Sports Shorts

Depleted squad turns in big results at Fordham invitational

COURTESY SPORTS PUBLICITY OFFICE Captain Ryan Eckel, TC '00, will lead the Elis at Indiana.

Simple dedication to their sport led four of Yale's top cross-country run ners to England this summer to compete on a team of Yale and Harvard track and field standouts. As a result, Matt Taylor, MC '00, Joe Racine, TD '00, Rob Doyle, DC '01, and Jack Lovejoy, PC '01, did not run in last week's Fordham University Invitational, choosing instead to recuperate.

Although lacking the speed of these four top runners, the men's team earned an impressive sixth-place finish at the "Fordham Fiasco" behind the strong performances of John Phillips, TD '02, and Eric Klein, SM '02, both of whom placed in the top 25. "Although five people haven't run, other kids ran well," head coach Steve Bartold said. J.C. Reindl, BK '03, is expected to join the team as soon as he is certified by the NCAA.

The presence of the Bulldogs who went to England will be necessary for Eli success at the team's meet at Indiana University, the Sam Bell Invitational, on Sat., Sept. 25, where the top seven Yale runners will run against the defending national champions from the University of Arkansas, as well as many other cross country powerhouses. Bartold is confident in his team's ability to run with these schools. "Everyone is running very well, and we have had solid workouts this week," Bartold said.

"[The trip will be] a great experience because we usually don't run with big-name teams," Klein said. "[It will be an] opportunity to grow and run with the best."

Running at Indiana gives the Bulldogs two distinct advantages over their East Coast competition. The NCAA National Championships will be held at Indiana in November, so the Bulldogs will have competed on the course once before. In addition, the Bulldogs can gauge their speed against Navy, a league rival, before the Heptagonal Meet at the end of October. "[The meet will be a] good indication of where the team stands," Taylor, the Elis' number one runner last year, said. "We're prepared for the challenge."

"If we can hold together physically, this is the best team we've had attitude-wise and [professionalism]-wise," Bartold said.

—Darcy Wiecks

After West Coast wakeup Elis come back strong at home

The women's soccer team received a very rude welcome to their new season. Coach Rudy Meredith termed the Elis' 0-2 California road trip a "wake-up call," and when they returned, the Elis were forced to search for answers in hopes of righting their season. They got back on track on Wed., Sept. 15, in a solid 2-1 victory over the University of Rhode Island that reaffirmed the Elis' hopes of bidding for a berth in the NCAA tournament.

The squad was frustrated because the players felt that they had outplayed their opponents on the road trip despite their record. Against St. Mary's on Sun., Sept. 12, the Bulldogs outshot their opponents 13-8, yet fell 2-1. "That is just not impressive," captain Danica Lieberman, TD '00, said. "We will not win games if we need 13 shots on goal simply to score once."

On Wed., Sept. 15, the Elis battled Rhode Island, and with the help of goals by Theryn Gibbons, MC '00, and Ritha Belizaire, BR '02, the Bulldogs pulled away, 2-1.

Offensive improvement will be the Elis number one goal in practice. The Bulldogs' difficulty scoring the ball is understandable; four of their seven returning starters are defensive specialists—including Lieberman, All-Ivy efender Lorele Wall, SM '00, and goalkeeper Sarah Peterson, PC '02. In the season-opening loss to Pacific, freshman Lauren Gillies, BR '03, was moved up front in the middle of the first half and remained there for much of the game, managing to get off three shots.

With upcoming games against Brown and Harvard, the Elis will have to mature quickly. Still, their 0-2 start will serve as a constant reminder of the need to stay to focused. "We can't have any more weekends like that," Meredith said.

—Ted Diskant

Golf breaks par

While many Yalies huddle indoors away from Hurricane Floyd, one hardy group of athetes will be braving the weather. The women's golf team, still smarting from last year, when they finished second in the Ivy League Championships by two strokes, will be heading up to the Dartmouth Invitational for their first tournament of the season.

"I'm really excited about Dartmouth," Annie Scholz, DC '02, said. "If it's not pouring, it will go really well." Yale won the tournament last year, and could come away with another victory if enough players play up to their potential. The team will play practice rounds on Fri., Sept. 17 and compete on Sat., Sept. 18 and Sun., Sept. 19.

Both Chawwadee Rompothong, TC '00, and Scholz predict an excellent season. The team gained two talented freshmen, Jean Park, PC '03, and Jordanna Davis, ES '03, to replace the two seniors it lost last year. "[This is] the strongest team we've ever had," captain Emily Johnson, TD '00, said.

Although it may be hard to surpass last season's record, when the team won four first-place titles during the course of the season, Johnson believes that it's possible based on Yale's great teamwork. "We have a good dynamic," Scholz said. "We get along really well."

"There's no doubt in my mind we could win the Ivies," Scholz said. "And if we all put our effort in, we could make the NCAAs."

"I'm sure everyone is going to step up a notch," Rompothong said. "We have the potential, and we're determined to reach it."

—Bibi Lesch

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