What is going on with the NESCAC rappers lately?!  Trinity’s Soccer Captain, Sam Adams, is BLOWING UP on iTunes (reached #4 on top albums) and then I see Middlebury making a name in the scene too with Midd Kid.  I’m telling you these students have TALENT.  Sam Adams has been in the game a little longer so his stuff is getting pretty hot right now, but I think this Midd Kid shit is going places… What do you think? Trinity vs. Middlebury?  Who wins this battle?

Middlebury College = Midd Kid

Trinity College = Sam Adams

I gotta take Sam Adams in this one, but it’s a close fight… either would be legit late night on a college campus!

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2010 LAX season is here and just about to kick into high gear.  After a crazy 2009 finish, NESCAC teams like Middlebury and Bowdoin are eager to get season started.  Last year in the NESCAC tourney, #4 Wesleyan upset #1 Middlebury in overtime to win 15-14.  They then went on to defeat #3 Tufts (who had upset #2 Bowdoin).  Teams like Trinity, Colby, Williams, and Amherst will try to break their poor 2009 performance and become elite teams this year.  I’m very excited to see what happens in 2010…

any predictions?

My prediction: Middlebury defeats Wesleyan in the NESCAC Final!

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The Winter Classic is behind us and the Cannons open at The Gahden this Saturday. The girls head back to campus this weekend and NESCAC LAX practice begins in just about a month. It’s time to prognosticate…who will be the Top Women’s Lax Teams in the NESCAC this Spring and can one or more make it to Gettysburgh in May?

Here are some thoughts: Middlebury and Tufts are the only NESCACS in the preseason DIII Top 10. Both almost got to the final 4 last year. Tufts returns most of their top D players and top guns and their recruiting class was excellent. The PACH will be back in 2010. Likewise Midd is sure to be at the top of the league too. Trinity and Romanosky are sure to be heard from and the Williams Purple Cows will look to prove last yr was no fluke but they won’t sneak up on anyone in ‘10.

Colby lost Sheridan, one of the best offensive players (any division) over the past 3 years. She will be hard to replace but McCrate Henning has a knack of building winners and teams that peak at Tourney time don’t count the Mules out. Bowdoin has some talent however Bears lost their stud goalie and she was worth 5 goals a game plus played like a low D. PBears will be .500 . Conn College and Wes could surprise along with Amherst but they won’t make it to the NESCAC Championship.

NESCAC Final 4: Tufts, Midd., Colby, Trinity

Final: Tufts over Trinity

NCAA Berths: Tufts, Midd., Trinity, Colby

NCAA Final 4: Tufts, Midd.

NCAA Champ: ???

Good luck to all of these fine student-athletes…it will be an exciting Spring

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Kurt Bennett, Amherst (Junior, Center - Placerville, Calif.) Bennett averaged 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting an impressive .833 from the floor (15-for-18) over a pair of wins for the Lord Jeffs last week. On Tuesday against Emmanuel, Bennett was a perfect 12-for-12 for a career-high 24 points in a 98-76 victory. He followed with seven points and nine rebounds in just 16 minutes of action during a 94-70 win at Lasell on Saturday.

Lauren Yanofsky, Bates (Senior, Forward - Belmont, Mass.) In only 23 minutes of action, Yanofsky had 22 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks, four assists, and four steals during a 96-80 win over Thomas on Monday. Down three points at halftime, Yanofsky helped the Bobcats to victory with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting and seven rebounds in the second half. She finished the game 11-for-16 from the floor (.688).

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	Martin Drolet, Middlebury (Sophomore, Forward - Lachine, Quebec) Drolet factored into six of the Panthers’ eight goals during a split weekend at the PrimeLink Great Northern Shootout at Norwich. After earning an assist during a 3-1 setback to Plattsburgh St. on Friday, Drolet recorded two goals and three assists in a 7-3 victory over Wis.-Stout on Saturday.
	Ryan Purdy, Williams (Sophomore, Goaltender - La Jolla, Calif.) Purdy stopped a lot of rubber in a 1-0-1 weekend for his team, making 98 saves on 103 shots (.951) as the Ephs earned a 4-4 tie with Babson at home on Saturday, then picked up a 5-1 road win at Manhattanville on Sunday. Purdy stopped 54 shots in the draw with Babson, followed by another 44 saves during Sunday’s win.

Torrey Taussig, Williams (Senior, Forward - Larchmont, N.Y.) Taussig played a part in five of the Ephs’ six goals during a 1-0-1 weekend on the road, scoring two and assisting on three others. On Saturday at Colby, Taussig helped out on each of the first three tallies during a 4-0 win. She followed on Sunday with both goals in a 2-2 tie at Bowdoin. Taussig leads her squad with six points on two goals and four assists.

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Julia Baily, Tufts (Senior, Forward - Farmington, Conn.) Baily posted back-to-back 20-point, 15-rebound outings in road victories over Endicott on Tuesday, 75-64, and Brandeis on Sunday, 60-50. During Baily’s first double-double of the week, she went 9-for-17 from the floor (.529) and added in an assist, a block, and a steal. Against the Judges on Sunday, Baily shot .438 (7-for-16) and went 6-for-6 from the line. Twelve of her 15 rebounds in the win came off the defensive glass. Baily finished the week .485 from the floor (16-for-33) and 8-for-10 from the line (.800) while averaging 34.5 minutes per game.

	Mike Russell, Colby (Junior, Forward - Wellesley, Mass.) Russell posted a double-double with 20 points and 20 rebounds to lead the Mules to an 80-75 victory over Maine-Fort Kent last Tuesday. Russell went 9-for-15 from the floor (.600), 2-for-3 from the foul line (.667) and grabbed 12 of his 20 boards on the defensive glass. He also had two assists and a block during 32 minutes of action.
	James Wang, Williams (Sophomore, Guard - Sydney, Australia) Wang averaged 24.0 points on 16-of-22 shooting (.727) and 4-for-8 from three-point range during a 2-0 week for the Ephs, which included an 106-91 win over Wesleyan on Tuesday and an 83-62 victory at MCLA on Sunday. Against the Cardinals, Wang had a career-high 29 points, going 10-for-14 from the floor (.714) and 7-for-8 from the foul line. He also added in seven assists, four steals, and a rebound.

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Marissa Simmons, Colby (Sophomore, Forward - Chestnut Hill, Mass.) Simmons had both Colby goals in a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over New England College on Saturday. Simmon’s first goal came on the power play, just 1:30 after NEC opened the scoring in the second period. She potted the game-winner at 11:26 of the third period.

Wesley Vesprini, Trinity (Junior, Goaltender - Lexington, Mass.) Vesprini stopped 61 of 63 shots faced (.968) as he helped the Bantams pick up two road victories to start the season in NESCAC play. On Friday at Hamilton, Vesprini made 27 saves while allowing two goals in a 6-2 win for Trinity. Saturday afternoon at defending NESCAC champ Amherst, Vesprini turned aside 34 shots, including 15 in the first period, for a 2-0 shutout victory over the Lord Jeffs.

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Colleen Hart, Tufts (Junior, Guard - Needham, Mass.) Hart averaged 23.0 points as she went 17-for-28 from the floor (.607) and 9-for-13 from beyond the arc (.692) during a 1-1 weekend for the Jumbos at the Rino’s Pizza Classic at New Paltz St. She had 31 points - one of the top 15 games in Tufts history - during a 80-78, double-overtime loss to the hosts on Friday. Hart also averaged 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game and was a perfect 3-for-3 on free throw attempts, as she earned All-Tournament Team honors.

Adam Choice, Colby (Senior, Forward - Newport, R.I.) Choice poured in 24 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to lead the Mules back from a 31-19 halftime deficit to a 75-62 win at Rhode Island Col. on Saturday. Choice went 8-for-12 from the floor in the second half and finished with a .421 shooting percentage (8-for-19). With Colby leading 59-57 in the second half, Choice scored nine of the Mules’ final 16 points to help them pull away. He also grabbed 11 rebounds, added six assists and two steals.

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UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio - The Tufts University volleyball team’s historic 2009 season came to an end on Thursday afternoon when the Jumbos lost 3-1 to Hope College in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship at John Carroll University. Down 2-0 after dropping the first two sets 25-17 and 25-23, the Jumbos battled back and won the third set 31-29. However, the Flying Dutch won the fourth set 25-15 to take the match.

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	Offensive Player of the Week Donald McKillop, Middlebury (Junior, QB - Poway, Calif.) McKillop overcame heavy rains and sloppy field conditions at Tufts to throw for 336 yards and three touchdowns on 24-for-38 passing (.632) for a 158.22 rating in a 26-7 win for the Panthers. McKillop finished the year by setting new program and NESCAC records for completions (262), attempts (405), yards (2,873), touchdown passes (22), and total offense (2,967 yards). He already holds all of the Panthers’ career passing records.
	Defensive Player of the Week Burke St. John, Hamilton (Junior, DL - Chappaqua, N.Y.) St. John led a Continentals defense that held Bates to eight first downs and 58 yards of total offense in a 24-14 come-from-behind victory. St. John recorded a team-high nine tackles (six solo) in the win, including a career-best three sacks for a combined loss for 18 yards. Four of his nine stops were for a total loss of 35 yards.
	Special Teams Player of the Week Tim Costello, Trinity (Sophomore, K - Solano Beach, Calif.) Costello kicked the game-winning field goal in double-overtime to give the Bantams a 26-23 win over Wesleyan on Saturday. He finished the day 2-for-2 on extra point attempts and also kicked a game-tying 28-yard field goal during the first overtime period.

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