02.06.17 Big Green skiing dominates EISA p. 8 Men’s hockey players receive ECAC honors p. 6 Tennis teams show promise p. 7 One-on-one with Ken Cucuel p. 6 The Weekend Roundup p. 2-3
Dartmouth: A U.S. Ski Team hotspot Exploring the ups and downs of life as students and elite athletes p. 4-5 By Samantha Hussey
COURTESY OF SAMUEL MORSE
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
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The weekend Roundup
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2017
WOmen’s ICE HOCKEY
Compiled by JONATHAN KATZMAN, ALEX LEIBOWITZ AND MATT YUEN
TENNIS The men’s tennis lost two 4-3 heartbreakers over the weekend, one to the University of Minnesota on Friday and then to the University of Iowa two days later. In Minneapolis, Minnesota Dartmouth nabbed the doubles point but was unable to close things out in singles, as David Horneffer ’20 lost in three sets to give the game to the Gophers. Dartmouth won three singles matches on Sunday, but George Wall ’17 fell in three sets to his Iowa opponent to give the day to the Hawkeyes. The men will host Texas Christian
University and Southern Methodist University this upcoming weekend. The women won both of its matches at the Courtside Classic this weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The women beat Minnesota 4-3 on Saturday, losing the doubles point but coming back in singles to win in dramatic fashion. The next day against Washington State University, Dartmouth won the doubles point with a statement 6-0 victory from Taylor Ng ’17 and Kristina Mathis ’18 and locked up the overall victory with four singles wins.
SQUASH The No. 9 Dartmouth men’s squash team defeated No. 13 Cornell University 8-1 at home on Saturday, bringing its overall record to 5-5. The match was h i g h l i g h t e d by d o m i n at i n g displays by Glen Brickman ’17, Sam Epley ’19, Jack Harvey ’18, Brian Giegerich ’18 and Matthew Giegerich ’19, who all cruised to 3-0 victories, as well as Brandon De Otaduy ’20’s dramatic comeback from a 2-1 deficit to win his match. In the last game of the day, Alvin Heumann ’18 defeated Harry Freeman 5-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-4. The following day, the Big Green could not replicate its dominance and fell to No. 3 Columbia University 8-1 at home. Matthew Giegerich picked up the
only win for Dartmouth with an intense final score of 15-13, 11-2, 7-11, 6-11, 11-2. On the women’s side, the No. 9 squash team fell to No. 8 Cornell 7-2 at the Berry Squash Courts on Saturday, dropping its overall record to 3-4. The Big Green started off on a strong note with Janel Gaube ’18 and Zainab Molani ’18 completely dominating their respective opponents with decisive 3-0 victories. However, the rest of the team could not match the stellar start. The following day, the team fell to another Ivy League rival, No. 7 Columbia, 7-2 at home. Junnat Anwar ’20 and Emma Roberts ’19 secured the only two points for the Big Green with 3-0 victories.
Ray Lu ’18 Editor-in-Chief
Rachel DeChiara ’17 Publisher
Kourtney Kawano ’18 Executive Editor
02.06.17 Vol. CLXXIV No. 23
Mark Cui ’19 Evan Morgan ’19 Sports Editors
Nathan Albrinck ’20 Assistant Sports Editor Saphfire Brown ’18 Paula Mendoza ’19 Photography Editors Jaclyn Eagle ’19 Templating Editor
Photo by LAURA LEWIN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF The women’s ice hockey team fell 3-0 to Clarkson University and 2-1 to St. Lawrence University.
Resilience was simply not enough for the women’s ice hockey team to keep up with No. 3 Clarkson University and No. 5 St. Lawrence University, falling 3-0 to the visiting Golden Knights on Friday before succumbing to the Saints in a 2-1 heartbreaker on Saturday. Despite killing nine Clarkson man advantages against the ECAC’s top power play unit, the Big Green was unable to generate the offense needed to pull off the upset. Genevieve Bannon opened the scoring for Clarkson with just under six minutes to go in the first period before recording her second goal of the evening in the second frame. Savannah Harmon added the icing to the cake in the third for Clarkson, who improved to 21-4-4 overall. Two standout performers for the Big Green were goaltender Robyn Chemago ’17 and forward Kate Landers ’19. Chemago recorded 43 saves on the evening and despite the loss, continued her strong play that has kept the Big Green competitive throughout the season. Landers led Dartmouth with four shots that helped keep Clarkson goaltender Shea Tiley busy deep in the third period. Dartmouth was outshot 46-16 and finished 0-2 on the man advantage. On Saturday, St. Lawrence’s Brooke Webster tallied the game winner coming with just 1:06 left in the game. The Big Green are now 5-190 overall and 3-15-0 in the ECAC, while the visitors improved to 23-3-2 overall and 15-2-1 in the ECAC. “Obviously it was a heartbreaker at the end, but the girls showed a lot of resiliency coming back, and we have made huge strides since the beginning of the year,” head coach Laura
Schuler said. “If we keep improving through our last four games of the season, we will definitely see good results going forward.” St. Lawrence maintained consistent puck control in the Dartmouth defensive zone for much of the first half of the contest, but Dartmouth began to apply pressure on the visitors in the middle of the second period. After Morgan Turner ’18’s breakaway opportunity was turned aside by Saints goaltender Grace Harrison, Alyssa Baker ’19 was finally able to get the Big Green on the board, with the assists credited to Mackenzie St. Onge ’17 and Emma Korbs ’17. “It was exciting to get some momentum going, and there was definitely belief that things were going to start bouncing our way,” Baker said. “We have been playing better with each game and know what we need to do to finish the season strongly.” Deep into the third period, Dartmouth’s tired legs began to show as St. Lawrence kept the Big Green pinned in its defensive zone. Despite making eight third period saves, Chemago was unable to deny Webster’s game winner down the stretch. Chemago finished with 26 saves, while Harrison was forced to turn aside just 11 Dartmouth shots. St. Lawrence outshot Dartmouth 28-12. Special teams were a non-factor, with Dartmouth going 0-1 and St. Lawrence finishing 0-3 against the red-hot Big Green penalty kill unit. Dartmouth looks to rebound this Friday at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute before facing Union College on Saturday afternoon. Two of the Big Green’s three victories in ECAC play this season have come against Union and RPI.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2017
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
Track & Field
In the fifth home meet of the year, the men’s track and field team hosted the Dartmouth Indoor Classic this past Saturday at Leverone Field House in a non-scoring meet that featured multiple teams from the Northeast. The highlight of the meet was Corey Muggler ’17’s fifth trial in the long jump. Muggler recorded an impressive 24-3.75-feet/7.41meter, a mark that was nearly two feet better than the second-place finisher. Alec Eschholz ’19, Parker Johnson ’19 and Shawn Ohazuruike ’20 secured the top three places in the final of the 60-meter hurdles with respective times of 8.27 seconds, 8.30s and 8.32s. Reed Horton ’19 won the mile in 4:14.29, out-competing more than 40 participants. In the 500-meter, Amos Cariati ’18 took the top spot in 1:04.34. Continuing the string of dominant performances by the Big Green, Michael Thurston ’20 was the top runner in the 800-meter, finishing in 1:55.26 minutes. Tim Brennan ’17 and Colin Minor ’18 finished second and third respectively in the weight throw, and Lucas Ribeiro ’19 placed first in the shot put.
The Big Green women’s track and field team also performed exceptionally well at the Dartmouth Indoor Classic. Julia Valenti ’20 secured first place in the pole vault, clearing 12-7.50 feet/3.85 meters on her first attempt at the height, and the only competitor to clear that height. In the 60-meter hurdles, Cha’Mia Rothwell ’20, Abby Feeney ’17 and Danielle Okonta ’20 secured the top three spots with respective times of 8.54s, 8.96s and 9.02s. Rothwell also took the trophy home in the final of the 60-meter dash, crossing in 7.63 and was second in the long jump with a jump of 18-7.00 ft/5.66m. Alexa Jennings ’19 placed first with a 1:18.27, as did Lauren Archer ’20 in the 1000m by finishing in 2:55.12. The Big Green also took second place in several other events. Georgia Fear ’20, Shanthi Hiremath ’20 and Amelia Ali ’19 placed second in the mile, triple jump and weight throw, respectively. Danielle Okonta is a member of the Dartmouth staff.
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BASKETBAll On Friday, the Dartmouth men’s basketball team lost in Leede Arena to Princeton University 69-64. Evan Boudreaux ’19 led the team in scoring with 21 points on 8-14 shooting. Princeton’s Spencer Weisz led all scorers with 26 points. Dartmouth led 33-32 at halftime but blew the lead in the second half. On Saturday, the men’s team beat the University of Pennsylvania 74-71 at home for its first Ivy win of the season. Miles Wright ’18 led the team in scoring with 19 points, 15 of which came from 3-pointers. Bourdeaux gave another strong performance with 18 points and 11 rebounds, four of which came on the offensive side. Dartmouth is now 4-15 and 1-5 in Ivy league play. The team has two crucial Ivy league matches coming up
against Yale University and Brown University this upcoming weekend. The women’s basketball team lost to both Penn and Princeton on the road over the weekend. On Friday, the Big Green lost to Princeton 85-55. The Tigers hit 12 3-pointers in the blowout win. Although the team lost, Emily Slagle ’18 set a new career high by finishing with 13 points. On Saturday, against Ivy League leader Penn, the team lost by 30 points for the second consecutive night, with a final score of 68-38. The home team’s stifling defense shut down the Big Green’s offense, as no Dartmouth player scored in double figures. Sidney Stipanovich of Penn led all scorers with 15 points. After the weekend’s two Ivy League losses, Dartmouth is now 6-13 overall and 1-5 in Ivy League play.
Swimming & DIVING Dartmouth men’s swimming and diving team lost to Columbia University in its final dual meet of the season on Saturday 211-89. In the first event of the day, the 3-meter diving board, Taylor Clough ’17 and Ray Neistat ’20 finished second and third respectively out of five participants. The two reversed positions on the 1-meter diving board, with Neistat finishing second and Clough finishing third out of five participants. In the 200-yard medley race, the Big Green took third and fourth. In the following event, the men’s 1000-yard freestyle, Josh Hendell ’20, Carter Jacobsen ’19, Joby Bernstein ’17 took third, fourth and fifth out of five competitors. The team fared better in the 200-yard men’s freestyle, highlighted by Tony Shen ’18’s second place finish. The team secured third, fourth and fifth in the men’s 100-yard backstroke out of six competitors. Patrick Kang ’17 took second place in the 100-yard breaststroke, while Delaney Hall
’19 took second in the 200 yard breaststroke. Henry Senkfor ’17 finished in third for the Big Green in the 200-yard butterfly. The Big Green’s lone win of the day came from David Harmon ’17 in the 100 yard-butterfly with a time of 51.20 seconds. Dartmouth is now headed to the Ivy Championships at Harvard University from Feb. 22 to 25. The women’s swimming and diving team also fell to Columbia in its final dual meet of the season 178-112. Maggie Pionzio ’20 won her diving competitions on the 3-meter board and the 1-meter diving, and AnnClaire MacArt ’18 finished first in the 1000-yard freestyle by more than 16 seconds. Amy Sun ’17 and Allison Green ’19 secured second place in the 200-yard freestyle and the 1-meter diving, respectively. The women head to Providence, Rhode Island for the Ivy League Championship from Feb. 15 to 18.
MEN’s HOCKEY Third period goals from Will Graber ’20 and Josh Hartley ’17 were not enough to complete a comeback, as Dartmouth fell to No. 5 Harvard University 5-2 on Friday evening at the BrightLandry Hockey Center. The Big Green fell to 8-12-3 overall and 5-9-2 in the ECAC, while the Crimson improved to 15-5-2 overall and 11-4-2 in the ECAC to avenge an 8-4 loss in Hanover on Jan. 17. Sean Malone put Harvard up 1-0 11:36 into the first period when he deflected a Clay Anderson pass past Dartmouth goaltender Devin Buffalo ’18 from the low slot. Jake Horton’s shorthanded goal in the second gave the Crimson a two-goal cushion heading into the final period, and it was not until after Malone registered his second goal of the night that Graber’s shot from the point put Dartmouth on the board with 5:46 gone by in the third. The Big Green
and the Crimson would then trade goals, with Hartley’s power play goal, his first of the season, the response to Luke Esposito’s marker that put Harvard up 4-1. Harvard captain Alexander Kerfoot rounded out the evening’s scoring with 7:06 to go in the game. In goal, Merrick Madsen made 28 saves to earn his 15th win of the season. On the other end, Buffalo kept the Big Green in contention all evening with a 34-save performance. Dartmouth was outshot 39-30 on the evening but managed to stymie all six Harvard power play opportunities. The Big Green managed to score a power play goal of its own and finished 1 for 6 on the man advantage opportunities. Dartmouth looks to bounce back this Friday at Thompson Arena against No. 4 Union College, before hosting Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Saturday.
Photo by LAURA LEWIN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF The men’s basketball team picked up its first Ivy League win of the season this Saturday against the University of Pennsylvania.
Skiing Alexa Dlouhy ’19, Thomas Woolson ’17 and Fabian Stocek ’17 secured victories in their respective events of women’s slalom, men’s slalom and men’s 10-kilometer classic this Saturday at the Vermont Carnival, leading Dartmouth’s ski teams to a decisive victory. The Big Green finished the two-day carnival with 923 points, placing Dartmouth nearly 200 points ahead of secondplace finisher, the University of New Hampshire. On her first run at Mount Mansfield, Dlouhy flew down the slopes in 56.61 seconds, topping teammate Kelly Moore ’18’s time of 57.39s. On the second run, Dlouhy continued to excel with the second-fastest time to win the race. In the other three races, the Big Green secured second as a team.
Woolson recorded a quality time of 53.83 seconds, finishing behind only Saint Michael’s College’s Guillaume Grand’s time of 53.38s. At the Trapp Family Lodge, Stocek was the only skier to break 30 minutes, finishing with an astounding time of 29:49.6. After the first 5-kilometer loop, he and New Hampshire’s Peter Holmes were neck-to-neck, with neither seeming to slow down. However, in the end, Stocek was able turn on the jets and pull away to win by more than 15 seconds. In the women’s 10-kilometer, Dartmouth’s Abby Drach ’20, Lydia Blanchet ’19 and Taryn Hunt-Smith ’19 finished second, fifth and sixth place, respectively. The New Hampshire Wildcats took first, third and fourth.
Dartmouth: A U.S. Ski T THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
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By Samantha Hussey
With 17 different athletes on the U.S. National Ski Team currently affiliated with Dartmouth in some way, the College has consistently served as a hub for top skiers in the nation. Although each U.S. National Team skier who has come through Dartmouth has a unique background, all share the same deep passion for skiing that began at a young age. For these racers, skiing is a year-round affair and their schedules are
COURTESY OF SAMUEL MORSE, JULIA KERN, DAVID CHODOUNSKY DESIGN BY JEE SEOB JUNG/The Dartmouth
jam-packed with training camps, dry land training, competitions and prep periods. They share the ultimate goal of ending up on the World Cup circuit and qualifying for the Olympic team. In between traveling and training, these athletes look forward to what little downtime they do get, and quite a few must balance their time as students as well. Dartmouth has a long-standing relationship with the U.S. Ski Team that dates back to the early 1950s. Aside from the College’s academic prestige and competitive skiing program, its biggest draw for these athletes is the flexibility that comes with Dartmouth’s D-Plan, which gives students the option to select terms to be on or off based on different academic, work, travel or service opportunities. Brian McLaughlin ’18, a member of the U.S. National Nordic team, finished five carnival races on the podium during his sophomore year, proceeding to earn firstteam All-American honors by securing third place in the slalom at the NCAA Championship. He noted the flexible schedule and renowned academics as the two key factors in his decision to choose Dartmouth. “With the quality of academics and the
fact that the D-plan works really well f able to pick and choose terms was defi having a great school and ski program; Dartmouth].” Julia Kern ’19 is currently e of the U.S. Cross Country Team after had a SuperTour podium, a trip to Wo races at U.S. National Championship junior races at the OPA Cup finals in environment to continue pursuing her “I knew [Dartmouth] had a Ski Team, both alpine and cross-coun program and had great experiences do “[Dartmouth] was the place where I and athletically at the highest possible Most skiers have Dartmouth student. While there is no set academ take anywhere from four to 12 years to terms or even years off from school t injuries. Undergraduate dean Natalie skiers, emphasized that the College su and that the decision to enroll by term “There is no ‘normal’ for s said. “Some students enroll for the sp enrolled until they are plan for only springs until t career or when th would like to con While Da of these stu many of the extremely d David of the U. impress geolog title a as a Dar yea ac U
Team hotspot MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2017
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
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y
for being on the U.S. Ski Team, being finitely a plus,” McLaughlin said. “Just ; it was kind of a no-brainer [to choose
entering her second year as a member r an impressive first year in which she orld Juniors, two podiums in the junior ps and three podiums in two separate Italy. She saw Dartmouth as the ideal academic and athletic goals. a strong ski program and a lot of U.S. ntry, members had gone through the oing both school and skiing,” Kern said. could achieve my goals academically caliber.” h paths look different than the average mic plan, U.S. Ski Team members can get their degrees; students take specific to focus on training or recovery from e Hoyt, who works with many of the upports all students in their endeavors ms is very personal. students who ski competitively,” Hoyt pring as their first term, and then stay nning to ski again. Some students enroll they decide to focus on their academic heir ski career is no longer what they ntinue.” artmouth accommodates to the needs udent-athletes through the D-Plan, hese skiers have found balancing both difficult. d Chodounsky ’08, currently a member U.S. Alpine A Team, graduated with an sive double major in engineering and gy in just four years. He won the slalom at the NCAA Skiing Championships freshman, and became the captain of rtmouth’s ski team in his sophomore ar. After graduation, some of his chievements include winning the U.S. national slalom title in 2009 and competing in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Reflecting on his Dartmouth years, he noted that balancing academics and skiing was always a challenge. “Since we’d spend so much time on the road and away from campus during training and competitions, we have to manage our time between school work and training,” Chodounsky said. “We also have to work with the professors to shift schedules around to make up class work, labs or tests whenever we were away from campus. Many professors were happy to accommodate our schedule, but some were less understanding, which made it that much
harder for us to juggle all our obligations.” After Michael Ankeny ’13, a current engineering student at Dartmouth, attained World Cup points in 2016 after finishing 21st in Adelboden, Switzerland and 19th in Kitzbüehel, Austria, he earned a spot on the national Alpine B team. Ankeny’s troubles with majoring in engineering stems from not being able to take courses in consecutive terms. “[As] an engineering major, you have to take Math 3, 8 and 13,” Ankeny said. “Normally, you take those one after another, but I have to take Math 3, wait nine months, then take Math 8, wait nine months. It’s definitely a little hard to keep it fresh in your mind.” In addition to a lack of academic continuity, a lack of consistent social connection throw some skiers for a loop. “One of the biggest difficulties has definitely been building up a sense of community and social group, especially because I didn’t do my freshman fall,” Kern said. “I think I lost a lot of opportunities to meet a lot of new people and establish those relationships.” Despite the obstacles, these student-athletes have found Dartmouth’s ski teams, fellow members of the U.S. Ski Team and other organizations like fraternities and sororities to be good sources to build and maintain important social ties on campus. Samuel Morse ’20, named the top downhiller in the country within his age group in 2014, attained impressive results at World Juniors on the 2014 Olympic track in Sochi, Russia and is now currently a member of the Alpine C Team. He finds that the break from skiing is much needed and helps him refocus when he returns to training. “It was such a blessing to not think about skiing, to unplug, to go to Foco and sit down with people and not talk about ski racing,” Morse said. “That definitely helped since it sort of balanced the two. I was pretty burnt on ski racing, and it made me hungry for it again. Just taking a step back and doing something different and then I’m already seeing improved results in my skiing since going to Dartmouth and a renewed passion for it.” Andrew Weibrecht ’09, a member of the Alpine A Team, won bronze and silver in the 2010 and 2012 Winter Olympics, respectively, in the super-G. He found himself facing the same predicament as Morse. “It was always difficult for me to have this one focus — it feels like I’m putting all of my eggs in one basket,” Weibrecht said. “The time right before I started school, I was a little bit unsure whether I wanted to continue on the path of skiing or whether I wanted to go to school full-time, but having a different focus reignited my desire and pushed me to pursue the next level.” While having national team members on campus provides a different camaraderie for the skiing program, it has also posed some challenges for Dartmouth’s collegiate team. One of the biggest challenges starts with recruiting, according to Peter Dodge, men’s alpine skiing head coach. “With recruiting, I’m looking at the same athletes to recruit for Dartmouth as the U.S. Ski Team is looking to name to their U.S. Development Team,” Dodge said. “If they have a great year, they may make the U.S. Ski Team so it’s a challenge to manage the recruiting. We have a lot of athletes who defer a year, so there are a lot of athletes out there and not sure when they are going to come, enroll and compete for us.” Dodge emphasized that having skiers competing with the national team versus for Dartmouth is beneficial for not only the individual but also the team and the school. In order to foster a more cohesive transaction and working relationship between the national team and collegiate teams, the U.S. Ski Team in the past year created the National University Team. “The concept there was that it would be a 50-50 sharing,” Dodge said. “They were full team members, and they would train with the U.S. Ski Team when they weren’t training [and competing] with their collegiate team. This is a cooperative relationship and is a big step forward.” The only member of the Dartmouth community to be named to that team is McLaughlin, who joined before coming to Dartmouth. He said the National University team now serves as a program that provides training opportunities in the summer and fall.
“You’re mostly with your college team during the winter,” McLaughlin said. Ideally the people that are on the university team make that next jump so by the time they graduate they can be skiing at the World Cup and be skiing at a higher level. That’s the hope: that this university team is a pipeline to the World Cup — an alternative from being on the C or D team.” In addition to juggling a challenging training and academic schedule, the sport also entails extreme financial burden. Chodounsky noted that costs can easily amount to $20,000 to $30,000 per year, especially when factoring in the cost to travel internationally. “When I started my post college skiing career, and before I made the U.S. Ski A Team and became a ‘fully-funded’ athlete, I was financially responsible for quite a bit of my season ... obviously I couldn’t do it myself, especially coming out of Dartmouth with college loans to my name as well,” he said. Despite the financial responsibilities, there are many opportunities to raise that money thanks to grants, scholarships, and private donations from businesses and individuals. Patricia Mangan ’19, a member of the 2017 U.S. Alpine C Team, reinforced that “fundraising is a big part of our sport on the national level.” Even with these difficulties — time, money, academics — Dartmouth’s U.S. Ski Team members are driven by passion. “You do it because you love it,” two-time Olympian Nolan Kasper ’14 said. Kasper performed exceptionally during the 2011 season, winning the Europa Cup slalom title and taking his first World Cup podium. Despite spending all of 2013 recovering from an ACL and MCL injury, he bounced back in 2014 to compete in the Sochi Winter Olympics, finishing as the top American in the slalom. For him, representing his country on the world stage makes the complex balancing act worth it. He’s also appreciated Dartmouth for the cultural exposure it has given him. “The ski world is pretty small and isolated and especially when we travel to Europe, we get to experience different cultures, but typically it’s like the same type of person that does well in this sport,” Kasper said. “Getting to meet people who are really good at different things is really cool.” Ankeny added that skiing has provided him with an invaluable and life-changing experience. “We get to travel the world before we are 21 years old,” Ankeny said. “It’s more of an unofficial education, a worldly education that you get. You learn how to travel, in a small group or sometimes alone, and get around and be competent in getting around. It brought me to all parts of the world that I never thought I would see if I wasn’t skiing.”
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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
Troy Crema ’17 and Alex Jasiek ’19 collect ECAC accolades By JONATHAN KATZMAN The Dartmouth Staff
This past week, forwards Troy Crema ’17 and Alex Jasiek ’19 received honors from the Eastern College Athletic Conference as the Player of the Month and Player of the Week, respectively. Crema’s accolade is the third of his career after earning ECAC Player of the Week honors twice. Jasiek’s award marks the first of his young career with the Green and White. In addition to the ECAC honors, Crema has been selected as a nominee for the 2017 Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate men’s ice hockey player. Crema’s stellar performance comes as the Big Green seeks to rise in the ECAC standings to secure home-ice advantage for the first round of the conference playoffs. Crema led all conference players with 13 points during the month of January, including eight goals, tied for most in the nation at that time. His team-leading 13 goals this season are already three more than the total in his first three seasons in Hanover, all while mentoring the team’s 11 freshman skaters. While Crema has earned a reputation for scoring timely goals — like game winners against then-No. 11 University of Michigan and conference foe Colgate University, and the game-tying tally against Brown University — Dartmouth’s come-from-behind victory at Cornell University on Jan. 28 brought out his best.
“I am just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win,” the Toronto, Canada native said. “The success is nice on a personal level, but ultimately I want to do the best I can for our team on and off the score sheet. We have a great group of guys who play really hard, and we try to bring our best every day.” Crema’s performance against Cornell is the perfect example of a player doing it all to help the team. In an era in which a player’s value is measured in goals, Crema’s most significant contribution to Dartmouth’s victory may have been a second period face-off win, setting up the Cam Roth ’19 goal, which began the Big Green comeback. Crema picked up a few points later in the game, assisting on Jasiek’s game-tying and gamewinning goals before adding an empty netter to seal the 4-2 victory against the then-No. 14 team in the nation. Against Cornell, the Big Green started slow before finding its rhythm later in the game. It is a pattern that feels familiar to Big Green fans watching the 2016-2017 season. But to Crema, the team’s response to sluggish beginnings has been the most telling. “Obviously we would like to be able to start stronger, and it’s unfortunate falling behind early, but I think it shows the character of our team,” he said. “We are not going to give up and are not going to let falling behind get to us when it happens.” Crema’s Dartmouth career
reflects his never-say-die attitude. After battling injuries during his first two collegiate seasons, the senior has finally come into his own and become one of the most dependable players in a Big Green uniform this year. He has made his presence felt in multiple facets of the game — especially Dartmouth’s red-hot power play unit, with the ability to play the point and backside positions — and his name will be called frequently during the Big Green’s final six regular-season games. Jasiek, on the other hand, has been a spark plug for the Big Green this season. Entering the Cornell game with only one goal to his credit on the season, Jasiek had shown his hustle, aggression and passing skill. At Cornell, however, Jasiek showcased a different side of his game, tallying the game-tying and game-winning goals on the power play in the third period just 62 seconds apart to cap Dartmouth’s come-from-behind victory. He collected an assist on Roth’s goal, earning himself a career-best three points in the game, and was also on the ice for the Crema emptynetter that sealed the win. “You do not want to get down 2-0 to a team like Cornell particularly because you are playing in such a difficult environment,” said Jasiek, referencing Cornell’s Lynah Rink, which is considered one of the most hostile environments in college hockey. “After the first period, each line made the decision to pick up its work ethic because we were being
SAPHFIRE BROWN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Troy Crema ’17 and Alex Jasiek ’19 received honors from the ECAC this season.
outhustled. We worked very hard throughout the rest of the game and generated some well-deserved bounces.” Jasiek’s performance on the power play at Cornell was partially the result of Dartmouth’s recent special teams improvements. “We have really picked up our pace and put an emphasis on keeping our feet moving, always try to be one play ahead of our opponent,” Jasiek said. “We have adopted a shoot-first mentality, which has enhanced our production because we are playing to score and expect to score.” With six regular season games to go, the Big Green hopes to improve its current eighth-place position in the ECAC standings. Dartmouth is 1-5 this season against its final six opponents — its sole win a 4-2 victory at Rensselaer Polytechnic
University — but Jasiek believes that he and his teammates are physically prepared to finish the regular season on a high note. “This year, we all feel stronger and more physically prepared to play each day,” Jasiek noted. “[Firstyear strength and conditioning coach Nate] Strah has brought so many new ideas to us, and we are now able to maintain an upbeat, consistent tempo throughout the game.” Wi t h C r e m a a n d Ja s i e k perfor ming well, Tim Shoup ’18, Carl Hesler ’18 and Kevin Neiley ’18 healthy, and netminder Devin Buffalo ’18 providing a solid backstop, the Big Green is ready to prove it can take care of business, as well as be giant-killers, as it prepares for a playoff run. A few repeats of the performance at Cornell will only help.
One-on-one with Ken Cucuel, assistant squash coach By DANIELLE OKONTA The Dartmouth Staff
Ken Cucuel has been an assistant coach for the Dartmouth men’s squash team for 23 years. In addition to his long-standing stint as a coach, Cucuel won national championships as a player in the 65-plus division in 1999 and in the 70-plus division in 2004 and 2005. He also placed third at the World Masters Games in 2005 and fourth in 2009 in the 70-plus and 75-plus divisions, respectively. How did you become an assistant coach at Dartmouth? KC: I originally worked in a bank across the street for three years, and then I transferred up to the campus and became director of student loans. I retired in 1994 from the college. Chris Brownell ’87, the squash coach at the time, heard that I was retiring and said, “Why don’t you come down to the squash courts?” I declined at first
but then she persuaded me to. I came down and then began as an assistant coach in 1994.
How did you begin playing squash? KC: I used to be a swimmer in high school and college. I came up here to work in a bank, and I only had a half-hour break so I couldn’t go swimming. It also got too cold for me to walk down and back after swimming so I had to find some other leisure activity. There were three or four other guys that were interested in beginning squash, so I joined them. They eventually moved or stopped playing, but I continued to play. How has squash changed in the 23 years you have coached here? KC: When I started, squash was a hard ball sport and then in the early 1990s they transitioned to a soft ball sport because most of the world played soft ball. So that’s how
I went into soft ball and adjusted.
What is your role with the team? KC: In my younger days, I was an assistant coach, so I was much more involved in helping the players out. Now, I’m a volunteer coach and into my ’80s, I go and watch them play. Now I have learned rather than tell them what to do, I say “You might want to think about doing this or that,” and it goes over much better. How did you manage to stay in shape to compete at such a high level in your late adulthood? KC: I did not like to practice. I would only play games with the noon-time crowds at the courts. It is much more fun to play than it is to train. What do you enjoy most about coaching the squash team at Dartmouth? KC: I love the players. The players
are fun. They are all students and so much younger than me, but they have become so much better coming into college than when I first started seeing them. I watch them play, and the women as well, and they hit the ball harder than I ever did.
What do you consider the best memory of a game in your coaching experience so far? KC: The students are great. Every year I have coached has been quite memorable because of the athletes I get to be around as an assistant coach and as a volunteer coach. What do you consider to be the best memory of your professional career? KC: My most interesting memory in my career was having played in the World Masters Games over in Australia; I placed third. That was a big accomplishment for me because I had not picked up the game of squash until I was 40 years old. Squash has been good because it has allowed me
to travel all over the world.
Now into your 23rd year of coaching, what goals and expectations do you hope to see the team achieve? KC: As a coach, you would like to see the team rise to the top. We may not beat some of the Ivies, but I would like us to develop our team and get into the top half of the rankings. How would you describe your relationship with the coaching staff and players on the team? KC: I have gone through four or five coaches, and I have gotten along with all of them. They are still the coaches. If they say something to the players that I may or may not agree with, I respect their opinions because they are the coaches. They have all been very nice and very good to me. Traveling with the team is a lot of fun. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2017
SW 7
Men’s and women’s tennis teams show promise this season By MAX ZHUANG
The Dartmouth Staff
Both the Dartmouth men and women’s tennis teams look to build on good starts and improve as the season continues. The men’s team experienced ups and downs after stumbling to an early record of 2-4, struggling at times in the face of high pressure situations. On the other hand, the women’s team currently boasts a 5-0 record, a hot start that the women hope to extend. “So far we’ve played [four] matches, and we’ve pulled out all [four],” said women’s tennis cocaptain Jacqueline Crawford ’17, prior to the Big Green’s 5-2 victory over Washington State University on Sunday to clinch the Courtside Classic. “The last of which [against the University of Minnesota] was a tough 4-3 match tied at 3-3 all.” Crawford explained that as the season progresses, not only do the players have the opportunity to improve and grow in these high pressure situations but also garner the experience necessary to handle greater opponents and challenges. Despite having four freshmen on a 10-to-11 person team, Crawford said the new members are adjusting well. “It’s very good for our own team,” Crawford said. “Even better, their
enthusiasm and teamwork work in our advantage.” While the women’s tennis team has had a youthful injection of passion for the game, it will continue to be tested. Furthermore, the team will depend on the freshmen to build upon their current success. Contrasting the women’s strong start, the men’s team looks to better polish and finish off its matches. With the foundation of talent and experience already there, the men’s team must succeed when college tennis is at its fastest pace. In addition to deuces, the team aims at improving execution in stressful moments. Recently, the team dropped a close 4-3 match to the University of Iowa on Sunday. “We’ve played some pretty good teams to start the season since the schedule is very challenging,” men’s tennis captain George Wall ’17 said. “We’ve been tested already playing against teams in the top 40 so we need to get that extra 10 percent to beat some of the really quality teams. We need to believe and be confident as well as play smart, tough tennis.” Members of both teams believe that their success translates directly from how they practice, which includes a combination of hard work and belief in one’s capabilities. “Getting used to those tight
situations comes from practice — having that experience and just really getting to know yourself in those tough sports,” Eddie Grabill ’19 said. “It’s about trusting myself more and trusting my game more, that’s the biggest thing. Keep focusing on the big matches.” Crawford echoed a similar sentiment, emphasizing the importance of simulating stressful situations in practice. “Three-setters are something we always like to emphasize and practice at as much as possible.” Crawford said. “It’s kind of impossible to practice in real matches and our success can be attributed to all the work that we do to simulate match types situations.” The women’s team has had a string of very strong, clutch performances. This is reflected in its 8-2 record in 3-setters thus far. According to Crawford, doubles is an area of improvement as those points can set a tone for an entire match. However, thus far, despite losing some doubles matches, the women’s team has been consistently able to come back and win its singles matches. “This year feels honestly very distinct from my previous years on the team,” Crawford said. “It’s been great and really satisfying to see how our practices are translating to matches
TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The women’s tennis team currently boasts a 5-0 record this season.
and how we’ve been able to work as a team. Individually, it’s a lot more fun to start playing dual matches that start in the winter, so I have a lot more fun with the winter season starting.” As for Wall and the men’s team, the start to the season has been tough. However, the men need to get tougher if they expect to win their upcoming matches during Winter Carnival against No. 23 Texas Christian University and No. 22 Southern Methodist University. If the team can
secure victories, the two high profile wins may provide the much needed momentum for the men’s team to win the Ivy League after finishing in second place for the past two years. “We have two home matches against two top [25] teams, and it’s really exciting that they can make the trip to play us, and I think we can win them both,” Wall said. “We want to win the Ivies and get into the NCAA tournament and maybe take it one step further.”
LAUREN KIM/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
The men’s tennis team has lost close matches but remains positive about its season.
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2017
SPORTS
SW 8
Big Green reemerges as preeminent skiing power in the East By SABENA ALLEN The Dartmouth
Last season, the Big Green ski team turned a corner. After a nearly four-year carnival drought, Dartmouth snagged a win at the Colby Carnival in late January 2016. The team won again the next weekend at the University of Vermont but was held winless for the remainder of the season. Still, hopes remained high, and the team managed to place fifth at the 2016 NCAA Championships, its best performance since 2013. Then 2017 began, and Dartmouth came flying out of the gate. Big Green skiing has dominated the first half of Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association competition. The team, comprised of men’s and women’s Nordic and alpine squads, won overall at St. Lawrence University on Jan. 20 to 21, at the University of New Hampshire on Jan. 27 to 28 and at UVM on Feb. 3 to 4. The most recent margin of victory was a whopping 195 points. The team is very strong on all fronts this year, according to director of skiing and women’s Nordic head coach Cami Thompson Graves. “Each one of us have had a day or weekend where we have really put it together,” she said. Maintaining four strong teams is difficult, according to Graves, but this year’s team has athletes who can top the podium and also those who can place in the top five or top 10 in order to attain good overall scores. Depth is key in collegiate skiing, as team scores are determined by the team’s top three skiers in each race. “Speaking in terms of [the women’s alpine side], we are very, very strong right now,” said Foreste Peterson ’18, a former U.S. Ski Team member who won the giant slalom at the UNH Carnival. “Our team has a lot of depth to it, so every single girl on the team is super competitive, and I think on any given day any one of us could be the fastest. I think we all are just pushing each other to the next level.” Kelly Moore ’18, Alexa Dlouhy ’19, Steph Currie ’20 and Audrey O’Brien ’19 have also notched podium finishes for the Big Green. Dlouhy won the slalom at the UVM Carnival by more than a
full second. “All of us are just very motivated,” Peterson said. “Dartmouth skiing has such a long legacy, and I think we all feel pretty excited to be racing and representing Dartmouth. I think that positive energy just feeds off of each other.” Dartmouth was closely associated with skiing even before it became an NCAA sport. From 1935-1939 alone, the College graduated four Ski Hall of Fame member s. When the NCAA officially adopted skiing as a varsity sport, the Big Green was runnerup in the second- and third-ever NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956. The Big Green remained a presence on the national podium until the late 1970s, but after sharing the national title with the University of Colorado in 1976, Dartmouth’s hold on the national stage slipped. The Big Green did not post a top-two finish until 2007, when the team won just its thirdever NCAA title. Before the remarkable 2007 season, Graves said, it had seemed unlikely that Dartmouth could be nationally competitive against large public schools that give scholarships. One of those schools is the UVM, the 2012 NCAA champions. UVM has the most recruiting power in the East, according to Graves, and Dartmouth and UVM often vie for the same athletes. The 12-team EISA has historically been dominated by UVM and Dartmouth, who nearly always finish first and second in regular-season carnivals. Although Dartmouth won the EISA Team Championships from 2007 to 2010, UVM has won every title since then. The Catamounts’ recent run of success was fueled by a 20-carnival win streak, which began in 2012 and was only snapped by the Big Green last year. With three consecutively strong performances from the Big Green in 2017, and three sub-par outings from the Catamounts, Dartmouth has displaced UVM as the top team in the East. “They have always been a big competitor,” Peterson said of UVM. “I think it really just stems from having really strong skiers on their team, and we have very strong skiers on our team. So it sometimes just comes down to battling it out between a UVM
skier and a Dartmouth skier to get the top spot of the podium.” This season, the Dartmouth skiers have consistently beaten out the UVM skiers. The Catamounts’ average car nival points have fallen across three of the four disciplines. Only women’s alpine has improved, averaging 21 more points per carnival. UVM’s men’s Nordic team has suffered the most as its average carnival output has dropped 71 points. “They’ve got some good skiers, but maybe not an enor mous amount of depth on each side,” Graves said about UVM’s Nordic team. The Catamounts’ alpine team has seen mixed results compared to last season. The women are averaging 21 points more than the previous season, while the men have slipped by 31. Peterson regards the Catamounts as strong opponents, improved by the addition of freshman Paula Moltzan, who competed for the U.S. Ski Team. “She is definitely a force to be reckoned with, and then their whole men’s team lineup is just
totally stacked,” Peterson said. But through the first half of the season, Dartmouth’s team has been stronger. “[We are] building on our strengths, and things seem to be going our way,” Graves said. T he Big Green’s car nival numbers have increased across the board, though not as much as UVM’s have fallen. The women’s Nordic team leads the way. Propelled by a trio of strong sophomores — including L ydia Blanchet ’19, who has claimed multiple podiums this season — the women have improved their carnival average from 215 to 242. Women’s alpine, averaging 246 points per carnival, continues to be the strongest Big Green squad. The men’s teams have also made gains behind Nordic standout Fabian Stocek ’17 and alpine stars Brian McLaughlin ’18 and Tanguy Nef ’20. “[The] team has been changing week-to-week, some people have been getting sick, but it seems every week, no matter who we put on the team, we’ve been getting good results,” men’s alpine member
Gavin McEwen ’19 said. “Right now our consistency and overall performance is just better than last year,” Peterson said. “And I think it [can be attributed] to each part of the team, so men and women’s alpine and men and women’s Nordic. Each individual part of the bigger team is just really strong.” T h i s year’s NCAA Championship will be held from March 9 to 11 at Cannon Mountain and the Jackson Touring Center, the site of the UNH carnival two weekends ago. After traveling cross country to compete in Steamboat Springs, Colorado for last year’s NCAA Championships, the New England location has Dartmouth skiers confident. “Having done well on that hill gives me confidence if I go back there to compete for NCAAs,” Peterson said. The Big Green’s strong start has already stirred echoes of 2007. That season, Dartmouth won all six EISA carnivals en route to the national crown. This year, the team is three for three.
Dartmouth skiing average carnival points scored
UVM skiing average carnival points scored
EVAN MORGAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF