Spring sports preview

The snow is melting, the ice is thawing and students are busily hurrying to and from midterms. Spring has arrived at Middlebury, and with it comes the return of Middlebury’s spring sports teams. In this edition of team previews, we take a look at all the Panthers in action this spring — athletes to watch, results to expect and games you can’t miss — to provide fans with a comprehensive viewer’s guide to Middlebury athletics this season.

Women’s Tennis

Head Coach: Taka Bertrand

Captains: Kavina Amin ’24, Amy Delman ’24, Gena Huang ’24

Athletes to Watch: Sahana Raman ’25, Ananya Annapantula ’27, Anna Lardner ’26

Key Competitions: Tufts University (home, March 10), Wesleyan University (away, April 14), Hamilton College (home, April 20)

The women’s tennis team came agonizingly close to a NESCAC title last spring, and this year there is no doubt they are eyeing the top of the podium. Last spring’s core group of players remains intact, and with several of their strongest players now in their prime years as experienced collegiate athletes, the Panthers are poised to have a real shot at the title. It also certainly won’t hurt that last year’s champion Wesleyan lost their top player Nika Vesely, who transferred to the University of Chicago. Meanwhile, the Panthers boast a strong returning lineup, with Raman and Delman forming a formidable doubles pair that reached the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Cup quarterfinals in the fall. Add in the strong doubles pair of Annapantula and Nina Farhat ’25 and the individual brilliance of Lardner, who earned a 9–1 record in the fall, and the Panthers have a roster more than capable of capturing the team’s first ever NESCAC win.

Men’s Tennis

Head Coach: Andrew Thomson ’10

Captains: Noah Laber ’24, Andrew Mueller ’24, Robby Ward ’24, Joe Mairs ’24, Maximus Kim ’24, Aidan Harris ’24, Neel Epstein ’25

Athletes to Watch: Julian Wu ’26, Laber, Harris

Key Competitions: Tufts (home, March 10), Williams College (home, March 30), Bowdoin College (home, April 27)

Likewise, the men’s tennis team is also gearing up for a NESCAC title tilt. The team upset Bowdoin to claim their third league victory in four years last April, and they’ll be looking to repeat the feat. Returning all but one senior from last year’s team, the team will be significantly bolstered by the return of Ward, Mueller and Harris, who all took the fall semester off, and Laber, who returns from injury. They rejoin an already talented roster of younger players, which includes ITA Cup singles semi-finalist Wu. After falling to Case Western Reserve University in last year’s national semifinal, the team will also have one eye on the road after NESCACs as they look to capture the team’s fourth national title. It’s still too early to say whether the Panthers can meet their lofty ambitions, but with two storming victories this past weekend, there is no obvious reason why not. 

Women’s Track and Field

Head Coach: Martin Beatty ’84

Captains: Tatum Peskin ’24, Meaghan McEnroe ’24.5, Michelle Louie ’24, Ciara Dale ’24

Athletes to Watch: Emily Rubio ’26, Audrey MacLean ’27, Zoe Wang ’25

Key Competitions: Amherst Spring Fling (April 6), Middlebury Invitational (home, April 20), NESCAC Championship (away, April 27)

The women’s track and field team is another NESCAC-defending champion, making their goal rather straightforward: retain the title. While it won’t be easy going in a stacked division, the Panthers possess one of the most well-rounded teams in the northeast and can rely on talented athletes across distance, sprints, throws and jumps. Rubio is already a school record holder for outdoor track in the heptathlon, while both Wang and Mary Scott Robinson ’24 set indoor records in the pole vault and weight throw, respectively. The team is particularly strong in the 400m, with their 4x400 team of Louie, Anna Krouse ’25.5, Mary Elliot ’26 and Lily Bulczynski ’26 holding the sixth fastest adjusted time in Division III. Macy Daggitt ’25 remains one of the best jumpers in the region, while cross-country standout MacLean continues to rank highly in distance events. Expect the Panthers to be battling it out with teams like Amherst and Williams for the NESCAC title come April, and don’t be surprised if they come out on top.

Men’s Track and Field

Head Coach: Martin Beatty

Captains: Peter Burke ’24, Colin Breen ’24, Sam Maxwell ’24, Joel Kofman ’24

Athletes to Watch: Alec Gironda ’24, Marco Motroni ’25, Dave Filias ’25, Caleb Smith ’27

Key Competitions: Amherst Spring Fling (April 6), Middlebury Invitational (home, April 20), NESCAC Championship (away, April 27)

The Panthers were a competitive fourth place in last year’s NESCAC meet, and they’ll be hoping to claw their way onto the podium. It’s certainly a possibility, too, with a promising new group of first years ready to make their mark on the Allan Dragone Track. Caleb Smith leads the way for this young cohort after his impressive win in the heptathlon at the Tufts National Qualifying Meet, while Aiden Tam ’27 and Ray Pavlik ’27 are also ones to watch in hurdles and middle distance respectively. Smith and Motroni both recently set school records in indoor track in the heptathlon and 60m sprint, while Filias earned several podium finishes across the season in the throwing events. Gironda will lead the distance contingent, which also features Benjamin Hughes ’27 and Zach Utz ’26. The NESCAC looks extra strong this year, but if the Panthers find their stride at the right time, they could be one of the league’s top teams this spring.

Women’s Golf

Head Coach: Tim Walko

Captains: Sophia Hwang ’24, Jacqueline Slinkard ’24

Athletes to Watch: Morgan Lee ’26, Mia Politano ’25, Audrey Tir ’25

Key Competitions: Cortland Martin / Wallace Invitational (away, April 13–14), Jack Leaman Invitational (away, April 20–21), NESCAC Championships (away, May 4–5)

The women’s golf team is looking to build upon their success from this past season fall. The team consistently outpaced the rest of the NESCAC, coming in first place at two of the team’s four regular season tournaments. At the Hamilton Fall Invitational, the Panthers won as a team, and Tir earned Medalist Honors after finishing one-over-par for the tournament. The Panthers continued to have great individual performances as Ella Han ’27 earned Medalist Honors at the Wesleyan Invitational. However, the team’s great regular season performances did not directly translate to the NESCAC Championships Qualifier, where the team came in fourth place out of the eight teams competing. While the performance did qualify the team for NESCAC Championships in the spring, Middlebury’s roster this year is good enough to top the rest of the NESCAC and win a championship. 

Men’s Golf

Head Coach: Justin Kumpulanian

Captains: Paul Fine-Lease ’25, Colin McCaigue ’24

Athletes to Watch: Charlie Schulman ’26, Ben Burns ’25, Derek Ban ’24

Key Competitions: Bill Detrick Invitational (away, April 6–7), Williams Spring Invitational (away, April 20–21), NESCAC Championships (away, April 27–28)

After winning the NESCAC Championship last season, the men’s golf team is looking to repeat their success in what will be Kumpulanian’s first season as head coach. McCaigue and Schulman should hopefully lead the way for the team. Both golfers are the only returning members of the team who competed at last year’s NESCAC Championships and will look to build on their past success. In the fall, the team placed around the middle of the pack in most of their tournaments, but, notably, Schulman earned Medalist Honors at the Ekwanok Sap Bucket Challenge. The team also saw Julian Galindo Macias ’27 and Trevor Stachecki ’27 get opportunities to play in the fall, and the two first years look to be part of a promising young core for the team. 

Softball

Head Coach: Kelly Bevere

Athletes to Watch: Kristyn Carroll ’26, McKenna Lont ’26, Jewel Ashbrook ’24

Key Competitions: Wesleyan (home, March 30), Tufts (away, April 14), Hamilton (home, May 4)

The softball team is looking to build on their strong 2023 campaign. Last year, the team went 18–17, but lost to Tufts in the NESCAC Quarterfinals in extra innings. The team hopes to not repeat last year’s heartbreaking loss as they bring back a crop of talented young players. On the offensive side, Carroll looks to lead the way for the Panthers. Carroll had a 1.240 OPS last season, which placed her second in the NESCAC, slugged four home runs and had 30 RBIs. In addition to Carroll, Megan Fox ’24 should help lengthen the Panthers’ lineup. In regards to pitching, Middlebury’s top two pitchers will look to build on their success from last season. Ashbrook pitched to a 2.96 ERA across 80 and a third innings last year, and Lont had 3.38 ERA in her 70 and a third innings pitched. 

Women’s Lacrosse:

Head Coach: Kate Livesay ’03

Captains: Chloe Newman ’24, Susan Rowley ’24

Players to watch: Newman, Hope Shue ’25, Maggie Coughlin ’24.5, Kylie Wilson ’25, Caroline Adams ’26

Key Competitions: Franklin and Marshall College (away, March 19), The College of New Jersey (away, March 21), Tufts University (away, April 13)

Middlebury is the team to beat in Division III women’s lacrosse, coming off of their third-straight NCAA Championship and perfect 23–0 record last spring. After a powerful opening weekend against Amherst (16–5) and Babson (18–5) on March 2 and March 3 respectively, the team shows no signs of slowing down. 

Shue is the reigning NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, receiving First-Team All-American and All-Region honors, as well as an All-NESCAC First-Team Selection last season. Opposing defenses are certainly on the lookout for Shue, but are ill-prepared to face the threat of Coughlin and Adams by her side. Coughlin was a second-team All-Region honoree last season, finished third on the team in points (55) and confidently put up three goals on opening weekend. 

As a younger talent on the team, Adams was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team in 2023 and has already established dominance in draw controls. Against Amherst, Adams scored four goals off of a comfortably executed right-footed split dodge that left the Mammoth defense in the dust. On the other side of the field, Newman was a staple of last year’s defensive might — she finished third on the team in caused turnovers (22) and is well-positioned to lead the defense this season. Despite graduating record-breaking players from last year’s team, the tradition of Middlebury lacrosse is strong and returners appear ready to carry the torch into another season of success. 

Men’s Lacrosse:

Head Coach: Dave Campbell ’00

Captains: Luke Simpson ’24, William Ryan ’24, Tom Conley ’24

Players to watch: Conley, Cooper Demallie ’26, Russell Thorndike ’25, Billy Curtis ’25

Key Competitions: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (home, March 6), Bowdoin College (away, March 9), Tufts (home, April 14)

Men’s lacrosse launched the season with a 17–11 win against Amherst at home on Saturday, March 1, checking off step one in surpassing last year’s impressive 18–3 finish. Coming off a conference second place and NCAA quarterfinal appearance, the Panthers are returning several key players. The biggest questions face the defense; Simpson is out for the season with a broken collarbone and despite a solid defensive performance to start the season, it remains uncertain who will step up in the back of the field. Luckily, returning stars Conley, Thorndike and Curtis are set to lead a high-powered offense heading into this season, boasting a majority of last season’s starters and showing promising signs from younger players. 

Conley received an All-American honorable mention, as well as All-Region and All-NESCAC honors last season, and looked confident in the midfield against Amherst. Thorndike was second-team All-NESCAC in 2023 and put up four goals in the season opener. With one goal and three assists this weekend, Curtis is set to ascend on the program's all-time leaderboard in career assists, on which he currently sits in third (43). Eyes will also be on Cooper DeMallie, who scored three goals this weekend — since receiving recognition as USA Lacrosse D3 player of the week last April, DeMallie led Team USA to gold in the International Indoor Junior Lacrosse Championships this summer. Facing conference play and critical non-NESCAC matchups from the start, the Panthers are poised for another season of strength in the conference and have their sights set on a title. 

Baseball:

Head Coach: Mike Leonard

Captains: Mitchell Schroeder MIIS ’24, Chris Borter ’24, Beau Root ’24

Players to watch: Kyle McCausland ’25, Owen Tross ’26, Root, Schroeder

Key competitions: Endicott College (away, March 17), Johns Hopkins University (away, March 22), Wesleyan University (away, April 27)

Middlebury Baseball closed the 2023 season with a 27–13 record that marks the second most wins in program history, second place in the conference and an appearance in the regional round of the NCAA tournament. Fans hope to see this momentum carry into this season, which kicked off on March 1 in Montgomery, Ala. with a win against Edgewood College (12–9) and two losses against Millsaps College (1–11) and Huntingdon College (9–10). 

Despite graduating several heavy hitters, the Panthers return a formidable roster. Without a doubt, all eyes will be on McCausland this season, the reigning NESCAC Player of the Year with four program records in hand. The Third Team All-American, First Team All-Region and All-NESCAC honoree leads the Panther leaderboard in single-season hits (66), single-season RBI (60), single-season at-bat (154) and single-game RBI (9). He also led the NESCAC conference in batting average (.438) and tied for top of the conference for home runs on the season (11) last season. Schroeder and Root also bring strength at-bat, hitting .337 and .364 last season, respectively. 

From the mound, Tross is drawing attention on the defensive side, threatening 95 mile per hour pitches that transcend the typical in DIII baseball. On a revenge tour for the conference title this time around, baseball’s spring schedule will demand clutch performances in conference and non-conference matchups. However, Middlebury looks ready to step on the brand-new turf at Forbes Field and fight for another successful season.

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