SPORTSBRIEFS Trio of Panthers earn POTW

Author: ZAMIR AHMED, SPORTS EDITOR

With the recent success of many Middlebury teams over the past two weeks, it is no surprise that three athletes were honored by the NESCAC for their impressive contributions to their teams' winning ways. On Sunday, first-year Annemarie Cellino was named NESCAC Player of the Week for women's hockey after having played in only four games in her Panther career. Two weeks ago, Evgeny Saidachev '07 and Katie Fisher '08 were also named NESCAC Players of the Week for men's hockey and women's basketball, respectively, after leading their teams to an undefeated weekend.

Cellino put up a great performance last weekend as the Panthers took on a pair of NESCAC foes during Thanksgiving break. Cellino tallied a goal and an assist during Middlebury's 9-0 thrashing of Trinity College before notching her first career hat trick and an assist during the Panthers 6-2 win over Hamilton. Cellino currently leads the Panthers and the NESCAC in goals scored for the season.

Saidachev was an instrumental piece of the Middlebury offense as the Panthers opened up the season with two wins over Tufts and Conn. College on Nov. 18 and 19. Saidachev netted two goals and an assist during the Panthers' 4-1 victory over the Jumbos before scoring two more goals against the Camels. Saidachev also earned tournament MVP honors at the PrimeLink Great Northern Shootout as the Panthers took home the trophy.

Fisher sparked the Panthers to two victories to claim the title at the season-opening Skidmore Women's Basketball Tournament on Nov. 19-20. Fisher put up 16 points during the Panthers' first-round win over Oneonta before adding 23 points during the finals to lift Middlebury to a 80-57 victory over Rhode Island College. Fisher took home tournament MVP honors and currently leads the Panthers with 15.4 points per game.

Men's squash garners respect

Entering only its fourth year in existence, the Middlebury men's squash team has enjoyed much success although it is only a club team. The team has improved on its performance every year and finished last year in 29th place. After taking on four tough teams two weeks ago in Boston, the Panthers boast a 4-2 season record and are ranked 25th in the nation.

On Nov. 18, the team traveled south to face off against a number of regional foes at the Harvard/Northeastern Round Robin, finishing the road trip with a 3-1 mark. The Panthers dispatched Northeastern with an easy 9-0 victory, losing only two games during the match. The team then moved on to challenge a tough Tufts team that went on to defeat the Panthers 7-2.

The team returned to the courts on Nov. 19, this time to take on Wesleyan College, a varsity team with a long history of success. In its biggest win of the year, the Panthers took down the Cardinals in a convincing 7-2 romp. With the victory over the Cardinals still fresh in their minds, the Panthers took care of MIT by a score of 7-2.

Despite having played their only home match of the season already, the Panthers still hope to stay competitive throughout the winter and be ready for the NESCAC Championships at Trinity, which will be held Feb. 10-12. If the team can perform well against their division foes, it will earn a bid to the Intercollegiate Team Championships on Feb. 17-19 in Princeton.