Arseneault a finalist for Cousy Award

Point guard David Arseneault '09 has been named a finalist for the Bob Cousy award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate point guard by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Arseneault is one of only two Division III guards named to the list of 17 total finalists. Last year, Illinois' Dee Brown won the award, which is presented by the Hartford Financial Services Group.

The Grinnell native is averaging 19.2 points per game (3rd in the MWC) to go along with a league-leading 8.39 assists. He averages over three assists more per game than second-place David McMullen of Ripon College.

Swimmers finish seventh in Omaha, prepare for Florida trip

by Eli Best

Grinnell’s swim teams each finished seventh in the Mutual of Omaha Invite last weekend out of nine men’s teams and 10 women’s teams. Those results may seem surprising coming from teams that are accustomed to holding up MWC championship trophies, but the swimmers felt good about their weekend performances because of the high level of competition they faced.

The Pioneers were up against a field of mostly Division II schools. Also, Grinnell did not bring divers and was not eligible to score points in some events. Considering they competed against DII schools, and could not score points in the diving events, the Pioneers were proud to not finish last.

Julia McHugh ‘07 highlighted yet another challenge of the meet: competing against academic pressures as well as good swim teams.

“It’s always tough … right before hell week,” she said. “We all have a lot on our minds on top of swimming.”

The Pioneer women received a strong performance from first-year Meghan McDoniel. She took seventh in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:11.99, and she was also part of a relay team that finished 5th in the 200-yard medley.

A first-year on the men’s team also had a strong showing. Paul Gagne ’10 followed up his Midwest Conference Performer of the Week award with a third-place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle (18:01.59) and was part of the 800-yard freestyle relay team that finished 5th.

The Pioneers will spend the next couple of weeks preparing for their winter break trip to Florida, where they will both train and compete.

“Florida is where we are really challenged with our training,” McHugh said. She pointed out that the workouts in the pool and on dry land will both intensify.

The Pioneer swimmers compete next against Connecticut College.

Breaking: Friday basketball games postponed

Due to inclement weather, both the men's and women's basketball road games at St. Norbert today have been postponed to Sunday. Sunday's tip-offs will be at noon for the women and 2 p.m. for the men. Saturday's game times of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Carroll College are unaffected.

Women's cross country finishes 7th in nation; two earn all-America honors

By Chloe Moryl

As seven mud-covered Grinnellians crossed the finish line on Nov. 18, they came to the end of an unprecedented season. The women’s cross country team had sealed Grinnell’s place in history as the first team in the Midwest Conference to win an NCAA Regional title a week earlier, and their seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division III National Championships established the program as one of the best in the country.

This year was the first time Sarah Spencer ’08 and Sara Brady ’07 competed at Nationals, and the two top Pioneer runners earned all-America honors. Spencer came in third place overall with a time of 22:52.00, while Brady came in 35th place with a time of 23:54.00.

Injuries had kept Spencer from competing at a top level in past seasons.

“I think the reason Nationals meant so much to me is because I’ve battled injuries for the past two and a half years, so I didn’t know if I’d be able to get back into running again,” Spencer said. “My biggest goal was to make it to the end of the season and to stay healthy, so to have done that and performed well was something that I didn’t know [would be possible].”

Brady joined the cross country team as a junior, and she has exceeded her own expectations by becoming one of the top runners in the country.

“This kind of represents … the time I’ve put into something, “ Brady said. “And [proves] that hard work really can pay off.”

But the Pioneers’ long hours of hard work couldn’t have prepared the runners for the soggy course in West Chester, Ohio.

“The conditions made it a lot more of an intense experience,” said Spencer. “The race was in a park, and it had rained a lot leading up to the meet. We were running through several inches of mud and water and runners’ feet were getting stuck and their shoes were being pulled off; some people were finishing with only one or no shoes.”

Spencer and Brady were supported by three other Pioneers who finished in the top 100 out of over 250 runners. Katie Ryan ’07 placed 83rd, Allison Louthan ’08 finished 92nd and Becky Bessinger ’09 crossed the finish line 93rd.

Grinnell is expecting to have a strong incoming first-year class next year to build on the team’s recent success, which has included three straight MWC titles.

“I think recruiting has gone well this year for [coach] Evelyn [Freeman],” said Spencer. “How this season went will make the recruiting easier because they will come to her instead of her having to seek them out.”

Although they are losing nine seniors before next season, the team looks forward to continued success.

“We’re losing a couple of the really crucial members of our team,” Spencer said. “But I would love to see the younger runners step up and be able to fill their shoes so we can have another exciting season like this one.”

Game of the Century? No Question.

Over the past few weeks, many football fan friends of mine have entered my room and glanced puzzlingly at my computer wallpaper, which depicts Michigan RB Mike Hart and Ohio State QB Troy Smith in action poses with “Game of the Century” written on the bottom half. “Really?” they ask inquisitively. "This Saturday’s #2 Michigan vs. #1 Ohio State clash is the 'Game of the Century?'"

The unconvinced looks proved to me that few outside of Michigan and Ohio truly understand the magnitude of the greatest rivalry in sports. Other great rivalries give each team multiple chances to beat the opposing foe each year. The Red Sox and Yankees played 19 times last year, while Duke and North Carolina battle two or three times per year in basketball. For Michigan-Ohio State, each team’s shot at glory—and usually the Big Ten title—comes once a year, on the third Saturday in November.

No game has shattered more national title hopes than Michigan-Ohio State, and this Saturday, the game is even bigger. The two teams are playing each other as the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the nation for the first time ever, and both teams enter the game undefeated for the first time in 33 years. The winner goes on to play for the national championship, no questions asked.

Wait a minute. Enough objectivity. The best way to communicate the scale of this rivalry is to throw out journalistic integrity altogether. So let me put it bluntly:

I hate Ohio State. I despise them with every ounce of my blood. I rate entire seasons based primarily on whether Michigan beats Ohio State. I think that any Michigan coach who cannot win more than 50 percent of his games against Ohio State after five seasons should be fired on the spot, regardless of his record in every other game. I think OSU coach Jim Tressel’s sweater-vests are a sign of the anti-Christ.

My level of fanaticism at best equals that of any fan making the trek to Columbus this weekend. Tensions are running so high that the Michigan Dean of Students e-mailed everyone on campus traveling to the game, warning them of the Buckeye hooligans that roam the streets of Columbus.

The memo told Michigan fans, “If possible, drive a car with non-Michigan license plates, … stay with a group … [and] avoid High Street in Columbus,” referring to OSU’s main campus thoroughfare. One Ohio State student said, “There will probably be some rioting [if OSU loses] ... but I don’t think it will be too bad.”

Wow, that’s reassuring. But that’s Michigan-Ohio State, where calling in the National Guard is just another item on the Columbus to-do list. No #1 vs. #2 game has packed this much loathing into one epic Saturday. The result will either completely ruin my November or make me the happiest fan at Grinnell, with no in-between.

Such is the life of a Michigan fan, living and dying by the 3rd Saturday in November and always remembering the words of former Michigan broadcaster Bob Ufer, who once said, “Never forget that Ohio is a four-letter word.”

Go Blue.

Columnist Mark Japinga is a second year student. He invites all of those who are not Ohio State fans to enjoy the game with him in Read Lounge at 2:30 on Saturday.

Sports previews

Pick up Friday's S&B for stories on three Pioneer teams that captured MWC championships and are gearing up for postseason competition:

Women's Soccer - Grinnell's stingy defense allowed just one goal in the conference season and heads into this weekend's MWC Tournament ranked in the top ten in the region.

Women's Cross Country - Pioneer runners accounted for five of the top seven finishers, including individual champion Sarah Spencer '07.

Men's Cross Country - Drake Ballew '08 nabbed the top spot, and the team finished tied for tops in the conference with Monmouth College.

The cross country teams are preparing for the NCAA Regionals in Northfield, Minn. on Nov. 11th.

Women's golf finishes 2nd in MWC Championships

The women’s golf team finished second out of seven teams at the MWC Championships this weekend. Illinois College ran away with the three-day meet, besting Grinnell by 110 strokes.

While none of the Pioneers finished among the top 12 golfers overall, the team got consistent play across the board to edge third-place St. Norbert by five strokes. Amy Livingston ’09 led the Pioneers, posting rounds of 92-96-93 to finish 13th with a total score of 279.

Stephanie Goggin ’10 and Caitlin Campbell ’08 tied for 15th with a 282. Haddie Dowson ’08 posted a 293, Jordan Heguy shot a 297, and Marie Liska ’07 shot a 323.

The top four scoring golfers determine a team’s round score each day, so different players can contribute on different days. For example, Dowson’s 93 was used towards the Pioneer team score on Friday, but her 103 on Saturday was not.

Heading into the meet, Livingston said, “Our team goal for the season--for conference--is to finish second, and we think we can do that.”

The Pioneers met that goal and may be in good position to do it again next year. Head coach David Arseneault is slated to lose just two of his top six golfers next season. Liska will graduate, and Campbell plans to study abroad next fall.

Livingston, the long-hitting #1 golfer, has two years of eligibility remaining. Goggin, the #2, has three years remaining.

For full meet results, visit the Midwest Conference site at www.midwestconference.org.

Women's tennis team gears up for MWC Championships

by Alex Woodle
The Pioneer women’s tennis team wrapped up two long weeks of play last weekend, ending with three tough matches in two days. They won two of the three to move to 5-3 (2-0 MWC) heading into their final season match Sunday.

The stretch began with the ITA Regional Championships, a very competitive singles and doubles tournament against some of the best players in the region, on the weekend of Sept. 22. Shweta Khajuria ’07 defeated two opponents to advance to the third round before falling 6-3, 6-4.

“We actually improved our score this year,” coach Barb Waite said, explaining that the team goal is to win more total individual games this year than last year.

The team followed the ITA Regionals with a match versus Simpson College last Saturday. No. 2 singles player Rachel Engh ’08 missed the match due to illness, but the Pioneers managed to take four of six singles matches and all three doubles matches to move their season record to 4-2. Khajuria, Maya Lipert ’09, Katie Colver ’09 and Jill Akiyama ’10 all won their singles matches, while Margaret Block ’08 and Laura Goffman ’09 both lost close matches.

Doubles play, which has been a consistent problem for the team this season, was something the team has focused on improving this season, according to Coach Waite.

“We used a new strategy [in doubles matches],” Lipert said. “We came up to the net more and played more aggressively.”

Later in the day last Saturday, Grinnell faced Luther College from the strong Iowa conference. Khajuria earned the only win for Grinnell in singles play, 6-3, 6-1. The doubles teams played close matches, with Khajuria and Engh playing to an 8-6 loss and Lipert and Colver losing 8-5.

Coach Waite was not fazed by the loss, “For us to beat Luther would have been an upset,” she said. “We’ve been working hard and it’s starting to pay off big time.”

The Pioneers went up against conference opponent Beloit College last Sunday, one day after the Luther loss. Although Grinnell won 7-2, there were several close matches in both singles and doubles play.

Khajuria and Engh both lost in singles, but each forced their final sets to a seventh point. Lipert, Colver, Block and Akiyama all won, with Colver forcing a third set and winning it 7-5.

“It was really tough, waking up Sunday feeling like you had played a few hours of tennis the other day is not the easiest thing,” Colver said of playing on back-to-back days.

For Lipert, the quick turnaround took a toll on more than her body. “I was cranky,” she said.

Coach Waite looks forward to their next match on Sunday, when she hopes the Pioneers “beat Lake Forest and send a message to the northern [division of the Midwest] Conference.”

The match starts at 10:00 a.m. at the home tennis courts, and is the last match for the Pioneers before the MWC Championship tournaments next weekend in Madison, Wisc.

Ritter: Keep the football team

On 9/29, the S&B Sports section ran an opinion piece written by Mark Japinga ’09 that argues Grinnell College should drop the football team. I disagree with Japinga’s argument and feel that he fails to take a fair look at the team’s on-field performance, Grinnell College’s finances, and campus-wide interest in football. He also does not address many key benefits of having the football team and, in focusing on win-loss record and finances to begin with, misses the mark on the real purposes of a Division III sports team.

Firstly, to clear up any misconceptions, Grinnell is not a perennial football cellar-dwellar. The Pioneers posted a 40-30 record from 1998-2004 and had a winning record (6-4) in 2004.

The past year and a half has been the exception, not the rule. Even if on-the-field performance was the judge of a college team's value (which it is not), it would be far too early to talk about dropping a traditionally competitive program. If Grinnell was this quick on the trigger a few decades ago, our most dominant program today—cross country—would have gotten the axe.

Instead, we should be supportive of getting a team that has proven it can be successful back on its feet and rallying for a repeat of the undefeated 1998 season.

Secondly, it is off the mark to criticize the football team for having “only” 400 people in attendance at the games, or around 2400 over six home games. Try to name even three of the other 17 sports that warm up 2400 seats per season.

400 people attending a sporting event here is very good. In comparison, the top-notch women's soccer team (6-1-1, 3-0 MWC) drew 100 versus a good Beloit team last Saturday. Contrary to Japinga’s claim, attendance figures make it obvious that a lot of Grinnellians would, in fact, miss football.

Thirdly, it makes no sense to bring up the collective finances of other colleges to claim that Grinnell’s football team is stealing funds from other sports, as Grinnell obviously differs greatly financially from the vast majority of colleges that go into such statistics. The facilities, equipment, jerseys, coaches and accommodations for all of our sports are tremendous compared to other schools at our size and level of competition. With a brand new athletic center and a staff of full-time coaches (something few colleges Grinnell's size can boast), the rest of the sports here are not at all being held back by football.

But the most important point to this discussion is that college athletics—especially non-revenue sports at the Division III level—are not about money and not about win-loss records and athletic accolades. All of Grinnell's sports lose money every year. And in the vast majority of years, no Pioneers become professional athletes.

Our teams should take pride in win-loss records and individual athletic accomplishments, but those accolades are not vital to the functions that athletics serve our small-college community.

Grinnell athletics should be about opportunities for students to play sports that they love. Football gives that opportunity to several dozen people.

Grinnell athletics should be about giving the student body entertainment. Football does that more prolifically than any other sport here outside of basketball.

Grinnell athletics should be about attracting unique, diverse students. Our athletic department considers football a “blue-collar” sport because it helps to bring in the working-class students that Grinnell so desperately needs for diversity. Football also brings in students from all over the country, as only a handful of roster members are from Iowa. The football team is one of our most valuable tools for admissions diversity.

What we have with the Grinnell football team is a program that has won half of its games over the past decade (including an undefeated season), a team that gives anywhere from 35 to 60 students an opportunity to compete every year, a sport that attracts more spectators than almost any other sport, and a sport that adds to student body diversity and recruiting. I see no good argument for eliminating the program but see many good reasons for keeping it.

Note: For those who use grinnellplans.com, Mark Japinga has posted more of his thoughts under the account [japingam].