For Release: March 12, 2007
WOMEN’S SWIMMING COMPETES AT NCAA’S
The Middlebury College women’s swimming and diving team finished eighth overall out of 51 teams competing at the 2007 NCAA Championships last week. Junior Marika Ross (Shorewood, Wis.) had a great weekend, winning NCAA titles in both the 100 and 200 fly events. Her time of 55.59 seconds in the 100 is a new varsity and NESCAC record, while she finished in 2:02.26 to capture the 200 fly for the second time in three years. Ross also placed ninth with a time of 4:58.87 to set a new school record in the 500 free.
Junior Alanna Hanson (Golden Bridge, N.Y.) earned All-American honors with a sixth place finish in three-meter diving, earning 413.20 points in the event. In the 1,650 free, first-year racer Katie Soja (Sudbury, Mass.) was also an All-American, placing eighth with a time of 17:23.04. She also placed 12th in the 500 free in 5:02.90.
Other individual highlights include junior Katie Chambers (Annapolis, Md.) with a 13th place finish in the 400IM (4:34.78) and junior Sara Cowie (N. Palm Beach, Fla.), who placed 10th in the 1,650 free (17:25.99).
Middlebury had five relay teams with impressive performances, led by the 400 medley team that placed fourth, setting a new school record and earning All-American honors with a time of 3:53. The team was comprised of Ross, Chambers, sophomore Catherine Suppan (Burlington, Vt.) and senior Barbara Van der Veer (Pittsburgh, Pa.).
Ross, Van der Veer, senior Liz Rice (New Canaan, Conn.) and rookie Katie Remington (Madison, Wis.) made up the 400 free relay team that finished ninth in 3:31.95. Placing 10th in 1:36.90, was the 200 free team comprised of Ross, Remington, Van der Veer and sophomore Lindsey Dattels (Wilmette, Ill.). Also placing 10th was the 200 medley team (1:48.92) of Chambers, Van der Veer, Remington and senior Rebecca Reingold (Oakland, Calif.). Cowie, Ross and first-year racers Beth Bacon (Novelty, Ohio) and Yu Wang (Beijing, China) made up the other top relay team, finishing 12th in the 800 free with a time of 7:47.94.
• end of season
BUTLER EARNS ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Senior Beth Butler (Bronxville, N.Y.) competed at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Butler, who was ranked 14th going into the championships, finished the race in fourth place with a time of 2:13.97. Her finish earned her All-American honors, while breaking her own school record.
• end of season
SKI TEAMS FINISH SIXTH AT NCAA’S
Middlebury finished the 2007 NCAA Skiing Championship in a sixth place tie with New Mexico. Dartmouth won the title, followed by Denver, Colorado, Utah and Vermont.
Sophomore Andrew Wagner (Traverse City, Mich.) earned All-American honors again on the final day, finishing in third place in the slalom with a time of 1:43.55, .19 off the winning time. Junior Alec Tarberry (N. Conway, N.H.) was Middlebury's other finisher, placing 21st in 1:47.95.
Sophomore Mattie Ford (Plymouth, N.H.) also earned All-American honors on the women's side with an eighth place finish in 1:47.06, 1.83 seconds off the championship time. Junior Dorothy Muirhead (Crested Butte, Colo.) was Middlebury's other finisher, placing 22nd in 1:52.39.
The final nordic action was completed on Friday, with the women racing in the 15K classic and the men competing in the 20K race. Senior Jenny Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) was Middlebury's top racer in the women's race, finishing in 15th place with a time of 51:21, 3:10 off the winning pace. Sophomore Cassidy Edwards (Glen Arbor, Mich.) finished the event in 31st place with a time of 53:15.
On the men's side, sophomore Simeon Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) finished in 23rd place in 58:34, 3:28 off the winning time. Sophomore Tim Reynolds (Bristol, Vt.) placed 31st for the Panthers, with a time of 59:55.
The men's alpine racers finished sixth overall in the GS on Thursday, while the women came in eighth. Leading the Panther men was Wagner, who earned All-American status with a fourth place finish in 2:22.33. Tarberry came in 15th overall with a time of 2:23.95, while junior Clayton Reed (Stowe, Vt.) was 30th (3:00.85).
Senior Lindsay Brush (Charlotte, Vt.) led the Middlebury women with a 13th place finish in 1:34.63. Ford followed in 25th (1:38.64), followed by Muirhead in 31st (1:57.97).
The Middlebury nordic team was in action on day one, with the women placing 10th in the 5K freestyle race, while the men were seventh in the 10K freestyle competition.
Hamilton was impressive for the Middlebury men, placing seventh overall (All-American) with a time of 26:08, 1:16 off the winning time. Reynolds finished the race in 27:44, good for 29th place.
Edwards was the top finisher for the Middlebury women, placing 17th overall in 15:01, 1:11 off the winning time. Middlebury's other racer was Hamilton, who came in 20th with a time of 15:08.
• end of season
MEN’S HOCKEY RETURNS TO FINAL FOUR
The Panther men’s hockey team will make its sixth straight appearance in the final four after a 3-2 win over UMass-Dartmouth in an NCAA Quarterfinal match-up in Kenyon Arena. The win was the 400th at Middlebury for Panther head coach Bill Beaney, who moves to 400-112-27 in his 19th season. UMD ends its season at 25-3-1, with each of the last two seasons ending at Middlebury in the quarterfinals.
UMD had a good chance to score early as Chris Shore’s shot from the left wing was saved by junior Ross Cherry (Basking Ridge, N.J.). The rebound bounced to Matt Serino who had a good look and an open net, but could not score. Middlebury went on a power play at 7:05 and took a 1-0 lead at 7:29. Senior Brett Shirreffs (Etna, N.H.) took a shot from the left point, that was tipped in by senior Eric LaFreniere (St. Anne, Manitoba) for the 1-0 lead. UMD’s Bill Carroll had his rocket denied by Cherry at 8:33 as it nicked his catching glove before hitting the crossbar. Paul Carr tied the game at 9:24 as his initial breakaway attempt was saved by Cherry before the puck trickled across the goal line. The Panthers held a 12-7 shots advantage after one period.
Middlebury regained the lead just 31 seconds into the second period as junior Mickey Gilchrist (Ottawa, Ont.) took a feed from sophomore Jamie McKenna (Lake Placid, N.Y.) and skated across the low slot before scoring with a backhander. UMD tied the game less than three minutes later as Jeff Grant scored with a rocket from the right point. The period ended in a 2-2 tie, with each team taking eight shots during the session.
First-year player John Sullivan (Delmar, N.Y.) had a nice chance denied at 3:30 as his shot from the slot as he was falling to the ice was stopped by Jeff Green. Sullivan would not be denied at 6:15 when he blasted a shot home from the slot for a power play goal after a great feed from senior John Sales (Downington, Pa.). UMD threatened late, but were unable to slide one past Cherry, despite playing with an extra attacker for the game’s final 1:16. Cherry ended the night with 18 saves to earn the win, while Green made 28 for UMD.
Middlebury advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals after a 9-0 win over Fredonia in an NCAA first-round contest in the Kenyon Arena. Middlebury wasted little time as Sullivan scored just 47 seconds in, tipping in a shot from the point by senior Evgeny Saidachev (Gig Harbor, Wash.). Senior Darwin Hunt (Winnetka, Ill.) made it a 2-0 game at the 6:46 mark as he skated in from the right side, paused, and then quickly snapped a shot over the right shoulder of Kevin Amborski. Middlebury sophomore Doug Raeder (Needham, Mass.) kept it a 2-0 game just 15 seconds later as he made a big glove save on Kraig Kuzma.
The Panthers took a 3-0 lead at 13:11 as junior Jed McDonald (Hingham, Mass.) scored his first goal of the season, scoring with a shot from the slot after a rebound. Junior Sam Driver (St. Albans, Vt.) almost made it a 4-0 game just 15 seconds later, but his shot deflected off the post. Junior Scott Bartlett (Pittsford, N.Y.) ripped a shot off the pipe later in the period, before Amborski denied Sales with a nice glove save in the waning moments of the period.
Middlebury went up 4-0 just 2:04 into the second period with a power play goal. Driver took a feed from McKenna in the slot, quickly fired a shot that was saved, before putting in his own rebound. Fredonia had a chance at the 4:38 mark, but was unable to muster up any offense on a power play. Middlebury added to its total at 9:35 as Shirreffs hit an open net after Pat Street, playing in relief of Amborski, gave up a rebound following a shot from Bartlett.
Fredonia had a failed power play at 2:24 before the Panthers ran off three in 1:34, including a pair just 17 seconds apart. Junior Tom Maldonado (Bronx, N.Y.) scored the first with a hard snapper from the left side, before Gilchrist wristed a shot into the top left corner from the slot. Sophomore Ian Drummond (Del Mar, Calif.) scored his first of the season at 6:37 to end the run, as he snapped in a shot from the left side for a shorthanded goal. Drummond struck again with a five-on-three tally 11:52 into the third to wrap up the scoring. Fredonia’s best chance to score came shorthanded at 8:54 as Pat Capella’s shot hit the pipe.
Eight different players scored for Middlebury on the night, with 16 of 18 earning at least one point. Drummond scored his first two goals of the season, while Saidachev, LaFreniere and Bartlett had two assists apiece.
Raeder was forced to make only six saves in goal to earn his first shutout of the season. Amborski made 16 saves and allowed five goals in 29:35, while Street made 21 saves and allowed four goals in 30:25. Middlebury ended the night with more goals (9) than Fredonia had shots (6).
• Men’s hockey record: 19-7-3
• Up next: 3/17 vs. Manhattanville – 5:00 eastern (NCAA semifinals at UW-Superior) – if win, 3/18 – NCAA Championship – 4:00 eastern
WOMEN’S HOCKEY RETURNS TO PLATTSBURGH FOR FINAL FOUR
The Middlebury College women’s hockey team will make its fourth consecutive trip to the final four after defeating Manhattanville in the quarterfinals for the third straight season. The Panthers out-shot the Valiants 39-14 on the night, coming away with a 3-1 win. The game was played before a crowd of 755, the largest to ever watch a women’s game in the Kenyon Arena.
Middlebury looked strong early, holding Manhattanville shot-less for the game’s first 7:20. Each team had some chances to score in the period, with both squads going 0/3 on the power play. The Valiants had a nice opportunity at the 13:19 mark, but Cory Alcorn was denied by first-year netminder Lani Wright (Reading, Mass.) on a breakaway. Amanda Nonis tried to stuff a shot home from the far side on a power play, but Wright was equal to the task once again. Middlebury ended the period with a 14-9 edge in shots.
Middlebury controlled play early in the second period, out-shooting Manhattanville 6-1 in the first five minutes. Middlebury was pressuring on a power play at 11:30 as senior Shannon Tarrant’s (Brookfield, Conn.) rocket from the point hit the outside of the right post. Moments later, senior Abby Kurtz-Phelan (Denver, Colo.) found Tarrant in the same spot, but this time, Tarrant beat Karine Turmel with a slapper to the right side. The assist was the 100th point of her career for Kurtz-Phelan.
Just 45 seconds after the goal, Turmel denied another great opportunity, stopping senior Alison Graddock (Stowe, Vt.) driving to the goal, just before just getting apiece of junior Lacey Farrell’s (Greenwich, Conn.) shot with her glove to deny a goal. Sophomore Annmarie Cellino (W. Seneca, N.Y.) had another great chance at the 14-minute mark, but her shot was saved by Turmel before the rebound trickled past the goal line.
Manhattanville tied the game with 1:56 left in the third period, as Monique Rafferty circled the net before snapping a quick shot over the left shoulder of Wright for the goal. The Panthers against controlled the shots in the period, holding a 15-4 advantage.
Middlebury had a great chance to take the lead on a power play that began at the 11:27 mark. Several Panthers had great scoring chances from close range, but Turmel was able to deny each shot to keep it a 1-1 game. Middlebury killed off a Manhattanville power play at 14:51, giving the Valiants an 0/5 clip for the night.
Cellino scored the game-winner for Middlebury with just 1:17 left on the clock. Cellino skated to the left point just in front of the blue line, before ripping a shot to the top left corner of the net over the right shoulder of Turmel. Sophomore Erika Nakamura (Boston, Mass.) added an empty-netter with 40 seconds remaining.
Wright made 13 saves in goal, moving to 12-2 on the season, while Turmel made 36 stops for Manhattanville.
• Women’s hockey record: 22-3-2
• Up next: 3/16 vs. Wis.-Stevens Point – 3:30 (NCAA semifinals at Plattsburgh), 3/17 – NCAA Consolation/Championship – 3:30/7:00
MEN’S LACROSSE OPENS WITH WIN OVER STEVENS
The Panther men’s lacrosse team won its season opener against Stevens Institute 7-5 at Kohn Field. The game which featured the #5 ranked Panthers against the #8 Ducks was also the coaching debut for Middlebury’s Dave Campbell. The Panthers return to action and begin NESCAC play as they host Campbell’s former team Conn. College on Saturday afternoon.
Senior Nick Bastis (Old Greenwich, Conn.) netted his second goal of the game for the Panthers to break a 2-2 tie late in the first quarter. Middlebury tacked on two more goals, including an impressive 25-yard shot by sophomore defenseman James Guay (Scituate, R.I.) with only 34 seconds remaining in the third quarter, to build a 5-2 advantage.
Trailing by three goals to begin the fourth quarter, Stevens Institute would rally to tie the game at 5-5. At the 10:41 mark Matt Althauser scored his first of his back-to-back goals off a nice feed from Stephen Pascone. Althauser tallied his second rolling to his left as his score cut the Panther lead to 5-4 with 7:58 remaining in the game. Exactly one minute later Matt Keating netted the equalizer as he scored from 10 yards out.
With less than six minutes to go, Middlebury sophomore Tom Petty (Newburyport, Mass.) collected a ground ball and raced in for a shot that got past the Ducks’ goalie giving the Panthers a 6-5 advantage with 5:45 remaining. Over the next several minutes, Middlebury controlled the ball. When the Ducks decided to use their goalie to pressure the Panthers, senior Peter Mellen (Cherry Hill, N.J.) scored an empty net goal with 42 seconds remaining for the final score, 7-5.
Bastis led Middlebury with two goals as six other Panthers scored one each, while the Ducks’ Althauser collected two scores. Senior Alex Palmisano (Southport, Conn.) was solid in goal, finishing the day with 13 saves.
• Men’s lacrosse record: 1-0
• Up next: 3/17 vs. Conn. College – 1:00
MEN’S TENNIS OPENS SPRING 2-0
The Middlebury College men’s tennis team opened up its spring season with a pair of indoor wins on campus. The Panthers had little trouble as they picked up 9-0 wins over Connecticut College and Brandeis. The Panthers lost just one set in the two matches.
Senior Kevin Bergesen (Beverly, Mass.), junior Filip Marinkovic (Toronto, Ont.) and first-year player Andrew Thomson (W. Bloomfield, Mich.) were all singles victors against Connecticut College. Rookies Andrew Lee (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Peter Odell (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and Eliot Jia (Mt. Desert, Maine) were all winners as well.
In doubles action, Bergesen/Thompson, Marinkovic and sophomore Conrad Olson (Waterloo, Belgium) and Odell/Jia were all victors.
Much the same against Brandeis as seniors Alex Scott (Mt. Kisco, N.Y.) and George Mayer (Merion, Pa.) were winners, along with Lee. Also winning singles matches were Bergesen, Marinkovic and Thomson.
In doubles play, Mayer/Scott, Thomson/Bergesen and Lee/Jia were winners.
• Men’s tennis record: 2-0
• Up next: 3/17 @ Tufts
WOMEN’S TENNIS OPENS SPRING WITH A PAIR OF WINS
The Panther women’s tennis team began its spring season with a convincing 9-0 win over Brandeis and an 8-1 victory over N.Y.U. Middlebury lost just two sets over the pair of wins.
Senior Amy Roche (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) and sophomores Elizabeth Stone (Cohassett, Mass.) and Elizabeth Emery (McLean, Va.) were all singles winners against Brandeis. Sophomores Clare Burke (Summit, N.J.) and Chandra Kurien (Fairfield, Conn.), along with first-year player Jamie Haar (Alpine, N.J.) were also winners.
In doubles play, Roche and junior Claire Smyser (Houston, Texas), Stone/Emery and Holick/Burke were all winners, losing just one game.
Roche, Smyser, Stone, Holick and Kurien were also singles victors against N.Y.U. Roche/Smyser, Holick/Burke and Kurien/Haar all earned doubles victories.
• Women’s tennis record: 3-1
• Up next: 3/25-28 @ Spring break trip (Hilton Head, S.C.)
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