The Dartmouth Sports Weekly 5/1/17

05.01.17

Senior Spring: women’s tennis co-captain Taylor Ng ’17 p. 8 Just a Bit Outside with Sam Stockton ’19 p. 7 The Weekend Roundup p. 2-3, 6

One-on-one with women’s rugby player Frankie Sands ’19 p. 4-5

By Samantha Hussey

COURTESY OF FRANKIE SANDS

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

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The weekend Roundup

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

Lacrosse

MONDAY, MAY 1, 2017

Sailing The coed sailing team competed at just one event this weekend, the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association Coed Championship, hosted by Boston College. By tying for sixth, the Big Green qualified for the National Semifinal Championship, which will

take place in Charleston, South Carolina from May 30 to June 2. The 18 teams raced 17 races, with Dartmouth notching seven top-five finishes in both the A-division and the B-division. With the top-eight finish, Dartmouth has qualified for two of the three spring national championships.

Baseball

ISHAAN JAJODIA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

The women’s lacrosse team defeated Brown University 12-8 on Saturday.

The women’s lacrosse team concluded its 2017 campaign with a 12-8 victory over visiting Brown University on Saturday afternoon.

With seven in her final game of the season, Kathryn Giroux ’19 broke the Ivy League record for draw controls in a single season with 108, surpassing the previous record of 104 held by Yale University’s Nicole Daniggelis. Taryn Deck ’17 led the Big Green on the scoresheet with four goals. Kierra Sweeney ’19, Cara DePippo ’18 and Elizabeth Mastrio ’19 also found the back of the net two times each. Dartmouth jumped out to a 9-3 lead at halftime and did not let Brown within five throughout the

second half as Kiera Vrindten ’20 kept the Bears at bay with 14 saves.

The men’s lacrosse team saw its 2017 season end in a disappointing 20-5 loss to Brown. Having earned a spot in the four-team Ivy League tour nament, the Bears shook off two early Big Green goals

by David Gallagher ’20 before scoring four in the first period and three in the second. Gallagher was Dartmouth’s offensive leader all afternoon, scoring four goals to give him a season-total of six.

Gallagher’s classmate Ben Martin ’20 added a goal and an assist to the Dartmouth’s offense, which took a mere 24 shots to the Bears’ 59.

Ray Lu ’18 Editor-in-Chief

Philip Rasansky ’18 Publisher

Kourtney Kawano ’18 Executive Editor

05.01.17 Vol. CLXXIV No. 71

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

The baseball team split two doubleheaders against Harvard University this past weekend.

The baseball team played back-to-back games against Harvard University on Saturday, winning the first 2-1 but falling in the second 7-6. In the first game, Kyle Holbrook ’18 and Michael Calamari ’20 led the Big Green’s offense, each hitting a solo home run. Michael Danielak ’16 pitched a stellar game, allowing one run on three hits while striking out seven batters. In the second game, Dartmouth got off to a fast start, leading the Crimson 6-1 by the end of the seventh inning. However, Harvard exploded for six runs in the eighth inning to take the win.

The team followed up with another

doubleheader against Harvard on Sunday.

The Big Green took the first game of the day 3-0 thanks to a stellar performance by Beau Sulser ’16, who held the Crimson to two hits and struck out eight batters. Nate Ostmo ’19 contributed a two-run double in the second to put Dartmouth in the lead for the rest of the game. Later in the day, the Big Green fell to Harvard, 8-7, thanks to a walk-off single from Harvard’s Austin Black. Going into the ninth inning, Dartmouth was down 6-5 but responded with two runs in the top of the ninth. The Big Green received two-run home runs from both Dustin Shirley ’18 and Trevor Johnson ’20.

Rowing No. 6 heavyweight rowing wrapped up its regular season Saturday by winning the Packard Cup against No. 7 Syracuse University on the Onondaga Lake Outlet in Syracuse, New York.

The Big Green swept all three varsity eight races as well as the varsity four race. In the first varsity eight race, Dartmouth beat Syracuse 5:58.6 to 6:01.2. This was the fourth time in five years that the Big Green took home the Packard Cup. Women’s rowing beat Cornell University, winning the Parents’ Cup at the Cayuga Outlet

on Saturday. The Big Green won by finishing first in the first varsity eight race, completing the course in 6:50.6, eight seconds ahead of Cornell. The Big Red took victories in the second and third varsity eight race. But the Big Green also won the varsity four race.

No. 9 men’s lightweight rowing placed second in all three races at the Baggaley Bowl against Cornell at the Cayuga Lake Inlet. The closest race of the day was the second varsity, in which Dartmouth was 10 seconds behind the Big Red.

CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@ thedartmouth.com for corrections.

Correction Appended (April 28, 2017): The April 28 article entitled “Psychology course examines neurological effects of opioids” previously stated that the course was new and psychology professor Jibran Khokhar started the course, when in fact the course had already existed before but is now being taught by Khokhar. The article has been updated to reflect the changes.

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WOMEN’S RUGBY The National Intercollegiate Rugby Association Sevens Championship, held yesterday at Brophy Field, ended with the Big Green on top.

Dartmouth opened pool play with three consecutive victories: 27-0 over American International College, 34-12 over West Chester University

and 10-5 over the United States Military Academy. After a 10-7 loss to Harvard University, the Big Green ended pool play in a three-way tie and advanced to the final against Army on points differential. Dartmouth beat defending champion Army for a second time 19-12 to win the cup.

Track & Field On Thursday and Saturday, the men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the non-scoring Penn Relays. On Thursday, Bridget Flynn ’18, Claire Dougherty ’20, Bridget O’Neill ’18 and Helen Schlachtenhaufen ’17 placed 11th in the distance medley relay championship of America with a time of 11:28.16.

On Saturday, Trevor Colby ’19, Phil Gomez ’17, Henry Raymond ’20 and Pat Gregory ’18 placed third in the 4x800-meter College relay in 7:30.31.

On Saturday, both teams competed in the University of Massachusetts pre-conference meet. The men took first place

out of seven teams with a total of 159 points, receiving first place in five events, including the hammer throw, 400-meter hurdles, discus, 110-meter hurdles and 800-meter.

The women finished third out of the seven at the meet. Several members of the team finished in first place. Lyndsi Ross-Trevor ’18 won the pole vault by clearing 3.25 meters/10-08.00 feet, Nicole Deblasio ’19 won the 100-meters with a 12.10 second finish, Katy Sprout ’17 took first in the 400-meter hurdles and Angela Ortlieb ’19 took first in the 5000-meter run. The women’s 4x400-meter relay team rounded out the scoring by securing first with a time of 4:01.17.

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By Samant

COURTESY OF FRANKIE SANDS

Frankie Sands ’19, a transfer from Norwich University, was among those considered for the U.S. women’s rugby national team.

Frankie Sands ’19, a recent transfer from Norwich University, has dominated the rugby scene, earning her top honors nationally.

Most recently, she was named as one of four finalists for the Sorensen Award, given to the best collegiate women’s rugby player in the nation. While Sands has found success here at Dartmouth and throughout her career, her journey to rugby has been anything but conventional.

When did you first start playing rugby and what got you into the sport?

FS: I first starting playing my freshman year of high school. I was actually a cheerleader in high school and started cheering three years before and kept doing that in the fall and winter. When the springtime came around, I had nothing to do, and I hated running so I was not about to do track. All of the other sports required some sort of previous knowledge, like lacrosse or softball, and I was not nearly as capable of doing either of those sports.

I was walking around and saw a poster for rugby in the halls at my high school that said “no experience necessary.” At first I had to go home and google what rugby was because I had no idea, and it looked pretty awesome. I had my first practice and just kept going back.

In high school, you not only participated in both rugby and cheerleading, but you excelled — being named to All-American teams in both. How did cheerleading help your rugby play and vice versa?

FS: My cheerleading coach really instilled a confidence in me that I could do whatever I wanted, and we ran all the time. In the fall, we would cheer for football and in the winter, we would cheer for basketball and do all of

our big competitions. Contrary to popular belief, cheerleading takes a lot of endurance, so we would run all the time and my coach just kept me so fit. That is kind of where I started getting into a lot of fitness and preparing my body. They taught me a lot about nutrition and ways to be the best athlete. From there, that just carried over to rugby. With cheerleading, it’s very much a sport where you go out on the mat, and you make every move perfect and you have to be happy all the time. When I finally got to rugby, I was able to go out and be aggressive, and I never had that before.

It was really awesome to play very different styled sports, and be able to get two things out of them, but also to combine a lot of the similar aspects.

What was the transition to collegiate rugby like, and how is it different from your high school experience?

FS: Oh my gosh, it was so scary. In my firstever game that I played, I was the starting fullback against Penn State [University], the then-eight-time national champions, and the head coach of the women’s national team. The position I was starting in had previously been played for four years by another All-American, so I was very nervous and very scared. The second that the whistle blew, it was just like high school — all of the nerves just went away.

Once I got the ball and I could just start playing, it was easy. Ever since then, it’s been like that for all of the transitions. The transition from high school to college was hard, the transition from college to college All-Americans was really scary, and the transition from college All-Americans to the women’s national team was, I think, the scariest one yet. Every time, the nerves would be there, but the second we

start playing, it was easy.

Why did you choose Dartmouth?

FS: I was recruited to play for Norwich and after spending two years there, it got to a point that I wanted to be challenged academically. I made a couple of All-American teams while I was there, but that was all I was doing — I was just playing rugby. Truthfully, I started looking first at schools that if I had gone, I would have, again, just been playing rugby and wouldn’t have been challenged as much academically.

In December of 2015, I went to the National All-Star Camp, which is a week-long try-out for the U.S. Women’s Rugby National Team.

While I was there, one of the teams that I was placed on was coached by [women’s head coach] Katie Dowty. Getting to know her and her coaching philosophy was something that really attracted me to Dartmouth. Even before coming here, my mom really tried to encourage me to apply to Dartmouth, and I was very hesitant at first. A couple of days after the camp, I got in contact with Dowty about transferring. After speaking with her and getting to know the program and the school, I applied. Once I got in, it was a no-brainer.

Obviously, Dartmouth was going to give me that academic challenge. The team was on the rise. It had just gone varsity, and the group of recruits that they had coming in were going to prepare it for the next season, and I wanted to help and be a part of it.

Can you describe your training, both in and out of season?

FS: We are in season in the fall and spring, and we practice four or five days a week for about one and a half to two hours outside on our fields or on Memorial [Field]. We will do

about an hour or so of video review of the previous weekend’s game, and we will do that on the first day we get back to training. We have two lifts a week in the morning for about an hour. We either play on Saturday or Sunday.

The day after a tournament, we have off to rest and do a recovery workout or some sort of thing on our own. That’s in-season. Outof-season, we lift three times a week for about an hour, then we will practice about four times a week — it’s a little less time consuming. In the summer, we are given a fitness plan that we just need to stick to. There are about three or four lifts a week that we do. On top of that, I also play for a club sevens team. With that, I train about two or three times a week, then we have tournaments on the weekends. Kat Ramage [’19], who is on the team here, also plays on that team during the summer in New York City.

What has been the most challenging aspect of rugby?

FS: A big thing that the national team has been focusing on is mental toughness and your ability to bounce back. I think that’s something I continue to work on whenever something happens to me. Last year was a really big challenge for me because I was injured. In December, I fractured my spine and then in my first game back, in March, I ended up tearing my PCL. I’m still recovering from that now, so this whole year has been challenging in terms of how I decide to bounce back and the way I overcome those injuries and lead my team on the field. Right now, my biggest challenge is mental toughness and still performing at my best even when I’m not feeling my best.

How would you describe the dynamic

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with Frankie Sands ’19

tha Hussey

COURTESY OF FRANKIE SANDS

Frankie Sands ’19 (left), one of four finalists for the prestigious Sorensen Award, will be captain for the women’s rugby team next year.

of the team?

FS: At Dartmouth, we’re still in this transition mode between a club team and a varsity team.

We only made varsity two years ago so there are people on the team who joined and played on this team when it was a club team. We are one of only two varsity programs at Dartmouth, the other being rowing, that allows all walk-ons to come and play. That has brought a great deal of diversity to the team. A lot of these members have never played rugby before. At our tournaments, a good amount of those players are starting for us, and about half of our team is made up of walk-ons so I really value the inclusivity that we have on the team in terms of having those open arms to people.

What’s nice about rugby is there is a place for any person on the field — we have the forwards, backs, scrumhalfs — they are all different shapes and sizes, and it’s not like many other sports where there is a specific type of person that plays a certain position. We are made up of so many different types of people, and I really value the inclusivity that rugby itself brings as well as the team at Dartmouth. I’ve been a part of so many teams and one of the things that really attracted me to the school was the people on this team and continues to do that. The reason I go to practice every day is to see them and be with them and to play the sport that we all love.

How have you seen the team’s performance improve from the fall?

FS: It’s a little hard to look at the fall versus the spring because in the fall we play a different style of rugby, which is fifteens, and in the spring we play sevens. Fifteens rugby is 15 players versus 15 players with 40-minute halves, and it is a much slower paced game. Sevens rugby

is seven versus seven with seven-and-a-half minute halves but on the same sized fields as fifteens. It’s a much faster-paced game, and you’re literally sprinting for 15 minutes. I think back to freshman year Frankie who did not want to run track at all and ends up playing rugby. Yet she finds herself sprinting up and down the field for 15 minutes a game, five games a day at the end of the tournament. I think with rugby I’m a little more motivated.

If I don’t run fast enough, someone is going to tackle me and I don’t know, maybe get the ball back. If I have the ball and I can run as fast as I can and not let anyone touch me and I can score, at least there is some sort of celebration.

What can we expect from you and the team going forward?

FS: Constant progression. Three weeks ago, we played in our first sevens tournament of the year. In this tournament, we made it to the semifinal and ended up losing to Harvard [University] — it was pretty bad.

They definitely had the upper-hand on us in that game. The week after we played fifteens, and we played a fifteens development game the next weekend and then the weekend after that, which was last weekend, we had the Ivy’s Sevens Championship and in our pool we played Harvard. In that first game, we actually beat them 12-0, which was awesome.

We actually played them in the final, and they beat us 10-5, but still there was this constant progression that we’ve been seeing from the team. We play them again on Sunday, and I can’t wait to see what we can do against them.

You were recently named one of four finalists for the Sorensen Award, presented to the top collegiate women’s

rugby player in the nation. What does it mean to you to be recognized for you athletic accomplishments? Does it influence your performance in anyway?

FS: That blew my mind. I’ve had friends who have been recognized as top Division I Rugby Player of the Year, and I look up to these girls so much. I remember I was on Facebook a few weeks back and an article had gone out about the top-12 nominees for the Sorenson Award, and I was like, “Alright, let’s go see my friends that are awesome.” I’m scrolling through, and I see my name and I was like, “What?” I hadn’t even been notified, nothing. The way it got cut down to four was that the public had to vote for who they wanted. My team, my friends, my family and everyone started voting. That was cool, but a lot of these players are bigname players that I have played against and have looked up to my entire rugby career, so I was thinking, “I’m not gonna expect much.

It was nice just to be named in the top 12.”

I got a notification about a few weeks ago that said that I had been named in the top four and that was just mind-blowing. I know two of the other nominees, Danielle [Walko Siua, Notre Dame College], who is my roommate during the summer — we play summer rugby together, and Ilona [Maher, Quinnipiac University]. We were roommates at Norwich my freshman year. It’s really cool because the group that is being named are players that are up-and-coming, and just to be named, I have no words. I was so excited. The article went out, and my team started instantly sharing it and saying how proud they were — that was awesome.

The Sorensen Award is great — again, I can’t say enough how excited I am about it, but being named the captain of the women’s

rugby team I think so far, since coming to this team, has been my biggest accomplishment.

I was voted the captain by the team for next year and so for them to have that confidence in me, that means the world. I think more so that has influenced the way I play. It definitely reminds me to keep my cool during games because people are looking up to me.

Anything else you would like to share?

Perhaps something most people don’t know or would be surprised to find out about you?

FS: In December 2015, when I started talking to Dowty, I had gone to the National All-Star Camp. While I was there, I actually fractured my spine. I totally did not know. I thought it was some weird muscle spasm, and I remember that I was just like, “I have to keep playing.” It’s a tryout, you’re trying out for the women’s national team, so I was not going to let anything stop me. The trainers there didn’t really know what it was, and it had been at the end of camp so I was like, “It’s fine, I’m just going to keep playing on it.” I ended up leaving camp and going home and then found out it was fractured. A few weeks had gone by, and I had been given a brace to wear and was told I couldn’t do any activities whatsoever — I had to be immobilized at all times. The list of women that made the top40 pool for the women’s national team went out, and I was on it, and I was actually the youngest player that year to be in the pool.

That was probably the coolest thing I’ve done so far in my life: making the pool of players with a fractured spine.

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

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FROM ROUNDUP PAGE 3

Softball

NICK SAMEL/THE DARTMOUTH

Dartmouth needed two wins to stay alive in the North Division but was swept in four games by Harvard University.

On Saturday, the softball team played two games against Harvard University, falling in both with final scores of 7-6 and 9-2. In the first game, both teams were held scoreless for the first three innings. However, the Crimson broke the game wide open with a three-run homer in the fourth inning. Despite being down 7-1 by the bottom of the seventh, the Big Green never gave up, scoring five straight runs. With two outs and a runner at third, Tiffany Dyson ’18 had a chance to complete the comeback but ultimately struck out. Breanna Ethridge ’18 pitched five innings, giving up five runs on eight hits while striking out three. In the second game, Ethridge again started for Dartmouth, and it was once again a scoreless affair for the initial few innings. But Harvard struck in the fifth inning, scoring five runs to put the game out of reach.

Needing two wins to stay alive in the North division, Dartmouth was swept by Harvard again on Sunday. In the first game, the Big Green went up 2-0 on RBI singles in the second and fourth innings, but Harvard jumped back in front with a pair of home runs in the bottom of the fourth.

The Crimson launched another three-run blast in the fifth, and the game ultimately finished 8-4 in favor of Harvard. In the second game, Harvard leapt in front of Dartmouth with a huge second inning which saw the Crimson put up seven runs.

Dartmouth couldn’t muster any offense, and a Harvard home run in the fifth inning ended the game via the run rule. The North Division title goes to Harvard for the second consecutive year, making the 8-0 loss Dartmouth’s final game of the season.

MONDAY, MAY 1, 2017

Just a Bit Outside with Sam Stockton ’19 On the Dustin Pedroia-Manny Machado-Matt Barnes Saga It started with a slide by Manny Machado, an ugly slide to be sure, on Friday, April 21. What followed was a war of words between the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox that crescendoed when Matt Barnes’ pitch narrowly missed Machado’s head two games later.

As is the case whenever teams exact vigilante justice by throwing at an opponent, a conversation on baseball’s unwritten code of conduct ensued.

Let’s start with Machado’s slide.

Was it late? A bit but certainly not criminally so. Was it high? Yes, but Machado did not come in high — his leg raised upon arriving at second base. Was Machado’s intent

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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

to injure Dustin Pedroia? I don’t think so. This was a bang-bang play.

Mark Trumbo hit a chopper to set the play in motion. Because the ball was not hit sharply, Machado, who runs well, had a decent chance to slide in safely to second. As a consequence, Machado came in hot, and his slide appeared to get away from him. He immediately reached toward Pedroia upon making contact, trying to keep the diminutive second baseman from falling, then stood over him in a way that seemed to reflect contrition.

Pedroia himself said he didn’t think Machado slid with the intention of inflicting injury.

The slide was more unfortunate than anything else. Machado erred on his way into the bag, came in too high and injured Pedroia. It is a shame that Pedroia had to miss time over the play, but that does not mean the play was in any way malicious or deserving of retribution. It was just a quickdeveloping play that unfolded poorly. However, as is ever the case in baseball, the incident was not forgotten; the unwritten rules wouldn’t allow Machado’s “offense” to go unrequited.

Enter Barnes, a 6-foot-4-inch righty who debuted for the Sox in 2014. In a 6-0 game with the Red Sox in the lead, Barnes fired a pitch that ended up behind Machado’s head. In his attempt to ensure justice with regard to unwritten

rules, Barnes violated another one of said unwritten rules when he threw at a player’s head. To be clear, throwing at a player was not Barnes’ crime. This practice has been a part of the game since its origin, but Barnes did not throw at Machado’s ribs or thigh; he targeted the Orioles infielder’s head, a big and obvious no-no.

Barnes was ejected and suspended four games for the pitch.

Incidents like this one are not all that uncommon. If I switched a few names around and maybe threw in a bat flip, I could probably run the same column about a handful of incidents over the course of the season, and all of them spark the same debate about unwritten rules ­— when they should be applied and whether any of this comportment has a place in the game.

While certain baseball purists preach that this kind of “policing” must remain, I have always found it foolish. I understand that teammates feel an obligation to support and protect one another, but I do not see how throwing at people accomplishes this end.

For one point, how can you ever say for certain what a player’s intent was? I wrote earlier in this column that I think Machado meant no harm with his slide; clearly, some of the Red Sox disagreed. Who is right? Only Machado knows, but regardless, shouldn’t we avoid throwing at each other and

prolonging incidents based on speculation?

My biggest issue with this policing business lies in the threat to player safety it poses. Barnes was adamant that the 90-mph fastball got away from him, that he was not trying to throw near Machado’s head. For the sake of argument, let’s assume Barnes was telling the truth, an assumption I don’t think is unreasonable. The fact remains that, whether he meant to or not, Barnes came very close to plunking Machado in the head with a 90-mph fastball. Imagine if he had done this and, in addition to paying the huge price baseball’s pro-player policing crowd seems to associate with having a baseball thrown near one’s body, Machado was placed on the disabled list.

Who knows? Maybe we’d be talking about a concussion or broken jaw that sidelined Machado for a long time or even altered or ended his career.

Such a fate would be a shame, even if Machado were some recent minor league call-up with little prospect of ever sticking the big leagues for a long time. However, Machado is a bona fide superstar and among the league’s best players. Why would baseball as a sport ever risk losing one of its finest over a slide that might have been dirty? Is it because Machado could have hurt Pedroia significantly?

What is the message here? If your

guy goes down on a freak play, you better make damn sure you take down whoever caused the incident in the first place. Is that really what we’re going for?

Like a reliance on ERA or batting average in player evaluation, this thought process represents one more archaic component of America’s pastime that needs to be left behind. More than any other sport, baseball prides itself on its tradition and shows extreme reluctance at altering long-standing norms. Perhaps the biggest reason this kind of incident still happens is that no one is very interested in stopping it. At the moment, one of the biggest reasons we still see these incidents is that neither the league nor the players’ union wants longer suspensions for offenders like Barnes.

So what is the solution? A rewriting of the unwritten rules.

Players need to come to a collective understanding that this kind of behavior is not the future of the league. In some ways, it seems as though it is already happening.

Pedroia, very much an old school ballplayer in the modern game, condemned the way his team handled the whole affair. We need more of this attitude. The future of the game involves the Machados of the world excelling on the field, keeping with the game’s written rules and not being held back by its unwritten ones.

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SPORTS

MONDAY, MAY 1, 2017

TODAY’S LINEUP

No athletic events scheduled

Senior Spring: women’s tennis co-captain Taylor Ng ’17, Dartmouth’s first NCAA singles tournament qualifier credentials and got a few replies back.”

The Dartmouth Staff One response was from women’s You could go on and on tennis head coach Bob Dallis. After reading Taylor Ng ’17’s on-court watching Ng play 11 matches over accomplishments with the women’s the course of a single weekend, Dallis tennis team. Three-time All-Ivy extended an offer to the player who selection in singles and doubles. Ivy just months earlier was beginning to League Player of the Year. Class think about how to make a name of 1976 Award as Dartmouth’s for herself on the junior circuit. female athlete of the year — as a Intrigued by the possibility of sophomore. And her talents extend attending Dartmouth for academic beyond the baseline. An economics reasons, Ng had her share of nerves and anthropology double major, in front of Dallis.

Ng also received the Class of 1948 “I was so stressed when [Dallis] Scholar-Athlete Award as the Female was going to watch me,” Ng said.

Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

“For some reason, all I could eat From her list of accolades, were Cheerios and dry pasta that you might think Ng was one of whole weekend. I guess that played those child stars featured in Sports a crucial role in how I played that Illustrated. The truth is that while weekend.” young players were training four Recruiting a player with relatively hours each day from the time they light competitive playing experience were 7 years old, Ng spent her time did not worry Dallis, however. playing multiple sports just for fun “I actually think the fact that she as a way to burn energy. Tennis was did not play a full national schedule one of those. until her senior year helped,” Dallis “I started playing when I was said. “Because of that, she was fresh four,” Ng said. “My parents did not compared to other talented players play, but they wanted my older sister you see at the college level, as well and me to get involved in sports we as hungry and eager to get better could play for the rest of our lives, and make an impact.” so they thought tennis would be To say Ng made an impact during good for that. I sort of went with her first season in Hanover would be it and joined my high school tennis an understatement. After gaining team, which competed in the fall. valuable experience playing national After that, I’d put the racquets down tournaments during her final year and play other of high school — sports.” picking up a title I n f a c t , “We achieved as a and finishing the i t w a s n o t team this year not year as the No. 1 until midway because we won under-18 female t h r o u g h player in United N g ’s j u n i o r Ivies and qualified S t a t e s Te n n i s year of high for NCAAs. It was Association s ch o o l t h at Middl e States she decided because we got so re g i o n — N g she wanted to close and really cared won 10 singles pursue tennis about each other to matches and nine at the collegiate doubles matches a level I had never level. on her way to “I played experienced before.” second team Alla f e w Ivy accolades. tournaments “When I was from the time -TAYLOR NG ’17 in high school, I was 11 to 14 I would maybe but was not a practice serious fan of the environment or travel,” twice each week for a few hours at a she said. “I knew that I had to start time,” Ng said. “I definitely stepped playing more events and gradually up my practice and gym routines tried to get in touch with a college before coming to Dartmouth as coaches. I just wrote a skeleton well as played tons of tournaments. email because I had no record or Coming into college, I wanted to

By JONATHAN KATZMAN

TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Taylor Ng ’17 recorded just one loss at the No. 1 singles position during her sophomore campaign.

learn more about strategy and how to use my strengths and weaknesses, and [Dallis] and [assistant coach Dave Jones] were a huge help with that.”

If Ng’s first season was impressive, her second was off the charts, perhaps the best season in Dartmouth women’s tennis history. Ng amassed a 36-7 overall record, with just one loss at the No. 1 singles position, on her way to becoming Dartmouth’s first-ever NCAA singles tournament qualifier. During an 11-match streak that spring, she peaked at No. 40 in the nation.

“I think it was an exciting year,” Ng said. “I had some great experiences and having the chance to go to NCAAs was very motivational because it showed me where I needed to be compete at the next level.”

Ng’s junior-year accolades showed an additional component to what she brought to the court.

In addition to earning first team All-Ivy honors in both singles and doubles and being part of the first Dartmouth doubles tandem with

Kristina Mathis ’18 to qualify for the NCAA tournament, Ng was awarded the national Arthur Ashe, Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award as a United States collegiate tennis player who excelled on and off the court. That Ng has achieved at the highest level of college tennis while doing things the right way has made everything that much more special.

“Sportsmanship has always come before anything else, and it’s something that came from my parents,” Ng said. “It can be easy to lose sight of, especially during tight matches, but I was taught to do the right thing even if it was not popular.”

For all that she has achieved, Ng still insists that she would trade all of her individual accolades for a memorable team experience.

“We achieved as a team this year not because we won Ivies and qualified for NCAAs,” Ng said. “It was because we got so close and really cared about each other to a level I had never experienced before. Some

people say that it gets tiring being around the same people all the time, but that was never the case for me throughout my four years.”

N g ’s s e n i o r s e a s o n i s n’t over just yet. The team beat Princeton University last weekend, simultaneously claiming a share of the Ivy League title and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

“To see all of our hard work pay off last Sunday with the other 10 girls and coaches on the courts at the same time was incredible,” Ng said.

As Ng wraps up her storied career, it is difficult to quantify her immense contributions to Dartmouth women’s tennis.

“Taylor has been an incredible teammate from the very beginning,” classmate and co-captain Jacqueline Crawford ’17 said. “She has so much enthusiasm towards tennis and the team, and she always knows how to support all of us. Her grit always pulled us forward.”

That’s quite a legacy to leave behind.