The path that Charlie Knape '10 followed en route to become a Division I diver is certainly uncoventional. Born in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Knape spent his early childhood swimming and diving in the boat yard that his father managed. Halfway through first grade, Knape's parents decided to pull him out of school and pursue their life dream of sailing the world.
As a result, Knape's elementary school classroom stretched from Panama to the Red Sea, across the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Knape spent considerable time in the water, inadvertently perfecting the skills that would help him in his high-school and college diving career.
Knape's family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan before the start of his fifth grade year. Participation in organized sports made the difficult transition to organized schooling significantly easier for Knape, as he joined the soccer and water polo teams in addition to running track.
Knape joined his high school diving team with no formal diving experience. He demonstrated exceptional improvement following his freshman year and was elected captain of the swimming and diving teams his senior year. He qualified as an All-American his junior and senior years and placed 8th in the Michigan State finals.
Upon entering Dartmouth, Knape had to adjust to an additional event -- the three-meter dive.
"The three-meter is seven times scarier and much more technical," Knape said.
Knape looks for help with improvement from head diving coach Chris Hamilton every time he leaves the board. With Hamilton's help, Knape has fine-tuned his skills in the new event, and finished 22nd and 25th at the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League Championships in the one-meter and three-meter events, respectively.
Diving is not Knape's only specialty. He is also a champion sailor for the Western Michigan Yachting Club. This past summer, he was the Butterfly division champion for his age group and successfully defended his Laser title at the 2007 Western Michigan Championships.
Knape cites his teammates as chief inspiration in his improvement in the pool and on the water. As a diver, he has followed in the footsteps of a two-time high-school All-American, joining the accomplished Andrew Berry '08 at Dartmouth. He looks to continue learning from his teammates and coaches to improve his consistency in both the one-meter and three-meter events.
Jenna Cunningham: Dynamic Forward
If you had asked a casual Dartmouth hockey fan to name the best player from the Class of 2010 last year, chances are you would have gotten the same response almost every time--Sarah Parsons '10.
It would be hard to overlook this dynamic forward who won a bronze medal with the U.S. National team in the 2006 Olympics and led the Big Green in scoring with 50 points last year. When people talked of Dartmouth women's hockey, Parsons' name almost always came up.
But flying under the radar was another talented freshman that was a big part of the Big Green's NCAA tournament-bound campaign last season. But Jenna Cunningham '10 never felt there was a problem with all the attention focused on Parsons and the other Olympians on the team.
"It was something that was going to happen," Cunningham said, speaking of her teammates' publicity. "I think the way the girls who were talked about handled it and talked about the team whenever they spoke made a big difference."
Statistically, Cunningham was third on the Big Green with 15 goals scored in 2006-07, leading all freshman skaters on the team en route to being voted most improved player on the team.
But without the offense provided by last season's seniors, Cunningham knew that she and the rest of her teammates would have to step it up this season if Dartmouth was to maintain its excellence from a year ago.
So far Cunningham has not disappointed. This season Cunningham is leading the team and in the ECAC with 37 points with a team-leading 17 goals and 20 assists in 17 games, good for fourth nationally. Her 2.18 points per game also lead the ECAC and are second in all of Division I.
Cunningham, a native of Medicine Hat, Alberta, has been named the ECAC player of the week three times, most recently for a career-high six points outburst against Mercyhurst on Dec. 16, 2007.
As for her future plans, Cunningham says that she is committed to helping get Dartmouth back to the NCAA tournament. But if the Canadian national team came calling she says she would be hard pressed to turn her country down.
"If that opportunity arrives, I would definitely be interested," she said. "Anytime you've given the opportunity to represent your country, most people would take it."
Joe Stejkal: A Two-Way Defenseman
"The proudest moment of my life was when I knew that I was coming to Dartmouth. My family was so proud, and I couldn't wait to get here."
You can hear those words from most of the 1,016 freshmen at Dartmouth this year, so it was certainly a surprise to hear it from someone who is attending Dartmouth in lieu of playing professional hockey. Joe Stejskal '11, a punishing defenseman for the Big Green, now plays for Dartmouth, though he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.
Stejskal has remained modest throughout his success, and takes time to appreciate the fortunate situations that his life has afforded him --- from the storied hockey tradition in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Minn., to his father's influence and coaching to his blossoming career at Dartmouth. He gives thanks to a hockey playing alumnus that played for the Big Green 40 years ago, a hometown neighbor who convinced Stejskal that the College on the Hill was the place to be.
"It was kind of a funny thing," Stejskal said. "He came by the house one day to talk about Dartmouth, and then I get the call a few months later from the hockey coaches. It seemed like fate, so I visited and fell in love with the place, and here I am."
Since the draft does not guarantee Stejskal a contract, he hopes to improve his all-around skills during his four-year career with the Big Green and eventually make the jump to the pros. Known as a two-way defenseman and a heavy hitter, Stejskal's two role models are Hall-of-Famer Bobby Orr and Dion Phaneuf of the Calgary Flames. Orr inspired the two-way game for defenseman with goal-scoring ability, and Phaneuf is considered by NHL players as the hardest hitter in the league.
But Stejskal also values the benefit of Dartmouth's world class academics; he knows his Dartmouth degree will provide him with many opportunities. Stejskal enjoys his challenging classes and is interested in Dartmouth students' favorite "undecided" major, though he is currently leaning towards declaring a major in economics.
Ida Sargent: Surprise Freshman Star
Dartmouth may have found its own version of the Venus and Serena duo. The siblings and Nordic skiers Elsa Sargent '08 and Ida Sargent '11 captured first and fourth place between the two of them in their first Carnival race of the season this past weekend. However, it was team captain Elsa who finished fourth while younger sister Ida shocked the field, taking first place in the first race of her college career.
"We used to be really competitive with each other," Ida said. "But now we're more supportive. I think we've gotten closer since being on the team."
Ida comes to Dartmouth from the prestigious ski school Burke Mountain Academy.
"She was probably one of the people who most influenced my decision to come to Dartmouth," Ida said of her sister Elsa. "I got all these calls and e-mails from her... telling me how much she loves it here and how I'd be stupid to go anywhere else."
Elsa was wise to lean on her little sister -- the freshman was recently named to the United States' World Junior team as one of the six best women skiers of her age in the entire country. Elsa, meanwhile, was named to the equally impressive Under 23 team.
"I'm not used to her being the one who has the say," Ida said about her sister's role as captain. It seems there is at least a hint of healthy rivalry. But no matter who ascends the podium (or in what order), it is pretty clear that these two sisters are poised to wreak havoc on the world of collegiate skiing. Luckily for us, they both bleed green.
Eben Sargent '05, the duo's older brother, was also captain of Dartmouth's Nordic team in his day. Elsa, like Ida, also skiied under the wing of her older sibling her freshman year.
"Having my favorite training partner and my toughest competitor follow me to Dartmouth has been one of the biggest highlights of my ski career here," Elsa said. "Eben and I both worked pretty hard at convincing her to come to Dartmouth."
But the Sargent family is not alone in its snow-obsessed nepotism. Nils Koons '11 also followed his older brother to Dartmouth and to the men's Nordic team. Though Ben Koons '08 is recovering from a recent knee surgery, he is still team captain.
Nils also made an impression in his debut collegiate races this past weekend, placing 12th in his first race and snagging a top ten finish the next day. Despite his recent successes, Nils dismissed the notion of sibling rivalry.
"We haven't really raced against each other for several years," he said. "We've been skiing in different countries, different schools."
Nils also minimized Ben's impact on his decision to enroll at Dartmouth.
"It didn't play a huge role," he said.
Nils recently finished in the top 100 at US Nationals in Houghton, Michigan in early January. With a strong start to his season, it seems like Nils will be making a strong contribution to the ski team's pursuit of another NCAA crown. Last year's perfect season will be hard to live up to, and Ben being sidelined is a serious blow to the Big Green's top line up, especially since superstar Ben True '08 is taking the season off. But the absence of these dominating skiers leaves room for fresh faces like Nils to make their mark. The Koons brothers will, in one way or another, help lead the Dartmouth ski team throughout the winter.
