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(03/10/16 3:58am)
The men’s basketball team’s Cinderella run came to a halt on Saturday, March 5 with a 74-72 loss to Keene St. at Stockton University in Galloway, NJ. The previous night, March 4, Middlebury held off 24th-ranked Salisbury’s comeback bid with a 75-73 upset victory, but on Saturday it was the Panthers’ comeback attempt that fell short.
After earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament with a surprising run through the NESCAC Tournament, few outside of Middlebury expected the Panthers to advance beyond the first round. Their first round opponent, the Salisbury Sea Gulls, came into the evening with the second-ranked defense in the country and a desire for revenge against the NESCAC — a year ago, Trinity knocked Salisbury out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament — but Middlebury jumped out to an early lead.
Playing in the early game of the evening, with host Stockton set to play Keene St. later that night, only a sparse crowd got to witness Middlebury’s hot start. The Panthers led 18-7 after 7:22 of play, thanks in large part to Matt Daley ’16 who had four points and a dunk in the opening moments of the game and Matt St. Amour ’17 who had six early points.
Throughout the first half, Middlebury was able to stifle the Sea Gulls’ offense. Salisbury fired up 15 three pointers in the first half alone but only connected on two of those attempts. Meanwhile, the Panthers pounded the ball inside, relying on their size advantage to shoot 14-25 (56.0 percent) from the floor and out rebound their opponent 22-12 en route to a 36-25 halftime advantage.
Salisbury came storming back out of the break, making it a 43-41 game a little over five minutes into the second half. The Panthers tried to stretch the lead, but the Sea Gulls kept fighting back, getting within one point at 62-61 with 4:54 to play.
Nursing a 73-70 lead with under 30 seconds to go, the Panthers fumbled possession and Salisbury’s Justin May came away with the steal. At the other end Middlebury denied the Sea Gulls a chance at a game-tying three pointer, but Salisbury’s All-Conference forward Gordon Jeter laid the ball in off a rebound to make it 73-72 with nine seconds to go. Salisbury then immediately fouled St. Amour on the inbounds pass, sending him to the line where he calmly sank two free throws.
Down by three, the Sea Gulls were on the hunt for a game-tying three point attempt, but St. Amour wisely fouled Salisbury’s point guard Adrien Straughn to send him to the line for two foul shots. Straughn hit the first to make it a two-point game and then intentionally missed the second, hoping to create a tip-in opportunity. The ball ricocheted around the rim and bounced out of bounds with a measly fraction of a second remaining and Salisbury in possession. The Sea Gulls attempted a last ditch effort for a tip in, but the release was too slow and the shot was waved off, giving the Panthers a thrilling 75-73.
Amidst his game-high 27 points, St. Amour became the 20th player in Middlebury men’s basketball history to hit the 1,000 point mark, finishing the game with 1,006. Daley (13 points, six rebounds) and Zach Baines ’19 (14 points) joined St. Amour in double figures, and Jack Daly ’18 grabbed a game-high 11 boards. The Panthers crushed Salisbury on the boards, snagging 37 to the Sea Gulls’ 26, and shot a terrific 21-26 (80.8 percent) from the free throw stripe.
The Panthers felt good about their Second Round match up with Keene St., whom Middlebury had beaten 83-74 earlier in the season on the road, but the Owls proved to be on top of their game this time around.
Middlebury struggled to take care of the basketball in the first half, usually a point of strength for the Panthers. Keene St. forced eight first half turnovers, which allowed the Owls to take 16 more field goals than Middlebury in the first half. The Owls were also lights out in the first period, shooting 17-38 (44.7 percent), and Middlebury failed to find any rhythm offensively. All told, Keene St. entered the break up 41-29 with Sweet 16 aspirations in their sights.
The script completely flipped in the second half, and the Owls sweet shooting was the only thing that kept them afloat. Middlebury hammered the boards, out rebounding Keene St. 30-13, and took care of the basketball, committing just four turnovers.
Middlebury chipped at the Keene St. lead over the course of the second half, playing with a single digit deficit for most of the frame. With 1:25 left, though, the Panthers’ hopes began to fade as Keene held on to a seven-point lead. Then St. Amour injected some life into his team. Despite the team’s struggles from the three point arc all night long, St. Amour confidently jacked up a three that found the twine to bring the Panthers within four, 70-66.
The Panthers entered full press mode, looking to cause turnovers. Matt Daley fouled Keene St.’s Ty Nichols on the next possession, and Nichols made both free throws, again appearing to lock up the victory. On the other end the Panthers looked for the first clean shot from deep, and it was Jake Brown ’17 who got an open look from the left corner. His attempt went far too long, but Jack Daly fought his way into possession for an offensive board. Amidst a sea of opposing Owls, Daly found Brown in the exact same spot who hoisted up another trey and this time canned it to make it a 72-69 game and Middlebury immediately called a timeout.
Almost as if it were scripted, Keene St.’s inbounder did the unthinkable on the following play and made a risky, looping pass towards center court that Jack Daly was able to tip and St. Amour corralled for the steal. Without hesitation, St. Amour took it to the rim for an easy two, making it 72-71. Daley fouled on the inbounds, sending Keene St. to the line with 40 seconds left. Keene St.’s Lucas Hammel sunk both to make it 74-71.
Back on offense, Daly erred on his three point attempt, but Matt Daley kept the play alive with an offensive board and found St. Amour who was fouled. Normally money from the charity stripe, having shot over 80 percent all season, St. Amour made his first but missed his second attempt and the Owls came down with the board.
Up 74-72 with 20 seconds to go, Keene St. had a chance to ice the game. However, the pressure must have gotten to Keene St.’s Nate Howard, because the big man missed both free throws. Jack Daly grabbed the board and pushed the ball up the court where Middlebury called a timeout with 11 seconds to go needing a bucket of any kind.
Inbounding from the left side of the court, the Panthers ran Brown off of a double screen but he was covered well. St. Amour followed Brown and received the inbounds pass. His first look at a potential game-winning three was quickly closed off by a Keene St. defender, so he found Daley near the free-throw line. Daley made a move toward the rim and tried an off balance shot that careened off the cylinder and bounced to Daly. His put back was no good, but somehow the ball once more fell into the Panthers’ hands as the final seconds ticked away. St. Amour, the team’s go-to scorer all season long, had one last chance to tie the ball game - a spinning, fadeaway jumper with three defenders bearing down on him - from the left short corner. Unfortunately his attempt hit the front of the rim with the Owls ahead, 74-72, as the final buzzer sounded.
On the night, St. Amour racked up a game-high 18 points, while Jake Brown had 17, Daley had 13 points and 13 boards and Daly had 12 points and 11 boards.
(03/10/16 3:56am)
Last weekend, March 4-6, David Cromwell ’16 and Wyatt French ’17 represented the men’s squash team at the College Squash Association individual championships at Chelsea Piers in Stamford, Conn. Cromwell and French won the consolation championships in their respective pools within the Molloy Cup draw. The CSA’s top 16 players play for the national title in the Pool Cup draw, while individuals ranked 17 to 80 play in the Hoehn Cup draws. Heading into the weekend, Cromwell and French were ranked 55th and 56th nationally.
Both Cromwell and French drew tough opponents in their first matches of the weekend. Friday morning, March 4, French opened against Trinity’s Afeeq Ismail, who holds the 41st ranking nationally and is rated a high 5.6 by U.S. Squash.
Even in the underdog role, French played with his characteristic grit and stole the first game from Ismail, winning 11-5.
“I think I did take him by surprise in the first game with good length and high pace,” French said. However, as one of the top players in the country, Ismail bounced back and defeated French in each of the next three sets.
“It was great to play Afeeq [to begin the weekend],” French said. “However, in the last three games, he wore me down and did a great job of keeping me under pressure.”
Meanwhile, Cromwell took to the court on Friday morning to face off with Princeton’s Cody Cortes to begin his tournament slate. Cortes played much of his first collegiate season in the second slot on the Tigers’ ladder. Cromwell spent the first two sets adjusting to the lefty, dropping both 11-6.
“I was a bit thrown off because he was a lefty and I haven’t played many lefties this year,” Cromwell said.
Cromwell managed to squeak out a 13-11 victory in a back-and-forth third set, but dropped the fourth set 11-7 to lose the match.
“I didn’t play particularly well and I never really settled into a rhythm and didn’t find ways to really hurt him so he took the match,” Cromwell continued. “I was frustrated because that [match] was definitely winnable, but I knew I had to move past it. It helped clarify some things I needed to do if I wanted to win the next one.”
And win the next one both Cromwell and French did. They were both up early Saturday, March 5, to prepare for 9 and 9:45 a.m. matches, respectively. In the first round of the Molloy A group consolation bracket, French went up against Dickinson freshman Brian Hamilton. Hamilton was no match for French, as the Middlebury number two took down Dickinson’s number two in straight sets.
Cromwell began his run in the Molloy B group consolation bracket by facing C.J. Smith, a senior from Colby who was named second team all-NESCAC earlier last month. After winning the first set 11-6, Cromwell had to mount a comeback against Smith. The second set slipped from Cromwell’s grasp, as he narrowly lost 12-10. It appeared as if Smith would take the match after he edged ahead two sets to one with a big 11-3 third set victory, but true to form Cromwell held out. The Panther senior battled back and controlled the rest of the match, winning the fourth set 11-8 and the decisive fifth set 11-5.
With their victories, Cromwell and French then played again that afternoon. Once again, French steamrolled an outmatched opponent, MIT’s number one Justin Restivo, in straight sets. Cromwell was tasked with facing a familiar foe, Brown’s Jack Blasberg. The Panthers have already narrowly defeated Brown twice this season, the most recent bout coming two weekends ago, Feb. 26-28, in the CSA team championships 15th-16th-place playoff. Cromwell played Blasberg on one of those two occasions, during the Middlebury round robin, Jan. 16, and won a closely contested four set victory.
This time, Cromwell had to overcome a hamstring issue aggravated over the course of the weekend. Nevertheless, an extra hurdle could not stop Cromwell. He took the first game 12-10 and then fought back after dropping the second and third sets with another 12-10 win to even the match at two sets apiece. He took the match with an 11-6 fifth set victory.
French and Cromwell entered the championship matches of their pools on Sunday, March 6, looking to end two brilliant seasons with an exclamation point.
This time it was French who took on the familiar face, Williams number three Galen Squires, who French has had a lot of success against this season.
“I definitely had a mental edge going into the match because I had already beaten him twice,” said French “He is a really solid player and it was fun to play him again. But I did play pretty well and he was also less consistent than usual.”
French made clean work of Squires, beating the Williams senior in straight sets for the third time this season.
Cromwell’s final collegiate match came against Rochester’s Lawrence Kuhn, a high quality freshman who spent much of the season hidden at fifth on the Rochester ladder despite his semi-professional experience in his home-country, South Africa, and the fact that he finished the season ranked 34th nationally. Yet, it was Cromwell who looked the part of the higher-ranked favorite on Sunday morning.
Cromwell and Kuhn swapped 11-8 victories to start off the match.
“I had a hamstring issue heading into the match, and I knew I had to capitalize on opportunities and cut the points a bit shorter than usual,” Cromwell said.
Cromwell used the attacking strategy to propel himself to victory, as he defeated Kuhn 11-6 in the third set before finishing him off in the fourth.
“Turns out,” Cromwell quipped, “that attacking style serves me well. I should play like that more often.”
Cromwell is not done, though. After an inspiring, stellar senior season in which he traversed the Panthers’ ladder and won the clinching match against Brown in the 15th-16th-place playoff in the top slot, he will look to continue playing squash on the pro tour.
“I am taking a couple days off this week,” Cromwell said of his future plans, “and then I will continue training because [next week, March 14] I head down to Virginia to compete in the U.S. closed nationals.”
Cromwell then plans to train rigorously for the rest of the spring under the watchful eye of Coach Mark Lewis, who formerly played on the tour himelf.
“[Coach Lewis] is going to guide my development,” Cromwell said, “which will help me keep a steady rate of improvement before I start playing in tournaments this summer.”
French will return to the team next year for his senior season. Having played most of the season in the third slot and with Andrew Jung ’16 and Cromwell graduating, French will likely occupy one of the top slots on Middlebury’s ladder again next season.
“It does seem like I will play high on the ladder next year,” French said. Yet, he echoed what team has said since the season ended with six recruits set to join the team next season. “Everyone is very motivated to improve.”
(03/10/16 12:17am)
The somewhat erratic release of The Life of Pablo has proven such an utter whirlwind that Kanye West might actually still be scribbling in some last-minute changes to the record as it slowly infiltrates pop culture. From the spontaneous private listening party at Madison Square Garden to his bemusing appearance on Saturday Night Live to the innumerable manic-depressive tweets explaining the chaos thereafter, Kanye has left the world rather perplexed with this one.
Pablo seems but a dream to most people right now, and their questions abound: What is this new record all about? Where did it come from? Is any of this even real?
Is any of this real?
Well, in pursuit of what this album is truly after, taking that question into serious consideration can lead us to some fairly interesting places.
What is important to recognize is that the entire thing does not actually exist to most people right now. In a percipient business move, Kanye decided to release Pablo exclusively through TIDAL, the streaming service of which he is a major stakeholder. This strategy did attract significant numbers, but the vast majority of people have now either poached it online or lost enthusiasm to seek it out. The Life of Pablo seems peculiarly unreal – in fact, it is doubtful that a single hard copy even exists – but the truly extraordinary thing is that the music within the album entirely substantiates its dreamlike state of being.
Most striking are the quick changes in tempo and harmony throughout, tearing the audience from the previous theme and transporting them into this strange new world that must be quickly understood. And then, like a dream, the moment you begin to feel grounded, the track ends immediately and a new bit-crunched synth drops in with those dark falsetto tones acting as a snare – something only Kanye can let loose. The most haunting track, “Freestyle 4,” epitomizes such a quality while inspiring a notion closer to that of a nightmare than a dream.
This kind of tactic naturally follows the surreal impermanency of Yeezus, but it seems so haphazardly put together that the audience is left questioning how much of this is rightly intended. Well, Kanye lets us in on a little secret during “FML,” telling us, “I been thinking about my vision / Pour out my feelings, revealing the layers to my soul.” Somehow, the great Mr. West seems utterly lost, driven by his anxiety and afraid to tell the truth.
The following track, “Real Friends,” breaks everything down – hostile music included – and he explains how, really, life is just too fake. This has all been fake: the words, the intimidation, the pulsing bass, crunched-up synths, brick-wall limiters – it is all part of the façade. And it is these slowed down drums echoing off the walls, the looping melancholic melody, the repeated phrase, “Real friends / Till 3 a.m. / Calling just to ask you a question / To see how you was feelin,” that bring everything back to reality.
But Kanye is a pretty capricious character.
He does not miss a beat as he drags us back down the rabbit hole, back into his phantasmagoria of music and performance. Perhaps the strangest moment actually lies outside the album proper, and onto the stage of SNL. His performance of the opening track “Ultralight Beam” on Feb. 13 was baffling, to say the least, with the cavernous light board behind his gospel choir, a mellowed-out clerical revival at the end and a more than uncomfortable finish of Kanye jumping around the stage screaming at people to download TIDAL and listen to the album right now.
If nothing else after watching this, the audience is left with a bizarre sense that they may literally be dreaming right alongside Yeezus. Again, the questions abound: What should we make of that? If this is art, how do we respond to that, and what does it matter to anyone? Assuredly, The Life of Pablo was designed for us to ask those questions exactly.
To narrow the scope a little: as college students, we too are oftentimes left with this overwhelming sense of discursive dreaming. There is fervency and vision, but we also feel lost among the crowd. We are told we can make a difference, that our education is what will change the future; but for now, we remain in a state of limbo, consumed within that “bubble” that everyone always seems so desperate to escape. Where is reality? Existing in a place of perpetual change can sometimes challenge our understanding of how “real” we are being within our community. People always talk about community, and where is that then?
Living inside this centralized, energized academic setting can bring forth some fairly heated discussions: discourse that we ask to be a part of because we acknowledge that we are here to engage with and learn from one another. If we neglect community, though, we see arguments as one-sided. We affirm our own beliefs and block out the rest of the noise. We burrow down and seek individual answers, instead of seeking together. It is important to recognize that we exist in a place of learning – and that it is best to learn from mistakes – but that does not erase the fact that we oftentimes act impetuously, hurling forth our sophomoric disputations into the daunting realm of academic debate. It is true of all college students that we are quick to act on our emotions.
And this kind of behavior does not seem too far off from the message that Kanye’s album and his accompanying online performance have brought us in the past couple weeks. The numerous explanatory tweets and exclusionary tactics further build that tension between fakeness and realness, and it all seems like some kind of hoax or dream. But, as if further contradiction is required, its inspiring beacon of hope through this endless sea of emotion and uncertainty is that of ultimate love.
It is incongruous and ironic that the same artist who raps with such heated vulgarity is able to produce an album that contains the simple plea for love. Kanye poses his troubles, wondering how any of this life could be real when things seem to be so different. As he says, “We’re on an ultralight beam. / This is a God dream.” But instead of acting out of reckless emotional attack – which he has had his fair share of – he finally comes around to tell us how he has seen the real message of love and unity at the end of that beam of light.
(03/09/16 10:52pm)
By Will Nathan
1. Every other Tuesday
2. Shirts off
3. A drink and a church
4. Atwater dining hack
5. New kids on the block
6. A general and our president
7. THURSDAY!
8. Movies and fistpumps
9. Proctor ______
10. Tiny desk concert
11. Ross mystery
12. King of salad dressing
13. D1
14. WOMPWOMPWOMP
15. RIP ______ House
16. Justin Bieber, eg. migratory birds
17. Atwater ceiling and BiHall Window
18. This Saturday
19. Freshman dorms and that professor
20. “It’s not JV, its ______!”
21. It hangs low
22. Not pizza?
23. “Biddie” dessert
24. Free samples
25. Nonsensical water animal
26. Pond and sculpture
27. Art History department local, abb.
28. _____ Back Mountain
29. Battell and Dunmore
30. A drink and our ex-dean
31. Light beverage and commons dean
32. Number of beers you can fit in a frisbee
33. Allegedly invented here
34. ___-palooza
35. Given at graduation
36. Largest window in Vermont
(03/09/16 4:27pm)
The Jan. 21 meeting of the Student Government Association (SGA) began with an announcement from Larson Lovdal ’16.5 that $43,000 has been raised to construct the Ian Burgin ’08 Memorial Lodge, exceeding the project team’s goal by $23,000. Last year, the SGA committed $40,000 towards the project. Construction of the cabin, located on the Rikert Trail Network, will begin next fall.
SGA President Ilana Gratch ’16 reported that dining services will take over the operation of 10 o’clock Ross. It is Gratch’s hope that this transition will ultimately broaden the options available to students.
Gratch asked senators for feedback on the commons system to introduce at a meeting of the College Board of Overseers, for which she is a member. Senators agreed that attitudes towards the commons system vary by individual experiences.
Speaker of the Senate Reshma Gogineni ’16 suggested that one way to improve the system would be to have each commons run more consistently in what they do and what kinds of activities they offer. Ross Senator Trisha Singh ’18 said that there should be more inter-commons traditions.
Next in the meeting, the SGA passed an election reform bill, authored by SGA Director of Membership Zak Fisher ’16, and sponsored by Gratch. The bill suggested the elimination of the current system of single-transferable-vote (STV) and instant-runoff (IRV) voting, to be replaced by a winner-take-all system. According to Fisher, the old system presented logistical issues and confused the electorate. It is the belief of the SGA that a winner-take-all system will make elections more efficient and easier to grasp.
President Gratch began the Jan. 28 meeting by welcoming Rae Aaron ’19.5 and Sebastian Grandas ’19.5, the newly elected Feb senators, to the SGA. Gratch also announced that because no candidate ran to fill the vacant Wonnacott Commons senate seat, she is now responsible for appointing someone to the position.
SGA Treasurer Aaron de Toledo ’16 then presented a mid year update on the Finance Committee. As of Jan. 28, the Committee has received $1.38 million in requests and has granted $1.13 million. de Toledo said that the committee has $35,000 available to spend, however, allocating this money would not be ideal because it would cut into the organization’s reserve funds. Over the past year, the Committee has established a new policy dealing with the funding of sound systems, and is currently working on new policies regarding club sports and commons funding. At present, the Committee is preparing for spring budgeting.
After de Toledo’s presentation, senators engaged in a discussion about budget philosophy. Senators agreed that, in the future, the SGA should be wary in funding large capital projects, as they pose long term risk. Community Council Co-Chair Tiff Chang ’17.5 said that the SGA should look to implement implicit bias training for the Finance Committee, and that there should be a greater effort to make sure that the Committee is more diverse.
(03/09/16 4:26pm)
Last Tuesday, March 8, the Women’s and Gender Studies department honored Elizabeth Dunn ’18 with the Alison Fraker Essay Prize, an annual award that commemorates the memory of Alison Gwen Fraker ’89.
Fraker was a “much-beloved, vocally feminist student” who passed away in a car accident weeks before her graduation. The award ceremony, which is traditionally celebrated on International Women’s Day, is dedicated to her memory and passion for the study and practice of gender equality.
Students are nominated for projects submitted in any department as long as they address issues focused in gender studies. These projects are then presented to a board of faculty who chooses one winner and two honorable mentions.
This year, 13 different projects, completed by 19 students, were nominated. In recent years, nominations have diverged from the traditional essay form and this year included songs, presentations and podcasts, among others.
Director and Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies Sujata Moorti and Director of Chellis House Karin Hanta lead the ceremony and presented the awards.
Dunn’s piece, an essay titled “Race Play and Racism,” was nominated and presented by Anson Koch-Rein, a visiting assistant professor of Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies. Koch-Rein commended Dunn’s essay for its success in engaging with the “uncomfortable intersection” between race play and racism “by drawing into the conversation a discussion of racial stereotypes and porn, the history and legacy of rape and sexual exploitation in slavery and writings…theorizing and reflecting on the meaning of race-play scenes”.
“Rather than dismissing race play as either an object of study or immoral practice, the essay engages the possibilities of what it might mean to think through race play,” he said.
One of the two honorable mentions was awarded to Sarah Kotb ’16 for her critical narrative, “The Death of Scheherazade Or How Not to Write About Arab Men.” In her piece, Kotb responds to a class discussion about the novel “Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books,” by Azar Nafisi.
Catharine Wright, director of the Writing Program, nominated Kotb and introduced her at the ceremony. Wright called Kotb’s narrative a “brilliant, sarcastic, biting, self-reflective piece about how to situate herself as a feminist between Arab patriarchy and white, western imperialist brand of feminism”.
The next honorable mention was presented by Moorti to Sarah Karerat ’18 for her essay, “Policing Native Sexualities: Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code” in which she examined how a law from mid 19th-century colonial India continues to affect the lives of people a post-colonial Indian society.
“I was very impressed by the scope of the project and and the broad range of discourses Sarah brings to make us understand how the production of a sodomite in India was the product of both colonial and sexual discourses,” Moorti said.
The ceremony, and the award, allow students to engage with issues of gender and sexuality within larger contexts. “One thing I really appreciate was how intersectional everything sounded,” Dunn said. “Nothing just dealt with one issue; they all coalesced around different issues of marginalizing aspects of peoples’ identities. I appreciated this whole event because it was a spotlight on such a wide range of papers and topics.”
(03/03/16 4:26am)
On Thursday, Feb. 26, the Vermont Senate voted 17-12 to approve a bill legal- izing the recreational use of marijuana in Vermont. The bill, S.241, brings Vermont one step closer to be coming the fifth U.S. state to legalize marijuana. It will now proceed to the State House of Representatives, where the Judiciary Committee will begin to iron out details in the next several
weeks.
According to the bill, lawmakers “...recognize legitimate federal concerns about cannabis reform,” and seek to pass legislation establishing a pathway to legal access to cannabis in Vermont.
The bill lists numerous problems related to prohibition, including “distribution of cannabis to persons under 21 years of age,” revenue of sales going to “criminal enterprises” that are associated with increased lawlessness and violence, “drugged driving and the exacerbation of any other adverse public health consequences” and the possession or cultivation of cannabis on public or federal property.
If approved in its current form, S.241 would create a system for marijuana taxation and regulation, allowing Vermonters who are 21 and older to possess up to an ounce at a time. The bill would take effect beginning on Jan. 2, 2018.
Tax revenue would help fund law-enforcement and drug treatment programs, and permits would be issued for up to thirty marijuana stores throughout the state. Additionally, an amendment passed on Thursday, Feb. 25 allows for the expansion of cultivator licenses, which will enable more individual citizens to grow their own marijuana.
In the past several years, marijuana legalization has emerged as a key issue in state politics. In his final State of the State address in January, Governor Peter Shumlin called for legalization, and has endorsed the current legislation.
“The War on Drugs has failed when it comes to marijuana prohibition,” Shumlin said in the speech. “Under the status quo, marijuana use is widespread, Vermonters have little difficulty procuring it for personal use, and the shadows of prohibition make it nearly impossible to address key issues like prevention, keeping marijuana out of the hands of minors and dealing with those driving under the influence who are already on Vermont’s roads.”
“With over 80,000 Vermonters admitting to using marijuana on a monthly basis, it could not be more clear that the current system is broken,” Shumlin continued. “I am proud that the Senate took [the] lessons learned from states that have gone be- fore us, asked the right questions, and passed an incredibly thoughtful, common-sense plan that will bring out of the shadows an activity that one in seven Vermonters engage in on a regular basis.”
If the bill were eventually passed, Vermont would become the first state to legalize marijuana through legislative action. The previous four states – Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington – have done so via ballot initiative.
Mark Williams, a Professor of Political Science at the college currently teaching ‘The political economy of drug trafficking’ Political Science course, expressed that the bill would not solve all of Vermont’s problems.
“Legalizing marijuana won’t solve the broader problems of drug abuse or addiction,” Williams wrote in an email, “and it’s unlikely to decrease the number of Vermonters who use this particular drug. However, it would address some negative externalities our current drug policies generate: overcrowded jails/prisons; a rap sheet and jail time for nonviolent marijuana offenders; a thriving black market...”
Unlike some of the previously listed states, Vermont is unique in the level of popular support for marijuana legalization. The Vermont electorate overwhelmingly supports legalization of marijuana; a recent poll from Vermont Public Radio (VPR) showed 55 percent supported legalization, versus only 32 percent opposed. 13 percent of those polled said they were unsure.
Of course, support for legalization amongst government officials is far from universal. Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, a Republican frontrunner for Governor in the coming election, says the bill raises too many unanswered questions.
“In my opinion, this bill is as much about the money as it is about ending a failed prohibition, and this major policy shift should not be about money and commercialization,” he said in a statement.
Citing unresolved issues such as highway safety and the potential need for “multimillion dollar expansions of our current smoking cessation programs,” Scott advised that Vermont wait a few years to “review the positive and negative effects” of legalization in states that have already completed the process.
Skeptics of the bill have also cited federal law, arguing that because marijuana remains a schedule I substance on the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, legalization at the state level nullifies federal law.
When asked about whether a Republican president might reverse the decision, State Senator John Rogers (D) seemed unperturbed. He cited the Cole memo, a letter written by former Attorney General James Cole, which assures that federal agents will not conduct raids in states that allow “...possession of small amounts of marijuana and provide for the regulation of marijuana production, processing, and sale.”
“I think there’s always concern, but clearly what they have been doing for the last 40 years hasn’t worked,” Rodgers said
in an interview. “I think it’s time for the states to take the lead because the federal government isn’t going to act.”
Others have expressed doubts that the bill will be able to pass the House of Representatives, where support is tepid despite a strong Democratic majority. House Speaker Shap Smith (D) said the bill will need to move through several committees, and that pushing it through the House “will take work.”
“The bill has not come over with a ton of momentum,” Smith said, referring to the Senate’s relatively narrow vote margin. “I think that if you had seen a bill that came over with 20 votes or more, that would have been a different signal.”
Smith has remained pragmatic about legalization, and insisted that if there is not adequate support for the bill, he would not be opposed to delaying marijuana legalization.
If it is clear that we don’t have the support and we can’t get it right this year,” Smith said, “then we’re not going to push something forward that’s not ready for prime time."
Governor Shumlin, however, insisted that there is no good reason for further delaying the legalization process.
“My prediction is, what happened in the Senate may well happen in the House: logic, good information will encourage House members to do what they were elected to do, which is to make their best judgments to protect the safety, health and welfare of the people who elected them."
The bill has also caught the attention of legislators and law-enforcement officials outside Vermont. One such voice was Police Chief George Bell of Cambridge, New York. In an interview with WRGB News, he explained that he would continue to treat
the possession of marijuana as a criminal offense, unless it was prescribed in New York.
In fact, both Massachusetts and Maine will likely conduct a ballot on recreational marijuana legalization this November as well.
“I don’t think anybody in law enforcement at this point knows how they are going to deal with it if it does go in Vermont
like this,” Bell explained in the interview. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey (D) also opposes recreational marijuana. After the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, Healey artued that an increased rate of auto accidents and fatalities is sufficient evidence to not legalize the drug. “What’s most profound to me is what this means for young people,” Healey told the South Shore paper. She went on to reference the propensity for younger users to abuse the drug in unsafe environments.
Similar legalization efforts have occurred in Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire.
In the Granite state, one bill is pending before a committee of the New Hampshire House. However, similar bills have been killed by the New Hampshire Senate.
(03/02/16 8:38pm)
The Middlebury women’s hockey team clinched the host site for the NESCAC championship for the fth time in six years and the ninth time overall. The Panthers (18-4-3), seeded rst in the tournament, defeated eighth-seeded Colby 4-3 on Saturday, Feb. 27 in a quarter nal game in Chip Kenyon ’85 Arena for their seventh-straight victory. Forward Maddie Winslow ’18 garnered NESCAC Player of the Year honors, the sixth Middlebury player to earn that honor.
In the semifinals, Middlebury will host fifth-seeded Trinity at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 5, while second-seeded Amherst will match-up against third-seeded Connecticut College at 4 p.m. The winner of each game will advance to the conference championship game at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 6.
In the quarter final matchup against Colby, the Panthers scored the first goal eight minutes into the first period. Seizing the puck from the right boards, Jessica Young ’18 passed it to Elizabeth Wulf ’18, who centered the puck so that Winslow could one-time it into Colby’s net. Middlebury was aggressive for the rest of the period, finishing with a 13-2 advantage in shots on goal, but Colby goalie Angelica Crites kept it a one-goal game.
The Mules came bursting out of the starting gate for the second period, recording four of the first five shots, but scored no goals to show for it. Four minutes into the period, Middlebury extended its lead to 2-0 when Grace Jennings ’19, positioned at the left point, sent the puck floating high past several defenders into the net for her third goal of the season.
Colby responded with several scoring attempts in the waning minutes of the second. Middlebury netminder Julia Neuburger ’18 sustained an aggressive bout of attempts by the Colby offense. The Mules did not back down, and at 17:33 managed some crisp passes from the right before Bella Papapetros, open from the far left side, one-timed the puck into an open goal before Neuburger could turn her back. An answer came 44 seconds later when Rachael St. Clair ’19 sped past defenders on the left and slid the puck behind Colby’s goalie in a dramatic goal that gave Middlebury a two-point lead.
Seconds into the third period, Maddie Winslow, who has emerged as a fierce point-maker for the Panther offense, picked up a loose puck, skated halfway down the rink, and slotted the puck in the upper corner. The goal, her team-leading 15th of the season, brought the score to a comfortable 4-1.
At the 15:44 mark of the third period, Papapetros made a diving centering pass to Delaney Flynn who scored, toying with the nerves of Head Coach Bill Mandigo and the rest of the team, whose trophy hopes last year were nearly dashed by Hamilton in the same quarter final matchup in a three-overtime game.
Colby then pulled Crites with 1:45 left in regulation and were awarded a power play with 52 seconds on the clock for a six-on-four advantage. With a two-man advantage, Colby slipped the puck between Neuburger’s feet at the right post to make it a one-goal game. Middlebury waited the next forty seconds out to keep the score at 4-3 and secure home ice for the rest of the playoffs. In the game, the Panthers nearly doubled the Mules 38-20 in shots on goal.
Colby went 1-for-2 on the power play, while Middlebury went 0-for-1.
“The game on Saturday took a team e ort to win,” Shanna Hickman ’19 said. “Julie Neuburger played amazing and made some big saves, while everyone else focused on doing the little things from back checking to winning battles. We did a great job moving the puck and creating and nishing scoring opportunities.”
The victory brings the Panthers’ in-conference unbeaten streak to 30 games. The Panthers hope to avenge last year’s fumble in the nals at the hands of third-seeded Trinity. The team still managed a berth in the NCAA tournament last winter, but their run ended in the quarter nals with a loss to Norwich.
“It feels great to once again be part of the NESCAC championships,” Wulf said. “We are excited to have home ice throughout the playoffs, but we know that anything can happen.”
The Panthers are certainly the favorite entering NESCAC championship, but fate might undo near-certainties again.
(03/02/16 6:27pm)
The men’s basketball team punched their ticket to the Division-III edition of March Madness by beating the NESCAC’s two best regular season teams on championship weekend. Two weeks prior, Middlebury (17-10) lost to Trinity (19-7) and Amherst (22-5) by a combined total of 24 points, but that meant nothing to the Panthers entering this game.
“Playoffs are a different game and it’s all about who wants it more,” Center Matt Daley ’16 said.
Middlebury earned their spot in the semifinals of the NESCAC Championship by beating Wesleyan 86-74 on Saturday, Feb. 20. On Saturday, Feb. 27 Middlebury took it to the hosting Bantams, winning 70-58. The following day, the Panthers eked out an 81-79 victory over Amherst in a game that featured 23 lead changes, clinching the third NESCAC title in program history following previous championships in 2009 and 2011. Unlike in those championship seasons when Middlebury played as the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC tournament, the Panthers were the no. 4 seed this year.
“The difference with this championship,” Coach Jeff Brown said,”was that in order for us to get to the NCAA tournament, it was very clear and very apparent that we would have to win that championship game. So I was certainly a lot more relaxed [in 2011 and 2009]. This past weekend we knew it was do-or-die.”
On Friday night, against top-seeded Trinity, Middlebury led for the majority of the contest, scoring the first basket and maintaining the lead until the 7:11 mark of the first half. Daley had eight of the Panthers’ first 16 points, kicking off what would prove to be a dominant weekend for the senior big man. Trinity took a 23-20 lead on a Jeremy Arthur three-pointer with 6:39 to go in the first, but the advantage would be short-lived for the Bantams once Matt St. Amour ’17 drilled a three-pointer of his own a minute and a half later to regain the 24-23 lead. Middlebury ended the half on a 10-2 run capped by a Zach Baines ’19 lay up to make it 34-25.
The Panthers kept Trinity at bay throughout the second half, never letting the lead go below six. Middlebury was able to halt every Trinity run with a stop and a big bucket of its own. Unlike in their
previous meeting, the Panthers defended the three-pointer well and only allowed Trinity to shoot 6-27 (22.2 percent) from deep by switching all perimeter screens and not giving the Bantams open looks.
Trinity made the Panthers anxious when Andrew Hurd made a deep three with 34 seconds to play to make it a seven-point deficit, but a pair of free throws from Adisa Majors ’18 effectively iced the game.
St. Amour lead all scorers with 20 points and added nine rebounds. Matt Daley (18 points, six rebounds), Jake Brown ’17 (11 points, eight assists), and Majors (11 points, six rebounds) all joined St. Amour in double figures.
Unlike Friday’s contest, there was no time to relax for the Panthers on Saturday against Amherst in a game that went down to the wire. The Purple and White have a long history in the NESCAC Championship. Of the 17 NESCAC title games that have been played since the conference was formed in 2000, Amherst has competed in 14 of them and, after the loss to Middlebury, has compiled a 7-7 record. That history meant nothing to Middlebury, as the Panthers refused to go away, even after falling behind by 11 midway through the first half.
Amherst started the game hot, and their nationally top-ranked three-point defense stifled Middlebury’s shooters all day long. The Panthers began chipping away at the 11-point lead with some contributions from players who do not usually score a lot of points. Jack Daly ’18 made a free throw, Baines tallied six out of eight points at one stretch, and Hilal Dahleh ’19 finished at the rim. The final 2:28 of the first half were crucial for Middlebury. After Jayde Dawson of Amherst made it a 36-29 game in favor of the Purple and White, the Panthers stopped Amherst from scoring for the rest of the half. A pair of baskets by Majors and Baines made it a three-point game, and just before the buzzer Jake Brown went coast-to-coast and made a circus shot to make it a one-point game, 36-35 Amherst, at the end of the first half.
Amherst quickly opened up a six-point lead early in the second half, but Middlebury came right back. From the 18:04 mark until there were 10 seconds left in the game, neither team led by more than three points.
After very few fouls in the first half, Middlebury was able to get to the line 26 times in the second half alone, making 18 of those attempts (69.2 percent), and keep Amherst off of the free throw stripe (9-16, 56.3 percent, in the second half).
With the score knotted so closely, every possession had a unique intensity to it. The turning point came with 33 seconds left in the ball game. Following a missed jumper by Majors, Amherst’s Johnny McCarthy corralled the board and took off down the court. With two Panthers in his way around the free throw line, McCarthy tried a hesitation move and crossed over to his left. But as he rose up to attempt the go-ahead runner, the whistle blew and the official called a carry against McCarthy, a call that is rarely seen even once during the course of a typical game. Down
by one, Amherst was forced to foul and sent Baines to the line. The rookie calmly sank two free throws, McCarthy missed
a three-pointer at the other end, and St. Amour followed that up with two more free throws to make it an 81-76 game. McCarthy’s half court three-pointer fell, but in vain, as time expired and Middlebury went home with the 81-79 championship win.
Daley was phenomenal again with 16 points on 7-8 (87.5 percent) shooting and five rebounds, despite going up against two of the league’s best defensive centers in Trinity’s Eg Ogundeko and Amherst’s David George.
“My body is hurting from this weekend, to be honest,” Daley said, “because of the shots I took from those guys, who are savages in the paint.”
St. Amour’s 22-point, seven-rebound day was enough to earn him NESCAC Player of the Week Honors as the de facto Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Daly racked up a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards, and Baines added 12 points off of the bench.
“The biggest difference [from the first weekend against Trinity and Amherst] was how motivated we were,” Majors said. “We needed the two wins this weekend 7 and we all played like it.”
Middlebury will travel to Stockton University in New Jersey to face off with Salisbury University in the NCAA First Round on Friday, March 4 at 5:30 PM. A victory will set the Panthers up for a match up with the winner of the game between the host Stockton Ospreys and the Keene State Owls, whom Middlebury beat earlier this season.
After a 3-5 start to the season, Middlebury has played like a different, better team of late, and the Panthers are confident that their season will not end this weekend, including Matt Daley.
“We’ll keep the momentum,” Daley said.
(03/02/16 6:19pm)
The men’s squash team rounded out its season last weekend, on Feb. 26-28, when it travelled to New Haven, Conn., for the CSA National Championships. Ranked 15th in the CSA’s final regular season rankings, the Panthers qualified to play in the second division at nationals for the first time since the program made back-to-back appearances in the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons.
The team had a tough start to the weekend when it lost its top player Andrew Jung ’16 due to illness. On Friday, the Panthers faced tenth-ranked Cornell. They lost 9-0 in the quarterfinal match, but played close games throughout the lineup.
Coach Mark Lewis said the team learned of Jung’s illness a week-and-a-half before nationals.
“As you might suspect everyone was upset first for Andrew and for the team,” Coach Lewis said. “He has been a great number one, captain and teammate, and to see his final opportunity to play for Middlebury taken away was difficult. I can only imagine how difficult it was for him.”
On Saturday, Feb. 27, the Panthers faced Navy for the second time this season in a consolation semifinal game. When the teams first met, Middlebury won a 5-4 squeaker in a match played at the Yale Round Robin. This time when the teams met at the Yale courts, the Panthers dropped the match 9-0. While
Middlebury’s lineup had to be shifted up because of Jung’s absence, the Panthers still played the Midshipmen closely in their individual matches.
David Cromwell ’16 and Wyatt French ’17 had to play in the top two slots in the rematch after both won in the second and third slots during the regular season meeting. Cromwell lost in straight sets but gave Navy’s top player, sophomore Jack Herold, three tough games including a 13-11 second set. French’s match went to five games in the second slot, winning the second and fourth sets 11-6 and 11-5, respectively. French dropped the first and fifth sets 11-8, but almost pulled off a third set victory before falling 11-9. Will Kurth ’18 also took his match to five games in the seventh slot and even led two sets to one before losing the fourth and fifth sets 11-9 and 11-5, respectively.
On Sunday, Feb. 28, the Panthers closed what has been an excellent season with a storybook ending.
In the 15th-16th place game, the Panthers faced a rematch with a talented Brown team who the Panthers defeated 5-4 at home during J-term.
Again, the Panthers faced an uphill battle as each individual was slotted up. But that was not going to stop Middlebury.
“I suspect that on a subconscious level Andrew’s absence in our line-up versus Brown might have served as extra motivation for everyone to step up their games,” Lewis speculated.
ahead when he came from behind Brown’s Foster Hoff in the sixth slot. Krant showed resolve in the comeback effort, as he exchanged 12-10 games with Hoff before dropping the third game 14-12. Fitness paid off for Krant as he followed a win in the fourth game with a 12-10 win in the decisive match.
“It was the longest match I’ve ever played in terms of minutes,” Krant said, “and the only time every game except for one was more than 11 points. But it was our senior’s last match so everyone was willing to work as hard as possible.”
French outlasted Jake Blasberg in the second slot, winning close games in straight sets, while Cadienhead and Kurth won in four sets on the third and seventh spots on the ladder. Cadienhead, who played most of last season in the second slot for the Panthers, played well in his return to the top three.
“I think Cadienhead’s mindset for his match was sheer determination,” Lewis said. “He’s a gifted athlete who can open up the court sometimes for his opponent. I suggested that he keep his game simple and use straight hitting to limit his opponent’s options before using lots of angles. Although it is difficult to stick with this plan, he did and it paid off.”
With the teams tied 4-4, Cromwell took the court against Brown sophomore Thomas Blecher, who had defeated Jung in straight sets at the top of the ladder earlier in the season. Cromwell faced a tough task, but with the final match of the season in the balance, he proved up to the challenge.
“Cromwell was simply impressive in his match,” Lewis said. “He slowed the pace of the game down, kept the tempo in his wheelhouse and took away the shooting skills of Blecher.”
Cromwell won a close first set 11-9 before Blecher took the second one 117. Cromwell proceeded to shut Blecher down with an 11-3 win in the third game, but he could not carry this momentum over into the fourth set as Blecher forced a fifth winner-take-all set.
“David knew exactly what he needed to do,” Lewis said when asked about what they talked about between sets. “All I said was, ‘you know what you need to do...keep doing it.’ I felt that it was important to keep things really simple and obvious so his mind wouldn’t be cluttered and so he could concentrate only on things that were effective.”
Characteristic of the season he has had, Cromwell persevered and won a close 12-10 game in thrilling fashion, securing the victory for the Panthers and a 15th place in the season’s final standings — the program’s best finish since 2012.
Lewis reflected that the biggest takeaway in his first season at the helm was getting to know his players.
“This takes time but I feel like everyone, myself included, made significant strides in this area.”
Cromwell and French will be back in action next weekend, March 12-13, when they head to Chelsea Piers in Stamford, Conn., for the CSA Individual Championships.
(03/02/16 6:11pm)
In a highly competitive Open New England Championships meet, which featured over 70 teams from all three collegiate divisions, the Middlebury track and field team continued to post the type of numbers that should allow them to finish their indoor season very successfully over the next two weeks. Although the events were run on a banked track (which allows for slightly faster times in many events), many of the Panther times landed them on the national DIII leaderboard even after they had been adjusted. Out of 32 scoring teams, the women finished 20th; the men came in 31st out of 36.
Alex Nichols ’17, who anchored the 4x400 quartet that finished third and garnered All-New England honors, spoke briefly about the different atmosphere at the larger meet.
“The biggest difference with Open meets is that they are just a lot bigger,” he said. “ The crowd can be pretty huge and
enthusiastic, the building is louder and there are so many athletes that events become more competitive. When you compete at a smaller meet, there’s a chance that any given event won’t be particularly intense that day, but with so many people at an Open meet you always know that the people racing, jumping or throwing against you will be fierce competition, and that really adds an electricity that makes you want to do well.”
Many of the Panther athletes had no problem matching that higher intensity. The men’s 4x400 team, made up of Jimmy Martinez ’19, Brandon Cushman ’16, James Mulliken ’18 and Nichols, smashed the previous school record by almost a second (now 3:15.92) and posted the 11th-best time in Division III this year. The women’s 4x400 was just as impressive impressive: Jackie Kearney ’16, Lucy Lang ’19, Paige Fernandez ’17 and anchor Alex Morris ’16 finished sixth overall (first among Division III teams) and set their own school record with a time of 3:51.28, good for the ninth-fastest time in DIII. Not wanting to miss out on the fun,
the women’s distance medley relay team (Nicole Schachman ’16, Kate McCluskey ’18, Lauren Bougioukas ’16 and Abigail Nadler ’19) posted the fourth fastest DIII time this season, crossing the line fourth in 11:49.92.
In fact, setting records was the name of the game for all the Middlebury athletes at the meet. Nicole Wilkerson, who spends all year with many of the runners as both the cross-country coach and an assistant track coach, was quick to point out how well the team competed across the board. “Everyone that competed this weekend either matched their best performances or ran their personal bests,” she explained. “The energy on the team was high and everyone was really excited to compete: the results reflected that.”
For the men, other notable finishers included Kevin Serrao ’18, who revised his school record in the 800-meter race en route to a 9th place finish with a time of 1:53.14, and Sam Cartwright ’16, whose time of 4:13.45 placed him 10th in the mile. In addition to her contribution to the distance medley relay, Nadler be-
came the first female Panther to break the 10-minute mark in the 3,000-meter race, smashing the old record by almost 10 seconds with a time of 9:58.71.
With Division III championships at Grinnell College in two weeks, most of the athletes who aren’t competing for a qualifying time this weekend will be laying off the gas in order to finish the season as healthy as possible. “Training this week is definitely going to focus more on recovery for a lot of us who are continuing the indoor season,” Nichols said. “ We’ve now hit the point where we’ve had to run some very intense and important races in back to back weeks, and so practice will focus a lot more on being healthy and making sure we feel good as we head into the last couple weeks before what we hope will be a Midd-filled nationals meet.”
Middlebury will be sending a contingent of athletes to compete in the East Coast Athletic Conference Championships on Staten Island this weekend; a handful of others still vying for qualifying times will head down to Tufts for one last opportunity.
(02/25/16 3:01am)
The women’s basketball team made their final road trip of the season on Saturday, Feb. 20. The Panthers travelled to Medford, Mass. to take on top seeded Tufts in the NESCAC Quarterfinal playoff round. As the top seed in the NESCAC tournament, the Jumbos entered with a dominant 21-2 record, highlighted by an undefeated 10-0 NESCAC campaign. The score was 31-19 coming out of the halftime break, and a dominant 26-6 third quarter by Tufts ultimately did the Panthers in.
The Panthers were paced by Sarah Kaufman ’18 with 10 points and Eileen Daley ’18 with eight points and 11 rebounds, both of whom finished their sophomore campaigns strongly.
With this loss, the Panthers fell to 12-13 on the season, including a 3-7 in-conference mark. This was the first year since 2007-2008 that Middlebury made consecutive appearances in the NESCAC playoff tournament.
The future looks bright for the Panthers. The team’s lone junior, Elizabeth Knox ’17, is the most seasoned player currently on the roster, but she was lost for the season to an injury. That left the team to rely on underclassmen for the duration of the year.
First-year Catherine Harrison ’19 had an outstanding opening year as she averaged a double-double with 11.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, garnering two NESCAC player of the week accolades and also surely in the running for All-NESCAC honors. Kaufman led the Panthers with 14.7 points-per-game, while adding 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Daley started all 25 games for the Panthers, averaging 34 minutes-per-game. Colleen Caveney ’19 also came on strongly at the end of the season and averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Middlebury will have the same core group of players for the next two to three years, allowing them lots of time to work as a unit and develop. Some of their highlights on the year included a 76-59 win over Wesleyan and a close five-point win on the road against Bates that clinched the team’s spot in the conference tournament. Looking to the future, Middlebury will have a long but hopeful off-season as they work to qualify for NESCACs for the third year in a row.
“Since we are such a young team we are all really excited for next year because no one is graduating,” Harrison said. “We are returning with everyone extremely invested and everyone already knowing their position and role on the team.”
(02/25/16 2:58am)
The Middlebury women’s club Water Polo team successfully opened their season at the Natatorium last weekend, Feb. 20-21, where they hosted the first tournament of the season for the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA)’s Women’s New England Club Division. The Panthers, who ranked 11th out of the 16 teams competing for the 2015 National Collegiate Club Championship, emerged from the weekend in a tie for first place with their 3-1 record.
Middlebury went 2-0 with consecutive wins over Boston College and Dartmouth on day one of the tournament, followed by their convincing 11-point victory over Northeastern and hard-fought loss to Boston University on Sunday, Feb. 21.
After just four days of official team practices, the Panthers opened the season with a one-point victory over Boston College in a nail-biter on Saturday, Feb. 20. Middlebury got on the board in a hurry against the Eagles, as first-year Kate Claman ’19 scored the first two goals of her career at Middlebury in the first two minutes. Claman went on to sink three of the Panthers’ six goals in the first half, en route to a team-high of four goals.
Hannah Grotzinger ’16, one of the four senior team captains, explained why Claman’s performance was integral to the Panthers’ success.
“I play the set position — in front of the center of the goal on offense — and Boston College decided to double or triple-team me, so the shots on goal had to come from players at other positions,” Grotzinger said.
Following Claman’s initial 2-0 lead, Grotzinger traded goals with Boston College (BC), who brought the score to 5-3 by the end of the first quarter.
Co-Captain Alex Spencer-Wong ’16 then broke the Eagles momentum with a counterattack goal to open the second quarter, and Grotzinger tied the game at five goals apiece three minutes later. BC proceeded with a goal of their own before Claman shot from the outside to knot up the game at six apiece.
It looked like the teams would head into the halftime break tied at 6, but Boston College managed to score its seventh goal in the waning seconds, taking a 7-6 lead into halftime.
Emily Bustard ’17.5 led the charge for the Panthers after her stint as goalie in the second quarter, and added two goals in quick succession to put Middlebury on top 8-7.
Boston College would score with 13 seconds remaining in the third, leaving the fans on the edge of their seats with the game tied at eight as they awaited the final quarter.
The Panthers looked to continue putting pressure on the Eagles.
“Our goalie [Anna Lueck ’18.5] hasn’t been able to play recently, so some of our starters were playing in goal for the entirety of the tournament,” Grotzinger said.
“Because of [Lueck’s absence], our strategy against Boston College (and all teams) was to put a lot of pressure on their offense and guard them tightly to make passing difficult [and minimize their shots on goal].”
The game was in the balance until the very end, as Boston College went up 10-9 with 2:29 remaining on the power-play. One minute later, Claman found the back of the net for the Middlebury equalizer. Then, just as the game seemed destined for overtime, a five-meter penalty shot was awarded to the Panthers with 10 seconds left; Grotzinger’s five meter shot found the back of the net, allowing the Panthers to pull off an 11-10 victory.
The Panthers took on the Big Green of Dartmouth that same evening, coming through with a 9-6 victory.
“We were really excited before the game,” Grotzinger said. “Dartmouth has been our biggest rival for many, many years so we had a very strong desire to win before the game even started. This mentality definitely helped us during the game.”
It only took Grotzinger 20 seconds to get the Panthers on the board.
“In all the games we won this weekend, we scored the first goal of the game,” Grotzinger said. “The first team to score a goal in a game gets a very positive surge of adrenaline, and a lot of the sport is based on mental strength, not only physical strength.”
The Dartmouth game was all but over at the half, which began with a score of 6-1. “I think the most decisive point in the Dartmouth game came at the end of the second quarter after four different players on the Middlebury team had scored goals and we had prevented Dartmouth from scoring.”
“We had great momentum coming out of the second quarter, and one of our goals for the season is to be able to keep that going, even against a high-pressure defense like the one we faced from Dartmouth in the second half,” said Bustard, who scored her second goal of the game in the second half.
The Panthers held on in the second half for a 9-6 win. In addition to two-goal contributions from Bustard and Grotzinger, Co-Captain Christina Denbow ’16 scored 3, while co-Captainn Sam Horn ’16 put away one goal.
The Panthers hit the pool early on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 9 a.m. to commence a 13-2 rout of Northeastern. Middlebury jumped out to a 7-0 lead, going into the half up 8-1 over the Huskies.
“[The] Northeastern game was great because our newer players got to see a lot of game-time [where they could] practice the skills we’d been working on in practice,” said Grotzinger, who found the back of the net five times against the Huskies.
Other goals against Northeastern came from Bustard (4), Spencer-Wong (2), Julie Ehrlich ’17.5 (1) and Amanda Geller ’16 (1), while Denbow won three of the four sprints to start each quarter.
“Our team is naturally fast, so we were able to score on many counter-attacks against Northeastern — despite the fact that we’d only been training for four days before the tournament, compared to the other teams who had been practicing since mid-January,” Grotzinger said.
A few hours later, the Panthers took to the pool for the last time of the weekend against conference newcomer Boston University. The Panthers fell 7-4 but played the Terriers closely.
The Terriers jumped out to a 1-0 lead when they scored just under five minutes into the game. Grotzinger quickly answered with a backhand goal assisted by Horn.
Denbow began the Panthers’ second-quarter scoring as she netted an assist from Bustard off of the counter-attack. But every time the Panthers scored the Terriers had an answer, and then another when they scored just a minute later. Nevertheless, Bustard rounded out the quarter by sailing in a lob shot from the set position.
The third quarter began with another Grotzinger backhand goal, but again Boston responded with a quick goal to break a 4-4 tie. The Terriers followed with another three goals in the final half of play.
Despite ending the weekend with a loss, the Panthers had a successful first weekend and are in good position in the conference standings.
“I’m proud of the way we played this weekend, especially with it being so early in the season,” Bustard said. “I can’t wait to see what we can do in our next home tournament in April,” Grotzinger said.
(02/25/16 2:55am)
The fourth-seeded Middlebury Panthers defended their home court with an 86-74 victory over the visiting Wesleyan Cardinals in the NESCAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 20. The Panthers were supported by one of the most energized crowds in recent memory as Matt St. Amour ’17 and Adisa Majors ’18 carried the offensive load with a combined 41 points.
Middlebury kept the momentum of play in their favor throughout the contest. Facing the Cardinals, who had the third-best field goal percentage defense in all of Division-III coming into the game, Middlebury tallied an incredible 45 points in the first half. St. Amour was particularly effective in the game’s opening minutes. The Vermont native opened the scoring with a three-pointer assisted by Connor Huff ’16, and outscored the entire Wesleyan team for the first quarter of the game. St. Amour took seven minutes to record his first 11 points, while the Cardinals required over nine minutes to do the same.
Led by backup junior guard Harry Rafferty, who would finish with a team-high 19 points on the afternoon, Wesleyan began to close the gap late in the first half, but each run by the Cardinals was rebutted by a big shot from one of the Panthers. Wesleyan shrunk the lead to seven with 8:11 to play in the first half, but the crowd soon erupted after a Liam Naughton ’17 three-pointer cut the deficit back to double digits. Moments later it was Huff, who usually does his offensive work from 15 feet in, drilling a three-pointer to give the Panthers a 12 point lead. The first half ended with Middlebury up by a score of 45-32.
The pace slowed to start the second half. The score stood at 51-41 with 16:09 left to play and Wesleyan seemed to be chipping away at the Panther lead when Zach Baines ’19 ignited the Panther fans with a dunk off of a pass from Jake Brown ’17.
“The crowd was amazing,” Brown said. “As an athlete you dream of playing in an environment like that.”
Later in the second half, Wesleyan was more successful in closing the scoring gap. Over a stretch of three and a half minutes, players from the Wesleyan bench added 12 points, shrinking the lead to as little as five with 5:08 to play. From that point on, the Middlebury defense made everything tough for Wesleyan. Offensively, Majors was the key for Middlebury with 12 points of his own in the game’s final 7:44.
The game looked to be over after Majors’ layup with 2:38 remaining gave the Panthers a 74-65 lead. Shortly after, Wesleyan point guard BJ Davis, a NESCAC First Team candidate, converted on a three-point opportunity. Moments later, senior guard Jack Mackey drilled a 35-foot three-pointer to put Middlebury ahead by a score of 77-71. History repeated itself on the next possession when Davis netted a similarly long-distance three-point shot, making it 79-74. With the Cardinals in need of a bucket on their next possession, Majors stepped up once again, getting a hand on two consecutive Wesleyan attempts, eventually corralling the rebound and making two free throws to set the score at 81-74 with under a minute left. Down the stretch it was only a matter of making free throws and contesting some wild shot attempts from the Cardinals. Middlebury earned the victory as time expired, besting Wesleyan by a final score of 86-74.
“The biggest thing is that we trusted each other, we knew if we left our man to help someone else would rotate and force tough looks,” Brown said.
St. Amour led all scorers with 23 points in addition to six boards and three assists. Majors tallied 18 points on 7-10 shooting and had eight rebounds. Baines might have provided the most excitement all day with four blocks to go along with seven points and four boards. Brown was effective throughout the game with his slick ball handling and court vision, finishing the day with 11 points, seven assists and four steals on the defensive end.
The Panthers are set to travel to Hartford, Conn., the site of the NESCAC semifinals and finals. They are set to face top-seeded Trinity, and with a win will advance to the finals against either second-ranked Amherst or third-ranked Tufts.
“I think we need to have better toughness [this Saturday against Trinity] than we showed last time,” Brown said. “Our help defense needs to be there like it was last Saturday. If we bring both of those things, I think we’ll be in great shape.”
Two wins would earn the program a third NESCAC title and the opportunity to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
(02/25/16 2:47am)
The women’s hockey team finished the regular season with two shutout wins against Williams last weekend, skating to a 2-0 away win on Friday, Feb. 19, and a 7-0 victory on Saturday, Feb. 20 in Chip Kenyon ’85 Arena. With the victories, the Panthers secured the top seed for the NESCAC women’s hockey tournament for the sixth-straight and 11th time overall.
On Friday, the Panthers beat Williams (12-10-1, 8-7-0) 2-0 in Williamstown, Mass. Middlebury took an early lead 6:29 into the game on the power play via the sophomore squad: Jessica Young ’18 scored her ninth goal of the season and was assisted by Elizabeth Wulf ’18 and Maddie Winslow ’18.
In the second period, the Panthers extended their lead to 2-0 at the 15:42 mark. Rachael St. Clair ’19 passed the puck to Katherine Jackson ’19, who skated in one-on-one against Eph goalie Julia Mini, faked to the right, then lifted a wrister to the short side above the shoulder of Mini for her fifth goal of the season.
The Ephs fought hard in the third period to make up lost ground. They held a 10-4 advantage in shots on goal that period, and pulled their goalie with a minute left in favor of an extra attacker. The Williams squad outpaced Middlebury in overall shots on goal (24-20) and had five power plays, but converted none of them into goals.
Middlebury goalie Julia Neuburger ’18 picked up her fourth shutout of the season with 24 saves between the pipes.
The two teams faced off again on Saturday, Feb. 20, in Kenyon Arena in a “Pink the Rink” game in support of finding a cure for breast cancer. The fans, decked out in pink, also celebrated the graduating seniors for Senior Night: Captain Julia Wardwell ’16, Alternate Captain Katie Mandigo ’16, Marisa Dreher ’16, Micaela Thibault ’16 and Anna Van Kula ’16.
The Panthers scored four goals in the first period, and the first three came within a span of less than two minutes. At the 7:48 mark, Julia Wardwell ’16 drove the puck into the back of the net from the left point for her first collegiate goal. Thirty seconds later, Rachael St. Clair ’19 doubled the lead with a wrap-around goal. Twenty-one seconds later, Haley LaFontaine ’18 sent the puck from inside the blue line through the legs of Williams goalie Mini. Eight minutes after, on the power play, LaFontaine passed the puck to Kelly Sherman ’17, who directed a shot on goal from along the goal line that Mini touched but could not block. The Panthers dominated the first period with a 4-0 lead and a 13-3 edge in shots on goal, including not allowing a single shot in the first 10 minutes of the period.
Middlebury made it a 5-0 game 3:56 into the middle period, scoring again on the power play when Wardwell cut into the slot and kept the puck low into the back of the net for her second goal of the season on assist by Winslow. Williams had two shots on a power play later in the period, but Middlebury goalie Neuberger made a pair of stick saves to keep the Ephs scoreless.
Winslow picked up her team-leading 13th goal of the season at the 13:50 mark to bring the score to 6-0. With 1:24 left in the third period, Shanna Hickman ’19 tipped in an insurance goal — not that it was needed for the victory. Middlebury held a 29-17 edge in shots on goal for the game. The Panthers went 3-5 on the power play, while Williams was scoreless in its man-advantage.
“I think we have played well in the past few weeks,” Head Coach Bill Mandigo said. “The players are working hard and many are making significant contributions. I am excited about this team and their prospects as we head into the playoffs.”
The Panthers will be looking for their eighth conference title when quarterfinal action starts on Saturday, Feb. 27. If the Panthers win on Saturday, they will host both semifinals and the final on March 5 and 6 as the highest seed remaining. This year’s NESCAC champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Middlebury (17-4-3, 13-0-3 NESCAC) has won 12 of its last 13 games since Jan. 15. The team looks to win their first NESCAC title since 2012, which would be the eight in program history. Last year, Middlebury advanced to the championship game before falling to Trinity in overtime, 3-2.
The Panthers, ranked seventh nationally, will face No. 8 seed Colby (3-12-1) in the quarterfinal round. A Middlebury victory against Colby would bring the Panthers’ unbeaten streak to 30 games and give them home ice for the semifinals and finals. The Panthers hope to avenge last year’s fumble in the finals at the hands of third-seed Trinity.
(02/25/16 12:48am)
Good theatre, as is often said, is like a “slice of life.” A play captures compelling and often uncomfortable elements of the human existence — and as more and more traditionally (and still) marginalized voices burst into the national conversation and more formerly taboo subjects become open to discussion, theatre provides a powerful avenue for these voices to share their stories.
Unfortunately, contemporary theater is often a luxury item for its patrons, as opposed to an easily accessible artistic medium. According to a report by The Broadway League, the average age of Broadway theatregoers from June 2013 through to June 2014 was 44. Moreover, Caucasians purchased almost eighty percent of all tickets — or more specifically, affluent Caucasians. An average Broadway audience has a reported annual household income of $201,500. Of theatregoers over the age of 25, 78 percent have completed college and 39 percent have earned a graduate degree.
The demographics of theatregoers are a result of the continuous increase of ticket prices, as well as the low incomes experienced by the younger generation. In addition, there is pressure on producers to match the special effects that have become dominant in film in the past couple of decades, leading o greater expenditures on state-of-the-art equipment to satisfy customers. Finally, regional theaters find that producing the latest Broadway hit or a famous American work is more profitable than taking a chance on a new, discourse-heavy play, something that would perhaps attract a new and more diverse audience. Hence, shows nowadays exist at the exclusion of the majority of the population.
Perhaps the most problematic aspect of contemporary theatre, however, is that plays are not adequately or accurately representing current U.S. demographics, both racially and economically speaking. Keith Hamilton Cobb’s new play, American Moor, tells the tale of a large, middle-aged black man auditioning for the role of Othello, as a young and white artistic character tries to impose his sense of race on the character. The story is, as Cobb tells it, a representation of the black experience in the theater business. Relevant statistics back up Cobb’s story. As of the 2012-13 season, actors of color make up only 25 percent of the staff in popular off-Broadway theatre companies in NYC. And, with respect to roles without racial specificities, no theatre company studied has an inclusive (non-traditional) casting rate of over 20 percent. Regarding roles pursued and performed by actors of color, only 10 percent of roles received by actors of color are not racially specific.
This has important implications, as the theatre certainly provides a stimulus for public discourse concerning social and political issues. Plays demonstrate the opinions and lifestyles that members of the audience may not necessarily be privy to, and provide a lens through which one can learn about human psychology and culture. They can also influence the audiences’ values and behavior, prompting them to analyze their environment and their interactions with it.
The cost of seeing a play can limit the impact it can have on dialogue surrounding key matters, as well as deprive people of the opportunity to experience something outside their realm of existence. The impact on the younger generation is one of particular concern, as a study by Theatre Bay Area found that younger respondents generally report higher levels of discussion following the conclusion of the play, as well as greater personal reflection. As a result, those who could benefit the most from contemporary theatre productions are those who are least likely to be able to attend such an event.
(02/18/16 4:42am)
Over the past few weeks, the Panther ski teams have combined for two fourth place finishes at the University of Vermont and Dartmouth carnivals. At the UVM carnival, the alpine team was first to compete on Jan. 29-30, while the Nordic portion of the carnival took place on Feb. 5-6.
First-year Caroline Bartlett ’19 paced the alpine women in the first day of racing with a strong sixth-place finish in the giant slalom. Lexi Calcagni ’19 was next for the Panthers, crossing the finish line with a season-best 11th place. Elle Gilbert ’16 rounded out the scorers in 22nd place. The men’s team had a difficult day, as Rob Cone ’17, Riley Plant ’18 and Christopher McKenna ’17 each went down during their respective first runs. Colin Hayes ’17 was the top finisher on the men’s side, crossing the line in 12th place, while Ghassan Gedeon Achi ’16 finished in 19th place. Christoph Niederhauser ’16 rounded out the group in 31st.
On the second day of racing, Bartlett picked up another top-ten finish for the Lady Panthers, placing ninth overall in the slalom. Close behind her was Katy Greene ’17 in 12th place, and Gilbert, who battled through some second run difficulties to finish in 38th. Hayes led the men for the second-straight day, tying for a seventh place finish. A few spots back was Gedeon Achi, who earned a top-ten finish, placing ninth. Niederhauser was the team’s third scorer, finishing in a solid 18th place over-all.
Alpine Captain Linley Shaw ’17 is doing her best to keep herself and the team motivated during a season that has been plagued by difficult snow conditions.
“In addition, I just want to inspire my team to keep improving until the snow melts! I’m optimistic that as a team, we could place in the top three for these last two carnivals.”
The Nordic ski team returned to action after a week-long break on Feb. 5-6, taking part in the UVM Carnival at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. The Panther women were paced by the strong duo of Kelsey Phinney ’16 and Annie Pokorny ’16. Phinney continued her excellent season with a second place finish in the 5K freestyle. Competing in her first race since returning to Middlebury, Pokorny earned a fourth-place finish, while senior Nicolette Amber a 23rd-place finish. Patrick McElravey ’17 led the Middlebury men in the 10K free style, placing seventh overall. Next for the team was first-year racer Lewis Nottonson ’19, who crossed the line in 31st place. Rounding out the team’s scorers was Sam Wood ’19 with a 35th-place finish.
Pokorny and Phinney turned in another solid day of racing in the 10K classic race, placing second and fourth, respectively. Kaitlin Fink ’16 rounded out the team score with a 21st place finish. On the men’s side, Evan Weinman ’18 paced the squad, crossing the line in 19th place in the 10K classic event. Nottonson was next for the Panthers in 23rd, followed by Jacob Volz ’18 in 30th. Dartmouth won the carnival with 972 points, followed by Vermont (912), New Hampshire (723) and the Panthers (669).
A pair of podiums and a handful of top ten finishes led the alpine and Nordic ski teams to a combined fourth place finish in the Dartmouth Carnival on Feb. 12-13. The University of Vermont captured the overall title with 888 points, followed by Dartmouth (858), UNH (826) and Middlebury (645).
The alpine team kicked things off in Friday's giant slalom, where Cone landed on the podium in second place. McKenna was close behind in 10th place and Hayes rounded out the scoring in 12th place. Bartlett paced the women's team again with a 14th place finish. Gilbert finished in 22nd place, while Greene was close behind in.
In Saturday’s alpine slalom race, Hayes led the men’s team, earning a season-best fourth place finish. Cone was next for the men, finishing in seventh, and Gedeon-Achi crossed the finish line in 18th. Calcagni was the first finisher for the Panther women, claiming 16th place. Gilbert just missed the top-20, placing 21st overall, while captain Shaw finished in 23rd.
Saturday’s Nordic races were highlighted by another win from Phinney. Phinney’s win in the 15K classic race was her third of the season. Pokorny was the next to finish, coming in 11th place, while Amber placed 18th in the race. Pacing the Nordic men in the 20K classic was Weinman in 32nd place. Volz and Nottonson were close behind, finishing in 36th and 40th place, respectively.
The Panthers have placed fourth in all four carnivals thus far, but are hoping to improve on that for the last two carnivals of the season.
“We are hoping to build on the strong results from the men’s race at Dartmouth,” Head Alpine Coach Stever Bartlett said.“With a little luck and a few less mistakes, the goal [for the guys] is to win the giant slalom and slalom in the final two carnivals. For the women, we are really hoping two more people for NCAA’s.”
The Panthers return to action next weekend on Feb. 19-20 at the Williams Carnival before hosting the NCAA Regional Final during Winter Carnival weekend.
(02/18/16 4:16am)
After a long season of preparation, the Middlebury Swimming and Diving teams recorded multiple best times over the past three weeks in two of the most important culminating meets: the Middlebury Invitational and Women’s NESCAC Championship. Though team scores were not recorded in the Middlebury Invitational (Jan. 29-30), this last meet of the regular season gave the Panther men and women the opportunity to race tough competitors from Williams, Springfield, Tufts and the University of Vermont. Two weekends later, the Middlebury women hosted NESCAC Championships, placing fourth out of 11 teams with 1,090.5 points over the course of three days (Feb. 12-14).
The ‘A’ relay team of Bryan Cheuk ’16, Paul Lagasse ’16, Jack McLaughlin ’18 and Brendan Leech ’19 began the meet for the Middlebury men with a victory in the 200 freestyle relay (1:26.07). Building upon their teammates’ success, Justin Cho ’17, Stefan Pla ’18, Jack Dowling ’19 and Stephan Koenigsberger ’16 later touched the wall first in the 400 medley re- lay in 3:35.08.
The quartet of Eric Stanton ’17, Dowling, Andrew Grant ’17 and Leech went on to earn second in the longer, 800 free re- lay (7:11.57), while the teams of Noel Antonisse ’17, Nathaniel Smith ’16, Alex Smith ’18 and Koenigsberger, and Lagasse, Grant, Charlie Nuss ’19 and McLaughlin, each finished third in the 200 medley relay (1:38.57) and the 400 free relay (3:16.15), respectively.
Dowling and Grant each picked up victories for the Panthers with top individual performances in the 200 fly (1:57.47) and 100 breast (1:01.33), respectively.
Meanwhile, Connor McCormick ’18 placed second in the 1,000 free (9:48.55), and Chris Mombello ’18 took third in both the 200 IM (1:59.91) and 100 breast (1:01.78).
Michael McGean ’17 secured fourth place in the 200 free with his personal-best time of 1:46.43, coming in just behind Koenigsberger who took third (1:46.17). Koenigsberger missed the podium in the 500 free by just 58 hundredths of a second (fourth, 4:52.69).
Elissa DeNunzio ’18 (363.15) and Will Greene ’19 (408.35) finished third in the one-meter diving competition, while Greene earned enough points (439.35) on the three-meter board to clinch second.
On the women’s side, Middlebury won four relays in the 200 free (Morgan Burke ’17, Isabel Wyer ’18, Megan Griffin ’16 and Stephanie Andrews ’18, 1:37.42), the 800 free (Burke, Wyer, Caitlin Carroll ’17 and Maddie Pierce ’16, 7:49.97), the 200 medley (Caroline Kelly ’16, Liza MacCowatt ’19, Griffin and Kelly Delane ’18, 1:49.95) and the 400 medley (Claire Treesh ’17, MacCowatt, Margaret Pollack ’18 and Grace Stimson ’19, 4:03.50). The women clocked in podium finishes in individual events as well. With a time of 58.00, Griffin won the 100 fly — the event in which Audrey Bangs’ ’18 personal record of 58.85 earned her fifth place. Griffin went on to place second in the 50 free (24.52) as well.
Meanwhile, Bangs and Katie Aman ’19 swept the top two spots in the 200 fly with times of 2:11.64 and 2:13.48, respectively, and Andrews placed third in 200 free (1:58.27) — just 0.07 seconds off of the second place time.
Middlebury earned second through fourth place in the 500 free, with Alaina Pribis ’19 in second (5:14.84), Burke in third (5:15.02) and Bangs in fourth (5:15.61, PR).
Wyer was runner-up in the 200 IM (2:09.05), and won the 200 back (2:04.88), just in front of second-place finisher Katie Corrigan ’19, who clocked her second personal record of the meet at 2:12.70.
When it came to breaststroke events, Pierce placed third in 200 (2:30.87), while Jen Koide ’17 placed third in the 100 (1:08.34) with MacCowatt less than a second behind (1:08.98, PR).
Coming out of the Middlebury Invitational, the women had two weeks before hosting the Women’s NESCAC Championship on Feb. 12-14, where they placed fourth out of 11 with a score of 1090.5: just one position below last year’s finish.
On the diving platform, DeNunzio racked up enough points to secure seventh place in the one-meter final (347.50) and fifth place on the three-meter platform (391.25).
“This was a team that set out day one to be successful while enjoying each other and performing instinctively. They achieved all of that,” said Bob Rueppel, who was named the NESCAC Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year on Tuesday, Feb. 16 after five years at the helm of the program. His swimmers have set a total of 24 school records and multiple All-American accolades.
Not only did Griffin and Wyer make the All-NESCAC team with their top- three finishes in the meet, but they also broke a total of three school records in the process. On top of their record-breaking swims, Griffin placed seventh in the 100 fly (56.86), and Wyer placed sixth in the 200 back (2:03.27).
Griffin bested her own record by 0.05 seconds on Friday in the preliminary rounds of the 50 fly (25.29), before placing third in the event final with a time of 25.44.
Wyer’s won the 500 free final by a margin of 2.74 seconds earlier that night; time of 4:54.36 in the 500 free earlier that night was fast enough to win theNESCAC by a margin of 2.74 seconds, and to break Middlebury’s record (set by Marika Ross in 2007) by 4.51 seconds.
On Saturday, Feb. 13, Wyer swept the championship heat of the 200 free with her second record-setting time of 1:50.36, eclipsing Nora Daly’s 2010 mark of 1:51.00. Burke touched the wall less than three seconds later to come in fifth (1:52.63).
The Panthers’ 200 free quartet of Burke, Wyer, Griffin and Andrews (1:36.47) finished fourth, and the medley relay of team of Sarah Bartholomae ’18, MacCowatt, Griffin and Andrews placed eighth (1:47.00).
Burke, Griffin, Wyer and Andrews also earned sixth in the 400 free (3:29.31), while Wyer, Burke, Kristin Karpowicz ’19 and Andrews touched the wall fifth in the 800 free (7:36.82).
Individually, Burke tied for 10th in the consolation final of the 50 free (24.40), and clinched fourth in the 100 free 51.94.
Lily Sawyer ’16, Carroll and Pollack placed 10th, 11th and 13th in the 200 fly with respective times of 2:08.94, 2:09.03 and 2:09.74. Additionally, Pierce got eighth in the 400 IM (4:39.66), fol- lowed closely by Stimson in 11th place (4:39.04).
In the Panthers’ distance events, Lucy Scott ’16 swam to ninth in the 1,000 free (10:33.09) and eighth in the 1,650 free (17:41.22).
Cumulatively, the Middlebury women clocked in eight NCAA ‘B’ Cut times, which they hope will qualify them to compete in the NCAA Division III Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina on March 16-20.
“Our 800 free relay is currently ninth in the nation but fifth in the NESCAC... an indication how good this conference is in swimming,” Rueppel commented. “We hope the 400 free relay [will make] the cut. Isabel [Wyer] will compete in the 500/200 free and 200 back, and Morgan Burke in the 200/100 free. If the 400 free relay makes it, Meg [Griffin] will swim the 100 fly.”
Rueppel “was thrilled with our weekend. Simply put, [it was] a culmination of 5 years of work. Our seniors were my first recruiting class and had blind faith in the future of the program[, and our] NESCAC performances were a reflection of that. They [have] led this team to success I hoped for but never imagined.”
The men’s teams will travel to Williams for NESCAC Championships this coming weekend, Feb. 19-21.
(02/18/16 4:15am)
The Middlebury women’s hockey team, now 15-4-3, continued their perfect record in the NESCAC, winning two victories each against Colby, Hamilton and Wesleyan. However, they were unable to carry the momentum outside the conference, falling to Norwich in a tight 3-2 matchup.
On Friday, Jan. 29, the team traveled to Clinton, NY, to take its first victory against the Hamilton Continentals, going 1-0 on Friday. Katherine Jackson ’19 made the early game-winning goal at 15:30 of the first period, latching on to the rebound off two failed attempts by Shanna Hickman ’19. The goal was made entirely by first-years, with both Rachael St. Clair ’19 and Hickman being credited for the assist.
With just under a minute left in the game, Hamilton pulled goalie Sam Walther for an extra attacker, but could not sink a shot against Neuberger, fixing the final score at 1-0. Hamilton could not convert on their one power play, but neither could Middlebury on their two. The Panthers more than doubled the Continentals in shots on goal, 23-11.
Middlebury returned to Russell Sage Rink the next day on Jan. 30 to shut out Hamilton 2-0. Grace Jennings ’19 scored her first collegiate goal 16 minutes into the first period after ripping the puck from a Hamilton defender near the blueline. Nearing Hamilton goalie Walther, Jennings wristed a shot that Walther nearly stopped. The Continentals had no answer for the second period.
The Panthers furthered their lead to 2-0 at 12:26 of the third period on the power play, when Kelly Sherman ’17 made her fourth season goal from an assist from Anna Van Kula ’16. A pulled goalie and a Panther penalty in the final two minutes gave Hamilton a six-on-four advantage, but it proved fruitless, handing Middlebury a 2-0 victory.
A battle of top-10 women’s hockey foes went down in Northfield, Vt. on Tuesday, Feb. 2, when a late goal by the Norwich Cadets earned them a 3-2 win over Middlebury. The game was also a battle of sisters — Katarina Shuchuk ’19 for Middlebury and her twin Maki Shuchuk for Norwich — who squared off after playing on many of the same teams growing up. Both sisters were on the ice for the opening faceoff of the game.
The Cadets took a promising lead just 56 seconds into the game with dual-assist shot taken from a Middlebury skater and one-timed by Erin Joyce, who was waiting in the slot for the puck. Though dominating 5-2 in shots on goal in the first period, Middlebury could not provide an answer. In the second period, Norwich locked a 2-0 lead after the Panthers lost a face-off and Adelle Murphy notched a goal just four seconds into a power play.
Outshooting the Cadets 8-4 in the second, the Panthers finally posted an answer halfway through the period, with Janka Hlinka ’18 tipping a blueline shot by Julia Wardwell ’16 into the net. And at 13:48 of the third, Katherine Jackson ’19 hooked a loose puck on a wraparound move to tie the game, with assists from Elizabeth Wulf ’18 and Jennings. With three minutes remain- ing, though, Norwich’s Bryn Labbe shot a wrister from the middle of the slot straight past netminder Julia Neuburger ’18. The Panthers, who were outshot 2-4 by the Cadets in the third, could not force a tie, and Norwich won the game 3-2.
“The loss was a wake-up call,” Hlinka said. “If we are going to have a chance at be- ing the best, we are going to need to find a way to win against teams outside of the NE- SCAC.”
The Panthers returned to Kenyon Arena on Friday, Feb. 5, to take on Wesleyan in a two-game homestand. Wesleyan made the first statement seven minutes into the first off a wrist shot that was tipped in by Cici Frattasio. The Panthers nearly answered a minute later with a shot from the right by Jenna Marotta ’19, but the puck hit the crossbar. Jessica Young ’18 redeemed that attempt at 14:37 in the first by taking a loose puck from the neutral zone, racing up the left side, and launching it past Cardinal goalie Laura Corcoran.
The Panthers took the lead at 9:30 in the second when top-scorer Maddie Winslow ’18 placed the puck behind Wesleyan’s goalie and Hickman tipped it in. Winslow scored again in the third period to make it 3-1, bringing her season total to a team-leading nine goals. Wesleyan responded shortly on a power play after a scramble for the puck in front of the Panther net left a loose puck open for a Wesleyan attack. But with 35 seconds remaining, Young placed an insurance goal into Wesleyan’s open net to seal the game 4-2.
Middlebury took 33 shots on goal com- pared to Wesleyan’s 14, though Wesleyan went one-for-one on the power play and Middlebury oh-for-two.
The Middlebury women recorded a 5-0 shutout the next day against Wesleyan, their 50th victory against the program, bring- ing the overall series record between the teams to a staggering 50-0-3. Wulf scored on the first shift for the Panthers off a short pass behind the net from classmate Jessica Young ’18. With 3:35 left in the opening period, Grace Jennings ’19 placed a drop pass from Katherine Jackson ’19 over Cardinal goalie Corrine Rivard’s left shoulder.
The Panthers added two more goals in the second period to extend their lead to four. Hickman tallied the first of those, as she swatted in a centering pass from Winslow at 5:11 into the middle frame. Winslow made it 4-0 after Young created a turnover just inside the Wesleyan blue line, using a backhander to beat Rivard with 27 seconds left in the period.
Middlebury finished off the scoring in the third period, as Winslow collected a puck in the slot and fired a hard shot under the crossbar for her second goal of the game. The Panthers nearly doubled the Cardinals in shots on goal, 32-18, and Wesleyan could not capitalize on their one power play. Ver- plancke earned her first collegiate shutout with 17 saves. Wardwell played in her 100th career game for the Panthers and earned the primary assist on the team’s goal in the third period.
“Our games against Wesleyan were a great test of our grit and or progress. Our underclassmen really stepped up and got us some crucial points for the win,” Wardwell said. “Playing in my 100th game was sur- real.”
The team took to Waterville, Me., on Friday, Feb. 12 to face the Colby Mules, leaving with two victories, 2-1 and 1-0. The game on Friday went scoreless for the first pe- riod, with Neuburger making 16 saves. The Mules had the first goal at 11:58 in the second by Katie McLaughlin, to which the Pan- thers had no immediate answer despite 10 blocked shots in that period. But at 13:08 in the third, Winslow netted her team-leading 12th goal of the season, and three minutes later Hlinka brought the score to 2-1 for her second goal of the year. The Mules’ aggressiveness — with 30 shots on goal compared to Middlebury’s 23 — did not translate to the scoreboard.
On Saturday, the Middlebury women ran their NESCAC regular-season unbeaten streak to 27 — having only tied five times — with a 1-0 shut-out against Colby. The lone goal came on a power play at 17:58 in the middle period, when Young one-timed a pass by Wulf for her eighth of the
season. With the goal, Young extended her point streak to four games, recording three goals and seven assists (3-7-10) during that stretch. The Panthers held a 27-18 edge in shots on goal, after having been outshot 5-8 in the first period.
With their impressive conference record (11-0-3), matched only by Amherst’s 11-1-2, the Panthers have secured home ice for the NESCAC quarterfinal game, to take place on Saturday, Feb. 27 in Chip Kenyon ’85 Arena. Middlebury will secure the top seed if the ladies manage not to lose either of their final two games against Williams (8-6-0). Even with two ties against Williams, Kenyon Arena would become the site of the NESCAC semifinals and finals on March 5 and 6. The question is whether the lossless streak of 22 wins and 5 ties can last just two more games.
(02/18/16 3:57am)
The men’s basketball team secured a home playoff game set for this Saturday, Feb. 20 against Wesleyan with a couple of conference wins in February. In their first meeting of the season, Middlebury won 86-76 on the road in Middletown, Conn. against Wesleyan. Overall, the Panthers finished 3-3 (2-3 NESCAC) over the final six games, good enough to earn the fourth seed in the eight team NESCAC tournament. The semifinals and finals of the tournament will be played at the home site of the highest remaining seed after this Saturday’s quarterfinal action.
The Panthers finished off January with a road trip to Clinton, NY, where they took on Hamilton College and fell to the upstart Continentals 64-62 on a last second tip-in from freshman Andrew Groll. It was a frustrating result for the Panthers after they controlled the game for much of the first half and took a seven-point advantage into halftime. In the second frame, though, the Panthers went ice cold from the floor. They shot 10-34 (29.4 percent) from the field, going 2-8 (25 percent) from beyond the arc and went the final 6:04 of the contest without a basket.
Hamilton fought back and finally evened the score at 62 with 4:28 to play, and that was the last basket until Groll’s tip-in winner. Matt St. Amour ’17 led Middlebury with 14 points, while center Matt Daley ’16 had 12 and seven rebounds, and Adisa Majors ’18 racked up eight points and nine boards.
With a few days to get over their last second defeat, the Panthers took to the road on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and took on the Keene State Owls. Though an out- of-conference matchup, this game held particular significance for the team’s leading scorer, Matt St. Amour. Two years ago, St. Amour’s first-year campaign was cut short when the shooting guard blew out his ACL at Keene State. With that on his mind, St. Amour exploded for a spectacular 32 points on 8-15 (53.3 percent) shooting, 5-9 (55.6 percent) from beyond the arc and 11-11 from the charity stripe.
“I wouldn’t say there was extra pressure,” St. Amour said, “I was just very anxious. It brought back a lot of memories, just little things like the locker room and the spot I tore [my ACL]. After three quick fouls, I was starting to I’d never actually get the chance to play at Keene State. Luckily, the second half went very well.”
Coming out of halftime with the game knotted at 31, the Panthers went on a 17-5 run in the first five minutes, led by St. Amour with eight points and point guard Jack Daly ’18 with six points. Keene State. shrunk the lead to six with 5:05 to play, but otherwise the lead remained at a comfortable distance, and Middlebury finished off the 83-74 victory.
“It was a big win for us,” St. Amour said, “because it proved that we can travel on the road to a tough place to play and beat a tournament level team on their home court. It showed our toughness that we have developed throughout the season.”
The following weekend was very kind to Middlebury, as the seniors celebrated their final regular season home series with a pair of victories over Maine rivals Colby and Bowdoin.
The Colby Mules did not make it easy on Saturday, Jan. 6, and the Panthers had to claw their way to a two-point win, 67-65. In many ways, the Mules outplayed Middlebury, making nine three-pointers to Middlebury’s two and outrebounding the Panthers 45-28, but ultimately the difference came in the shape of 22 turnovers for Colby and just nine for Middlebury. The Panthers tallied 18 points off of those turnovers; Colby just one. The game featured a staggering 15 lead changes and eight ties. When St. Amour made a layup with 6:57 left in the first half to tie the game at 21-21, there had already been seven lead changes and the deficit had not gone beyond five points. St. Amour’s tying lay up came just moments after center Daley made an early exit from the ball game. The big man suffered an elbow to the mouth that caused a chipped tooth and some dizziness, but the injury seemed to spur the Panthers, who then finished the half on a 14-1 run to go up 35-22.
It took Colby nine minutes and 21 seconds to close the gap, tying the game at 47-47 after a 25-12 start to the half. Colby then proceeded to go up 54-47, capping a 32-12 run for the Mules. Middlebury chipped away for the remainder of the half, getting contributions from multiple different players. Majors and Daly scored the final two buckets, both assisted by point man Jake Brown ’17, that pushed the Panthers ahead for the 67-65 win. Brown had one of his best offensive games of the season with 18 points and six assists.
The Panthers had a slightly easier time on Senior Day the following afternoon when they bested the Bowdoin
Polar Bears 78-69. Bowdoin boasts the reigning NESCAC Player of the Year and top scorer in the league in senior guard Lucas Hausman and an electric freshman forward by the name of Jack Simonds. Stopping Hausman is usually a losing proposition, but Daly and his backcourt mates did well to force him into tough shots all game. The talented Hausman finished with 29 points but shot under 50 percent from the floor, while Simonds tallied 23 points. The rest of the Bowdoin roster scored just six field goals. For the Panthers, St. Amour matched Hausman shot-for-shot and finished with 26 points of his own and nine rebounds.
“We had a job going into that weekend,” Forward Connor Huff ’16 said, “and that was to sweep the weekend.
Middlebury’s final NESCAC weekend of the regular season saw the Panthers on the road against the league’s top two teams, Amherst and Trinity. Middlebury came into the weekend with the chance to secure the No.1 seed in the NESCAC tournament with a weekend sweep, but that proved too tall a task. While the contest between Middlebury and Amherst stayed competitive throughout, the home team never let the Panthers get too close, and Middlebury eventually fell 83-70. Amherst has maintained the best three point field goal percentage defense in all of Division-III for much of the season, and Middlebury was unable to overcome that strength, shooting just 2-11 (18.2 percent) from deep. On the other end, Amherst’s 10 made three pointers made the difference. Amherst sharpshooter Jeff Racy was lights out from beyond the arc, going 6-6 for 18 points. Amherst led by as much as 12 halfway through the first half and continually rebuked any Middlebury challenges over the remaining 30 minutes. Racy, of course, put the game away with two three-pointers in the final three minutes. St. Amour and Majors lead the Panthers in scoring with 20 and 18 points, respectively.
The following day’s trip to Hartford, Conn. had a similar feeling, as a 17-7 run by the Bantams midway through the first made the score 33-23 in favor of Trinity and the home team never looked back. The Bantams could not miss from the field or the stripe and wound up with the 97-86 victory. For Middlebury, guard Bryan Jones ’17 did his best to bring the Panthers back late in the second half. Jones entered the game with 6:13 to play and Middlebury down by 16, then proceeded to pour in 14 points in a four and a half minute span. The onslaught from Jones was not enough, however, as Trinity could not be stopped offensively. Majors lead all Middlebury scorers with 15 points while also hauling down eight rebounds, and St. Amour tacked on 12 points of his own.
The Panthers are set to host the Wesleyan Cardinals on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. The last playoff meeting between these two programs came in the 2013 NESCAC Championship quarterfinals, a game won by Middlebury 61-49, when this year’s seniors were first-years. Middlebury has defeated Wesleyan in the last 13 meetings between the two teams, two of which have come in NESCAC playoff tilts. The Cardinals’ last win came on Jan. 15, 2005. With a win, the Panthers will likely have to hit the road to either Trinity, Amherst or Tufts in pursuit of a third NESCAC title.
