Seasons collide as basketball continues while tennis starts; riding earns perfect score

Two Skidmore winter sports teams extended their seasons for at least one more game, as men’s and women’s basketball earned home postseason berths with key wins. Ice hockey and swimming and diving completed their campaigns, while men’s and women’s tennis combined to go 4-0 in their opening matches of the spring season. Riding won its Feb. 21 meet with a perfect team score.

Men’s basketball clinched the program’s first ever Liberty League regular-season title, securing the top seed in the conference tournament by beating St. Lawrence and Clarkson. Isaac Carp ’16 scored eight of the team’s 12 overtime points against the Saints, leading the Thoroughbreds to a 72-67 win. Carp finished with a season-high 14 points, Royce Paris ’17 scored a team-high 16 points and added eight rebounds off the bench and Martin Bedulskij ’18 had 15 points and seven boards. The team recorded its biggest victory of the regular season in its final game, needing a win to earn home court advantage. Aldin Medunjanin ’16 sparked an 11-1 Thoroughbreds run, giving the home side a 31-22 lead at the half. The Golden Knights cut their deficit to five with a 10-2 second-half run, but Skidmore bounced back, scoring the next seven points before pulling away for the 69-53 win. Paris scored a team-high 19 points, Medunjanin added 14 points and Connor Merrill ’15 had eight points, seven rebounds and four blocks. The team hosts RIT in the Liberty League semifinal at 8 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 25.

Women’s basketball locked up the second seed in the Liberty League playoffs, knocking off regular-season champion St. Lawrence for the second time this season. The team used a 15-0 second-half run to erase an 11-point deficit, securing the 64-61 victory. Angela Botiba ’15 tallied a game-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds, Molly McLaughlin ’15 produced 11 points, four assists and four rebounds and Kelly Donnelly ’18 chipped in with eight points and 13 boards off the bench. The Thoroughbreds closed out the regular season with a 71-58 setback against Clarkson. Botiba had a game-high 17 points, also tying for a game-high with eight rebounds. McLaughlin contributed 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in the loss. The team will not have to wait long for a chance at redemption, as it hosts Clarkson in the Liberty League semifinal at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25.

Ice hockey’s season ended against No. 6 UMass Boston in the ECAC East quarterfinal. Kenny Nelson ’18 potted his second goal of the season to cut the Beacons lead to 2-1, but UMass Boston fired back with nine goals over the final two periods. Forward Anthony Bird ’17 received ECAC East All-Conference Honorable Mention after tying for the team-high with 22 points and 13 assists.

Swimming and diving wrapped up its season with an exceptional performance at the UNYSCSA Championships. The team set six new college records and posted 10 top-10 finishes to go along with a flurry of season-best times. Nick Sauerbrunn ’15 recorded the team’s highest ever finishes, placing seventh in the 500 Free and the 1650 Free in college-record times. He also established a new college record in the 200 Free and the 1000 Free. Sauerbrunn combined with Gabriel Salitan-Alvarez ’17, Ramzy Kahhale ’15 and Mario Hyman ’16 for a Skidmore record time in a ninth-place finish in the 800 Free Relay. The four teamed up for another top-10 performance in the 400 Free Relay, placing ninth. Diver Jacob Nathan ’15 had a strong showing on the boards, coming in 10th with a score of 430.15 in the 3-meter event.

Catherine King paced the women’s team, finishing ninth in the 100 Free and 10th in the 50 Free. Erin Donovan ’17 also added an individual top-10 finish, coming in 10th in the 100 Back. The two teamed with Yookee Roh ’16 Caroline Tuttle ’17 for 10th in the 400 Medley Relay.

Men’s tennis opened the spring season in dominant fashion, beating Vassar, 8-1, and downing Union, 9-0. Kai Yuen Leung ’17 was a 6-2, 6-1 winner against Vassar and combined with Jonah Epstein ’15 for an 8-3 win at number-two doubles. Steven Koulouris ’18 and Lucas Pickering ’18 both won their singles matches and teamed up for an 8-5 win at number-three doubles.  Yuen Leung added a win at number-one singles and number-two doubles against the Dutchmen. Kit Sanderson ’16 notched a 6-1, 6-2 victory at number-two singles after cruising to an 8-0 win at number one doubles with teammate Nick Tong ’16. The team goes on the road to take on RIT at 1 p.m., Sunday, March 1.

Women’s tennis made quick work of its two first opponents of the spring schedule, notching shutout wins against RIT and William Smith. Zoe Valella ’15 won 6-2, 6-3 at number-one singles and 8-0 at number-two doubles with Yumi Karlshoej ’15 against the Tigers. Brianna Greene ’18 posted wins at number-three singles (6-0, 6-0) and number-one doubles (8-0). Valella contributed two more wins against the Herons, beating Ashley Lyon 6-0, 6-3 and number-two singles and teaming with Madie Benn ’17 for an 8-2 win at number-one doubles. Benn was also a 6-1, 6-3 winner at number-one singles. The 17th-ranked Thoroughbreds compete at the ITA Indoor National Championships Feb. 27-March 1 in Greencastle, Ind.

The Riding team built its overall Zone 2/Region 2 lead to a stunning 70 points over second-place Morrisville State College with another first-place finish on Feb. 21 at the Van Lennep Riding Center.  All eight pointed riders won their classes, which gave the Thoroughbreds their first perfect score of 49 for this season.
 
Three riders had double wins and would normally have had a ride-off to determine High Point Rider.  Due to the snowy weather and the lateness of the day, it was decided to have the judge ask each of the three a question in order to determine the winner.  Skidmore's Courtney Plutte ’18 was declared High Point Rider and teammate Ursula Green ’16 was Reserve High Point Rider.
 
First-year team riders Claire Johnson '18 and Hannah Meehan '17 successfully made their IHSA horse show debuts, placing second in their respective classes.
 
Team results: First - Skidmore, 49 pts; Second - SUNY Cobleskill, 38; Third - Hartwick, 31; Fourth - Morrisville, 30; Fifth - RPI, 28; Sixth – a tie between Siena and Union, 21.  Also competing were Oneonta, UAlbany, Colgate, and Keuka. ~ By Dan St.-Jacques