The 2011-2012 athletic year was a successful one for the Big Green, as numerous varsity and club teams earned Ivy League titles, NCAA tournament appearances, national recognition and even national championships. Below are some of this year's highlights.
Men's Soccer
This year's men's soccer team took home the Ivy League Championship after a breathtaking final regular season game against Brown University. The Big Green (8-6-4, 4-1-2 Ivy) entered its final game tied with Brown (12-5-3, 4-1-2 Ivy) in the Ivy League standings. After 90 minutes of play and two overtime periods, the teams remained tied, 0-0. With a tie between Columbia University and Cornell University on the same day, Dartmouth and Brown shared the Ivy League title, but due to its win over third-place Columbia, the Big Green advanced to the NCAA Tournament, in which it lost to Providence University in the first round. Lucky Mkosana '12 was awarded Ivy League Player of the Year after notching 10 goals and one assist on the season. Co-captain Nick Pappas '12, midfielder Kevin Dzierzawski '13 and goalie Noah Cohen '14 also received All-Ivy honors.
Football
This year's football team finished the season in a four-way tie for second place in the Ivy League. After a rough 1-4 start, the Big Green (5-5, 4-3 Ivy) won its last three games to salvage its season. Dartmouth clinched its first winning Ivy League record since 2003 with a 24-17 win over Princeton University in the final game of the season. Co-captain Nick Schwieger '12 was a major contributor to the Big Green's success and became the first Dartmouth running back to rush for over 3,000 yards in his career. Schwieger signed with the St. Louis Rams in April and will have a chance to earn a roster spot with the team over the summer during training camp.
Cross Country
On the men's side, Ethan Shaw '12 made Dartmouth history by winning the individual title at the men's Heptagonal cross country meet in the fall. Shaw came from behind to pass Columbia's Kyle Merber in the final meters and win by one-tenth of a second. Shaw's first-place finish was the first for a Big Green runner since 2008. Shaw helped Dartmouth place third as a team in the race and went on to place 54th in the NCAA Championship race. On the women's side, Abbey D'Agostino '14 also made Dartmouth history by placing third in the NCAA Championship cross country race. With a time of 19:42.9, D'Agostino was just 1.7 seconds behind national champion Sheila Reid from Villanova University.
Skiing
This year's men's and women's ski team finished fourth at the 59th Annual NCAA Skiing Championships with a total score of 590 points during the four-day event. Dartmouth posted the highest score in the Nordic portion of the event, but the University of Vermont took first place overall with a record 832 points. Ski Racing Magazine named Sophie Caldwell '12 the 2012 Collegiate Nordic Skier of the year. Caldwell won three races during carnival season and placed third in the 5K freestyle and second in the 15K classic at the NCAA Championships.
Women's Lacrosse
The 2012 women's lacrosse team won its first Ivy League Tournament title by defeating regular-season champion University of Pennsylvania, 6-4, in the final. With the title, the Big Green (12-4, 7-2 Ivy) received an automatic bid to play in the NCAA Tournament, where the team lost to Syracuse University, which finished as the runner-up in the NCAA Tournament. Dartmouth held Penn to its lowest goal total of its season in the Big Green's first win over the Quakers in Philadelphia since 2005. Leading the Big Green were Kirsten Goldberg '12, who recorded 39 goals and 10 assists, and captain Sarah Plumb '12, who recorded 37 goals and 12 assists.
Baseball
This year's baseball team won its fifth consecutive Rolfe Division title. The Big Green (24-18, 14-6 Ivy) won three out of four games against rival Harvard University to secure the title in the final weekend of the regular season. Dartmouth faced Lou Gehrig Division champion Cornell in the Ivy League Championship Series. The Big Green battled to even the series at one before falling, 3-1, to the Big Red (31-15-1, 14-6 Ivy) in 11 innings in the deciding game. The Big Green was led by co-captain Joe Sclafani '12, who hit .288 over the season with a .401 on-base percentage and a .442 slugging percentage. Sclafani was named to the All-Ivy first team along with Jake Carlson '12, Ennis Coble '13 and Dustin Selzer '14. Four other Big Green players were selected for the All-Ivy second team.
Men's Golf
Peter Williamson '12 posted a six-under-par 207 to tie for fifth place at the NCAA Central Regional Golf Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich. Williamson made up for a slow start on the first day of the tournament by finishing his collegiate career with a birdie on each of his last three holes. Williamson became the second player in history to win three career Ivy League titles and led the Big Green agonizingly close to its first league championship since 1983.
Club Sports
This year, several Dartmouth club teams gained national recognition. The Big Green club figure skating team won its sixth Intercollegiate Figure Skating Team Championship title. Joseph Miller '14, Kelsey Anspach '15, Isabel Hines '13, Deborah Lee '12 and Kirsten Seagers '15 all won gold medals in their events. The Dartmouth men's club fencing team won the United States Association of Collegiate Fencing Clubs National Championship. Despite not having a coach, the team edged out the U.S. Military Academy to win its first top finish in a national tournament. The Dartmouth men's rugby team also continued its tradition of success by advancing to the quarterfinals of the USA 15s Collegiate Rugby Tournament and will play in the USA 7s Collegiate Rugby Championships this weekend.