Spring sports wrapup

Golf
The golf team competed in its sixteenth straight national NCAA Division III championship tournament. The Thoroughbreds finished 19th in the event, but team MVP Joey Pohle ’02 earned his third all-America honor with a 5th-place finish (75-74-73—298). Pohle and Brian Clark ’02 were named All-American Scholars and earned GCAA all-district honors.
The Thoroughbreds won five tournaments this season, including a seventh straight UCAA championship and the first-ever ECAC Division III championship.

Women’s lacrosse

Taryn Howard ’03 in action for the Thoroughbreds

The team set a program record for winning percentage with an 11-4 season under first-year coach Beth Hallenbeck. The Thoroughbreds were ranked 19th nationally, after beating Hamilton, 14-8, to finish 3rd in the NYSWCAA tournament.
Taryn Howard ’03 led the team in scoring, with 44 goals and 7 assists. Howard was a UCAA first-team all-star, and she and Bridget O’Connor ’02 were regional all-America selections.

Men’s lacrosse

All-American Brian McCawley ’02 gets past a Union opponent.

The men finished with an 8-5 record. Skidmore beat Williams College, 12-11, for the second straight year and posted a first-ever win over conference rival Rensselaer, 17-13.
Midfielder Brian McCawley ’02 earned his second all-America honor and was a UCAA first-team all-star. Andy Meehan ’03, another first-team all-star, led the Thoroughbreds in scoring, with 35 goals and 10 assists for 45 points.

Women’s tennis
With eight of their eleven matches played against nationally ranked teams, the Thoroughbreds finished with a 9-10 record. Team MVP Dawn Penniston ’03, Julie Megler ’05, and Karlene Kunigiel ’05 were UCAA all-conference selections.

Men’s tennis
The men completed another outstanding season, with a 14-7 record and a 2nd-place finish in the UCAA championships.
Team MVP Chris Watson ’02 and Russell Cloder ’05 earned UCAA singles and doubles first-team honors, as Watson went 9-0 in conference singles play, and he and Cloder were 8-0 in conference doubles play.

Baseball
The team finished with a 15-25 record, which featured conference victories over Vassar, Union, and the University of Rochester. Tom Kuchark ’03 led the team in hitting, with a .366 average, and in pitching, racking up a school-record 66 strikeouts on the mound. He was named a first-team UCAA all-star.

Softball

Pitcher Nicole Klein ’02 delivers one to the plate.

Skidmore shut out Middlebury, 7-0, to finish the season at 12-20 under first-year coach Jamie Brown. Hitting .348 and stealing a team-high 15 bases, Stephanie Walters ’03 was named a UCAA first-team all-star. Lisa Mason ’05 was the Thoroughbreds’ top hitter, batting .378.

Riding
The co-ed riding team won regional championships to earn a return trip to the IHSA national show. Skidmore finished 5th at nationals, but Jovanna Giannasio ’02 won the Millers Intermediate Over Fences class, and Erina Malarkey ’05 took 2nd in the Millers Novice on the Flat. In the Cacchione Cup, for regional high-point riders, Lindsey Phibbs ’02 finished 5th.

Crew
Both the men’s and women’s varsity eight ended their seasons with respectable 6th-place finishes in the petite finals at the New York State championships.
The women’s boat was nationally ranked for most of the year, while the men’s improved throughout the campaign. The women posted a win in the South Eastern Sprints in Georgia and took 2nd in the Knect Cup in New Jersey. The men’s team MVP was Nick Hall ’02; the women’s, Amy Foss ’02. —WJ