Growth, change and honors for Vassar athletics

Emma Carmichael Columnist

While the Vassar athletic fields and courts were deserted for the last three months and Brewer athletes trained and conditioned off-campus, the Athletic Department was as busy as ever. With a number of construction projects underway and a wealth of new coaches hired, Brewer athletes returned to a familiar, but improved Athletics Department. Brewer dedication, coupled with these changes assures that athletes and fans will enjoy yet another year of broken records, standout performances and unforgettable wins.

Varsity weight room

The Athletics Department will unveil a new Varsity Weight Room in Kenyon Hall later this fall, to be used primarily by Brewer varsity athletes. The weight room is under construction and is not yet open for daily use.

Mason named Women’s Head Basketball Coach

After Head Coach Barb Bausch resigned in late spring, Athletics Director Sharon Beverly did not have to look far to find a replacement for the team. Beverly hired Angel Mason, who served as Athletic Operations Manager at Vassar from 2005-2007 before taking a job as the Director of Sports Services at the Northeast Conference. She now returns to the campus as Head Coach, with Assistant Coach Fallon Rehmert for sideline support.

New assistant coaches

The Brewers will have a number of new faces patrolling the sidelines, as Vassar welcomed new assistant coaches in six varsity sports. Their full bios can be found on the athletics Web site at www.athletics.vassar.edu.

Men’s Basketball: Jamie Snyder-Fair and Nate Wilda
Women’s Basketball: Fallon Rehmert
Men’s & Women’s Rowing: Brie Farley
Men’s Soccer: Nate Gibbony
Women’s Soccer: Ashleigh Carter

Track teams achieve varsity status

This year will be the Vassar track teams’ first season as a varsity team, although Vassar runners have been successful for quite some time—in 1895, Vassar hosted the first women’s track and field events in the United States, on Noyes Circle. Brewer runners have been competing as the Vassar Track Club since 1985, and have posted times and marks good enough to qualify for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament. As an officially recognized varsity sport, these accomplishments will no doubt lead Vassar track to a great start under Head Coach James McCowan. If construction goes as planned, the teams will be running on a brand new track at Prentiss Field this spring.

Summer honors

Quite a few Vassar athletes and teams were recognized this past summer for athletic and academic achievements.

-The Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association named Katy Mixter ’09 a Second-Team Pocock All-American for her various successes as one of Vassar’s best rowers. She was one of nine athletes selected for the team.

-Ariel Nelson ’08 of the women’s lacrosse team was named to the Empire Region First-Team as well as the All-New York State Third-Team. Her teammate and goalkeeper Christine Castellan ’08 was named to the Empire Region First-Team and the All-New York State Second-Team. Recent Vassar graduate Ali Fantl ’07 was also honored.

-Both the men’s and women’s volleyball teams were honored for their academic efforts as recipients of the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award. The award, distributed by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, was given to only two schools in the nation: Vassar and New York University. This fall the women’s team aims to earn a trip to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Tournament for what would be the sixth time in seven years.

-The women’s tennis team added the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team Award to last year’s accomplishments with a stellar cumulative 3.6 GPA. A number of players received awards for their individual academic efforts. Additionally, alumna Debbie Sharnak ’07 received a NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship Award and was nominated for the 2007 NCAA Woman of the Year award. Sharnak will be honored at an awards ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 27 in Indianapolis, Ind.

-The women’s basketball team finished the school year ranked sixth nationally amongst Division III schools in the annual Women’s Basketball Coaches Association ranking of team GPAs. The Brewers boasted a team GPA of 3.559 to earn this distinguished honor.

-Recently, the National Collegiate Scouting Association ranked Vassar College 19th among NCAA Division III colleges for its combined academic and athletic strength. Vassar placed 50th in the country among all college divisions.