sportsbriefs

Author: Thomas Brush

Collier, men's swimming take 14th at Nationals

Led by Co-Captain Robert Collier '07, the Middlebury men's swimming and diving team finished 14th out of 52 teams at the 2007 Division III Championships held at the University of Houston on March 15-17.
Collier, one of eight Middlebury swimmers who made the trip to the Lonestar State, earned All-American recognition in two races, the 100 meter and 200 meter fly. In the 100, Collier finished in 50.08, enough for eighth place, while in the 200 he touched the wall in 1:51.08, good for sixth.
The men's 800 meter free relay team of Collier, Kevin O'Rourke '09, co-captain Tim Lux '07 and Schuyler Beeman '10 advanced all the way to the finals and finished its season in 12th place nationally by combining for a time of 6:55.13.
In the diving pool, first-year diver Brooks Farrar made a strong bid for All-American status in the three-meter event by tallying 421.10 points, which placed him ninth overall, just one spot out of the top eight needed to earn the recognition. In the 1 meter, Farrar finished in 14th overall with 396.35 total points.
The men concluded one of their most successful seasons to date, finishing with a regular season record of 6-1, while finishing fourth at NESCACs.

Tom Maldonado '08 named an All-American

Middlebury defenseman Tom Maldonado '08 was named an All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association at the NCAA Championship Banquet on Friday, March 16.
Maldonado has been a model of consistency all year for the Panthers, appearing in every game this season. He led all the defenseman in total points scored, with 27, while his 24 assists were tops on the team.
In the title game on Sunday, Maldonado registered an assist in the heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Oswego in overtime.
Maldonado's skill and finesse on the ice spans beyond the hockey rink. Just five hours before being named an All-American, he bowled six strikes in a row en route to a team high 227 points in a team bowling competition.

Petty '09 is NESCAC's Player of the Week

A Middlebury men's lacrosse player has made his mark on the NESCAC league only two weeks into the season. This weekend, Tom Petty '09 was named NESCAC Player of the Week for March 19, 2007.
Petty's play was instrumental in the heated struggle between the Panthers and the Camels of Connecticut College this past Sunday. In the thrilling 10-9 victory, made especially difficult because of the previous night's snowfall which lowered temperatures to near freezing and rendered the field turf slick, Petty notched an assist and three goals, including a crucial tally that broke an 8-8 tie late in the fourth quarter.

Women's lax season opener postponed

The much anticipated season opener for the women's lacrosse team scheduled for March 17 was postponed until later in the year due to a blizzard which prevented the team from making the trek down to Connecticut College.
The Panthers now must wait until Saturday, March 24 when they will face NESCAC foe Bowdoin in the season opener. Meanwhile, fans of women's lacrosse must sit patiently until March 31 in order to see their team play at home against Colby.
Middlebury is currently the only team in the NESCAC that has yet to play a game.