April 24, 2002: Sports
Magic
on the mat
Greg Parker 03 joins rare company in Princeton wrestling history
On
the hot seat
Men’s lacrosse starts from behind
Diamond
hopes
Tigers prowl for success on the softball field
Sports Web Exclusives! The Varsity Typewriter column
Magic
on the mat
Greg Parker ’03 joins
rare company in Princeton wrestling history
Photo:
Greg Parker ’03 is only the fifth Tiger to reach an NCAA wrestling
final match. (Randy Martin)
It’s uncommon for a Princeton wrestler to travel nearly 200 miles from Dillon Gym to grapple in front of a faithful hometown crowd. But Greg Parker ’03’s fantastic voyage through the NCAA Division I wrestling championships in Albany last month was anything but ordinary.
The 174-pound junior grew up 10 minutes outside the New York state capital and attracted his own local cheering section along with dozens of Tiger wrestling supporters who made the trip. Parker didn’t disappoint them. He wrestled his way into the finals by defeating the unbeaten, top-seeded Otto Olson of Michigan 11—8, becoming only the fifth Princeton wrestler to advance to the NCAA finals in the tourney’s 74-year history, and the first since John Orr ’85 in 1984—85. Bradley Glass ’53, who captured the heavyweight title in 1951, is the only Tiger wrestler ever to win an NCAA championship.
In the finals, Parker lost 12—5 to Greg Jones of West Virginia after tearing cartilage in his rib cage on a fall early in the match. Jones, who beat Parker earlier in the season, was the only wrestler to defeat Parker this year.
“His heart, determination, and desire to win were there. He had no doubts,” said fourth-year Princeton wrestling coach Michael New, who described Parker’s style as cerebral. “He waits for his opponent to make a mistake, looking for that opening.”
Parker, whose performance at the NCAAs earned him an All-America nod, did a good job of finding those openings all season, finishing with a 33—2 mark. He qualified for the NCAAs by winning Princeton’s first EIWA championship in 16 years and was also named to the All-Ivy first team.
Despite his success this year, second place at the NCAA finals left Parker wanting more.
“In the last Olympics, there was a guy from the (wrestling) team
who got a silver medal, and he said, ‘It’s great getting a silver
medal, for everyone except the guy who gets the silver medal,’ ”
Parker told his hometown paper. “So I’ve got to be happy, but
I’ve got to work off this. I’ll just keep working for next year.”
By A.D.
On
the hot seat
Men’s lacrosse starts
from behind
By David
Marcus ’92
Photo: Sean Hartofilis ’03 tied a career high with five goals in the win over Penn. (Frank Wojciechowski)
After a 15—13 loss to Yale on March 30 — Princeton’s first Ivy League loss since 1995 — the defending men’s lacrosse national champions could miss out on the postseason unless they sweep their last four Ivy League games. The Tigers also dropped out of the top 10 in national polls for the first time since 1990.
The team finds itself in such an unaccustomed position not only because of the Yale defeat, but also because of March losses to Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, and the University of Virginia.
In its season-opening 8—5 loss to Hopkins on March 2, Princeton was atypically lethargic. After the game, head coach Bill Tierney questioned his team’s effort. “It wasn’t until the clock was running down that we played harder and we played better,” he said.
The offense did improve in a 13—11 loss at Virginia on March 9 and an 11—8 loss to Syracuse on March 23. Still, said creaseman B. J. Prager ’02, “Offensively, we haven’t been able to achieve the same type of chemistry that we had last season. The loss of Matt Striebel ’01 has been especially hard on the team because he was such a versatile player.”
With Striebel gone, defenses have been able to focus on Ryan Boyle ’04, who runs Princeton’s attack from behind the cage.
In response, Tierney has given more responsibility to Matt Trevenen ’03, like Striebel a former attackman moved to midfield. Against Hofstra, Trevenen had two assists, and he scored three goals and an assist against Syracuse. All three of those feeds went to Prager, who scored four times against Hofstra on March 16, a 12—4 Tiger win.
Princeton’s defense, which returned most of its top players, hasn’t been as dominant as it was in 2001. That reflects the loss of first-team All-Americans Ryan Mollett ’01, who anchored the defense last year, and goalie Trevor Tierney ’01.
Despite its early defeats, Princeton’s season isn’t a lost
cause. An 18—4 win over Penn on April 2 kept them alive, and the
Tigers can draw on memories of 1999, when they lost their first three
games and won nine in a row before losing to Syracuse in the playoffs.
That season “gave the current seniors experience at playing with
our backs to the wall,” said Prager. “That should be very helpful
in guiding this team through the rest of this season.”
David Marcus ’92 writes frequently for PAW.
Diamond
hopes
Tigers prowl for success
on the softball field
Photo:
Brie Galicinao ’02 and the Tigers have the Ivy title in their sights.
(Beverly Schaefer)
Princeton softball coach Maureen Davies ’97’s playing years with the Tiger nine were filled with three Ivy titles, three appearances in the NCAA regional playoffs, and two trips to the big dance in the Women’s College World Series.
This season, the second-year coach thinks her Tigers are good enough to get a taste of some of that success themselves, beginning with a legitimate shot at the league title. Harvard and defending champion Cornell were the favorites heading into the conference schedule. Princeton finished fourth last year with an 8—6 league mark, 20—19 overall.
“I think we can do it this year,” said Davies, whose team carried a 12—12 (2—0 Ivy) record as of press time. “As a team I believe they are starting to see and believe in their potential to do very well. A lot of times it’s more than your talent on paper, and on the field, it’s your heart and belief that will take you far.”
The Tigers opened their season with wins over Drexel and Temple before heading to Kansas and Georgia for tournaments and their annual spring trip. They split four games in Kansas, but took their lumps in the Peach State, going 4—10 on the trip against several nationally ranked teams, including Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Ohio State. But it’s all part of the plan, according to Davies.
“We’ve talked about it from the very beginning of the season,” she said. “We know we go down South a little disadvantaged since those teams have already played 25 games. But we need to play the best teams to get ourselves prepared for the rest of the season, and our players accept that challenge. They know it’s going to make us a better team.”
The Tigers return one of the Ivy League’s top players in pitcher/first baseman Brie Galicinao ’02, who last year became the first player in Ivy history to be honored as both Player and Pitcher of the Year in the same season. Through the first 22 games this season, Galicinao leads the team with 27 hits while batting .360. On the mound, she’s 3—3 and notched 10 strikeouts in a loss to 20th-ranked Florida State.
“She has a lot of pressure because she had such a great season
last year,” said Davies, who is also happy with the impact the team’s
six freshmen are making. “But we are a good enough team that if Brie
doesn’t have a good day, we can pick her up at the plate.”
By A.D.
