By wpengine April 11, 2003
The men’s tennis team will leave the confines of Ithaca this weekend to face Ivy League foes Dartmouth and Harvard. The team, which enters play after an off weekend, is 1-1 in Ivy competition, with a victory over Penn and a loss at the hands of Columbia. Junior Zach Gallin was stellar against Columbia, winning in three sets at the No. 2 singles spot, then teaming up with classmate Scott Spencer to take the No. 1 doubles spot, 8-4. “Dartmouth is a team that we should beat if we play up to our potential,” Gallin said. “Harvard is a very tough team, but if we play strong, we can outmatch them.” Harvard, the perennial favorite in the Ivy League, comes in ranked No. 44 in the nation, fresh off of a 7-0 trouncing of Dartmouth. If the Red is to prevail this weekend, it will need help from freshman Brett McKeon as well as the team’s juniors. McKeon took his match at the No. 4 singles spot against Columbia and fought off three match points to prevail at the No. 3 spot against Penn. Scott Spencer, who has over 10 singles victories already this season, also faced a match point before taking his match at the No. 4 spot against the Quakers, and then won in straight sets at the No. 6 spot against the Lions. Also winning for the Red against Penn were juniors Michael Schlappig, Aravinda Neuman, and Scott Paltrowitz, all in straight sets. The women’s tennis team (2-8, 0-2 Ivy) plays its last home games of the season this weekend when Dartmouth and Harvard visit the Reis Tennis Center. The weekend also marks the last home matches for seniors Nicole Chiu and Piper Lucas. The matchup against Dartmouth today will be the Red’s best opportunity for an Ivy League home win, as No. 18 Harvard is the highest ranked squad in the Ancient Eight. “They have some losses to teams we’ve beaten this year,” said head coach Tom Brownlie ’98. “Plus, our team is playing well and with high morale.” Bronwlie intends to leave the lineup essentially the same with one exception. Giving Lucas her last chance on the court, Brownlie will likely insert the senior into both singles and doubles positions in the lineup. Lucas has been hindered from playing this season by various academic and other conflicts, but Brownlie believes that she will make a strong addition to the lineup. The last match the team played was against nationally ranked Penn on March 29, when the Red fell 6-1 at home. The team has yet to notch an Ivy League win, and with five matches left, Brownlie is hopeful for at least one this weekend.Archived article by Josh Dormont
By wpengine April 11, 2003
Historically, the Sea Ray Relays held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville is the toughest and largest meet on the Cornell track schedule. Featured at the meet are over 1,500 athletes representing numerous track programs from Big 10 and SEC track powerhouses. There will also be several unaffiliated and sponsored runners, throwers, and jumpers. The men’s and women’s track teams expect the same level of competition going into this year’s event, but both teams also know that they have two of the best squads in Cornell history and hope to make their mark on the Vols’ Tom Black track. “We’re expecting to see the toughest competition we’ve seen all year,” said men’s coach Nathan Taylor. “Every event will be very, very competitive.” Last year, Tennessee’s men captured five victories in the meet and had three automatic NCAA qualifying times including Justin Gatlin’s 100m and 200m times, which were some of the fastest in the world. The women also faced tough competition against a host of NCAA qualifiers from around the country. But, the Red held its own. The women’s distance medley relay won the championship, and sophomores Kari Steed and Jessica Brown, seniors Natalie Whelan, Katy Jay, and Sarah Herskee all scored points for the team. Senior Scott Benowicz and junior Chris Friedrich led the way for the men in the javelin, and seniors Rahim Wooley and Quinton Carew, along with junior Mike Nanaszko, all had solid finishes. Heading into this weekend’s events, both teams are optimistic that they can improve on those performances. “We have some people who are very close to qualifying for the NCAA regionals, and all of our relays will have great race opportunities and can do very well,” said women’s coach Lou Duesing. Similarly, Taylor said of his men, “We have some pretty good guys on the team this year, and it’ll be exciting to see if they can rise to the occasion.” Already this year, both the men and women have risen to the occasion in every meet they have entered. Both teams captured indoor Heps titles and, most recently, the U.C. Irvine Invitation and Long Beach Relay championships. Athletes for both teams hope to continue their success this weekend, but know that the field is strong in every event and victory is not the only measure of accomplishment. “Normally, we run well in this meet,” concluded coach Duesing, “but even if we don’t win, our athletes learn a lot and get a lot from the experience, which will help for the rest of the year.” Archived article by Everett Hullverson