As the days fly by, the arrival of the spring sports season is nearly upon us. As such, The College Voice has interviewed captains and members of each team to bring together an in-depth preview of the coming spring season.
While this preview may seem trivial in light of more important matters currently happening on campus, we wanted to give all of the College’s spring sports teams a spotlight ahead of their upcoming seasons. Many members of the College’s teams are involved and plan to help the student movement by participating in protests. For example, the women’s water polo team, who “worked with Dean King in the fall and felt really supported by him in campus culture were definitely disappointed by his resignation and frustrated with Conn’s administration.”
Women’s Lacrosse
After last season, in which the Camels won their first NESCAC match since 2016, the women’s lacrosse team has doubled down their efforts to continue improving. With only three seniors having graduated from last spring’s team, there is no shortage of experience on the roster. Among those returning include IWLCA All-Region first-team junior goalkeeper Violette Nidds and All-Region second-team midfielder sophomore Aine Downey. The team is further strengthened by the addition of six first-years. The team will play their season opener at home against Keene State on March 4.
Men’s Lacrosse
Coming off their first appearance in the NESCAC tournament since 2018, expectations are high for the Camels to continue improving. “Our team’s expectations for this season is to continue to build and improve from last season,” said senior co-captain Sean Fox. “What that means specifically is…to win games in the NESCAC Tournament and then qualify for the NCAA Men’s Division III Lacrosse Tournament.” Though the Camels have graduated ten seniors from last season, leading scorer Jared Rainville and All-NESCAC defenseman Jack Venturelli return and headline a team bolstered by the addition of nineteen first-year players. “Like any team, the senior class was a key part of our success last year,” said co-captain senior Brandon Allen. “[But] any given year anyone on the roster is given an opportunity to compete for a starting job.” The Camels will begin their season on the road against Endicott College on March 4.
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field
Whilst still in the midst of their winter indoor season, the women’s track and field program is excited for the spring outdoor season ahead. “Our team is very close and we hope to keep up the general friendship across the team,” said senior captain Julia Curran. “We hope to have as many people as possible qualify for the [spring] NESCAC and New England championships.” Though the team graduated 11 seniors last spring, the new runners have settled in nicely. “We have an incredible freshmen class who has brought a ton of talent during both cross-country and indoor,” said Curran. “The returners have been doing just as well and we hope to carry this momentum into the spring.” Of the new Camels, many are expected to immediately score points in the spring: “In particular, first-year’s Alexa Estes, Grace McDonough, Abby Fernald, Liz Freeman, Alsacia Timmerman, and junior Edin Sisson, who is new to the team,” said Curran. The Camels open their outdoor season as a full team at the Tufts Invitational on April 1.
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field
Coming off a 24th-place finish at the D3 Cross-Country National Championships in the fall, the men’s track and field program has worked to keep the momentum going through the winter. “Making nationals for the first time in twenty years was amazing,” said senior captain Chris Verstandig. “We’ve had a lot of big PRs [personal records] in the winter and hopefully we continue to improve.” The Camels’ main focus is on the postseason. “We hope to qualify as many people as we can for the postseason meets and we look forward to hosting the NESCAC Championships at our track,” said Verstandig. A large group of seventeen freshmen has joined the Camels this year and first-years Luke Alban, Anders Larson, and Johnathan Norton have scored many points in the winter. “Hopefully Johnathan Norton will score some points for the steeple [steeplechase] crew in the spring,” said Verstandig. The Camels will begin their outdoor season as a full team at the Tufts Invitational on April 1.
Women’s Rowing
With the completion of the College’s Waterfront Revitalization Project, the women’s rowing team is once again able to practice using the College’s waterfront for the spring season ahead. “We are especially excited about our new docks and waterfront,” said junior captain Annabelle Tanger. Coming off a fall season highlighted by an eighth-place finish at the Wormtown Chase, the Camels hope to “improve [their] endurance and speed” in the coming season. The team is bolstered by the return of many women who studied abroad in the fall. “We are excited to have them back and know they will contribute to the success of our program,” said Tanger. The Camels hope to perform well at the New England Rowing Championship and begin their spring season at Clark University on April 8.
Men’s Rowing
Following an impressive spring season in which the men’s rowing team placed third at the New England Championship Regatta, the Camels endured a difficult fall season. However, the focus has already shifted to upcoming competitions in the spring. “Our men’s rowing team will be competing in postseason competition at the National Intercollegiate Rowing Championship (NIRC) on May 12th in Worcester,” said Head Coach Ric Ricci. “The team has not competed in the eight and four-oared events at that Regatta since 2005.” Given the importance of the competition, the Camels focus is clear. “The team goal for the men’s rowing team is to peak at the NIRC,” said Ricci. The Camels open their spring season at Clark University on April 8.
Co-ed and Women’s Sailing
Following a 13th-place finish at the ICSA National Collegiate Championships last season, the Camels endured a difficult fall season. “Our fall season was disappointing,” said senior captain Tommy Whittemore. “Our expectations remain the same, however.” These Camels harbor high hopes for the spring season ahead. “[Our] main goal is to return to the National Championship with both the Coed and Women’s Teams,” said Whittemore. Though the Camels will miss three sailors who graduated in the fall, the team is boosted by the arrival of two new sailors. The Camels open their season by hosting the Thames River Team Race at home on March 4.
Women’s Tennis
Coming off a successful short fall season, the Camels hope to improve on last year’s spring season. The Camels used the short fall season to “really bond as a team and work hard in preparation for the spring match season,” said junior captain Caroline Champa. The team features many changes from last spring. “We had three of the top six players graduate last year, which definitely made a big impact on the team,” said Champa. “To get a scale of that, in tennis, the top six singles matches are the ones that count for scoring.” However, the team’s new additions have settled in nicely. “We have three new players – two freshmen, Lily Kerachsky and Sana Bhat, and a junior transfer, Courtney Banks,” said Champa. “They’ve already made a positive impact on both our team atmosphere and team skill level.” Catch the Camels at their season opener at home against Wesleyan on March 5.
Men’s Tennis
After finishing 5-12 last spring season, the men’s tennis team hopes to challenge for more NESCAC conference wins. To do so, the team must overcome the loss of four graduated players from last spring. The addition of three freshmen has certainly helped bolster the team. Of these three, freshman Gavin Anderson has already represented the Camels at the ITA Regional Championships in the fall. The Camels will play their season opener at home against Wesleyan on March 5.
Women’s Water Polo
Following a difficult season last spring, the Camels are motivated to improve their record. “Our team’s expectation is winning more games because we know we’re a strong team,” said senior captain Maria Sell. However, all improvements must be made without the contributions of five players. “Two seniors graduated, a goalie and strong starting offense and defense player,” said Shell. “One of our seniors that would’ve been playing this year isn’t able to play and two sophomores aren’t able to play this season because of injuries.” But, a strong freshmen class is poised to bring strength to the Camels. “Our coach is very excited about all of our freshmen because they’ve all played club and they all have great arms and great experience,” said Shell. Something the Camels are looking forward to is their upcoming trip to California in March. “Because water polo is so big in California our team does get to travel to California and compete and that helps a lot which is great because we get to enjoy the sunny weather in the spring.” The Camels’ quest begins with a pair of matches at home against Carthage College and Utica University on March 4. •
