Sports Briefs

Men's Tennis wins first Liberty League title

After making Liberty League championship appearences three years in a row, the Vassar men’s tennis team finally captured the crown on Sunday, April 22 after defeating Skimore College 7-2. Seeded second in the tournament, the Brewers beat St. Lawrence University 5-4 in their first-round match to advance.

“The entire team worked vigorously all year and responded well to Coach [Ki] Kroll’s leadership—with the ultimate culmination being this title,” said co-captain Jared Mayer ’07.

With an 11-3 record after the win, the team finished their season with a match against Williams College on April 25.
—Elizabeth Pacheco, Sports Editor

Rugby teams win both Beast of the East titles

Last weekend, April 21-22, the men and women’s rugby teams placed first in the prestigious Beast of the East Tournament in Portsmouth, R.I.

During Saturday’s play, the men won two games, one of which was over the University of Maine-Orono, a team the defeated the Brewers earlier this year. On Sunday they beat Wesleyan University in the semifinal round and the University of Maine-Farmington in the finals, winning 24-3.

Without enough teams to create a Division I bracket, the Vassar women found themselves matched up against both Division I and II opponents. Solidly winning their three games on Saturday, the team beat Providence College in the semifinals and the University of New Hampshire in the finals, 19-0. —E. P.

Women’s lacrosse secures playoffs spot

The Vassar women’s lacrosse team made history for the second time this season on Saturday, April 21, defeating the University of Rochester in a 9-8 decision and earning a place in the Liberty League playoffs—the first Vassar lacrosse team, men's or women's, to do so.

The Brewers will receive a seed after their last regular-season league match-up against second-ranked Union College this Friday, April 27. Vassar is currently ranked fourth in the conference, behind top-ranked Hamilton College and third-ranked William Smith College. In previous competition this season, Vassar fell to William Smith 16-10 on March 21 and to Hamilton 15-5 on April 20. The Brewers will play in the Liberty League Tournament on Friday, May 4 at Hamilton College, the tournament’s first seed.

Individual members of the team have also been enjoying. Ariel Nelson ’08, Vassar’s dependable goalkeeper, was named Defensive Player of the Week by the Liberty League for the fifth time in her career, and is ranked fourth nationally. Ali Fantl ’07 became Vassar’s all-time leading scorer when she scored four goals against Clarkson on April 14 in a 15-6 win for the Brewers. She now holds school records in career points, assists and goals.

The team will play Union on Friday, April 27 and will celebrate senior day with its last home game against Manhattanville on Saturday.
—Emma Carmichael, Assistant Sports Editor