Spring squads swing South to start season

Author: Andrew Donnantuono

Whether you plan on relaxing on the beach in Florida or playing an afternoon round of golf in Hilton Head over spring break, do not be surprised if you run into one of Middlebury's sports teams, who will be well-represented throughout the country in the last week of March.

Scottsdale, Ariz. famously plays host to the San Francisco Giants during Spring Training, but the city will also welcome the Middlebury baseball team. Coming off a season in which the Panthers finished with a school-record 26 wins, the team opens 2007 in the desert with eight games in 11 days.

"We have one day off so we are pretty much all out," said Head Coach Bob Smith. Middlebury plays a doubleheader against Colby and Gustavus Adolphus, Southern Maine (who eliminated the Panthers from NCAAs last May), M.I.T., a doubleheader against Oberlin and three games in two days against rival Williams.

Softball travels to Florida, the other hotbed for Major League teams, spending a week in the city which hosts a certain New England team.

"We are all going to a Red Sox training game," said first-year Head Coach Kelly Bevere '99. In Fort Myers, Fla., Middlebury takes the field against Bethel, Southern Maine, Colby, M.I.T., Potsdam, Oberlin, Thomas, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Depauw and Cardinal Stritch. As is the case with the baseball team, each of softball's 12 games counts toward the regular season record.

The team will not be completely isolated, since "most of the kids have family coming down for the trip," said Bevere. As such, the atmosphere during the softball trip is certain to be one of both focus and relaxation. Of course, Bevere points out why softball is headed to Fort Myers in the first place. "The weather is a heck of a lot nicer than in Vermont," she said.

On March 23, women's tennis flies to the home of country club sports: Hilton Head, S.C. Despite the fun and entertainment available on the island, the team will have its hands full with tennis.

"Between conditioning, practices, and matches, it really is a pretty busy trip," said Head Coach Mike Morgan. "If it is not a match day, we might practice twice. If it is a match day, we might have a light practice in the morning and play in the afternoon."

Led by Co-Captains Amy Roche '07 and Emily Holick '07, the Panthers will serve it up against Southeastern Missouri State, Whitworth, Depauw, and Missouri-St. Louis.

Men's tennis, on the other hand, will be on the west coast for spring break. They have matches scheduled in Claremont, Calif. against Pomona-Pitzer, Chapman, Azusa Pacific, Fresno Pacific, CalTech and Redlands. With regards to the matches, Captain Kevin Bergesen '07 has one regret.

"Unfortunately we will not be able to play either Claremont or Santa Cruz, two of the top teams in the country, because our break is later this year than last," he said.

Although they play a hectic schedule, men's tennis seems to have one of the few team trips with room for leisure.

"On days off, we practice in the morning and then maybe play volleyball on the beach or hang out in Santa Monica in the afternoon," Bergeson confessed.

Speaking of good times, men's golf will be going to historic Pinehurst, N.C. Harry Bane '08.5 is hopeful that Middlebury will secure tee times at Numbers 4 & 8 Pinehurst, Old North State and the Country Club of North Carolina. However, Bane can only rate the team's chances of stepping on the prestigious No. 2 course as "about 50-50 right now." No. 2, designed by renowned architect Donald Ross, opened in 1907 and has been the venue of just about every important professional event, from the '36 PGA Championship to the '51 Ryder Cup, to the '05 U.S. Open. Men's golf will compete in an intra-squad competition affectionately known as the Middlebury Amateur Championship. Bane said that the tournament "is both stroke and match play and allows us to get a sense of how the team is shaping up."

The women's team is headed to a golf haven of its own in Edisto Island, S.C. Like the men, the women will spend nine days on the links, fine-tuning their swings in preparation for competition back in New England. Captain Heather Gallagher '07 noted that each member of the women's team will play close to two hundred holes over the course of the week. In terms of the schedule itself, Gallagher said, "We will play and practice every day and play in a match against the University of Charleston on March 30."

Despite the varied excursions that Middlebury's athletes will embark upon for their spring breaks, track and field Captain Beth Butler '07 has lobbied hard for the team's trip to California to be considered the best among the spring sports. She believes it is the perfect combination of training and leisure. The team will be racing, throwing and jumping "at the scenic, oceanfront Point Loma track for two invitationals on March 24 and March 31."

"The team trains at the track from around 7 a.m. until the sun becomes too intense," she said. "After practice, most of us hit the beach for a tan or a game of ultimate. In the afternoons, we have another practice at the track, a lift in the gym or a run along the boardwalk."

However, for Butler it is the quirks of the men's and women's track and field trip that make it worthwhile. In the past, "the team has gone paintballing, surfing and hiking around the San Diego area," she said. "Others choose to visit Balboa Park, downtown San Diego or Sea World."

Even though Middlebury will be competing against many other Division III schools in Point Loma, the most heated contests on the trip do not take place at the track. Just as at Middlebury, eating competitions take place at Kono's Surf Club CafÈ, bringing out the best in our student-athletes. The challenge is to see who can finish "Big Breakfast #1" which includes pancakes, French toast, bacon, eggs and hash browns. Butler explained that she hopes to achieve this noteworthy feat for the first time before graduating in May.

Unfortunately, not every spring team at Middlebury has the luxury of taking a high-priced trip to the golf capital of the United States, SoCal or the winter home of the Boston Red Sox. Middlebury's two most prominent club sports teams, rugby and Ultimate Frisbee, nevertheless plan to have productive and fun breaks.

Rugby will stay on campus during the break, and Will Surrette '10 said the team will "lift, run and practice in preparation for nationals in April."

The Frisbee team, on the other hand, is headed off on its annual epic road trip as soon as classes get out on March 23. Middlebury will play in tournaments in Charleston, S.C, Wilmington, N.C. and Tybee Island, Ga.

Lastly, men's and women's lacrosse will not be going on spring break trips because they are to play their schedule as though classes were in session. Men's lacrosse, coached by Dave Campbell '00, will play a NESCAC game against Bowdoin at Kohn Field before trekking down to Washington & Lee in Virginia and then back up to Maine to face another NESCAC foe, Colby.

Missy Foote's women's lacrosse team will be even busier, playing four games. They will travel to Maine to play Bowdoin, Maryland to play Salisbury and Pennsylvania to play Gettysburg, before wrapping up their spring break at home against Colby on March 31.