After opening its season with six straight wins, the men's lacrosse team ended its season with a 9-4 record and a disappointing fifth place finish in the Ivy League.
"I think it was overall a successful season especially the games we won early. I think we forget all the big wins we had at the beginning of the season," Coach Tim Nelson said.
The Big Green did show impressive poise at the beginning of the season defeating both Colgate and Lehigh by one goal. The next week, the Big Green traveled to the University of Pennsylvania to capture an impressive overtime victory on the road.
"I think we improved a lot defensively as the season went on," Nelson said. "I think we also got better offensively. We got some more consistent scoring."
One very consistent scorer for the Big Green was sophomore Brian Merritt. Merritt, who was Ivy League Rookie of the Year last season, was named All-Ivy second team this year as a midfielder.
"I feel great about being selected," Merritt said. "I think that it's more of a reflection of how well the team has done this year though."
Junior midfielder John Schneider also received an All-Ivy honorable mention honors for the Big Green.
"It was a good season," Merritt said. "I think we played well in the beginning and then midway through we ran into some tough teams like Brown and Princeton. We were intimidated by them and they blew us out, but I don't really think they were that much better than us."
Dartmouth was able to overcome an 11-game losing streak against Yale, defeating the Bulldogs 15-7 on the road. Unfortunately, the Big Green lost two close home games to Ivy League rivals Cornell and Harvard.
"We really did make improvements though," Merritt said. "I think against Harvard we weren't intimidated by them even though they had proven to be a really strong team. We really should have beat them."
The Big Green will lose five starting seniors next year including defensemen co-Captain Andy Thut '95, who has started for four years and Dave Hehir '95. The Big Green will also lose co-Captain Todd Smith '95 and Eric Welsh '95 on the attack. Athletic talent Brian White '95 will also be missed in the midfield as he tries to earn a spot on the roster of the New England Patriots.
With a squad of 40 returning players and six incoming recruits, the prospectus for next year is not too grim for the Big Green.
"A lot of guys got experience throughout the season, too," Nelson said. "Not only freshmen, but a lot of sophomores and juniors really stepped their games up to a new level."
In the 1999 class, the Big Green will have two attackmen, two midfielders, one defenseman and one goalie coming in next fall.
"We think we have a pretty good class coming in," Nelson said. "We were pretty happy with what we got, and we got what we needed. There were a couple of defensemen we would have liked to have gotten who went to other Ivies, which always hurts."
As far as future goals for the Big Green, a possible bid in the NCAA tournament is never far from their mind. With continual improvement, an Ivy League championship will also be a consideration.
"I don't think we still get the respect we deserve," Merritt said. "I think gradually we are gaining it though."
The Ivy League did post a strong showing this year, sending three teams, Princeton, Brown and Cornell,to the 12-team NCAA tournament. Princeton, the highest seeded of the three, will face Syracuse Saturday in the national quarterfinals.
