Athletics News

Sophomore Karen Berk scored a game-high 23 points and senior captain Jen Stevenson added 14 for Swarthmore, but the Garnet were unable to subdue the Washington & Lee in the first round of the 2005 Swarthmore Tip Off Tournament. The Generals improve to 1-0 with the 67-60 win over host Swarthmore.

The Garnet came out cold in the first half, missing their first 11 shots of the game. Washington and Lee built a 16-0 lead before Stevenson put the team on the board with a free throw at 14:19.

Senior captain Debbie Farrelly sank the first Garnet field goal at 11:34, but the Generals' Kara Nadeau answered with back-to-back buckets and forced Swarthmore coach Renee DeVarney to call a time-out. Although the Garnet grabbed 10 steals before halftime, they were able to convert on the other end. Stevenson contributed 12 points and 4 rebounds for the Garnet in the first half, but the team never got closer than 14 going into the break.

Washington and Lee center Jessica Hunsinger led W&L with 12 points and eight rebounds going into the intermission. The Generals ended the half with a 40-25 lead over the Garnet.

After the break, Washington & Lee continued to penetrate the Garnet defense, keeping a comfortable lead until midway through the half. Berk put the Garnet on her back, shooting eight for nine from the floor in the second half. She grabbed an offensive board at 11:54 and converted it for two points. A minute later, she seized another offensive rebound and put it back in, cutting W&L's lead to twelve.

Swarthmore forced 16 steals during the game and took advantage of the Generals' mistakes in the second half. With 1:29 remaining in the game, Stevenson converted a bucket after an opponent turnover and pulled the Garnet closer, 62-56. Swarthmore fought back in the last 40 seconds of the game, but they would not get any closer than five points

The Generals sealed the win with 3 free throws in the last twenty seconds. Hunsinger finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds while teammate Nadeau notched 12 points on five for seven shooting.

Berk and senior captain Radiance Walters contributed eight and five rebounds, respectively, and Stevenson added six boards and four steals.

The Generals move onto the tournament championship Sunday at 4 p.m. against the Eagles of Mary Washington. The Garnet fall to 0-1 and will face Trinity College (CT) in the consolation game of the Tournament on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Tarble Pavilion.

Swarthmore/W&L Box

Ohio Wesleyan got 20 points and 10 rebounds from All-Tournament selection Ben Chojnacki to lead the Battling Bishops (1-1) to a 91-68 victory over Swarthmore in the final game of the Equinox Classic on Saturday afternoon on the campus of Haverford College.

Sophomore post Ian McCormick led the Garnet with a game-high 22 points on 10 for 13 shooting. In two Equinox games, McCormick shot 21-31 (68%) for a Classic-leading 47 points to earn All-Tournament status.

The Garnet (0-2) controlled much of the first half, leading by as much as six points at one point. Sophomore forward Steve Wolf sank six of eight shots for 13 first-half points, sending Swarthmore into the intermission with a 38-36 lead.

The Bishops turned up the heat in the second half, running of a 19-6 spurt in the final seven minutes. Ohio Wesleyan out-rebounded the Garnet 41-23 for the game, including 17 offensive boards.

Wolf finished with 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Chris Casey '07, Matt Kurman '08, and Jon Tundel '09 all chipped in eight points.

The Garnet welcome Drew University to Tarble Pavilion for their next contest on Tuesday, November 22. Tip off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

Box Score

Sophomores Ian McCormick and Steve Wolf combined for 45 points as the Swarthmore's men's basketball team fell to Earlham (IN), 85-65 in the season opener for both teams at the annual Equinox Classic on Friday night in Tarble Pavilion.

The Garnet (0-1) got off to a strong start on the defensive end and built a small lead in the early going.  Wolf contributed much of the early offense on his way to 11 first-half points.  But Earlham (1-0) eventually took control, increasing the pace of the game and hitting shots from all over the court.  The Quakers finished the half with 17 field goals in 30 chances, good for a 56.7 FG%, including five of nine from beyond the arc.

Swarthmore took a 20-17 lead on a Matt Kurman '08 three-pointer, but the Quakers went on a 10-0 run to take the lead for good.  Strong offensive rebounding (10 in the half, including three by Raul Ordonez '09) kept Swarthmore in the game, but the visitors still led 42-31 at the midway point.

The Quakers quickly extended their lead with an 8-2 to start the second half.  McCormick did his best to keep his team in the game, scoring on two straight possessions before picking up a steal and feeding Wolf for a layup. Swarthmore would get within 12 points several times but the Quakers kept coming up with big buckets to maintain their lead.  Nick Welsh was a force on the defensive end, blocking four Garnet shots.

Wolf, McCormick, and Kurman (14 points) continued to provide nearly all of the offense; for the game, the trio combined for all but six of the team's points. McCormick finished with 17 second-half points, including a pair of three-pointers. Wolf added nine points in the second half, giving him 20 for the game. He also grabbed 12 rebounds for his first career double-double. Kurman led the squad with five assists.

In the end, Earlham's shooting was too much. The visitors shot 63.3% in the second half and 60% for the game and hit 9 of 16 three-pointers. Tyler Stewart and Markous Jewett led four Quakers in double figures with 17 points apiece.

Haverford defeated Ohio Wesleyan, 78-66 in the first game. Jason Polykoff led the Fords (1-0) with 19 points and four assists, while guard John Elefterakis added 16 points. Mike Frantangelo had a strong showing for Haverford, contributing 13 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and three swipes. The Battling Bishops (0-1) got a team-high 16 points, to go along with nine boards, from Ben Chojnacki.

The Equinox Classic moves to the Haverford College campus tomorrow afternoon, with the Fords hosting Earlham at 1:00 p.m. and Swarthmore facing Ohio Wesleyan at 3:00 p.m. to close out the tournament. It will mark the first men's basketball game in the brand-new Calvin J. Gooding '84 Arena.

Swarthmore/Earlham Box Score

Haverford/Ohio Wesleyan Box Score

Senior Carrie Ritter and freshman Emma Stanley ran to All-Mid East Regional status, leading Swarthmore to a fifth-place finish at the 2005 NCAA Mid-East Regional Cross Country Championship in Carlisle, Pa. on Saturday morning.

Ritter and Stanley finished among the top 35 runners out of 292 participants to make All-Region. Stanley was the third freshman runner to cross the finish line, earning All-Freshman Region honors.

Ritter closed out her Garnet running career with a top-flight performance on the 6K course , finishing 17th in a time of 23:17.9. The senior earned her second consecutive All-Region selection and missed getting one of the coveted individual national-qualifier spots by approximately nine seconds.

Stanley capped her strong freshman campaign by clocking in at 23:25.2 to finish 22nd overall.

Three seniors continued the balanced scoring for Swarthmore; Lauren Fety '06 ran 43rd in a time of 24:14.6, Debbie Farrelly '06 checked in 59th with a time of 24:36.5, while classmate Emily Wistar was right behind in 60th position (24:37.3).

Sophomore Kavita Hardy came in 98th place (25:14.8) and freshman Bess Ritter finished in 111th (25:28.1) to complete the scoring for the Garnet.

Swarthmore collected a total of 201 team points to finish behind defending champion Dickinson (27 points), Haverford (148), Elizabethtown (162), and Grove City (188).

Complete Results

Muhlenberg scored twice in the first half on its way to a 3-0 victory over Swarthmore in semi-final action of the 2005 Centennial Conference Playoffs on the campus of McDaniel College on Saturday afternoon.

The Mules, seeded No. 3, got on the board in the 12 the minute on a goal by midfielder Jose Ramirez. Muhlenberg forced a turnover in the midfield and sent a ball into the left corner. Senior forward James Henshaw won the race and crossed the ball back across the Garnet goal mouth, past lunging Swarthmore goalkeeper Reuben Heyman-Kantor '06. Ramirez came streaking up field, unmarked, and easily tapped the ball into the open net at 11:55 for a 1-0 lead.

Muhlenberg used a bit of deception for the second score. A Swarthmore defender was flagged for a hand ball 10 yards outside the Garnet box. Mules' midfielder Jonathan Kliewer lined up for the free kick as the Garnet defense built a wall in front of Heyman-Kantor. Kliewer took two steps towards the ball like he was going to drive a shot towards the goal. At the last second, the sophomore touched a slow roller towards Muhlenberg midfielder Christopher King. King, the leading scorer in the Centennial during the regular season, uncorked a low-liner inside the right post at 31:40 to give the Mules a two-goal lead.

Swarthmore, the No. 2 seed, failed to capitalize on a terrific scoring chance as time wound down in the first half. Junior forward Colton Bangs controlled the ball on the Mules end line, drawing Muhlenberg goalie Peter Bennett off his line. Bangs lofted the ball over Bennett's head towards the far post. Swarthmore midfielder Patrick Christmas '08 sent a header towards the empty net, by a Muhlenberg defender was able to prevent the ball from entering the goal.

The Mules added an insurance goal by Henshaw at 76:15 to ensure a trip to the championship match on Sunday afternoon. Muhlenberg will face No. 5 seed Gettysburg, a 1-0 winner in double-overtime over top-seeded McDaniel.

Bennett made six saves in goal for the Mules, while Heyman-Kantor registered two stops for Swarthmore (12-5-1).

The Garnet will have to wait until Monday afternoon to see if they receive an invitation to play in the 2005 E.C.A.C. Tournament. Swarthmore reached the finals of the 2004 E.C.A.C. Tournament, falling to Wesley (DE) 3-1.

Box Score

The start of the 2005 women's soccer season at Swarthmore College was also the start of a new chapter in the program's history: with Amy Brunner resigning after seven years as head coach after the 2004 season, 2005 was the first year behind the helm for Todd Anckaitis, who came to Swarthmore from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. 

Along with a new head coach, the Garnet also welcomed many new faces to pre-seaon training camp, as the team started the year with 7 first-year players to accompany the 10 returners. Swarthmore would also have to play without two impact players from the 2004 season, juniors Kasie Groom and Jane Sachs, who were studying abroad. With a new coach and a young team, the Garnet entered the season with high expectations, hoping to silence critics who called the season a rebuilding year, and the team proved they could compete right from the start. 

The young Garnet squad got off to a solid start, with a record of 2-1-1 in their first four games. After battling to a 0-0 tie with Neumann in the season opener, the Garnet won the first game of the Swat Kick Classic vs. Earlham (Indiana) in dramatic fashion - with just 34 seconds remaining in double overtime, sophomore forward Danielle Tocchet found the back of the net, giving Swarthmore a 1-0 win. The milestone win signified not only Coach Anckaitis's first win at Swarthmore, but it was also the tenth consecutive year the team had won their home opener. The Garnet then dropped a 1-0 loss to Widener the next day, but three players were named to the All-Tournament team: Tocchet, freshman defender Caitlin Mullarkey, and freshman goalkeeper Lauren Walker. Two days after their first loss, the team bounced back to trounce Rutgers-Newark 4-0.   Over the course of the next 11 games the Garnet continued to play some exciting soccer including 4 overtime matches, two double-overtime ties and five other games that were decided by one goal. 

The Garnet dropped both games of the Pioneer Classic at Widener, giving up three goals in a five minute stretch to York College and going down 2-0 to Rutgers-Camden in Swarthmore's 6 th game in eleven days. Swarthmore then traveled to Delaware Valley College where they gave up two great goals to the eventual Freedom Conference player of the year and dropped a 2-0 decision. Starting Centennial Conference play on September 17, the team lost a heartbreaker to Franklin and Marshall 1-0 in overtime. In 2004 the roles had been reversed, as the Garnet had defeated the Diplomats 1-0 in overtime. 

The team's next game was against Gettysburg, whom the Garnet had lost to 6-0 in 2004. Gettysburg was the defending Centennial Conference champion and preseason favorite, but the Garnet showed no signs of intimidation, battling the Bullets to a 1-1 double-overtime tie. Tocchet scored her second goal of the season off a Natalie Negrey '07 cross, and defenders Mullarkey and Alexa Bensimhon '09 along with Walker, who had 14 saves in net, put forth a stellar defensive effort keeping the eventual Centennial Conference Player of the Year off the board.

Following the big game against Gettysburg, the Garnet dropped a tough away match to Muhlenberg 1-0, tied Washington 1-1 in double overtime, and lost another closely contested away game to Ursinus 1-0. The team put up an impressive fight against eventual Centennial Conference Champion Johns Hopkins who held a #14 National Ranking at the time, losing 2-1 after being tied 1-1 for most of the game.

The Garnet suffered tough road losses to McDaniel (2-1 in double overtime) and Dickinson before returning home to square off against Bryn Mawr on October 27. In the game Danielle Tocchet scored her seventh and eighth goals of the year and Natalie Negrey also banged home a goal to give Swarthmore a 3-0 victory on senior night. The following Saturday the team concluded the 2005 season with a 2-0 loss at rival Haverford in yet another competitive game. Despite steady improvement over the course of the season and close games all year the team finished with an overall record of 3-11-3.

The Swarthmore men's basketball team would prefer to forget about their disappointing 2004-2005 season, fraught with injuries, inexperience, and the inability to win the close games, and concentrate on the upcoming year in the knowledge that the team will have more experience and depth. Swarthmore will certainly feel the loss to graduation of all-time leading career scorer Matt Gustafson (1671 career points), the only male player in school history to amass over 1500 points and over 500 rebounds. But the Garnet remain optimistic about their chances this year, as they return eight of the top ten scorers from last season.

Running the show this year for the Garnet will be junior co-captain Chris Casey, team leader last season in assists (2.75 per game) and steals (1.75 per game). Sophomore post Ian McCormick had an outstanding freshman campaign as one of only two Swarthmore players to play in all 25 games. He averaged 11.6 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game, placing him among the top twenty players in the Centennial Conference in both categories.

The other three starting positions are open for competition. Last year's starting shooting guard, junior Dillon McGrew (9.3 ppg), is studying abroad in England the first semester and will rejoin the team in late December. Sophomore Matt Kurman (7.9 ppg) averaged over 20 minutes per game as freshmen while starting a number of games, and will be the likely starter at the off-guard. Returning sophomore Chris Nana-Sinkam and Noam Fliegelman, a sophomore transfer from Ithaca College (NY), will compete for playing time in the backcourt.

A host of players will compete for playing time in the frontcourt; senior co-captain Eric Williams, junior Mark Rohde - who played in all 25 games last year, junior Alan Walsh, sophomore Steve Wolf- the most improved player on the team during the off-season, and freshmen Jon Tundel and Raul Ordonez all figure in the mix.

Coach Lee Wimberly stressed very emphatically to each of his returnees, during their individual post-season meetings, that stronger, tougher, and more versatile and complete players is what he is looking for on the first day of practice in October. "Every one of our returning players, and our new players, has more than one area of the game that has room for significant improvement. I felt that last year's team, though it had excellent team chemistry, lacked some determination and toughness that hurt it in close games. We need to do a better job in this area in 2005-2006. But it doesn't just happen; our players and coaches need to make it happen. It needs to be transformed from hope to reality if we are to reach our ultimate goal of qualifying for post-season play."

The Garnet badminton team made a strong showing at the Mid-Atlantic Classic on the campus of Bryn Athyn this weekend.

Anjali Aggarwal '06 advanced all the way to the Group C Singles final, while classmates Jessica Larson and Abe Howland played their way into the Group C Quarterfinals.

Aggarwal and Larson teamed up to make the Group B Semifinal in double competition, while Katie Crawford '07 and Patricia Kelly advanced into the Group C Quarterfinal. Mu Yang '07 and Maisha Howard '08 also teamed up to make the Group C Quarterfinal.

The Garnet will make their Tarble Pavilion debut in the next match vs. Bryn Athyn on Thursday, January 19 at 7:30 p.m.

All-Mid-East Region selection Vernon Chaplin '07 led the Garnet to a seventh-place finish at the 2005 NCAA Division III Mid-East Regional Cross Country Championship in Carlisle, Pa. on Saturday morning.

280 runners packed the 8K course at Carlisle High School, with Haverford College collecting its 15 title in 19 years. Widener's Macharia Yost captured the individual title, setting a new mark with a time of 25:14.

The Garnet tallied 286 team points, placing six runners in the top 100.

Chaplin finished in 26th position at a time of 26:49.6, missing a national-qualifier spot by only five seconds in just his first season running cross country.

Sophomore Ross Weller was the next Swarthmore runner across the line in 57th place (27:32), followed in by classmate Jon Shoop in 60th position (27:34.5).

Freshman Erik Saka posted a time of 27:39.5 to finish in 65th place. Seniors Keefe Keeley (78th, 27:55.2), Jim Kreft (86th, 28:06), and Adam Hunt (126th, 28:44.2) rounded out the scoring for the Garnet.

Complete Results

BALTIMORE, MD -(courtesy of Johns Hopkins SID Office) Johns Hopkins senior Adam Simon recorded a hat trick to lead second-seeded Johns Hopkins past third-seeded Swarthmore 4-1 in an ECAC South semifinal game at Homewood Field. The Blue Jays meet fourth-seeded Grove City, which advanced past top-seeded McDaniel on penalty kicks earlier today, in the championship game tomorrow at 1 pm.

Johns Hopkins, which tied Swarthmore 0-0 in the regular-season matchup, took an early lead on its Centennial Conference rival when Simon scored unassisted on a breakaway up the left side of the field. As Swarthmore senior Reuben Heyman-Kantor came out of goal to play the ball, Simon got past him and scored for a 1-0 Hopkins' lead at 10:11.

The Blue Jays doubled their lead before the break, as freshman Nicholas Gauna set up senior Traver Davis for a goal at 23:39. Hopkins entered the break with the 2-0 lead, as well as a 7-4 edge on shots and a 4-1 advantage on corner kicks.

Simon scored twice more in the second half to put the game out of reach for the Garnet before the 60th minute. Gauna recorded his second assist of the day on Simon's second goal at 52:07, and five-and-a-half minutes later Simon rebounded Gauna's shot and fired it past Heyman-Kantor for the 4-0 Blue Jay lead.

Swarthmore finally got on the scoreboard at 73:35 when freshman Connor Darby scored off a setup by junior Matt Schiller and freshman Alex Avellan. It was the first collegiate goal for Darby and the first career point for Avellan.

The Blue Jays finished with a 22-7 lead on shots after dominating 15-3 in the second half, and they ended ahead 10-3 on corner kicks.

Heyman-Kantor recorded four saves in 72:33 before sophomore Ryan Sutcliffe substituted in for the final 17:27 and picked up three saves. Coble and junior Ryan Bradley each made one save in goal for Hopkins.

The Garnet conclude the 2005 season with an overall record of 12-6-2 and a Centennial record of 6-2-1, the best conference showing in school history.

Box Score