June 4, 2007

Great Year
With the softball team's third-place finish in the NCAA tournament this weekend, the 2006-07 sports year comes to an end for our athletic program. What a great year it was, though, with over half of our teams qualifying for NCAA championships and many advancing far in their tournaments. We are presently ranked 27th in the Directors' Cup, our highest ranking ever. Several of the spring sports have not been included yet, but with our strong finish in softball and the points we earned in men's golf, it is likely that we will stay in the top 30. We have finished 29th the last two years, and will score more points this year than we have ever earned in the past. These outstanding finishes in the Directors' Cup are a great tribute to our coaches and student-athletes.

Three-Peat
The women's lacrosse team's performance in Philadelphia last month in winning our third straight national championship was very impressive. The title game against Virginia was a classic match (the highest scoring game in NCAA history), and really tested the character of our team. Virginia took an early lead 2-0, but we fought back to lead 11-6 at halftime. Virginia had all the momentum in the second half as they cut the lead to 14-13. Our team kept their composure, though, and held on for a well-deserved victory. Head Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller did an outstanding job in leading the team, as did senior leaders Kristen Kjellman, Aly Josephs, Lindsay Finocchiaro and Annie Elliott. It is really remarkable what this team has accomplished over the last three years. They have gone 62-2, won three national championships and have been as dominant as any team in all NCAA sports. The team is being recognized by the White House with a trip to Washington D.C. on June 18 for their 2006 national championship.

Softball
Our softball team had another tremendous season, making it all the way to the NCAA semifinals before losing to Tennessee on Sunday. We set a school record for most wins in a season (52), and hosted both a regional and super regional for the second year in a row. Head Coach Kate Drohan, along with Associate Head Coach Caryl Drohan, has built the program into one of the most respected programs in the country. Although we did lose four great seniors (three-time Big Ten Player of the Year Garland Cooper, two-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Eileen Canney, Katie Logan and Jessica Miller), Kate has brought in strong recruiting classes, and we should be strong again next year.