Dartmouth sports first entered my life during my senior year of high school. A couple of my friends heading to colleges with powerhouse football programs were talking about their teams, and one of them suggested we look up Dartmouth football. What came after was a year's worth of verbal abuse as we discovered that the Big Green was 0-10 in the season before I matriculated.
As we approach the home stretch, this is the perfect time to look at how the major teams here have fared in the past four years, and what my personal dreams for each are.
Football: The football team has come a long way. There is healthy competition between quarterbacks Dalyn Williams '16 and Alex Park '14, who will both benefit from skilled-position weapons Ryan McManus '15 and Dominick Pierre '14 in the coming seasons. They fell just eight points shy of a share for first place in the Ivy standings last year, and I'm expecting a strong performance from the Big Green next season. Personal dream: win an Ivy championship in the next two years. Probability: 40 percent.
Men's hockey: Consistently one of the best teams in the country, Dartmouth men's hockey was ranked as high as eighth nationally during the past season. The underclassmen are developing nicely: of the nine players who registered double-digit point totals this year, only two were seniors. Personal dream: reach the Frozen Four in the next five years. Probability: 20 percent.
Baseball: It pains me to say this, but Dartmouth baseball has been a major disappointment over my four years here. Like the San Jose Sharks, they crush the regular season and fall in the playoffs. The team has lost the Ivy League Championship Series for three straight years to three different opponents. Personal dream: advance to the College World Series during my lifetime. Probability: 20 percent.
Men's soccer: A legitimate contender for the NCAA tournament every year, men's soccer produced several elite players over the past few years, including Daniel Keat '10 and Lucky Mkosana '12. During the past season, the torch has been passed to Alex Adelabu '15, who tallied 21 points in 16 games, the most on the team and second in the league. Personal dream: reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in the next five years. Probability: 30 percent.
Women's track and field: You cannot talk about the track and field team without mentioning Abbey D'Agostino '14, who has amassed everything from NCAA outdoor titles to first-team all-America honors. The one item missing from her resume is an appearance in the Olympics. D'Agostino is poised to break into the field for the 2016 Games in Brazil. Personal Dream: have a Dartmouth runner compete in the 2016 Olympics. Probability: 50 percent.
Men's basketball: Finally, the long-time laughing stock of all Dartmouth sports, the men's basketball team. The Big Green has not won an Ivy title since 1959, and sported 1-13 conference records during each of my first three years here. Under the direction of new head coach Paul Cormier, the team improved this past season with a 5-9 showing in the League, and I have renewed faith in the team. My most selfish dream of all: men's basketball winning a game in the NCAA tournament during my lifetime. Probability: 5 percent.
It has been four amazing years being a Dartmouth sports fan, but the fun does not have to stop here. I will certainly be watching and cheering on Dartmouth sports teams after my time here is up.
