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Sports: November 19, 1997
Victory at Van Cortlandt Park for men's cross country If the year was picture-perfect before, Brady was asked, how would he describe it now that his squad had won its first Heps title since 1983? "Well, I guess we just put a frame around it," he replied. Princeton opened the season with a sweep of Rutgers and LaSalle on September 19, then went on to dominate the Harvard-Yale-Prince-ton meet on October 3, sweeping the top four places. It was all a prelude, though, to the IC4A meet at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx on October 17. "We expected the win in terms of what we wanted to do and what we believed we would do," said Brady afterward. "But the ease with which it finally happened was surprising." Facing a field of 16 teams, the Tigers placed five runners among the top 17 finishers. Senior Tony Barroco led the field with a first-place finish of 24:48.7 over the five-mile course, and junior Erik Kean took fourth in a time of 25:03.4, as Princeton topped second-place Iona (ranked 12th in the country before the race) by 14 points. "In a sport like cross country," said Brady, "you have to count on the dedication of your athletes in the summertime. This year they came back extremely fit, both physically and mentally." WHO IS TONY BARROCO? Barroco, who missed all of 1996 due to a stress fracture in his right thigh, seems determined to wring every possible ounce of success out of his final season. "Tony is having a dream senior year," says Brady. "While he has been often injured over the course of his four years, he never lost sight of what he came here to do: to be an outstanding collegiate runner." Because of a spate of injuries and his absence from competition last season, Barroco's four first-place finishes this season may have come as a shock to the rest of the Ivy League. Says Brady, "I'm sure our opponents are looking at him and saying, 'Who is Tony Barroco, and where did he come from?' " Barroco is painfully aware that his last three years have not been what he had hoped for and that 1997 will be his last chance. "It's that last gasp thing," says the Kearny, New Jersey, native. "I haven't been able to accomplish the goals I came here with as a freshman. " At IC4As, to his own astonishment, Barroco led the race from the two-mile mark. "I was very surprised to find myself in the lead. Nobody wanted to take the race." He faced his biggest challenge at the four-mile mark: the bottom of Cemetery Hill. He was shoulder-to-shoulder with Francis Rono of Virginia Commonwealth University. "I was nervous," remembers Barroco, "because I had never raced against him before. I had no idea what he had in store for me." They went stride-for-stride to the peak, and then Barroco looked over at his opponent. "I saw he was tired, so I made a little surge." He pulled away, and Rono had no kick left, falling into an eventual third-place finish as Barroco outdistanced the second-place runner by 50 yards.
HARRIERS SWEEP HEPS With the IC4A meet behind them, the Tigers looked to the Heptagonal championships. Before the race, held October 31 back at Van Cortlandt Park, Brady said: "I'm sure everyone on the team would agree with me in saying that the goal of our year is to win the Heptagonal Championship." As it turned out, the Tigers did not just win the Heptagonals-they owned it. Barroco (25:15.6), Kean (25:23.9), and Adam Stuhlfaut '98 (25:29.2) finished 1-2-3, and Justin Niedzialek '99 placed eighth. Michael Spence '00 lurched across in 11th place, in spite of blisters which, Brady reported, had worn all the skin from his two big toes. The Tigers' score of 25 humbled second-place Navy, which finished with a 91. Further down the line were the NCAA District II Region-als, held at Penn State on November 15. The prospect of running in the bitter cold of a western Pennsylvania winter didn't worry Brady, who said his runners train themselves to be "callused to extreme efforts." Brady's team has already put out some extreme effort; the Tigers also have the victories to show for it. -Rob Garver
Gridders sinking in the rain At Boston on October 25, the rain fell steadily all night, leaving the ground in Harvard Stadium sodden. The wind was light but it was a chilly 50 degrees. A few hundred fans were in the bleachers, most huddled beneath the columned porticos rimming the field. The football played that day was some of the strangest of recent years. The Tigers started out solidly if unspectacularly, recovering a Crimson fumble on their own 37, then using the running of tailback Gerry Guirato '00 to set up a 36-yard field goal by Alex Sierk '99. On its ensuing possession Harvard tried to punt from its 39, but the snap went over the punter's head, and after fielding it at the 10, he cautiously ran across his own goal line, giving Princeton a safety and a 5-0 lead. In the second quarter, the Crimson put together one of its two sustained drives of the game. Harvard used short passes and runs to move 75 yards in 17 plays, scoring on a 22-yard field goal. After halftime, in a virtual replay of the Crimson's safety, Princeton snapped the ball over its punter's head and into the end zone. The score at the end of the third quarter was 5-5, a testament to Princeton's solid defense, which stifled Harvard-and to the Tigers' inept offense, which stifled itself. This was the worst day of quarterback Harry Nakielny '98's otherwise successful career at Princeton. At the half, he had completed only one of 14 passes, for a net loss of one yard. By game's end, he had six completions on 32 attempts for a total of just 100 yards. His feet slipping in the mud, Nakielny couldn't get the ball close to a receiver. He also had an interception and a fumble, which gave Harvard the game. The interception, at the Princeton 47, set up a 22-yard Crimson field goal early in the fourth to put Harvard ahead, 8-5. But then Nakielny hit Ryan Crowley '99, who'd broken clear on a post route, for a 65-yard TD 23 seconds later. Princeton was up, 12-8. Harvard pulled within a point with a lucky field goal; the kick cleared the crossbar only after being tipped up by defensive end Griff King '98. Nakielny fumbled at the Tigers' 27 two plays after the ensuing kickoff. After advancing the ball just a yard, Harvard kicked its fourth field goal of the day to make the final score 14-12.
WASHOUT AT COLUMBIA On November 1, storm systems from New England, the Southeast, and the Midwest collided over Manhattan just hours before the game, producing a gale-like rain. Fierce winds sent sheets of water streaming across Spuyten Duyvil, the channel that connects the East River with the Hudson, and right through Wein Stadium. Built in 1984 at the site of the old wooden Baker Field, Wein has been a concrete chamber of horrors for Tosches's teams. Of the 12 games in which the Lions have beaten the Tigers in a series that dates back to 1874, four have been at Wein against Tosches. As one might imagine, this was not a game of finesse. The teams combined for 10 fumbles (only two of which resulted in turnovers) and 20 punts. But with good traction on the artificial turf, Columbia produced a running game and enough of a passing game to help it convert several critical third downs. Nakielny had another bad passing day, with five completions in 21 attempts and two interceptions, but in this game his passes were on target. His receivers just couldn't hang on. With the wind at its back after winning the toss, Princeton muffed two scoring opportunities in the first quarter. On a third down at the Columbia 17, Nakielny threw an interception, and on their next possession, the Tigers failed to convert a fourth-and-one from 24 yards out. After Damani Leech '98 fumbled a punt in the second quarter, the Lions got an easy field goal and a 3-0 lead. A few seconds before halftime, receiver Ray Canole '99 tipped a well-thrown pass from Nakielny, and Columbia's free safety picked it off. He ran it back 47 yards, setting up a short touchdown to put the Lions up 10-0. Columbia produced a touchdown on a 19-yard pass on its first possession of the second half to make it 17-0. Princeton had a chance to get back in the game late in the third quarter on a two-yard pass into the end zone. The Tigers would have been within two scores, with the wind at their backs for the fourth quarter. But tight end Jason Glotzbach '99 bobbled the ball while falling backward. In the fourth quarter, Tosches ended up pulling Nakielny to give John Burnham '99, next year's probable starter, the first snaps of his career. -Stephen R. Dujack '76
Early tests for men's and women's ice hockey "The difference between first and sixth place can be a matter of two or three points," said Pelle, who took the 1995 calendar year off from Old Nassau. "Even the difference between first and 12th is often not that great. You can get knocked off by the 12th-place team one night, then beat the first-place team the next." ECAC coaches tapped Princeton as the league's fourth-best team in the preseason poll, the highest position ever yielded to the Tigers. While the news elicited the expected response ("polls mean nothing"), it does indicate that teams finally have taken notice of the squad's ability. Princeton is in the midst of its most successful period in six decades. "We have so much talent," said Pelle, a forward who tallied 15 points last year. "We're not going to sneak up on anyone."
SEASON PREVIEW Rensselaer earned the nod as the top pick of ECAC coaches. Since winning a stunning tourney crown in 1995, the Engineers have been rebuilding with an influx of talented young players over the last two years; their play has been inconsistent, however. A higher level of maturity may prove the cure. The Tigers don't face Rensselaer until a Baker Rink date on January 3. Clarkson and Cornell have been the premier ECAC teams for the past two years. Picked second, the Golden Knights were regular-season champions last year and have more strong recruits for their speedy and fundamentally sound squad. The Big Red has won two straight ECAC tournaments with an extraordinary work ethic and punishing physical play. Princeton hasn't beaten Cornell in five games, and the November 21 matchup in Ithaca could be a revealing early confrontation. Look also for Harvard, keyed by strong goaltending, to contend. Dartmouth, a gritty squad now under former Brown coach Bob Gaudet, may surprise. The nonleague schedule includes a December 30 home duel with national runner-up Boston University, ranked in the top 10 again this year. Prior to that clash, the Tigers will spend 10 days in Europe, facing off against a variety of professional and club teams.
WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY The women will remain in North America, but some of its opponents won't. The debut of women's hockey at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, next February may remove as many as seven ECAC stars from their teams, as they chase gold for Team USA and Team Canada. The timing is perfect for an up-and-coming Princeton squad. Four of the top five teams in a preseason poll of the 12 league coaches surrendered at least one player to the winter games, helping to level the ice throughout the league. The Tigers, whose lone connection to the Olympics will be former coach Lisa Brown-Miller, were seventh in the poll. Northeastern is the defending ECAC champ and preseason favorite. Brown, which lost only a single game until the ECAC tournament last season, doesn't have Olympian Tara Mounsey, but on paper is still the strongest among a talented group of Ivy squads that includes Princeton, Cornell, and Dartmouth. Coach Jeff Kampersal '92 hopes to steer his team to a top-four ECAC finish and give the Tigers home ice in the ECAC quarterfinals. The women's Thanksgiving Invitational (November 28-30) has the makings of a baptism by fire for the Tigers. It features imposing Minnesota, perennial ECAC power Providence, and 1996 Ivy champ Cornell. -Mike Jackman '92
Coach profile: Peter Farrell's "pioneer" program now among top teams in x-country, track Princeton is the Ivy's defending indoor champ, but Farrell's focus is now on cross-country, which finished second to Yale at both the ECAC meet on October 17 and the Harvard-Yale-Princeton meet on October 3. The Tigers are paced by Courtney Ebersole '00, who was third at the H-Y-P and fifth at the ECAC meet. Also running strong are Heather Onuma '99, who's made what Farrell calls "absurd improvement" since last year, trimming two minutes from her time; and Sarah Hendricks '00, who's shaved 40 seconds from her 1996 best. As he looked toward the NCAA District II Regional cross-country meet (on November 15 at Penn State) the two-time all-America runner at Notre Dame (1967, 1968) reflected on the early years of the program. With athletes like Nancy Kraemer '79 and Jill Pilgrim '80, the Tigers "muddled through" the first few seasons, Farrell remembers, finding meets-even creating them-wherever they could. "Those people were pioneers," he says. "They came to Princeton with no guarantee . . . but the hope that there would be a team." Thanks in large part to Farrell, that hope was fulfilled. -Rob Garver
Sports shorts
Major league soccer: Players Jesse Marsch '96, Joseph Thieman '94, and Da-vid Vaudreuil '88, along with assistant coach Bob Bradley '80, helped their team, D. C. United, to a 2-1 win over the Colorado Rapids in the MLS title game on October 26.
Scoreboard and Highlights (4-3 overall, 1-3 Ivy) L at Harvard, 12-14 L at Columbia, 0-17
M. Cross-Country (4-0 overall, 2-0 Ivy) Heptagonals-1st
W. Cross-Country (3-1 overall, 1-1 Ivy) Heptagonals-3rd
Field Hockey (12-3 overall, 5-0 Ivy) W at Harvard, 3-0 L at Boston U., 2-3 (ot) L at Old Dominion, 3-10 W vs. Richmond, 5-1
M. Golf James Madison Invit.--7th
M. ice hockey (2-0 overall, 0-0 ecac) W vs. Elmira, 8-3 (exh.) W at Omaha, 5-3 W at Omaha, 5-2
Ltwt. Football (0-5 overall; 0-4 elfl) L at Navy, 0-47
M. Soccer (6-7-1 overall, 1-3-1 Ivy) L at Harvard, 0-3 L at Rutgers, 0-3 L vs. Columbia, 2-3
W. Soccer (9-5-1 overall, 3-3-0 Ivy) L at Harvard, 1-6 L vs. Army, 1-2 W vs. Columbia, 2-1
W. Tennis (2-2 overall) ECAC Champs-5th W vs. Penn, 5-4 L vs. U.Va., 1-5 W vs. Brown, 5-1 L vs. Boston C., 3-6 ITA Rolex Region.-indiv.
W. Volleyball (14-5 overall, 6-1 Ivy) W at Wofford, 3-0 W at Columbia, 3-1 W at Cornell, 3-1
M. Water Polo (13-11 overall, 5-6 So. Div.) CWP So. Div. Playoff L vs. Navy, 9-13 W vs. Villanova, 13-7 W vs. Richmond, 16-6
Field hockey: Two penalty corners by Boston U., one with no time left in regulation, another 35 sec. into OT, gave unranked Terriers upset of 5th-ranked Tigers. Football: Tim Greene '98 named defensive player of week 10/26. W. Volleyball: Out. hitter Sabrina King '01 got 6 kills & match-high 10 digs in win over Wofford.
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