Athletics News

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Junior Sonya Reynolds remained undefeated in the spring season, winning the No. 1 singles match at top-ranked Emory University on Wednesday afternoon.

The Swarthmore tennis team suffered its first loss of the season, falling 8-1 to the three-time defending national champion Eagles.

Reynolds was in control for the entire match against Richelle Marasigan, the fourth-ranked singles player in the Atlantic South region, winning 6-3, 6-3. Reynolds, currently ranked 14th in the Atlantic South region in the last FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, should move up when the new rankings come out on March 17.

The Eagles (3-2), the top ranked team in the country at the start of 2006, won the remaining singles' matches in straight sets after having little trouble in sweeping the doubles' pairings.

The Garnet will be back in action on Saturday, March 18. The squad will split action between a 12:00 p.m. contest at #2 Washington & Lee in Lexington, VA and a 1:00 p.m. match on Faulkner Courts with Centennial rival Bryn Mawr.

Complete Emory Results

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Mount Olive, a Division II school, roughed up Swarthmore at the SmashHit Spring Break Tournament, winning 7-0 on Wednesday morning.

The SmashHit Spring Break Tournament is a 16-day tournament with over 110 games hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design. Teams from all over the country, including Division II, Division III, and NAIA will compete.

The Trojans (13-9) rode the shoulders of pitcher Shauna Cowdrey, who limited the Garnet to a four hits while striking out nine Swarthmore batters.

Freshman Kristin Caspar smacked a double for the Garnet (0-3) while Katie Gold '08, Danielle Miller '06, and Christine Sendelsky '09 each added a base hit.

Freshman Alexandra Zelaski pitched well for Swarthmore, allowing three earned runs in six innings while striking out a career-high eight batter.

Box Score

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Freshman Christine Sendelsky and sophomore Dahlia Perez had three hits apiece while junior right-hander Marianne Klingaman allowed only two runs as Swarthmore (1-3) defeated Saint Vincent's (NAIA) 7-2 on Wednesday at the SmashHit Spring Break Tournament hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Sendelsky put Swarthmore on the board in the bottom of the first inning, ripping a two-out double into right field, bring home Perez for a 1-0 lead.

The Garnet increased their lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the third inning. Catcher Christina Procacci '06 led off the inning with a walk but was immediately erased on a fielder's choice on Perez's bunt attempt. Senior Danielle Miller flew out to right field for out number two. Sendelsky kept the inning alive with a single to left, advancing Perez to second. Sophomore Katie Gold found a pitch she liked and drilled it into right field. Both Perez and Sendelsky came around to score on the play; the first two RBIs of the season for Gold. First baseman Kelly Siano reached on an error by the Saint Vincent infielder, which allowed Gold to score the third run of the inning.

Saint Vincent countered with a pair of runs of Klingaman in the fourth, cutting the lead to 4-2

The Garnet women immediately picked up Klingaman, plating three more runs, the last coming on an RBI triple from Sendelsky.

Klingaman allowed only three hits the rest of the way, picking up her first victory of the season. The junior spread seven hits over 7.0 innings of work, striking out two while walking only one.

Sendelsky led the Garnet with a 3-for-4 day with two RBIs and a stolen base. Perez was also 3-for-4 with a team-high three runs and one run batted in. Gold collected her first hit of the season to go along with two RBIs.

The Garnet play their final two games of the SmashHit Tournament on Thursday, March 9. Swarthmore will take on Savannah State in a doubleheader beginning at high noon.

Box Score

ROHNERT PARK, Calif -- Freshman J.J. England won his second match of the young season as Swarthmore ended its California trip with a 7-2 loss at Division II Sonoma State on Wednesday afternooon.

England played at No. 6 singles versus the Seahawks' Kevin Buyse, who is ranked 12th in the Division II West Region, according to the latest FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings. England breezed 6-0 in the first set and then fought off Buyse to win the second set, 7-5, for his second collegiate victory.

The Seahawks (2-3) jumped out of the gate on Wednesday afternoon, winning No. 1 and No. 2 doubles; the Garnet tandem of Sam Sidhu '07 and Mark Greenburg '09 prevented a clean sweep with a 8-5 win at No. 3 doubles.

Swarthmore returns to Faulkner Courts for a 3:00 p.m. match with 30th-ranked Johns Hopkins on Friday, March 17.

Complete Sonoma State Results

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- The Swarthmore softball dropped its opening doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon, falling to Roanoke College 9-4 in the first game and 9-2 in game two at the Smash Hit Spring Break Tournament hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design.

The Maroons (2-0) got the offense going early, scoring two runs in the first inning courtesy of a Ashley Pierce two-run home run off Swarthmore starter Alexandra Zelaski '09. The Maroons tacked on another run in the bottom of the second to take an early 3-0 lead.

Swarthmore rallied for four runs to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the third. Melissa LaVan '07 walked, freshman Kristin Caspar got hit by a pitch, and catcher Christina Procacci '06 walked to load the bases. Senior outfielder Stephanie Rogan ripped a two-run double to score LaVan and Caspar, while Procacci and Rogan came around to score on an error by Roanoke backstop Erin Ruitenberg.

The Maroons, the 2005 ODAC (Old Dominion Athletic Conference) Champion and NCAA Division III Tournament participant, re-took the lead in their next at-bat, putting up four runs on a pair of hits and a Garnet error, assuming the 7-4 lead. Roanoke tacked on a run in the fifth and a run in the sixth for its first win of the season.

Zelaski (0-1) took the loss in her collegiate debut, allowing five earned runs on ten hits, striking out two while walking two.

Rogan led the Garnet with a double and two RBIs in three trips to the plate.

Emily Walz took the ball for Swarthmore in the second game and had little luck solving the Maroon hitters. Roanoke struck early and often, plating four runs four hits in the first frame.

The Garnet got a run back in each of the next two innings to cut the Maroon lead to 4-2. First baseman Kelly Siano '07 hit a one-out single to center in the second, freshman Lauren Walker followed with her first collegiate hit (a single to left), and LaVan tapped the ball up the middle to load the bases. After Caspar struck out, Procacci drew a walk to bring home Siano with Swarthmore's first run.

The second Garnet run came in the bottom of the third; freshman Christine Sendelsky doubled down the left field line for her first collegiate base hit and then scored one out later as Siano reached on her own double to left.

Walz (0-1) suffered the loss for Swarthmore (0-2), surrendering eight earned runs off nine hits while striking out three batters in 6.0 innings of work.

Siano was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored while Procacci also drove in run on one hit and a walk.

The Garnet resume play in the SmashHit Tournament on Wednesday, March 8 with a 12:00 p.m. game with Mt. Olive. Swarthmore will also face Saint Vincent's on Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.

Game 1 Box

Game 2 Box

DAVIS , Calif -- Senior Zac Rodd continued his string of strong play on Tuesday afternoon, winning at No. 1 singles as the Garnet fell to Division I opponent UC-Davis 6-1. It is Rodd's second win over a Division I opponent this season.

Rodd flourished in northern California on Tuesday as the rest of his teammates struggled to get on track. Rodd, ranked, fourth in the Atlantic South region, took down Aggies junior Jayce Fitch 6-3, 6-3.

Swarthmore concludes its 2006 spring break trip on Wednesday afternoon, taking on Division II Sonoma State at 1:30 p.m.

Complete UC-Davis Results

FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Swarthmore (2-1) sent 13 men to the plate in a nine-run fourth inning, rolling to a 17-8 win over Mitchell (CT) College (1-2) on Tuesday afternoon.

Senior captain Scott Young led the Garnet offense with two hits, four runs scored, three RBIs, and three stolen bases. Three other Swarthmore ballplayers scored at least twice; sophomore Patrick Christmas was 2-for-5 with three runs and an RBI, freshman Kevin Kooi drew three walks and score two times, and sophomore Travis Allen had two walks, scored twice, and stole a bag.

Freshman Conor Casey, owner of four hits on 11 pitches on Monday, patiently drew four walks (one shy of the Centennial record) in Tuesday's game.

The Swarthmore offense benefitted from 11 hits and 15 base on balls to produced its largest run total since a 22-13 Garnet win at Washington (Md.) on April 15, 2003.

Junior right-hander Noah Cooper-Harris (1-0) picked up his first win of the season, tossing 5.0 innings allowing five runs on seven hits. Freshman Sean Varsolona closed out the game for the Garnet with three innings of two-hit, one-run baseball to earn his first collegiate save.

The Garnet offense got going early and often, scoring at least one run in the first seven innings.

Young singled to lead off the top of the fourth inning, eventually swiping third base before coming around to score. The Garnet went through the lineup, recording only one out, before Young made his way to the plate a second time. This time, Young drilled a two-run double, stole third, and then scored his second run of the frame on Christmas' sacrifice fly.

Swarthmore will take a day off on Wednesday and resume its spring trip on Thursday evening with a 7:00 p.m. game vs. Eastern.

Box Score

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Swarthmore tennis team breezed to a 9-0 win over Greensboro College on Monday afternoon.

The Garnet swept through the six singles matches without dropping a set, winning their second match of the young spring season.

Sonya Reynolds '07 won her match against Pride top player Carrie Pacifico, ranked 24th in the Atlantic South region, by a score of 6-2, 6-4. Jennie Park '09 dropped the first game of her career but still needed minimal time to dispatch of Susan Harris 6-0, 6-1. Waverly Lutz '07, Jamie Midyette '08, Marissa Lee '09, and Oriana Galardi-Este '07 all rolled through their singles' competition for easy victories.

Erica Lukoski '08 and Park combined to win at No. 1 doubles, defeating Pacifico and Harris 8-4. At No. 2 doubles, Sara Sargent '07 and Lutz rolled over Caroline Rose and Elizabeth Nichols 8-0 while seniors Jenna Adelberg and Emily Townsend matched that score with a sweep of their own over Miranda Gilley and Crystal DiBella.

Complete Greensboro Results

SANTA CRUZ , Calif -- Swarthmore faced a Division III opponent for the first time in 2006 on Monday afternoon, yet the defending national champion and current top-ranked UC-Santa Cruz provided little relief for the Garnet. The Banana Slugs (5-2, 3-1 Div. III) rolled past Swarthmore (0-5, 0-1 Div. III) by a score of 6-1.

Garnet junior Jon Reiss, ranked fourth in the Atlantic South region, continued his stellar play of late, winning at No. 2 singles 6-2, 7-5 over UC-Santa Cruz's Shane Templeman, ranked sixth in the West Region and 40th in all of Division III in 2005.

The match of the day took place at No. 1 singles, with Swarthmore's Zac Rodd facing off against the top-ranked player in Division III, two-time NCAA singles champion Matt Seeberger. Seeberger took the first set 6-4, but Rodd battled back to win the second set 7-6. With the overall match decided, the two played a the third as a super set, and Seeberger prevailed 1-0 (5).

The Garnet will be back on the court on Tuesday, March 7 when they face UC-Davis at 1:30 p.m. (PCT).

Complete UC-Santa Cruz Results

3/6: Garnet Flourish In Florida

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- 10 different Garnet women scored goals on Monday morning as Swarthmore opened the 2006 season with a convincing 16-7 win over Wittenberg (OH). It is the 14th consecutive time the Garnet began the season with a victory.

Attack Athena Samaras '07 and midfielder Heidi Fieselmann '06 led Swarthmore (1-0) with three goals apiece while midfielder Niamh Shortt '06 contributed two goals and an assist. Samaras, limited to five games with a head injury in 2005, also added an assist and four ground balls.

Shortt contributed an assist with five ground balls.

Swarthmore held a 9-2 lead at halftime.

Midfielder Megan Sanborn '08 was used her athleticism to control much of the play in the midfield, accumulating a goal, an assist, four ground balls, three caused turnovers and five draw controls.

Three freshman: midfielder Anna de Regt, defender Kelsey Hatzell, and attack Marissa Schaffer scored for the first time in their short collegiate careers.

Susannah Blair '08 made six saves in goal for Swarthmore.

The last time the Garnet lost the first game of the season came in 1992 when Notre Dame (Md.) upended Swarthmore 10-9.

The Garnet will play one more game in Florida, squaring off with Salve Regina on Thursday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. in West Palm Beach. Swarthmore makes its 2006 home debut on Tuesday, March 14, welcoming Moravian to Clothier Field for a 5:00 p.m. game.