Fall sports rack up winning seasons

Field hockey

Worth a shot: Lindsey Measeck ’03 helps the T’breds win a berth at the regional NCAA playoffs.

Skidmore’s field hockey team had another outstanding season. The Thoroughbreds defeated William Smith College, 3-2, to win their first UCAA championship tournament, and went on to host the NCAA Division III regional tournament. They shut out Wellesley College, 9-0, in the second round, before losing a tight match, 4-3, to College of New Jersey in the third round.
The T’breds finished the season with an 18-3 overall record, including a perfect 7-0 in the UCAA.
Taryn Howard ’03 proved to be one of the nation’s top Division III players. In the Wellesley shutout, Howard scored a tournament-record 5 goals. With a team-record 30 goals and 9 assists this season, she finished her career as Skidmore’s all-time leading scorer, with 76 goals and 28 assists for 180 points.
Howard and Colleen Barber ’04 were named NFHCA first-team all-Americans. Eight Skidmore players earned UCAA all-star honors.

UCAA Player of the Year Lee Lyon ’05 watches a long drive.

Golf
It didn’t take the golf team long to rebuild after losing four of its top five players, including two All-Americans, last year. The Thoroughbreds regrouped this fall to win a seventh-straight UCAA title and a second-straight ECAC Division III championship.
Lee Lyon ’05 was the UCAA Player of the Year, after shooting a three-under-par 69 to win the UCAA championship, played at the Saratoga Spa State Park. Charles Kromann ’05 and Ben Ahles ’06 shot 73 to tie for fourth and earn UCAA first-team honors; Ahles was also named UCAA Freshman of the Year.
In the spring, Skidmore shoots for a possible 17th-straight national Division III tournament berth.

Soccer
The women’s soccer team had its first winning season since 1999, finishing with a 9-8 overall record (2-5 in the UCAA). Among the key wins was a 3-1 decision over Vassar and a 1-0 victory over Clarkson. Morgan Cadwell ’06 was named UCAA Rookie of the Year; she led the T’breds in scoring, with 10 goals and 9 assists. Freshman goalie Emma Smalldino ’06, playing her first season ever in goal, compiled a 1.12 goals-against average, with 5 shutouts.
The men’s team posted another winning season, with a 10-7 overall record (3-4 in UCAA play). Three of the team’s losses were overtime squeakers. Skidmore’s UCAA wins came against Union (1-0), Vassar (3-2), and Rensselaer (1-0). Dan McLane ’06 was the team’s top scorer, with 7 goals and 5 assists. Will Mudge ’04 was a UCAA first-team all-star.

Volleyball
The volleyball team narrowly missed its fourth-straight trip to the Division III national tournament. The Thoroughbreds finished with a 23-18 record and won both the Skidmore Early Bird Tournament (with a 3-1 victory over RIT) and the Skidmore Invitational (with a 3-2 win over Union). Katie Campbell ’03 was selected to the UCAA all-tournament team and earned all-region and all-NYSWCAA honors. Courtney Lambert ’05 also went all-NYSWCAA.

Tennis
In the UCAA championships, the Skidmore women’s tennis team beat St. Lawrence, 7-0, and Hamilton, 5-2, to advance to the finals; it lost to Vassar, 5-1, in the championship round. Skidmore also finished second in the NYSWCAA tournament, where Heather Fuleiham ’04 won the title at number-five singles and Whitney Dolan ’05 took the number-six singles title. Dawn Penniston ’03 and Karlene Kunigiel ’03 were UCAA all-conference selections.
The men’s team compiled a 2-1 fall record, setting the stage for a run at the NCAA tournament in the spring. Russell Cloder ’05 earned All-America honors with his second-place finish in the ITA regional singles tournament. Cloder also went 3-0 at number-one singles in match wins over UVM, St. Michael’s, and McGill.

Crew
The men’s and women’s crews each had good showings in the fall season, including top finishes in the local Head of the Fish. The Thoroughbreds are gearing up for a spring season that will include a chance at the NCAA women’s championships for the women’s varsity eight. —WJ