Division III Schools Flex Their Sports Muscles

By HANNAH KARP and DARREN EVERSON
courtesy of the Wall Street Journal

Don't look now, college-sports behemoths, but in some of the lower-profile NCAA sports like tennis, swimming and lacrosse, there's an unlikely new force welling up to give you a run for your money: those precious liberal-arts colleges that don't offer athletic scholarships.

After years of serving as an occasional appetizer for Division I programs, a growing number of teams from Division III, the NCAA's lowest tier, have been scoring major upsets. In November, Kenyon's D-III men's swim team beat Miami (Ohio). Emory's men's tennis team recently crushed Georgetown while the University of Chicago took down Dayton. At a women's golf tournament last year, Williams (Mass.) finished ahead of several Division I teams including Hofstra and Boston University. Last month, the baseball team from Minnesota's University of St. Thomas stunned the University of Minnesota by five runs.

The rise of D-III has much to do with the changing nature and availability of scholarships. The NCAA's Division I has seen a net loss of 106 wrestling teams, 72 men's tennis teams and 18 men's swim teams over the past 20 years. On many teams that remain, scholarships are becoming scarce. As schools rush to comply with Title IX, men's D-I tennis teams usually only have about four scholarships per team (or fewer) while women's teams generally have twice as many.

With fewer scholarships, talented athletes who would have gone with the tuition subsidy in years past are now free to go wherever they want—and in may cases they're choosing the better school with less athletic pressure, even if it might cost them a lot more in tuition."

Link to WSJ story

Five-Star Matchups

Lancaster is the place to be on Wednesday as five of our nine featured games take place on the Franklin & Marshall campus. The women's lacrosse game between the Diplomats and Gettysburg will determine the top seed for next week's championship tournament, while the other eight games have playoff implications.

Gettysburg at Franklin & Marshall (Women's Lacrosse)
The Conference's best rivalry takes center stage on Wednesday night as the sixth-ranked Bullets (7-0 CC, 12-2) and seventh-ranked Diplomats (7-0, 13-2) meet with first place on the line. This is the 49th meeting between the two schools with F&M holding a 25-22-1 advantage, including wins in eight of the last nine contests. Gettysburg's last win in Lancaster was in the 2005 Centennial title game (11-9). This will be the 13th consecutive game in the series in which both the Bullets and Diplomats are ranked in the national top 10. The top two goalkeepers in the CC will play a major role tonight as Gettysburg's Maddie Coleman has a 58.6 save percentage, while F&M's Kelsey Hoffman has a 6.72 goals-against average.

Ursinus at Haverford (Women's Lacrosse)
While first place is on the line in Lancaster, a first-round tournament bye could be up for grabs when the Bears (4-3, 6-8) and the Fords (5-2, 9-5) square off on the Main Line. Ursinus has a 16-1 advantage in the series since 1994, but Haverford's only win came in the last meeting at Swan Field in 2009 (18-16). The Fords' Josie Ferri is the third-leading scorer in the Conference with 45-20-65, while the Bears' Alyssa Thren is one of five 40-goal scorers in the CC (40-5-45).

Gettysburg at Franklin & Marshall (Men's Lacrosse)
Two teams fighting for their playoff lives meet in Lancaster as the 20th ranked Bullets (4-2, 8-5) visit the Diplomats (3-3, 8-4). A victory would clinch a playoff berth for Gettysburg, while a win would bolster F&M's hopes for its first CC playoff bid since 2005. It is the 54th time that the two schools have met with Gettysburg holding a 33-20 advantage, including victories in seven of the last eight games. The Diplomats' last win was an 11-9 home win in 2008. Gettysburg leads the Centennial in scoring defense (6.73), led by GK J.T. McCook. F&M is second in scoring offense (9.92), led by Billy Kempner (23-15-38).

Haverford at Ursinus (Men's Lacrosse)
Another tussle for playoff positioning takes place in Collegeville as the 12th ranked Fords (4-2, 9-3) take on the Bears (3-3, 8-4). Haverford has won six straight in the series and holds an 8-1 all-time lead. Ursinus' only win was a 10-9 triumph on the Main Line in 2004. The teams have two of the stingiest defenses in the Conference, as the Fords and Bears allow just 6.91 and 6.92 goals-against per game, respectively. Ursinus M Jeff Ocampo leads the Centennial with 32 goals, while Haverford GK Joe Banno has turned away a CC-best 66.8 percent of shots on net.

Gettysburg at Franklin & Marshall (Softball)
It could almost be described as a playoff doubleheader as the Bullets (6-6, 16-14) travel to Amish Country to take on the Diplomats (6-5, 20-10-1). Neither team can really afford a loss and a sweep could be devastating to tournament hopes. The teams are 1-2 in the CC in batting average with F&M hitting .350 and Gettysburg .326. The Diplomats' Malorie Sassaman leads the Conference at .477, while the Bullets' Maggie Maguire has a Centennial-best seven round-trippers.

Haverford at Franklin & Marshall (Baseball)
The first-place Fords (11-3, 26-5) travel to take on the third-place Diplomats (10-4, 18-13) in the first of a two-game weekday set. It is the 70th time that the teams have met on the diamond with F&M holding a 46-22-1 advantage in the series. Haverford has taken the last two tilts at Kaplan Field, winning 12-10 in 2009 and 5-4 a year ago. The Fords lead the Centennial with a 3.29 team ERA, while SS Charlie Carluccio tops the circuit with a .411 batting average. Diplomat counterpart Matt Will leads his club with a .386 average. Probables: Dan Hochberg (3-0, 3.71) for the Fords and Mike Duranti (4-2, 3.35) for the Diplomats.

Washington College at Johns Hopkins (Baseball)
The Blue Jays (11-3, 18-11), tied for first place with Haverford, will have a major say on the playoff picture over the next week and begin today against the Shoremen (7-7, 16-14). Not only will Hopkins battle the Fords and F&M for the top seed in next weekend's tournament, JHU also closes the season with a single game against Washington and a twinbill vs. Muhlenberg - two teams battling Swarthmore for the final playoff spot. The Jays have won 12 straight against the Shoremen and hold a 75-32 all-time edge in the series that started in 1887. Washington's last win was a 15-5 triumph in 2005 in Chestertown, while the Chestertown nine has not returned home victorious from Baltimore since 1997 (9-5). Hopkins C Joe Borrelli is the reigning CC Player of the Week. Probables: Joe Kearney-Argow (3-3, 5.74) for the Shoremen and Kevin Gillen (3-0, 4.67) for the Jays.

Washington College at Swarthmore (Men's Tennis)
It's a critical match for playoff seeding when the Shoremen (5-2, 9-5) visit the banks of Crum Creek to take on the Garnet (6-1, 10-6). A Swarthmore victory could lock up a first-round tournament bye, while a Washington win would secure a playoff berth. The Shoremen's Adam Cranford is fourth in the CC with 13 singles wins (13-4) on the year, while the Garnet's No. 3 doubles team of Anthony Collard and Seth Udelson is fourth among all CC tandems with a 77.8 winning percentage (7-2).

Gettysburg at Franklin & Marshall (Men's Tennis)
Simply put, this is a playoff match for the Bullets (3-4, 10-4) who must win to keep their flickering tournament hopes alive. A Gettysburg loss and the five CC playoff teams are set and the Diplomats (5-2, 9-5) remain in the hunt for a first-round bye. The match at No. 1 singles between the Bullets' Chris Curran (9-8) and the Dips' Ross Silverberg (13-4) could go a long way to determining the outcome of the match.

Five-Star Matchups

Tennis takes center stage this weekend in the Conference, as the top seed for the Centennial championship tournament is on the line.

Johns Hopkins at Haverford (Men's Tennis)
The 12th ranked Blue Jays (5-0 CC, 10-3) bring their 43-match Centennial win streak to the Main Line to take on the Fords (5-0, 7-5). Hopkins' Andrew Wang (10-5), ranked 39th nationally, could meet Haverford's Kevin Caulfield (8-3) at No. 1 singles in the premier match.

Johns Hopkins at Washington College (Women's Tennis)
The Blue Jays (6-0, 9-1) and the Shorewomen (6-0, 11-0) battle for first place in the Centennial in Chestertown. The tone of the match could be set at No. 1 doubles, as Hopkins' Hailey Hogan and Nandita Krishnan (7-1) meet Washington's Jordan Finnegan and Brittany Marshall (13-1). Hogan and Krishnan defeated the #2 doubles team in the region from Carnegie Mellon in their last match. Finnegan and Marshall are 32-2 in their last 34 matches.

Johns Hopkins at Swarthmore (Baseball)
The first-place Blue Jays (6-1, 13-8) look to protect their one-game lead at the top of the CC standings when they visit the Garnet (4-3, 13-8). The two teams have met 107 times with Hopkins winning 21 straight to take a 69-38 overall lead in the series. Swarthmore's last win was a 6-3 triumph in the opener of a 2000 home doubleheader. JHU is ranked 24th in the latest d3baseball.com/NCBWA poll. Two of the Conference's top pitchers in ERA will meet on the mound - Hopkins' Alex Eliopoulos (4-1, 1.65) and Swat's Ignacio Rodriguez (3-1, 2.32).

Gettysburg at Ursinus (Softball)
The Bullets (3-1, 13-9) and the Bears (3-2, 10-10) meet in a twinbill that could have significance on the playoff chase. Gettysburg is second in the CC in batting with a .339 average, led by Sam Bader who is hitting at a .488 clip. Ursinus is second in the Centennial in team ERA (2.27), paced by Jennilyn Weber's 0.79.

Gettysburg at Ursinus (Women's Lacrosse)
The Bears' "Hell Week" continues as sixth-ranked Gettysburg (5-0, 8-2) comes to town. Ursinus (4-1, 6-5) gave seventh-ranked Franklin & Marshall all it wanted on Wednesday before falling, 11-9, but now looks to break a 13-game losing streak to the Bullets. The Bears' last home win was an 11-7 triumph in 2001. Gettysburg's Lindsey Robinson is fourth in the CC in scoring (26-18-44) while UC's Alyssa Thren is second in goals with 35.

Five-Star Matchups

Dickinson at Gettysburg (Men's Lacrosse)
The Route 34 rivalry takes on even greater importance this afternoon as the ninth-ranked Red Devils (3-0 CC, 9-1) look to strengthen their hold on first place in the CC against the Bullets (2-1, 6-4). It is the 50th meeting between the two schools that are separated by just 28 miles with Gettysburg holding a 43-6 all-time lead. Dickinson's last win in the series was at the Battlefield in 1975 (10-5) - a stretch of 36 games. It's a battle between the highest-scoring team in the CC - Dickinson (11.5) - and the stingiest defense - Gettysburg (6.75).

Ursinus at Franklin & Marshall (Women's Lacrosse)
Two of the three unbeatens in the Conference square off in Lancaster with a share of first place in the CC on the line. The four-time defending champion Diplomats (4-0, 10-1) are ranked seventh nationally, while the Bears (4-0, 6-4) are unbeaten in their first four Centennial games for the first time since 2002. F&M has won nine straight games vs. Ursinus but still trails in the all-time series, 26-13-1. The Bears' last win was a 13-7 triumph in the 2002 Centennial semifinals. Ironically, the two current head coaches - F&M's Lauren Paul '03 and Ursinus' Erin Stroble '02 - squared off in that 2002 game in the uniforms of their alma maters on their way to first-team All-Centennial honors that spring.

Johns Hopkins at Franklin & Marshall (Men's Tennis)
The 12th ranked Blue Jays (4-0, 9-3) bring their 42-match Centennial unbeaten streak to Lancaster to take on the Diplomats (2-0, 6-3). JHU has not lost a Conference match since a 5-2 defeat at Washington College on April 20, 2006. Hopkins has won six straight in the series that began in 1927 but F&M holds a 28-14 all-time advantage. The tone of the match could be set at #1 doubles, as Hopkins' Jacob Barnaby and Casey Blythe (9-0) meet F&M's William MacArthur and Ross Silverberg (5-1).

Five-Star Matchups

No kidding around as we enter the first weekend of April with games that will impact the playoff chase at the end of the month.

Haverford at Dickinson (Men's Lacrosse)
One of the most anticipated games of the season takes place in Carlisle between the ninth ranked Fords (2-1 CC, 7-2) and the 11th ranked Red Devils (2-0, 8-1). It is the 40th time that the two schools have met with Haverford holding a 24-15 series advantage, including wins in the last two meetings. Expect a close game, as five of the last seven contests have been decided by two or fewer goals, including a 12-11 overtime win by the Fords in the 2010 CC semifinals. Devil first-year Brian Cannon leads the Centennial in scoring (22-21-43), while Haverford netminder Joe Banno tops the Conference in save percentage (.650).

Haverford at Dickinson (Men's Tennis)
The Fords (3-0, 3-5) bring their unbeaten Conference record to Carlisle to take on the Red Devils (2-1, 6-3), whose lone loss came at the hands of nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins. The match could be determined at No. 1 singles, as Haverford's Kevin Caulfield (7-2), ranked 12th regionally, takes on Dickinson's Ross Anstaett (11-3)

Johns Hopkins at Franklin & Marshall (Baseball)
The Blue Jays (3-0, 10-6), the lone unbeaten in the Conference entering Friday's play, travel to Lancaster to take on the second-place Diplomats (2-1, 10-10). Hopkins is second in the Centennial with a 3.78 team ERA and are slated to throw Sam Eagleson and Alex Eliopoulos (4-1, 1.35). F&M's Eric Bornstein is 10th in the CC with a .393 batting average. This is the 82nd and 83rd times that the schools have met since 1889 with JHU holding a 51-29-1 series lead, including wins in the last eight games.

New Jersey at Gettysburg
Gettysburg at Swarthmore (Women's Lacrosse)
The Bullets (3-0, 6-1) face two major challenges on back-to-back days this weekend, taking on the top-ranked Lions on Friday and the resurgent Garnet (2-1, 6-2) on Saturday. Gettysburg has played the #1 team in the country six times since 2004 but has yet to come away with a victory. The Bullets have won 16 straight games against Swarthmore since a 12-7 defeat in 1994 at the Battlefield and hold a 21-3 all-time series advantage. The Garnet's Annalise Penikis leads all Centennial players with 34 goals, 18 assists, 52 points and 29 draw controls, while Gettysburg's Lindsey Robinson has 16-15-31 to place sixth in the CC in scoring. 'Burg's Becky Lutz, who leads the Conference in caused turnovers (25), should draw the defensive assignment on Penikis.

Muhlenberg at Washington College (Softball)
Two of the top teams in the Conference square off in Chestertown in a twinbill. The Mules (2-0, 11-8) are the lone remaining CC unbeaten, while the Shorewomen (3-1, 11-9) are a game off the pace in the Centennial standings. Ashley Brewer is a dual threat for 'Berg with a .433 average at the dish and a 5-3 record with a 2.50 ERA on the mound. Lauren Dockrill leads Washington with a .468 average - good for fourth in the Conference.

Muhlenberg at Washington College (Women's Tennis)
The unbeaten Shorewomen (4-0, 9-0) face a major challenge to their unblemished record when the Mules (3-1, 5-2) come calling on Saturday. Washington's lineup has a powerful 1-2-3 at the top of the ladder in Amanda Bercovici (12-1), Jordan Finnegan (10-1) and Brittany Marshall (10-1), while Muhlenberg's counters with Caitie Druker (5-2) and Sara Sutker (6-1) at the top two spots.

Student Blogs #2

Morgan Koopman, McDaniel College Women’s Golf

McDaniel Tournament Fights Through Mother Nature
The weekend seemed to fly by so fast, as it is already Monday and another grueling week lies ahead. A week of many tests and papers awaits, and it was very hard to prepare for them as my weekend was consumed by golf, golf and golf. As I mentioned before, McDaniel College hosted its own golf invitational this weekend at The Bridges Golf Club. Many teams attended the tournament, from Division I, II, and III institutions, specifically, New York University, Kutztown University, SUNY Cortland, Gettysburg College, Nazareth College, and Franklin & Marshall College.

Saturday we had tee times starting at 1:30 p.m. Normally I would not prefer to tee off so late, but for this weekend in particular, it was great because of the weather. Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not too kind this weekend. Both days it was between 35-40 degrees with wind, so if we would have played in the morning time, it would have been even chillier. The conditions were very brutal, and made for tough play on both days; however, McDaniel finished 4th out of 7 teams, and first out of the two other teams in the Centennial Conference (Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall).

Saturday and Sunday were both very long days. Both days we would make the trip to the course around noon, and not return until about 8:00 p.m. that evening. After such a long day, it is hard to keep a good energy level to begin homework due for the upcoming week. This week, it is especially important to get ahead on all assignments because it is a very important weekend here at McDaniel College.

On Friday, April 1, McDaniel’s “Spring Fling” begins and continues into Saturday, April 2. I have never personally experienced Spring Fling because usually our Conference Championships are held during the same weekend, but for some reason Spring Fling is a bit earlier this year, and it just so happens that we do not have a golf tournament schedule for this day. I have heard many fun and exciting stories about Spring Fling. Apparently, many different fun activities are available for students to do. For example, there are many sporting events that are played throughout the day on campus, as well as music, food, prizes, and even an inflatable moon bounce to jump in! Needless to say, I am super excited to go to my first Spring Fling, and I will certainly enjoy it because I am not be able to participate in years to come due to our golf schedule.

I hope that everyone has an enjoyable week. Until next time…



Vivien Chen, Bryn Mawr College Women’s Tennis

To Give it Your All …

The school year goes by so much quicker when you’re in season. I think this is mostly because my mind preoccupies itself with future match dates, so I am always constantly looking forward to a new challenge or new event. So far, we are scheduled to play Muhlenberg College on Wednesday, March 30, so I think the team is definitely pumped for that match. Before we know it, Wednesday will be right around the corner and soon this week will almost be over; however let’s not forget our match on Saturday against Dickinson College.

Thinking about how many matches the team has played thus far really makes the season seem so short, and that is without a doubt one of the sad parts about it. If you really think about it, the season is quite short, especially in the fall. This has huge importance to me. This means that it is so important to put a lot of effort in our matches (as our coach says: give 200% effort and leave the court knowing you left everything on it), no matter the opponent. This brings up our match against Johns Hopkins University this past weekend. This match was definitely an interesting one especially since it was scheduled to be a “home” match; but because the cold weather would not permit us to play outdoors, we instead played indoors at Swarthmore College. Going into the match knowing that Johns Hopkins is the top tennis team of the conference, did not deter us from giving all our effort. Before the match, we did not think this would be an automatic “loss” for us; instead, we believed that this was a great opportunity and experience for us to play against one of the top teams in the conference and we kept this mindset while playing our individual matches. Johns Hopkins played its game well, and I was more than pleased with our performance and effort against them.

I briefly mentioned before that our location for the match had to be changed last minute. Even though this may seem to pose as a small obstacle that can easily and quickly be fixed, it definitely was not. Sometimes, I feel that team members expect certain things from their coaches. Something like a location change for a match can easily be resolved by pushing the match until the end of the season, but instead my coach made the effort to convenience our team and Johns Hopkins’ team (by saving them a trip and us a match at the end of the season) and hustled to get available indoor courts for us. This meant drafting a proposal, contacting various sources like Swarthmore College’s athletic department and Johns Hopkins’ tennis coach, verifying this change with the referee, getting a time change for the match, and finally, making sure the teams’ schedules would permit this new time of competition.

This common example just shows the lengths in which our coaches take for us, and this should not go unnoticed. Our coaches are always there for us, and therefore I believe we should be there for them too – giving 200% effort during practices and during matches is a good start to show them we care and appreciate them, too.

2011 Spring Student Blogs

The spring of 2011 brings us three new Centennial Conference student blogs. Freshmen Vivian Chen, who is a member of the women’s tennis team at Bryn Mawr College, will welcome us into her world as a first-year college student who participates in a varsity athletic program. Junior Taryn Abbassian is a member of the Dickinson College women’s lacrosse team and will bring a veteran feel to the student blog experience. Finally, representing McDaniel College is sophomore Morgan Koopman, who participates on the women’s golf team. Koopman is majoring in Communications at McDaniel and is in the midst of her second year with the program. Each student’s spring sports season is underway and throughout the upcoming weeks will discuss the day-to-day events of a student within the Centennial Conference. So with further a due, here’s the crew!

Conference Play is Underway

By Vivien Chen

Bryn Mawr College Women’s Tennis

Last week was a hectic one in terms of schoolwork, meetings with professors and tennis. Even though weeks like this come around, it’s important to be able to prioritize your schedule and tennis practice is always one of the most important for me, especially last week since I knew our first conference match of the season was looming ahead.

After hours of hard work and practice, we were ready to leave Saturday morning for Gettysburg. After two and half hours in the bus, we finally arrived to our destination. To our pleasant surprise, the men’s tennis team of Haverford was also at Gettysburg to play their match. This was a comforting feeling for us because we don’t have a male population at our college, so we cheer on our “bi-co cousins” at Haverford College; the Haverford tennis team also made a nice gesture and cheered us on, as well.

Unfortunately, we lost to Gettysburg (7-2). This was a huge disappointment for us – we put a lot of effort in our practices and even had an advantage by training in Florida for a week. We definitely had matched skill levels, but in the end our nerves got the better of us and Gettysburg was able to see through that and clutch the match.

This match was an eye-opener for us. Even though we know we have the right skills, we lacked the amount of confidence we needed against Gettysburg. We knew we could pull a win, but our attitudes on and off the court had not shown that. We learned a great lesson in that match - it is important to believe in your team and in yourself, but it is more important to show that belief in your attitude on and off the court. This is something we will definitely work on for the following matches.

Spring Break in Carlisle, Pennsylvania

By Taryn Abbassian

Dickinson College Women’s Lacrosse

It’s Sunday March 20^th, which much to my dismay means that Spring Break 2011 in Carlisle has reached its conclusion. I’ve spent the day holding on to my last bits of free time before its back to the grind of classes, papers, and tests. I slept in and then went over to what has felt like my second home this week, Miseno’s. For those of you who may not be familiar, Miseno’s is a Carlisle staple for pizza, pasta and anything else of that nature, and it also was the main source of sustenance for Dickinson Women’s Lacrosse for the past week.

Truth be told, I felt like quite the VIP whenever I went in there. Before break started, my team hand the opportunity to put in individual orders for a handful of meals. When the time came to eat, all we had to do was show up, give them our names, and they would instantly provide us with our personalized meal packaged neatly in a to-go bag with each of our names on it. I thought for sure I’d be on Miseno’s overload by the end of the week, but due to my diverse meal selection, the last was as good as the first.

After a wonderful satisfying meal, a few of my teammates and I went into town to celebrate my favorite holiday: Free Rita’s Ice Day. I’m not sure how this holiday is celebrated in other regions, but in Carlisle it’s quite the extravaganza. There were balloons, tents, decorations, and even life-sized Rita’s mascots. As senior Maggie Peeke put it, “It looks like the President is in town or something.” Needless to say, we very much enjoyed these cool and complimentary treats on such a sunny, Carlisle day; however when we were finished, it was off to put the “student” back in student-athlete.

Today has been the typical Sunday for me in that I’ve been procrastinating my work most of the day. However, since I’m technically still on spring break until tomorrow at 8:30 a.m., I feel that this is acceptable. This blog has also been a fantastic addition to my stalling routine as it is much more fun for me to write about lacrosse and my own life than to write about something for class.

Like I mentioned before, our team didn’t leave campus for break, but I think I speak for a lot of the team when I say we had a fantastic time in and around Carlisle this week. Monday, we had early practice so that we could have the rest of the day for some team activities. We caravanned to the nearby Coliseum for a day of bowling, arcade games and prizes. Despite some minor reservations from teammates, I think everyone had a fantastic time bowling; even though our coaches were better than any of us.

Some other highlights of the week included the “breakfast for dinner” team potluck we had before our St. Mary’s game and big team win against conference opponent Bryn Mawr. The bus ride home also marked one of my favorite parts of the year, IPOD KARAOKE. Each participant picks out a song, turns their music on full blast, and gives their best rendition to the entire bus.

Some of the seniors started us off with the same, classic songs they’ve sang the past four years, and then it was on to the freshmen who were absolutely hilarious. Some of the best included Carsen’s version of “Remix to Ignition,” Jess’s adaptation of “Party in the U.S.A” and Coach Miller’s performance of “Proud Mary.”

So, after a great win and a very entertaining ride home, we all returned to Carlisle in very high spirits. This week I can look forward to my mom and twin sister’s visit this weekend, and our second conference game this Saturday.

As I mentioned before, we have our next conference game this Saturday against Ursinus, and with no other games until then we have all week to prepare. We’re all looking forward to working hard and having this week to take a step back and refocus on what we need to do to be successful for this leg of our season.

Until next time, I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes: "The more you sweat in peacetime, the less you bleed in war." -George S. Patton

Above: Dickinson women's lacrosse team holds a surprise baby shower for Coach Hatton

Goodbye Myrtle Beach, Hello Reality

By Morgan Koopman

McDaniel College Women’s Golf

Hello again! After a spectacular spring break in sunny, warm Myrtle Beach, it is back to reality at McDaniel College. This week is by far one of the most depressing weeks of the semester. If driving back eight hours from South Carolina to Maryland on St. Patrick ’s Day was not bad enough, classes have now resumed and will continue until mid-May when school ends for the summer.

The week in which everyone returns from their mini-vacation is always the worst. Of course, every one comes back as tan as a member from the Jersey Shore, but all the fun and games subside and school work takes over. Thankfully, this week I will not have that much work, as we slowly ease back into things in my classes. However, I know that these remaining few months will prove to be very exhausting in no time, where I will have to balance my work and athletic schedule.

Another thing that makes the return from spring break quite depressing is getting all the tests back that we took before we left. Many people, including myself, hate receiving grades. Receiving those midterm grades as soon as we return only puts a bigger damper on the already miserable week.

On a brighter note, the women’s golf team will compete in our first real tournament of the spring this weekend. The McDaniel Spring Invitational is a two-day tournament that will be held at The Bridges Golf Club in Abbottstown, Pa. Hopefully the Maryland weather will cooperate throughout the week and allow us to practice outside in semi-decent temperatures. It will be a very tough transition from playing in the flawless Myrtle Beach weather, but I think that we can handle it.

Without a doubt, our trip to Myrtle Beach was something very advantageous. It was great for many reasons. Our team chemistry definitely improved throughout the week due to the many hours spent together. Our schedule every day was very similar. We would wake up around 8:30 a.m., cook breakfast and pack lunches, get dressed and be in the van to go practice around 9:30 a.m.

After practicing at the range, we headed over to the course to play eighteen holes. After our round every day, we would then go practice a little more on the range until about 5:00 p.m. After a hard days work, we would return home and shower, then off we went again to eat.

I believe that our team will be better prepared for our tournament this weekend because of how much we practiced over break. The practice was definitely needed because the weather in Maryland has prevented our team from getting in good practices. Hopefully we take advantage of how much we practiced and apply it to our rounds this weekend. I am very much looking forward to officially beginning our season this weekend. Until next week…

Above: McDaniel women's golf team takes a moment for a team photo during their spring break training in Myrtle Beach, S.C.