Athletics have become a fundamental aspect of College life for Vassar students across campus; with 25 varsity teams, a series of club teams and various recreational activities offered throughout the year, Vassar students can find plenty opportunities to be up and active around campus.
Compiled below is a guide to Vassar varsity sports and a several other recognized club teams. Intramural sports leagues are offered in volleyball, basketball, tennis and indoor and outdoor soccer. There are also one-day events offered throughout the year, such as games of touch football and squash.
Students looking for more information on Vassar athletics, can search the Miscellany News sports section archives, check out the athletics page in the Vassar Encyclopedia or travel to the Vassar Athletics website.
Baseball
Season: Spring
Coaches: Head Coach: Jon Martin spent two years as assistant coach before he was named head coach in 2005. A former pitcher at Lynchburg College, Martin has experience as a player and coach.
Assistant Coach: Andrew Kiriakedes came to the team in 2007 after spending a season coaching for his alma-mater Marist College.
Volunteer Assistant Coach: Rich Whitney joined the Brewers in 2008.
Where they play: One of the teams that has really benefited from the renovations at Prentiss, baseball now plays on a home field that boasts dugouts, a scoreboard and a press box.
2009 Season Highlights: Last spring, the baseball team recorded a few league wins and had Sal Costanzo ’12 and Ari Glantz ’10 given All-League Honorable Mention.
Support your Brewers: There is currently no spring schedule up yet for the team, but there will be plenty of opportunities to see the Brewers in action with just about all their homes games being doubleheaders.
Men’s and Women’s Basketball
Season: Winter
Coaches: Men’s Head Coach: This year Del Harris will take over as full-time head coach after spending last season as the interim head coach.
Women’s Head Coach: Candice Brown, the women’s fourth coach in four years, will be coaching the Brewers with high hopes of turning the team around like she recently did at Manhattanville College.
Where they play: The men’s and women’s teams split time playing in the gym at the Athletics and Fitness Center.
2008-09 Season Highlights: The men's team struggled with their difficult Liberty League schedule last year. Highlights included Brian Butterworth ’09 recording his 1,000th career point and Matt Nunn ’09 being named to Second Team All-League. The women's team ended their season on a high note last year, beating Clarkson in overtime, their only league win of the season. In addition, Emily Parks ’12 was first Brewer to be named Liberty League Co-Rookie of the Year.
Support your Brewers: The women’s team plays a heavy home schedule next year with the first eight of their nine non league games held at home. Similarly, the men's team a majority of league games on their home court.
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country
Season: Fall
Coaches: Head Coach: James McCowan, 1995 Vassar alum and former All-American runner, has coached the team since 2005.
Associate Head Coach: Ron Stonitsch has been with the team since 1982 and was an eight-time All-American and three-time National College Cross Country and Track Champion at C.W. Post.
Where they play: Practicing wherever there’s room to run, the men and women’s teams are often seen over at the Vassar Farm, which serves as their home course.
2008 Season Highlights: Anthony Lucero ’09 was a big name for the men’s team, placing 37th out of 234 runners at the Division III Atlantic Regional Cross Country Championships, helping to place the team at 18th out of 34. Joanna Spangler ’12 was a standout for the team, placing 93rd out of 237 runners NCAA Division III National Cross Country Championships and 2nd at the ECAC Championships, helping the team to an 8th place finish.
Support your Brewers: While the teams spend just about all their season on the road, you can watch as the Brewers kick off their Cross Country season at their annual Vassar Invitational hosted on the Farm, a meet which both the men's and women's teams have won for the past six years.
Men's and Women's Fencing
Season: Winter
Coaches: Head Coach: Bruce Gillman spent time coaching and refereeing before joining the Brewers in 2005. This past season, he was named Coach of the Year for his work with the men's team.
Assistant Coach: Eric Soyka
Where they play: The fencing teams call the last bays of Walker Field House home, claiming the entire Field House for theirs series of all-day fencing matches in November through February.
2008-09 Season Highlights: The men's team recorded one of their best seasons in program history finishing in the top of the Northeast Fencing Conference, and, for the second consecutive year, Andrew Fischl ’11 competed in the NCAA Fencing Championships in the sabre. The women's team had their strongest-ever NCCA Regional Championship performance, resulting in sophomores Sophie Courser and Julie Carlsen earning at-large bids to the NCAA Fencing Championships.
Support your Brewers:
This winter, look for triple-header weekends—when Walker Field House hosts the fencing teams in action alongside the swimming and diving and the basketball squads.
Field Hockey
Season: Fall
Coaches: Head Coach Cara Dunn: Dunn was the former field hockey assistant coach; she has also worked as women’s lacrosse assistant coach, and she played both field hockey and lacrosse at Salve Regina College.
Where they play: After its instillation last year, the Weinburg Turf Field is host to the field hockey team's practices and games.
2008 Season Highlights: The team ended a 19-game Liberty League losing streak (held since October 2005) with a huge win over Union College, the team that would go on to finish third in the league—the Brewers were eighth.
Support your Brewers: Besides the regular season games the teams will host at Weinburg, you can catch a full weekend of field hockey when the team hosts the annual Betty Richey Tournament on September 12 to 13.
Women’s Golf
Season: Fall and Spring
Coaches: Head Coach: Rhett Myers became the assistant coach to the women's golf team in 2004 and moved to head coach in spring 2007. He is the head pro and manager of the Vassar Golf Course.
Assistant Coach: Andy Jennings began the program in 2003 and served as head coach until 2007.
Where they play: The team practices on the ever-convenient Vassar Golf Course located next to Walker Field House.
2008-09 Season Highlights: A small but strong program, the women's golf team saw Alex Bello ’12 named to National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) All-East Region Team after placing in the top 20 of all eight tournaments in which the Brewers competed.
Support your Brewers: Even though the team practices on the Vassar Golf Course, the team only plays one competition at home, the Vassar Invitational during their spring season—make sure you're there for your chance to support the team.
Men and Women's Lacrosse
Season: Spring
Coaches: Men's Head Coach: Joe Proud came to the Brewers in 2005 with All-American status and experience coaching for a number of collegiate programs across the country.
Men's Assistant Coach: John Nicol became part of the Brewer's staff in 2008 after spending previous years at a variety of collegiate and high school programs. Women’s Assistant Coach Cara Dunn, will continue as assistant coach and pick up the position as head field hockey coach.
Women’s Head Coach: Judy Finerghty came to Vassar in 1994 to fill the head coaching positions for the lacrosse and field hockey teams. Named Liberty League Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2007, Finerghty is a tenured faculty member. Though she will take a sabbatical this fall, Finerghty will return in the spring to coach her Brewers and the following fall as assistant field hockey coach.
Women's Assistant Coach: Cara Dunn was the former field hockey assistant coach and will be taking over a head coach this fall. She has worked as women’s lacrosse assistant coach since 2006 after graduating from Salve Regina College where she played both field hockey and lacrosse.
Where they play: The 2008 construction of Prentiss Field has given the Brewers a high-quality turf field on which to practice and play. The teams also make use of the adjacent grass field for weekends when both the men's and women's team are home.
2009 Season Highlights: The women's team ended with an overall winning season that saw four overtime games, three of which were in the Liberty League play. The team just narrowly missing qualifying for the conference tournament, but had four players named to All-League Teams. The men's team struggled through a difficult Liberty League schedule, yet raked in a series of non-league wins and a Second-Team Liberty League honor for Zach Beauhamp ’11.
Support your Brewers: Spring schedules aren’t out with either teams, but keep on the lookout for a possible night game under the lights or a weekend when both teams play at home.
Men’s and Women’s Rowing
Season: Fall and Spring
Coaches: Head Coach: Rodney Mott moved into the head coaching position in 2005 after having spent the previous 18 years working as both an assistant and head coach at a series of other colleges.
Assistant Coach: Zaula Usman joined the team in fall 2008; she graduated from Syracuse University where she rowed with the varsity 4 boat.
Where they play: Known on campus for their daily 5 a.m. practices, the team spends mornings on the Hudson River, rowing out of their boathouse about four miles from campus. Off-season the team trains in the erg room located in Kenyon Hall next to the varsity weight room.
2008-09 Season Highlight: The men's team took home a bronze in the lightweight 4+ and a silver in the pair race at the New York State Championships, while the women's team finished second at in the petite finals at the New York State Championships.
Support your Brewers: Even with a home boathouse, the best chance for watching your Brewers in action is likely going to be at the Head of the Hudson early in the fall season.
Men's and Women's Rugby
Season: Fall and Spring
Coaches: Head Coach: Tony Brown, Vassar’s first full-time rugby coach, came in 1995 with experience as a top-level player and coach and has lead the team to a long series of NRU playoffs, Met. NY Championships, national tournament qualifications and spring tournament titles.
Assistant Coach: Mark Griffiths
Where they play: The Vassar Farm is known on campus as Brewer rugby territory.
2008-09 Season Highlights: Always a pair of strong teams, the men's and women's rugby squads are among the top programs on the east coast. While the men's team advanced to the National Rugby Union (NRU) quarterfinals., the women's team advanced to the semifinals of the NRU Championships. In early June, the women's team had three Brewers play on the NRU U-23 team; Dani Goodman-Levi ’09 captained the team, helping lead them to their first Inter-Territorial Championship.
Support your Brewers: There will be plenty of chances to see both teams at home during the fall, so make the trek over to the Farm and catch a doubleheader day when you can see both squads defend their home turf.
Men’s and Women’s Soccer
Season: Fall
Coaches: Men's Head Coach: Andy Jennings, a Vassar athletics staff member since 1981, served as head coach and first Athletic Director before returning to full-time coaching in 2004.
Men's Assistant Coach: Nate Gibboney has coached the team since 2007. He was named Defensive Player of the Year at his alma mater Susquehanna University
Women's Head Coach: Richard Moller, former All-American player with Towson University, has been with the Brewers since 2006 after a series of coaching jobs across the east coast.
Women's Assistant Coach: Nicole Sausto-Grady, 2004 Vassar graduate and starting defender for her team, joined as a coach in 2008.
Where they play: Located next to the turf fields, Gordon field is the home of both the men's and women's soccer teams.
2008 Season Highlights: Because the men's team was playing in a very competitive Liberty League last year, they lacked the record to qualify for the playoffs, but had Brian Bianchetti ’10 named All-League Second Team and Jon Hootnick ’09 All-League Honorable Mention. Although just narrowly missing qualification for the Liberty League playoffs for the second year in a row, the women's soccer team saw three of their players named to the all-league teams. Allison McManis ’11 was named to the First Team, Carolyn Demougeot ’11 the Second Team and Annie Carnahan ’09 Honorable Mention.
Support your Brewers: While there are plenty of opportunities to catch both teams at home this season, don’t miss their night games under the lights. The men will face Mount St. Mary College on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m., and the women will play Bard College on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m.
Men's and Women's Squash
Season: Winter
Coaches: Head Coach: Jane Parker came to Vassar in 2000 to coach both the men's and women's squash teams after spending time on the pro-circuit and coaching national teams in Bermuda and her home nation England.
Where they play: Like the volleyball teams, the squash teams benefit from the 2006 renovations to Kenyon, which include nine squash courts—six international and three hardball.
2008-09 Season Highlights: The men's team came through in a close match against Fordham to finish out their season last year, and the women's team won their first-ever Liberty League Championship. Four players were named to All-League Teams, including second-time player of the year Emilie Kraft ’10.
Support your Brewers: With a season stretching from November to February, there are lots of chances to see your Brewers at home, but for a weekend full of squash, hang out in Kenyon in February when both teams will host their annual Vassar Team Challenge.
Swimming & Diving
Season: Winter
Coaches: The swimming team's coaching staff has yet to be decided. Last season’s head coach Lisl Prater-Lee will be taking a year for sabbatical.
Diving Coach: Tom Albright, joining the Brewers in 2003, brings 34 years of experience coaching diving to the Vassar team.
Where they play: Indoors at Walker, Kresge Pool is home to the Brewers.
2008-09 Season Highlights: The men's team broke seven school records in their 10th place finish at the state championships, and the women's team placed 10th out of 16 teams at the state championships, with Emily Love, a five-time All-American swimmer, finishing her last season at Vassar.
Support your Brewers: There are plenty of opportunities to catch league and non- league meets for both teams at Kresge, a perfect place to warm up during those cold winter months.
Men's and Women's Tennis
Season: Fall and Spring
Coaches: Men's Head Coach: Ki Kroll was named Liberty League Coach of the Year in 2007 and 2009 by the Liberty League and has been with the team since 2006–since then, the team has made four Liberty League tournament appearances.
Women's Head Coach: Kathy Campbell, a tenured faculty member as well as Director of Physical Education, was named Liberty League Coach of the Year four times, New York State Coach of the Year three times and has seen three All-Americans during her tenure.
Assistant Coach: Steve Guernsey
Volunteer Assistant Coach: Mark Chace
Where they play: During the warmer months, both teams can be found practicing and playing over at Joss Courts; in the cold months, however, the team switches over to the indoor courts in Walker Field House.
2008-09 Season Highlights: Both the women's and men's teams are considered to be two of Vassar’s strongest teams on campus. The men's team qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and advanced to the Liberty League Championship for the fourth consecutive year. Six players were named to All-League teams. The women's team also qualified for NCAA Tournament for seventh consecutive year and seventh straight Liberty League Championship. Six of their players were named to All-Conference Teams, one was named Rookie of the Year and another, Nicole Pontee ’10 was named Player of the Year and an ITA-All-American for the second year in a row.
Support your Brewers: There are few opportunities to catch the tennis teams at home in their fall seasons, but look for them in the spring when they compete in tough Liberty League schedules.
Men’s and Women’s Track & Field
Season: Spring
Coaches: Head Coach: James McCowan, 1995 Vassar grad and former All-American cross country runner, came back to Vassar in 2004 to coach cross country and the club track teams, which became varsity sports last spring.
Associate Head Coach: Ron Stonitsch has been with the cross country team since 1982 and helped found the track club in 1985. He was an eight-time All-American and three-time National College Cross Country and Track Champion at C.W. Post.
Assistant Coach: Christopher Richmonds ran as a Division I and II athlete and also trained with the Jamaica National Team. Richomnds spent time coaching top relay teams before joining the Brewers last spring.
Assistant Coach: Colin Sanders, former All-American Cross Country runner, graduated from Vassar in 2008 and then joined track team coaching staff following his graduation.
Assistant Coach: Evan Lasher—who is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the NSCA and has experience as a player and coach in field events—joined the staff in 2009.
Assistant Coach: Peter Van Aken has over thirty years experience in throwing events, specifically the hammer throw, for which he was a Division III qualifier in 1976 and 1977.
Where they play: The construction of the eight-lane, lighted track at Prentiss Field has given the track team a real home, boosting them from club to varsity-team status.
2009 Season Highlights: The men's team placed fourth at their Liberty League Championship meet and had 800-meter runner Jon Erickson ’11 and steeplechase runner Anthony Lucero ’09 qualify and compete in the ECAC Championships. The women's team placed third at the Liberty League Championship meet, and 5000-meter runner Joanna Spangler ’12 recorded first-ever program points at ECAC Championship Meet.
Support your Brewers: There likely won’t be too many opportunities to see your Brewers at home this spring, so keep on the lookout for their Matthew Vassar Invitational toward the end of the second semester.
Men’s and Women’s Volleyball
Season: Men: Winter and Spring
Women: Fall
Coaches: Men’s Team Head Coach: Antonia Sweet, assistant coach for both teams from 1998 to 2007, will continue as assistant for the women’s team along with stepping into the head coach position for the men’s team.
Women’s Team Head Coach: Jonathan Penn, beginning his Vassar career as women’s head coach in 1996, coached the men’s team as well, becoming the most successful volleyball coach in history. Penn will be assistant coach for the men’s team as well for the 2009-2010 season.
Where they play: Renovations to Kenyon Hall in 2006 gave both teams a beautiful new volleyball gym in which they can both practice and compete.
2008-09 Season Highlights: The women's team had a rough time in the Liberty League, but still had Tess Johnson ’10 named to the All-League Second Team. The men's team came just short in the NEVCA tournament, losing in the semifinals, but had three players named AVCA All-Americans. Phil Tully ’10 was named to the First Team, and John Kessenich ’09 and Scott Leserman '09 were named to the Second Team.
Support your Brewers: Besides the number of home games each team hosts throughout their season, look out for the Vassar Invitational, a competition hosted by the women's team in October and the men in February.
Non-Varsity Sports
In addition to the above-listed varsity sports, check out these teams for some more competitive, organized fun.
Polo: Season runs from November to April with practices occurring two to three times a week at Gardnertown Polo in Newburgh. Throughout the season, the team prepares for matches against other varsity level schools such as Yale, University of Connecticut and Skidmore. Opportunities to play more often at the club level are also available. No experience is necessary, and instruction and coaching provided by two nationally ranked coaches.
Ultimate Frisbee: An entirely student run team open to both men and women, ultimate frisbee runs just about all year with the teams practicing on any open field and in the bays during colder months. Known for the fun they have and by their official team names—the Swinging Monks and Boxing Nuns—Frisbee has A and B squads for both men and women. No experience is necessary.
Cycling Team: Best recognized on campus by their bright pink racing jerseys, the cycling team is a chance for students to train and compete at the intercollegiate level. A member of United States Cycling Federation’s (USCF) National Collegiate Cycling Association, the team races in both the spring and fall.
Ski Team: Members of the National Collegiate Skiing Association (NCSA), the Vassar ski team races during its season in the MacBride Division. Students of any experience level can compete in collegiate-level races in the northeast area.
Sailing Team: Not much is heard from the sailing team, but there are watercrafts available for use as well as a series of competitions sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association in the fall and spring in which students can participate.
Quidditch: One of Vassar’s most unusual teams, formed in Fall 2007 to mimic the infamous sport played by Harry Potter characters, the Quidditch team primarily plays in the fall and has competed in the Quidditch World Cup at Middlebury College the past two years. For more information about the Quidditch team, see the Miscellany News guide to student organizations.
Synchronized Skating: Known as Iced Brew, the synchronized skating team was formed in 2007 and practices at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center with competitions in the Open Collegiate level at local and regional arenas.
Resources
- New web site created spring 2009, providing up-to-date coverage of the teams, their schedules, histories, information on facilities and much more
- Provides league standings and weekly honors for member teams.
- League web site for the rugby teams.
www.vassar.edu/information/vsa.html
- Information on the club teams.
Be the first to comment on this article!