Winter Sports Preview

Author: Sports Staff

Indoor Track

Coach: Martin Beatty
Captains: Beth Butler, Pascal Losambe and Will McDonough
Event to Watch: ECAC Championships, March 2-3

Martin Beatty is all but ready to buy his ticket to Terre Haute, Ind. the site of this year's NCAA championships. Middlebury's indoor track and field coach is extremely excited about his teams' chances, especially on the women's side, to bring home some NESCAC hardware and send athletes to the NCAAs in mid-March.

With the exception of last year's captain, Whitney Creed '06 , the women's squad is bringing back most of last year's core, including NESCAC champions Mary Frederickson '07 (javelin) and Emer Feighery '09 (pole vault).

"I don't know if they really have a weakness," Beatty said. "They're pretty strong all-around. If there's any point where they're slightly less strong, it's probably the throws, but even there the difference is slight."

Jimmy Butcher '08, is excited for the New Year and the new indoor track season. "Coming off of last season, we had a bunch of great runners who we lost to graduation. Our biggest challenge will be getting people, especially freshmen, to step up and fill those shoes," he said.

"We have a terrific group of freshmen men's mid-distance runners," said Beatty. "I don't think we've ever had this talented a group." That group includes seven first-year contributors: Chris Free, Russel Griggs, Bruce Hallett, Michael Waters, Michael Panzer, Peter Hoffman, and Victor Guevara.

Beatty expects the competition to be stiff, with Williams and Tufts also fielding good teams, but he is optimistic about Middlebury's chances.

"Our goal is always that we win the NESCAC championships. I want to see a good hard-working group."

- Livingston Burgess


Men's Basketball

Coach: Jeff Brown
Captain: Wilbur Hyatt
Game to Watch: Williams vs. Middlebury, Jan. 27 at 3:00 p.m.

Men's basketball is looking to bring the team to prominence this year. Last season's 12-12 finish was certainly better than the 6-18 record they compiled a year earlier, but the season ended on a bad note as the Panthers dropped their final six games. The players are intent on not having such a letdown occur again and, fortunately, their talent seems to be in abundance this year.

"I think the main thing that is keeping us focused this year is that we realize how much talent our squad has right now," said Captain Wil Hyatt '07. "We know that this should be a big year for us to dominate and then get busy in the NESCAC."

Beyond talent, this year's group has experience - only two members of the team are rookies. Hyatt believes that has helped the team's cohesiveness and overall play.

"We are still putting things together," he said, "but with so many returning players it has been easier to make the transition from fall-ball to the actual season."

The team will emphasize the transition game in particular, as the players will look to push the ball against slower, tired opponents and get easy buckets.

"Our biggest strength this year is our depth," Hyatt said. "We will look to push the ball in transition more than we have in the past and really wear teams down. It should be a style that scores a lot of points and is exciting to watch."

Hyatt teams up with fellow seniors Evan Thompson '07, Bobby Marcoux '07 and Chris Dowd '07, a talented group that will provide veteran leadership to the young guys.

- Jeff Klein


Swimming and Diving

Coach: Peter Solomon (Swimming) and Lisa Gibbs (Diving)
Captains: Rebecca Reingold, Barbara Van der Veer, Liz Rice, Robert Collier, Tim Lux, Michael Young
Event to Watch: Middlebury Invitational, Nov. 18 at 1:00 p.m.

The men's and women's swimming and diving teams are eager to jump in and get the season started. The women, coming off an eighth place finish at the NCAA championships last year, seem poised for another strong season. They return a group of seasoned veterans, including All-Americans Marika Ross '08 and Sara Cowie '08, and have added four promising first-years to the team. This exceptional mix has Captain Liz Rice '07 excited.

"The team is the strongest it has ever been in my four years at Middlebury, and we are going to surprise the teams that have traditionally been our toughest opponents," she said. "Our most important strength is our depth."

On the men's side there is also great optimism for the upcoming season, after violations of team policy brought last season to a premature end. The team will be led by Co-Captains Rob Collier '07 and Tim Lux '07, who both have NCAA championship experience. Returnees Kevin O'Rourke '09, Zach Woods '09, Guillermo Garcia '08 and talented first-years Schuyler Beeman, John Dillion and Brooks Farrar are also expected to make immediate contributions. Middlebury is expected to have the best medley relay team and the top drivers in the NESCAC. Lux noted that this year brings "great potential for a much improved dual meet season."

The women have already kicked off their season with the annual Blue-White meet.Both teams start their regular season at the Middlebury Invitational this weekend.

- Allison Ortega


Women's Hockey

Coach: Bill Mandigo
Captains: Shannon Sylvester, Shannon Tarrant and Emily McNamara
Game to Watch: Bowdoin vs. Middlebury, Jan. 26 at 7:00 p.m.

The women's hockey team rarely likes to talk about winning NCAA championships during the season for superstitious reasons. That being said, it is hard to imagine that the thought has not crossed the players' minds once or twice as they head into the season looking to defend their back-to-back-to-back national crowns.

It seems almost blasphemous to single out individual players among a group that is so team-oriented, but offensively, key returnees include forwards Annmarie Cellino '09 and Tri-Captain Shannon Sylvester. Cellino, a second-team All-American and NESCAC Rookie of the Year, led the team with 26 goals and 21 assists last season. Sylvester, one of this year's captain, is an offensive threat whose scrappy play is known to motivate her teammates.

Defensively, expect the Panthers to be led by Tri-Captains Shannon Tarrant '07 and Emily McNamara '07. The unique system that the Panthers implement under Coach Bill Mandigo includes two forwards and three backs, rendering the position of center back incredibly important. Tarrant, a second-team All-American for the past two seasons, will occupy it. McNamara should solidify the defense with her smarts and solid stick skills.

The big question for the Panthers this season is the one between the pipes. After losing Kate Kogut '06 to graduation, this year's starter has yet to be named. A three-way competition for Kogut's replacement exists between Angie Todd '08, Abby Smith '08 and newcomer Lani Wright '10. Luckily, Kogut has agreed to stay on this year as an assistant coach.

As always, the Panthers are not without their share of incoming talent. Look for Ashley Bairos '10 to contribute offensively and Jess Bennet '10 and Marjie Billings '10 to fill important roles on the blueline.

"Talent wise, this is the best team I've played on during my three years at Middlebury," said Sylvester. "If we use our individual talent collectively we'll have a successful season."

- Seth Miran


Women's Basketball

Coach: Noreen Pecsok
Captains: Carlie Harrington and Dana Weissman
Game to Watch: Amherst vs. Middlebury, Jan. 19 at 7:00 p.m.

The women's basketball team tips off the season this Saturday in the Amherst College Tournament in a game against Piedmont, looking to improve on last winter's 14-10 record. After finishing ninth in the NESCAC last season, Middlebury has looked mostly outside of New England for talent, adding th
ree first-years from North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Hawaii, as well as a fourth from Vermont. Coach Noreen Pecsok, who returns for her ninth year, looks to blend the talent of these four first-years in with the strength of her cast of eight returning players.

Despite its .583 winning percentage, the Panthers only mustered two wins in nine tries against NESCAC opponents. Last year, it was Middlebury's defense that kept the team in games, surrendering only 56.0 points per game, which was the third best in the NESCAC. They gave up 65 points on only four occasions. Forward Alanna Young '08 is expected to continue pilfering the opposition - she has the third highest steals per game average (2.08) of any player returning to league play.

The Panthers will need to step up at the offensive end, as they were outscored 506 to 555 in conference play last season. Fortunately, the top two scorers from last year, Katie Fisher '08 at 11.8 points per game and Young at 7.9 points per game, return to the court stronger and with an extra year of experience. The squad was known for its late game heroics last year with a 6-2 record in games decided by five points or less.

- Andrew Donnantuono


Women's Squash

Coach: Mike Morgan
Captains: Hannah Baker and Kara Zarchin
Tournament to Watch: NESCAC Championship, Feb. 3-4

Led by new coach Mike Morgan and stalwart Co-Captain Hannah Baker '07, the Middlebury women's squash team hopes to improve upon a respectable 14th place finish at last year's National Championship.

The headline story of the women's team this year is the arrival of Coach Morgan, who also serves as the women's tennis coach. He is looking to present the team with a fresh start and clear goals. Morgan noted, "We have a great group this year and I'm looking forward to getting them in better shape, and creating a family-like environment."

Taking one look at this year's roster, however, creating team chemistry should not be an issue for Morgan. There are seven returning players from last year's squad, all of whom started in the top-nine seeds. Tack on two more players returning in January from abroad, one Feb and one first-year and you get a team that is consistently strong from the top of the ladder to all the way to the bottom.

At the top is Baker, who was a finalist in the consolation round of the B bracket at Nationals last year. Behind her is a trio of sophomores, Sarah Hatfield, Caroline Woodworth, and Avery Tilney. The two new players are Elisabeth McMorris '9.5 and Brooke Beatt '10, but as Beatt says, "Even though I'm [new], I feel really included."

Morgan is particularly excited because he notes that this year's squad is "willing to be pushed to the limit physically." Armed with Morgan's fitness expectations, ability and ladder depth, this year's squash team is dangerous.

- Simon Keyes


Skiing

Coaches: Stever Bartlett (Alpine) and Andrew Gardner (Nordic)
Captains: Andrew Everett, Zeke Davisson, Lindsay Brush, Tara Martin, Megan Hughes, Chris Rodgers, Jenny Hamilton and Lizzie Torkelson
Event to Watch: Middlebury Carnival, Feb. 23-24

The 2007 alpine season will begin with a roster filled with experience as well as the addition of new talent coming from Leah McLaughry '10, Jack Reed '10 and Jonathan Hunter '10. The team looks to build upon its success from last season. According to Co-Captain Andrew Everett '07, "We're looking to have a good season. We have the potential individually and we're all great at different moments, but we're striving to put that individual talent together as a unified team." As the alpine team sets off to Copper Mountain, Colo. for a Thanksgiving training camp, skiers will be vying for a limited amount of spots on the carnival team amongst a great wealth of talent. The inter-squad competition will only strengthen the team's individual ability and thus their threat on the EISA skiing circuit. The Panthers have two returning All-Americans, Megan Hughes '08 and Mattie Ford '09, with impressive depth on both the men and women's side.

The training for this nordic ski season started almost immediately after the end of last year's race series. Members of the team trained extensively over the summer and look for their work to pay off. Joy Erdman '08, recognizes that the team moving forward thanks to conditioning trips up the Appalachian Gap and along Middlebury's back roads. The team's athletes are well-armed for a demanding race season. Over Thanksgiving, the "nordies" will embark on their annual trip to Yellowstone, Mont. taking a break from their roller-ski training to find some snow.

- Anna Furney