5.21.18
The Weekend Roundup p. 2 Professional Sports Marketing p. 4-5 Honorable Mention: Shoulders of Giants p. 6 Equestrian coach Sally Batton to retire after 201819 season p. 6-7
Senior Spring: Brian McLaughlin ’18 p. 7 Over its five years, interest in Dartmouth’s Triathalon Club has increased significantly p. 8
The Dartmouth’s Sports Awards 2017-18 p. 2-3
ANNIE DUNCAN/THE DARTMOUTH
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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
MONDAY, MAY 21, 2018
The weekend Examining top rookies and male Roundup and female athletes of the year By MARK CUI AND SAMANTHA HUSSEY
COMPILED BY Evan Griffith
The Dartmouth Senior Staff
RUGBY The women’s rugby team finished in eighth place in the 2018 Rugby 7’s National Championship on Saturday and Sunday at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado. On Saturday, the first matches of the tournament featured Dartmouth up against the other three teams in Pool A: Pennsylvania State University, Central Washington University and Lindenwood University. Dartmouth fell to Penn State 19-5 in its first match before defeating Central Washington, a team that defeated Dartmouth during last year’s nationals, 2914 in the second match. Camille Johnson ’19 had two tries in these two matches and Kat Ramage ’19 recorded two conversions. The third match was another loss to Lindenwood, 34-7. On Sunday, Dartmouth faced
off against teams from Pool B. In the Bowl Semifinal, Dartmouth fell to Harvard University in a close game, 26-24. As it seemed Dartmouth was about to score, Harvard’s Maya Learned laid a big tackle to the ball carrier, forcing the Big Green to the outside where they missed the conversion. In the final game of tournament play, Dartmouth fell once more to Davenport University 27-10. With the score tied at 10-10 11 minutes into the match, Davenport went on a 17-0 run to secure the victory. With the loss, the team finished in eighth place at the tournament. This is the second season in a row the Big Green have made it to nationals. Last season, they lost to Life University in the semifinal and Central Washington in the bronze medal game.
Baseball Dartmouth baseball suffered a tough loss to Harvard University this past Monday. Even though Dartmouth put up its best offensive performance of the season, Harvard’s team managed to hit five home runs to come back from an eight-run deficit to beat the Big Green 18-17. Five players for Dartmouth recorded at least three hits, with Dustin Shirley ’18 recording four for the Big Green. Sean Sullivan ’19 also had the
best offensive game of his career; in addition to his three hits, he scored four times and recorded two RBIs. Dartmouth needed this win to maintain second place in the Ivy League, however with this loss, Columbia University snuck ahead of Dartmouth to take over second place. The Lions will face Yale University in the Ivy League Championship Series in New Haven, which begins on Saturday.
Zachary ZacharyBenjamin Benjamin’19 ’19 Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief
Hanting Hanting Guo Guo ’19 ’19 Publisher Publisher
Ioana IoanaSolomon Solomon’19 ’19 Amanda AmandaZhou Zhou’19 ’19 Executive Editor Executive Editors Editors
4.30.18 4.23.18 Vol. 5.21.18 Vol. CLXXV CLXXV No. No. 27 21 41
Mark Mark Cui Cui ’19 ’19 Samantha Samantha Hussey Hussey ’20 ’20 Sports Sports Editors Editors
Justin Justin Kramer Kramer ’21 ’21 Associate Associate Sports Sports Editor Editor Divya Divya Kopalle Kopalle ’21 ’21 Michael Michael Lin Lin ’21 ’21 Photography Photography Editors Editors Jaclyn Jaclyn Eagle Eagle ’19 ’19 Templating Templating Editor Editor
At the end of each academic year, The Dartmouth’s sports section puts up players and moments to be voted upon by the student body as the best of the best. In this year’s The D Sports Awards, five of the top rookies, five of the top female athletes and five of the top male athletes are pitted against each other, the winners emerging only after a popular vote by members of the Dartmouth community. In order to vote, students and community members must go to the link below to cast a single vote before Wednesday, May 23 at 12 p.m. The winners will be announced on Thursday, May 24 in the next issue of The Dartmouth. Vote at: https://bit.ly/2wTLXFU Rookie of the Year: Dan Martin ’21 (Men’s Tennis) Dan Martin ’21, a Laval, Quebec native, proved to be a cruicial addition to the Big Green tennis team, which finished the season 20-6 overall after falling to No. 33 the University of Oregon in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship. In his first season, Martin played in the No. 2 and 3 position all season and finished the season with a 13-12 singles record and 5-3 doubles record alongside partners Ciro Riccardi ’18 and All-Ivy First Team members Charlie Broom ’20 and David Horneffer ’20.After an impressive start for the team, where the Big Green went 12-0 and were nationally-ranked at No. 14 for a while, Martin also made it to the National singles rankings for a few weeks, the highest point being at No. 101. His impressive achievements this season were affirmed when he was the only Big Green rookie and one of three first-years selected to the All-Ivy League Second Team for singles.
Jason Liu ’21 (Men’s Golf) Hailing from Windsor, Connecticut, Jason Liu ’21 quickly proved to be an asset to the team as he boosted the second-lowest scoring average for the Big Green at 74.3, only behind captain and All-Ivy League First Team member Ian Kelsey ’18, who finished the season with an average of 74.2. Liu finished the season with two top-10 finishes: one at the Macdonald Cup, where he finished ninth out of 81 golfers, and the other at the Cornell Spring Invitational, where he finished fourth of 19. In his final tournament of the season, Liu finished tied for 13th at Ivy League Championship with a final round of 67, which was the lowest round by any golfer in any of the three rounds. Liu was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year and is the third recipient of the title for Dartmouth since the award was first given in 2009. With Liu being added alongside former winners Peter Wiliamson ’12 and John Lazor ’19, the Big Green hold the most Rookie of the Year titles of any other program in the Ivy League. Katharine Ogden ’21 (Women’s Nordic Skiing) Katharine Ogden ’21, a Vermont native who previously skied at the Stratton Mountain School, has made a name for herself during her first season with the Big Green. Despite battling an illness during the first half of the season, Ogden quickly bounced back as she won five straight races, including both contests at the Middlebury College Winter Carnival. Ogden has also proven herself on the national stage. During the 2018 NCAA Skiing Championships, Ogden took not one, but two national titles home in a single year — something a Big Green skier has not done in 56 years — and was also the first woman ever to win a cross-country race for the Big Green. Ogden swept the
NCAA women Nordic races, finishing the 5K Classic 46.9 seconds ahead of the nearest racer, and winning the 15K Freestyle with a 37.6 second buffer. With Ogden’s contributions, the Big Green maintained its position in third place with 448.5 points, its best finish in seven years, and won four individual events at the NCAA Championships for just the second time ever. Ogden’s impressive showing this year was affirmed when she was named to the Women’s All-East First Team and also earned the title of EISA Women’s Nordic Rookie of the Year,and Women’s Classic Leader. Lilly Durbin ’21 (Women’s Rugby) Center Lilly Durbin ’21, from Murrieta, California, has been a dominant force throughout the season. Durbin came to Dartmouth with much experience on the international stage as a member of the USA Women’s Sevens National Team and has toured with them to countries such as France and Japan, while also captaining the USA Rugby U20 National Team on multiple international tours. During the 15s season, Durbin led the team in scoring with six recorded tries for 30 points, double the next teammate, Idia Ihensehkien ’21, who recorded 15 points. During the 7s season, Durbin also led the team in scoring with 25 tries and 17 conversions for a total of 171 points, 71 points ahead of next teammate, co-captain and former The Dartmouth’s Female Athlete of the Year Frankie Sands ’19. Schae Nelson ’21 (Softball) Catcher and utility player Schae Nelson ’21 from Montgomery, Texas has had a stellar showing in her first year with the Big Green, which finished its season 22-18 overall and 16-5 in SEE AWARDS PAGE 3
MONDAY, MAY 21, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
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The Dartmouth Sports Awards: Rookie of the year, male athlete of the year and female athlete of the year FROM AWARDS PAGE 2
conference. Nelson finished the season fifth on the team and leading the firstyear players in batting average with .294 on the season and a .386 average in conference action. Nelson leads rookies in several categories, including runs, hits, RBI, doubles, home runs and walks. She finished the season with 26 hits, including five doubles and is fourth on the team in home runs with five. From her impressive rookie season, Nelson was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year and to the All-Ivy First Team. Female Athlete of the Year: Cha’Mia Rothwell ’20 (Women’s Track & Field) Cha’Mia Rothwell ’20 blew away the competition with her Dartmouth record-breaking times. Coming off a stellar first-year, the Durham, North Carolina native had another fantastic season showing Big Green fans just how much better she had become. Last year, Rothwell broke four Dartmouth records in the long jump (20 feet, 3 inches), 60-meter hurdles (8.30 seconds), 60-meter dash (7.45 seconds) and 100-meter hurdles (13.23 seconds). Her 8.30s 60-meter hurdles time was an all-time Ivy League meet record. This season, Rothwell smashed her three past records in the 60-meter hurdles (8.28 seconds), long jump (20 feet, 7 inches) and 100-meter hurdles (13.24 seconds). Rothwell was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer for the second year in a row during the Women’s Indoor Ivy League Championships, as well as to the First Team All-Ivy for the 60-meter hurdles and long jump and to the Second Team All-Ivy for the 200-meter dash. For the outdoor season, Rothwell was named to the First Team All-Ivy for the 100-meter hurdles and Second-Team All-Ivy for
the long jump. Christine Honor ’19 (Women’s Hockey) Goalie Christine Honor ’19 has served as a stable force for the Big Green, starting all but one of the team’s games this season. She has made 818 saves while only allowing 83 goals for a .908 save percentage and 3.50 goals against average. She ranks first in the Dartmouth record books for most saves in a season and is the only goalie in Dartmouth history to make over 800 stops. Although the team finished the season with a disappointing record of 4-19-3, Honors finishes first in the league and fifth in the nation in saves. One of her best performances was her 61 saves in the win over Quinnipiac Univeristy, which remains the NCAA record for most stops in a shutout. At the conclusion of this stellar season, Honor was named as an All-Ivy League Honorable Mention. This award was the first career postseason recognition for Honor, the only Big Green player to be recognized. Cy Lippold ’19 (Women’s Basketball) Cy Lippold ’19 has emerged as a key contributor this year for Dartmouth women’s basketball despite only packing a height of five-feettwo-inches. Lippold, from the Bronx, New York, is the second-lead point contributor, averaging 12.3 points per game at point guard, while leading the Ivy League with 5.3 assists per game and snatching the fifth-most steals per game in the League. Lippold has made a meteoric rise this season. Previously, Lippold scored averages of 1.1 and 2.1 points per game and averaged 6.7 and 7.9 minutes per game her first two seasons, respectively. She started all 27 games this season while leading the 15-12 Big Green to its first ever wins
over Atlantic Coast Conference and Pacific-12 teams. Ellie Carson ’20 (Women’s Lacrosse) In an exciting season for the women’s lacrosse team, Ellie Carson ’20, an attacker from Alexandria, Virginia, emerged as a clear offensive leader for the Big Green in her second season, leading the team in goals, points and shots. Her average of 3.19 goals and 6.19 shots per game puts Carson at fifth in the Ivy League. On four separate occasions, against the University of Albany, Columbia University, Cornell University and University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Carson scored at least five goals per game for the team. Carson also became just the eighth player in program history to reach the 50 point mark in a single season, and recorded at least one goal in every game this season until an injury put an end to that streak. For her effort, Carson was named to the All-Northeast Regional First Team, one of only two Big Green players to be recognized. Kristina Mathis ’18 (Women’s Tennis) Kristina Mathis ’18 had an immediate impact on the Dartmouth women’s tennis team since her freshman year, where she was named All-Ivy First Team for doubles and the Most Improved on the team. She was awarded the All-Ivy First Team in doubles again her sophomore and junior years, and along with partner Taylor Ng ’17, became the first Dartmouth duo to qualify for the NCAA Doubles Tournament. During her junior year, she helped lead the team to a share of the Ivy League Title, the Big Green’s first since 2011. Going into her final season, Mathis’s game continued to improve. In the No. 1 singles position, she went 23-
13 overall and 12-7 in dual matches, finishing the year nationally ranked at 107. Her stellar singles play allowed her to qualify for the 2018 NCAA Singles Championship, which begins on May 23. As a result of her impressive play, she was named the Ivy League Player of the Year as a unanimous selection and earned a spot on the First Team All-Ivy singles team. Male Athlete of the Year: Alvin Heumann ’18 (Men’s Squash) From his hometown of Southport, Conneticut, captain Alvin Heumann ’18 has left behind a decorated legacy in the men’s squash program. He has improved his record in the No. 1 spot each year, starting 2-7 in his freshman year, jumping to 7-4 in his sophomore year, finishing 9-8 in his junior year and going 11-7 as a senior. This season, he also competed in the College Squash Association Individual Championships in March, falling in the second round. He was named to the All-Ivy First Team for his final two seasons, the College Squash Association All-American team and the Harrow Squash Player of the Week. Devin Buffalo ’18 (Men’s Hockey) After an outstanding senior season, Devin Buffalo ’18 was chosen by his teammates to receive the Phelan Award as the Team MVP and was recognized with a spot on the All-Ivy League Second Team. After missing five weeks due to injury, he bounced back as one of the top goals in the league, finishing the season with a .906 save percentage and a 2.84 goalsagainst average. Buffalo did not make a single appearance as a freshman and did not make his collegiate debut until the season debut his sophomore year. He ended up appearing in five games, posting a 1-2-1 team record. He made a significant jump his junior year, starting in 29 games and posted 758 saves on 847 shots to record a 89.5 save percentage. He had a season-high 48 saves at Quinnipiac University on Nov. 11. Buffalo was also one of 11 nominees for the 2018 Humanitarian Award, which is awarded to a college hockey student-athlete who makes significant contributions to the team as well as the larger community through leadership in volunteerism. He spent significant time this past summer in Canada, volunteering at the World Indigenous Games, North American Indigenous Games and the Alberta Indigenous Games. Dustin Shirley ’18 (Baseball) Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Dustin Shirley ’18 has had a major impact on the baseball team
as well as off the court. He was named as a top-10 draft prospect in the Ivy League for 2018 by D1Baseball.com after a stellar career for the Big Green. Shirley exploded in his sophomore year and was recognized as an All-Ivy League honorable mention at second base. In Ivy League games, his 32 hits tied for most and his .405 average ranked second. He led the Big Green in hits, runs, doubles, total bases, triples, slugging average, stolen bases and multihit games. As a junior, he was named to the Spring Academic All-Ivy League Team and had another solid season. During his senior season, he recorded career highs in runs, runs batted in and batting average, with 26, 32 and .314 respectively. Shirley was also named as one of the 30 baseball student-athlete candidates for the Senior CLASS reward. The reward is based on four key areas: community, classroom, character and competition. Miles Wright ’18 (Men’s Basketball) After stellar play in both football and basketball at Tabor Academy in Boston, Massachusetts, Miles Wright ’18 made an immediate impact for the Big Green his freshman year as a guard. He became the first Big Green player since 2004 to win the Ivy League Rookie of the Year after a solid season in which he averaged 7.7 points per game and was sixth in the Ivy League with 1.4 steals per game. He made a big jump his sophomore season, improving his point per game to 11.2 and leading the team in three-pointers made and blocked shots with 37 and 12 respectively. As a junior, he led the Big Green in three-pointers made and steals with 42 and 21, respectively. As a co-captain his senior year, he became the 29th Big Green player to reach the 1,000 points milestone and set a record for career starts with 106. He is also the only player in Big Green history with 1,000 points, 400 rebounds, 100 three-pointers and 100 steals. Tanguy Nef ’20 (Alpine Men’s Skiing) Originally from Geneva, Switzerland, Tanguy Nef ’20 has been a prodigy skier for the Big Green. As a freshman, he finished sixth at the NCAA Championships and was named to the All-America Second Team and the All-East First Team. He improved even more as a sophomore; the highlight was him taking All-American First Team honors after finishing first in the NCAA Championships. He became the first Dartmouth slalom champion since Karl Johnson in 2006 and is also the first Dartmouth skier to be awarded All-American honors in both the slalom and giant slalom since 2011.
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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
MONDAY, MAY 21, 2018
Professional Sp
A closer look at the marketing of five Washington D
BY MAYA
The Dartm
MAYA MOTEN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
A look at average postings of five Washington, D.C. teams in season compared to out of season.
Over the course of the last four millennia, content when in season. On average, the sports have served as an integral part of team posts nearly 16 times in a month while the human experience. With these contests in season. In contrast, during the offseason drawing billions from around the world, their monthly posting rate decreases to a third marketing representatives constantly need to of the usual amount. This decrease is even develop innovative approaches to engage fans more emphasized amongst the Nationals, throughout the year. However, what strategies Washington’s resident baseball team, and do teams use to motivate fans to respond? in the ice rink with the Capitals, with both What do some of these interactions look like? teams reducing to an eighth of the in-season Do they differ among different sports? posting. This week, The Dartmouth examines In contrast, both the Washington Redskins the social media sites of teams in the and D.C. United remain relatively consistent Washington, D.C. area as throughout the year, a model to answer some posting on average the Although teams of these questions and same amount of content determine some of the strive to continue during the offseason and more successful methods to post and engage while in season. This for getting fans to respond. could potentially be due their fans during the to the short offseason of In Season vs Offseason offseason, there is still soccer. It also could be due For many teams, it to the large following of is easy to post on social a significant decrease football throughout the media during the regular amongst many teams. year, as fans consistently season. There is a certain follow the NFL Draft and amount of built-in content training camps. While when posting about player that is not to say that highlights, the outcomes other sports do not go of games, interviews and press releases from through the same offseason programming, teams. It is only during the offseason that the football remains America’s favorite sport by challenge to remain relevant amongst fans a margin of over 25 percent, according to a emerges. Although teams strive to continue January 2018 Gallup poll. Because of this, it to post and engage their fans during the is understandable that a football team would offseason, there is still a significant decrease seek to remain consistent throughout the year amongst many teams. to retain those fans. For Washington’s basketball team, the Wizards, there is an abundant supply of Twitter Surges
The disparity in posting by time is not or highlight capturing a moment instead of the only one that emerges when looking at the simple update associated with Twitter. the habits of social media Therefore, one can easily marketing. The frequency “On average, teams place 10, 15 or even 20 of posts and different messages on the site as platforms varies as well. post on Twitter the busy fan might only On average, teams post double, triple and have the opportunity to on Twitter double, triple see three. in smoe instances and in some rare instances quadruple the amount quadruple the Message Formats that they do on Instagram amount that they Regardless of and Facebook. the debate of how often Although Twitter data do on Instagram and teams post during the is restricted to an account’s Facebook. season or offseason or first 3,200 tweets, when how much teams post on examining the average each site, teams do focus posting rates from the on producing content months of February, March, and April using tailored to the different audiences that they the Washington Nationals as an example, cater to on each social media platform. the team posts at least 18 times per month According to a Pew Research Center report on average. In comparison, this is nearly on social media use in 2018, although most four times the amount of Instagram and people aged 18 to 65 and older use different Facebook posts the team sends. Although the social media, this demographic varies Nationals are the only teams shown here, the significantly in which sites they favor. While same trend emerges among the other D.C. most Americans use Facebook, those ages 18 teams — especially among the Capitals with to 24 are much more likely to use Instagram the team posting four times as much and in and Twitter. Therefore, the messages that one instance five times as much. appear on each platform reflect those users. One of the primary reasons this occurs is On Facebook, teams are much more likely due to the easy accessibility of Twitter. With to post messages sharing the accomplishments 280 characters it is convenient to quickly send of players, the team and other affiliates. When something out and update it in real time. In Max Scherzer, pitcher for the Nationals, addition, Twitter possesses a certain level of earned his 2,000th career strikeout by striking impermanence that is not associated with out the Texas Ranger’s Nomar Mazara, video Facebook and Instagram. With Facebook and highlights touting the accomplishment could Instagram, audiences are looking for a photo be seen throughout the team’s Facebook page
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
MONDAY, MAY 21, 2018
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ports Marketing
D.C. professional teams across five different sports
A MOTEN
mouth Staff
MAYA MOTEN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
A closer look at the Washington Nationals and its average postings on across three social media platforms: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
with messages like, “Max Scherzer strikes out Nomar Mazara for the 2,000th strikeout of his career.” These messages give the fans a way of remaining updated and inspire fans to support the team and even include them in the franchise and athlete’s success. In contrast, to appeal to the younger, fast-paced crowd on Twitter, teams rely more upon posts that update fans in real time on games, highlights, interviews and recaps. Often times when facing another team, marketing managers live-tweet games featuring messages such as the one the Capitals posted when preparing for their Game 6 against the Tampa Bay
Lightning during the Stanley Cup Playoffs: “#Caps trail their series 3-2 and are facing elimination for the first time in the 2018 #StanleyCup playoffs. Game six will be played in the District on Monday night. #ALLCAPS” Another added benefit that teams take advantage of is the interconnectedness of the platform. With a simple hashtag or mention, teams have the ability to reach out to a wider audience than their own followers. For that reason, teams often collaborate on promotions with other organizations to sponsor free tickets, photos of the game and merchandise provided by the franchise.
Before one of the more recent games, D.C. United paired up with Taste of Arlington, a food festival featuring Arlington food with donations going to charity, by promoting on their Twitter page: “Come by the #DCU booth at @TasteArlington for games and giveaways until 5 today!” By connecting with a broader community, teams are able to connect to other fans and continue to promote their brand. While Facebook and Twitter may appear to fall on different spectrums, Instagram finds a happy medium between the pair, with posts primarily focusing on featuring players through their performance during games
or while training and spotlighting them in interviews. A primary example of this was the exit interview basketball player Marcin Gortat provided reporters after leaving the Washington Wizards. Regardless of the site or type of message, each is focused on creating a narrative around the team capitalizing on the big moments and illuminating the franchise while providing accessibility to the fans. This accessibility, which can be seen across every platform keeping fans engaged, is the reason why sports have continued through four millenia and the reason why it will keep existing after four more.
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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
Honorable Mention with Ray Lu ’18
Honorable Mention: Shoulders of Giants In the world of sports, athletes often retire well past their prime, which only makes sense as ultra-competitive individuals struggle to deal with the decline of their abilities. Thankfully, this column avoids that awkward dilemma by never having had a prime in the first place. We’re not going out on top, per se, but we are most certainly going out. Welcome my final “sports” “column” at The Dartmouth. It’s only fitting that the final edition of “Honorable Mention” comes on the heels of my last Green Key. Something something lemons,somethingsomethinglemonade. High school athletics, Dartmouth intramural sports and movies have taught me all I know, which is to say I know very little. More importantly, I give you hastily-aggregated post-Green Key lessons and reflections in the form of quotes from the world of athletics, both real and imaginary — call it going out on the shoulders of giants. “You, me or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” -Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa in “Rocky” Is this a cop-out? Most certainly. I’ll admit I didn’t watch “Rocky” until my sophomore fall, but that’s sure better than the fact that I own “Hoosiers” on Blu-ray and have never unwrapped the disc. “Rocky” is timeless, not just for the grit, grind and determination in Stallone’s character but also for the unlimited number of sequels over the years. If 12 hours and 45 minutes of runtime doesn’t guarantee immortality, maybe one more sequel in the form of “Creed II” will. “The inability to envision a certain kind of person doing a certain kind of thing because
you’ve never seen someone who looks like him do it before is not just a vice. It’s a luxury. What begins as a failure of the imagination ends as a market inefficiency: when you rule out an entire class of people from doing a job simply by their appearance, you are less likely to find the best person for the job.” -Michael Lewis in “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game” There are a million and two memorable quotes in both the original Michael Lewis book and the movie — because, after all, “how can you not be romantic about baseball?” Attempting to quantify the world of sports, where a unique blend of entertainment and moral lessons keeps us coming back for more, is attractive because it’s as close as we feel like we can get to objectively measuring life’s intangibles. Reading “Moneyball” as a class assignment in QSS 30.01, “Sports Analytics” was the first time I recognized a real world application of what I learned in school. “Trying to be the best, failing, getting back up. Those characteristics are going to allow you to make great decisions. They are going to allow you to compete. They are going to allow you achieve your best. That’s the American dream.” -Ronnie Lott in “The Boomer List” museum exhibit In Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ “The Boomer List,” Lott — who was named to 10 Pro Bowls, won four Super Bowls and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000 — summarizes the lessons learned growing up in a defining time in American history. Healso decided to amputate the tip of his finger in 1985 in order to get back on the football field faster. If that’s not the stuff legends are made of, I don’t know what is. “Success isn’t owned. It’s leased, and rent is due every day.” - J.J. Watt Yes, J.J. Watt might try a little too hard to be a real-life superhero — there are several quotes from the defensive end that sound more like action movie soundbites than words humans would say — but that’s not to say that he doesn’t mean well. His charity work, especially after Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas last year, speaks for itself. Besides, you don’t win three Defensive Player of the Year awards by sleeping in. “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.” –“The Sandlot” Cavs over Warriors in seven.
MONDAY, MAY 21, 2018
Equestrian coach Sally Batton to retire after 2018-19 season By JUSTIN KRAMER
Dartmouth Outing Club and then the Dean’s Office. “In all those years, we had Veteran head equestrian coach some success, but it was a little Sally Batton recently announced hard for me because I was the that the 2018-19 season will only varsity coach who also had be her last. Recipient of the to be the director of an auxiliary 2013 Intercollegiate Horse Show and manage the community and Association Lifetime Achievement all that, so I was pulled in a lot of award, Batton will retire from an directions,” she said. Batton’s career and the team’s illustrious 29-year career that saw success took off further when the Big Green win the Athletics five Ivy League Department took championships, “The biggest hold of the team highlighted by memory and success in 2011. a 2014 team “I really feel a p p e a r a n c e was in 2014, when all that the team i n t h e I H S A through the years at has thrived since Nationals. Dartmouth, I’d had t h e n , ” B at t o n A native said. “They get o f a n u r b a n a lot of individual the recognition environment in National qualifiers, they deserve as a Canton, Ohio, full varsity team. Batton did not but as a team we Having all my get her first horse had never qualified. attention on them until high school. and them alone Though she loved Eventually, you can really improved the sport, Batton say we came in 10th the team and was not always out of 400 teams. brought us even s u re t h at s h e greater success. would become That was quite a If you look at our a n e q u e s t r i a n thrill and pretty wins in the past coach. much the highlight.” few years as far “I actually as the Ivies and went to the the region, that’s College of - SALLY BATTON, post-2011. Plus, Wooster in Ohio the horses only first and intended EQUESTRIAN HEAD have the team to go down the COACH on them, instead ve t [ e r i n a r i a n ] of also having track, but I took the science courses and [thought], beginner riders and other riders ‘I don’t think I can do this for eight who might not be as skilled.” The 2011 change also allowed years,’” Batton said. “At the end of my sophomore year, I transferred Batton to start recruiting, which to Lake Erie College in Ohio and helped lead to the pinnacle of it was there that I actually majored her career, the team’s 2014 IHSA Nationals appearance. in equestrian studies.” “The biggest memory and The Dartmouth equestrian community could not have been success was in 2014 when all luckier, as after a six year stint through the years at Dartmouth, at Centenary University in New I’d had a lot of individual National Jersey, Batton was hired to the Big qualifiers, but as a team we Green equestrian staff in 1990. She had never qualified,” she said. took over as head coach the next “Eventually, you can say we came in 10th out of 400 teams. That was year. “My first year, I did a little bit quite a thrill and pretty much the of everything,” Batton said. “I highlight.” While Batton’s career has been was in charge of all the programs at the farm, and at that time, historically successful, perhaps there were around 150 riders even more impressive is how much per week between Dartmouth of an influence she has had on her and community members. It was riders and horses. “What made her the most basically a whirlwind right from the start at Dartmouth, and I did impactful for me was how open, upfront and candid she is about a lot of different things.” For year s, Batton jug g led everything,” co-captain Claire Bick her responsibilities of coaching ’18 said. “It was always really nice w i th th e re s p o n s i b i l i ti es o f for me to hear her direct feedback maintaining a physical education about my performance in very clear program, summer horse shows, terms, and she’d always have very horse boarding and more, as the clear deliverables that she wanted equestrian team, though a varsity from you.” T he equestrian team has sport, was under the control of the The Dartmouth Staff
experienced athletes competing at the highest levels down to beginners at walk-trot level, and Batton has made every effort to make them all feel included. “[Batton] has this amazing skill for honing in on the strengths of every rider and horse that she comes across,” co-captain Olivia Champ ’19 said. “She treats everyone with the same effort, respect, and love.” A pri me examp le o f h er inclusivity and welcoming attitude is how Batton treats freshmen. “I think that [Batton] has a really good way of stepping back and helping freshmen when they come into the sport really think about their basic riding skills rather than jumping right into all of the finess and fine-tuning of year-round,” Bick said. “She’s able to strip a lot of the stuff away, so you can just think about the job that you need to get done at the time you need to get it done.” For both Bick and Champ, what distinguishes Batton from most coaches is her commitment to care for the ten horses Dartmouth athletes rotate between. “I think that in a sport that involves animals, there’s a tendency for people to lose sight that you are working with a living, breathing thing, and [Batton] really does put the horses first and is always thinking about how your actions are going to impact them,” Bick said. Batton’s empathy for the horses she works with hits home hard for Champ, who brought her own horse of nine years to campus during sophomore summer. “He has been on and off with injuries the entire time he’s been here, but [Batton] has been so sensitive to trying to figure out exactly what’s wrong and to make him better,” Champ said. “That really speaks to her as a person — how much she cares about understanding these animals, getting into their minds, and bringing out the best in them.” The team is also inspired by frequent instances of Batton’s vibrant, free-spirited personality, which even once led her to strut to the tune of “Welcome to the Jungle” on her red-streaked horse while dressed in a rockstar kiss outfit at the Ivy League Championship. Bick’s fondest memory with Batton comes from in the ring, when Batton supported the team to a 2016 Ivy League Championship. “That season she did a really great job of saying, ‘This is what you’re going to experience at Ivies, SEE BATTON PAGE 7
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MONDAY, MAY 21, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
Batton retires after 29 years with team
Senior Spring: Brian McLaughlin ’18 is competitive on all stages
FROM BATTON PAGE 6 Batton will miss her riders and and this is what you need to do in the experience of coaching at order to deliver,’ Bick said. “It was Dartmouth immensely. Before Batton departs, the Big a combination of us being so well prepared thanks to [Batton], and Green riders would love to give her the team being able to really lay one last hoorah and replicate their down the performance that she 2014 success. “For us to go to Nationals next described for us.” As Batton heads into retirement year as a team would be the best from coaching after next season, send off gift possible for all the years she will have more time to focus she’s put into [coaching],” Bick said. “Right on the Athletic now, it’s the Equestrian League “For us to go to perfect level of which she created nationals next year everyone on the in 2010 to increase team cheering t r a n s p a r e n c y as a team would be each other on, a n d d e c r e a s e the best send off gift supporting subjectiveness. possible for all the each other and The league has having the best since spread across years she’s put into team dynamic New England, [coaching]. Right possible.” New York, Ohio As she now, it’s the perfect and California. enters her 29th “I wanted to level of everyone on and final season develop a riding at Dartmouth, league and a riding the team cheering Batton wants system that didn’t each other on, to enjoy the rely so much on supporting each ride and finish subjective judging, her career off so I developed the other and having the strong. idea of riders of best team dynamic “When they being scored,” heard that I was Batton said. “They possible.” retiring from get their score Dartmouth, sheets at the end - CLAIRE BICK ’18, the team said, of the horse show. ‘ N e x t y e a r, I really hope to CO-CAPTAIN OF THE we’re doing spend a lot of time EQUESTRIAN TEAM it for Sally,’” on that and get that Batton said. into every state in “We hope to the country, so I’ll be doing a lot win the region, the zone, go to of traveling.” Batton also plans to focus on Nationals, win the Ivy, we just her involvement in equestrian want to sweep the whole thing. clinics, in which she travels We’re super excited about next across the country to pass on her year, and hopefully I’ll be able to wealth of knowledge. Nonetheless, go out with a bang.”
the six carnivals as a rookie. He was of McLaughlin’s since high school especially impressive in the giant and was especially enthralled by the The Dartmouth Staff slalom in which he came in fourth success McLaughlin achieved this in his first event. By his sophomore year. “My favorite memories come from Brian McLaughlin ’18 has had year, McLaughlin had become a first a magnificent Dartmouth career team All-American. He finished this year at NCAA championships and is a veteran member of the third in the NCAA Championships and Nor-Am finals in Kimberly, varsity alpine ski team. McLaughlin in slalom and reached the podium B.C.” Woolson said. “[McLaughlin] and I have been has been on skis since he was two in five of the six teammates since and competitive since he was carnival events. high school, young. A leader on the team and a As he g rew “The coolest thing and to have a notorious competitor, McLaughlin and became a about competing teammate reach was already a prolific athlete by the veteran member the level that time he started at Dartmouth, but of the Big Green, at Dartmouth is [he] was skiing he has proved himself even more. M c L a u g h l i n the team mentality at this season is From a young age, McLaughlin took on more that is hard to something I’ ll has been a top skier in the country of a leadership always cherish.” and successful on both the national r o l e , s e r v i n g find elsewhere in Woolson also and international stage. In 2011, as a motivator skiing. Competing pointed out that McLaughlin had his first big a n d m e n t o r this season was breakthrough when he qualified for developing at the NCAA a perfect bow for the U.S. Championships. He members of the Championships on top of a consequently earned a spot on team. with all four teams very impressive the U.S. Development Team. “It was collegiate career McLaughlin has also been a part i nv a l u a b l e t o striving for the same for McLaughlin. of the U.S. Junior team. have Brian as goal is really fun. “ To have “The U.S. Ski Team is definitely a t e a m m at e, ” watched him a different vibe,” McLaughlin said. alpine skier Kalle The atmosphere is wo rk t h ro u g h “It is awesome to race and train with Wagner ’21 said. intense and every all his setbacks some of the best skiers in the world. “He always leads athlete and run throughout Also, representing the U.S. at the by example and h e ye a r s a n d World Junior Ski Championships helped foster a matters, which c u l m i n at e h i s was special.” special culture makes for a really college career This year, McLaughlin had within the ski unique experience.” with an NCAA several impressive outings on the team.” win and a Nornational and international circuits. McLaughlin Am title was McLaughlin took first place in the h a s made incredible,” he Giant Slalom at the Nor-Am Cup i n v a l u a b l e - BRIAN MCLAUGHLIN in Canada, while finishing second contributions to ’18, MEN’S ALPINE SKIER said. McLaughlin is in the same event at National the Dartmouth very thankful for Championships two weeks later. He ski team beyond his years as a has also competed across the globe what the statistics as a member of the U.S. Ski Team, read. He helped culminate a member of the Big Green. The teamincluding his 2017 perfornabce at competitive culture that has kept focused atmosphere is hard to find the Australian New Zealand Cup. Dartmouth men’s skiing amongst in sports that are as individualistic As a member of the Big Green, the best collegiate programs in the as skiing, but McLaughlin found a home in Hanover. He has enjoyed McLaughlin was a leader who was country. known by his peers as a hard worker N o n e t h e l e s s, M c L a u g h l i n the competitive culture and close and an intense competitor. had some spectacular statistical teammates who worked hard to “He’s very meticulous with performances of his own as a push each other to be as good as his preparation both on and off member of the Big Green. He possible. “The coolest thing about the hill,” teammate and captain had a star-caliber senior year, Thomas Woolson ’17 said. “Before posting excellent results in several competing at Dartmouth is the races, he is always making sure different categories at national and team mentality that is hard to find elsewhere in skiing,” McLaughlin his skis and body are as prepared international events. as possible, and when on the hill, “I had a few of the best races of said. “Competing at the NCAA whether it’s training or racing, he my career this season,” McLaughlin Championships with all four teams makes sure he has said. “Winning — men’s and women’s alpine and a plan and is in a the N C A A Nordic — striving for the same “He’s very place where he Championships goal is really fun. The atmosphere feels comfortable meticulous with his [Giant Slalom] is intense and every athlete and run to execute. He’s really cool. matters, which makes for a really preparation both on was someone who is The fact that it is unique experience.” McLaughlin’s departure marks never looking for and off the hill.” such a team event a shortcut.” and being neck the end of an era for Dartmouth McLaughlin’s and neck with skiing. Though the team may have e x t r e m e - THOMAS WOOLSON [ Ta n g u y N e f huge boots to fill, McLaughlin’s p r e p a r a t i o n ’17, CAPTAIN OF THE ’20] was really impact on the team will last for years to come. McLaughlin was made him an special.” MEN’S ALPINE SKI TEAM athlete who stood Even some of a great leader and an even better out amongst his M c L a u g h l i n ’s competitor, setting a very high bar. peers. He made a name for long-time teammates were amazed McLaughlin has etched his place himself early in Hanover as he by McLaughlin’s performance this into a historic list of elite skiers who represented Dartmouth at each of season. Woolson has been a teammate have worn the Dartmouth green.
By jAKE PHILHOWER
MONDAY, MAY 21, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
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TODAY’S LINEUP
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Over its five years, interest in Dartmouth’s Triathalon Club has increased significantly By SABENA ALLEN
The Dartmouth Staff
When Dartmouth’s Triathlon Club was founded five years ago by Kendall Farnham ’14, Sara Heard ’15 and Nicolina Mascia ’15., the group of students wanted to fill the void for athletes who wish to expand to multiple sports. The trio wanted something new because previous iterations of the triathlon team were no longer around, according to Matthew Goff ’18, who joined the club in the winter of his freshman year. A high school hockey player, Goff was not satisfied with club hockey but wanted to participate in a team while at Dartmouth. “I found out in the winter that we had a triathlon team and decided to go to a practice [and] give it a shot, and I absolutely loved the environment, the people and the sport,” Goff said. “I did my first race in the spring of my freshman year and kinda got hooked.” His freshman fall was the first time the team trained and eventually competed in full force. Now, the team has over 50 active members, Goff said. Almost half of these members are ’21s. The Triathlon team swims, bikes and runs in a variety of different events. Beginner members of the team focus on the sprints, the shortest event. This consists of a 750m swim, a 12 mile bike and a 5K run. Some team members race in the Olympic event, which is a 1.5K swim, 25 mile bike and a 10K run. Others even train for longer events like Half Ironman or Ironman. The Ironman includes a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and running a marathon. Most triathlon events are in the spring and summer. The team races every May, which is the first race for many of the new members. “It was so fun,” Hannah Lang ’21 said of her first race. “We trained really hard for it, so it was really nice to finally get to do it.” Triathlon season continues through the summer and into the fall. The team often races within the first two weeks of fall term, Goff said. Sophomore summer is a great time to be on the team because there are so many races at that time in the New Hampshire area. The team mostly races in New England, but
COURTESY OF DARTMOUTH TRIATHLON CLUB
The Triathlon team swims, bikes and runs in a variety of different events. Many athletes train six days a week, though practices are held seven days a week.
sometimes they go as far as New York or further, according to Goff. Training is rigorous, especially for longer events. Many athletes train six days a week, and practices are held seven days a week, Goff said. Team members may train up to twice a day. The team has two volunteer coaches, but they schedule all of their own training events and their races, according to Lang. Although the practices are rigorous, the athletes have a lot of fun at practice. “With everyone at Dartmouth having very busy schedules, the time we spend with the team is precious,” co-captain Carly Tymm ’20 said. “I look forward to practices every day both for the workout and the social component. While our practices are often challenging, they are so much fun. I am often nearly in tears laughing in the middle of practice due to the fun environment we have created on the team, and I cannot begin to describe how much of a positive impact the team has had on my experience at Dartmouth.” This year was the first year that the team was able to go on a training trip. They rented a house in Orlando, Florida, trained at the National Training Center in Clermont and competed in the Intimidator and Great Clermont triathlons at the end of their stay. This was made possible due to their recent purchase of a large trailer,
which was able to transport 25 bikes. Because triathlon is an expensive sport, the team has been working on cutting costs for bikes, wetsuits and races to make the sport more accessible, according to Goff. They receive much of their funding from donors, he added. The leadership transitions have been smooth, even in the club’s infancy, according to Goff. The team has two junior captains — Sonia Rowley ’19, Tucker Evans ’19 and one sophomore captain, Tymm. They also have a 19-member executive board made up of different classes. Spring is a transitional time in the club when the seniors take a step back from direct management, Goff said. Lang, who is on the
executive board, said that the new execs are mentored by a senior when they take the position in the spring. There is a lot to manage, and each executive takes up a different role. “What’s most important to me is the people on the team,” Lang said. As a freshman, Lang said she appreciated the inclusivity of the team and considers it an integral part of her time at Dartmouth so far. “What it added for me was a support network of people who always said ‘Hi’ to me whenever they saw me and were interested in hearing about how my day was going,” she said. Rowley echoed a similar sentiment on the team’s impact on
her Dartmouth experience. “I can’t overstate how much the Dartmouth Tri family has shaped my college experience,” Rowley said. “Since my freshman fall, I have developed a passion for triathlon as a sport, but even more than that, I have fallen in love with the triathlon community.” Tymm added that the triathlon team, with its mutual support and encouragement, serves as a model of consideration and respect that “adds immensive positivity to the Dartmouth community.” “I think that triathlon members are just all over in so many different parts of campus and I think they’re leaders in a lot of different ways,” he said.
COURTESY OF DARTMOUTH TRIATHLON CLUB
Many athletes note the fun and challenging environment as what brings them back year after year.