Athletics News

GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- The Gettysburg men's basketball team shot 48% from the floor to fuel a 76-56 Bullets victory over Swarthmore on Thursday evening in central Pennsylvania.

Bullets guard Mike Spadafora topped all scorers with 20 points while teammate Erik Fromm chipped in 17 points for Gettysburg (7-7 overall, 3-4 CC).

Garnet sophomore center Ian McCormick led Swarthmore (2-12 overall, 1-6 CC) with 19 points and a game-high seven rebounds.

The two teams opened the game with a scoreless run of three minutes and thirteen seconds before Garnet guard Noam Fliegelman '08 broke the seal with a jumper.

Swarthmore kept pace with Gettysburg for the first ten minutes, cutting the Bullets' lead to two at the 9:47 mark following a triple from the corner by junior guard Chris Casey.

From there the Gettysburg defense tightened, limiting Swarthmore to six points for the remainder of the half. The Bullets entered the intermission with a 35-21 lead.

Gettysburg maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half, sinking 13-of-14 (93%) from the line while hitting at 43% (13-of-30) from the floor.

McCormick tried to keep the Garnet within striking distance, dropping in 14 of his 19 points in the second stanza. McCormick has now hit double-figures in 20 consecutive games, maintaining his spot with the top five scorers in the Centennial at 16.3 points per game.

Swarthmore returns to Tarble Pavilion this Saturday, January 14th, welcoming the Diplomats from Franklin & Marshall College for a 4:00 p.m. Centennial game.

Box Score

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Defending conference champion McDaniel College tallied another Centennial win, beating Swarthmore 74-63 in Tarble Pavillion on Tuesday evening. The Green Terror rallied behind top offensive performances from Sara Fritz (19 points) and Kristy Costa (17 points) to improve to 4-2 in the conference and 9-3 overall. The Garnet fall to 2-4 in conference play, 5-6 overall.

McDaniel took the lead from the opening tip, but the Garnet remained close through much of the contest. Late in the second half, Swarthmore cut the lead to three, but with time winding down, were forced to foul the McDaniel offense.

Swarthmore senior forward Cara Tigue cut McDaniel's lead to 70-63 with a put-back layup at 0:29. The Garnet called their final timeout, but were unable to come any closer.

The Green Terror used solid shooting at the free throw line to stay ahead. They knocked down 19 free throws on 20 attempts (88%), including a perfect eight-of-eight performance by Franz.

Swarthmore also displayed effienceny from the free throw line. Sophomore center Karen Berk and freshman Melissa Grigsby combine to shoot 14 for 15 from the line.

Berk continued her domination of the low post, scoring a team-high 21 points on the night. Senior guard Jen Stevenson and Grigsby chipped in 11 points apiece while Tigue ruled the boards for the Garnet, grabbing a game-high ten rebounds.

Katy Powell and Franz garnered five steals each for the Green Terror. Costa pulled down a team-high seven boards.

Swarthmore will hit the road on Thursday, January 12 for another Centennial matchup. The Garnet head to Gettsyburg where they will face the Bullets and be the first half of a doubleheader with the mens' team. Tipoff for the women is 6:00 pm.

Box Score

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Swarthmore got a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds from sophomore Steve Wolf, but it was the McDaniel Green Terror who came away with the 66-61 Centennial victory on Tuesday evening in Tarble Pavilion.

The two teams went back and forth for 40 minutes, with 16 lead changes and 11 ties, but it was one isolation play that vaulted the Terror (5-8 overall, 3-3 CC) to its first victory of the semester.

Swarthmore post Ian McCormick got a piece of a jumpshot by McDaniel's Josh McKay and the ball went out of bounds to McDaniel with 47 seconds left and the Green Terror up 60-59.

McDaniel inbounded to guard Will Talesnick and cleared everyone to the left side of the floor. Talesnick broke down the Swarthmore defender and got in the lane. The Garnet help defense was late rotating and Talesnick put in the bucket and got fouled with 34 seconds.

Talesnick put in the free throw for a 63-59 Terror lead and Swarthmore raced up court looking for a quick bucket. Sophomore Noam Fliegelman put back an offensive rebound with 12 seconds left, but the Garnet were unable to get a steal after a timeout and McDaniel sank 3-of-4 from the line to seal the win.

Wolf had another outstanding performance, sinking 10-of-12 from the line to collect his second double-double of the season. McCormick added 12 points, four assists, and three blocks while sophomore guard Matt Kurman chipped in eight points for Swarthmore (2-11 overall, 1-5 CC).

Talesnick led McDaniel with 17 points while McKay dropped in 16 points and grabbed a team-high seven boards. Guard Mike Dipiero was the only other McDaniel player in double digits, hitting for 12 points to go along with three assists.

The Garnet hit the road for their next contest, travelling to Gettysburg for a 8:00 p.m. game this Thursday, Jan. 12.

Box Score

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Dickinson forward Ally Teatom scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds to lead the Red Devils past Swarthmore 69-45 on Saturday afternoon in front of a crowd of 187 in Tarble Pavilion.

Swarthmore sophomore center Karen Berk led the Garnet offense with 14 points while senior guard Jen Stevenson chipped in 10 points.

Berk hit the first bucket of the game, a lay-up at 19:37, but the Garnet were unable to hold onto the lead.

Dickinson (7-2 overall, 5-0 CC) shot a scorching 58% for the first half and headed into the locker room with a 17-point advantage at the break. The Red Devils turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, stretching its lead to 31 with 8:51 to play in the second half.

The Garnet were plagued by poor shooting from the floor (32%) and could not find charity at the free throw stripe (8-for-15). The Devils also out-rebounded Swarthmore 39-27, getting six boards each from forwards Piper Etess and Katie Quirk.

Garnet forward Cara Tigue pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, while Stevenson grabbed six.

The Devils maintains a tie for the top spot in the Centennial Conference, holding a perfect 5-0 record for the conference while Swarthmore dips to 2-3 in the Centennial and 5-5 overall.

Swarthmore will host McDaniel at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 10, part of a doubleheader with the men's team.

Box Score

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- The Swarthmore offensive train continued to roll on Saturday afternoon, as the Garnet (2-10 overall, 1-4 CC) put four starters in double figures, defeating Dickinson 68-53 in Centennial Conference action.

Swarthmore was in control the entire game, shooting 50% from the floor in the first half to build a 37-27 lead. Sophomore forward Steve Wolf continued to torch the nets, hitting 5-of-9 for 12 first-half points. Hot shooting was contagious in the Garnet locker room; sophomore guard Noam Fliegelman was a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point land and 2-of-2 from the free throw line for 11 first-half points.

The Garnet combined good perimeter defense, solid rebounding, and a steady dose of sophomore center Ian McCormick to build a lead that grew as big as 18 in the second half.

Swarthmore held a 40-26 advantage on the boards in the contest and held the Red Devils (4-8 overall, 2-3 CC) to 29% shooting in the second half. The Garnet held the Red Devils' leading scorer, Matt Keys, to 2-of-14 shooting, and limited Dickinson to 3-of-23 (13%) from beyond the arc.

McCormick took over in the second half, scoring 16 points and grabbing four boards. The sophomore finished with a game-high 19 points, the 18th consecutive game McCormick has hit double-figures.

Wolf finished with 17, sophomore Matt Kurman added 17, and Fliegelman finished with 11 as Swarthmore captured its first Centennial victory of the season.

Mike Geosits led Dickinson with 12 points and Jon Skvarka added eight.

The Garnet will host McDaniel on Tuesday, Jan. 10 in their next contest. The men will tip-off at 5:00 p.m. and will be followed by the women at approximately 7:00 p.m.

Box Score

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Garnet sophomore forward Steve Wolf dropped in a career-high 32 points and the Swarthmore men sank a season-high 11 three-pointers, rolling over Philadelphia Bible 94-71 in Tarble Pavilion on Thursday evening.

The victory snaps a 12-game winless streak for the Garnet (1-10). The 94 points is the most scored by a Swarthmore team in regulation since 1996; the Garnet defeated Johnson & Wales (RI) 102-74 on Dec. 7, 1996. Swarthmore used two overtimes on Jan. 7, 2004 to tally 97 points in a loss to Washington (Md.).

The Garnet came out firing in the first half, shooting 53% from the field to build a 48-31 point lead at the break. The Swarthmore men took advantage off every offensive opportunity, turning 11 Eagles' turnovers into 19 fast-break points.

Swarthmore was also six of eleven (55%) from behind the arc in the first half, led by two apiece from Wolf and Kurman.

Wolf led the charge with 18 first-half points, shooting a perfect seven for seven from the floor, while adding four steals and two assists. McCormick chipped in nine points and a team-leading six boards as the Garnet held a 20-15 edge on the glass.

Chase Byler led the Crimson Eagles with 14 points on six of nine shooting in the first half.

The 48 points is the most scored in the first stanza by Swarthmore this season.

The offensive prowess continued in the second half, as the Garnet had every answer for PBU. Swarthmore shot 48% from the floor in the final 20 minutes, including five more buckets from beyond the three-point line.

Swarthmore's big push occurred at the beginning of the second half. PBU's Dave Booher put in a lay-up to make the score 52-41 in favor of the Garnet. Swarthmore clipped off a 19-8 run over the next six minutes and change to build a 71-49 lead. Sophomore guard Matt Kurman sank two of his 16 points to end the run, and the Garnet did not allow the Crimson Eagles to get closer than 16 points the rest of the night.

Wolf's career night looked like this: 14 for 20 from the field, a team-high nine rebounds (including five offensive), a career-high four steals, and a pair of blocked shots. The 14 field goals are the most made by a Centennial player this season and the 32 points in the fourth-best performance turned in by a Centennial player.

Matt Gustafson, class of 2005, was the last Garnet player to hit for 30 points, turning the trick on Jan. 22, 2005 vs. Ursinus.

McCormick chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks, extending his streak of double-digit games to 17. Junior forward Mark Rhode had a solid all-around performance, scoring a season-high eight points to go along with four rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals. Junior guard Chris Casey added a season-high 10 points.

Efficient ball movement was key to Swarthmore's success this evening; the Garnet handed out 23 assists on 38 baskets. Casey led the way with a season-high seven dimes while Kurman dropped off four assists. 11 Swarthmore players hit the scoring column, including the first career field goal, a fast-break lay up, by junior forward Alan Walsh.

The 11 blocks by the Garnet equal their conference-leading mark set vs. Johns Hopkins on Nov. 30.

Booher led the Crimson Eagles (2-7) with 23 points, eight rebounds, and a game-high five steals while guard Chase Byler added 19 points on eight for 14 shooting. Austin McCardle chipped in 14 points while Tom Arthur added 12 points for PBU.

The Garnet resume Centennial Conference play on Saturday, Jan. 7 when they host Dickinson at 4:00 p.m. in Tarble Pavilion. All of the action can be heard over BroadcastMonsters.com, a streaming-media company founded by Sean O'Connor, a McDaniel College graduate.

Box Score

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- The visiting Whitman (WA) Missionaries put five players in double-digits and withstood a furious Swarthmore rally to win 78-74 on Monday afternoon in Tarble Pavilion.

Guard Matt Kelly led Whitman (5-4) with 21 points while forward Erik Kofler contributed 15 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.

Junior guard Dillon McGrew scored a career-high 22 points to lead Swarthmore (0-10) in his first game back after a semester abroad. Sophomore forward Ian McCormick put up his third double-double of the season with 17 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.

Whitman guard Ian Warner opened the scoring with a three-pointer at 19:15 and the Missionaries were able to convert four more triples, establishing a lead as big as thirteen, including a 32-20 advantage with 6:08 left in the first half.

The Garnet rattled off a 11-1 run over the next three minutes to cut Whitman's lead to 33-31 with 3:19 remaining. McGrew got the run started by feeding McCormick for a bucket down low and then, following a Whitman turnover, sank one of his career-best five triples on the day.

Swarthmore tied the game at 38-all as McGrew sank another three-pointer with 1:30 left. Whitman got a lay-up from forward Kyle Born with three seconds remaining to take a 42-38 lead into halftime.

The Missionaries and the Garnet both saw the shooting percentages drop in the second half, as the game drifted to the free throw line. Whitman benefited the most, sinking 17 of 26 (65%) in the second stanza, compared to the Garnet, eight for 15 (53%).

Whitman continued to dominate on the glass in the second half, out rebounding Swarthmore 50-29 for the game.

The Missionaries built another sizable lead in the second half, peaking at 71-58 following a Warner three-pointer with 5:17 remaining. Swarthmore put together one more run at Whitman, clipping off a 14-4 run, fueled by a pair of buckets from sophomore guard Noam Fliegelman and seven of nine from the stripe.

McGrew sank a pair of free throws with 34 seconds left to cut the score to 75-74 Whitman. With the shot clock off, Fliegelman fouled Whitman guard Garth Brandal and the Garnet took a time-out hoping to ice Brandal.

The sophomore guard sank both of the free throws and Swarthmore came up court and got a good look at a three-pointer from guard Matt Kurman '08, but the shot bounced off the rim and Kelly corralled the rebound. Swarthmore sent Kelly to the line where the senior made one of two to ice the win.

McGrew's previous high in points (17) and three-pointers (four) occurred on the same night; November 28, 2004 vs. Neumann. The junior shot six for twelve from the field, five for eight from behind the arc, and a perfect five for five from the line. McGrew also drew three charges and handed out three assists.

McGrew became the first Garnet men's basketball player to hit five from deep in Tarble Pavilion since Matt Gustafson '05 did it on Jan. 13, 2003. Kurman hit six triples earlier this year in St. Louis vs. Wisconsin-Lutheran.

Born chipped in 11 points for Whitman, while Warner and Brandal added 10 points apiece.

Swarthmore had three players: junior Chris Casey, sophomore Steve Wolf, and Fliegelman with nine points each.

The Garnet continue non-conference action on Thursday evening, hosting Philadelphia Bible in a 7:00 p.m. contest in Tarble Pavilion.

Box Score

The 2005 Swarthmore Women's Soccer Team took an important first step in pushing the program to national prominence. A committed group of players along with a new coach started to set the foundation of excellence both on an off the field that future generations will build upon.

This strong first step on the field led to some excellent and exciting soccer including six overtime matches, three double overtime ties, and seven other one goal differential games. The young team's strong play was also recognized by the conference coaches who voted Swat's Caitlin Mullarkey and Danielle Tocchet to All-Conference teams. Mullarkey, a freshman, was named to the first-team while Tocchet received honorable mention.

In 2005, Caitlin Mullarkey '09 was the first freshman defender to make First Team All-Centennial.

Mullarkey is the first freshman defender to earn first team honors in the history of the Centennial Conference, and is only the 14th first-year ever to earn the distinction.

Mullarkey spearheaded a Garnet defensive unit that posted four shutouts in 2005 and gave up the fewest goals on a season ever by a Swarthmore team. The freshman got off to a fast start when she was named to the Swarthmore Kick Classic All-Tournament team on September 4th.

Tocchet, a sophomore forward, led the Garnet with eight goals this season, tying for fifth in the Centennial. Tocchet's six goals in conference placed her third among the league's "golden boots" and fifth among overall points leaders. Tocchet was also given two All-tournament nods this season.

Additionally a Swarthmore player was recognized as an All-Centennial Conference Weekly Outstanding Performer eight times.

Off the field the Garnet were also recognized for their excellence with a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award. Their 3.32 team GPA is indicative of the focus and priority the team places on maintaining a balance between their academics, athletics, extracurricular activities, and social lives. Five players were also named to the Centennial Conference All-Academic Honor Roll for their strong performances on the field and in the classroom.

The team got off to a good start in non-conference play with a shutout in their first away match and winning their 10 th straight home season opener against a talented Earlham (IN) team. The Garnet defense and goalkeeping core didn't have any problems keeping Earlham's top goal scorer Hillary Carter (19 goals in 2005) and the rest of the Quakers off the board with their second shutout of the season. A win and another shutout at home against Rutgers-Newark and some tough road matches leading up to conference play prepared the Tide for competition in arguably the toughest DIII women's soccer conference in the country. The conference sent three teams to the NCAA tournament this year and three teams to the ECAC post-season invitational tournament. Swarthmore's highlights from conference play included four overtime games in their first seven matches, a 1-1 tie against Gettysburg, the preseason favorite in the Centennial Conference that had beaten a more experienced Tide the year before by six goals, a nailbiting 2-1 loss to John's Hopkins who held a #14 national ranking at the time, and a lopsided victory on Senior Night for the five senior's final home match.

Lauren Walker '09 placed fourth in the Centennial Conference with a .837 save percentage..

The 2005 team and its players finished the season having set or tied three school records including fewest goals allowed in a season. They also finished in the top 3 in a total of ten different statistical categories dating back as far as 1979. In the conference the team finished the season in the top four of five different Team statistical categories and Swat players finished the season in the top four of five different Individual statistical categories.

The future looks bright for Swarthmore Women's Soccer's journey to national prominence as they now have a tested young group that is focused on reaching their goals. With strong interest already in the revived program from some very talented prospective players from all over the country it shouldn't be long before the Swarthmore program is regularly competing for an NCAA berth, individual national honors, and its goal of winning a National Championship while maintaining the proper balance.

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Several members of Swarthmore's cross country team joined up with their classmates on Saturday afternoon, traveling down Baltimore Pike to the unique and impressive space that is Books through Bars.  Read the rest of this entry »

In 2005, the men's soccer team consolidated the gains from their breakthrough 2004 season, integrated a large freshman class into the program, and equaled its best ever Centennial Conference record of 6-2-1.

The season began with a two-week trip to England in mid-August.  In between sightseeing, community service, and watching a professional contest, the Garnet found time to post a 2-1-1 record against local club teams.  After a week of rest back in the states, preseason saw a huge influx of new blood enter the program.  12 freshmen survived the August heat and joined 16 upperclassmen to give the Garnet an extremely deep squad.

For the second straight year, Swarthmore opened its season with a victory in the Garnet Alumni Classic.  Stu Leon '09 and Andrew Terker '06 were the goal-scorers in the tourney-clinching 2-1 win over Scranton on September 4. The pair would finish the season one-two in goals scored (six goals and five goals, respectively) and tied for the team-lead with 12 points apiece.

Swarthmore suffered a tough 1-0 home loss to Vassar on September 10th, but this would prove to be the only home loss of the season.  The Garnet would finish the season 7-1-2 at home, largely due to the net-minding of Reuben Heyman-Kantor '06. After Vassar's first-half tally, the senior did not allow a goal for a full month; seven full games and 694:47 passed before Alex Pyzik of St. Mary's (MD.) beat Heyman-Kantor during a 1-0 SMC victory on October 10. The school record-setting streak was only 88:13 short of the conference record and stands as the 11th-longest such streak in Division III history.

Heyman-Kantor received plenty of help from his defense during the streak, and through-out the season. Co-captain Alex Elkins '06 became Swarthmore's first ever first team all-Centennial selection for his work at center back.  With fellow center back Brendan Grady '08 sidelined with a foot injury for six mid-season games, Darren Johnson '08 stepped up and became an important member of the rotation.  Paul Thibodeau '06 and Duncan Gromko '07 provided steady play and youngsters Jeff Kushner '09 and Rory Stackpole '09 injected energy into the backline late in the season.  On the season, the Garnet allowed only 16 goals (a clip of 0.89 per game) and their 0.53 goals-against average in CC play ranked second-best.

As the season wore on the highlights continued to pile up.  A 2-0 victory over Gettysburg broke a 12-game losing streak to the Bullets that spanned the entire history of the Conference (play began in 1994). A gutsy 1-0 win at Franklin & Marshall moved Swarthmore to 4-0 in Centennial play for the first time ever; four days later, a 3-0 romp over Alvernia improved the Garnet's record to 10-1. 

For the second straight year, fall break was unkind to the squad; Swarthmore went 0-1-1 during the break and lost its next two matches as the conference schedule grew increasingly difficult. Losses at Muhlenberg and McDaniel dropped the Garnet from first to third in the conference standings before consecutive wins over Ursinus and Haverford to close out the regular season moved the team back into second place.

Swarthmore said good-bye to its five seniors at the Ursinus game. Terker, Elkins, Thibodeau, Heyman-Kantor, and David Hoyt '06 leave the program in far better shape than they found it, having earned numerous personal honors and two straight conference playoff appearances. On the field, Terker scored the first goal before handing the offensive torch off to Leon, who netted the second of three goals in a 3-0 Swarthmore triumph.

A large contingent of Swarthmore fans made the short trek up the Blue Route to Haverford for the season finale, and they were not disappointed.  After a sluggish first half, the Garnet dominated play in the second half but could not find the equalizer until Yoi Tibbets '09 netted his first career goal with under three minutes to play.  In overtime, Brandon Washington '06 stole the ball deep in Ford territory and fed Leon for the game-winner.

The Garnet made their second trip of the season to Westminster, Md., this time to play the third-seed Muhlenberg Mules in the CC semifinals.  Muhlenberg brought their A-game to this match and defeated the Garnet, 3-0.  The Mules stayed hot and, the next day, defeated Gettysburg 2-0 to win the 2005 Centennial Conference Championship.

For the second straight year, Swarthmore received an invitation to the ECAC South Region tournament, this time selected as the #3-seed.  In the opening round, Grady converted the game-winner as the Garnet defeated Dickinson on penalty kicks after the teams played to a 0-0 deadlock for 110 minutes.  Unfortunately, the semi-finals pitted Swarthmore against Centennial rival Johns Hopkins on Hopkins' Homewood Field, and the finally-healthy Blue Jays defeated the Garnet, 4-1. Swarthmore finished its season with a 12-6-2 record.

Several Garnet earned postseason honors. Elkins became the first Swarthmore soccer played named to the All-Centennial first-team, and later was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Mid-Atlantic All-Region team as a third-team selection. Terker (2nd team) and midfielder Patrick Christmas '08 (honorable mention) joined Elkins on the All-CC squad. Heyman-Kantor was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America first team and the 2005 Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Men's Soccer Performer of the Year.

With plenty of talent returning and another large recruiting class on the way, the Garnet will be among the favorites in the CC heading into the 2006 season.