PFL Weekly Ep. 8: Women’s track & field wins meet, men’s baseball undefeated at home, women’s lacrosse charges past Colby
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Aidan Harris ’24, from Indianapolis, Ind., is a sophomore on the men’s tennis team. Harris plays both doubles and singles, and aims to lead the Panthers to the NCAA tournament this May. In this installment of “Seven Questions,” Harris discusses his beginnings with tennis, his aspirations for the season and his pre-match rituals.
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Noah Osher ’23.5, from Northbrook, Ill., is playing in his second season on the men’s basketball team. In this installment of “Seven Questions,” Osher discusses his best moments with the team, his playing style and his favorite meal on campus.
Crisp air and bare trees can only signal one thing: the dawn of the winter sports season. As fall sports wind down at Middlebury, it’s time to turn our attention to the 14 varsity winter sports teams that are set to compete over the next few months. Here are previews for every varsity winter sports team.
Yet another Panther has learned that the view from the top is quite nice.
After success in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) New England Championship, three Middlebury men’s tennis players are headed to Rome, Georgia on Oct. 14 to represent the Panthers in the ITA Cup. At the ITA regional tournament, Aidan Harris ’23 and Noah Laber ’24 won the doubles championship, while Stan Morris ’22 was runner up in the singles championship. Morris advanced to the finals of singles play in the ITA cup in 2019. “It was an awesome privilege to compete for a national title my sophomore year,” Morris said. “Hopefully I can use that experience to raise my level over the course of the tournament.” The ITA Cup consists of regional champions and runner-ups from other ITA regional tournaments across the country. With everyone in Rome looking to make deep runs in the tournament, the Middlebury athletes will be arriving ready to give the tournament their all. “I’m super excited to be able to play against the best teams in the country,” Laber said. “I feel the ITA Regionals gave us the confidence to play better than we ever have before.” Morris is not the only Panther making the trip to Georgia with experience in the ITA Cup. Head Coach Andrew Thomson ’10 won the ITA Cup in 2007 and 2009 in doubles play. Thomson has been encouraging his players to focus on effort, not results. “Coach Thomson is a very engaged coach who cares a lot about everyone’s progress,” Harris said. “In doubles particularly, he is all about taking control of points at the net. While Noah and I aren’t typically seeking to come to the net in singles, Coach Thomson makes sure we are moving around a lot at the net and trying to go hunt balls as much as we can. His coaching really helped us in our run to the title at the regional tournament.” While Harris, Laber and Morris head down to Georgia with Coach Thomson, the rest of the team will be playing in the Wesleyan Invitational on Oct. 16 and 17. From October 14–17, Harris, Laber and Morris will be taking to the courts to see if they can become the next Panthers to win a national championship. Just by making the tournament they’ve established themselves as All-Americans. The players and coaches are avoiding stress and looking at this event as an exciting opportunity to do something big. “It’s a fun thing,” Coach Hansen said about the upcoming ITA Cup. “Give it a swing!”
When Sophia Laukli ’23 learned that she would travel with the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team to the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany, she wasn’t expecting to actually start a race, let alone three. Laukli was told that she would be an alternate, and was asked to come ready to learn, but to not expect to start in any races. But Laukli’s role took a turn when she was awarded a start in the Women’s 15K skiathlon on Feb. 27, the result of an impressive showing in training. The race afforded Laukli a taste of competition at the next level, where the 20-year-old competed against some of the world’s finest Nordic skiers. The Middlebury sophomore set high expectations for herself, hoping to maintain her starting role on the team down the line. Laukli rose to the occasion, crossing the finish line in 41:54.2, placing 25th. She ranked second among Americans in the race — only behind Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins — and was the second-youngest skier in the top 30. “I think they were a little shook,” Laukli told The Campus. “But that's what I like.” Laukli parlayed the strong performance in the Women’s Skiathlon into a second start in the Women’s 10K on March 2, where she placed 23rd with a time of 25:32.2. Once again, Laukli grinded out an impressive performance, finishing on the heels of racers who would have typically been minutes ahead. Her success in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships concluded with the Women’s 30K, an event Laukli had never raced before. But her momentum continued on March 6, as Laukli finished 28th in 1:32:57.0. For the third time in eight days, the Panther raced to a top-30 finish. Laukli credits her coaching and teammates at Middlebury as chief reasons for her World Championships success. The coaching she’s received at Middlebury has been fundamental, according to Laukli, as well as the motivation given by her teammates. “My team has been so so supportive which makes me smile,” Laukli remarked. “For them, it’s not about how I finish as much as how proud and stoked for me they are. It’s incredible.” Her accomplishments are contagious, inspiring Nordic team captain Peter Wolter ’21.5 as he competes in Gålå, Norway. “To see her excel at the world stage, motivates me and the team to dial it up to another level,” Wolter said. Laukli also recognized the importance of her U.S. Ski Team coaches — a crew that includes head coach Matt Whitcomb ’01 and assistant coach Kate Barton ’09 — in her transition to the international level. She also praised her U.S. Cross Country Ski Team teammates for teaching her not only the techniques for success, but also what it takes to be a fully committed Nordic skier. Looking forward, Laukli has two more World Cup races this weekend to build off of her recent success, followed by a well-deserved offseason. Before the World Championships, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics weren’t on Laukli’s mind, but now it’s an opportunity she’d like to pursue. As for her time in the Panther uniform, Laukli isn’t going anywhere. “I totally miss skiing for Middlebury,” she noted. “I can’t wait to be back at Carnival.”
This team is dominant. The Panthers showed up on Saturday and Sunday as they produced two road wins that extended their current win streak to 25 straight games. The women’s lacrosse team is firing on all cylinders and it seems as if no one can stand in their way, even this early in the season. On Saturday, the women traveled to Connecticut College. The lopsided 13-3 first half set the Panthers up to calmly cruise to a 16-5 final game score. The frightening offensive duo that includes Emily Barnard ’20 and Julia Earley ’22 thrashed the Camels’ defense by recording 7 points each. The Panther defense didn’t let much past them, but in the rare chances they did, goalie Julia White ’20 stepped up and made 4 great saves. “At this point in the season we are excited to have 3 strong wins under our belt and are looking forward to unlocking our teams potential as we continue to face tough opponents,” said Barnard, team captain and leading point scorer. “We have an amazing group of 28 girls that connect really well on and off the field and just want to take advantage of every opportunity we get to improve!” The Sunday game included even more fervor as the Panthers relentlessly overpowered Springfield. The early lead was continued by an onslaught of scoring for Middlebury that left the final score at 23-4. This game can truly be considered a team effort as six different players tallied a hat trick, including first-year’s Susan Rowley ’23 and Nikki Mormile ’23. “In terms of how the freshmen are feeling, we’ve all been looking forward to the start of the season since the fall, so it is super exciting for it to be finally here and to have our first college lacrosse games,” said Rowley, leading scorer among first-years. “We can’t wait for the rest of a fun and hopefully successful spring!” said Rowley. The Panthers seem to show no signs of slowing down. Their next game will be this coming Saturday, when they host Trinity at 2:00.
The alpine and nordic teams gifted their fans a handful of first place finishes at home this weekend at the 97th Middlebury Carnival. In the alpine races, the team showed up. Timmy Gavett ’22 and Erik Arvidsson ‘21 picked up first and third respectively in the slalom event. On day two, Arvidsson won the giant slalom contest, decidedly. Pate Campbell ’20 and Justin Alkier ’21 tied for fifth. Campbell finished very well in his final collegiate race for Midd. For the women, Ali Nullmeyer ’23 eased past the competition, winning both the slalom and giant slalom by large margins. Nullmeyer spoke to her success and anticipation of the NCAA Championships out west in Montana. “It felt really awesome to get the double win at our home carnival,” Nullmeyer said. “It was also really cool that we as a team were able to win all four alpine events. We had a really solid showing and I’m excited to take that energy with us into NCAAs.” The nordic team also enjoyed their home field advantage. Racers put out some of their best finishes of the season at a time when they were needed most in lue of a few teammates being away at the Nordic Junior World Championships in Germany. The ladies stepped up to the challenge. Annika Landis ’20 placed fourth on both days, rounding out her last Carnival on top. Peter Wolter ‘21 pulled out his first career win in the 20K race Saturday. He was followed by Willson Moore ’22 and Josh Valentine ’23 who each had their best finishes of the season. Wolter spoke on his success after breaking past his four second place finishes over the course of the season. “It felt like this win was a long time coming and I’ve been so close so many times this year that it was very rewarding to finally get the top spot,” Wolter said. “I’m excited to go back West for NCAA’s on a course that I’ve raced before. It’ll be sweet to see what Midd Skiing can do after a strong regular season.” In two weeks, some of our best racers will be competing in Montana against the best of the best from Division 1 schools around the country. The Panthers will be hoping to build on their success as it is clear that they have the speed to win it all.
The women’s lacrosse team is still hot off of its dominant season last year and continues to prove it deserves to be the number one team in the country. The squad notched a win against No. 13 Bowdoin in their season opener on Saturday, Feb. 29. Extending their win streak from last season to twenty-three games, the top-ranked Panthers stood the test of a worthy opponent. Early in the game, the Panthers rushed out to an early lead, but the Polar Bears crawled back later in the half to ultimately settle the game at 6–6 by halftime. After the half, the Panthers again pulled out to a cushiony lead but Bowdoin would not quit. As the game moved on, the Panthers displayed their power as they amassed a lead the Polar Bears would not be able to close. The game ended in a Panthers win by a score of 16–12. The performance was led by dominant performances on offense by Emily Barnard ’20 and Jane Earley ’22, who each scored five goals. On the defensive end, Julia Keith ’20 had seven saves for the Panthers and Addy Mitchell ’21 forced five turnovers. Looking at the team’s success, it’s evident that they play as a unit, dependent on both their offense and defense to be reliable and to keep their streak alive. Next up, the women head to Connecticut College on Saturday, March 7 for their second game of a hopefully dominant season.
Middlebury is coming off its second straight carnival win at the Williams Carnival on Feb. 14-15. The streak couldn’t have come at a better time. The men’s nordic team posted strong results as Peter Wolter ’21 placed 4th in the 10k classical event and Samuel Hodges ’22 followed closely with a 12th place finish. In the only relay of the season, the men placed 7th. Women’s nordic also displayed their consistent dominance with three top 10 finishes. Alexandra Lawson ’21, Sophia Laukli ’23, and Annika Landis ’20 finished 2nd, 4th, and 8th, respectively. These three also won the 3x5 relay race decisively, with the next team finishing over a minute later. Laukli reflected on her quick transition into such a successful team. “It’s exciting to think that we won two carnivals in a row because that hasn’t been done by Midd in a very long time. Coming in as a freshman and having such a strong squad has been super motivating. I’m pumped that I have the next three years to continue our success,” she said. Despite stellar individual performances, this was a team effort. The alpine team held their own, with some career best finishes for multiple racers. Day one saw Tim Gavett ’22 and Erik Arvidsson ’21 tied for 1st place and Michel Macedo ’22 finished in 5th, a career best in their Giant Slalom race. On the second day, three men finished in the top six for the Slalom race. Justin Alkier ’21 won the Slalom race for the third time this season and Arvidsson and Gavett placed 4th and 6th, respectively. The alpine women put in some incredible times as well. Nina Reichhelm ’23 and Katie Utter ’20 recorded career best times and placed 5th and 7th, respectively, in Giant Slalom. In Slalom, Lucia Bailey ’21 finished in 3rd and Emma Hall ’23 got her first career top 10 finish for Midd, placing 9th. The teams have a week off before they host the Middlebury Carnival on Feb. 28-29th. Rebecca Clark ’23 relayed the team’s goals for the upcoming bye week. “Most of the team is going to take the weekend off and get some needed rest so that everyone is healthy, energetic and really fired up going into Midd Carnival,” said Clark. The upcoming bye weekend should definitely provide such a break for the athletes. Confidence is high and excitement fills the campus in anticipation of the home races. It should be an outstanding weekend to be a Panther.
They did it! The alpine and nordic ski teams earned their first carnival win in a very close victory over UVM. All members of the team clocked in speedy times to dominate the Bates Carnival. For the alpine men, Justin Alkier ’21 placed first in giant slalom and Erik Arvidsson ’21 trailed him closely with a fourth place finish. In slalom, Tim McGavett ’22 finished second. Alkier commented on the team’s successful weekend. “After being so close to victory in the prior carnivals, it was amazing to see things come together for a well deserved win,” said Alkier. “It’s a great feeling to be in contention for the win every weekend — let alone win. The entire team is showing some serious speed right now and we’re all excited for the remainder of the season, especially the Midd Carnival.” It wasn’t just the men who showed up this last weekend though. The women also came to play. Lucia Bailey ’21 led the pack with her third place finish in slalom. Meanwhile, Nina Reichhelm ’23 brought in a top 10 finish in grand slalom, placing 8th. Bailey reflected on her team’s performance. “There was an unspoken pressure to ski well this weekend because we have been so close to winning and the stars finally aligned,” said Bailey. “Everyone contributed to the win.” Heading into Williams Carnival, excitement surrounds the team as it is the final Carnival before the beloved Midd Carnival, hosted at the Middlebury Snow Bowl. Hopes are that the success will continue throughout the remainder of the season. Go Panthers!
The alpine and nordic teams fared well at the Harvard Carnival as they both finished in second place. “The Carnival loss has definitely left the team hungry and ready to go for next weekend. We’re all very excited for what we can do in the rest of the season.” said Nina Reichhelm ‘23. The growing excitement is evident as racers from both the men’s and women’s squads are putting in some high finishes and fast times. For the women’s 5k skate, Alexandra Lawson ’21 earned the fastest time amongst all skiers, clocking in a time of 13:44:1. In the men’s 20k Classic Mass Start, Peter Wolter ’21 landed in third place at 54:23.5 on Friday, Feb. 2020. Looking toward their home Carnival at the Middlebury Snowbowl, the team hopes to repeat their success after winning it all last year. The future looks bright for these racers, especially first-year Ali Nullmeyer ’23, who raced in the World Cup in Flachau, placing in a career-best 16th.
It’s fourth and goal and the crowd rises to its feet. The student section screams so loud the opposing players can’t even hear the play call. The center snaps the ball, and the quarterback rolls out to his right. He throws! The pass is dropped! The football team wins the title! Hundreds of fans rush the field, jumping up and down with excitement for a win they’ll never forget. Does it sound like Middlebury? Not quite. At Middlebury, we are pretty fortunate to have some of the top D-3 sports teams in the business. Last year, Middlebury won six NESCAC championships in total, the most out of any school in the conference. Additionally, field hockey and women’s lacrosse both won national championships and women’s soccer finished as national finalists. Our athletic conquests continued this year; football recorded a 9–0 season and was the first team to ever do so in NESCAC history. Three other teams competed in the NESCAC championship game this past weekend (men’s soccer, women’s soccer, and field hockey). But these reporters were curious: Does the school spirit at Middlebury match its distinguished athletic profile? To probe the question, we first explored what school spirit means to Middlebury students. “School spirit means being proud of going to Middlebury,” Jess Cohen ’21 said. Meanwhile, Kelsey Brown ’23 said school spirit entails “a bunch of people getting together, supporting the sports teams, wearing their school colors, and making chants.” Of course, school spirit isn’t confined to just spectating sporting events; it would be irrational to say that students who don’t attend sports games don’t have school spirit. However, attending sporting events is definitely a facet of school spirit that some students feel has room for improvement. Georgia Ezell ’23 feels a similar way. “I’d like to be at a school with a little more team camaraderie and sense of self,” Georgia Ezell ’23 said. “But maybe that’s my own fault.” Take Middlebury field hockey, for example. This past Sunday, the team won their third straight NESCAC title, good for their sixth in the past eight years. They will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA D-3 tournament, entering the competition as defending champions. For a squad of such a high caliber, it’s worrisome to think that the average attendance was less than 100 fans per game this season. Keep in mind, attendance includes parents of both teams and local fans that don’t go to Middlebury. According to S.K. Hurlock ’23, “mostly close friends and parents/family of girls on the team” make up the fan base. Middlebury hosted the NESCAC championships for field hockey this weekend, but still saw relatively meager attendance. At the team’s semi-final matchup against Hamilton on Saturday, only 108 fans attended. It’s important to note that we are not saying that there are no fans at Middlebury; in fact, there have been times where student support has been incredible. For instance, attendance to the Oct. 12 football matchup vs. Colby (3,333) was the second-highest the football team had in the past six years. Rather, we are arguing that we could use improvement. So how might we accomplish this? The first idea most people bring up is tailgating. Why don’t we have it at Middlebury? It is allowed, but in 2014, Director of Athletics Erin Quinn officially banned alcoholic beverages at tailgates. According to the NESCAC’s sportsmanship statement, “It is incumbent upon NESCAC host institutions to provide a hospitable environment for contests to be played with an emphasis on fair play and an absolute ban on the consumption of alcoholic beverages by spectators.” Quinn noted this policy — in conjunction with previous incidents at football games caused by excessive alcohol consumption — in his decision to ban alcohol at tailgates in 2014. So yes, tailgating is still allowed, contrary to popular belief. There also have been efforts within the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) of establishing a point system respective to attending athletic games, through an app called “SuperFan.” The premise of the app is simple: when you attend games, you log your attendance and gain points. In return, students can use these points to purchase Middlebury swag. This SAAC has brought to the administrations attention, but further action has yet to take place. Masa Mori ’22 believes that, if there’s a devoted student section “attending games would be much more fun.” If a few students are willing to take charge, they could raise awareness through social media posts, along with an announcement in the newspaper and fliers all around campus. Besides school spirit, when we think of college sports, traditions cross our mind. Knowing that we’ve only been at Midd for a couple of months, we asked some upperclassmen about the presence of traditions in athletics. “There are none, literally none,” Emily Kohutnicki ’20 said, when asked about sports traditions at Middlebury. Obviously, this was concerning knowing that she’s been here for nearly four years. You would expect that at some point in Middlebury’s 229 year history, some kind of annual sporting ritual would arise, but that’s not the case. So, what can be done? As we near the winter season, why not start up some new traditions? Maybe a blue-out at the first basketball game? A pajama psych at one of our hockey games? The possibilities are endless. Again, we know there is definitely school spirit at Middlebury — that’s not our point. Rather, we believe that as a student body, we can do even better. Our athletes work incredibly hard to perform at a high level, and the least we can do is give our maximum effort as it comes to support. So get off your butt, take a study break, quit watching Netflix, and cheer our athletes on. Trust us, the library is not going anywhere and you can certainly get back to the books after your short break to show some Midd spirit! Hopefully, we’ll see you at the next game.