The Dartmouth Sports Weekly 04/16/18

4.16.18

The Weekend Roundup p. 2-3 Honorable Mention: Playoff Predictions p. 6 Women’s rugby sets high hopes for 7s season p. 6-7 Lightweight rowing sees overhaul of training regimen this season p. 7 Senior Spring: Foreste Peterson ’18 dominates alpine competition p. 8

Big Green Sports Traditions p. 4-5 TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

The weekend Roundup

MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018

M LACROSSE

COMPILED BY SABENA ALLEN, EVAN GRIFFITH AND LUKE GITTER

TRACK & FIELD In their first home outdoor event of the season, the men’s track team beat their three opponents on Friday, Apr. 13. The Big Green had a final score of 183, the University of Massachusetts Lowell had a score of 150, the University of Vermont had a score of 134 points and University of Hartford finished with 94 points.

The Big Green took the top six spots of the 800-meter dash. Dartmouth also took the top three spots in the 110-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles, as well as first and second in the 1500-meters. Colin Minor ’18 had an excellent throw in hammer with 201-01.0/61.29m. His throw bested the field by almost 46 feet and should qualify him for NCAAs in May. The next home meet at Memorial Field will be the New England Championship in May. The Big Green will return next weekend in Charlottesville, VA for the Virginia Challenge on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21.

The Dartmouth women’s track

team hosted three opponents on Friday, Apr. 13 at Memorial Field.

This was the first home meet of the outdoor season, and the Big Green won with 193 points. The University of Massachusetts Lowell came in second with 129 points, the University of Vermont finished third with 125 points and the University of Hartford came in last with 101 points. Eleven events were won by Dartmouth athletes; ten of these were for individual performances and one was for a relay team of four. The Big Green took the first three places in the hammer throw and the first five in the pole vault events. The team also took first through fourth and sixth places in the 800-meter run. Cha’Mia Rothwell ’20 won both the 100-meter dash and the long jump, scoring a total of 18 points for the Big Green.

Dartmouth will next host the New England Championship in May. Next Friday and Saturday, Dartmouth will compete in the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville, VA.

W LACROSSE

The women’s lacrosse team lost against the No. 2 in the country, Boston College, on Wednesday, Apr. 11. Katie Borque ’20, Campbell Brewer ’19, Ellie Carson ’20 and Kierra Sweeney ’19 each scored two goals for the Big Green. Although Dartmouth was briefly in the lead 5-4, this quickly changed when BC scored seven points in a row.

Dartmouth caught up with 9:48 remaining to make it a one point game, but the Eagles stayed strong and won their 15th game of the season. On Saturday, Apr. 14, the

Big Green beat Cornell in Ithaca by a margin of 19-10. Dartmouth, now ranked 17th, is 8-2 overall and 4-1 in the Ivies. Carson scored five goals.

Goalie Kiera Vrindten ’20 saved 14 shots total, a season-high. Kathryn Giroux ’19 had six draw controls, making her within five of being the first in the program to make 200 over her career. Dartmouth will play again on Wednesday against the University of Vermont, this time at home. They will also play in Hanover on Saturday, Apr. 21 against Yale.

Zachary Benjamin ’19 Editor-in-Chief

Hanting Guo ’19 Publisher

Ioana Solomon ’19 Amanda Zhou ’19 Executive Editors

4.16.18 Vol. CLXXV No. 16

Mark Cui ’19 Samantha Hussey ’20 Sports Editors

Justin Kramer ’21 Associate Sports Editor Divya Kopalle ’21 Michael Lin ’21 Photography Editors Jaclyn Eagle ’19 Templating Editor

ARIANNA LABARBIERA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

The men’s lacrosse team fell to University of Massachusetts Lowell and Princeton last week.

The men’s lacrosse team fell to the University of Massachusetts Lowell for their last non-conference game on Wednesday, Apr. 10. The thrilling game went into double overtime but Dartmouth fell 9-8.

Alex Burnley ’21 posted a career-high 14 saves.

The Big Green also fell to Princeton 24-13 on Saturday, Apr. 14 at Sherrerd Field in New Jersey.

This was the Tigers’ first conference win of the year. They now stand at 6-5 overall and 1-3 in the Ivies while Dartmouth dropped to 2-9 overall and 0-4 Ivy. Jack Korzelius ’18, Richie Loftus ’18

and Liam O’Connell ’20 all scored three points each for the Big Green. Heading into the second quarter, the Tigers clung on to a 4-3 lead, but they took off and never looked back by scoring nine goals before the game ended. On Saturday, April 21 the Big Green will play its last home game of the season against the University of Pennsylvania, after which the team will honor the six seniors on the team: Willis Bocock ’18, Jase Davis ’18, Evan Key ’18, Korzelius, Loftus and Steve Satterthwaite ’18.

LW ROWING The ninth-ranked Lightweight rowing team faced second-ranked Harvard University and 12th-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology this past Saturday in Boston for the Biglin Bowl. The competition was stiff and Harvard managed to sweep all races to win the regatta. The Crimson have won this event every year since 2009. The first varsity boat finished eight seconds behind Harvard with a time of 5:53.49 and placed one second ahead of MIT. The second varsity boat finished ten seconds behind the Crimson and half a second ahead

of MIT with a time of 6:09.58. Harvard would race three boats in the third varsity match, with all three placing ahead of the Big Green.

On Sunday, the men fell to No. 13 Mercyhurst College at home. The first varsity boat finished three seconds behind Mercyhurst, with a time of 5:35.87. However, Dartmouth’s second varsity boat came close to overtaking Mercyhurst’s second boat, falling by half a second, with a time of 5:37.00. Dartmouth’s third boat came in about 20 seconds behind the rest of the competition, with a time of 5:57.91.

HW ROWING The eighth-ranked Dartmouth heavyweight rowing team hosted ninth-ranked Boston University in Hanover this past Saturday and took home a victory over the Terriers to win the Bill Cup for the second consecutive year. The varsity four placed eight seconds ahead of the Terriers crew. The third varsity eights

raced next, placing ahead of BU by six seats. The second varsity boat also placed ahead of the Terriers by five seconds with a time of 5:26.92. The first varsity eight overcame an early deficit to place ahead by two seconds. Dartmouth travels to Brown next weekend for the Atlalanta Cup.

MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

BASEBALL Baseball hosted the University of Massachusetts Lowell this past Tuesday. In a game that was marked by errors and weather delays, the River Hawks came away with the victory by a score of 12-8. Dartmouth kept it competitive in the early stages of the game with a home run

by Bennett McCaskill ’21, but UMass Lowell would storm ahead thanks to a grand slam in the fifth inning to take the lead 102. Dartmouth would attempt to come back in the eighth inning, scoring four runs, but would ultimately fall short. The Big Green would then travel to Ithaca, New York for a three-game series against Cornell University. In the early game, Cole O’Connor

’19 threw for seven innings, in which Cornell only recorded two runs, handing Dartmouth a 4-2 win. Dartmouth would end up splitting the Saturday games with an 8-3 loss in the late game.

Dartmouth would not score a run until the eighth inning off of an RBI double by McCaskill and a home run by Kyle Holbrook ’18, which weren’t enough to close the gap. In the rubber match against Cornell on Sunday, the Big Green took home another victory 5-3.

Pitcher Jack Fossand ’18 allowed just two runs on four hits to keep the Big Green in the lead during the game. Dartmouth travels to Boston College on Wednesday before visiting Yale University for a three-game series next weekend.

SOFTBALL The Dartmouth Softball team hosted two games this weekend against Cornell University, after the team’s Tuesday matchup against the College of the Holy Cross was canceled due to inclement weather. Dartmouth’s weekend started with a sweep of Cornell in a doubleheader on Saturday. The early game featured some big hitting by the Big Green, with Morgan Martinelli ’19, Schae Nelson ’21, Micah Schroder ’20 and Taylor Ward ’19 each recording a home run in the third inning to give Dartmouth a 4-0 lead. With four consecutive home

runs, the team set an Ivy League record for most consecutive home runs. Dartmouth would hold on to that lead with a final score of 8-4.

In the afternoon game, Dartmouth scored five runs in the first inning.

Cornell would not respond until the seventh inning, scoring two runs to close the game for a 7-2 Dartmouth victory. Shelby Wilkison ’21 pitched the entire second game, holding Cornell to five hits, with three of those coming in the seventh inning.

Sunday’s game against Cornell was postponed to Tuesday due to inclement weather.

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M TENNIS The men’s team defeated Cornell 4-2 at the Reis Tennis Center on Saturday, improving to 17-5 overall and 3-1 in Ivy League play. Charlie Broom ’20 and David Horneffer ’20 won their set 7-5, but Dartmouth ultimately dropped the doubles point after Cornell secured victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles positions. The Big Green rallied back with three straight singles victories from Horneffer, Dan Martin ’21 and Max Fliegner ’18. Broom’s victory in the No. 1 position clinched the title for Dartmouth.

On Sunday, the No. 32 men’s tennis team

defeated No. 15 Columbia University in a thrilling 4-3 victory. Despite close doubles matches midway, Columbia swept all three matches to clinch the lead 1-0. After Peter Conklin ’21 and Ciro Riccardi ’18 dropped their single matches early on, Columbia was leading 3-0. With straight victories from Broom, Fliegner, Horneffer and Martin in the final four singles matches of day, the Big Green was able to pull off the close victory.

The team will host University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University next weekend to wrap up the regular season.

W TENNIS The women’s team beat Cornell 5-2, improving to 9-10 overall and 2-2 in Ivy League play. Julia Schroeder ’18 and Abigail Chiu ’21 started off with a 6-3 victory in the No. 1 doubles spot, while Kristina Mathis ’18 and Racquel Lyn ’20 followed with a 6-2 win at the No. 2 spot to put Dartmouth ahead going into singles.

Chiu continued her strong play, winning her set 6-2 at the No. 3 spot to put the Big Green up 2-0. Madison Hwang ’21 took the No. 5

spot, while Mathis came out on top in the No. 1 spot to secure the Big Green’s victory.

On Sunday, the women’s tennis team defeated Columbia University 5-2. Dartmouth secured the doubles point with victories at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, and Lyn’s win at the No. 3 singles spot clinched the fourth point for Dartmouth. The team will host University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University next weekend to wrap up the regular season.

W RUGBY

SAILING

The sailing team competed in the Thompson Trophy, in which the Big Green finished 13th of 18 teams with a total of 344 points. In Division A, the Big Green, led by Alyssa Berger ’19 and Jack McGraw ’20, finished 14th with a score of 143 points. In Division B, Dartmouth, led by Mary Amis ’19 and Timothy Greenhouse ’21, came

in seventh with 99 points. In Division C, the Big Green, composed of Sarah Chong ’21 and Max Clapp ’21, came in seventh place with a total of 102 points.

Next weekend the sailing team will compete in four regattas: the Admiral’s Cup, Boston Dinghy Cup, Morris Trophy and Reed Trophy.

W GOLF Women’s Golf traveled to Hartford, Connecticut on Saturday to compete in the Hartford Invitational at the Tumble Brook Country Club.

The Big Green placed third out of 10 teams, nine strokes behind Fairleigh Dickinson University and Sacred Heart University. The two leading scorers for Dartmouth were Jessica Kittelberger ’18 and Maddie Nelson ’20, both of whom scored two-over 74 on the day. Kittelberger finished

the front nine at even par, with one bogey on the third hole and a birdie on the fifth hole. Kittelberger would make par seven times on the back nine and finish two over par. Nelson would finish the front nine at one over par while netting two birdies, one bogey and one double-bogey to finish two over par for the day. The second round of the tournament on Sunday was canceled due to inclement weather.

TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Dartmouth women’s rugby dominated its opponents to claim first at the Ivy 7s Championship.

The Dartmouth women’s rugby team won all five of their matches this past Saturday to finish first at the Ivy 7s Championship. Dartmouth competed against five other Ivy League teams and unseated two-time champion Harvard University to claim the title. This was a follow-up of Dartmouth’s first place showing at the Brown 7s tournament last weekend. Frankie Sands ’18 was voted one of the MVPs of the tournament along with Princeton’s Jessica Lu, as determined

by the tournament’s head coaches. Sands would record six tries for 30 total points, while teammate Lilly Durbin ’21 would finish with seven tries and three conversions for 41 total points. Dartmouth won its first three matches with scores of 29-14, 31-7 and 33-7, before scoring a dominating 69 unanswered points in the team’s last two matches against Brown University and Harvard.

Dartmouth will compete at the Bowdoin Polar Bear 7s tournament next weekend.

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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018

Big Green Spo

A closer look into the tradition

BY CAITLYN MCGOVER

The Dartm

Men’s ice hockey

Pre-game Preparations Before every game, each player of the team has a unique set of rituals. Some rituals involve napping, drinking coffee or listening to a set playlist.

Forward Alex Jasiek ’19 finds his ritual a bit different from a majority of the guys on his team.

“I know individually, a lot of guys take one or even two naps, depending on if it is a school day or not, to get rested up for the game,” Jasiek said. “Personally, I’m the opposite; I’ll drink a coffee or two and watch The Office or Netflix before games.”

Rookie Matt Baker ’21, like Jasiek, has a cup of coffee before every game, but also finds that music and preparing his equipment for the game helps him get in the zone.

“I know for one, I tape my stick in the exact same spot every game and I try to listen to the same playlist,” Baker said. “I know there’s plenty more, but I’m sure it’s pretty similar for a lot of the other guys [on the team] as well.”

Sewer Ball The team also likes to have a little fun together and pump themselves up before hitting the ice through a game called sewer ball, which often gets heated.

“Before each game, we have this tradition we like to call ‘sewer’ or ‘sewer ball’ that the majority of the team will play,” Jasiek said. “We circle around and try to keep [a] soccer ball up as long as possible, and if you fail to keep it up you lose a life. [Each person gets] two lives and [it is] every man for himself.”

Game Time Hype Song Every year, the team will pick a song to walk out on the ice to before games. The song stays the same for the entire season.

“I know my freshman year [the song] was ‘How We Do’ by [The Game featuring] 50 Cent and this year [the song] was ‘T.N.T’ by AC/DC,” Jasiek said. “We like to get into it.”

Home Game Against Princeton University This game is popular among students because of Dartmouth’s tradition of throwing tennis balls onto the ice after the first Big Green goal. The “tennis ball tradition” stems from a single Tiger’s fan who threw a tennis ball at a Dartmouth goalie after Princeton scored its first goal of the game, allegedly in the late 1990s. At the next game, Dartmouth fans retaliated by bombarding the Tigers after Dartmouth’s first goal, solidifying the Dartmouth tradition.

Jasiek says that this is his favorite tradition that the men’s hockey team is a part of.

“It probably sounds cliché and might be everyone’s favorite, but it is truly something special,” Jasiek said. “When we walk out to a capacity crowd, even before warm-ups start, it is such an unbelievable feeling, and you can really feel the energy in the building.”

For Jasiek, the Princeton game is a true spectacle that is hard to describe to anyone who hasn’t experienced it.

“When that first goal is scored and you see what seems like a snow storm of tennis balls raining down on the Tigers, you can’t help but just stop in your tracks and take it all in,” Jasiek said. “It’s loud, it’s exciting and it gives us the energy to keep going. It’s awesome to see so many fans support us and keep that tradition going that always garners the attention around the League.”

This past January, Baker scored the first goal of the team’s home game against Princeton, assisted by Corey Kalk ’18 and Jasiek, triggering a cascade of tennis balls onto the ice.

“It was a surreal experience,” Baker said. “When you come out [onto the ice] for warm-ups, the student section is packed, and then finally when we start the game it’s pretty crazy, especially when we get that first goal.”

SKIING A Different Kind of Orientation With the arrival of a new class of skiers, the team does freshman pick-ups where the entire team goes to breakfast at “The Fort” prior to classes.

“We go to the freshman’s dorm and offer them flair to wear, telling them they have a practice they forgot to go to,” nordic skier Lauren Jortberg ’20 said. “This was the first year that we did a sunrise hike of Gile and got breakfast after, and I think it’s a new tradition that we are looking to keep. It was a beautiful sunrise and a fun activity to do after.”

Cabin Night One of the primary ways that the team tries to establish relationships with each other is through participating in cabin night. On these nights, the team often cooks dinner together before playing games and learning more about their fellow teammates.

“We rented [the Class of ‘66 Lodge] and it was super fun,” Jortberg said. “My freshman fall, we went up to the Grant, and last year was a really good way for us to get to know our teammates better since things at Dartmouth get pretty crazy.”

Winter Carnival One of the biggest races of the year for the Dartmouth Ski team is Winter Carnival. As it is the only home competition of the season, the team fully embraces the event with the men and women dying their hair green and pink, respectively.

“All the women have some type of pink in their hair: the freshmen dye their whole hair pink and the upperclassmen dye their tips,” alpine skier Stephanie Currie ’20 said. “Other teams will see that and say, ‘Look at their pink hair.’ The guys in the past dyed their hair green and in a mohawk — it’s very uniting.”

Senior Gifts Although it’s always a sad occasion to say goodbye to the senior class, the Dartmouth Nordic and alpine teams make it a habit to send the upperclassmen off with one final parting gift. “[Women’s head coach John Dwyer] gives the seniors who are graduating a send-off gift, a belt buckle with a snowflake on it, and it’s the women’s Nordic and alpine tradition to give the seniors a bracelet with a snowflake on it,” Currie said.

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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018

orts Traditions

ns of several Big Green teams

RN AND MAYA MOTEN

mouth Staff

FOOTBALL

Volleyball

D for Defense One of the most common traditions for the defensive squad is to pay homage to Dartmouth by touching the Dartmouth D in the end zone.

“When we enter on the field, we all go and touch the D at the end of the end zone, and if we’re playing at home, we usually touch the D in the middle of the field,” defensive lineman Jackson Perry ’19 said. “It’s just kind of respect for Dartmouth and ‘D for Defense,’ as our coach would say.”

Who’s Got the Juice While the participants in this tradition are usually the players, at times Dartmouth’s Football coaches partake as well. Based on one of defensive coordinator Don Dobes’s mottos of “Bringing the Juice” and started by the original Juice-Man, Jeff Winthrop ’15, many members of the team will join in the “Juice Check” before each game.

“Led by the team’s Juice-Man, you’ll see us huddle up and we’ll jump around and we’ll yell ‘Juice. Juice. Juice. Juice.’” Perry said. “That’s kind of just, like, our energy meter to keep us going.”

As the Backs Go Tearing By Of all the traditions done by the football team, the greatest tradition happens after each win.

In addition to singing the Alma Mater, when the team pulls out a victory over their competitors they often sing revamped versions of the Dartmouth songs “As the Backs Go Tearing By” and “Glory to Dartmouth”: “As the backs go tearing by On their way to do or die Many sighs and many cheers Mingle with the Harvard tears As the backs go tearing by.

Cheering The women’s volleyball team is hard to miss on and off the court, with their high energy and love for chanting and dancing.

“As a team, we have a little pregame tradition right before we go out, within the last five minutes of warm-ups,” co-captain Zoe Leonard ’19 said. “We go into the locker room, we get in a circle and we have a little chant that we recite.”

The coaches are not in the room with them for this part of their pregame pumpup and it is only done when they play at home.

“The one line in [the chant] that really resonates is, ‘Will we ever quit?’ and then everyone screams, ‘No!’” Leonard said.

Once the team gets on the court, the fun and cheering doesn’t end. According to outside hitter Mallen Bischoff ’21, the cheering continues on the court and even after lift.

Game Style Essentials Leonard and Bischoff, much like their teammate, have their own pre-game rituals, which largely center around clothing items.

“I personally always wear the same ribbons in my hair that I’ve been wearing since freshman year,” Leonard said.

Bischoff added that the team is very superstitious. “[For each game], I [don’t] have to wear the same socks, but the specific brand of socks,” Bischoff said.

Plaque The team also has a plaque with a paragraph on it that they recite after their final game planning session with the coaches.

“It has [the word] commitment; it’s one of the Dartmouth virtues that a bunch of athletes would recognize,” Bischoff said. “However, afterwards we recite [the words on the plaque], and then as we leave for warm-ups, we all slap it,” Bischoff said.

Glory to Dartmouth Loyal, we sing Now, all together Make the echoes ring for Dartmouth.

Our team’s a winner We’ve got the stuff We wear the Dartmouth Green And that’s enough!

Dartmouth, Dartmouth, Green!”

Once finished, the team completes the tradition by counting up to however many points the team scored during the game.

Bequests Off the court, the team “bequests,” or passes down, items from seniors to other team members at the end of each season.

Leonard finds that bequesting items is a fun tradition that keeps cool items within the Dartmouth volleyball family. “[For example], we had a penguin in our locker room that we’ve had for like, nine years, and he’s like our little mascot,” she said.

Bischoff added that the stories behind many of the bequests are really interesting.

“It’s weird; I just got a pair of shorts from one of the seniors on our team, and it was, like, a bequest she got from a swimmer [from the Class of 2015],” Bischoff said.

BASEBALL Pre-Game Music One of the most popular team traditions for Dartmouth baseball involves preparing the team’s mindset for games by listening to music.

“Over spring trip, we are away in Florida or California, and we travel to the field in separate vans,” co-captain Dustin Shirley ’18 said. “Each van goes through their own traditions based on the music and vibes of the individuals. If we are competing within the Ivy League, then we’ll bring a speaker to the back of the bus and some players will listen to personal music. So a lot of it revolves around music.”

The Beaver Although baseball is very much a team sport, in every game there is one player from each team that plays his very best and deserves recognition. Dartmouth baseball’s newest tradition certainly embodies this mentality.

“There’s a beaver, like a stuffed animal, that we pass around after we win a game, and we’ll pass it to the player who played best,” Shirley said. “We’ll get into a huddle and coach [Bob Whalen] will tell us what we did right and wrong, then we’ll nominate who we think deserves [the beaver].”

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MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

Honorable Mention with Ray Lu ’18

Honorable Mention: Playoff Predictions It’s finally here: the NBA playoffs — and along with them, a set of predictions you never wanted.

Here’s “Honorable Mention”’s picks, informed by brief Google searches, fantasy basketball and tuning in to the last two minutes of close games.

Western Conference: Houston Rockets (1) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (8) The Timberwolves outlasted the Denver Nuggets in a thrilling 112106 overtime victory last Wednesday that determined the eighth seed in the West and earned Minnesota the honor of playing the 65-win Rockets in the first round. Under the leadership of James Harden and Chris Paul, the Rockets took the league by storm throughout the regular season. Clint Capela holds down the paint, while wing players like Ryan Anderson, Trevor Ariza, Eric Gordon and Gerald Green all average more than nine points per game. The loss of defensive stalwart Luc Mbah a Moute for at least the first round stings, but it shouldn’t prove to be a game changer against the Timberwolves.

Prediction: HOU over MIN, 4-0 Oklahoma City Thunder (4) vs. Utah Jazz (5) The Jazz barely lost out on the three-seed, losing their regular season finale to the Portland Trail Blazers 102-93. Unfortunately, as the five-seed, the Jazz draw Russell “If people could … they would” Westbrook and the Thunder. Paul George has somehow become one of the most meme-able players this season, especially given the versatility of “No OT tonight.”

George played us all this past week when he mentioned that “shooting the ball [felt] funny” before dropping 40 points and eight three-pointers in his final game of the regular season.

I’m as big a fan of Donovan Mitchell as anybody, but don’t get in Brodie’s way.

Prediction: OKC over UTA, 4-1 Portland Trail Blazers (3) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (6) We’re at the point in the NBA season where severe injuries seem to have been forgotten. In a victory

against the Rockets on Jan. 26, DeMarcus Cousins tore his Achilles tendon, leaving Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday to fend for themselves. It’s worth considering where the Pelicans would be if Cousins were still healthy — this seeding may as well have been flipped. On paper, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are a formidable duo, but this matchup comes down to Jusuf Nurkic and his ability to take on the Brow. Don’t count out these Pelicans, but the Blazers still take it in the end.

Prediction: POR over NOP, 4-2

and Ben Simmons is ballin’. On the other end, the Miami Heat have nine players averaging more than 10 points per game and have one of the deepest rosters in the league, not to mention the magic of a midseason reunion with Dwyane Wade and those sweet, sweet Miami Vice jerseys. Joel Embiid is reportedly out for the first game, but Embiid with a face mask is scary. The 76ers team is almost too green, but they sneak by.

Prediction: PHI over MIA, 4-3

Golden State Warriors (2) vs. San Antonio Spurs (7) I’m waiting for Gregg Popovich to send Kawhi Leonard into the game, completely healthy and well-rested after a nice regular season break. The mysterious Spurs keep everything under wraps, but Leonard does seem to be actually injured. Even without their superstar, the Spurs miraculously kept their 21-season playoff streak alive.

Thanks in large part to the resurgence of LaMarcus Aldridge at age 32 and the consistency of the same host of role players (Manu Ginobili, Danny Green, Patty Mills, Tony Parker, etc.), the Spurs stumbled in just ahead of the Timberwolves to match up with the Warriors. Steph Curry isn’t expected to play in the first round, which really shows the urgency that the Warriors have in this matchup. I almost expect them to take a laidback approach to the series, letting some of their banged-up guys get healthy. The Spurs sneak in a game as a result.

Prediction: GSW over SAS, 4-1

Boston Celtics (2) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (7) Another difficult prediction: the banged-up Celtics versus the return of playoff-Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Celtics are without their leading scoring and facilitator Kyrie Irving.

The collection of Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum is not exactly fear-inspiring, but head coach Brad Stevens has proven time and again he will find a way.

The Bucks, on the other hand, are getting healthier as they enter the postseason, with Jabari Parker finding his legs and Malcolm Brogdon playing in the final two regular season games after being out since February. Granted, this young Bucks team has no post presence, which may prove costly against a crafty veteran center like Al Horford. With Stevens’ ability to game-plan, the Celtics take this one, but it’s close.

Prediction: BOS over MIL, 4-2

Eastern Conference: Toronto Raptors (1) vs. Washington Wizards (8) It feels like the difference between the one-seed and the eight-seed isn’t that wide in this matchup. A lot of that can be attributed to the recent playoff failures of the Raptors, who have been bounced from the postseason

by Lebron James the past two years. I may be underrating the power of the Six, but the Raptors just don’t seem all that scary. Granted, neither do the Wizards, but their collection of young talent at least makes them a little bit of a wild card.

Prediction: TOR over WAS, 4-1 Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs. Indiana Pacers (5) Here we go again. Another year of the NBA playoffs. Another season of Lebron James tearing up the league going into the postseason. I have no idea how the Indiana Pacers are the five-seed in the East. The improved play of Victor Oladipo and sheer will has brought this team to an unfortunate first-round matchup. I’m the biggest Myles Turner fan (hook ‘em), but this team is nowhere near competitive. Consider this a warm-up for the Cavaliers.

Prediction: CLE over IND, 4-0 Philadelphia 76ers (3) vs. Miami Heat (6) This is a hard matchup to gauge.

On one end, the Philadelphia 76ers are winners of 16 straight games

Women’s rugby sets high hopes for 7s season

By JAKE PHILHOWER

The Dartmouth Staff

The 7s season in women’s rugby is upon us, and the Big Green have high expectations for this upcoming season. Coming off of a tough loss in their first appearance in the NIRA National Championship to Quinnipiac University, the Big Green are looking to make a big statement.

“We want to win a national championship, plain and simple,” co-captain Frankie Sands ’18 said.

However, to get to their ultimate goal this season, the Big Green need to navigate a tough field of teams and secure a spot in the 7s nationals tournament. This will be no simple task for the team, as they must smoothly navigate the transition from 15s to 7s and continue to play at a very high level.

“It’s a completely different game,” veteran Kat Ramage ’19 said. “You eliminate half of your players but have the same field size to cover. The conditioning to train for it is different as well, so it’s difficult to just go from one to the other.”

On Apr. 8, the team got their first taste of competition this

season at the Brown University 7s Tournament. Dartmouth was firing on all cylinders out of the gate, defeating West Chester University 43-0 and the United States Military Academy, the No. 4 team in the nation this fall, 457. The Big Green also had strong play throughout elimination games, beating American International College 33-15 in the quarterfinals.

The semifinals brought a tough matchup for the team as they faced off against Harvard University, as they did in the Nationals semifinal game from the fall. The Big Green rose to the occasion led by Lilly Durbin ’21, who recorded three tries and three conversions in a 33-0 win over Harvard. The Big Green finished the day with a 29-12 win against Army, which included efforts from all seven members on the field.

Winning their first tournament of the year was huge for this team.

They rose to the challenge against top competitors such as Army and Harvard, something that they will have to continue if they hope to be national champions.

“I’m really looking forward to playing at Army 7s and hopefully, [the USA Rugby Collegiate 7s

SW 7

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018

National tournament in Lightweight rowing sees overhaul of sight with latest wins training regimen this season FROM RUGBY PAGE 6

Championship in Colorado] this season,” Durbin said. “[Those games] will be great competition and an awesome opportunity for our team to grow.”

With a solid showing at Brown under their belt, the Big Green looked to repeat its success going into the Ivy 7s Championships on Saturday, hosted by Princeton University. The team played very well in their pool games on Saturday, winning all their games against Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University by at least a three-try margin. In the semifinal matchup, the team had a sweeping 40-0 victory against Brown University, led by Durbin and Casey Smerczynski ’20, who had three and two tries, respectively.

The Big Green had the stage set for yet another rematch with twotime defending League Champion Harvard, this time in the finals of the Ivy 7s Tournament. The Crimson would prove to be no match for the Big Green as Dartmouth delivered a decisive 29-0 victory. Sands was voted co-MVP of the tournament, alongside Princeton’s Jessica Lu, by the head coaches of each team, as

she finished the tournament with six tries.

For the Big Green, this season is also about development as the team tries to develop more players who may be newer to rugby.

“We want to see our rookies continue to develop this season,” Sands said. “[The Brown 7s Tournament] was the first time some of our players [on the development team] had ever played in a rugby game. It was incredible!

We had six or seven players who had never played a game before, and our [B team] won their bracket.”

Wi t h a l l t h e e x c i t e m e n t surrounding this team, the women must remain focused on their goals as a team. There is no doubt that the team has been dominant thus far and has the potential to be National Champions, but it needs to continue to play sound rugby against the toughest competition.

The team will play in the Bowdoin Polar Bear 7s Tournament next Saturday, an event that could secure them an automatic spot in the 7s Nationals Tournament. With playoff spots on the line, this is a huge weekend for the Big Green, as they continue on their road to a championship.

By JUSTIN KRAMER

The Dartmouth Staff

Dartmouth men’s lightweight rowing has shaken up their training regimen this season with a scientific lactate training program.

Hired from Wesleyan University before the season, assistant coach Trevor Michelson recommended the new training approach. Michelson brought into the fold former German National Team coach Guenter Beutter to craft the team’s lactic acid training program.

“When I came here to Dartmouth, I thought that we had a good amount of improvement to be made physiologically,” Michelson said. “I thought it would be a really great way to start fresh, try something new to get guys to buy in, and it worked out pretty well.”

Lactic acid, described by Michelson as being responsible for the internal burning sensation caused by burning body fuel, allows for training to be focused less on achieving specific times and more on physiologically conditioning an athlete for maximum physical output.

Ben Adler ’18 provided a succinct description of training based on lactate zones.

“The idea behind lactate training zones is that your body’s ability to recover is what improves your performance and is strongly correlated with levels of lactic acid in your body,” Adler said. “You should be training in certain zones for certain amounts of time in order to optimize improvement.”

Michelson outlined the training program on a more specific level, accounting for the relationship between heart rate, lactic acid and performance.

“What we do is instead of giving them a split to train off of, we had someone come in and check their blood levels to see what amount of wattage these guys can produce at a certain level of blood in their body,” Michelson said. “That correlates to heart rate, and we can then time training there in the hopes of producing more wattage at the same level of exertion, that same lactic acid level.”

Rowing is primarily an aerobic sport, in which athletes use oxygen to fuel their muscles at least 80 percent of the time. Part of the lightweight crew’s vision with lactic acid training is to minimize the amount of time athletes spend training anaerobically — without oxygen — which occurs above a specific lactic acid concentration.

“By working just under that anaerobic level, you can push at what point your body becomes anaerobic farther and farther away, which just means you can be going faster and faster,” Michelson said.

Because rowing is such an aerobicintensive sport, a high volume of rowing is essential for a team to succeed. According to Michelson, rowers spend 700-800 minutes of training per week from September to May. “If you’re trying to build your endurance, your aerobic system, you’re going to do your exercise, whether it’s running, cycling or rowing, at a pretty low intensity for a long time,” Michelson said. “Sometimes you’ll hear 140-150 beats per minute for your heart rate. You want to be training at this consistent rate, get your heart pumping, get your body being really good bringing oxygen to your muscles and develop your capillaries and mitochondria.”

Many team members, including Michelson, bought in to the program precisely due to its highly customized nature, which gave individuals ownership over their own training regiments.

For captain Robbie Van Voorhis ’18, the past few seasons of mediocre training regimes compelled the team to be more in favor of the lactate zone training.

“What made it really appealing was that it was a digression from our previous training plan in years

past,” Van Voorhis said. “Results have shown that those training plans didn’t necessarily give us the level of success we wanted to [achieve], so I was already more open to the idea of adopting a new training plan.”

The organized and methodical approach of the new program also enhanced its reception.

“It’s a more scientific approach, the way that the training plan has developed,” Van Voorhis said. “I think that having a more data-driven, evidence-based foundation already makes it easier to adopt because you have so many data points that show that it works.”

The team’s faith in the new lactic acid system has been rewarded thus far.

“We’ve seen improvement across the board from a physiological standpoint,” Michelson said. “A lot of it comes down to the training, but more of it comes down to how hard our guys worked. They did an awesome job of buying into this training program and giving it their best, giving it their all throughout the winter.”

Adler and Van Voorhis have noticed the effects of the new program firsthand, as they have made major strides both physically and mentally.

Adler has experienced a 30 percent increase in his power output this season, while Van Voorhis has attained a renewed confidence in his performance.

“Because our guys were working at a controlled heart rate and lactic acid level, they could see improvement by staying consistent on the heart rate and see their splits go down and their watts go up,” Michelson said. “It was this constant reminder of, ‘It’s working!

It’s working!’”

The long term effect of the lactic acid program figures to play an even more important role in shaping the careers of the freshmen and recruiting classes to come.

“I think it will have a really big impact because it will start them off on the right foot,” Van Voorhis said.

“They’re training at a new level that is dictated by their current speed, so because the training program makes them faster over a year than another program would, all the training is catered to your new speed. It’s like a positive feedback loop.”

Holding on to their No. 9 rank, Dartmouth aims to utilize their new lactic acid training program to solidify their spot in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship Regatta.

“The general trend is constant upward trajectory that carried us through the winter until we got back on the water,” Michelson said. “Now it’s about moving to maintaining the fitness and still building a little, but starting to get ourselves ready to propel the boat.”

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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018

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Senior Spring: Foreste Peterson ’18 dominates alpine competition, plans to ski professionally post-graduation

By ANDREW WRIGHT The Dartmouth

Alpine skiing captain Foreste Peterson ’18 led the Dartmouth Ski Team to a third place finish at this year’s NCAA Ski Championships, among its best results in years.

The team captain, from Berkeley, California, has been among the most successful athletes for the Big Green at any level of competition over the last four years, with dual All-American First-Team honors and four All-East First Team honors. Along with this, Peterson competed at the FIS World Cup prior to the normal collegiate season this past fall, making her debut in Soelden, Austria in October 2017.

Peterson was introduced to skiing when she was two by her parents, both of whom are former ski racers.

She quickly excelled at the sport, eventually pursuing high school postgraduate training with the U.S. Ski Team. The grueling training schedule and constant competition required on the national team began to burn her out after a couple of years, and she began considering college and collegiate skiing competition as a way to try something new.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been drawn to Dartmouth,” Peterson said. “No one in my family had gone there, so I’m not even sure how I found out about it originally, but I honestly loved how it sounded. As time progressed and I learned how strong the Dartmouth Ski Team was, I became even more drawn to it. My visit here when I was in high school exceeded my hopes and expectations, and my heart was totally set on it.”

Peterson found immediate success at Dartmouth in her freshman year, quickly positioning herself as the team’s top female alpine skier with All-East First Team honors and five podium finishes to her name.

Peterson only improved during her sophomore season, making the AllAmerica First Team with a fifth-place finish in the giant slalom at the NCAA Championships. Over the season, she had six podium finishes and two outright victories, coming into the championship as the top-ranked skier in the giant slalom on the East Coast.

Junior year ended with Peterson receiving All-American honors yet again for her third-place finish in the slalom at NCAA championships, along with her third All-East First

Team spot. This capped off a season in which she finished inside the top nine in all nine races, with three outright victories. All of this past success built into her senior year, where she achieved All-East First Team honors once again and made her debut at the FIS World Cup in October 2017, the top level of professional skiing and the culmination of the success she has achieved in her collegiate career.

Peterson shared that her proudest moment did not actually occur during collegiate competition.

“My proudest moment didn’t physically take place at Dartmouth, but rather [as] I was representing Dartmouth while I raced in my first ever World Cup races this season,” Peterson said. “Getting to compete on the world stage like this has always been a dream of mine, and to do it while being a member of the Dartmouth ski team was especially cool.”

Peterson’s dedication and drive for the sport did not go unnoticed by her coaches and her teammates.

John Dwyer, the head coach of women’s alpine skiing, who previously coached at Burke Mountain Academy and worked with the U.S. Ski Team extensively before arriving at Dartmouth in 2015, describes Peterson as “fearless on the hill.”

Dwyer also admires the skier for how easy she is to speak with.

“She is candid and honest, and to have that type of relationship with an athlete, to bounce things back and forth, is really special,” Dwyer said.

Alexa Dlouhy ’19, a fellow alpine skier and dual All-American, described her first impression of Peterson as “extremely positive,” with the skier being the kind of person that “radiates positivity and warmth.”

Dlouhy views Peterson as someone who is always willing to do what it takes to succeed, describing her strengths as her positivity and work ethic.

“On the hill, this means that [Peterson] can have a tough day of training but come back the next day ready to work twice as hard,” Dlouhy said. “She does not shy away from challenges. This adds a lot to the team in that she is always someone you can count on to motivate you and lift you up when you are having a bad day.”

Dwyer believes that the team benefited enormously from her presence. “[Peterson has been] a positive

COURTESY OF FORESTE PETERSON

Foreste Peterson ’18 has been among the most successful athletes for the Big Green over the last four years, with dual All-American First-Team honors and four All-East First Team honors.

person and a role model for the other girls; showing her dedication to the sport has been an asset to the rest of the team,” Dwyer said. “She is just a good person, and her continuing to work hard shows the other girls that anything is possible.”

Dlouhy believes that Peterson’s dedication has made her an excellent leader for the rest of the team.

“I think she did a great job in setting the tone for the team because she is serious and committed to the sport, yet at the end of the day wants skiing to be enjoyable,” Dlouhy said.

“I think this fostered a positive team culture which I hope will continue.”

Alongside her athletic accolades, Peterson has excelled in the classroom, earning Academic All-Ivy honors her sophomore, junior and senior years, with a 3.74 GPA majoring in environmental studies. She was also named to the United States

Collegiate Ski and Snowboard National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team her junior year.

While many people might view the busy skiing schedule as making things even more difficult, Peterson works differently.

“Balancing academics and skiing has no doubt been challenging, but what has worked best for me is prioritizing what you’re doing in the moment,” Peterson said. “Making the most of my time has been key, so whether that was putting all of my focus and energy into the limited amount of time we’ve had during ski training or the time spent doing schoolwork. I love having a structured schedule in my life, so juggling school and skiing has definitely helped with that.”

The grueling year-round training schedule of alpine skiing has meant that Peterson has had less time to

pursue extracurricular activities at Dartmouth, something she hopes she can address this spring and summer term, when she will be finishing her last few credits. Peterson views this as a time that she can explore what she wants to do in the long term. After finishing her degree this summer, Peterson plans to move to Park City, Utah, where she will be joining a new private women’s skiing team.

Despite leaving the school in just two short terms, Peterson says she will always carry the lessons she has learned from her time in Hanover.

“My biggest takeaway from Dartmouth is the importance of surrounding yourself with people who make you happy,” Peterson said. “The ski team has always done that for me and has been the best community I could have ever imagined. Dartmouth skiing will always hold a very special place in my heart.”

COURTESY OF FORESTE PETERSON

In addition to competing for Dartmouth her senior year, Foreste Peterson ’18 made her World Cup debut in the FIS World Cup this past fall.