9.24.18
The Weekend Roundup p. 2-3 Faces in the Crowd: A glimpse into the lives of four skilled ’22s joining Dartmouth sports p. 4-5
Sticking to Sports: What is going on in Pittsburgh? p. 6
Griffith’s Got Stats: Looking ahead at the 2019 draft class p. 7
Men’s soccer picks up double overtime win over UMass Amherst p. 8
DANNY KIM/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
SW 2
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
The weekend Roundup
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
M TENNIS
COMPILED BY MARK CUI, LUKE GITTER, & SAMANTHA HUSSEY
SAILING
EVAN MORGAN/THE DARMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The sailing team competed in four tournaments this past weekend.
This weekend, the Dartmouth sailing team competed in four tournaments, including the Sherman Hoyt Trophy at Brown University, the Mrs. Hurst Bowl at Dartmouth, the Hood Trophy at Tufts University and Norman Reid Trophy. At the Hoyt Trophy, the team finished in 10th out of 18 competing teams with a
final combined A and B team score of 203. Harvard University took first with 137 points. At the Mrs. Hurst Bowl, the team scored 74 points to secure first place out of 16 competing teams. Dartmouth’s scores for the Hood Trophy and the Norman Reid Trophy were not available at the time of publication.
CROSS COUNTRY The women’s cross country team placed fifth out of 24 competing teams at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown, hosted by Boston College. Lauren Sapone ’20 led a tight pack of Dartmouth runners with a 27th place finish, completing the 5K in 17:52. Glennis Murphy ’21 came in just four-tenths of a second after Sapone to finish 30th overall, followed by Olivia Lantz ’19 coming in at 34th. Lillian Anderson ’19 and Grace Thompson ’19 followed suit in 37th and 39th places. The Big Green’s top five placing runners were separated by just 7.4 seconds.
The men’s cross-country team placed eighth overall out of 23 teams at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown hosted by Boston College. Quinn Cooney ’19 finished first amongst the Big Green runners with a 40th place finish at 24.57.2, followed by Patrick O’Brien ’21 in 42nd. Teammates Sander Kushen ’19, Henry Raymond ’20 and Owen Ritz ’21 followed close behind, placing 46th, 50th and 54th respectively. Both cross country teams will be competing in the New England Championships next 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 Ioana Solomon Zhou ’19 Amanda Zhou’19 ’19 Executive Editor Executive Editors Editors
4.30.18 4.23.18 Vol. 9.24.18 Vol. CLXXV CLXXV No. No. 27 21 67
Nathan Albrinck ’20 Mark Mark Cui Cui ’19 ’19 Mark Cui ’19 Samantha Samantha Hussey Hussey ’20 ’20 Samantha Hussey ’20 Sports Sports Editors Editors Sports Editors
Justin Justin Kramer Kramer ’21 ’21 Justin Kramer ’21
Associate Associate Sports Sports Editor Editor Associate Sports Editor Divya Divya Kopalle ’21 Divya Kopalle Kopalle ’21 ’21 Michael Michael Lin Lin ’21 ’21 Michael Lin ’21 Photography Photography Editors Editors Photography Editors Jaclyn JaclynNewton Eagle Eagle ’19 ’19 Hattie ‘21 Templating Templating Editor Editor
TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARMOUTH STAFF
The men’s team participated at the Ivy Plus tournament, along with players from 18 other colleges.
The men’s tennis team competed at the Ivy Plus tournament at both Yale University and Princeton University from Friday until Sunday. Invited players came from all eight schools of the Ivy League, as well as 11 additional colleges. On day one, the Big Green won three matches at Yale. Sid Chari ’22 and Sacha Pritzker ’22 came out on top in their matches against the University of Pennsylvania and Brown University respectively, and Roko Glasnovic ’19 and Pierce Widdecombe ’22 won their doubles match 8-5 against Penn.At Princeton, the men’s team won six matches. Peter Conklin ’21 was victorious in both his
singles match and doubles match alongside Casey Ross ’21. Charlie Broom ’20 defeated University of Alabama’s No. 3 Mazen Osama and went on to take his doubles match alongside David Horneffer ’20. On day two, the team won 10 total matches at Yale and Princeton, including three out of four at Yale and six of 10 at Princeton. The Big Green wrapped up the final day of the tournament with five matches, winning one of two singles matches at Yale and one of three doubles matches at Princeton. The team will face its next test at the ITA All-America Tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma beginning on Saturday.
RUGBY On Saturday, the top two Ivy League Rugby and National Intercollegiate Rugby Association teams went head-to-head with the Big Green dominating Harvard University 55-13. The top-ranked Big Green improve to 4-0, while No. 2 Crimson fell to 2-1. The team’s dominant performance proved to be a collective effort as eight different players recorded tries. The team’s offensive charge was led by center Emily Henrich ’22 recording one try and three conversions for 11 points and flyhalf Becca Jane Rosko ’20 adding a pair of tries for 10 points.
Despite some early back-and-forth action, the Big Green quickly got ahead with a 31-0 advantage with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Despite a late Crimson penalty kick to finish the half, Dartmouth came into the second half with three tries and one conversion in the first eight minutes to increase the lead to 48-8. With late contributions from Henrich and Kat Ramage ’19, the Big Green finished the game 55-8. In two weeks, Dartmouth will host No. 5 American International College.
M GOLF This past weekend, the men’s golf team finished sixth out of 12 teams at the Quechee Club Collegiate Challenge in Vermont. The Lakeland course is a par-72 and 6,671 yards. On day one, the team finished with a 19-over 307 to secure ninth place. John Lazor ’19 recorded a pair of birdies to finish at 2-under par and take 12th place with a 74 (+2). Charles Petrie ’22 also recorded two birdies on the first day. Three Big Green golfers competed in the tournament as individuals. The Big Green
rebounded after day one with a brilliant day two to move up two spots on the final rankings. This comeback was led by Sam Ohno ’21 and Jason Liu ’21, who both finished the round with a 1-under 71. The team ended the day with 293 (+5) and a two-day total of 600 (+24). Bucknell University took the title with a final score of 583 (+7). Next, Dartmouth will compete at the Firestone Invitational hosted by Akron University on Oct. 1 and 2.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
SW 3
FOOTBALL
MICHAEL LIN/THE DARMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The Big Green crushed the College of the Holy Cross 34-14 on Saturday.
With an impressive performance by the defense, the football team extends its record to 2-0 after a 34-14 road win over the College of the Holy Cross, now 1-3, on Saturday. The defense was led by cornerback Isiah Swann ’20, the current Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week, who recorded three of Dartmouth’s four interceptions in the game — the most by any Big Green player in 28 years — and Dewayne Terry ’21, who added another interception. The performances by both Swann and Terry spearheaded the Big Green’s defensive effort, which limited the Crusaders to zero points and no first downs in the first three quarters. The Big Green started the game up early thanks to two field goals, one in the first quarter and then later in the second, from Connor Davis ’22. The offense also put up impressive numbers with its balanced attack on the field and in the air, totaling 448 yards for the game, and had control of the
game throughout with its 40 minute possession versus the Crusaders’ mere 20. Quarterback Derek Kyler ’21 led the team’s offensive game, completing 25-of-35 throws for 258 yards and three touchdowns, two of which were caught by tight end Connor Rempel ’20 in the second half to take an insurmountable lead. Dartmouth’s running game rounded out the offense, producing 190 yards on 47 carries with four different players contributing between 30 and 50 yards on the ground. The team’s efforts were led by running back Caylin Parker ’21 who recorded 52 yards on 11 carries, including a 25-yard run for the Big Green’s first touchdown of the day. With this win, the Big Green has won 12 consecutive non-conference games for the first time since the Ivy League was formed in 1956. The team will return home and host the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday in both teams’ Ivy League opener.
FIELD HOCKEY
VOLLEYBALL
Dartmouth volleyball opened Ivy League play with a close win against Harvard University in its first five-set match of the season (24-26, 25-21, 21-25, 25-17, 17-15). The Big Green improved to 5-6 overall and 1-0 in the conference, while the Crimson dropped to 5-5 overall and 0-1 in the league. This win marks the first time that the Big Green has beaten Harvard since Sept. 25, 2015. Outside hitter Mallen Bischoff ’21 and right side hitter and setter Corinne Cox ’20 each recorded
double-doubles in the match. Bischoff added 11 kills and 13 digs, and Cox had 25 assists and 14 digs, while scoring three of the team’s six service aces of the night. Zoe Leonard ’19 and Abby Kott ’20 led the team’s defensive efforts with 20 digs and six blocks, respectively. Next weekend, the Big Green will continue in league play with back-to-back away matches against Columbia University and Cornell University.
W SOCCER In its Ivy League opener, women’s soccer beat Brown University 2-0, extending its winning streak to three, to improve to 5-3-1 and 1-0-0 in the League. With the loss, Brown drops to 4-5-1 and 0-1-0 in the conference. This win marked the first time since 2013 that the Big Green defeated the Bears. The Big Green scored early in the first half off of their first offensive run, with a successful corner kick in the fifth minute by Bonnie Shea ’21, who was assisted by Zoe Boocock ’20. The goal went
unanswered throughout the rest of the first half. The Bears came back much more aggressively in the second half, controlling the possession until the 68th minute, but once the Big Green regained control, Remy Borinsky ’19 found the back of the net in the 89th minute to put Dartmouth up 2-0 and seal the win. The women continue with Ivy League play as they travel away to take on No. 25 Princeton on Saturday.
LAUREN GRUFFI/THE DARMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The Big Green fell to Princeton University 3-0 in its Ivy League opener and will look to rebound against Brown University next week.
In its Ivy League opener on Saturday, the Dartmouth field hockey team fell to ranked No. 5 Princeton University 3-0. Princeton was aggressive throughout the game, scoring less than nine minutes in and out-shooting Dartmouth 22-3 in the game. The Big Green’s of fense s puttered an d was unable to mount extended
possessions in the face of the stout Princeton defense. Hailey Valerio ’19 had eight total saves — including six before heading into intermission — to keep the game close, but the Tigers were unrelenting in their offensive attack. The Big Green will look to rebound ag ainst Brown University on Sept. 29.
SW 4
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
Faces in th
A glimpse into the lives of four ski
B y JUSTIN
The Dartm
Emily Henrich Emily Henrich ’22 is already starring for No. 1-ranked Dartmouth women’s rugby, leading the team with eight tries and 50 points in just four games. The first-year center is from Orchard Park, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. Growing up near Canada where youth rugby is more prominent, Henrich started playing at only six years old. Both of her parents were multisport athletes at Dartmouth, including rugby, so Henrich was fast-tracked to success in the sport. “My mom was coaching the high school team in my town, so when I was 12, having played tackle football and flag rugby, my mom pulled me up to the high school rugby team,” Henrich said. “I was able to play, and I have been playing ever since.” By the time she started the college recruitment process, Dartmouth was already on her radar because of her parents’ Big Green playing careers. The ability to ski in her offseason and explore the social sciences, history and English were important factors as well. “It’s always felt like a second home, so once I was looking here for rugby and the coach reached out to me, it was almost a natural decision because of how much I respected the program
and how much I cared for the school already,” Henrich said. Though the physicality of rugby appeals to Henrich, much of what has kept her playing this long is the community. “There’s already a sense of connection whenever you meet someone who plays rugby because it isn’t the most common sport,” Henrich said. “Our team feels like a family, and meeting the alumni this weekend, there’s already this constant connection between people who play rugby.” Unlike many of her teammates and other freshmen, Henrich’s time at Dartmouth did not start with a Dartmouth Outing Club First-Year Trip. Instead, she wanted to attend more preseason workouts to prepare for the All-American U-20 women’s team in Nova Scotia against Canada and England. “[Playing in the tournament] prepared me for the college level, definitely,” Henrich said. “We aren’t quite at the level that Canada and England are at, but you can definitely see improvements. It’s really exciting to see where rugby in the U.S. is going, particularly in the women’s game, because we have these examples like England and Canada, and I think we’re able to compete with them now.”
Will Eaton Will Eaton ’22 headlines the 12man recruiting class for the Big Green men’s cross country and track and field program this season. The Portland, Oregon standout burst onto the scene his senior year of high school as he filled out and grew to 6’ 3”. He culminated his season by winning the 3000 meter state championship in a rapid 8:27.90, his personal record. “It was pretty incredible,” Eaton said. “There was a picture of me on The Oregonian, and my eyes were wide, my arms were outstretched, and you can see in my lips I was saying the word ‘how?’ ‘How did this happen?’ I really was shocked.”
Eaton was not always the top recruit he is now, after a sparkling final season. When he visited Dartmouth in September of his senior year, he was still hoping to prove himself. “At that point, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t all that good. I would probably be on the low tier of incoming recruits right now,” Eaton said. “I always felt like I could do more from a background of low mileage in high school and not giving training my all. [Men’s track and cross country head coach Barry Harwick] was one of a couple coaches who listened.” Whereas Eaton gnawed his way to success in track, cross country was always more about conditioning and being with
COURTESY OF EMILY HENRICH
Emily Henrich ’22 leads women’s rugby with eight tries and 50 points in her young career.
Henrich hopes to compete in international and national tournaments again as a member of both U.S. and Dartmouth rugby. “I really want the team to win the [Ivy League Championship] again, so then
we would be four-time Ivy Champs,” Henrich said. “For myself, I would like to continue playing for the U.S. because that has been some of the best experiences, and my goal is to make women’s nationals side.”
friends rather than pushing himself. “My senior year in track, I decided, ‘I want to go to these big meets, and if I go here, there’s no way I am going to drop actual money to go to them.’” Eaton said. “‘I’m going to make it worth my money to go all out: how hard can I go?’ I never really pushed myself like that in cross country, and that’s one of my main regrets.” This season, he’s shown flashes of potential in cross country by finishing fourth with a time of 24:56.18 in his first eight kilometer race at the 2018 Maribel Sanchez Southern Cross Country Invitational. He fell to a time of 26:28 in his second, the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown hosted by Boston College, after posting an excellent 15:47 in his first five kilometers. When asked about his favorite aspects of cross country and track, Eaton highlighted the feeling of being in shape and the strategy of racing. “Racing to me is a pretty intimate thing,
especially in track, when it’s just you and one other person sometimes,” Eaton said. “You can feel their stride, their cadence: ‘Is it changing? Is the individual tired for whatever reason? When should I capitalize on that?’” Eaton has many other hobbies and interests outside of running: he sells minerals on eBay (and has since age 11), loves learning about human language and international affairs and enjoys playing basketball, though he admits he performs much better on the track than on the court. Already, Eaton loves the comfortable community he’s found with his team and on campus. After only four weeks, he is excited for the next four years. “I already feel close to both the ’22s on the team and people on the team in general,” Eaton said. “We do everything [with the women’s team], and we’re pretty tight with them, which is more of a sense of community than I’ve ever had or been exposed to in the past.”
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
SW 5
the Crowd
illed ‘22s joining Dartmouth sports
N KRAMER
mouth Staff
Nicole Conard After being homeschooled and playing individually for most of her life, Nicole Conard ’22 is excited for the adjustment to college tennis at Dartmouth. The Boca Raton, Florida native is already enjoying her time in the Northeast. “The whole team is so supportive of each other, and when we’re practicing everyone is cheering for you, you’re cheering for each other: ‘Let’s go Dartmouth! Let’s go Big Green!’” Conard said. “It’s super nice to have that support because it’s a team effort, and junior tennis wasn’t like that; you were on your own.” Conard first played tennis when she was seven; by third grade, she switched to homeschooling and was on the court four
to six hours each day. The extra time she put into tennis paid off in a major way, as she played individually in United States Tennis Association, International Tennis Federation and professional tournaments, traveling to 10 countries in the process. Her impressive accolades, including first place finishes at Sectionals U18, Chile ITF Internationals U18, Denmark ITF Internationals U18 and National Open U18, earned her a five-star recruiting status. “Dartmouth actually reached out at the beginning of my junior year, and I didn’t really [get] back in contact with them until my senior year because my junior year, I really didn’t know what I
was doing college-wise,” Conard said. “I was playing a lot of tennis, and I was thinking about going to a bigger state school. The summer before my senior year, I started really thinking about Ivy League schools.” Luckily for the Big Green, she verbally committed in December of that year. Conard has performed so far with a win in her first singles match against Harvard University. She hopes to steadily improve and earn a high ranking this season. “For our fall season, it’s more focused on individual matches because you don’t count the team score until the winter, so I’m definitely just trying to make myself better, make the team better, focus on working hard in practice and connect with the team,” Conard said. The road to collegiate tennis has not always been easy for Conard, given the grind of everyday tennis from a young
age. “As I moved to [age] 10, 11, 12, being on the court that much and not having a normal childhood was definitely tough sometimes, and it made me not love [tennis] all the time,” Conard said. “Once I hit 13 and 14 and it was my choice whether I wanted to play or not, that’s when I really found that I loved it because I always wanted to be on the court, I always worked really hard and even though no one was forcing me to do it, that’s what I wanted to do.” Off the court, she plans to major in psychology, which may give her an edge in one of her favorite parts of tennis, the mental aspect. In addition, Conard treasures her time playing piano, hanging out at the Florida beaches and playing card games with friends. She also loved her First-Year Trip, performing arts and cabin camping.
Jordan Bailon Jordan Bailon ’22 will attempt to make his mark this season on a highly successful Dartmouth men’s soccer team that has won four consecutive Ivy League titles. He has played in five games so far and started two of them, playing an average of over 50 minutes per game among a talented Big Green team. “It’s a great honor to be part of the Dartmouth men’s soccer program, which has had so much success,” Bailon said. “I’ve been adjusting to a new style of play, which is good. The team is really close and feels like a family – everyone has each other’s back.” Much of Bailon’s appreciation for the team so far comes from the new coaching staff, led by men’s soccer head coach Bo Oshoniyi. “The coaches made the transition of coming from different clubs and places almost seamless,” Bailon said. “They’re very constructive and work almost everyday in training, in pushing us to be better players everyday and just making us better people.” Bailon started his soccer career at age seven or eight, playing in the recreational league American Youth Soccer Organization. He played the past five seasons with the New York Red Bulls Academy, eventually making his professional debut in the
United Soccer League, a Division II professional league, with New York Red Bulls II. Over the course of his career, Bailon has learned to love the game. He said that his favorite parts of the game are “training hard and working as a team to get better, pushing each other and coming down on the weekend and getting results, being close with your teammates and having each other’s back on the field [and helping with] homework.” Although originally from Westchester County, New York, Bailon spent the previous two years in New Jersey while training for the Red Bulls Academy team. “It was definitely cool, and it was a tough change, but I really want to be a soccer player, so it was a good sacrifice for me,” Bailon said. “It also helped me out with my academics to do better in school to eventually come to Dartmouth.” For much of his time at the Red Bulls Academy, Bailon was already a Dartmouth commit, as he officially committed March of his junior year following two visits to the college. “I chose Dartmouth because it was the best mix of academics and a top soccer program, and the family vibe and close connection.” Academics are an important focus for Bailon, who plans to major in
COURTESY OF JORDAN BAILON
Jordan Bailon ’22 comes to Dartmouth after a professional stint with the New York Red Bulls II.
economics. When not playing soccer or studying, Bailon loves to “hang out with [his] dog, be outdoors, go hiking and just relax.” As he continues his first season of collegiate soccer, Bailon’s main goal is to help the team surpass their already
high expectations. “Personally, I just want to get integrated to the team, help continue success and hopefully win the Ivy League this year and go further in the tournament than we have in the past,” he said.
SW 6
Sticking to Sports with Sam Stockton ’19
Sticking to Sports: What is going on in Pittsburgh? The Pittsburgh Steelers are a mess. The season started with a tie in Cleveland against a Browns team that earned its first win since Christmas Eve, 2016 last Thursday night. Then Patrick Mahomes lit them up for six touchdowns and 42 points, leaving them 0-1-1 heading to Tampa to face a suddenly red-hot Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Buccaneers. The Steelers’ star running back is currently holding out and appears unlikely to be part of the team after this season. Their star wide receiver did not show up to work last Monday. The drama in Pittsburgh begins with the team’s four principal actors: head coach Mike Tomlin, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le’veon Bell and
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
wide receiver Antonio Brown. games in any season. Unquestionably, all are among And yet, for all the on-field the best in the league at their jobs, s ucces s, there is s ometh in g yet their assorted off-field baggage decidedly un-Patriot like in the seems an undeniable component of Tomlin Steelers, at least for the past their on-field struggle. few seasons. The Steelers create Let’s start at the top with Tomlin, distractions for themselves in ways who took over the Steelers in 2007. that the Patriots under Bill Belichick Tomlin has done something few never would, and when you National Football League coaches consider Belichick’s record against ever approach: Pittsburgh, making his team “Beyond New England, i t b e c o m e s a perennial difficult to the obvious gold contender argue that there over a lengthy standard of sustained is no on-field period. Most success in a salarycorrelation NFL coaches w h a t s o e v e r. n e v e r t u r n cap-restricted sport, Whether it was t h e i r t e a m s the Steelers probably Mike Mitchell into legitimate declaring that championship represent the most the Steelers c o n t e n d e r s ; consistently successful would romp e v e n f e w e r NFL franchise of the over the Patriots are able to in the AFC title do that on a 21st century, most of game, only year-over-year which has happened to lose to the basis. Beyond Jacksonville New England, under Tomlin’s watch.” J a g u a r s t h e the obvious week before and gold standard cost themselves of sustained success in a salary- the chance to even play New cap-restricted sport, the Steelers England, or Antonio Brown going probably represent the most on Facebook live in the locker room c o n s i s t e n t l y s u c c e s s f u l N F L after a win, the Steelers routinely franchise of the 21st century, exhibit off-field antics that seem most of which has happened under antithetical to the comportment Tomlin’s watch. In his 11 seasons, of a consistent NFL winner (i.e. he has guided the Steelers to the that of the Patriots). A head playoffs eight times. He has won coach’s job includes focusing his one Super Bowl, been to another team and eliminating distractions and never won fewer than eight and “bulletin board material” for
opponents; here, Tomlin seems to contract of one of his teammates. be falling short. To see a lineman do it about a T h e n y o u h a v e B e n running back to whom he dedicates R o e t h l i s b e r g e r. W h i l e his hard work is unthinkable and Roethlisberger has never been the further illustrates the fact that best quarterback in the NFL, he has perhaps this particular group of been in the top tier of quarterbacks personalities simply isn’t destined around the league for years. for success. However, as with Tomlin, there Lastly, we have Antonio Brown. are at least a few questions about Without a doubt, Brown is one of the personality of the Pittsburgh the three best wideouts in football. signal caller. I would like to keep His deft footwork makes him one Roethlisberger’s legal issues out of of the league’s best route runners. this conversation not to diminish Heading into this season, since their significance, but instead to 2015, he has just seven drops on 512 focus on matters that I feel more targets, an absolutely silly figure. equipped to discuss. Foremost, while However, Brown’s actions also Big Ben is certainly an incredibly prompt questions about whether his tough football player, his tendency personality is hurting his team’s onto break out the walking boot field success. Last year, he had his after seemingly every loss seems Facebook live incident. Already this exaggerated. It feels like time to give season, he has threatened a reporter the narrative that Roethlisberger who wrote an investigative piece constantly plays through extreme on his personal life, then posted injury a break. Again, I don’t doubt a cryptic tweet some construed that Roethlisberger has played as demanding a trade, and then through injuries that would leave failed to show up for work after the me bed-ridden disappointing for weeks, but at “When I look at the loss against a certain point, Kansas City. To this constant Steelers as a team, the put it simply, mention of some issue seems to lie in this just doesn’t nagging injury, happen in New p a r t i c u l a r l y their identity, or lack England — or after losses, has therof, and that makes if it does, those grown tiresome. perpetrating it me fairly confident Beyond those do not last. two, there is the that this will not be B u t Steeler who has the team to bring a what about yet to get his the team as season started: seventh Lombardi to a wh o l e ? A s Le’veon Bell. Pittsburgh.” intriguing as it Bell is holding can be to discuss out for more these four key than his current $14.5-million components of the team, it is the franchise tag contract. By rule, overall success of the team upon if Bell does not rejoin the team which it must ultimately be judged. by Week 11, he will not become The Steelers could go on to win the a free agent this offseason as he Super Bowl this year, rendering otherwise would. The prevailing all this speculation about the wisdom surrounding Bell is that personalities of their stars trivial. he will rejoin the Steelers at that However, when I look at the Steelers point and accept a prorated $6 as a team, the issue seems to lie in million, while saving the wear on their identity, or lack thereof, and his body and then signing elsewhere that makes me fairly confident that in the offseason. By all means, this this will not be the team to bring a is well within Bell’s right. It is his seventh Lombardi to Pittsburgh. body in question, and if he feels A successful team, regardless he is not being duly compensated, of sport, has a particular means he should sit out. That said, it will through which it dictates the terms be interesting to see if Bell, who of the game and sets itself up for plays what is arguably the least success. This is what I mean by valuable non-special teams position identity, the formula a team uses in today’s NFL, will ever get the to win games. Classic Pittsburgh payday he is seeking on the free Steeler football connotes physical agent market. More interesting is defense and a downhill running Bell’s teammates’ reaction to his game. This hasn’t been the case holdout. Veteran Steelers guard in Pittsburgh for several years. Ramon Foster had this to say on The Steelers have struggled on Bell, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette defense for some time now, and reported: “What do you do? Here’s their offense relies heavily on a guy who doesn’t give a damn, I Ben Roethlisberger’s backyard guess, so we’ll treat it as such. I just playmaking with his talented hate it came to this.” Foster added, receiver group. To the extent that “He’s making seven times what this constitutes an identity, it doesn’t I make, twice as much as [tackle seem like a sustainable one. When Alejandro Villenueva] is making, you couple that with what seems and we’re the guys who do it for to be a dysfunctional array of him.” It is incredibly rare to see an personalities amongst their leading NFL player comment, particularly men, it seems Steeler fans are in for in a judgmental fashion, on the a long season.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
and former Dallas Cowboys wide receivers coach Derek Dooley. Another name to keep an eye on, and playing for a more nationally relevant team, is the University of Oregon’s Justin Herbert. Herbert is the only Football Bowl Subdivision quarterback with more than ten career starts to lead his team to an average of at least 40 points per game. Herbert has also passed for 4,759 yards and 46 touchdowns in only 20 games. Even with a close loss to expected Pac-12 champion Stanford University this past Saturday, expect Herbert and the Ducks to light up with Evan Griffith ’18 the rest of the college football world, and keep an eye out for Herbert in Griffith’s Got Stats: Looking the Heisman watch as well. In terms of offensive playmakers, ahead at the 2019 Draft there aren’t many expected to go Class in the first round, not because of a Both the college football and NFL lack of talent but rather because of a seasons are already in full swing surplus of defensive talent, especially and for fans of certain professional on the defensive line. A.J. Brown teams (mainly the Detroit Lions, the of the University of Mississippi is Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo a receiver to watch, a very physical Bills), it may already be time to look 225-pound receiver — maybe for ahead to April 2019 and investigate a team like the aforementioned the top prospects at the collegiate Cowboys, as Dak Prescott’s top target level. What do the teams need and right now, Cole Beasley, is averaging which players could fulfill these only 44 yards per game three weeks into the season. Bryce Love is a needs? To quickly recap some of the running back out of Stanford who interesting college games this was nominated for the Heisman weekend: Dartmouth beat the Trophy last year and could go in College of the Holy Cross 34-14 the first round to a running-backto move to 2-0 on the season, 0-3 needy team, such as the Philadelphia Football Championship Subdivision Eagles. For offensive-line-needy school Old Dominion University teams, keep an eye on players like bested 13th-ranked Virginia Greg Little, also out of Ole Miss, and Polytechnic Institute 49-35 in the Jonah Williams out of the perennial upset of the week and the University college powerhouse the University of Texas at Austin topped the 17th- of Alabama. These players could be ranked Texas Christian University beneficial for teams like the Cleveland Browns, who could use a replacement to move to 3-1 on the season. Each professional team will for longtime tackle Joe Thomas for inevitably go into the 2019 season the team’s shiny new quarterback facing some sort of need at certain Baker Mayfield, and the Minnesota positions. For some teams, that need Vikings, who want to be able to is quarterback. Whether you’re the protect Kirk Cousins after paying him New York Giants (Eli Manning won’t $84 million in guaranteed money. As I said before, where this draft be around forever, and I don’t expect fourth-rounder Kyle Lauletta to take really shines is in its defensive talent. According to over the reins), walterfootball. the Los Angeles com, a constantly C h a r g e r s “In terms of offensive updating mock (likewise, Philip playmakers, there draft website, Rivers won’t be aren’t many expected 15 of the first around forever) or the Tampa to go in the first round, 32 picks in the draft are either Bay Buccaneers not because of a lack defensive ends (who knows what or interior Jameis Winston’s of talent but rather defensive future will be because of a surplus lineman. In in Tampa, and of defensive talent, ter ms of the Ryan Fitzpatrick individual will likely sign a especially on the players, Clemson big contract this defensive line.” University has offseason only one of the best to regress, as is tradition), getting a first-round signal defensive lines in the country. caller can do a lot for your team. Last season, in an All American One player to watch this season is performance, Clelin Ferrell was the University of Missouri’s Drew second in the Atlantic Coast Lock, who has the arm strength Conference in tackles for loss last and accuracy of an air-raid-style season with 18 and in sacks with 9.5. quarterback but has developed the Dexter Lawrence is 6’4” and 350 pocket presence and situational pounds and was the ACC Defensive awareness of a pro-style quarterback Rookie of the year in 2016. Christian under new offensive coordinator Wilkins was an All-American the past
two years. Austin Bryant, another AllAmerican, is a freak athlete who had 8.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. All four of these defensive linemen are projected to be picked in round two of next year’s draft, and none is even considered the best defensive lineman in the country. That debate falls between the University of Houston’s Ed Oliver and Ohio State University’s Nick Bosa, brother of current NFL defensive end Joey Bosa. As a freshman at Houston, Oliver recorded 23 tackles for loss and has continued to up his draft stock as a sophomore and junior. Oliver declared for the draft over a year early and is bold enough to call his college career “a business trip.” Bosa was in the conversation of number one overall pick, but his draft stock has taken a hit with a recent muscle injury, further projecting Oliver to the top of the draft board. In terms of which teams need defensive line help, the Oakland Raiders come to mind after trading away former Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack mainly for two first-round picks; that trade might make a bit more sense after looking at how deep the defensive line class is in the upcoming draft. Next week’s lineup is highlighted by top-10 showdowns between No. 4 Ohio State and No. 9 Penn State University and No. 7 Stanford against No. 8 Notre Dame University. Dartmouth football hosts the University of Pennsylvania (2-0) next Saturday.
Griffith’s Got Stats
SW 7
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
SW 8
SPORTS
TODAY’S LINEUP
NO EVENTS SCHEDULED
Men’s soccer picks up 2OT win over UMass Amherst BY JAKE PHILHOWER
The Dartmouth Staff
The Dartmouth men’s soccer team has had a tremulous start to the year, posting a 1-4-2 record. The season started with a tough road trip to Indiana University, where the Big Green played Indiana and the University of Notre Dame to kick off the season. These two games resulted in tough losses for Dartmouth, as they were shut out 3-0 and 2-0, respectively. However, this will likely not be indicative of the season the Big Green are going to have this year, given that the Hoosiers and Fighting Irish are currently ranked No. 2 and No. 8 in the country respectively. The Big Green had trouble producing offensively early in the season, but in their game against Boston University on Sept. 11, Tiger Graham ’21 found the back of the net twice for the team’s first goals of the season. However, Boston University was able to score two goals of their own to tie the game with a final score of 2-2. This past week, the Big Green had two important matches against Hofstra University and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Following the team’s early season struggles, the Big Green sought to make strides offensively and defensively in order to prepare for the upcoming Ivy League schedule. On Tuesday, the team made the trip to Long Island to face Hofstra, a team that had a 2-3-2 record, including a 3-0 win over Harvard University. In this game, Dartmouth struggled again to capitalize on very important opportunities. The Big Green out-shot the Hofstra Pride 15-6 and seemed dominant throughout the game. However, the Big Green was unable to capitalize on any of their
four shots on goal, whereas the Pride scored the winning goal in the second half with one of their only two shots on goal in the game. This past weekend, the Big Green faced UMass Amherst on the road, looking to break the home team’s two-game winning streak. The Big Green had familiar issues through the early stages of the showdown as they out-shot UMass Amherst 9-1 in the first half but didn’t have a goal to show for it. The second half was far more even, but neither team was able to pull ahead, resulting in another golden goal overtime finish for the Big Green. Although the score was tied at 0-0, Dartmouth’s players felt confident leaving regulation, as they felt they had played very well. “Wewerethebetterteamthroughout regulation and both overtime periods,” Aaron Schwartz ’21said. “But small things like referee decisions weren’t going our way.” The Big Green showed their confidence on the field in the overtime period, taking two shots in the first 10 minutes of the overtime period that nearly went in. Johnny Nierenberg ’18 had a shot on goal with 40 seconds left in the first overtime that was saved by UMass Amherst goalie Marvyn Dorchin. While the shot officially counted as a save for the opposing goalie, the Big Green felt that they had a goal taken away as Nierenberg’s strike appeared to cross the goal line. Time was winding down for the Big Green to make a game changing play as they headed into the second overtime. Dartmouth was creating solid offensive pressure, but was unable to put the ball in the back of the net. While the team was focused on the offense,
COURTESY OF JUSTIN DONAWA
Justin Donawa ’19 scored the game winning goal in a double-overtime battle against the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
it almost suffered a defensive lapse in the 105th minute. Henry Stusnick ’20 was able to make a key save, protecting Dartmouth’s hopes to win the match. This may have been one of the biggest moments of the game, but it is also largely representative of how the Big Green defense has kept Dartmouth in games as of late. “Our defense as a whole has done an incredible job of keeping us in games with no margin for error,” Schwartz said. Following Stusnick’s heroics, the Big Green were on the counter attack, trying to score the game-winning goal as the remaining time ticked away. Dartmouth needed a last-minute surge from some of their veteran players if they wanted to come out on top in this gritty matchup. Finally, with less than four minutes
COURTESY OF JUSTIN DONAWA
The Big Green begin Ivy League conference play on Saturday in an away battle against Princeton University.
left in the game, Kota Sakurai ’21 played the ball forward to veteran midfielder Justin Donawa ’19, who beat Dorchin and scored the winning goal for the Big Green. “I think we did well to compose ourselves and have a belief that we were going to win that game,” Donawa said. “And it showed, because as OT went on, we created more and more attack, and finally we broke the deadlock with about three minutes to go.” Donawa was able to deliver Dartmouth’s first win of the year with his last-minute goal, but he was quick to point out in a post-game interview that he was not alone in securing this victory for the team. “It obviously felt amazing to deliver that goal in the dying moments of such a gritty game,” Donawa said. “However, I am even happier that we were able to get our first win of the season. All 33 members of the team, including the coaching staff, were instrumental in getting that result.” This goal was bigger than just a win for Dartmouth. It marked the first win for a team that was going through an uncharacteristically rough slump. The team is hoping to build upon the energy and excitement heading into their last week of games before the start of their Ivy League schedule. The stat lines thus far seem to suggest that Dartmouth is simply not capitalizing upon opportunities they are given. The Big Green must start scoring in a much more regular fashion if they hope to meet the expectations that come with winning the last four Ivy League Championships. “Just by looking at the stats, you can see that we’ve struggled with goal
scoring throughout the first seven games,” said Schwartz. “But this has a lot to do with injuries to key attacking players. Almost all of them have come back or are on track to return in the next week, so I fully believe that we’ll begin to find our scoring form again soon.” Dartmouth will look to improve their play in the coming weeks, as the Ivy League is set to be a tight race once again. As many as two losses, or even one loss, in Ivy play is enough to disqualify a team for the championship, something that has been a main goal for the Big Green since day one this season. However, as Dartmouth prepares for the heart of their schedule, the team’s preparation will also likely be ramped up quickly. “The week leading up to Ivies is always a great one,” goalie Chris Palacios ’21 said. “Our level of intensity in training will have to increase.” The Big Green have the potential to be a top contender for the Ivy League tittle yet again this year, but they need to continue focusing on training, healing and improving upon offensive efficiency. If the team is able to do all of these things, they believe they can reach and surpass their goals. “As we go into Ivy League play next weekend, I think we just need to continue to defend and attack as a unit, create more chances and take advantage of the chances we get,” Donawa said. “When we do those three things, we are extremely hard to beat.” The Big Green are in action next in Hanover on Tuesday against the University of Albany. The team’s Ivy League season kicks off on Saturday as it travels to Princeton, New Jersey to face the Tigers.