VERMONT STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Sophomores Travis Russell (Essex Junction, Vt.) and Hilary Johnson (Arlington Heights, Ill.) have been named Vermont's Student-Athletes of the Week for the week ending February 8. Russell recorded 64 saves on 65 shots while posting his first career shutout and first collegiate point during UVM's weekend sweep. Johnson scored three goals and added an assist in two home victories over Union, Vermont's first two ECAC Division I wins.
MEN'S HOCKEY (6-19-4; 4-13-1/12th): The Catamounts recorded their first two road wins of the season this weekend, defeating Clarkson 2-0 on Friday and St. Lawrence 3-1 on Saturday. The team was lead by outstanding play from sophomore goaltender Travis Russell (Essex Junction, Vt.), who stopped 64 of the 65 shots he faced this past weekend, while posting the first shutout of his career. Russell was named ECAC Goalie of the Week and Inside College Hockey National Player of the Week for his efforts. Brady Leisenring (Stowe, Vt.) scored both the goals versus Clarkson with assists coming from Russell, his first point of his career, and Jeff Miles (Pickering, Ont.). Saturday, freshman Ryan Gunderson (Bensalem, Pa.) scored the game-winning goal, his first career tally. Miles added a goal and an assist with the other goal coming from freshman Evan Stoflet (Madison, Wis.). Matt Hanson (Peabody, Mass.) was released from the hospital on Tuesday after suffering a fractured cervical vertebrae in practice last Thursday. WHO'S NEXT: UVM hosts Yale Friday and Princeton Saturday at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Both games can be heard on AM-620 WVMT and on the Internet via Sportsjuice.com.
SKIING: UVM finished in second-place at the Dartmouth Carnival this weekend behind host Dartmouth. The women's alpine team finished 1-2-3-4 in the giant slalom, with sophomore Jamie Kingsbury (Waitsfield, Vt.) winning the event, followed by Hilary McCloy (Bethel, Maine), Amy Cochran (Keene, N.H.) and Jane Lemasurier (Staunton, Va.). Another sophomore Paul Epstein (Carlisle, Mass.) won the giant slalom on the men's side and was followed by Matt Knittle (Stowe, Vt.), who finished second. Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.) was fourth in the 10-K freestyle and Kate Crawford (Hawley, Mass.) was fifth in the 5-K freestyle. In the 15-K classical, Crawford finished fifth and Emily Klemp (Laurium, Mich.) was sixth, while Bailey finished in a three-way tie for fourth in the 20-K classical. WHO'S NEXT: The Williams Carnival with the alpine events at Jiminy Peak and the Nordic events at Prospect Mountain.
MEN'S BASKETBALL (16-6; 12-1/2nd): The Catamounts won at Stony Brook last Wednesday, their 13th straight win to set a school record. The streak came to an end on Sunday in a loss to Boston University, UVM's first defeat since Dec. 30. It also was their first defeat at Patrick Gym since January 25th, 2003, after a total of 12 straight home wins. This Wednesday's game at Hartford is the 500th at Vermont for coach Tom Brennan, the dean of America East coaches. Sunday's BU game was Vermont's third sellout (3,228) in the last four home games. Scotty Jones (Katy, Texas) tied the Vermont career record for games played Sunday appearing in his 114th contest. Taylor Coppenrath (West Barnet, Vt.), fourth in the nation in scoring (23.8), has now scored 20 or more points in 14 of the 22 games. T.J. Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I.) made a season-high six three-pointers against BU. WHO'S NEXT: The Catamounts are at Hartford Wednesday (7:00pm) and at New Hampshire this Saturday (1:00pm) in their last two road games of the regular season. Both games are on WVMT AM 620 and www.sportsjuice.com.
WOMEN'S TENNIS (1-7): Vermont lost to Marist Sunday in their only action this past week. Junior Liz DeCurtis (Troy, N.Y.) won her singles match, her third in five tries this spring. WHO'S NEXT: UVM does not play until February 27th when they host Fairfield.
MEN'S TENNIS (4-6): The Catamounts went 1-2 this weekend topping Fairleigh Dickinson and falling to Hartford and Marist. In the 5-2 win over FDU, they won the doubles points and Eric Conway (Lynnfield, Mass.), Gregg Berk (Roslyn, N.Y.), Sammy Carl (East Longmeadow, Mass.), and Griffin Maloney (Westfield, N.J) each won in singles. Maloney and freshman Michael Kreitzer (Northbrook, Ill.) were winners against Hartford. Maloney leads the Catamounts with eight singles wins. WHO'S NEXT: Vermont hosts Sacred Heart on Friday.
WOMEN'S HOCKEY (6-20-2; 2-10-0/8th): It was a weekend of firsts for the Catamounts, as Coach Dennis Miller's team picked up its first-ever ECAC Division I victories, its first-ever ECAC points, and its first-ever ECAC shutouts. The Catamounts defeated Union 4-0 on Friday night and 3-0 on Saturday to complete the sweep of the Dutchwomen. The women's team combined with the Vermont men's team for four wins, marking the first time in UVM's Division I history that both the men and women recorded weekend sweeps. Junior Kami Cote (Copperton, Utah) was outstanding in net, recording 30 saves in the win Friday for her first-ever ECAC shutout and following that up with 27 saves in a 3-0 win Saturday to give her and four shutouts this season. Cote ranks 15th in the nation in save percentage and leads the country in saves (1054). Sophomore Hilary Johnson (Arlington Heights, Ill.) scored three goals and handed out an assist in the two games. She scored twice in Friday's win and added a goal and assists in the 3-0 victory. She leads Vermont in scoring with 19 points (11-8--19). Freshman Jenny Hogan (Santa Rosa, Calif.) tallied two points on the weekend, scoring her first-career goal Saturday. Lindsey Tilbury (Rochester, Minn.) handed out three assists on the weekend, and Vermont outshot Union 50-30 in the first game. It was the highest shot total the Catamounts have produced against a Division I opponent since moving up in 2001-02. WHO'S NEXT: Vermont travels to Princeton Friday and Yale Saturday.
SWIMMING AND DIVING: The Catamounts will compete at the America East Championship at the University of Maine in Orono, Maine this weekend. Freshman Ali Fowler (Reno, Nevada) will be a factor in the distance freestyle races, while the 200 freestyle relay team of Monica Jaferian (Pittsford, N.Y.), Erin Burke (Boston, Mass.), Helen Dembinski (Hamden, Conn.) and Allison Buza (Huntingdon, Pa.) look strong in that event, one that they have qualified for the ECAC Championship in.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (9-11; 3-9/9th): Vermont slipped to 9-11 overall and 3-9 in America East with a pair of losses last week. The Catamounts fell, 87-71, at Stony Brook despite a career-high 33 points by senior Aaron Yantzi (Waterloo, Ontario). Yantzi set a new UVM single-game record by pouring in 27 points at the half on 10-for-11 shooting. She shot 64.5% from the field and 78.6% from the line for the week. During one stretch of the first half against the Seawolves, Yantzi rattled off 18 straight points for Vermont. She also posted her league-leading 12th double-double of the year by grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds. Yantzi followed up with a team-high 18 points and eight rebounds in a loss to Boston University. Yantzi is the third UVM player to reach 33 points in a game, joining Sheri Turnbull '93 and Karalyn Church '00. She ranks fifth among UVM's all-time leading scorers with 1,482 points and is eighth among UVM's all-time leading rebounders with 647 career caroms. Yantzi ranks among the national leaders in four different categories: (28th-scoring), (23rd-rebounding), (19th-field goal percentage), (37th -free throw percentage) and is one of seven players in the country to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. BU's victory on Vermont's home floor was the first for the Terriers since 1989 and the first regular-season sweep since the 1988-89 season, when America East was known as the Seaboard Conference. Sophomore Tricia Freeman (Scarborough, Maine), who had seen action in just four games before this weekend, logged 19 minutes of action against the Terriers, tying her career-high in minutes played, scoring a season-high four points. Classmate Chrissy Battram (Parkhill, Ontario) earned her first-career start at Stony Brook. WHO'S NEXT: Vermont travels to Hartford on Tuesday. The Catamounts also host New Hampshire on Sunday at 4:00pm.
TRACK & FIELD: Erin O'Grady (Raymond, N.H.) and Kristal Kostiew (Northwood, N.H.) each won two events in a meet at UNH. O'Grady won the 200 and 400 while Kostiew picked up wins in the shot put and weight throw. Sophomore Jenna Coffey (Bellows Falls, Vt.) won the triple jump, finished second in the 55-meter dash and was fourth in the 55-meter hurdles while senior Tee Gingras (Barre, Vt.) led a trio of Catamounts in the 500, winning the race and followed by Jen Plourde (Wilbraham, Mass.) and Kiryn Lanning (King Ferry, N.Y.). Bethany Brodeur (Bennington, Vt.) won the 800, Michele Palmer (Plymouth, Mass.) won the 1500 and was second in the 1000. Bridget Ferrin (East St. Johnsbury, Vt.) and Alie Hill (Rome, N.Y.) finished 2-3 in the 3000. WHO'S NEXT: Vermont returns to action at the America East Championship Friday and Saturday at Boston University. Kostiew will look to make it a four-peat in the weight throw, having won the America East title in the event the past three seasons. Palmer is the defending 5,000-meter America East Champion.
SOFTBALL: The Catamounts open the 2004 season this weekend, the earliest season-opener in school history. UVM takes on St. John's and Coppin State in the first day of action at the Seahawk Classic hosted by UNC Wilmington. Head coach Pam Childs will look to tri-captains Heidi Gebo (Bristol, Vt.), Ashley Stebbins (St. Albans, Vt.) and Christine Toomey (Milford, Conn.) for leadership this season. Gebo is a fifth-year senior and is the starting centerfielder, Stebbins is a junior and plays second base and Toomey plays left field and is the top returning hitter for the Catamounts.