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(02/18/16 1:47am)
On Thursday, Feb. 18th, recent graduate Forest Jarvis ’15 will discuss his research in environmental policy and natural disasters as a Fulbright scholar in the Philippines. Jarvis is one of the growing number of graduates to apply for a fellowship with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, which funds college graduates and young professionals to study abroad for one year.
Jarvis, who is presenting his research at 12:30 p.m. in the Robert A. Jones ’59 Conference Room, developed an interest in environmental policy while at the College. During his junior year, Jarvis received the Mellon Research Grant and traveled to Bolivia to research environmental policy, where his interests deepened.
“By the time I got to senior year, I realized that I wanted to go into development economics, especially relating to disaster risk management,” Jarvis said.
Jarvis decided to apply for a Fulbright in the Philippines to continue his research after graduating from the College.
“I chose to go to the Philippines because it’s a country I’ve always wanted to visit, and more importantly because it’s unfortunately a really good place to go if you want natural disasters,” he said.
Jarvis is currently working on a project that is searching for the connection between land tenure and vulnerability to natural disasters.
“I’m carrying out surveys in Sorsogon, one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines, to create a household-level disaster vulnerability index, and then compare vulnerability with land tenure and livelihoods.”
Jarvis himself is susceptible to the natural disasters he is researching.
“I also managed to get caught in the middle of a huge typhoon, Typhoon Nona, so my research is looking at preparation and recovery from disasters as they happen.”
Jarvis applied for the Fulbright Study/Research Grant in which a student designs and executes a research project for a specific country, but many Middlebury students also apply to the Fulbright’s ETA (English Teaching Assistant) program.
As the Fulbright website states, the ETA programs place students in schools “overseas to supplement local English language instruction and to provide a native speaker presence in the classrooms.”
Mary Robinson ’14 applied for the ETA program in Poland and was placed in Rzeszów, a small city in the southeast of the country. Robinson applied to the Fulbright to gain teaching experience — she hopes to be a professor one day — but also to get the experience of living abroad. “I considered the Peace Corps and various other grants and fellowships, but ultimately decided on Fulbright because I would get experience teaching and would get to choose which country to apply to.”
Lisa Gates, Associate Dean for Fellowships and Research, says that she has seen the Fulbright become a more popular option for Middlebury graduates.
“I have seen a significant increase in applicant numbers. I have also seen a slight increase in number of ETA applications, so that we are closer to 50/50 in application types,” Gates said.
According to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State, the Fulbright program awards approximately 2,000 grants for U.S. undergraduates each year. In the 2014-2015 academic year, Fulbright awarded 12 Middlebury students with grants from the 42 applicants. The grantees receive funding from the U.S. State Department to cover travel costs, room and board and incidental costs. In some countries, grants can be used to fund research or language study. The program is immersive and supportive. Since its founding in 1946, approximately 310,000 “Fulbrighters” have participated in the program. Each students is drawn to the Fulbright for different reasons.
Joseph Flaherty ’15 applied to Fulbright’s ETA program so he could deepen his understanding of Turkey’s culture and history after having studied abroad in Istanbul during the spring of his junior year.
“The Fulbright seemed like a great opportunity to represent the U.S. abroad in a positive way and also to learn more about Turkey and to deepen my interest in the country and the history.”
Flaherty is currently working in Sakarya University, where he has been since late September. He teaches English to university students while simultaneously working on side projects.
“Fulbright encourages students to engage in their communities. So, I have been working on research for my articles.”
Flaherty is interested in journalism and is researching the affects 1999 Earthquake in Sakarya as well as the Ruins of Ani, a medieval Armenian city in the Kars Province. He is hoping to have his articles published while he continues his 10-month journey in Turkey.
Zeke Caceres ’15, also an ETA grantee, spends his time when he is not teaching, volunteering for an NGO in Agadir, Morocco. Caceres works on the NGO’s social media campaign. Caceres was a language enthusiast in high school and at the College and decided to apply to the Fulbright to not only continue practicing his Arabic, but also develop a greater understanding of the complexities of the Middle East.
“I believe in cross-cultural exchange and sharing the diversity of the U.S.,” Caceres said. “I have learned a lot about the U.S.’s diplomatic relations with Morocco during my time here and about the Middle East in general.”
Although each student is completing different projects in different parts of the world, they have all reported feeling welcome in their respective countries and a sense of accomplishment that the work they are doing is meaningful.
Steven Dunmire ’13 is currently working as a 6th grade English teacher in the Boston Public School System. He completed his Fulbright in Villa Hermonsa, Mexico the year after he graduated from the College and speaks highly of his experience.
“I gained so many life experiences,” he said. “I learned Spanish skills, like translating on the fly, and how to rely on myself emotionally and psychologically. I felt so accomplished when I created a functional and viable lesson for my students.”
Dunmire, like most of the College’s Fulbright grantees, loved their Fulbright experience.
“I loved Mexico. I never felt unsafe. It is a beautiful country with an amazing history and I am so happy I got to spend a year of my life living there,” he said.
(02/18/16 1:40am)
As an elite liberal arts school that routinely tops lists of college rankings, Middlebury has a reputation for attracting a certain kind of student: predominantly white, relatively affluent, hailing from boarding and preparatory schools in the Northeast. Most of these students have been successful all their life academically, and have received very well-rounded educations. They have had access to resources like guidance counselors, college counselors, a high quality curriculum, well-paid teachers and beautiful campus facilities.
Historically, preparatory and boarding schools were, by design, intended to prepare their students to attend prestigious schools. Phillips Exeter Academy, for example, was considered more or less a pipeline for Harvard. Films like The Dead Poets Society dramatize the pressure these boarding school students feel to attend elite higher-education institutions, and the almost mythic nature of doing so.
This is the stereotype, at least. And the Campus set out to explore it: does it really exist? Does the stereotype work both ways — that is, does it create a culture here, a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy? The thoughts of students, professors and administrators help to tell the story.
***
This semester, Professor of English and American Literatures Kathryn Kramer is teaching a course called “Boarding School: Fiction & Fact.” With the exploration of the boarding school experience forming the heart of the class, the course considers novels, memoirs and films, from Roald Dahl’s Boy to Anita Shreve’s Testimony.
Kramer noted that these works often feature humorous accounts of boarding school life wherein it is not uncommon to see characters forming tight, familial bonds with their peers and responding to everyday experiences “with a kind of irony” and admirable sense of adventure. Nonetheless, Kramer also said that the unfazed quality these characters project is, in reality, not always so effortless.
A particular example that crossed Kramer’s mind is S.R. Khan’s ethnography Privilege, which provides a rare glimpse into student life at the St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire. An institution that is highly steeped in tradition, St. Paul’s offers all students the chance to participate in a weekly formal dinner.
While the idea of a formal dinner seems simple and harmless on the surface, emotions can run deep.
“The weekly dinner teaches the students about manners, but it also teaches them to never look uncomfortable in a situation no matter how uncomfortable it is,” Kramer said.
Just as students strive to maintain a stoic air of “coolness under fire” in front of their peers, Kramer said that the boarding school can also become a contradictory — and confusing — institution that, on the surface, promotes student growth, but simultaneously binds them to seemingly unbreakable tradition.
“There is a paradoxical sense of real tradition and things having always been that way, but also a sense of open possibility,” Kramer said.
***
To hear first-hand accounts of these places, we interviewed several students who went to boarding schools. They are all students of color who now attend Middlebury. We asked the students about their academic, social, athletic and other experiences, if and how their experiences prepared them for Middlebury, and what their perceptions are of the boarding school stigma.
Sunho Park ’18 — Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Mass.
“I haven’t thought too much about it, but I guess going to Deerfield was somewhat of a middle ground between college prep and interest in learning. Students generally took five classes every year. Teachers were always willing to help us out, whether we were struggling or doing just fine. We had sit-down meals on certain nights of the week, and I would often see students staying behind with a faculty member and going over some class material. And, faculty apartments were often visited by students during study hall hours.
“Living with my friends on campus, I found all of the school year to be a lot of fun. There were so many ways to befriend everyone on campus, through class, dorm life, sports teams, community service, meals and so on. People often tend to stereotype the kind of students that attend boarding school, and yes, there are many students that fit that stereotype, but there are also many other students that come from different backgrounds who have their own stories to tell. It was great meeting these people, and becoming best friends with some of them.
“During my sophomore year, nine other students and I wanted to help out with the kitchen staff during meals, so we formed a group called ‘Dish Crew.’ Some of us were close friends from the start, but others only knew of each other vaguely. Many of us had different friend groups during our time at Deerfield and came from different backgrounds, but Dish Crew gave us a place to came together as classmates. I share this story because cliques do naturally form on campus according to similar backgrounds sometimes, but there are also many times where everyone just comes together.”
***
Qadira Al-Mahi ’19 — Peddie School in Hightstown, NJ
“Peddie was pretty challenging academically, and the school induced much more anxiety than it cared to admit for the students. Peddie did prepare me well for college academics, though. Socially, it is a different environment for everyone. I personally did not have a good social experience at Peddie because of who I was, how everyone perceived me based on their preconceived notions of black women and where I come from, as well as the pervasive Eurocentric beauty standards. I obviously had friends, but all of my closest friends were students of color. We all ended up gravitating toward one another because no one else would accept us into their groups. This led us to form our own friend group.
“Despite the intense pressure to be outstanding academically and the stress that that induced, I will always look upon my boarding school experience positively because of the friends I had to get me through it. The people who made up the administration and the institution I do not look upon as fondly because many were ignorant, blatantly or subtly racist, some sexist and unwilling to make Peddie a more inclusive places for students of color when we, particularly the women of color, asked to work with them to make a more inclusive space. Even though that is not something I consider a positive, this aspect also prepared me for the lack of effort for inclusivity I knew I would face at an institution like Middlebury from both students and administration.
“My perception of boarding school versus public high school is that there is a bit more pretension among boarding school students than at public, and a bit more of a sense of entitlement to the education. I think we earn that in our own right by being there, which is fine, but when I think of public high school, I feel like people have less motivation to like school or figure out what they want. My perception is that they do not have as many resources or sometimes the same quality of resources — because the curriculums steer them to becoming worker bees instead of finding a passion, and more often than not the teachers themselves don’t even want to be at school, much less teach. That discourages people from wanting to be there even more.”
***
Addis Fouche-Channer ’17 — Westover School in Middlebury, CT
“My Westover experience was definitely academically challenging. My middle school is a feeder for a lot of boarding schools, so I felt really prepared to do the schoolwork once I got there, but there were definitely times where I felt overwhelmed. I think because it was a relatively competitive environment everyone wanted to get into an impressive, name-brand college and that definitely fueled a lot of the students’ desire to do well.
“Westover was an all-girls school, so socially it was interesting. Everyone was really focused on being themselves, discovering who they were and having fun. Obviously, it wasn’t a utopia; there were definitely people who didn’t get along but it was generally great. My friend group of six girls still talk almost everyday, and I feel like I’ll be friends with those girls for a really long time.
“Comparing Middlebury to Westover is a little tough because of the addition of boys. I definitely noticed myself becoming more conscious of how I looked and what I wore after coming to college, and there is definitely more pressure to be perfect here. But I felt academically prepared to come here, and also I had been living on my own since I was 13 so that wasn’t too difficult.
“Honestly, many of the students here from public schools have the same ability to do well here as the ones from boarding schools because of general wealth inequality.”
***
One student at Middlebury, Jessica Gutierrez ’17, went through the very experience Fouche-Channer described. After attending a charter high school in Chicago, Gutierrez was nominated for a scholarship to attend the College via the Posse Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to identify highly motivated student leaders at urban public high schools. The result of this rigorous selection process is a diverse group — or “Posse” — of scholars who are eager and ready to bring new dimensions to social and academic life at whichever institution they ultimately matriculate at.
Nonetheless, Gutierrez said that while the program does bring an incredible amount of diversity to campus, many students at Middlebury often remain shortsighted in their understanding of what constitutes a diverse campus. “I think Posse is often stereotyped by students as being a program that upholds ‘diversity’ as its sole purpose and hence attracts only a certain type of student. There is an overarching sentiment on campus that the large majority of Posse scholars are of a certain ethnicity and come from same socioeconomic class.”
Interestingly, Gutierrez’s remarks push us to a more nuanced — and important — discussion of campus diversity across both boarding schools and colleges: she noted that the very conception many students hold of ‘diversity’ is stereotypical and restricted to a certain kind of individual.“In my experience, the Posse program is stigmatized as bringing diversity to the campus, but the diversity within each Posse is not recognized. I have met Posse students who come from so many different academic, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.”
***
While the consensus seemed to suggest that there is nothing inherently wrong with seeking a quality private education for high school, the boarding school experience still has a stigma, whether deserved or not, associated with it — as a place of entrenched privilege by which the families who least need class ascendancy benefit the most. But most — if not all — of the country’s most sought-after boarding schools, following in the footsteps of elite colleges and universities, are taking deliberate actions to increase campus diversity through programs such as the Posse Foundation, affirmative action and class-conscious admissions practices. Ultimately, as Kramer noted in her interview, it remains up to us to observe whether boarding schools are actively bringing progressive “change to the culture” of secondary and higher education, or whether the students are becoming “honorary members” of age-old institutions that keep privilege in the hands that hold it.
The Campus hopes to run more stories in the future evaluating and deconstructing the boarding school stigma at Middlebury. To add your voice to the conversation, please email campus@middlebury.edu.
(01/28/16 12:07am)
Middlebury Swimming and Diving had their last dual meet of the season at Williams on Saturday, Jan. 23. The Panther men and women fell to the Ephs 186-94 and 211-83, respectively, struggling to keep up with Williams’ nationally ranked teams.
Head Coach Bob Rueppel explained back in Nov. that swimming against top NESCAC teams like Williams “[is] great because … that’s the bar we’re shooting for.”
“Williams is always a tough, but fun meet,” said Women’s co-Captain Maddie Pierce ’16 in an echo of Rueppel’s sentiment. “They are an incredibly strong team, but we enjoy racing them.”
Lily Sawyer ’16, one of Pierce’s two co-captains, was “[excited] that all of our girls held their own [against] some of the strongest swimmers in D3.”
The Panthers started with a strong showing in the long-distance 1000 free. Mike McGean ’17 won the men’s 1000 with a time of 10:04.63, just 3.09 seconds before his closest competitor. Andrew Rosenthal ’16 finished fourth in the close race, touching 6.22 seconds behind McGean (10:10.85). Lucy Scott ’16 and Angela Riggins ’19 secured second and third in the women’s event with their 10:54.13 and 11:07.29 performances.
Middlebury’s next couple of victories came when Isabel Wyer ’18 clocked a 1:56.07 to win the 200 free, and Stephan Koenigsberger ’16 finished first in the 50 breast (27.65) a few events later. Liza MacCowatt ’19 took third for the Panthers in the women’s 50 breast with her 32.46-second swim.
Grace Stimson ’19 led her heat in the 200 fly with a time of 2:16.51 and Morgan Burke ’17 sprinted to third in the 50 free (25.53). The Middlebury men captured second through fourth in the 50 free, with Jack McLaughlin ’18, Taylor Moore ’18 and Paul Lagasse’s ’16 times of 22.07, 22.69 and 22.72.
Elissa DeNunzio ’18 and Will Greene ’19 competed next on the three-meter diving board, earning second and first place, respectively, with their 209.47 and 217.57-point dives. DeNunzio and Greene went on to finish second (196.65) and first (232.72) on the one-meter board as well.
Then back on the blocks, McLaughlin and Burke were runners-up for the men and women in 100 free (48.82 and 55.11). Wyer finished second in the 200 back (2:11.93), while Brendan Leech ’19 clinched third for the Panther men in the same event (2:01.12).
Connor McCormick ’18 earned Middlebury’s seventh collective victory of the day in the 200 breast (2:15.37) by a margin of 4.87 seconds. Meanwhile, Stimson came second in the women’s 200 breast with a time of 2:34.47 and Alaina Pribis ’19 rounded out the day by swimming to a third place finish in the 500 free (5:23.43).
“The team is [now] excited to head into championship season,” Pierce said. “We have a great group of girls finishing out their season at Midd Invite. We know they will swim fast and set the tone for the team heading to NESCACs.”
The Panthers will swim in the Middlebury Invitational this Friday evening at 5:30 p.m., and Saturday at 10 a.m. (Jan. 29-30).
“We are training at a level that we’ve never done before ...[and] have built up an incredible base this season,” co-Captain Megan Griffin ’16 said. “At this point it’s about fine tuning the details and believing that everything will come together when it matters.”
(01/28/16 12:03am)
Women’s basketball split a pair of inspired games this past week. On Tuesday, Jan. 29, the Panthers outlasted Smith for a 70-57 victory. The Panthers returned to conference play Sunday, Jan. 24, when they travelled to Williamstown, Mass. to play Williams in the Chandler Athletic Center. The Panthers entered the game needing a win to climb above .500 in conference play and tied with Williams with a 2-2 record in the NESCAC standings.
The Panthers’ victory over Smith did not come easily, as they fell behind the Pioneers 12-10 early in the first quarter. The turning point came in the second quarter when Middlebury broke a 17-17 tie with a nine straight points, propelling the team to a 14 to seven run and a 31-24 halftime lead.
Eileen Daley ’18 and Sarah Kaufman ’18 helped the Panthers hold onto the momentum when they came out of the locker room for the second half. Daley and Kaufman hit five jump for the Panthers combining for 17 of the team’s 21 third quarter points, which gave Middlebury a comfortable 52-39 lead heading into the fourth.
Daley finished the game with a double-double, scoring a career high 14 points to go with 13 boards, two assists and three steals on the defensive end. Kaufman led all scorers with 21 points, played a game-high 38 minutes and went five-for-five from the free throw stripe.
Catherine Harrison ’19 and Sabrina Weeks ’18 also contributed to the winning effort. Harrison had 10 points to go along with eight rebounds, while Weeks added 11 points off the bench.
The Panthers improved to 10-5 with the win.
The Panthers again struggled out of the gate again Sunday in Williamstown. However, after the team dug itself a 10-0 hole, the Panthers bounced back and took a 19-17 lead after Kaufman sunk a clutch three-pointer with 3:41 to go in the first half.
The travel, the injuries and the team’s depleted bench began to take a toll on the Panthers. Middlebury was trailing 49-37 by the end of the third quarter, having lost the momentum they built up at the end of the first half.
In the end, the Panthers were undermanned, limping to a tough 66-49 loss.
For the game, Middlebury shot an uncharacteristically low 32.7 percent from the field and went just eight for 15 from the free throw line. If the Panthers are going to compete against the tougher opponents on their NESCAC schedule, they must be more efficient from the field. Even in their NESCAC wins against Bates and Wesleyan, the Panthers only shot 44.6 percent and 41.4 percent, respectively. Despite the loss, the Panthers had two players score in double figures as Kaufman netted 14, Harrison just missed a double-double with eight points and 11 rebounds and Collins added 10 off the bench.
“We’re looking forward to another opportunity to prove how hard we have been working,” said Harrison as the team hopes to shake off their low shooting percentages in the Williams game.
After last night’s home game against Castleton — the results of which can be found on the Middlebury Athletics website — the Panthers will take on Hamilton for another important NESCAC game this Saturday, Jan. 30 in Pepin Gymnasium. With just five NESCAC games left in the regular season schedule, the team will need to capitalize on the weak opponents heading into the playoff race against tougher teams.
(01/28/16 12:01am)
The Middlebury men’s basketball squad continued its climb through the ranks with a 2-0 week. Coming off of five straight losses to the Williams Ephs, the Panthers held on for a 75-69 win on Sunday, Jan. 25 before beating Lyndon State on the road on Tuesday, Jan. 26. The win against Williams improved the Panthers’ conference record to 4-1, putting them in solid position to return to the NESCAC playoffs after missing out last year.
Sunday’s contest featured two of the NESCAC’s best offensive stars, Williams’ junior guard Dan Aronowitz and Middlebury’s Matt St. Amour ’17. Neither player would disappoint, as each finished the game with 20 points. Aronowitz tallied a double-double by chipping in 11 boards, and St. Amour filled the stat sheet with four rebounds, four steals, three assists and five made three-pointers.
Middlebury got out to a sluggish start against the Ephs at home and entered the break down by five, but a 39-28 advantage in the second half and excellent free throw shooting eventually sent Williams home with their third conference loss.
The Ephs led for the majority of the first half, but they were never able to pull far away from the Panthers. St. Amour tallied 10 first half points and had plenty of help from his co-stars. Center Matt Daley ’16, nursing a foot injury that held him out of last week’s action, came off the bench and scored nine points in just six minutes in the first half while snagging three rebounds. With Daley’s injury, some of the team’s first-years have been called on to step into bigger roles. One of those youngsters making an impact is swingman Zach Baines ’19, who got his second start of the season and responded with seven first half points, three rebounds and one block.
Williams finally got some breathing room near the end of the first half when the Ephs’ own first-year sensation Kyle Scadlock made a layup to push the margin to eight points. A few Middlebury free throws before the break made it 41-36 at the half, though.
Both teams came out frigid in the second half. Through the first six minutes, the teams combined for three field goals and one made free throw, leading to a 45-39 score with 14:00 to play in the game.
There was 12:13 remaining in the matchup when Middlebury forward Adisa Majors ’18 decided to make his mark on the game. Majors made a layup off of a St. Amour pass to make it a 49-46 game in favor of Williams. Over the next 12 minutes, Majors would rack up 10 points and two critical rebounds. Majors’ pair of free throws with 9:58 remaining gave Middlebury the lead 50-49. The Panthers would fall behind for all of 64 seconds over the last 10 minutes of the game.
“Adisa was the key in that victory,” St. Amour said. “He made a couple of huge plays down the stretch.”
The final four minutes saw a flurry of activity, which St. Amour kicked off with a three-pointer from the right wing to put the Panthers up 65-62. Williams’ Cole Teal would respond moments later with a game-tying three-pointer. After a Daley layup put the Panthers up one, St. Amour drilled another three-pointer and what would prove to be the game-winning bucket, making the score 70-67. Just like last week when Middlebury outlasted a ranked Tufts team in overtime, the Panthers outplayed their opponents down the stretch.
“One of the biggest improvements that we’ve had is our poise and toughness,” St. Amour said. “We’ve been able to battle back in some tough times. … We’re a lot tougher team this year.”
Up just one with 1:45 to play, Majors knocked down a short jumper from the base line to make it 72-69. In the final minute, Middlebury milked the clock and needed one more bucket to seal the victory. St. Amour missed his jump shot attempt, but Majors came to the rescue with a critical offensive rebound and was able to get the ball into the hands of point guard Jack Daly ’18 who was fouled and sent to the charity stripe. Trailing 73-69, Aronowitz missed a shot on the other end for Williams, which was corralled, fittingly, by Majors. Majors then sunk the final two free throws to make it a 75-69 game, where it would remain.
St. Amour lead the Panthers with his 20 points, followed by Matt Daley with 14 in just 13 minutes, Majors with 10, Baines with nine and Jack Daly with eight. Matt Daley added seven boards, Baines had six and Jack Daly dished out eight assists.
“This was a big confidence builder,” St. Amour said, “to finally get over that hump [of beating Williams]. We believed in ourselves that we were a good team, but now this shows that we can beat anybody . . . I think teams will start to take notice a little bit.”
The Panthers kept their winning streak going with an 85-74 victory on the road at Lyndon St. on Tuesday, Jan. 26. Middlebury has not lost to Lyndon St. this milennium.
Middlebury opened the game with an 8-0 run capped by a layup from the athletic Baines. The Panthers lead for the first 14 minutes of the contest before Lyndon St. jumped ahead, but Middlebury entered the half up by two. The Panthers then slowly increased their lead over the course of the second half, stretching the lead to as much as 12.
Baines exploded for a career-high 20 points in the game on 9-10 shooting. St. Amour topped 20 points for eighth time this season with 23. In 20 minutes off of the bench, Daley chipped in 12 points of his own and six boards. Overall, the Panthers shot 47.7 percent from the field against Lyndon St., a season high.
Middlebury’s next conference game comes on the road this Saturday at Hamilton. The Continentals have yet to win a conference game this season, although it took an overtime period for Middlebury to best Hamilton last year, 82-77. The Panthers follow that up with a road tilt against Keene St on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
(01/27/16 11:59pm)
The Middlebury women’s hockey team won a two-game homestand against NESCAC foe Bowdoin this weekend, winning 2-0 on Friday, Jan. 22, before surging to a 4-2 victory Saturday, Jan. 23, in Chip Kenyon ’85 Arena.
Coming off a 5-0 home win against Endicott College on Jan. 16, the Panthers returned to the Kenyon ice on Friday to post their second shutout in a row. The first period was fast-paced as both teams created good scoring chances in the first few minutes of play.
The Panthers controlled the puck for most of the first and had 10 shots on goal to Bowdoin’s five. Middlebury had a golden opportunity in a power play with 34 seconds left in the first period. Sophomore star Maddie Winslow ’18 capitalized by sending a loose puck over Polar Bear netminder Sophia Lattanzio, giving Middlebury the 1-0 lead with 15 seconds left in the first.
The momentum from Winslow’s goal carried over into the second period. The Panthers came out of the locker room with fury: pressuring the Bowdoin defense just a minute into the second, Elizabeth Wulf ’18, assisted by Jessica Young ’18, fired a slapshot directly at Lattanzio. Her save left the puck behind the net, but Winslow — the girl on fire — hustled to the puck and hooked it gracefully past Lattanzi’s skate. With the goal, Winslow both doubled her team’s lead and brought her total goals scored to seven this season.
Bowdoin’s best opportunity to score in the period came at the 13:48 mark, as Miranda Bell made two moves to get through the Panther defense, but goalie Julia Neuberger ’18 deflected the shot wide.
In the final period, the Polar Bears narrowed their deficit in shots on goal to 5-7. Though they earned three power plays, Middlebury’s defense muted those opportunities. In the final minute, the Panthers, taking no lead for granted, kept the puck deep in Bowdoin’s zone, forcing Lattanzio to stay in her goal and forgoing Bowdoin the chance of an extra attacker.
The Panthers dominated the ice, clocking a 30-13 edge in shots on goal over the course of the game.
At Kenyon the next day, the women’s squad seized another victory, this time 4-2. Middlebury had three power plays and attempted five shots in the first 10 minutes, but Lattanzio was no sieve. The Polar Bears lost the puck to Anna Van Kula ’16, who seized it at the blueline and sent a pass down the ice to Shanna Hickman ’19. The first-year forward muscled her way to the front of the net and placed the puck right through the legs of Bowdoin goalie Lan Crofton. The assist, from senior to freshman, is one of many moments this season proving the viability of the freshman squad. “We have a really young team this year, with 15 underclassman. It’s been fun to see all of the freshman stepping up, making some huge plays and scoring some important goals for us,” Winslow said.
At 15:24, Bowdoin’s Bell tied the game at 1-1 when she gathered the puck in her defensive zone following a Panther turnover. In the final minute of the second, the Panthers, led on a drive by Janka Hlinka ’18, turned up the pressure. Hlinka sent the puck netward, and Winslow tipped it between Crofton’s legs. The goal was Winslow’s team-leading eighth of the season.
The final period saw Middlebury gain some breathing room at 7:48 when Jessica Young stuffed home a loose puck from the edge of the crease for the eventual game-winning score after Crofton saved an attempt by Winslow on the doorstep. Young furthered Middlebury’s lead to 4-1 with a wrister over Crofton’s shoulder at 16:06 in the third. With 21 seconds remaining, Bowdoin’s Jessica Bowen managed a goal to bring the score to 4-2, where it stayed as time expired.
The Panthers are on a four-game winning streak now, and seem to have taken their tough 0-3 loss to top-ranked Plattsburgh State on Jan. 12 to heart.
“We have only been getting better since we got back from winter break,” Winslow said. “I think everyone came back from break on the same page: that we are going to outwork every team we play from here on out. Our team motto right now is to do the ‘little things.’ It’s about winning the little battles — back checking hard, blocking shots. If everyone perfects these ‘little things,’ then we can keep this momentum we have through the rest of the season.”
Having made three goals during the homestand against Bowdoin, Winslow stands out as a powerful force for the team. But she credits her tallies to her teammates.
“I’m glad I have been able to help my team by putting the puck in the net, but all our points have been a collective team effort,” Winslow said. “Most of my goals have been off of beautiful plays and passes by my teammates so they deserve as much credit as me for them. I look at a goal as a collaborative success, so I am happy that as a team we have been able to put the puck in the net and win some big games!”
With the two wins, Middlebury’s record improved to 5-0-3 in conference and 9-3-3 overall. Next stop for the Panthers, who stand at the top of the NESCAC standing and seventh in the national polls, is Clinton, N.Y., where they will take play two tough league games against the Hamilton Continentals on Friday, Jan. 29, and Saturday, Jan. 30, in hopes of maintaining their undefeated NESCAC record.
(01/27/16 5:04pm)
(01/27/16 5:03pm)
Recent graduate Rana Abdelhamid ’15, a current Truman Scholar and Pickering Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, was recently featured by the Associated Press, BBC News, and Elle Magazine for her organization, the Women’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment, or WISE.
After being accosted for wearing a headscarf in her hometown of New York City when she was 16, Abdelhamid was inspired to reach out to other young Muslim women and develop this program. The WISE program, which she began at age 17, emphasizes the promotion of self-defense, entrepreneurship and leadership skills.
“[WISE] is really all about empowering other people so they feel like they have the tools, the skills and resources to be able to make a difference,” said Abdelhamid in a video series put forth by the College covering young alumni solving pressing global issues.
As an International Politics and Economics major at the College, Abdelhamid’s studies greatly influenced her future goals for WISE. “As a political science student, I’ve seen how to leverage economic systems to empower disenfranchised communities,” said Abdelhamid in the video. “In seeing that, I wanted to use WISE as a space where these young Muslim women can gain the skills that they need to be able to access these different economic institutions.”
While at the College, Abdelhamid worked with Jonathan Isham, Professor of Economics and Director for the Center of Social Entrepreneurship (CSE), along with other members of the CSE to develop a 100-page course outline that would become the basis for WISE’s basic program, Mentee Muslimah. The 13-session program is taught to around 50 13-17 year-old women in Manhattan each summer. Abdelhamid used the skills she learned from the CSE, like sustainability and scalability, as well as a grant from the Center to expand her vision for WISE.
“What makes Rana really unique that we saw in her is that this is an issue that is connected to her identity and it drives her all the time,” said Heather Neuwirth ’08, Associate Director of the Center for Social Entrepreneurship, in the Associated Press article published Dec. 31. “She took what could have been an experience that could have shut her down, she really realized the power in that and I think the way that she connects to others is deeply caring.”
Over the past five years, WISE has educated hundreds of young women and has grown rapidly. WISE now has chapters in Union City, New Jersey, Washington, Dallas, Madrid and Edinburg. Abdelhamid is planning on developing programs in Chicago, Dublin and Istanbul. She has also taken steps to increase the program’s scope to include women of other religions.
Abdelhamid said in an article on the genUN website, “Whether it’s through involvement with the [United Nations Association of the United States of America] or with a local community organization, our time to make change, as youth, is right now and we have so many tools to do so.”
(01/21/16 4:23am)
The College notified 338 new students of their early admission to the Class of 2020 via an online portal on Dec. 5. Mailed letters were sent in the next week. The students were chosen from an overall application pool of 636 applicants. This is an increase from the 280 students offered early admission from the preceding year’s early decision pool of 667 applicants.
320 of the newly accepted students will enroll in the fall of 2016, while 18 were offered admission under the February Admissions Program and will begin in Feb. 2017. Out of the total applicant pool, 74 students were deferred and 221 students were denied. An early decision acceptance is binding.
Representing 49% of the class of 2020, this early decision class hails from 34 states, Washington D.C. and 13 different countries. According to Greg Buckles, Dean of Admissions, 25 percent of those admitted are students of color. This is the highest percentage of students of color admitted through early decision in the College’s history.
(01/21/16 12:43am)
The women’s basketball team started 2016 by racking up bus mileage, travelling to New York City, Boston and Lewiston, Maine. The team left for break with a 3-1 record and have gone 6-4 since they returned. They currently stand at sixth place in the NESCAC with a 2-2 conference record.
After a 79-58 win over Salve Regina at Pepin Gym on Wednesday, Dec. 30, the Panthers opened the new year in the Big Apple for the Jan. 2-3 NYU Holiday Classic. The Panthers started hot with a 72-59 victory over Bridgewater State. First-year Catherine Harrison ’19 led the Panthers with a game-high 23 points, while Sarah Kaufman ‘18 added 19. In their second game against the hosts and fourth-ranked NYU, Middlebury led 34-32 at the half thanks to 13 points from Sabrina Weeks ’18 off of the bench. Ultimately, the Violets pulled ahead and held onto a narrow 70-62 loss.
The Panthers opened NESCAC play against Wesleyan at Pepin Gym on Tuesday, Jan. 8. Middlebury dominated the Cardinals from the tip, jumping out to a 23-8 lead by the end of the first quarter. Kaufman once again led the charge with a career-high 31 points on the way to a pivotal 76-59 win. Harrison carried the defense with 15 rebounds to go along with her 12 points, while sophomore guard Eileen Daley ’18 followed closely behind with 11 boards of her own. The Panthers faced a quick turn around to take on Connecticut College on Jan. 9, and fatigue ultimately held them back in a back and forth 66-53 loss. After falling behind early, Colleen Cavaney ’19 spurred a 12-0 Panthers run to give them a 25-24 lead at the half. The score remained tight until just under six minutes to play at 47-46, but the Camels pulled away down the stretch to even the Panthers’ NESCAC record at 1-1. Kaufman had a team high 17 points, while Harrison added 15 rebounds.
In a break from league action, Middlebury capitalized on a weak opponent with a 65-45 win over SUNY Postdam, holding control of the scoreboard for the whole game. Alex Huffman ’19 had a career- and game-high 16 points for the Panthers in the first of a three game road stint.
After the Jan. 12 victory over SUNY Potsdam, the Panthers took on defending league champion and 12th-ranked Tufts in Medford, Massachusetts. The Jumbos dominated the Panthers 57-37.
In a game when the Panthers needed one of their best performances of the season, they shot a dismal 21 percent from the field, 11-51, and they committed 19 turnovers, more than twice the amount the Jumbos committed.
Coach KJ Krasco called the 20 point loss “a wake-up call,” as the the team will most likely return to Medford in February for the NESCAC championship.
The next day, journeying all the way to Maine, the Panthers battled Bates 43-43 going into the fourth quarter. The final ten minutes could be a defining moment of Middlebury’s season, as they avoided slipping to a 1-3 conference start. The Panthers proved resilient, recovering nicely from their loss to Tufts with a 61-56 victory as they clawed their way back to .500 in the NESCAC. The victory against Bates was a true team win, with each starter scoring at least nine points. Kaufman led the way with 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal.
In the midst of Middlebury’s early January games with Elizabeth Knox ’17, the team’s only junior, injured, the underclassmen continued to shine. Highlights included Harrison, who continued her strong freshman campaign, earning NESCAC Player of the Week honors the week of Jan. 4 and a spot on the NYU Holiday All-Classic Team. She is averaging a double-double on the season with 13.5 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, and is shooting an impressive 53.5% from the field. After she shot just 16 percent, 2-12, in the Tufts loss, it became clear that a key going forward will be consistency from Harrison and other underclassmen. Kaufman anchors the team, averaging almost 17 points-per-game, and shooting an impressive 36.6 percent from beyond the arc.
The team will be back in action this Sunday, Jan. 24 when they travel to Williamstown, Mass. to take on the Ephs to try and climb above .5oo in league play.
(01/21/16 12:32am)
The men’s hockey team remained in the top four of the NESCAC after going 2-4-2 since leaving for Winter break. The Panthers’ record stayed even in the conference with a 1-1-2 record over that time, including a win over then fifth-ranked Amherst and an overtime loss to No. 8 Trinity.
“We have put ourselves in a perfect position to secure a home game for playoffs or even host NESCACs if we play the way we are capable of playing for our remaining conference games,” Team Captain Evan Neugold ’16 said. “It is in our hands, which is what you always want as a team coming down the second half of the season.”
Entering their game at Hamilton on Friday, Dec. 11, the Panthers still stood undefeated in the NESCAC at 2-0-2. Middlebury jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Ronald Fishman ’16 and Max Greenwald ’16, but Hamilton scored three unanswered goals in seven minutes in the second. Travis Stephens ’18 tied the game in the final period, and neither team could score in overtime as it ended in a 3-3 tie. Liam Moorfield-Yee ’16 made a career high 49 saves.
The following night Middlebury travelled to face no. 5 Amherst for a battle of undefeateds in the NESCAC. Behind Stephen Klein’s ’18 33 saves, the Panthers shutout the Lord Jeffs 2-0, earning some redemption after losing all three matchups last season. Greenwald put the Panthers ahead a little over 13 minutes into the contest, Mark Lyman ’19 added one more in the second period, and Klein did the rest as he recorded his second shutout of the season.
In their first action of the new year, the Panthers hosted the Middlebury Holiday Classic on Jan. 2-3. In their first game, the Panthers handled SUNY Canton 6-3 as Moorfield-Yee won his first game of the year in net and Vincent Gisonti ’18, Spencer Cage ’19, Neugold, Jake Charles ’16, Brendan McGovern ’16, and Zach Haggerty ’16 all scored goals.
Middlebury faced Neumann in the championship the next day. All of the scoring occurred in the second period, and, after building a two goal lead, the Knights held off the Panthers for a 2-1 victory. Down 2-0, Stephens put the Panthers on the scoreboard by carrying the puck the length of the ice and slinging a wrist shot below the crossbar. Middlebury outshot Neumann 20-9 in the period and 48-29 in the game, but could not beat the Knight netminder and tournament MVP Tyler LeFebvre more than once.
“We need to be able to finish and put the puck in the back of the net when it counts,” Neugold said. “Those one goal games were all great games, unfortunately the other teams finished their chances and we didn’t.”
The Panthers returned to action the following weekend when they travelled to Wesleyan on Jan. 9. Matt Doherty ’19 drove home a shot from just inside the blue line to put the Panthers ahead in the first period. Mike Najjar ’17 made it 2-0 early in the third period off a rebound. After Wesleyan tied it up, Neugold swatted a rebound out of midair and into the back of the net to put Middlebury ahead again. Just 1:33 later, Wesleyan knotted the game at three, and the game ended that way, 3-3—even as the Panthers outshot their opponent again (33-24).
The next day, Middlebury stayed in Connecticut to face off with no. 8 Trinity. The Panthers drew first blood 2:31 into the game when Najjar slotted one beneath the crossbar. Trinity responded a little over five minutes later to tie the game, but Kamil Tkaczuk ’19 notched his first career goal and gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead after the first period. Trinity tied the game over halfway through the second period, and that score held through the rest of regulation. However, with twenty seconds left in regulation, Stephens earned a trip to the box for charging, leaving the Panthers a man down for 1:40 in overtime. On the power play, the Bantams tallied the game-winner 58 seconds into the overtime period, giving the Panthers their first NESCAC loss—the third game in a row they outshot their opponent (36-23) but failed to win.
The Panthers’ next two games did not get any easier as they faced No. 11 Norwich on Tuesday, Jan. 12 and No. 4 Plattsburgh St. on Friday, Jan. 15. Against Norwich, Haggerty put Middlebury ahead 4:05 into the first period, but Norwich responded with a power play goal to tie the game later in the first. The Cadets took the lead early in the second period which they quickly followed with a shorthanded goal, but Neugold added one for the Panthers to make it 3-2. Norwich extended their lead to three with two power play goals, one in the second period and one in the third. Charles netted an unassisted goal, but that was it for the Panthers as they lost 5-3.
Neither Middlebury nor Plattsburgh St. could find the back of the net in the first third of action on Friday, but Plattsburgh’s Michael Radisa scored twice in the second period to cripple the Panthers. The Cardinals added an insurance goal and skated away with a 3-0 win.
“We played very well in all 3 games. Just a couple of mistakes cost us,” Neugold said. “We know we can compete with the best teams.”
Sitting at 4-6-4 overall, Middlebury returns to the ice this upcoming weekend when they travel to Maine to play at Colby and Bowdoin Jan. 22-23, as they look to snap the three game losing streak.
(01/21/16 12:30am)
Middlebury swimming and diving has been busy these past few weeks, having competed in four meets and spending the final 10 days of winter break training in Key Largo, Florida.
On Saturday, Dec. 12 the Panther men defeated Springfield 197-69, while the women suffered a close 152-148 loss to the same out-of-conference competitor. Almost a month later, the Panthers traveled to Maine for their next two NESCAC meets against Colby and Bates on Saturday, Jan. 9 and Sunday, Jan. 10, respectively. The Middlebury men’s and women’s teams beat Colby with respective scores of 200-93 and 214-77, but lost to Bates 183-111 (M) and 211-99 (W) the next day. Most recently, Middlebury’s men and women bested Union 150-88 (M) and 140-99 (W) in a non-conference meet at the Natatorium on Saturday, Jan. 16.
The weekend before finals (Dec. 12), the men swam to their first victory of the season against Springfield (197-69), managing to touch the wall first in 12 of the meet’s 14 swimming events. Will Greene ’19 also won in the three and one-meter diving competitions with scores of 240.75 and 210.9, respectively.
Brendan Leech ’19, Stephan Koenigsberger ’16, Bryan Cheuk ’16 and Paul Lagasse ’16 opened the meet with a splash, swimming a 1:37.57 in the 200 medley relay to clinch first place.
The Panther men won every individual freestyle event against Springfield. Michael McGean ’17 dominated the long-distance races, clocking a 4:45.61 and 9:43.60 to win the 500 and 1000 freestyles. Later, Jack Dowling ’19 (1:49.78) barely bested Cheuk (1:49.88) for first place in the 200 freestyle, Lagasse notched a 22.15 in the 50 free to win first with Taylor Moore ’18 just .25 seconds behind him and Jack McLaughlin ’18 (48.72) eked by Lagasse (48.78) to win the 100 free.
Though Justin Cho ’17 fell to Leech (55.11) in the 100 back by less than a second, he was still able to notch a victory in the 50 back (25.66). Koenigsberger was the only Panther to win a breaststroke event with his 27.23 performance in the 50 breast.
Alex Smith ’18 and Cheuk won the 100 and 50 fly, respectively, with times of 55.13 and 23.86. Connor McCormick ’18 also had a fast swim in the 100 fly, coming just .19 seconds behind Smith for second place.
Meanwhile, Springfield squeaked past the Middlebury women to win the meet 152-148. Nevertheless, the Lady Panthers charted seven victories and several top-three finishes during the event. Like in the men’s 200 free, Middlebury’s quartet of Isabel Wyer ’18, Liza MacCowatt ’19, Megan Griffin ’16 and Morgan Burke ’17 swam to a first place finish (1:49.96).
Wyer won both the 100 and 200 free with times of 53.75 and 1:55.61, respectively, while Griffin took the 50 free in just 25.39.
Sarah Bartholomae ’18 took the lead to win both the 50 back (28.85) and the 100 back (1:02.19), and Grace Stimson ’19 placed first in the 400 IM (4:44.23) for the first time in her Middlebury career.
The Panthers’ downfall came in the final relay of the meet, when Burke, Griffin, Stephanie Andrews ’18 and Wyer lost to Springfield in the 200 free relay by just 15 hundredths of a second.
The Panthers emerged from their rigorous winter break training schedule ready to start a weekend of NESCAC competition at Colby on Saturday, Jan. 9. Middlebury’s men and women blew the Mules out of the water with scores of 200-93 and 214-77, respectively.
Greene and Elissa DeNunzio ’18 managed to sweep the diving events on both the one and three-meter platforms, with respective scores of 232.43 and 246.37 (Greene) and 216.08 and 233.95 (DeNunzio). Sophia Allen ’19 finished in second behind DeNunzio in both events as well.
Just as in the Springfield meet, at Colby “[the teams] raced in a sprint format and had a positive outcome,” Head Coach Bob Rueppel said.
Middlebury opened the meet with men’s and women’s victories in the 200 medley relay. Leech, Pla, Dowling and Lagasse swam a 1:41.33 for the men, while the women’s lineup of Bartholomae, MacCowatt, Griffin and Wyer clocked in at 1:52.38 for first place.
In a repeat of the Springfield meet, Cheuk, Cho, Koenigsberger, Leech and McLaughlin swam to first in the 50 fly, 50 back, 50 breast, 100 back and 100 free, respectively. Cheuk also claimed the 50 free title with a time of 22.57.
Like McGean on the men’s side, Alaina Pribis ’19 won both the women’s 500 free (5:22.50) and 1000 free (11:04.17). In fact, the Middlebury women bested Colby in all freestyle races: Burke won the 200 free (1:59.76), Andrews the 100 (56.18) and Griffin the 50 (25.92).
Butterfly was a similar story, as Griffin swam to another victory in the 50 fly (27.47) and Lily Sawyer ’16 won the 100 (1:00.55). Meanwhile, Wyer claimed both the 50 and 100 back (29.19 and 1:00.29) and Stimson swam a 1:03.10 to win the 100 IM.
The Colby meet finished just as it had started, with wins in the 200 free relay by Lagasse, Leech, McLaughlin and Cheuk for the men (1:30.49), and Burke, MacCowatt, Catherine Pollack ’19 and Andrews for the women (1:43.56).
The Panthers travelled south to take on Bates on Sunday, Jan. 10. The 14th-ranked Bates women beat the Panthers 201-99, while Middlebury’s men’s team lost 183-111.
“Bates [was a] challenge [because they were] waiting for us rested, while we returned from the training trip 32 hours [before heading] to Maine. I was extremely pleased with our preparation and demeanor that day,” Rueppel said.
Middlebury finished strong in the first and longest event of the day; Andrew Rosenthal ’16 swam the almost mile-long 1650 free with a time of 17:19.52 to come in second to McGean (16:28.34). For the women, Lucy Scott ’16 clocked an 18:07.14 in the 1650 to place second.
McGean also won the 500 free in 4:50.21, and Rosenthal touched the wall 9.81 seconds later for third place.
Koenigsberger claimed the only other men’s victory in the 200 breast (2:13.20), and got second in 100 breast (1:00.98).
Koenigsberger’s was just one of the many second place finishes for the men that day; others included performances by Morgan Matsuda ’19 in the 400 IM (4:23.03), Dowling in the 200 fly (2:03.93), Connor McCormick ’18 in the 200 free (1:47.84), Leech in the 100 (54.59) and 200 back (2:01.42), and Cheuk in the 50 free (22.12).
Greene continued his winning streak on the diving end of things with a score of 221.15 on the one-meter platform and 219.55 on the three. Meanwhile, DeNunzio earned points for the women with her second and third-place scores of 202.85 on the one-meter and 208.80 on the three-meter.
On the women’s swim team, Burke and Bartholomae each placed second in the 50 free (25.30) and 100 back (1:01.86), respectively.
Burke swam to first in the 100 free with a 54.92-second time, and Wyer dominated both the 200 free (1:56.23) and 200 back (2:09.21).
Burke, Wyer, Griffin and Andrews helped close out the meet on a positive note for the Panthers, besting Bates with a 1:40.66 in the 200 free relay.
Finally, the Panther men and women bested the Union Dutchmen 150-88 and 140-99, respectively, at home this past Saturday, Jan. 16.
As usual, McGean claimed the 500 and 1000 free, while Lagasse won the 100 free (49.06) and Koenigsberger sprinted a 22.34 to win the 50 free. Cheuk, McLaughlin, Leech and Lagasse went on to lead the 400 free relay as well (3:16.93).
Rosenthal’s 200 fly clocked in at 2:00.71 to win the event, and Middlebury’s 400 medley relay team of Leech, Koenigsberger, Cheuk and Lagasse beat Union by 4.84 seconds.
Representing the women, Bartholomae, Jennifer Koide ’17, Griffin and Kristin Karpowicz ’19 opened the meet by winning the 400 medley relay in 4:07.79.
Angela Riggins ’19 and Scott earned first in the long-distance 1000 and 500 free events with respective times of 11:17.00 and 5:20.30. Caitlin Carroll ’17 and Stimson were able to win the 200 fly (2:16.19, Carroll), 400 IM (4:47.58, Stimson) and 200 breast (2:31.79, Stimson).
In the deep end of the pool, DeNunzio placed second in both the one and three-meter diving events, scoring 207.83 and 239.40, respectively. In men’s diving, Greene earned third in both events with scores of 232.13 and 245.70.
After finishing first in more than half of their contested events in the last four meets, men’s and women’s swimming and diving each have a season record of 3-4.
Moving forward, “training will be very specific,” said Rueppel, who is confident that “all will come together if [the team] competes instinctively.”
The Panthers will travel to Williams this Saturday, Jan. 23 for a dual meet against the defending NESCAC champions.
(01/21/16 12:29am)
The Middlebury women’s hockey team skated to three wins, two ties and two losses over winter break, bringing their overall record to 7-3-3 and placing them at third in the NESCAC, behind first-ranked Amherst and second-ranked Williams.
Middlebury’s tense first matchup against Castleton on Saturday, Dec. 12, driven into overtime by a late Castleton goal with three and a half seconds left in the third period, marked the second loss of the season. Kelly Sherman ’17 placed her third goal of the year to give Middlebury the early lead 3:50 into the first period, and the Panthers went unanswered for the rest of the period. In the second, Maddie Winslow ’18 made two quick attempts at goals but was denied by Spartan netminder Jess Cameron.
Middlebury took a 2-0 lead on the power play at 9:51 with a rebound shot by Anna Van Kula ’16. But with just 28 seconds left in the second, Castleton struck back to make it a one-goal game. The Spartans dominated the third period, with goalie Cameron blocking a formidable shot by Janka Hlinka ’18 on a three-on-none break. With Cameron pulled in favor of an extra attacker, the Spartans tied the game with seconds remaining, forcing overtime. Only 1:53 into the extra session, Castleton went on the power play, and with an innocent shot at 3:18 that slipped past Middlebury goalie Julia Neuburger ’18, took home the win.
After a break from NCAA play, the women’s squad returned on Tuesday, Jan. 5 to host a formidable Lake Forest team in Chip Kenyon ’85 Arena, where the Panthers handed Lake Forest their first loss of the season in a spectacular showing of grit. Lake Forest entered the game with the nation’s top power play — at 41 percent — and was only one of four teams without a loss.
Ten minutes into the first period, alternate captain Katie Mandigo ’16 placed a loose puck into the slot to give Middlebury an early lead. Netminder Neuberger blocked three attempts by the Foresters in the final five minutes of the period. But 2:34 into the second, the Foresters answered.
The deciding goal of the game came 7:57 into the third, when Van Kula placed her third shot of the season off the rebound. The Panthers tried to bolster their lead on three power plays in the final eight minutes — including a five-on-three — but Lake Forest netminder Allie Carter did not falter. The Foresters pulled Carter with 49 seconds left and sent two aggressive attempts to the slot, but a blocked shot by Winslow and a crucial save by Neuberger preserved a Panthers’ victory.
“Beating Lake Forest was a good start for us coming back after break,” Van Kula said. “We played well for a full 60 minutes and were able to hand them their first loss of the season.”
The Panthers returned to NESCAC play on Jan. 8 for a two-game matchup in Amherst, Mass., against Amherst. A scoreless first period came and went, but early in the second Winslow redirected an attempt from Shanna Hickman ’19 to score her team-leading fourth of the season. Winslow was named NESCAC player of the week earlier in the season.
The Lord Jeffs were quick to answer just a minute later, as Katelyn Pantera led a power play drive to the Panther slot. And later, Sara Culhane finished a valiant drive from Amherst after a Panther turnover turned into a three-on-one play, giving Amherst a 2-1 lead. Early in the third, though, Allie Aiello ’17 scored her first goal of the season to force overtime and ultimately to secure a tie after a scoreless extra session.
A day later, the two squads returned to the ice, hoping to secure a win in the series but tying again, this time with a 3-3 score. Late in the second period, Jessica Young ’18 placed the first point on the board after intercepting a pass from an Amherst defender in the offensive zone and firing a point-blank shot. Just a minute later, Jocelyn Hunyadi responded for the Lord Jeffs on the power play.
The third period was high-scoring as Amherst scored two goals in the first nine minutes, one of which came when Erin Martin won a faceoff in her defensive end, skated the full length of the ice, and sent the puck past Neuberger. Trailing 1-3, Middlebury staged a comeback with shots by Victoria Laven ’17 and Elizabeth Wulf ’18. The Panthers put six shots on the Amherst frame in the overtime period, including hitting the pipe in the final minute, but neither team scored leading to the 3-3 tie.
In Plattsburgh, N.Y., on Jan. 12, Middlebury suffered a 3-0 loss against top-ranked Plattsburgh State (13-0). Melissa Sheeran converted on a rebound of an initial Erin Brand slapshot from the point to give Plattsburgh State a 1-0 advantage 1:07 into the second period. Brand would be on the receiving end of another primary assist to give Plattsburgh a 2-0 edge at 11:27 of the same period. Brand took a slapshot from the point that bounced off Panther goaltender Neuburger over her shoulder and into the crease where Kayla Meneghin knocked it in. Capitalizing on an empty Panther net, Kayla Meneghin scored her second of the game coming via the empty netter with 10 seconds left in regulation to seal a tough, but expected, loss for Middlebury.
Coming off the loss, the Panthers hosted Utica on Jan. 15 in Kenyon Arena and posted a 2-1 win with a strong debut by the freshman squad. Rachael St. Clair ’19 and Katarina Shuchuk ’19 each scored their first career goals and Kiana Verplancke ’19 made 25 saves for her initial collegiate victory. The Panthers made two early scoring bids in the first period on two power plays, but Utica goalie Amanda Lupo blocked both shots.
The Utica Pioneers took their turn on the power play midway through the period, with Elizabeth Dohner placing a rebound into the top corner of the Panther net. But the Panthers pulled even late in the period, when St. Clair collected a rebound on a shot by Katherine Jackson ’19 and tied the game at 1-1.
Middlebury scored the game-winning goal at the 17:08 mark of second, when Jenna Marotta ’19 directed a shot on goal, which was tipped in by Shuchuk to give the Panthers an unanswered 2-1 lead. Utica twice pulled the goalie in the final 1:09 to get the equalizer, but the Panthers held strong to prevent the Pioneers from setting anything up.
“We have a very young team this year but have seen lots of improvement since we started in November,” Van Kula said.
Bolstered by the victory, the women’s squad returned to Kenyon Arena to crush Endicott College 5-0. The Panthers were aggressive in the first period, and Winslow made the first goal on the power play for her fifth of the season.
Middlebury broke through for three goals in the middle period, one each by Jackson, St. Clair and Haley LaFontaine ’18. The goal was LaFontaine’s first as a Panther.
A breakout pass created a two-on-one advantage for the Panthers as Winslow set up Jackson for her second of the game and a 4-0 lead (14:33). Young netted the final goal 5:00 into the third period, bringing the score to 5-0.
“The team is working hard to improve on a daily basis,” Head Coach Bill Mandigo said. “We have had three good weeks of practice and have played some very good teams. We played well against Lake Forest and Plattsburgh, but only came away with the victory against Lake Forest. Different players are having an impact and I have been very impressed with our freshmen.”
Van Kula is excited for NESCAC play, stating “we have had a good start to the new year and are looking to build on that in our upcoming NESCAC games.”
The Panthers (3-0-3 in conference) will host a two-game homestand this weekend against the Bowdoin Polar Bears (3-3), beginning Friday at 7 p.m. and ending Saturday at 3 p.m., and then will face the Hamilton Continentals (2-2-2) in Clinton, N.Y., on Jan. 29 and 30.
(01/21/16 12:25am)
Distrust of scientific experts is widespread in the United States. It fuels the anti-vaccine, climate change denial and creationist movements, to name only a few of its most noticeable consequences. Why is there pervasive distrust, when is it justified and what can scientists do to combat it? The George Nye and Anne Walker Boardman Professor of Mental and Moral Science Heidi Grasswick explored these questions on Wednesday, Jan. 13 in a lecture titled “In Science We Trust! – Or Not? Developing a situated account of responsible trust in scientific experts.”
Grasswick began by exploring a number of cases of scientific distrust. A growing number of parents in the United States have stopped vaccinating their children after a now discredited report linked the MMR vaccine to autism, despite the reassurances of the medical and scientific communities. Close to 25 percent of Americans do not believe that global warming is real.
“Scientists are often surprised or dismayed when their work is met with distrust or rejection by members of the general public,” Grasswick said. “As far as they are concerned, they are engaged in the most robust form of knowledge generation available. They are the experts on their topics, and it seems to follow that non-experts should follow what they have to say. Furthermore, since sound policy making needs to based on sound science, it’s deeply worrisome that trust in science is not widespread.”
However, because the scientific community sometimes makes mistakes or acts irresponsibly, distrust can be warranted. For instance, during the Tuskegee syphilis experiment from 1932 to 1972, scientists studied the effects of untreated syphilis on hundreds of black men even after penicillin was discovered as a viable treatment. Thalidomide, a morning sickness drug, was given to tens of thousands of women during the 1950s, causing thousands of infants to be born with malformed limbs. Even the people most trusting of the scientific community often roll their eyes at trending diets and seemingly arbitrary nutrition suggestions.
“While widespread distrust in science is worrisome, what’s perhaps more worrisome is that epistemologically distrust in science can be understood to be well grounded,” Grasswick said. “Although scientists are rightly concerned about scientific distrust, they should be even more concerned that despite their best intentions, scientists are not always as trustworthy as they suppose. There may be times when people are too trusting. This is where my interest lies as an epistemologist.”
Grasswick then made a case for developing a better understanding of responsible trust and when and why the public should trust scientific experts. She explained that ideally, trust should match the trustworthiness of the provider, and that it is important to focus on what makes a provider trustworthy.
Some scientists and philosophers believe that the solution is the information deficient model, which claims that distrust will decrease when we increase scientific literacy, either by teaching people about specific scientific issues or about the scientific method. This way, the theory goes, people have enough knowledge to judge data and evidence and determine the trustworthiness of a source for themselves.
While Grasswick agreed that increasing scientific literacy is important, she noted that other forces are at play. Psychologists have long known about motivated reasoning, the idea that, given the same information, people with opposing ideologies will interpret data differently, searching for evidence that reaffirms their preexisting beliefs. Grasswick also pointed out that lack of knowledge does not necessarily cause distrust; rather, distrust can occur when the scientific community does not understand a group’s concerns.
Grasswick placed more importance on understanding the idea of a trustworthy testimony, and defined a few components of trustworthiness.
“Someone listening to a testimony will judge whether or not the expert is competent and sincere,” she said. “The sincerity requirement indicates a relationship between the speaker and the hearer, and an attitude toward the person with information. When the knowledge in question is significant to the hearer, the relationship must be more robust to support the depth and breadth of the person making themselves vulnerable.”
The idea of trustworthiness being interpersonal opens up the possibility that different populations could have varying levels of distrust based on their historical interactions with the scientific community. The experience of being marginalized or subordinated could contribute to the warranted distrust of a community. Therefore, it is the character of institutions, and not necessarily the quality of the knowledge they generate, that inspires trust from people.
Emphasizing that the purpose of her presentation was to raise important questions, Grasswick stressed that every issue differed from one another.
“It’s obvious to me that scientific literacy is not the simple solution, because trust in the information is not all that is required,” Grasswick said. “More attention needs to be paid to differences in situation, and whom we are trustworthy to. We need to think about the legacy of the injustices in the history of science. And we definitely need to make sure there are no more failures of trust, or keep their numbers down because they can do huge damage. It gives us one more reason why racism and sexism and other forms of prejudice need to be eliminated from the practice of science.”
(01/21/16 12:19am)
The men’s basketball team has played its best basketball of the season since the calendar turned to 2016 and, after a recent weekend sweep, are in the hunt for a home playoff game in NESCACs with a 3-1 conference record and 9-7 mark overall.
Middlebury ended its 2015 schedule with a blowout over usually tough Plattsburgh State. To begin the new year, the Panthers fell on the road against a tough Endicott team on Jan. 2, but since then have gone 4-1 and established themselves as contenders in the NESCAC. The highlights have come against last year’s NESCAC Champion Wesleyan, No. 18 Tufts and a Bates squad that the Panthers had not beaten in three years. In defeating Tufts and Bates, Matt St. Amour ’17 was named NESCAC Player of the Week by averaging 17.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Middlebury also took down in-state opponent Southern Vermont on Jan. 4.
The Panthers opened NESCAC play with an 86-76 road win over Wesleyan University. The Cardinals entered last season’s NESCAC tournament as the No. 6 seed, but went on an incredible run and won the tournament. After their postseason success, Wesleyan was expected to compete once again for a NESCAC title. A year ago, Middlebury’s 97-60 beatdown of the Cardinals in Pepin Gymnasium seemed to galvanize Wesleyan on their championship run. This time around, the Panthers 86-76 victory over Wesleyan on Friday, Jan. 8 seems to have initiated the Cardinals’ recent struggles.
Wesleyan took a 14-2 lead less than five minutes into the game. At that time, Head Coach Jeff Brown brought all three of his first-years into the game and sparked a Panther comeback. Hilal Dahleh ’19, Zach Baines ’19 and Eric McCord ’19 combined for 24 points and 12 boards off of the bench.
The Panthers began the second half down 37-30 but quickly tied the game at 39 and went back and forth with the Cardinals for most of the second half. With 6:40 left in the game, Wesleyan stretched the lead to five, but that was as large as the lead would get as Middlebury began to chip away. An 11-3 Panthers run sparked by a pair of Jack Daly ’18 free throws that put the nail in the coffin of the Cardinals. A 22-25 performance from the charity stripe helped finish off Wesleyan and seal the 10-point victory, an anomalous performance for the team with the worst free throw percentage in the NESCAC.
“(Free throw shooting) was huge in our Wesleyan win, at Wesleyan,” Coach Brown said. “But it is a weakness of our team right now, just getting to the line and consistently making one-and-ones.”
After taking down the Cardinals, the Panthers were favored to best the Connecticut College Camels the following afternoon, but the upstart Camels surprised Middlebury with an 82-81 win. Despite perennially being at the bottom of the NESCAC, Conn. College has played the Panthers tough the last two seasons, losing by a combined seven points. This time around, the Camels finally got by the Panthers.
Once again, Middlebury started slow, falling behind 21-13 less than halfway through the first half. The Camels ran their lead all the way to 16 points with 4:08 to go in the half and went into the break up by eight.
St. Amour made a bevy of three-pointers early in the second in an attempt to bring the Panthers back into it and, with 59 seconds remaining, led 81-80. With 16 seconds remaining, Conn College Point Guard Tyler Rowe scored the deciding bucket on a runner, and the Panthers were unable to respond on the other end, sealing their fate.
With almost an entire week off to prepare for a home weekend, Middlebury was ready for the nationally-ranked Tufts Jumbos on Friday, Jan. 15 and just outlasted the visitors 85-82 in a thrilling overtime game. With top big man Matt Daley ’16 out with a foot injury, Middlebury had its work cut out for it. Tufts boasts arguably the best post player and second-best scorer in the league in junior center Tom Palleschi and sophomore point guard Vinny Pace. The Jumbos were bit by the injury bug, as well, as senior guard Ryan Spadaford - averaging 11.9 points per game - had to sit out with an ankle injury.
Jack Daly ’18 did a great job slowing down the lethal Pace in the first half, holding the sophomore to seven points on 2-5 shooting. Without Daley, McCord, Nick Tarantino ’18 and Adisa Majors ’18 were asked to fill the void and did so admirably. Coach Brown rotated the trio of young big men frequently to keep them fresh, and their tenacity paid off on the defensive end. Tarantino snagged nine rebounds in as many minutes, and all three did well to stymie Palleschi.
“The biggest thing (without Matt Daley),” Coach Brown said,” is that we were looking to double team Palleschi inside ... and just not allowing him to work one-on-one.”
Also on the defensive end, the long and athletic Baines introduced himself to the Middlebury faithful with a pin against the backboard on a Vinny Pace layup attempt midway through the second half.
“(Zach Baines) is an elite talent athletically, and a piece of that is his wingspan,” Coach Brown said. “He’s got the wingspan of a seven-footer.”
The game was incredibly balanced throughout as neither team lead by more than eight and both squads performed comparably in nearly every statistic. At halftime they were knotted up at 40 apiece, and a block by McCord prevented a three-point attempt from Pace at the end of regulation, sending the game into OT.
St. Amour put the team on his back in the extra period, scoring nine of the team’s 13 points. The Jumbos would not go quietly, though, and relied on their stars in the final period. Pace scored five points and Palleschi made a three-pointer, and Tufts had a chance to tie on the final possession. Pace had the ball beyond the arc but passed up a contested shot attempt to a wide open Stephen Haladyna in the left corner. Haladyna’s shot looked good but it ended up slightly right of the mark, clanged off the rim, and bounced away, clinching an 85-82 victory for the Panthers.
Riding high off of this upset, Middlebury stormed into Pepin the next day, took the lead a little over halfway through the first half, and got the best of a pesky Bates team. Bates has frustrated the Panthers recently. A year ago, a gastrointestinal infection decimated the Panthers roster on the day of the game against Bates, and still Middlebury battled to a four-point loss. Two years ago, since-graduated Graham Safford of Bates drilled a game-winning three from straightaway in Pepin to finish off the Panthers. The previous year’s game was a three-point win for Middlebury. On this Saturday, though, the Panthers got their revenge by defeating the Bobcats 73-61.
Still without Daley, Coach Brown leaned on a similar strategy as the night before, relying on a revolving door in the front court against Bates’ Delpeche twins who each stand over 6’6,” and on Daly to shut down the opponent’s top scorer, senior Mike Boornazian.
“We wanted to double team some in the post because of the Delpeche teams,” Coach Brown said, “who really have a lot of length and athleticism, but again I thought Jack (Daly) did a terrific job on Boornazian. He really made (Boornazian’s) offense really tough to come by.”
On the offensive end, St. Amour was his usual self, canning three three-pointers en route to 17 points while Daly and Jake Brown ’17 combined for 11 assists. Majors tallied 10 points off of the bench.
The Panthers remain at home this weekend and will welcome the currently 11-5 Williams College Ephs, who pummelled the Panthers last season, 87-62.
(01/21/16 12:16am)
The indoor competition season is now in full swing for the Panther track and field teams after the school hosted the inaugural Middlebury Winter Classic, the first such event held in the new Virtue Field House since its opening in January 2015. Before a packed house that included numerous alumni of the program, as well as the usual crowd of parents and spectators, the meet ran very smoothly for the Panthers. The men dusted the competition with a total of 260 points, 111 better than second-place Springfield, while the women scored a resounding victory of their own, racking up 257.5 points, 41 ahead of Springfield, who came in second once again.
The weekend before that, Middlebury had sent a small contingent of runners who had been able to find practice facilities over the winter break to the Dartmouth Relays in Hanover, NH. Head Coach Martin Beatty ’84 had only positive things to say: “The group did very well. The Dartmouth meet has Division I athletes, so it is always fun to go against that level. At this point in the season, the performances were where they should be, or even a little bit better.”
For the Panthers, the instant celebrities of the event were the four members of the winning 4x200 relay team — Jeremy Carter ’17, Brandon Cushman ’16, Paul Malloy ’18, and Alex Nichols ’17 — who came in first overall with a time of 1:35.23 (1.58 seconds ahead of the second-place team). “The 4x200 win at Dartmouth was totally unexpected,” said Cushman, also a captain of this year’s squad. “A lot of our faster 200-meter guys were still away on break for the race, so the quartet was made up of mostly 400-meter runners looking to get some speed work in. We were surprised to be placed in the fast heat to begin with … So you can imagine our surprise when we crossed the line in first.” When the dust had settled after all the events, the men tied for 8th out of 16 teams while the women snagged eighth out of 19 competing schools.
Still, the elation following the Dartmouth Relays was overshadowed by the buzz generated by this past weekend’s home meet. Before the main events got underway, Coach Beatty decided to let some of the alumni get the first crack at the new surface as thanks for their continued support. “Supportive alumni made this indoor track event happen,” he noted. “In that spirit, I felt that it would be fitting to invite the alumni to run in the very first running races. They didn’t have such a facility, so I wanted them to feel proud of it — it’s theirs as well.”
Current members of the team were equally excited by the inaugural event that, according to Cushman, had been a long time coming. “Saturday was an incredible experience,” he said. “Hosting the first home meet on the track meant a lot to everyone on the team. The seniors were especially excited because we have seen this project through from the beginning, moving from the old bubble into Nelson and finally into the new field house. The alumni only made the day even better. It made you feel the team was more than just the athletes that are here.”
The Panthers found success across the board on their home turf, picking up victories in a total of seventeen events. Of those, the men won nine: the 200-meter dash (Nichols at 23.15), the 400-meter dash (Jimmy Martinez ’19 at 50.60), the 1,000-meter run (Andrew Michelson ’19 at 2:40.7), the 1-mile run (Kevin Serrao ’18 at 4:26.38), the 3,000-meter run (Brian Rich ’17 at 8:59.14), the 60-meter hurdles (Tyler Farrell ’18 at 8.76), the 4x400 relay (Farrell, Nichols, Cushman and Martinez at 3:29.76), the pole vault (John Natalone ’19 at 14’5.25”) and the shot put (Daniel Plunkett ’16 at 46’2.75”).
The women came away with eight victories of their own, including a school record in the 500-meter dash set by Lucy Lang ’19 (1:17.55). The other wins were as follows: the 400-meter dash (Alexandra Morris ’16 at 58.00), the 800-meter run (Isabella Alfaro ’18 at 2:26,02), the 1000-meter run (Robin Vincent ’18 at 3:05.40), the 1-mile run (Vincent again at 5:13.33), the 3,000-meter run (Adrian Walsh ’18 at 10:25.83), the 4x400 relay (Morris, Lang, Paige Fernandez ’17 and Halle Gustafson ’16 at 4:04.97) and the pole vault (Kreager Taber ’19 at 10’6”).
At the end of the day, Cushman felt good about the team coming out of the meet. “It’s hard to get a good impression from the team as a whole this early in the season because Saturday was the first meet for a majority of the team,” he conceded. “But I’m really pleased with how well our team competed during the meet. To my knowledge, there weren’t many people who were disappointed in their performances, which starts the season off on a really good note.” The Panthers will look to continue their success at Saturday’s Smith Invitational in Northampton, Mass. before they come back for another home meet, the Middlebury Invitational, on Jan. 29 and 30.
(12/10/15 2:18am)
Planet X is in the early stages of human development. Should it adopt communism or capitalism?
This motion was debated in the final round of the 2015 Oxford Inter-Varsity Debating Competition. On the weekend of Nov. 13, the Middlebury Debate Society sent its three most experienced debaters to compete in this prestigious event. The society is a student-run organization that brings together students who love to argue for and think about both sides of a polarizing issue.
This fall, the Society sent students to England to compete at the Oxford Tournament, Cambridge Tournament and Cambridge Women’s Tournament. These three events are among the most esteemed debate competitions in the world, bringing together debaters from many different countries.
The competitions are held in the British Parliamentary Style, a common form of academic debate. In this format, debaters are presented with the topic, called a “motion,” and assigned a stance only fifteen minutes before the debate. They fulfill one of four roles, the “opening government,” “opening opposition,” “closing government,” or “closing opposition.” In this short period of time, each student prepares a seven-minute speech that they will use to try and sway the judges. Debaters need to be ready to argue for or against any motion that is thrown their way.
Elizabeth Lee ’17 is president of the Middlebury Debate Society and attended all three of the international competitions. “What you really have to do is learn a lot about what’s going on in the world right now and understand the most prominent theories in philosophy,” she explained. Staying up to date with current events is key when preparing for a competition. “The Economist is the debater’s favorite news source,” Lee added.
The motions that were considered at these events spanned such diverse topics as the feminist movement, climate engineering and whether or not Western democracies should abandon an Olympics hosted by Russia.
“One idea that I really liked [debating] was a right to emigration,” Lee recalled. Students discussed whether a government should pay for people to immigrate to a different country if they can’t afford it themselves. The central question became whether or not the failure to fund such a trip would be comparable to forcing someone to stay somewhere they don’t want to be. “If you have a fundamental disagreement with the country you’re living in, presumably you should be able to leave that society,” Lee reflected.
From Dec. 27 to Jan. 4, the Middlebury Debate Society will be sending students to the World Universities Debating Championship. This is the largest debate tournament in the world and some of the best debaters from every continent will compete. Every year it is held in a different country. Last year it was hosted in Selangor, Malaysia and this winter it will be in the historical port city of Thessaloniki, Greece. Over 70 different nations will be represented.
“Getting to know people from all over the world that share your passion for debate is great,” Lee added. There are some clear differences in the way that teams prepare for the competition, of course. At several universities in England, for example, a debate society comes with it’s own exclusive union, grand chamber, and library. The benefit of the international tournaments is that societies like these will encounter groups that are less formal in their approach. There is more than one way to argue persuasively. “Staying in the U.S., you don’t realize that there are so many different styles of debate, and that they are all very effective,” Lee explained.
The Middlebury Debate Society also participates in events closer to home. About once a week the students attend a domestic debate tournament. And during J-term, Middlebury will be hosting it’s own event. The 2016 Middlebury Debate Invitational will take place the weekend of Jan. 16 and will include college teams from all over the East Coast.
No previous debating experience is needed to join the Middlebury Debate Society. Getting involved with the organization can be a rewarding experience for those who want to think about today’s biggest questions as well as those who are more interested in the competitive aspect. Lee explained, “It’s a lot of work, but it’s really worth it. We have a really great community. We put on social events and are trying to find ways to foster dialogue.” The Debate Society is currently working with President Laurie Patton to plan a joint event that would encourage controversial conversations.
If you are someone looking forward to debating today’s most pressing questions around the dinner table this holiday season, the Middlebury Debate Society might be just the place for you.
(12/09/15 8:05pm)
After a hot 3-0 start to the season that featured a beatdown over Oneonta St. and two nail-biting victories against Hartwick and at in-state opponent Johnson St., the Middlebury women’s basketball team suffered its first loss this season at Skidmore, 63-60. After beating the Thoroughbreds last year by just three points, the Panthers had hoped they could repeat the same feat, but excessive turnovers proved to be Middlebury’s downfall.
The Panthers trailed for all but 29 seconds of the first half, eventually entering halftime down 32-26 after a 9-6 Skidmore run right before the half.
The Thoroughbreds stretched the lead to 10 multiple times in the third quarter, but Middlebury refused to die.
A 15-3 run early in the fourth quarter gave Middlebury a late one-point lead, 56-55, with 4:09 to play. With both teams locking down on the defensive end, points were hard to come by down the stretch. Skidmore’s Veronica Moceri hit a three-pointer to give the Thoroughbreds the lead once more, but Rachel Collins ’18 nailed a jump shot to tie the game at 58.
Moceri came up huge for Skidmore once again, hitting a three-pointer to go up three with 51 seconds left in the fourth. Catherine Harrison ’19 then hit two quick free throws to bring the Panthers within one before fouling to extend the game. Skidmore made what could have been a deadly mistake, turning the ball over with 13 seconds to play. Middlebury got a look at a go-ahead layup with eight seconds remaining but could not capitalize. Skidmore’s Kelly Donnelly hit two free throws to make it a three-point game once again. Panther point guard Sarah Kaufman ’18 had a chance to tie the game and send it to overtime, but her desperation three point attempt missed the mark.
The Middlebury team that got off the bus in Saratoga seemed to have been a different team than the one that went undefeated in the month of November. The Panthers turned the ball over an insane 28 times and Skidmore was able to convert those miscues into 32 points. Middlebury far surpassed its average of 19.0 turnovers per game with that mark. Additionally, Skidmore’s bench outscored Midd 28-6.
Kaufman led all scorers with 20, while Harrison added 12, and both Eileen Daley ’18 and Collins had nine for the Panthers.
First-year phenom Harrison continued her unbelievable collegiate start grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds. Harrison is now averaging 14.0 points a game and 11.3 rebounds a game. She also is shooting an impressive 61.5 percent from the field. Harrison and Kaufman form a formidable 1-2 punch. The latter is averaging 17.8 points per game and is automatic from the line, shooting 83.3 percent.
The Panthers look to get back on the winning track Saturday, Dec. 11 in their home opener against Plattsburgh State at 2 p.m, and will play seven games between today and the first day of the Winter Term, including some holiday season action at the NYU Holiday Classic January 2 and 3. Everything leads up to the first weekend of conference play which will be at home for the Panthers as they square off against Wesleyan and Conn. College on Friday, Jan. 8 and Saturday, Jan. 9.
(12/09/15 8:02pm)
On Saturday, Dec. 5, the men’s and women’s squash teams headed to Clinton, New York to take part in matches at Hamilton College. The women’s squad bounced back from a tough loss to Cornell on Nov. 21 to defeat Hamilton 6-3, and the men’s team dominated both their opponents, Hamilton and Hobart, 9-0.
“Cornell was our opening match and our first trip traveling, so getting back into the swing of things as well as getting rid of all the nerves and anxiety of our opening match, was a big thing,” said Tiffany Hau ’16, a team captain.
With the women’s squad’s win over Hamilton, the fourteenth-ranked Panthers continued their streak of dominance over the Continentals, defeating them for the fourth consecutive time in three years. Middlebury swept all matches in the second through seventh slots on the ladder. Bea Kuijpers ’19 and Alexa Comai ’19 provided the Panthers with strong performances as they both captured their first victories of their college careers, (11-2, 11-3, 11-6) and (11-8, 11-5, 11-8) respectively, and captains Zoe Carey ’16 and Hau provided the Panthers with a punch in the top-middle of the ladder, winning their matches in the third and fourth spots, (12-10, 11-9, 11-2) and (11-6, 11-1, 11-5).
“I’ve really been working on my mental game,” Carey said. “During the Cornell match, once I convinced myself that I could win, I was better able to stay in points and give her a good fight. I was a bit more shaky due to nerves going into the Hamilton match against Lillie Simourian, but I won the big points when I had to and became more confident as the match progressed.”
Getting stronger going into January will be a key for the Panthers’ overall success going forward. They play important matches against Bates, ranked fifteenth-nationally, and Brown, ranked eleventh-nationally, on Jan. 8 and 16 respectively.
“We’ve been training really hard and our team has been really building confidence as the season is progressing,” Hau said. “It’s definitely always tough having the holiday break for winter sports,” Carey said.
“We have been training hard to improve our overall level of fitness,” Carey added. “I know this will show through during our matches against Bates and Brown.”
On the men’s side this weekend, the Panthers swept both Hamilton and Hobart 9-0. The team dropped only two games in its defeat of Hamilton and only three against Hobart.
The middle of the ladder continued to be a strength for the Panthers. Against Hamilton, Harrison Croll ’16 bounced back from losing his first game to take the next three and the win (9-11, 11-2, 11-6, 13-11). Henry Pearson ’17 dominated in the sixth slot (11-3, 11-3, 11-2), while first-year Robert Rohrbach ’19 earned a win in the ninth spot (11-4, 11-1, 12-10) his first collegiate action.
In the match against Hobart, co-Captain David Cromwell ’16 (11-7, 14-12, 13-11) and Wyatt French ’17 (11-1, 11-4, 11-6) swept their opponents to continue their winning ways in the second and third slots respectively.
Will Kurth ’18 continues to stand out at the bottom of the ladder for the Panthers throughout the early part of the season, sweeping both of his opponents (11-4, 11-7, 12-10) and (11-3, 11-6, 13-11).
“I was more fit than Dietz and I knew if I could focus on implementing my game plan I would beat him,” Kurth said. “When I think too critically about a part of my swing or my movement during a match, I tend to mess up strategically. This past weekend, I stopped worrying about the technicalities and just played my game. I felt like my old self and won defiantly. It gives me confidence to work super hard from now until January.”
Although he may show up lower on the lineup card than last season, Kurth provides insurance for the Panthers that they will win their matches at the bottom of the ladder.
“It’s important not to think selfishly and think of this as a good thing,” Kurth said. “It means other guys on the team have raised their game. My team has confidence that I will win my matches at the eighth position, and I plan to do just that.”
The squash teams are off until the end of the break when they travel to Maine to take on Bates on Friday, Jan. 8 and Colby and Hamilton on Saturday, Jan. 9 to start the critical stretch of their season.
“Bates, Bowdoin and Colby will be grueling matches that demand focused preparation and training,” Kurth said. “We are looking forward to the challenge, especially for another chance to beat Bates.”
(12/09/15 7:59pm)
The Middlebury women’s hockey team went 1-0-1 in their two-game homestand against Connecticut College this weekend at Chip Kenyon ’85 Arena, bringing their overall record to 4-1-1.
On Friday night, Middlebury broke a 2-2 tie in the third period to win 3-2 over the Camels.
Middlebury controlled the ice but not the scoreboard during the first period, putting seven of the first eight shots on goal but making none of them. Jenna Marotta ’19 took three shots during a Panther power play and Shanna Hickman ’19 sent back-to-back shots a minute later, but the Connecticut netminder let none through.
The Camels scored first, just before the end of the period. The Panthers responded early in the next period when Maddie Winslow ’18 corrected a shot by Janka Hlinka ’18. On the power play five minutes later, Elizabeth Wulf ’18 gave Middlebury the lead with a shot from the right.
Conn College answered late in the third period with a goal on the rebound to tie the game at 2-2. Just 49 seconds later, Carly Watson ’17 skated to a loose puck in the high slot and sent a rocket to the upper corner of the net, securing a win. Watson came off the ice with a goal and two assists for the Panthers.
“The game was a back and forth battle in regards to scoring, with both teams capitalizing on momentum shifts,” Watson said. “I thought we did a really good job of maintaining possession and controlling the game, which is very encouraging for being the beginning of the season with a very young team.”
The Camels could not capitalize on any of their three power plays. The Middlebury women played aggressively throughout the game, taking 33 shots on goal compared to Connecticut’s 19.
On Saturday, the Panthers and Camels went into overtime tied at 1-1, but neither team could score in the first overtime game for both teams.
Middlebury dominated the first period, leading Connecticut 14-7 in shots on goal, but could not convert any of those shots into a goal. The Panthers had two 2-on-1 opportunities in the offensive zone, first with a wrist shot by Kelly Sherman ’17 at 8:51 and then a shot from inside the circle by Allie Aiello ’17, but Connecticut’s goalie, Katherine Chester, stopped both.
Each of the teams scored its goal in the second period, two minutes apart from each other. The Camels were first on the scoreboard with a shot by Lily Connolly at 4:23. At 6:28, Katherine Jackson ’19 made an attempt that was blocked by Connecticut’s netminder, but Kelly Sherman ’17 placed the rebound right past the posts to bring the score even.
Six minutes later, Middlebury had two chances to take the lead, first with a slot shot by Jessica Young ’18 and a rebound hook by Aiello, but neither player could find the back of the net.
The rest of the third period was scoreless, although Middlebury was dangerous on the puck. The ladies had several textbook setups that they failed to complete. A Panther power play came at 13:52 on which Middlebury was unable to capitalize. Connecticut nearly took the win with less than a minute of play remaining, but Panther goaltender Kiana Verplancke ’19 blocked the scoring bid and the rebound went wide.
In overtime, Winslow had a chance to score the game-winning goal, but missed the puck. Julia Wardwell ’16 powered a shot from the left circle that Chester gloved. Midway through overtime, the Panthers looked poised to score, controlling the puck in the Conn College zone. Winslow passed to Wulf, but she could not track it down. Young had a powerful shot that missed near the post. Haley LaFontaine ’18 sent a wrist shot that careened just wide.
“The effort is there, we just need to find more ways to score,” Wardwell said. “I think it’s absolutely possible if we keep working hard and continue to shoot the puck.”
Connecticut had an excellent chance at scoring with 27 seconds left, but the puck went flying just over the net.
Both goaltenders put up a strong showing: Verplancke made 22 saves in her collegiate debut for the Panthers, while Katherine Chester made 31 for the Camels. Middlebury had 32 shots on goal, compared to 23 for Conn College.
“Chester defended her net well. We had a lot of good opportunities to bury the puck but unfortunately we could not capitalize,” Wardwell said. “We played with a lot of hustle, which was great, but we will keep pushing ourselves in practice to get better both individually and as a team.”
In the NESCAC rankings, Middlebury (3-0-1) dropped just behind Amherst (4-0), who muscled out a win against Trinity. The Panthers are still ranked third nationally, behind number two Elmira, who defeated them last week.
Middlebury returns to the ice next Saturday with a home game against Castleton at 3 p.m.
