This is the final edition of SportsNotes in '07 - The weekly release will return on Monday, January 7th.
From all of us here in the Department of Athletics, we wish you Happy Holidays and a joyous New Year.
For Release: December 10, 2007
SWIM TEAMS TOP SPRINGFIELD
The Middlebury College swimming and diving teams hosted Springfield on Saturday with both teams coming away with wins. The men were 170-128 winners, while the women won 172-120. Winning four events for the men was sophomore John Dillon (Wellesley, Mass.), while senior Marika Ross (Shorewood, Wis.) and rookie Emily McDonald (Glenwood Springs, Colo.) accomplished the feat on the women’s side.
Dillon had a big day for the men, winning the 200 back (2:05.73), 100 fly (53.30) and the 100 IM (56.64). He, along with senior Peter Bell (Deerfield, Mass.), sophomore Schuyler Beeman (Guilford, Conn.) and rookie Jay Li (Las Flores, Calif.) won the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:35.93.
Bell was a winner in both the 100 (1:01.39) and 200 (2:15.45) breaststroke, while junior Kevin O’Rourke (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) won the 200 free (1:45.34). Other winners for the men include Beeman in the 50 free (21.92), first-year racer Kevin Glatt (Knoxville, Tenn.) in the 200 fly (2:02.99) and classmate Ryan Marklewitz (Charlotte, N.C.) in the 500 free (4:52.13).
Ross and McDonald turned in impressive performances on the women’s side, capturing two individual and two relay events apiece. The duo along with senior Whitney Thomas (Southborough, Mass.) and junior Catherine Suppan (Burlington, Vt.) won the 400 medley relay with a time of 4:04.21. Senior Pam Chatikavanij (Bangkok, Thailand) and sophomore Katie Remington (Madison, Wis.) joined the pair to win the 400 free (3:37.90).
McDonald’s other wins came in the 50 free (25.01) and 100 free (54.53), while Ross won the 100 breaststroke (1:09.98) and 500 free (5:11.90)
Sophomore Katie Soja (Sudbury, Mass.) won the 1,650 free (17:49.25), Thomas was a victor in the 100 back (1:02.95), Suppan won the 200 free (2:00.98), while first-year racer Paloma Dugan (Wilton, Conn.) won the 200 fly (2:13.21).
Other winners for Middlebury were sophomore Yu Wang (Beijing, China) in the 200 back (2:13.41), first-year racer Emily Whitaker (Riverside, Conn.) with a time of 1:02.41 in the 100 fly and classmate Annie Friedlander (Deephaven, Minn.) in the 100 IM (1:02.29).
• Women’s swim record: 2-1, men’s swim record: 2-1
• Up next: 1/12 @ Colby, 1/13 @ Bates
MEN’S BASKETBALL IMPROVES TO 7-1
The Panther men's basketball team outscored Norwich 30-3 over the final 11:18 of the first half and never looked back, as the Panthers picked up an 84-49 win over in-state foe Norwich. Middlebury shot .474 from the floor in the win, including .485 from behind the arc.
Norwich came out strong early, leading 15-8 on a three and a lay-up from Jamel Bedford. The Panthers would then go on a torrid run, holding the Cadets to just three free throws in the final 11:18 of the first half.
Junior Kyle Dudley (Scarsdale, N.Y.) went 5-7 in the first half for 14 points, while senior Andrew Harris (Waterbury Center, Vt.) netted 11, including a four-point play. Norwich shot just .214 from the floor during the first session.
The lead shrunk to under 20 points just once in the second half, while Middlebury led by as many as 37.
Harris ended the contest with a game-high 22 points, Dudley netted 14, while junior Aaron Smith (W. Hartford, Conn.) scored 13 to go along with nine boards.
Middlebury handed Hamilton its first loss of the season as the Panthers ended their first semester of play with a 73-62 win over the Continentals. Middlebury held a 49-35 rebounding advantage over Hamilton , while blocking 13 shots in the game.
The Panthers jumped out quickly, taking an 8-0 lead in the game’s first 3:18 behind six points from Smith. Hamilton came back to tie the game at 12 on a three-point play from Dayne Harris at the 11:51 mark.
Middlebury answered just a few minutes later with a 14-2 run to take a 31-16 lead with 2:40 remaining in the half. The Continentals chipped away and cut the lead to 34-25 entering the halftime break.
Hamilton continued to come at Middlebury in the second half, cutting the advantage to 45-41 at the 15:31 mark on a three from Tim Shaw. The Panthers led by seven with 8:14 remaining before going on a decisive 10-0 run to take a 67-50 lead on a three from junior Ben Rudin (Scarsdale, N.Y.) with 3:09 left to play.
Middlebury made just 5 of 11 free throws down the stretch, but that was enough as they came away with the 73-62 victory.
Smith tied a career-high with 23 points in the game to go along with a game-high 12 rebounds. Rudin scored 15 for the Panthers, while senior Mike Walsh (Needham, Mass.) scored 13 points, grabbed nine boards and blocked five shots. Sophomore Tim Edwards (Greenwich, Conn.) was big on the boards with 11 on the afternoon, along with five assists and three blocks.
• Men’s basketball record: 7-1
•Up next: 12/28 vs. McDaniel, 12/29 vs. Ursinus (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
MEN’S HOCKEY TOPS PLATTSBURGH
The Middlebury College men’s hockey team picked up a key win in its final game of the semester as the Panthers topped Plattsburgh 3-2 in Kenyon Arena. Middlebury led the game 3-0 until the waning minutes when the Cardinals pulled their goaltender and scored twice to make it a 3-2 final.
Plattsburgh had a good chance early with a pair of power plays, including 53 seconds of five-on-three, but could not find the back of the net.
The Panthers struck first at 11:22 with some nice passing in transition from senior Tom Maldonado (Bronx, N.Y.) to junior Mack Cummins (SW Ranches, Fla.), who found senior Mickey Gilchrist (Ottawa, Ont.) in the slot for the goal. Middlebury was unsuccessful on a late power play, trailing 9-7 in shots on goal after the first period.
Middlebury took a 2-0 lead just 2:58 into the second period with a shorthanded goal. First-year player Ken Suchoski (Bear Creek Township, Pa.) intercepted a pass and broke in, stopping quickly to let a defender go by before swiping the puck into the net for his first career goal. Plattsburgh had a pair of unsuccessful power plays later in the period, leaving the Panthers with a 2-0 lead after two.
The lead increased to 3-0 only 1:17 into the third period as first-year player Chaz Svoboda’s (Verdun, Que.) shot from the left point hit the cross bar and fell in the slot where classmate Bryan Curran (Wilmette, Ill.) finished.
Plattsburgh broke up the shutout with 2:11 remaining as Tom Breslin ripped home a shot from the left face-off circle with their netminder pulled. Riley Hill scored the second goal with five seconds remaining, converting a pass from Andrew Willock.
Junior Doug Raeder (Needham, Mass.) ended the night with 22 saves to earn the win, while Bryan Hince made 19 saves for Plattsburgh.
• Men’s hockey record: 4-2-1
•Up next: 1/4-5 – Host Holiday Classic – 4:00/7:00
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WINS A PAIR
The Panther women’s basketball team began the week with a 68-45 road win at Green Mountain. The Panthers jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first six minutes of the game, behind two three's apiece from juniors Ashley Barron (Brockton, Mass.) and Emily Johnson (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.). The lead slowly increased, with Middlebury taking a 41-21 lead into the halftime break. The Panthers extended their lead to as many as 26 in the second half, coming away with the 68-45 win.
Barron paced the team with 16 points, including four threes, while Johnson netted nine with three from behind the arc. Senior Jennifer Kelleher (Belle Harbor, N.Y.) also scored nine points in the win for Middlebury.
Middlebury ended its first semester with a 6-1 mark as the Panthers defeated Smith 83-51 in Pepin Gym. The Panthers came out strong, taking an 11-2 lead early behind three three’s from Barron. Middlebury led 31-15 with 3:41 remaining in the first half, before going on a 6-0 spurt to end the session and take a 37-15 lead into the intermission. Middlebury held Smith to just five field goals and .156 shooting from the floor in the first half.
Middlebury shot an impressive .556 from the floor in the second half, netting 46 points as they came away with the 83-51 win.
Barron led the team with 14 points, senior Katie Fisher (Oakland, Calif.) scored 10, while Johnson had nine points, six assists and four steals. Junior Aylie Baker (Yarmouth, Maine) scored eight points with eight boards to aid in the effort.
• Women’s basketball record: 6-1
•Up next: 1/3 @ E. Conn., 1/5 @ Skidmore
WOMEN’S HOCKEY THUMPS UMASS.-BOSTON
The Middlebury College women’s hockey team improved to 5-1-1 on the season as they ended the semester with a 9-0 win over UMass.-Boston. Junior Annemarie Cellino (W. Seneca, N.Y.) earned her 100th career point in the win, achieving the milestone in just 65 career games. She ended the day with a goal and five assists, while first-year player Anna McNally (St. Paul, Minn.) earned four goals and two assists for the Panthers.
Middlebury scored three times in the final 10 minutes of the first period to take a 3-0 lead after one period. Junior Erika Nakamura (Boston, Mass.) opened the scoring, McNally scored a short handed goal, while Cellino scored on the power play.
The Panthers added two more goals in the second period, power play tallies from McNally and junior Randi Dumont (Greene, Maine), to take a 5-0 lead after two periods of play.
Middlebury tacked on five third period goals to earn the victory. A power play goal from Ashley Bairos, two from McNally and one by rookie Julia Ireland (Greenwich, Conn.) rounded out the scoring.
The Panthers played all three netminders in the game, as sophomore Lani Wright (Reading Mass.), and first-year goalies Lexi Bloom (Highland Park, Ill.) and Emma Lennon (Marshfield, Mass.) combined to make 11 saves on the day.
• Women’s hockey record: 5-1-1
•Up next: 1/5 vs. R.I.T. – 1:00, 1/6 vs. Utica – 1:00
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