Athletics News

Freshman Emma Stanley ran sixth in the 5000 meters at the 2006 Centennial Conference Indoor Track Championships hosted by Ursinus on Saturday afternoon.

On the first day of competition, Stanley circled the long distance course with a pack of 28 runners, finishing in a time of 19:03.55. Garnet senior Emily Wistar placed 14th out of 43 entries in the mile run, crossing the finish line with a time of 5:41.48.

The second day of competition commences tomorrow morning, highlighted by Stanley and Wistar competing in the 3000 meter race.

Complete Day One Results

The Swarthmore distance medley relay team collected a bronze medal on the first day of the 2006 Centennial Conference Indoor Track Championships, hosted by Ursinus on Saturday afternoon.

Adam Hunt '06, Tyler Lyson '06, Paul Thibodeau '06, and Vernon Chaplin '07 combined to finish the relay in a time of 10:31.76 to take third position out of nine entries. It is the fourth consecutive medal for Swarthmore in the men's distance medley relay.

Erik Saka '09 put in a solid effort in the 5000 meter run, claiming 12th position out of 32 runners in a time of 15:59.59.

The second day of competition will commence tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. Several Garnet men, including Chaplin and Hunt, will take part in the 3000 meter race at 2:05 p.m.

Complete Day One Results

Jessica Larson '06 and Candice Cherk '07 claimed victory in singles' action as the Garnet fell to Bryn Mawr 3-2 on Wednesday evening in Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Larson cruised to a 11-6, 11-2 victory over Ashley Himelfarb while Cherk wasted little time in dispatching Anna Merkle by a score of 11-1, 11-2.

The Garnet (3-2) will travel to Haverford on Sunday, Feb. 26 for a 7:00 p.m. match.

Singles
Jessica Larson (S) def. Ashley Himelfarb (B) 11-6, 11-2
Candice Cherk (S) def. Anna Merkle (B) 11-1, 11-2
Belinda Leung (B) def. Maisha Howard (S) 11-1, 11-4

Doubles
Jeannette Kwon/Sharon Grim (B) def. Patricia Kelly/Karra Larnia (S) 15-12, 15-11
Luch Hu/Rochi Khemka (B) def. Kannie Chim/Lindsay Roth (S) 15-1, 15-2

Swarthmore, PA-Swarthmore College forward Karen Berk (Havertown, PA -Haverford) and guard Jennifer Stevenson (Dakota Dunes, SD - Dakota Valley) have been named to the 2006 All-Centennial Conference Women's Basketball Team, a selection voted on by the head coaches. Berk was a first-team selection and Stevenson was named honorable mention.

Berk, a sophomore, finished second in the CC in scoring (17.8 ppg) and rebounding (10.2 rpg), third in field goal percentage (50.0%), sixth in blocks (1.16 bpg), and 12 th in steals (1.80 spg). Her 10.2 rebounds per game rank 41 st in all of Division III.

Berk was named Centennial Conference Player of the Week and E.C.A.C. Player of the Week after averaging 24.7 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game in three games during the week of February 18. In the final game of the season, Berk scored a career-high 33 points in a 68-58 season-finale victory over Haverford on Feb. 18.  She shot 10-of-19 from the field and made a career-best 13-of-17 from the charity stripe, all while grabbing 10 boards for her 13th double-double of the season.

Stevenson, a senior captain, made 22 starts this season, scoring 10.0 points per game, a career-high and the 21 st best average in the Centennial Conference. The biology major enjoyed a solid shooting year, hitting 40.6% (26-of-64) of her three-point attempts, the best in the conference. Stevenson hit 42.3% (93-of-220) of her shots from the floor, 12 th in the conference and fourth-best for a guard, scoring a career-high 21 points vs. Gettysburg on February 11.

Stevenson ends her four-year career fourth all-time in school history in made three-pointers with 63 and eighth with 189 career assists.

Berk is the eighth Swarthmore woman to earn first-team honors, the last coming in 2004 when Katie Robinson was selected.

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Swarthmore, PA-Swarthmore College forward Karen Berk (Havertown, PA -Haverford) has been named the Centennial Conference Player of the Week and E.C.A.C. Southern Player of the Week for the week of February 18. Berk averaged 24.7 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game in three games for the Garnet.

Berk, a sophomore, shot 52.1% (25-of-48) from the floor and 24-of-39 (61.5%) while tallying three consecutive double-doubles. She began the week with a 28-point, 13-rebound performance in a 62-51 victory at Washington on February 14 and followed up with 13 points and 22 rebounds (one short of the school record) in a 59-50 loss to Alvernia on February 16.

Berk saved the best for last, scoring a career-high 33 points in a 68-58 season-finale victory over Haverford on Feb. 18.  She shot 10-of-19 from the field and made a career-best 13-of-17 from the charity stripe, all while grabbing 10 boards for her 13th double-double of the season.

Swarthmore (0-2 overall) hosted Division I St. Joseph's (Pa.) Sunday afternoon, falling 6-1 at the Michael Mullan Tennis Center. Despite the overall loss, it was a day of triumph for Jonathan Reiss '07, ranked seventh in the Atlantic South region, claiming victories in his singles' and doubles' match.

At No. 2 doubles, Reiss and Jonathan Lo '08, defeated St. Joseph's Patrick Adams and Antonio Aniello 9-7 in a pro set. In a match riddled with overshots and returns catching the net, Reiss and Lo managed to maintain control and manipulate their opponents. At No. 2 singles, a combination of strategic finesse and relentless effort allowed Reiss triumph over Hawk opponent Chris Spencer 6-1, 6-2.

Swarthmore's No. 1 singles player Zach Rodd '06 lost a series of deuces that could have either tied or finished off the set. St. Joseph's Patrick Adams mentally outplayed Rodd in the first set, as well as the first half of the second. Towards the end, Rodd battled to gain momentum. A Garnet teammate, moved by Rodd's visible internal struggle cried out, "Come on Zach, fight." Rodd replied, "I am fighting." Unfortunately, his late surge was not enough to win and Rodd, the fourth-ranked player in the Atlantic South region, fell 6-2, 7-5.

Swarthmore will host its third consecutive Division I opponent on Wednesday March 1, welcoming Lafayette to the Mullan Tennis Center. The match will commence at 3:00 pm.

Complete Results

Senior Emily Wistar increased the distance to 3000 meters and still posted a top-ten time as the Swarthmore women competed at the Haverford Keogh Invite on Sunday afternoon.

Wistar has posted very strong times at 800 meters and the mile this season, contiuning her success on Sunday by winning the 3000 meter race in a time of 10:36.20. Wistar's time is the fourth-fastest posted by a Garnet runner and her personal-best. Classmate Lauren Fety also ran strong at 3000 meters, finishing fourth in a time of 11:07.41.

Freshman Emma Stanley represented the Garnet in the mile run, cracking the top ten with a time of 5:32.65. The time is the ninth-best in school history.

A strong contigant of Garnet runners posted similar times in the 800 meter race; Kavita Hardy '08 was sixth in a time of 2:32.56, Kathy Feeney '09 was seventh in 2:33.38, and Virginia Tice '09 followed in eighth with a time of 2:33.63.

Swarthmore will spend the week preparing for the 2006 Centennial Conference Championships hosted by Ursinus on February 25-26. Check out the CC web site for travel information and meet schedule.

LANCASTER, Pa. --The 2006 Centennial Conference Swimming Championships were cut short after two days of competition due to facility issues. The Swarthmore women had won six medals at the time of the shut-down.

In a statement released by F&M, "Despite the best efforts at Franklin & Marshall, College officials have been unable to get the appropriate officials to test the air quality in the Kunkel Aquatic Center. Because the College could not guarantee the health and safety of the student-athletes, officials have shut down the use of the facility."

Conference officials have decided that no team scoring will be done for the remainder of the 2006 Championships and no team champions will be declared. Individual performances and medalists for Friday and Saturday competition will continue to be recognized. Because Sunday's competition, hosted at Swarthmore's Ware Pool, will only be time trials, no medals will be awarded. The time trials began at 6:00 p.m. following a tribute to the senior swimmers. Five of the eight schools at the championships elected to swim at the time trials.

LANCASTER, Pa. --The 2006 Centennial Conference Swimming Championships were cut short after two days of competition due to facility issues. The Swarthmore men had won four medals at the time of the shut-down.

In a statement released by F&M, "Despite the best efforts at Franklin & Marshall, College officials have been unable to get the appropriate officials to test the air quality in the Kunkel Aquatic Center. Because the College could not guarantee the health and safety of the student-athletes, officials have shut down the use of the facility."

Conference officials have decided that no team scoring will be done for the remainder of the 2006 Championships and no team champions will be declared. Individual performances and medalists for Friday and Saturday competition will continue to be recognized. Because Sunday's competition, hosted at Swarthmore's Ware Pool, will only be time trials, no medals will be awarded. The time trials began at 6:00 p.m. following a tribute to the senior swimmers. Five of the eight schools at the championships elected to swim at the time trials.

Jessica Larson '06 and Candice Cherk '07 reached the finals of the women's doubles bracket at the Northeast Collegiate Badminton Tournament for the second consecutive year. The 2006 edition of the tournament was held in Tarble Pavilion on Sunday afternoon.

Cherk had success in the single's portion of the tournament as well, reaching the finals match before falling to Tiffany Nguyen from George Washington.

Team results:

1. Cornell - 62 pts
2. BU - 37.5 pts
3. Swarthmore - 32 pts
4. Univ. of Penn - 31.5 pts
5. George Washington- 29 pts
6. Bryn Mawr - 16 pts
   Drexel - 16 pts
7. Penn State - 6.5 pts
8. Albright - 2 pts
9. Colgate - 2 pts
10. Amherst - 0 pts

Individual results:

Men's Singles Champion: Ram Narayan, Cornell
Men's Singles Runner-up: Raghuram Natarajan, UPenn

Men's Singles Consolation Champion: Dan Mang, BU
Men's Singles Consolation Runner-Up: Abe Howland, Swarthmore

Women's Singles Champion: Tiffany Nguyen, GW
Women's Singles Runner-Up: Candice Cherk '07 , Swarthmore

Women's Singles Consolation Champion: Jessica Shih, Cornell
Women's Singles Consolation Runner-Up: Biljana Todic, Penn State

Men's Doubles Champion: Ram Narayan/ Mike Hsu, Cornell
Men's Doubles Runner-Up: Quoc Truong, GW/ Raghuram Natarajan, UPenn

Men's Doubles Consolation Champion: Chula Watugala/ Winson Lin, Cornell
Men's Doubles Consolation Runner-Up: Ronald Chan/ Ton Yudimol, BU

Women's Doubles Champion: Tiffany Nguyen, GW/ Becky Raschke, UPenn
Women's Doubles Finalist: Candice Cherk '07 / Jessica Larson '06, Swarthmore

Women's Doubles Consolation Champion: Amelie Lipman, Colgate/ Rochi Khemka, Bryn Mawr
Women's Doubles Consolation Runner-Up: Jillian Fu/ Ana Chiu, BU

Mixed Doubles Champion: Ram Narayan/ Brianne Smith, Cornell
Mixed Doubles Runner-Up: Dan Mang/ Ana Chiu, BU

Mixed Doubles Consolation Champion: Mike Hsu/ Jessica Shih, Cornell
Mixed Doubles Consolation Runner-Up: Ronald Chan, BU/ Biljana Todic, Penn State