Women’s Tennis
On Saturday, April 24, the Vassar women’s tennis squad played its final home game of the season against Liberty League opponent William Smith College. Despite going down 1-2 after doubles, the Brewers battled through to capture the win 5-4. No. 6 junior Connie Yoo won handily 6-2, 6-1 while junior Shayna Becker cruised past her opponent 6-2, 6-0 at four. Sophomore Courtney Geiss clinched the match for Vassar with a 6-0, 6-1 victory at two. With the win, the women are now 12-7 overall and 5-1 in conference play. The squad will travel to Troy, NY on Saturday to take on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for its final match of the regular season.
Men’s Tennis
The Brewers traveled to Canton, NY on Saturday, April 24 where they captured a much-needed 7-2 victory over Liberty League challenger St. Lawrence University. The doubles sweep put the men in control and gave them momentum going into singles. Freshman five Jamie Anderson clinched the match with a 6-1, 6-3 win. Now 8-13 overall and 4-2 in league play, the Brewers will host their final match on Saturday, April 30 against Liberty League member Hobart College.
Men’s Lacrosse
Continuing Liberty League play, the Vassar men’s lacrosse team hosted the Tigers of Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday April 24. Senior Noah Parson scored two goals, passing his own record for most goals in a season at 121. He also holds the record for most assists at 51 and total points, 172. Despite Parson’s solid play, the Brewers took a hard 21-8 loss against the Tigers, the top team in the conference. The men now hold a 7-7 overall record and stand 2-3 in the league. Vassar will next play Bard College on Wednesday, April 27 for its final home game.
Baseball
Over the weekend, the Vassar men’s baseball team hosted fellow Liberty League member Rochester Institute of Technology in two double headers. On Saturday, April 23, the men won 9-1 in the first and 9-8 in the second to sweep the Tigers. Despite trailing the entire game, the Brewers scored nine unanswered runs over the last four innings to take the victory. Sophomore Bobby Kinne and junior Mike Koscielniak each contributed two runs for the win. In the second day of competition, the squad swept again, this time with scores of 2-0 and 6-5. With the win, the Brewers improve to 15-15 and 10-6 in League play. Next the men will take on Mount Saint Mary College on Wednesday, April 27 and another Liberty League contender Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute over the weekend.
Women’s Rugby
The women’s rugby team rode their depth and knowledge of the game all the way to the Tri-State Conference 7s Championship Final this weekend where they defeated Stony Brook University 17-5. The most dramatic match of the day, however, was the quarterfinal against Rutgers Universtiy. Down 15-12 with two minutes left, junior Mary-Margaret McElduff regained possession of a lost ball. As the Rutgers defense rushed towards her, senior captain Darienne Jones told McElduff to kick the ball ahead, a tactic rarely used by Vassar. Senior captain Taylor Nunley recovered the ball and shipped it to Rachel Jones, who sprinted through the posts to score the game winning try with no time left.
Men’s Rugby
The men’s team had a drama-filled day as well. In the semi-final, they went down 17-0 to William Paterson at the half. It was the heroic play of senior captain Eli Vargas that put them back in the match. Vassar began the half strong as sophomore Gary Garcia zipped in for an early try to cut the lead. Vargas, the team’s definitive MVP on the day, scored the second try around the corner. With a minute left, Vassar kicked off into the sun. As William Paterson fumbled the ball, the Vassar defense pressed up. WPU eventually kicked the ball away and it landed right in Vargas’ lap. Determined as ever, he ran through five defenders on his way to the game-winning score. Unfortunately, another early hole to cross-river rival Marist in the final could not be overcome and Vassar fell 24-14.
Women’s Track
At the 2016 Liberty League Championships, the Vassar women’s track team finished fourth as a team with 79 points and saw great individual accomplishments. Senior Mollie Schear finished third overall in the 100-meter dash, earning a personal best of 13.09. She posted another personal best in the 200-meter dash with a 26.76 fourth place finish. For the trifecta, Schear ran a season-best leg of the 4X100 meter relay to help the team finish third with a 50.37. The Penn Relays starting Thursday, April 28 at the University of Pennsylvania is up next for the women’s squad.
Men’s Track
Similar to the women, the Vassar men’s track squad finished fourth in the 2016 Liberty League Championships with 68 points. The Brewers gained success in many races, including the 4X100 meter relay. Foursome Morrie Lam, Peter Winkeller, Kyle Estrada and Dylan Manning captured six points for Vassar and set a new school record with a time of 42.92. Sophomore Philip Brown also excelled in the 1000-meter to qualify for the ECAC Championships with a time of 32:13.23. The men will join the women’s squad at the Penn Relays at the University of Pennsylvania starting Thursday, April 28.
Women’s Golf
Over the weekend, the Vassar women’s golf team competed at The Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, MA for the 2016 Liberty League Championships. The team posted a team score of 348 in the first day of play and 356 in the second. All five members of the squad finished in the top 20 on the first day, most notably sophomore Annie Hsu who posted an 85 for ninth place.