Sports Briefs

Author: Geoff Homer

Killer Bs get awards

As a result of their top-five finishes in the NESCAC Championship hosted by Bowdoin College, golfers Harrison Bane '08.5 and George Baumann '08 have earned first-team All-NESCAC honors. The duo led the Panthers to the come-from-behind win on the final day that helped Middlebury earn its first NESCAC Championship since '99. The Panthers were 18 shots behind entering the final day, but were able to tame the Brunswick Golf Club and take home the championship in a tie-breaker.

For Bane, the 2005 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, the award marks his second straight season receiving first-team all NESCAC honors. Bane finished in second place, for the second straight time at the NESCAC Tournament with two rounds of 74 - one shot behind the winner. Over the season, Bane has averaged 77.3 strokes a round, and his low of 73 came at Middlebury's Duke Nelson Tournament.

Baumann also shot a final round 74 on the final day of the Tournament, which catapulted him to a fifth place showing and a first team selection. It was his third top-5 this season for Baumann, who leads the team with a 76.1 scoring average throughout the fall.


XC Runs well in MA

On Saturday, Oct. 7th the men's and women's cross-country teams competed in the Open New England Championships at Franklin Park in Boston. The women's team exceeded expectations with a third place finish out of 46 teams, while the men finished 22nd. More than half the teams running were from Division I schools, including men's winner UMass-Lowell and women's winner Boston University.

Two Mainers led the lady Panthers, with Erin Archard '07 finishing 15th, 45 seconds behind the winner from BU and Andrea Giddings '07 in 23rd. Alexandra Krieg '09 finished in 30th followed by Makely Lyon '07 in 50th.

On the men's side, it was Jimmy Butcher '08 who once again was the top harrier to finish for the Panthers. Butcher finished 16th, less than a minute behind the winner from UConn. Next for the Panthers was Chris Free '10, who finished in 146th place, despite being only one minute behind Butcher. Will McDonough '07 was two seconds behind Free, in 146th place.

Both teams return to action this weekend as they travel to New York to run in the Albany Invitational on Saturday. The Panthers are running towards the end of the month, which brings us to the NESCAC Championships at Connecticut College.


Golf teams compete

Middlebury's men's golf team travled to New York over the weekend to compete at the Hamilton-Shenedoah Invitational held at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Veronah, NY. Playing with confidence after their win in Maine, the Panthers finished in an impressive third place in the 18-team tournament. Perennial golf powerhouse Skidmore won the event with a two-day total of 601 and ahead of NYU which finished with a 605. Middlebury was next with a 619.

George Baumann '08 led the Panthers with a two-day 149, good for fifth place. Chad Bellmare '07 was right behind in sixth with a 150. Jay Yonamine '07, who had a 155, rounded out the top twenty with a 19th place finish.

The men have the weekend off before they conclude their season at the New Englands in Cape Cod. The three-round tournament will be played at the Captain's Course in Brewster.

The women's team competed in the Columbus Day Tournament at the Taconic Golf Course at Williams College. The tournament also doubled as the NESCAC tournament. Middlebury finished second in the NESCACs as well as second in the Columbus Day tournament, behind Williams, which won both events.

Allison Ortega '07 led the Panthers with a tie for second place after shooting a 79, followed by Heather Gallagher '07 in fifth with an 81. Julie Ellenberger '09 and Kerry Ortega '07 tied for tenth with 86s.

The women conclude their season this weekend as they travel to Massachusetts to play in the Wellesley Tournament.