Sports Briefs 03/04

Billings ’10 honored by  Conference for her role in quarterfinal victory

For the part she played in the women’s ice hockey team’s rout of the Hamilton Continentals over Winter Carnival weekend, tri-captain Marjie Billings ’10 was named NESCAC Player of the Week on Monday.  The senior defender was responsible for four assists in the Panthers’ 8-1 victory over the Continentals.

Billings had a particularly prolific second period, tallying three of her four assists during 20 minutes of action. While she netted her first goal of the season at the end of January in the squad’s crushing 9-0 defeat of Wesleyan, the assists marked her first of the season, setting her points total to five overall.

Billings’ solid play anchored the Panthers’ convincing win over the Continentals, earning her well-deserved NESCAC honors and earning her team a place in the NESCAC semifinals held at Amherst.  The team faces Trinity on Saturday, March 6 at 4 p.m. for a spot in the NESCAC championship, held the following day.

Rookie Dubuc ’13 nets three, named NESCAC Player of the Week

Men’s hockey rookie Mathieu Dubuc ’13 was named NESCAC Player of the Week on Monday for his impressive play in Kenyon Arena in front of a large Winter Carnival crowd.  The Canadian native displayed his aptitude on the ice, adding a hat trick and an assist to his résumé.

His three goals accounted for half of the Panthers’ total in their 6-2 win over the Tufts Jumbos in the NESCAC quarterfinals.  The first-year forward has climbed the leader boards with consistent play throughout the season, now ranking as the first rookie in the conference with 13 goals and 14 assists for a total of 27 points thus far on the season.

Ranking second among his teammates in terms of overall points, Dubuc’s play has guided the Panthers into the postseason; with the win over Tufts, they will travel to Bowdoin, host of the NESCAC semifinals, to face Trinity for a spot in the championship later in the weekend.

Indoor track and field athletes recognized for Open N.E. performances

Last weekend the Middlebury men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams traveled to Boston University to compete in the Open New England Championships, a meet that attracted Division I, II and III teams. Several Panthers competed well, with 11 athletes receiving All-New England honors for their performances at the meet.

Rookies led the women’s individual events, with Grace Doering ’13 and Juliet Ryan-Davies ’13 finishing sixth and eighth in the high jump and 800, respectively.  The women’s distance medley relay, comprised of tri-captain Anjuli Demers ’10, Kaitlynn Saldanha ’11, Becca Fanning ’12 and Margo Cramer ’12, also received All New England honors, finishing seventh in the event.
Tri-captain Victor Guevara ’10 led the men’s team, setting a school record of 8:36.85 in the men’s 3,000 run.  The men’s DMR team of tri-captain Mike Waters ’10, Mike Schmidt ’12, Addison Godine ’11 and Connor Wood ’11 matched the women’s success, also finishing seventh in the event and taking home All-New England honors.