Spring sports preview 2017

The Daily Princetonian

Wednesday february 15, 2016

Spring Preview

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Woman’s water polo seeks repeat

Track and field shows promise

Baseball defends Ivy League title

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WOMEN’S WATER POLO

Water Polo open season with six-game winning streak

By Grace Baylis Staff Writer

It has been quite a year for the women’s water polo team. Individuals have seen tremendous success in the water, with senior goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson winning gold in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and being named goalkeeper of the tournament. Now sophomore Lindsey Kelleher and junior Haley Wan were also named as Honorable Mention All-Americans for the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC). But the team has also been successful out of the pool, with seven of the players being named to the ACWPC All-Academic Team.

The Tigers finished at 19-7 overall last season and made the semifinals of the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) for the fifth straight season. Although they have lost some key players, who had scored more than 20 goals previously, the strength of having Johnson back on the squad as well as the arrival of the current freshman class has made them a competitive team in the NCAA tournament this year. The Princeton team started off the season at No. 11 in the preseason CWPA

Varsity Poll, above any other Ivy League school.

The team opened their 2017 season on a strong note, the best since 2014, after which they finished at 31-2 overall.

Princeton started their current 6-0 streak by beating Iona, Villanova, and Wagner, where Head Coach Luis Nicolao earned his 800th combined career win in men and women’s water polo.

Then last weekend saw the Tigers take down Claremont Mudd Scripps, St-Francis Brooklyn, and George Washington. The game against George Washington saw three players score a hat trick, Wan scoring two goals, and freshman Tatum Turetzky score her first collegiate goal. Johnson registered a total of 11 saves in the game. Freshman Kasey Bersh then finished the job in the fourth period to help the Tigers continue their winning streak. Johnson currently holds a 0.69 percent save percentage.

Princeton will now take a week off before they face Harvard at Denunzio Pool on Feb. 25 at 10:30 a.m. This will be quite the game given the rivalry between the Tigers and Crimson. No. 21 Harvard is also on a win streak of four, having only dropped to Wagner in its first game

of the season. The last time Princeton will be a bottom the teams met, despite a heavy team this year with fourth-period comeback only three juniors and four attempt by the Crimson, seniors, but so far this has Princeton sealed the win in not been a problem for the their CWPA Championship Tigers. The wealth of expeopener game, 12-8. rience that the team has as a whole and individually is Junior Chelsea Johnson likely to help guide them said, “Harvard is always through what is looking to a big game, so to prepare be a successful season. we are practicing hard and Johnson said, “Our season working on the things we so far has been great, we are have seen that need work in currently 6-0 coming off of the past few games.” two tournaments these past The team will then play two weekends. We have a rein the Crimson Invitation- ally young team so we are al against Harvard, Marist, really getting to know each Wagner and UC-San Diego. other and getting used to They then will hit the road playing together, but so far for spring break, heading out it is looking good.” to California to play some of Amongst the Class of 2020 the nation’s best teams in is new goalkeeper, Kasey the Roadrunner Invitational. Bersh, who previously did Princeton will play against not compete in water polo No. 5 Arizona State at the in- in high school. A Florida navitational and then against tive, she also happens to be No. 2 University Southern the only freshman that does California (USC), who they not come from California. have not faced before. In to- The other five include Tatum tal, the team will face seven Turetzky, Abbey Blake, Natdifferent teams when they alie Grayson, Maddy Damato, visit the West Coast and will and Amy Castellano. be hoping to keep up the moAnother player to watch mentum the next weekend out for this season is juwhen they face St. Francis- nior Chelsea Johnson, who Brooklyn, Bucknell, and No. finished last season with 6 Michigan.

21 goals, 23 steals, 18 drawn The team added a total of ejections, and a All-CWPA six new freshmen to their Tournament second team 2017 roster, becoming the title. largest class of the team.

“Our assistant coach Becca

[Dorst] is making sure we are well swum, so we are getting a lot of yards of swimming in at every practice,” said C. Johnson. “Every day is about getting better so that’s what we are focusing on right now!”

Junior Sydney Cheong also had a successful sophomore year, dropping 15 goals, 15 steals and ten helpers.

With the Tigers getting off to a f lying start this season, they will be looking to carry the momentum they have produced into the next few weekends, where it is possible to go seven games unbeaten when they face off against Harvard. Princeton will be looking to the more experienced players to help guide the young team against some of the nation’s top teams this year. Definitely a team to watch in the coming weeks!

YICHEN SONG:: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

PRINCETON WATER POLO - BY THE NUMBERS

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The Tigers kicked off their 2016 spring season with a sixgame winning streak, topping Iona, Villanova, Wagner, Claremont Mudd Scripps, St. Francis-Brooklyn, and George Washington.

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Senior goalkeeper and 2016 Olympian Ashleigh Johnson has already blocked 39 shots in the first six games of the spring season.

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The team has scored a total of 79 goals following its first matches at the Bruno Classic and Bison Invitational

Junior Chelsea Johnson, senior Morgan Hallock, and freshman Amy Castellano score three hat trick in the team’s match against George Washington.

The Daily Princetonian

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YASH HUILGOL:: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Tigers shocked the Ivy League last season, clawing their way into the championship against Yale.

By Christopher Murphy Staff Writer

How do you top the story that the Tigers gave us last year? Princeton baseball will begin writing the next chapter of their history in just a few short weeks when they take the field in North Carolina.

To say last year’s season was a Cinderella story would not do it proper justice. Princeton entered 2016 fresh off a year of only seven wins.

Only a handful of NCAA teams had fewer wins than that. But, in 2016, the Tigers took everyone by storm.

Throughout the course of the season, they battled their way to the top of the Ivy League standings and earned a date with Yale in the conference championship series. Despite losing game one of the series, the Tigers swept a doubleheader the following day to win the conference

championship. They joined only four other teams in league history to lose game one and win the Ivy League series.

“The heart we showed bouncing back from last season is a testament to our coaches, our senior leadership and everyone buying in” said senior outfielder Danny Baer.

Head coach Scott Bradley commented, “We developed this resilience at the beginning of the year.

Our guys just care so much about each other, they deserve this.”

Now, Princeton comes into the 2017 season looking to repeat the success they had last year. Fresh off an NCAA Tournament appearance and the 2016 Ivy League crown, the Tigers will try to use the same formula of last year to have another successful season this year.

The Tigers have the benefit this year of returning many of their

Wednesday February 15, 2017

BASEBALL Tigers look to defend Ivy League crown

starters from last year. Princeton had a very balanced roster last season, combining upperclassmen leadership and experience with younger talent. This year, most of the starters return with a year more of experience. This year’s team looks to be led by seniors who took the field during last year’s tournament run, including first baseman Nick Hernandez, infielder Zack Belski, outfielder Paul Tupper and pitcher Chad Powers, who posted a 2.45 ERA during the 2016 campaign.

Adding to this mix of seniors will be new freshmen that look to make an immediate impact, including Chris Davis,James Proctor, and Eric Rojas.

A non-senior returner is sophomore outfielder Jesper Horsted. Horsted batted leadoff last year and bat an impressive .326 for the season. His batting skills will prove critical as

the Tigers look to spark their offense early and often in games.

This season, the Tigers will truly put their experience and skills to the test. Their non-conference schedule does not include a single home game. The Tigers will begin with non-conference play before the Ivy League slate on the road traveling up and down the East Coast to test their skills.

First up is a road trip to North Carolina to take on the Duke Blue Devils and UNC-Greensboro. Duke, like Princeton, was a tournament team last season, though the Tigers did not play them in the tournament.

Following the North Carolina trip, Princeton will travel south again to take on Maryland and Old Dominion over spring break. Then they will travel to Annapolis to take on the Naval Academy, another tournament team from last season that

Princeton played during the regular season. This will be the second straight year the Tigers make the trip to the academy.

The non-conference schedule also features a peppering of games against more local teams throughout the Ivy League season. Princeton will take on in-state rivals Monmouth and Seton Hall, and nearby Rider. They will also travel to New York to take on the St. John’s Red Storm.

The Ivy League schedule begins only six weeks from now with a rematch at home against Yale. Until then, the Tigers will continue to practice and prepare for their season opener against the Blue Devils in two weeks when they look to start the next chapter in their history.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL Volleyball kicks off redemptive spring season

By David Xin Editor

After a disappointing season last year, the men’s volleyball team was looking for answers. The Princeton squad struggled at home, limping to a 1-8 home record and a 4-10 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) conference record. Despite a respectable roster and many notable performances from All-EIVA team captain Devin Stearns ‘16, the team managed just four wins amid stiff competition.

While the season was undoubtedly a sour one, the Tigers managed to end the year on a high note with a close win over Sacred Heart. After dropping their first set, the Tigers quickly rebounded to win the next two. SHU would come back to tie the game at two-all, leaving the match to a decisive fifth set.

However, the Orange and Black would soon show their resilience in this tough moment. With the match up for grabs late in the final set, Stearns would record the final kill of his career to give the Tigers a 13-12 edge over Sacred Heart. Although SHU would respond with a point of their own, a Sacred Heart hitting error would ultimately seal the game as a win for the Princeton side.

As the new season begins, the Tigers will undoubtedly be looking to redeem themselves on the court. Already the Princeton squad has shown that it has the resilience of last year’s group, going head-tohead against some of the top ranked teams in the country.

However, this year, the Princeton team is also motivated by last year’s struggles, giving the squad an extra boost of motivation as the team aims to recapture an EIVA playoff position.

“I think we all have a bad taste in our mouth after our performance last year, but it is a constant reminder that we use to push ourselves everyday both in practices and games” said junior outside hitter Kendall Ratter.

While it is still early in the season, the Tigers have already shown plenty of promise. The Tigers recently split a doubleheader against EIVA heavyweights Penn State and Saint Francis. In their EIVA debut, Princeton managed to score an impressive victory over last year’s EIVA finalist, Saint Francis, in a tight five set victory. Following that impressive performance, the team then forced a fifth set against a strong Penn State team. Penn State currently sits at the of the EIVA table with a perfect 3-0 start.

Perhaps an auspicious sign for the season to come, Princeton’s latest performance surely shows the large strides the team has already made to reaching their goals. Still, the Tigers are eager to continue improving as they look to integrate the younger members of their squad into the lineup.

The Princeton squad graduated four seniors last year including senior captains Devin Stearns ‘16 and Michael Bagnell ‘16, Zach Shaw ‘16, and Alex Schindele-Murayama ‘16.

The team has undoubtedly felt the hole left behind after graduating key several key players.

Indeed, the Princeton squad struggled to fill this gap in their new roster as they tried to find their rhythm in their preseason matches.

The Tigers added four freshmen this season: outside hitters Parker Dixon and Greg Luck, middle blocker George Huhmann, and setter Shane Gooding. Already the four have made a sizable impact on the team. Indeed, in Princeton’s win over Saint Francis, Huhmann and Dixon combined for 17 kills and six blocks apiece. Luck added an additional 19 kills to the Princeton effort, tying his career-high.

“All of the freshmen are very talented players, and the biggest thing for them right now is to play with confidence,” Ratter said. “Huhmann has been particularly dominant in the middle and will play a big role in our coming matches.”

Still, it may take some time for the team to adopt to a new core of players and return to their usual fluid play.

Although it is still early in the season, it seems that fans of Princeton volleyball will have plenty to look forward to in the coming months. With a new roster, fresh motivation, and remarkable resilience, the

men’s volleyball team seemed poised to continue their improvement over the season.

However, the team will have plenty of challenges ahead of them if they hope to grab a coveted EIVA playoff position.

The Tigers’ next three games will all be against conference opponents, including a match against Ivy rivals Harvard.

These games will be a harsh test of the team’s improvement and grit this season.

BEVERLY SCHAEFER:: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

COURTESY OF PRINCETON CREW

The Tigers opened the season on a high note with strong performances against tough conference rivals Penn State and Saint Francis.

The Daily Princetonian

Wednesday February 15, 2017

SOFTBALL

Softball aims to clinch spring Ivy League and NCAA titles

By Jack Graham Staff Writer

YASH HUILGOL:: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The women’s softball team sets goals to retain their Ivy League title and regain a coveted spot in the NCAA tournament for the upcoming spring season.

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Princeton softball holds lofty expectations for its upcoming season. Despite last year’s Ivy League championship and advancement into the NCAA tournament, the team has its sights set even higher this year. “Going on to the NCAA (tournament) is special,” said head coach Lisa Van Ackeren, “but once they have it, they want more of it.”

The 2016 season ended in bittersweet fashion for the team. It travelled to Cambridge and defeated Harvard in a fiercely competitive three-game series to earn the Ivy League crown, its first since 2008.

In the NCAA tournament, however, the team failed to notch a win, losing first to No. 7 ranked James Madison and then to Longwood in a tight 2-1 game. While winning the Ivy League was an undeniably significant landmark for the program, this year’s team would like to build on its success and go even further. Specifically, defending the Ivy League title and earning a win in the NCAA Tournament are goals that the team believe to be within its grasp. “We’d like to compete a little bit better than we did [last year],” said Van Ackeren.

On paper, the squad appears wellpositioned to replicate its success.

While the team will be without the leadership of last year’s captains Shanna Christian ‘16 and Kayla Bose ‘16 and has also lost Skye Jerpbak ‘16, one of the most potent batters on last year’s team,

it will nevertheless benefit from many capable returners. Van Ackeren said that this year’s senior captains, Claire Klausner and Marissa Reynolds, have already begun to “provide stability and leadership” to this year’s team. Furthermore, she described this year’s crop of freshman as “incredibly competitive,” bringing a spirit that has helped to set a tone of effort and intensity.

Offensively, the team boasts a balanced attack that will undoubtedly put up runs in bunches over the course of the season. Van Ackeren believes the versatility of her team’s offense will give trouble to any opposing pitcher.

“We can exploit people with ‘small ball,’ we can hit home runs if we need to, we have consistent contact hitters,” said Van Ackeren.

The offensive charge will be led by talented and experienced returners.

Perhaps most notable is sophomore infielder Kaylee Grant, who, as a freshman, led last year’s team in home runs, RBIs, and batting average. Outfielder Kaitlyn Waslawski, who led last year’s team with 23 stolen bases, also returns as a sophomore and will give nightmares to opposing defenses with her dangerous speed on the base paths.

The team also returns junior middle infielder Danielle Dockx, who started every game but one last year, and junior outfielder Kylee Pierce, who posted a .325 batting average last year and will likely have an expanded role on this year’s team.

Additionally, the team’s pitching staff is well-situated, as it returns most

of its key pitchers. While the anchor of last year’s pitching staff, Shanna Christian, has graduated, 68 percent of innings last season were pitched by members of this year’s team. Junior Ashley LaGuardia, who posted a 3.77 ERA over 85 innings, and senior Claire Klausner, who posted a 4.25 ERA over 89 innings, will likely be called upon to shoulder much of the pitching load. Sophomore Riley Wilkinson, who recorded a 3.16 ERA and led the team of saves over 44 innings, will also be crucial to the pitching effort.

The team will kickoff its season on March 3 with a tournament in Texas.

The Tigers will begin playing the allimportant Ivy League games on March 31. Unique to baseball and softball, the Ivy League is divided into two divisions: North and South. The winners of each meeting to play a three-game series to decide the Ivy League championship. Princeton, along with Penn, Columbia, and Cornell, belongs to the South division. In particular, Penn has emerged as the chief rival for supremacy of the South, and so Princeton’s fourgame road series against them will be all the more significant.

Princeton softball has set ambitious goals for its upcoming season and has the talent and confidence to match.

“You can tell when you come back for practices what the tone of the season is going to be like,” said Van Ackeren.

“We’ve walked away from practices feeling great about their effort and competitiveness.”

WOMEN’S ROWING

Women’s lightweight and open rowing confident as the spring debut approaches

By Miranda Hasty sports editor

HEATHER GRACE :: SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

With their spring races coming up, women’s lightweight rowing looks to clinch regional and national championship titles, while open rowing hopes to extend the successes of the previous season.

Both the women’s lightweight and open rowing teams set their sights on regional and national championship titles as the beginning of their spring seasons rapidly approach.

The women’s lightweight rowing team experienced a disappointing end to their 2016 spring season. Coming up short in the IRA Championships, they finished in sixth in the varsity eight grand final, sixth in the varsity double grand final, and third in the four petite final.

Senior captain Christina Warren uses the losses experienced by the team last year as fuel to add to this year’s motivation tank. “Last season was honestly extremely difficult. It was a very disappointing year, but that being said, I was inspired by the team’s attitude about it,” Warren stated. “We never got negative or discouraged and we always left everything we had on the water, no matter the result. I’m proud of last year’s season because I think it shows how tough my team is. We are ready for a turn around, and we are confident that it’s coming our way.”

Senior Alicia Lamb shares the same redemptive desire as Warren, discussing the team’s newfound speed and energy. “The collective team mentality heading into our first race is to win. We faced a lot of adversity last season and so are even more determined to prove how fast we are this year. There is great energy and drive on our team, not to mention speed, and we are excited to see what we can do during racing season.”

Senior Sarah Lossing also detailed the manner in which the lightweight crew has physically prepared for the upcoming spring season.

“Right now, we’re splitting our time between rowing on the water and erging inside the boathouse, which gives us some time to start rebuilding that ‘boat feel’ while still improving our physical fitness and strength on the ergs. I think everyone has made great progress inside this winter, so I’m excited to see that translate to some fast racing in the spring.”

Fellow senior captain Juliette Hackett identifies two simple goals for the season: work hard and win.

“The team’s main goal this season is to establish us at the top of the women’s lightweight rowing field,” Hackett commented before reiterating the theme of the collective pursuit for restoration.

“Coming off a difficult spring season last year, we want to reassert our program’s strength and demonstrate the speed we have been working on all year.

This year, we have more raw strength and elevated focus.

We are seeing payoff of the work we put in each week, and we are excited to execute on the race course this spring in pursuit of the top medal.”

Lossing pinpointed the two major races in which the team aims to dominate as the Eastern Sprints and IRA Championships, the respective regional and national competitions of the spring season.

The Tigers hope to medal in these events with the help of three new freshmen: Emma Hopkins, Georgia Timm, and Laura Zecca. The trio will replace last year’s seniors Phoebe Huang ‘16, Gabriella Pezzini ‘16, and Helen Stilwell ‘16.

Alongside Warren and Hackett, the team will also be spearheaded by the coaching quartet of Paul Rassam,

Eden Full, Becky Kreutter, and Kate McCormick.

The first race of the spring will be the Knecht Cup in Windsor, New Jersey on April 9.

The season for the women’s open rowing team will open two weeks earlier on March 25 against Brown and Michigan State at Lake Carnegie.

The team also has a busy seasonal plate, culminating in the Ivy League Championships in mid-May and the NCAA Championships later that month.

The Tigers hope to repeat the success of their last season, entering the season as the reigning Ivy League champions and seventh place finishers in the 2016 NCAA Championships. The varsity four petite boat crossed the finish line at a notable second place finish in its final in the latter tournament.

The two successes were the exciting culmination to an eventful spring season. The team opened with a third place finish in the Class of 1987 Trophy race against Brown and Ohio State and took off for the rest of the season with wins against major competitors, including Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Yale, USC, Dartmouth, Penn, Bucknell, and Duke.

The Tigers were led last year by former seniors Erin Reelik ‘16, Brett Simpson ‘16, Meghan Wheeler ‘16, Emily Wiehe ‘16, Mary Ann McNulty ‘16, and Annelies Paine ‘16.

Ten experienced freshman, however, including Amanda Cooleen, Jessica Dyroff, and Hadley Irwin, will make their collegiate debut in March.

Leading the team are head coach Lori Dauphiny, assistant coaches Steve Coppola and Kate Maxim, and senior captains Catherine Babiec and Georgie Howe.

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The Daily Princetonian

Wednesday February 15, 2017

MEN & WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD Men and women’s track and field set to open outdoor season

By Viraj Deokar contributer

As the indoor track season draws near with the Indoor Heptagonal Championships in less than two weeks, the Princeton track and field teams look towards the spring to continue their success.

Last year on the men’s side, the Outdoor Heptagonal Championships came down to a meet between Princeton and Cornell. It was a tight battle after the first day of competition as Cornell led Princeton by only a 2-point margin – 45 to 43 points. The first day of competition mostly focused on field events where the teams were closely matched.

After the first day, however, Cornell proved to be too much to handle. They

eclipsed 200 points, the first time in Ivy League history, and pulled away from the Tigers. Princeton finished in second with 157 points, while Cornell tallied 211 points for the victory.

Notable individual performances included nowsenior captain Greg Leeper winning the 400m hurdles, now-senior captain Chris Cook winning the shot put followed closely by current junior Mitchel Charles, and Princeton going 1-2 in the pole vault with current junior August Kiles finishing second. Additionally, current junior Carrington Akosa took second in the 100m and third in the 200m. Current sophomore Adam Kelly also finished second in the hammer throw. The Tigers also won the 4x100m relay and finished second in the

4x800m relay.

This year, however, the Tigers look poised to strike back. The team has a freshman class which is already contributing to the program and last year’s young talent has matured and improved.

The team lost several exceptional seniors last year, but as a group, Princeton has only gotten stronger than their former selves. The team has frequently been quoted as one of the most talented in the program’s history, so they look to prove their worth and reclaim the lost crown this spring.

On the women’s side, the competition also came down to Princeton and another team, this time Harvard. Princeton looked to upset the heavily favored Harvard team, and after the first day, Princeton held an

OLIVIA BEASON :: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Both the men and women are preparing to face stiff competition from last season’s outdoor championships.

11-point lead over Harvard, 48 to 37 points.

On the subsequent day, however, Harvard was able to just outpace the Tigers and come away with its third title in a row. Harvard scored 160 points while Princeton took second with 139 points. Now senior captain Allison Harris won the pole vault and took fifth in the 100m hurdles, current junior Kennedy O’Dell took third in the discus throw and fifth in the shot put, and current senior Elizabeth Bird finished third in the 3000m steeplechase. In an exciting race, the Tigers also claimed the 4x400m relay victory and finished second in the 4x800m relay.

The women’s track team will miss some of last year’s seniors who played a large role in the team’s success

at the Outdoor Heptagonal Championships. However, the team has been able to fill the voids with new youthful talent and athletes stepping up. They will face another tough challenge with the Harvard team, but the team has tallied several great performances during the indoor season and hope to keep it rolling heading into the outdoor season.

The men’s team will open up their outdoor season at the Penn Challenge held in Philadelphia, PA, on March 25. The women’s team will compete at the North Florida Invite held in Jacksonville, FL, on March 24. Both teams will head to the Stanford Invite in Stanford, CA, on the weekend of March 31.