You will not see us in the Rose Bowl. CBS and ESPN will not be fighting over rights for televising our basketball games. If LeBron James had gone to college, he would not have been invited to dirty rush Bones Gate. Our "dreamiest" athletes are many times without their original teeth and share an annoying tendency to say "eh?" at the end of sentences. Our most popular sport is pong -- and trust me, Keystone Light and frat basements make for intense, competitive atmospheres. While a BCS rankings controversy may never hit Dartmouth, Big Green athletics are far from non-existent. With all of our 30-plus varsity teams beginning next season with new leaders, new faces and clean slates, 2005-06 will certainly be riveting. Here is a quick look back at the year that was:
Fall
While both the men's and women's soccer teams experienced overall success, each compiling seven-win seasons, it was the men who were able to clinch the Ivy League title, and with it, an NCAA tournament birth. Their gripping season ended on penalty kicks in the first round against BU. On the women's side, Angie Hind will take over this coming year as the new head coach, replacing Ben Landis.
Simply put, football was a disaster. Following a 5-5 (4-3 Ivy) 2003 season, 2004's squad failed to collect a victory until the ninth game of the year versus Brown. A 1-9 record effectively cost former head coach John Lyons his tenure at Dartmouth. After 13 seasons in Hanover, Lyons was dismissed in favor of Buddy Teevens, who will begin his second stint as Big Green head coach this September.
Women's volleyball stammered to a 6-18 season (3-11 Ivy). Despite the team's struggles, Sarah Nadler '06 earned All-Ivy honorable mention for the second time in her bright career.
Field hockey improved to an 8-9 record in 2004 (4-3 Ivy), finishing fourth in its division. The team closed out the season in style, beating Cornell 5-2 in the season finale.
Winter
Those who braved the treacherous midwinter walk to Thompson Arena were treated to thrilling hockey action by both the men's and women's programs.
The men logged a prolific 20-win season en route to a disappointing second-round defeat by Vermont in the ECACHL playoffs. While the men's icers were snubbed out of an NCAA tourney invitation in favor of two inferior division winners (receiving automatic bids), the '04-'05 season provided two of the most exhilarating contests in recent memory. Overtime victories over Cornell and Harvard, both nationally ranked squads, sent 4,500 fans at Thompson Arena into frenzied chaos. The team will take the ice in 2005-06 without All-American and former captain Lee Stempniak '05, who was recently signed by the St. Louis Blues, and would-be rising senior Hugh Jessiman '06, who jumped ship to play for the New York Rangers.
Spending the majority of '04-'05 amongst the top three teams nationally, the women's team, in effect, outdid its male counterpart. The Big Green went 27-8, losing in a nationally televised affair to eventual champion Minnesota 7-2 in the NCAA semifinal. Team standout Tiffany Hagge '06 returns to lead the Lady Green towards a fourth Frozen Four appearance in as many years.
The excitement continued on the hardwood of Leede Arena as the men's and women's basketball teams turned in impressive seasons. Although 10-17 overall, the Dartmouth men went .500 in the Ivy League at 7-7. Their six-win upgrade from the previous year left them with the second-best improvement in Ivy League history. 2004-05 was highlighted by an unprecedented victory over perennial powerhouse Princeton and senior captain Steve Callahan's buzzer-beating lay-up to defeat Yale.
As in hockey, the women outshined the men on the court. In fact, their season's fate came down to a one-game playoff against arch-nemesis Harvard for the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. With a convincing win, Dartmouth secured an opportunity to dance with defending national champ UConn in the opening round. While their 95-47 thrashing was more of a tumble than a boogie, the mere opportunity to compete at that level was a fulfilling dream for the '04-'05 Lady Green.
The men and women swimmers were not as successful as our basketball teams, going 2-7 and 2-9 respectively, fairing not much better in tournaments.
The ski season featured more men's alpine domination. In all, Dartmouth placed fifth at the NCAA skiing championships, with seven Big Green skiers given All-America honors.
Dartmouth's squash teams put together better-than-par seasons. The men, led by Ryan Donegan '05, lost seven of nine to close out the season, leaving them with an 8-11 final mark. The women remained strong throughout, finishing off Brown for their eighth win in 12 games.
Spring
Spring was lacrosse season at Dartmouth. The nationally ranked men, led by former captain Ben Grinnell '05, fell painfully short of an NCAA bid, yet closed out the season with a 10-7 win over Harvard in front of 2,000 loyal Big Green fans.
The story of the spring was undeniably women's lacrosse. Spurred by a 14-2 regular season, the Lady laxers hurtled into the NCAA Tournament with the fourth seed. It took a late surge to get past No. 12 Syracuse in the first round 9-8, setting up a quarterfinal match-up with fifth-ranked Georgetown. Dartmouth blasted the Hoyas 13-3, showing naysayers that it truly belonged with the nation's elite. Even after falling to eventual champion Northwestern 8-4 in the Final Four, Dartmouth women's lax solidified its place as Big Green team of the year.
Dartmouth's play on the baseball and softball diamonds was a self-proclaimed disappointment. Trying to live up to the hopes and hype created by a near miss at a College World Series birth the year before, baseball never seemed up to the task. After starting the Ivy season 6-2, Dartmouth fell victim to a midseason sweep at the hands of Brown from which it did not recovered. Hope for 2006 rests on the sturdy shoulders of emerging power star Will "Bash" Bashelor '07 and recent Baltimore Oriole draftee Josh Faiola '06.
Softball showed perseverance and heart throughout a rebuilding year in which the team went 10-26. However, with seven incoming freshman for 2006, things are definitely looking up.
Once again, superstar athlete Mustafa Abdur-Rahim '04 led Dartmouth men's track and field. Abdur-Rahim, who carried the Big Green on his shoulders, wrapped up a prolific college career this past June with a sixth place finish in the decathlon at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Both the men and the women placed well in all of their significant meets and look to repeat that success this year.
Men's tennis struggled against Ivy League opposition, going 0-7 on the year, 8-14 overall. The women had a stronger showing, posting a 14-8 record, while collecting three victories against potent Ivy competition. The squad peaked at No. 63 nationally, an impressive mark. Individually, Jayme Ahmed '05 carved out her place in Dartmouth history books, becoming the all-time winningest player in Lady Green history after her straight set victory over Penn's first singles. Moreover, for the second consecutive year Ahmed earned first team All-Ivy honors in singles by a unanimous vote of the coaches.
In the water, five Dartmouth sailors were named All-Americans for their performances at the national sailing championships. Lightweight crew had success in individual meets but placed eleventh at the season-culminating EARC sprints. Likewise, heavyweight crew beat the likes of Syracuse, BU and Rutgers but fell to eighth at the top meet of the year. The women's team seemed to have trouble surpassing second place finishes throughout its season but showed great focus and resolve in its efforts.
