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Tiger Sports Produced Valiant Near-Misses in 2004; Local High Schoolers Forged Dramatic Turnarounds
By Bill Alden
While 2004 turned into a year of near-misses on the national scene for Princeton University athletics, the triumphs earned along the way made for some indelible memories. In addition, Princeton athletes made a splash on the world stage as several Tigers excelled at the Athens Summer Olympics. On the local high school scene, several programs made dramatic turnarounds that proved how sweetly unpredictable sports can be from year-to-year.
Winter Tales
After a rare one-year hiatus from post-season play, the Princeton men's basketball team restored the natural order of hoops as it cruised to the Ivy League crown, the 36th for the storied program.
A confident Tigers' squad, led by two first-team All-Ivy performers in Judson Wallace and Will Venable, headed to Denver for the NCAA tournament in March looking to upend heavily-favored Texas. Princeton gave the Longhorns fits in the first half but eventually succumbed 66-49 to finish the season at 20-8.
Princeton then suffered another loss as head coach John Thompson III left the program to follow in his father's footsteps and coach Georgetown.
But, keeping Princeton's hoops world in order, former Tiger hoops star and assistant coach, the fiery Joe Scott, returned from a successful stint at Air Force to take the reins of the program.
In the water, Princeton swimmers continued their dominance. The women's team, coached by Susan Teeter, won its fifth straight Ivy crown while the men won their second league title in the last three years under the guidance of Rob Orr.
On ice, the Tiger women's hockey team solidified its status as one of the solid programs in the country as it posted another 20-win campaign. Princeton, though, fell to Brown in the ECAC quarterfinals to end at 20-11-2.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Princeton men's hockey team suffered through another 20-loss campaign, costing head coach Len Quesnelle his job. Princeton brought in Guy Gadowsky from Alaska/Fairbanks to help energize the program.
The men's track team showed plenty of energy as it rallied past Cornell to win the Ivy League Heptagonal championship.
Princeton's men's squash team failed to win an Ivy League crown but sophomore sensation Yasser El-Halaby made history as he won his second straight individual national championship.
Spring Success
For most of the spring, the Princeton women's lacrosse team dominated the headlines. The two-time defending national champions, coached by Chris Sailer, were ranked No. 1 nationally almost from day one of the season as they piled up win after win.
The Tigers broke the program record for consecutive wins and brought a 19-0 record into the national title game against Virginia. Even though playing at Princeton Stadium, the Tigers wilted in the 90 degree heat, picking the wrong time to lose their only game of the season as the Cavaliers won 10-4 to dash Princeton's dream of a three-peat.
Despite ending the season on a low note, the Tigers' special spring was recognized nationally as Theresa Sherry, Lindsey Biles, Katie Norbury, and Elizabeth Pillion each earned first-team All-American honors.
At the beginning of the spring, Princeton men's lacrosse coach Bill Tierney wasn't sure what to expect. Tierney, who has guided Princeton to six NCAA championships, entered the season with a roster stocked with freshman that included only four players who had ever started a game prior to 2004.
Luckily for Tierney and the Tigers, one of those veterans was senior attacker Ryan Boyle, who took the young Tigers on his shoulders and carried them all the way to the NCAA Final Four. Although Princeton fell 8-7 to Navy in the national semifinal, Tierney asserted that it was one of the most gratifying seasons of his legendary tenure at Princeton.
Boyle, for his part, ended his career as the second leading scorer in program history with 232 points, trailing only Kevin Lowe's 274. He was named the Ivy League Player of the Year and earned first-team All American honors. The 5'11,180-pound Hunt Valley, Md. native wasn't finished leading teams on improbable runs as he moved on to Major League Lacrosse after graduation and helped the Philadelphia Barrage to its first-ever MLL crown.
The Princeton baseball team also had a good run as it won its ninth straight Gehrig Division title and then swept Dartmouth in a playoff series to win the Ivy crown. The Tigers topped host Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA tourney but then lost two straight and were eliminated.
Led by former major leaguer Scott Bradley, Princeton's professionalism was noticed as five players, Tim Lahey, Steve Young, Ross Ohlendorf, B.J. Szymanski, and Will Venable, were chosen in the MLB draft in June.
Down on Lake Carnegie, the Princeton crew program didn't produce a national champion as it has done on a nearly annual basis. The women's open boat, though, showed potential for the future as it won the Eastern Sprints and the Ivy League crown.
On the links, both the Princeton men's and women's golf teams brought home Ivy crowns. Junior star Avery Kiser won her third straight Ivy individual title while Jason Gerken and John Swain went one-two on the men's side.
Fall Feats
In the fall season, the Princeton women's soccer team put together one of the most remarkable campaigns in school history. Head coach Julie Shackford's talented, veteran squad advanced to the NCAA Final Four, becoming the first Ivy League women's team to make it that far.
The Tigers, who fell to UCLA 2-0 in the national semifinal, ended the season with a 19-3 mark, breaking the program and Ivy record for wins in a season.
Senior striker Esmeralda Negron ended her glittering career as the program's all-time leader in points (112) and goals (47). She was the Ivy League Player of the Year and earned first-team All-American recognition along with freshman teammate Diana Matheson.
Negron and Matheson were joined on the first-team All-Ivy squad by junior forward Emily Behncke and junior defender Romy Trigg-Smith. Other Tigers who received All-Ivy recognition included senior defender Janine Willis and senior defender Elizabeth Pillion.
The Tiger men's soccer team was in the race for the Ivy title until the last weekend of the season and also boasted an Ivy League Player of the Year in junior Darren Spicer, who led the league in goals (12) and points (25).
Spicing up the world of men's collegiate water polo, coach Luis Nicolao led the Tigers to their first-ever NCAA Final Four appearance. Striking a blow for eastern water polo, Princeton battled eventual national champion UCLA into overtime in the national semifinal before succumbing 7-5.
The Tigers ended the season at 25-6 as they set the program single-season record for wins. Junior driver John Stover and senior goalie Peter Sabbatini were both named as first-team All-Southern performers.
The Princeton football team produced a promising start as it got out of the gate with a 4-1 record. However, coach Roger Hughes' Tigers couldn't overcome back-to-back one point losses to Cornell and Penn as they skidded to a 5-5 mark.
Senior linebacker Zak Keasey never slowed as he led the Ivy League in tackles and was named as a first-team All-Ivy performer and also earned second-team All-American recognition.
The Princeton field hockey team made history of the wrong kind as their 32-game Ivy League winning streak was snapped when they fell 3-1 to Dartmouth in late September, marking their first loss in league play since October 1999.
The loss proved to be a bad omen for coach Kristen Holmes-Winn and her team as Princeton lost to Penn in the last second of the season's final game to see their 10-year Ivy League title streak come to an end.
History of a more positive kind was made by the women's volleyball team as longtime coach Glenn Nelson won his 500th game with the program. He joined former men's basketball coach Pete Carril (514) and former softball coach Cindy Cohen (564) as the only coaches to have won 500 games at Princeton.
Olympian Efforts
In the summer of 2004, the eyes of the world turned to Athens, Greece for the Summer Olympics and Princeton athletes made their presence felt.
The major highlight for those with Princeton connections came when the U.S. Men's eight crew rowed to the gold medal. The boat was coached by former Tiger freshman heavyweight coach Mike Teti and featured 1998 Princeton alum Chris Ahrens as well as 1996 Hun School grad Jason Read.
The women's eight earned silver with Lianne Nelson, a 1995 Princeton alum, on board. Thomas Herschmiller of Princeton's Class of 2001 helped the Canadian coxless four take silver.
In the pool, 2004 Princeton graduate Juan Valdievieso, competing for Peru, competed in both the 200-meter butterfly and the 100 fly.
On dry land, current Princeton senior Soren Thompson outdid himself in the fencing competition as he took seventh in the men's epee. Thompson's placement was the best in nearly 50 years by a U.S. fencer in the event.
Tora Harris, a 2002 Princeton alum, competed for the U.S. in the high jump. Harris, an NCAA champion during his college days with the Tigers, cleared 2.15 meters but didn't qualify for the finals.
Princeton High grad Andy Potts made his presence felt in the men's triathlon. Potts, a 1995 PHS alum who went on to swim for Michigan, was in first place coming out the water in the triathlon but faded in the Athens heat to a 22nd place finish.
Hun School
One of the more stirring reversals of fortunes on the local high school scene was produced by the Hun School boys' ice hockey team. Coming off a three-win campaign in 2002-03, second-yard head coach Francois Bourbeau guided the Raiders to a 12-5-1 mark last winter.
The highlight for Hun came when it won the Mercer County Tournament title game by edging WW/P-S 3-2 in overtime. Key catalysts in Hun's renaissance included goalie Ben Wirjosemito and forward Matt Torstrup.
On the hardwood, Hun's basketball programs continued their tradition of excellence. The boys' team, coached by Jon Stone, went 16-7, making it to the state Prep A semifinals.
Princeton native Noah Savage provided scoring and leadership for Hun as it battled such national powers as St. Benedict's and St. Anthony's. Hardened by those battles, Savage is now playing at the next level for the Princeton men's basketball program where he has been a starter from day one.
The Hun girls' team welcomed prolific junior transfer Shantee Darrian into the fold and went 15-9. Coach Bill Holup's club made it to the state Prep A semifinals as Darrian averaged 15.1 points per game.
In the spring, the Hun girls' lacrosse team emerged as another superb turnaround story as it went 12-3 after going 2-10 in 2003.
Coach Lauren Provenzano's squad was paced by the torrid scoring of junior Bis Fries and the leadership and productivity of senior Tarah Kirnan. The Raiders' stellar spring ended in the state Prep A semifinals where they lost to Oak Knoll.
Hun's softball team, however, went all the way as it won the state Prep A title paced by the pitching of junior ace Emily Rosenthal. Coach Kathy Quirk's club also got fine play from Jill Fonseca, Kait Kirby, and Christina Zimmerman as it went 11-4, culminating its special spring with a 4-2 win over Blair in the state championship game.
Rebounding from a 0-3 start, the Hun boys' lacrosse team caught fire and won 12 of its last 13 games. Senior star Alex Green scored 93 points as the Raiders ended their season by losing to eventual state champion Lawrenceville in the state Prep A semifinals.
In the fall campaign, Hun fielded three dominant teams while a fourth wrote another stirring comeback story. After coming close the last two seasons, the Raider football team broke through and won its first-ever Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) title in emphatic fashion. Led by record-setting junior running back Myron Rolle, Hun went 8-1 overall, including an unblemished 5-0 mark in MAPL play. Coach Dave Dudeck credited an upgrade in defensive play with paving the way to Hun's championship fall
The Hun girls' tennis team, meanwhile, continued its dominant ways. For the second straight year, coach Joan Nuse's squad achieved the triple of winning the Mercer County Tournament (MCT), the MAPL crown, and the state Prep A title.
The driving force for Hun was senior star Angela DiPastina, who went undefeated this fall at first singles and ended her carer with four state prep A individual titles and two MCT crowns.
Boasting a roster stocked with senior stars, the Hun boys' soccer team went 16-4 and came in second in the MCT and state Prep A tourneys. Coach Chris Kingston acknowledged that his Class of 2005, which included such stars as Matt Care, Matt Miller, Kevin Michel, Jon D'Angelo, Scott Loesser, and Adam Kotchin, had established itself as one of the greatest groups in recent program history.
The final turnaround story for Hun in 2004 was written by the Raider field hockey team. Coming into the state Prep A tournament with a 4-9-1 record, coach Sarah Ostermueller's team didn't have the look of a title contender.
Sparked by a mix of hungry veterans and precocious newcomers, though, Hun toppled third-seeded Peddie and second-seeded Blair to advance to the state championship game. Even though Hun fell to Lawrenceville in the title contest, the late season surge portended more success in the future.
Princeton Day School
It was business as usual last winter for the PDS boys' ice hockey team as the Panthers won their seventh straight Prep B title. Sparked by the offensive productivity of Will Denise and Keith Nelson, PDS topped Morristown-Beard 4-2 in the state title game. Coach Chris Barcless' team finished 17-4-1 after it edged Wyoming Seminary to win its own invitational tournament.
For the PDS boys' basketball team, the arrival of new head coach Ahmed El-Nokali changed the tone of a program that had struggled in recent years. Under the steady guidance of El-Nokali, a former star point guard for Princeton University, the Panthers started out hot and proceeded to advance all the way to the state Prep B championship game.
While PDS fell in that game to end the season at 16-9, its quartet of seniors, Dave Pepperman, Alex Sugiura, Dylan Leith, and Rajeev Sharma, knew that they had saved their best for last in a memorable winter.
The PDS girls' hockey team produced some good memories as it went 12-10 and advanced to the state Prep semifinals in coach John Cook's debut season with the program. Junior star Meg Kerwin provided much of the offense as she led PDS with 57 points on 38 goals and 19 assists.
Under the leadership of coach Sue Repko, the PDS girls' basketball team rebounded nicely as it went 10-11 after having struggled to a 5-17 mark in 2003-03. The play of a quartet of solid veterans, Lexi Cheshier, Marla Pfenninger, Katie Levine, and Kathryn Batchelor, helped put the Panthers on the right track.
The spring season saw three PDS teams make major strides. The boys' lacrosse team, coached by Peter Higgins, utilized its scrappiness to go 10-5, an improvement on the 7-8 record it posted in the spring of 2003. The scoring of Laddie Sanford and the goaltending of Oliver Burton were key factors in PDS' winning campaign.
Sparked by the addition of multi-talented Dan O'Brien, the PDS baseball team went 10-6 and advanced to the Prep B semifinals. O'Brien, a transfer from Princeton High, led coach Bruce Devlin's team in hitting (.503) homers (5) and RBIs (33) in addition to being a mainstay of the PDS pitching rotation.
Going with a roster laden with freshmen and sophomores, coach Jill Thomas led the PDS girls' lacrosse team to an 8-6 mark, an improvement on the 7-7 record the team achieved in 2003.
The PDS girls' soccer team emerged as one of the top sides in the area as it went 15-4 and made it to the semifinals of both the MCT and the state Prep A tourney. Coach Ted Harrington credited his core of seniors, which included Lauren Hinkel, Kristina Costa, Kristin Modzelweski, Cat Tomasulo, and Meg Kerwin, with providing the skill and leadership that resulted in the team's glittering record.
Coming into the fall, the PDS football team had plenty of questions to answer as Bruce Devlin put his offense in the hands of freshman quarterback Clint O'Brien and freshman tailback Mike Shimkin. The backfield tandem responded with aplomb as they helped lead the Panthers to a 4-4 record, a major step forward from the 2-7 mark posted in 2003. The Panthers developed a stifling defense to go along with their young guns on offense as they posted four straight shutouts from late September into mid-October. Hit by injuries and graduation losses, the PDS field hockey team couldn't match its 2003 run which saw it advance to the state Prep title game. But with PDS winning four of its last six games, coach Jill Thomas sees better things on the horizon.
Princeton High
PHS continued its dominance in the pool under the guidance of longtime coach Greg Hand with a surprising twist as the unheralded girls' team advanced all the way to the state Public B finals rather than the boys' team, who had made it that far the two previous seasons.
Sparked by sophomore superstar Nina Rossi, the PHS girls went from a team that didn't even qualify for the state tournament four years ago into the juggernaut that came within four points of a state crown. Rossi dominated in the individual medley, butterfly, and freestyle, being named as the outstanding female swimmer at the Mercer County Championship for the second straight year.
The PHS boys weren't any slouch as they won their fourth straight sectional crown and their third straight county title in going 13-1 on the season. Towering Jesse Applegate was a constant force in the sprints while Pete Hand racked up win after win in the individual medley and breaststroke races.
With the opening of the new pool at John Witherspoon School, PHS swimmers figure to build on their already formidable record of success.
The arrival of high-scoring freshman forward John Ryan gave the PHS boys' hockey team a major lift. Ryan led the CVC in scoring with 51 points on 28 goals and 23 assists while senior star Matt Leuck ended his career with 103 points. PHS, coached by Paul Merrow, advanced to the final of the Titans Cup for the first time in the tournament's history.
The girls' hockey program solidified its standing as it went 9-7, led by the high-scoring pair of Louise Finnell and Vicki Chen.
In the spring, senior Ilia Shatashvili capped one of the greatest careers in PHS tennis history. The cool-headed Shatashvili won the title at first singles at the Mercer County Tournament as the Little Tigers finished second in the team standings.
The win gave Shatashvili four straight MCT individual titles, making him just one of five players to accomplish that feat since 1989 when the current format was adopted. Led by Shatashvili and second singles star Chris Hoeland, PHS went 19-7 overall and advanced to the state Group III semifinals.
The PHS lacrosse teams each made it past the first round of the state tournament. The boys' team, coached by Peter Stanton, ended with a disappointing record of 5-11. The proud program, however, did keep one tradition intact as it beat Governor Livingston 11-7 in the opening round of the state Group II playoffs. The win marked the sixth straight year that PHS has won at least one game in post-season play.
The girls' squad went one step further than the boys as it won two state tournament games to finish with an 8-7 record. High-scoring Louise Finnell was a pivotal figure for coach Joyce Jones' team which had been eliminated in the opening round of the state tourney in 2003 after not even qualifying in the two prior campaigns.
The PHS girls' track team placed fourth of 18 teams at the Group III Central Jersey sectional championship meet, led by Allison Crowley, who won the triple jump and took second in the 100 hurdles, and Natalie Gengel, the winner of the pole vault with a school-record jump of 9'9.
In the fall, the PHS football team turned a lot of heads as it went 5-5, thereby posting the program's first non-losing season since 1994. The enthusiastic leadership of coach Steve Everette helped turn the fortunes of a program that had suffered through a 5-45 overall record the previous five seasons.
The passing touch of senior quarterback Vinny Giacalone, the receiving of senior Vance Slocum, and the explosive rushing of sophomore Alexz Henriques transformed the PHS offense into a highly productive unit.
While the football team made major progress, PHS' perennially strong soccer programs struggled. Coming off a season in which it won the Mercer County Tournament and the Central Jersey Group III sectional title, the PHS boys' team never truly got into sync as it went 8-7-2. Coach Wayne Sutcliffe's club was eliminated in the second round of the MCT and in the opening round of the state tournament.
Dealing with severe graduation losses, the PHS girls' team, coached by Greg Hand, finished at 7-9. Led by senior midfielder Zoe Sarnak, the Little Tigers played their best soccer of the season down the stretch, portending good things for the future.
Stuart Country Day
Under fiery new coach Tony Bowman, the Tartans' basketball squad went 7-8. Sparked by the hustle and productivity of Kathryn Kitts, Stuart routed Ranney School in the opening round of the state Prep B tournament before falling to powerful Rutgers Prep in the semis.
Another new coach, Sara Wagner, produced a fine debut season as she helped the Stuart lacrosse team rebound from a 4-9 campaign. With seniors Kelly Fitzpatick and Carly Williams providing leadership and offense, the Tartans went 9-6 and made it to the state Prep B semifinals.
Veteran coach Tom Harrington, meanwhile, added another championship to his resume as he guided the Stuart track team to its third straight Prep B title.
A quintet of seniors, Brittany Jones, Maya Thompson, Megan Keese, Sophie Medina, and the coach's daughter, Angela Harrington, carried most of the load for the Tartans as they scored 72 of the team's 144 points in the Prep B championship meet.
The fall season turned into one of the best ever for Stuart athletics as the school garnered three state titles. In cross country, senior star Emily Driscoll saved her best for last as she picked up course and school records in leading the Tartans to the state Prep B title. For the Stuart runners, coached by Harrington, it was their third straight Prep B title and the fifth in seven years.
The Tartans' tennis team joined in the fun as it took the state Prep B title for the first time since 2001 when it shared the crown. Stuart swept the Prep B tourney at singles as Kathryn Kitts won at No.1, Claire Wiles at No. 2, and Kelsey Semrod at No. 3.
The most powerful team this fall at Stuart, though, was its prolific field hockey team. Under the guidance of longtime coach Missy Bruvik, the Tartans went 17-3, winning the state Prep B title and setting a single-season record for victories in the process.
Senior forward Taylor Blazewski led the attack as she scored 16 goals and had 12 assists. Junior goalie Christa Goeke anchored the defense, recording eight straight shutouts at one point during the fall.
