09.16.19
The Weekend Roundup p. 2-3
The Redshirt Senior: The Many Mishaps of Antonio Brown p. 6
Swann, Traynor lead way for championshiphungry football team p. 7
Men’s soccer prepared to take back position atop Ivy League p. 4 NAINA BHALLA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
The weekend Roundup
rugby
Compiled by BAILY DEETER AND LILI STERN
volleyball
DIVYA KOPALLE/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The volleyball team dropped three games at home this weekend.
The volleyball team had a difficult time at the Dartmouth Invitational, with visitors Hofstra University, the University of Hartford, and Fordham University all defeating the Big Green over the weekend. Dartmouth lost 3-0 to Hofstra on Friday night, dropping the first set in a 26-24 nail biter before losing the second and third sets by scores of 25-21 and 25-18, respectively. The newcomers led the way in this match, with Grace Wiczek ’23 leading the team in kills (eight) and Makenzie Arent ’23 leading the
team in assists (26) and digs (17). The match with Hartford wasn’t as close, with the Big Green dropping three sets by a score of 25-12, 25-17 and 25-18. The Big Green took a set in the finale against Fordham but still fell 3-1 to cap off a tough weekend. Wiczek and Arent again led the way in the Saturday matches, with Arent posting 34 assists against Fordham. Looking ahead, the team will face Providence University, the University of Connecticut and the College of the Holy Cross at the Dog Pound Challenge in Storrs, CT next weekend.
COURTESY OF SOPHIA HALEY
The women’s rugby team started off its season strong with a 52-17 win over Brown on Saturday.
The women’s rugby team defeated Brown University handily in the Ivy League opener, winning 52-17 in Providence. The underclassmen played a huge role in the victory, as Ariana Ramsey ’22 paced the offense with three tries, and Kristin Bitter ’23 scored on five conversions and one try. The Big Green started out with a 19-0 lead and led 40-5 at halftime, asserting itself as the dominant team from the
get-go. Defensively, the Big Green was strong especially in the first half, with Lannan Abbott ’22 leading the charge. Idia Ihensekhien ’21, Becca Jane Rosko ’20 and Lauren Ferridge ’23 scored tries as well, with Lillian Johnson ’23 also adding a conversion. Ivy League play will continue next week for the Big Green, who take on powerhouse Harvard University next week in Cambridge.
w soccer Zachary ZacharyBenjamin Benjamin’19 ’19
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09.16.19 Vol.CLXXV CLXXVI No. 4.30.18 4.23.18 Vol. Vol. CLXXV No. No. 27 2160
Amanda AmandaZhou Zhou ’19 Alex Fredman ’20 ’19 Executive Editors Executive Editors Executive Editor
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The women’s soccer team continued its hot start to the season with a 1-0 victory over the University of New Hampshire on Thursday and a 2-0 victory over Quinnipiac University on Sunday to improve to 5-1 on the season. The UNH game was shaping up to be a tie before Mollie McGorisk ’20 scored a clutch goal in the 88th minute on an assist from Allie Winstanley ’23. Dartmouth dominated the game on both ends, getting 16 shots and seven on goal compared to just eight shots and two shots on goal for UNH.
Mariel Gordon ’21 stopped both shots on goal to preserve the shutout for the Big Green. Against Quinnipiac, Gordon had another shutout, saving all three shots on goal, while Winstanley and Izzy Glennon ’22 scored the team’s two goals for the day. Winstanley’s goal was unassisted while Zoe Boocock ’20 assisted on Glennon’s goal. The one-loss Big Green will look to maintain its strong start next week, when it takes on University of Rhode Island and Sacred Heart University on Thursday and Sunday, respectively.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
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M soccer field hockey
NAINA BHALLA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
The Dartmouth men’s soccer team is off to a 2-1 start after defeating Michigan State this weekend.
The men’s soccer team had a strong second week of play, winning two non-league home games against the University of Massachusetts and Michigan State University. With the victories, the team improves to 2-1 on the season. In the UMass game, a 1-0 victory, Dawson McCartney ’21 scored the game’s only goal in the 21st minute on an assist from Zach Kalk ’20. UMass got more shots on goal than the Big Green by a margin of 4-3, but goalkeeper Alex Budnik ’22 saved all four shots. Against Michigan State, it was Kalk finding the back of the net in the 78th
minute that broke a 1-1 tie and vaulted the Big Green to a 2-1 victory. Kota Sakurai ’21 assisted Kalk on his goal. Braden Salvati ’20 scored a goal as well on assists from both McCartney and Clayton Molter ’23, with the freshman getting into the box score for the first time. Looking ahead, Dartmouth will travel south to face No. 21 University of New Hampshire on Wednesday. Its only loss of the season came to top-ranked Wake Forest University in a hard-fought 3-1 contest, so the Big Green will have the opportunity to exact revenge on another ranked opponent next week.
m golf The men’s golf team started its season on a solid note in the Cornell Invitational, finishing in fifth place in the 16-team tournament in Ithaca, New York. The team combined to collectively shoot a +17 on Saturday and a +11 on Sunday. On Saturday, Mark Turner ’22 and Charles Petrie ’22 paced the group by both shooting a +1 on their 36 holes, while Jason Liu ’21 scored a +5 and Sam Ohno ’21 registered a +10. The Big Green tied with St. Bonaventure University and was a stroke behind
host Cornell University, while Columbia University ran away with first place with an overall score of +7. On Sunday, Turner led the way again, recording a 2-over-73 to take 13th place overall in individual scoring. The Big Green ended the tournament with a 292-293-295—880 (+28), just two strokes behind fourth-place St. Bonaventure. Next weekend, the Big Green will host the Dartmouth Invitational at the Hanover Country club in its only home tournament of the fall.
The field hockey team split the results column in this weekend of nonconference play, losing a game to No. 18 Boston College 5-2 on Friday and topping College of the Holy Cross 2-1 on Sunday. Friday’s game was highlighted by a 20-stop performance from goalkeeper Isabella Santucci ’22 — the first 20-save game from a Dartmouth backstop since 2009. Carmen Braceras ’20 and Katie Spanos ’20 led the Big Green’s offensive effort, recording a goal and an assist each. Santucci’s impressive effort in goal and the Big Green’s front line were not enough to match the Eagles’ firepower, though, and the Green and White ultimately fell in Boston. Sunday, the Big Green tallied
its first win of the season at Holy Cross, bringing its season record to 1-3. Gracyn Campbell ’22 opened the scoring for the Big Green just before halftime, notching her first of the season off of an assist from Sara Falkson ’22. Katie Spanos ’20 broke the tie in the 67th minute on an assist from Amelie Perrier ‘23, and goalkeeper Santucci, while unable to top her amazing 20save mark from earlier in the weekend, saved seven of the eight shots on goal to pace the Big Green’s defense. Looking ahead, the Big Green will face the University of New Hampshire and Merrimack College next week as it tries to build off the positive momentum from the Holy Cross victory.
w golf Women’s golf took fifth place of 13 teams in this weekend’s D a r t m o u t h I nv i t a t i o n a l . On Saturday, the Big Green collectively scored a +20 on the day. Kaitlyn Lees ’22 and Julianne Strauch ’21 shot a +4 on their 18 holes, while Angela Zhang ’23 shot a +5 in her Dartmouth debut. Maddie Nelson ’20 rounded out the group with a +7 round. On Sunday, Lees led the way again, hitting a 1-under 71. Her outstanding performance helped Dartmouth climb from its seventh
place finish on Saturday to a fifth place finish overall. Harvard University won the tournament with an even game, while Ivy League competitors Columbia University and Yale University, along with Stetson University, placed ahead of the Big Green. The Big Green will take to the course again in two weekends when the team travels to Princeton, NJ for the Princeton Invitational. Lees is a member of The Dartmouth staff.
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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
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Men’s soccer prepared to take back position atop Ivy League B y ANNA MAY MOTT The Dartmouth Staff
Now settled into a rhythm with a new coaching staff, the men’s soccer team is ready to reclaim its position at the top of the Ivy League. After getting off to a rocky start in 2018, the Big Green came back strong to finish third in the conference behind Princeton University and Columbia University. The result ended the Big Green’s run of four consecutive Ivy League championships. The team, however, is optimistic that success will return this season. An entirely new coaching staff took over last season, and the incoming head coach, Bo Oshoniyi, was dealt a difficult hand in preparing the program for 2018 with less than a full offseason. Additionally, star players Eduvie Ikoba ’19 and Justin Donowa ’19 missed games with long-term injuries. “It was a little bit of a learning
curve, but our boys responded well to kind of a rough start,” Oshoniyi said. The record would agree. In the first six games, Dartmouth went 0-4-2 overall, but the Big Green switched gears and managed to end the season with a record of 7-5-5. Now that the team has found its stride with the new staff, and after a full offseason of training together, the team expects a return to success. Another challenge the team will have to grapple with is the loss of ten seniors from last year, including Ikoba and Donowa, who were both selected in the MLS draft. “Those are big holes to fill, and it’s just giving some of our returning guys and some of our incoming freshmen opportunities to try to adapt to everything and get those major minutes,” Oshoniyi said. Some of the returning players did have a chance to begin adapting to more central roles last year during
NAINA BHALLA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
The men’s soccer team defeated Michigan State University by a score of 2-1 on Saturday.
stretches of time when Ikoba and Donowa were injured. Oshoniyi said that experience has helped ease the transition. Additionally, both Oshoniyi and captain Zack Kalk ’20 have recognized the freshmen also rising to the challenge. They both called particular attention to David Alino’s ’23 performance. He scored the lone goal in Dartmouth’s opening game against Wake Forest University, a team currently ranked first in the nation. Oshoniyi also named Clayton Molter ’23, Alex Van Schalkwyk ’23 and Eric Sachleben ’23 as important
contributers. The Big Green is on the hunt for another conference title but is also aiming for success in the NCAA tournament. This makes some of the matchups outside of the Ivy League particular points of interest for the team. “We get really excited to show all the teams around the country that we’re more than just a good Ivy League team,” Kalk said. “We’re one of the best soccer teams in the nation.” Kalk and his teammates are also anxious to face the University of
Connecticut at home on Oct. 1. A late-game goal gave UConn the 1-0 victory in 2018, and Kalk said the Big Green is excited for some payback. Overall, the forecast for the season is a positive one. Oshoniyi feels the team faced adversity last year, pushed through it and recovered well. Now that the dust has settled, they’re prepared to try for their fifth conference championship in the last six years. “Our expectations are high,” Oshoniyi said. “I think we demand a lot out of our players, and I think they’re excited for what’s to come.”
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Women’s soccer looks to build on last season’s success B y ANNA MAY MOTT The Dartmouth Staff
Six games deep in the 2019 season, Dartmouth women’s soccer aims to expand upon last year’s success. The team ended 2018 with an overall record of 10-5-2, its best since 2012, but the Big Green still fell short of its ultimate goal of winning the Ivy League conference. With a record of 4-2-1 in conference play, the Big Green finished third behind Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania, who tied for first in the Ivy League. After coming out of what captain Hayley Soriano ’20 called a rebuilding year in 2017, the team’s 2018 performance redefined its position in the conference and gave the rest of the Ivy League a
hint of what to expect this year. “Our big thing now is to try to build on this [success] … while we have changed the perception that teams in our league have about us,” said head coach Ron Rainey. As for rebuilding after the departure of the class of 2019, the Big Green graduated six seniors from a team of 26, and, according to Rainey, the returning athletes and incoming freshmen alike have stepped in to fill the holes left behind. The team was fortunate enough to have a fairly even distribution of athletes throughout the grades, and there are plenty of familiar faces this year. “The same players are more-or-less filling the same positions,” said Soriano. “The cohesion is kind of established,
and … a lot of the positions are clicking from last year into this year.” But the incoming freshmen have also made their presence known. Allie Winstanley ’23’s first career goal opened the scoring in Dartmouth’s shutout against Syracuse University. She netted another one when the Big Green defeated Florida International University 7-0 a week later, a blow-out game that also featured fellow first-year Juliet Moncho ’23’s first goal. The team is hungry to win the conference championship it came so close to last year. With a 5-1 record out of the gates, its win against Florida International featuring Dartmouth’s most goals in a game since 2010, the Big Green has shown itself to be a strong contender.
“I think our eyes are on the prize probably now more than they ever have been,” Soriano said. “The passing is better than it’s ever been, I think the cohesion on the team in general is better than it’s ever been, on and off the field.” Matchups that will occupy center stage this season in pursuit of the Ivy League championship will include Princeton and Columbia University. Princeton tied for first in the league last year and stood alone at the top in 2017, and when the Tigers played Dartmouth last year, the game ended in a stalemate with no score after double overtime. Additionally, the Big Green’s 1-0 loss to Columbia last year essentially ended its battle for the conference. This year the team will face the Lions at home in
Hanover, and it is looking for the win. “We were outplayed for sure last year,” Soriano said of the 2018 Columbia matchup. “Once we had lost that game, finishing first was sort of out of sight for us, so I think there’s a lot that we want to resurrect from that game that year.” The team’s goal for the season is to win the conference title, while at the same time fostering a positive team culture and remaining committed students. “We want to come out and on a daily basis train really hard, be really good students at Dartmouth, add to the campus community and be great teammates,” Rainey said. “We want to do those things while we chase an Ivy League championship.”
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The Redshirt Senior with Evan Griffith ’18
The Redshirt Senior: The Many Mishaps of Antonio Brown Welcome back to campus; hopefully everyone had a refreshing and rewarding summer. After taking the last year off to evaluate my contract with The Dartmouth sports section, I’ve decided to return on a one-year deal to serve as a veteran presence in the locker room. Speaking outside of sports for a moment, part of my reasoning for returning to writing going into graduate study was to keep up with the skill before my time at Dartmouth ends. I spent the summer as an intern in a business role but spent
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
time on the job writing and creating content for that business. Expression is rewarding and something that may go away in my adult life if I’m not diligent about keeping it up. The other part of my reasoning is that Antonio Brown, the newest member of the football team whose fandom predominates the Upper Valley, has caused me more stress this summer than any finals period ever has. As a fan of the Oakland Raiders who firmly believes Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. fumbled the ball on Jan. 19, 2002, Brown was part of many a scandal from the minute he landed at Oakland’s training camp in his hot air balloon. I bring up the fact that I’m a Raiders fan because I am guilty of rationalizing Brown’s erratic behavior — to the amusement of my coworkers. Here’s a recap of what Brown’s history was from the straw that broke the camel’s back in Pittsburgh, along with my rationalizations at the time in italics: After the Steelers beat the Chiefs in the 2017 playoffs, Brown broadcast coach Mike Tomlin’s postgame speech from the locker room on Facebook Live, where Tomlin spoke crassly about the Patriots, whom the Steelers would play next. Man, this guy’s a clown, didn’t his teammates tell him to keep a low social media profile? Brown would sign an extension that
offseason which made him the highestpaid receiver in football at the time. Talent doesn’t lie, he deserved that extension. Leading up to the last game of the 2018 season, Brown got in an argument with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after the quarterback said, “get him off the field” after Brown ran an incorrect route at practice. Brown would storm off, skip the remaining practices of the week and not play against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers would miss the playoffs. You know I don’t think this is entirely Antonio’s fault. Ben kept calling his players out on his radio show and doesn’t seem like a very good leader. That offseason, the Oakland Raiders traded for Antonio Brown, giving up a third- and a fifth-round pick. Oakland signed Brown to a contract worth $30 million guaranteed. Yo let’s go, we just got the best receiver in football for nothing! We’re set up great for the next few years. Gruden got his grinder. Brown started missing training camp due to bizarre foot injuries caused by a cryotherapy mishap. He’ll be back out there. He’s just been training so hard on his own he got trench foot and he’ll be back when his feet heal. He’s the best receiver in the game he can train on his own time. Brown was then banned from wearing his old helmet and threatened to retire from professional football if he couldn’t wear the helmet he wanted. He
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019
filed a grievance against the league twice, lost both times, and eventually came to a deal with Xenith to wear a custom-made helmet. He was never going to retire, he was set to make $30 million. It’s actually pretty smart getting that endorsement money by acting out like this. Brown received a note from firstyear general manager Mike Mayock that the Raiders reserved the right to fine him for missing practices due to his feet and helmet issues. Brown posted a letter of the fine on Instagram with the text “WHEN YOUR OWN TEAM WANT TO HATE BUT THERE’S NO STOPPING ME NOW DEVIL IS A LIE. EVERYONE GOT TO PAY THIS YEAR SO WE CLEAR.” He’s just using this as motivation, he’ll pay those fines. They’re only worth like $40,000. The next day, Brown and Mayock got into an altercation which almost turned physical. Teammates had to hold Brown back and Brown allegedly called Mayock a “cracker.” Brown gave an emotional apology the next day in front of the team and coach Jon Gruden said Brown was expected to play Week 1 against the Denver Broncos. At least he apologized, if he’s serious about all this I’m fine with all the drama as long as he plays and helps the team win. That night, Brown posted a video on YouTube with a private recorded conversation between him and Gruden,
with Gruden saying Brown was “not a villain, just the misunderstood” person he’s ever met and telling Brown to “Please stop this s— and just play football.” What? The Raiders fined Brown an additional $200,000 for conduct detrimental to the team, which voided the $30 million Brown was guaranteed in his contract. Brown asked for his release from the team on Instagram and hours later the team released him. You know it’s not that bad. We essentially paid a third- and a fifth-round pick for a scratch off ticket that didn’t win. Oakland approached the offseason expecting Tyrell Williams to be the incoming WR1 and since we don’t have to pay Brown any money, it’s no big deal. Hours later, Brown signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots. So he did all that because he never wanted to be here in the first place? This dude’s a clown. What struck me throughout this entire process was how supportive Gruden was for Brown. Throughout all the feet, helmet and outburst issues, Gruden was totally behind Brown and was probably just excited to see him play. It’s ironic that Gruden was so committed to supporting Brown that Brown had to hire social media consultants to advise him how to get released from the team faster. Now embroiled in another scandal with New England, I’ll leave with this: If Terrell Owens had social media, would today’s generation’s opinions of him change?
Women’s volleyball looks for boost from talented freshman class B y LILI Stern
The Dartmouth Senior Staff
After a fifth place Ivy League finish last year, this year’s volleyball team looks to draw on new talent, veteran experience and heightened focus to surprise the league with a top-three finish. The road to the podium, however, will not be easy. The Big Green had a promising start to its season, posting a tournament win at the University of North Carolina at Asheville last weekend. But this weekend, the Big Green returned to Leede Arena and dropped matches to Hofstra University, the University of Hartford and Fordham University, ultimately going 0-3 in its first home games of the year. With just one tournament left before the start of Ivy League competition, the Big Green will look to revive its first-weekend success
and carry it throughout the season. According to Elise Petit ’21, one of the reasons that the team was so successful in its first outing was because of its court chemistry. Graduating just two players and bringing in five new ones, the Big Green seized its opportunity to create a positive team dynamic off the bat — a fact that, according to Petit, puts it a step ahead. “I’ve never been on a team that’s so good on the court together,” she said. “We don’t have to take the time to adjust to playing with each other — we already have that down — so we just have to make sure we can actually execute our game plan, play volleyball and get some wins.” Included in this five-person freshman class are Makenzie Arent ’23, Ali Silva ’23 and Grace Wiczek ’23, all of whom have made an immediate impact. After the first weekend of play, Arent, a setter,
came away with Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors after posting nine kills, 21 digs, three blocks and 35 assists in her first collegiate tournament. This weekend, Wiczek put down a teamleading 33 kills. Silva added three service aces against Fordham, helping the Big Green to its first set victory of the tournament in its final match. Along with a talented freshman class, the Big Green boasts a strong contingent of returning players. Though Dartmouth graduated Second Team All-Ivy libero Zoe Leonard ’19 — a significant contributor to last year’s defense and leadership — this year’s first-string libero, Bella Hedley ’22, is off to a strong start, earning tournament MVP honors at UNC Asheville. Aside from Leonard, who led the team in digs last year, the Big Green returns each of its category leaders, including kills leaders Nicole Liddle ’22 and Petit.
And despite the fact that the strength of younger players may push veterans toward the bottom of the depth chart, according to Doron, the seniors’ leadership is admirable. “I think we have really strong upperclassmen leadership,” head coach Gilad Doron said. “The captains, Maddy [Schoenberger ’20] and Abby [Kott ’20], lead by example. The [entire senior class] fully bought in — whether they play or whether they don’t play, they’re here for the right reasons, they’re here for Dartmouth volleyball, and they want their legacy to be left as a better program than what they came to.” This leadership will be put to the test right from the beginning of Ivy play, which the Big Green opens with five consecutive road games. After a 1-6 road record in last year’s conference play, the Big Green has a renewed urgency on the road due to the makeup of its
schedule. One of the Big Green’s main goals for the season is to beat each Ivy at least once. According to Doron, conference road games are always tough — especially given the strength of the conference, which is formidable. However, he and Petit both echo that if the Green and White play its game, winning on the road is possible. “If we can be excellent on our side, it doesn’t matter where we are, it doesn’t matter if there’s no one in the stands or our fans in the stands or 1,000 of our opponents’ fans in the stands, if we can kind of handle our end of things then we should be able to pull out some wins,” Petit said. With its impressive roster of newcomers and returning players, the Big Green hopes to make some noise in the Ivy League this year — and Doron thinks his players have the hunger and ability to do so.
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Swann, Traynor lead way for championship-hungry football team B y ADDISON DICK
The Dartmouth Staff
The Big Green football team has unfinished business to take care of this fall after narrowly missing the Ivy League title one season ago. After winning its first seven games of the 2018 season, Dartmouth fell to the Tigers of Princeton University, who went on to win the conference championship. With many key players returning, the Big Green will look to win its first Ivy title since 2015. The defense returns five allconference players, led by co-captains cornerback Isiah Swann ’20 and linebacker Jack Traynor ’19. The defense was stellar a year ago, allowing an average of 12 points per game and 4.1 yards per play. Swann described the identity of the defense as tough and nasty. “We’re always going to outhustle you,” Swann said. “I think we strike fear in a lot of our opponents.” Swann is currently tied for the program record with 13 career interceptions. He was named to the STATS FCS Preseason All-America First Team and is on the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award. Despite the accolades and records, Swann said he will not feel any added pressure. “I just honestly want to do everything I can to help us win games and an Ivy League championship,” he said. While Swann and Traynor will lead the defense, the Big Green offense will return its two-quarterback system featuring Derek Kyler ’21 and Jared Gerbino ’20. Expectations for both signal callers are high. Kyler is on the watch list for College Football Performance Awards FCS Performer of the Year, and Gerbino spent a week this summer at the Manning Passing Academy under the direction of National Football League superstars Peyton and Eli Manning. Gerbino said he learned a lot about leadership and enjoyed working with some of the most promising quarterbacks in the country. “It was awesome to try to see just how close you are to some of these guys who are literally Heisman
candidates,” Gerbino said. The offensive line will be tested early in the season, as guard Zach Sammartino ’20 is the only returning starter up front. Gerbino said he expects the team to continue its success of a year ago with strong play on both offense and defense. The dual-quarterback system of Kyler and Gerbino was successful last season. Kyler was extremely accurate, ranking third nationally with a 69 percent completion percentage. Gerbino, who runs plays out of the wildcat system, rushed for over six yards per rushing attempt. Gerbino said he expects the unique offense to be difficult to defend again. “It’s not a common thing you see in football,” he said. It has an aggressive tone to it, and it’s hard to gameplan for.” Swann said that the team must continue to play its own style of Dartmouth football. “Just big, tough, nasty, physical football,” he said. Gerbino said the team had its best set of preseason practices he has seen in his time with the Big Green. He said the offense feels fluid and has faced a good test by challenging the Big Green defense during each practice. He added that a lot of the younger players are learning plays quicker than in previous years. Buddy Teevens ’79 is entering his 20th season as the Big Green head coach, and he sits four wins away from his 100th career victory. The Big Green’s non-conference schedule includes a matchup between last season’s top-two FCS scoring defenses against Colgate University, a road trip to Marist College and its season opener on Saturday on the road against Jacksonville University. Gerbino said he is looking for good execution in the week one matchup and hopes that the weeks of preseason preparation will pay off. The team’s schedule also includes the annual games between all seven Ivy opponents, with home games against Yale University, Columbia University and Cornell University, and road tests at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and Brown University.
GREGORY FISHER/COURTESY OF THE DARTMOUTH ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
Co-captain Jack Traynor ’19 will anchor the Big Green defense at the linebacker position.
The marquee game of the season will be a November matchup between Dartmouth and Princeton in a celebration of 150 years of college football and Dartmouth’s 250th anniversary at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It will be the Big Green’s second game in a Major League Baseball stadium in the past
three years. Dartmouth defeated Brown 33-10 at Fenway Park in 2017. Swann said he expects a great atmosphere in “The House that Ruth Built.” “Not many people can say they’ve played at Fenway and Yankee Stadium,” he said. While the venue of the game
would make it special on its own, last year’s matchup, which served as the de facto conference championship game, adds extra motivation for the Big Green. Gerbino said he is excited for another opportunity to face the Tigers. “It’s going to be a little bit of a revenge tour,” he said.
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SPORTS
Rugby teams open fall seasons after successful spring campaigns B y ELIJAH CZYSZ
The Dartmouth Staff
Women’s rugby The women’s rugby team will look to build off an historically successful season last fall. For the first time in the team’s history, Dartmouth won the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association National Championship in November 2018. Despite national success, the team will be looking to avenge its loss to Harvard University in the Ivy 7s Championship final. “[We’re] trying to springboard off of [the championship] and hopefully perform to the same high standards,” women’s rugby co-captain Marin Pennell ’21 said. “The dream is to win Ivies and Nationals in one year.” To find this success, the Big Green will have to shuffle its approach to its backline, the players positioned behind scrums to use their speed to score tries. Emily Henrich ’22 will not be playing for the Big Green in the 2019-20 season. Instead, she will be training with the USA Women’s Rugby National Team. Last season, Henrich was a major contributor to the team, leading the team in tries. To add to the accolades, she won the MA Sorensen Award, given to the best women’s college rugby player in the nation. Training with Henrich for USA Rugby will be Lilly Durbin ’21, who did not play for Dartmouth last season but led the team in points and tries in 2017-18 as a first-year student. T he Big Green g raduated Camille Johnson ’19, who led the team last year in conversions and total points, and Kat Ramage ’19, who was nominated alongside Henrich last season for the MA Sorensen Award. Also absent in the
lineup will be Sophie Ragg ’22, who is currently injured. Ragg ended her fall third in both tries and total points with the Big Green. “We pride ourselves on having a deep bench,” Pennell said. “We’ll shift and adjust.” Saturday’s commanding 5217 win against Brown University highlighted some of the Dartmouth players who will be contributing to the Big Green’s backline. Ariana Ramsey ’22, who competed in the Pan American Games on the US Women’s Sevens team with Henrich, scored three tries against Brown. Kristin Bitter ’23, a promising first-year, contributed five conversions and a try. “This is a cool year because a lot of players will have to step up and a lot of players have been stepping up,” said Sophia Haley ’22. The Brown game highlighted some of the first-year recruits that have spent pre-season with the Big Green. “They’re definitely finding their place … a lot of them are playing new or different positions,” Pennell said. “There’s always so much development that happens.” The next weeks will provide a greater challenge, as the Big Green take on Harvard on Sept. 21 and the United States Military Academy on Oct. 5. Other notable changes to the team include the addition of a new assistant coach, Kelley Sullivan, last spring. “I think it should be really good once we do start the walk on recruiting process to have the extra person for them to use,” Pennell said. For the Big Green, the process of recruiting is still underway. On Friday, the team did “sweeps,” which entailed knocking on the
doors of first-years. As a relatively new varsity sport, the team pitches a supportive culture for walk ons. “I would emphasize how empowering the sport is,” Haley said. “We have the same rules as our men’s rugby team. It feels good to be surrounded by such strong women and supportive people.”
Men’s rugby The Dartmouth Men’s Rugby Football Club is also following up a successful year. Last spring, it progressed to the semifinal round of the Collegiate Rugby Championship and in conference play, the team won the Ivy 7s Tour nament and the Ivy 15s Championship. To begin the season, DRFC always can find tough competition in the United States Military Academy, which bested the Big Green 29-22 on Sept. 11 in what head coach James Willocks described as “a bit of a heartbreaker.” “We gave [Army] 14 points just through first game jitters,” Willocks said. “But that was our first test. The next real test will be against Penn State,” Willocks said. The Big Green will face Princeton University on Sept. 21 and then Pennsylvania State University on Sept. 28. After that, the team will transition into Ivy League play. Since 1998, the Big Green has lost only three Ivy 15s Championships and 2019 marked the seventh Ivy 7s win out of the past eight years. So, as the DRFC transitions from preseason to Ivy League play, fans can expect success on that front. However, among Ivy League challengers, co-captain Mason Koch ’20 states that Harvard and Brown University are good competition and are contenders in the Ivy League.
In the spring of 2019, DRFC graduated significant contributors to the team. In general, Willocks said that the team has lost height – players such as Struan Coleman ’19, Fuller Winton ’19, Dylan Burke ’19 and many more. Height is beneficial in rugby because when the ball goes out of bounds, both teams fight for the ball on the throw-in by essentially building a tower of people. The higher that tower is, according to Koch, the easier it is to win the ball. “So far, the guys have done a really good job rebuilding it,” Willocks said. “We’ve managed to scrounge up some height and some of the taller guys we’ve got have been doing a really good job.” Aiding in the reconstruction, with classes starting later than usual, the Big Green has more time to train the seven recruits from the class of 2023 that have attended preseason. “ We ’ve h a d a t h re e - w e e k preseason where we’ve been able to get a fair bit of time, get a lot of meeting done to educate,” Willocks said. The Class of 2023 is already being incorporated into the DRFC’s gameplans. According to Koch, Matias Calvo ’23 got significant minutes in the Army game and will be a major plus for the team. The later start date does mean that there is less time to bring walk-ons from the Class of 2023 on board. To help with this, Willocks said that he would simply schedule the development games, designed for developing recruits, later in the season. “If you’re interested, come give it a try,” he said. “If you want to be competitive, if you want to play a physical sport that has great camaraderie and has great history. There’s a place for everybody here.”