Original Article: http://dartreview.com/archives/2005/04/08/indian_sports_roundup.php
Friday, April 8, 2005
Winter Sports
The men's hockey team lost a three-game series with Vermont in the ECAC quarterfinals, thus putting them out of contention (by only one position) for the team's first NCAA tournament bid in decades. The Indians finished the season at 20-13-2; highlights included overtime wins over Harvard and Cornell and a thrilling 9-8 upset over #6 New Hampshire, which US College Hockey Online declared the "best regular-season game" of the season. The 2004-2005 campaign was the last for senior forward and team points leader Lee Stempniak, who finished his stellar career with 151 points, good for fourth all-time in the Dartmouth record books, and the Dartmouth record for games played, 135. Dartmouth may also lose junior Hugh Jessiman to the professional ranks next season. Nevertheless, the Indians will return nine of their top ten point scorers on the year, including freshman phenom Nick Johnson and junior Mike Ouellette, who crossed the 100 career point-threshold this season.
The women's hockey team finished as runners-up to Harvard in both the ECAC and the Ivy League. They were selected for the NCAA tournament, where they defeated Wisconsin 4-3 to advance to the Frozen Four, but finished fourth by falling to eventual national champion Minnesota (7-2) and St. Lawrence (5-1) for the second straight year. As the season progressed, the Lady Indians were hampered by injuries and illnesses that took a toll on the already-small roster. Though the team loses 100-point scorer Meagan Walton to graduation (and possibly others to national team commitments during the upcoming Olympic year), Dartmouth has a large crop of quality recruits in upcoming seasons, headlined by American National Team member Sarah Parsons.
The women's basketball team won the Ivy League title by defeating Harvard in a one-game playoff, 75-61, and secured an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. There, they were victims of a 92-47 shellacking at the hands of the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies on their home court in Storrs, Connecticut. Nevertheless, the lady Indians will not lose any seniors to graduation and look to be a force next year with their five returning all-Ivy selections.
The men's basketball team finished tied for third in the Ivy League with a 10-17 overall record (7-7 league). The season was highlighted by a 50-42 win over Princeton and a four-game home winning streak.
Spring Sports
The #6 women's lacrosse team is out to their best start in history, beginning the season with a record of 7-0 (3-0 Ivy). The team defeated #9 Maryland 10-8 on March 19, which marked the first defeat of the Terrapins in program history.
The #19 men's lacrosse team has started the season with a 4-2 mark. Two of those wins, however, were a first-ever victory over #4 Maryland (by a 7-6 margin) and #9 Notre Dame (10-9). The team opens its Ivy League schedule against Penn on April 10.
The baseball team has been hampered by numerous rainouts, but stands at 3-7 overall. The softball team is off to a 3-7-1 start.