Recent Contributions from Keenan Weatherford

No Rest for Volleyball, Will Compete Over Break

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:15:24 -0400

Most Cornellians will probably spend their Fall Breaks catching up on some sleep at home or hanging around Ithaca. The volleyball team will be in the latter group, but the players shouldn’t expect to relax too much — they’re playing three matches in just five days.

The Red (3-8, 2-0 Ivy) will open its action-packed break with home matches against Ivy rivals Penn (4-9, 0-1 Ivy) and Princeton (7-2, 1-0) on Friday and Saturday night, respectively. Cornell will finish up the break with a Tuesday tilt against Colgate (6-10, 2-2 Patriot League).Gotcha!: Senior captain Hilary Holland (center) will lead the team in three matches over Fall Break.

Cornell Hopes to Surprise Favorites

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

One must regard 2007 as an anomaly when taking stock of Deitre Collins-Parker’s extensive success at the helm of Cornell volleyball. The head coach was a two-time collegiate player of the year at the University of Hawaii and has led the Red to three Ivy League titles and two national tournament showings in four years.

But after losing 10 seniors from the 2005 and 2006 teams, Collins-Parker faced a tough rebuilding mission in the 2007 season. The team finished with an unimpressive 9-16 record — far off the 18-9 mark set in 2006. There were some bright spots in the season, however. Junior libero Megan Mushovic was named first team all-Ivy and senior middle blocker Emily Borman was named to the second team.

Rebuilding isn’t a new concept to Collins-Parker, however.

Cross Country Travels to Lehigh for Brooks Paul Short Run

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The cross country teams will head to Lehigh today for the 35th annual Lehigh University Brooks Paul Short Run. The run is open to both high school and college teams. This weekend more than 4,000 runners will be representing over 300 high schools and colleges.

On the men's side, Villanova is one of only four schools in the run's history to capture consecutive titles, and it'll be back again to defend its place in the record books.

Ivy rival Princeton is the defending champion of the women's race. It too is one of four teams to boast back-to-back first place finishes at the Paul Short Run.

Volleyball Goes for Sweep of Columbia

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The Red will look to down Ivy rival Columbia for the second time in a week when Cornell rolls into New York City for the second matchup of the Ivy season. Cornell will take on the Lions at 7 p.m. tomorrow, then play a non-conference match against Long Island University on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Cornell (2-7, 1-0 Ivy) won its Ivy opener over the Lions (5-4) in a straight-sets victory at home last Saturday. Although Columbia did not manage to win a game in the match, the battle was more back-and-forth than the score reveals. The Lions held the lead in the first and third games of the match but Cornell was able to rally and take both frames to get off to a good start to the Ivy season.

Volleyball Nets Win in Ivy Opener at Newman

Keenan Weatherford — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

It was a rollercoaster ride for the volleyball team at Newman Arena on Homecoming Saturday. The players started off the day with a back-and-forth battle against Robert Morris University that ultimately ended with a disappointing five-set loss, 19-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-21, 15-11.

Hammering it home: Senior middle blocker Emily Borman (15), with her 20 kills and .727 hitting percentage, was a big factor in Cornell’s win over Ivy foe Columbia Saturday night after a tough loss to Robert Morris earlier in the day.

The team rebounded quickly, though, with a three-set win over Columbia later in the day, 25-17, 25-19, 25-22.

The Blog is Hot: Lil Wayne Gets Nerdy

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Joe Morgan was a stellar baseball player. The 10-time All-Star second baseman was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990 after a 19-year career with exemplary numbers — a .271 batting average, an OPS of .819, 268 home runs, two World Series titles, two Most Valuable Player awards and five Gold Glove awards.

Joe Morgan is significantly less stellar in his new endeavor: color commentary for ESPN’s lead baseball broadcasting team. After retiring from the game at the end of the 1984 season, Morgan bumbled his way into the broadcast booth for various networks and subsequently started polluting his play-by-play partner’s commentary with pseudo-insightful asides and painfully obvious statements (“He’s going to want to drive in a run right around now”).

Volleyball Loses Home Opener

Keenan Weatherford — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The Red came out of the gate firing in its 2008 home opener, but Syracuse responded quickly and efficiently and ultimately bested Cornell, 25-22, 25-18, 25-20.

The first set was the most heavily contested of the match; at times, Cornell (1-6) enjoyed leads of as many as five points, but Syracuse seemed never to fade away. The set started as a quick back-and-forth affair with both teams trading points won on relatively short rallies.

Volleyball Finishes Tournament With Win

Keenan Weatherford — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Progress is progress, even when it comes in small doses. After the volleyball team dropped all three of its matches in last weekend’s season-opening tournament in Kansas, it traveled to the UConn Toyota Classic in Storrs, Conn., and managed to gut out a victory — the team’s first this season — in its final match of the tourney.

“It feels great [to get the first win],” said head coach Deitre Collins-Parker. “Mostly it feels good to see the team play like I know they can play.”

Arezzo Brings Pass-Rush Talents to Front Line

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Senior defensive lineman Dario Arezzo is still smarting from the way the Red ended the 2007 season — a 45-9 loss to Penn in which the defense gave up 449 yards, 329 of which were rushing yards.

“It wasn’t a good game to go out on,” Arezzo said.

Known primarily for his pass rushing and ability to penetrate the offensive line, Arezzo tallied 3.5 sacks for a total loss of 17 yards last season. Of his 26 total tackles, 7.5 were were registered in the backfield. Arezzo’s penchant for pressuring the quarterback will come in handy this season as the Red attempts to patch up a leaky pass defense that allowed 2,034 passing yards.

D-Line Looks to Reassert Run ‘D’

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

It’s difficult to tell from the statistics exactly what plagued the Red defense in 2007, but there’s no question that something was not clicking. One week it gave up four rushing touchdowns and 277 rushing yards but only 96 receiving yards and one touchdown pass. The next week, the squad allowed just 71 rushing yards but saw the opposing quarterback throw for 339 yards and four touchdowns.

Preventing the Big Play: Safeties Deliver the Hits

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

When opposing players break through the Red defense’s front lines they know they’d better not cruise casually downfield for two reasons: senior safeties Tim Bax and Gus Krimm. The hard-hitting leaders of the Red secondary are known and respected throughout the Ivy League for their hustle and football instincts as well as their punishing tackles.

Volleyball Drops Three Against Practiced Foes

Keenan Weatherford — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The volleyball team got its first taste of competition over the weekend and by looking only at the result — three losses and no wins — you might think it left a bitter aftertaste. But while the win-loss column might not reflect it, the team thinks that the tournament in Manhattan, Kan., was valuable to the season as a whole.

“It was definitely a positive experience for us,” said senior right side hitter Kathryn Woodbury. “We got to play some really good competition.”

This Columnist Is No Boston Fan

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Hi everyone, I’m Keenan and I’m addicted to schadenfreude — the malicious glee experienced from someone else’s misfortune. I’ve gotten my schadenfreude fix from a number of sources before: drunk people falling down icy stairs, depressed-looking pre-med students or Lakers fans after a loss, for starters. But I’ve never experienced a schadenfreude rush quite like I did last Sunday.

“Brady injures knee, out for season,” read the all-caps banner headline on nfl.com.

My heart skipped a beat … or 10. Just like Obi-Wan said in Star Wars when Princess Leia’s home planet Alderaan was destroyed, it was “as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.”

Volleyball Nets New Assistant Coach

Keenan Weatherford — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

In addition to the six freshman recruits, Oleksandr “Sasha” Gutor will be another new face on the sidelines when the volleyball team opens play this weekend. Gutor, the newly-hired assistant coach, spent the previous five seasons in charge of the men’s and women’s volleyball programs at Mount Olive College in North Carolina.

“He has an amazing resume,” said head coach Deitre Collins-Parker.

Gutor’s women’s team at Mount Olive amassed a 79-56 record, and he led the Trojans to the NCAA Division II volleyball championship in 2004 and 2005. The men’s squad totaled a 42-37 record under his watch, including a 32-12 mark in his final two seasons.

Introducing the Big Red: Tim Bax

Keenan Weatherford — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Hard-hitting safety Tim Bax, a leader of the Red defense and last year’s team MVP, will return for his senior campaign after receiving All-Ivy honors for the second consecutive year.

His athleticism has been honed since his high school days when he was a star in football, basketball and volleyball at Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago. At 6-3, 196 pounds, Bax is a good size for a safety — fast enough to keep up with opponents’ receivers and strong enough to stop them. His stopping power was evident in the final stats for the 2007 season: Bax finished with 100 tackles, good for second in the Ivy League. He posted six games with double-digit tackles including 15-tackle games against Ancient Eight rivals Yale and Columbia.

W. Soccer Heads Upstate to Battle Grizzlies, Chippewas

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

While their male counterparts head west to take on the elite teams of the Pac-10, the women’s soccer team will stay in state and travel to Rochester, N.Y., to open its season against two teams from the Wolverine State. The Red will take on Oakland University (Mich.) tonight at 5 p.m. at the St. Bonaventure/Puma Invitational being held at the Aquinas Institute in Rochester. Cornell will wrap up the tournament on Sunday morning with an 11 a.m. tilt against Central Michigan.

The Red’s Sept. 5 start date is the team’s latest since 2004; most of the nation’s collegiate soccer teams have already been in action for two weeks. Oakland (0-2-1) has yet to collect its first win while Central Michigan is a perfect 3-0-0 on the season.

Introducing the Big Red: Zac Canty

Keenan Weatherford — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

At 5-foot-8, senior Zac Canty might not fit the prototype of a speedy, tall wide receiver capable of grabbing passes that clear a cornerback’s outstretched hands. But throughout his career on the gridiron, Canty has found a way to consistently outplay his competition.

Canty tied a school record with 10 consecutive games with a reception in 2006. That season he also led the team with 41 receptions for 499 yards while finding the end zone three times.

Last year Canty hauled in 49 receptions to lead the receiving corps. He ranked second on the team with 447 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Volleyball to Increase Depth, Versatility of Players

Keenan Weatherford — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Deitre Collins-Parker has seen a lot of success over her collegiate volleyball career. The volleyball head coach was named the national collegiate volleyball player of the year twice in her playing days at the University of Hawaii while leading her team to a 110-5 record and two national titles in her final three seasons. And after being hired to coach the Red in 2004, Collins-Parker won three Ivy League titles in her first four years.

But after a rough 2007 campaign during which the team went 9-16 overall, Collins-Parker and the Red expect to pick themselves up, and return to their customary winning ways in this upcoming 2008 season.

Olympic Swimmers Draw More Attention to Sport

Keenan Weatherford — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

It’s a much-discussed phenomenon: every four years the United States suddenly develops an interest in swimming, gymnastics, equestrian and the other sports that are traditionally ignored by major television networks and sports media outlets.

Swimmer Michael Phelps’s well documented road to an Olympic record eight gold medals in the Beijing Olympics could capture the imagination of swimmers across the country.

“It’ll definitely be on peoples’ minds now,” said senior Kevin Carey. “It’s not going to be one of the major sports but it got a lot more people into the world of swimming.”

Eleven New Members Bound for Cornell Hall of Fame

Keenan Weatherford — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:26:48 -0400

Five All-Americans and an Olympic medalist highlight the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame’s class of 2008. Eleven new members will be inducted into the Hall on Nov. 7.

The medalist in the class is John Nunn ’64, a varsity heavyweight rower on the 1962 and 1963 crews that won IRA titles who won a bronze medal as the stroke of the double scull in the 1968 Olympic Games. The 1963 crew — undefeated in U.S. collegiate competition — upset the world champion Ratzeburg Club of West Germany on the way to the finals of the Eastern Sprint championships.

The All-Americans who will be inducted are John Griffin ’79, lacrosse; Cari Hills ’98 women’s lacrosse and field hockey; Glen Mueller ’72, lacrosse; Mike Raich ’88, football; and Kate Walker ’97, women’s track and field.

ESPN Names Wittman One of the Best Collegiate Shooters

Keenan Weatherford — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Junior forward Ryan Wittman was named the No. 10 shooter in the nation by Fran Fraschilla, an analyst with ESPN and former head coach of St. John’s and New Mexico.

Wittman led the team in scoring throughout the 2007-08 campaign that saw the Red cruise undefeated through Ivy League play before falling to Stanford in the NCAA tournament. He finished with 424 points for 15.1 points per game, good for fourth in the Ivy League.

Maduka Makes Mark on Cornell

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

It's a breed of athletes that gets rarer and rarer as you ascend to the upper echelon of sports: the two-sport athlete. It's easy for children to play both tee-ball and soccer when they're five years old, but maintaining skills in two sports gets harder as the competition gets older and bigger. In the uncommon occurrence that one finds a two-sport athlete in collegiate athletics, it's almost guaranteed that he or she is an athlete of exceptional caliber, and Jeomi Maduka, the Sun's Athlete of the Year for 2008, is no exception.

Women’s Lacrosse Will Miss Depth of Senior Class

Keenan Weatherford — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

It’s difficult to imagine the team without the graduating seniors of 2008, to think that next year’s fans won’t have the chance to see a lightning-fast, eye-opening goal by Courtney Farrell or the stalwart defensive effort directed by Amanda Linnertz and Ashleigh Smith.

While others will surely fill their shoes, the mark that the seven seniors have made on the women’s lacrosse program will be difficult to match for future generations, partially because of the sheer size of the class.

Simmer down: Senior Katherine Simmons (14) looks to score April 13 against No. 17 Stanford. The midfielder netted four goals in the 13-9 win, including the game-winner.

The Sun Sports Staff Selects the Year's Top 10 Freshmen Athletes

Keenan Weatherford — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Riley Nash — Men's Ice Hockey

W. Lax Holds Off Harvard

Keenan Weatherford — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Just four days after suffering a rough loss to Syracuse in its final home regular-season game, the Red rebounded with a hard-fought, 12-9, victory over Ivy rival Harvard that gave Cornell second place in the Ivy League and kept its postseason hopes alive.

The Red closes out the Ivy season with a 5-2 conference record (10-5 overall), which is good for second place to Ivy champ Penn. The Quakers, incidentally, defeated No. 1 and three-time defending national champion Northwestern, 11-7, over the weekend. Although Cornell won’t be awarded the Ivy champion’s automatic berth into the NCAA tournament, Cornell’s victory over Harvard coupled with a win next weekend at Notre Dame could greatly improve the program’s chances of receiving an at-large berth into the tournament.

W. Lax Takes On Harvard in Last Ivy Game of Season

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The No. 15 women’s lacrosse team will wrap up its Ivy League season tomorrow against Harvard. The Red is looking to learn from the rough 19-7 defeat to Syracuse it suffered last time it took the field.

“We just move on,” said senior midfielder Katherine Simmons of the loss to Syracuse. “It doesn’t mean anything if we don’t learn from it in the end. We’re not going to sit and feel bad for ourselves. ... It’s a reality check, we still really want to play in the [NCAA] tournament.”

Women’s Lacrosse Scores Another Upset

Keenan Weatherford — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The No. 18 women’s lacrosse team knocked No. 14 Yale off its mark on Saturday afternoon in Ithaca. Cornell prevailed, 8-6, on Senior Day and was carried by the contributions of the class being honored.

“This has been a really great group of seniors,” said head coach Jenny Graap ‘86. “They’re really passionate about lacrosse and they put their heart and soul into it and they’ve really done a great job leading the underclassmen.”

No. 18 W. Lax Offense Dominates in Victory

Keenan Weatherford — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

It would have been hard for senior attacker Courtney Farrell to match her start to last season’s game against Loyola, but she gave it her best effort.

In 2007, Farrell tied an NCAA record for fastest goal to start a game by scoring just eight seconds into the contest with the Greyhounds. This year, the senior took an assist from classmate Amanda Linnertz and found the back of the net 11 seconds in.

“Her quickness is just exceptional,” said head coach Jenny Graap ’86 of Farrell. “Speed is a huge factor in starting that fast break. She’s been taking the draws for us. ...

W. Lax Welcomes Loyola

Keenan Weatherford — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Cornell will take on Loyola in Ithaca today for a midweek matchup with the Greyhounds. The Red prevailed, 13-10, last season in Baltimore behind strong games from then-juniors Courtney Farrell (four goals, one assist), Noelle Dowd (three goals) and Katherine Simmons (three goals). Farrell scored her first goal just eight seconds into the contest, which tied an NCAA record for fastest goal to start a game. Interestingly, Simmons also tied that same record on Friday against Brown.

“We did have a very good showing against them,” said head coach Jenny Graap ’86.

Ivy Lacrosse Standings Still Close as Season Progresses

Keenan Weatherford — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Although Cornell dropped its midweek matchup to No. 1 Syracuse, the Red stayed perfect in Ivy play with a 16-11 win over Dartmouth on Saturday. Tied with the Red atop the Ivy standings are Brown and Princeton, both also undefeated in conference play.Scrapping: Cornell is in a three-way tie atop the Ivy League men’s listings, while Penn continues to hold its own at the top of the women’s Ivy rankings, but is now also tied with Princeton.

Princeton won both of its games last week — 14-5 over Penn and 9-8 over Harvard. Tiger senior co-captain Bob Schneider scored four goals — a career-high — including the game-winner in overtime to push Princeton past Harvard.

W. Lax Faces Bears on Road, Hosts Cardinal

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

After snapping its four-game losing streak last weekend, the women’s lacrosse team will look to pick up some wins over the weekend. The team takes on Brown in Providence, R.I. today at 5 p.m., then returns home for a Sunday contest with Stanford at noon.

The Bears are no easy target, however. Brown is on a three-game winning streak, including an 8-5 win over Dartmouth two weeks ago.Fly-by: Sophomore Tissy O’Connor (right) passes a Green defender in the Red’s 10-9 win last weekend.

W. Lacrosse Sneaks By No. 20 Dartmouth

Keenan Weatherford — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

With four seconds left on the clock, senior midfielder Katherine Simmons made perhaps the biggest play of the game by more or less standing still. Cornell was ahead, 10-9, but Dartmouth had possession and was pushing to the goal. Simmons stepped up and took the charge from a driving Green attacker, which returned possession to the home team. While it was just one clutch play in a game full of drama, it was one that allowed the Red to preserve the 10-9 win — Cornell’s first win in a one-goal game since 2005. The Red also beat a ranked opponent (Dartmouth was ranked No. 20) for the first time since 2006.

The contest was hotly-contested from the beginning. There were three lead changes and the score was tied at five points during the game.

Strong Goalkeeping Serves as Key to W. Lacrosse Success

Keenan Weatherford — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

They’re the last line of defense. Nothing else stands between the opposing attacker and the back of the net besides junior Renee “Eli” Hughes and sophomore Kristen Reese, the women’s lacrosse team’s two goalkeepers.

The two are very different players and people, but they have at least one thing in common: a penchant for stopping speeding rubber balls before another tally goes up on the scoreboard for the opponent.

“Renee’s strengths are her work ethic — she does really work hard every day at practice — and her competitiveness,” said assistant coach Laurie Tortorelli DeLuca. “She just really wants to win.”

Farrell Hones Defensive Side of Game

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Despite the balanced offensive numbers, if you ask scouts or players who the Red’s most dynamic offensive weapon is, they will undoubtedly point to senior attacker Courtney Farrell. The 5-3 Syracuse-area native has led the team in scoring for three consecutive years, and is posed to do so yet again for her senior campaign. But this year, Farrell is not just a goal-making machine, she’s a more complete player than in seasons past.

“I think that this year as a senior, I’m really seeing her leadership improve and seeing her maturity on the field,” said head coach Jenny Graap ‘86, “and how important that aspect is to her overall success.”

Red Takes on Nationally-Ranked Tigers

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

After dropping its last three games, two by just one goal, the women’s lacrosse team has been chomping at the bit for a chance to play and to get back to its winning ways. This weekend’s opponent, however, will be no easy victory for Cornell. Princeton is 6-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country. The game will be at Princeton, but fans of the Red (4-3, 1-1 Ivy) can watch the two teams square off on national television on CBS College Sports.

“This team is excited to play,” said assistant coach Laurie Tortorelli DeLuca. “I think we’ve learned some things over the week of Spring Break and we’re very excited to get out of that week, as [last week’s] record could tell you.”

Close Games Pose Challenge for Red

Keenan Weatherford — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

No matter the sport, fans love the thrill of a close game. The excitement of the players and crowd is palpable when a game is tied and the clock is ticking down the final seconds, when everyone knows that it’s time to step up their game to hopefully clinch the victory for their team.

Despite the crowd-pleasing aspect, the women’s lacrosse team must dread looking at the scoreboard and seeing a close score when the game is winding down.

Women’s Lacrosse Loses Offensive Groove, Drops Three

Keenan Weatherford — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

After storming out to a perfect 4-0 start on the season, the women’s lacrosse team came crashing back down to earth with three losses in the past week. The Red traveled to Tennessee and suffered defeats to Vanderbilt and New Hampshire, 15-6 and 10-9 respectively, before returning to Ithaca and falling to Ivy rival Penn, 7-6.

Cornell (4-3, 1-1 Ivy) blitzed to a quick 2-0 lead against Vanderbilt off of goals from sophomore attacker Kathryn Dewey and senior midfielder Katherine Simmons. Simmons finished with three goals and senior attacker Courtney Farrell was held to one goal and one assist.

Huskies’ athleticism too much for Red

Keenan Weatherford — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — At 7 p.m. on Easter Sunday the women’s basketball team strode confidently onto the biggest stage to take on the biggest opponents: UConn, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and the No. 1 in the country. The size of the crowd didn’t fluster the Red’s play or decision-making, nor did the importance of the game. The size and speed of the Huskies did in the Red’s 89-47 loss in its first ever tournament appearance.

“[The players] were a little surprised with [UConn’s] speed,” said head coach Dayna Smith. “They talked about it in the timeout: ‘She’s just so quick.’ We knew their speed, but it doesn’t look that way on tape, it’s a greater speed when they’re out on the court. They needed to get over that initial disbelief. After that we calmed ourselves down a little bit. Not enough, but a little bit.”

Goal of Ivy Title Finally Realized

Keenan Weatherford — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

During the 2005-06 season, forward Shannan Scarselletta — also a Sun columnist — stepped out on a limb and predicted an Ivy League title for the women’s basketball team sometime in the near future. Two years and a handful of weeks later, Scarselletta, along with the rest of the team, stood on a ladder in Newman Arena and cut down the net to celebrate their share of the title.

“It’s what you dream of. It’s what the goal has been since I got here,” said head coach Dayna Smith.

After Rain Delay, Red Defeats Pride

Keenan Weatherford — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:00:00 -0400

In the first matchup between the two teams this season, Hofstra trailed the Red by two goals with just 15 minutes left to play. Unfortunately for the Pride, that game, which started on Friday, was called off due to weather and rescheduled for yesterday. The Red apparently did its homework over the weekend, as it scored early and often in the encore performance between the two teams, a 14-3 Cornell victory.

W. Lacrosse Tames Lions, Still Undefeated

Keenan Weatherford — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 01:00:00 -0400

The women’s lacrosse team stayed perfect on the young season by defeating Columbia in its first Ivy League game, 16-2, on Sunday afternoon. The Red dominated the contest on the strength of its defense; Cornell caused 12 turnovers and only allowed nine shots on goal.

“The whole defense really rose to the occasion and played super well together,” said head coach Jenny Graap ‘86. “A lot of aggressive big checks and really good marking; overall it was a great team effort on the defense. To hold anyone to just two goals takes a team effort and the whole defensive unit did a really good job."

Red Needs Sweep, Harvard Loss for Title

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Just like the preseason polls predicted, the Cornell women’s basketball team is indeed tied for second place in the Ivy League with one weekend left to play. Currently tied with Dartmouth — not Princeton, the other preseason pick for second place — the Red is one game behind Harvard in the race for the Ivy title. The team will need excellent play from its key players — including seniors Gretchen Gregg and Moina Snyder, both playing in their last home weekend — and at least one Harvard loss if it wants any chance of making the NCAA tournament.

Around the Ivies: Men's and Women's Basketball

Keenan Weatherford — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Now that the Red locked up an NCAA tournament bid, none of the teams in the Ancient Eight are challenging for the title anymore, but there is still a dogfight going on for position in the standings. Second-place Brown won both games over the weekend and matched the school record for wins with 17 on the season. The Bears handed Penn its worst-ever Ivy loss — a 32-point margin of victory on Saturday in which four Brown players scored in double-figures.

The fourth-place Quakers had a .500 weekend thanks to a 70-63 win over Yale on Friday. Despite failing to make a single shot from inside the 3-point line, senior Brian Grandieri led the fifth-place Bulldogs with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

W. Lax’s Farrell Reaches Milestones in Win

Keenan Weatherford — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Things did not look good for the Red early in its faceoff with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights yesterday. Less than seven minutes into the game, Cornell was down 3-0, and Rutgers’ junior Michelle Poole was on a tear with two early goals and one assist.

Despite the grim outlook, the Red was able to hold off the Knights’ offensive onslaught and went into the intermission down 4-3. Head coach Jenny Graap ’86 had some inspirational words of wisdom for her players in the locker room.

“[Graap] was smart at halftime,” said junior midfielder Jessica Wiegand. “We were down 3-4 and she knew that we had a lot of time to turn the game around. She told us to just play our game, and that whoever had the most heart would come out winners.”

Woeful Weekend for W. Cagers Results in Fall From First Place

Keenan Weatherford — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

While the men’s basketball team was celebrating their title by cutting the net down at Newman Arena on Saturday night, the Crimson women’s team was cutting the Red’s Ivy title hopes out from underneath its feet. Despite a cold shooting weekend, the Red only scored five points less than its opponents over the weekend. However, that was all it took to lose to Dartmouth, 46-44, and Harvard, 51-48. Because of the weekend sweep, Cornell falls to 17-9 and 9-3 in Ivy play, good for second place.

Women's Lax Takes Road Opener

Keenan Weatherford — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

After practicing through February in Ithaca, the women’s lacrosse team was undeterred by a little blizzard yesterday as it stormed into Colgate and soundly defeated the Raiders, 16-7.

“Everyone was really excited that we were actually going to play,” said head coach Jenny Graap ’86. “With all the weather issues we were just hoping that we would get a game in and once we realized that we were going to get to play we were all really excited.”

The players had good reason to be concerned about the status of their game.

W. Lacrosse Opens Season in Snowstorm

Keenan Weatherford — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

After nearly a month of practice in Ithaca’s inclement weather conditions, the women’s lacrosse team won’t be fazed by a little bit of “wintry mix.” Although yesterday’s men’s game against Binghamton was called off due to uncooperative weather, the women plan on playing their first official game of the season today at Colgate — rain, snow or shine.

“Their grounds crew is staying on top of the snow and they’re going to work into the night,” said head coach Jenny Graap ’86. “We’re anticipating that we’ll be able to play. We’re hopeful.”

Step up: Junior Jessica Wiegand, who scored 14 goals last year in her first season as a starter, will help open the Red’s season today.

Irish Import Brings Style to W. Cagers

Keenan Weatherford — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

According to Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport’s website, a one-way trip from Dublin only costs $659. It took at least that much money, years of practice and a few videotapes to bring freshman Susan Doyle from Dublin, Ireland to our corner of the United States.

“I wanted to go to a good school with a good basketball program,” Doyle said of her decision to attend Cornell University.

Doyle’s coach in Ireland knew head coach Dayna Smith and thought that Doyle would be a good fit for the Red. Tapes of Doyle’s play were shipped to Cornell, and Smith had seen all she needed.

Cornell Equestrian Places Third at Saratoga Springs

Keenan Weatherford — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Despite being roused from sleep by a fire alarm the night before its competition, the Red equestrian team garnered 36 points — good for third place at the 13-team show in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Skidmore hosted the show and took first place with 43 points, followed closely by Hartwick with 39 points.

The team was led by its tri-captains: senior Christine Garvey and juniors Caroline Shulman and Dana Kendrick. Shulman captured second-place finishes in the open fences and open flat events. Hot to trot: The equestrian team took third place out of a 13-team field this weekend in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Tables Have Turned for Red Against Yale, Brown

Keenan Weatherford — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Historically, the women’s basketball team might seem like the underdog this weekend. Yale (6-15, 4-4), leads Cornell (15-6, 7-1 Ivy) in the all-time series, 39-19, and the Red hasn’t won in New Haven since an 80-70 victory in the 2002-03 season. Brown (1-7, 2-20) has also usually gotten the best of the Red; the Bears lead the all-time series 41-16. But no matter the past precedent, the Red — No. 1 in the Ivy League and on a six-game winning streak — are the clear favorites heading into the final six games of their Ivy season.