The President's Cup, the Ultimate goal
By Gary Braham 7-26-2000
Lafayette always seems to have a good basketball team, Lehigh is always a top finisher in football, Colgate's womens soccer only failed to finish first once in the past 11 years. All of these are outstanding achievements for those teams and for the schools. But, there is only one prize that can be claimed by the school with the overall top athletic program each year. That prize is the President's Cup, and it's something I would like to see in Colgate's trophy case next May.
The process is fairly simple. If you finish first in a sport, either in the postseason tournament, or if there is none, in the regular season standings, you get 7 points assuming all 7 teams competed. You get 6 points for second, 5 for third and all the way down to 1 point for last. Ties are also common. For example, last years football team gets 6.5 points for tieing with Lehigh in the regular season standings. Both the mens and womens basketball teams racked up 4.5 points for making it to the semi finals of the tournament and earned a tie for third because no third place game is played.
Last year....
A strong fall put Colgate on top of the standings in all three catergories, mens, womens and overall. In the overall, Colgate had a solid lead of 5 points over Bucknell. Leading the way for Colgate was the womens soccer team, the football team and the volleyball team. The winter seasons saw Colgate fall behind Bucknell by two points. Mens indoor track was the highest finish, they took home third place at the league meet while both basketball teams split the third and fourth place points. The men would find themselves just half a point behind Lehigh, while the women found themselves solidly in second behind Bucknell. Spring came, and gave Colgate one last chance to catch up. The mens teams had to make up for the absence of a baseball program, while the women had nearly a 5 point deficit to overcome. The women came close, lacrosse and tennis both took second place. It was not enough to overtake Bucknell. On the mens side, Colgate finished near the middle in just about every sport. It might have been enough, but Army just started winning championship after championship and seemed to at least finish in the top three in everything. They jumped up in the standings to claim the mens title. Finally, for the big prize, Colgate's mens and womens programs were both contenders for thier individual titles, but in the end, Bucknell had the most points to bring the President's Cup home with them for this coming school year.
This year...
Now here's a team by team look at how many points we got last year, and what we can expect this year.
Mens Cross Country - Last season: The team finished in 4th place
All league returns: N/A
This year: Three seniors are leaving. It's up to the rest of the team to step up
and fill the remaining slots.
Prediction: Forth or fifth
Womens Cross Country- Last season: The team surpassed preseason
expectations to finish 4th
All league returns: N/A
This year: The women have a bigger team, but have also lost some key
members. If they continue to work hard it might be possible to surprise a few
more people.
Prediction: Third to sixth
Mens Soccer- Last season: Finished 3rd with a record of 2-2-2. One of
the losses came in OT.
All league returns: No all league selections returning
This year: Colgate's top two overall point scorers will be returning as well as a top goaltender. The defense needs to stay strong while we need an extra
goal a game.
Prediction: Second to fourth
Womens Soccer- Last season: Colgate had one regular season loss and
won the post season tournament.
All league returns: Amanda Palidino (First team, Midfield, Junior), Sena
Maziarz (First team, Midfield, Senior), Angela Puliofico (Second team,
Foward, Junior), Sarah Mirza (Second team, Back, Senior), Meghan
Merriman (Second team, Back, Junior)
This year: Colgate has a key void to fill in net. Last year we were more
defensivly orientated with only two fowards. Colgate will need to add a few
more goals to suceed this year.
Prediction: A strong team is returning, first or second is more than likely.
Field Hockey - Last season: Colgate tied for third with a 3-3 record.
All league returns- none
This year: Colgate has a experienced team returning. Defense will be a strong
point and the top goal scorer is returning. Colgate worked hard in the
offseason and their dedication and determination will show.
Prediction: Second or third
Football - Last season: Tied for first due to an off game loss against
Bucknell, won the tie breaker for the NCAA biddue to a win over co
champion, Lehigh.
All league returns: Randall Joseph (First Team, Running back, Senior), Alex
Houston (First team, Defensive line, Senior), Brandon Tinson (First team,
Defensive back, Super senior), Ahman Russell (Second team, Defensive
line, Senior), John Costantino (Second team, Linebacker, Senior)
This year: The loss of the leagues best quarterback and amazing offensive line
could hurt us, but everything else looks great. Quick passes and getting the
ball to Randall Joseph will keep the offense going and the defense will be as
dominant as ever.
Prediction: We could win first place outright, a finish lower than second is
unlikely.
Volleyball Last season: Tied for first in the regular season, then
won the tournament and made a great showing at NCAA's.
All league returns: Laura Rohrbacher (First team, Senior)
This year: Colgate lost it's star, but if they can keep the momentum
from last season going, anything is possible.
Prediction: Tough to call, anywhere from first to third.
Mens Swimming and Diving - Last season: Took fourth place
overall.
All league returns: none
This season: A new coach at the helm could change things for Colgate
Prediction: Fourth or Fifth
Womens Swimming and Diving - Last season: Finshed 5th out
of 7.
All league returns: Elizabeth Gaffuri (sophomore)
This year: Gaffuri will need to be amazing again. The rest of the team will be
improving their marks and hopefully a freshman or two will step up.
Prediction: Fourth would be nice, fifth or sixth are possible too.
Mens Indoor Track and Field- Last year: Put together a strong
season to take 3rd at leagues.
All League returns: Barry Jones (Long Jump, Sophomore), Phinel Petit-Frere
(High jump, 200m, Senior), Ed Thompson (High jump, Senior), Shawn
Lingley (500m, Sophomore)
This year: Colgate has a lot of talent returning. Colgate can expect top finishes out of them, while the rest of the team will be improving on their previous
finishes.
Prediction: Climbing up to second wouldn't be that much of a strech. Third is a
pretty good bet. The team could slip as low as 5th if they are not careful.
Womens Indoor Track and Field- Last year: Took sixth place.
All league returns: Maura McCusker (800m, DMR, Sophomore) Jenny
McCarthy and Anne Palcic (DMR, Juniors)
This year: There's no where to go but up. Each individual will look to improve
and the freshman will have the opportunity to make a difference.
Prediction: Sixth place could be a steady spot for Colgate again next year, a
drop to seventh is very unlikely. Moving up to fifth or even fourth is not out
of the question.
Mens Basketball -Last year: Earned 4.5 points for Colgate by making
the league semi-finals, then getting squashed by Navy. The team worked
hard all year to improve and played every team tough at home..
All league returns: Pat Campolieta (First team, Foward, Junior)
This year: With Jordon Harris out, more weight will fall on Campolieta's
shoulders. The freshman could surprise some people though.
Prediction: 4th or 5th
Womens Basketball -Last year: Came together as a team in a huge
way! Finished third in the regular season and were inches away from the
league finals. Intensity and teamwork carried the Red Raiders to a great
season that surprised a lot of people.
All league returns: Frances Boone (Second team, Point guard, Senior),
Colleen McCaffery (Rookie team, Foward, Sophomore)
This year: With 5 of 7 key players returing with an extra years
expereince, Colgate can be a huge force. All they need is to pick up a
few good freshman, clear up some foul trouble and rookie type
mistakes, and Colgate could reach the finals.
Prediction: Second or third
Baseball
Colgate has no baseball team, its the only Patriot League sport we do not compete in.
Golf Last season: Colgate squeaked past Lehigh to finish fourth
All league returns: Eli Zackheim (4th place, Senior), Jesse Smith (10th
place, Sophomore)
This year: Colgate needs just a little more depth to move up in league
standings. Most of the team will be returning with another years
experience.
Prediction: Third or fourth
Mens Lacrosse -Last season: Colgate found themselves solidly in the
middle with a 3-3 record. Consistancy was the major problem. Some
quarters they were great, others, not so good.
All league returns: Parker Gibson (First team, Midfield, Senior), Dan Grady
(Second team, Attack, Senior)
This year: Hopefully some more expereince will help pull the team together and
they will play a solider game. Defense will be the key to keep Colgate in
games.
Prediction: Third or Fourth
Womens Lacrosse - Last season: Colgate dominated some non league
foes, faced a couple of top ranked programs, then plowed through the league, only to come up short by the smallest margin to Lafayette to lose the crown.
All league returns: Heather Smith (First team, Attack, Sophomore), Jane
Murray (First team, Goalie, Junior), Liz Brown (Second team, Midfield,
Senior), Meghan McLaughlin (Second Team, Defense, Senior)
This year: Lafayette lost some top players. Colgate losses one of thier top goal
scorers in a long time. Keep in mind it was not uncommon for Colgate to
double an opponents score though. Colgate needs a little depth from its
freshman and everything should fall into place.
Prediction: First or second
Softball Last season: Colgate broke several records and had the entire
infield be named all league, but could only muster a few league wins to finish
the regular season next to last. Things came together at the league
tournament, Colgate lost early, but worked their way up to the number 3 spot
before getting eliminated.
All league returns: Melissa Rawson (First team, First base, Sophomore),
Amanda Brickell (First Team, Second base, Sophomore), Amanda Paolucci
(First team, Third base, Junior)
This season: Colgate needs to put more of thier hits together and avoid giving
up the big inning in the field. Look for amazing pitching from two freshman
to pull Colgate back to the top just as quickly as they fell to the bottom.
Prediction: First or second
Mens Track and Field- Last season: Edged out Lehigh to take 4th
place at the league meet.
All league returns: Phinel Phetit-Prere (High jump, 200m, 4x100 relay, Senior),
Ed Thompson (High Jump, Senior) Roberto Brenes, Barry Jones, Eric Hiller
(4x100 relay), Tyrone Russell (400m, 4x 400 relay, Sophomore), Matt
Cosco, Eric Hiller, Shawn Lingley (4x400 relay) ; each player improves thier marks, Colgate could move up a spot.
Prediction: A takeover of sixth place could occur if everything goes well.
Seventh place again could be in the cards as well.
Mens Tennis - Last season: With an all around solid team, Colgate
made the semi finals.
All league returns: none
This season: With only two losses to graduation, the team will certainly
improve.
Prediction: The top two lost a lot to graduation. It could be Colgate's year to slip into the finals.
Womens Tennis - Last season: Colgate pulled off a 6-0 upset over
Lafayette to make the finals where they lost 5-3 to Army.
All league returns: Jenny Buntman (singles and doubles, Sophomore), Lorraine
Coulter (doubles, Sophomore)
This season: Everyone on the team improved last year during the season, and
they are all coming back. Colgate will look to reclaim the league title.
Prediction: With an expereinced and talented crew returning, they will make the
finals, they could win them.
Our chances
Overall, there is good reason for optimism. Most teams look like they will either improve or maintain thier position. Colgate can really use some distance runners to shore up the cross country, indoor track, and track and field teams for both men and women. The way the system works, one good runner can have an impact on several sports. The women narrowly missed the cup last year and could easily take the womens title this year. The men will need to improve in 3 or 4 sports to have a good shot at thier title.
Colgate has a strong athletic program. The Athletic Director, Mark Murphy, cares about all the schools sports as well as the academic success of the student- atheltes. Under his direction, Colgate is in a very good position to make the improvments neccesary and have solid finishes for all the teams. Just a few more points here and there, and Colgate could be in possession of the ultimate prize for the league, the Presidents Cup, next May. There will be an update on our quest for the cup after the completion of the fall seasons.
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