In Review
TRIPLE THREAT: Boubacar Diallo ’16 was ranked 15th nationally among all Division III triple-jumpers late in the indoor track and field season. (Photo: Athletics and Recreation)The Yellowjackets were set to be well-represented at the ECAC indoor track and field championships in early March. That’s after a series of record-setting performances throughout the winter season.
The team of Laura Lockard ’17, Cameron Edwards ’16, Emily VanDenburgh ’15, and Yvette Igbokwe ’15 broke Rochester’s 4-by-200-meter relay record by nine one-hundredths of a second in February at Ithaca College, earning a trip to the conference championship meet. The four posted a time of 1:45.91, breaking the Yellowjackets’ previous mark of 1:46.00 set in 2010 at the ECAC championships.
VanDenburgh is also ranked 16th among Division III long-jumpers.
Rochester’s 4-by-400-meter relay of Lockard, Edwards, Brittany Schutrum ’17, and Becky Galasso ’14 broke the school record at Boston University’s Valentine Invitational. They clocked in at 3:56.85, a time that was ranked as high as 10th in NCAA Division III and broke the previous Yellowjacket record of 3:58.35.
On the men’s team, Boubacar Diallo ’16 is one of the premier triple-jumpers in Division III. In late February, he was ranked 15th nationally in the event.
Altogether, 13 men and 17 women have qualified for the ECAC championships, which take place March 7 and 8 in Boston.
Rochester’s men and women will run at home twice outdoors in April—at the Alumni Invitational on April 5, and at the Spring Invitational on April 26.
CHANGE OF SEASONS: Cameron Edwards ’16 (above, left) and Emily VanDenburgh ’15 helped lead the indoor track and field team while Nina Korn ’14 (below) is expected to help power the softball team. (Photo: Athletics and Recreation)
(Photo: Athletics and Recreation)Other highlights from the winter and spring seasons: Winter
Swimming and diving: Rochester women broke 15 records and posted 11 NCAA provisional qualifying performances, and the men broke nine school records and registered five NCAA qualifying marks at the UAA championships. The NCAA championships will be held in Indianapolis, Ind., in late March.
Squash: Rochester defeated the University of Pennsylvania to claim seventh place at the College Squash Association team championships in February. The Yellowjackets finished 8–7 overall.
Men’s basketball: Nate Vernon ’14 became the 27th man in 113 years to pass the career 1,000-point mark. With three games left in the season, he was 24th in career scoring.
Women’s basketball: As the season came to a close, Loren Wagner was averaging double figures in both points and rebounds for the Yellowjackets (ranked 12th in Division III in rebounds per game) and was ninth in career rebounding. One of Rochester’s key victories was a 72–68 win over Washington University at the Wash U. field house in St. Louis, marking the third straight year the Yellowjackets accomplished the feat.
Spring
Softball: The Liberty League champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs this season with the addition of softball as a sport at Clarkson. With career home run leader Nina Korn ’14 and other Yellowjackets returning, Rochester is the preseason coaches’ poll choice to win the league title.
Baseball: The Yellowjackets return with a solid, experienced cast of players both in the field and on the mound. Rochester is picked to finish third in the Liberty League race.
Lacrosse: The Yellowjackets will look toward their top three scorers from the 2013 season as they battle for a Liberty League playoff berth.
Golf: In the fall, Rochester secured the top seed for the Liberty League match play championships and will host the finals in late April at the Mendon, N.Y., Golf Club. Earlier that week, Rochester will compete at Oak Hill Country Club in the University of Notre Dame Invitational.
Rowing: The Yellowjackets won the 2013 Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, considered the small college national championship, with the first varsity eight boat. All eight rowers, along with the coxswain, return.
Men’s tennis: A four-match trip to the West Coast awaits during spring break. Rochester was 4–0 against Division III opposition early in the season. In late February, the Yellowjackets defeated Oneonta, 9–0, then lost to Division I Colgate the next afternoon.
Women’s tennis: A spring break trip to the West Coast will be a test for a young team that has only two seniors. Rochester’s fall schedule was filled with tournament-style competition.
Dennis O’Donnell is director of athletic communication for the Department of Athletics and Recreation.
