Returning athletes began training in the August heat Monday in preparation for yet another fall season. Twelve varsity teams will represent the Cardinals this fall, striving to churn out successful campaigns. Most of the teams compete in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), which includes 10 teams from New England and New York.
Football, always a popular draw on Saturday afternoons, looks to improve on last year’s .500 record. Some big shoes need replacing after the graduation of quarterback Brennan Carney ’04 and wide-receiver Pat Moffett ’04. In its favor, the team will benefit from the return of a half-dozen players who were suspended last season.
The team has not had a losing season for eight years and looks to kick off a successful ’04 season against the Jumbos of Tufts. The team plays four home games this fall, beginning with Hamilton on Oct. 2 at 12:30 p.m.
Weekend sports fans can make the quick walk from the football games to North Field, amidst the CFA buildings to watch both men’s and women’s soccer.
The men capped off a successful season with a playoff run to the NESCAC semi-finals, and look to move up in the standings this year. Despite graduation losses, the team looks strong with eight returning seniors led by co-captains Dan Penrod ’05, in goal, and center back Evan Bissell ’05.
“Chris Brown [’07] is only one man,” Penrod said. “Fortunately our team has a lot of depth this year.”
The women’s team only returns two seniors, co-captains Corinne Case and Amanda Binns. First-year coach Eva Bergsten Meredith will have a plethora of incoming players to add to the mix for a team that looks to improve on five straight two-win seasons.
Both soccer teams open play at Williams on Sept. 11. The women’s first home game is against Mt. Holyoke on Sept. 15, while the men’s first game in Middletown is Sept. 18 against Trinity.
The best-kept patch of grass on campus lies behind Freeman Athletic Center, where the field hockey team plays its home games. The Cardinal women also open at Williams on Sept. 11 before a Sept. 18 home game against Babson.
“We’re really looking forward to the season. We only lost one starter from last year’s squad and we are hoping to defend our Little Three Title,” Alex Pfeiffer ’06 said. “People should come out and support us, whether you like field hockey or you just like seeing girls running around in short skirts.”
The team finished 7-8 in 2003, and lost only one player to graduation. The rising seniors form a talented class, as several were recognized as all-NESCAC performers last season. The team traveled to Europe in June to gain valuable playing and cultural experience.
The cross country teams have a new course this year and both squads look to be tough. The women are led by Courtney Quirin ’05, Erin Smith ’06 and Ellen Davis ’07. Wes Fuhrman ’05 and Owen Kiely ’06 pace the men.
Both teams start at the NYU invitational, but the new course through Long Lane will be used homecoming weekend against Little Three rivals Williams and Amherst.
The tennis teams host early season matches against Hamilton on Sept. 11 on the courts next to Vine Street Parking Lot. The men play only four matches in the fall, as the majority of their season is played in the spring. The women put up a record of 8-1 in the spring, and have another nine-game schedule for the fall.
Men’s crew looks to build on a huge first place showing by the varsity-eight at New Englands last spring, and the women varsity four finished a very respectable fourth at the same event. Home races are on the Connecticut River on October 10 with an 8 a.m. start time.
The only indoor team of the fall, women’s volleyball, looks to continue a winning tradition as it starts the year off at the Johnson & Wales Tournament. Its first home game comes Sept. 21 when Rhode Island College ventures to Middletown. The team went 18-12 last year and is led by four returning seniors.
“This season should be special,” said co-captain Becca Mintz ’05 . “It’s our last year in the Alumni Gym before we join the rest of the sports over at Freeman.”The golf team looks to replace a number of seniors from last year’s squad, including captain Adam Hodge and multi-year letter winners Chapin Kelly and Jim Panczykowski. The team’s schedule is currently unavailable.
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