Homecoming has come and gone, which means the novelty of Fall term is wearing off and the hours spent in the library are about to increase. The post-Homecoming library scene is quite the spectacle: Some students lag around waiting for coffee and other studying supplements to kick in, while others who have been posted up since Friday continue to diligently do their work. Regardless of different methods of studying, all students are now having their knowledge put to the test through midterms.
Midterms are a great way to assess your performance thus far. They allow us to show our professors that we have indeed been attending class and that all class readings have been done. Depending on what grades you get on your exams, you will be able to know if you must adjust your work ethic and library hours accordingly. They may define the amount you will be able to hang out for the rest of the term.
For student-athletes, midterms are also used as a checkpoint to take a look back at their respective seasons. At this point in the term, a couple of teams have passed with flying colors, while others still have time to work out any kinks and finish their seasons on a strong note. Let's take a look at the Fall 2011 report card:
Football Grade: C
Right off the bat, let's start with the team that had the most preseason hype including from me. Before the first snap of the season, I really thought this football team was ready to dominate the Ivy League. A strong running game coupled with an experienced quarterback led me to believe the Big Green was going to fight for the top spot in the conference. Yet the Big Green stumbled out of the gate and was in need of a huge Homecoming victory.
Columbia entered Memorial Field on Saturday with a 0-5 record, which had the Lions firmly in the basement of the Ivy League standings. Things didn't get much better for Columbia, as the Big Green manhandled the Lions and finally displayed the electrifying performance the Dartmouth community has been waiting for all term. Nick Schwieger '12 continued to show why he is hands down the Ivy League MVP (157 rushing yards, three touchdowns), and the defense notched Dartmouth's biggest shutout in nearly two decades.
Truth be told, I was losing faith in this team. Had the Big Green lost the Homecoming game, this midterm assessment would have been far worse definitely not a passing grade. But with what the Dartmouth community saw, I'm fairly certain this team can still turn around its season. That being said, Dartmouth faces Harvard next, which unlike Columbia tops the League standings with a 5-1 record. Let's hope the momentum gained from this great Homecoming game carries into next Saturday and the rest of the season.
Field Hockey Grade: B+
This team needed to make an appearance on this report card due to its continuous great play all term (and since I've been writing about field hockey in most of my columns this term). These girls have been putting up great stats all fall and are in contention for the League crown, as they find themselves in the thick of the standings with a 3-2 League record.
Co-captain Kelly Hood '12 has been playing splendidly, racking up 11 goals and five assists this season. She also broke the scoring record earlier this season, further cementing her status as one of the top student-athletes at Dartmouth. But Hood hasn't been the only player carrying the scoring load Ali Savage '15 burst onto the scene early in the season with a hat trick and is tied with Hood for the team lead in goals with 11. Hood and Savage have led the Big Green to a successful season, and I'm sure it will continue that way for the rest of the fall.
Men's Hockey Grade: A
These boys haven't even started the season, so why am I handing out a grade already? Well, because the Big Green looked like a primetime team during a preseason exhibition victory on Saturday versus The University of Western Ontario. So far, so good. Selected to finish fourth and fifth in the 2011-2012 Eastern College Athletic Conference hockey preseason coaches' and media polls, respectively, Dartmouth looks like a team that will be fun to cheer for when it begins its season this weekend.
There's always room for improvement, so be sure to keep that in mind, even if you did extremely well on your midterms. Teams that have put impressive numbers on the board should be pleased with their performance thus far, but since their players are Dartmouth students, you can be damn sure they will not rest on their laurels. Keep up the good work, Big Green. We are all cheering for you.
