Sports Shorts

Women's soccer

After season ends at ECACs, soccer leans on frosh for the future

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Danica Liberman, TD '00, helped lead the Elis to the ECAC tournament.

"Our overall record didn't at all represent the talent that we have on this team, and we are looking to use this season as a motivating experience for next year," midfielder Britt Payne, DC '02, said. The loss of five seniors who played a significant role on the team will hurt the Bulldogs next season, but there is an abundance of team confidence in the underclassmen.

Not only are both the sophomore and junior classes strong, but the talented freshman class has dominated the Bulldog offense. The freshmen have combined for 16 of the team's 35 goals. In the games that determined whether or not the Bulldogs would qualify for the ECAC tournament, midfielder Lauren Gillies, BR '03, and forward Chandra King, TD '03, scored five of the team's seven goals. Of these, four came in the 5-0 victory over Cornell.

Goalie Lindsay Sabel, PC '03, earned valuable experience when she was given the opportunity to play against Cornell and St. John's. With the combination of their 2-1 victory at Fairfield and 5-0 victory over Cornell, the Bulldogs were able to overcome a string of losses. Not only did they qualify for the tournament, they also hosted it as the No. 1 seed.

In the spring, the Bulldogs will attempt to rebuild and prepare for next season with renewed aspirations for a bid to the NCAA tournament—a goal that eluded the the team this year.

—Darcy Wiecks

Men's swimming

Reaching for success

"This year, our goal is to win the Ivy League title," Peter Baldwin, BR '00, said. "We came up just a few points short last year. This year we're returning most of the team, and the freshmen so far have looked great. We've felt really strong in our intersquad meets and the scrimmage [against Southern Connecticut State]."

Juniors and seniors will comprise the core of the team. Leading in freestyle are Tim Moffet, TD '00, Mike Caperonis, CC '00, and Dan Schinnerer, BK '01, who had a pair of top-10 finishes at Easterns last year. Also making a good showing at Easterns last year were butterflier Peter Baldwin, BR '01, and George Gleason, TC '01, who finished fourth in the 200 backstroke and sixth in the 100 backstroke.

Stephen Fahy, MC '01, earned the team's best finish at Easterns last year, claiming third in the 200 individual medley with an amazing time of 1:50.88. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Fahy will have to miss several meets in the first semester of this year while training for and competing in the Commonwealth Games.

—Geoff Chepiga

Cross country

Track head coach Steve Bartold discusses his retirement

Bartold's decision was mainly based on a desire to see more of his wife. "It's what I owe her," he said. "She brought up all our kids, and I was never around. I was away on weekends coaching, and I really feel as though I owe her that much." In addition to family time, Bartold said that he plans to relax. "I'm going to play golf and do a little traveling, and spend some time with two of my kids who are still in school, at Colorado Springs," he said.

Ryan Barrows, MC '01, a middle-distance runner, said that knowing that this will be Bartold's final year will push the team even harder to succeed. "I think we want to send him out on a high note," Barrows said. "We're always motivated to do well, but there may be a little extra motivation, knowing he's leaving." Rob Doyle, DC '01, agreed. "He's been here 20 years. [Winning it all] would be a great way to send him out."

The longtime coach leaves behind 19 years' worth of memories and a program that appears to be rebounding nicely from a couple of mediocre seasons. "There are a lot of memories at Yale," Bartold said. "The best thing about kids at Yale is that they're running because they really want to, not because of scholarships." One of Bartold's fondest memories is of Doyle's words when he finished seventh at Heptagonals this fall, shaving nearly 45 seconds off of his personal best time. "He came up to me afterwards and said, `This one was for you, coach,'" Bartold recalled. "That's the kind of memory I will keep."

Bartold will be succeeded by Dave Shoehalter, who will take over as the head track coach, and Dan Ireland, an assistant at Georgetown and a former 10,000-meter East Coast champion, who will take over as the head cross country coach.

—Joey Ax

Around the Ivies

Doesn't matter

Princeton hockey

Sucks

Harvard soccer

Harvard soccer midfielder Nick Lenicheck '02 was named the Ivy League Co-Player of the Week after scoring two goals—including the game-winner off a header in the 80th minute—to key a 4-3 victory over visiting Pennsylvania in Harvard's season finale on Sat., Nov. 13. Lenicheck, who leads Harvard in points and assists this season, headed in his third game-winner of the season off a cross from Wells Man-grum '01 at 79:45.

—Compiled by Laurie Randell

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