behind the numbers

Yale midfielder Matt Schmidt, MC '01, was selected by the Milwaukee Wave, his hometown team, in the second round of the National Professional Soccer League's amateur draft on Wed., Jan. 10. Schmidt was a second team All-Ivy League choice in 2000 and started 56 games in his four years at Yale. In high school, he was the Milwaukee Area Player of the Year and received first team All-Area and All-Atate honors.

Schmidt's career stats:

Games played: 68

Goals: 6

Assists: 18

Points: 30

Last hurrah

Josh Phillips, MC '01, has one more amateur contest left in his college career; the defensive back was selected to play in the Florida All-Star Gridiron Classic in Orlando on Sat., Jan. 13. The three-year-old event played in the Citrus Bowl is coached by NFL personnel and played under professional rules. Former NFL coach Buddy Ryan will coach Team USA. Phillips, who will play free safety and special teams, is the only Ivy League player in the game and one of just a handful of Division I-AA players selected. Phillips lettered all four years at Yale and was fifth on the team with 50 tackles this past season. Officials are expecting at least 150 professional scouts to attend the game.

Top of the world

Only four years ago, Adam Nelson '97, was winning Heptagonal titles at Dartmouth. Today he is ranked as the top shot putter in the world by Track and Field News, which has been in the World Rankings business for more than 50 years. In generating the rankings, an international panel of experts considers three categories in descending order of importance: honors won, head-to-head record, and actual marks. Nelson, who won a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics over the summer, was the top qualifier at the U.S. Olympic Trials with a throw of 22.12 meters (72-7). That mark was the best in the world last year and ranks Nelson among the top 10 throwers of all time. He is the first Ivy athlete to be ranked number one in the world by Track and Field News since 1973, when Frank Shorter, MC '69, was the top-ranked marathoner. Yale Olympic hopeful

As most Yalies lazed around their homes over winter vacation, Krissy Nesburg, SM '04, competed for a position on the U.S. Field Hockey Association under-21 national team. Between Wed., Dec. 27 and Sun., Dec. 31, Nesburg earned a position as the alternate goaltender on the team. Trips to Germany and Argentina are planned for the upcoming year, and, if selected to the team, Nesburg will begin a training schedule to prepare for the international tournaments. —Compiled by Anna Dolinsky

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