second, third, and fourth games. Kagan lost in succession to George Washington’s senior from Dublin, Oisin Logan, who is 13–4 on the year despite playing all of his matches at the top half of GW’s ladder, 11–3, 11–6, 11–0 in their final three games. At the bottom of the ladder, Swope played GW’s Omar Mussehl more closely. Swope lost the second and fourth sets 11–6 and played Mussehl tightly in a 12–10 loss in the third game.
The closest match for the Panthers on the day, however, came courtesy of Wolpow in the eight spot. Wolpow was in a position to beat GW’s No. 8 in three of the four sets he played. He lost the opening game 12–10 before rebounding in a close 11–9 second set. After letting the third set get away from him, Wolpow battled back in what turned out to be a marathon fourth set and just narrowly lost 14–12.
After back-to-back 9–0 defeats, the Panthers headed to Philadelphia to close the regular season last Sunday, Feb. 11, when they took on No. 12 Drexel. While they could simply have packed it in, the Panthers came out fighting and played Drexel closely, despite the 7–2 losing result.
Against the Dragons, the wins for the Panthers came from Ellen and Kagan at the top of the ladder. Ellen perhaps got lucky given his opponent in the No. 2 spot, Lucas Rousselet, had to retire after beating Ellen 11–3 in the opening game. However, when Rousselet had to drop out, Ellen held a 5–2 lead in the second game.
Kagan got a victory for the Panthers in the third slot over Atticus Kelly, a senior who is winding down a good career for Drexel, in four sets: 11–6, 9–11, 15–13, 11–7. Despite winning the opening set and playing a close second game, Kagan must have been in a slightly uncomfortable position. He won his opening set only to lose the ensuing three games against both Navy and GW. On top of those results, Kagan was facing a formidable opponent in Kelly.
“Those results definitely did cross my mind against Kelly because in both of them I was playing really strong opponents and I came out strong in the first game but wasn’t able to keep it up,” said Kagan. “I didn’t feel like I did anything particularly special in the first game so losing the second definitely scared me.”
The fact that the third set turned into a marathon could not have made things any easier for Kagan. Nevertheless, the sophomore held on and grinded out a 15–13 momentum-swinging victory that ultimately propelled him to win the match for the Panthers in the No. 3 slot.
“I would definitely say winning the third was a huge relief,” said Kagan. “I knew I had the upper hand and I was telling myself whether it be in four games or five that I was winning the match no matter what. For whatever reason I just wasn’t getting tired, which was really different from the GW and Navy matches.”
The result was a good way to end what was a long weekend for Kagan, and it was a good way to build some momentum heading into nationals.
“This weekend was definitely draining but I think it was a positive experience overall,” said Kagan. “We increased our level of play continuously.
“I think especially after the Drexel result, people are ready to rest but also ready to work and are super excited for nationals next weekend,” Kagan said in describing how the team is looking forward to the opportunity at the championships in Hartford Feb. 23-25.
Although Ellen and Kagan represented the only victories for the Panthers in the regular season finale against No. 12 Drexel, Middlebury made things close from top to bottom on the ladder.
At the bottom of the ladder, Wolpow and Swope again put in good efforts for the Panthers as both took their opponents to a fifth set. Wolpow actually held a 2–1 set lead after winning his second and third games 11–7 and 11–6. Swope managed to send his match to a fifth game by winning a nail biter in the fourth game 13–11, momentarily staving off a loss and evening his tilt with Drexel’s Royston Raymond.
Middlebury’s No. 4, Henry Pearson ’18, also had a good showing. Pearson lost to Dylan Kachur in four sets but all three games that he lost came down to the final points. Pearson pushed the first set past 11, before falling 12–10. Following a loss in the second game, 11–9, Pearson took it to Kachur in the third game, winning 11–5. Much like the first two sets, the fourth of Pearson’s games could have gone either way, but Kachur escaped with an 11–9 win to take the match. Pearson’s and Swope’s fellow senior, Giddens, also provided the Panthers with another positive with his straight sets victory in the exhibition match.
After last weekend’s results that saw the Panthers’ hopes of achieving their top-16 goal evaporate, the team has begun to adjust and prepare for another C bracket championship nationals. If they manage to finish 17th again – which would entail a Middlebury victory in the C draw at next week’s national team championships – it would mark the seventh time in the last decade that the Panthers bring the Summers Cup back to Middlebury.
“Since our team will be put into the C draw for the national tournament, the goal is to now win the C draw and finish 17th,” said the captain, Swope. “The takeaway from this past couple of weeks is that we ought to believe we can do that. The teams we played this weekend – Navy, Drexel, and GW – are all better than the competition we will face in the C draw at nationals, which will include Williams and Bates – teams we have now beaten.”
When asked about why it seems this year’s rendition of the Panthers has had a tougher time getting over the hump as compared to past seasons when the team had an even or lesser talent level, Swope agreed with the idea that relative lack of experience at the collegiate level has played a factor. For evidence of the relative inexperience at the college level, look no further than last weekend’s starting lineup where seven of the nine starters were first-years or sophomores.
“I think it has been easy to understate the talent on this team just because we haven’t gotten some of the wins we wanted to, but I would absolutely agree the talent is as strong this year as it ever has been, if not better,” Swope explained. “What we lack is college match experience. Seven out of the nine in our starting lineup are underclassmen, and our seniors that are playing in the top nine only have [approximately] two years of starting experience compared to the four years of experience seniors on other teams sometimes have. I believe that has been a factor in some of the close 5–4 and 6–3 losses we’ve been dealt.
“However, this team’s ceiling is incredibly high with a very talented and quickly growing underclassmen base. I’ve been nothing but impressed with the way this team has handled adversity in the form of injuries as well as inexperience. Their growth has been really visible, and I believe they are ready to finish 17th just like we did last year!”
The Panthers will take a break from match play for the rest of this week as they await the CSA’s final rankings for their seeding in the C draw and continue preparations for next weekend’s trip to nationals.
(02/15/18 1:49am)
Tina Brook ’18 is the new face of the Community Council, serving as co-chair with Baishakahi Taylor, dean of students, for the remainder of the year. Brook, who ran a joint campaign with Kyle Wright ’18 last year, returned to campus this winter term from a semester at sea. She took the reins from Wright, who is studying abroad in Spain this spring.
Brook plans to pick up where Wright left off, prioritizing the three recommendations the Council has in the works. These include a proposal to review the residential life system, a proposal on supporting students and communities of color and an inclusive bathroom recommendation.
This academic year, the Community Council was tasked with kick-starting the process of reevaluating the residential life system.
“Residential life does not just mean dormitories, it also extends to libraries, it extends to the dining system,” Brook said, “So there will be an external review of that system and that will look at how we function as a whole community.”
In addition, the Council has been drafting a proposal on supporting students and communities of color in response to recent events at the college in the past year. The plan outlines seven points including hiring an anti-racist consultant and support for establishing a black studies major at Middlebury.
Though the Council has a developed draft, Brook also hopes to take into account of the voices of communities of color in moving forward with the proposal.
“We do not want to (take) over for communities of color on this campus so we are making sure that we are engaging with cultural organizations on this campus to ensure that they have a voice in this recommendation,” Brook said. “Although that may slow the process, that is definitely part of the process that we think is the most pertinent.”
Finally, Brook plans to finalize the inclusive bathroom recommendation pioneered by Wright. The recommendation drafts a timeline for the college to transition bathrooms in public spaces to all-gender and disability-accessible.
While Brook wishes to propel Wright and the Council’s previous work to the finish line, she also hopes to leave space for new recommendations in the second half of the year.
“I do not want to take away from the work that Kyle has done and so I hope to truly continue them, but also leave space to work on some recommendations of my own and to leave space for other Community Council members to bring up new recommendations,” Brook said.
Brook campaigned on a vision of encouraging inclusivity at Middlebury and plans on fulfilling that promise this term.
“I would like to support more recommendations to make sure that people from the athletics department to dance classes, from arts to sports to outdoors, all feel like they can have a vested interest without having to necessarily be a senator, or be on SGA or Community Council,” Brook said. “I think that there are always the same people speaking, which has not necessarily represented the entire student body, nor the full community’s interest.”
Community Council is a cross-sectional body comprised of students, faculty, staff and the administration which convenes weekly to seek multilateral solutions to community issues. The Council makes recommendations to specific offices or members of the administration and serves a consultative role to the President and the SLG. Weekly meetings are held on Mondays from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Axinn 104 and are open to the community.
(02/15/18 1:48am)
College treasurer David Provost explained why Middlebury has a smaller endowment and provides less financial aid than many of its peers, and described how the college is working to improve on both fronts, in a presentation on Jan. 24 in Dana Auditorium.
Introduced by SGA liaison to student endowment affairs Will Dowling ’18, Provost addressed topics such as the previous college deficit and the relationship between college endowment and student financial aid. The presentation, which was followed by a brief Q&A segment, was a co-effort by the SGA and the finance office and part of the “How Midd Works” series.
Provost began his presentation by introducing the basics of the college endowment. Middlebury’s endowment reached $1.074 billion at the end of fiscal year 2017. Although it is up $74 million from the previous year, Middlebury’s endowment is overshadowed by its peers; Williams, Amherst and Wellesley each hold endowment sizes double that of Middlebury, at $2.568 billion, $2.248 billion and $1.97 billion respectively.
Bowdoin holds an endowment of $1.46 billion. In 2011, the two institutions had nearly identical endowments at $900 million. What accounts for the almost forty percent gap today?
Provost suggests that the difference is the result of poor operating budgeting. Between 2011 and 2016, total operating expenses increased at an average of 4.18 percent annually. However, net fees only increased at an average rate of 2.52 percent annually. In order to fill the gap between revenue and expenditure, funds were drawn from the corpus of the endowment.
Middlebury has since worked toward a solution to achieving financial sustainability. In fiscal year 2017, the college made significant budget changes to combat its deficit trend. Net fees increased by 3.5 percent, generating $151 million in revenue. Expenses, on the other hand, decreased by 1.4 percent — the first drop in nearly ten years. With the current plan in place, Provost estimates that the college will be able to reach operational surplus or neutrality by 2021.
Financial aid is also closely tied in with the endowment, as 20 percent of endowment usage of funds is funneled toward scholarships. Currently, 44 percent of students receive financial aid, and the average aid package is $47,000. Twenty-five percent of the total financial aid budget — nearly $13 million — is funded from the endowment and expendable funds.
Still, Middlebury lags behind its peers in providing financial aid. In 2016, Amherst, Williams and Pomona each offered grants to 50 to 60 percent of students, with an average grant of $50,000 to $55,000.
But Provost said Laurie Patton, Middlebury’s president, is looking to push the college’s financial aid program into the same competitive range as its peers. As a new cycle of fundraising is beginning, Patton may tailor the campaign to fit the theme of need.
Ultimately, Provost believes that his role is not solely to manage finances, but also to realize the college’s education mission. During the Q&A segment, Provost was asked why the college’s endowment was managed by Investure rather than in-house, in comparison to institutions such as Harvard and Williams.
“We could (bring endowment management in-house). However, I believe firmly that it is not core to who we are, that is not why we exist. That is not our mission and purpose — to be exceptional at investing our money. There are people who do that,” Provost said.
“We need to challenge ourselves on everything that we do: is it meeting [Middlebury’s] objective? When we decide to do things, spend money or invest in things, is it core to what a Middlebury education represents to its students?”
(02/09/18 5:25pm)
“We were really worried that what was going on on the floor and sort of our culture in the building that we were marching a slow death and we didn’t want to be a part of that,” said Koby Altman ’05, the Cleveland Cavaliers general manager and former Middlebury men’s basketball player, on a conference call with reporters yesterday, Feb. 8. Following a 23–8 start to the season, the Cavaliers have gone 8–14 since Dec. 19, and have the second-worst defensive rating in the league during that time. In addition to their struggle on the court, the Cavaliers, as Altman cited, seemed to be falling apart off the court. It was time for change with the team on the brink of collapse leading up to LeBron’s decision to stay in Cleveland or move on.
Altman put it all on the line yesterday and completed a major roster overhaul just before the trade deadline at 3 p.m., trading six players and two draft picks away in return for four players and one pick, as the Cavaliers attempt to right the ship heading into the final third of the season. They continue to operate in a position of uncertainty with LeBron James’ potential departure from Cleveland looming at the end of this season. With James in mind, Altman’s trades reflect his attempts to stabilize the Cavaliers’ defense while keeping a post-LeBron future intact by acquiring younger players more defensive-minded than the veterans they traded away.
After winning the Eastern Conference each of the last three seasons, the Cavaliers’ streak of NBA Finals appearances seems to be in jeopardy this season. By trading for Rodney Hood, George Hill, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance, Cleveland seems better positioned to return to the NBA finals than they were before yesterday.
This group of four replaces Isaiah Thomas, Dwayne Wade, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, Channing Frye, and Iman Shumpert. Thomas, the fourth-runner up in last year’s MVP voting, has struggled immensely offensively and defensively in his 15-game stint in Cleveland after returning from a hip injury. Wade’s age, 36, has caught up with him and was lost amidst Cleveland’s decision to move towards a younger roster. Crowder was a shell of his Boston self, scoring and shooting much worse than last season.
The perimeter upgrades will bring shooting and size to Cleveland’s backcourt. Hill is shooting a career-best 45 percent from three and Hood shoots 39 percent to provide spacing around LeBron. Clarkson will come off the bench behind Hill to lead the second unit, after doing the same in Los Angeles where he started only two games this season but averaged 14.5 points per game in just 24 minutes.
Nance provides help to a very thin Cavalier frontcourt that includes Tristan Thompson, LeBron, Cedi Osman, and injured Kevin Love.
These pieces complement LeBron better than their outgoing players who could not shoot to space the floor for LeBron and contributed a lot to Cleveland’s terrible defense. Hill is a proven versatile defender, Hood is a lengthy wing, and Nance is an athletic big man.
With these trades, Cleveland reinserted itself into the Eastern Conference’s list of contenders. But there may not be enough time for the new-look Cavaliers to gel as a team to win the Eastern Conference. They certainly have no better chance of winning the title than last year, when the Warriors beat them in five games. More than anything else, these moves may signify to LeBron the organization is trying to improve.
Did the Cavaliers hurt their future?
They did trade their 2018 first-round pick in their trade with the Lakers for Nance and Clarkson. In addition to taking on Clarkson’s large contract ($12.5 million next year and $13.4 million the year after), the Cavaliers gave up a first-round pick for Nance. But, as ESPN’s Zach Lowe notes, the Lakers would never give up Nance without getting a first-round pick back. Whether they should have given up their first-round pick for Nance can be debated and no one has the right answer right now.
Most importantly, the Cavaliers hung onto the Nets pick, which could easily end up being a top-five pick and will be a lottery pick.
Besides their own first-round pick, the Cavaliers did not lose much in future value. It seems extremely unlikely Thomas would return to Cleveland next season, unless something changed dramatically between now and the end of the season. Wade and Frye are too old, and Crowder did not fit in Cleveland. Shumpert has been in trade rumors forever.
The Cavaliers got three talented players who are all 25. Hood is a restricted free agent this offseason, but could be worth paying. Nance is on a cheap contract next season. Clarkson is expensive for the two years after this season, but Cleveland is not able to sign any superstars to pair with LeBron, if he stays, and Kevin Love, barring trades. Without LeBron, who would want to sign with Cleveland? No one good enough for Cleveland to justify spending a significant amount of money on.
Of course, Altman and the Cavaliers hope LeBron stays. He is their best chance of winning the NBA championship in the immediate future. If he stays, something unexpected can happen for them to win another championship.
Adding Hill, Hood, Clarkson and Nance gives them better pieces around LeBron, and Hood and Nance especially could help in the future if LeBron leaves. Cleveland is definitely in much better shape than they were last time LeBron left, when they went 19–63 after going 61–21 in LeBron’s last season.
Altman has made his second big move (or moves) in his tenure as general manager. He entered a difficult position. As soon as he became GM, Kyrie announced he wanted out of Cleveland, leaving Altman tasked with moving Cleveland’s second-most important piece. Without Kyrie, Cleveland stood almost no chance of beating Golden State, even with a completely healthy Isaiah Thomas. The Cavaliers still have a chance of winning the Eastern Conference, probably a better one after yesterday’s trades. Barring a miracle, Cleveland is not going to win a championship this season and their future will rest on LeBron’s decision.
Altman tried to prove to LeBron the front office wants to win this year. But they did not hurt their future with these trades. Most importantly, the Cavaliers did not jeopardize their future at the trade deadline.
(02/09/18 12:21am)
Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball team is on an 11-game win streak and looks to finish the season with 21 wins with conference battles against Hamilton and Amherst on the road tomorrow, Feb. 9, and Saturday, Feb. 10. With a win over Hamilton tomorrow night, the Panthers would wrap up the regular season Nescac title and home court advantage for the conference tournament. By winning their last two games, the No. 5 team in the D3Hoops.com poll will have equaled their 21-win total from last season in which they went all the way to the Elite Eight.
Women’s Basketball
The 16–6 women’s basketball squad will play host to Hamilton and defending national champion, top-ranked, and undefeated Amherst at Pepin Gym tomorrow, Feb. 9, and Saturday, Feb. 10, to wrap up their most successful season since their 2001-02 campaign when they rode a 22–4 record into the championship game at the 2002 Nescac tournament.
Assuming the Panthers split their final two games, they will clinch the four seed in the Nescac tournament which will mean a home game in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 17. (Amherst has not lost since the Final Four at NCAAs in March 2016). Middlebury has already defeated their prospective quarterfinals opponent, Wesleyan, earlier this season at home 77–60. The Panthers will tip off tomorrow night against Hamilton at 7 p.m. and on Saturday for the season finale at 3 p.m. against Amherst.
Men’s Hockey
This weekend the men’s hockey team is set to take on Williams in a home-and-home with the Ephs. They will be in Williamstown for a 7 p.m. puck-drop tomorrow night, Feb. 9, and then will be back in Kenyon for the home side of the back-to-back on Saturday when the puck will drop against the Ephs at 7 p.m.
While the Panthers have struggled of late, they have given some promising signs with ties against Conn. College 2–2 at home on Jan. 26 and against Tufts 1–1 at home on Jan. 27. With four games left to play in the season, the Panthers still have a chance to qualify for Nescacs, as they are only one-and-a-half games behind Tufts for eighth place.
Women’s Hockey
With four games left in the season, the Panthers play tomorrow, Feb. 9, and Saturday, Feb. 10, against Colby. Currently, the Panthers (14–4–2, 10–1–1) lead Conn. College (14–3–3, 9–1–2) by a half game in the Nescac standings.
After their 10-game unbeaten streak was snapped when they fell 2–1 at No. 1 Plattsburg hSt. on Jan. 30, the Panthers shut-out Wesleyan, outscoring the Cardinals 7–0 in two games at Kenyon this past Friday and Saturday, Feb. 2 and 3. Sidney Portner ’20 and Jessica Young ’18 led the way for the Panthers in the two-game series with two goals apiece.
A highlight for the Panthers was their 2–2 tie on Tuesday on the road against No. 2 Norwich. After two early goals by Jenna Marotta ’19 and Young, Norwich capitalized on a power play opportunity in the second period and then registered a late goal before time expired in regulation. Puck drop tomorrow night in Waterville, Maine, is set for 7 p.m.
Track & Field
The track teams collectively finished first at the Middlebury Invitational on Jan. 26 and 27 in the penultimate home indoor meet at Virtue Field House for the winter season. The Panthers were led on the men’s side by Matthew Durst '21 in the 500 meter race (1:09.98), Kevin Serrao ’18 in the 1,000 (2:30.74), the 4x400 relay team of Durst, Arden Coleman ’20, Tyler Farrell ’18 and Cameron Mackintosh ’20 (3:28.08), the 4x200 relay squad of Nicholas Hendrix ’20 , Jimmy Martinez ’19 , Jackson Bock ’19 and Michael Pallozzi ’18 (1:31.47), Jonathan Perlman ’19 in the one-mile race (4:19.62), Harrison Knowlton ’19 in the 5,000 (15:18.73), Minhaj Rahman ’19 in the 35-pound weight throw (52'7.5"), John Natalone ’19 in the pole vault (14'5.25") and Jonathan Fisher ’20 in the heptathlon (4,197 pts – school record). On the women’s side the Panthers winning efforts were led by Alex Cook ’20 in the long jump (16'11.25"), Lucy Lang ’19 in the 500 meter race (1:21.65), Kate McCluskey ’18 in the 400 (57.89s) and Lang, McClusky, Kai Milici ’21 and Meg Wilson ’20 in the 4x400 relay (4:05.69). Last weekend the Panthers took part in the unscored Tufts challenge and they will head to the David Hemery and Gordon Kelly Invitational meets tomorrow, Feb. 9, and Saturday, Feb. 10, where they will tune up the for Division III New England Championships that will take place next week, Feb. 16-17.
Skiing
The ski teams have enjoyed several eventful weeks as the weather has turned more favorable for their craft. Highlights have included the men’s Nordic squad’s 10K Classic win at the Vermont Carnival last Saturday, Feb. 3. In the final races, Peter Wolter ’21 finished third (27:04), which came on the heels of his being named Men’s Nordic Skier of the Week by the EISA, Adam Luban ’18 finished six seconds behind Wolter (27:10) and Sam Wood ’19 also headlined the Panthers’ efforts (27:22). The women’s side finished third in the 5K Classic, led in the final races by Katie Feldman (15:20), Alexandra Lawson (15:25) and Cate Brams ’18 (15:26). On the Alpine side of the UVM event, the usual slalom contributors led the way for the Panthers. On the women’s side that was Lucia Bailey ’21 (combined 1:53.57) and Caroline Bartlett ’19 (combined 1:54.24), and on the men’s that was Erik Arvidsson ’21 (combined 1:47.61) and Riley Plant ’18 (combined 1:50.70). The previous day, the only finisher for the women’s side in the GS was Katie Utter ’20 (combined 2:16.67), while the men’s side saw Arvidsson (combined 2:05.45) and Angie Duke ’19 (combined 2:10.08) finish. The Alpine squad was also in action in the previous week’s St. Michael’s Carnival, which was headlined by Riley Plant’s career best GS sixth-place finish (1:48.01).
Tomorrow and Saturday, Feb. 9–10, the Nordic and Alpine teams will head east to New Hampshire to take part in the Dartmouth Carnival.
Men’s Squash
Men’s squash has played some of its best squash of the season over the last few weeks – timely as it coincided with the toughest stretch of the team’s schedule.
Following a third-place finish at Nescac’s Feb. 3–4 in Clinton, New York, where the Panthers avenged a 6–3 Jan. 6 loss to Williams by beating the Ephs 8–1 in the third-place game, the Panthers stand at 21st in the College Squash Association’s rankings heading into this weekend’s matchups on the road against Nos. 16 Navy, 11 George Washington and 12 Drexel. This weekend will decide the team’s seeding fate for nationals later this month.
Women’s Squash
Women’s squash has continued playing well as J-term wound down and with the second semester set to begin. Following a 9–0 loss to a top-10 Cornell Big Red team in the home finale Sunday Jan. 21, the Panthers have won three of five and defeated the likes of Nos. 18 Bates and 16 Amherst to finish third at the Nescac tournament Feb. 3–4.
The Panthers head into this weekend ranked No. 15 and solidly in place to play in the B bracket for the Kurtz Cup at nationals next weekend, Feb. 16–18, in Boston. The Panthers are set to play tomorrow, Feb. 9, against Georgetown at Navy’s courts in Annapolis, Maryland, in what promises to be a compelling matchup given that Middlebury coach Mark Lewis held the head job at Georgetown prior to coming to Middlebury. Bigger challenges for the Panthers will be their matchups this Saturday, Feb. 10, at No. 14 George Washington, and then on Sunday, Feb. 11, on the courts of No. 9 Drexel.
Swimming & Diving
After an eventful January, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are off this weekend in advance of Nescacs later this month. The women’s side will be in action next weekend, Feb. 16–18, where the championships are set to take place in Williamstown, while the men’s side gets two weeks off before heading to Brunswick, Maine, where the championships are set to take place from Feb. 23–25.
(01/25/18 3:35pm)
Even though not all students spend time as part of the Residential Life staff, they all have contact with them over our four years. Whether it is putting in work orders or feeling homesick as a first-year, the Residential Life team spends hours of their time upholding the Middlebury’s values as a residential college. They are being asked to do more, but their pay and training does not reflect that.
Last year, it was announced that the position of the Commons Residential Advisor (CRA) would be replaced with the creation of the Commons Residential Director (CRD). While the name change is insignificant, the changes to what the roles entail are not. The main differences are the CRDs do not live in the First-Year dorms, they need to have a masters degree or higher, and take on a less personal role overall due to the less direct interaction they have with students. The CRDs now also did not attend Middlebury. The CRAs were described as the connective tissue, bridging the gaps between students, deans, and all of the Residential Life staff. CRDs function closer to administrators and disciplinarians. Now that this integral part of Residential Life is gone, student staff, mainly First Year Counselors (FYC) are left to fill in the gaps.
Some of the responsibilities of FYCs have grown to include increased hours on duty, more formalized rounds, fire safety checks, regular programming for their halls and dealing with any crisis their first-years are facing. While these all seem like they should be under the job description of FYCs, CRAs used to be in charge of or assisted with many of these tasks. Further, CRDs are officially supposed to handle programming, but there is no time or accountability to make this happen. Another issue that arises from CRDs not living in First-Year dorms is the FYCs are often the first responders to incidents of assault, alcohol and sexual misconduct. There is a deficit in training that makes FYCs unqualified to handle these situations. If the lack of training is not enough, Residential Life staff are also underpaid. This year, FYCs made $2,400 with an extra $200 that came after asking. This is around 58% of what they should be paid – about $4,500 – under Vermont’s minimum wage law. However, since they are classified as student leaders, there is a loophole that allows the college to pay them less. After a series of meetings this past semester, the stipend was raised to $3,150. A position on Residential Life is advertised as an employment opportunity, and for students who need to work, this is a disincentive. Even if students do not need to work on campus, they are being told to do more, but their pay and training are not reflecting the increase in tasks.
The SGA, with the help of many concerned Residential Life staff members, has proposed a bill that will attempt to address the gaps. First, the pay for the job should reflect the minimum wage law in Vermont. The college cannot ask students to do more, like have a required amount of hours, without raising how much they are paid. Also, training for Residential Life should include CPR and First Aid. FYCs are often first responders since the CRDs do not reside in the First-Year resident halls. They should not be dealing with violence, injuries and alcohol without training. Finally, a position should be created for a Senior Residential Advisor (SRA) that mirrors what used to be the role of the CRA. This position could be a recently graduated student who contracts with the college to fill in the support gaps. The SRA could also be a senior student who does this job in exchange for a lighter course load or as credit for a class. While the specifics of the role has not been communicated, living in First-Year dorms could be included.
Over winter break, there was an email sent out with an updated pay scale, but it did not address the issues in training or support. The SGA and Residential Life staff members hope this bill can attempt to address the remaining issues. The purpose of a Residential Life team is to foster and support a robust residential learning community, an important counterpart to academics, but they cannot do that without the skills or pay. We as The Campus Editorial Board propose that this bill passes. If this bill is not approved, people will be less inclined to apply and Residential Life will be in crisis.
Editor’s note: Our board includes members of Residential Life staff, past and present. We invited Kyle Wright to our editorial meeting to help us understand his legislation, and our News team met with administrators to discuss the issue. Our managing editor, Will DiGravio, played no part in the discussing, writing or editing of this editorial due to his past involvement in Residential Life negotiations.
(01/24/18 10:32pm)
During the winter months, snowy weather becomes embedded in the daily routines of students and staff alike. Snow opens up valuable opportunities, such as pursuit of popular winter sports and outdoor activities, and simultaneously creates challenges for those who live at the college. When a winter storm approaches many students anticipate the coming snow with excitement, preparing to make the trek to Sugarbush or the snowbowl after fresh powder has fallen.
But while students plan their winter sports excursions or hunker down in their dorms to avoid the cold, a huge team works quickly, efficiently and tirelessly to prepare the campus for approaching inclement weather. As a snowstorm approaches, an array of shovel and plow crews run by Facilities Services prepares to clear the campus of impending snowfall.
Clinton “Buzz” Snyder, the college’s landscape supervisor, and Luther Tenny, facilities maintenance and operations director, work together in order to oversee snow removal operations. Snyder has worked at the college for four years and drives a plow during snow removal operations. Tenny has occupied his position for the past 14 years. When word of an impending snow storm emerges, the two decide on the scale and logistics of initiating a removal operation.
“Luther and I stay in close contact because between the two of us, we make the decision and the call on snow,” Snyder said. “We both are constantly looking at the weather.”
Tenny said that he and Snyder consider an array of factors in evaluating how to tackle a typical “snow event.”
“Usually a snow event is when campus is iced over considerably or we’ve gotten more than an inch of snow and we have to check every entry and plow,” he said. “So Clinton and I work together taking all these factors into account. Do we have classes tomorrow? What do we have for events tonight? How many staff members are either unavailable or out sick can tell us how early we need to come in to be campus ready by the morning so folks can come in, park their cars, get to the buildings, get to the dining halls, stuff like that.”
When a typical winter storm hits (Tenny refers to a “typical snow event” as a foot of snow or less), 14 snow plows, each with its own route around campus, as well as ten crews of shovelers, mobilize. Tenny calls workers from a list organized by the distance that the employees live from the college — workers who live in New York are called in earlier than those who live in Middlebury, for example. Plow crews arrive early, around 4:00 a.m., and begin clearing roads and walkways. These crews include both “sidewalk plows” that work to clear walkways and larger plows that work to clear roads and parking lots, both on campus and surrounding campus buildings as far away as Weybridge, Homestead and the Mill. Shovelers arrive two to three hours later and begin clearing the doorways of over 120 college buildings. As ice builds up on walkways, salt has to be laid down.
Steve Santor, who operates a plow for a crew that works on the northern end of campus, said that the early start time allows the plow crews to function most efficiently.
“The idea behind [the early start time] is it’s just less traffic,” Santor said. “We can get out on the sidewalks and roadways where the employees are parking their cars, get that parking lot clear, etc. We can get some of the main sidewalks clear so the shovelers can easily get started maneuvering around when they arrive later.”
The shovelers, who arrive two to three hours after the plow crews, have a grueling job: clearing all entryways by hand.
“Every door has to be cleared,” Snyder said of the shoveler’s work. “Every entry, every ADA ramp. The sidewalk tractors have about 11 miles of sidewalk to do if you want to get into detail. We also have the outside properties, so we’re not just doing the regular campus. We’re doing, you know, the houses down South Street, drives and homes.”
Plow operator Brian Paquette, who works with the north crew along with Santor, said that the snow removal operation has expanded as the size of the college has increased.
“Over just the last five years or so, the campus has grown quite a bit,” he said. “So our workload goes up and our standards go up as well. [Of] some other campuses and other things I’ve seen, we’re definitely up there as far as standards are concerned with safety, snow and ice removal. The first thing we check on every single morning this time of year during the winter is, is there ice? Is there snow? Is everything safe for everybody?”
Tenny said that storms that clash with warm temperatures, which bring ice on the ground and a resulting wealth of safety hazards, are the most challenging to deal with. Fresh, normal snow is much easier to handle.
“I will take a foot of fresh, fluffy snow — it’s so easy to move,” he said. “ The hard storms are the ones like this past Saturday [Jan. 13] where it starts off as rain. It was 57 degrees at 8 o’clock that night, and within a two hour window it dropped to below 32 degrees. And that’s when all of that rain then turns to ice and then sleet.”
Safety is a huge focus for the snow removal staff, which has been injury free for two years, according to Snyder. Snyder said that when a snowstorm hits, there are a number of steps students can take to increase their safety, the safety of those around them, and the ease of the staff’s job. It starts with simple spatial awareness.
“Students should just be aware of us out there,” Snyder said. “We’re driving equipment that’s got lights going, it’s loud, and we literally have to stop, which we should anyway. But there are so many students that will just come out of nowhere and come right around and it’s like, where did that person come from? Be aware, be cautious, stop when you see us working.”
(01/24/18 9:59pm)
At the end of December and beginning of January, the men’s basketball team (14–3) seemed a little bit lost, losing three out of five games after starting the season 6–0. But two wins last weekend, a 70–66 defeat of Nescac rival No. 11 Williams on Friday, Jan. 19, in Pepin Gym and an 87–62 win at Pine Manor on Sunday, Jan. 21, extended the No. 10 Panthers’ winning streak to six games and vaulted them to the top spot of the Nescac standings.
The Williams game set-up as monumental rematch of last season’s Nescac championship, which Middlebury won 84–62, and the NCAA Sectional Finals, which Williams won 79–75 at Pepin Gym. The matchup also held important implications for this season’s Nescac standings, since the teams entered the contest tied for second place along with Tufts at 3–1.
Williams built a 21–13 lead early on, but then went cold as Middlebury went on a run to go ahead 25–23 with a little under two minutes left in the half. Tied at 28 on the last possession of the first half, Jack Daly ’18 hit Matt Folger ’20, who sank a three to give the Panthers a lead they would never relinquish.
Ahead 43–38 just over four minutes into the second half, the Panthers started to run away from the Ephs. Their lead grew to as many as 17 points, 66–49, around the seven-minute mark. But then the Ephs fought back and got the deficit to 68–58 with 1:23 left in the second half. Off a missed free throw, Williams’ Bobby Casey hit a three with 53 seconds left, and then Griffin Kornaker ’21 committed an offensive foul to give the Ephs the ball back. Casey hit another three off the ensuing inbounds play, and Middlebury led by just four with 50 seconds remaining.
The Ephs fouled Daly, who missed the front end of a one-and-one. Casey knocked down a two-point jump shot inside the paint to make the score 68–66 with 24 seconds. Williams pressed on the inbounds, trying to deny Middlebury the basketball, but Eric McCord ’19 slipped behind the press and Daly found him for a layup and a 70–66 Middlebury lead.
Williams had two more chances to cut into the lead but missed two threes, and Middlebury held onto a 70–66 victory for a crucial Nescac victory over its heated rival.
“Sometimes when you’re down 10 at the end of a game you have more confidence shooting contested threes like they did,” said team captain Nick Tarantino ’18 after the game. “Coach Brown told us to value the basketball and close out hard on their threes. Williams could have given in but they’re a proud and talented team.”
Hilal Dahleh ’19 and Joey Leighton ’20 stepped up to lead the Panthers in scoring with 16 points apiece, for players who averaged just under nine and six points-per-game entering the contest. It was a career-high for Leighton, who came off the bench to hit seven of his 10 shots from the field in 22 minutes. The pair provided needed production from the wings, Middlebury’s most unproven spot on the court.
“With Jack returning at point and the four bigs also coming back, the biggest question mark for us entering the season was who would fill the minutes on the wing,” said Tarantino. “Hilal and Joey have really grown this year and were vital to beating Williams. We become a dangerous when they catch fire from deep and bring intensity on defense.”
Daly scored seven points and assisted on 11 buckets, while McCord added eight points and five rebounds. Folger scored seven points, grabbed eight rebounds, and blocked four shots.
Defensively, Middlebury held Williams under 36 percent from the field, and the Ephs shot below 40 percent in both halves. The Middlebury bench outscored Williams’ 32–16, and the Panthers controlled the painted area, outscoring the Ephs 40–24 in there.
Tarantino believes the team’s defensive effort against the Ephs was the best it has been all season.
“We communicated very well and really made them work hard to get off open looks,” Tarantino said. “Coach Brown gave us a defensive game plan that we focused on the majority of last week’s practice.”
Brown’s gameplan, coupled with the Panthers’ effort on defense, forced Williams into its worst shooting game of the season.
With the win, along with Hamilton’s 75–49 loss to Amherst and Tufts’ 77–75 defeat at the hands of Bates, Middlebury moved into sole possession of first place in the Nescac at 4–1.
Middlebury was back in action the next day, Sunday, Jan. 21, when it travelled to Pine Manor in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Panthers did not waste any time getting ahead against the Gators, as they raced out to a 12–2 lead within the first five minutes. They continued to add to their advantage and led 44–31 at halftime.
The Panthers came out firing on all cylinders once more in the second half, and their lead ballooned to 27 points at the 15:12 mark in the second half. The Gators cut their deficit in half over the next five minutes, but Middlebury came right back to put them away. The Panthers led by as many as 29 points on the way to an 87–62 road victory.
Daly led scored 18 points, corralled 11 rebounds, and handed out seven assists, all game-highs. With 150 assists this season, Daly is well on his way to breaking his own program record for assists in a season, which he set last year when he handed out 183 helpers. He is currently third on Middlebury’s career assist leaderboard, needing only 30 more to break Jake Wolfin ’14’s record of 553.
Folger added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Panthers, while Jack Farrell ’21 tallied 11 points on four of five shooting.
With the two weekend wins, the Panthers extended their winning to six games, tying their six-game streak to start the season. Tarantino thinks the team is putting the pieces together as it gets deeper into Nescac play.
“We’re starting to see the team hit its stride as the younger guys are feeling more comfortable and older guys are filling their roles,” said Tarantino. “We’ve played quality opponents all this month, and sometimes it takes some bumps in the road in order to learn what it takes to beat a very good team. We’re feeling confident now and are looking forward to closing out our Nescac schedule.”
Middlebury has two more away games in the next week, when it travels to Trinity this Sunday, Jan. 28 and Keene St. on Tuesday, Jan. 30. To stay atop the Nescac, the Panthers will have to beat the Bantams, who are in a three-way tie for sixth in the standings at 2–2. However, Trinity has had one of the stingiest defenses in the conference thus far, allowing the fewest points per game as a team overall and the third fewest in Nescac play.
(01/24/18 9:58pm)
The Middlebury track and field team faced a hard fought battle in the recent Middlebury Winterfell on Saturday, Jan. 20, as the Panthers hosted a number of Division I teams on the New Balance Track in Virtue Field House. Even though the Panthers did not come out on top, they still gained experience that they can use for their next meets.
The women’s side finished fourth out of seven teams with a score of 86. Albany got first with 193, McGill came in second with 115, and Vermont was third with 102. The men finished third out of seven teams with a score of 136. Albany came in first with 181, and Vermont finished second with 137.
The women’s team had several key scorers in this meet. Kate McCluskey ’18 came in fifth in the 200 meter dash with a time of 26.17. This time broke the Middlebury women’s previous record for the 200 meter dash. McCluskey also captured first in the 600 meter dash with a time of 1:35.12.
“Breaking the 200 record was awesome,” McCluskey said after her races on Saturday. “Going into it I was really just excited to be able to open up and push myself to go as fast as I could the entire time, which isn’t something I get to do in events like the 600. I’ve felt really strong in training and this was a great way to see how my speed has been coming together.”
The team also did well in the 3000 meter run. Abigail Nadler ’19 placed first with a time of 10:09.30. A time of 10:19.30 netted Talia Ruxin ’20 third place, and Kate MacCary ’19 got sixth place with a time of 10:25.81.
Beth Neal ’20 placed sixth in the high jump with a height of 1.38 meters. In the pole vault event, Molly Colwell ’20 and Annalise Arant ’21 tied for fourth place with a height of 3.05 meters. Kreager Taber ’19 tied for sixth also with a height of 3.05 m.
The men’s side finished third out of seven teams with a score of 136. Albany came in first with 181 and Vermont finished second with 137.
For the men’s squad, scorers included Kevin Serrao ’18 who placed first in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:58.03. In the 1000 meter run, a time of 2:30.01 got Nathan Hill ’20 first-place finish. Connor Evans ’19 came in second in the 3000 meter run with a time of 8:48.06. John Natalone ’19 came in first with a height of 4.42 meters in the pole vault event. Also, Minhaj Rahman ’18 came in first in the weight throw for the second straight weekend. His longest throw was 15.96 meters, almost a meter further than his longest throw last weekend at the Middlebury Winter Classic.
“This was the first meet of the season for a lot of people, especially for the distance team coming off cross country season,” commented McCluskey on the meet at large. “I think most of the team felt good about their performances, either having great season openers or making progress from last week.”
Looking ahead to future meets, McCluskey spoke about the team’s focus on improving incrementally, “Right now, we’re still putting in a lot of hard training, just trying to improve at each meet. In a few weeks we’ll start focusing on DIII New England’s, which is our first championship meet indoors.”
Next week will be packed with action due to the Middlebury Invitational which takes place on Friday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 27, at 10 a.m. Both parts of the meet will be at the Virtue Field House.
(01/24/18 9:51pm)
(01/24/18 9:51pm)
(01/24/18 9:51pm)
This past weekend was a busy one for the 15th-ranked Middlebury women’s squash team as they defeated Franklin and Marshall on Saturday with a score of 6–3, but got swept 9–0 against Cornell on Sunday.
Starting off the weekend strong against the 18th-ranked Franklin and Marshall, the Panthers grabbed an early 2–0 advantage with a win at No. 9 from Natasha Lowitt ’20 over Katie Anderson (11–1, 11–2, 11–6) and Virginia Schaus ’21 against Melissa Epstein at No. (11–0, 11–2, 11–6).
However, the Diplomats did not go down easily, as they made the score 2–1 with a victory at No. 3. The Panthers then continued to secure the team victory with four-consecutive triumphs.
Mira Chugh ’20 eased past Liana Zranchev at No. 8 (11–5, 11–3, 11–4), Natalie Madden ’20 defeated Katherine Galambos in the fifth spot (11–6, 12–10, 11–2), and Lucy Bostwick ’18, after dropping a tight first game, clinched the match with a 11–13, 11–4, 11–6, 11–3 win against Lauren Johnston in the No. 2 spot.
Emily Beinkampen ’21 continued the winning streak and gave Middlebury a 6–1 lead, cruising past Grace Smith at No. 7 (11–4, 11–0 and 11–2).
The Diplomats won the last two matches with a four game in the top spot on and a heartbreaker for the Panthers at the No. 4 for the final score of 6–3.
In their final home game of the season, the Middlebury women’s squash dropped a 9–0 game to eighth-ranked Cornell. In the home contest against the Big Red, all victories were three game victories except against Madden and Lowitt. Each of them managed to claim a game before defeat.
Bostwick, captain of the team, unnerved by the loss against Cornell, stayed optimistic.
“This is the last time I will be on a competitive sports team, playing at this high of a level, and having my teammates feel like family,” said Bostwick. “There are a lot of ups and downs and successes and challenges that come with being an athlete on a team like this, but I hope to take them all in-stride, continue to learn from them, and enjoy every aspect of what this final season brings. I love to play the game and I love love love my teammates, so my goal is to focus on those feelings and hopefully success will come as a result.”
The 15th-ranked Panthers return to the court tomorrow afternoon at 4:30 p.m. when they play Wellesley at MIT beginning at 4:30 p.m.
CSA Women’s Squash Rankings
Nos. 10–16
10. Dartmouth
11. Brown
12. George Washington
13. Virginia
14. Williams
15. MIDDLEBURY
16. Amherst
(01/24/18 9:33pm)
The Women’s basketball team managed to recover from their back-to-back losses against Bates and Tufts last week by beating Williams in Massachusetts on Jan. 20, 57–54. On Monday Jan. 22, when they hosted Smith in a non-conference bout, the Panthers suffered their first home loss of the season, losing 60–45.
Middlebury looked to dominate the Ephs last Saturday evening when they confined Williams to just one point at the 5:40 mark of the opening quarter. With less than three minutes to play, the Panthers found nine of the final 12 points coming from guard Kira Waldman ’20, who scored three from beyond the arc.
With Middlebury leading 25–11, Williams responded by making the second quarter a more tightly contested matchup. After seven and a half minutes of buckets being exchanged by both teams, Williams closed out the second quarter with a 9–2 run, outscoring the Panthers 16–8.
The Panthers built on the half-dozen-point lead, 33–27, that they took into halftime straight away in the second half as they opened with a 6–0 run that saw a pair of free throws converted by forward Maya Davis ’20. As the Ephs answered back with a 6–0 spurt of their own, the Panthers defense allowed them to tack on some additional points in the last two and a half minutes of play. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Panthers comfortably led 48–35.
The game seemed to be tucked away as the Panthers found a three from Sarah Kaufman ’20 less than a minute into the final quarter. However, the remainder of the quarter was dominated by Williams as they went on a 14–4 run and only trailed 55–51 with 90 seconds on the clock. When Amanni Fernandez of Williams drilled a three with 20 seconds left, the Panthers’ lead was down to just two points, 56–54. In the final four seconds, Williams was unable to find the bottom of the net from downtown, allowing the Panthers to narrowly escape with a victory.
Davis had a team high 12 points and game high eight rebounds while Waldman scored 11 off the bench for the Panthers, which included sinking three of the five shots she took from beyond the arc.
On Monday, the Panthers hosted Smith and got off to a shaky start. The first half of the first quarter saw Smith score seven unanswered points. As the clock approached the four minute mark, the Panthers managed to cut the lead down 7–6. However, the Panthers were unable to contain the swarming Pioneers who went on a 10–2 run to end the first quarter with a 17–8 lead.
Finding themselves down 22–10 in the second quarter, the Panthers went on an 8–2 run. Five of the eight were scored by guard Sabrina Weeks ’18, who finished with a team high 13 points. With the deficit then down to four points, 24–20, Smith scored five of the half’s final points to lead 33–24 heading into halftime. Both teams scored 16 in the second quarter.
Smith seemed to slow down when they came out for the third quarter thanks to some Middlebury halftime adjustments. The Panthers managed to hold Smith to just seven points as they ended the final the 90 seconds of the third with a 6–0 run. Behind threes from Weeks and Davis, the Panthers refused to go away and headed into the final quarter down 40–36.
The Panthers looked to even the score or take the lead when Davis converted a layup immediately into the final quarter. With the lead cut to two, the Pioneers chipped away at the Panthers, outscoring them 14–3 over the next six and a half minutes. With less than three minutes left, Middlebury trailed 54–41. Down 13, the Panthers did not have enough time to get back into it, and fell at home for the first time this season.
A short stint of quick turnarounds this past week-plus has tested the Panthers’ endurance. After suffering their first home loss, they still boast an impressive 13–5 overall record while being 3–2 in conference play.
The Panthers return to action in Pepin for a game in Nescac play as they will host Trinity this Sunday, Jan. 28, at 2 p.m.
(01/24/18 9:31pm)
Swimming and diving conquered Union in the natatorium last Saturday — the women’s side by a score of 205–74 and the men’s side 198–75. Each side’s meet had 15 events and both won 12 of the 15.
Frances VanderMeer ’20 continued her impressive win streak with another two victories in the pool. She flew past her competition in the 100 butterfly (58.83) and 50 freestyle (24.64). The fierce competitor also chipped in for the 200 free relay, along with Audrey Kelly ’21, Erin Kelly ’21 and Stephanie Andrews ’18, winning the competition with a time of 1:41.09. The relay’s nearest competitor came in 7.48 seconds behind the Panther’s top squad.
Alongside VanderMeer, Elissa DeNunzio ’18 again had success on the boards, contributing two winning efforts with victories in both the 1- (263.93) and 3-meter (274.95) events.
Other first-place finishes included Sarah McEachern ’21 in the 100 backstroke (1:02.15) and 500 freestyle (5:19.89), Erin Kelly in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.16), Kristin Karpowicz ’19 in the 200 free (1:59.93), Stephanie Andrews ’18 in the 100 free (55.50) and Jessica Lipton ’20 in the 200 fly (2:16.11).
The men’s side saw the same success against Union.
Morgan Matsuda ’19 and Stefan Pla ’18 each won two individual events. Matsuda touched the wall in the 400 individual medley in 4:21.26 as well as the 200 freestyle in 1:47.80. Pla claimed first in the 200 breaststroke (2:14.23) and 100 breaststroke (1:00.55). Pla also contributed a leg in the victorious 400 medley relay (3:36.83), consisting of Pla, Brendan Leech ’19, Keegan Pando ’21 and Nick Handali ’20.
Along with the 400 medley relay, the 200 free relay team of Cory Jalbert ’21, Leech ’19, Keegan Pando ’21 and Connor McCormick ’18, closed out the day for the Panthers on a high note, finishing first with a time of 1:29.55.
Other individual victories were attained in the lanes and on the boards. Mike Chirico ’20 won the 3-meter diving event with 358.43 points. Five other Panthers claimed gold in their respective swimming events: Kevin Santoro ’21 in the 200 backstroke (1:59.52), Leech in the 50 free (22.43), Jalbert in the 100 free (49.61), Handali in the 100 butterfly (53.78) and Andrew Buchser ’18 in the 500 free (4:58.78).
“My main goals moving forward are to stay healthy and in good condition,” Buchser said. “I started this season unable to swim with a back injury, but with help from sports medicine I’ve managed the pain. The bulk of our training is done, so now we just have to stay in shape until we start taper.”
The Panthers head to Williamstown on Saturday looking to improve their conference record, but Buchser points out Middlebury’s results so far may be misleading.
“Teams take opportunities throughout the season to rest for meets,” Buchser said. “We train through all of our meets to maximize our potential by the time Nescacs come around. It’s hard to know how I’m really doing until I’m rested in February. I’m ahead of where I’ve been at this time in past seasons, so it should all be good news moving forward.”
