The Dartmouth Sports Weekly 5/15/17

05.15.17

The Dartmouth Sports Awards: Rookie of the Year p. 8 Senior Spring: women’s field hockey player Heather Zezzo ’17 p. 7 Just a Bit Outside with Sam Stockton ’19 p. 6 Women’s tennis team falls in opening round of NCAA tournament p. 3 The Weekend Roundup p. 2

From Dartmouth to the Miami Dolphins 21 years after walk-on safety Matt Burke ’98 won an Ivy League title with the Big Green, he takes the reins of the Miami Dolphins defense p. 4-5

By Max Zhuang

COURTESY OF DAVE CROSS/MIAMI DOLPHINS

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

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The weekend Roundup Compiled by EVAN MORGAN & CHRIS SHIM

ROWING

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

Track & Field Men’s and women’s track and field teams continued their season at the New England Outdoor Championships, hosted by Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The women’s team finished fifth overall, while the men were third in the team standings. On the first day of competition, Moriah Morton ’17 won the javelin with a 45.65-meter/149-09-feet throw, while Bridget Douglas ’18 was seventh in the same event with a 41.23m/135-03ft throw.

Julia Valenti ’20 won the pole vault, clearing 4 meters/13-01.50 feet. Lillian Anderson ’19 was fifth in the 5,000-meter run in 17:12.98. On the second day, middle distance runners Bridget Flynn ’18 and Bridget O’Neill ’18 were second (4:24.60) and fifth (4:33.78) in the 1,500-meter run, respectively. In the 800-meter run, Claire Dougherty ’20 placed third (2:09.41), and Annalisa

Crowe ’20 placed sixth (2:12.26). Kathleen Sprout ’17 was third in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:01.83.

On the men’s side, on day one, Colin Minor ’18 and Timothy Brennan ’17 went one-two in the hammer throw with throws of 61.88-meters/20300-feet and 60.80m/199-06ft, respectively.

Hendric Tronsson ’20 was third in the long jump with a 6.84-meter/22-05.25-feet leap.

In the 5,000-meter run, Julian Heninger ’17, Sander Kushen ’19 and Matt Herzig ’17 placed second (14:13.33), fourth (14:33.88) and seventh (14:38.76), respectively. On day two, Lucas Ribeiro ’19 won the discus with a 51.79m/169-11ft throw, while Amos Cariati ’18 placed second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.25 seconds.

In the 400-meter hurdles, Alec Eschholz ’19 was third (53.29), and Parker Johnson ’19 was seventh (54.88) in the finals.

WOMEN’S TENNIS KATE HERRINGTON/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Men’s heavyweight varsity eight placed fifth at the Eastern Sprints.

The championship portion of the rowing season began Sunday with the men’s heavyweight and lightweight crew teams competing in the Eastern Sprints Regatta and the women’s team at the Ivy League Women’s Rowing Championship. The heavyweight varsity eight headlined the day, finishing in 5:38.777 to take fifth in the grand final of Eastern Sprints.

The Big Green took second in its heat to secure the grand final spot, Dartmouth’s first since 2010. The heavyweight second varsity eight finished third in its heat, earning a spot in the petite final, where it took sixth place. The third varsity eight placed fifth in the petite final, while the fourth varsity eight took third in its heat to advance to the grand final, where it finished sixth. The Big Green ended the competition in eighth place. The first varsity lightweight eight placed fourth

in its heat and third in the petite final, with a time of 5:55.984.

The second and third lightweight varsity eights each placed second in its respective petite finals. As a team, Dartmouth lightweight rowing finished the regatta in ninth place.

At the Ivy League Women’s Rowing Championship, the first varsity eight placed fourth in the heat, before improving its time by just under seven seconds to win the petite final by a 13-second margin over Cornell University.

The second varsity eight improved its time in the preliminary heat by 15 seconds to finish second in the petite final. The third varsity eight took sixth in the grand final. The first and second varsity four boats each placed second in their respective petite finals. The Big Green finished eighth in the championship with 15 points.

COURTESY OF ALLISON CHUANG

The women’s tennis team lost to the University of Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Ray Lu ’18 Editor-in-Chief

Philip Rasansky ’18 Publisher

Kourtney Kawano ’18 Executive Editor

05.15.17 Vol. CLXXIV No. 81

Evan Morgan ’19 Chris Shim ’18 Sports Editors

Nathan Albrinck ’20

Associate Sports Editor Eliza McDonough ’18 Hollye Swinehart ’18 Tiffany Zhai ’18 Photography Editors Jaclyn Eagle ’19 Templating Editor

No. 45 women’s tennis mounted a comeback against No. 17 University of Kentucky in Friday’s NCAA tournament regional match, but the Wildcats pulled out a pair of close singles matches to earn the victory. It was the second time in three years that the Big Green advanced to the tournament but was knocked out in the regional round.

Kentucky dominated in doubles to win the first point of the match. Big Green duo Taylor Ng ’17 and Kristina Mathis ’18, who went 15-5 during the regular season, suffered a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Kentucky’s Aldila Sutjiadi and Mami Adachi, the nation’s sixth-ranked doubles team. Jacqueline Crawford ’17 and Lexxi Kiven ’18 lost 6-1 soon after, giving the doubles point to the Wildcats.

Julia Schroeder ’18 and Racquel Lyn ’20 were up 5-2 when their match went unfinished.

In singles, Kentucky’s Justina Mikulskyté stretched the Wildcats’ lead to two, downing Lyn in straight sets at the No. 5 position. Then, Dartmouth came to life. Mathis and Schroeder got wins on courts three and four — Mathis 6-1, 6-3 over Adachi and Schroeder 6-2, 7-5 over Emily Fanning. Kentucky pulled back ahead 3-2 when Allison McCann ’20 lost a second-set tiebreak in No. 6 singles. With Kentucky on the verge of clinching the match, it all came down to Ng and Crawford on courts one and two. Playing No. 22 Sutjiadi, Ng went down 6-3 in the first set and battled back to a 7-6(5) win in the second.

Meanwhile, Crawford also fought off a first-set loss and took her Wildcat opponent to a third set.

But Sutjiadi took control in the third set against Ng, and Kentucky clinched the win. Dartmouth finishes the season with an overall mark of 17-5.

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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

Women’s tennis finishes season after loss in NCAA tournament

By CODY FUJII

The Dartmouth Staff

No. 45 women’s tennis team fell to No. 17 University of Kentucky 4-2 in its first-round match at the NCAA tournament Friday morning. Initially down 2-0, the women’s team leveled the match 2-2 before losing the next two games.

Kentucky scored the initial doubles point after winning two lopsided matches. Dartmouth’s No. 1 doubles pair, Taylor Ng ’17 and Kristina Mathis ’18, fell 6-0 to Kentucky’s Aldila Sutjiadi and Mami Adachi, the nation’s sixthranked doubles team. Jacqueline Crawford ’17 and Lexxi Kiven ’18 also lost 6-1.

“We knew going into it that Kentucky would be a difficult team to play,” Ng said. “They came out really aggressive in doubles and were able to get ahead earlier in points.”

When the two teams met at the 2016 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Spring Kick-Off Weekend, in what would be a 4-1 Kentucky win, it was Dartmouth who had the upper hand in doubles. Then-34th-ranked Ng and Mathis defeated Sutjiadi and Adachi, then the nation’s top doubles team, by a score of 6-4.

“Getting off to a better start in doubles would have been helpful,” women’s tennis head coach Bob Dallis said.

Julia Schroeder ’18 and Racquel Lyn ’20 were leading their doubles match 5-2 when play was halted.

Dallis called their performance “outstanding.”

“It was exciting for us to play Kentucky again this year,” Schroeder said. “Going into the match, we knew we had to play with confidence and belief. I was really going for my backhand and playing all-out knowing this could be my last match of the season.”

The Wildcats soon took a 2-0 lead after Kentucky sophomore Justina Mikulskyté defeated Lyn 6-0, 6-3 in the No. 5 singles spot.

Dartmouth rebounded with two consecutive wins to knot the score at 2-2. Mathis dispatched Kentucky junior Adachi 6-1, 6-3, then Dartmouth’s scored its second point when Schroeder pulled out a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Kentucky junior Emily Fanning.

“Even though we lost the doubles point, [the match] looked like it could go both ways for a while, and our team was very resilient in playing every point and doing their best,” Schroeder said.

That brand of play — clawing its way back from a deficit — was

typical of this season’s Big Green squad, which went 1-2 in its first three conference matches before winning four straight en route to the Ivy League title.

“As a team, we fought incredibly hard,” Ng said.

Ke n t u c k y s e n i o r M o rg a n Chumney helped Kentucky pull ahead 3-2 with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Allison McCann ’20.

At the No. 1 position, Sutjiadi, ranked No. 22 nationally, beat Ng in three tight sets. The Kentucky senior took the first set 6-3, but Ng came back with a 7-6 win in the second set.

“After I lost the first set, my coach told me to focus on getting my shots cross-court, so I worked on that, and it worked pretty well in the second set,” Ng said. “It opened up a few more opportunities towards the middle of the points.”

But Sutjiadi got the better of Ng in the third set. Her 6-4 win clinched the match for Kentucky.

Crawford was leading 5-4 in the third set when play was stopped.

Although Dartmouth won just one more point against Kentucky than in 2016, the matches were much closer this time around. In the 2016 clash, Kentucky won three singles matches in straight sets.

“It definitely felt a lot closer

ANNIE DUNCAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

No.45 women’s tennis team ended its 2016-2017 season this past Friday.

this year compared to last time we played Kentucky,” Ng said. “It really did come down to the last two matches. I think this gave the team a lot of confidence going into next year, seeing that there’s not a lot of difference between us and some of these top teams.”

While the performance may have given the Big Green a confidence boost, the team will

no longer be able to look to cocaptains Ng and Crawford at No. 1 and No. 2 next season. Both have played their final matches for the Big Green. But for now, the team exits the NCAA tournament having proven that it can compete with the top 20 teams in the nation. “[I]couldn’t be prouder of how our team finished the season,” Schroeder said.

JEFFERY LEE/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Taylor Ng ’17 and Kristina Mathis ’18 fell 6-0 to the University of Kentucky.

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

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21 years after walk-on safety Matt Burke ’98 won a reins of the Miami

By Max Z

COURTESY OF DAVE CROSS/MIAMI DOLPHINS

During his time at Dartmouth, Matt Burke ’98 majored in psychology and played for the football team.

In January, Matt Burke ’98 was promoted to defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins after serving as its linebackers coach in 2016.

Burke, a walk-on safety with the Big Green, is entering his 14th year working in the National Football League after getting his big break from defensive guru Jim Schwartz in 2004. Now at the helm of the Dolphins defense, with six rookie defensive draft picks in the 2017 NFL Draft this past April, Burke is at a new peak in his career.

Te l l m e a b o u t yo u r D a rt m o u t h experience — what were you like as a student and as a college athlete?

MB: I loved Dartmouth, I had a great college experience there. I was not a great athlete to be honest with you — I walked onto the football team — but the experience in itself was out of this world for me.

What was your favorite part of attending Dartmouth?

MB: What stands out for me is the people that I met up there. I thought it was really awesome, and there were a lot of people who changed my perspective. I’m still really close with a lot of guys I’ve played with back there, and they still come to the games that I coach in. The lifelong friendships I’ve formed playing with those guys, I’m not sure anything can get

better than that.

How did you feel after being promoted as the Dolphins defensive coordinator this past January? How have you adjusted to the change in responsibilities?

MB: Obviously this is a very exciting time for me. It’s interesting because it’s a tough profession to make your way in, and it’s a milestone being promoted to a coordinator; the achievement is a rewarding justification for all the work. I’m really proud, and it’s a lot of work, a different type of work nonetheless. With more of an overseeing and supervising role, I’ve been tweaking my schedule and learning how to handle new things. For example, organizing my staff from a top-down perspective is much different from when I was a coach, when I just had to worry about where linebackers were. The role contains more bigger-picture items. It’s been incredibly busy even though right now is the offseason, which is not as demanding as the regular season. Still, this is a transition for me.

What did you study at Dartmouth and how has your Dartmouth experience impacted you?

MB: I was a psychology major at Dartmouth, and I probably use my degree here for work more than anything else. Coaching at this level is more motivation and how to get guys to play

After serving as the linebackers coach for the Miami Dolphins, Mat

and how to do things. It’s such a diverse group of guys we’ve got, and part of it is figuring out how guys tick and what motivates them. I’d like to think some of my actual scholastic work has an impact on that. I joke it’s probably the best use of my psychology degree.

Did you know what you wanted to do after Dartmouth? How would you describe your path to professional football?

MB: When I went to Dartmouth, I wasn’t sure. I thought about the medical school route, but I wasn’t really committed to that or dedicated. When I graduated, I took a job at Bridgton Academy, a preparatory school in Maine, where I taught English and coached football. I figured, “I’ll coach and teach to give back now to figure out whatever it is I want to do in the future.” I took that job as something to do for a couple years, somewhat altruistically. And I just really took to the coaching part of things. I was there for two years, but then I got a graduate assistant job at Boston College, so I got my master’s in education while I was coaching. The coaching, again, wasn’t motivated by career ambitions.

I was young, 24 at the time, and it was a way to get into college coaching in exchange for them paying for your schoolwork. Even at that point, it’s a way to get a free master’s degree.

At some point, I just was really honest with myself, and I really enjoyed coaching. I did three seasons at Boston College, so I made a commitment to give it a shot to see if I could make a career of this. When I finished there I got a job at Harvard [University], coaching in the secondary for one year. It was just cool for me playing in the Ivy League and being around that again. I got hired in May and worked that season in 2003 and immediately after, February or March in 2004, I got a call from Jim Schwartz from the Tennessee Titans at the time looking for a young coach who could come down and do some stuff. One of the ways Dartmouth helped me transition into professional coaching was through digital and technical skills. Transitioning into a much more digital age, I used my laptop to watch any college game from the last 10 years. Jim was a Georgetown [University] graduate, and he was looking for someone with that background and he had the foresight to know that that was where things were heading. He wanted to know he could hire someone to handle those kinds of tasks. Now it’s a much more common position in the NFL as a way for young coaches to break into the league, in exchange for breaking down the film and presentations. It wasn’t as common to have guys that work to perform those kinds of roles — when I started, I was the only one. I think Jim saw Dartmouth on

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

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with Matt Burke ’98

an Ivy League title with the Big Green, he takes the i Dolphins defense

Zhuang

COURTESY OF DAVE CROSS/MIAMI DOLPHINS

tt Burke ’98 was named its defensive coordinator in January.

my resume and figured that was close enough.

It was lucky, I can’t really frame it any other way than that, just getting the break. I believe I want to work hard and really do a good job because you never know when your break is going to come. As long as I did the best job I could, it would work.

What are some of the things that you learned from the school that have helped you professionally? Who were people that helped you ultimately pursue your career as a coach?

MB: A lot of the coaching staff were good mentors helping me make contacts. A lot of the career is getting to know people and having coaches that branch out and put me in touch with other people, so they’ve been the most direct influences for me, especially first breaking into the business. They helped me network and get my feet on the ground. Some people say, “Why would you get into coaching?

It’s a hard career path to get established in,” so I did have a couple coaches sit me down and try to talk me out of it. Once I said it was really something I wanted to do, those guys were helpful and good to me.

Coolest thing you’ve experienced as a coach?

MB: Sundays and game days are such a unique

COURTESY OF DAVE CROSS/MIAMI DOLPHINS

Matt Burke ’98 and the Miami Dolphins will open the 2017 preseason with a game against the Atlanta Falcons.

experience. We work a lot of hours and put a lot into this every week. There’s not another profession where you experience Sundays when you’re getting screamed at by 70,000 people. The whole experience is great, and I don’t ever take it for granted. I love that I can wear shorts to work every day, and I don’t think I could match the emotional swing in a good way winning a big game. I’ve been fortunate to be on a few different places where we could turn the program around. Seeing teams that we could build into playoff teams is really cool to be a part of.

How would you describe the culture in professional football and how does it differ from college football?

MB: I only coached in college for four years, while I have coached in the NFL for 14 years. Although college football has a lot of different range of cultures — like playing at Dartmouth is very different from playing at some of the big time colleges — every place is different culturally. I think establishing culture is part of the coaching staff’s job.

When Adam Gase first got here, “culture” was one of the buzzwords we used, talking about how we wanted to establish the culture of the team. I think every job I’ve had has a unique culture. Every organization is different. Every coach, every team, they kind of take on the

personality of the whole group of people for the year, and it’s very different. That’s what I love about coaching, and football is that it’s never stale. Every game is different, and every season is different — it’s a very organic and fluid process for the identity of the team.

I really enjoy deciphering what that will be, influencing and pushing it to somewhere we do want it to be.

What advice would you give for someone playing football for the Big Green or for athletes considering a career in coaching?

MB: In terms of playing, I’ll always say this in terms of playing for a longer career: The NFL will find you. There are no secrets anymore, and we have Division II players and Ivy League players playing in the league. Every time we have a prospective player here like for the draft I always ask them, “What do you love about football?” To a tee, almost everybody I talk to talks about the camaraderie. One piece of advice for those up there in Hanover, don’t take for granted the close friends you make and the stories that you share. It’s where a lot of people’s careers in football end, in college, and what everyone misses is the camaraderie.

It’s just natural when you’re in such close proximity, and you’re working hard, playing hard. That’s what everyone always remembers.

Considering a career in coaching, it’s a hard profession to break into. It’s tough to break into and tough to grind through, not that I would discourage anyone from it — I love it.

Having that awareness, you need to realize the commitment that it takes and the work you’ll have to put in. It’s the most rewarding career I can think of on a lot of levels.

Where do you see your own career trajectory? What are your short-term and long-term goals?

MB: Trying to get better today. I’ve always found if I’m chasing career goals or worrying about my own career trajectory, I’m not focused on the right things, and in return, I won’t be successful. Short term, I want to have a good season because it’s more pressure — the higher you go in your career, the more you’re viewed as responsible for your team’s performance. Hopefully we will continue building. Obviously long term, I think the next step would be a head coaching job for me. It’s the highest level, and it’s what everyone aspires to. Again, I think if I’m actively working to achieve that, it’s going to be detrimental to me, and I’m just going to do my coordinator job as best as I can do.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

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On Derek Jeter and the retiring of number two Yesterday, on Sunday Night Baseball, the New York Yankees retired Derek Jeter’s number two, ensuring that the legacy of its soonto-be Hall of Fame shortstop does not soon fade — as if anyone could possibly forget that career — and that no Yankee will wear a single-digit jersey again. (One and three through nine are also retired. If you want to take a journey through the history of baseball, try to remember who wore each of those jerseys.)

“Iconic” rates among the most overused words in sports, to the point that it has become cliché, but is there really any other way to describe the number two, unencumbered by the distraction of a name above it, on

the back of Jeter’s pinstriped Yankee uniform?

Fans tend to allow themselves the illusion that they know who a player is beyond his performance on the field, court or rink. Despite our obvious ignorance to players’ everyday lives and off-field personalities, we like to believe that we know them. Somehow, Jeter, despite spending a 20-year career in the country’s biggest media market, never allowed that façade to be built around him.

Among the reasons we like to pretend that we know athletes is that we also like to find ways in which they are like us. Jeter was not. We were not 14-time All-Stars. He was. We do not have five World Series Rings, five Gold Gloves or five Silver Sluggers.

He does. It’s a pretty simple inequality.

In a sense, he wasn’t Jeter. He was number two. He was “The Captain.”

His picture, perhaps alongside those of Tom Brady, Michael Phelps and Serena Williams, belong next to the word “winner” in the dictionary.

He played for an organization that won championships often.

Expectations were as high as they possibly could be, and they were consistently met. In this way, Jeter was the epitome of a Yankee. To be a great Yankee is unlike being great for any other big league franchise. To be a great Yankee is not to be a good player, or even the best player, on the team for five-plus seasons, as it is for every other big league team — if the threshold is even that high. Instead, to

be a great Yankee is to be at the heart uniform. No, he was number two. of a dynasty, and there is no disputing The only feature that was entirely that Jeter was a part of a dynasty in inseparable from his game. Sure, he his esteemed 20 years in the game. was a shortstop and a damn good Jeter’s status as a Yankee and one, but that is not how we remember athletic star is so unquestionable that him. Sure, he had a sweet stroke it seems silly to waste any more time with a unique ability to drive the ball on it. The task at hand is to identify into the gap in right-center, but that the significance of too will eventually that number two be forgotten. The “[Derek] Jeter’s specifically. enduring image of For Yankee fans status as a Jeter’s career is that who had the pleasure Yankee and familiar number two of watching Jeter on the back of a pinplay live at Yankee athletic star is so striped jersey.

Stadium, no small unquestionable Most of the time part of that memory when a franchise is how Jeter was hailed that it seems hangs one of its stars’

by Bob Sheppard. silly to waste any numbers from the Sheppard, said to it is not really more time on it.” rafters, have the “voice commemorating the of God” by MLB number as much H a l l - o f - Fa m e r as remembering a Reggie Jackson, was career. Generally the public address speaking, retiring a announcer for the Yankees from 1951 number is merely a way of showing to 2007. Perhaps the call for which respect to the player by reserving it Yankee fans will most remember for him. But Jeter’s two is not just any Sheppard is “Now batting … number jersey number. two … Derek Jeter … number two.” For Jeter, the number on the back In Sheppard’s announcement of his jersey — more than his name, that Jeter was making his way to position or spot in the batting order the plate, we learn a lot about “The — defined his career. An organization Captain” and his legacy. It is no with the historical might of the accident that there was no position Yankees does not need individuals to announced or that it is “number two” attain greatness. The jersey number and not “Derek Jeter” that Sheppard represents the sole form of individual repeated. expression allowed by the Yankees, an He was not Jeter. Those five letters organization that not only does not never saw the back of a Yankee allow names on its jerseys but also

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

famously forbids long hair, beards or other manifestations of individual character.

The Yankees gave Jeter one means of individual expression that he could use to isolate his own play and legacy, the number two. Jeter took that number and turned it into something much more than just a number.

Jeter’s two so strongly connotes excellence that it is now often co-opted by younger shortstops, most of whom grew up watching SportsCenter as Jeter backhanded ground balls from the hole and fired strikes to first while jumping in the other direction. Andrelton Simmons, Xander Bogaerts and Troy Tulowitzki are among those who wear the now hallowed number.

I don’t mean to suggest that Jeter’s only legacy will or should be his number. Such a claim would be ridiculous. Over the course of his career, Jeter always seemed to traffic in excelling at the right time, in the right moment. Whether it was the walk-off in his final game at Yankee Stadium, the home run in the 2001 World Series that made him “Mr. November” or the flip against the Oakland A’s, Jeter always came through. Since there were so many of these moments, we must remember the one constant through all of them: A navy blue two so dark it almost looks black on the back of a Yankee who always seemed to have one fist in the air, celebrating success, whether at the plate, in the field or on the diamond.

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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

Senior Spring: women’s field hockey player Heather Zezzo ’17 finds a home at Thayer School of Engineering and on the field

By JONATHAN KATZMAN The Dartmouth Staff

On a cold, rainy Hanover Sunday in October 2015, the Dartmouth field hockey team found itself up 3-2 over Columbia University as the secondhalf clock ticked away. With two and a half minutes to go, a Dartmouth midfielder entered the left side of Columbia’s half-circle with the ball and a full head of steam. The player fired a pass toward the far post where no teammate could be found.

Appearing as if out of thin air, another Dartmouth player in a black uniform dove across the turf toward the far post, her outstretched stick connecting with the ball and sending it into the low corner of the net.

Heather Zezzo ’17 had sprinted 100 meters, left multiple defenders in the dust and iced Dartmouth’s win.

For those who have gotten to know Zezzo, her goal against Columbia is cliché. An all-out sprint to reach that pass seems a lot like running back and forth between Floren Varsity House and Thayer School of Engineering, where Zezzo will receive her bachelor of engineering in environmental engineering after just four years of courses. She has balanced the commitments of a Division I college

athlete with Dartmouth’s most advanced engineering courses, and many have taken notice. But she doesn’t attract teammates and fellow students just because she’s a friendly face they encounter in Floren or Thayer or during the Chinese tutoring sessions she hosts. They have also come to realize the tremendous effort she puts into all she does.

So what’s behind the scholarathlete who seems to do it all?

Zezzo’s upbringing is unique. Born in China’s Hunan province, she was raised by a single mother in Buck’s County, Pennsylvania who was an avid athlete herself.

“My mom has had such a tremendous influence on who I have become,” Zezzo said. “She always did so much for me growing up. All of my success and everything that I have become can all be attributed to how she raised me.”

From introducing Zezzo to field hockey when she was in second grade to driving the long miles to recruiting showcases, Suzie Zezzo was there for everything.

“I know that I will never be able to repay my mom for everything she has done for me,” Zezzo said.

“I think that my hard work, positive attitude and eagerness for success in

everything I do has always been my way of expressing my gratitude and paying her back for everything.”

To Zezzo, engineering and athletics aren’t as far apart as they might seem.

“I cannot tell you the number of students I have had class and worked on a project with, or been a teaching assistant for, who have been athletes,” Zezzo said. “To know that so many varsity athletes also do engineering and are aware of how difficult that makes your student life is very comforting ... I am very proud to walk out of Floren and Thayer and know that I represented Dartmouth in different ways.”

Zezzo’s experience as an engineer and an athlete, particularly as one completing a five-year program in just four, has not come without obstacles. Countless times, she’s had to rush from afternoon practice to a project meeting or TA hours at Thayer without having eaten dinner.

When many students may dabble in engineering or balance their engineering classes with less rigorous supplementary courses, Zezzo is an exceptional outlier.

“My college experience has been very difficult at times, but it has taught me so much about myself,” Zezzo

COURTESY OF HEATHER ZEZZO

Forward Heather Zezzo ’17 had seven goals and 18 career points for the Big Green.

noted. “I have learned so much about the value of managing one’s time, hard work and motivation. I have pushed myself in more ways than I could have imagined, and I am a better person because of that.”

As she wraps up her senior spring and some of the most advanced engineering courses offered at Dartmouth, Zezzo has not forgotten about her experiences with her field hockey teammates.

“Being a student-athlete demands so much from you — time, energy, commitment — but I had teammates

doing that with me. I will definitely remember chasing goals as a member of a group and all of the hard work that we put in.”

Zezzo smiles modestly when she insists that her list of personal accomplishments is not long. She would prefer to be remembered for the way she approached everything.

“I wanted to attend Dartmouth because it has that distinct ‘Ivy League’ feel to it,” Zezzo said. “To know that I have gotten so much out of my college experience, as tough as it was, makes me feel very proud.”

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

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TODAY’S LINEUP

SPORTS The Dartmouth Sports Awards

No athletic events scheduled

Rookie of the Year

At the end of each academic year, The Dartmouth’s sports section puts up players and moments to be voted upon by the student body as the best of the best. In the first installment of the 2017 D Sports Awards, five top rookies are pitted against each other, the winner emerging only after a popular vote by members of the Dartmouth community.

In order to vote, students and community members must go to the link to cast a single vote before Sunday, May 22, at 12 p.m. The winner of this round will be announced in the Monday, May 23 edition of Sports Weekly. Summaries written by Nathan Albrinck, Mark Cui and Chris Shim.

Charlie Broom ’20

Hunter Hagdorn ’20

Trevor Johnson ’20

Lauren Jortberg ’20

Cha’Mia Rothwell ’20

Hailing from Hertfordshire, England, Charlie Broom ’20 was a crucial member of the Big Green tennis team, earning Ivy League Rookie of the Year and All-Ivy League First Team honors.

“I’m glad that my hard work I put in this year has shown,” Broom said. “My will to win on the court is a big contributing factor, and it’s a big part of Dartmouth tennis in general.”

Starting outside the No. 4 singles position, Broom gradually rose in the ladder up to the No. 1 spot.

Throughout this rise, he maintained a winning record of 23-6 that included an eight-match winning streak from Feb. 5 to March 17.

Broom also excelled in doubles, finishing the season in the No. 1 spot with Max Fliegner ’18.

Broom’s most memorable match was against Princeton University’s Tom Colautti on Oct. 21, 2016 in the ITA Northeast Regional Championship. Despite dropping the first game 5-7, he rallied to win the match 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.

“I was down four match points on his serve and ended up coming back to win,” Broom said. “It sort of summarized my year — despite not playing the best tennis in some parts of the match, I found a way to win, and it allowed me to get through the quarterfinals in regionals.”

Hunter Hagdorn ’20, a wide receiver from Manvel, Texas, led Big Green football this season with 706 receiving yards. In addition to his receiving yards, Hagdorn rushed for 24 yards and returned kickoffs for 272 more, eclipsing 1,000 allpurpose yards on the season. He was one of only four Ivy League players to reach the 1,000-yd milestone, and was rewarded with the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award for his efforts. In Dartmouth’s final home game of the season versus Brown University, Hagdorn caught 13 passes for 171 yards. Despite his success, Hagdorn is confident he can improve further.

“Just because I had one good season, I can’t be complacent,” Hagdorn said. “I need to work harder and fight for three even better seasons.”

Personally, Hagdorn wants to score 10 touchdowns and surpass 1,000 yards receiving next season.

In his second season with the team, he hopes to become a more vocal leader and help Dartmouth football rebound from a disappointing 4-6 season.

“We go into every season looking to win an Ivy League Championship,” Hagdorn said.

“Some things didn’t go our way this year, but we’re excited to go into next season and win more games.”

Trevor Johnson ’20 has made a name for himself during his first season as the Big Green’s centerfielder. The native of Rye, New York, had a stellar rookie campaign, appearing in 39 of Dartmouth’s 40 games during the season, starting 38 of them. He finished the season batting .250, hitting primarily out of the leadoff spot, tallying four home runs and 21 RBIs. His efforts were rewarded with two Ivy League rookie of the week selections and one co-player of the week throughout the season.

“The whole team and the coaching staff does a good job of keeping it open and making it so that the best guy gets the job — there’s no real hierarchy,” Johnson said. “That kind of atmosphere promotes everyone being competitive, and that’s really helped with me playing.”

Johnson was a highly touted prospect from the Brunswick School in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he was an outfielder and relief pitcher. While at Brunswick, he was named the MSG Varsity Connecticut Player of the Year.

“You see constant good pitching and good players, which takes a little bit of time to get used to,” Johnson said. “But the guys are great, and that’s what makes the experience really great.”

Lauren Jortberg ’20 tore up the trails in her inaugural campaign as a member of the women’s nordic skiing team. A native of Boulder, Colorado, Jortberg competed at the International Ski Federation Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in Park City, Utah, and turned in a second-team All-American perfor mance at the NCAA Championships.

Representing the United States at the World Championships, which Jortberg called “the coolest experience of [her] life,” caused her to miss most of the regular season of racing for the Big Green, where she finished 20th overall.

After the World Juniors, Jortberg won the women’s 1 5 - k i l o m e t e r Fre e s t y l e at the NCAA East Regional Championship. But at Nationals, Jortberg fell during both of her races but still finished 10th in the 5K Classic race.

“We have a shot as a team to win NCAAs next year,” Jortberg said. “We have basically the same team as this year and some incoming freshmen who are really good. I want to get up into that All-American First Team, which is top five, so that would be really cool. No falls.”

Cha’Mia Rothwell ’20 blew away the competition with her Dartmouth record-breaking times.

The Durham, North Carolina native quickly adjusted to the more intense college practices and finished with one of the best seasons for a program rookie.

“I just came in with the mindset to work as hard as I can,” Rothwell said. “Freshman year can be a tossup for some people [because] it can go really well or really bad. I’m just really happy I had a successful season and surpassed many of my goals, which was something I wasn’t really expecting.”

Rothwell owns four Dartmouth records in the long jump (20 feet, 3 inches), 60-meter hurdles (8.30 seconds), 60m dash (7.45s) and 100m hurdles (13.23s). Her 8.30s 60-meter hurdles time beat an all-time Ivy League meet record set 17 years ago.

“I don’t really go into a race thinking I want to break this record,” Rothwell said. “I just go in thinking that I will go in and give it my best with the mindset that I want to become better, and in the process if that means me breaking a school record, then I am perfectly content with that.”

After a stunning first year, Rothwell hopes to qualify for indoor nationals and surpass Ivy League records.

TENNIS

FOOTBALL

BASEBALL

NORDIC SKIING

Vote at: http://bit.ly/2qiFlLW and at thedartmouth.com

TRACK & FIELD

ISHAAN JAJODIA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF