Athletics News

COMPLETE MID-ATLANTIC ALL-REGION

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Swarthmore College women's soccer players Caitlin Mullarkey (above)  and Katie Kanuka were named to the NSCAA/adidas All-Mid-Atlantic Region Team.  Both Mullarkey and Kanuka were third-team selections.

Mullarkey anchored a strong Garnet back line that tallied a goals-against average of 0.97, the strongest defensive effort since 2001. Mullarkey, a second-year center back, has become a consistent contributor earning first-team All-Centennial honors in her first two years - the first Swarthmore soccer to ever to accomplish the feat.

Kanuka led the Swarthmore offensive attack, scoring a team-high 17 goals to go along with three assists for 37 points.  Kanuka scored more goals than any other player in the Centennial Conference this season, including nine game-winners, another category for which she led the conference.  Kanuka was the standout player in a Garnet attack that registered more goals in 2006 (36) than any season in the past six years.

Mullarkey and Kanuka are the first Swarthmore women's soccer players to be named All-Region by the NSCAA - Kanuka was the lone freshman to make the Mid-Atlantic squad.

The Garnet made great strides this fall, having four players named to the All-Centennial team after rounding out a 15-win season (breaking the school record) and earning a three seed in the Centennial Conference playoffs as well as a two seed in the 2006 ECAC South Region Championship.

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Swarthmore College has named Stan Exeter head baseball coach.  Exeter, who served as head baseball coach and associate athletic director at Arcadia University (PA) since 1997, will start at Swarthmore on Dec. 4.

"The Department of Athletics is very excited to have [Exeter] on board," said Adam Hertz, the Marian Ware Director of Athletics at Swarthmore. "We feel his understanding of competitive athletics within the framework of an academic institution will foster success within the Swarthmore baseball program."

Exeter, a two-time Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, had a record of 181-166 in ten years at Arcadia, capturing a pair of conference championships—the most recent coming in 2006 when the Knights posted a record of 27-14 (18-3 in conference).  In 2004, Exeter led Arcadia to a conference championship as well as season-ending national ranking by the American Baseball Coaches Association.  He has coached three All-Americans, seven All-Region selections, and nearly three dozen All-Conference players.  Exeter has managed to make the conference championships every year dating back to the 2002 season. In addition to coaching baseball, he has managed all athletic event operations and personnel for the past ten years at Arcadia.

"I am extremely excited about being part of Swarthmore College and the outstanding academic and athletic reputation," said Exeter. "I have had the opportunity to coach against a handful of schools in the Centennial Conference and am aware of the high level of competition.  I am committed to moving Swarthmore's baseball program forward."

Exeter's passion for baseball extends beyond his own team as he has been an avid participant within the entire NCAA baseball community, more specifically in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  He was included in the NCAA virtual focus group in 2005, and served as NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Site Director in 2005.  For the last three years he has also been on the NCAA Regional Baseball Selection Committee.     

Exeter graduated from Lafayette in 1992 with a B.A. in Government and Law and was twice named to the All-Patriot League while playing for the Division I Leopards.  

Exeter replaces former Garnet head coach Frank Agovino, who resigned after ten years at Swarthmore.

COMPLETE NSCAA MID-ATLANTIC ALL REGION TEAM

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Swarthmore College men's soccer midfielder Patrick Christmas (Chapel Hill, NC / East Chapel Hill) and defender Brendan Grady (San Jose, CA / Bellarmine College Prep) have been named to the 2006 NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division III All-Mid-Atlantic Region Team.  Christmas was named to the second team while Grady was a third team selection.

Christmas, a junior, captained the Garnet to its third straight season with a double-digit win total and a third consecutive conference playoff berth.  He started all 18 matches for Swarthmore, finishing the season tied for second on the team with three assists.  For the second consecutive year, Christmas was selected for the All-Tournament team at the Garnet Classic. 

A biology major, Christmas was also named to the All-Centennial team for the second time - he was a first team selection in 2006 as well as an honorable mention selection in 2005. 

Grady, also a junior captain, was instrumental in directing one of the top defenses in the nation and managed to notch two assists in 2006 (one came on the game-winning goal against Alvernia on Oct. 18).  Grady, an English major, has maintained Swarthmore's reputation of having the top defenders in the conference, manning a backline that shut-out eight opponents in 2006 and maintained a 0.76 goals-against average.

Christmas and Grady are the second and third Swarthmore men's soccer players to make All-Region in the past two years - current Garnet assistant coach Alex Elkins '05 was named to the third team in 2005.

After completing the 2006 regular season with an overall record of 12-4-1, Swarthmore secured the No. 3 seed in the Centennial Conference playoffs.  The Garnet (12-5-1) were also selected as the top-seed in the 2006 ECAC South Region Men's Soccer Championship.

COMPLETE RESULTS

HAVERFORD, Pa. - Garnet freshman Nyika Corbett barely missed breaking a school record and sophomore Caitlin Mullarkey won the 800 meters as the Swarthmore indoor track & field teams opened the 2006-07 season at the Jack Pyrah Invitational hosted by Villanova University at Haverford College Field House on Friday night.

Corbett bested two other competitors in the mile run, posting a time of 5:17.16 - just a half second shy of the school record (5:16.67) set by Sarah Hobbs '05.  In the next event, Mullarkey (2:23.88) and Swarthmore frosh Erin Ronhovde (2:24.19) ran 1-2 in the next 800 meter run with first-year Lauren Deluca running fourth with a time of 2:28.28.  Emma Stanley '09 posted a time of 11:00.46 in the 3,000 meters, beaten only by three runners from Villanova.

On the men's side, senior Vernon Chaplin was fifth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:03.69.  Erik Saka '09, an All-Region performer in cross country, was second in the 5000 meters with a time of 16:01.28.  Senior Nat Erb-Satullo also competed in the 5000, finishing third with a time of 16:42.58.

The Garnet resume competition on January 12, 2007 in New York City, taking part in the annual NYU Invite at 2:00 p.m.
  

GAME BOX SCORE

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Swarthmore's grueling first semester schedule continued on Wednesday night, as the Garnet encountered its second road game in as many nights; this time the opponent was Division I Lehigh.  The Hawks (3-6) placed five scorers in double figures on the way to a 96-33 victory in Stabler Arena Wednesday night. 

It was the 62nd meeting all-time between the two schools, and the Hawks extended their lead in the overall series to 40-22.  The Garnet came into the night short-handed as second-leading scorer Ian McCormick had to miss the game due to a family illness.

Swarthmore senior guard Dillon McGrew opened up the evening with a triple from the top of the arc, giving Swarthmore the early 3-0 lead at 19:05.  Lehigh responded with 12 consecutive points from All-Patriot League senior guard Jose Olivero, giving the Hawks a 19-3 lead at 15:21.  The run grew to 35-0 before Swarthmore junior guard Noam Fliegelman finished a short jumper in transition at 9:55.

A couple of Garnet freshmen hit from beyond the arc at the end of the half - wing Sean Johnson canned his first collegiate triple at 2:59 and classmate Danny Walker sank one from deep with 45 second left.

The Hawks went into halftime with a 51-14 lead after shooting a scorching 54% from the field.  Lehigh's defense limited the Garnet to just 16% from the floor while holding a commanding advantage on the glass (33-9). Olivero led all scorers with 12 points while McGrew paced Swarthmore with six points.

Lehigh continued to hit on all cylinders in the second half, converting Garnet turnovers into fast-break lay-ups while opening up an 82-26 cushion with 7:00 remaining.  The Hawks clinched the victory with 61% shooting from the floor and 23 points off turnovers in the second half.

Olivero, who dropped in a career-high 32 points at Notre Dame on Monday, stayed hot against Swarthmore with a 17-point performance on 6-of-7 shooting with four assists in 18 minutes of action.  Hawks forward Greg Page posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds while Matt Szalachowski chipped in 11 points and four assists.

McGrew led Swarthmore (1-4) with eight points while Johnson and junior Steve Wolf contributed five points apiece.

Swarthmore returns home on Saturday afternoon, facing Centennial foe Franklin & Marshall at 2:00 p.m. in Tarble Pavilion.

GAME BOX SCORE

BALTIMORE, Md. - Swarthmore sophomore guard Melissa Grigsby broke out of a recent shooting slump with 13 points and junior forward Karen Berk collected another double-double yet the hometown Johns Hopkins Blue Jays edged the Garnet 52-43 in Centennial Conference action at Goldfarb Gymnasium Wednesday night.

JHU (3-1 overall, 1-0 CC) was led by senior guard Haley Wojdowski with 14 points while classmate Julie Miller chipped in 12 points and eight rebounds.

Swarthmore (1-4 overall, 0-2 CC) opened up an early 6-2 lead after senior captain Jess Fuhr scored a lay-up at 13:44.  The Blue Jays put together a 19-13 run over the next ten minutes to assume a 21-11 lead. 

Wojdowski scored 11 first-half points on 4-of-6 shooting as the Blue Jays took a 26-18 lead into the intermission.  The Garnet were led by All-Centennial forward Karen Berk with seven points and seven rebounds.  Swarthmore senior forward Sam Graffeo reached a milestone in the first twenty minutes, putting in her first collegiate basket at 11:36.

The Garnet cut into the JHU lead at the start of the second half - Grigsby made two baskets to cut the Blue Jays lead to 28-22 at 17:56, forcing a Hopkins timeout.  Grigsby canned a three-pointer 30 second later to bring the Garnet within three and Berk sank a jumper to make it 28-27 JHU.

Hopkins forward Anastasia Wynn sank a free throw at 10:17 and teammate Andrea Dodrill fed Britni Lonesome for an inside hoop as the Blue Jays increased their lead back to 39-33 at 9:15.  Garnet senior Jess Fuhr responded for Swarthmore with a jumper of her own at 8:32, making the score 39-35 JHU.  The Blue Jays ran off four points before Grigsby canned a jumper at 6:47 to bring the score to 43-37.

Johns Hopkins pushed the lead to ten, 47-37, with a Wojdowski lay-in at 2:55 and the Garnet came back down the floor and responded with another jumper by Fuhr.  Swarthmore got within five points in the final minute as freshman forward Pamela Costello sank two free throws and converted a lay-up.  Wynn put the game out of reach, knocking in a pair from the line and dropping in her own bucket in the lane as the Blue Jays notched its first Centennial victory of the young season.

The Blue Jays enjoyed a 51-38 advantage on the glass, including a team-high 11 boards by forward Andrea Dodrill off the bench.

Grigsby had struggled with her shot in the first three games, but came on strong this night with a 5-for-8 effort to notch a season-high 13 points.  Berk added 11 points and a team-high 11 rebounds for her Centennial-leading fourth double-double of the season and the 18th of his career.  She also registered four steals for the third consecutive game.

The Garnet women will take part in the annual Seven Sisters Tournament this weekend at Haverford College.  Swarthmore, runners-up each of the last three seasons, will take on St. Joseph's (Ct.) on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. in first-round action.

CENTREVILLE, Ma. -- Swarthmore College field hockey player Summer Spicer was named to the 2006 ECAC Division III Field Hockey All-Star Team, presented by FieldTurf Tarkett.  She is a second-team selection as a defender, as announced by the ECAC Office on Tuesday.

Spicer, a senior, started all 17 games this year and finished third on the team in points (13) after scoring four goals and handing out a team-high five assists.  Recently, she was honored by a selection to the 2006 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III All-Region team, with a second-team selection in the South Region.  Spicer, a team captain, was also named first-team All-Centennial at the end of the season becoming the 21st Swarthmore hockey player to receive the honor.  She was a second-team All-CC selection in 2005.

Spicer, an art and psychology double major, finished tied for seventh in the Centennial for assists and assists per game (0.29).  Spicer was named Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 9 after scoring a pair of goals, one of which was the overtime game-winner, in a 3-2 upset of #19 Johns Hopkins on Oct. 4.  She was also named to the Seven Sisters All-Tournament team on Sept. 17 for the second consecutive year.

Swarthmore completed the 2006 season with an overall record of 9-8, including a 4-6 mark in Centennial play.

BOX SCORE

BALTIMORE, Md.   -   Johns Hopkins forward Matt Griffin scored 15 points and guard Doug Polster made four three-pointers as the hometown Blue Jays remained undefeated after a 73-57 Centennial Conference victory over Swarthmore in Goldfarb Gymnasium Tuesday night.  Garnet junior forward Ian McCormick led Swarthmore (1-3 overall, 0-1 CC) with 16 points and seven rebounds while classmate Matt Kurman added 13 points and six assists.

The Blue Jays (6-0 overall, 1-0 CC) opened up a 13-6 lead following a three-pointer from Collin Kamm and a jumper from Griffin at 14:43.  McCormick brought Swarthmore back within two at 13-11 with a jumper and his second three-pointer of the first half.  The junior post tied the game at 20-20 with a lay-up in the paint at 8:50.  Swarthmore took its first lead of the night, 23-20, at 7:19 when Kurman buried a triple.

Johns Hopkins re-took the lead with a Danny Nawrocki lay-up and then pushed the advantage to 29-26 with a bucket by Griffin at 4:48.  Swarthmore freshman Matt Turner put back his own miss and Kurman finished off a steal by McCormick with a lay-up at 3:15 to put the Garnet ahead 30-29.  Polster sank a three in the next Blue Jay possession yet McCormick dropped in his third triple of the half with 47 seconds left to re-assume the lead.  JHU's T.J. Valerio sank a pair of free throws to send the Blue Jays into the halftime with a 34-33 lead.

McCormick played all 20 minutes of the first half, scoring 16 points on 3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc. Griffin led Hopkins with nine points while Nawrocki added eight points.

The Blue Jays came out firing to open the second half, scoring the first twelve points to assume a 46-33 lead after a Valerio jumper.  Johns Hopkins held Swarthmore without a bucket until Turner sank a jumper at 13:58.  The stingy Blue Jay defense held the Garnet to just 29% shooting from the field in the second half.  Swarthmore was able to get as close as 53-45 after a Kurman jumper at 9:26, but JHU kept the hot hand going, hitting at 57% in the second half to remain undefeated.

Nawrocki notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds while frontcourt partner Griffin shot 7-of-9 to go along with four steals.

Swarthmore turns right around, heading to Bethlehem, Pa. tomorrow night to face Division I-foe Lehigh at 7:00 p.m.

FILA DIVISION III COLLEGIATE TENNIS FALL RANKINGS

The Swarthmore tennis programs received recognition for both the men and the women in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) FILA Fall Rankings, released on November 22. The Garnet women were ranked 19th in all of Division III and the Swarthmore men were placed 23rd.

In addition to the national ranking, the Garnet women were placed sixth in the Atlantic South Region. Swarthmore, the two-time defending Centennial Conference champion, had one of the more successful falls in recent memory.  The Swarthmore doubles team of Sonya Reynolds '07 and Sara Sargent '07 claimed the championship at the ITA Regional Tournament in September, earning All-American honors.  The pair traveled to the ITA Nationals in October and took sixth place, defeating the team from Claremont-Mudd Scripps along the way.  Reynolds and Sargent are ranked second in the Atlantic South region for doubles teams, while teammates Waverly Lutz '07 and Rachel Wallwork '10 are listed 18th.  Reynolds is listed sixth in the region in the singles' rankings while Wallwork is ranked 36th.

The Garnet men also put up a strong performance at the ITA Fall Regional, as senior Jon Reiss reached the quarterfinals of the main singles draw and sophomore Marc Greenberg advanced to the quarterfinals of consolation bracket.  Swarthmore is also ranked sixth in the Atlantic South Region, and saw Reiss earn the 11th individual singles ranking in the region.

Both Swarthmore tennis teams open up the spring portion of their schedules in February.  The men host Temple on Feb. 3 at 1:00 p.m. while the women open up with New York University on Feb. 24 at 12:00 p.m.

COMPLETE D3KICKS.COM LISTINGS

The Swarthmore women's soccer team had two players named to the first annual D3Kicks.com Mid-Atlantic All-Region team.  Sophomore defender Cait Mullarkey was placed on the second team while freshman forward Katie Kanuka was selected for the third team.

Mullarkey anchored a strong Garnet back line that tallied a goals-against average of 0.97, the strongest defensive effort since 2001. Mullarkey, a second year center back, has become a consistent contributor earning first-team All-Centennial honors in her first two years - the first Swarthmore soccer to ever to accomplish the feat.

Kanuka led the Swarthmore offensive attack, scoring a team-high 17 goals to go along with three assists for 37 points.  Kanuka scored more goals than any other player in the Centennial Conference this season, including nine game-winners, another category for which she led the conference.  Kanuka was the standout player in a Garnet attack that registered more goals in 2006 (36) than any season in the past six years.

The Garnet made great strides this fall, having four players named to the All-Centennial team after rounding out a 15-win season (breaking the school record).