Winter sports wrapup

Skidmore’s winter teams got caught in a deep freeze, finishing the season at the bottom of their leagues.

Scoring leader Chris Dunn ’02 on the ice

Ice hockey
The hockey team finished 2-20-3 overall and 2-14-3 in the ECAC East. The Thoroughbreds lost ten games by just two or fewer goals. One major problem was injuries: only six of the team’s twenty-four players stayed healthy enough to play in every game.
Skidmore did win a 2-0 shutout over Williams and a 4-3 battle over last year’s ECAC East champion, New England College. In the first round of the ECAC East playoffs, the Thoroughbreds lost, 5-1, to NCAA Division III finalist Norwich University.
Chris Dunn ’02 led the Thoroughbreds in scoring, with 8 goals and 16 assists for 24 points. Conor McDavitt ’03 added 5 goals and 10 assists, and Joe Ziolkowski ’04 had 7 goals and 3 assists.

Looking up: T’bred
Heather Martin ’02

Women’s basketball
The team had an improved season under first-year head coach Lisa Pleban. The Thoroughbreds got off to a strong 8-2 start that included a seven-game winning streak. But injuries hampered the team down the stretch, leading to an 11-14 finish overall and 2-12 in the UCAA.
Skidmore battled to a 72-69 double-overtime win against Williams and also beat Union, 76-67, on the road.
Michal Pinkham ’04 earned UCAA all-conference and academic all-conference honorable mention with her team-high 11.8 points per game. Andrea Paulson ’03 averaged 10.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Lisa Mason ’05 was one of the top freshmen in the league, with a 9.9 scoring average and 3.6 assists per game. Shanley Irving ’05 was second in the UCAA in blocked shots, averaging 2.1 per game.

Women’s swimming and diving
The Thoroughbreds finished 14th in the NYSWCAA championship meet. Jes Connor ’02 took 7th place in three-meter diving, with a score of 309.75, and 8th place in the one-meter, with 295.85. Kelly Jayne ’04 was 17th in three-meter diving, with 225.95. Connor, Jessica Bieber ’04, and Clare Cosman ’04 were named UCAA All-Academic.

Team leader Mark Mortensen ’02

Men’s basketball
With a young team that featured seven freshmen, including four starters, the Thoroughbreds rallied in the final game of their season to beat Vassar on the road by 52-46. They finished at 6-19 overall and 1-13 in the UCAA. The Thoroughbreds also pulled out two big overtime wins: 75-71 over Manhattanville and 75-67 over Plattsburgh State.
Mark Mortensen ’02 was Skidmore’s top scorer and rebounder, averaging 14.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. J.P. Corry ’05 added 12.1 points and a team-high 2.0 assists per game. Dana Martin ’05 scored 8.4 points per game.
Mortensen and Mike Rockefeller ’03 were selected to the UCAA All-Academic Team.

Men’s swimming and diving
The men finished the season with a 13th-place finish in the UNYSCA championships. Mark Fraiden ’05 set a Skidmore record in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:07.2. He finished 16th in both the 200 and 100 backstroke events, swimming 59.95 in the 100. Ben Butler ’05 also set a team record with his 5:18.33 time in the 500-yard freestyle. —WJ