Homecoming is a time to bond with fellow students, a time for alumni to gather together and a time to support Dartmouth athletics. But this year, few Big Green teams will be at home for fans to support.
Last Fall, Homecoming Saturday featured Harvard match-ups in soccer, field hockey and football. But Homecoming this year will focus on the Yale football game with the women's field hockey match against Princeton in the background.
The equestrian team will also compete at its home facility, the Morton Farm in Etna, starting at 9 a.m.
Since nine Big Green teams will be on the road, not only will Dartmouth fans miss out on athletic action, but Dartmouth athletes will miss out on the most exciting fall weekend.
"There are so many great traditions on Homecoming weekend and you hate to miss those," women's soccer Coach Steve Swanson said. "That Friday evening is Dartmouth in a nutshell and it's disappointing to everyone to miss out on that."
Swanson and his team will travel to Princeton, N.J. Friday evening for a Saturday afternoon match-up against the Tigers. Even though Homecoming is important to the team, a possible repeat as Ivy Champions is of greater concern.
"Right now I'm looking forward to soccer because I'm so excited about our team" soccer player Betsy Dobbin '98 said. "I'm not too disappointed because, hopefully, I can find out what Homecoming is all about in future years."
The men's soccer team, under new Head Coach Fran O'Leary will travel to the University of Virginia for a contest Oct. 14 followed by a game against Maryland Oct. 16. These players, too, are riding high as they hope to overcome such strong eastern teams.
Fortunately for the men's cross country team, traveling will not be as far since they will just make a short trip to Boston for the Northeast Championships on Oct. 14.
The team, led by captains Ted FitzPatrick '95 and Sam Wilbur '95, are currently ranked ninth in the nation and look to keep their momentum going as they enter the second half of their season.
Both the men's and women's rowing teams have back to back events at the Conquering of the Onondaga Oct. 15 and the Bausch and Lomb Invitational Oct. 16.
The women's tennis team will also have a busy weekend competing at the ITA Team Regional at Princeton Oct. 14-16.
"I'm pretty bummed that we're not going to be here -- especially since this is my last year here. However, playing tennis does mean I've made a commitment so there really isn't anything to be done about it," Kiyoe Hashimoto '95 said. "I'm psyched to do well at regionals, though, so that makes it all worth it."
The women's golf team will compete at the Mount Holyoke Invitational Oct. 14 and15 in preparation for the ECAC championships next week.
The men's golf team, which last week qualified for the ECAC championships on Oct. 15 and 16, looks to continue their outstanding play and hopes to establish themselves as a dominant northeast team.
"I'm not really worried or upset about missing Homecoming," golfer MacKenzie Hurd '98 said. "Maybe it's because being a freshman I don't really know what I am missing so it doesn't really bother me. This is the only chance our team will ever have to win the 1994 ECACs so that's what we're going to try to do."
The women's volleyball team will also be away this weekend. The players will journey to Cornell Oct. 14 and then continue on to New York to take on Columbia.
With these teams away, Dartmouth fans will focus their attention on the noon women's field hockey game followed by the 1:30 p.m. football game. Despite the pre-game hype with football, the field hockey team plans to provide a game full of action and intensity for their supporters.
"The team has been fairly consistent with their efforts, so I don't think Homecoming will be as much of a factor," Coach Julie Dayton said. "We stay pretty focused, and I think we're ready for it."
The Big Green, ranked number two in the Ivy League, will take on the number one ranked Princeton. With a possible NCAA tournament bid on the line, rest assured the Dartmouth women will be ready for the challenge.
With only two home contests, it is unfortunate for Dartmouth fans that athletic schedules are made years in advance and because of rotating schedules, it is impossible to ensure teams are home on the same weekend.
The alumni office is responsible for choosing a date it finds suitable for Homecoming.
A home Ivy League football game in October is the criteria for the weekend. Yet next year a greater disappointment for Dartmouth football fans occurs when Homecoming will fall on a non-Ivy weekend since no other dates are available.
