1000 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(11/01/17 5:40pm)
The volleyball team dropped their final two contests of their regular-season slate last Friday and Saturday, Oct. 27 and 28, falling short in two close calls on the road against Hamilton and Williams. With the pair of losses that went to five sets, the Panthers dropped to 16–8 (5–5) and grabbed the sixth-seed in next weekend’s Nescac Championships.
Against the Continentals, the Panthers snatched a 2–1 set lead but were eventually defeated (20–25, 25–22, 25–21, 12–25, 10–15) in five sets. In the opening set, the Panthers quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead, which included two kills by Isabel Sessions ’19 (both assisted on by Gigi Alper ’20). On a service ace, Hamilton was able to even the set at 10 before Middlebury put together a run; down 13–17, Hamilton clawed their way back and, after knotting the score at 20 apiece, took the first set by rattling off the last five points.
In the second set, the Panthers again knocked off the first five points en route to an 11-3 advantage. The hosts came back to make it 14–10, but two Becca Raffel ’18 kills sparked another run. When Hamilton once again cut the deficit to four, a joint block by Eliana Schaefer ’18 and Sarah Staver ’19 earned Middlebury the set.
The third set was a back and forth affair, seeing Hamilton jump out to an early lead but the Panthers, showing their grit, stole the lead at 14–13 and never looked back. Down 9-13, Raffel killed a shot and the visitors earned the next seven points. Up 16–13, the Continentals again dwindled the lead to one, but kills by Schaefer, Staver, and Sessions prevented a comeback, and a Raffel kill gave Midd the set.
During the fourth and fifth sets, however, Middlebury made a strong showing but was unable to pull through with a victory. Schaefer saw a career-high 15 kills, Raffel recorded her 11th double-double on the year (14 kills, 15 digs) along with three service aces, and Alper dug out 29 balls. Nonetheless, the Continentals took the victory in the end.
The following day, Middlebury ended their regular season at Williams College, falling 3–2 (21–25, 25–11, 21–25, 25–16, 10–15).
In the opening set, the Ephs gained control after a 5–5 tie. The Panthers were able to tie the game at 21, but Williams took the next four points and the game.
In the second, however, the Panthers gained control early behind a ten-point run to open the set. The Ephs cut the lead to seven but Middlebury responded with another run of their own.
Up 23–10, Williams won the next point before the Panthers won the next two to even the match.
The third saw a close match until 19–15, advantage Middlebury, at which point Williams stormed back to take control and win the game. Subsequently, the Panthers forced a deciding set in a back and forth affair. At 13–13 Middlebury pulled away, going on a 12–3 run to win the set and even the match.
The ultimate set was once again a battle until Williams eventually took control and clinched the match. While the results were not ideal, there were bright spots. In a closely fought battle, Middlebury out-hit Williams (.257 to .178) and blocked more shots (9-to-2). Sessions was splendid, racking up a career high 23 kills while hitting .413. Emma Walsh ’21 pitched in 44 assists and 17 digs.
Even with the losses, the Panthers are not fazed. Emily Kolodka ’18 says, “We’re going to work on making smarter shots, giving maximum effort every point, and showing up ready to play for each game. We knew at the beginning of the season that there were multiple pathways to achieve our goal of Conference Champions, so our seed doesn’t worry us right now.”
As the sixth seed, Middlebury draws the tough opponent No. 3-seeded Bowdoin next weekend in the first step on their way to, hopefully, another conference title crown.
(10/19/17 12:12am)
As hundreds journeyed to campus last Friday for Fall Family Weekend, among the new arrivals was the first-annual Fall Faculty Forum. The event, held on Oct. 13 at the Axinn Center, featured presentations from 39 faculty members on a wide range of research topics.
The forum was primarily conceptualized and organized by associate professor of political science Jessica Teets, professor of film and media culture Jason Mittell and dean of faculty development & research Jim Ralph. It consisted of 12 faculty panels with topics ranging from global policy interventions to queer politics to the technologies of seeing.
“Our idea was to bring together [topics] that seemed similar enough that there would be a really good discussion,” Teets said.
Each 90-minute panel consisted of three to four faculty presentations, followed by Q&A sessions moderated by the panel’s chair. While the presentations were grouped by theme, the scope of each panel was interdisciplinary and approached its topic through multiple lenses. For example, in the Global Policy Interventions panel, topics included communities on the forest edges of western Uganda to the effects of abortion clinics shutting down in the United States.
Interstitials between the panels included a performance by Root7, a contemporary Vermont co-ed a capella group, and an exhibit that featured five garments dating from 1870 to 1925, courtesy of the college’s antique fashion collection.
“We are trying to create more of a research community, where people are seeing the research that everyone is doing and having conversations, and maybe even collaborating on research,” Teets said.
“[The forum came out of a discussion a group of faculty had about how do we create a better culture around research,” she explained. “We all love teaching so much, we tend to talk a lot about our teaching… but we don’t talk a lot about research, and so we lose that opportunity for that kind of learning. The idea was to really create more visibility [for research].”
The project was well-received by students, faculty, and parents alike.
Joanne Meagher, parent of Sean Meagher ’20, said, “It’s so nice to get a feel for what is really going on campus—things that I wouldn’t be privy to otherwise.”
“I am an economics and political science double major, so all of these were relevant to what I study,” said Neha Sharma ’18.5, who attended the panel on Global Policy Interventions, where her professor, Erick Gong, presented research.
“I found very interesting... what Professor Gong brought up at one point: what is the point of research? Is the point of research to move society and change the world or add to a body of knowledge?” she said.
The organizers see this pilot event as the beginning of a long-term project. “This is the first time it has ever happened, but our hope is that we are piloting something that will happen every year,” Teets said. “Our idea is that in the fall the faculty will present their research and then in the spring, students present their research.”
(10/18/17 11:48pm)
MIDDLEBURY — Gun control in Vermont has always existed as an anomaly of legislation in comparison to the state’s otherwise progressive stance. During the 2016 presidential election, in a survey by The New York Times, Vermont was the only state where the majority of gun owners voted for the Democratic candidate. Indeed, the confluence of a rural landscape and progressive ideals has led state politicians to hold a distinctively centrist position when it comes to gun reform.
The mass shooting at the country music festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 1 has again ignited the debate around gun control in Vermont. A Vermont native, 35-year-old Sandra Casey of Dorset, was among the 58 victims killed in Las Vegas. In Washington, lawmakers are focusing on a deadly gun accessory known as the bump stock, which was used in the Las Vegas massacre. And once again, the Vermont legislature has taken up the thorny issue of the state’s gun laws.
Unknown to many at the college, students are allowed to bring their own personal firearms onto campus. Students need to register their guns with the Department of Public Safety, where they are kept under lock and key. But students can check out their weapons for hunting and other related activities whenever they wish.
Vermont law does not require a permit for shotguns, handguns or rifles, and therefore there are no additional proofs of permit required by Public Safety to keep a firearm of this nature on campus. Similar to the dualism present in the state, Middlebury’s crunchy campus also has a group of students who value having access to their firearms while at school.
“There are a small number of students, fewer than, 20, who store a weapon to participate in hunting or related activities,” Dan Gaiotti, associate director of Public Safety, said. According to article C.6. in the College Handbook, weapons are prohibited on campus. However, students are allowed to check out their guns from Public Safety for the activities listed above.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has engaged in the debate surrounding gun control before, often taking an uncharacteristically conservative stance. After the Sandy Hook massacre, he argued in a statement, “If you passed the strongest gun control legislation tomorrow, I don’t think it will have a profound effect on the tragedies we have seen.”
The difference in the Las Vegas shooting is a firearm accessory that has become a flashpoint in the debate on Capitol Hill over the last few weeks. The “fire bump stock,” or bump stock, is an add-on for semi-automatic weapons to enable them to more closely resemble a fully automatic firearm. A dozen were found in the hotel room of the Las Vegas shooter.
Both Republican and Democratic Congressmen have proposed bills that would ban the production and distribution of bump stocks. Although the National Rifle Association initially backed such a ban, the organization announced on Oct. 13 that it did not support the proposed bills. The N.R.A. cited ripple effect on other firearm accessories for its about-face on a bump stock ban. The group also said it hoped that bump stocks could be addressed through regulation, instead of law, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).
Although the partisan divide remains, both sides are narrowing in on necessary reform. At a news conference on Oct. 4, Sanders stressed the need for immediate gun reform. “While it is too late for the victims in Las Vegas, and the victims in Newtown, and the victims in Charleston, and the other terrible shootings we have seen, it is not too late to prevent the next set of innocent Americans from becoming victims,” he said.
In contrast to other shootings, the emergence of the bump stock with the Las Vegas massacres has given representatives a tangible point of reform. The ATF does not see things as clearly. Bump stocks were approved by the agency prior to the mass shooting, and now legislators are scrambling to figure out how and why.
House Speaker Paul Ryan has asked the ATF to provide an explanation for the allowance of bump stocks. During a weekly news conference on Capitol Hill, Ryan called for a regulatory regulation of the automatic accessories, as opposed to a legislative one, enraging Representatives who believe a vote should be brought to the House.
“That’s really just a way of saying they don’t want to stand up and be counted on the question of whether bump stocks should be illegal,” Vermont Rep. Peter Welch (D) said in an interview for Vermont Public Radio. “And it mystifies me, really, because fully automatic weapons are appropriate in combat, [but] they’re illegal in civilian life, they’re illegal.”
The waning fervor surrounding gun reform, only weeks after Las Vegas’s mass shooting, has prompted states to take the debate of bump stocks upon themselves. Last Thursday, the state Senate in Massachusetts voted 33–0 to ban the sale and possession of bump stocks and other accessories that allow firearms to mimic the rapidity of automatic weapons. A day earlier, the Massachusetts House approved the bump stock ban 151–3, leaving the bill ready for the signature of Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. He had already agreed to approve the ban if it passed both the House and Senate.
Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) has joined forces with Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders to back comprehensive federal gun reform in the aftermath of Las Vegas. But at this point, it is unclear whether the elected officials will follow the sovereign route forged by Massachusetts, or will continue pressing Rep. Ryan in the House to allow a vote on the matter.
(10/18/17 11:43pm)
(10/18/17 11:28pm)
For the crowd of Middlebury students, faculty and guests who gathered in Axinn Center 232 last Tuesday afternoon, the world of animated film came to life through a film series called “Remember When: A Collection of Animated Shorts Capturing the Intersections of Girlhood,” curated by filmmaker Lindsey Martin.
“Girlhood” presented a series of narratives that boldly and intelligently challenges the notion that young people exist unaware or unaffected by larger power structures. The stories featured girls in roles that many would argue we don’t see enough of in films both today and historically. Every narrative featured girls in roles beyond young caretakers, trophies and sidekicks.
When the lights turned off, and the mournfully optimistic, intelligently lighthearted, and unequivocally young voices of these girls filled the room, we were instantly catapulted into the world of the imaginary. The scenery was subject to every whim of the speakers’ consciousnesses, that were distinctly youthful and unrestrained despite the troubling realities that they reflected, arguably an effect that could only have been achieved via this sort of animation.
The series explored the use of animation as a way of processing traumatic histories and memories as well as a way to play with our realities and reimagine power dynamics, according to the event organizers. Each film uses animation in a different way, some in combination with live action, but all use the form to evoke nostalgia and reflection.
“I, Destini,” a film by 14-year old Destini Riley from Durham, North Carolina, explores the poignant and imaginative illustration of a youth’s perspective on the effects of having an incarcerated brother. “The FBI Blew up My Ice Skates” is a story born in the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1980 told from the perspective of Haleh, an eight-year old who just wants to enjoy her ice skates. “Love Letter,” directed by Lindsey Martin, features a 13-year old girl grappling with the hardships and emotional complexities of her parents’ divorce.
Through the complicated and artful animated medium, she tells the story of her imaginary friend who hibernates in a jar on her windowsill as she copes with her anxieties. In “My Doodle Diary,” a young girl named Maya writes about everything that rocks her teenage world. This daily narrative perspective into a young girl’s life offered viewers a chance to experience a delightful exploration of youthful expression. “A Place in the Middle,” about an 11-year old girl named Ho’Onani in Honolulu, tells the compelling and beautiful story about her hopes and struggles to become a leader of her hula group. Touching on important ideas of the Hawaiian spirit and femininity, the film celebrates the notion that what truly matters is what’s in your heart.
“It made me think a lot about being a kid that age and using my imagination and reality to understand things and cope with things and all of these submissions did such a good job of bringing the viewer into that world and I so appreciated how accurate that is,” said Emma Hampsten ’18.5.
At Middlebury, we are often afforded the opportunity to study power structures and their impacts through a somewhat distant academic lens, whether in classes such as Race and Ethnicity in the U.S. or The Sociology of Gender. Rarely are we granted the chance to sit down in a theater and experience the artistic manifestations of the thoughts and experiences of those whose lives these power structures so intimately affect.
(10/18/17 11:27pm)
Hosting the Williams Purple Ephs on Saturday, Oct. 14, the Middlebury Panthers dropped a nail-biting contest that came down to the final six seconds of play.
Middlebury dominated the first half of play, much as they have done in the rest of their games to this point. The Panthers burst out of the gate from the opening kickoff, as Jared Lebowitz ’18 found Maxwell Rye ’20 from 19 yards out to cap their first drive of the game with a touchdown. Rye’s touchdown was set up by several rushes by Peter Scibilia ’21 and Diego Meritus ’19, who returned after missing the first four weeks of the season with an injured quad. Carter Massengill ’20 converted the extra point and the hosts jumped out to 7–0 lead with 11 minutes left in the first.
Eight minutes later, Rye flipped the field with a brilliant punt that went 72 yards and was downed at the Williams one-yard line. The Purple Eph’s offense was unable to move the ball given the tough starting field position, amounting in a three-and-out. With no room to maneuver, Adam Regensburg’s punt attempt was blocked by John Jackson ’18 for a safety, tacking two points onto the hosts’ lead in the final scoring play of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the sole score came from Massengill’s 25 yard-field goal attempt. His opportunity was set up by an 11-play drive by Lebowitz and his offense, giving the hosts a 12–0 lead at the break. Most notably, Lebowitz connected with Jimmy Martinez ’19 and Rye for 29 yards each. The ensuing seven minutes before the half flew by without a score.
In the third quarter, the Panthers sniffed the end zone on several occasions, finishing at the Williams nine-yard line after 13 plays, but Massengill could not complete the 25-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide left.
While Williams cut into the Panthers’ lead on their ensuing eight-play 80-yard touchdown drive that earned the Ephs their first points of the day, the Panthers answered right back. Lebowitz led the team on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that was highlighted by a 40-yard completion to Rye. The Lebowitz-to-Rye connection set-up a Lebowitz two-yard pass Scibilia for a touchdown.
Middlebury led 19–7 heading into the fourth quarter and everything was looking up for a Panthers offense that had dominated to that point. They even tacked-on an additional touchdown after Williams cut the lead to 19–14, as Lebowitz and company drove 59 yards in just over three minutes. Leading 26–14 and ten minute, the Panthers looked to hold off the Purple Eph’s down the crucial stretch.
Williams’ quarterback, however, answered efficiently and quickly. Middlebury’s defense saw the 12-point cushion erased after the Ephs marched 75 yards on 11 plays, ending in another touchdown. With four minutes left on the clock, Middlebury went to work trying to add an insurance score to preserve a victory and an undefeated record.
Starting at their own 28-yard line, Lebowitz handed the ball to Scibilia and Meritus to run the clock out. The Panthers even received some help from Williams’ defense, gaining 15 yards on a personal foul. However, the Panthers could not move the chains and were forced to punt from their own 48-yard line, giving Williams’ duel-threat quarterback the ball with 2:19 left on the clock at their own 20-yard line.
Williams found their way down the field and, with time running out, Bobby Maimaron stepped up into the pocket, firing a rocket into the open hands of Frank Stola in the end zone for the Williams victory. Alumni Stadium went silent while the Williams bench charged onto the field, celebrating their upset victory.
After the loss, Meritus talked about the importance of moving passed a loss that will be sure to linger with the Panthers.
“Instead of running away from that feeling we felt after Saturday’s loss, we need to embrace all that energy and use it to motivate us to get better.
“A loss is a loss,” Meritus said. “We can’t change what happened, but we can change what we do from here. And that means we have to win out.”
Though the Panthers took the loss, Middlebury outgained Williams 432–378, as 304 passing from Lebowitz. Rye finished the day with 133 receiving yards while Meritus and Scibilia combined for 64 yards on the ground.
With three games left in their season, the Panthers look to resume their win streak and finish with no more defeats. The biggest game left on the schedule, and a contest that both teams have certainly circled, is the Saturday, Oct. 28, date at Alumni Stadium when Middlebury will host undefeated Trinity — and on Homecoming Weekend, no less. It will be a decisive matchup with serious Nescac title implications. But for now, the Panthers head back on the road to Bates on Saturday, Oct. 21.
(10/18/17 11:22pm)
The men’s and women’s teams continued their fall seasons last weekend, playing from Friday to Sunday, Oct. 13 to 15. This weekend completes the men’s fall season, but the women are looking on to the annual Middlebury Invitational here at Procter Tennis courts next weekend.
The men’s team competed at the MIT Invitational at the duPont Tennis Courts and the J.B. Carr Tennis Bubble, amongst 64 participants in the main singles draw and 32 pairs in the doubles bracket.
The Panthers had multiple strong plays in the singles main draw. William de Quant ’18, the No. 3 seed, advanced to the final for the second-straight year, and Kyle Schlanger ’18 played strongly to make it to the semifinal.
De Quant claimed five victories over the course of the tournament, defeating Jayson Fung of Amherst 6–2, 4–6, 6–4 in the first round and then Jackson Kogan of Brandeis 7–5, 6–4 in the round of 32. He soundly defeated Bowdoin’s Gil Roddy 6–3, 6–3 and MIT’s Charles Deng 6–4, 6–0 to advance to the semifinal. There he went up against teammate Schlanger, whom he edged out 6–2, 6–4 to proceed to the final. In the end, he fell after a fight to Williams’ Austin Barr 6–3, 5–7, 6–0.
Schlanger started his tournament well with a victory over MIT’s Victor Cheng (6–1, 6–2), and continued playing strong against Ananth Raghavan of Williams (7–5, 6–1) in the round of 32. Schlanger went head to head with teammate Noah Farrell ’19 in the round of 16, edging him out 6–3, 0–6, 6–2. He blew through the quarterfinal with a 6–1, 6–0 win over No. 7 seed Andrew Finkelman of Wesleyan before finishing his run against de Quant in the semifinal.
Farrell, the No. 2 seed, and Nate Eazor ’21 both returned home with two straight-set victories in the main draw. Farrell soundly defeated Justin Patel of Bowdoin 6–2, 6–0 in the first round and Nikhil Das of Brandeis 6–1, 7–5 in the second round. Eazor first cruised past the No. 4 seed, MIT’s Tyler Barr 6–3, 6–4 and then Danny Coran of Tufts 6–2, 6–4.
Timo van der Geest claimed four victories to win the backdraw title, making short work of Ethan Hillis of Amherst in the final with a score of 6–3, 6–4. In addition to the singles draw, four Panther doubles teams competed in the main doubles draw. All dropped their opening-round match.
Meanwhile, the women’s team went up against three Division I opponents in the Harvard Fall Scramble at the Beren Tennis Center. Harvard, Rhode Island, Seton Hall, and Middlebury competed in a form of hidden duals, consisting of three doubles and six to seven singles per round.
On Friday, the Panthers faced Seton Hall. The team of Heather Boehm ’20 and Molly Paradies ’19 grabbed a 6–1 win over Anniek Jansen and Krista Cerpina. Boehm prevailed in her singles match as well, making a comeback and defeating Melody Tall 3–6, 6–2, 6–4. Teammate Maddi Stow ’20 triumphed over Jansen with a score of 6–1, 6–0, and Emily Bian ’21 took a victory over Krista Cerpina with a score of 6–4, 2–6, 3–0. The Panthers eventually lost the day 4–3.
The Panthers faced Rhode Island on Saturday, and won all seven of their matches. The doubles team of Katherine Hughes ’20 and Skylar Schossberger ’20 won 6–2 over Rachel Smilansky and Halah Davis. Ann Martin Skelly ’21 and Stow defeated Mihaela Codreanu and Paige Alshon 6–2, and Bian and Paradies grabbed a victory 6–4 over Ariel Haber and Nicole Legler.
In singles play, Boehm defeated Codreanu in an intense game 6–4, 2–6, 10–2, while Hughes claimed a victory over Smilansky (7–6, 6–4). Paradies won her match against Haber 6–2, 6–3, and Schossberger edged out Davis in 6–3, 7–6. Stow eased past Alshon 6–1, 6–0, and Skelley cruised to a win against Legler 6–2, 6–0. The Panthers won the day 7–0.
The final day faced Harvard, with the doubles team of Hughes and Schossberger picking up the sole win in a 6–1 victory over Irene Lu and Lexi Milunovich.
The women’s team will return to action at home this Friday to Sunday, Oct. 20 to 22, when it hosts the Middlebury Invitational in its final tournament of the fall season.
(10/18/17 11:18pm)
The Panther volleyball team played faced a tough slate of matches last Friday and Saturday that saw the team drop a pair of Nescac games to Tufts and Bowdoin before prevailing over The University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI). The Panthers (14–5, 5–3) now sit at fifth in the conference but still have to play Williams and Hamilton, the teams sandwiching them in the standings.
On Friday, Middlebury travelled to Tufts in what was a rematch of last season’s conference tournament final where the Panthers triumphed over the heavily favored Jumbos. Once again, the two teams played a tightly contested match but the Panthers ended up losing in four sets (19–25, 25–15, 21–25, 23–25).
In the opening set, the Jumbos started with a 7–3 run but lost the lead during a 5–3 run by the Panthers which concluded with two Becca Raffel ’18 kills. Tufts, however, regained the lead and never looked back, taking the opening set.
In the second, however, Middlebury controlled the tempo. A Tufts attack error and two Elana Schaefer ’18 kills gave the Panthers a quick 2–0 lead. Later, after being down 15–10, Tufts climbed back in the game, bringing the score to 16–13. Middlebury, capitalizing on numerous service and attack errors by the Jumbos, went on a 9–2 run taking the set to even the match at one game apiece.
In the ensuing set the Jumbos once again started hot, this time jumping out to a 7–3 lead. However, the Panthers fought back to bring the match to within one point and for the remainder of the set Tufts never led by more than two—that is, until Middlebury seized the lead, 19–18, and the hosts scored the next six points capped off by a Middlebury service error.
What proved to be the ultimate set once again fell into a similar pattern. The Panthers took a 2–0 lead on two Tufts attack errors. After a Jumbos point, Middlebury extended the lead to 4–1 on two more Tufts attack errors but the Jumbos were able to knot the match at 8 and, thereafter, the teams largely traded points—there were seven lead changes and 11 ties. The Panthers simply did not have enough in the tank and ended up losing the final two points after the set was tied at 23.
There were bright spots though for the Panthers. Alice Roberts ’18 tallied a season-high 12 kills while Middlebury had more service aces than Tufts (Raffel had two while Gigi Alper ’20, Emma Walsh ’21 and Shea Golden ’21 each notched one). Golden also contributed 11 digs while Alper led the team with 17.
Continuing their road-trip, the squad drove two hours to Brunswick, Maine, where they split a doubleheader against the Polar Bears and UMPI. Middlebury lost the Nescac matchup in straight sets (21–25, 17–25, 22–25) but managed to turn around and absolutely smoke non-conference UMPI in straight sets (25–6, 25–15, 25–18).
Middlebury never found their groove against Bowdoin, a team that has given the Panthers trouble over the last few years. On the bright side, Raffel continued to dominate the competition with 11 kills and 16 digs. Alper managed to finish with a match-high 23 digs.
Following the Nescac losses, Schaefer believes the team needs to continue to compete. While a losing streak can be tough to overcome, her team needs to push themselves.
“We need to step up our game in order to set ourselves up to be in the best position possible for Nescacs,” said Schaefer.
UMPI, however, did not provide a challenge for the Panthers, who easily shook off their losing streak. The Panthers held UMPI to .091 hitting percentage and a single block, while Middlebury saw .355 and seven blocks. Golden led the match in service aces (4), Sessions in kills (10), and Ferdinand in assists (27).
“We are looking forward to regrouping and using this weekend’s non-conference competition to prepare for our final league games of the season,” Alper said.
This weekend’s New England Challenge will be an excellent opportunity to right the ship and prepare for their final weekend of Nescac play for the Panthers. With only two weeks remaining before the postseason, the Panthers look to get back their competitive fire that led them to the 10-game win streak that they were in the middle of just a week ago.
(10/18/17 11:15pm)
The Nescac fourth-ranked men’s soccer team (9–4, 4–4) earned their third consecutive 1–0 win against Trinity (3–9–1, 1–7–1) last Saturday, Oct. 14. The win came on what would be coach David Saward’s last guaranteed home weekend game; over 40 Middlebury soccer alumni, accompanied by hordes of students and parents, gathered on the sidelines to celebrate the win and Saward’s impressive career.
The opening half proved an offensive challenge for both teams. Fans were happy to see junior Daniel O’Grady take the field after missing two weeks of action with a partially torn meniscus. Despite having no shots on goal, Middlebury had a good chance on a cross from Drew Goulart ’20 which found the foot of Kye Moffat ’19 in the Bantam penalty area. Moffat’s close range shot drove just high of the crossbar, leaving the game scoreless going into the second half.
In the 60th minute, the Panthers were awarded free kick just outside the Trinity penalty area, which Ben Potter ’20 rocketed towards the goal, but Trinity goalkeeper Mateo Zabala was able to punch the shot over the crossbar. The resulting corner-kick would put the ball back in the Bantam penalty area, eventually finding Brandon Reid ’21, who was able to settle it in the top-left corner of the box. Facing away from the goal, he pivoted quickly on the ball and let a shot lace between two defenders, finding the upper-right corner on the net and leaving Midd on top 1–0 with 28 minutes remaining.
Excellent defense from the backline and two saves from goalie Jeremy Yeager ’18 would be enough to notch their seventh shutout performance in 13 games.
“Over the last three games our defense has really stepped up for us,” said Yeager.
“We are staying organized and compact in the back, and we have done really well at limiting the opposition to very few threatening opportunities. Our midfielders have also done a great job of winning 50/50 balls and pressing to win the ball back.”
Middlebury snagged a 1–0 non-conference win last Wednesday, Oct. 11, over Castleton with a goal from Drew Goulart and 3 saves from Yeager. The Panthers will face Bates (5–4–2, 1–4–2) this Saturday, Oct. 21, for their final regular-season away game.
(10/11/17 11:46pm)
Volume 116, Number 1
Volume 116, Number 2
Volume 116, Number 3
Volume 116, Number 4
Volume 116, Number 5
Volume 116, Number 6
Volume 116, Number 7
Volume 116, Number 8
Volume 116, Number 9
Volume 116, Number 10
Volume 116, Number 11
Volume 116, Number 12
Volume 116, Number 13
(10/11/17 11:00pm)
On Saturday, Oct. 7, the Danish String Quartet played Bela Bartok’s First String Quartet, Sz. 40 Op. 7, Beethoven’s Seventh String Quartet, Op. 59 No. 1, subtitled “Razumovsky” for their Russian patron, and a collection of folk tunes arranged by the quartet. They encored a piece by a contemporary Danish composer. The rest of the wonderful folk tunes they played are on the quartet’s new CD, titled “Last Leaf.”
The program said that this ensemble only plays music they enjoy playing, a statement I would not have believed before hearing their lively performance. The best parts of yesterday’s performance were those moments when a new theme, usually a folk theme, entered the music, and the players traded it among their instruments, clearly enjoying their performance. Despite the length of the concert, which started at 8 and ended at 10:30, I was never unhappy to be there.
The concert started with Bartok’s quartet, a continuous 30-minute mass of music which sometimes seemed to descend into Schoenberg-esque atonality only to recover into an Hungarian folk tune. Divided into three movements, lento, allegretto, and allegro vivace, the piece was a good one for the beginning of a concert. It takes a considerable amount of effort to derive meaning from listening to it, and people are usually the most alert at the beginning of concerts.
The cellist spoke briefly about the latent programmatic content in its composition: Bartok was not succeeding as a composer, had failed to attract a spouse, and had escaped to the countryside to collect folk melodies. This explanation helped to ease the toughness of the music, which oscillated wildly between Late-Romantic extended tonality and rough-hewn folk melodies.
This odd mixture of styles and influences provided many opportunities for the players to shine, and they did. Whenever a new folk melody entered the contrapuntal mass, that line stood out immediately, for whoever was playing did so with a specific zeal, the sort that only appears when one is really passionate about something. The recording of these would not do this quartet justice as viewing the players live adds an intangible quality to the performance which makes going to such concerts worth the cost in the first place.
Next, the quartet played their folk melodies. There is less to say here about the concert itself and more about what they played and how they played it. It is rare that a quartet plays something so outside the standard repertoire. Even some of the more adventurous items from last year like Berg’s Lyric Suite can be found at several concerts per year, but these folk tunes were truly unique.
Allison Carroll, director of the Performing Arts Series Society, said it took three years to book this quartet because their performance schedule is set years in advance. She said the reason she wanted this particular quartet so much was because they play these folk melodies.
Not only were the melodies excellent music on their own, the particular zeal with which the quartet played could inspire anyone to share this music with their friends whether they usually listen to classical music or not. The deeply-set rhythmic qualities of these pieces make them accessible to the uninitiated.
After the intermission was Beethoven’s quartet. This canonical classical piece uses a Russian folk theme in its fourth movement.
The first movement begins with a wonderful rousing theme played first by the cello and then by the first violin. It moves and develops well in some sort of sonata form, but this is one of those pieces where it is difficult to tell just where the development section ends. The second movement is a scherzo by most meanings of that word: it is funny, it feels like Bartok is toying with his audience, and the players smiled throughout it. If the descriptions of the first two movements seem brief, it is because the third movement seemed so long in comparison. This was another movement where it was difficult to tell the exact contours of the sections, but the overall effect was profound. The moment the music transitioned from the funeral march of the third movement to folk music in the fourth was one of the most moving of the night. This moment exemplified how enjoyable it was to see the players trade the same theme amongst each other. October continues to be a promising month for classical concerts, with soloist Soovin Kim performing Bach’s partitas this Friday, Oct. 13, and the Heath Quartet performing Friday, Oct 27. Both of these PASS events will take place in Robison Hall.
(10/11/17 10:39pm)
Soovin Kim will come to the Kevin P. Mahaney ’84 Center for the Arts’ Robison Hall on Friday, Oct. 13 to perform an all-Bach program, which will include Bach’s E major partita, G minor sonata and A minor sonata for solo violin. Kim gained recognition in Vermont when, at age 10, he became the youngest-ever musician in the Vermont Youth Orchestra. The concert will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $28 for adults, $22 for faculty, staff, emeriti and alumni and $6 for students.
(10/11/17 10:32pm)
Jogging, panting, and feeling accomplished, 83 runners crossed the finish line of the Reproductive Justice 5k on Sunday, Oct. 8. The event, a collaboration by students with support from the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies (GSFS) and Chellis House, took place under windy conditions, but the rain fortuitously stopped just in time for students and townspeople to set off past the Mahaney Center for the Arts and around the golf course. Along the trail, staked into the ground, were signs with little known facts about the state of reproductive rights and teachings in the United States. The main purpose of the race, as one of the founders, Mika Morton ’19, stated, was education, teaching people that “reproductive justice is a lot more than just abortion…or being pro-choice.”
The creators of the event, Morton, Cicilia Robison ’18, and Miranda-Max de Beer ’19, based their event on SisterSong, a reproductive justice collective comprised of women of color that defines reproductive justice as “the human right to maintain bodily anatomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.” This broad definition takes into account other variables such as race, class, geography, and orientation, which play vital roles in determining who gets what type of access to reproductive rights and procedures. Black women, for example, are four times as likely to die in childbirth than white women, being less likely to receive lifesaving treatments.
The inspiration for the 5k, this being its second year, emerged out of a Politics of Reproduction class taught by Carly Thomsen, an assistant professor of GSFS, last year. As Thomsen explained, all the students “complete a course project through which they translate an academic argument articulated in a course text into an alternative format with the intention of making said argument mobile.”
The founders of the 5k, who were awarded an honorable mention for the Alison Fraker Prize by the GSFS department for their project, intended to create a platform that could explain reproductive justice in its broadest terms. The goal, as Morton said, was to “reach a different demographic,” bringing an academic subject into the realm of athletics..
One of the main hurdles of spreading awareness of reproductive justice is that it is typically considered to be a priority only for women’s rights groups. Katie Cox ’20.5, one of the participants, pointed out that the people fighting for these rights are usually “feminist groups, working to make reproductive rights available to everyone.”
Education was the primary goal of the event, and, for all intents and purposes, the goal was fully achieved. Organizer Miranda-Max de Beer said that, despite the time crunch in getting the race organized, she was “really happy” with the results. The race gave students an open, relaxed environment in which to talk about hard topics, she said. And talk they did. After the race, students congregated in Axinn, where they tie dyed t-shirts over snacks.
Nina Cruz ’21 said that the race changed her perception on the issue. She now has a more, “expansive and inclusive view of what reproductive rights are, which include access to affordable birth control and sex education.” This broadened understanding stemmed from the signs posted along the running route and from pamphlets handed out after the 5k.
Statistics about reproductive justice and access to health care posted on signs around the course included: 45 percent of pregnancies in the US are unintended, some HIV-positive women are sterilized during childbirth without informed consent, 24 states and Washington, D.C. require sex education, yet only 13 states require it to be medically accurate, there have been 57 abortion restrictions enacted in 2017, being child-free can be liberating and the U.S. has the largest gap between parent and non-parent happiness in comparison to 22 other industrialized countries.
For additional information, Morton suggests going to the Guttmacher Institute website. “If you want to go be outraged sometime, go check out their website,” she said.
Thomsen said she thinks the event was a success. “The GSFS department and Chellis are wildly proud of these students and excited to continue to partner on student initiated and feminist theory-informed events,” she said.
(10/11/17 10:15pm)
A creator, filmmaker, sound designer and professor of film and media culture, David Miranda Hardy discussed the presence of trauma and memory throughout his work and own personal experiences in a lecture last Wednesday, Oct. 4. Miranda Hardy’s talk, entitled “Representing trauma: from Testimony to (Post)memory in my own artistic practice,” was the second lecture in the Carol Rifelj Faculty Lecture Series
A longtime Middlebury tradition, this year’s Carol Rifelj Faculty Lecture Series features 13 lectures by Middlebury faculty spread across various departments, and aims to put a spotlight on their research and interests.
“It’s a chance for us to build an intellectual community and learn from one another,” said Jim Ralph, dean for faculty development and research, who coordinates the series.
The series was named in Rifelj’s memory in 2010. Faculty members submit proposals prior to the commencement of the year with their lecture topic. One of the unique features about this lecture series is that faculty can present to a general audience of not just their own peers, but students, staff and local community members.
As a filmmaker, Miranda Hardy saw his lecture as a chance to reflect on his craft.
“I wanted to try to understand the impulses behind my work,” he said.
Miranda Hardy opened his lecture by using his biography and his works as a case study to talk about social and personal trauma. He most recently produced a television miniseries called “Bala Loca,” a historical thriller based on the Chilean military coup d’état and the bombing of La Moneda (the seat of the country’s president) on September 11, 1973. The miniseries, available on Netflix, attempts to use fiction as a way to display the duality between hero and victim, while also evoking emotions of fear and happiness from the audience.
“Dealing with memory can be enriching and productive, but it can also be a drag,” Miranda Hardy said in his lecture.
Away from Chile for part of his childhood, Miranda Hardy recounts that the country was thick in fear. “Fear was something in every interaction,” he said.
“Bala Loca” aims to connect the dots and repair broken ties after turbulent times in Chile. The miniseries was also nominated for a Platino Award this year, the Latin American equivalent of an Academy Award. Miranda Hardy’s lecture featured a multimedia presentation, during which he showed clips of his work in order to demonstrate trauma and postmemory. In addition to its critical reception in the U.S., the film sparked social many social conversations about the distrust in corporations and the spurious relationship between money and politics, key themes of the miniseries.
“It was a good conversation starter,” Miranda Hardy said.
According to Miranda Hardy, there is a direct connection between his creations and his teaching at Middlebury.
“I frame what I teach as a search for your own voice…, incorporating reflection and encouraging a sense of identity and community,” he said.
This semester, Miranda Hardy is teaching two courses: Writing for the Screen I and Sound Aesthetics and Production. Being at a liberal arts institution, he believes that his classes strive to include periods of reflection and assignments requiring students to use their own experiences, similar to his own work.
In addition to working as a producer for “Bala Loca,” Miranda Hardy has worked as a band member and sound engineer. His beginning works helped set him up for the miniseries, which aims to connect crimes and Chilean complementary social ailments.
After the lecture, the audience was invited to ask questions in an extended Q&A period. Ralph sees this time as a way to foster community.
“The questions are good for both the presenter and the audience,” he said. Ralph particularly enjoyed Miranda Hardy’s intertwining of his own personal story and his evolving realizations present in the miniseries. “David is a creator,” he said. Ralph believes that he is seen as someone who has made a substantial impact, and hopes that community members will discover Miranda Hardy’s artistic brilliance through watching his miniseries on Netflix.
Both Ralph and Miranda Hardy hope that that this lecture will foster connections between their peers, students and community members.
“It’s a great way to build community and understand what [faculty] do when we’re not teaching classes,” Miranda Hardy said. Similarly, Ralph believes that the line up is appealing, and some future lectures will also feature students as a presentation component.
“On so many levels what defines us is that we’re a face-to-face community and so I think that David [Miranda Hardy]’s lecture and others continue to generate intimate connections between people,” Ralph said.
(10/11/17 9:42pm)
The football team is 4–0 after beating the previously undefeated Amherst Mammoths 35–31 in a game that came down to the final minutes on Saturday, Oct. 7. It was not the prettiest of games, as Middlebury finished with under 300 total yards, 200 fewer than the Panther onslaught of Colby two Saturdays ago. The Panthers grinded it out though, especially with help from their defense, which put up 14 of the Panthers’ 35 points.
Amherst scored first in the remaining two minutes of the first quarter by going 53 yards in 11 plays then kicking a field goal to take a 3–0 lead. Jared Lebowitz ’18 started Middlebury’s next drive on its own 19-yard line with 1:56 left in the first quarter. He continued into the second, dashing 14 yards to the Amherst 44. Then he completed a short pass to Maxim Bochman ’20, aided by a Mammoth penalty, and found Frank Cosolito ’20, who is back from an injury, to move the football to the Amherst 30. Lebowitz completed another pass to Cosolito and completed the 17-play, 81-yard and six and half minute drive with a dart to Bachman from eight yards out to give Middlebury a 7–3 lead.
On the subsequent possession, Mammoths quarterback Reece Foy was sacked for a big loss of 10-yards by Matthew Daniel ’19. Two plays later, Kevin Hopsicker ’18 jumped the receiver’s route, intercepted the pigskin and took it 32 yards for the second score of the quarter. Carter Massengill ’20 completed the extra point and the guests took a 14–3 lead with nine minutes left in the first half.
But the defense was still not done. Two series later, Amherst was pinned at its own 13-yard line. This time, Wesley Becton ’18 intercepted Foy’s pass and took it 13 yards to the house, giving the Panthers a commanding 21-3 lead.
As if that was not enough for the Amherst Mammoths, the ensuing kickoff gave the Panthers even more fuel to add to the offensive fire. A 61-yard kickoff by Massengill was returned 11 yards, until Jonathan Hobart ’21 forced and recovered the fumble at the Amherst 15. Though Lebowitz was called for intentional grounding, he made up for it and connected with Cosolito from 27 yards out for Middlebury’s fourth score of the quarter and a 28–3 lead.
The Mammoths managed a score late in the second quarter after their ground game dominated the series. Massengill’s kickoff was returned 30 yards to the Amherst 41 and the next four plays were all running, amounting in a 34-yard rushing by Jack Hickey. Middlebury held a comfortable 28–10 lead heading into the third quarter.
Starting the third quarter on their own 33, the Panthers were unable to move the chains and were forced to punt. Maxwell Rye ’20 booted the ball 47 yards, while 12 more yards were tacked on due to a holding penalty. Field position did not matter this time, as Mammoths tailback Hasani Figueroa took a pitch pass 74 yards down the left sideline, cutting the Middlebury lead to 11. The next 12 minutes were a defensive battle as neither team gave up a touchdown and the contest headed into the fourth.
The Panthers scored their last touchdown at the start of the fourth, when Lebowitz found Conrado Banky ’19 from 31 yards out. Massengill connected for his fifth and final extra point and Middlebury took a 35-17 lead.
“Our offense stuck to what we’ve done well in all the games we’ve played this season,” said Kevin Woodring ’20. “We held onto the ball, were efficient in our passing game and were able to move the ball on the ground at the end of the game. Overall, our defense allowed us to play the way we know how to and it amounted to a win.”
Amherst continued to claw back, scoring at the 11-minute mark on a 7 play 55-yard drive and once again at the eight-minute mark. Amherst final score was an 81-yard bomb from Ollie Berth to James O’Regan to bring the hosts within four.
But when the Panther defense needed to, it buckled down and that team in purple could not find another opportunity to score. Middlebury improved to 4–0 with a 35–31 win over its previously undefeated rival.
With their undefeated season on the line, the Panther defense returned to what gave the team success in the first half.
“We wanted to be aware of complacency and wanted to do our best to eliminate it at all costs,” said defensive back Jourdon Delerme-Brown ’20.
“That simply meant for us to relax and begin re-executing the game plan. Once we took the score out of it and just played the game play-by-play, we were back in control.”
Middlebury will have another tough matchup this Saturday, Oct. 14, when it hosts Williams (3–1) on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium. The Ephs only loss came at the hands of defending Nescac champion Trinity (4–0).
(10/11/17 9:27pm)
The women’s golf team took to Route 7 and headed south last weekend toward Williamstown, Massachusetts, to play for the Nescac championship on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 7 and 8. While the Ephs once again took to conference crown, the Panthers held their own on Williams’ home course at Taconic Golf Club.
The Panthers finished in third, only four shots behind second-place Amherst, shooting a 628 on the weekend. Williams took the trophy with a collective 612 for the weekend, with rounds of 306 on both days.
“Everyone on the team dedicated themselves to improving mentally and technically this fall,” Chloe Levins ’20 said after Sunday’s round was over. “There is nothing but motivation to take away from the season. It’s exciting to be inches from great success as a team.”
It was really a three-team race from end-to-end, as Williams, Amherst and the Panthers were within seven shots of each other after the first day of play (306, 307, 313). The next closest team at that point was Bowdoin, who was a distant 26 shots behind Middlebury.
Even more impressive about the Panthers’ weekend performance at Taconic is the fact that their weekend total of 628 was 13 shots better than their two-day score the last two times the team played at the familiar course, when they shot rounds of 641 twice last season.
After the first day, Helen Dailey ’19 and Chloe Levins ’20 found themselves in a share of the fifth spot on the individual leaderboard. Their rounds of 76 led the way for the Panthers, and it marked a career day for Dailey. Her 76 was the lowest round of her collegiate career thus far. For Levins, the 76 tied her second-lowest score for the season.
Blake Yaccino ’20 turned in an 80 on the first day, which for the third straight round, put Yaccino just on the precipice of breaking the 80 mark.
Hope Matthews ’18, one of the team’s two senior captains, was the last Panther to register in the day-one scoring, as she shot an 81.
In a stroke of bad luck, the Panthers’ other senior captain who almost always is among the team’s lowest scorers, Katharine Fortin ’18, had her highest round of the season on Saturday. She turned in an 83 on a course that has been hit or miss for her throughout her career. Fortin has shot rounds as low as 76 and as high as 87 at Williams’ home course.
However, the scoring played out differently for the Panthers last Sunday.
Fortin followed her tough Saturday with a key 79 on Sunday, which would prove to be the second-lowest score for the Panthers on day two. The lowest scorer was Yaccino, who finally overcame her tendency to add strokes to her score in the second round of tournaments and shaved five strokes off her Saturday score to register a 75. Her two-day total of 155 was the team low and was good for a fifth-place overall finish on the individual leaderboard.
Levins, the team’s no. 1 for much of the fall and the Nescac tournament individual champion at the event last year, fell off the lead on Sunday and fell short of defending her title. Her 84 pushed her from a tie for fifth to a tie for ninth. Although it rained over northwest Massachusetts on Sunday morning, Levins is not going to chalk up her higher score to anything but a tough round and a constructive experience.
“It rained heavily for the first four holes on day two,” Levins said. “This made the course trickier for everyone in the field to manage. My higher score, however, was not a byproduct of course conditions. I’m just still learning how to stay in contention on day two. One of these times, I’ll get it.”
Dailey also fell off of the pace she set for herself on Saturday, as she went from a 76 to an 81 on Sunday, putting her weekend total at 157 and her in a three-way tie for sixth in the individual competition. Matthews managed to shoot an 80 on Sunday, and her two-day total of 161 saw her claim a tie for 10th on the individual boards.
The Nescac tournament marked the end of the fall season for the women’s golf team, which has a lot to be excited about for the spring season and beyond.
“It has been really interesting to watch the team grow and develop over the past few years,” Matthews said. “I think we have gathered a lot of great talent in recent recruiting and it is definitely showing in our results. Although we have not won any tournaments yet, we are getting closer to catching our competitors each time. I’m really excited to see how we can challenge Williams, Amherst, NYU, and other opponents in the spring.”
As was the case for Matthews, the weekend also marked Fortin’s last conference tournament, and although the team did not push Williams as hard as they had hoped, Fortin was able to reflect on how far the program has come.
“This season has been a great show of our ability to compete with the other top NESCAC schools,” Fortin said. “We are driving the program in the right direction.
“When I came onto the team as a freshman, we were good, but we did not have the depth needed to compete with Williams and, eventually, Amherst and NYU,” Fortin said. However, the Panthers’ recent success with recruiting and seeing through the development of new players in the program looks to change that narrative.
“We have acquired some really strong underclassmen and have shown rising collegiate golfers that the Middlebury women’s golf team is in the thick of the competition every week,” Fortin said. “This will certainly help to further develop the program and recruit successful players in the coming years.”
More immediately, however, the short spring season will be here before fans of Middlebury golf know it. Fortin, who will have her fourth opportunity to measure up to the challenge of playing golf competitively in upper-New England Aprils, is looking to make the most of it.
“The short Spring season is definitely hard coming out of a cold winter,” Fortin said, “but we will continue to be up there with Williams and Amherst, especially if we stay on top of our games and keep up our strength through the winter months.
“Everyone is in the same position at the beginning of April, so we will be competing at the same level and will continue to give ourselves a chance to be on top of the leaderboard.”
Like the senior captain, the team’s emerging star—Levins—is looking forward to April and is boiling everything down to what really matters the most.
“It’s important to keep a singular focus on your own game from week to week,” Levins said. “However, on the weekends, we play as Middlebury Women’s Golf. The process of getting better never changes and neither does what we represent.
“The best thing for me, and everyone else, to do looking forward, is to keep it simple and get the ball in the hole for Middlebury.”
(10/11/17 9:24pm)
The men’s tennis team faced a big challenge last weekend, Friday to Sunday, Oct. 6 to 8, as it competed against exclusively Division I teams in the Farnsworth Invitational at Princeton. The doubles pair of Andre Xiao ’21 and Will de Quant ’18 led the way by reaching the semifinals of the A-doubles flight, while Peter Martin ’19 reached the semifinals of the C-singles flight.
Despite the fact that Middlebury was the only Division III team competing at Princeton, the Panthers were confident in their ability to match-up with most other teams there.
“In reality, there were only a handful of teams (UVA, Columbia, Princeton) at the tournament that would clearly beat us in a team match,” said team captain de Quant. “The majority of teams there had strong players, but I would feel confident about our chances when pitting our lineup against theirs.”
De Quant, Noah Farrell ’19 and Kyle Schlanger ’18 all competed in the A-singles flight.
In the first round, de Quant defeated Drexel’s Hamza Laalej 6–2, 7–5, but lost to eventual champion, Virginia’s Aswin Lizen, in the next round 6–2, 6–2. Lizen is part of the team that has won the past NCAA Division I titles.
“The ‘better’ teams at the tournament were UVA, Princeton and Columbia,” said de Quant. “UVA has won two consecutive NCAA Division I titles, so seeing the talent they bring in and how they compete in matches is great for us moving forward. As a team, we know that our level of commitment and our level of training is on par with most DI programs, and seeing these DI teams this weekend only solidified my confidence in our program and the quality that our team has on and off court.”
Farrell lost his first round matchup to Luka Sucevic from St. John’s 7–5, 7–6 (7–2). After a bye in the first round, Schlanger lost a hard-fought match to Monmouth’s Alberto Giuffrida 7–6 (11–9), 1–6, 10–4.
Schlanger and de Quant showed their mettle in the consolation bracket, where Schlanger won twice and de Quant won three matches to finish 4–1 on the weekend in singles.
In the A-doubles flight, de Quant and Xiao advanced to the semifinals by winning their first match over Marist’s Chris Gladden and Carlos Moreno 8–3. There, the Panther pair lost to Drexel’s Bernard Tefel and Sinan Orhon 8–6.
“The top end of Division III Tennis is now very strong and deep, which I think showed when our players competed against some of the top players from the DI schools at this tournament,” said de Quant.
Schlanger and Timo van der Geest ’18, the other Middlebury pair in the A-doubles flight, won their first match as well, defeating Lehigh’s George Cooper and Bryant Born 8–3, but fell to eventual champions Rian Pandole and Michal Rolski from Columbia 8–5. Unlike Cuba and de Quant, Schlanger and van der Geest did not get a bye, so they only made it to the quarterfinals.
Van der Geest and Alex Vanezis ’20 and Andre Xiao ’21 represented Middlebury in the B-singles flight. All three Panthers lost their first matches, but both van der Geest and Xiao were able to win twice in the consolation bracket.
In B-doubles, the pairs of Farrell and Martin and Vanezis and Nate Eazor ’21 lost in the first round. Vanezis and Eazor rebounded in the consolation bracket by winning twice.
Martin made his run into the semifinals of C-singles by beating Lehigh’s Chris Auteri 2–6, 6–2, 10–3, Drexel’s Xandy Hammitt 5–7, 7–6 (7 – 3), 10–8, and Columbia’s Taiya Hamanaka 7–6 (7–4), 6–2. He lost to Princeton’s Kabir Sarita 6–2, 6–1 in the final four of the 32-man field.
“Peter Martin stood out this weekend, as he performed very well in his singles bracket,” de Quant said. “He has historically focused on doubles, but he showed everyone his quality in singles as well this weekend, which is great for him and great for the team moving forward.”
Adam Guo ’21 also had a successful weekend, winning twice in the D-singles flight and once in the C-doubles flight paired with Thorne Gregory ’21. They beat a UVA pair 87.
“The mentality for the weekend was focused on getting matches under our belt, which was a success considering all 13 guys was able to play multiple matches each day,” de Quant said. “This is what the fall season is all about.
“We had confidence going in that we have the level to play and beat players from these DI programs, which showed throughout the weekend,” de Quant said. “Our goal was to learn more about where we stand as individuals and as a team, and we did just that.”
After the challenges the Panthers faced these last several weeks, the team should be ready to go for this weekend’s trip to Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the MIT Invitational Friday to Sunday, Oct. 13 to 15.
(10/11/17 9:22pm)
This past weekend, the Middlebury volleyball vanquished Connecticut College on Friday, Oct. 6, before falling to Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 7, snapping a 10-match winning streak. The Panthers (12–3, 4–1) now sit at fourth in the Nescac standings.
In the weekend opener, the Camels did not provide a challenge, losing to the hosts in straight sets (25–13, 25–13, 25–10), which pushed Middlebury’s win streak was pushed to double digits.
In the first set, an attack error by the Panthers provided the Camels with the first point — the Panthers never trailed after that. After the Camels tied the set at 9, the Panthers went on a 14–2 run behind a plethora of kills courtesy of Eliana Schaefer ’18, Alice Roberts ’18, Sarah Staver ’19 and Isabel Sessions ’19.
The second set developed in a similar fashion, with the Camels winning the initial point, losing the lead, then knotting the score up at 9 only to have the Panthers go on a big run propelled by a barrage of kills.
With the last set underway, the Panthers no longer had any interest in making it seem like they might let the Camels hang around for another set. Middlebury quickly jumped out to an 8–3 lead behind two kills by Sessions and a couple of service aces by Gigi Alper ’20. The Camels won the next point, but it proved to be their real gasp of competitiveness of the day. Middlebury tacked on another long scoring streak (12–3) before Staver closed out the victory with a block.
Middlebury dominated the whole way, especially on defense, tallying 11 blocks, while the visitors could not manage to notch a single one. Staver led the way in the category with a phenomenal eight-block effort — Sessions tacked on four while Schaefer added three.
Becca Raffel ’18 led the offense with a match-high nine kills while Sessions put four shots away. Alper, with 10 digs, also added a match-high four service aces.
On Saturday, the team celebrated senior day, honoring Raffel, Schaefer, Roberts and Emily Kolodka ’18. However, team on the other side of the net was a hot Wesleyan team who came in 13–1 and undefeated in Nescac play. Middlebury’s 10-game win streak was snapped by the Cardinals, but not without a fight from the Panthers who let a 2–0 set advantage slip away. The Cardinals clawed their way back into the match after dropping the first two sets 25–19 and 25–11, winning a pair of 25–19 do-or-die victories before narrowly escaped Pepin with a 16–14 win in the rubber-match fifth set.
In a tight first set, tied at 13, the hosts put together a 5–1 run. The Cardinals managed to close the gap though to 21–19, but four straight home-team points that was capped by a Roberts kill down the line gave the Panthers a one-set-to-zero advantage.
The second set was not nearly as tight as the first. The hosts bounded out to an 8–4 lead and then won the next nine points. During the run, Staver and Roberts both recorded a pair of kills. Middlebury ended up winning handily, posting a sparkling .483 hitting percentage in the process.
The third set saw another mid-set tie, this time at 14. It was Wesleyan, however, that strung together the points this time, and the Panthers found themselves in a 21–15 hole, a point from which they never seemed to recover for the rest of the match. The fourth and fifth stanzas were not as close, despite what the scores indicate, as the Cardinals jumped out to early leads, held off Middlebury advances, ultimately handing the Panthers a loss.
Despite the loss, Raffel continued to dominate Nescac foes as she posted a season-best 21 kills. Schaefer, Roberts and Staver were also instrumental on the offensive, posting kill totals of 11, 11 and 12, respectively. Emma Walsh ’21, thriving when she is given playing time and opportunities, dished out a career-best 55 assists while also adding seven digs.
Even in a losing effort, the Panthers outhit the Cardinals .283 to .208 and managed to pile up more blocks, with 11 to Wesleyan’s seven.
With a weekend of mixed results, Raffel remains confident.
“This weekend was full of highs and lows,” Raffel said. “Connecticut College is a good team and we were able to stay focused and execute efficiently against them. The loss to Wesleyan was obviously disappointing, but I’m so proud of our composure throughout the match and we will hope to see them again down the road.”
The Panthers have a big couple of days ahead, as they travel to Medford, Maine, tomorrow to take on the Nescac front-running Tufts Jumbos in a rematch of last seasons Nescac tournament championship before heading to Brunswick, Maine, to face Bowdoin on Saturday.
(10/04/17 11:53pm)
Ethan Sonneborn, an eighth grade student at Mount Abraham Union Middle School, announced this month his campaign for a spot in Vermont’s 2018 gubernatorial race. Sonneborn, a Democrat, aims to inspire other young people to participate in politics at any level.
“We need to engage young people in the process,” Sonneborn said in an interview.
Vermont is one of the few states that does not place an age requirement on gubernatorial candidates. Vermont’s youngest governor was 34-year-old F. Rey Keyser, Jr., who was elected in 1960. Gubernatorial candidates are only required to have resided in Vermont for at least four years, a requirement that Sonneborn, a lifelong Vermonter, has already passed.
Sonneborn has been interested in politics and history for most of his life, after finding a photo of Robert F. Kennedy in an encyclopedia. He was just five years old. He even talked with his kindergarten teacher about becoming president someday.
His interest in politics turned into action in middle school, when he led a peaceful protest against a school ban on talking during his lunch periods. He and his friends held signs and refused to eat until administrators lifted the ban.
Unlike most 13-year-olds, Sonneborn has developed nuanced positions on many of the issues currently plaguing both Vermont and the nation at large. He supports marijuana legalization and further protections for LGBT individuals. His first priority if elected would be to reform Vermont Health Connect, Vermont’s health insurance marketplace, in order to ensure that more Vermonters have access to affordable healthcare.
“These issues affect the entire nation, but I believe Vermont could lead the way in solving them,” Sonneborn said.
Sonneborn is most passionate about combatting apathy in politics. His mission to engage young people in the political process could prove to be challenging, as historically young people are less likely to participate in politics than their older counterparts. The General Social Survey conducted in 2014 revealed that millennials are less likely to vote than other generations, despite engaging in other forms of political action, as reported by The Washington Post.
“I really see a lot of pessimism in America right now. I’ve always thought America needs a fresh vision,” Sonneborn said.
Sonneborn has gotten many of his friends involved in his campaign as well. He launched his campaign a couple of weeks before the new school year began, and on his first day back, many of his friends asked to work on his campaign.
“My formal senior staff is almost entirely comprised of eighth graders. I think this helps — I was looking for people who cared about our state and wanted to help it through this time,” Sonneborn said.
Despite the challenges that will come with running a gubernatorial campaign and attending the eighth grade, Sonneborn is confident in his abilities to effect change in Vermont politics while still fulfilling his duties as a student.
“So far I’ve been able to balance both [the campaign and school], but I think running for governor is also a valuable educational experience and my parents agree,” Sonneborn said.
If Sonneborn wins the Democratic primary, he will most likely face incumbent Republican Phil Scott, who has not yet announced his reelection campaign but is expected to do so later this year. Democrat James Ehlers, the Executive Director of fishing and clean water advocacy organization Lake Champlain International, also announced a bid for governor in July 2017.
Although his main focus is to win the general election in 2018, for now, Sonneborn hopes the campaign itself will help interest more young people in the political process.
“We really need people engaged in the political process. I really appreciate it when people tweet at the campaign. It’s really important that we get people engaged,” Sonneborn said.
(10/04/17 11:47pm)
With three more wins, the Middlebury volleyball team pushes their winning streak to an impressive nine games, a mark they did not even reach last year when they won the Nescac crown.
“Our team is getting better each time we step on the court,” Gigi Alper ’20. “Our winning streak is fueling our fire and gives us a lot of confidence going into another challenging home week.”
After they swept a mid-week tune-up against Colby-Sawyer, the Panthers were back in action in Nescac play last Friday, Sept. 29.
The Bates Bobcats visited Pepin and left with another loss (25–23, 25–22, 21–25, 25–22), dropping their record to 5–6 (1–2 in the conference). The match was more tightly contested than the midweek affair with four points being the largest point spread in any set.
After falling behind the Bobcats 7–3 in the first set, Middlebury fought back to tie the game at 14 after a Bobcats attack error. Neither team pulled away as the match progressed, so Isabel Sessions ’19’s kill that clinched the first game for the Panthers was clutch.
In the second set, Bates went on top early again, grabbing a 15–9 lead. However, the early hole in which the Panthers found themselves did not intimidate last week’s Nescac Player of the Week, Becca Raffel ’18, who propelled a 16–5 run for the Panthers and capped the set with a kill down the line. During this momentum-setting set, Raffel became just the fifth Panther in program history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau.
Up 2–0 in sets, the Panthers finally found themselves take an early lead, cruising to the point where they had a 12–7 lead. This time, however, it was the Bobcats who made a late run.
Bates’ 10–3 run was followed by a few attack errors that allowed Middlebury to regain the lead, 19–18, but the late-set surge was too much for the Panthers to overcome.
The fourth, and ultimately final, set was by far the closest. Neither team gained more than a two-point advantage as things were knotted up at 20–20.
Yet, having won plenty of close matches during their nine-game win streak, the Panthers were in familiar territory. The Panthers stayed characteristically cool under the pressure and notched five of the next seven points to take the set 25–22.
Raffel and Sessions paced the attack in the Bates match, as each provided 15 kills, while Gigi Alper ’20 dug 27 balls and Emma Walsh ’21, in her first Nescac action, dished out a match-high 49 assists. The Panther victory was due in large part to a dominating front line that roofed the Bobcats on numerous occasions, which Bates tried to counter by altering their strategy to rely more on dumps, but Middlebury adjusted and was unfazed.
“It was really exciting to get to play in conference games, and it was even better to play with such a great group of people,” Walsh said.
With one Maine school defeated, a second came to town to try to take down the Panthers on Saturday, Sept. 30, but also left with an L. Middlebury defeated Colby College in straight sets (25–13, 25–13, 25–15), pushing their winning streak to nine games. The Panthers thoroughly dominated the match, as Schaefer led the charge on both offense, 11 kills on 17 attempts, and defense with four block assists. After being tied at seven in the opening set, the hosts scored the next nine; important in this run was Raffel, who at one point had three consecutive kills.
The rest of the match was not close. Aside from an 8–6 Panther lead in the second set, the Mules, who hit a low .038 compared to the Panthers’ .393, were never within striking distance. Walsh contributed 32 assists and 12 digs while Emily Kolodka ’18 had 11 digs and a service ace.
Middlebury currently ranks first in the Nescac in hitting percentage (.255) and second in kills per set (12.67), while Raffel leads the conference in kills (176). Most important though is the Panthers’ standing in the Nescac: with four wins to zero losses, Middlebury sits atop the league along with fellow undefeated sides in Wesleyan and Tufts.
The Panthers will be back in action in Pepin tomorrow night at 8 p.m. when they start a pivotal homestand against Connecticut College. The premiere game of the weekend will take place in Pepin on Saturday, when Middlebury plays host to Wesleyan (12–1, 5–0), with match-time set for 2 p.m.
