The Big Green enjoyed a year of firsts this year with a national title in equestrian and a first-ever appearance for the women’s tennis team in the NCAA tournament. Nordic skiing also saw its first national title in four years. Dartmouth enjoyed success in the Ivy League as well, winning the Ivy League softball championship for the second consecutive year and tallying four second-place Ivy League finishes — baseball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and football.
To kick off The Dartmouth’s second annual D Sports Awards, we are presenting nominees in the Best Male Athlete and Best Female Athlete categories. Vote on our website before noon this Sunday, and we’ll announce the winner in the sports section on Tuesday.
Alex Adelabu ’15
Near the end of the 2014 fall term, Alex Adelabu ’15 wrapped up one of the most illustrious careers in Big Green soccer history. As the team’s top goal scorer in 2014, the senior — with a menacing goal-poaching presence at the striker position — led Dartmouth to its first Ivy League championship in three years and its first NCAA tournament victory in four years. Adelabu’s 10 goals also ranked him second among goal scorers in the Ivy League and in the top 25 within Division I men’s soccer. In terms of Dartmouth soccer history, Adelabu’s single-season goal tally in 2014 placed him ninth of all-time.
After the team fielded a 4-4-2 formation the previous two years, Adelabu noted how a tactical change made him the focal point of the Big Green offense.
“I improved my movement around the box,” he said. “We played with one striker [in 2014] so that helped. Tactically, that means most of the attack runs through me. Credit the coaches for that, because they changed the formation to fit my strength and the strength of players on the team.”
A prolific shooting ability had Adelabu strike 45 shots on the season, tied for third in the Ivies, 23 of which came on goal. Both totals led the team by a wide margin, with his five assists leading the Big Green as well. Four of his 2014 goals were also game-winners, the most thrilling of which came in late November of last year when Adelabu scored in the 86th minute to help Dartmouth win its opening round NCAA tournament match against Fordham University 2-1.
Such results merited Adelabu All-Ivy first-team honors and saw him named to the NSCAA All-East Region team.
— By Alexander Agadjanian
Patrick Caldwell ’17
A year ago Patrick Caldwell ’17 won The Dartmouth’s Best Freshman Athlete award after placing first in the 3x3.25-kilometer free relay and the 10K classic races at the Williams Carnival and finishing fifth in the 20K race at the 2014 NCAA Championships. This year, Caldwell only capitalized upon his past success.
In January, Caldwell competed at the U.S. Cross Country Championships and placed third in the 15K freestyle and 10th in the 30K classic to earn a spot at the U23 Cross Country Skiing Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where he finished second among the U.S. skiers in both events.
At the 2015 NCAA Championships, Caldwell placed first in the 10K freestyle at Mt. Van Hoevenberg and led the men’s Nordic squad to a sixth-place finish overall with a 10th-place finish in the 20K Classic, garnering both first and second-team all-America honors.
Caldwell said the 10K race at the NCAA Championships was a target race for him all season long.
“Placing on the podium that day was one of my big goals all season long,” Caldwell said. “It was amazing to have everything come together for a championship race.”
The athlete also earned the distinction of Men’s Nordic Skier of the Year by the United States Collegiate Ski Coaches Association. Earlier this week, the College’s athletic department presented Caldwell with the Alfred E. Watson Trophy for most outstanding male athlete.
— By Kourtney Kawano
Madison Hughes ’15
Madison Hughes ’15 has spent the past year with the United States Eagles sevens team. The youngest player on the squad, Hughes also serves as its captain. The Eagles recently took home their first ever World Rugby HSBC Sevens World Series title, defeating Australia 45-22 in the final on May 17.
Hughes was named to the Dream Team at the tournament, his first time ever receiving that honor.
Hughes was the first-ever junior to serve as captain of the Big Green men’s rugby team, and he was an integral part of the Big Green’s Collegiate Rugby Championship title defense in 2012.
“Playing rugby at Dartmouth has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. I think it’s something that I’ll absolutely cherish,” Hughes said.
As Hughes looks forward to the Olympic qualifiers with the Eagles on June 13 and 14, he is thankful for the experiences he has had with the Big Green. The Eagles will be playing for an automatic spot for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“The spirit we have at the club is something that I absolutely love, and I think it’s an absolutely incredible organization, one that I’ve been so fortunate to be a part of,” Hughes said. “So many of my best friends are members of the club, and I’m just so grateful to everything that they have put in to allow me to continue to grow as a rugby player and as a person.”
— By Ray Lu
Dovydas Sakinis ’16
In the 2014-15 tennis season, Dovydas Sakinis ’16 dominated the conference slate en route to winning the Ivy League Player of the Year award. Adding to his accolades, he also notched all-Ivy first-team honors for singles play — for the second straight season — and first team honors for doubles. That Sakinis is only a junior and playing in just his second season of college tennis makes his feats all the more remarkable.
From the onset of the 2014-15 season, Sakinis was a nationally ranked player, coming in at No. 72 for singles in the preseason. The junior would only ascend through the standings thereafter, ultimately ending his campaign ranked No. 38 in the NCAA. Due to his outstanding play on the court, Sakinis received an invitation to the NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Singles Championship, in which he played this past Wednesday.
Playing at the No. 1 singles match slot for most of the year, Sakinis faced the toughest competition from opposing schools and largely succeeded against it. The junior went 17-6 in singles matches, 3-2 against nationally ranked foes and posted a 6-1 record in Ivy League singles matches. Sakinis ascribes his strong season to several improvements he made from last year.
“It’s just basically finishing the points,” he said. “I worked on where I do my serve, finishing points, my fitness is better. Overall, experience at being at number one helps. I had only one year under my belt, and this year helped me a lot to build confidence and feel well at the number one spot.”
— By Alexander Agadjanian
Dalyn Williams ’16
Dalyn Williams ’16 put together the most impressive season of his already prolific career this year. Williams was named to the all-Ivy first team and was a finalist for the Bushnell Cup, a prize awarded to the Ivy League’s top offensive and defensive players.
Williams was the Big Green’s first Bushnell Cup finalist since running back Nick Schwieger ’12 received a nomination in 2011 after taking home the award in 2010. Williams led the Big Green to its best record in 17 years and guided the squad to a second-place finish in the Ivy League. The team’s only Ivy loss came against Harvard University.
Williams threw for more than 2,000 yards this season and paired his 21 passing touchdowns with just three interceptions, the best touchdown to interception ratio in Big Green history. Williams also led the Ivy League in passing efficiency and completion percentage this season. His completion percentage of .675 was also the best in Big Green history.
The high point of Williams’ season came when the Big Green took down Yale University in a 38-31 thriller.
“Coming back and beating Yale, that was a shootout and it was extremely fun,” Williams said. “I just think it was a well-rounded team effort, and it was great for the program.”
Williams threw for 388 yards and three touchdowns in the Yale game while also rushing for 55 yards and a score.
— By Joe Clyne
