January 19, 2012
Although the Continentals have encountered stiff competition this season, they have simultaneously proved to be worthy competitors.
Hamilton graduated three of their top ten players in 2011; however, five talented first-years have proved to be positive assets to the team. They are currently ranked 24th in the country with a record of 2-3-0.
The Continentals traveled to Williams College on Nov. 18 to open their season against Stanford University and Williams College. Hamilton defeated 25th-ranked Stanford in their first match. First-years Peter Harrison, Walker Lourie, Ted Nehrbas and Austin Engros each won their first collegiate matches. At the fifth position, Harrison defeated his opponent in a three game match, as did Engros, who gave up a mere six points at the ninth position. Lourie and Nehrbas played five matches to ultimately end victorious at the sixth and eighth positions, respectively.
Additionally, Cooper Veysey ’12 and Ronald German ’13, who respectively play numbers four and seven, won their matches to add to the victory.
The following day, the team faced a setback to their successful start, losing to Williams 9-0.
The team improved their record against 32nd-ranked Colgate, defeating them 9-0 in shutout fashion. Martin Bawden ’14, Alex Wood ’12 and Ted Black’15 each won their first matches of the season. Veysey, Harrison, Lourie, German, Nehrbas and Tim Gray ’12 all contributed to the victory, each defeating their opponents 3-0.
This past weekend, Hamilton struggled through two difficult losses against 20th-ranked Bowdoin and the 15th-ranked Naval Academy. Against Bowdoin, Harrison and German brought home victories for Hamilton in the seventh and sixth positions, respectively, each defeating their opponents 3-1.
The women’s team had a testing start to the season; however, with five team members returning from abroad, the team is hopeful for the near future. Ranked 18th, the Continentals have only played three matches since the season began on Nov. 18 and hold a record of 1-2-0.
The women fell to 6th-ranked Stanford and 10th-ranked Williams in their first few contests of the season. Shortly thereafter, however, they progressed with a 7-2 victory over Bowdoin. Alyssa Bawden ’12 came from behind to defeat her opponent in the third position. Claire Corroon ’13, Kelsey Bogle ’14, Hannah Coffin ’14 and Hilary Kolodner ’14 were all victorious at the fourth, fifth, sixth and ninth positions, respectively. First-year players Elizabeth Morris and Isabelle Weisman each recorded their first collegiate victory in the match.
This past weekend, the Continentals also traveled to Annapolis to play Navy. Despite the fact that it was an informal match, each individual match proved to be great preparation for the season. The team is anxious for their first home match this weekend against top-10 squads from Bates and Cornell. After training for the past few weeks, the team feels they are well prepared to take on their opponents. This young, yet strong team certainly has high expectations for the upcoming season.