For Release: February 11, 2008
MEN’S BASKETBALL TIES SCHOOL RECORD WITH 17th WIN
The Middlebury College men’s basketball team tied the school record for wins with their 17th of the season as the Panthers picked up a 92-71 road win at Bates (15-6, 4-3). The visiting Panthers shot 57.1 percent from the field, including 64.3% from behind the three-point arc, while snapping Bates’ six-game win streak with a 92-71 NESCAC victory at Alumni Gymnasium. It was the highest point total allowed by Bates since Feb. 28, 2004.
Middlebury received 23 points on 10 of 13 shooting from junior Aaron Smith (W. Hartford, Conn.), and 23 more from first-year player Ashton Coghlan (New York, N.Y.), who shot 8-for-11, including 5-6 behind the arc. Senior Andrew Harris (Waterbury Center, Vt.) added 15 points, shooting 6-for-9. With Coghlan and Harris both coming off the bench for the Panthers, Middlebury had a 46-5 advantage in bench points for the game.
Bryan Wholey led four Bobcats in double figures with 20 points. Wholey and the Bobcats went cold for most of the game, shooting only 31.3% from the floor, including 4-of-26 (15.4%) behind the arc. They stayed in the game largely at the free throw line, hitting 27 of 31 shots, including 10-11 from Wholey. Brian Ellis added 16 points, with Chris Wilson and Pat Halloran adding 13 apiece.
Using a frantic offensive tempo, Middlebury got out to a 49-37 lead by halftime while hitting 18 of 31 shots. Bates stayed under 20 percent shooting for much of the first half before finishing the period at 30.8%.
The half ended ominously for Bates, as Andrew Locke blocked a layup by Wholey, and Coghlan scooped up the rebound and hit a buzzer-beating shot near halfcourt.
A pair of free throws and a three by Halloran cut the Middlebury lead to 51-44 early in the second half, but the Panthers then ripped off 10 straight points, including a step-back three on the right wing by Coghlan followed by another Coghlan three from the left corner that made it 61-44 with 14:52 to play.
An energized Bates squad didn't let up, responding with a 12-1 run, including seven points by Wholey, to scratch their way back. A Wholey steal led to a put-back by Sean Wirth to bring Bates within five, at 62-57, with 11:10 to play.
Coghlan again galvanized the Panthers, as he hit a layup, and followed hoops by junior Ben Rudin (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and Smith with his fourth 3-pointer to bump the lead back to 12 with 9:15 to go.
A three by Ellis cut it to 77-69 with 4:16 left, but a Smith low-post jumper and Coghlan's final three were the game-ending daggers, making it 82-69 with 2:20 left. Middlebury outscored Bates 15-2 over the final four minutes, expanding the lead to a game-high 21 before the final horn sounded.
Rudin scored 17 points and Smith added 16 points and 14 rebounds as Middlebury stayed a step ahead of Tufts all night for an 85-76 NESCAC victory on Friday at Cousens Gymnasium.
Middlebury got 14 points on 4 for 5 three-point shooting by Harris, while Tufts was led by 20 points from Ryan O’Keefe.
The visiting Panthers had an early 12-4 advantage, with Rudin scoring six early points. They were still up eight (23-15) on a lay-up by Smith with 9:44 to play until halftime, but Tufts got five points from O’Keefe during a 7-0 spurt that cut the Middlebury lead to 23-22 at 8:06.
As would become a pattern for the game, the Panthers were able to hold off Tufts. Harris drilled a three-pointer on Middlebury’s next trip up the floor and it was 26-22 Panthers. The one-point margin was as close as Tufts would be for the rest of the game as Middlebury never trailed. Tufts was never far behind, but could not get over the hump.
The Panthers led 39-36 at intermission. Smith had eight points and seven rebounds in the first 20 minutes. O’Keefe had nine points at the break for the Jumbos.
Rudin opened the second half with a jumper to put the Panthers up 41-36. Five times in the first 10 minutes of the second half it was a one-possession game. A three-point play by Jumbo Pat Sullivan pulled Tufts within 52-49 at 15:32 of the second half. Middlebury answered by scoring the next four points to push the margin back up to seven (56-49).
The closest Tufts would get in the second half was 58-56 following a three-pointer by Jake Weitzen. However, consecutive lay-ups by Smith gave Middlebury some breathing room at 62-56 with 11:11 on the clock. The Jumbos were behind four, 62-58, after a jumper by Jeremy Black at 10:35, but Middlebury got points from four different players during an 8-2 run that made it 70-60 with 5:14 to play.
The Jumbos were within five (70-65) as the clock ticked under four minutes, but two three-pointers by Harris and good free throw shooting down the stretch sealed the win for the Panthers.
Sophomore Tim Edwards (Greenwich, Conn.) was active with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. The Panthers were 8 for 13 from three-point range (61.5 percent).
Plattsburgh came from 22 points down as the 14th ranked Cardinals earned a 78-74 road win at Middlebury earlier in the week. The Cardinals (18-2) shot a red-hot 71 percent from the floor in the second half to earn the victory. Plattsburgh went 19 of 25 from the free throw line, while Middlebury held a 39-29 edge on the boards.
Middlebury came out firing, jumping out to a 25-6 lead with 9:42 left in the first half. The Panthers were 10 for their first 17 from the floor, while the Cardinals made just two of their first 12 attempts. Plattsburgh cut the lead to 13 before Harris hit all three free throws after he was fouled on a three-point attempt. The action was the first for Harris, who missed the last seven games for the Panthers with an injury. Middlebury would end the half with a 38-21 lead, holding Plattsburgh to 5 of 25 shooting from floor.
The lead grew to as many as 22 early in the second half, before the Cardinals made a comeback. Trailing 57-40 with 11:53 remaining, Plattsburgh went on a 16-2 run, that would leave them with a 59-56 deficit with 8:12 remaining. The Cardinals leading scorer Anthony Williams scored seven points during the run, despite picking up his fourth personal foul with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Middlebury hung tough, and took a 67-60 lead on a three from Harris at the 5:31 mark, but Williams answered with a three of his own. The Cardinals would take their first lead of the game on a hoop from Khylan Hunt with 2:06 left, giving them a 72-71 advantage. Middlebury tied the game with a free throw before Williams hit a long three from the top of the arc to give the Cardinals a lead they would not relinquish.
Smith led Middlebury with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Rudin and Harris each scored a dozen.
• Men’s basketball record: 17-5
• Up next: 2/15 vs. Wesleyan – 7:00, 2/16 vs. Conn. College – 2:00
SKI TEAM FINISHES SECOND AT
DARTMOUTH
The Panther ski team followed up an impressive win at the UVM Carnival last week, with a second place finish at the Dartmouth Winter Carnival. The host school won the event with 725 points, followed by Middlebury (697), UVM (664) and UNH (647).
Middlebury earned a pair of wins on day one, as first-year racer Alexa Turzian (Hailey Idaho) won the 5K freestyle race in 13:54, while junior Simeon Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) won the 10K freestyle race with a time of 24:37. Junior Cassidy Edwards (Glen Arbor, Mich.) finished the race in ninth place (14:44) for the women, followed by junior Robyn Anderson (Stowe, Vt.) in 14th (15:02). First-year racer Patrick Johnson (Anchorage, Alaska) placed eighth (25:51) in the event, while junior Tim Reynolds (Bristol, Vt.) finished in 11th (26:00).
Turzian paced the women in the 15K classical race, finishing in third place with a time of 51:45. First-year racer Sophie McClelland (Keene Valley, N.Y.) came in 11th (55:22) in the event, while Anderson came in 14th (55:37). Hamilton was solid for the men in the 20K classical race, placing second with a time of 1:01:04. Johnson was next in sixth place (1:01:49), followed by Reynolds in 23rd (1:04:01).
Senior Megan Hughes (Killington, Vt.) led the women’s alpine team in the GS, finishing fifth overall in 1:59.71. Senior Krissie Poehling (LaCrosse, Wis.) was next in ninth place (2:00.49), followed closely by junior Mattie Ford (Plymouth, N.H.) in 10th (2:00.82). Junior Tucker Burton (Breckenridge, Colo.) led the way in the slalom, placing fifth with a combined time of 1:46.43. Hughes was next in ninth place (1:47.29), followed by first-year racer Lindsay Kraft (Coldstream, B.C.) in 14th (1:48.56).
Junior Andrew Wagner (Traverse City, Mich.) paced the men’s squad in the GS, finishing with a time of 1:54.87, good for fifth place. Senior Brooks Heise (Higganum, Conn.) finished the race in 13th place (1:55.84), just ahead of senior Clayton Reed (Stowe, Vt.), who placed 14th (1:55.87). Wagner again was Middlebury’s top finisher in the slalom, coming in second place in 1:33.56. Senior Alec Tarberry (N. Conway, N.H.) finished the race in fifth place (1:35.18), followed by senior Joseph Swensson (Niantic, Conn.) in ninth (1:36.26).
• Ski team wins finishes second at Dartmouth
• Up next: 2/15-16 @ Williams Carnival
WOMEN’S HOCKEY PICKS UP TWO WINS
The Middlebury College women’s hockey team extended its unbeaten streak to 16 games as the Panthers picked up a 7-1 NESCAC road win at Williams. The Panthers out shot the Ephs 72-25 on the night, including four second period goals.
Junior Annmarie Cellino (W. Seneca, N.Y.) earned a hat-trick on the night with two assists, while rookie Anna McNally (St. Paul, Minn.) had two goals and three assists. Sophomore Heather McCormack (Rowley, Mass.) registered a goal and two assists in the win, while junior Erika Nakamura (Boston, Mass.) had the team’s other goal. Sophomore goaltender Lani Wright (Reading Mass.) made 18 saves, while Emma Lennon stopped six in goal.
Middlebury scored five second period goals on its way to a 6-0 win over Neumann. The Panthers extend their unbeaten streak to 17 games, setting up a match-up at second-ranked Plattsburgh on Tuesday night.
Following a scoreless first period, Middlebury netted five goals in a 6:37 span in the second period to gain a comfortable lead. Sophomore Jessica Bennett (Surrey, B.C.) opened the scoring for Middlebury, as she put home a rebound after a series of shots in front. Junior Randi Dumont (Greene, Maine) scored from the high slot, before senior Lacey Farrell (Greenwich, Conn.) netted a pair of goals, including one on the power play. McNally scored the final goal of the offensive burst, to make it a 5-0 game at the 16:25 mark.
Junior Molly Vitt (Kenilworth, Ill.) scored the lone goal of the third period on the power play, as she roofed a rebound. Rookie Lexi Bloom (Highland Park, Ill.) ended the night with 11 saves for her third shutout of the season, while Mel Brunet made 37 stops for the Knights.
• Women’s hockey record: 16-1-2
• Up next: 2/12 @ Plattsburgh, 2/15 vs. Conn. College – 7:00, 2/16 vs. Amherst – 3:00
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WINS TWO OF THREE
Trailing 38-33 late in the second half, the Middlebury women’s basketball team went on a 9-0 run and held off Bates for a 42-41 victory at Pepin Gym on Saturday. This was the final regular season home game for the Panthers who improve to 12-10 overall and 3-4 in NESCAC play, while the Bobcats fall to 13-9 and 3-4 in conference action.
Sophomore Alana Wall’s (Honolulu, Hawaii) lay-up gave the Panthers a 10-8 lead with 10:34 left in the first half, erasing an early 4-0 deficit. Middlebury extended their lead to 17-12 on a three by senior Katie Fisher (Oakland, Calif.) at the 5:32 mark. A pair of Val Beckwith buckets cut the Panther advantage to one, before a final 6-2 Panther spurt ended the first half scoring at 23-18.
The Bobcats rallied in the second half going on a 15-4 run, highlighted by four points apiece from Meg Coffin and Matia Kostaki to take a 33-27 lead with 11:25 left in the game. Trailing 38-33 at the 5:26 mark, Panther junior Ashley Barron (Brockton, Mass.) collected five of her game-high 10 points sparking their decisive 9-0 burst, for a 42-38 lead with 1:30 remaining.
Bates would close it to one on a three-pointer by Sarah Barton on their next possession. The Bobcats had two attempts to take the lead in the final seconds, including a lay-up with :03 on the clock, but neither shot fell as the Panthers ran out the clock for the 42-41 victory.
Barron’s 10 points led all scorers, while Fisher netted seven for Middlebury. Kostaki scored eight points, including her 1,000th career point for the Bobcats, while Coffin grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to go with her six points. The Panthers held Bates to 14 percent shooting from behind the arc and 29 percent shooting from the floor.
Leading 25-22 at intermission, Tufts went on a 19-3 run to start the second half to earn a 61-46 victory over Middlebury the previous night. Middlebury jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, with buckets by senior Lani Young (Concord, N.H.) and junior Emily Johnson (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.), before Tufts went on a 5-0 spurt with 15:11 remaining. The back-and-forth first half saw a total of 10 lead changes, as neither team led by more than four points. With the game knotted at 22 apiece in the final seconds of the half, Jenna Gomez collected a turnover and dropped in a three as time expired for a 25-22 Jumbo advantage at the break.
Colleen Hart’s three-pointer sparked the pivotal second half run for Tufts, as she collected eight of her game-high 18 points during the span. The Jumbos built a 44-25 advantage by the 10:45 mark, before Middlebury answered with a 16-8 run, closing the gap to 52-41 with 5:19 left to play. Young was key for the Panthers during that stretch, scoring nine of her team-high 13 points. The Panthers could not break the double-digit Tufts’ advantage in the remaining minutes, falling 61-46.
Hart’s 18 points led all scorers, while Katie Tausanovitch chipped in 10 for Tufts. Khalilah Ummah collected a game-high 11 rebounds, as Hart grabbed 10 more for the Jumbos, who out-rebounded the Panthers 52-32 during the game. Young’s 11 points paced Middlebury, while Johnson netted 10.
Middlebury shot 48 percent from the floor in the second half on its way to a 62-53 win over Plattsburgh on Tuesday night. Plattsburgh led 12-10 at the 10:09 mark of the first half before going on an 11-0 run to take a 23-10 advantage with 6:40 remaining in the half. The Cardinals led by as many as a dozen, before the Panthers closed the half on a 7-1 run to trail 28-22 at the break. Junior Aylie Baker (Yarmouth, Maine) hit a pair of field goals during the half-ending run for Middlebury.
The Panthers cut the deficit in the second half and took their first lead since early-on with a hoop from Barron to make it a 37-36 game at the 13:12 mark. With the game tied at 46, Fisher hit a three to give Middlebury a 49-46 lead they would not relinquish. Shoshana Harr answered for the Cardinals before Johnson converted a three-point play with a lefty runner from the free throw line to give the Panthers a 52-48 lead. Middlebury made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 33 seconds to seal the win.
Barron led all scorers with 14 points on the night, followed by Johnson with 13 and seven assists. Young scored a dozen with a game-high 14 rebounds in the victory, while Baker added 10.
• Women’s basketball record: 11-10
• Up next: 2/15 @ Wesleyan – 7:00, 2/16 @ Conn. College – 3:00
SWIM TEAMS HOST INVITATIONAL
The Middlebury College swimming and diving teams had a busy weekend with several teams on campus taking part in an invitational meet. Several Panthers improved their times over the weekend as they prepare for the upcoming post-season meets.
Senior Pam Chatikavanij (Bangkok, Thailand) won a pair of events for the women, including the 50 free (24.87) and the 100 free (53.98). First-year swimmer Emily McDonald (Glenwood Springs, Colo.) was a winner in the 100 fly (1:00.31), senior Sara Cowie (N. Palm Beach, Fla.) won the 1000 free (10:44.02), while sophomore Katie Soja (Sudbury, Mass.) earned a win in the 200 fly (2:10.95). Other winners for the women were junior Catherine Suppan (Burlington, Vt.) in the 200 breaststroke (2:29.47) and senior Marika Ross (Shorewood, Wis.) in the 500 free (5:08.95).
Winning twice for the men at the meet was junior Zach Woods (Monroe, N.Y.), who won both the 100 (53.12) and 200 (1:56.66) backstroke events. Junior Kevin O’Rourke (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) was the other men’s winner, capturing the 500 free in 4:45.84.
Several Middlebury relay teams were also victorious on the afternoon. Complete results can be found on the Middlebury Athletics website at
www.gomidd.com.
• Women’s swim record: 6-2, men’s swim record: 6-2
• Up next: 2/22-24 @ NESCAC Championships (Women @ Wesleyan)
SQUASH TEAMS FALL TO DARTMOUTH
The Panther squash teams had a light week during February break, both dropping 9-0 decisions at Dartmouth on Saturday.
Complete results can be found on the Middlebury Athletics website at www.gomidd.com.
• Men’s squash record: 11-10, women’s record: 8-8
• Up next: 2/15-17 @ Nationals (men)
MEN’S HOCKEY SPLITS A PAIR OF GAMES
The Panther men’s hockey team Middlebury suffered its first D3 home shutout loss since January of ’81 as fifth-ranked Norwich picked up a 3-0 win over the seventh-ranked Panthers. Ironically, that shutout loss 27 years ago was a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Norwich. The meeting was the 138th between the schools and the second this season, with Norwich winning a 5-2 decision in November at PrimeLink Great Northern Shootout in Plattsburgh.
Middlebury had a pair of power play opportunities in the first period, but could not take advantage. On their third chance, Norwich’s D.J. Fimiani intercepted a puck and broke in two-on-one with Rick Cleaver, who buried the shot for his 22nd goal of the season.
Middlebury had a few chances early in the second period, including a failed power play, but found themselves trailing 1-0. Norwich scored on its first legitimate power play of the game at 13:45 as Eric Lauriault and Cleaver worked a nice give-and-go, resulting in Lauriault’s 10th of the season. The Cadets maintained momentum from there and outshot the Panthers 15-8 in the second period.
Middlebury thought they had cut the lead in half at the five-minute mark, but Trevor Dodds’ (Hanover, N.H.) shot hit the crossbar and bounced away. Norwich gained some breathing room midway through the period as Nikita Kashirsky made a nice feed to Eric Ouelette for a goal during a two-on-one play.
Middlebury ended the game 0/5 on the power play, while Norwich went 1/3. David Thompson made 29 saves in goal to earn his second shutout of the season, while senior Ross Cherry (Basking Ridge, N.J.) made 27 stops for the Panthers.
Middlebury scored three third period goals on its way to a 7-4 win over St. Michael’s in Kenyon Arena on Friday night. The Panthers used six different goals scorers in the game, as they outshot the Purple Knights 39-13.
Middlebury held a 1-0 lead in the first period before St. Michael’s scored a pair in 1:03 to take a 2-1 lead at the 12:03 mark. Senior Justin Gaines (Mequon, Wis.) tied the game for Middlebury as he put home a rebound after a shot from first-year player Bryan Curran (Wilmette, Ill.) for a power play goal.
St. Michael’s regained the lead on a goal from Alex Higgins just 3:58 into the second period. Middlebury would then score the game’s next five goals to take a commanding 7-3 lead. Curran and sophomore John Sullivan (Delmar, N.Y.) scored just 1:03 apart in the second to make it a 4-3 game. Rookie Chaz Svoboda (Verdun, Que.) and senior Casey Ftorek (Wolfeboro, N.H.) scored third period power play goals, with Sullivan’s second sandwiched in between to give Middlebury a 7-3 lead. Jean-Maxime Legare scored the game’s final goal for St. Michael’s with a blast from the left face-off circle.
Junior goaltender Doug Raeder (Needham, Mass.) and Cherry combined to make nine saves on the night, while Tyler Bilton and Brendan Rimmer made 32 stops for the Purple Knights.
• Men’s hockey record: 14-4-2
• Up next: 2/15 @ Babson, 2/16 @ UMass.-Boston
INDIVIDUALS COMPETE FOR INDOOR TRACK
A few members of the Middlebury indoor track team raced in an open meet held at Boston University last weekend. Junior Alexandra Krieg (Wellesley, Mass.) broke her own school record with a time of 16:59.78 in the 5,000. The time also qualifies her for the NCAA Championships in March. Senior Ian O’Reilly (Meriden, N.H.) improved his best time in the 800 to 1:57.16, qualifying him for the ECAC’s.
• Indoor track still in action
• Up next: 2/16 @ Bowdoin
MIDDLEBURY
COLLEGE
SPORTS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB: www.gomidd.com