Women's Softball
The Dartmouth women's softball team opens its new park with an Ivy League doubleheader against the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. The $3.1-million stadium has bullpens, batting cages, sunken dugouts, a press box, scoreboard, seating for 400 fans and an artificial FieldTurf playing surface. Third baseman Noelle Ramirez '13, who hit a home run last weekend in the game against Cornell University, said the field has been something that the program had dreamed of for years.
"Finally getting on the field for the first time [on Wednesday], I couldn't help but think about all the incredible people who made this happen, our alums and our previous coaches who played a role in getting us this amazing facility," Ramirez said. "I felt an overwhelming sense of pride to be a Dartmouth student-athlete."
The Big Green (7-12, 0-4 Ivy) will first face off against the Quakers today at 2 p.m. and the Lions on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. The Big Green has had a rough start in Ivy League competition, dropping all four games to Princeton University and Cornell last weekend. The players are looking to get back on their feet and take advantage of their brand new home field.
"Our goal for the games this weekend is to play Big Green softball," Ramirez said. "Our tough, never-give-up attitude and hot bats make us a tough team to beat. We're going out there and making history tomorrow, backed by a rowdy home crowd, and are looking to sweep Penn and Columbia."
Penn, the only undefeated team in the Ivy League, is 19-10 overall and 4-0 in conference play after sweeping Yale University and Brown University last weekend. Columbia enters play with a 7-18 overall record and a 1-3 Ivy League record. The Lions opened their Ivy League competition on Sunday with a win against Yale and a loss to Brown in a doubleheader.
Women's Tennis
Coming off a home win against Boston University last weekend, the Dartmouth women's tennis team is looking to begin its Ivy League play with an equally impressive showing. The Big Green faces off at home against Columbia University at 3 p.m. today and Cornell University at noon on Saturday.
"We had a successful run [last season]," co-captain Sarah Leonard '13 said, "But this season is a new year, new team, and along with that comes new possibilities."
Akiko Okuda '15, one of the Big Green's most recent additions, could prove to be a big point-scorer during conference play. On the team's spring break trip to California, Okuda pulled out a grueling four-hour win against a California Polytechnic State University player.
Cornell (8-5-0, 0-1 Ivy) fell to Columbia last Saturday and will face off against Harvard University before heading to Hanover. Columbia (10-3, 1-0 Ivy) is on a five-game winning streak and looking to continue it against the Big Green. Leonard believes that her team's dedication has prepared it to defeat both the Lions and the Bears.
"We draw confidence from the hard work we have put in both on and off the court," Leonard said. "We will begin the Ivy season prepared and excited to play some great tennis and compete our hardest."
Women's Lacrosse
Dartmouth women's lacrosse is going into its game against Cornell University this weekend with a 7-1 overall record, including a 3-0 record in league play. The Big Green will head down to Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday to face the Big Red at 5 p.m.
Dartmouth will remain in New York following its game on Saturday to take on No. 2 Syracuse University the following Monday at 3 p.m.
Last weekend, the women had their first road win since their season opener, defeating Brown, 14-8. Liz Calby '14 scored four times, while Hana Bowers '13 and Kristen Goldberg '12 both registered hat tricks. Bowers is the only Dartmouth player to have notched a point in every game this season she has scored a goal in all eight games of 2012.
