Edition I - November 4th, 2003
Sports Covered:
p>WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY TEAM WINS NESCAC TITLE The Middlebury College women's cross country team won its fifth NESCAC Championship in the last six years as they hosted the race on campus. The Panthers came in with 55 points, followed by Amherst with 64 and Williams with 77.
Leading the squad was junior Jessica Manzer (Palatine Bridge, N.Y.), who placed fourth overall with a time of 18:25, 12 seconds off the winning pace. Next for the Panthers was senior Molly Yazwinski (Deerfield, Mass.) in eighth place in 18:48, followed by junior Marisa Cawley (Bennington, N.H.) in 13th (19:00) and first-year racer Andrea Giddings (S. Portland, Maine) in 14th (19:02). Rounding out the five scorers was first-year runner Erin Archard (Vienna, Maine) with a time of 19:16, good for 16th place.
The men's squad placed eighth overall at the race, led by sophomore Garrott Kuzzy (Minneapolis, Minn.) in 24th place (27:25), 1:07 off the winning pace. Junior Jonathan Erwin (Rumson, N.J.) was next for Middlebury in 30th place with a time of 27:44, followed by junior Nick Digani (Northfield, Ill.) in 31st place in 27:49. First-year racer Will McDonough (Lancaster, N.H.) placed 42nd overall in 28:18, followed by fellow rookie Sean Lena (Orono, Maine) in 58th place (28:48).
* Up next: 11/9 @ ECAC Championships
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FOOTBALL TEAM THUMPS HAMILTON, PANTHERS BREAK SCHOOL RECORDS
The Panther football team tied or broke six school records as they racked up a school-best 611 yards of offense on their way to a 55-31 win over Hamilton. Junior quarterback Mike Keenan (Rutland, Vt.) set the school mark with five touchdown passes in the contest, despite not playing the end of the third and entire fourth quarter. The Panthers jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a pair of touchdown passes from Keenan to senior tight end Charley Howe (Darien, Conn.). The Continentals answered late in the first quarter with a 46-yard scoring strike to cut the lead to 14-6. Keenan found senior Tom Cleaver (Severna Park, Md.) early in the second quarter from 15 yards out to increase the lead to 21-6. Hamilton battled back late in the quarter with a pair of scores with help from a Middlebury fumble between possessions. Middlebury answered late in the half with a 62-yard drive in 41 seconds, capped off with a six-yard pass from Keenan to sophomore Ryan Armstrong (Whitman, Mass.) to give Middlebury a 28-18 lead at the break. The third quarter would be all Middlebury as they scored on three consecutive possessions to put the game out of reach at 49-18. Senior Matt Wolf (Weston, Mass.) scored on a two-yard run, Howe made his third touchdown catch of the day from 15 yards out, while Cleaver caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from senior Colin Lantry (Hackettstown, N.J.). First-year player Stefan Hrdina (W. Redding, Conn.) scored the Panthers final touchdown with a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Keenan's record-setting day ended with him completing 22 of 32 passes for 343 yards with five touchdowns. He was 12 for his first 13 at one point in the contest, for 173 yards, as he earned NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Keenan helped the team to break the school mark of 398 yards passing in a game as well as six touchdown passes.
Wolf led the rushing game with 83 yards on 16 carries, including a touchdown. Cleaver caught 10 passes for 156 yards with two touchdowns, while Howe caught four balls, three for touchdowns, for 67 yards on the day. Armstrong also had a big day receiving with six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. NESCAC rookie of the week Scott Secor (Lake Odessa, Mich.), led the defense with 11 tackles and an interception. This ties Middlebury's third highest offensive output in school history and is the most since the 1981 team scored 55 points in a 55-0 win over Hamilton. Middlebury also tied the school mark for first downs in a game with 32.
* Football record: 3-4
* Up next: 11/9 @ Tufts - noon
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FIELD HOCKEY TEAM TO HOST NESCAC CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND
The Middlebury College field hockey team will host the NESCAC Championship weekend this Saturday and Sunday on Kohn Field. The Panthers will take on Amherst at 1:30, with the Williams/Bowdoin game preceding at 11:00 a.m. The winners meet for the NESCAC title on Sunday at noon.
Top-ranked Middlebury remained undefeated last week with a pair of convincing wins at home. Senior Abigail Lamb (Mendham, N.J.) scored four goals, while senior Char Glessner (Ipswich, Mass.) had two goals and two assists to lead the Panthers to a win over Rensselear. Lamb opened the scoring just 2:02 into the game, and followed that up with a tally just 2:42 later to make it a 2-0 game. Glessner converted a great feed from sophomore Channing Weymouth (Plymouth, N.H.) following a penalty corner to make it a 3-0 contest with 18:48 left in the half. Senior Missy Krempa (Johnstown,
N.Y.) increased the lead to 4-0 with a rocket from the outside at 15:15. Middlebury added four more goals in the second half to seal the win. First-year player Meg McGillen (Harwich, Mass.) made two saves in goal. The Panthers ended their regular season with a 9-0 win over Connecticut College. Lamb set the school record with three assists in a game to go along with her two goals to lead Middlebury to the win. Char Glessner and first-year player Emily Enos (Hamilton, Mass.) each scored three goals apiece in the contest for the Panthers. Senior Becca Brakeley (Middlebury,
Vt.) scored the game's other goal. McGillen and sophomore Anna Spiegel (McLean, Va.) combined for the shutout.
* Field hockey record: 14-0
* Up next: 11/8 vs. Amherst - 1:30, Bowdoin vs. Williams - 11, 11/9 - NESCAC Championship - 12
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MEN'S SOCCER ADVANCES TO NESCAC SEMI'S
The Panther men's soccer team picked up a pair of 1-0 wins at home last week, as they advanced to the NESCAC semifinals at Williams this weekend. Middlebury will take on Bowdoin in one match-up, while the host school meets Wesleyan in the other semifinal. One goal is all Middlebury would need as they picked up a 1-0 win over Connecticut College in the regular season finale. First-year player John Sales (Chatham, Ill.) scored the game's only goal in the 53rd minute to lift Middlebury to the win. Sales' first header was saved, but his second straight header found the back of the net for the tally. Junior Craig Hirsh (Verona, N.J.) made four saves in goal for his sixth shutout of the season.
On Sunday, Middlebury advanced to the NESCAC semifinals with a 1-0 win over Tufts in the first-round of the tournament. The win also marked the 200th career win for Middlebury's 19-year head coach David Saward. He now sports a career mark of 200-67-30.
Senior Jason Griffith's (Gauteng, S. Africa) goal 13:25 into the contest would be the only tally of the game as the Panthers held on for the 1-0 win. Following a corner kick from senior Andrew Stewart (Weston, Conn.), the Tufts' goalkeeper knocked the ball out of the goalmouth to Griffiths, who finished with a low shot to the left side for the game's only goal. Middlebury's best chance to score again came in the 54th minute, but sophomore Derek Cece (Williamstown, Mass.) was denied by a sliding save. Tufts scored the apparent game-tying goal with a minute to play, but the header was waved off after it was ruled that the player knocked the ball out of Hirsch's hands before it slid into the net. Middlebury had a handle of a majority of the play, outshooting Tufts 24-7 on the afternoon. Hirsh made three stops for his seventh shutout of the season.
* Men's soccer record: 11-2-2
* Up next: 11/8 vs. Bowdoin at Williams - 1:30, 11/9 - NESCAC Championship - 12 @ Williams
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WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL HEADED TO NESCAC TOURNEY
The Middlebury College women's volleyball team has earned the seventh-seed for the upcoming NESCAC Volleyball Tournament this weekend at Williams. The Panthers will take on Bates in the first-round on Friday and will continue to play through the weekend if victorious.
Last week the Panthers played their final non-league game with a 3-2 loss to St. Michael's in Pepin Gym. Junior Sydney Hartsock (Snohomish,
Wash.) led the team with 19 kills, while first-year player Lacee Patterson (Aspen, Colo.) added 13. Sophomore Jamie Wong (San Francisco, Calif.) collected 31 digs in the match, while junior Laurie Wollin (Colleyville,
Texas) had 25 and Hartsock added 22.
Middlebury then won two of three matches at the NESCAC Quad at Wesleyan to secure a tournament bid. The Panthers defeated Connecticut College in their first match by a score of 3-0. Junior Katy Hicks (Santa Barbara, Calif.) had 14 kills in the match, while senior Danielle Boniello (Golden's Bridge, N.Y.) added 11.
The Panthers earned their second straight win with a five-set victory over Trinity. Hicks led the offense with 17 kills, followed by Patterson with 14 and Hartsock with 10. Wollin had 44 assists in the match, while Wong and Hartsock had 27 digs apiece.
In the regular season finale, Middlebury fell 3-1 to the host school from Wesleyan. Patterson had a dozen kills and 20 digs to lead the team.
* Women's volleyball record: 12-12
* Up next: 11/7 vs. Bates @ Williams (NESCAC Tournament) - 6:00, if win, 11/8 vs. TBA @ Williams
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WOMEN'S SOCCER FALLS IN NESCAC TOURNAMENT
The Panther women's soccer team saw its season come to an end in the first-round of the NESCAC Tournament. After 110 minutes of scoreless action at Williams, the game had to be decided on penalty kicks. The Ephs advanced 3-1, avenging an earlier season loss to the Panthers. Middlebury controlled much of the play, but were unable to find the back of the net. The Panthers held a 26-14 shot advantage as well as an 8-2 edge in corner kicks. Junior Els Van Woert (Shelburne, Vt.) made five saves in goal.
In their final regular season game, Middlebury's first-year player Laura Kwoh (Pittsburgh, Pa.) scored the game-winner with just 5:40 left to play as the Panthers picked up a 3-2 win over Connecticut College. Rookie Erin Pittenger (McCall, Idaho) scored the only goal of the first half at the 36:45 mark to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. The Camels tied the game at 54:20 before a flurry of goals ensued. First-year player Caity Abshere (Madison, Wis.) gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead at 83:00 before Connecticut College tied the game just 13 seconds later. The game remained tied for only 1:07 before Kwoh's game-winner. Van Woert made five saves in goal for the Panthers.
* Women's soccer final record: 10-4-1
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