Thoroughbreds change seasons heading into spring break

The Skidmore winter sports season concluded over the weekend as men’s and women’s basketball saw their historic seasons end in the NCAA Division III Championship tournament. Men’s and women’s tennis led the way for spring sports, combining for a 3-0 week, riding continued its dominant form, winning its sixth show of the season and women’s lacrosse recorded its second win. Men’s lacrosse will look to bounce back this week after dropping back-to-back contests.

Men’s basketball won nine straight games—a program record—to advance to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament second round, beating Wesleyan 81-66 in the first round. Connor Merrill ’15 scored a season-high 28 points, Erik Sanders ’16 had 19 points and five assists and Aldin Medunjanin ’16 contributed 16 points and five assists. Merrill (17) and Medunjanin (14) combined for 31 of the team’s 44 first-half points. The Cardinals fought their way back from a 12-point halftime deficit but the Thoroughbreds pulled away late, closing out the game with an 11-2 run to earn a berth into the second round.

The team faced host Johns Hopkins in its second-round matchup, falling 61-58 in a hard-fought contest that came down to the wire. The game featured 15 lead changes and six ties with neither team leading by more than six points. Sanders drained a three with :32 remaining in regulation to cut the Blue Jays’ lead to 57-55. After Johns Hopkins restored its four-point cushion with a pair of free throws, Merrill buried a 3-pointer to bring Skidmore back within one. The Blue Jays converted on another pair of free throws to make it 61-58 with five seconds to play. Medunajnin had one final shot for the Thoroughbreds, but his deep three caromed off the back rim as time expired. Sanders finished with 17 points, Merrill added 14 points, three blocks and four assists, Medunjanin tallied 10 points to go along with four assists and four steals and Royce Paris ’17 produced 10 points off the bench. The team finished the season with an overall record 0f 20-8, establishing a program record for wins in a season.

Women’s basketball suffered a heartbreaking 62-60 overtime loss to St. John Fisher in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship tournament. Lindsey Davis ’15 knocked down her second 3-pointer of overtime to give the team a 60-59 lead with 1:28 remaining, but the Cardinals answered back with a jumper on their next possession. The Thoroughbreds turned the ball over on their ensuing possession, giving them one final prayer after apair of Fisher free throws, but Molly McLaughlin’s ’15 half-court shot bounced out off the rim. Angela Botiba ’15 was dominant in her final game in a Skidmore uniform, producing a game-high 20 points and 14 rebounds. Davis finished with 16 points and Kelly Donnelly ’18 had nine points, four rebounds and four steals. The team finished the season with an overall record of 17-11, winning the program’s first-ever Liberty League title and NCAA tournament berth 

Men’s tennis notched wins against No. 33 NYU and RPI. Kai Yuen Leung ’17 continued to lead the way for the Thoroughbreds against NYU, winning 6-3, 6-4 at number-one singles and pairing with Jonah Epstein ’16 for an 8-2 victory at number-two doubles. Epstein also cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 win at number-five singles. Leung and Epstein each added two more wins against the Engineers, while Kit Sanderson ’16 was a 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 winner at number-two singles. The team is idle for 10 days, returning to action March 18 at Pomona-Pitzer.

Women’s tennis improved to 5-0 in Liberty League play, knocking off preseason favorite No. 30 Vassar, 6-3. Brianna Greene ’18, Michelle Fuca ’18 and Caroline Finnegan ’18 were all double winners for the Thoroughbreds. Greene paired with Alexa Goldberg ’18 for an 8-5 win at number-three doubles and battled to a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 win at number-three singles. Fuca and Finnegan combined for an 8-2 win at number-two doubles, while recording wins at number-five and number-six singles, respectively. The 20th-ranked Thoroughbreds welcome No. 11 Middlebury at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 14.

Riding built its overall Zone 2/Region lead to a stunning 70 points with another first-place finish at the Skidmore show. Eight pointed riders won their classes and three riders earned double wins, giving the team its first perfect score of 49 for the season. Courtney Plutte ’18 was the show’s High Point Rider, while Ursula Green ’16 was the Reserve High Point Rider. The team hosts the Zone 2 Region 3 Finals at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, March 14.

Tyler Phillips ’17 tallied five goals and collected six ground balls, leading women’s lacrosse to a 12-3 rout of Hartwick. Brittney Dioneda ’15 and Emma Harris ’16 had two goals each and Jessica Fredericks ’17 had three helpers. The team suffered its first defeat of the season Saturday at Babson, falling 8-7. Harris, Spencer Morgan ’15 and Allison Byrne ’17 netted two goals apiece, while Rachel Talanian ’17 led all players with five caused turnovers and four groundballs. Harris scored back-to-back goals to bring the team within one with 9:40 to play, but the Beavers managed to hang on for the win.

Men’s lacrosse was topped by No. 17 Williams and MIT. Connor Hunter ’15 potted a pair of goals against the Ephs, while Chris Melligon ’18 scored his first collegiate goal in the loss. Brendan Halloran ’18 and Brock Bakewell ’15 scored back-to-back goals to open the fourth quarter against MIT, giving the Thoroughbreds an 8-7 lead. However, the Engineers netted two unanswered goals over the final nine minutes to earn the 9-8 win. Josh Trachtenberg ’15 and Cody Legeza ’18 each scored twice. ~ By Dan St.-Jacques