The Dartmouth Sports Weekly 4/24/17

04.24.17

Senior Spring: women’s ice hockey captain Mackenzie St. Onge ’17 p. 8 Just a Bit Outside with Sam Stockton ’19 p. 7 One-on-one with women’s golf player Jamie Susanin ’17 p. 6 The Weekend Roundup p. 2-3, 7

Leading from the back A look at Dartmouth’s crew teams and the coxswains who steer them to victory p. 4-5

By Sabena Allen and Cody Fujii

COURTESY OF KELSEY BIDDLE

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

SW 2

The weekend Roundup

Compiled by NATHAN ALBRINCK, MARK CUI, JONATHAN KATZMAN, EVAN MORGAN & CHRIS SHIM

WOMEN’S RUGBY T h e wo m e n’s rugby team almost came away from a perfect weekend at the Ivy League Sevens Championship, but defending champion Harvard University tripped up the Big Green in the final.

Dartmouth topped its pool with three shutouts: 41-0 over the University of Pennsylvania, 38-0 over Columbia University and 12-0 over Harvard.

Next was a 17-12 comeback over Brown University which sent the Big Green to the title game.

Playing for the title, for the second time of the day, Dartmouth took a 5-0 lead over the Crimson.

But a try, conversion and penalty kick in the second half lifted the visitors to their second straight conference sevens championship with a final score of 10-5. The Big Green finished in second place.

MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017

Sailing The New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association Women’s Championship headlined this weekend’s action in sailing. Racing FJs, No. 14 Dartmouth’s A-division sailors notched one top-five finish over two days. The Big Green’s B-division sailors, racing Z420s, fared relatively better, with five top-five finishes in the 17-team field. Dartmouth finished in seventh, ahead of No. 8 Tufts University and No. 9 University of Vermont, earning a bid to the Intercollegiate Sailing Association Women’s National Semifinals.

The Big Green coed squad split up for the Boston Dinghy Cup Challenge and the Admiral’s Cup. Host Massachusetts Institute of Technology

won the Boston Dinghy Challenge Cup, with Dartmouth taking fourth. The Big Green’s A-division sailors finished with a total of 60 points — including six top-five finishes — the third-best performance of the weekend in the A division. The Big Green totaled 82 points in both the B-division and C-division. Dartmouth finished Saturday in fourth place and held on to its position through the end of the regatta.

The wind did not cooperate with the sailors at the Admiral’s Cup. Just two races were conducted across the three divisions in a light northerly on Saturday, with one more on Sunday. Dartmouth finished no higher than ninth out of the 18 teams competing, finishing the weekend in 16th.

Track & Field

Lacrosse The women’s lacrosse team picked up its first Ivy League victory of the season on Saturday at Yale University, outlasting the Bulldogs 12-11 at Reese Stadium.

Down 8-7 early in the second half, the Big Green (6-8 overall, 1-5 Ivy) used a two-hour delay due to a scoreboard malfunction to recharge, scoring three straight goals within two and a half minutes when play resumed.

Courtney Weisse ’17 and Kathryn Giroux ’19 led Dartmouth’s offensive attack with three goals apiece, while Kierra Sweeney ’19 and Cara DePippo ’18 each added two more. While Yale outshot Dartmouth 40-26, goalie Kiera Vrindten ’20 continued her solid play in net, making 11 saves in her first Ivy League victory. Dartmouth returns to action this Saturday when it hosts Brown University for Senior Day. The men’s lacrosse team’s offensive struggles continued Saturday on the road at the University of Pennsylvania

as the Big Green suffered a 9-4 defeat in its final road game of the season. With the loss, Dartmouth fell to 2-10 overall and 0-5 in Ivy League play.

Penn’s Alex Roesner opened the scoring at the 13:52 mark in the first quarter, but George Christopher ’20 stood tall in net to keep the Quakers from adding to their lead for the rest of the opening period. Penn got two more past Christopher in the opening five minutes of the second quarter. Richie Loftus ’18 finally got Dartmouth on the board at the 2:24 mark in the second quarter, and Jack Richardson ’20’s goal three seconds before halftime narrowed Penn’s lead to one heading into the break. Dartmouth was outshot 36-28, and Christopher did his best to keep Penn off the board, making 13 saves in the loss. The Big Green, winless in the Ivy League this season, seeks to finish the 2017 season on a high note when it faces Brown on Saturday at Scully-Fahey Field.

Ray Lu ’18 Editor-in-Chief

Philip Rasansky ’18 Publisher

Kourtney Kawano ’18 Executive Editor

04.24.17 Vol. CLXXIV No. 66

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

HOLLYE SWINEHART/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Members of the women’s track and field team competed at the Virginia Challenge this past weekend.

The men’s and women’s track and field teams split up this weekend, sending some team members to compete against some of the top track and field talent in the country at the University of Virginia’s Virginia Challenge, while others competed closer to home at the George Davis Invitational, hosted by the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Field team members also participated in the Larry Ellis Invitational at Princeton, New Jersey.

At the Virginia Challenge, Cha’Mia Rothwell ’20 placed sixth in the 100-meter hurdles final in 13.60 seconds. In the women’s javelin, Bridget Douglas ’18 placed fifth with a throw of 40.08 meters/131-06 feet.

In the 1,500-meter run, Bridget Flynn ’18 placed 18th with a time of 4:25.28, while Katy Sprout ’17 was 15th in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:02.75.

In the men’s 1,500m, Henry Raymond ’20 placed 14th with a time of 3:46.62, while Amos Cariati ’18 was 16th in the 400-meter dash in 48.89s. In the 110-meter hurdles, Parker Johnson ’19 placed fifth with a time of 14.45s in the final and Alex Frye ’17 placed ninth in a time of 14.52s. Johnson also placed sixth in the 400m hurdles in 52.81s, while Alec Eschholz ’19 placed ninth in 53.88. In the field events, Corey Muggler ’17 placed fourth in the long jump invitational with a 7.27-meter/23-10-foot leap and seventh in the triple jump invitational with a 15.10m/49-06.50 ft jump. In the discus, Lucas Ribeiro ’19 placed third, throwing 51.52m/169-00 ft, while in the javelin, Cole Andrus ’20 placed eighth with a 57.50m/188-08 ft throw.

The George Davis Invitational featured first-place finishes from Folasade Akinfe ’20 in the triple jump (10.95m/35-11.25 ft), Amelia Ali ’19 in the hammer throw (52.59m/172-06 ft), Moriah Morton ’17 in

the javelin (39.56m/129-09 ft), Miles Irish ’18 in the 800-meter run (1:55.40) and Colin Minor ’18 in the hammer throw (58.18m/190-10 ft). Also turning in top-five finishes were Maria Garman ’19 in the 200-meter dash (fifth, 26.81s), 100-meter hurdles (second, 15.13s) and in the long jump (third, 5.15m/16-10.75 ft), Abby Livingston ’18 in the 400-meter dash (third, 59.68s), Eliza Dekker ’19 in the 800m (fourth, 2:17.24), Julia Stevenson ’20 (second, 10:10.63), Lillian Anderson ’19 (third, 10:16.21) and Angela Ortlieb ’19 (fifth, 10:19.59) in the 3,000-meter run and Marissa Evans ’18 in the 400m hurdles (third, 1:05.65). In field events, the women received top-five finishes from Catherine Rozalski ’19 in the pole vault (fourth, 3.10m/10-02 ft), Jazz Van Loon ’18 in the triple jump (fifth, 10.32m/33-10.25 ft), Ali in the discus (third, 37.39m/122-08 ft) and Alexandra Collins ’19 in the hammer throw (fifth, 48.17m/158 ft). In the men’s competition, the Big Green received top-five finishes on the track from Adam Couitt ’18 in the 100-meter dash (third, 11.05s) and in the 200m dash (second, 22.46s), Benjamin Ose ’19 in the 200 (fifth, 22.84s), Sander Kushen ’19 (second, 9:17.34), Ben Szuhaj ’19 (third, 9:21.94) and Will Shafer ’18 (fourth, 9:23.15) in the two-mile run, Shawn Ohazuruike ’20 in the 110-meter hurdles (third, 15.61s) and Jules Hislop ’17 in the 400-meter hurdles (second, 55.55s). On the field, Tim Brennan ’17 placed second in the hammer throw (57.28m/18711 ft), and Ose finished fifth in the javelin throw (49.32m/161-10 ft).

Brennan and Minor also competed in the hammer throw at the Larry Ellis Invitational on Friday night.

Brennan threw 60.11m/197-02 ft for sixth place, while Minor threw 59.52m/195-03 ft for seventh.

MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017

Tennis

On Saturday, the men’s tennis team squeaked out a 4-3 win against the University of Pennsylvania.

Although the Quakers took a quick 2-0 lead after winning the doubles point and the No. 2 singles match, the Big Green rallied to tie it up at 3-3. In the deciding match, George Wall ’17 delivered by defeating Penn’s Nicholai Westergaard 6-4, 6-7, 6-1.

The next day, the team faced Princeton University and lost by a final score of 4-2 to close out the regular season. To begin the match, Dartmouth lost at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to surrender the doubles point.

Eddie Grabill ’19 and Ciro Riccardi ’18 lost in straight sets to dig the Big Green into a 3-0 hole. All four other singles matches went to a deciding third set.

Max Fliegner ’18 and David Horneffer ’20 topped their Princeton opponents, before Wall fell in a tight 7-5 third set to put the match out of reach.

Baseball

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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

On Saturday, the women’s tennis team defeated Penn in a 4-3 thriller. The Big Green jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams secured the doubles point and Kristina Mathis ’18 and Julia Schroeder ’18 won their singles matches.

However, Penn rallied to tie it up at 3-3. The deciding match came down to captain Jacqueline Crawford ’17, who won the match 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-3.

The next day, the team beat Princeton 5-2 to close out the regular season with a 17-4 record. Dartmouth began the match well, earning the doubles point after wins by the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles teams. In singles, wins by Taylor Ng ’17, Crawford, Mathis and Allison McCann ’20 secured a 5-2 victory for the Big Green. With this win, Harvard University’s loss to Penn and Cornell University’s win over Brown University, Dartmouth clinched a share of the Ivy League title.

The baseball team beat Boston College by a score of 8-3 on Tuesday in its penultimate non-league game this season. The Big Green’s offense was led by Dustin Shirley ’18 and Michael Ketchmark ’17, who each recorded three hits and two RBIs. Clinging on to a one-run lead by the end of the fifth inning, the Big Green blew the game wide open with a five-run sixth, and Boston College couldn’t respond in the final three frames.

On Sunday, the team played the first of two doubleheaders against Yale University, losing 8-0 and 11-3. The first doubleheader was originally scheduled for Saturday but was moved to Monday due to rain. Michael

Danielak ’16 struggled through 4.2 innings of work, surrending eight runs to the Bulldogs, though only four were earned. The Big Green only recorded five hits in the game. Designated hitter Michael Calamari ’20 was the only Dartmouth player to record multiple hits.

In its second game of the day, Dartmouth fell into a quick 6-0 hole after the first two innings with Cole O’Connor ’19 at the mound.

At the plate, Calamari, Ketchmark, Shirley and Justin Fowler ’18 each recorded multiple hits and Kyle Holbrook ’18 knocked in two runs for the Big Green. In the end, Yale’s early lead was too much to overcome for the Big Green.

Rowing

Taking to the Connecticut River on Saturday for the only home race of the year, the No. 7 men’s heavyweight team edged No. 9 Brown University by nine tenths of a second.

Brown took the fourth varsity by 5.2 seconds, but Dartmouth won the third varsity by the same margin. In the second varsity, Brown won by just under two seconds. It all built up to the Atalanta Cup, decided by the varsity eight. After Dartmouth opened up an advantage of several seats in the first 500 meters, Brown steadily clawed its way back. As the two boats approached the finish, the Big Green hung on to win with a time of 5:14.8.

The women’s races alternated with the heavyweight races and pitted Dartmouth against an excellent Princeton University team. The Tigers, the top team in the Ivy League and No. 7 in the nation, swept all six contests. The varsity four C was the closest race of the morning, with 4.3 seconds separating the two boats.

The No. 10 men’s lightweight squad had a busy weekend, facing No. 1 Yale University in Derby, Connecticut on Saturday before going east to take on Columbia University.

The Bulldogs swept the three races of the Durand Cup. In the third varsity, Yale pulled away over the last 1,000 meters to win by 13.5 seconds. In the second varsity race, Dartmouth could not keep up with a Yale move at the turn, and the Bulldogs won by more than 15 seconds. Yale built a steady lead in the varsity eight and crossed the line 11.9 seconds ahead of the Big Green, who clocked in at 5:54.0.

Dartmouth was also swept in the Subin Cup against Columbia University, with Mercyhurst University competing as a guest.

The Big Green matched Columbia for the first 1,000m, but the Lions pulled away down the stretch, winning by seven seconds.

Dartmouth’s second varsity lost by 12.4 seconds, and the third varsity fell by a margin of 13 seconds.

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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017

Leading fro

A look at Dartmouth’s crew te steer them

By y Sabena Allen

NICK SAMEL/THE DARTMOUTH

For the men’s heavyweight and lightweight teams, a coxswain must weigh a minimum of 125 pounds while a coxswain for a women’s team must weigh a minimum of 110 pounds.

An integral and often unnoticed part of a rowing the boat, whereas the coaches have the side view from crew is the coxswain. In fact, many consider the the shore.

A good coxswain knows the course and the crew coxswain to be the most important member of the crew.

That said, outside of the rowing community, few seem well and can add speed to the boat. The coxswain must be able to think ahead, keep the to have a clear understanding of boat straight and avoid obstacles while what a coxswain does — or even “My favorite part is traveling the fastest path to the finish. how to spell it.

They act as the eyes of the boat so “[Being a coxswain] is actually feeling like you are a lot harder than you would think the rowers do not have to be. adding speed to the that“My favorite part is feeling like because you are essentially dead you are adding speed to the boat,” weight in the boat and the guys boat.”

Oydanich said. will work without you,” said Nikol Oydanich walked on to the team Oydanich ’17, a coxswain for the men’s lightweight rowing team. -NIKOL OYDANICH ’17 her freshman year having no prior experience as a coxswain or a rower.

At its core, a coxswain’s role She was a three-sport varsity athlete is to steer the boat. He or she in high school, competing in cross sits at the back of the boat and country, indoor track and lacrosse. wears a microphone to speak At the beginning of her coxswain to the rowers, all of whom face career at Dartmouth, she was more backwards in the boat. During a race, the coxswain observes focused on just learning how to steer and corrects technique and ensures that the rowers the boat. The more nuanced aspects of coxing came later, including how to increase speed, anticipate what maintain rhythm.

According to Oydanich, coxswains act as “mini the rowers need and make clear calls.

Oydanich believes that being able to communicate coaches.” They have the front view of the rowers in

with rowers is crucial to being an effective coxswain.

A good coxswain knows when his or her crew needs motivation or an extra push.

“You are not really that necessary except for the steering part,” Oydanich said. “But you become essential to the boat the more that you know where your guys need you.”

As a result, much of a coxswain’s preparation involves strategizing. Prior to a race, the team does a run on the course. Oydanich said she likes to take note of what obstacles and bends there are in the course. The coxswains and coaches will then discuss strategy for the course and for making calls before the race.

Cameron O’Reilly ’17, a coxswain on the men’s heavyweight team who has coxed for the 1V boat, finds racing strategy to be one of the most compelling parts of coxing.

“To be in a coxswain’s seat and watch things unfold and decide how to play the cards so that the boat moves properly is very exciting,” O’Reilly said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Coxswains’ preparation is not limited to strategy.

They also periodically participate in the team’s lift sessions and workouts on the ergometer.

The coxswain’s prima

Oydanich noted tha participate in workou personal preference.

“I love to run and Oydanich said.

A coxswain’s role a the water. O’Reilly s data from lift sessions the equipment and b site safely when trave Although most of can be learned, some “It helps to be smal ’17, a coxswain for th Although it may se on a men’s team, Oyd women. This is due t coxswains in both me minimum for coxswa pounds, while both hea coxswains must weig Coxswains whose bod 110 pounds are requir in the form of sandb the total weight meet

MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017

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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

om the back

eams and the coxswains who to victory.

n and Cody Fujii

COMPARING COXSWAINS WOMEN’S CREW ONLY FEMALES; Minimum: 110 pounds

NICK SAMEL/THE DARTMOUTH

ary role is to steer the boat by observing and correcting the rowers’ technique to maintain speed and direction throughout a race.

at the extent to which coxswains uts depends on the coach and on will often run with the team,”

as a “mini coach” continues off said that he records times and s as well as makes sure that all boats arrive at the competition eling. what makes a good coxswain e of it is innate. ll and loud,” said Kelsey Biddle he men’s lightweight team. eem unusual for a woman to be danich says most coxswains are to the weight limits placed on en’s and women’s rowing. The ains of a women’s crew is 110 avyweight and lightweight men’s h a minimum of 125 pounds. dy weights are less than 125 or red to carry extra weight, usually bags placed into the boat, until ts the minimum standard.

Biddle noted the unique experience of being on Dartmouth, some are recruited out of high school. a men’s team.

O’Reilly, for example, has been coxing since middle “You get a very unique perspective on male team school. He was on his high school team but walked cultures,” Biddle said. “Sometimes on to the Dartmouth heavyweight team. they treat us like one of the When evaluating potential boys and sometimes more like “To be in a sisters. Definitely a very different coxswain’s seat and recruits, Erdos said that coaches request audio or video clips of a experience, but I’ve liked it a lot.”

Biddle noted that women watch things unfold recruit running a practice or prerace warmup or calling a race. coxswains on men’s heavyweight and decide how to Coxswains are evaluated and and lightweight rowing are play the cards so assigned to a given boat based designated as male athletes for on specific skills such as steering, scholarship eligibility. However, that the boat moves she pointed out that men are properly is very aggression and technical calls, according to Biddle. Lineups are not allowed to cox boats on the exciting.” rearranged each season to ensure women’s team. that the fastest rowers and coxswain Being in the boat with the rest are in the top boats. Because of this, of the crew lends itself to a close -CAMERON O’REILLY ’17 coxswains spend much more time team dynamic. with the members of their boat.

“A fun tradition we do is that the rowers in a boat throw their As a result, it’s critical for a coxswain in the water after they win a big race,” said coxswain to earn the respect and trust from the crew.

“If you’re always there [and] always ready off the Katie Erdos ’20, a coxswain for the women’s rowing water, then they know you will be always there and team.

Although there are many walk-on coxswains at always mentally ready on the water,” O’Reilly said.

MEN’S HEAVYWEIGHT AND LIGHTWEIGHT CREW FEMALES OR MALES; Minimum: 125 pounds

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

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ONE ON ONE

with Jamie Susanin ’17

By SAMANTHA HUSSEY The Dartmouth Staff

Jamie Susanin ’17, one of two seniors on the women’s golf team, has consistently led Dartmouth in scoring performance all season.

Making a resurgence from a quiet junior year season, Susanin helped the Big Green secure a fifth-place tie at the Ivy League Championships with Brown University this past weekend.

When did you first start playing golf ? What was your first impression of the sport?

Why have you continued?

JS: I started playing golf when I was about 6 years old, and I wasn’t the biggest fan because of how frustrating the game is.

I continued to play casually with my family as a way to spend time together and ended up falling in love with the game.

W hy did you choose Dartmouth?

JS: I loved Dartmouth as soon as I stepped foot on campus. I then met [women’s golf head coach

Alex] Kirk, and we couldn’t have gotten along better. He seemed to genuinely care about his players both on and off the course, which was very important to me and has held true over the last four years. I immediately knew that this was the perfect program for me.

What has your experience been like balancing golf, school and your personal life, especially when you’re traveling so much?

JS: Our fall and spring seasons are relatively short and very compact, which means we really only have time for school and golf during those weeks. We often leave on a Wednesday or Thursday, return late Sunday nights and do so for a few weeks in a row. That makes it hard to balance everything, but after having a few injuries I came to really appreciate the ability to compete and represent Dartmouth, despite it being so time consuming.

Coming off of your sophomore year as one of the best finishers on the team at the Ivy League

Championships, you only found works — or doesn’t — for made two appearances during you and the team this season? your junior year. Can you JS: This season in particular I have tell us a little bit about what been trying to enjoy my last few happened? From that, coming months of college golf and that into this season, have you has helped me keep everything in changed any particular aspect perspective. Not getting too upset at of your game or training in a few bad holes or inconsistent shots order to improve your game? has been a big factor this season.

JS: I competed D o yo u f e e l in two of the “Not getting too upset extra pressure fo u r eve n t s to perform at my junior fall, at a few bad holes or a higher level and I actually inconsistent shots has b e c a use yo u was playing been a big factor this are one of two better at that seniors on the p o i n t t h a n season” team? What sophomore is the team year. I didn’t dynamic like? c o m p e t e i n -JAMIE SUSANIN ’17 JS: It’s an the other two honor that Tara events because [Simmons ’17] the level of and I are both competition on our team has risen so much, still competing during our senior which is really a testament to how year, which actually takes some our coach recruits new players who pressure off of us. Because golf keep raising that bar of competition. is an individual sport, the team is I unfortunately missed the entire competitive within itself, and we spring season due to a back injury consistently challenge each other to but spent a lot of time over the make the team better. Despite the summer getting ready for the fall and difficulty of playing an individual working with the strength coaches sport as a team, everyone is very supportive of one another, and I to stay healthy. couldn’t picture myself on a different You’ve had a g reat year. team.

What has propelled your performance? What have you What can you say about the

MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017

team’s recent performance?

JS: The fall and spring season so far have been some of our best performances. We set several school records in the fall and have been working to continue those low rounds this spring.

Coming to the end of yo u r s e n i o r ye a r a n d collegiate golf career, what achievement from your time here at Dartmouth are you particularly proud of ?

JS: I am incredibly proud of the progress that our team has made over the last four years. Our team scoring average has dropped significantly, and my individual scoring average has decreased as well. One of my goals going into college golf was to get better as an individual, and I owe a lot of that progress to my teammates and coaches. I am also very proud to have been a part of this team.

What do you plan to do after Dartmouth? Any plans to continue playing golf ?

JS: I’ll be working near home in Philadelphia, [Pennsylvania] and after a small break from competitive golf, I’m excited to still be able to play amateur golf.

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

MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017

Just a Bit Outside with Sam Stockton ’19 How I Learned to Stop Worrying About the Shift and Love the Long Ball The infield shift, once reserved for elite hitters, has become ubiquitous in professional baseball. In 2016, FiveThirtyEight called the shift “this decade’s defining baseball tactic.” As teams tap deeper into the analytics well, they have taken to using spray charts — diagrams indicating where a given batter tends to hit balls — to determine hitters’ tendencies and to adjust their fielders in response.

The shift is most commonly used against left-handed batters known to pull the ball regularly. Against these hitters, many managers have begun to move either the shortstop or third baseman over to the first-base side of the infield, making it more difficult for the lefty to pull a base hit into the outfield.

The tactic, however, is not without drawbacks. The most obvious is that if the hitter does hit the opposite way, there is only one infielder to field the ball, leaving large gaps that FROM ROUNDUP PAGE 3

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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

could allow an otherwise easy out to become a hit. In addition, the shift allows a lefty to bunt down the thirdbase line where there is no one to field it. Chicago Cubs’ lefty sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo, both of whom frequently face the shift, each laid down such bunts in an April 17 contest against the Milwaukee Brewers, and both reached base with relative ease.

Occasionally, the shift can also lead to trouble covering the bases.

Imagine there is a runner on first when the shift is on. If that runner steals second, he may be able to advance immediately to third if the infielder on the third base-side is not covering the base.

The shift has been vocally criticized by a certain sect of “baseball purists,” who consider moving players away from their traditional positions a violation of some kind of unwritten rule. They see moving players around in this fashion as an unfair advantage and encroachment upon baseball’s tradition.

Personally, I see no reason to object to the tactic on the grounds that is a violation of tradition. The shift in fact, like everything in baseball, has a history of its own. The birth of the shift is often associated with Ted Williams in the ’40s. In reality, it was born to defend a different Williams: former Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Cy Williams in the ’20s. That being said, the shift was then revived for Ted Williams in 1946 by Cleveland Indians manager Lou Boudreau and later St. Louis Cardinals manager Eddie Dyer in the 1946 World Series. The shift has been used sporadically ever since until its recent uptick in the last five years or

so.

The issue with the argument that the shift is an unfair advantage lies in a fundamental misunderstanding of where offense comes from in professional baseball today. The reality of today’s game is that ground balls are outs, shift or no shift. In the years since baseball’s analytics revolution, Major League Baseball lineups no longer aim to generate offense from getting one man aboard and moving him around through sacrifice bunts or ground balls the other way. MLB executives value pitchers who get hitters to hit the ball on the ground because, again, ground balls translate to outs more often than not. Today’s successful hitters, generally speaking, put the ball in the air.

To understand this concept better, let’s return to Ted Williams, considered by some to be the greatest hitter in the history of the game.

While many baseball coaches at the youth level advocate trying to hit the ball on the ground, this strategy really only makes sense at low levels of the game, where players have not yet developed the skill in the field to convert ground balls into outs. Conversely, Williams always advocated that players have an uppercut to their swing, allowing them to keep the barrel of the bat on the same plane as the baseball for longer and hit the ball in the air, which he considered the best way to generate offense.

In his book, “The Science of Hitting,” Williams wrote, “When the ball is on the ground, it puts a greater burden on the fielders; things can happen. But if you get the ball into the air with power, you have the gift to produce the most important

Golf

On Friday, the men’s golf team began the Ivy League Championship tournament in Greenwich, Connecticut. Will Bednarz ’20 led the Big Green on Day 1 with a 2-overpar 74. His 16 pars on the day were the most of any player in the field. John Lazor ’19 finished just behind Bednarz with a 75. In his final collegiate tournament, Sean Fahey ’17 carded a first-round 76. Dartmouth stood tied-for-fourth at the end of Day 1.

Improving his first-round score by four strokes, Ian Kelsey ’18 led the Big Green’s Day 2 efforts with a 1-over-par 73. Fahey finished the day with a 74. Lazor and Bednarz struggled to continue their strong play from the first round, each carding a 78. Dartmouth dropped a spot in the standings to end the day in fifth place.

In the final round of the championship, Fahey played his best golf of the weekend, scoring an even-par 72. Kelsey and Lazor finished two strokes behind Fahey with 74s.

Bednarz carded a 78 to match his secondround score. Individually, Fahey finished tied-for-eighth in the Ivy League field.

As a team, Dartmouth was passed by the University of Pennsylvania to finish the year

sixth in the Ivy League.

Over the weekend, the women’s golf team competed at the Ivy League Championship in Orlando, Florida. Catharine Roddy ’19 excelled on Day 1, carding a one-over-par 73 for third best in the field. Jamie Susanin ’17 scored an 82 on the day, while Tara Simmons ’17 and Kristen Soh ’20 each finished with 84s. Dartmouth ended the day in sixth place.

Roddy continued her strong play into the second round, scoring a 76 and climbing up the leaderboard into second place. Soh led the Big Green on Day 2 with a 75. Simmons and Susanin finished with scores of 84 and 88, respectively. Dartmouth was consistent over the first two rounds, scoring 323 on both Day 1 and Day 2 to remain in sixth place heading into the final round.

On Sunday, Roddy and Soh turned in 2-over-pars to lead the Big Green to a tied-forfifth finish in the Ivy League Championship.

Susanin played her best round of the weekend on Day 3, scoring a 76. Jessica Kittelberger ’18 scored a 79, her lowest round of the tournament.

Individually, Roddy’s efforts placed her in a tie-for-third in the Ivy League.

hit in baseball — the home run.”

This approach more or less sums up the state of baseball offense.

In 2017, the home run is king, so the fact that infield shifting is at an all-time high is immaterial. The defending World Series Champion Cubs were among the least frequent shifters in the league last year and simultaneously one of the best defensive teams in the history of the game. In short, fears about the shift ruining the game are overstated as these shifts have no bearing on the primary means of generating offense in today’s game.

While the 2016 Cubs may not have done much shifting, they can offer the best example of the value of the fly ball hitter. The Cubs are led offensively by Kris Bryant, author of the smoothest swing in Major League Baseball and a Williams disciple.

Bryant’s father, Mike Bryant, once an outfielder in the Boston Red Sox farm system, received a lesson from Williams himself in spring training.

In this lesson, Williams preached the value of the uppercut and the fly ball to Bryant and other young Red Sox. The elder Bryant ate up Williams’ lessons and adopted “The Science of Hitting” as his hitting gospel.

When it came time to teach his son to hit, Mike Bryant kept Williams’ words so strongly in mind that Kris Bryant arrived in the MLB singing a tune that seemed to beat against what all of us had been taught in Little League — Bryant wanted to hit the ball in the air, four fly balls a game.

Bryant’s numbers during rookie season in 2015 legitimized his radical ideology; the then-23-year-old rookie hit 26 homers and drove in 99 runs.

The season marked a dominant

emergence before the deeply critical eyes and notepads of MLB’s pundit class, as Bryant led the Cubs to a playoff run that few expected before the season began.

But, like the 2015 Cubs’ season, which ended in a disappointing National League Championship Series sweep at the hands of the New York Mets, Bryant’s swing and approach were impressive but imperfect.

Bryant and his father spent the offseason working out in the Las Vegas batting cage the younger Bryant bought for his father to replace the rundown one Mike Bryant had been giving lessons out of since Kris Bryant’s childhood, a dog-eared and annotated copy of “The Science of Hitting” never out of sight. When Kris Bryant discussed the changes he had worked on in the offseason, the media commonly reported it as an effort to flatten out his swing.

In fact, Kris Bryant had merely perfected the angle at which he wanted his uppercut to take. What Kris Bryant sought highlighted the other benefit of the uppercut.

Because the pitcher fires from an elevated mound, in addition to the typically long frame of a major league pitcher, pitches come toward the plate at a downward trajectory. Therefore, a swing with an upward trajectory will remain on the same ball longer.

Thanks to this dynamic, Kris Bryant made more contact, while generating more power, and the swing change fueled a 2016 MVP season where the phenom hit 39 homers and struck out 45 times fewer than he did in 2015, while his Cubs brought the city of Chicago a championship it had been pining after for over a century.

Softball On Saturday, the softball team — winners of eight straight — split a doubleheader against Yale University, winning the first game 6-3 but dropping the second 10-2. In the first game, Dartmouth ace Breanna Ethridge ’18 recorded another solid outing, going seven innings with three strikeouts and allowing only two earned runs. Leading 3-1 at the bottom of the fourth, Calista Almer ’20 singled to center field, recording two RBIs to put the game out of reach. The Bulldogs rallied to score two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but the effort was too little too late.

In the second game, Morgan Ebow ’20 got into trouble early on, as Yale went up 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning and 4-0 by the third. Morgan Martinelli ’19 hit a two-run homer in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to two runs. However, Yale’s offense was too much for the Big Green, as the Bulldogs responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and four more in the fifth.

On Sunday, the team played two

more games against Yale losing 3-2 and 6-3. The first game was scoreless until the top of the third, when Alyssa Jorgensen ’17 scored on a single from Maddie Damore ’17. Ethridge continued her scoreless effort until the sixth, when Yale’s Madison Sack blasted a three-run home run, and suddenly the home team had a tworun lead. Damore knocked in another run in the top of the seventh, but the comeback came up short. Ethridge got the nod in the second game as well.

Yale drew first blood, scoring a run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first.

A Jorgensen single in the third scored Lourlin Lara ’18, and the score was even at one apiece. Dartmouth took a 3-1 lead in the fifth when a Lara triple drove in a pair of runs, but the Bulldogs put up five runs in the bottom of the inning and held on through the next two frames to get a 6-3 win.

The team’s game against the University of Massachusetts, Lowell last Wednesday was canceled due to bad weather and will not be rescheduled.

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

SW 8

SPORTS

MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017

TODAY’S LINEUP

BASEBALL AT YALE 12 p.m.

Senior Spring: women’s ice hockey captain Mackenzie St. Onge ’17 displays steadfast mentality throughout career

By JONATHAN KATZMAN The Dartmouth Staff

After the conclusion of each season, the women’s ice hockey program bestows the Sarah Kennedy Award to a junior or senior who has demonstrated selflessness, perseverance, dedication to Dartmouth on and off the ice and sincere love of ice hockey. Mackenzie St. Onge ’17 was given this year’s award as a fitting end to the Stowe, Vermont native’s hockey career at Dartmouth.

Despite growing up 80 miles from Hanover, St. Onge never suspected that she would wear the Green and White. The daughter of two freestyle skiing enthusiasts, she found it ironic that of all the sports she grew up playing, it was hockey that won out.

Not even the fresh powder and finely groomed trails of nearby Stowe Mountain Resort were enough to lure the senior forward away from the tin roof and chain-linked fences around Stowe’s town rink.

“When I began the recruiting process, I thought Dartmouth was too close to home,” St. Onge said.

“After speaking with the coaches here and taking my first visit to campus, however, I realized that it was a great fit.

I prioritized the people and the culture of the program during my recruiting process, and the more I spoke with coaches and girls on the team here, the more I realized that Dartmouth had the team environment that I wanted to be around.”

St. Onge began her Dartmouth hockey career as a fourth-line forward, scoring just two goals in the team’s 30 games in her freshman season.

Though she saw action in all but one of her team’s games over the next two seasons, she registered just one assist and entered her senior season with three points to her name. It was hardly the way most would envision their collegiate hockey career. But to St. Onge, stats were irrelevant.

“I just tried to play my role in our system to support the other players on the ice with me,” St. Onge recalled.

“When you don’t see points add up, it can be difficult for you to see your value on a team, but I think it’s a testament to the culture we had that allowed me to keep working and push myself every day. We always said that every player is valued in their role, and I wanted to do the best I could with the skill set I

had.”

St. Onge’s effort, attitude and leadership capabilities caught the eyes of her teammates, who selected her to serve as team captain this past season. Some would bask in the glory of representing their team, but St. Onge knew that being captain would not be easy. She embraced the pressure of keeping a team in transition mode together. With longtime head coach Mark Hudak departing and Canadian national women’s team coach Laura Schuler coming in, it could only be a bumpy road ahead, even with expertise at the helm of the program. The transition was particularly difficult for St. Onge, who committed to Dartmouth largely out of enthusiasm for Hudak and the culture he maintained around the program.

“I knew there were variables that would arise this year, but I wanted to ensure that the transition was as smooth as possible for the girls on the team,” St. Onge said. “We found some new values and combined them with what worked for us in the past.

We remained a cohesive group, and it was just about staying together during the transition.”

Nobody wants to end her college career with a 7-21 record, yet St. Onge remained unselfish and steadfast through the season and continued to dedicate her focus to her teammates and the future success of Dartmouth’s women’s ice hockey program. The team’s 4-1 victory over Yale University on Senior Day, during which each senior recorded a point in the game, made the trials of this season that much sweeter.

“I had to tell myself that my senior year was not going to look the way I envisioned it,” St. Onge said. “It was tough to lose the personal connection with our old coaches, but I knew that whatever we did this season would have to be for the benefit of the team long-term. I wanted to set the girls up to be successful going forward, to take any progress we made this year and run with it.”

Letting go of those expectations changed St. Onge’s mindset for her senior season.

“I just decided that I wanted to play to have fun and leave it all out on the ice, I really had nothing left to lose,” she said.

Putting others before yourself is a

LAUREN KIM/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Mackenzie St. Onge ’17 (right) served as the women’s ice hockey captain for the 2016-2017 school year.

quality that is sometimes hard to find in the world of sports. To do so is second nature for St. Onge.

“I just enjoy learning, growing and working hard to get better, all characteristics that I think have defined the path of my hockey career,”

St. Onge said. “I knew I wouldn’t be a starter when I committed to Dartmouth, but that was part of the appeal — having something to work toward and to earn.”

St. Onge’s career was defined by her leadership and dedication

to improving Dartmouth women’s hockey, regardless of goal or assist totals. Though hockey season is long gone, St. Onge remains active and has recently expanded her arsenal of athletic talents to include rugby. She’s always on the grind.

LAUREN KIM/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Mackenzie St. Onge ’17 (right) led the women’s ice hockey team through a transition period following the arrival of first-year head coach and Canadian national women’s team head coach Laura Schuler.