By the end of Orientation, the typical Dartmouth freshman realizes that the College experience is not just about class and studying. Come fall, the Big Green athletics calendar will kick into high gear, offering new students the opportunity to attend home games for the College's 32 varsity sports teams. Like the College's social options, Dartmouth teams range from the good to the bad to the ugly. Here is a look at the past year in Dartmouth sports in order to know what home games are worth fitting into the rigorous Dartmouth academic schedule:
Fall
As in recent years, the Big Green women's soccer team was the big story of the fall season. In 2003, the women's squad appeared in the NCAA tournament following a 9-6-2 season overall -- undefeated in Ivy League play. In the tournament, the women ultimately fell 5-0 to the Florida State Seminoles in the first round of play.
In contrast to the women's squad, the men's club struggled in 2003, as it finished last place in Ivies with a 6-9 record.
The football team improved upon its recent spell of losing seasons, finishing the fall with a 5-5 record overall, and a 4-3 Ivy record. The season saw the emergence of Charlie Rittgers '06 as the teams starting quarterback. Following the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected tight-end Casey Cramer '04 in the seventh round of the NFL draft.
The women's volleyball squad struggled in 2003, turning in a 9-16 effort, 3-11 in Ivy play. Although the team struggled overall, Sarah Nadler '06 earned an All-Ivy honorable mention nod for her performance during the season.
In other fall sports, the women's field hockey team had a wild 2003 season. After dropping its first 10 contests, the squad reeled off five straight victories before falling to Holy Cross on Nov. 2.
Winter
In the winter, Thompson Arena was the place to be, as both the men's and women's ice hockey teams enjoyed notable seasons.
In 2003-04, the women's team earned 24 wins, its third Ivy League title in four years and its second straight berth in the NCAA Frozen Four, while the men's team made it to the ECAC Championships held in Albany, finishing fourth overall.
For the men's squad, forward Lee Stempniak '05 and Grant Lewis '07 were selected first team All-Ivy, while Hugh Jessiman '06 was named second team All-Ivy. A trio of women -- Gillian Apps '06, Sarah Clark '04 and Katie Weatherston '06 -- were also chosen to the All-Ivy second team.
Over in Leede Arena, the Big Green men's and women's basketball squads had varying degrees of success last year. The men's season was an exercise of futility. The men's squad finished its season with a 2-24 record in Division I play, placing the Big Green at 324 of 326 in the NCAA's RPI ranking.
Following the dismal season, head coach Dave Faucher resigned after 20 years of coaching Dartmouth men's basketball. Former University of Colorado assistant men's coach Terry Dunn is slated to assume Faucher's vacated post this upcoming season.
Dartmouth women's basketball fared better, compiling a 15-12 record overall and eight Ivy victories -- good for fourth place in the Ancient Eight. Following the season, women's coach Chris Wielgus was selected to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in an inductee class that included NBA stars Sam Cassell and Marcus Camby.
It was a difficult year for Big Green swimmers, as both teams finished in the bottom halves of their respective leagues. The men's squad turned in a 3-5 record in EISL play, while the women turned in a 1-6 record in Ivy League play.
Mustafa Abdur-Rahim '04 led the way for the Big Green track and field athletes in the winter, as the senior capped off a first team All-Ivy performance with a third place finish in the heptathlon at the NCAA Championships in Arkansas.
In other winter sports, men's squash star Ryan Donegan '05 led his squad to a 14-5 overall record en route to a first team All Ivy nod. The women's squash squad turned in a 9-7 performance in the Winter 2004 season.
Spring
At Sculley-Fahey Field, the women's lacrosse squad had a stellar 11-6 season, including six Ivy League victories. The women made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The squad boasts an award winning returning cast next season that includes first team All-Ivy goaltender Devon Wills '06 and midfielder Katieanne Christian '05.
After an NCAA tournament bid season in 2003, the 2004 men's lacrosse squad took a step back this past season, finishing 8-5 overall, 3-3 in Ivy league play. Following the season, Tom Daniels '04, who posted a two-goal effort in the team's season finale versus Harvard, was selected by New Jersey Pride in the fifth round of the Major League Lacrosse draft.
In tennis, the men's team struggled in the spring finishing with a 7-13 record overall. David Webb '05 was one of the team's bright spots in the spring and earned a second team All-Ivy spot for his efforts.
The women's squad finished with an impressive 14-8 record; however, the team was less stellar in Ivy play, where it totaled a 2-5 record. Jayme Ahmed '05, who filled the number one singles spot for her squad, was a unanimous first team All-Ivy choice.
Abdur-Rahim again led the track and field athletes in the spring season, breaking the Eastern college record in the decathlon event two times over. Abdur-Rahim and javelin thrower Sean Furey '04 both qualified for July's U.S. Olympic trials. Neither qualified for the big show; however, Abdur-Rahim's sixth-place finish in the decathlons stood as the best collegiate performance at the competition.
It was a busy spring on the water for the Big Green rowers and sailors in 2004. Sailing highlights included a third place finish at the ICSA/Layline North American Team Race Championship that concluded on Tuesday.
Although the men's heavyweight squad could not duplicate its 2003 regular season success and Eastern Sprints bronze medal performance in 2004, the team managed some impressive races, including a sixth place effort at the IRA Regatta.
The varsity men's lightweight squad barely missed the grand final at the Eastern Sprints as it lost out by a few feet in the last meters of a qualifying heat. The women rowers turned in a strong performance to cap off its season, as the team qualified four crews for the grand finals and two others for petite finals at Eastern Sprints.
