May 19, 2008 — One expected, one unexpected
Champions in NCAA Division II and Division III were crowned over the weekend, and Division III brought an unexpected and pleasant surprise.
Hamilton College plays out of the Liberty League, which includes the lacrosse teams from Vassar, Skidmore, and William Smith. Though estimates have 30 percent of students compete in varsity athletics at Hamilton, no team had won an NCAA championship until yesterday in Salem, Va.
There, the Continentals, having edged two NESCAC opponents in the regionals and having defeated top-ranked Salisbury 11-10 in the national semifinals, only had the defending NCAA champs from Franklin & Marshall next.
It took but a half for the Continentals to show how well they could play, taking an 8-2 lead at the interval to win 13-6.
So, what’s Hamilton’s secret? They do play in a pretty good league and scheduled good regional opposition like Cortland State and Ithaca College. But the roster for Hamilton has a lot of good lacrosse-playing high schools such as Darien (Ct.), Annapolis Broadneck (Md.), Potomac Holy Child (Md.), and The Lawrenceville (N.J.) School. They were well-prepared before even coming to Hamilton, but the coaching of former Penn State star Patty Kloidt and her staff helped immensely.
In Division II, it was a second NCAA championship for head coach Ginny Martino and the West Chester Golden Rams as they defeated C.W. Post 13-12. The Rams were one of the greatest offensive shows this side of Syracuse’s Division I team as they scored a record 464 goals.
C.W. Post, to its credit, kept West Chester off the scoreboard for more than 20 minutes in the second half and almost drew even in the dying seconds of the match.
What was the commonality between these two championship teams? The key player in each championship final was a freshman. For West Chester, it was Claire Grimwood, who had three goals and four assists on the day. For Hamilton College, it was Sarah Bray, who came off the substitutes’ bench to score five times.
Remember what I said a couple of days ago about how much better players are becoming at a younger age? Perhaps the proof’s right here.
Tags: Lacrosse
