JULIA TIERNAN/YH The dominant women's squash team adds a new secret weapon.

Sports Shorts

WOMEN'S SQUASH

Aussie transfer invigorates Elis as they head toward Ivy dominance

After dropping its first match of the year to Pennsylvania, the top team in the nation, the Elis rallied to impressive wins over Williams, Amherst, Colby, and Bowdoin. "We [had] won four in a row, and we were really excited," Smith said. "I think it helps that we all have another year of experience. Last year, we had four freshmen."

Unfortunately for the Elis, their streak ended on Wed., Jan. 19, in a 7-2 defeat against Trinity, an undefeated squad ranked fourth in the nation.

Despite the loss, the match marked a memorable debut for Keating, who pulled out an impressive victory over Trinity's Janine Thompson '01, one of the top collegiate players in the nation. Keating got off to a slow start, struggling with her serve and appearing to be on the brink of defeat, down 9-5, 8-1. As she was on the verge of falling behind 2-0, Keating rallied, winning nine straight points and the game. Her momentum continued into the final two games, which she won convincingly, 9-1, 9-5. Later in the match, Keating became more accurate, using a combination of pace and angular shots for her victory.

As the bulk of the Elis' matches will take place in the next few weeks, team members are aware that they will have to be particularly sharp in their play. "We're working on being more aggressive on the court and marking our opponents work more," Smith said. —Jeffrey Amster

WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY

Mid-season resurgence yields pair of Bulldog victories

Tallies in the win column have been rare for the women's hockey team the last few seasons, but now the Eli skaters are ready to erase memories of the past. Heading into the second half of their season, the team has posted two recent wins, beating Boston College 4-1 on Sun., Jan. 9, and Sacred Heart 5-0 on Sun., Jan. 16.

The team can attribute some of its recent success to its trip to Europe over winter break, during which the Bulldogs posted a 4-1 record. "[While] the competition in Europe wasn't that strong, it gave us the opportunity to pass the puck around and to pick up our game," Captain Julianna Schantz-Dunn, CC '00, said. The young team also got to know each other better. "Our team got a lot closer and gained a better understanding of each other, which has allowed us to work more together as a team and use each other on the ice," defenseman Lindsay Batson, SY '00, said.

This familiarity with each other is necessary for the Bulldogs. The team is composed largely of freshmen and it has taken some time for the Bulldogs to gel on the ice. "I think it's difficult having a young team [because] it's hard for some of the younger players who want more guidance on the ice," Batson said. "Sometimes they have to play with mostly other freshmen but they want someone to help teach them more."

The Elis are now preparing to take on their next ECAC opponent, Niagara, for back-to-back matches in New York on Sat., Jan. 22 and Sun., Jan. 23. The team is looking forward to the game, but hopes the fatigue of the long road trip won't negatively affect them. "It's a tough trip, 10 hours up and back," Schantz-Dunn said.

"It's definitely going to be a tough game," forward Sara Wood, SM '02, said. "[Niagara is] definitely one of the more physical teams in the ECAC." Yet the Bulldogs are confident and ready for the challenge. "They're a team that we can be extremely competitive with, and I think we will be competitive with them," Schantz-Dunn said. —Sara Sani

WOMEN'S SWIMMING

Individual successes add up

For team success in swimming, every swimmer must step up and perform under pressure. Personal bests are helpful, but not necessary. The women's swimming team can look upon the dual meet against Cornell on Sun., Jan. 16 as an almost complete success, for both individuals and the team. The team posted 10 first-place finishes, eventually beating Cornell by a final score of 164-131. Almost every swimmer was able to put up her strongest performance of the season. "A lot of people won events and every one backed each other up," breaststroke and IM specialist Alison Swint, TC '02, said. "We were very pleased."

While most of the Yale community spent the millennium partying, the Bulldogs spent the night in a hotel room in San Antonio. In the middle of training camp, New Year's celebrations were subdued as they looked ahead to another day of double practice—and the success that would follow their hard work. "We went into the meet looking for season bests from everybody, and we almost achieved that goal," Swint said

The personal accomplishments of the weekend have given the team confidence upon which they hope to build on this weekend at home against Lehigh on Sat., Jan. 22. This will be the team's last home meet of the season, representing a final chance for the swimmers to focus on individual results before facing tougher Ivy League competition later in the season."We are setting ourselves up for a great performance at HYPs," Swint said.

—David Lisson

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