Sports Fall Ahead
Sports Information Director Mitch Capelle Previews the Coming Colby-Sawyer Season
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Suzie Kaegi '07 |
On Aug. 23rd, Colby-Sawyer College welcomed back its fall student-athletes to campus in great anticipation of the season ahead. Soccer, tennis and volleyball players came back to campus with the common goal of maintaining the college's standard as one of the Commonwealth Coast Conference's premier programs.
Women's Volleyball: Winning Traditions
After a successful 2005 campaign ended in the Charger volleyball team winning their third conference championship and advancing to the second round of the NCAA DIII Tournament, the new-look Chargers are ready to keep the winning tradition alive.
Last year's senior-laden squad rewrote the record books at Colby-Sawyer on their way to earning eight Commonwealth Coast Conference honors including CCC Player of the Year (Jessica Niebuhr), CCC Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Kathy Couture) and CCC Coach of the Year (Chad Braegelmann).
This season a Chargers team with only one returning starter, Jessica Niebuhr, looks to reload and make yet another run for their eleventh straight CCC championship appearance.
“I am extremely excited for the season to start this fall,” said sixth-year head coach Chad Braegelmann. “We have a lot of young talent and athleticism on this team that has not had a chance to showcase itself because of the gifted senior class we had last year.” A lineup of three seniors looks to provide leadership for a young squad. Jessica Niebuhr, Suzie Kaegi and Hilary Ballentine expect to make an impact for the Chargers.
“Jess has done a phenomenal job running the team as our setter,” said Braegelmann. “We may try and use her in different roles this year, taking some of the pressure off our other players. She is going to be our emotional leader on the court.
“Suzie got a lot of playing time last year. She will be battling for time on the outside. Hilary had a year off and coming back will give us depth on the right side,” Braegelmann added. “She will be in the mix for some major playing time as well.”
Women's Soccer: Return to Prominence
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Captain Lesley Bolton '07 |
After guiding the women's soccer team to their first winning record since 2001, head coach Paul Stinson hopes for even more improvement from his team as he enters his fourth year.
With a record of 9-8 last season and reaching the quarterfinals of the Commonwealth Coast Conference tournament, the Chargers will count on their young talent as well as the leadership of five seniors to lead the way back to prominence in the conference.
Senior goal keeper Jen Plouffe, a three-year starter for Stinson in goal, will anchor a defense that gave up an average of 1.6 goals per game last season.
The three senior captains, Lesley Bolton, Kate Solazzo and Taryn DeBoer will also figure heavily in Stinson's plan of cutting down on goals scored against them this season.
The fifth senior in Coach Stinson's arsenal is midfielder/forward Karen Ibbitson. A versatile player who walked-on her freshman year, Ibbitson has carved out a formidable, solid, niche in the team's offense.
Women's Tennis: Experience and Fresh Talent
A season after finishing fifth in the Commonwealth Coast Conference and falling in the first round of the CCC tournament, the Colby-Sawyer women's tennis team will balance experience and young talent
to make an impact this season.
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Captain Alex Hardenbrook '07 |
Five upperclassmen along with five freshmen make up the roster for third-year head coach Sean McCaffrey and expectations are high for this year's team.
“My expectations for this season are high,” said McCaffrey. “We have a fantastic recruiting class, probably one of the best in the conference, and we have five talented freshmen to accompany the five women who were on this team last year. I am very excited for a successful season both on and off the court.”
Captains Alex Hardenbrook and Ashley Willis will provide leadership for a team of young, talented players who are a part of a program that has been a perennial powerhouse in the Commonwealth Coast Conference.
Men's Soccer: To the Next Level
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Nick DeZenzo '08 |
Last season's men's soccer team finished sixth in the CCC (6-9-3, 5-4-2 CCC) and suffered a first round loss to Endicott, ending the Chargers season in the first round of the conference playoffs.
This year's squad, a blend of young talent and experience look to take the Chargers to the next level in the CCC.
“We'd like to play to the best of our potential and like to do better versus non-conference teams than we have in the past,” said head coach Peter Steese, who begins his 17th year as head coach. “Of course, as always, the goal is to make the conference playoffs but have to take it one game at a time.”
Seniors Tyler Davis, Doug Slater and Ryan St. Lawrence along with juniors Nick DeZenzo and Tony Soto look to provide leadership and direction to a squad that boasts 16 sophomores and freshmen.
