For Release: May 21, 2007

WOMEN’S LACROSSE FALLS IN NCAA SEMI’S

The Middlebury College women’s lacrosse team Middlebury saw its season come to an end with a hard-fought 8-7 loss to Salisbury in an NCAA semifinal contest played at William Smith College. The Panthers were making their 14^th consecutive trip to the semifinals and end their season at 16-2.

Robyn Bishop scored with 33 seconds remaining to lift Salisbury to the 8-7 victory over Middlebury. Bishop and Natalie Degele paced Salisbury (21-1) with two goals apiece.

Degele set the stage for Bishop’s heroics. With the Sea Gulls trailing 7-6, she scored an unassisted goal, her 45th of the season, to tie the contest for the sixth and final time with 4:04 remaining. Bishop won the ensuing draw, but both teams committed a pair of turnovers in the waning minutes, adding to the drama.
Bishop was fouled inside the fan to set up her game-winner, but the sophomore wasn’t sure if she should take the shot or look to pass. Bishop’s shot beat Panther sophomore Blair Bowie (Washington, D.C.) to the lower left corner of the cage. The sophomore finished with seven saves, as did Salisbury sophomore Sonja Stuart, who earned the win.

The result was reminiscent of the teams’ first meeting this season on March 27, a contest the Sea Gulls won 11-10. Precious little separated these two teams as well, but Salisbury held a convincing 11-6 advantage on draws and scored on three free-position shots compared to just one for the Panthers.

With just under eight minutes left, Middlebury seniors Kim Walker (Ridgewood, N.J.) and Claire Edelen (Sparks, Md.) seemed to give the Panthers (16-2) the momentum. Walker stripped a Sea Gull of possession in the Middlebury’s defensive zone, collected the ground ball and threw a pass to Edelen near midfield. Edelen, who had a game-high three points on two goals and an assist, raced to the cage and gave the Panthers just their second lead of the day, 7-6.

The first half was as tight as can be with the teams heading into the break tied 5-5. Salisbury staked itself to an early 3-1 lead thanks to goals by senior Stephanie Shores, senior Kelly Mulligan, and Bishop. The Panthers rallied with four of the next six scores, including junior Amanda Smith’s (Greenwich, Conn.) goal at the 23:34 mark that tied the game at 5-all. She also scored Middlebury’s first goal of the game and was the only player to record multiple points in the first half.

Edelen, Smith and junior Katherine Entwisle (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.) had two goals apiece to pace Middlebury, while Edelen added an assist. Edelen and Kate Perry (Cambridge, Mass.)were named to the All-Tournament team.
• Women’s lacrosse final record: 16-2

WOMEN’S TENNIS COMPETING AT NCAA’S

The Panther women’s tennis team saw its season come to an end with a 5-3 loss to Washington & Lee in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The match was played at Mary Washington University in Virginia. The Panthers end their season with a 13-5 record and a pair of NCAA Tournament wins.

Middlebury jumped out to a 1-0 lead as senior Amy Roche (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) and junior Claire Smyser (Houston, Texas) were 8-4 victors at #1 doubles. W&L tied the match with an 8-4 win over sophomores Elizabeth Stone (Cohasset, Mass.) and Elizabeth Emery (McLean, Va.) in the third slot, while senior Emily Holick (Sudbury, Mass.) and sophomore Clare Burke (Summit, N.J.) lost a tough 9-8 decision at #2.

Trailing 2-1, Smyser was a 6-2, 6-4 winner at #2 before Burke fell 7-5, 6-4 in the #6 slot to give W&L a 3-2 lead. Roche earned a tight 6-4, 7-5 win at #1 before Stone was defeated 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 at #4 to make it a 4-3 lead for W&L. Emery was defeated 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 to give W&L the 5-3 victory. Holick and her opponent had each won a set at #6 before the match was completed.

Roche and Smyser took part in the NCAA individual championship, following the team competition. Roche had a nice run in singles play, coming from a set down and a 0-3 deficit to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the first round. The senior then advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. Roche was eliminated in the quarters with a 6-4, 6-3 loss.

In doubles play, Roche and Smyser have advanced to the championship match and will be competing on Monday afternoon.
• Women’s tennis final record: 13-5

MEN’S TENNIS IN ACTION AT NCAA’S

The Middlebury College men's tennis team saw its season come to an end with a tough 5-4 loss to Emory in the semifinal contest at Washington University in St. Louis. Middlebury took a 2-1 lead after doubles play, with victories at #2 and #3. Seniors Alex Scott (Mt. Kisco, N.Y.) and George Mayer (Merion, Pa.) were defeated 8-4, before junior Filip Marinkovic (Toronto, Ont.) and sophomore Conrad Olson (Waterloo, Belgium) were 8-6 victors in the #3 slot. Senior Kevin Bergesen (Beverly, Mass.) and first-year player Andrew Thompson (W. Bloomfield, Mich.) were forced to go to a tie-breaker, earning a 9-8 win.

Scott quickly dropped his match at #1, falling 6-2, 6-1 to tie the match at two. Bergesen earned a 7-5, 6-4 win at #4, before Mayer went down 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 at #3 to tie the match at three.

Marinkovic battled back from a 6-2 loss in the first set to pick up 6-2, 6-3 victories to earn the point in the sixth slot. Thompson was defeated in a pair of tie-breakers, 7-6, 7-6 to tie the match at four.

With the match on the line, Olson had just begun his third set after winning the first 6-4 and dropping the second in a tie-breaker, 7-6. The two battled in the third set with Olson holding a 5-3 lead. Yoji Masouka of Emory then battled back to earn a 7-5 win to clinch the match that lasted over four hours.

The Panthers advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive year after a 5-2 win over Depauw. Middlebury staved off a strong doubles effort by eighth-ranked DePauw (22-5) for a 2-1 lead. At No. 1 doubles, DePauw's Evan Webeler and Scott Swanson upended Mayer and Scott, 8-5, in a battle of top-10 doubles teams. Bergesen and Thompson of Middlebury cruised to an 8-2 win at second doubles, while Marinkovic and Olson edged DePauw's Bryan Heck and Scott Sandager, 9-7, at No. 3.

Middlebury moved ahead 3-1 in singles play when Marinkovic won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 6. Thompson added another point for Middlebury, winning in straight sets (6-3, 6-2) at No. 5. DePauw's No.1 player, Webeler, helped lead his team back with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Scott to cut the Tigers' deficit to 4-2, but Olson gave Middlebury a 5-2 match win with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 2. Mayer and Bergesen each led 1-0 when the contest finished.

Following the title match, Middlebury ended its season on a good note with a 5-1 win over Gustavus Adolphus (29-9) in the NCAA consolation match. The Panthers finish their season with an impressive 22-2 record, tying the school record for wins.

The Panthers swept all three doubles matches, taking a 3-0 lead early. Bergesen and Thompson were 8-1 winners at #2, Scott and Mayer defeated the second-ranked team in the country 8-4, while Marinkovic and Olson were 9-7 winners in the third slot.

The lead grew to 4-0 as Thompson won 6-2, 6-2 at #5. Scott lost 6-2, 6-4 at #1, before Bergesen sealed the match with a 6-4, 6-2 win at #4. Olson, Mayer and Marinkovic had all taken the first set of their matches before the contest ended.

Following the team competition, three members of the team had qualified for the NCAA individual championships. Scott and Olson competed in singles play, while Bergesen and Thompson took part in the doubles bracket. Scott and Mayer had qualified to compete in doubles, but were unable after Mayer suffered an injury.

Olson advanced to the round of 16 with a 7-6, 6-2 win and then moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-1 victory. He was then eliminated in a tight match, with scores of 6-4, 7-5. Scott was eliminated in the first round by scores of 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.

In doubles play, Bergesen and Thompson had quite a run, advancing to the semifinals before they were forced to return to campus with an academic conflict. The duo won 7-5, 6-3, advancing to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-1 win.
• Men’s tennis final record: 22-2

TRACK & FIELD COMPETES AT LAST CHANCE MEET

The Panther track & field teams were competing at M.I.T. over the weekend in their final chance to qualify for the NCAA’s. Middlebury received a couple of impressive performances, led by junior Jimmy Butcher (Garden City, N.Y.), who won the 5,000 meters with a time of 15:01.4. Senior Meira Lifson (Edina, Minn.) was impressive in the pole vault, clearing 10’ to finish in second place.
• Track teams race M.I.T.
• Up next: 5/24-26 @ NCAA’s (Wis.-Oshkosh)

MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE SPORTS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB: www.gomidd.com