The Good Hands Person

The hopes of the Dartmouth men's basketball team this year are in capable hands—large, capable hands. The Big Green's Walter Palmer will play a key role at center in his final year on the Hanover Plain. The TV senior was selected secondteam all-Ivy last year and helped lead the Green to a 17-9 season overall and 10-4 in the Ivies. Palmer will head a crowd-pleasing run-and-gun squad that twice was a contender for the Ivy title and twice fell short by one heartbreaking loss.

Palmer is ready to give it one more try, and he certainly has the tools to do it. Those hands (which stretch 11 inches from tip to tip) shot .615 from the field last year and snagged 6.6 boards per game. While his powerful dunks have often fired up the Hanover crowd, Palmer can also shut down the opposition. He averages 3.1 blocks per game.

"Walter's really going to come into his own," affirms Coach Paul Cormier. "He's much more confident now than he was two years ago."

Harvard coach Peter Roby (Dartmouth '79) offers a foe's perspective, noting, "Palmer gives Dartmouth a dimension that few other teams havea big man that can score inside and dominate the game defensively."

Palmer become starting seniors, the squad's ranks are thinned by graduation. And this year the College was hit hard. A newcomer to the alumni ranks is Dartmouth's all-time leading scorer, Jim Barton 89. The Memphis native has moved on to play pro ball in Germany, leaving some pretty big sneakers to fill.

The loss of Barton changes the team's strategy, according to Cormier. Last year the coach felt the need to play the deadly accurate threepoint specialist for virtually the entire game. The squad could not always maintain its fast-paced press-and-run attack, lest Barton tire. This year Cormier expects to substitute fresh players off the bench constantly to keep up the pressure.

Palmer believes his team is well suited to this new style. "I think it will make everybody rely on each other a lot more," he says. "There's going to be a lot more scoring balance." Orchestrating the attack will be playmaker James Blackwell '91, another second-team all-Ivy selection. Blackwell's sharp passing (4.1 assists per game) as well as his scrappy style of defensive play (1.4 steals per game) made the junior guard a league leader in those areas. Seniors Rob Summers and John Mackay, both strong outside shooters, will offer farther support at the guard positions. They join Palmer as tri-captains. Junior Brendan O'Sullivan will also be called upon to provide some scoring punch, as he did in last year's narrow 75-72 victory over Yale when he exploded for 17 points.

Will this be the year the Green captures the elusive title? Maybe, but it won't be easy. Yale will be a contender, having lost no one to graduation. League champion Princeton is still tough, despite the loss of Ivy player of the year Bob Scrabis. Kit Mueller is back—he led the Tiger attack in the NCAA tournament cliffhanger against Georgetown last year.

Watching this squad is like seeing a dynasty in progress. The team is proud owner of eight of the last ten Ivy League championships. Thanks to the recruiting savvy of Coach Jacqueline Hullah, the team seems to have a never-ending pool of talent maturing and improving. Crucial to this year's effort is a group of seniors shooting for their fourth championship ring in as many years.

Rounding out the senior class is the sharpshootingjen Lowry at center and captain Allison Greene, a 5'10" forward who is quick on her feet and provides the team with steady leadership. The key to the Green's past success has been channeling individual talent into teamwork. Though Neely's deft shotmaking provides much of the team's offensive punch, the leading- scorer-of-the-game honors rotated among no fewer than six players last year. "Five people contributed all the time. We didn't have any big names," says Nicole Hager '91, herself a vital part of Dartmouth's success as a second team all-Ivy selection.

With the new season, the players' minds turn not only to another Ivy title but also to a chance at postseason play. An impressive overall record of 22-4 last year had the Big Green hoping for a bid to the NIT tournament. Despite victories over teams such as Atlantic-10 power Massachusetts, the team was overlooked by both NCAA and NTT tournament officials. The Ivy League is one of the few Division 1 conferences without an automatic bid. Tournament officials aren't too impressed with a title from what they consider a weak league.

There may be more hope this year for playoff action, however. Dartmouth sports administrators toughened the women's non-league schedule by adding basketball giants Connecticut and Wisconsin. Such a change should catch the eye of officials when tournament bids are made.

Women's Hockey

After the thrill of winning their first Ivy tournament in their 11-year history last year, the Dartmouth ice- women have set their sights on advancing in postseason play. Last year they were stopped by a powerful Providence squad in the first round of ECAC playoffs. With captain and three-time ECAC all-star Kelley Coyne '90 in goal, the Big Green is well positioned. Coyne was relentless in holding off the enemy last season with a .931 save percentage and a 2.02 goals-against average. With 16 shutouts, she is the all-time Dartmouth shutout leader.

Men's Hockey

For the past two seasons, the men's hockey team just missed an opportunity to compete in the ECAC tournament. Coach Brian Mason feels this is the year his team is ready to make that next step. The squad will rely heavily on its crew of talented defensive players led by Captain Dave Williams '90, a second-team ailAmerican and New Jersey Devils draft pick. Senior Steve Laurin, a secondteam ECAC all-star, will provide three years of experience at goal.

The big question, however, is the team's offensive power. Assistant captainjamie Hanlon '90, lastyear's scoring leader, will continue to be a key player at wing. Mason feels the team has the talent to go places in the tournament if it can stop letting the close ones slip away. The Big Green lost eight games last season by only one goal apiece.

Can Walter Palmer and a run-and-gun squad bring home the Ivy title?

SCOREBOARD Standings as of October 8. Football 1-3 overall, 0-1 Ivy. The season's only win to date was a dramatic come-from-behind effort in the - final 30 seconds against Boston University. Wide receiver Tom Parker '90 caught four ;. touchdown passes for a school record. Another personal triumph: in the Holy Cross game, quarterback Mark Johnson'90 • out-passed David Gabianelli '87 • to become Dartmouth's passing leader with 3,440 yards. Men's Soccer 4-2-1 overall, 1-1 Ivy. An important win in the season opener against Ivy co-champion Princeton. The losses were dealt by Penn and the powerhouse f University of Connecticut Jesse Bradley '92 has had four shutouts in goal for the Big Green. Women's Soccer 3-2-1 overall, 3-0-1 Ivy. The team tied 1988 Ivy champ Brown in a scoreless game and thumped Penn, 9-0. Deb Tripaldi '91 has had four shutouts; in goal for Dartmouth. ? Field Hockey 1-6-1 overall, 0-3 Ivy. The team is rebuilding after the graduation of several key players. Cross-Country Men: 3-0 overall, 1-0 Ivy. Won the Dartmouth Invitational and swept Harvard, Northeastern, and Rice in Cambridge. Women: 2-0 overall, 1-0 Ivy. Won the Dartmouth Invitational and swept Harvard and Northeastern in Cambridge. Golf The men's team placed first out of 22 teams at the Middlebury Invitational. The women finished second out of eight teams at the Yale Invitational.