Despite the weather, spring has arrived for athletes

Women's lacrosse opened its 2011 campaign with a dominating 12-3 win over Mt. Holyoke on Saturday. Senior Lindsay Stavola (Montauk, N.Y.) led the way, tallying five goals and four assists as junior Lauren Madden (Huntington, N.Y.) added three goals and junior goalie Rachel Klein (Far Hills, N.J.) made five saves in goal. The Thoroughbreds host Manhattanville at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 8. 

Men's lacrosse won its home opener, defeating Western Connecticut State 12-8 Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Mike Holden (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) finished with four goals and two assists, while classmate Tyler Masters (Pembroke, Bermuda) tallied two goals and freshman Richie Davis (Edgewater, Md.) added a goal and two assists. Freshman Matt Diaco (Kinnelon, N.J.) finished with six saves in net. Skidmore is now 2-0 on the season and will face Haverford Wednesday, March 9, in a neutral site game at Basking Ridge, N.J.

Women's tennis posted a 2-0 record this week, winning 5-4 at William Smith and defeating Ithaca at home, 8-1, on Sunday. Sophomore Nataly Mendoza (San Francisco, Calif.) went 4-0 on the weekend, including 2-0 at number-one doubles. Freshman Sophia Bryan-Ajania (San Rafael, Calif.) also posted a perfect record, going 3-0 with two wins at number-six singles and a win at number-three doubles against William Smith. The Thoroughbreds are at Pomona-Pitzer March 13 as part of their spring-break trip.

Riding remained perfect with another victory March 5 at Hartwick College, edging Colgate by three points, 42 to 39. Winning, pointed riders for Skidmore were Flavia D'Urso, Kelly Campbell, Alexandra McGuire and Molly Parker.Marisa McCullough and Megan Merritt's second-place finishes rounded out Skidmore's score. Kaitlin Swartwood, D'Urso, Campbell, McGuire, and Maria Lorenc qualified for the April 2 regional championships, where they will compete for individual titles. Skidmore's next competition is on March 26, hosted by Morrisville State College.

The men's basketball record-setting season ended with an NCAA tournament first-round loss to No. 9 Amherst Friday night at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Junior Terron Victoria (Albany, N.Y.) led the way with 10 points and classmate Melvis Langyintuo (Tamale, Ghana) finished with six points and six rebounds. The Thoroughbreds end their season with an 18-10 record, which includes November's record-breaking, seven-overtime win over Southern Vermont and the team's first-ever appearance at an NCAA tournament. ~ By Cody Berschwinger