|
Sports: June 4, 1997
Men's, Women's Lacrosse Repeat as Ivy Champs
Jason Osier '97 ends career with two-sport doubleheader; Carter Marsh '97 rallies team
When men's lacrosse (12-0 overall, 6-0 Ivy) won its third Ivy title in the last four years this year, the championship was team captain and midfielder Jason Osier '97's fourth at Princeton. He's won one as a guard on the basketball team to go along with his trio of lax wins. Although two-sport athletes aren't rare at Princeton (and lately, neither are Ivy titles), Osier did something unusual on March 1, after he had played in the stickmen's first game of the season against Johns Hopkins. That evening, as his teammates were relaxing or hitting the books after their 7-6 overtime victory, Osier was on the hardwood of Jadwin Gym, helping the Tiger cagers crush Cornell, 70-47. In effect, the multifaceted athlete had played a historic, "medley-doubleheader" that day, the first time on record that it had been done in the Ivy League.
In a strange twist, Osier credits California-Berkeley's Tony Gonzalez (whose clutch shots helped beat the Tiger cagers in the first round of the NCAA tournament) with sparking his interest in doing double duty. Osier saw an article on Gonzalez in Sports Illustrated, which described the star's concurrent exploits as a tight end for football and as a guard for basketball. "That's the first time I realized it was legal to compete in two sports at the same time," says Osier. "So I looked at the basketball and lacrosse schedules and saw that both teams were playing at home on the first weekend of March. I talked to [lacrosse] Coach [Bill] Tierney about it and then I talked to [basketball] Coach [Bill] Carmody, to see if it was okay with them that I try to play both games. It was just something I wanted to do-I didn't want it to be a distraction for either team." Osier needn't have worried. By the time his two-game day rolled around, the basketball team had clinched the title, and the lacrosse team was ranked number one in the nation. Two months later, the laxmen, too, had rolled to an Ivy title, and were on the cusp of yet another Final Four appearance.
Osier credits his "focused" teammates for the lacrosse team's winning ways. "I was lucky to have walked into a situation where we were destined to have a lot of success," he says. Princeton's high-powered attacks, Ivy Player of the Year Jon Hess '98, Chris Massey '98, and Jesse Hubbard-along with a no-nonsense defense that allowed only 6.5 goals per game-made hash of the Ivies. After sweeping the league, the Tigers offed Hobart, 17-3, on May 3. At press time, the Tigers had been seeded first in the NCAA tourney, which let them sit out the first round and set up a May 17 quarterfinal faceoff with number-eight Massachusetts at Hofstra University on Long Island. A win will send them to College Park, Maryland, for the national semifinal and final rounds on May 24 and 26.
Women's Lacrosse
Princeton had another Ivy League player of the year in defender Carter Marsh '97, and the women (7-7 overall, 5-1 Ivy) made 1997 their second straight Ivy-title year, helping to salvage a season that saw some disappointing losses. Coach Chris Sailer praised her team's "fantastic" defense and especially Marsh, who she said "distinguished herself as the best defender in the country." The Tigers won all their league games but one, and they got a share of the Ivy title from the only school to beat them, Dartmouth, when the Big Green fell to Brown, 9-8, on April 19.
A berth in the NCAA tournament eluded the women this year; a 14-8 loss at Maryland on April 30 ended any hopes of another Final Four run. Sailer said the team's struggles were usually "self-inflicted," with poor passing and catching limiting the Tigers' chances to shoot. A shortage of proven goal-scorers compounded the problem. Against Maryland, Princeton played well on defense, but had trouble moving the ball upfield. Time after time, the Tigers would throw the ball away or into an opponent's stick; a couple of Maryland goals resulted from such turnovers. Goalie Laura Field '00 played well, but faced too many shots. The loss was one of only a few for one of Princeton's most successful classes of women's lacrosse players; the Class of 1997 graduates with three Final Four berths and a national title (1994).
-Paul Hagar '91
Women's Water Polo's First Season Ends With Surprise Bid
After a disappointing loss to Bucknell, 9-8, had left Princeton's women's water polo team with a fourth-place finish at the MidAtlantic Division Championships on April 18-20, it looked as if its first season as a varsity squad was over. (Women's water polo was named a varsity sport at the end of last year.) What a difference a week makes. At the end of April, Princeton (8-5 overall) unexpectedly learned that it had gotten a reprieve-an at-large bid to the Easterns Championships. The invitation kept the Tigers' season alive at least until the end of the eight-team tournament, held on April 25-27 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As the lowest-seed, Princeton would have a tough road, but the team considered Easterns its chance at redemption.
Once there, the team seized the opportunity, grabbing fourth place and narrowly missing a berth at nationals, since the top three qualify. First, the Tigers faced three daunting contests in its round-robin bracket, meeting Slippery Rock, Harvard, and Colgate. After losing the opening game, 15-2, to a strong Slippery Rock team, they had to defeat tournament-host Harvard to prolong their season. With heady goalkeeping by Goga Vukmirovic '00 and key performances from drivers Celeste Henerey '99 and Dimple Patel '98, the Tigers did just that, and one of their best efforts of the year gave them a 7-6 victory. "We were pretty excited about the win," said Jody Sanders '98, "since Harvard was ranked in the national polls." They didn't have much time to celebrate, however; Princeton needed another win to make the semifinals. Facing Colgate in its last round-robin match, the team shellacked the Red Raiders, 11-2, and had good reason to be excited going into the final rounds.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, they then ran into a powerful Maryland team in the semifinal. The Terrapins had already beaten the Tigers earlier in the season, and they put upstart Princeton in its place with an 11-6 loss, ending hopes for a title. Maryland used a quick-strike attack that didn't allow Princeton to get into a defensive set, attacking before Tiger defenders could swim into position. (When Princeton's defense did get back, it was usually able to stop Maryland's offense.) Despite the loss, Sanders, who scored twice in the game, wasn't discouraged: "They're a team we can beat," she said, citing the Terps' experience as a reason for their success against Princeton.
In the consolation round, facing a solid Massachusetts team, the Tigers faded a bit. The team couldn't get going on offense or defense, and gave up several goals on four-meter penalty shots and six-on-five opportunities. The surprise extension to their first official season as a varsity team ended with a 13-1 defeat.
-Alex Klipper '00
This story was adapted from one that appeared in The Daily Princetonian.
O'Connell Revitalized Tiger Baseball
When Tom O'Connell came to Princeton to coach baseball in 1982, his first team finished dead last in the Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League. Now in his final season before retirement, O'Connell has his Tigers (18-22 overall, 10-11 Ivy) contesting for a second consecutive Ivy League Championship. That, in a nutshell, is what the Massachusetts-bred coach has done for Princeton baseball. "He brought a seriousness to the baseball program that hadn't been there before," says Todd Tuckner '87, a member of the Ivy champion 1985 squad. "He put baseball first, and he made his players give baseball as high a priority as academics, or anything else they were involved in." (For a tribute from his players, see Letters, page 5.)
O'Connell left his native Boston for Princeton at age 49, bringing a tradition of success with him. In the 1960s, his Braintree, Massachusetts, high school teams were consistently among the state's best. He started coaching at Brandeis University in 1972 and led the school to seven total (and six consecutive) appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament, including a runner-up finish in 1977. He was NCAA Division III District I Coach of the Year in 1976 and 1979; he was elected to the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame; and for 13 summers, he directed the prestigious Ted Williams Baseball Camp. So why, as one of the preeminent baseball coaches in New England, would he come to Princeton, to take over a team that hadn't won a league title since the 1950s?
"It was very difficult," admits the 64-year-old O'Connell, his Boston accent unadulterated by 15 years in New Jersey. "It was a real tough decision, but I felt that I wanted a different challenge. The fact that it was a Division I program was a real draw-I'd been about as far as you could go in Division III."
In the space of four seasons, O'Connell took the Tigers from the bottom to the top of the EIBL. With players like all-American Dan Arendas '85, Mike Fiala '85, Drew Stratton '87, and Tuckner, O'Connell led Princeton's 1985 squad to a 15-3 record and its first EIBL championship in 32 years, garnering NCAA District I Coach of the Year honors.
In the years that followed, O'Connell would take the Tigers to the EIBL championship in 1991 and to the Ivy League championship in 1996. He finished the 1997 regular season with a career record of 321-311-6 at Princeton, just three wins shy of second place all-time in the school's 131-year baseball history. It's possible that he may move up that list before the Tigers' run at another Ivy title and an NCAA berth ends. His efforts helped turn Clarke Field into one of the best collegiate diamonds in the Northeast, and he founded the university's respected baseball camp.
The 1996 squad graduated six seniors crucial to the squad's success, and when asked if he expected to be playing for the Ivy title in his final season, the coach was characteristically honest. "I'd hoped for it," he said, "but I thought we'd lost too much and that these kids were going to struggle." When the Tigers opened Ivy play with a 1-5 record, it looked as though he was right. But a sweep of undefeated Harvard and a four-game sweep of Columbia in mid-April put them back in the hunt. In spite of losing three of four to Penn in Philadelphia, Princeton entered the final Ivy weekend with a chance to claim the Gehrig Division title. (At press time, the Tigers were preparing to play Penn in a playoff for the title.)
"Our pitching really pulled us through this season," says O'Connell. Lefty Tim Killgoar '99 is 4-1 in the league with a 1.89 ERA and earned Ivy Pitcher of the Week honors twice. Senior Brian Volpp's 2-2 Ivy record reflects the Tigers' weak bats more than it does his pitching, which has been good enough to place him eighth in the league with a 2.45 ERA.
Three wins out of four against Cornell would have given the Tigers the Gehrig title outright, but Princeton lost the opener in the home-and-away series, and needed Killgoar to come in and throw a nine-strikeout, complete-game gem in the second contest to get a 2-1 win. The Big Red got another split from the Tigers in Ithaca, forcing the playoff with Penn. If the Tigers win that game, they face the Rolfe Division champion for the Ivy title and a chance at an NCAA berth.
Win or lose, the final games of 1997 will only mark the end of O'Connell's career at Princeton-not of his career in baseball. Whatever he does when he takes off his orange-and-black uniform, he won't leave the baseball diamond. Opportunities include directing baseball camps, working as a consultant with Babe Ruth Baseball, and coaching at the next level. "My first desire is to instruct or coach," he says, "maybe at the professional level, but not with established multimillionaires. I'd like to go down to the low minors and work with young players."
-Rob Garver
Tennis Hangs Tough Despite Youth
The men's and women's tennis teams battled inexperience this year, yet they managed to come up with several good wins in what were overall tough seasons. The men, who last year qualified for the NCAA Regionals (losing in the first round to Florida), posted an impressive record (11-10 overall, 4-3 EITA), considering it lost its top five singles players from last year. Four graduated, and Gene Katz '97 decided not to play this spring. Of the six starters, four were underclassmen who had never played varsity tennis. The men did better than coach David Benjamin had expected they would.
After handily winning their first two matches of the season against Rutgers and St. John's, the men got clobbered by the California teams they faced in March. But once back East, they regrouped, winning nine of 14 matches and upsetting league powerhouses Harvard (which at the time was ranked 24th in the nation) on April 19 at home and Columbia (at the time ranked number one in the East) on March 29 at home. The Tigers beat both teams 4-3 and got wins against Army, Navy, Brown, and Cornell.
Tiger cocaptains Jon Gilula '98 and Stephen Thomas '97 anchored the squad. Gilula, who took over the number-one singles position after playing at number six last year, won the decisive match against Navy and beat his Harvard opponent. Thomas, who started on the junior-varsity squad his freshman year, recorded two come-from-behind decisive victories against Minnesota, on March 26 at home, and against Columbia. Versus Minnesota, Thomas was the only one left on the court with the team score tied at three points. Down a set and 5-2 in the second, he fought back, reeling off five games in a row to force a third set, which he won 6-1. Against Columbia, Thomas was trailing his opponent 6-3, 5-1, before he fought off four match points and won in a third-set tie-breaker. The squad's Achilles' heel was doubles. The team lacked aggressive doubles players, said Benjamin, who never found duos that clicked.
The team "played collectively" throughout the season, said Thomas. But he was disappointed with its inability to play well consistently. The Tigers will hope for more success next year, since they lose only Thomas to graduation.
Despite a disappointing show in the Ivy League, the women (8-7 overall, 3-4 Ivy) closed their season on a good note, beating Cornell 7-2 on April 26 at the Lenz Tennis Center. Princeton's only other Ivy win came on March 29 when it thrashed Columbia 8-1 on the road. The women lost 5-4 to Yale on April 5 and to Dartmouth on April 18. The next day they lost to Harvard 9-0.
"Our youth showed," said Coach Louise Gengler '75. "We weren't able to play our best tennis consistently." Freshmen predominated for the Tigers: southpaw Blair Farr '00 and Jyotsna Vasisht '00 played first and second singles, respectively; two more freshmen and two sophomores rounded out the singles lineup.
What the players lacked in college-match experience, they tried to make up for in tenacity. Mediocre match results belied resilience; Gengler was impressed with her team's ability to bounce back after a loss. Princeton fell to Yale, but then beat Rutgers, 7-2, on April 9; Fairfield, 8-1, on April 12; and Seton Hall, 7-2, on April 14. Gengler was also pleased with the team's improved doubles play this spring. The team loses only cocaptain Joanna Felton '97, who occasionally played sixth singles, to graduation.
-Kathryn F. Greenwood
Sports Shorts
"Jock" honors: In its April 28, 1997, issue, Sports Illustrated magazine ranked Princeton as the number-10 "Jock School" in the nation. Among the reasons cited were new facilities; recent successes of such teams as basketball, crew, field hockey, and lacrosse; the availability of sports clubs, from ballroom dancing to rugby; and Tiger sports traditions like Cane Spree. The nine schools that placed above Princeton were: 1. UCLA, 2. Notre Dame, 3. Stanford, 4. Texas, 5. Florida, 6. Michigan, 7. North Carolina, 8. Penn State, and 9. Nebraska. (Harvard, the only other Ivy League school in the top 50, came in at number 34.)
Men's crew: With a victory at the Eastern Sprints in Worcester, Massachusetts, on May 11, the men's heavyweight crew completed its first-ever undefeated season, and led Princeton to a third-straight Rowe Cup. The lightweight crew finished third, behind Harvard and Yale. At press time, the Tiger heavies were preparing to defend the national championship they won last year. The title race was held at the IRA Regatta, on May 30-June 1 in Camden, New Jersey.
Wrestling: On April 25, the Department of Athletics announced that Michael New will take over as head coach of varsity wrestling (5-6 overall, 0-6 EIWA). He replaces Eric Pearson '87, who led the team through its transitional status, and said, "My goal was to help keep Princeton's wrestling tradition alive, and after this year, I'm completely confident we have a solid foundation to build on." In March, a New Jersey court resolved another issue that had to do with Tiger wrestling, when it overturned a 1995 judgment against Princeton in an age-discrimination suit brought by former assistant coach Chet Dalgowicz in 1991.
Princeton club: Athletic alumni got a new place to exercise their passion for health when the Princeton Club of New York opened its fitness center in February. The center features squash courts, weights, exercise and steam rooms, lockers, and a lounge, as well as masseurs and personal trainers, according to Jim Brown, a club employee.
Scoreboard
Baseball
(18-22 overall, 10-11 Ivy)
Princeton 3, Columbia 2
Princeton 9, Columbia 8
Princeton 13, Columbia 3
Princeton 4, Columbia 0
Princeton 9, Long Island 4
Temple 8, Princeton 2
Penn 4, Princeton 3
Penn 2, Princeton 0
Penn 6, Princeton 5
Princeton 6, Penn 3
Princeton 16, Lehigh 5
Princeton 9, Wagner 8
Cornell 6, Princeton 3
Princeton 2, Cornell 1
Princeton 9, Cornell 3
Princeton 3, Cornell 2
Heavyweight Crew*
(9-0 overall, 6-0 Ivy)
Princeton 6:17.60,
Harvard 6:24.53,
MIT 6:53.99
Princeton 5:21.8,
Yale 5:22.4,
Cornell 5:40.7,
Princeton 5:33.0,
Brown 5:36.5
Lightweight Crew
(6-1 overall, 3-1 Ivy)
Princeton 5:53.6,
Penn 5:56.4
Harvard 5:28.1,
Princeton 5:28.6,
Yale 5:32.3
Women's Crew*
(12-1 overall, 7-0 Ivy)
Princeton 7:10,
Yale 7:14
Virginia 6:57.7,
Princeton 7:04.1,
Dartmouth 7:11.2,
Penn 7:20.1
Princeton 6:30,
New Hampshire 6:41
Georgetown 6:35,
Temple 7:01
Men's Golf
(1-1 overall, 1-1 Ivy)
Yale 388, Princeton 403,
Harvard 417
Ivy Champs.-3rd
Princeton Invit.-2nd
Metro. Champs.-1st
Women's Golf
(0-0 overall, 0-0 Ivy)
Boston Coll. Invit.-2nd
Penn St. Invit.-9th
Ivy Champs.-2nd
New England Champs.-3rd
Men's Lacrosse*
(12-0 overall, 6-0 Ivy)
Princeton 19, Cornell 8
Princeton 19, Rutgers 8
Princeton 19, Dartmouth 5
Princeton 15, Penn 4
Princeton 17, Hobart 3
Women's Lacrosse*
(7-7 overall, 5-1 Ivy)
Princeton 13,
Delaware 12 (OT)
Penn St. 14, Princeton 11
Princeton 17, Cornell 2
Maryland 14, Princeton 8
Men's Tennis
(11-10 overall, 4-3 EITA)
Dartmouth 4, Princeton 3
Princeton 4, Harvard 3
Princeton 7, Cornell 0
Virginia Tech. 6, Princeton 1
Women's Tennis
(8-7 overall, 3-4 EITA)
Dartmouth 5, Princeton 4
Harvard 9, Princeton 0
Princeton 7, Cornell 2
Softball
(29-20 overall, 8-4 Ivy)
Princeton 8, Penn 0
Princeton 8, Penn 0
Princeton 3, Harvard 1
Harvard 1, Princeton 0
Princeton 4, Dartmouth 0
Princeton 10, Dartmouth 0
Brown 5, Princeton 0
Brown 4, Princeton 2
Princeton 8, Yale 0
Yale 2, Princeton 1
Princeton 7, Rutgers 3
Princeton 6, Rutgers 1
Princeton 3, Temple 0
Princeton 8, Temple 0
Men's Volleyball
(24-2 overall, 6-1 EIVA)
Penn St. 3, Princeton 1
Women's Water Polo
(8-5 overall)
Princeton 8, Penn St. 2
Maryland 9, Princeton 1
Bucknell 9, Princeton 8
Slippery Rock 15,
Princeton 2
Princeton 7, Harvard 6
Princeton 11, Colgate 2
Maryland 11, Princeton 6
Massachusetts 13,
Princeton 1
|