Athletics News

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Swarthmore drained a season-high 10 three-pointers and shot 45% from the floor to earn a 78-67 non-conference victory over visiting Lincoln University on Tuesday night.

It was a career day for Swarthmore players. Sophomore post Karen Berk continued to prove herself as one of the top players in the league with a season-high 26 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, career-high five assists and two blocks. Senior guard Jen Stevenson chipped in a career-high 19 points, topping her previous total of 16 set on Saturday afternoon.

Stevenson and Debbie Farrelly '06 hit a season-high four three-pointers apiece.

In their last meeting in 2005, Swarthmore topped Lincoln on their home court, 66-49, including 10 treys from the Garnet squad.

Swarthmore jumped out to a 16-3 lead in the first six minutes of play, shooting 4-5 from beyond the arc. Stevenson broke away from the pack and converted a lay-up at 10:54 to give the Garnet their largest lead of the half, 25-11. The Lions stabilized their offense and cut the lead to eight, 29-21, at 5:49 with a jumper from Asha Atkinson. Swarthmore kept an 11-point cushion, 41-30, going into the locker room. Despite shooting 55% (15-27) from the floor, Swarthmore was plagued by 12 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play.

At the break, Stevenson lead the game with 12 points, and Farrelly chipped in nine points and three assists. Berk grabbed seven boards as the Garnet out-rebounded Lincoln, 18-12.

For the Lions (6-16), Atkinson tallied 10 points and four boards. Danisha Sammons handed out four assists.

The Garnet came out charging after the break. Freshman Melissa Grigsby grabbed an offensive rebound and Berk found the basket to extend the garnet-and-white lead to 18, 50-32, at 17:25.

The Lions didn't cave under the pressure and clawed their way back into the game. Altoria Spann sank two free throws to jumpstart an offensive charge for Lincoln. Atkinson and Sammons combine for 10 points in an 18-5 run in the next six minutes of play. The Lions came within five points, 55-50, before Berk connected on two free throws with 7:40 left to play to push the Garnet ahead by seven.

The two teams traded baskets before Berk converted an old-fashion three-point play to give Swarthmore an eight-point edge, 64-56. After hitting the free throw, the Lincoln guard Sammons took the ball up the court and hit a quick trifecta to cut the lead to five. After a Garnet miss, Sammons repeated her performance with another 3-pointer, putting the Lions two points out from the Garnet, 64-62, with just under five minutes to play.

Berk took control of the post and scored the next five points for Swarthmore, giving Swarthmore a 71-64 lead at 3:28 with an assist from freshman guard Kylah Field. Stevenson then punched in another three-pointer for Swarthmore, and Field added a jumper to extend the Garnet advantage, 76-64. Sammons stayed hot for the Lions and hit another trey with 1:39 remaining, but it was not enough to overtake the home team. Field closed out scoring for the game with a jumper 0:53 to set the scoreboard at 78-67.

Farrelly ended the night with 12 points and Field finished with 10 points. Junior Jessica Fuhr used quick hands to grab four steals.

The Garnet shut down the second-leading rebounder in Division III, Lady Lions' post Mary Rotimi. Rotimi averaged 13.7 boards coming into the game but Swarthmore held her to four and, as a team, out-muscled their opponent 43-28 on the night.

For the Lions, Atkinson earned 19 points and Sammons added 16.

The 78-point finish is the highest total for the Garnet this season, and the highest since January 20 th, 2005 against Muhlenberg.

Swarthmore improves the 9-11 overall. The team will hit the road on Thursday and travel to Lancaster, PA where they will meet up with the Diplomats of Franklin and Marshall. The two teams met in Tarble Pavillion in January, with Swarthmore taking the game, 74-67. Tip-off time is 7:00 p.m.

Box Score

Jessica Larson '06, Candice Cherk '07, and Abe Howland '06 easily won their singles' matches to propel Swarthmore (3-0) to a 4-1 victory at Bryn Athyn on Monday evening.

Howland rolled over Malcolm Smith 15-4, 17-5 and Cherk cruised past Shalako Umbach 15-9, 15-9. Larson sealed the team victory with a hard-fought 15-4, 17-14 win over Jeremy Feflon.

Hitesh Bhattaraiya and Patricia Kelly teamed up to take down Jenny Longstaff and Amanda Rose by a score of 15-3, 15-8.

Swarthmore continues the 2005-06 season on February 14 when it hosts Bryn Mawr in Tarble Pavilion at 7:00 p.m.

On February 11th, members of the women's soccer team participated in the planning and celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The center of the celebration consisted of a group of young women between the ages of 8-14 from surrounding communities that came to campus to partake in a day worth of athletic activities.

In preparation for the sentiment and purpose of the day, Swarthmore female student-athletes viewed "Dare to Compete: The Struggle of Women in Sport" and wrote notes of appreciation to those that helped them on their road to participation and competition.

Natalie Negrey '07 shows off her foot skills to a group of young athletes..

On Saturday, several members of the soccer team participated in a three-sport clinic put on for the young visitors. The Garnet athletes acted as coaches and helpers in the volleyball, soccer, and tennis activities that consumed much of the morning. Sophomore striker Danielle Tocchet and junior midfielder Natalie Negrey coached the soccer drills for the youngsters and officiated the short match used to highlight the young girls' newfound skills. Keeping the enthusiasm high all morning were Swat kickers Megan Sanborn '08, Melinda Petre '09, and Anna de Regt '09.

Soccer players Megan Sanborn '08 (left) and Anna de Regt '09 play pass with NGWSD participants.

After the clinics, the student-athletes took the girls to the Swarthmore women's basketball game to watch. The girls along, with senior captain Laura Twichell, helped cheer on the Garnet and two of the soccer team's own, Caitlin Mullarkey '09 and Kristen Traband '08 as they battled visiting Gettysburg College.

The day culminated with a pizza lunch for all involved and an autograph session with Swarthmore athletes. By the end, the girls weren't ready to go but they left with a smile on their faces and a nice memory of an athletic day with college female role models.

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- The Swarthmore College men's soccer team hosted a youth soccer clinic on February 5th, raising over $1,800 for the relief agency Genocide Intervention Network.  The clinic, which attracted 108 children and several associated donations, was organized and run by Garnet head coach Eric Wagner, assistant coach Ciarán Dalton, and the Garnet varsity soccer players.  The children learned basic skills, such as passing, dribbling, and shooting, and also had a chance to play matches against each other during the two-hour clinic.  The children and their parents also learned about the terrible situation in Darfur, the Sudan, from two of the G.I.Net's spokespeople at the College. Read the rest of this entry »

Olympic gold medalist Dot Richardson headlined the symposium.

On February 3rd and 4th, the Swarthmore Women's Soccer players along with the other Garnet athletes had the privilege of participating in a wonderful symposium organized by Swarthmore Athletics designed to help them in all facets of their lives on the athletic fields, in the classroom, and in their social circles. The event was a huge success with over 115 athletes participating over the two days. "It is a rare opportunity to not only meet with an Olympic gold medalist and premier sports psychologist, but to have their attention and an occasion to learn from them and ask them questions was a tremendous treat," said Coach Anckaitis of the event. "The department is already talking about how we can top this next year."

Check out coverage of "A Balancing Act" in The Phoenix

WESTMINSTER, Md. - McDaniel College (16-5, 10-4 CC) had five players score in double figures after shooting 48.5% from the floor as a team, defeating Swarthmore 82-70 in Centennial Conference action on Saturday afternoon.

The Green Terror won for the fourth time over the Garnet (8-11, 5-9 CC), including seven of the last eight in the Gill Center.

McDaniel was all over Swarthmore from the tip-off, scoring the first eleven points of the game, capped of by a jumper by guard Robin Gregg at 15:19. Swarthmore forward Karen Berk '08 put the Garnet on the board with a lay-up at 14:40 and proceeded to keep the team with striking distance with 15 first-half points and eight rebounds.

The Green Terror shot 42.4% from the floor in the first half, maintaining at least a seven-point lead for the remainder, and headed into the locker room with a 34-27 lead. McDaniel guard Sara Franz led the team with eight points at the break while senior forward Kristy Costa chipped in seven points and five rebounds.

Garnet senior forward Cara Tigue opened up the second-half scoring with a jumper on the first play of the half, cutting the McDaniel lead to 34-29. The Green Terror out-scored Swarthmore 13-9 over the next three minutes to take a nine-point advantage with 15:47 left in the game. Franz stole the ball and fed junior guard Katy Powell for a lay-up and a 47-38 lead.

The Green Terror began to collapse on Berk in the paint and the Swarthmore outside shooters began to knock down some long shots, cutting the McDaniel lead to as little as two points on three occasions. Swarthmore senior guard Jennifer Stevenson scored nine points over the next six minutes to fuel the Garnet comeback, the last coming on a jumper at the 10:12 mark.

Garnet junior Jessica Fuhr sank a pair of free throws at 9:03 to make the score 57-55 Green Terror.

McDaniel hit the offensive boards hard over the next five minutes, converting four extra chances into buckets. The back-breaker came after Powell missed consecutive free throws and McDaniel center Theresa Hess found the offensive board. Hess kicked the ball out and Green Terror guard Heather Thompson drilled a three-pointer to push the McDaniel lead back to eight, 68-60.

Swarthmore refused to back down, cutting the deficit to five as freshman guard Melissa Grigsby converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 2:41 left in the game.

The Green Terror put the game out of reach by scoring the next seven points, highlighted by a lay-up by Hess.

Both teams shot the ball well in the second stanza - the Garnet hit 16-of-32 (50%) from the floor while McDaniel made 19-of-35 (54.3%). The Green Terror defense created extra opportunities all night, registering 12 steals while forcing 20 Swarthmore turnovers.

Thompson led McDaniel with 13 points in only 15 minutes of action, Costa finished with 11 points and six boards, while Allison Biggs, Franz, and Amy Watson scored ten points apiece. Hess grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds while Powell handed out a game-high eight assists.

Berk led all scorers with 18 points and corralled a game-high 15 rebounds while registering a season-high four blocks. Stevenson added 16 points and three assists while classmate Debbie Farrelly chipped in 12 points. Grigsby hit double-digits for the fifth time this season, dropping in 10 points and handing out a team-high four assists.

The Garnet return home to Tarble Pavilion on Tuesday, February 7 when they host Lincoln ( Pa.) University in non-conference action at 7:00 p.m.

Box Score

CARLISLE, Pa. -- The Swarthmore men (3-6, 3-2 CC) swept the top three spots of the 200 yard breaststroke in the next-to-last event, and then took second and third place in the 400 yard freestyle relay to edge the Red Devils (6-3, 3-3 CC) 103-101 in Centennial Conference action on Saturday afternoon.

The Garnet opened the meet with a six-second victory in the 400 yard medley relay. Jason Horowitz '07, Andrew Koczo '07, Brian Roth '09, and Douglas Gilchrist-Scott combined to take top honors in 3:46.84.

Freshman Stephen Shymon was up next, easily winning the 1000 yard free style in a time of 10:29.37. Gilchrist-Scott earned valuable points in the next event, the 200 yard free style, taking second place with a time of 1:51.19.

The Red Devils won the next four events before Gilchrist-Scott ended the streak with a victory in the 200 yard backstroke (2:04.47).

Sophomore Andrew Frampton continued the Garnet momentum in the next event, winning the 500 yard freestyle (5:01.86) with teammate Shymon finishing second in a time of 5:07.54.

The Garnet jumped into the driver's seat in the next event. Koczo (2:22.38), junior Rob McKeon (2:24.24), and sophomore John Heagy (2:25.78) completed the trifecta in the 200 breaststroke to give Swarthmore a 97-90 lead going into the final event - the 400 free relay. Swarthmore's 'A' and 'B' teams swam nearly identical times (3:27.85 to 3:28.75), ensuring six final points to win the meet.

Swarthmore takes to the road for its final regular season meet, travelling to Washington (Md.) on Wednesday, Feb. 8 for a 6:30 p.m. meet.

Complete Results

CARLISLE, Pa. -- Sophomores Jennie Lewis and Franny Zhang won three events apiece as the Garnet (6-4, 4-2 CC) defeated Dickinson (6-5, 4-3 CC) 108.5 - 96.5 on Saturday afternoon in a Centennial Conference meet.

Swarthmore opened the meet with a convincing win in the 400 yard medley relay; Martyna Pospieszalska '06, Michele Hom '07, Laura Rainey '09, and Patricia Funk '06 combined to win by over four seconds (4:20.29).

Lewis took top honors the 200 free style (2:03.10), out-touching Dickinson senior Lily Cavanagh (2:03.34). Zhang added to the Swarthmore lead by cruising home in the 200 yard IM (2:16.78) and Lewis followed up with a victory in the 200 butterfly (2:19.11)

Zhang gave Swarthmore a third straight event, winning the 100 freestyle (55.68); Sarah Cotcamp '07 grabbed third place (57.02) and Patricia Funk '06 followed in fourth (57.18) to collect valuable points for the Garnet.

Swarthmore completed the victory with a victory in the 400 yard freestyle; Lewis, Zhang, Funk, and Cotcamp held off the hard-charging Devils' quartet to win in a time of 3:43.16.

The Garnet have now won three out of four meets and will travel to Washington (Md.) on Wednesday, Feb. 8 to complete the Centennial regular season schedule.

Complete Results

Junior Vernon Chaplin claimed victory at 3,000 meters as the Garnet finished 10th at the annual Frank Colden Invite hosted by Ursinus College on Saturday afternoon.

Chaplin was the first of 33 runners to cross the line, posting the third-fastest time (8:45.88) in school history. Chaplin's time ranks behind record holder Garrett Ash '05 (8:40.40 - set in 2004) and All-American Marc Jeuland '01

Senior Adam Hunt (8th - 9:05.50) and sophomore Jon Shoop (9th - 9:09.74) also posted strong efforts at 3,000 meters.  Hunt's time was good enough to make the top ten in Swarthmore history.

Junior Matt Schiller made a successful 2006 debut in the 400 meter run, finishing sixth out of 31 entrants in a time of 52.93.

The Garnet collected 12 points to finish 10th out of 16 teams, behind champion West Chester University.

Complete Meet Results

Senior Carrie Ritter ran the fourth-fastest mile the school record book as the Swarthmore women ran at the annual Frank Colden Invitiational hosted by Ursinus College on Saturday afternoon.

Ritter finished fourth out of 51 runners in a time of 5:22.76. She also owns the second-fastest time in the mile (5:17.64).

Classmate Emily Wistar dropped her personal-best mile time to 5:28:03, finishing seventh. Wistar's time is good for eighth all-time in school history. Senior Laura Fety also finished in the top ten, crossing tenth (5:41.22).

Two Swarthmore freshmen, Emma Stanley and Bess Ritter, ran strong in the 3,000 meter race. Stanley finished seventh in a time of 10:56.52 while Ritter crossed the line right behind in a time of 11:01.36.

Complete Meet Results