Women hoopsters chase title
It's not always easy to think of Dartmouth and Harvard sharing anything, but as of mid-January, the two schools' women's basketball teams were splitting the top spot in the Ivy standings with identical league records of 4-1. The Green and Crimson women's basketball programs have decidedly different histories, although this year's squads are playing with similar fervor: Dartmouth won four consecutive Ivy titles (from 1980 to 1984) while Harvard is hoping for its first championship ever.
Penn and Princeton prove to be roadblocks for Dartmouth men's basketball more often than not, but this winter the women took advantage of the Tigers and Quakers in one weekend to pull themselves into the first-place tie. In a strange, seesaw contest, the Green fell behind Princeton 120, pulled even by halftime, led by 13, and then allowed the Tigers ten straight points at the end of the game to let the contest slip into overtime. Coach Jacqueline Hullah had only a few more minutes to wring her hands, however, as her team quickly put Princeton out of its misery, outscoring the Orange and Black in the extra period, 236. How many overtime games do you find with a final score of 72-55?
The next day against Perm, the team came back from a ten point deficit and got the benefit of last minute free-throws by guard Terry Fortin '86 to squeak past the Quakers, 57-56. Fortin also played an excellent defensive game, according to Coach Hullah, holding Penn's leading scorer, June Stambaugh, to nine points. Leading the Green in scoring in both games was senior center Jayne Daigle (a three-time All Ivy pick) followed closely by freshman Liz Walter.
Walter is a story in herself. As a Harvard sophomore, Beth Chandler, was being named Player of the Week (for the period ending January 12), she represented the Green by collaring Rookie of the Week honors and becoming the first recipient of that award for the 1985-86 season. The 6'0" forward from Sheridan, Wyoming, was averaging 16.2 points per game and 10.4 rebounds-good enough stats for fourth and second place, respectively, in the Ivy League. "She is a very exciting player," said Hullah, "and people are just beginning to see what she can do."
Continuing its winning ways, the team took revenge for an earlier loss to the University of Vermont and beat the Catamounts, 66-61 on January 14. This brought Dartmouth's overall record to 8-7 and marked the first time this year it had climbed over the .500 mark. Guards Sue Stoddard '86 and Marie Polakowski '89 led the way with 14 points apiece. Stoddard, who was among the league leaders in assists and steals, swiped the ball three times to further harass the Catamounts.
Overall, the Big Green was leading the Ivy League in field goal percentage and team offense, while the Crimson led in team defense: as of mid-January, Dartmouth was pumping in an average of 70 points per game, while Harvard was allowing less than 60. Although the Dartmouth women had lost to their Cambridge rivals earlier in the season, 66-63, in a game marred by turnovers, a possibly classic confrontation loomed in early February when the two were to meet again-this time in Hanover. Potent offense versus stingy defense. Player of the Week versus Top Rookie. Even strict followers of the Harvard-Dartmouth men's rivalry were beginning to take notice. At the 17th annual Dartmouth Relays, members of the men's and women's track teams came away with some impressive numbers. While no team scores were tallied, the meet gave indication that the 1986 indoor track season would be a good one.
The Dartmouth men's squad excelled in the long relay events. Trey Gum '87, Mike Donaghu '89, Bill Pike '88 and John McCright '87 won the two-mile relay; Gum, Donaghu, and McCright also ran the distance medley relay along with Frank Powers '86, and took second in that event. Individual standouts included senior captain Jeff Jackson, who cleared 16 feet in the pole vault to equal his own indoor school record. Senior Henry Harlamert captured the high jump in the college division with a leap of 6'10".
The women's distance medley relay team not only won its race but set a new meet record of 12:00.73. Ellen O'Neil '87, Rebecca Doane '88, and Kate Brew '87 set the stage for star anchorwoman Moira Teevens '87 who made up a 15-yard deficit in the last leg. Kathryn Miller '86 took third in the 5000-meter run and Jeanne Sapienza captured the college division of the 3000-meter race.
On other arenas, women's junior defenseman Karin Clough skates past a genuflectingPrinceton defender in a November 29 game won by the Tigers, 5—4.
