Fall sports wrapup

Soccer

....Photo by Bob Ewell

.Andy Meehan '03 takes control of the ball.

The men won seven of their final eight games to post an 8-6-1 overall record. The Thoroughbreds were 1-4-1 in the UCAA; the win was a 2-1 overtime victory against Rensselaer, and the tie was a 2-2 standoff with Union.

Andrew Simon ’02 earned all-UCAA honors with 14 goals and five assists for 33 points. Chris Chimento ’03 added seven goals and two assists for 16 points.

The women finished 2-4 in the UCAA and 3-12-1 overall. They pulled off a hard-fought 1-0 win over NYSWCAA tournament team St. Lawrence University and then lost a tough 1-0 decision to NCAA finalist Scranton.

Lisa Duff ’00 led the team in scoring, with two goals and two assists. Lara Pence ’01 also had two goals. Siobhan Sutton ’00 was a first-team all-conference selection in the backfield.

Volleyball

The team had its best season ever, with a 38-5 record and its first trip to the NCAA tournament. In the New York Regional phase of the NCAA tourney, held at SUNY-Cortland, Skidmore beat Hunter College (15-5, 15-8, 15-9) but then lost the semifinal to Ithaca College (15-3, 15-9, 15-6).

Earlier in the season, Skidmore beat Elmira (7-15, 15-9, 15-9, 9-15, 15-13) to win its first New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association title. The Thoroughbreds also won a second straight Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association title. Setter Courtney Lee ’01 was named UCAA Player of the Year; she was ranked third nationally among Division III players in service aces (1.07 per game) and 15th in assists (11.59). Kathy Tschampel ’02 was 18th nationally in kills (4.33 per game). Lee, Tschampel, and Tina Hutten ’01 were selected to the NYSWCAA All-Tournament team.

The Thoroughbreds broke almost every team and individual record, including wins (38) and winning percentage (.902). Lee’s assist and ace marks are all-time team records. Tschampel set a new kills-per-season mark, Hutten made the most digs (601), and Erika Kondo ’03 has the most blocks (159). Coach Hilda Arrechea also hit the 100-win mark and now has a 105-62 record in her five seasons at Skidmore.

Field Hockey

Another record-setting season for field hockey included an 18-2 record, a first UCAA title, a first NYSWCAA title, and a second straight trip to the NCAA tournament. Skidmore opened NCAA tournament play by beating Susquehanna University, 3-2, but then lost a heartbreaking 4-3 decision to Amherst in a penalty-stroke tiebreaker.

Skidmore beat William Smith, 3-2, in the regular season to win the UCAA title and then again, 3-2 in overtime, to claim the NYSWCAA title.

Molly McClellan ’00 led the team in scoring, with 20 goals and 20 assists for a school-record 60 points. Carrie Weiner ’02 added 18 goals and 10 assists, Jen Collins ’00 had 20 and four, and Jodi Wheeler ’01 scored 11 and six. Wheeler was the NYSWCAA Tournament MVP. McClellan, Collins, and Lacey French ’01 were selected to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-America Division III team. Weiner and Wheeler were named to the NFHCA regional second-team.

Golf

Skidmore golfers began the spring at No. 4 in the nation, and No. 1 in their district, in the MasterCard Collegiate Golf Division III rankings.

Skidmore won six tournaments in the fall, including a third straight Eastern College Athletic Conference championship, which includes teams from all three NCAA divisions; the Thoroughbreds are the only Division III team to win more than one ECAC championship. The team also beat second-ranked Greensboro and fifth-ranked UC— San Diego in the Rolex/MasterCard Match Play championship in October at the Jekyll Island Golf Club in Georgia.

Joey Pohle ’02, averaging 72.7 strokes per round, led the team in the fall, with four wins and four second-place finishes. Jared Tendler ’00, with 75.7 strokes per round, won one tournament and had four top-five finishes. Ben Bates ’03, at 77.9, also had a win.

Tennis

The women’s team finished the fall season with an 8-2 record, including a fifth straight UCAA title and a sixth straight NYSWCAA championship. Amy Wachenheim ’01 compiled an 18-4 record at number-one singles, including a second straight ITA Rolex East regional singles title. Wachenheim and Lisa Powers ’01 combined for a 17-3 doubles record and an ITA Rolex East doubles crown. Heather Wood ’01 was 14-4 at number-two singles.

The men’s tennis team went 2-2 this fall. The Thoroughbreds beat Vassar and Rensselaer and lost to Middlebury and Amherst. James Davidson ’01 and Will Crawford ’01 advanced to the ECAC doubles final round before losing to a duo from Amherst. The Thoroughbreds finished fifth out of 14 teams in the ECAC tournament.

The Thoroughbreds will open the spring season this March in southern California. –WJ