Athletics News

Swarthmore College badminton, coming off a strong 2004-2005 season, looks ahead to another successful season in the PAIAW conference. The team finished its regular season with a perfect 6-0 record, going on to finish fourth at the Northeast Collegiate Tournament. First-year head coach Bhavin Parik takes over after two seasons as the assistant for the Garnet.

The doubles team of senior Jessica Larson and junior Candice Cherk will return this season following a strong 2004-05 season. At last year's Northeast Collegiate Tournament, the two women performed well enough to advance to the individual semifinals of the tournament, and later teamed up to place second in doubles. Their performance earned them a trip to the Badminton National Championships in San Diego, CA. Other returning players include senior Anjali Aggarwal, juniors Mu Yang and Katie Crawford, and sophomore Kannie Chim.

The team will debut at the Mid-Atlantic Classic on November 11-13 and will follow the tournament with eleven matches. The team's first home match will take place against Bryn Athyn on Thursday, January 19 at 7:30 pm.   

Swarthmore , PA - Swarthmore sophomore defender Brendan Grady ( San Jose, CA / Bellarmine College) converted the final penalty kick of a best-of-five shootout to send the home-standing Garnet past visiting Dickinson on Wednesday evening in quarterfinal action of the 2005 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Division III Southern Region Championship Tournament.

After an hour and twenty-three minute delay due to heavy traffic in the Philadelphia area, Swarthmore (12-5-2) and Dickinson (12-5-1) battled to a 0-0 tie through 110 minutes of action on Clothier Field. The Garnet, seeded third, advanced into the ECAC semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 12, facing No. 2 seed Johns Hopkins at 2:00 p.m. in Baltimore, Md.

This is the second consecutive appearance for Swarthmore in the E.C.A.C. Southern Region semifinals; the Garnet defeated Washington & Jefferson 5-3 on Clothier Field in 2004.

Swarthmore held a 13-8 shot advantage at the end of regulation while, the Red Devils controlled play in the overtime periods, holding a 4-2 edge in shots and 2-1 in corner kicks.

Garnet senior goalkeeper Reuben Heyman-Kantor ( New York City / Riverdale Country) made three saves in overtime to keep Swarthmore alive. Heyman-Kantor received help from freshman defender Rory Stackpole ( Sanford, ME / Sanford), who cleared an apparent Dickinson goal with 1:12 remaining.

Dickinson went first in the penalty kick shoot-out and Heyman-Kantor immediately gave Swarthmore momentum, making a diving stop on a shot from Red Devils' freshman defender Tyler Zentz ( Lutherville, MD / Towson).

Garnet senior co-captain Alex Elkins (Berkeley Heights, NJ / The Pingry School), senior forward Andrew Terker (Allentown, PA / Moravian Academy), and sophomore forward Brandon Washington (Mesquite, TX / Greenhill School) all converted into the left side of the goal, while Dickinson only managed on score as Swarthmore built a 3-1 edge after three rounds.

Dickinson junior midfielder Tim Fauquier (Bethesda, MD / Winston Churchill) and sophomore forward Bobby Malek (Darnestown, MD / Bullis School) answered for the Red Devils, while Swarthmore sophomore midfielder Patrick Christmas (Chapel Hill, NC / East Chapel Hill) missed wide left, evening the score at 3-3.

Grady calmly walked from midfield and drove the ball into the left side panel to continue Swarthmore's 2005 season.

Heyman-Kantor and Dickinson senior goalkeeper Aaron Stemplewicz ( Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks West) made five saves apiece.

Box Score

Swarthmore received its second consecutive bid to the ECAC Division III South Regional Tournament on Monday afternoon. The Garnet (12-5-1) received the No. 3 seed and will host 6th-seeded Dickinson College on Wednesday, November 9 at 7:00 p.m. on Clothier Field.

Swarthmore has had recent success in the ECAC Tournament. The Garnet earned the No. 4 seed in 2004 and defeated Lebanon Valley 4-1 in the quarterfinals on Clothier Field. Swarthmore, due to a host of upsets, hosted the semi-finals and downed Washington & Jefferson by a score of 5-3. The Garnet fell to Wesely (DE) in the finals the next day, 3-1.

The Garnet have a victory over the Red Devils in 2005, having defeated Dickinson 2-0 on Sept. 17 on Clothier Field. The Red Devils (12-5) finished the regular season with a flurry, winning six of their last seven.

Complete Release

 
Swarthmore, PA - Swarthmore College men's soccer defender Alex Elkins (Berkeley Heights, NJ - The Pingry School), forward Andrew Terker (Allentown, PA - Moravian Academy), and midfielder Patrick Christmas (Chapel Hill, NC - Chapel Hill East) have been named to the 2005 All-Centennial Conference team. Elkins is a first-team selection, Terker was named to the second team, and Christmas received honorable mention, as voted on by the conference head coaches.

Elkins, a senior, is the first Garnet men's soccer player ever named to the first team. He has played a vital part in Swarthmore becoming one of the top defensive teams in Division III. The Garnet shut out nine opponents in the 2005 regular season, tying a school record, while establishing a goals-against average of 0.51, tops in the conference and 15 th in the nation.

Elkins, a double-major in history and philosophy, was a second-team selection in 2004.

Terker, a senior, tied for the team high with 12 points, with five goals and two assists in 2005. He led the team with three game-winning goals, ranking third in the Centennial Conference. Terker scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 double-overtime victory over Scranton on Sept. 4, sending Swarthmore to its second consecutive Garnet Alumni Classic Championship

Terker, a mathematics major, also earned a second-team selection in 2004.

Christmas, a sophomore, led a Swarthmore midfield that contributed a combined 17 assists in 2005. Christmas, biology major, has two assists this season and played a major part in the Garnet averaging 1.65 assists per game to lead the Centennial Conference.

Swarthmore secured the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Centennial Conference playoffs, finishing with a 6-2-1 conference record. The Garnet completed the 2005 regular season with an overall record of 12-4-1.

Located near Philadelphia, Swarthmore is a highly selective liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,500. A member of the Division III Centennial Conference, Swarthmore is consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

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Swarthmore won the first five events en route to an easy 88-75 Centennial Conference victory over visiting McDaniel.

The Garnet started things off with a victory in the 400 medley relay as the team of Erin Dwyer-Frazier '05, Janice Yeo '07, Franny Zhang '08, and Sarah Cotcamp '07 touched the wall first in 4:21.43.

Whitney Nekoba '08 led a sweep of the 1,000 freestyle in 11:32.91 with Tara Finley '06 (11:43.53) and Amy Kapit '06 (12:05.46). The Garnet then took the top four spots in the 200 freestyle as Jennie Lewis '08 won the race in 2:02.03 to finish ahead of Katherine Reid '05, Katie Altynova '08 and Maila Sepri '05.

Cotcamp finished first in the 50 freestyle (25.88) to claim her second win of the day and Zhang made the Garnet five for five with a victory in the 200IM (2:21.27) to build a 74-18 lead after five events.

Reid later captured the 500 freestyle in 5:26.28 and Cotcamp picked up her third first place finish of the day when she swam to an exhibition victory in the 100 freestyle (57.34).

The Garnet improve to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the CC on the season. They return to action on Saturday, November 13 at 2:00 p.m. when 2004 CC Champion Franklin & Marshall visits Ware Pool.

Results

Martyna Popieszalska '06, Franny Zhang '08, Whitney Nekoba '08, and Jennie Lewis '08 won individual events to lead Swarthmore (2-0, 1-0 CC) to a 53-44 win over McDaniel on Saturday afternoon in the Centennial Conference opener for both squads.

The Garnet opened up the meet with a convincing win in the 400 yard medley relay. Popieszalska, Janice Yeo '07, Zhang, and Lewis teamed up to take the victory in a time of 4:18.93, almost nine seconds better than the Terror quartet. The four Swarthmore women combined to take down the McDaniel pool record, previously held by Garnet swimmers Sarah Cotcamp '07, Leah Davis '04, Melanie Johncilla '05, and Patricia Funk '06.

Zhang and Nekoba finished one-two in the 200 yard freestyle, with Zhang touching the wall first in a time of 2:02.79.

Swarthmore won the next three events to take command of the meet; Popieszalska scored big points for the Garnet in the fifth event, winning the 200 yard IM in a time of 2:23.41, Lewis was first in the 200 yard butterfly in a time of 2:19.18, and Patricia Funk '06 followed up with a victory in the 100 yard freestyle.

Nekoba and Tara Finley '06 took the top two spots in the 500 yard freestyle to complete the Swarthmore scoring.

The Garnet will travel to Lancaster, Pa. on Saturday, November 12 for their next meet. Swarthmore will take on two-time defending conference champion Franklin & Marshall at 1:00 p.m.

Complete Meet Results

The Garnet men (1-1, 1-0 CC) won the first seven events to easily defeat McDaniel 54-36 on Saturday afternoon in the Centennial Conference opener for both teams in Westminster, Md.

Swarthmore took the opening event, the 400 yard medley relay, when the Green Terror (0-2, 0-1 CC) did not post an entry.

Freshmen Stephen Shymon (10:37.34) and Tom Kelleher (11:07.73) swam one-two in the 1000 yard freestyle and classmate Douglas Gilchrist-Scott followed up with a first-place finish in the 200 yard freestyle (1:52.97).

Two Swarthmore swimmers were the first to touch the wall in the 50 yard freestyle; junior Jonathan Augat took the win in a time of 23.56 while classmate Andrew Koczo was right behind with a time of 23.75.

Andrew Frampton '08 brought home Swarthmore's fifth straight victory with a first-place finish in the 200 yard IM (2:09.43).

Rob McKeon '07 kept the Garnet rolling, winning the 200 yard butterfly in a time of 2:17.25. Gilchrist-Scott followed up with his second win of the day in the 100 yard freestyle (50.78).

Jason Horowitz '07 and Kaena Horowitz '06 clinched the win for Swarthmore by finishing one-two in the 200 yard backstroke.

The final three events of the day were swam in exhibition with the win secure.

The Garnet will travel to Lancaster, Pa. on Saturday, November 12 for their next meet. Swarthmore will take on two-time defending conference champion Franklin & Marshall at 1:00 p.m.

Complete Meet Results

Whitney Nekoba '08 brought in two individual wins during Wednesday's meet where the Swarthmore resoundingly beat out Widener, 133-67, in the opening meet for both teams.

The first event, the 200 yard medley relay, was taken by the Garnet with a time of 1:58.22. Martyna Pospieszalaska '06, Janice Yeo '07, Jennie Lewis '08, and Patricia Funk '06 rounded out the winning team.

Nekoba won the 1000 yard freestyle with a time, 11:20.04. Widener recouped points by winning the 200 and 50 yard freestyle.

However, Garnet rallied in the 100 yard butterfly where Jennie Lewis '08, Katie Schmidt '07, and Veronica Medina '07, placed first (1:02.61), second (1:04.62), and third (1:05.12), respectively.

Franny Zhang '08 swam to first in the 100 yard freestyle with a time of 57.17. Katie Bozza, swimming for Widener managed to snatch first in the 100 yard backstroke, but Garnet was not far behind, ranking second through fifth in that event. Nekoba out swam the competition in the 500 yard freestyle (5:34.03) while Yeo '07 won the 100 yard breaststroke (1:13.77).

The Garnet had a strong presence in the final event, the 200 yard freestyle relay. Zhang, Nekoba, Schmidt, and Allie Jordan '09 comprised the team that proved victorious with a time of 1:47.47 while seniors Tara Finley, Joanna Ory, and Lauren Ullrich, and junior Sarah Gordon were part of the second place team (1:55.17).

Sophomore Andrew Frampton and freshman Stepehen Shymon each won a freestyle event, yet the Swarthmore men came up short at Widener, 127.5-77.5, on Wednesday evening in the opening meet for both teams.

The Garnet (0-1) started out strong in the 200 yard medley relay. Andrew Koczo '07, Brian Roth '09, Jonathan Augat '07, and Douglas Gilchrist-Scott '09, were on the team that placed first with a time of 1:41.05.

During the second event, Andrew Framtpon '08, also snagged first, this time in the 1000 yard freestyle (10:23.13).

In the 200 yard freestyle, Widener (1-0) began to pull ahead, with Kevin Carson and Shawn McDevitt taking first and second. In the 50 yard freestyle, Widener again took first with Jeff Malone, but the Garnet's own Gilchrist-Scott managed a close second.

Widener began to pull away with wins in the 100 yard butterfly, the 100 yard freestyle, and the 100 yard backstroke, giving their team a sizable lead in points.

But Swarthmore was not finished, bringing home another win in the 500 yard freestyle. Shymon came in first at 5:01.05 while Frampton came in second at 5:02.22.

Widener's Joe Dyer was victorious in the next event, finishing a hair before Garnet's Koczo in the 100 yard breaststroke. The final event, the 200 yard freestyle relay, went to the Pioneers.

The Garnet travel to Westminster, Md. on Saturday, November 5 for the next meet. Swarthmore opens Centennial action against McDaniel at 1:00 p.m.

#5-seed Swarthmore took 4th-seeded Franklin & Marshall to the five-game limit before falling 3-2 in the first Centennial playoff game in Garnet volleyball history. F&M advances after winning by scores of 30-22, 29-31, 30-25, 28-30, and 15-10 in first-round action of the 2005 Centennial Conference Playoffs in Lancaster, Pa on Wednesday night.

The Diplomats (20-8 overall, 8-2 CC) jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first game, eventually opening up a 17-8 lead on the Garnet. Swarthmore would not get closer than five points as F&M won the opening game 30-22.

F&M kept its hot streak going at the beginning of game two, rolling to an early 6-3 lead. Swarthmore hit back for six straight points and assumed a 9-6 lead, its first of the night. The Diplomats ran off three consecutive points of their own to continue the back-and-forth theme of the match.

With the game tied 20-20, outside hitter Jennifer Wang '09 put home a kill and then blocked an F&M attack, forcing the Diplomat coach to call a time-out. F&M immediately ran off three points to grab a 23-22 and Garnet head coach Harleigh Leach elected to take a time-out of her own. Sophomore middle blocker Karen Berk responded with a kill tie the game up at 23-all. The two teams would rally back and forth, tying the score six times. Wang killed a ball to make it 28-28, forcing another Diplomats time-out. Katie Gold '08 served an ace coming out of the time-out and F&M knotted the game at 29-all with a kill by sophomore Susan Taylor. Another big kill by Berk and a block by right side Vanessa Wells '08 gave the game to Swarthmore, 31-29.

Another battle ensued in the third game with players from both teams flying all over the court. The Diplomats were up 11-9 when F&M senior setter Jackie Skibbie went headlong into the bleachers for a wayward ball and slammed into the front row. The All-Centennial performer came up limping and had to come out of the game. Thankfully, the senior was able to return to the match after spending a few points on the sideline.

Meanwhile, Swarthmore outside hitter Erica George '07 tied the game 24-24 with a kill and F&M responded by running off six of the next seven points to win the game, led by four kills from F&M's All-Centennial outside hitter, freshman Margot Phelan.

Swarthmore fell behind 20-16 in game four and Leach used a time-out to calm the Garnet down. On the next F&M serve, a wayward Swarthmore pass shot towards the bleachers. This time it was Swarthmore's setter, senior Emily Conlon, hurtling into the stands. Both the ball and Conlon emerged in tact, and Gold stuffed a Diplomat hit to start a four-point Garnet run. The teams battled through three more lead changes with a F&M service error giving Swarthmore the lead for good. Gold put home a kill to end the game and send the match to a fifth and decisive game.

It was all F&M to start the final game, as the Diplomats raced out to a 6-1 lead. Swarthmore fought back once again, stringing four consecutive points to cut the F&M lead to 6-5. Wang had two big kills in the run, while Berk and Wells each added a kill. Phelan kicked it into high gear, tallying kills on five of the next eight points to send F&M to their 20th win of the season onto Baltimore to face Johns Hopkins in the Centennial semi-finals.

Conlon played an outstanding all-around game, ringing up 50 assists, 23 digs, five blocks, and five kills as the Garnet slipped to 13-15 overall. George, selected for All-Centennial second team on Tuesday, tallied 17 kills and a season-high 30 digs while Wang, an All-CC honorable mention pick, added a team-high 21 kills and 19 digs. Berk contributed eight kills and nine blocks while Gold tallied 11 digs, six kills, and five blocks.

Box Score