by The Spectator Sports Editors

Women’s Soccer

The Hamilton College women’s soccer team is looking to build off their success last season (8–5–3, 4–4–2 NESCAC) despite the loss of two-time All-NESCAC selection, Katie McKillop ’19. Without McKillop in the backfield the team depends on Kristin Hughes ’20, Aidan Leahey ’22 and goalkeeper Rachel Pike ’21. As for the offense, leading scorer (11 goals, 25 points) and Second Team All-NESCAC selection, Cat Gambino ’21, returns and is surrounded by a very talented, eager-to-win group of teammates which include Kayleigh Harris ’20, Kayleigh Miller ’21, Sydney Kim ’21, among others. With a large crop of first-year players, the women’s soccer team looks poised to make a playoff run and have a successful season. Don’t miss their first game on the new Love Field against Bates College on Sept. 7 at 11:00 AM.

Football

The Hamilton football team is coming off of a 3–6 season during which they won hard-fought games against Wesleyan University, Bowdoin College, and Bates College. The Continentals look to do even better this season. The offense is led by senior quarterback Kenny Gray ’20, who will be looking to his trustworthy receivers Joe Schmidt ’20 and Will Buddington ’21 to put up points on the board. Not to be forgotten are the abundance of talented running backs who look to drive the ball into the endzone. Last season, Joe Park ’22 and Mitch Bierman ’21 (limited by injury) led the team on this front and look ready to do so again. The Continental’s defense led the NESCAC rankings last season with 13 interceptions and the Continentals are looking for even more this season. Carmine Bruno ’20, Sam Bowen ’20, and Justin Leigh ’20 are all returning to lead the Continetal’s backfield to success. Hamilton’s first home football game is against Wesleyan University on Sept. 21 at 1:00 PM.

Volleyball

The women’s volleyball team is working towards a fresh start after a tough 2018 rebuilding season (8–13, 1–9 NESCAC). The Continentals only graduated two seniors, and have brought in two new first-year players Deirdre Corrigan ’23 and Sophia Bernstein ’23 are both prepared to contribute immediately to the team. Defensive specialist Kendall Searcy ’20 is ready to return after missing last season while studying abroad. Other crucial returners are libero Nikki Matsuoka ’21, who finished fourth in the league last season in digs per set (5.25), as well as the top three on the team in kills per set: Dorothy Poucher ’21 (2.26), Giuliana Rankin ’20 (2.21), and Emma Parkhurst ’21 (2.05). The team, along with third-year head coach Kristin Baker and second-year assistant Sam Haimann, are very hopeful for and motivated to achieve a finish among the top of the talented league this season. Their first home NESCAC match is on Sept. 21 at 2:00 PM against Trinity College in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House.

Men’s Soccer

The Continental’s men’s soccer team is ready to get back to the NESCAC Championship semifinals for the fourth year in a row. Last season the men’s team went 9–7–1 and 4–5–1 in the NESCAC. They return with most of their high impact players from last year, including Thomas Benson ’22. Benson, who took over as goalkeeper after Linds Caldwell ’20 suffered a season-ending injury, finished second in the NESCAC in save percentage (.908). Also important to Hamilton’s men’s team’s defense and back on the team this year is co-captain Luke Engels ’20, who has been named First Team All-Region twice in his career. The team will likely be able to recreate past success and push further as they have retained eight of the ten players who scored at least one goal in 2018. This includes All-NESCAC Second Team selection, Aidan Wood ’20, co-captain Jefri Schmidt ’20, and leading scorer Roth Wetzel ’22. Their Sept. 7 home game against Bates College at 1:30 PM will benefit Go4TheGoal, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of children battling pediatric cancer.

Men’s and Women’s Golf

The men’s and women’s golf teams have four and five tournaments, respectively, during their fall seasons which include the NESCAC Championship Qualifier. The women’s team graduated only one senior and have five new first-year golfers who add to a talented group of returners including Sophia Archos ’21 and Emily Moy ’22. In their shorter spring 2019 season, the women’s team finished in 1st place in the Ithaca Invitational tournament and in 7th place at Amherst’s Jack Leaman Tournament. Similarly, the men’s team is looking to build on their successful 2018–19 year. Milan Matneja ’22 was named NESCAC Rookie of the Year and a member of the All-NESCAC First Team in the spring. Another returner, Jack Habeeb ’22, was named to the Second Team. The men’s team also welcomes three first year additions to their already-strong roster. Both teams are set for very competitive seasons, and both begin the season with the St. Lawrence Invitational in Canton, N.Y. on Sept. 7 and 8.

Men’s Cross Country

Men’s cross country has a serious shot at a solid placing on the conference or regional level this season. With both a huge returning senior class and plenty of motivated freshman, the guys have plenty of the necessary experience and drive to place well at all of their invitationals. Captains Pete Ross ’20 and Jake Colangelo ’20 plan to lead the pack this year and create a competitive scoring group of runners. Particularly motivated after recovering from spring injury and illness, both have built a strong summer training foundation, and they are ready to tackle some fast times while pushing teammates to succeed. Returners Bryce Murdick ’20 and Lucas Wright ’21 led the team last year, helping Hamilton to score well at meets. This season the two are more driven than ever with the addition of a huge freshmen class and large amounts of new potential. Nick Lyon ’22 and Chris Skeldon ’20 seek to continue where they left off, as they ran terrifically last season, placing high on the team as well. Max Steffey ’22 was out for the majority of the season last year but certainly seems to be pushing for a top spot this time around. As for the rest of the team, there is plenty of new and old skills that will serve the Continentals well on their journey to a top spot in the ’cacs.

Men’s and Women’s Rowing

Hamilton men’s and women’s rowing are both coming off impressive fall 2018 and spring 2019 seasons. The women’s team came in first place in two of their four fall races last season. In the spring, they finished top three in six of their eight races. The team qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in Indianapolis, I.N., where they finished in sixth place. Luckily, only two women rowers graduated in 2019, and the team returns with most of their crucial members such as All-NESCAC selections Ann-Sophie Koglin ’20 and Perrin Salewood ’21. The men’s team also had a solid spring season, coming in either first or second place in four different races. Similarly, they only had two seniors graduate and, with first-year additions as well, will be looking to repeat and surpass their success of last year. The men’s and women’s teams both have three races this fall, the first of which is the Head of the Genesee regatta in Rochester, N.Y. on Oct. 5.

Field Hockey

The women’s field hockey team is looking to start the season under the motto “New Faces, Same Drive.” They hope to improve upon their stellar season last fall, during which they finished with a 10–6 record and hosted the NESCAC Championship quarterfinals. The team was ranked 18th in the nation in the national Division III preseason poll. They will be led by returning All-American Michaela Giuttari ’20 who scored 16 goals and had 39 points, and who finished fourth in the NESCAC in points last season. Senior captain Lizzie Clarke ’20 and junior Sarah Pierpont ’21 will also be key players for the Continentals’ offense. The team has six upperclassmen and 17 underclassmen on their roster. The strong sophomore class added women’s ice hockey player Lexi Taxishima ’22 and Layne McKeown ’22, a transfer student from Georgetown. Additionally, the seven new first-years look to be a force on the team. Sophomore goalkeeper Maggie Reville ’22 noted, “people might be underestimating us because we are young, but we will come out with fresh legs and a new energy.” Come see that new energy at their first home game on Wednesday, Sept. 4 against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Goodfriend Field at 7:00 PM.

Women’s Cross Country

The women’s cross country team is entering this fall season with a strong pack determined to rise in both the region and NESCAC rankings. They are currently seeded seventh in the Atlantic Region, and have a stacked team of strong-minded women. Captains Courtney Brunet ’20 and Katie Cronin ’21 will lead the team this season by fostering motivation and an energized and excited team dynamic. Both captains, as well as other seniors Erin Schwartz ’20 and Ellie Williams ’20, encourage the team with their well-built summer training foundation and dedication to improving their endurance and strength every day. First years Olivia Holbrook ’23 and Katie Jenkinson ’23 are exciting new additions who both have the potential to contribute immensely to the team’s success throughout the season. This season’s focus is on a team-based style of running. They hope that by both training and racing in this “pack,” they will constantly propel one another and ultimately place a large portion of the team towards the front of the competition. With their powerful base, building speed and positive mindset, the women’s cross country team appears to be a force as they head into their fall competition season.

Men’s and Women’s Tennis

The Continental men’s and women’s tennis teams are gearing up for their fall seasons to compete against regional opponents such as Utica College, St. Lawrence University, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Luckily, Hamilton’s teams only graduated two seniors each, and much of their NESCAC and overall success during their spring season came from impressive first-years and sophomores, including Joe Reiner ’22, Danny Tsyvin ’22, and Max Zimmerman ’21 on the men’s team, and Sophia Aulicino ’21, Audrey Chor ’21, and Kat Roberts ’22 on the women’s team. The women’s team also finished nationally ranked at №40 in Division III tennis, and both teams earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team awards. They will surely be two exciting teams to watch all year, especially later on during the competitive NESCAC matches. Their seasons kick off at William Smith’s Mary Hosking Invitational in Geneva, N.Y. for the women and at the St. Lawrence Classic in Canton, N.Y. for the men, both on Sept. 7.