Sports Shorts

With no luck versus Mercyhurst, hockey still out for second win

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Women's hockey in their 3-1 win over Princeton.

Yale's latest defeat came at the hands of Mercyhurst which is in its second season as a Division I independent. The Bulldogs took an early 2-0 lead on Sat., Dec. 2, but could not hold on, falling 5-2. Sara Wood, SM '02, scored with 3:30 left in the first period; Gabrielle Goodfellow, TD '04, added to the lead just over a minute later. Mercyhurst tied the score in the second period, on one of three goals by Lindsay Barch. Nicolette Franck, SM '04, made 22 saves for Yale.

On Sun., Dec. 3, Mercyhurst rubbed Yale's nose in the ground again. Captain Lisa Meyers, SY '01, scored Yale's only goal on a power play in the third period.

The events of last weekend don't concern Head Coach John March-etti. Women's hockey hasn't had a winning season since 1985-86; he wasn't expecting a miracle. "I think the team is improving daily and it's probably as strong a team as we've had here in my four years at this point in [the season]," he said. The team's solidity and depth is encouraging because, as Marchetti said, "We're one of the few teams in the league that plays four or five freshmen regularly. Part of our early season lack of success would be due to having a very young team."

Franck sees this as an advantage both for the present and the future of the team. "It's a great opportunity to come here and be able to play right away," she said. "I think our freshmen had a lot to do with that because we had to fight for our positions. That will only make us better as a team in the long run, and I think you'll see that in the next few years."

Marchetti anticipates improvement over the rest of the 2000-01 season. "We're going to win some games that we're supposed to win and we're going to win some that we're not supposed to win. That's the mark of a good team."

—Chaim Bloom



MEN'S SWIMMING

Divers and relay carry team in Virginia Invitational

Once in the water, the team managed to capture second place at the four-day meet. Building on the strong performance of its divers, Yale was able to accumulate 730 points, 174 more than third place West Virginia but well behind first place UVA.

Throughout the meet, the Bulldogs dominated the three-meter diving competition in particular, with Josh Gallant, MC '04, placing first. Chris Birrer, DC '02, Patrick McElroy, SY '01, and Rich Birrer , JE '02, capturing the third, fourth and fifth spots in the event, respectively.

George Gleason, TC '01, finished second in the 200-yard backstroke and fifth in the 400-yard relay with a team that consisted of Gleason in addition to James Cocks, SY '03, Matt Bowman, SY '04, and Brendan McBreen, DC '01.

The meet capped off what has thus far been a successful early season. "So far the season has gone well," Atticus LeBlanc, BR '02, explains. "We lost a number of seniors from last year, but so far everyone has done a good job of stepping up."

With the fall semester drawing to a close, the team is looking ahead to Orlando, where they will spend much of this winter break training in preparation for the upcoming dual meet season. As always, the dual meet season is the center of the team's focus with extra attention on the EISL championships in March.

—David Lisson



GYMNASTICS

Maccabbi trials ahead

With a potential championship season ahead, the Yale women's gymnastics team is already preparing for its most anticipated meet against rival Penn. The rivalry carries over from last year when Penn took the Ivy Championship away from Yale. Later in the season, the Bulldogs will host the Ivy Championship this year on Feb. 24, which marks the 25th anniversary of women's gymnastics in the Ivy League.

Yale carries a promising squad this year, only suffering the loss of one senior (who did not compete last year due to injury). Expectations are high for the class of 2003, which broke numerous school records last year as freshmen. Shoshana Engel, DC '03, coming off ankle surgery, is determined to better her record-breaking performances from last year on the floor and beam. Andrea Wolf, JE '03, a mature competitor returning with the status as a Regional qualifier, plans to maintain her consistency while raising the level of difficulty of her routines.

Three of Yale's most talented gymnasts, Wolf, Engel, and Jamie Green, TD '04, will attend the pre-season trials for the 16th World Maccabbi Games (an event for Jewish athletes that takes place every four years). The Yale women will compete against 14 other gymnasts from around the nation in the senior age group; three of the 14 are chosen to go to the international, Olympic-style competition in Israel in July 2001. This will be the first international competition of the season for the three. —Lindsey Stimpson

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