Spring Sports Update

Editor’s Note: Records and statistics are  up to date as of April 24, 2015.

Men’s Baseball

This season for the men’s baseball team has truly been a tale of two halves. With only one win in the first 15 games, the men seemed destined to finish near the bottom of the Ivy League standings. However, since conference play began in March, the team has strung together a stellar 12-4 Ivy League record, and are currently in the midst of a 10 game winning streak. Dartmouth has already clinched the Red Rolfe Division, as they are 5 games ahead of second place Harvard with four conference games left to play.

The Big Green will take on Harvard on April 25^th and 26^th in consecutive double-headers before moving onto the Ivy League Championships the following weekend.

No Mercy rule in college baseball: The Big Green have found themselves on both ends of major blowouts, falling to 16^th ranked UC Santa Barbara 17-2, and clobbering Yale 22-10. In the Yale game, four different Big Green sluggers turned in 3+ RBI performances.

MVP to date: Shortstop Matt Parisi ’15, who bats from the leadoff spot, leads the team in batting average (.331), runs (23), and doubles (15).

Cy Young: Duncan Robinson ’16 has been nothing short of phenomenal in conference play this spring. In four starts against Ivy League competition, the junior has compiled a league leading ERA (0.99) and has conceded only one walk in 27.2 innings.  Robinson has gone the distance in each of his past three games and recorded shutouts in two.

Men’s Lacrosse

So far this spring, the men’s lacrosse team has turned in a markedly improved season from its disappointing 2014 campaign. The team has gone 5-7 against formidable competition, including 5 teams ranked in the top 15 in the nation. Against one of those teams, the Harvard Crimson, the Big Green notched a stunning 11-10 double overtime victory, capped off by a winning goal from attacker Wiley Osborne ‘17 with just under 5 minutes remaining. Dartmouth will take on Brown in their final regular season game at Sculley-Fahey field on April 25^th.

MVP to date: Osborne has notched 10 goals and 18 assists for the Big Green so far this season, recording an average of 2.33 points per contest.

Young Blood: Jack Korzelious ’18 is second on the team with 17 goals and has appeared in all 11 of the team’s games.

Women’s Softball

After an impressive 2014 season that resulted in an Ivy League title and a trip to NCAA Regionals, the women’s softball team hasn’t lost any steam in 2015. The Big Green are 17-4 in their last 21 games, and have only dropped one of their past fourteen. The women will look to carry their momentum into a crucial four game series against rival Harvard that is set to take place on April 25 and 26. The series will determine the winner of the Red Rolfe division, and the right to compete in the Ivy League Championship Series the following weekend.

MVP To Date: Shortstop Katie McEachern ’16 has had an incredible season for the Big Green. She leads the Ivy League in most major categories, including batting average (.443), on-base percentage (.591), home runs (10), runs scored (41), walks (21) and doubles (12). The junior also boasts a staggering slugging percentage, (.897) meaning that she collects almost 0.9 bases per at bat.

Men’s Track and Field

While the Men’s Track and Field team has not yet competed in any meets this season that feature a team score, many athletes have turned in impressive individual performances that rank at or near the top of the Ivy League.  Jacob Shippee ‘16 and Jim Budzinski ’14 currently rank as the top javelin throwers in the conference, having registered throws of 209’ 1” and 196’ 10”. Colin Minor ’18 has also turned in a strong throwing effort for the Big Green, and sits at No. 2 in the conference in the hammer throw with an impressive 199’ 0” heave. Corey Muggler ‘17 has covered a very competitive 48’ 2” in the triple jump, and checks in at No. 3.

Turning to the track, Brett Buskey ’15 has been the team’s top sprinter this spring, with excellent 100m (10.70) and 200m (21.82) times to his credit. Dartmouth’s Edward Wagner ’16 is among the league’s best in the 400m hurdles, with a season best of 53.62 seconds.  Several Big Green athletes have also registered very fast times in the distance events, which arguably feature the toughest competition in the Ivy League. Curtis King ’16 and Brian Masterson ’16 have run the second and third fastest 10000 meter times in the conference, clocking in at 29:24 and 29:28.  On April 17^th, four runners ventured out to Southern California for the Mt. Sac relays, and came home with some of the top 5000 meter times in the Ivies, highlighted by King’s 14:07 and Joey Chapin ‘16’s 14:13.

Repeat?: King  (5000m) and Nico Robinson ’17 (Decathlon) will look to defend their league titles from the indoor season at the Ivy League heptagonal championships on May 9^th and 10^th, which will take place at Penn’s legendary Franklin Field.  King, who edged the next fastest competitor by two seconds in March, could have a tough time retaining his title if he has to compete with Penn’s Thomas Awad, who is widely viewed as the conference’s top distance runner. This spring, Awad has already covered 5000 meters in a blazing 13:33, which currently stands as the third highest time in the nation. Robinson’s main competition could come from Princeton’s Stephen Sorens, who currently holds the conference’s top mark with 7101 points. While Sorens finished far behind Robinson in the heptathlon at the indoor conference championships, three more events are added to the competition in the spring. Sorens could be aided by the two additional throwing events, as he is strongest in the javelin and discus, while Robinson is best in the sprinting and jumping events.

Women’s Track and Field

Like the men’s team, the women’s track and field team’s season to date is best summarized by its impressive individual performances. Jennifer Meech ’16 has been the team’s top sprinter to date, with very good 200m (24.28) and 400m (55.43) dash times to her credit. On the distance side, the women have seen the most success in the 5000 meters, where 4 different athletes rank in the conference top 10. This group is highlighted by Dana Giordano ’16, who is essentially tied with Princeton’s Megan Curham for the top time in the conference (Curham’s season best is .02 seconds faster). Giordano is the reigning league champion in the 1500m and 3000m races, having narrowly edged Curham in the latter.

The women’s side has been particularly strong in the jumping events this season. Kaitlin Whitehorn ’16, ranks No. 1 in the high jump with a season best of 5’8’’. Whitehorn is currently the school record holder in the event. In the pole vault, Stephanie Brown ’16 is tied for third in the conference, having cleared a height of 11’7.75”. Molly Shapiro is No. 2 in the triple jump with a best of 40’ 3.5”.

Multi Multis: Is it possible to have too much talent in one event? In Allison Frantz ’18, Abbey Feeney ’17, Miranda Lawson ’17, and Mary Sieredsinski ’17, the Big Green have four talented heptathletes, none of whom will be leaving anytime soon. Frantz was extremely close to attaining the Ivy League crown in the pentathlon this winter, and will look to contend for a title in the spring.