Men's basketball
Men’s basketball had an up-and-down weekend, dropping a tough game at the hands of Cornell University Friday night but bouncing back to the tune of a blowout victory over Columbia University on Saturday.
In the 83-80 loss to Cornell, Chris Knight ’21 scored 27 points and five Dartmouth players scored in double figures. But their efforts were overshadowed by the success of Matt Morgan, the Cornell senior who scored an unbelievable 41 points. Morgan made nine of his 11 3-pointers, scoring a career high and breaking the Leede Arena record for points scored in a single game.
With the frustration of Friday night’s loss fresh in their minds, the Big Green came out aggressive and with something to prove against Columbia. Dartmouth built up a lead early and led by double-digits for the final 28 minutes of the game. Brendan Barry ’20 scored 21 points, four other players scored in double figures and the Big Green picked up its second conference victory.
Dartmouth currently stands at 2-4 in conference play and 11-11 overall. The team tied for fifth in the conference and is two games back of fourth place and therefore two games out of the Ivy League tournament, whose winner receives an automatic bid to NCAA tournament. The Big Green will travel to the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University this upcoming weekend with a golden opportunity to make up some ground in the conference.
Women's basketball
This past weekend, the Dartmouth women’s basketball team (10-9, 3-3 Ivy) picked up a pair of wins on the road at Cornell University (7-10, 1-5 Ivy) and Columbia University (6-13, 2-4 Ivy).
Friday night’s 63-56 victory over Cornell marked the Big Green’s first in Ithaca since the 2009-10 season. Despite the Big Green leading the Big Red for the majority of the 40 minutes, the game was close down the stretch. The Big Green relied on an impressive 50 percent success rate from behind the arc to counter an aggressive Cornell defense, and Cy Lippold ’19 and Isalys Quinones ’19 each sunk five 3s en route to their team-leading 21- and 19-point performances.
Lippold and Quinones stepped up again on Saturday with 20 and 21 points respectively in a comeback win in the Big Apple. The Big Green did not lead at all in the game until the fourth quarter, despite outscoring the Lions for each of the last three quarters. With Dartmouth down by one with four seconds remaining, Quinones was fouled and sank two free throws to seal the game. The Big Green will be back at home next weekend to host the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University in Leede Arena.
Men's hockey
The men’s hockey team slipped to seventh in the Eastern College Athletic Conference standings after finishing two close games this weekend with a tie and a loss. Facing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Friday, Dartmouth never led but came back three times from one-goal deficits. After RPI got on the board first, Jeff Losurdo ’22 recorded his first goal in almost three months in the first period off a centering pass from Connor Yau ’19. Dartmouth responded again in the second period when Collin Rutherford ’21 snuck the puck under the pad of the RPI goaltender. RPI took the lead midway through the final period, however. Just when it looked like Dartmouth would face a disappointing defeat, the Big Green pulled its goaltender and Drew O’Connor ’22 came up clutch with a game-tying goal, his ninth of the year. A shot from O’Connor ringed off the crossbar in overtime and the game finished in a draw.
The Big Green could not pick up any points on Saturday, losing to No. 20 Union College 3-1 in another close game. Dartmouth had a number of scoring chances in the first period, but Union goaltender Darion Hanson made all 16 saves. Matt Baker ’21 opened the scoring with a breakaway goal in the beginning of the second period. Baker’s goal was set up by a long pass from Cameron Roth ’19 that was perfectly placed between four Dutchmen, and Baker took care of the rest with a shot over the glove of Hanson. Two minutes later, the Dutchmen answered with a cross-ice pass that found the back of the net off the stick of a Dartmouth defenseman. The score remained even until the final four minutes of the game. Union’s Ryan Walker fired a shot past Adrian Clark ’20 off of a faceoff win. An empty net goal a few minutes later extended the lead to two goals, and the game finished with a 3-1 loss for the Big Green.
The Big Green (8-12-3, 7-7-2 ECAC) hit the road next weekend with games against No. 9 Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University before returning for two home games against Yale University and Brown University.
Women's hockey
The Big Green lost a pair of games on the road this weekend, falling on Friday to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 5-2 and on Saturday night to Union College, 4-1. Sara McClanahan ’22 scored in the first period and Gabby Billing ’22 netted a short-handed goal in the third against RPI, with Bailee Brekke ’20 and Sydney Hill ’19 picking up assists. Although Dartmouth managed to outshoot their opponents 32-22 and killed off all five RPI power plays, the effort was not enough to prevent the Engineers from scoring five goals to win the game.
The next night, Billing got the team off to a strong start with yet another shorthanded goal in the first period, but the Big Green couldn’t answer four consecutive goals from Union, three of which came in the third period. Billing’s second shorthanded goal was the first time a Big Green player has scored twice shorthanded in one season since 2007-08, and the first time to do so in one weekend since 2002.
Next weekend, the Big Green (4-20-1) will take on Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University at home, and then will conclude the regular season on the road at Yale University and Brown University.
Skiing
The lasting image of the 2019 Dartmouth Carnival is an unusual one: a snowcat motoring up the slope, pulling a line of ski racers on a tow rope. With the ski lift out of commission due to high winds, race organizers improvised and ski racers rolled with the punches, showing a level of grit and adaptability that was on display all weekend. Skiing through challenging conditions Friday and somewhat improved snow the next day, Dartmouth took eight podium spots at the Skiway and Oak Hill, but the University of Vermont nipped the Big Green 914-913 on the weekend.
After the giant slalom hill glazed over with ice, officials deemed the conditions too treacherous for racing and postponed it for next week. Many of the alpine skiers headed to Oak Hill to cheer on their cross-country teammates as they slogged through a sloshy freestyle course. Rain and temperatures just above freezing added a layer of water to the trails, making for a challenging morning. Katharine Ogden ’21 led the charge for the Big Green women, completing the two 5-kilometer loops in just over 30 minutes — good for second place behind UVM’s Lena Sutro, who took the top spot for the fourth time this season. Lauren Jortberg ’20 had her top finish this season in third place, with Lydia Blanchet ’19 a spot behind her. The rain stopped and the sun came out for the men’s race, slowing down the course even further. Colby College’s Zane Fields became the non-Catamount skier to win a race this season, finishing the 15 kilometers a full minute and a half faster than the next skier. Callan DeLine ’18 was just over two minutes behind, cracking the top 10 with a time of 45:49.3.
Rock-hard snow and sunny conditions produced an exciting slalom race the next day. Tanguy Nef ’20 won his third straight slalom by nearly two seconds, and he did so in style, flipping around on the final bend and coming across the finish line backward. Kalle Wagner ’21 grabbed his second career podium, finishing third, and James Ferri ’19 took fourth. In a strong day for the Big Green, David Domonoske ’20 and Andrew Miller ’22 also finished in the top 10. On the women’s side, UVM’s perennial slalom power Paula Moltzan took the win. Ellie Curtis ’22 surprised the field by skiing into second place from bib 32. Alexa Dlouhy ’19, fresh off a win last week at UVM, finished third, and Claire Thomas ’21 rounded out the Dartmouth trio in fourth.
The 3x5-kilometer classic relay provided plenty of excitement for the spectators Saturday at Oak Hill. Dartmouth’s team of Blanchet, Taryn Hunt-Smith ’19 and Jortberg led from the mass start until the third leg before UVM anchor Sutro pulled the Catamounts ahead to win, with the Big Green behind in second. A second Dartmouth team of Emily Hyde ’19, Leah Brams ’20 and Ogden took third as Ogden came across with the fastest split of the day. After winning the women’s race, UVM crushed the field in the men’s race, effortlessly sweeping the podium. The top Dartmouth team, composed of Gavin McEwen ’19, Adam Glueck ’21 and Deline, settled for eleventh.
Track and field
The men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in two tournaments this weekend — the Fastrack National Invitational in Staten Island, New York and the Valentine’s Invitation in Boston. At Fastrack, a non-scoring meet, Andrew Palermo ’22 finished second in the weight throw with a toss of 17.13m, while Alec Eschholz ’19 and Parker Johnson ’19 finished second and fifth in the 60m hurdles with times of 8.10 and 8.21, respectively. For the women, Rachel Donner ’22 finished second in the weight throw with a 13.68m toss, Samantha Stevens ’21 finished fourth in the shot put with a distance of 12.02m and Nicole DeBlasio ’19 secured third place in the 200m finals with a 24.77 run.
At the Valentine’s meet, Claire Dougherty ’20 finished 11th overall in the 800m with a time of 2:07.87, while in the 500m, Arianna Gragg ’22, Kathryn Laskoski ’21 and Jacqueline Perron-Smith ’19 all finished in the top 20 out of 46 contestants. The next day, Max Frye ’21 took second place in a field of 63 competitors in the 500m with a time of 1:04.19, Tim Zepf ’21 placed ninth out of 269 competitors in the 800m with a time of 1:49.32 and Thomas Lingard ’22 (2:27.76) finished 11th in the 1000m.
The Big Green have a two-week break before heading to Cambridge, MA for the Ivy League Heptagonal Championship on Feb. 23-24.
The No. 7 men’s squash team wrapped up the regular season this weekend with a split, defeating No. 20 Brown University 9-0 on Friday’s senior night at home while falling to No. 6 Yale University 7-2 on Sunday. Against Brown, Brandon De Otaduy ’20, Tucker Martino ’22 and Carson Spahr ’19 all swept their opponents in three games, while four other Big Green players finished off their opponents in four games. On Sunday, Matt Giegerich ’19 and James Bell ’21 bested their opponents in five games, while De Otaduy, Toby Harding ’21 and Max Finkelstein ’22 fell in five-game battles. The Big Green (8-6, 3-4 Ivy League) will play in the men’s national team championships next weekend in New Haven, Connecticut.
The No. 9 women’s squash team also finished their regular season this weekend with a win over No. 12 Brown on Friday, but dropped their final match 7-2 to No. 4 Yale University. On Friday’s senior night at home, the Big Green bested the Bears 5-4, with Anne Blasberg ’20 and Emma Roberts ’19 sweeping their opponents. Brynn Bank ’21 defeated her opponent in four games, while Ellie Gozigian ’21 and Sandra Reiss ’21 won in five. Against Yale, Julia Potter ’20 and Roberts secured wins in five games each, but all seven of the Big Green’s other players lost their matches in three games. The Big Green (5-7, 2-5 Ivy League) will look ahead to play in the women’s national team championships in two weeks in Hartford, Connecticut.
Squash
The No. 7 men’s squash team wrapped up the regular season this weekend with a split, defeating No. 20 Brown University 9-0 on Friday’s senior night at home while falling to No. 6 Yale University 7-2 on Sunday. Against Brown, Brandon De Otaduy ’20, Tucker Martino ’22 and Carson Spahr ’19 all swept their opponents in three games, while four other Big Green players finished off their opponents in four games. On Sunday, Matt Giegerich ’19 and James Bell ’21 bested their opponents in five games, while De Otaduy, Toby Harding ’21 and Max Finkelstein ’22 fell in five-game battles. The Big Green (8-6, 3-4 Ivy League) will play in the men’s national team championships next weekend in New Haven, Connecticut.
The No. 9 women’s squash team also finished their regular season this weekend with a win over No. 12 Brown on Friday, but dropped their final match 7-2 to No. 4 Yale University. On Friday’s senior night at home, the Big Green bested the Bears 5-4, with Anne Blasberg ’20 and Emma Roberts ’19 sweeping their opponents. Brynn Bank ’21 defeated her opponent in four games, while Ellie Gozigian ’21 and Sandra Reiss ’21 won in five. Against Yale, Julia Potter ’20 and Roberts secured wins in five games each, but all seven of the Big Green’s other players lost their matches in three games. The Big Green (5-7, 2-5 Ivy League) will look ahead to play in the women’s national team championships in two weeks in Hartford, Connecticut.
Tennis
Men’s tennis split a pair of games at No. 25 University of Minnesota and Drake University, while women’s tennis lost two of three at the East Coast Athletic Conference to finish the tournament in sixth.
Though the men beat the Gophers 5-2 last season, this year’s Minnesota team finished off the Big Green handily 7-0 on Friday. Minnesota won the doubles point with wins at No. 3 and No. 1. Among the singles matches, No. 34 Charlie Broom ’20 came closest to a win, taking Josip Krstanovic to three sets. Dan Martin ’21 won his first set before losing the next two. Two days later, the Big Green gutted out a 4-3 win against Drake. David Horneffer ’20 and Broom won 6-3 in doubles before Peter Conklin ’21 and Casey Ross ’21 won a close 7-6 match to give Dartmouth the doubles point. Horneffer and Ross won at No. 2 and No. 6, but Drake came back to tie things 3-3. Then Sid Chari ’22 bounced back from his loss against the Gophers and prevailed in three sets to give Dartmouth the 4-3 win.
The fifth-seeded Dartmouth women’s team came away from the ECAC Indoor Championship in sixth. Brown edged the Big Green 4-3 in the opening match. Despite getting the doubles point and going up 2-0 with a win from Nina Paripovic ’22 at No. 5, the Big Green faded down the stretch, and Racquel Lyn ’20 lost to seal the win for Brown. The team fared better against eighth-seeded Cornell, wining the doubles point easily and taking their singles matches in two sets. Abigail Chiu ’21, Chuyang Guan ’20 and Paripovic provided the decisive wins in a 4-1 victory. Yale then flipped the script on the Big Green in a 4-1 loss. The Bulldogs won at the No. 2 and No. 1 doubles positions, and Jingyi Peng downed her opponent to bring the Big Green within 2-1, but Yale went on to win the match.
