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(01/14/15 4:36pm)
The fourth-ranked Middlebury women’s hockey team grabbed a pair of conference wins this Friday and Saturday, Jan. 9 and 10, defeating Wesleyan in both games of a weekend doubleheader on the Panthers’ home ice.
Entering the weekend’s games, the Panthers sat in third in the NESCAC conference standings at 3-1, as Amherst and Bowdoin remained unbeaten in league play. A pair of matchups with the 4-4 Cardinals presented a prime opportunity for the Panthers to gain ground on the Lord Jeffs and Polar Bears in the standings.
Middlebury did not let that opportunity get away from them. Friday’s weekend opener saw the Panthers start slow before riding a big first period to an easy 6-2 victory.
Wesleyan’s Jordan Schildhaus put her team on the board first, notching an unassisted goal at the seven-minute mark for the 1-0 advantage. From that point until the end of the opening period, the Middlebury skaters put four goals past the Wesleyan goalkeeper to give their team a decisive early lead. Elizabeth Wulf ’18 scored the first of those goals, with Allie Aiello ’17, Janka Hlinka ’18 and Kelly Sherman ’17 all finding the net before the first buzzer sounded.
Katie Mandigo ’16 made the score 5-1 with her third goal of the season midway through the second period, before a Wesleyan goal late in the period cut the Panther lead to four headed into the final period of play.
The third period was quiet on the scoring front, with Maddie Winslow ’18 scoring a power play goal at the 13-minute mark for the period’s only goal, bringing the score to the final 6-2 margin.
Middlebury outshot Wesleyan 25-16 in Friday’s game. The Panthers took advantage of both of their power play opportunities, scoring two of their six goals on the man-up advantage. The Cardinals, meanwhile, were 0-4 on the power play in the game.
Saturday’s game would not be such an easy win for the Panthers. The opening period saw the two teams locked in a hard-fought stalemate, with neither squad able to capitalize on the few scoring opportunities that they had. The buzzer sounded on the first period with the scoreboard still reading 0-0.
The Panthers broke through in the second minute of the second period, with Jessica Young ’18 converting a goal with assists from Carly Watson ’17 and Emily Fluke ’15. After Julia Wardwell ’16 was send to the penalty box for interference, Wesleyan scored just 18 minutes into the power play to knot the score at one apiece. A Middlebury man-up opportunity in the period’s final minutes would see the Panthers take the lead back, as Mandigo – assisted by Hlinka and Wardwell – snuck one past the Cardinal keeper.
The final period saw the teams trade power play opportunities, though neither team was able to convert. Wesleyan had one final opportunity to tie the score when Anna Van Kula ’16 took a tripping penalty with three minutes remaining on the clock, but the Middlebury penalty kill unity proved up to the task of defending the slim lead. After the Panthers killed off the penalty, Wardwell scored an empty-net goal – her first of the season – to give Middlebury the 3-1 victory in the game’s final minutes.
Middlebury again outshot Wesleyan in game two, this time by a 24-18 margin. Both teams struggled on the power play, combining to be 2-8 over the course of the game.
Back in action against Utica in a midweek contest on Tuesday, Jan. 13, the Panthers won their third game of the week, riding an overtime goal from Jessica Young ’18 to a 2-1 win.
Mandigo scored the Panthers’ first goal against Utica in the opening minutes of the second period. Utica was able to tie the score at one apiece in the third period, and the score would stay knotted until Young’s goal sent Middlebury to victory.
With the trio of wins, Middlebury advances to 8-2-1 overall on the season and 5-1 in NESCAC play. Because Bowdoin split their doubleheader against Connecticut College, the Panthers move up to second in the conference standings, now trailing only Amherst.
The Panthers have benefited this season from the strong play of many of their younger players. Underclassmen accounted for seven of the Panthers’ 11 goals during the week, with first-years scoring five of those goals.
Middlebury will need that production as they go up against Amherst this weekend. The Lord Jeffs – currently ranked ninth in the nation – remain undefeated in the conference, although they have not yet squared off with perennial contenders Middlebury or Bowdoin. The Panthers will host the Lord Jeffs on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 16 and 17, as both teams look to gain crucial conference wins in advance of postseason play.
(01/14/15 4:28pm)
With its victory in the conference opener Friday, Jan. 9 at home against Bates, the Middlebury women’s basketball team got its eighth victory of the season, one more than the seven that the team secured in 2013-14. Since the New Year began, the Panthers have gone 2-2, adding an exciting OT win over Anna Maria on Saturday, Jan. 3 and suffering losses at Plattsburgh St. on Tuesday, Jan. 6 and at home against Tufts on Sunday, Jan. 11.
Guard Sarah Kauffman ’18 not only played an impressive 41 minutes, but had a great shooting night against Anna Maria in the team’s first game of 2015, going 6-14 from the field and 3-5 from deep en route to scoring 15 points in the 64-59 OT win. The game was hotly contested throughout with 11 lead changes. The Panthers took a two-point lead into halftime on a Holly Lanchantin ’15 jump shot, but Anna Maria was able to fight back and had two free throws to take the lead with eight seconds left. Lindsay Bond of Anna Maria was only able to get one shot to fall, forcing the game into overtime.
In the extra period, Rachel Collins ’18 opened the scoring with a three-pointer, creating a lead that Middlebury never relinquished. Collins finished with nine points of her 15 points in overtime.
“I think the time off definitely showed in our first couple games in the New Year as we strugled to find our rhythm and defend well,” said captain Rachel Crews ’15. “In our Anna Maria game, we were struggling offensively as a team and Rachel (Collins) came in and hit some really big shots for us...In a game in which we really needed somebody to step up, it was great to see Rachel come in and hit those clutch shots.”
“It’s my job, as well as the job of all my teammates, to be ready whenever the coach and the team needs us,” said Collins. “I knew that if I provided a bit of an offensive spark through my shooting and passing that I would be able to help my team to a victory.”
Following the thrilling victory over Anna Maria, Middlebury fell hard to Plattsburgh State by a score of 79-58. The big difference was Plattsburgh’s dominance on the boards, as the Cardinals out rebounded Middlebury 48-33. Elizabeth Knox ’17, Siobhan O’Sullivan ’17, Crews and Kaufman all tallied 11 points in the loss. Knox also filled up the stat sheet with six assists, four rebounds and two blocks, while Kauffman pulled down eight boards of her own.
Middlebury had better luck in its next matchup, the first conference game of the year against a Bates team that provided the Panthers with their only conference win in 2013-14. Middlebury earned a nine-point win, 65-56, by shooting well from beyond the arc (6-13, 46.2 percent) and gathering 30 points in the paint. Knox gathered a game-high 21 points and added seven boards while Kauffman put together a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Alexis Coolidge ’15 gave Middlebury the lead with a lay up with 11:29 remaining in the first half, a lead that Middlebury held onto until the final buzzer and stretched to as many as 15 late in the first half.
“It was so important for us to get the first conference win,” said Crews. “Especially being such a young team, it was good for us to establish right from the start that we will be a competitive team in the NESCAC.”
The Panthers couldn’t keep the magic alive in their second NESCAC contest, a 57-37 loss against Tufts at home on Sunday, Jan. 11. Middlebury had their worst shooting performance of the season, making only 25.9 percent of its field goals while tallying a season-low in points. Middlebury was again out rebounded handily (46-36), but played solid defense, holding Tufts to 21-60 (35 percent) from the field and 5-22 (22.7 percent) from deep. Crews led the Panthers in scoring with 14 points on the strength of a 4-7 shooting night from beyond the arc. Knox managed eight points and six rebounds and Kauffman chipped in seven boards and seven assists to go with her six points.
“We competed with (Tufts) for the first 25 to 30 minutes of the game,” said Crews, “but they stepped up their defensive intensity in the last ten minutes and offensively we did not respond well. I think it was a good learning experience for our team.”
Middlebury returns to conference action with road games at Wesleyan (0-2 NESCAC) and Conn College (1-1 NESCAC) this weekend.
(12/03/14 11:18pm)
After I saw Mockingjay Part 1, I was a bit of an emotional wreck. Not because I love Peeta and couldn’t stand to see him hurt and turned evil or because Jennifer Lawrence’s acting was so moving, but because a lot of the movie resonated with so much of what is going on in the world today.
The Hunger Games series is more than just a blockbuster movie to consume and forget. Every scene is a powerful statement on the state of our world today. The poverty and dangerous working conditions shown in all the films are facts of life for billions around the world. Katniss loses her father in a mining accident and their family loses their primary source of income, forcing Katniss to illegally hunt for food. Her mother is depressed, but there are no services for her. All Katniss and her sister can do is try to survive.
In this latest film, life in a collapsed or collapsing state is on display. When Katniss visits the remnants of her home district, she starts climbing a hill and we all know what she will see on the other side. But the field of charred human remains, skeletons twisted and fused together by the heat of the bombs, still shocks us. My first thought was how hauntingly similar that image was to pictures from the Holocaust or from the Rwandan genocide. Mass killing and ethnic cleansing have occurred and are ongoing in many places around the world.
Later, Katniss visits a hospital where those injured in bombing by the capitol are taking cover. The care center is chaotic and the camera shows with alarming detail and clarity the wounds these victims have suffered. There are no modern medical supplies and Katniss walks by rows of corpses to get to the hospital entrance — they don’t have the staff or supplies to even move the bodies, much less care for all of the patients. Billions of people around the world have inadequate access to healthcare and even those who can reach hospitals often meet long wait lines and die of preventable, curable diseases like malaria and tuberculosis before they can receive treatment.
In one scene, the citizens of District 13 huddle in an underground bunker, jumping at the sound of every bomb the Capitol drops. How similar is this to stories of Pakistani children cowering in fear of US drone strikes?
The movie even promotes environmental awareness in the scene where Katniss chooses not to shoot a moose because it doesn’t flee from her advance. “They’ve never been hunted before,” Gale says, suggesting that there is something noble and magical about preserving nature.
Mockingjay is not fiction. It shows the reality that people around the world face every day — lives of fear, coercion and abuse by failing states. So while we’re enjoying the incredible cinematography or Jennifer Lawrence’s amazingness (she really is awesome), we also need to realize how the movie reflects the conditions we accept in our world and to be inspired and terrified by the sacrifice the rebels accept in their fight for a free state. That fight is real, and there are real ways we can join the fight to improve lives around the world.
Artwork by RICO
HANNAH BLACKBURN '17 is from Carrboro, N.C.
(12/03/14 10:27pm)
It was a busy two weeks for the Middlebury men’s hockey team. After a disappointing first weekend of action in which the Panthers lost to Bowdoin 6-0 and tied Colby 2-2 on the road, the team opened up their home schedule with games against NESCAC rivals Tufts and Connecticut College. The Panthers tied Tufts 2-2 and picked up their first win of the season against Conn. College with a score of 3-2. A week later the team played host to the 17th annual PrimeLink Great Northern Shootout where they lost to Concordia (Minn.) 4-3 and then lost the third-place game to Plattsburgh 4-2.
The Panthers’ home opener began exactly as the team hoped, after goaltender Liam Moorfield-Yee ’16 denied Tufts on a short-handed breakaway, George Ordway ’15 found Mike Najjar ’17 for a power play goal 13:50 into the first period, the team’s first power play conversion of the season. After dominating play throughout the first and second periods, Tufts scored with the two-man advantage three-quarters of the way through the second. Middlebury quickly countered just two minutes later when Vincent Gisonti ’18 scored his second goal of the season on a pass from Ronald Fishman ’16 to return the one-goal lead. Unfortunately, the Panther lead did not hold as Tufts tied it up with just over five minutes left in the third. Neither team was able to find a winner and the score remained 2-2 after the five minute overtime period. Middlebury outshot Tufts 41-25 in the game.
The next day, Saturday Nov. 22, the team was back on the ice at Kenyon Arena for an afternoon game against Connecticut College. Middlebury once again struck first as Najjar turned defense into offense by intercepting a Connecticut pass, skating it into the opposing zone, and wristing a shot into the top-right corner for his second goal of the season 11 minutes into the first. Following Najjar’s goal, the flow of play was firmly controlled by Middlebury as the Panthers outshot the Camels 26-13 in the first two periods. This dominance resulted in two quick goals in the second as Evan Neugold ’16 stuffed home a rebound from Max Greenwald ’16’s point shot and Ronald Fishman converted on the power play with a slap shot from just inside the blue line on a pass from Derek Pimentel ’15. The two goals came just 1:48 apart from each other, a third of the way through the second. Middlebury was then able to weather a strong Connecticut push in the third as goalie Liam Moorfield-Yee made a number of key saves and the team held on for a 3-2 victory, their first of the season.
Thanksgiving break was not as restful for the men’s hockey team as they had to prepare to host the 17th annual PrimeLink Great Northern Shootout that began just a day after Thanksgiving. The annual tournament features Middlebury, Plattsburgh, Norwich, and an invitational contender. This year’s invited team was Concordia College from Minnesota.
Game one of the tournament was closely contested, with great opportunities on both ends of the ice. Playing against the visiting Concordia College Cobbers, the Panthers fell behind early and were faced with a three goal deficit just 55 seconds into the second period. The game, however, was far from over as the Panthers struck three times in the second to tie it up. Co-captain Pimentel provided the team with a spark as he scored with a slap shot from the top of the right circle on the power play 2:10 into the second. Middlebury continued pressing and seven minutes later Brendan McGovern ’16 scored his first of the season with a well placed wrist shot into the top-right corner of the Concordia net. 55 seconds later, the game was all tied up. Ronald Fishman fed Mark McLellan ’18 with a pretty pass from behind the Concordia net and McLellan put it away with a one-timer. Concordia managed to regain the lead less than two minutes later on an unfortunate bounce as a Cobber pass went off of a Middlebury defender and past goaltender Liam Moorfield-Yee. The Panthers had several good opportunities to tie the game back up in the third but were unable to convert. After their 4-3 win Concordia went on to win the tournament.
There was no rest for the weary as the Panthers were forced to turn around and play Plattsburgh in the third-place game just 21 hours after their tough loss to Concordia. The team’s exhaustion was evident as they fell into a four-goal deficit by the midway point of the third period. When it seemed like the game was all but over, Middlebury rallied and scored on two straight power play opportunities two minutes apart from each other three-quarters of the way through the third. Jake Charles scored on a redirect of a Greenwald slap shot and Gisonti put home a rebound off the Concordia goaltender. The comeback fell short, however, and Middlebury lost 4-2.
Defenseman Fishman was named to the all-tournament team.
Fishman commented on the honor, as well as the team’s performance over the weekend.
“I can utilize this to perform to the best of my ability to help the team win games,” Fishman said. “I can see good things happening once we tighten up on our mistakes.”
The men’s hockey team is back in action on home ice for their last two games of 2014 this week. The Panthers play rival Amherst at 7 p.m. on Friday Dec. 5 and Hamilton at 4 p.m. on Saturday Dec. 6 in two important NESCAC divisional games.
(12/03/14 10:03pm)
2013-14 record: 7-17
Captains: Alexis Coolidge ’15, Rachel Crews ’15, Nora Kelly ’15
Following last year’s 7-17 record, the Middlebury women’s basketball team looks to rebuild in the 2014-15 season.
With the loss of Sarah Marcus ’14, Laura Lowry ’14 and Scarlett Kirk ’14 — the team’s three leading scorers — the Panthers must bolster the offensive effort this season. Returning members Elizabeth Knox ’17 and Rachel Crews ’15, who tallied 184 and 156 points respectively in 2013-14, will likely lead the charge on offense. Tri-captain Alexis Coolidge ’15 will also assume a leadership position, having contributed 111 points last season.
First-years Sarah Kaufman and Sabrina Weeks have made notable scoring contributions in the first five games of the season. In her second collegiate appearance, Kaufman set a program single-game record by sinking 20 free throws.
The new dynamic has proved successful thus far, as the team currently holds a 4-1 record, including a championship title in the season-opening Tyler Tip-Off Tournament.
KJ Krasco has joined Middlebury women’s basketball as head coach after three seasons as Bowdoin’s top assistant. Krasco, a successful recruiter in previous positions, “[looks] forward to the challenge of moving the women’s basketball program to the next level.” The Panthers will rely on Coach Krasco’s enthusiasm and leadership as they advance to face heightened competition in and out of conference.
The team will wrap up regular season play in February with six consecutive appearances against NESCAC rivals, including a final matchup against top-seeded Amherst. Pending on a successful in-conference record, Middlebury will appear in the league tournament for the first time since the 2012-13 season, in which they fell to Williams in the NESCAC Semifinal.
(12/03/14 9:58pm)
Nordic captains: Stella Holt ’15 & Heather Mooney ’15
Alpine captains: James Clifford ’15 (men) Mary Sackbauer ’15 (women)
The nordic ski teams spent Thanksgiving break at training camp in Quebec. Stella Holt ’15 and Heather Mooney ’15 were the only nordic team members to compete at last year’s national race where they helped the combined teams place 12th. All-American Ben Lustgarten ’14 was unable to race last year and has since graduated, leaving behind a young nordic team. The nordic team competed in a time trial against other schools in the east, and Holt commented, “[Mooney] won the women’s race by 12 seconds over a strong field of UVM and other EISA skiers. After skiing with her for part of the race, I can say she is looking incredibly strong going into this season and that this likely won’t be the last time we see her toward the top of the results this winter.” Kelsey Phinney ’16 finished 6th in that time trial and Holt finished 10th. On the men’s side, Patrick McElravey ’17 and Adam Luban ’17 finished 10th and 12th in the time trial.
The alpine team spent their Thanksgiving vacation in Colorado — “one of the most successful and fun camps that Middlebury has ever had,” according to captain Mary Sackbauer ’15. The Panthers return key racers in Yina Moe-Lange ’15, the lone Panther woman at nationals last year; Christopher McKenna ’17, who competed on the men’s side at nationals, and Rob Cone ’17, who has spent the last few years with the U.S. team. The men’s team graduated Hig Roberts ’14 and Nick Bailey ’14, also national racers, but looks to come back to the success they have had in recent years. Last year marked the end of a two-year winning streak in men’s slalom. The teams start the eastern carnival circuit on Jan. 16 with the Bates carnival.
“We have serious potential to be a major threat on the circuit and hopefully win a carnival,” Sackbauer said.
The season includes the Middlebury carnival on Feb. 13, the EISA championships the following weekend at St. Lawrence, and the NCAA champions in Lake Placid.
(11/20/14 12:43am)
The student production A Small, Good Thing, which ran from Nov. 13-15 in the Hepburn Zoo, grappled with topics of death, sorrow and despair as based on Raymond Carver’s 1989 short story of the same name. A piece of devised theater, the play was built from the evolving visions of the four-person cast, director Tosca Giustini ’15.5 and other contributing members of the theatre community.
During the intimate, hour-long performance, the audience of around 20 people sat in a rectangular arrangement that closely resembled a waiting room, complete with a table of books and magazines and a fake door in the corner. The play begins unconventionally, as Kathleen Gudas ’16.5 – presumably a woman trying to pass time before an appointment – picks up a book from her seat in the audience and starts to read aloud.
Scenes of a mother ordering a cake for her son’s birthday, a car hitting the boy on his way to school and his mother rushing him to the hospital quickly unfold through Gudas’ expressive narration. Meanwhile, the mother, played by Melissa MacDonald ’15, and father, acted by Eduardo Danino-Beck ’15, appear, bringing the story to life through emotionally charged dialogue and interpretive physical interactions. The chameleon of the cast, Kevin Benscheidt ’17, continuously crosses paths with them – first as a baker, and then as various doctors and nurses.
As the parents deal with heartbreaking hospital reports and mysterious, harassing phone calls that repeatedly reference their comatose son Scotty, the narrator’s words provide an engaging backdrop that seamlessly connect one difficult scene after another. In certain moments, Gudas chose to implicate herself within the story through reactionary facial expressions and physical proximity to characters. In others, she served as a more passive backdrop, watching the action unfold from a distance.
The waiting room-style setup created an interactive audience experience as actors ran between chairs during action-packed scenes, placing themselves within reach of audience members as they gathered props from under seats. Furthermore, the closeness served to envelop audience members within the emotional intensity of the story. With each facial expression, gesture and uttered word on full display, it was easy to sense the mother’s anguish, the father’s despair and the narrator’s increasing emotional investment in their heart-wrenching story.
A minimal use of props helped to further showcase the cast’s stellar acting skills. The child, Scotty, is represented by a white wooden box. MacDonald and Danino-Beck interact with it heavily throughout the play, caressing it, picking it up and gazing at it lovingly. During a hospital check-up scene, MacDonald, Danino-Beck and Benscheidt merge their bodies to mimic the sound and motion of a steady heartbeat in an evocative human representation of a stethoscope. In addition, during the many phone exchanges, the actors used no props, but rather conversed with each other from opposite ends of the stage. It is only during the last scene that one of the few real props appears: a plate of baked goods.
“I wanted the food to be literal rather than representative as an indication that the fantasy of the story is dying down,” Giustini said.
In these final moments, as the parents mourn Scotty’s recent passing, the meaning of the play’s title becomes clear as the baker wisely notes, “Eating is a small, good thing in a time like this.” The parents, who have barely eaten since Scotty was rushed to the hospital, scarf down the treats.
Despite the sad storyline, the cast tried to avoid “deadly” melodrama by injecting bits of light humor into the play. One hospital check-up features Benscheidt as a bumbling doctor with a ridiculously oversized mustache, which provoked laughter from the audience. Later, the wife walks into a bakery and makes the laughably obvious remark, “It smells like a bakery in here. Doesn’t it smell like a bakery in here, Howard?”
Improvisation of movement and dialogue played a key role in shaping the play. In addition, the cast worked with different divisions of the original text, switched around roles and experimented with various props and settings until up to two weeks before the first performance.
Giustini enjoyed the visual opportunities her directorial role provided.
“Directing is kind of like painting,” she said. “Your actors are your colors. Being a performer, it’s picking the different colors of different moments. But when you’re the director, the painter, you’re putting the colors together and making them dance together.”
The dark material of A Small, Good Thing proved to be the most challenging aspect.
“How do we as twenty- or twenty-one-year-olds present that we know what it’s like to lose a child?” Giustini asked. “You can’t do that. It’s impossible, and it’s kind of awkward sometimes.”
As the impactful performances, powerfully arranged scenes and poignant narration demonstrated, meaningful storytelling surrounding difficult topics is achievable. Giustini hopes that the story will at least lead audience members to a simple but significant realization.
“Even in the worst possible situation, you still have to eat,” she said.
Within this starkly moving piece of devised theater, then, the value lies not in some profound, overarching life lesson, but rather in its stunningly honest depiction of human sorrow and misfortune.
(11/19/14 10:03pm)
The Middlebury women’s hockey team opened their 2014-2015 season this past weekend, Nov. 15 and 16, with a doubleheader against conference foe Colby. The Panthers outscored the visiting Mules 9-1 on the weekend, en route to a pair of wins.
After narrowly missing qualification for the NCAA tournament a year ago, Middlebury enters the new season ranked fourth in the Division III hockey national poll. As the highest ranked team from the NESCAC, the Panthers trail only reigning national champion Plattsburgh State, in-state rival Norwich University and Elmira College.
Though Middlebury was favored to win, the opening weekend against Colby has nearly tripped up the team in past years. Just last season, the Panthers escaped Waterville with a narrow 2-1 victory on opening night. The opener last Saturday night in Kenyon arena was not so close.
Senior forward Emily Fluke ’15 got the Panthers on the board in just the second minute of play, taking advantage of an early power-play opportunity to give Middlebury a 1-0 lead. Carly Watson ’17 assisted Fluke’s goal. Allie Aiello ’17 soon added an insurance goal for Middlebury in the 18th minute to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead going into the first intermission.
Five minutes into the second period, Elizabeth Wulf ’18 netted the first goal of her college career with assists from Julia Wardwell ’16 and Hannah Bielawski ’15. Despite having to go on the penalty kill twice in the period, the Panthers kept pressure on the Mule defense throughout, nearly earning goals on two man-down breakaways. Colby goalkeeper Angelica Crites recorded eight saves in the second period to keep her team within three goals from a comeback.
After Colby’s Carolyn Fuwa was called for a holding penalty in the third minute of the final period, Watson scored for Middlebury just as the penalty expired to give the Panthers a 4-0 lead. Nikki Donato got the Mules on the board later in the period, but it was too little too late for Colby.
Bielawski’s first goal of the season kicked off a three-goal run for Middlebury over the game’s final 10 minutes, with Aiello and Victoria Laven ’17 adding goals of their own down the stretch. By the final horn the scoreboard read 7-1 in Middlebury’s favor.
The Panthers outshot the Mules 31-11 in the opener, with nearly half of those shots coming in the final period of play. Middlebury was 1 for 6 on power plays, while Colby failed to convert on all 5 of their man-up opportunities.
For the weekend’s second game on Sunday afternoon, both teams made switches in goal, with Jessica Thulin replacing Crites for Colby, and Maddie Marsh ’15 taking the place of Annabelle Jones ’15 in goal for the Panthers. While Thulin played an outstanding game in goal, she could not help her team on the offensive end, as Panther goalkeeper Marsh recorded her first shutout of the season in Middlebury’s 2-0 win.
Just a minute into the game, a tripping call against Colby’s Sasha Fritts gave Middlebury a power-play opportunity. Watson was able to make the most of that opportunity, burying a feed from Maddie Winslow ’18 in the back of the net to give Middlebury a 1-0 lead. The two teams traded power-play advantages for the rest of the period, with neither team managing to score.
The second period was a quiet one on the scoreboards, as Thulin and Marsh kept the attackers at bay with strong play in the net. Thulin, who would end the game with 25 saves, made 10 in the second period alone to keep her team in the game, as the score remained 1-0.
The Panthers eventually found an opportunity for another shot past Thulin in the third period, as Janka Hlinka ’18 – with assists from Fluke and Watson – added an insurance goal for Middlebury to make the score 2-0. A pair of late power plays allowed the Panthers to run out the clock and secure the win by the same score.
Middlebury outshot Colby 27-13 while earning the win, and the Panthers did a particularly stellar job on penalty kill in the game, holding the Mules scoreless despite seven power-play opportunities. Middlebury was 1 for 5 on power plays in the game.
Following the weekend’s games, Watson was named NESCAC Player of the Week. A first-time honoree, Watson scored a pair of goals in the two games against Colby, while also contributing a pair of assists.
After starting the season 2-0, the Middlebury squad will take to the road on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 22 and 23, for a pair of matchups with Trinity. Early-season play will culminate in a tournament at Plattsburgh State at the end of the month, where the Panthers will face number one Plattsburgh State and number three Elmira.
(11/19/14 9:58pm)
The Middlebury women’s basketball team began their season with a pair of victories on the road against out of conference opponents Endicott and Smith on Saturday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 16, respectively. The squad participated in the Tyler Tip-Off Tournament at Smith College, earning a win over Endicott by a score of 67-46, followed by a 67-50 victory over the host school in the tournament championship game the following day.
The Panthers opened their season with intensity, taking a 14-0 lead against Endicott within the first six minutes of the game. Middlebury maintained a commanding lead, holding Endicott’s deficit between seven and 25 points throughout the remainder of the game. Elizabeth Knox ’17 led the Panther’s scoring effort, recording a career-high 29 points in addition to five rebounds.
Rachel Crews ’15 scored first in the contest, landing a layup to spark the Panther’s early 14-0 scoring streak, in which Knox contributed six. Endicott bounced back from their early disadvantage, ultimately outscoring the Panthers 14-11 in the final twelve minutes of the half. The two teams entered halftime with a score of 30-17 in favor of Middlebury.
Middlebury continued to bolster its lead as the second half commenced, recording a game-high 25 point advantage on two occasions. The Panther defense held Endicott’s shooters to just 22.5 percent from the floor, while Middlebury managed to convert 27 of 60 field goal attempts, for a 45.0 percent scoring average. Offensively, Sarah Kaufman ’18 posted 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Sabrina Weeks ’18 and Alexis Coolidge ’15 combined for 16, with eight apiece.
After holding a comfortable lead for the majority of the second half Middlebury earned its first win of the season by a margin of 67-46. The victory was the first at Middlebury for first-year head coach K.J. Krasco, who joined the Panthers in this previous summer after serving for three seasons as the top assistant coach at NESCAC rival Bowdoin.
Following Saturday’s victory, the Panthers advanced to face Smith in the championship game of the tournament. Middlebury entered the matchup with considerable energy, scoring the game’s first seven points within the first three minutes of the half. Smith then reciprocated, posting an 11-3 scoring run to take their lone lead of the contest.
The sides traded scoring opportunities until back to back three pointers by Knox put the Panthers ahead 27-17 with 5:08 remaining in the first half. Smith answered with a three point shot from Shannon Saywell and a pair of free throws, cutting her team’s deficit to five.
Looking to expand their lead before intermission, the Panthers mounted a 10-4 scoring run, concluded by a Kaufman three pointer at the buzzer to wrap up the first half at 39-28.
Kaufman, in only the second game of her collegiate career, recorded 32 points on the day, earned all-tournament recognition, and set a new program single-game record for completing 20 free throws.
Middlebury assumed more defensive responsibility throughout the second half as Smith pushed to narrow the score. The Panthers edged out strong advantages in field goal shooting, recording 43.9 percent in comparison to Smith’s 30.8 percent. Additionally, the Middlebury team knocked out 25-30 free throw attempts for a success rate of 83.3 percent while Smith converted only 7-13, 53.8 percent.
Effectively fending off offensive efforts while continuing to convert allowed the Panthers to maintain a double-digit lead for the majority of the contest. Eager to claim the tournament championship title, the Panthers ended the game with a 13-4 run on the way to securing the 17-point victory with a final score of 67-50.
Mirroring her performance from the Saturday’s win, Knox contributed her first double-double of the season with 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Teammate Coolidge added an additional seven points, eight rebounds and a game-high four steals. Knox was named an all-tournament honoree for her efforts against Endicott and Smith.
The Middlebury women’s basketball team walks away from a successful opening weekend with two victories — one in the championship of the Tyler Tip-Off Tournament. “I think this weekend went so well because we stayed composed and disciplined on offense and defense. We worked hard to execute our plays. There was a lot of good ball movement and hustle to rebound,” Knox said. “In both games we made it a point to work together as a cohesive unit which sparked our offense and motivated our defense.”
The team looks to carry their momentum from the weekend into upcoming contests on the road. The 2-0 Middlebury squad will face Castleton on Thursday, Nov. 20 followed by Salve Regina on Saturday, Nov. 22.
(11/19/14 9:38pm)
On Oct. 30, a letter was delivered to the Vermont Governor’s administration and to political candidates advocating for the return of Vermont prisoners that are being held in out-of-state, private, for-profit prisons. Nearly thirty Vermont organizations, groups and businesses signed the document. The effort to bring prisoners back has been spearheaded by the grant-funded group,
Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, established in 2013.
On its website, the group states, “At VCJR we believe the state will save money and create more productive communities by limiting incarceration to what works, based on evidence, and redirecting spending to job training, treatment, and education.”
Currently, approximately 500 of the state’s 2,000 prisoners are sent to institutions in Kentucky and Arizona. The practice started in 1998 due to overcrowding at Vermont facilities. These private prisons are owned by the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). Activists reject the CCA’s business model, which they state in their letter, “is driven by a perverse incentive: the more people incarcerated…the more money for shareholders.”
The CCA has responded by asserting that the company has provided its inmates from Vermont with an array of educational, mental health and faith-based programs over the years they have held prisoners from Vermont.
The contract with the CCA is up for renewal next year. Suzi Wizowaty, a state legislator from Burlington and the leader of VCJR has stated, “We’re trying to use this opportunity of expiring of the contract with CCA to bring people’s attention to the fact that we use CCA, and it’s an ineffective response.”
The cost of housing prisoners in Kentucky and Arizona is seemingly cheaper than keeping them in Vermont, $67.43 and $74.30 a day, respectively, compared to $159 a day. However, other costs offset this disparity, including the funds necessary to send employees to visit these out-of-state prisoners, such as caseworkers who meet with inmates.
The real cost of holding inmates out of state, activists say, falls on families. Many do not have the financial means to visit their relatives in out-of-state prisons. Video communication options, such as Skype or FaceTime, are not available, and phone calls can be expensive as well. This disconnect also has adverse effects on the prisoners. Many have written letters from prison describing the isolation of their sentence, which research has shown negatively impacts a prisoner’s reintegration into society.
Another point of contention surrounding use of out-of-state prisons is that only males are sent to such facilities. This practice was declared unconstitutional in a court decision over the summer written by Judge Helen Toor, a Vermont Superior Court Judge. She claimed that males were being denied equal protection and that there is no constitutional justification for treating male and female inmates differently. Michael Carpenter, a Vermont inmate being held in a Kentucky prison, challenged the law and brought the case forward.
The decision included particular emphasis on how the system separates inmates from their children and cites national data that shows prisoners who visit with their children are more likely to get a full-time job upon release and are less likely to be repeat offenders. The Department of Corrections defended itself by insisting that there is no constitutionally protected right to visitation.
As it is unlikely that a fiscally struggling state government could find the estimate $100 million needed to build a new prison to expand its capacity, the proposed solution is to reduce the number of incarcerated people. The letter cites success in reducing prison populations in New York, New Jersey and California as affirmation that such a goal is feasible. The state Corrections
Commissioner Andy Pollito has expressed hesitancy toward change by telling the Associated Press that the state has managed to stem sharp growth of its prison population. Though the Vermont prisoner population is decreasing steadily by about 13 inmates per year, the activists wish for more aggressive change.
Some suggestions to help realize this goal include treatment for mental health issues and addiction instead of incarceration, particularly for those who have committed non-violent drug-related crimes, as well as helping inmates find housing after their sentence so they are not waiting in prison. Karen Richards, executive director of the Vermont Human Rights Commission, stated that funds should be repurposed “to provide the treatment and services necessary to help former offenders be successful and productive members of their communities.”
The groups have called for a meeting at the Statehouse on November 19th in the House Judiciary committee. However, a tepid state response to the movement – called Locked Up & Shipped Away – makes its success uncertain.
(11/13/14 3:03am)
Ryan Brewster ’14 wanted to capture the true community-based ethos of Middlebury College. Seeking to highlight the pride associated with the College’s spirit, Brewster spent his last semester at Middlebury wondering how he could best contribute to this dialogue.
“You go to the bookstore, and you see normal, generic, preppy clothing that doesn’t speak to the character of Middlebury,” Brewster said. “When it comes to capturing the real pulse of students, it’s lacking.”
From Brewster’s realization of this disconnect, Ron’s Closet Apparel Company was born.
“I saw it as my job to break down the gap between the students desire to identify themselves as a Midd student and their actual ability to do so,” he said.
Ron’s Closet Apparel Company, founded in February 2014, seeks to preserve and celebrate the many unique traditions of the College through clothing design. Brewster is in charge of all external facets of the company, such as design and marketing, while Jake Lessing ’13.5 plays a supportive role and is in charge of the legal side of the company.
For Brewster, clothing design seemed like the natural avenue to achieve his goal because he views fashion as a direct manifestation of personal expression.
“Midd students have this niche community that they are a part of,” Brewster said. “I thought clothing design would be a really great way to represent that culture. I really see one’s identity and self-expression communicated through what they are wearing. It’s what is right in front of you, and it’s the first evaluation you have.”
After its initial launch, the company experienced significant growing pains. At first, Brewster tried a top down business model approach in which he made all of the company’s inventory available upfront. With little marketing or advertising experience, Brewster realized that selling his product was more nuanced and complicated than he anticipated. With time however, Brewster realized how to create a business model that would best reflect this clientele.
“We are such a small, tight-knit group of students with, for the most part, shared beliefs and values,” he said. “I realized that the business model that would stem from that is one that takes advantage of this kind of tight-knit group of thinkers.”
Brewster credits Tee Spring, a company that helps designers sell custom apparel online, as the platform that really propelled Ron’s Closet Apparel forward. Tee Spring helps Brewster set a sales goal and give an estimate of how much each shirt will cost.
Then, Brewster launches a social media campaign to publicize his product. From there, when enough enthusiasm is solicited and the initial goal is met, the product can be printed and sold to the individual buyers. If the sales goal is not met, the buyers will receive a complete refund of their order. Brewster values this business model because it emphasizes the grassroots nature of the company, putting the prerogative on the consumer.
“The fact that the campaign cannot succeed unless people are involved makes buyers feel invested in the company,” he said. “It’s in the buyers’ best interest to promote the shirts and make sure they get printed. This is how I really want it to stay. This crowd-funded model really helps the products to have character behind them.”
Under its newfound business model, the company has had five complete campaigns. The company has sold around 70 shirts, of which the “Like a Prayer” shirt accounts for 25. In addition, Ron’s Closet Facebook page has over 300 likes. To help the company gain visibility, Ron’s Closet has started offering pro-bono services for clubs or events on campus that need marketing materials.
Brewster explained that his path to graphic design was not a typical one. Although Brewster has been an artist his entire life, he was not introduced to graphic design until his senior year of high school. His career as a graphic designer started to take off in his sophomore year at the College when he was asked to design that year’s orientation t-shirt and brochure.
As Coordinator of Communications and Social Media for GlobeMed, Brewster was offered a graphic design internship at Gardens for Health International in Rwanda, the club’s partner organization. With the pressure to minimize the budget as much as possible, Gardens for Health International had very limited and outdated communication with the outside world. By working to create infographics that brought life back into the organization, Brewster began to see graphic design in a new light.
“Through my work, I developed a greater passion for design work and how it can actually do good in the world,” he said.
As a Molecular Biology and Biochemistry major who is currently working at Harvard Medical School, Brewster exemplifies how the success of his business is a direct reflection of what he learned from a liberal arts education.
“The liberal arts really taught me to think holistically and be critical of existing models,” he said. “It also encouraged me to think outside of the box and be willing to fail.”
Brewster calls for artists from all backgrounds to get involved, and stresses that experience is of little importance.
“We are looking for young designers, creative minds, anyone who wants to get involved with the company. Experience is really irrelevant here because we are really naïve as well.”
As for the future, Brewster hopes to build Ron’s Closet as both a clothing brand and a collective of like-minded graphic designers who want to use their artistic abilities to give back to the College community.
“My vision is for the company to serve as a guild, and a marketing hub for the college,” Brewster said. “I hope in years to come that students will be eager to follow up what I’ve started and make this a clothing initiative where designers not only can submit to Ron’s Closet but also gain visibility and experience as artists and learn important marketing skills.”
(11/13/14 12:39am)
Friday night the Middlebury volleyball team (12-12, 6-4) played its final game of the season, falling to the Bowdoin Polar Bears (21-7, 6-4) three sets to one in a NESCAC tournament quarterfinal match at Tufts.
The first match was knotted up at 15 a piece before Bowdoin closed the Panthers out on a ten to three run, sparked by a pair of Christy Jewett service aces. Erika Sklaver slammed home the final two points of the initial game to give Bowdoin a 25 to 18 victory.
Middlebury started the second set on a high note with a six-point streak, highlighted by kills from Emily Kolodka ’18 and Melanie English ’17 and four Bowdoin attack errors.
Bowdoin crawled back into the match, overtaking the Panthers 17 to 16, before Middlebury went on its second six to nothing run, led by three kills from Alice Roberts ’18, propelling the Panthers to a 25 to 18 win which tied the affair at one match each.
Bowdoin began the ultimately close third set with early momentum, gaining a seven to one edge on the Panthers, led by a Michelle Albright service ace and a pair of Christy Jewett Kills.
The run lasted until a Roberts kill started the Panthers’ engines. The Panthers tied the match at 19 when Becca Raffel ’18 hammered home a kill. But the Polar Bears were unfazed, capturing six of the last nine points, led by a service ace and kill by Hailey Wahl, and another kill by Jewett.
The fourth and final match provided a gut-wrenching end to the Panthers’ season.
Bowdoin went up 14 to seven and looked to have the game and the match all but in the bag. But a Bowdoin service error and two Lizzy Reed ’15 service aces as well as two Olivia Kolodka ’15 kills put the Panthers right back into the thick of the game with a deficit of only one point.
After a Hailey Wahl kill put Bowdoin up 21 to 17, the Panthers mustered one final push to try and stretch the meeting to a fifth match.
A Hannah Blackburn ’17 kill and a bevy of Bowdoin service and attack errors found the Panthers on top of the Polar Bears 23 to 22 heading into the final stretch. Bowdoin’s coach, Karen Corey, elected to take a timeout to settle her young team.
The Panthers needed only two more points to set up a dramatic rubber match, but the Polar Bear defense and two more Christy Jewett kills iced the quarterfinal match.
“It’s always tough to lose that last match, but all good things come to an end eventually. We played well, but not great, and when you get to the championships, you usually have to play your best if you want to win,” Head Coach Sarah Raunecker said.
First years Roberts and Raffel led the Panthers with 11 kills apiece. English finished with nine kills, a .368 hitting percentage and a strong defensive showing with three block solos and two block assists. Blackburn had 33 assists and Charlotte Devine ’17 had a match high three service aces. Olivia Kolodka had a team high 16 digs as fellow senior Reed collected 15.
Bowdoin’s Jewett led all players with 22 kills and Sklaver also posted a double-digit total of 13 kills. The Polar Bears’ Quincy Leech contributed 27 assists, and Katie Doherty had a match high of digs.
On Monday, Nov. 10, the selections for the NCAA volleyball tournament were announced. Tufts and Bowdoin were selected as at-large bids from the NESCAC, and will join conference champion Williams in the tournament.
The loss was the final game in a Panther uniform for seniors Reed, Olivia Kolodka and Piper Underbrink ’15.
The three seniors graduate having been members of the 2012 NESCAC Tournament championship team that collected a victory in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the second round.
“They had very successful careers here, and have helped strengthen our program, and we thank them for leaving that legacy,” Raunecker said.
(11/13/14 12:36am)
The men’s soccer team traveled to Amherst, Mass. last weekend to compete in the final rounds of the NESCAC championships. In the semifinal matchup on Saturday, Nov. 8, Middlebury, coming off of a 5-4 victory in penalties over Wesleyan, faced the sixth-seeded Bowdoin, who had defeated the third-seeded Williams team in the quarterfinals the previous weekend. Bowdoin edged Middlebury in a shootout after 110 minutes of scoreless soccer.
In the semifinal, Middlebury found possession early and began to generate chances in the offensive end of the field. Early opportunities included a corner kick from Phil Skayne ’17, a blocked shot struck by forward Adam Glaser ’17 and a shot on goal from Greg Conrad ’17, all within the first five minutes of regulation play.
Bowdoin’s first chance came on a tight cross across the face of goal in the 11th minute. Throughout the remainder of the first half Middlebury continued to posses the ball and generate goal-scoring opportunities. Their chances included a close free kick in the 14th minute, a high Conrad shot in the 24th off of a throw in, and a strong volley from Harper Williams ’15 from the top of the penalty area.
Overall, goal-scoring opportunities for both sides were sparse in this game, with Greg Sydor ’17 turning away the only two Bowdoin shots on goal, and Middlebury registering only four shots on goal in the contest. Bowdoin led 6-3 on corner kicks, while the Panthers held a 13-10 advantage in shots. Despite the relatively low number of offensive opportunities throughout the match, each side managed to produce a few chances in the second half. Middlebury’s most promising attempt at finding the back of the net came as time expired in the second half, when Glaser sent a shot wide in a last ditch attempt to get the Panthers on the board before the added time.
In the extra periods, Bowdoin had a chance to win the game in the first minute of overtime. A Bowdoin attacker blasted a shot from a tight angle on the Middlebury end line that hit the top of the crossbar and sailed out of bounds.
Williams almost put a winner away for the Panthers in the third minute off of a long feed that went over the Bowdoin keeper, and Glaser was dispossessed while streaking towards the goal in the ninth minute.
Middlebury certainly had the upper hand in the second overtime, where they registered two of their four shots on goal. Conrad’s shot in the opening minute was saved. Tim Ogle ’17 put a throw-in onto the head of Tom Dils ’17 at the back post that nearly went in, but the Bowdoin goaltender Stevie Van Siclen made a point blank save to keep the score even.
In a repeat of last week’s result against Wesleyan in the conference quarterfinals, Middlebury would rest their hopes of advancing in the NESCAC Tournament on a penalty shootout. Kirk Horton ’17, who put home the final Middlebury penalty shot last week, stepped up first and had his low, hard shot to his left turned away by Bowdoin goaltender Van Siclen.
Sydor managed to get a hand on the first Bowdoin attempt, but the shot maintained its momentum enough to find the back of the net to put the Polar Bears up 1-0.
Tom Bean ’17 shot second again, and replicated his high left shot that got the Panthers on the board against Wesleyan, but was unable to get the on-target shot past Bowdoin. Sydor saved the second Bowdoin chance, and Noah Goss-Woliner ’15 put away his shot down the middle to level the score at 1-1.
Bowdoin climbed into the lead after they capitalized on their third shot and Glaser had his shot saved.
Sydor made his second penalty save of the day on Bowdoin’s fourth shot as he dove to the left, and Deklan Robinson ’16 casually pushed home the final Middlebury penalty in a must-make situation to keep the Panthers in the game.
With the score level at 2-2 in the shootout, Sydor guessed correctly, flinging himself toward his right and getting a hand on the Bowdoin shot.
However, this was only enough to send the ball into the post and back into the goal as Bowdoin won the shootout 3-2 and went through to the final to face Amherst, who beat Conn. College 3-2 in the following game.
“We’re definitely disappointed by the result,” Robinson said. “Penalty kicks are a tough way to decide a game and so much comes down to chance.”
The Panthers ended their season with a 9-3-5 record. Additionally, many individuals from the squad landed at or near the top of the NESCAC individual statistics. Sydor leads the league with a save percentage of .845, and sits second in the league for total saves, with 60. Sydor has also recorded eight shutouts this season, allowing 0.61 goals-against per game.
Conrad finished the season tied for first in points with 22 (8 goals, 6 assists), and teammate Glaser was a close third with 21 points (8 goals, 5 assists).
In the final on Sunday, Bowdoin dethroned three-time defending champion Amherst 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw through regulation and two overtime periods.
Bowdoin will receive the NESCAC’s only automatic bid to the NCAA postseason after finishing sixth in the regular season.
“It’s too bad, but it’s been a great year and we’re really going to miss the seniors,” Robinson said, reflecting on the Panthers’ season.
The team looks forward to another successful season next fall, fueled by the return of many players who contributed to this season’s sucess. The offensive duo of Conrad and Glaser will surely rank near the top of the NESCAC in the upcoming season and Sydor returns to anchor the Panther defense through his outstanding goaltending.
(11/13/14 12:28am)
The last day of football season is always an interesting intersection of past and future. Next fall, a new class of first years will replace this year’s seniors, who, like most of the thousands of Panthers who came before them, will probably not have a chance to play on a football team again.
Last Saturday, the Panther football team came together to finish out their season proudly as they dismantled Tufts at home on Youngman Field, racking up points en route to a 48-13 win.
As fans of the Middlebury football team have grown accustomed to this season, the Panthers opened the game with a display of defensive prowess. Middlebury crippled Tufts’ passing offense, allowing only one first down on Tufts’ two first drives.
Following the second of such drives, Middlebury took over on their own 22 yard line, where quarterback Matt Milano ’16 and company got to work on offense.
Following a slew of nice runs from running back Jon Hurvitz ’17, Milano found a rhythm with his talented receivers.
Finding tight-end Daniel Fulham ’18 for a few key receptions, Milano capped off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown throw to Fulham for his first career touchdown, putting the Panthers’ up 7-0.
The ensuing drive featured play uncharacteristic of a typically disciplined unit. An unsportsmanlike conduct call negated what would’ve been a sack by nose-tackle Kyle Ashley ’16, and Tufts completed two passes to gain 20 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown strike against the Middlebury pass defense. Tufts, refusing to lie down, equalized the score at 7-7.
In the Panthers’ next offensive drive, running back Andrew Miller ’16 showcased Middlebury’s running game, gaining 30 yards on the drive. To complete the drive, Milano completed a six-yard pass to Fulham at first-and-goal to record Fulham’s second touchdown of the day.
The teams then traded possessions as Middlebury’s defense shut the Jumbos down.
With standout linebackers Tim Patricia ’16 and Jake Vacovec ’15 making frequent visits to the Jumbos backfield, Tufts found it difficult to gain footing. In response, the Milano found Matt Minno ’16 for a 57-yard bomb down the sideline.
In the second quarter Tufts would took over at midfield after a fumbled punt. Following a big run against Middlebury’s front seven, the Jumbos scored with less than three minutes remaining in the half to make the score 21-13. Middlebury countered with an impressive two-minute drill, capped by a 34-yard strike by the talented Brendan Rankowitz ’15 to set up the Panthers on Tufts’ one-yard-line. During this drive, Rankowitz took on the first defender at the six yard line before dragging two additional defensive backs over five yards, a play which elicited raucous cheers from the assembled crowd at Youngman Stadium.
Milano, on a timely third-down run, ran to score the last touchdown of the half, which ended with a score of 27-13 after the extra point was blocked.
Midway through the third quarter, Middlebury added to their already considerable lead. After a twenty yard completion to Ryan Rizzo ’17, Milano completed the drive with a 13-yard pitch and catch with Rankowitz.
A key sack by Addison Pierce ’17 on the ensuing Tufts drive allowed the Panthers to again take the helm at offense. Apparently time was at a premium on the Middlebury sideline, as Milano found the speedy Rizzo for a 72-yard strike on the fifth play of the drive. After yet another forced three-and-out by Tufts, Milano found Rankowitz for a 33-yard score through the air, which signified the last significant action by the starters of the day.
The final score tallied in at 48-13 in Middlbury’s favor, with Milano responsible for seven touchdowns, including six on the ground and one through the air.
Finishing the year with a record of 6-2, the Panthers finish third in the NESCAC behind undefeated Amherst and 7-1 Wesleyan, the two teams to whom they lost.
Over the past four years the team has won 24 out of 32 games, including last year’s NESCAC title — a shining period in Middlebury football history that the seniors ought to be proud of.
Meanwhile, the team has answered the greatest question mark that they faced at the beginning of the season: the replacement of all-everything quarterback Mac Foote ’14. After starting the season slowly, Milano has rebounded to record one of the most prolific passing seasons in the history of the program. With Milano back at the helm in 2015, the Panthers will look to improve upon this year’s record.
(11/12/14 9:53pm)
Sunday, Nov. 9 marked the fifth annual TEDx event at Middlebury College. TED is a non-profit organization that seeks to spark dialogue and spread ideas through talks, touching on anything from science to society to art. Since its inception in 1984, the organization has garnered massive global attention and now hosts an average of nine conferences per day around the world. Time and time again, TED talks have thrilled, captivated and startled audiences by uprooting pre-conceived notions and exposing innovative ideas and creations. With eight dynamic live speakers, two video presentations and an eclectic range of topics, the Middlebury conference proved to be no exception.
Each speaker took a different approach to the theme “Living in the Question: The Ongoing Process of Curiosity.” Will Nash, a Middlebury professor of American Studies, unraveled the importance of curiosity. As he explained, the greatest value lies not in an answer but rather in the continual exploration of a question – “the path around the circuit.”
“Access the path as many ways as possible,” Nash said. “You’ll be richer for it.”
Middlebury alumni Shane Scranton ’12.5 and Nate Beatty ’13.5 demonstrated the power of curiosity through technological experimentation. They showed the audience a prototype of the oculus rift, a lens that allows wearers to access a virtual reality – an image projected onto the lens to encompass the user’s entire field of vision. This type of technology was originally used to create immersive gaming experiences. Scranton and Beatty took it to the next level by developing technology that could transfer 3-D models of real buildings and landscapes to the oculus rift.
“Virtual reality takes away the need for architectural metaphors,” Scranton explained.
Renderings, 2-D images that Scranton referred to as “extrapolations of space,” require the brain to fill in the surroundings, whereas virtual reality allows architects to inhabit their own designs.
While Scranton and Beatty’s presentation dealt with innovative ways of using space, a talk delivered by Mordecai-Mark Mac Low, a curator of astrophysics at the American Museum of National History in New York, addressed physical reality on a much grander scale: the expanding universe. In his fascinating narrative, he explained that visible light has been traveling and stretching through the universe since the Big Bang. Scientists attribute the accelerating rate of expansion to a mysterious, hypothetical force known as dark energy, perfectly exemplifying that even within the realm of physics, uncertainty can still reign supreme.
Other talks from the conference challenged societal norms by addressing issues of sexuality and gender. Lourdes Ashley Hunter captivated the audience with her riveting stage presence and powerful rhetoric on the transgender community, particularly transgender women of color. A healer, orator and academic, she expressed the hope for a reconstruction of the gender binary that would eradicate oppression against transgender individuals.
“From birth, kids are indoctrinated to prescribed gender norms,” Hunter said. “[But] gender is an explosion of expression,” existing on a spectrum rather than in black-and-white terms.
Her riveting oratory resonated strongly with the audience, and provided an empowering voice to the trans-color movement.
Similarly, Rachel Liddell ’15 received an enthusiastic reception from her peers during her talk on sex, politics and power. Beginning with the story of a “dickish doodler” who vandalized one of her campaign posters, Liddell went on to challenge society’s tendency to sexualize women in power. From naked depictions of Cleopatra’s death to the media’s fixation on Hillary Clinton’s appearance, Liddell pointed out that we subject women to treatment that undermines female authority and disregards their pluri-potentiality as individuals.
Liddell’s grace, humor and charisma shined through in her speech, particularly during her analysis of the public’s obsession with Clinton’s pantsuits. Furthermore, her words provoked deep introspection within the room, as she challenged her peers to not fall into the same patterns of judgment that have long disadvantaged women and hindered societal progress.
Meanwhile, author Jack Hitt offered an insightful commentary on the changing societal attitudes toward legalizing marijuana in the United States. Engaging the audience with his easygoing but magnetic speaking style, he noted a dichotomy between “information you say you believe” and “information you’ll act on.” The latter, which leads to more widespread acceptance, is gained through everyday conversations.
“Revolutions don’t happen on election day,” Hitt said. “[Instead,] local cohorts show us the reality of lived life.”
In other words, interactions with normal people who happen to smoke pot subvert the negative stereotype of “loser stoners,” thus increasing societal acceptance of pot legalization.
By far the most visually enthralling presentation was choreographer and Assistant Professor of Dance Christal Brown’s beautifully improvised dance, which exhibited movement as a powerful medium of expression. For the first part, a screen behind Brown channeled her inner monologue. “Dance is my truest form of communication,” the opening line read. “Which is ironic because you have no idea what I’m trying to say, lol.” However, the audience soon came to understand her fluid movements as physical manifestations of her subconscious impulses.
“I speak volumes without saying anything,” Brown said after she had finished dancing.
Brown encouraged the audience to engage in new forms of expression, leaving them with the advice, “Before you think, respond with anything you have at your disposal.”
The TEDx Middlebury conference showcased a fascinating range of ideas that stretched the audience’s minds from the Big Bang to the Roman Empire, from virgin lovers to dark energy and from inside the clunky lens of an oculus rift to the far-reaching ends of the galaxy. Each talk was delivered in a uniquely resounding manner, creating a diverse panel of voices from which to draw inspiration and insight. Above all, however, the TEDx talks served to unite the Middlebury community through a tremendously significant idea – that it is not about having the right answer, but rather about asking the right questions.
(11/05/14 6:54pm)
This past weekend, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, volleyball seniors Lizzy Reed ’15, Olivia Kolodka ’15 and Piper Underbrink ’15 played their final regular season home games in Pepin Gym. In the process, the Panthers solidified their fourth seed for the NESCAC tournament that begins Friday night, Nov. 7.
Friday night the Panthers beat the visiting Connecticut College Camels (14-10, 5-5) convincingly in just three sets: 25-18, 25-20 and 25-13. It was a night that celebrated the three members of the team who will in May, kicked off by the singing of the national anthem, courtesy of Underbrink’s mother.
Underbrink and Alice Roberts ’18 had a team high with nine kills each. Melanie English ’17 hit .778 with seven kills on nine attempts and no errors, and defensively had two block solos and three block assists. Becca Raffel ’18 continued her strong first-year campaign tallying seven kills. Reed and Hannah Blackburn ’17 dished out two service aces apiece to go with Blackburn’s 35 assists.
After a late Middlebury comeback fell short in the first set, the Panthers and the crowd began set two energized, jumping on the Jumbos four to one. Olivia Kolodka and English denied a number of Tufts kills early, before making subs to try and stave off a Tufts run.
Jumbo outside hitters Maddie Kuppe and Hayley Hooper led a Tufts run that put the Jumbos on top 12-8. Hooper, a senior and Tufts kills leader, seemed to capitalize on every kill opportunity she had in the set, while the Tufts front line formed an iron curtain, denying Middlebury scorers until Roberts converted a kill for a 16-9 deficit.
Middlebury would fight back after a timeout, as Olivia Kolodka denied a kill shot from Tufts senior Isabel Kuhel. But it wouldn’t be enough for the Panthers, with Tufts looking unstoppable taking the second set 25-13.
A pair of Raffel kills and Jumbo errors saw Middlebury take a narrow lead. Middlebury’s Blackburn delivered a service ace that was followed by a net violation on Tufts. A kill from English coming out of a Jumbos’ timeout appeared to give Middlebury the momentum. The Panthers were pushed to victory by several key kills and blocks by the front line, forcing Tufts to play a fourth set.
Although the Panthers lost the fourth and deciding set, the team battled down the stretch and gave the favored Jumbos all they could handle. The Jumbos’ hulking and more experienced front line may have been victorious, but first-years Roberts and Raffel, along with Underbrink, all contributed with both sensational kills and momentous blocks.
Playing her final regular season game for the Panthers, Reed said the seniors tried to play it like a normal game.
“We have a very special team and it’s an honor to play with such a great group of people and such devoted coaches,” Reed said. “It’s going to be exciting for us to go to NESCACs and see what we can do.”
Next up for the Panthers is the NESCAC Tournament. The fourth-seeded Panthers will play fifth seeded Bowdoin (20-7, 6-4) Friday night, Nov. 7 at 8pm in Medford, MA at Tufts’ Cousens Gym.
(11/05/14 6:52pm)
Traveling to Clinton, NY to face the Hamilton Continentals after beating perennial power Trinity College last week, it would have been easy for Middlebury to relax. However, the stakes were arguably higher this week: the Rocking Chair Classic was on. The victor of the matchup between Middlebury and Hamilton has, since 1980, taken home the “Mac-Jack” rocking chair. Not wanting to go home without an extra place to sit, the Panthers came to Hamilton with their emotions at a fever pitch.
Perhaps struggling to deal with all the pressure of retaining such an esteemed prize for the Middlebury faithful, the Panthers started the game making uncharacteristic mental errors on both sides of the ball. With the defense causing, yet inexplicably failing to recover two fumbles in the first four minutes of the game – although defensive end Jake Clapp ’16 deserves credit for an excellent sack to cause one of them, major opportunities to get on the Continentals early and often were lost.
Similarly, following offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on both teams, Middlebury would settle for only a field goal to put the Panthers up 3-0.
Middlebury would make good on their next drive, with quarterback Matt Milano ’16 finding Matt “the Fish” Minno ’16 with an expertly thrown pass over the top for a 42-yard gain. Stationing the offense on Hamilton’s 13-yard line, the former Duxbury Dragon, running back Jon Hurvitz ’17, would only need one carry to find the end zone, putting Middlebury up 10-0, as the first quarter drew to a close.
Hamilton would not go down quietly, however, busting Middlebury’s coverage in a rare lapse from the Panther’s vaunted defense, where Hamilton’s Jim Fisher wrangled a 64-yard pass down the sideline to bring the Continentals within range of the Panthers. However, following a great return on the ensuing kickoff by Middlebury first-year Kevin Hopsicker, ’18, Milano and company would have a short field with which to play with on offense. After finding the speedy Ryan Rizzo ’17 for a few completions underneath, Milano would again go over the top and find Minno for the touchdown on a 25-yard strike.
The defense would follow up the touchdown by forcing an excellent three-and-out, spurred by a sack from linebacker Addison Pierce ’17, causing an 11-yard loss. With a solid return from Rizzo, the Panthers would again take a short field. On third and goal, following some nice work by Hurvitz, Milano would find captain Brendan Rankowitz ’15 on a slant for the score, putting Middlebury up 23-7.
As Middlebury’s offense would score another touchdown, Middlebury’s defense would force another three-and-out from Hamilton.
This time keyed by crucial stops against the run from free safety Matt Benedict ’15 and defensive tackle Gil Araujo ’16, Middlebury would take over again on offense with little over five minutes left in the half.
Starting on their own 21-yard line, the offense would put on a master class in execution. With Milano finding Rizzo and Grant Luna ’18 repeatedly underneath, Middlebury would drive the length of the field in little under 4 minutes, before Milano found Minno again for the score.
Going into the half up 30-7, the Panthers would begin to cruise. Receiving the ball to start the second half, Milano would, wasting no time, find Matt Minno again for the score, putting the Panthers up 37-7. Minno’s third score of the day, the Panthers would soon pull the starters and go into an extended victory formation, the final score remaining 37-7. With such a dominant win, the Panthers could rest easy – the Mac-Jack rocking chair would remain in merry, merry Middlebury for another year.
(11/05/14 6:51pm)
On Saturday Nov. 1, the Middlebury cross country teams hosted the NESCAC championship meet for the first time since 2003. On a blustery, cold day, the men took home a third-place finish while the women, led by by individual number-one racer Alison Maxwell ’15, were crowned NESCAC champions for the second year in a row, tallying the eleventh team victory in program history.
Williams’s Colin Cotton turned in a dominating performance to secure his individual victory, smashing the 13-year-old course record of 25:35 with a time of 24:56.
Colby sophomore David Chelimo, who finished as runner up to Cotton, led the race through the first several miles. Chelimo was followed closely behind by Cotton, Williams junior Bijan Mazaheri and Middlebury’s Kevin Wood ’15. During the second loop of the race, Cotton opened up a sizable lead, passing Chelimo and dropping the chase pack as he went on to win by a sizeable 16-second margin.
Chelimo finished in 25:12, a second ahead of Mazaheri’s third-place time of 25:13. Williams senior Aldis Inde took fourth in a time 25:17, effectively sealing the meet for the Ephs. Wood turned in a strong finish to take fifth in 25:22. Wilder Schaaf ’14.5 was the second Panther to cross the line with a ninth-place finish in 25:30.
Including Schaaf, the top nine runners in the men’s field were all under the previous course record time.
In the team battle, Williams scored 39 points to repeat as champions. Their 39 points were the lowest total scored in the men’s race since 2006 when the Ephs scored 30 points for their victory.
Colby took second with 76 points, their highest finish since 1993 when they tied for first with Wesleyan. Colby has undergone a rapid ascend in the ranks of NESCAC cross country: every year from 2004 to 2011, the Mules finished either last or second to last. The 2012 squad finished 9th of 11 and last year’s team finished fifth.
Middlebury took a close third with 80 points after finishing second the previous two years.
After the dust had settled from the men’s race, the women toed the line in the debut of Middlebury’s six-kilometer championship course. As predicted, the race was the latest addition to the storied history of battles between Middlebury and Williams.
Early in the race, the Panthers looked dominant: Alison Maxwell ’15, Summer Spillane ’15 and Adrian Walsh ’16, joined by Tufts junior Audrey Gould, constituted the lead pack, without a Williams runner in sight. The pack of Ephs, though, were running together and working through the race in a conservative fashion. As the race progressed, the lead pack strung out with Maxwell opening up a sizable lead and the Ephs creeping up in the field.
“Our strategy, as usual, was to stay in a tight pack or two for the first two or three miles of the race,” Maxwell said. “We definitely accomplished this for the first mile or so, but then I think the pace caused us to break up a little earlier than we wanted to.”
At the finish, Maxwell took home the individual title — the first Panther to do so since 2001 — in a time of 22:16.
“I was hoping to keep up with the front pack and out-sprint as many people as I could at the finish,” Maxwell said. “I definitely did not expect to be leading the race for as long as I was. It was a position I had never been in before, but I think it was good for me to run out of my comfort zone.”
Behind Maxwell, Spillane sprinted past Gould in the final 100 meters of the race to take second in 22:33. Gould took third and Williams sophomore Emma Zehner was the first Eph across in the line in fourth. Walsh maintained her strong position established early in the race to finish sixth in 22:45.
After Walsh came two more Ephs before Katie Carlson ’15.5 was the 10th woman and fourth Panther across the line in 22:54.
Because a team’s score in cross country is determined by the places of the top five runners, Middlebury needed a fifth finisher to cap the team scoring before too many Williams athletes crossed the line. Olivia Artaiz ’16 was the Panther who came through next, earning a 19th-place finish to solidify Middlebury’s solid top five.
When the points were tallied, the Panthers took first with 38 points to Williams’s 47.
Next on the docket for the Panthers is the ECAC Championship on Nov. 8 at Stanley Park in Westfield, MA.
(10/30/14 4:25am)
Following last year’s game against Trinity — an instant classic in which Middlebury downed the heavily favored Bantams to earn a share of the NESCAC title — the Panthers went into this year’s rematch knowing Trinity would have the loss firmly on their minds. Trinity, again considered one of the strongest teams in the conference, went into last weekend’s game sporting an undefeated streak at home spanning 53 games and 13 years.
With Trinity having not lost a game at Jessee-Miller Field since before many of the team’s current first-years were even in kindergarten, coming away from Hartford with a win seemed like a daunting task for Middlebury. However, it seems that the Middlebury football team doesn’t care much for history, as they not only beat, but thoroughly routed Trinity by a score of 27-7.
Middlebury’s offense started strong with a 25-yard return from Ryan Rizzo ’17 to the 30-yard line, followed by a series of moves from Matt Milano ’16 and company.
Setting the tone for the day, Milano linked up early and often with receivers Matt Minno ’16 and Brendan Rankowitz ’15, finding the pair for completions of 15 and 26 yards on the drive respectively. Reaching Trinity’s four-yard line before stalling and botching the field goal attempt, Middlebury’s offense showed great facility in throwing the ball downfield.
Middlebury’s defense came out just as strong as the offense, shutting down Trinity and their vaunted running game. Gil Araujo ’16 and Tim Patricia ’16, part of Middlebury’s tough front seven, found themselves frequently in the Bantam backfield during the first quarter of play, with Patricia infiltrating Trinity’s offense’s A-gap to record a particularly impressive tackle resulting in a loss of seven yards for the Bantams.
The hard work done by the Middlebury defense would be rewarded late in the first quarter.
After a three and out, the Panther offense took over on their own nine yard line following a booming 62-yard punt by Trinity.
The Panthers disregarded their adverse field position, driving the ball at will. With Milano completing passes to five different receivers on the drive, and running backs Drew Jacobs ’18 and Jonathan Hurvitz ’17 picking up solid chunks of yardage on the ground, the 91-yard drive only took four minutes of game time, with Milano completing a 28-yard score to Minno to put the Panthers up 7-0.
The game would break open again early in the second quarter with a great play from the Panthers defense. With the Bantams driving down the field, and the goal line in sight, Trinity looked poised to score.
However, Middlebury’s Dan Pierce ’16 had other intentions, picking off the ball in the end zone, the junior defensive back took the return 71 yards, giving the Middlebury offense a great field position just outside Trinity’s red-zone.
Milano and Minno decided to give the rest of the offense a breather, with two passes, including a four yard touchdown reception, giving the Panthers a bigger lead. A failed field goal attempt would make the score 13-0, which held to the end of the half.
Having elected to receive the ball to begin the 3rd quarter, Trinity set up for the return.
Catching Trinity off-guard, Middlebury successfully pulled a surprise-onside kick, with Pierce coming up big on the recovery. Just 40 seconds later, Milano found Minno for a 24-yard score, the third touchdown for both on the day. Putting the Panthers up 20-0, the Panthers did look back.
The ensuing drive from Trinity was another three and out, with big stops from Patricia and defensive tackle Nick Burdeau ’15.
The Panthers offense, however, sputtered, causing the two teams to trade punts for much of the third quarter. Some semblance of action came late in the third, with Trinity finally breaking through on the scoreboard. A 33-yard score early in the fourth quarter proved to be a rare misstep for the dominant Middlebury defense.
Pierce, recording his second interception of the game, then set up the offense near midfield. Milano soon capped off the drive with a 26-yard pass to Brendan Rankowitz ’15 for the final score of the game.
With the Panthers up 27-7, the Middlebury defense rode out the rest of the game to secure the win.
For their efforts, Milano and Pierce were the respective NESCAC Players of the Week on offense and defense.
Milano, going 25-36 on the day for 286 yards and four touchdowns, turned in his finest effort as a starter to date, showing continued and sustained development at the quarterback position.
Pierce, meanwhile, was all over the score sheet, doing a little bit of everything for the Panthers defense. Recording 12 tackles on the day, including 10 solo tackles, as well as 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and an onside kick recovery, there really was nothing the defensive back didn’t do.
Milano and Pierce were not alone in their outstanding performances, as the win was truly a team effort, with the offense, defense and special team units all contributing to the victory.
Going into next weekend’s matchup against Hamilton, a lesser opponent than Trinity, the Panthers should be more than confident about their ability to win.
(10/30/14 4:22am)
The Middlebury volleyball team spent the weekend in Massachusetts tuning up for postseason play at the Hall of Fame tournament. The NESCAC tournament is set to begin on Friday, Nov. 7 and the Panthers wrap up their regular season with matchups on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 against conference foes Connecticut College and Tufts.
In action at Amherst and Smith in the Hall of Fame tournament, the Panthers beat Brandeis and MIT in four and five sets respectively, and lost a tough battle against Springfield in five sets for the trips’ final matchup on Saturday afternoon.
Friday night’s bout with Brandeis saw Middlebury get off to a hot start. In the first set, the Panthers and Judges were knotted up at 11 before a service error by Brandeis led to six straight Middlebury points and a 14 to three run to take the set.
The second set went the way of the Judges, who jumped on top of the Panthers 10-3. Down 19-12, Middlebury head coach Sarah Raunecker subbed in Charlotte Devine ’17 and Alice Roberts ’18, who promptly helped Middlebury’s cause with a kill. However, it would not be enough, as the Judges would take the set without much resistance.
In set three, Olivia Kolodka ’15 set the tone with a kill to give the Panthers the first point from which they never looked back, taking the set 25-17. The fourth and final set saw the Panthers off to a decisive 20-2 lead. During that span, the Panthers went on two big runs: one of seven straight points and one of 11 straight points. They won the set 25-13 to finish off Brandeis.
In Saturday’s early match, the Panthers built off of the momentum gained Friday night, as they edged the 24-4 MIT Engineers, who received votes in the ACVA Division III national poll earlier this week.
The Panthers grabbed the opening set by a 25-21 count. MIT took a 2-1 set lead after a pair of 25-16 and 25-22 victories.
The Panthers showed strong resolve as they took the last two sets from the Engineers, 25-17 and 15-13 respectively.
Becca Raffel ’18 led the Middlebury attack with 15 kills, while fellow first-year Roberts had 14. Olivia Kolodka had nine kills, Gabi Rosenfeld ’17 added six and Hannah Blackburn ’17 contributed 43 assists.
The late matchup with Springfield saw the Panthers fall in five sets despite winning the first two sets 27-25 and 25-17. The Pride stole a victory away in the final three sets by margins of 25-17, 25-19 and 15-8.
Raffel’s efforts were rewarded by her selection as Middlebury’s representative to the all-tournament team. In three matches, the first-year racked up 37 kills, maintained a .234 hitting percentage, posted 13 digs on the defensive side as well as a block and three block assists.
Through 21 games, the Panthers sport 11 wins to 10 losses overall and a record of 5-3 in NESCAC play. The final two matches against Connecticut College (12-9, 4-4) and Tufts (17-7, 7-1) present challenges to the Panthers on multiple fronts.
In terms of seeding for the conference tournament, wins (and some help) can put the Panthers into a tie for first place with a combination of multiple other teams. Losses can see the Panthers’ seed slip from their current position as the five seed down to the seventh seed.
