This year, senior Sarah Stroh’s entire winter break amounted to the equivalent of most students’ fall break: four days. In fact, the longest winter vacation she can ever recall having at the College was six days. Factor in travel time back to her home in British Columbia on the Pacific coast of Canada, and she only got to see her family for two full days around the Christmas holiday this year. But you won’t hear her gripe much about her lack of vacation. As a member of the women’s basketball team, Stroh is more than used to cutting her time with friends and family short in order to practice and play games.

p. “Everyone would like to be home as long as possible,” Stroh said. “Three days doesn’t seem like a long time, but the reason I’m here is to play basketball. For four years of my life, that’s what I committed myself to do.”

p. Over break, when most students head home to relax and mooch off their parents, members of the men’s and women’s basketball team remain in Williamsburg and work, preparing for the heart of their season.

p. “It’s not vacation. It’s like an extended basketball camp. Basically you eat, sleep and play basketball,” Stroh said. “Some years, we would come in to practice and work out at 11 a.m., and leave when it was dark, around 6 p.m. It pretty much feels like a month-long basketball game.”

p. Freshman members of both teams must live in Williamsburg area hotels, while most of the upperclassmen remain in their off-campus apartments. Stroh, who has lived on campus all four years, is an exception and lived with the women’s team at a local Days Inn this year.

p. Given a daily food stipend of $7, players must also deal with the closure of campus dining halls.

p. “I like campus life better, especially with students back,” freshman men’s basketball player David Schneider said. “The UC and Caf are good because you have a meal right there and you don’t have to go looking for food.”

p. This winter break, when other students were probably resting at home sipping on egg nog, both the men’s and women’s teams rattled off impressive seven-game win streaks. In previous seasons, both programs have hit cold slumps, losing several games in a row during late December and early January. Senior guard Adam Payton credited some of the men’s holiday success, capped off by a 67-63 road upset over 2006 Final Four participant George Mason University earlier this month, to having fewer distractions.

p. “When there’s no class and when students leave, there’s nothing to do but play ball and focus,” Payton said.

p. There are no NCAA rules governing how long coaches can keep players occupied with basketball over break. “It’s not just sit in your apartment time,” he said. The team often practiced twice per day.

p. The small amount of vacation can be a problem for some players who don’t live close to campus. A native of Burlington, N.J., Payton drives home to visit family for the holidays. Last year, with only five days of vacation, Payton found himself hustling back to Williamsburg as the team was preparing to leave for a road game. Sitting in a traffic jam, he missed a whole practice.

p. This year, Payton’s wife, Sharena, traveled down from New Jersey with him after Christmas and stayed through New Year’s Day.

p. “It’s definitely hard to have a family while in school, but I know right after I graduate I’ll be back with them,” he said.

p. Stroh, who must fly home, said however many days the team has off for vacation, she usually subtracts two for travel time. This year she intended to leave the College at 6 a.m. Dec. 22 and arrive in Seattle at 11 a.m., but the flight was changed a month before its departure and she was not able to leave Williamsburg before 11 a.m. Scheduled to arrive in Seattle early in the evening, her plane did not land until after midnight. It took another two-hour drive into Canada before she was home. A whole day was shot.

p. “It’s very hectic, but I’ve learned to be calm over the years,” Stroh said.

p. Unlike Stroh and Payton, Schneider lives closer to Williamsburg and doesn’t have to worry as much about travel arrangements. He went to Charlottesville to spend time with his mom and grandmother during the team’s four-day break this year. Originally from Arizona, his family moved to Myrtle Beach, S.C., so they were better able to travel to watch him play over break.

p. “Having family really close, that’s a bonus for me,” he said.

p. While suiting up for the Tribe ultimately means that all three players must forfeit most of their winter break, they still enjoy all the time they dedicate to playing basketball.

p. “I kind of wish I had a bigger break,” Payton said. “But I love the sport and I have learned to play it all the time.”

Junior forward Kyra Kaylor paced the Tribe with 18 points, and senior guard Sarah Stroh and junior guard Devin James each added 12 of their own as the College routed CAA opponent Drexel University 75-50 last night at Kaplan Arena.

p. Despite its loss to Old Dominion University Sunday, the team went into last night’s game with a 13-7 overall record and a 5-4 record in CAA play. The Tribe defeated Northeastern University and Georgia State University before falling to ODU, the only undefeated team in the conference. Additionally, the College won nine of its last 12 games and has already surpassed its total number of home wins from last season.

p. Kaylor recorded her 7th double-double of the year, leading the Tribe with 18 points and 10 rebounds in its 58-49 victory over Northeastern. Stroh also tallied 13 points and four steals, while sophomore guard Courtney Portell and freshman forward Tiffany Benson each poured in 11 points.

p. Though Northeastern got on the scoreboard first, the College countered with an 11-0 run, six points of which came from Benson. The Huskies answered with a 7-2 spurt to narrow the Tribe’s advantage to 4 points with 12:59 remaining in the first half. After rampant scoring on each end, the College built a sizable 27-18 lead with 6:17 left in the first. The Tribe only allowed the Huskies another four points the remainder of the half, and held them scoreless in the last four minutes. The College went into the locker room with a 32-22 lead.

p. The Tribe came out strong in the second half, going on an 8-0 run within the first two minutes to build a 40-22 lead. The Huskies refused to back down, however, as they charged back with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 44-34. With consecutive three-pointers from Portell and Stroh, the College pushed the margin back up to 16 points by the second media timeout. Despite a valiant eight-point comeback attempt by the Huskies, the Tribe managed to keep the lead and finish with a 58-49 victory.

p. The College earned its second win of the week in its triumph over Georgia State in Atlanta last Thursday. It was a grueling match, as the Tribe only out-shot the Panthers 47.4 percent to 45.2 percent to secure a 77-76 victory.

p. Kaylor again led the College with 30 points, which enabled her to reach the 1,200-point mark, becoming only the sixth player to do so in the program’s history. James also gave a stellar performance, recording a career-high 27 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. Stroh and Benson again played key roles in the win.

p. The Tribe led 8-6 at the first media timeout, as all of the points came from Kaylor. While the College commanded an 8-point lead with 13:12 on the clock, the Panthers countered with a 9-2 run to cut the Tribe lead to one. There was back-and-forth scoring for the remainder of the half, and although the College held a five-point lead with under six minutes remaining, by the end of the first half GSU again only trailed by one point.

p. After intermission, the Tribe went on a 7-0 run to gain a six-point lead with 16:57 showing. Although the College held a six-point lead multiple times in the second half, an 11-0 spurt by the Panthers caused the Tribe to trail 68-63 with less than 5 minutes left in the game.

p. The College surged forward, however, outscoring GSU 7-1 to put the Tribe ahead by one point with 1:45 remaining. Although the Panthers briefly reclaimed the lead, a three-pointer and a pair of foul shots by Kaylor, followed by two free throws from James, allowed the College to clinch the 1-point victory over GSU.

p. ODU ended the Tribe’s winning streak Sunday by a score of 63-47. Benson led the Tribe with 12 points, marking her first career double-double and giving her a total of 45 blocks so far this season. Benson is now in first place for most rejections in a single season, exceeding the previous record of 42 set in 1991. Devin James and Sarah Stroh added 12 and 10 points, respectively.

p. The Lady Monarchs opened scoring with a 15-0 run to take an early lead. The Tribe managed to hold ODU scoreless for almost six minutes before the Lady Monarchs made another 12-3 spurt. The College answered with a 9-2 run of its own, but it wasn’t enough as the Tribe trailed by 13 at halftime.

p. Although James and Stroh were the Tribe’s only scorers in the first half, Benson and Taylor managed to knock down some baskets to help the College in the second. The Lady Monarchs charged ahead, however, making another run to gain a sizable 50-33 lead with 9:38 showing. With a pair of three-pointers by senior guard Katy Neumer, the College cut the margin to 13 points with 5:38 to go. Despite an all-around team effort, the Tribe was unable to significantly narrow the lead as it fell 47-63.

p. The Tribe hosts James Madison University Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at Kaplan Arena.

Associate sports editor Jeff Dooley must have watched one too many Colts games this season, because, like the pragmatic Peyton Manning, Dooley is calling an audible at the last possible moment.

p. As frequent readers may recall, Dooley wrote an NFL predictions column at the outset of the season. In this well-crafted work, Dooley made both a bold and wise prediction by picking the Indianapolis Colts to win Super Bowl XLI. So, when Indianapolis cornerback Marlin Jackson intercepted the Patriots’ Tom Brady’s pass guaranteeing the Colts a berth in Super Bowl XLI, I immediately assumed, generous and caring friend that I am, that it would only be just that Jeff could pick the Colts for this week’s column, because, well, he had “dibs.” Much to my surprise, when we met to debate who would pick the Colts, Dooley eagerly volunteered to pick the Bears. At first I was both thankful and grateful for Jeff’s generosity, but then I began to speculate … maybe there’s something in this for Jeff. Then it dawned on me. With flip-flopping antics rivaled only by John Kerry, the wily Dooley is attempting to craft a win-win situation for himself. If the Colts win the game, he will say that he knew it all along. If the Bears prevail, he will claim that he called the upset of the year. Dooley’s cleverness aside, here are the top five reasons the Indianapolis Colts will vanquish the Chicago Bears and win Super Bowl XLI.

p. 5. Rex Grossman — Without doubt, the strength of the Bears’ offense is their power running game anchored by a sturdy offensive line and the bruising tailback Thomas Jones. Look for Tony Dungy and the Colts’ defense to pack the box in order to neutralize Jones, hence challenging the inexperienced Grossman to beat them through the air. After only managing only 11 completions in 24 attempts against a porous Saint pass defense, there is no chance that the inconsistent Grossman will be able to do much damage against the stout Colts’ start pass defense featuring ball-hawk strong safety Bob Sanders.

p. 4. Tarik Glenn — In order to achieve any kind of offensive continuity, the Colts must be able to resist the relentless pressure of freakish Chicago Bear pass rushers Adewale Ogunleye and rookie Mark Anderson. Luckily for the Colts, their beastly left tackle Tarik Glenn is just the man for the job. At a massive 332 pounds, Glenn possesses incredible agility for his colossal frame, making him the best pass blocker on either team. With the help of Glenn’s pass protection, Manning should have plenty of time to pick apart the Bears’ defense.

p. 3. Dallas Clark — With Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, Manning possesses one of the most dangerous and reliable wide out tandems in the league. More important to the Colts’ success will be the performance of unheralded tight end Dallas Clark. Clark, who leads the team with 17 receptions for 281 yards in the postseason, gives Manning a viable option over the middle of the field. If the sure-handed Clark can draw attention away from the Colts’ talented receivers by getting open and gaining tough yardage between the hash marks, look for Manning to open up the passing game by hitting Harrison and Wayne on big plays over the top.

p. 2. Jeff (X-Factor) Saturday — Sorry, Peyton; I know that you are instrumental to the success of the Colts’ offensive unit, but center Jeff Saturday is the secret weapon in the Colts’ arsenal that the Bears really need to be worried about. An offensive force felt around the league since recovering a fumble for a touchdown in the AFC championship game, Lovie Smith will be scratching his head in bewilderment in an attempt to find a defensive scheme that can contain the sleek and elusive Saturday. Look for Saturday to score at least one touchdown in the game.

p. 1. Adam Vinatieri – Although the Bears possess the NFL’s most explosive return man in Devin Hester, I still give the Colts’ special teams unit the edge because of one man: Adam “Iceman” Vinatieri. Eleven for 11 on field goal opportunities thus far this postseason, when it comes to pressure situations, Vinatieri simply does not miss. Look for the clutch Vinatieri to add one more Super Bowl clincher to his impressive resume as the Colts take down the Bears.

p. Prediction: Colts 26, Bears 24.

We look ridiculous, jumping up and down on the edge of these metal benches like this. Any sane person would be sitting comfortably inside, a warm beverage on the side table, watching TV and putting off the 200 pages of reading every professor has assigned for the first full week of classes. Instead, we’re out on Busch Field. Our crystallized breath hangs in the nighttime air, and soon enough a small fog has enveloped us — we have become lost in our own individual worlds of silent labor. On the field beside us, the women’s lacrosse team toils through a seemingly endless set of drills, and beyond that the stands sit, imposing and empty, like a long-forgotten ghost town.

p. Conversation ceased ages ago, probably set adrift in our milky cloud of exertion. The entire group faces the field, watching the lacrosse team in silence, looking like a pack of prairie dogs strung out on speed.

p. We, the Ultimate Frisbee team, that is, have been doing a program called Air Alert — a series of exercises that guarantees to increase a person’s vertical leaping ability by nearly a foot. Consequently, we spend three nights a week hopping and bounding in place, looking like a group of escaped patients from Eastern State who, in a desperate attempt to fill the time previously spent counting the tiles of nondescript white rooms, have started their own sadomasochistic jazzercise class.
Just then, at that crazy, prairie dog/jazzercisistic moment (and the award for the most ridiculous mixed metaphor of all time goes to …), it struck me — the lengths to which athletes go to behind the scenes to be successful is astounding. Everyone, of course, loves the glory of the competition, the feeling of warmth when the spotlight swings in your direction. But one watching the action rarely thinks of all those hours which, when piled upon each other like bricks in a wall, transform into a momentary flash of perfection.

p. Athletics — 95 percent of it anyway — is self-flagellation with a purpose. Says I, at least, which may explain my frustrating inability to break into the refrigerator magnet industry. In an effort to find a quote slightly more inspirational (or at least refrigerator magnet-worthy) and that may or may not conjure up images of fanatics whipping themselves into a bloody pulp, I decided to do some thorough journalistic research, the kind of hard work that we reporters thrive on and that the general public simply can’t understand. So, of course, I typed the phrase “practice quotes” into Google, and waited for the magic to happen. I knew that I was but a few quick clicks away from glory. Goodbye Flat Hat, hello Pulitzer. Just as I began thinking about who I would thank at the awards banquet, the computer returned with the answer to my query. Eagerly, I opened up the first page, a quote by some guy named Edward Jenner, which said: “I hope that someday the practice of producing cow pox in human beings will spread over the world — when that day comes there will be no more smallpox.”
Excellent. I knew very little about this so called “cow pox” — or its seemingly sinister brother “small pox” — but at least now I did know that on some level it was one of the key ingredients to athletic success. The second page I opened held a slightly different sentiment: “Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty.”

p. Well, obviously that one’s garbage.

p. Finally, I found the quote that I was looking for. Martha Graham, the famous modern dance choreographer, once said, “Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.”

p. What she captures, more perfectly than any of the pseudo-philosophical musings listed above, is the underlying factor at work any time a runner gets up for an early morning run, or a soccer player takes corner kicks into an empty net by himself: the intense and persistent desire to better oneself.

p. Suddenly, in light of this new thread, our repetitive calisthenics began to look slightly less ridiculous. I jumped higher and higher, getting lost in that feathery vapor and blurring the edge that separates earth from air. The empty stands still sat across from us as before, but now promising a day when the spotlight would shine in our collective direction and repay every drop of sweat and lactic acid with the type of glory made possible only through athletic endeavor. Until then, we had to satisfy ourselves with the solitary glow of the stadium lights, lending effervescence to our unforgiving efforts, and forming a scene that I can only describe as senselessly beautiful.

p. The men’s tennis team had a busy first week of classes with four matches in five days, finishing the four-match home span at 2-2. The last two matches played both went to the Tribe, giving them momentum as they head into this young season.

p. All four matches were played at the McCormack-Nagelson Tennis Center, with the first match taking place last Wednesday against no. 8 University of Virginia, and ending in a shutout against the College. The U.Va. doubles teams swept the opening play, earning the first team point from the doubles match, giving them the early lead. Senior Colin O’Brien lost to his nationally-ranked singles opponent 6-3, 6-0. Following him in defeat were sophomore Marwan Ramadan, who was defeated 6-0, 6-0, and freshman Keziel Jeneau, who also lost his match 6-1, 6-2. After those losses, Virginia had already claimed the win, but there were still close matches going on with nationally-ranked junior Alex Cojanu, who nearly forced his opponent into a third set but instead fell at 6-3, 7-6(2), and junior Kavi Sud, who lost in the third set 7-5, 2-6, 10-6.

p. The next nationally-ranked team to play the Tribe was no. 13 University of Notre Dame, who also did not allow the Tribe to earn any points in the match, ending the contest 7-0 Saturday. Notre Dame swept the doubles play, forcing the Tribe once again to attempt to overcome an early lead. Cojanu, ranked 49th in the country, went up against an opponent ranked 30th and lost after three sets, 7-6(3), 3-6, 10-5. Sophomore Alex Zuck lost a close match next, falling 6-4, 7-6(6) final score, followed by freshman Richard Wardell, who also lost a set in a tiebreaker and then fell in the second set as well, 7-6(1), 7-5, sealing the win for Notre Dame.

p. The next match, played the following Sunday against the University of Richmond, took a 180-degree turn in the Tribe’s favor, as they handed the Spiders a 7-0 defeat. The Tribe swept the doubles play, with O’Brien and Cojanu improving their season record to 16-6, after a decisive 8-3 win in the top doubles spot.

p. The doubles team of Ramadan and Wardell and the team of Juneau and Sud both won their sets as well, with identical scores of 8-4. Sud swept his opponent in singles, finishing him off 6-0, 6-0, and Wardell was not far behind with a 6-0, 6-1 victory of his own.

p. O’Brien, Cojanu, Juneau and Ramadan all won their singles matches and none let their opponent earn more than four points in a set.

p. The Tribe’s winning streak continued later that day against East Carolina University, allowing ECU only one team point on the scoreboard, winning 6-1. Once again, the Tribe swept doubles play with Ramadan and Wardell starting it off with an 8-3 win, followed by Juneau and Sud sending their opponent home after an 8-5 final score. The 30th-ranked team of O’Brien and Cojanu fought hard for their 9-8(4) victory over their ECU opponents. Zuck made quick work of his singles opponent, with a final score of 6-0, 6-1. Wardell followed in a similar suit with a 6-1, 6-1 victory, but Sud was the next one to finish his sets, losing 6-2, 6-4. Juneau clinched the Tribe win, coming out on top of his opponent, 6-3, 6-3, with Cojanu and O’Brien winning their matches as well, 6-2, 4-6, 6-0, and 6-4, 6-1, respectively.

p. This weekend, the Tribe faces off against no. 24 Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. Saturday, then goes up against no. 1 University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. Sunday. The team returns home again Friday to the McCormack-Nagelson Tennis Center to take on the University of Michigan.

Football

p. Mike Tomlin, ’95, a former three-year varsity starter at the College, was named head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. While Tomlin excelled on the field, accumulating 2,053 yards as a wide receiver — including 20 touchdowns — it was clear that his calling was on the sidelines as a coach. Upon graduating from the College, he worked for a number of small schools before landing the job as defensive backs coach at the University of Cincinnati in 1999. Two years later, Tomlin earned his first coaching job in the pro ranks when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired him as their defensive backs coach. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Bucs in 2003. In 2006, the Minnesota Vikings hired Tomlin as their defensive coordinator. After an extremely successful season that saw Tomlin transform the Viking defense into the league’s most efficient run-stoppers, he interviewed for the head coaching job at Pittsburgh and Miami, ultimately being hired by the Steelers. At 34 years old, Tomlin stands as the second-youngest head coach of any major sports franchise in America.

p. 2004 Walter Payton Award winner Lang Campbell ’05 signed with the Cleveland Browns for the last week of the NFL season. Campbell, whose 2004 All-American season led the Tribe within one game of the Division I-AA championship, was invited to Cleveland’s training camp the last two years but failed to make the team. Campbell’s signing makes him the sixth former Tribe player to currently hold a place on an NFL roster.

p. Basketball

p. Adam Hess (’04) was voted to the starting lineup of Germany’s Budesliga All-Star game. Hess averages 20.7 points per game, tops in the Budesliga and has led his team, the Artland Dragons, to a 10-5 record midway through the season. The 6’7’’ forward received 29 percent of over 40,000 All-Star votes cast in his first season playing for Artland. After attending Eastern Michigan University as a freshman, Hess transferred to the College, where he went on to become the Tribe’s sixth-most prolific scorer, averaging 17.6 ppg, and placed 10th on the College’s all-time points scored list.

p. Field Hockey

p. Gina Cimarelli’s postseason accolades continue to grow as the senior forward has been awarded second-team All-State and second team All-Region honors to go with her first team All-CAA selection. Cimarelli led the Tribe with 21 points while finishing fifth in the CAA with seven assists and fourth in the conference in game-winning goals. Her selection to the Virginia Sports Information Directors’ All-State team is the 18th in school history, while her selection to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-South Region team marks the 58th time a woman from the College has made the team.

Men’s Basketball
UMBC W, 70-58 Dec. 22
Hampton W, 72-67 Dec. 28
Richmond W, 61-53 Dec. 31
George Mason W, 67-63 Jan. 3
Northeastern W, 60-57 Jan. 6
Georgia State W, 57-43 Jan. 8
Virginia Commonwealth L, 77-88 Jan. 10
Delaware L, 62-77 Jan. 13
George Mason L, 63-76 Jan. 16
Hofstra L, 69-77 Jan. 20
Old Dominion L, 44-59 Jan. 24

p. Women’s Basketball
Norfolk State W, 73-58 Dec. 21
Radford W, 54-47 Dec. 29
Duquesne W, 69-54 Jan. 2
Drexel W, 48-43 Jan. 4
George Mason W, 47-46 Jan. 7
UNC Wilmington W, 60-50 Jan. 11
James Madison L, 76-51 Jan. 14
Delaware L, 68-55 Jan. 18

While other College students relaxed over winter break, the Tribe men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams trained hard and finished their regular seasons against tough competitors.

p. “This year, William and Mary was the team to beat … our team stepped up and many individuals were able to put up some unbelievably fast times against our opponents,” sophomore Jason Brisson said.

p. The men’s team defeated the College of Charleston 122-105, improving to 6-1 and securing a winning season. Sophomore Jeff Collier and junior Brandon Paster recorded dual wins. Both the 200-meter free relay team of freshmen Joe DeBiase and Kevin Gallagher, junior Alex Jendzejec and senior Nick Duda, and sophomore Shawn Matthews grabbed wins.

p. The women’s team dominated, winning 152-80 and improving to 6-2.

p. “We hadn’t even been back home after ten-day standard training in North Palm Beach. They did a great job with racing,” Head Coach McGee Moody said.

p. The 200-m medley relay team, consisting of junior Meredith David, senior captains Kelly Reitz and Marnie Rognlien and freshman Erin Welshofer, began the meet with a two minute, 3.31 second victory. Marina Falcone finished with two wins, in the 200 free (2:07.93) and 400 free (4:29.17), as did freshman Katie Radloff in the 50 (27.11) and 100 (57.89) freestyles.

p. Also victorious were David, Welshofer, Reitz, freshmen Jill Hamilton and Suzanne Figuers, Reitz and the 200 free relay team of Radloff, sophomore Sara Fitzsimmons, David and junior Christina Monsees (1:52.13). Junior Meg O’Connor won the 1-m in diving with 202.42 and sophomore Samantha Greenwood took the 3-m with 190.57.

p. In the Jan. 20 competition against the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, and Davidson College, the men were defeated by the Seahawks, 110.5-187.5, but tied with Davidson at 147 to improve to 6-2-1. Brisson, named CAA Swimmer of the Week, totaled five victories, defeating both schools in 200 breast (2:10.72) and 400 IM (4:13.52). Duda earned three wins against Davidson in the 200 free (1:46.10), 50 free (21.84) and 100 free (47.76), while Collier won against both opposing teams in the 500 free (4:44.65).

p. The women’s team fell to UNCW 145-155 but snatched a decisive win from Davidson, 216-83, improving to 7-3. Radloff, named CAA Swimmer of the Week, led the Tribe with eight victories in four events, taking wins against both teams in the 50 free (24.06), 100 free (51.59), 100 back (58.66) and in the 400 free relay with Fitzsimmons, Falcone and Rognlien (3:31.42).

p. “I don’t think there’s anyone of [Radloff’s] caliber anywhere else in the conference. We’re very lucky to have her,” Coach Moody said.

p. Falcone, Rognlien, David, Reitz, Welshofer and freshman Courtney Alles all finished with additional wins.

p. The women faced the University of Richmond but lost to the Spiders 146.5-153.5. Collecting dual wins were O’Connor, Radloff and Falcone. Freshman Tage Waite earned the ninth-fastest time in school history in the 1,000 free (10:40.07) and Figuers took the seventh-best time in the 400 individual medley (4:36.19).

p. The final home meet, against James Madison University, ended in a 137-152 loss for the Tribe (6-3-1), the emotional event marking the last meet ever for the long-time rival JMU men’s team. Collecting wins were Collier in the 1,000 free (9:47.64) and 500 free (4:46.67), Brisson in the 100 breast (59.53), Matthews in the 200 back (1:54.39), Duda in the 200 free (1:45.04), DeBiase, Gallagher, Duda and Matthews in the 400 free relay (3:12.10), senior Peter King in the 200 fly (1:59.41) and Brisson and David Mangini tied for first in the 400 individual medley (4:17.12).

p. “There were a few very close races in the sprints that if they had gone our way, could have led to a different outcome,” senior captain Joey Peterson said.

p. The women trumped JMU 180.5-109.5 in the final meet, improving to 8-4. Radloff was victorious in three events, the 50 free (23.75), 100 free (51.42), and 200 free (1:51.63). David, Reitz, Welshofer and Rognlien took the 200 medley relay (1:48.67) and David took the 100 back (59.36) and 200 back (2:07.14), while Reitz swept the 100-yard (1:05.85) and 200-yard (2:22.56) breaststrokes. O’Connor, Alles, sophomore Whitney Pezza and Falcone all finished with wins.

p. “This year, both the men’s and women’s teams have a chance to do something that has never been done before. We are both in great positions to have some awesome swims and take home some medals,” Brisson said.

p. Both teams will be back in action at the CAA Championships Feb. 14 to 17.

This weekend, the women’s tennis team, ranked no. 26 in the nation, took on two worthy opponents, East Tennessee State University and the University of Virginia. The Tribe reigned victorious over the Buccaneers and the Cavaliers, both on our home court at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center.

p. Saturday, the Tribe took on East Tennessee, whose record prior to opposing the Tribe was 2-3. All three of our doubles teams were victorious. The doubles team of senior Megan Moulton-Levy and sophomore Katarina Zoricic, ranked no. 1 in the nation, crushed East Tennessee’s Masha Ilina and Yevgeniya Stupak. This triumph raised the Tribe duo’s season mark to 20-1.

p. Freshman Lauren Sabacinski only dropped one game on her quest for a win over Vita Moskaliova, with a final score of 6-0, 6-1 at the no. 6 position. This is Sabacinski’s fourth straight victory, upping her record to 12-3 for the entire year. At the no. 1 position, Moulton-Levy, who is ranked fifth nationally, gained a victory. She won with the same final score as Sabacinski, raising her yearly record to 14-4 overall. Kasztelaniec, Tribe’s no. 3 player, won her match with a little less ease. Ranked 58th nationally, she split the first two sets with her opponent, Ilina, but won the third in a tiebreaker, 10-4. This is Kasztelaniec’s 14th win of the season.

p. Sunday’s match against the Virginia Cavaliers brought the Tribe even more success. U.Va., who is ranked 25th, lost to the Tribe by a final score of 5-2. This marks the sixth straight victory over the Cavs. The recent triumph also marks the team’s ninth victory over a top-25 nationally ranked team in Coach Kevin Epley’s tenure at the College.

p. The Cavaliers are not only an in-state rival of the team, but both schools have the top two freshmen recruiting classes in the country, according to the Tennis Recruiting Network, who slotted U.Va. at no. 1 and put the Tribe in the second position. The Tribe freshmen backed up their high ranking with impressive play, as the doubles team of freshmen Ragini Acharya and Magdalena Bresson won both their doubles and singles matches. At the no. 4 ranking, Acharya won her first two sets, 6-1, and 6-2, gaining a victory over Virginia’s Maggie Yahner. Bresson, Acharya’s fellow freshman and doubles partner, won her match at the no. 5 spot. She beat the Cavaliers’ Lindsey Pereira, 6-0, 6-3, upping her record to 13-7 overall.

p. Moulton-Levy, the no. 1 positioned player, beat Virginia’s Brintney Larson, winning the first set, 7-5, and then the second set 6-1, for her 15th victory this season.

p. The team will now travel to the mid-west for three matches. The Tribe plays the University of Illinois Feb. 9 and seventh-ranked Georgia Tech Feb. 10. Both of these matches will be played in Champagne, Ill. The College will end their road trip by battling no. 40 Purdue University Feb. 11 in West Lafayette, Ind.