By Kate Joseph
Staff Writer
Cross Country
Simmons College cross country claimed sixth place at their first meet of the season, the Roger Williams Invitational, on Saturday, Sept. 6. Leading the team was junior Kara Maclean who finished fifth with a time of 21:19, her personal best. “I see so much strength in the bonds on our team and instant clicks between rookies and veterans,” said Maclean. “This strength is going to do big things for us this season.”
After Maclean, sophomores Bethanie Royality-Lindman and Mia DeLuccia followed in 31st and 36th places, clocking in at 22:50 and 23:11 respectively. “These girls are proving themselves to be athletes,” said MacLean. “The harder the workout, the more competitive they get. I am very excited for the remainder of the season and I see a lot of personal goals being achieved in the very near future.”
Cross country returns on Sept. 20 at the Wellesley Invitational at Elm Bank Park in Wellesley, Mass.
Soccer
Simmons soccer began their season in New Jersey facing off against Ramapo College on Saturday, Aug. 30 and St. Joseph’s (Long Island) on Sunday, Aug. 31. The games resulted in a 2-2 tie and a 7-0 win respectively. The team pulled in another tie and two losses in their following three games versus Smith, Wellesley and Babson.
“The past three games against NEWMAC opponents demonstrate how competitive we will be this season,” said Coach Erica Schuling. “My staff and I are very pleased with the physical conditioning of our entire team. I am looking forward to a week of training sessions to fine-tune our well-oiled machine.”
This season’s roster includes several returning players including Greer Gilbert and Kashka Gammon, who worked to score a goal on Babson in Saturday’s game. “This got our team going,” said Coach Schuling. “It provided inspiration and the Sharks rallied for the rest of the game.”
Soccer returns on Saturday, Sept. 13 as they face Lesley College at 1 p.m.
Volleyball
Simmons volleyball began their season at the Clarkson Classic Volleyball Tournament on Friday, Aug. 29, and Saturday, Aug. 30, where they fell 3-0 in three separate matches versus Clarkson, Calvin, and New Paltz. The Sharks also played Smith and lost 3-1.
“We know that’s it’s going to be a process and we need to be patient and remember our goals,” said Coach Danielle Soubliere, “but we’re going to work hard to achieve them. It’s going to be a learning year and it’s going to be tough but we’re ready for the challenges and to come together when they arise.”
This season’s team consists of 13 players, six of which are first years. “Even though our record shows a slow start to the season, I think we have a lot of potential,” said sophomore Alex Itasaka. “This is a young team with a new coach, so we have to figure out how to work together before we can really take off. Once we get the right chemistry on the court, I think we will be a forced to be reckoned with.” Volleyball hits the court again at St. Joseph (Conn.) on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 1 p.m.
Tennis
Sharks tennis kicked off their season by defeating Wheaton 5-4 on Aug. 30. The team followed this strong start with two more wins against Mount Holyoke and Clark (Mass.), as well as one loss to Roger Williams. “Our…record against solid competition gives us confidence going forward,” said Coach Robert Rauseo. “We return all players from a team that won a round in the NCAA tournament in May so we know we can compete and win at a high level.”
Among these players are Meg Cokely, who won first doubles Saturday along with teammate Caroline Khoury, and second singles, and Rachel Downey who won second doubles with Theresa Reinhard as well as third singles. Simmons tennis returns at noon.on Saturday, Sept. 13 at St. Joseph (Conn).
Field Hockey
Sharks field hockey fell to Mount Holyoke in their first game of the season on Friday, Aug. 29 with a final score of 3-1. The following game was played on the home field where the team shut out Becker College at 5-0. Two more games resulted in losses with MIT taking home a win after a 5-3 scoreboard and WPI claiming a victory after scoring the only goal of the game in overtime.
“We are off to a slower start than expected simply because we are still figuring out what the starting line up will look like for the season,” said Coach Amanda Maxwell. “We are very young but have
a lot of talent to work with.” That talent includes returning players, such as sophomore keeper Brianna Rastello and senior forward Kelly Williamson, as well as new faces like first-years Julie Saltamartini and Kelly Ryan.
“I think the two main things we need to work on at this time would be to get into a faster paced passing game as well as ‘gelling’ on the field,” said Coach Maxwell. “Once we get those two things down I think we have the capability to win the conference!”
Field hockey heads back to the field to face Mount Ida for a home game at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13.
