The Campus Winter sports Preview

Skiing

After placing eighth in the 2009 NCAA Skiing Championship, the Middlebury Nordic and Alpine ski teams are gearing up for another successful run in the Eastern Carnival Circuit this winter. Each team can field six men and six women in the events, and hope to qualify all six participants in the NCAA Championships at the end of the season. The teams have survived grueling preseason workouts this fall, featuring a diverse range of activities, including “bounding,” numerous time trials, log rolling and car-pushing.

The fall preseason features many team bonding events that simultaneously strengthen the teams physically and contribute to positive team chemistry, as teammates motivate each other through the workouts and push each other to improve. At the Sunset Orchard Challenge, for example, the teams split up and competed in an obstacle course of sorts that involved carrying logs up a mountain. At the end, they spelled out 350 with sticks to show their support for international climate control.

“Everyone came back [this fall] fitter than I’ve ever seen since starting to coach at Middlebury,” wrote four-year Nordic team coach Andrew Gardner on the ski team’s blog. Alpine coach Steve Bartlett has also coached at Middlebury for four years with extremely successful results, which the team hopes to build on this winter. Both the Nordic and Alpine teams have a strong batch of new talent in their first-year class that will hopefully make a significant impact on the team’s performance.

Middlebury’s ski teams are traditionally fierce competitors in the Northeast region, dominating the other Division-III NESCAC teams and consistently challenging their perennial D-I rivals Dartmouth, UVM and UNH. In last season’s carnivals, Middlebury earned several fourth-place finishes behind these three powerhouses as well as a second-place finish and two thirds. This year the team has set their sights on solidifying their position at the top of the Eastern Circuit rankings.

Men's Bastketball

The Middlebury men’s basketball squad is looking to bounce back after last season was frustratingly cut short. The Panthers made their second straight national tournament appearance last year after winning a school-record 24 games and dropping only four over the course of the season. During the tournament, however, Bridgewater State’s clutch long-range shooting in a sold-out Pepin Gymnasium handed Middlebury its first home loss of the season and denied the team’s advancement to the sectional round.

Despite losing second team All-American Ben Rudin ’09, starters Kyle Dudley ’09 and Aaron Smith ’09 and reserve Matt Westman ’09 to graduation, the Panthers expect success again this season. However, it may take some time for the team to jell.

“We’ll become much stronger as the season goes along,” remarked coach Jeff Brown, last year’s NESCAC coach of the year. “Captain Tim Edwards ’10, last year’s NESCAC defensive player of the year, is out three to four weeks with a fractured hand, and [last year’s starting center] Andrew Locke ’11 will return after his semester abroad in South Africa. With both of them back in the fold, we’ll be much more competitive.”

In addition, key reserve Ashton Coughlin ’11 has yet to practice, while others have intermittently suffered from injury (including Bill Greven ’10, who has a fractured foot) and illness, all contributing to a relatively slow early-season start. But the Panthers appear to be stacked at all positions.

The front-court duo the 6’10” Locke and Jamal Davis ’11 will be a force to be reckoned with throughout the season. The Panthers are counting on length and athleticism up front to cause problems on the defensive end. Coach Brown will also look to skilled post players Ryan Sharry ’12 and Peter Lynch ’13 for quality minutes off the bench.

In addition to Edwards and Coughlin, Kevin Kelleher ’10 and Ryan Wholey ’11 will provide Middlebury with perimeter threats while Nolan Thompson ’13, who has been impressive in practice, is expected to share minutes at the shooting guard position. Henry Butler ’12 and Jake Wolfsin ’13 are expected to share minutes at the point guard position.

As each Panther finds his role, the team will become a dangerous competitor. Middlebury begins its season at the Swarthmore Invitational on Nov. 20, but be sure to catch the Panthers for their home debut Nov. 24 against St. Joseph’s.

Women's Basketball

The women’s basketball team has returned to Pepin Gymnasium this year with a newfound confidence and a positive attitude, following a disappointing season last year.

Last season the team finished with a record of eight wins and 15 losses, going only 2-6 in conference play. Despite being an intense and competitive squad, certain things did not go their way last winter.

The players responded to last season’s setback by working incredibly hard during the off-season. After recognizing what was not successful in the past, the women have spent last spring and this fall working incredibly hard to solve these problems.

“Our hard work in the off-season has already given us a great jumpstart,” said Brittany Perfetti ’12.

The team this year will be led by captain Kaitlyn Fallon ’10. Fallon is described by Perfetti as “one of the most hardworking people” she knows.

“Fallon’s heart and passion has really motivated and connected us as a team,” said Perfetti. This leadership will be a defining feature of the women’s squad this year.

The women’s team this year is incredibly young. It is composed of four first-years, four sophomores, two juniors and three seniors. The incoming class has proved to be an incredibly talented group that is expected to contribute much to the team.

Women’s basketball returns with an optimistic outlook and lots of potential for success this season. This weekend will be the team’s first test as they travel to Pennsylvania to play Haverford and Swarthmore in their first games of the season.

“I think we’re going to bounce back,” says Perfetti. Her confidence is inspiring, and indicative of the high hopes the program has for the 2009-2010 season.

Indoor Track

With several ‘crossover’ cross country-track runners every year, the tremendous success of the cross country program this fall is bound to spill over into the indoor track season. For the men, a solid seventh-place finish in NCAA regionals marked the end of competition, while the women, who finished the event tied for first with MIT, are still running, on a quest for their sixth NCAA championship in nine years.

If the success of the cross country program is any indication of what the indoor track and field season will shape up to be, impressive results are almost guaranteed. The perennially powerful women’s squad, which sent five athletes to nationals last spring, is expected to make its presence known, while the consistent growth of the men’s squad could usher in an improved season over last year.

Under the tutelage of last year’s NESCAC coach of the year Martin Beatty, the squad, short a few key graduated seniors, among them co-captains Ben Fowler ’09 and Chandler Koglmeier ’09, and women’s co-captain Kelley Coughlan ’09, is looking to mimic last year’s success. Relying heavily on young talent last season, the loss of leadership will give a very talented younger generation the chance to assume a greater role on the team.

Because the indoor season is acknowledged by many to be a glorified warm-up for the trials of the outdoor track, don’t be surprised to see runners stepping outside their usual roles, running new races and maybe even trying their hands at a field event or two.

The youth and talent of the women’s team, captained this year by Laura Dalton ’10, Anjuli Demers ’10, and Anne Sullivan ’10, and the improvement of the men’s squad, led by Micah Wood ’10, Michael Waters ’10 and Victor Guevara ’10 would indicate a successful season in the offing, but look to the spring for runners abroad to return and the real fun to begin.

Men's Hockey

Since setting their skates on the ice at the beginning of October for captain’s practices, the men’s hockey players have displayed renewed determination to get the program back to where it once was — at the top of the NESCAC and Division III NCAA rankings. As last season came to a close, the squad suffered two blows: falling short of a NESCAC championship at Amherst and missing a bid to the NCAA playoffs.

Though the Panthers ended the season with a 19-7-1 record, the players put their skates away for the spring with a feeling of missed opportunities. Today, they are eager to prove they still have what it takes.

With 13 new players joining the roster, the team has a new face — and with it, a new desire to dominate the competition on the ice at Kenyon and on the road.

To be sure, the stick skills of the team’s seniors from last season will be missed, having graduated second team All-American Jamie McKenna ’09 along with a solid group of experienced players. Nevertheless, the near future looks bright for this historically successful team, which includes last year’s NESCAC Rookie of the Year, Martin Drolet ’12.

As the 13 first-years make their debut on the ice this weekend at Conn. College and Tufts, the team will look to show off its new and old talent with high hopes for the season.

Women's Hockey

The women’s hockey team is all about bonding this season — both within the squad and with the Middlebury community at large. After having spent an evening with residents of the town at a Community Supper at the Congregational Church recently, the Panthers got to know their fans — a group that, at many times over the years, has proven to be more die-hard than the College’s own student body.

After collecting both the NESCAC Championship and NCAA Division III third place trophy last winter, the women deserve a little celebrity status. This year, many of the players are back for another season of strong play — with seniors hungry for an NCAA title and the seven first-years eager to prove themselves on the ice.

At the helm of the program remains head coach Bill Mandigo, who enters his 22nd season with the team. A coach whose tenure with the program is older than most of the women on the squad have been alive, Mandigo brings a history of success to the ice that is unparalleled in the NESCAC.

The trifecta of captains Lani Wright ’10, Marjie Billings ’10 and Heather McCormack ’10 (who enters the season fresh off the field hockey turf) also promises to deliver impressive results as it guides the team through a competitive schedule of matches, starting at home on Nov. 22 against Conn. College.

The real event to watch, however, will be the Panther-Cardinal Classic, which will bring Middlebury’s two biggest rivals — Plattsburgh State and Amherst — to Kenyon Arena to battle it out with the Panthers on Jan. 3.

Swimming and Diving

The Middlebury swimmers and divers are highly anticipating and preparing for their first meet this upcoming weekend. The team will compete against Connecticut College and Tufts on Nov. 21 and against Springfield on Nov. 22.

Swimmers on the men’s and women’s side had impressive results in the NCAA meet last year, but the team ended the season on a fairly even keel; the men’s team finished with a record of 4-5 and the women 5-4. The team looks forward to move up from there this year.

“We look forward to continuing the momentum we have started during preseason,” said co-captain Katie Remington ’10.

Although the team graduated a handful of key contributors including Catherine Suppan ’09, Zach Woods ’09 and Kevin O’Rourke ’09, the class of first-years has the potential to fill their shoes.

The depth of the 2013 class is promising, and their performance this weekend will greatly impact whether or not the Panthers come out victorious.

In addition to the deep first-year class, the return of co-captains Katie Soja ’10 and Katie Remington ’10 from abroad will help bring the team to the next level. Both girls were abroad for part of last year, and therefore missed half of the 2009-2010 swim season.

On the men’s side, John Dillon ’10 arrives back at Middlebury stronger than ever and looks forward to making a large contribution in the swimming lanes this year.

With strong team chemistry combined with individual determination and hard work, the Panthers have the chance to be formidable in the pool this winter.

It will be exciting to see them compete this season, and interesting to see which rookies make an impression in this upcoming meet and throughout the season.

Squash

Middlebury squash has progressed drastically over the past four years. First, the program stole longtime rival coach John Illig from Bowdoin. His enthusiasm and recruiting prowess have fueled this recent success. Along with Coach Illig’s arrival, the program made the transition from club to varsity. While the change was mostly superficial, the name change reflects the increasing dedication and focus of the team.

Last year, both the men and women pushed Middlebury to new heights in the national rankings. Middlebury’s mens team went from the bottom of the C-flight (24th) to the top (17th) during the 2008-2009 season, while the women jumped from 18th to 13th. While the Panthers look to continue their previous success, the focus is all on the future.

“The goal is to maintain this upward trajectory and move up to the B-flight,” said captain Simon Keyes ’10. “The preseason kept everyone in good shape and thirsty to play, while an individual tournament two weeks ago at Bowdoin gave everyone a taste of what they have been thinking about all off-season. I think everyone is really excited.”

Coach Illig has placed continued development of the talent pipeline as a top priority. There is no junior varsity squash and, as such, even the lowest players on the bracket get the same exposure to Coach Illig as the players at the top. Theses “vagues,” as they are known on the team, range from new first-years trying out the sport to seniors who are trying to make the jump from recreational to competitive play.

Both the men and the women are losing their top players from last season in JP Sardi ’09 and Sally Hatfield ’09, but the infusion of new talent is apparent. Both teams boast four new first-years, including several that may be expected to make immediate contributions near the top of the ladder. This talented crop of young players on both teams really stands to benefit from the hard work and determination exuded by their elders.

This year, the teams play host to several key matches against teams like Amherst and St. Lawrence. The program has high hopes as it continues to scale the ranks of college squash.