By wpengine April 14, 2003
Expectations were high on the men’s and women’s track teams as they headed to the Sea Ray Relays at the University of Tennessee this past weekend, but no one could have predicted that the teams would return to Ithaca with several new additions to the Red record books. The relays, held by the Vols at the Tom Black Track in Knoxville, is one of the largest and most prestigious track meets in the country. Every year, over 1,500 student-athletes from schools around the country compete alongside sponsored athletes and former Olympians. This year, the Red took its 11-hour bus ride to Knoxville hoping to gain, if nothing else, experience, but the teams came home with utter excitement and the knowledge that they are two of the top squads in the country. “The bus ride is a long trip, and it can be wearing on some people,” said women’s head coach Lou Duesing, “but they didn’t let it get in their way this year.” Outstanding performances were plentiful for both teams, as several relays and individuals had personal bests and added their scores to the Cornell record books. The women’s team placed in the top 10 of nearly every relay event it entered. Highlighting the relay performances were the 4×800 and sprint medley. The 4×800 team of juniors Natalie Gingrich and Ann Hansgate, sophomore Alison Koplar, and freshmen Ruth Morgan fought its way to a second-place finish and was edged out only by national powerhouse Michigan. The sprint medley team of sophomores Jessica Brown and Shonda Brown and Kari Steed, and senior co-captain Katy Jay nearly equaled their teammates on the 4×800, coming in fifth overall. In doing so, the group set the new school record at 3:56.22. Adding to the Red’s list of top finishes were also the 4×400 and distance medley relays, which both placed eighth in their events. The familiar legs of Jessica Brown, Shonda Brown, Jay, and junior Jill Crispell carried the 4×400 across the finish line in 3:41.43, setting a new school record as they crossed. Youth helped propel the DMR to the finish line. The team, sophomores Sarah Coseo and Lauren Graham, combined with freshmen Jamie Gruebel and Mandy Knuckles for a great finish. “They really just keep getting faster and faster,” said Duesing proudly of his runners. “It’s always exciting to watch them.” The men were similarly successful, though most of the team’s top finishes came in individual events. “We had lousy weather on Friday, which made it difficult to get psyched up,” said men’s head coach Nathan Taylor, “but we came out and still had some really good performances.” Leading the men were seniors Scott Benowicz and Derek Kingrey. Benowicz’s 232-06 toss in the javelin earned him third place in the meet, but more importantly, the top spot in the Cornell record books and a ranking among the top five throwers in the country right now. Kingrey gave Cornell its only outright championship, winning the discus with a huge 165-02 throw. Fellow senior Geoff Van Fleet also gave his teammates a boost with his performance in the 1500m run. Van Fleet faced tough competition in the race, but still delivered a solid 11th-place finish, which placed him sixth all-time on for the Red. In the hammer throw, junior Giles Longley-Cook gave a performance representative of his efforts all year. He gave a huge heave in the event, good for eighth place. Additionally, two sophomores, Emory Mort and Ryan Schmidt, contributed to the team effort with their performances in the 3000m steeplechase and high jump, respectively. Mort placed 11th in his event and Schmidt, seventh in his. Finally, the 4×100 relay team of seniors Quinton Carew, Rahim Wooley, junior Jason Hart, and sophomore Kenan Goggins blazed around the track to finish the race in sixth place and etch their names in the fifth spot on the Barton Hall record books. Taylor was satisfied with his men’s performances, but knows that maintaining their current level of intensity will be difficult but crucial for success during the rest of the season. “Track is a tough sport because you have to come back again and again to compete for what’s going on five months right now, and some guys are still trying to regain that fire from indoor Heps, which we have to have for outdoor Heps in three weeks.” Archived article by Everett Hullverson
By wpengine April 12, 2003
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The men’s hockey team had spent all of nine seconds this season trailing by three or more goals. So when New Hampshire scored 7:10 into the second period of the national semifinal to go ahead 3-0, Cornell had its work cut out for it. The Red (30-5-1, 19-2-1 ECAC) never was able to catch the Wildcats (28-7-6, 15-5-4 Hockey East), but it came as close as it could, scoring two goals and ringing a possible game-tying shot off UNH goalie Mike Ayers’ mask with under a minute left. Ayers’ strong play in net and a momentum swing after a disallowed first period goal ended up as deciding factors in the 3-2 New Hampshire win. “I have no complaints,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86 after the failed comeback attempt. “We had our opportunities, we went for it and that’s the definition of success. We laid it all on the line, we weren’t tentative. When our players look back, they can’t doubt their work ethic or their performance tonight.” Cornell came out strong in the first period, keeping the puck in the New Hampshire zone for much of the first half of the frame. The Wildcats were unable to manage even a shot on sophomore goalie David LeNeveu for the first seven minutes of the period. It appeared as though the Red struck first, as senior Shane Palahicky deflected a Jeremy Downs shot under the left arm of UNH goalie Mike Ayers 12:06 into the period. Upon reviewing the replay, though, the officials determined that Palahicky’s stick was higher than four feet off the ice when it touched the puck. Referee Don Adam waved off the goal, ruling it a high-stick infraction. New Hampshire seized the momentum after the disallowed goal, and began putting pressure on LeNeveu. With 5:39 remaining in the first period, the Wildcats’ fourth line became the first unit to find the back of the net. Tyler Scott picked up the puck behind the Cornell goal and sent a pass to linemate Tim Horst in the high slot. Horst then blasted a quick one-timer past LeNeveu to give the Wildcats the first goal. Although UNH only led by one at the first intermission, it had all the energy in the second half of the period following the overturned goal. The Red was outshot 10-0 in the first period after at point. “That was the part when we needed a momentum shift,” said New Hampshire’s Patrick Foley of the disallowed goal. “We weren’t playing the game we needed to; that was a momentum swing.” The Wildcats stormed out again in the second period, capitalizing on some nifty passing. Sean Collins left a drop pass for Nathan Martz, who sent a precise pass across to Steve Saviano. Saviano redirected the puck from the right hashmark into the net, putting UNH up by two. Saviano wasn’t finished, either, scoring again less than six minutes later. He threaded a shot on the power play between LeNeveu’s left shoulder and the post, beating the goalie to the short side. However, Cornell dominated most of the action in the period, as the two New Hampshire goals came on just three shots. The Red finally scratched its way onto the scoreboard midway through the period, when it took advantage of a power play. With 58 seconds left in the minor penalty, Schafer called a timeout to allow his top power play unit to catch a breather. The move paid off, as senior co-captain Stephen B