The year in Yale sports: the '97-'98 varsity wrap up

BASKETBALL

Men: 12-14, 7-7 Ivy

'98-'99 Captain: Charlie Petit, DC '99, La Cañada, Calif.

In coach Dick Kuchen's 12th season, the Bulldogs improved from a 3-11 Ivy record in 1996-97 to finish third in the league, behind Princeton and Pennsylvania. The Elis had two exciting overtime games against a powerful Pennsylvania team. On Jan. 10, Yale beat the Quakers 71-70 at home. On Feb. 13, Pennsylvania exacted revenge at the Palestra, coming back from a 15-point halftime deficit to win 76-69 in overtime.

Women: 14-12, 8-6 Ivy

'98-'99 Captain: Autumn Braddock, BK '99, Hinsdale, Ill.

Rookie Lily Glick, ES '01, often led the team in scoring and rebounds, making key contributions in important wins like the 74-72 overtime win against Dartmouth on Fri., Jan. 30 and the Fri., Feb. 13 domination of Pennsylvania. Also in that 66-43 win over the Quakers, forward Katy Grubbs, SM '99, became the 12th Yale woman to reach the 1,000 career points mark.

FENCING

Men: 8-2, 2-2 Ivy, 7th in NCAA tournament

'98-'99 Captain: Peter Devine, MC '99, New York, NY

"This season will be really, really tough," coach Henry Harutunian said at the beginning of the season. "Princeton is very, very strong in everything." Indeed, the men fell to both Princeton and Columbia in the regular season. However, the season was successful overall, with a 7th-place finish in the NCAA tournament.

A bright spot for the whole Bulldog team and for Yale athletics this year was Ayo Griffin, SM '00, who won the NCAA foil championship. With his win, Griffin became the first Yale fencer to win a title since the NCAA championships began in 1941.

Women: 11-0, 5-0 Ivy (1st place), 1st in IFA tournament, 7th in NCAA tournament

'98-'99 Captain: Katie Zuckerman, JE '99, Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.

This was a season of success for the Elis, who became the first women's fencing team to win three consecutive Ivy League titles. Depth in both the foil and epée squads aided the team's success. "When epée is in trouble, we help them out," team captain and lead foiler Alison Calabia, SM '98, said. "We expect them to do the same for us."

GYMNASTICS

5-2, 2-0 Ivy

'98-'99 Captain: Stacey Johnson, TC '99, Greer, SC

Coach Barbara Tonry's perenially strong women's gymnastics team bounced back from the injuries and heartbreak of 1997 to take second at Ivies. Captain Elise White, PC '98, returned from last season's knee injury to lead the team. As sophomore sensation Betty Ky, TC '00, recuperated from knee surgery, Tonry's recruits stepped up. Nicole Hoffman, BR '01, and Katie Kleiner, DC '01, each set records for points in several meets. In April, the two freshmen went to the NCAA Regional meet where they placed 17th and 20th, respectively, in all-around competition.

HOCKEY

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Captain Ray Giroux (2), BK '98 led the Bulldogs to the ECAC regular-season title and an NCAA tournament bid.

Men: 23-9-3, 17-4-1 ECAC (1st place), semifinals in ECAC tournament, first round in NCAA tournament

'98-'99 Captain: Keith McCullough, BR '99,

Thunder Bay, Ont.

It was an historic season for Yale hockey. The preseason ECAC Coaches' Poll had predicted a 10th-place finish since the Bulldogs had only won 17 games in the last two years. Although, the Bulldogs were knocked off by Ohio State in the first round of the NCAAs on Mar. 27, Yale shocked all doubters by winning the ECAC regular-season title and making the NCAA tournament for the first time in 46 years. Coach Tim Taylor was named National (AHCA) Coach of the Year, captain Ray Giroux, BK '98, won ECAC MVP honors, and Jeff Hamilton, SM 00, and goalie Alex Westlund, SM '99, were voted to the All-ECAC First Team.

Women: 7-19-2, 0-10 Ivy

'98-'99 Captain: Julianna Schantz-Dunn, CC '99, Amenia, NY

Former Yale assistant coach John Marchetti returned to The Whale as head coach last winter. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs failed to win an Ivy League game, something which they have not done since the 1987-88 season. Goalie Laurie Belliveau, TD '98, was outstanding throughout her Yale career. Belliveau has been selected to the All-Ivy First Team four times, the All-ECAC team three times, and won Player of the Year accolades each of the last two years. However, the offense did not back her up; in 1997-98, the Bulldogs were outscored 87 to 54.

SQUASH

Men: 11-3, 4-2 Ivy

'98-'99 Captain: Nikhil Bhandare, TD '99, Dehra Dun, India

Doug Lam, SM '98, was the standout player this year at Yale's number-one position, placing 23rd at the Intercollegiate Squash Association Championships. The team improved upon its 1996-97 10-6, 3-3 Ivy season record, losing only to Harvard, Princeton, and Trinity.

Women: 6-3, 3-3 Ivy, 6th in Howe Cup

'98-'99 Captain: Carla Shen, TC '99, Brooklyn, NY

Coach Dale Walker announced her retirement at the end of her 18th season as head coach. Last winter, the Elis were clearly in the second tier of teams, behind Princeton, Pennsylvania, and Harvard. However, new coach Mark Talbott hopes to turn things around. Talbott, whose older brother Dave is Yale's men's squash coach, was the world's top-ranked squash player from 1983 to 1995. Walker is certainly excited for the team's future. She said, "I think it's going to be fantastic."

SWIMMING & DIVING

Men: 10-3, 6-3 EISL, 5th in EISL tournament

'98-'99 Captain: Steve Gold, MC '99, Jacksonville, Fla.

Going into the EISL Championships on Mar. 5, Jeremy Fain, DC '99, asserted, "We have the best chance in years to finish third--we've got a legitimate shot." The Elis lost only three times, but Brown surprised the Blue, who slipped to fifth and finished just 7.5 points behind fourth-place Navy.

Women: 7-4, 4-3 Ivy, 4th in Ivy tournament

'98-'99 Captain: Kate Ivers, BK '99, Cincinnati, Ohio

The women were not used to losing, since Yale has dominated the Ivy League since 1995. But no one had considered the new league rules. In the past, the Ivy crown went to the team with the best dual meet record, but this year, the winner was determined solely from the results of the Ivy League championships. The Elis fell short, however, as they dropped to fourth, four points behind third-place Harvard.

--Compiled by Carl Bialik and Sharon Lin

Back to Taking The Field...