Brigit McDannell ’18
Sports Editor
The fall sports season nears its end as many teams conclude with Division III conference games. As fall sports teams end their seasons after months of rigorous practice, winter teams begin their pre-season practices.
Soccer
Playing in the Eastern College Athletic Conference, the Smith Pioneer’s soccer team placed eighth overall out of eight colleges. Other schools competing in the tournament included Wentworth, Emerson, Elms, University of New England, Framington State, Curry and Endicott. The ECAC tournament is 76 years old and is one of the nation’s largest athletic conferences, with over three hundred member schools in all three NCAA divisions. On Nov. 11 the Pioneers played in the quarterfinals game. They received the ECAC title after finishing in seventh place in the New England Men’s and Women’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) with a 3-3-4 mark. They lost the quarterfinals of the NEWMAC Tournament to Wheaton College, 2-0. Smith finished as the ECAC tournament runner-up in 2003.
Field Hockey
Student athletes Kat Estes ’16 and Beatrice Chaudoin ’19 were awarded first and second places in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEMAC) all- conference earlier this week. This was the first all-conference recognition for Estes, who plays as a defender and captain. She has made two goals and three assists as a starter in all 19 games she’s played in. Estes was also selected to play in the annual 2015 Victory Sports Tour/NFHCA Division III Senior Game November 21.
Chaudoin, a defender from Millersville, Md., earned her spot on the second team after bringing a powerful defensive presence in the field. She recorded four goals, four assists and two defensive saves. Chaudoin started in all 20 games this season. Additionally, Smith received the No. 1 seed in the ECAC Tournament.
Swimming & Diving
The Pioneer divers had a strong performance, swimming against Springfield College, but lost overall 117 – 171. Elyse Stone ’18 won the 1-meter (276.14) while Anna Partridge ’16 finished third in both 1 meter and 3-meter dives. Stone added two NCAA qualifying scores. Julianna Alvord ’19 improved her score on the one-meter, adding two new dives to her collegiate career. For swimming, Abby Onos ’17, Hannah Francis ’16, and Margaret Anne Smith ’17 all had season bests in the 200 Medley Relay. Onos also placed third in the 100 backstroke with a season best time of 1:08.06. Desi Stoyanovich ’19 placed first in the 200 Individual Medley at 2:23.03 and finished second in the 1000 free with 11:10.65 and 500 free with a 5:33.19 time. Chloe Harris ’19, had several season bests in the 1000 free at 13:21.24 and 500 free with 6:20.98.
Basketball
The Pioneers’ women’s basketball team was predicted to finish fifth in a NEWMAC preseason poll composed by the league’s coaches. A conference champion, Babson was predicted to be first. Selection #2 was awarded to Coast Guard Academy while Springfield took the #3 spot. Rounding out the remaining seeds are #4 MIT, #5 Smith, #6 Wheaton, #7 WPI, #8 Emerson, #9 Wellesley, #10 Clark and #11 Mount Holyoke. With 11 returners and their top three scorers from last season on the roster, Smith basketball should be serious contenders in the NEWMAC this season. Returning sophomores Samantha Alakai ’18, Meghan Holland ’18 and Paige Marquez ’18 accounted for almost half of the Pioneers offense. Smith also welcomes back its leading rebounder, Amanda Barriscale ’18, who led the team in assists last season. The First-years will also contribute to the Pioneers success this year. The Pioneers’ began the season on Saturday, Nov. 14, playing against Curry College in the 23rd Annual Tyler Tip-Off Tournament, ending in an impressive win of 85-42, and starting the season off with a bang.
