April has arrived, which means the semester is running toward the finish line, and with it, Middlebury’s spring sports teams are arriving at a critical point as they approach the postseason. Since our season preview edition of The Campus on March 7, nearly every spring team has been in action.
Here’s how each of them has fared so far:
Baseball
The baseball team is currently 14–7, though after a slow start to the season they’ve put together an impressive 8–2 record over the last ten games. The team played a decent chunk of their season so far in Florida for their annual spring break trip, where they displayed impressive resolve against some high-caliber opposition. The team defeated #13 ranked Johns Hopkins University in a 7–5 victory, and although they eventually fell to #2 ranked Endicott College, they can draw plenty of positives from the close 8–6 scoreline. The Panthers are riding high after sweeping Bowdoin College in a three game series this past weekend. Mitchell Schroeder MIIS ’24 hit two grand slams and had 12 RBIs in the series, earning him NESCAC Player of the Week honors. Chris Borter ’24, Beau Root ’24 and Schroeder are pacing the team with 30, 28 and 29 hits respectively.
Softball
The softball team is 11–5 and in good form, stringing together five consecutive wins including a double header sweep against conference rival Bowdoin College. They have an important slate of NESCAC games coming up, but their confidence will be high as they’ve come out of their spring break trip looking strong and have only lost once on home soil so far. Kristyn Carroll ’26, Megan Fox ’24 and McKenna Lont ’26 lead the team’s batters with 27, 17 and 17 hits apiece, while Lont leads the pitching contingent with a 6–1 record from the mound.
Men’s Lacrosse
Currently sitting at 7–5, the men’s lacrosse team got off to a slow start after losing three of their opening four matches. Since then, however, the team has been looking progressively stronger, winning five from their last six, a run which has included decisive wins over NESCAC opponents like Colby College, Bates College, Connecticut College and Wesleyan University. The team has three games remaining in the regular season, all of which are against divisional opponents. At a pivotal point in the season, the team is hitting their stride at just the right time, although a recent 4–10 defeat to Hamilton College showed the team cannot afford to get complacent. Russell Thorndike ’25 and William Ryan ’24 have both been key players for the team thus far, scoring 27 and 22 goals, respectively.
Women’s Lacrosse
The women’s lacrosse team is undefeated with a 11–0 record, and its sights are now squarely set on defending both its NESCAC and national titles. The team is certainly on track to do so, brushing aside high caliber opponents like #5 Franklin & Marshall College and #10 College of New Jersey, both of whom they beat by at least eight points. Middlebury has been making winning look easy this season, with Wesleyan University the only one able to come within two points of toppling the Panthers. Hope Shue ’25, Susan Rowley ’24 and Caroline Adams ’26 are the team’s top scorers with 39, 35 and 25 hits respectively.
Men’s Track and Field
The men’s track and field team has recorded four meets so far, all but one of which came on the team’s spring training trip to San Diego. They’ll be returning to action Friday, April 12 at the Carla Coffey Invitational in Northampton, Mass., where they’ll take on a number of regional competitors. The team’s distance squad has looked strong to open the season, with Benjamin Hughes ’27 taking a win in the 1,500m at the Ross and Sharon Irwin Invitational and Raymond Pavlik ’27 taking fourth in the same event a week later. Owen Johnson ’26 recorded a win in the 800m for the first time in his career, while Alec Gironda ’24 won the 10,000m. In the field events, Dave Filias ’25 has picked up where he left off in the indoor season, taking wins in the hammer throw and shot put in the second weekend, while Caleb Smith ’27 picked up wins in the javelin and long jump.
Women’s Track and Field
The women’s track and field team has competed in the same four meets as the men, and now turns their attention to regional competition ahead of the NESCAC Championship in late April. In the opening weekend of competition, Macy Daggitt ’25 scored an impressive win in the long jump to start the season off strong. She would repeat the feat a week later to continue her strong form. In the second weekend of competition, Audrey MacLean ’27 continued her breakout year with a win in the 3,000m steeplechase, which makes her the fastest runner in DIII in the event. Reilly Isler ’25 also notched a win in the javelin throw, while Ciara Dale ’24 recorded an impressive win in the 400m hurdles.
Men’s Tennis
The men’s tennis team is off to a strong start to the season, sitting at a 10–3 record. The team sprinted out of the blocks to open the spring, winning their first eight games. Since then, the team has stumbled slightly, losing three of their last five matches, most recently at home to Williams College. With that being said, there is plenty of reason for optimism in the Panthers’ camp. The team has recorded multiple wins against nationally ranked opponents, opening the season with a win against #20 ranked Brandeis University and following it up by defeating #5 ranked Tufts University. Noah Laber ’24 is back in action following an injury, which has bolstered the team this spring. Hugh Hentschel ’26 and Neel Epstein ’25 are also in good form to open the season and are both unbeaten in league play.
Women’s Tennis
The women’s tennis team is 6–3 on the season and is 4–0 in NESCAC play, placing them atop the league standings. Notably, the team claimed a closely contested 5–4 win over #6 ranked Williams College, dealing a major blow to one of their main conference rivals. The team went 2–3 on their spring break trip to California, although all three of their losses came at the hands of teams ranked in the top 10 best in the nation. The team has seven big NESCAC matchups coming up, so they’ll have to be at their best to maintain their perfect divisional record. Gena Huang ’24 and Anna Lardner ’26 are both unbeaten in league play, as is the doubles team of Amy Delman ’24 and Sahana Raman ’24.
Men’s Golf
Middlebury men’s golf debuted at the Bill Detrick Invitation this past weekend, where they placed seventh out of 15 teams competing. Henry Harrison ’25 led the way for the Panthers, notching a score of two over par en route to a 17th placed finish at the two day event. Harrison’s teammate Colin McCaigue ’24 was not far behind, finishing the tournament in 21st place. The tournament offered a first glimpse into the team’s current level, but they have two more tournaments to fine tune their form before they seek to defend their NESCAC title over the weekend of April 27–28.
Women’s Golf
The women’s golf team is yet to start their season. They will open their spring campaign at the Cortland Martin/Wallace Invitational on Saturday, April 13.
Charles Crounse '24 (he/him) is the senior sports editor for the Campus. He has previously worked as a writer and staff editor for the section. Charles is pursuing a major in environmental policy and a minor in French, and in his free time he enjoys biking, hiking, and exploring Vermont. He is also a member of the club soccer team on campus.
