Athletics News

FORT PIERCE, Fla. - The 116th edition of Swarthmore baseball opened the 2006 season in eastern Florida on Monday, splitting a doubleheader with Manhattanville (NY) College.  The Valiants (2-2), the 2005 Skyline West Division champions, won the morning game 13-6 while the Garnet (1-1), behind solid pitching from right-hander Justin Chen, rolled to victory in the afternoon 12-4.

Manhattanville jumped out to an early 6-1 lead after three innings in game one. The Garnet touched up Valiants freshman righty Tim Quinn with four runs in the fourth inning, cutting the lead to 6-5 following a two-run double by Swarthmore freshman Conor Casey.

Quinn settled in following that big inning, tossing seven innings of seven-hit ball to earn Manhattanville its second win of the young season.

Garnet captain Scott Young went 3-for-4 with a triple, a run scored, and an RBI while Casey finished his college debut with two RBIs.  Swarthmore sophomore Patrick Christmas, the team's leading run producer as a freshman in 2005 with team-highs of 15 RBIs and 15 runs, got off to a fast start in 2006 with a double and two RBIs in the first game.

The Garnet turned the tables on the Valiants in the afternoon, scoring the most runs by a Swarthmore team since a 16-6 win at Washington (Md.) on April 16, 2004.

Junior Sam Faeder drove in a career-high five runs for Swarthmore, going 2-for-2 with a double and three walks.  Faeder also stole a base and scored a run.  Christmas drove in three more runs, getting two hits in five at bats while Casey added to his impressive day with a 3-for-4 performance with three runs scored.

Several other Swarthmore ball players had success with the bat: sophomore outfielder Scott Dalane went 2-for-3, scoring three times while classmate Andy Bender, making the shift from third base to catcher, collected two hits and scored twice.  First-year outfielder Kevin Kooi collected his first collegiate hit while also scoring his first run.

The story of the day was the performance by Chen, a sophomore battling his way back from knee surgery that cut his freshman campaign short.  Chen brought a lot of promise back from Florida in 2005, winning his collegiate debut over Anna Maria, and spent the summer and fall working to get back in the Garnet rotation.  Chen took a big step in that direction on Monday afternoon, spreading five Valiant hits over six innings for his second victory in five career starts.

One for the books, and a bright spot for the Manhattanville highlight reel was the turning of a rare 6-4-3-2 triple play.  To end the inning in one shot, the Valiants turned a smooth double play in the middle of the infield, and then relayed home to cut down Young at the plate.

The Garnet return to the diamond on Tuesday morning, continuing the spring trip with an 11:00 a.m. game with Mitchell.

Following the graduation of three seniors, the Garnet will boast a very young and talented group. The Swarthmore roster will consist of one senior, captain Scott Young (Huntsville, AL / Huntsville), five juniors, and a large group of freshmen and sophomores.

Young led Swarthmore in batting average (.286) and hits (28) in 2004, and finished second on the team in runs scored (13).

Head coach Frank Agovino is thrilled with the incoming freshman class, the largest class of recruits in program history. This collection of ballplayers will join with last year's freshmen, whose efforts on the practice and game field set a new standard.

The Garnet roster has grown to its largest number since beginning competition in the Centennial Conference in 1990. With the growth in numbers comes a much needed combination of depth and experience for the Swarthmore ballplayers.

Among the returnees on the pitching staff in 2006 will be Alex Ryan-Bond '07 (Bethesday, MD / Walt Whitman), Noah Cooper-Harris '07 (Cedar Grove, NC / Orange), and Justin Chen '08 ( Media, PA / Penncrest), in addition to talented incoming freshman Dylan Smith from New York and Sean Varsolona from New Jersey.

Ryan-Bond tossed three complete games in 2005, including a six-hit shut-out in a 7-0 victory over Washington (MD) on April 15. Ryan-Bond ranked ninth in Conference action with an earned run average of 3.65 while finishing in second in starts (6) and innings pitched (44.1).

Chen won his collegiate debut on March 7 in Fort Myers over Anna Maria but had his freshman campaign cut short by a knee injury in 2005. Cooper-Harris has the ability to go deep into games as well, twirling a 6-2 complete-game victory against McDaniel on April 9 to give the Garnet a sweep over the Green Terror.

Infielders Sam Faeder '07 (New York, NY / Stuyvesant) and Patrick Christmas '08 (Chapel Hill, NC / East Chapel Hill) will be expected to continue their improvement while welcoming freshman Conor Casey and Kevin Kooi from California into their tight-knit group.

Faeder finished second on the team in batting average, continuing to show improvement at the plate, including a .310 average in Centennial play. The junior was red-hot over a seven-game stretch in mid-April, hitting at a .476 clip with four extra-base hits, five runs, and three RBIs. Christmas provided plenty of offensive punch in the middle of the Garnet line-up as well, leading Swarthmore in slugging percentage, doubles, runs batted in, total bases, and runs scored.

Travis Allen '08 (Suffield, CT / Loomis Chafee), Andy Bender '08 (Baltimore, MD / Beth T. Eiloh Community School), and Ben Mendelson '08 (Lewiston, ME / Lewiston) look to shore up the catching duties, as well as lead with the bats.

Sophomore centerfielder Scott Dalane '08 (Sussex, NJ / Vernon Township) possesses terrific skills, and looks to establish himself as a top-notch outfielder in the Centennial Conference for years to come. The rest of the outfield mix will include Ian Adelstein '07 (South Pasadena, CA / South Pasadena), along with the speedy Young, and freshmen Grant Yoshitsu from Massachusetts and Nick Orton from California.

The Swarthmore baseball facilities, team work ethic, camaraderie, and sheer enjoyment of the game continue to grow, establishing the strongest foundation in memory for the Garnet. The team's expectations have grown, along with their commitment, as they look to continue to "make the difference" and establish the team as a playoff contender.

MOREAGA, Calif -- Swarthmore began its grueling 2006 California swing with a 7-0 defeat at the hands of Division I opponent Saint Mary's on Saturday afternoon.

The lone Garnet (0-4) victory came at No. 3 doubles. Sam Sidhu '07 and Kevin Shaughnessy took down Thomas Dawson-Roberts and Dan Anderson in dramatic fashion, 9-8 (7-5). The Gaels (4-4) claimed victories at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles to earn the doubles point.

Saint Mary's cruised in singles' competition, winning in straight sets for all six matches.

The Garnet continue the West Coast trip on Monday, heading to 2005 Division III National Champion UC-Santa Cruz on March 6 before facing Division I foe UC-Davis on March 7 and Division II opponent Sonoma State on March 8. The Garnet return to Swarthmore on March 17, hosting Johns Hopkins at 3:00 p.m.

Complete St. Mary's Results

BALTIMORE, Md. - Junior captain Jay Charles scored the game-winning goal in the third overtime period, sending visiting Swarthmore to an 8-7 season-opening victory at Goucher College on a chilly Saturday afternoon.

It was only the second triple-overtime game for the Garnet in the last ten years. Ironically, that game was also at Goucher; a 10-9 win for Swarthmore on February 26, 2000. That win was also the last time a Garnet men's lacrosse team defeated the Gophers on their home turf.

The Gophers (1-3) jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first period. Garnet midfielder Ivano Ventresca got Swarthmore on the board in the closing minute of the period, finishing off a pass from Alex Hahn '09 at 0:58.

Goucher tallied another score at the beginning of the second period, converting an extra man opportunity into an unassisted goal by Dan Flamholz at 14:04. Swarthmore answered with two even-strength goals to knot the score at 3-3. Charles scored his first goal at 8:27, taking a pass from Todd Friedman '09, rocketing the ball past Gophers' goalie Austin Hayes. Senior Matt Perez was wide-open on the left post and flicked home a quick pass from Stelios Wilson at 2:01. The score remained tied at halftime.

The Garnet grabbed their first lead of the afternoon just two minutes into the third period. Goucher accumulated three penalties and Swarthmore played to a two-man advantage. Perez used the extra space to his benfit , putting home his second goal of the game at 13:04 to give the visitors a 4-3 lead.

The flurry of goals continued during the third period, the Gophers' Brent Shea scored an extra man goal at 8:09. Swarthmore followed with a pair of scores twenty-two seconds apart to increase the lead to 6-4; Friedman scored his first career goal at 4:27 and Wilson knotched his first collegiate goal at 4:05.

Goucher put up two goals at the beginning of the fourth period to even the score at 6-6. Both teams spent the waning minutes calling timeouts, hoping to set up the play that could win the game.

Swarthmore took its final time-out with 22 seconds on the clock, searching for the knock-out punch. Charles resumed play with the ball on the right sideline and came barrelling of a screen. The junior took three steps and snapped a left-handed shot into the back of the net, setting off a wild celebration with 15 seconds left.

Goucher would not let Swarthmore go home easily; the Gophers' Jerod Richardson won the final faceoff (Richardson dominated in the circle, winning 16 of 20 faceoffs on the afternoon) and hit teammate Dave Duff on the left flank. Duff took a step to his right and as a Garnet defender sought to plant him on the turf, got off a shot. The ball was deflected on its way to the net and snuck over the shoulder of Garnet goalie Frank Mazzucco '08 with six seconds remaining, sending the contest into extra time.

The two teams matched wits through ten minutes of overtime before Charles set everyone home with his trademark left-handed over-the-top sniper into the top corner.

Charles tallied the first hat trick of his career, scoring a team-high three goals to go along with an assist. Perez finished with two goals while Friedman and Wilson added a goal and an assist apiece.

For the Garnet (1-0), it was the sixth time in the last seven seasons they have won the season opener.

Swarthmore heads to Orlando, Fl. on Monday morning to prepare for its next contest, a 7:00 p.m. game with Kenyon College on Saturday, March 11.

Game Statistics

The Swarthmore softball team will have to wait a few more days to open the 2006 season as today's scheduled 2:30 p.m. doubleheader with Arcadia has been postponed. The twinbill has been re-scheduled for Sunday, March 26 at 1:00 p.m.

The Garnet head south to Georgia to participate in the third edition of the 2006 SCAD Smash Hit Softball Tournament hosted by Savannah College of Art and Design. Swarthmore opens up the 2006 season with a 2:00 p.m doubleheader vs. Roanoke on Tuesday, March 7. The Garnet will face four opponents in the Peach State before making their 2006 home debut on Thursday, March 16 vs. Immaculata at 3:00 p.m.

Tournament stats and boxscores will be updated daily at http://www.scadathletics.com/programs/softball/tournament.html and then click on statistics.

Swarthmore faced its third consecutive Division I opponent in as many matches on Wednesday afternoon, falling 5-2 to the visiting Leopards from Lafayette College in the Michael Mullan Tennis Center.

Senior Brian Park claimed victory in both his singles and doubles matches by outlasting the Leopard opponents. Park and doubles' partner Zac Rodd '06, ranked fifth in the Atlantic South Region, out dueled Lafayette's Andrew Mott and Paul Guarino 9-8 (4).

Garnet junior Jon Reiss made quick work of Brett Warren at No. 2 singles, breezing to a 6-0, 6-3 victory, his second of the spring season.

Park needed more time to dispose of Guarino at No. 3 singles, using a clutch service ace to set up a match point that led to a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7) win.

Swarthmore (0-3) heads to California on Friday afternoon for its annual spring break excursion. The Garnet open up the trip at Division I St. Mary's (Ca.) on March 4, then head to 2005 Division III National Champion UC-Santa Cruz on March 6 before facing Division I foe UC-Davis on March 7 and Division II opponent Sonoma State on March 8. The Garnet return to Swarthmore on March 17, hosting Johns Hopkins at 3:00 p.m.

Complete Lafayette Results

After two straight seasons of double-digit wins, the 2006 version of Swarthmore softball faces an uphill battle. Four seniors have graduated, including the entire starting outfield, leaving third-year head coach Renee Clarke to lean on a veteran battery to propel the Garnet towards the Centennial Conference playoffs.

Senior catcher Christina Procacci (Moorestown, NJ / Moorestown) and junior pitcher Marianne Klingaman (Columbia, MD / Centennial) provide Clarke with one of the top pitcher-catcher combinations in the Centennial. Procacci, named one of three team captains, enters her third season as Swarthmore's starting receiver having led the Centennial in pickoffs and runners caught stealing the past two seasons. Her patience, and trained eye, at the plate resulted in a Conference-high .518 on-base percentage. Procacci drew 35 walks in 2005, breaking the Conference record, and her 66 career base on balls is in the top-30 all-time in Division III history.

Klingaman comes off her best collegiate season in 2004, posting a 2.45 earned run average (top ten in the CC) while striking out 35 batters and walking only 13 in 77 innings. The right-hander stepped up in some of Swarthmore's biggest games, including a six-strikeout performance in a 5-2 win over 2005 Conference champion Ursinus College. Klingaman also tossed a pair of 1-0 complete-game shutouts last season, including a three-hit victory over Muhlenberg College on April 12. Sophomore right-hand pitcher Amy DiBiase (Rodondo Beach, CA / Rolling Hills Prep) emerged as an impact player in 2005, finishing in the top 15 in the Centennial with 45 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched and with the addition of Alexandra Zelaski (Middlburgh Heights, OH / Midpark), the Garnet form one of the deeper staffs in the Centennial.

The success of the Garnet in 2006 hinges on the play of Swarthmore veterans Danielle Miller '06 (Pittsburgh, PA / Taylor Allerdice), Kelly Siano '07 (Fort Collins, CO / Poudre), and Katie Gold '08 (Cherry Hill, NJ / Cherry Hill East). Miller, second on the team with 13 runs in 2005, was the most effective bunter in 2005 (10 sacrifice bunts), a vital tool in starting the offense. Gold had flashes of excellence at the plate in 2005, finishing second on the team in RBIs (12) and hits (26). Her athleticism was evident on the base paths where Gold led the team with 12 stolen bases (fifth in the Centennial). First basemen Siano is the rock of the Garnet infield, posting a .973 fielding percentage (seven errors in 252 chances). She swung a solid bat for Swarthmore as well, finishing fourth on the team in batting average, hits, doubles, and on-base percentage and will look to direct an inexperience group of fielders. Junior Melissa LaVan (Deerfield, IL / Deerfield) contributed in 2005 and look to take on a bigger role in the success of the Garnet.

Returners Dahlia Perez '08 (Fairfield, CT / Hopkins School) and Walz saw time in the outfield in 2005 and hope to fill a gap left with the graduation of Mary Mintel '05, Sam Brody '05, and Valerie Marone '05. Stephanie Rogan '06 (Saratoga, CA / Castilleja) is back after sitting out last season, and will will join with freshmen Christine Sendelsky (Edison, NJ / J.P. Stevens), Lauren Walker (Fallston, MD / The Hotchkiss School), and Kristin Caspar (Briarcliff Manor, NY / The Briarcliff School) to figure into the mix.

The Garnet open the 2006 season with their annual trip to Florida in the beginning of March, then begin a competitive non-conference schedule against DeSales, Widener, and Arcadia. On April 4th the Garnet begin a 16-game Centennial Conference schedule with a doubleheader against regional power Ursinus. Be sure to check the schedule for more exciting Swarthmore softball in 2006.

Three Garnet runners finished in the top 20 in the 3,000 as Swarthmore ended up ninth as a team at the 2006 Centennial Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Senior Lauren Fety led the trio of Garnet runners in the 3,000, finishing ninth in a time of 10:50.34. Freshman Emma Stanley was right behind in 10th position with a time of 10:56.60 while classmate Bess Ritter crossed the line in 19th place (11:12.52).

Complete Championship Results

Vernon Chaplin '07 ran the second-fastest 3,000 meters in school history as Swarthmore finished ninth at the 2006 Centennial Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Ursinus.

Chaplin finished fourth out of 43 competitors, crossing the finish line in a time of 8:44.44. The school record (8:40.4) is held by Garrett Ash '04.

Two other Garnet runners finished in the top ten of the 3,000; Ross Weller '08 ran ninth (8:57.63) and Jonathan Shoop '08 followed in tenth position (9:00.04). Senior Adam Hunt cracked the top 25 with a time of 9:19.64 to finish in 23rd place.

The Swarthmore 4x800 relay team, consisting of Matt Schiller '07, Hunt, Paul Thibodeau '06, and Connor Darby '09, finished just off the medal stand, taking fourth place in a time of 8:13.74.

Swarthmore completed the event with 17 team points.

Complete Championship Results

The 26th-ranked Swarthmore women's tennis team, the 2005 Centennial Conference champion, opened the spring portion of their 2005-06 schedule with a 8-1 victory over New York University in the Michael Mullan Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Garnet women (1-0) swept their doubles matches, without a single Violet scoring more than three games. The singles' matches did not go quite as smooth, but the outcome was nonetheless sweet. 2005 All-American Sonya Reynolds '07, Marissa Matthews '07, and Emily Townsend '06 won both their singles and doubles matches.

Ranked No. 8 in the Atlantic South region, Swathmore's No.1 doubles pair, Reynolds and Matthews, defeated their opponents easily. Reynolds opened up the set serving beautifully, winning the point in four simple rallies. By the second game, Reynolds and Matthews ran into some trouble returning the Violets' serves. Matthews' quick and sharp serving brought the dynamic duo back on course, sparing their opponents only one point (8-1). The No. 2 doubles' tandem of Sara Sargent '07 and Waverly Lutz '07 rallied back from a 0-3 deficit to win over Erika Olson and Hayley McLaughlin 8-3.

Reynolds began her singles match with a series of unforced errors consisting of unnecessary long shots as well as short shots when attempting to put away a point. Despite trailing, Reynolds kept her cool. Her mental prowess over Tu gave her the ability to come back. Tu was too frustrated to realize that Reynolds shot often curved to the right, and the Swarthmore player won in three sets 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.

At No. 2 singles, Matthews was relentless in her match against Olson, taking her 6-0, 6-3. Even with a bit of racket trouble, Matthews was able to keep control and snatch the win. Swarthmore's No. 3 singles entry, Jennie Park '09 (ranked 16th in the Atlantic South region) sailed past her opponent in two clean sets 6-0, 6-0. Sara Sargent '07 and Townsend won their matches to help Swarthmore earn its first victory of the season.
The Garnet will head south for spring break, playing Greensboro (NC) on Monday, March 6 at 2:00 p.m., and #1-ranked Emory (GA) on Wednesday, March 8 at 3:00 p.m.

Complete NYU Results