Winter 2005-06
After going 10-0 in league play during the regular season, the volleyball women hosted the NESCAC tourney November 4-6. The Mules won three straight matches, including the title match against Tufts, to earn Colby’s first NESCAC title in any sport in a round-robin tournament format. (The 2003 women’s crew won Colby’s first NESCAC title by finishing first among NESCAC schools at the ECAC meet.) Colby earned its first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament bid by winning the NESCAC tourney and the Mules earned the right to host the NCAA New England Regional the following weekend. The Mules again posted three straight match victories including another sweep of Tufts in the regional final. An enthusiastic crowd of more than 1,000 fans watched the win over the Jumbos. The Cinderella season finally came to an end in the NCAA quarterfinals with a loss to defending national champion Juniata College in Salem, Virginia. Colby finished the year ranked 19th in the country in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association national poll. Tri-captain Cait Cleaver ’06 became the first Colby volleyball player to earn All-America third-team honors. Cleaver was honorable mention All-America after her sophomore season. She finished as Colby’s all-time leader in kills (1,562) and defensive digs (1,648). Fellow tri-captain Kaitlin Adams ’06 earned honorable mention All-America honors after leading the NESCAC in hitting percentage at .378. Adams finished her Colby career as the all-time hitting percentage leader (.333). She finished with a team-best 135 blocks this year and had 425 kills. Adams and Cleaver both earned New England All-Region and NESCAC first-team honors. Megan Devlin (388 kills, 576 digs), Mariah Daly (295 kills), Jenny Lawrence (1,473 assists), and Kendall Kirby (118 aces, 764 digs) also had big years for the Mules. Parent earned New England Region and NESCAC Coach of the Year honors. Finishing fifth at the NCAA Division III Championships in 2004 was the best the women’s cross country team had ever finished at the national meet. The Mules were able to duplicate that achievement this fall when Colby once again placed fifth in the country under head coach Deb Aitken. Jess Minty ’06 and Karen Prisby ’07 each earned All-America honors for finishing in the top 35 overall. Minty, an All American in indoor track last year, finished in 16th place, while Prisby placed 19th. Colby qualified for NCAAs by placing second at the New England Regionals. The Mules had four runners in the top 20, including Minty (fifth), Prisby (10th), Liz Turner (17th), and Anna King (18th). Colby took third place in the NESCAC meet with Prisby finishing fourth and Minty sixth. The harriers hosted and won the State of Maine Championships with help from Minty, who won the race, Prisby, who was second, and King, who placed third. The Colby football team finished second in the NESCAC and won the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin title for the third straight year. Colby improved to 7-1 this fall and won their final four games including an impressive 28-3 road win over Bowdoin to end the season. Tight end Roddy Ames ’06 earned New England Football Writers Division II/III honors and was a first team all-conference selection. Co-captain Dan Oliphant ’06 was named to the first-team offensive line for the second straight season. Ames led Colby in scoring with six touchdowns for 36 points, while Oliphant will play for the American squad against a Mexican team in the Aztec Bowl in December. Running back Aaron Stepka ’06, wide receiver Michael Tomich ’06, linebacker Andrew Heaney ’07, and defensive back Mike Bracco ’06 all earned NESCAC second-team honors. Stepka finished his career with 3,465 yards and 27 touchdowns while earning all-conference honors three times and NESCAC Offensive Rookie of the Year. Tomich averaged 20.2 yards per catch and led the Mules in catches and receiving touchdowns, Heaney was second on the team in total tackles, and Bracco led the Mules in total tackles, solo tackles and interceptions. The women’s soccer team made it to the NESCAC tournament semifinals for the first time since the playoff system started. The Mules finished with a 7-3-5 record and advanced past Amherst in a penalty kick shootout in a NESCAC quarterfinal. The Mules lost in the conference semifinals to eventual champion Tufts, 2-1. Forward Laura Williamson ’07 and goalkeeper Liza Benson ’07 both were named to the NESCAC all-conference first team. Williamson moved into second place on the all-time scoring list at Colby with 34 goals and 13 assists for 81 career points. Williamson needs 15 points to become the Mules’ all-time scoring leader. Benson was among the top three goalkeepers in three statistical categories in the NESCAC. Sisters Kara ’06 and Katie McCabe ’08 were named to the NESCAC second team. Kara, a senior co-captain, led Colby’s defense. Katie was second for the Mules in scoring with two goals and a team-best seven assists under head coach Jen Holsten ’90.
After losing key seniors from a NESCAC semifinal team of 2004, the field hockey team finished 5-8 this season while losing a number of tight games. Colby lost four of its games by one goal with a lineup made up of mostly young players. First-year forward Mary Clare Snediker ’09 earned conference second-team honors along with goaltender Jamie Enos ’08. Snediker led the Mules in scoring with nine goals, while Enos averaged more than 10 saves per game and kept Colby in most games. The men’s cross country team ended the season on a solid note by finishing in 13th place out of 43 teams at the New England Regional NCAA qualifier. John Swain ’08, Jeff Alden ’07, and Dan Vassallo ’07 were the top runners for Colby this season. Swain finished a team-best 20th at the NESCAC meet and was sixth at the State of Maine meet. For the golf team, Matt Aschaffenburg ’06, the CBB champion from 2004, had the top score for Colby’s team at the NESCAC meet in 2005. |
