New Beginnings

Work on the Washington College stadium project has begun; today saw the removal of the old pressbox, concession stand, and scoreboard from Kibler Field. You can follow the progress of the project on the Washington College Athletics web site.

The field hockey team was the first Washington team to scrimmage an outside opponent this year, hosting Wesley this afternoon. (Ryan and I were at the scrimmage getting some practice in of our own with the stat software.) The Shorewomen looked strong against a tough Wesley squad. The team will open with games at national-caliber opponents Montclair State and William Paterson next Saturday and Sunday (September 3rd and 4th), respectively.

They're Here!

Washington College student-athletes participating in field hockey, men's and women's soccer, and volleyball arrived on campus yesterday. Preseason morning practices are underway right now as the college begins to return to "in-season" mode. Remaining new students will arrive on campus Thursday and returning students are back on Sunday.

Another summer ends and another academic year begins.

Berger Lifts Lizards in Semis

Washington College assistant coach and three-time All-American Stephen Berger ('04) scored a career-high five goals and added one assist as fourth-seeded Long Island knocked off top-seeded host Boston, 19-14, in the Major League Lacrosse Semifinals last night. Berger's efforts earned him Bud Light MVP honors for the game.

Berger and the Lizards will take on second-seeded Baltimore at 1:00 p.m. Sunday in Boston in the MLL Championship Game. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

Opening With a Bang

With the fall season right around the corner, let's take a quick look back at some of the memorable fall sport season openers of the past 10 years.

August 31, 1996 - Men's Soccer 7, Villa Julie 0
The Shoremen reeled off seven goals in their season opener, their most in a game in nearly seven years. Dan Gerbasi, a sophomore at the time, scored five of those goals, including the first four of the game.

September 3, 1997 - Field Hockey 2, Mary Washington 1 (OT)
With 8:23 left in the first overtime, sophomore Linda Fortucci scored off an assist by sophomore Christyl Arrabal to lift the Shorewomen over the national powerhouse Eagles. The Shorewomen went on to a 16-3 season, their first Centennial Conference Championship, and a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

August 31, 2002 - Women's Soccer 5, Albright 0
The young women's soccer program recorded its first season-opening win behind two goals from junior Meghan Hartzell, who was making her collegiate soccer debut.

September 6&7, 2003 - Sailing Wins Anderson Trophy
The Washington College sailing season couldn't get off to a better start than this; the team won a co-ed intersection regatta for the first time in team history, a victory which would help Washington rise to as high as second in the co-ed national rankings during the fall.

September 1, 2004 - Volleyball d. Mary Washington 30-19, 30-24, 30-13
The Shorewomen ended a seven-match losing streak to the Eagles, opened the season with a three-game sweep for the first time in 13 years, and began a season that would see them win as many matches in 2004 as in the previous five seasons combined. Sophomore Nanna Kozemchak tallied two block solos and four block assists in the win.

Holes in One for Alum

Yes, you read that right. Washington College alum Tyler McCarthy ('95) sank not one, but two, holes in one in the same round of golf Thursday in Norwalk, CT. His first ace came on the fifth hole and his second came on the lucky 13th hole.

To read more, check out the story from Saturday's Stamford Advocate.

Circle Your Calendars - Rowing & Tennis

While the majority of the competitive tennis and rowing seasons take place in the spring, the Shoremen's and Shorewomen's teams in these two sports do participate in a few events in the fall.

The rowing teams will compete in four regattas this fall, including the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston (October 22nd-23rd), which is the world's largest rowing regatta, and the Tapke Chase (October 30th), Washington's lone home regatta of the fall.

Fall Men's Rowing Schedule
Fall Women's Rowing Schedule

The fall tennis schedules are highlighted by the ITA Southeast Regionals for women (September 24th-26th) and men (October 1st-3rd), both of which will be hosted by Mary Washington this season. The Shorewomen will also be playing one dual match this fall - a home contest against Elizabethtown on October 8th.

Fall Men's Tennis Schedule
Fall Women's Tennis Schedule

T-Minus One Week

Business is about to pick up.

Washington College student-athletes participating in men's & women's soccer, field hockey, and volleyball will arrive on campus one week from today to start preseason practices. This week is sure to be a busy one in its own right as coaches and athletics staff (not to mention the rest of the college) prepare for their return.

Circle Your Calendars - Volleyball

Senior outside hitter Abigail Benson (left) and the Washington College volleyball team will play six individual home matches and the Penny Fall Classic in Cain Athletic Center this fall. Here's a look at some of the highlights of the home schedule:

9/7 v. Goucher: The Shorewomen open their home schedule with their 30th-ever meeting against the Gophers. Washington leads the competitive all-time series, 15-14.

9/30 & 10/1 Penny Fall Classic: The 30th annual edition of this tournament, renamed for Washington College women's athletics pioneer Penny Fall in 2002, brings Mary Washington, Catholic, Lynchburg, and defending Penny Fall Classic Champion Richard Stockton to Chestertown.

10/8 v. Gettysburg: The Shorewomen take on the challenge of facing the four-time defeding Centennial Conference Champions.

10/15 v. Ursinus: Washington's five-game win over the Bears last season was the Shorewomen's first victory against Ursinus in nine years.

Full Volleyball Schedule

Circle Your Calendars - Men's Soccer

All-Centennial Conference midfielder Jaron Putmon (left) and the Washington College men's soccer team won't play a home game this season until October 1st. There is some good news; the late start at home means that seven of the Shoremen's final nine games of the regular season will be in Chestertown. Here's a look at four home games that stand out.

10/1 v. Haverford: It's likely that the Shoremen's home opener will be a nail-biter. Seven of the last nine times that Washington has played the Fords, the game has been decided by one goal or ended in a tie.

10/12 v. Wesley: The list of other Division III schools within an hour of Washington College is short. Wesley College. The Wolverines will make the trip from Dover to play the Shoremen in the annual battle of Kent County (MD) v. Kent County (DE).

10/26 v. Johns Hopkins & 10/29 v. McDaniel: What better way to finish off the regular season schedule of the 60th season of varsity men's soccer at Washington College than with the two schools that the Shoremen have played more than any other? October 26th will mark the 62nd meeting between Washington and Hopkins, while October 29th will mark the 58th meeting between the Shoremen and the Green Terror. Both series began in 1946, the Shoremen's first varsity season.

Full Men's Soccer Schedule

Circle Your Calendars - Sailing

The Washington College sailing team was ranked 20th in the final national co-ed rankings of spring 2005. The WC sailors also finished the season ranked fifth in MAISA for co-ed sailing and sixth in MAISA for women's sailing. Here are some highlights from the team's upcoming fall schedule:

9/3-4 Harry Anderson Trophy: This Yale-hosted regatta was the site of one of Washington's all-time highlights in 2003 when WC took home first place to win a co-ed intersectional regatta for the first time ever.

10/8-9 Carl Van Duyne Trophy: Kings Point is the host of this event, the MAISA Men's Singlehanded Championships. Senior Carl Horrocks (above) finished 10th at this event in 2004.

10/15-16 WC Open: Washington's only home regatta of the fall is a district-level event which will feature some of WC's up-and-coming sailors.

10/29-30 War Memorial: The War Memorial, hosted by Old Dominion this fall, is the MAISA Fall Co-Ed Championships. Washington's highest finish at the War (fourth place) came in 2002.

11/5-6 MAISA Fall Women's Championships: New York Maritime is this year's host of the MAISA Fall Women's Championships. The Shorewomen finished sixth at last spring's MAISA Women's Championships.

Fall Sailing Schedule

Circle Your Calendars - Women's Soccer

The women's soccer team at Washington College has six home games slated for the upcoming season. Let's take a quick look at two of those games and at one special road game.

9/7 v. Rowan: The Shorewomen's 2005 home opener also marks their first-ever game against the Profs. Oddly enough, Rowan is actually just the third school in New Jersey the Shorewomen have played since their first varsity season of 1998. The other two are Stevens Tech and Rutgers-Newark.

9/21 v. Ursinus: Five of the last six meetings between the Bears and the Shorewomen have been decided by just one goal.

9/24 @ Randolph-Macon: No, you're not seeing double. All-Centennial Conference defender Colleen McLoughlin (above) and the Shorewomen will travel to Ashland, VA, to take on her twin sister, All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference forward Rachel McLoughlin, and the Yellow Jackets.

Full Women's Soccer Schedule

Circle Your Calendars - Field Hockey

All-Centennial Conference defender Katie Madron (left) and the rest of the Washington College field hockey team have nine home games on tap for the 2005 season. Here is a quick look at four of the games that stand out from the Shorewomen's home schedule:

9/20 v. Rowan: The Shorewomen have upset the nationally-ranked Profs each of the past two seasons, including a thrilling win on strokes in Chestertown two years ago.

9/24 v. Ursinus: The defending Centennial Conference Champions come to Chestertown to tangle with the Shorewomen.

10/13 v. Salisbury: The two-time defending NCAA Division III National Champions make the trip up the Eastern Shore as this annual rivalry is renewed.

10/15 v. Gettysburg: Speaking of rivalries, four of the last five games between the Bullets and Shorewomen have been decided by one goal.

Full Field Hockey Schedule

Berger Scores Four in First MLL Start

Three-time All-American and current Washington College Assistant Coach Stephen Berger ('04) got his first career Major League Lacrosse start last night - on attack - and fired in four goals for the Long Island Lizards. Unfortunately, the Lizards fell to Boston, 10-9, in overtime.

Long Island and Boston will meet again one week from today. The Lizards will likely need a win in that game to qualify for the MLL Playoffs.

New Staff Additions

Welcome to the following new Washington College Athletics staff members for 2005-06:

Assistant Coaches
Men's Basketball: Grant Leonard, James Link
Women's Basketball: Steve Kaneshiki
Field Hockey: Laura Scimeca ('05) (will also be helping with softball)
Women's Lacrosse: Julika Blankenship, Julie Rice
Men's Rowing: Jay Schamber
Women's Rowing: Jennifer Bockmiller ('05)
Men's Soccer: Ken Leeder
Softball: Stefanie Spink
Men's & Women's Swimming: Mark Hill
Women's Tennis: Conor Smith
Volleyball: Pam Horner

Staff
Assistant Athletic Trainers: Emily Weimert, Rebecca Strycharz
Assistant Sports Information Director: Ryan Griswold

The Bridgeton News ran an article last month about Steve Kaneshiki's decision to "go back to school" by taking a graduate assistant coaching job at Washington College.

Berger Making Mark in MLL

Two-time Centennial Conference Player of the Year and current Washington College Assistant Coach Stephen Berger ('04) is having an impressive rookie season with the Long Island Lizards of Major League Lacrosse. Through 10 games this season, Berger has scored 11 goals, including one two-pointer, and recorded two assists. He is currently the team's seventh-leading scorer.

The Lizards are 4-6 this season and are in the hunt for a playoff spot with two weeks left in the regular season.

Welcome to the Sho'Blog

Hello and welcome to the Sho'Blog - the Washington College Athletics blog. This blog will complement the Washington College Athletics Web Site and will feature quick news and notes, interesting tidbits that you might not find on our main web site, reports from the road, and more!

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Enjoy!