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Da(i)ly Wins Add Up to Yearly Excellence for Tribe Soccer
12/05/2009
By Don Leypoldt ‘96
No rational baseball fan would argue that Len Barker was a better pitcher than Greg Maddux.
With over 350 wins and four Cy Young Awards, Maddux takes his rightful place as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history.
Len Barker on the other hand retired with a sub-.500 record, a career ERA much worse than Maddux’s and barely one-quarter of Maddux’s lifetime strikeouts. But in May 1981, Barker threw a perfect game…something Maddux never did.
Why is Maddux considered “excellent” while Barker is considered pedestrian- despite Barker’s gem? That’s easy. There is an element of sustainability that factors into “excellence.” One perfect game- one flash in the pan- does not qualify as excellence.
The women’s soccer program at William & Mary qualifies as “excellence.” The program first played in 1981. The 1982 side earned a record of 8-5-3. Every year since 1982, the Tribe women footballers have had a winning record. The 2009 side added to the legacy by turning in a more than respectable 12-7 mark.
28 straight winning seasons.
Wow. Think about that.
How long ago was 1982? Olivia Newton-John recorded the number one song in 1982. The Commodore 64 was released in 1982. Landon Donovan- arguably the biggest American-born soccer star alive today- was a newborn baby in 1982. The Dow Jones stood at 880 and there was absolutely no way Ronald Reagan would be re-elected due to the recession crippling the United States.
Now think through every year since. Through Olivia’s oblivion, Macs, Reagan’s landslide win, cell phones, cable then satellite TV, VCRs then DVDs, the Berlin Wall falling, the Spice Girls, two different Gulf Wars, Benifer, the deaths of NASL and WUSA to the births of Major League Soccer and Women’s’ Pro Soccer (WPS), the Tribe won. 28 straight seasons obviously stands as an NCAA record.
Head coach John Daly keeps winning. And winning. And winning. To the tune of 357 wins or ties in his 487 matches during his 23 seasons guiding the Tribe side.
“There is a continuity element in that the incoming freshmen take the lead, especially from the seniors and juniors. They want to carry on where those juniors and seniors have left off,” explained Daly. “The different teams certainly have different identities but there is a common theme there and that is the player who comes to William & Mary knows that she is going to have to work.
“To work to get the kind of grades that she wants; she also knows that she needs to transfer that to soccer excellence as well.”
Daly’s statistically poorest record came in 2001, when the Tribe went 11-9-1. They still won the CAA championship- one of nine the Tribe has earned since 1993- and won a game in the NCAA Tournament.
“To be honest, I expect more than a winning record,” Daly stated. “Only two schools have been in more NCAA tournaments than W&M and we didn’t make it this year. That really disappoints me. The winning season, I kind of expect, but my goal is always to make the NCAA tournament and progress in it.”
The Tribe has made it to the NCAAs in 19 of Daly’s 23 years. Five of the Tribe’s trips to the NCAAs ended in Elite Eight appearances. When the Tournament becomes the primary aim “there is a trickle down with setting that goal and then accomplishing winning seasons,” Daly finished.
The program has had 13 different girls honored as All-Americans by the NSCAA. Any team can ride one hot player or recruiting class to success. But every college coach faces the challenge of a complete, 100% roster turnover every four years.
Moreover, Daly faces the additional blessed challenge of W&M’s difficult academic standards. Not every prep star who wants to come to William & Mary can academically qualify.
“I think that recruiting is the lifeblood of the team. We have disadvantages but we also have advantages in recruiting in that we have a great school, a College with a tremendous reputation, and a beautiful campus. Those factors come into play when it comes to recruiting the kinds of players that are going to keep us competitive,” Daly assessed.
“Whereas we will lose three or four because we can’t get them in, we’re going to get that one special player who wants that combination of academics and athletics.”
So what makes the program continue to blossom year over year? Dogmatically sticking to a system? Flexing that system to the personnel? Both?
Daly elucidated, “The problem with the former is that if you can’t get the players, then you can’t go with the system. So it’s a bit of a combination. I know what kind of formation that I would like to play.
“The freshmen are an unknown quantity in the sense that I have seen them play at one level but now they have to perform at a higher level. The big question is: can they perform at that higher level? So there is a degree of wait and see. Let’s try and if it doesn’t work, we can try something else.”
Daly has now been around long enough to see some of those freshmen not only work out to become stars, but eventually into winning coaches of their own. Consider:
- All-American Jill Ellis ’88 is the head coach at UCLA and owner of an astounding 215-36-12 record and three NCAA Finals appearances during her decade at the Bruins’ helm. UCLA went 20-2-1 this season and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight as of press time
- Classmate and fellow All-American Julie Cunningham Shackford ’88 is the winningest soccer coach- for either gender- in Princeton’s history. Shackford’s sides have advanced to the NCAA Tournament seven times; she has a 160-83-19 mark in her 15 years as a head coach.
- Erica Walsh ’97 has been at Penn State for three years and has won three Big 10 championships, compiling a 47-18-4 mark in her time leading the Lady Lions
“Some of them appeared to me- when they were playing here- that they were real thinkers about the game,” Daly offered. “I think that the person who goes on to choose coaching and become successful is someone who, when they were playing, was more of a cerebral player than an athletic player.”
Daly points out that Carrie Moore O’Keeffe ’00 and Maren Rojas ‘94 skipper the programs at Hollins University and Bowdoin College respectively. A deep love of the game, and their obvious William & Mary diplomas, connect the quintet. But not coincidentally, all five were also heavily decorated on the Williamsburg pitch.
That may be Daly’s recipe in a nutshell- smart, passionate people who work hard and are committed to excellence. In that regard, Tribe soccer players aren’t much different than “ordinary” William & Mary students. But just like those “ordinary” students on DoG Street, they make the extraordinary happen, well, Da(i)ly.
Tribe-UConn Televised Regionally on MASN
11/07/2009
Tip-off for the Tribe-Husky contest is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13.
Williamsburg (11/12/09) - The William and Mary men’s basketball team’s season opener at No. 12/14 Connecticut will be televised regionally on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN). The tilt is slated for a 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn.
MASN is a Regional Sports Network in the mid-Atlantic area and serves a 7 state area, from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Charlotte, North Carolina and including Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, the District of Columbia and parts of West Virginia. Click HERE or check your local service provider to find MASN in your area. Along with the MASN coverage, the contest, as previously released, can also be seen on WTNH Channel 8 in Connecticut, SportsNet New York (SNY) and ESPN360.com.
ESPN360.com is a broadband network for live sports programming. ESPN360.com harnesses the quality ESPN has built through its TV networks and delivers online sports programming to fans through a rich, interactive, and easy-to-use experience. ESPN360.com broadcasts thousands of live games and events online each year. A majority of the events are exclusive to ESPN360.com, while others are broadband-enhanced versions of games from one of ESPN's TV networks.
Click HERE for the list of service providers with ESPN360.com access. To find a provider that carries ESPN360.com in your area, click HERE.
The game will also be carried as part of the ESPN Full Court package. For more information on both SportsNet New York (SNY), MASN and the ESPN Full Court package, please contact your local cable provider.
Tribe fans can also catch the game over the Tribe Radio Network with Bill McDonald and former Tribe basketball player John Leone (Class of ’91) on the call. The broadcast will also be available over the Web at TribeAthletics.com. Live stats for the event can be found by visiting UConnHuskies.com or clicking on the link via the schedule page at TribeAthletics.com.
Tribe Football Playoff Announcement
11/07/2009
Tribe Football Playoff Announcement
Tribe Fans, join your William and Mary Football team for the NCAA Football Championship Series selection show this Sunday, November 22nd at 3 p.m. in Miller Hall, the Mason School of Business. Miller Hall is located at the corner of Jamestown Road and Ukrop Way.
All Tribe Football fans, parents and W&M Students are invited to attend and learn who and where William and Mary will play in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs.
WMAA - Tribe Tailgate - W&M at Richmond 11/21/09
11/04/2009
Tiffany's Glass
11/01/2009
By Don Leypoldt ‘96
Few artisans crafted glass better than Louis Comfort Tiffany.
Few forwards wipe the glass better than William & Mary’s Tiffany- whose dominance in the front court gives opposing players no Comfort.
Tiffany Benson- a 6’2” Economics Major from Virginia Beach- already holds the Tribe’s career offensive and total rebounding records. And she still has one more season to add to those numbers.
Benson’s senior leadership and commanding defense, mixed with one of the most heralded recruiting classes in recent memory, gives the 2009-2010 season high promise for the William & Mary’s women hoopsters.
“This is the most depth we've ever had and the recruiting class is probably the best we've had since I've been associated with the program,” stated head coach Debbie Taylor ’86.
She continued, “Both our point guards got hurt last year; other kids had to step into roles they might not have had earlier in their careers. We have a lot of veterans with playing experience. We've got size. We've got depth. We should be well rounded.”
“We say this every year, the goal is to win the championship,” Benson unhesitatingly declared. “But one of the biggest goals this year is to at least make the championship. That's what it’s all about, regardless of how many points I score or how many blocked shots I get.”
Benson’s goals are team oriented but make no mistake- the Tribe will need Tiffany to be Tiffany in order to compete for the CAA title.
Benson led Princess Anne High School to a state title in her junior year; that trophy went nicely with her all-American honor that she earned starring in a Florida AAU tournament.
Going to college close to your high school carries advantages. “My Mom makes it to the majority of my home games,” noted Benson. “She is always right there behind me, cheering me on. And she brings a lot of my family members and people I grew up with who used to come to my high school games.”
That family vibe led the prep standout to Williamsburg. “I'm real close to my family so I wanted to make sure that I was able to get back and forth to visit,” Benson remembered. “One of the biggest things is that when I came here, I saw how close the team was. It was always them together, staying together and I noticed that…I am a big family person- so that was one of the main things that attracted me to William & Mary. How close the team is.”
Had she focused on track instead of basketball, Benson no doubt would have further enriched an already impressive prep resume. She placed third in her District in the 200 meters and qualified for the state high jump as a junior. Benson averages almost a steal per game in the course of her Tribe career.
“She's such a great athlete. Her timing is impeccable on blocking shots and she works really hard on the defensive end of the floor,” Taylor believes.
Benson played in every game and started all but six in her 2006-2007 season. The then-freshman set the school record for blocked shots (67) and earned All-CAA Rookie team honors.
Benson recorded nine double-digit rebounding efforts in her sophomore year. She snared a career high 18 rebounds against Howard and 17 more against UC-Irvine. Her selection to the CAA All-Defensive team was easy, although her seven double-doubles attested to her improving offensive prowess.
“She wasn't really an offensive threat in high school, nor during her first year here so she has worked really hard to develop her offensive game. That's been the area where we've seen the most progress,” Taylor offered.
Registering a double-double in a game is good. Averaging a double-double for an entire season is extraordinary. But that is what Benson did last year, averaging 12 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. She shattered her own record with 85 blocks, and re-wrote W&M’s record books for offensive and total boards.
“She had a hard time making a left handed layup when she got here but she has really developed an offensive arsenal. She has good range on her jump shot, her left hand is as good as her right now, her footwork on the block is so much better,” Taylor analyzed.
“She is able to put the ball on the floor from the high post. Her game has gotten a lot more versatile and she is able to do a lot more things.”
“After my sophomore year Coach Barber got me into the gym a lot. We practiced form shooting and just going straight to the basket,” explained Benson on her offensive breakout. “When (Tribe second all-time leading rebounder) Kyra (Kaylor) left, we needed another post player to step up. I knew that I had to take her position.”
The CAA named Benson the 2008-2009 Defensive Player of the Year. She won back to back CAA Player of the Week honors in January 2009 and ended the year on the all-conference second team. Against UNC-Wilmington, she had a double-double in the second half alone.
“What has been fun about her- off the court- for the last three years has been watching her growth, her maturity and watching her find her confidence,” Taylor observed. “I think that the difference in her game this year has not only been in her skill development but also in her personal confidence, how she sees herself as a leader in this team and how she has grown into that role.
“But she is just a great kid. She's a lot of fun. Everybody likes Tiff.”
Benson, a pre-season first team conference pick this season, will have her diploma in May. Her basketball and academic prowess give her some career options. “One of my biggest options is to play overseas but as a fallback, I was going to go into Public Policy- possibly do some work with non profit organizations. Do that for a couple of years and maybe go into law,” Benson assessed.
“But I'm really shooting to play overseas first and foremost.”
Holly Golightly was Audrey Hepburn’s character in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. This Tiffany will make opponents pay if they Go Lightly in the post- whether it is just off of D.O.G. Street or overseas.
Hoxie Moxie
10/03/2009
-By Don Leypoldt ‘96
Andrew Hoxie has lots of goals in mind for the 2009 season. Literally.
Hoxie, a senior striker, is the CAA’s reigning soccer scoring leader. He already has six points in William & Mary’s first five matches.
As a prepster, Hoxie led Denbigh Baptist School to one state title and one state runner-up. The Newport News native earned Virginia Independent Schools Player of the Year honors twice. Hoxie tallied 112 goals and almost 300 points in his Denbigh Baptist career before finally making that brief sojourn on I-64 west to William & Mary.
“I wanted to go somewhere where I could play soccer,” recalled Hoxie. “I took my official visit here and I liked the guys, the coach and the atmosphere. It was close to home and I didn’t mind that at all. (W&M) turned out to be great.”
Hoxie played high school soccer under the tutelage of his father Hal; Andrew is the youngest of four brothers who all played college soccer. That environment churned his competitive juices from an early age.
“It’s made me a lot more competitive in everything I do,” Hoxie assessed. “In everything I did against my brothers- whether it would be video games, soccer, tennis or whatever- I was always trying to be as good as them or better.”
Considering Andrew’s college resume, you can say Mission Accomplished.
Hoxie started every W&M game as a freshman in the fall of 2005. He finished third on the Tribe in scoring, good enough to clinch a CAA All-Rookie team berth.
Hoxie broke out in 2006; the Tribe’s team MVP, he scored 10 goals and 24 points. Hoxie earned second team All-Region honors and became the first player in William & Mary’s decorated soccer history to win multiple CAA Player of the Week accolades in the same season.
“He is a tremendous talent on the field. The hardest thing to do in soccer is score goals. And Andrew is such a unique soccer individual in that he is 6’4”, he moves very well,” said Tribe head coach Chris Norris. “He has very good technique in terms of moving the ball, beating defenders and scoring goals. Those guys are hard to find.
Norris continued, “I think that that has enabled him to be very successful at our level and will enable him to succeed at the next level…and possibly make a career out of this.”
Career aspirations were put on hold when Hoxie was forced to sit out the 2007 season. Norris saw his young charge mature through that process.
“It’s been a difficult road for him for sure,” noted the coach. “He absolutely loves to play. Not being able to play regularly or having to hold back at times to make sure he didn’t stretch himself too far has been difficult.
“His developing the patience throughout the course of the summer and the diligence to get things done has probably been the most impressive thing for us. I think he has matured a lot during the process. If ultimately he is in the position to play at a level beyond college, (the experience) will serve him well.”
Hoxie didn’t miss a step on his return. Despite appearing in only 15 matches, Hoxie struck double digit goals again in 2008. He led the CAA in scoring and again notched All-Region honors.
His biggest game came on the Tribe’s biggest stage; the Green and Gold scratched their way to an at large bid in the NCAA Tournament and faced Winthrop in the first round. It took Hoxie just 34 seconds to bang the first of his two goals against Winthrop through the posts and ensure a W&M win.
College Soccer News took notice, naming Hoxie to their National Team of the Week.
“Honestly, I don’t score a lot of goals with my head. I try to,” Hoxie offered. “I think players and coaches look at me and don’t think I’m fast but sometimes I have an extra step on people because they assume that I’m slow.
He chucked. “I like to think that I’m fast.”
Now a fifth year senior, Hoxie has tallied two goals and two assists in the Tribe's first five games this season. Questions naturally arise about 2010 and whether Hoxie can play professionally once he leaves Williamsburg.
Both he and Norris are on the same page about the future…and now
“To be honest, his focus just needs to be on having a consistent run and having a good season for the team. The rest of that stuff will come,” Norris believes. “I think that if we have a good season, then it will clearly be because he is a big part of it. That will be the thing which gets him recognition and possibly puts him on the radar of Major League Soccer.”
“I want to play soccer professionally or play soccer as long as I can because doing what I love for my job would be awesome,” admits Hoxie.
“But right now, my big focus is helping the team win. This year has the most potential of the five years that I’ve been here. We have a chance to go pretty far in the (NCAA) tournament. It’s pretty much a goal in all of my teammates’ minds to get to the tournament and excel.”
And Tribe fans know that when Hoxie has a chance to score a goal, he usually converts.
Crapolfest 2009 5K Run/Walk Results
10/03/2009
1st Annual Crapolfest 2009 5K Run/Walk
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Albert-Daly Field, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia
Benefiting the Andrew E. Crapol Memorial Scholarship Fund, and organized by the William and Mary soccer program.
A Colonial Road Runners Timed Event
Information from Rick Platt (757-229-7375, rickplatt@juno.com)
Men Overall
1. Danny O’Callaghan, 37 Houston, TX 17:04
2. Gregor Kranjc, 35 Williamsburg 17:13
3. Daniel Shean, 26 Williamsburg 18:07
Women Overall
1. Alaina Redd, 16 Midlothian 20:53
2. Claire Zimmeck, 22 Williamsburg 22:02
3. Kristin Morgan, 24 Williamsburg 22:48
Men 19-and-under
1. Matt Reynolds, 15 Williamsburg 18:59
2. Bobby Fuore, 19 Lenox, MA 19:03
3. D.J. Moniak, 15 Williamsburg 19:25
Men 20-24
1. Brian Fries, 21 Williamsburg 19:58
2. John Lundquist, 23 Falmouth, ME 20:18
3. John Randolph, 22 Williamsburg 20:28
Men 25-29
1. Craig Carey, 28 Arlington 19:46
2. Brad Smith, 26 Williamsburg 20:03
3. Bill Broas, 25 Harrisonburg 20:57
Men 30-34
1. Robert Bryden, 34 Richmond 20:30
2. Danny Schmidt, 31 Williamsburg 20:44
3. Daniel Pechkis, 30 Williamsburg 20:47
Men 35-39
1. John Pattisall, 38 Williamsburg 24:12
2. Scott Cooper, 36 Toano 27:53
3. Greg Westfall, 35 Manhasset, NY 34:08
Men 40-44
1. Sean Pieri, 43 Williamsburg 24:10
2. Jon Tuttle, 42 Alexandria 24:23
3. Gonzalo Abrigo, 41 Fairfax 25:05
Men 45-49
1. Dan Moniak, 45 Williamsburg 19:35
2. Milam Walters, 46 Glen Allen 27:21
3. Blake Gibson, 48 Williamsburg 34:10
Men 50-54
1. Ron Gombos, 54 Elizabethtown, KY 23:46
2. Brent Lane, 52 Houston, TX 24:43
3. Bill Pence, 54 Orlando, FL 24:52
Men 55-59
1. Rick Platt, 59 Williamsburg 20:08
2. John Gustafson, 56 Los Alamos, NM 21:13
3. Morris Morgan, 59 Williamsburg 22:10
Men 60-64
1. Dale Abrahamson, 60 Yorktown 20:32
2. Randy Hawthorne, 64 Williamsburg 25:17
3. Robert Simmons, 60 Alexandria 30:31
Men 65-and-over
1. John Essery, 73 Williamsburg 27:09
2. Pete Kalison, 74 Williamsburg 33:59
3. Lou Messier, 73 Williamsburg 38:12
Men Walk
1. Richard Luzinski, 64 Williamsburg 35:31
2. John Daly, 41 Toano 48:36
3. Tom Embry, 43 Williamsburg 49:34
Women 19-and-under
1. Bailey Colls, 16 Williamsburg 27:49
2. Shannon Crist, 12 Lanexa 29:30
3. Emily Cooper, 19 Williamsburg 32:18
Women 20-24
1. Molly Emmett, 20 Williamsburg 27:20
2. Shannon Corcoran, 23 Williamsburg 27:24
3. Kimberly Simmons, 24 Alexandria 29:32
Women 25-29
1. Christine Connelly, 28 Williamsburg 25:29
2. Brita Marmon, 27 Williamsburg 26:03
3. Blair Lawson, 29 Williamsburg 26:45
Women 30-34
1. Gretchen Byrd, 32 Richmond 23:53
2. Heather Tomes, 30 Toano 24:50
3. Erika Daniel, 33 Williamsburg 25:52
Women 35-39
1. Meredith Fernandez, 39 Lanexa 28:44
2. Amy Strawn, 37 Williamsburg 29:05
Women 40-44
1. Francine Colls, 40 Williamsburg 28:03
2. Laura DeSimio, 40 Washington, DC 48:45
Women 45-49
1. Mary Lewis, 46 Newport News 26:06
2. Cathy Pattisall, 46 Williamsburg 28:32
3. Mary Ellen Power, 47 Williamsburg 29:17
Women 50-54
1. Jeanne Hopke, 50 Williamsburg 24:03
2. Rose Crist, 54 Lanexa 25:09
3. Karen DiNuzzo, 53 Woodbridge 30:08
Women 55-59
1. Brenda Mitchell, 59 Williamsburg 28:22
2. Emily Pease, 56 Williamsburg 29:29
3. Pauline Emmett, 58 Williamsburg 31:03
Women 60-64
1. Jeanne Zeidler, 61 Williamsburg 48:23
2. Marianne Crapol, 61 Buffalo, NY 54:04
Women 65-and-over
1. Joan Coven, 68 West Point 24:40
2. Jan Sarmiere, 66 Williamsburg 44:10
Women Walk
1. Angela Holt, 30 Williamsburg 35:31
2. Ann Manciagli, 73 Williamsburg 39:25
3. Meaghan Perger, 36 Williamsburg 42:09
Pate Latest in Heralded Line
09/05/2009
By Don Leypoldt '96
Tribe fans, here is today’s quickie quiz. Fill in the correct position:
“Jimmye Laycock teams always feature outstanding play from the _______________.”
Answer: Kickers
You were expecting quarterbacks? Coach Laycock’s signal caller accolades are well deserved, but quarterbacks get sufficient press.
Brian Pate is the latest anonymous star in the underappreciated line of kickers. Senior Pate earned first team All-CAA honors last season, one of two Tribe starters (Adrian Tracy is the other) so recognized. He has succeeded on 99% of his collegiate PAT attempts.
“There are certain times of the year where you work on getting a lot of kicks in, and you work on your distance and power,” explained Pate when asked about his practice regimen. “But when it comes to the pre-season where you’re kicking one or two times a day, you really work on technique and the mental game. You go through drills without kicking and short drills; nothing to over-extend your leg.”
An argument can be made that Pate was the Tribe’s most improved player in 2008. He converted 13 of 16 field goal attempts- a 25 percentage point boost from 2007- and increased the average length of his kickoffs by nearly eight yards.
“I did a combination of things,” Pate commented. “I put on weight but also gained flexibility which says a lot of things about (Strength and Conditioning) Coach (John) Sauer. We really focused on that in the off-season. Being older and having the extra year of practice and technique also helped.”
After apprenticing on the scout team as a freshman, the former walk-on started every game as a sophomore. Turning walk-ons into great kickers has become a Laycock specialty.
“Coach Laycock takes a ton of pride in bringing people on who want to compete and go after that opportunity,” noted Brian Shallcross ‘97, the third most prolific field goal kicker in College history and a former walk-on. “That makes the decisions for fringe guys- guys who might not have gotten a scholarship offer- to come to W&M and prove themselves.”
“I went to William & Mary as a recruited walk-on,” echoed Brett Sterba ‘00, the most accurate field goal kicker in Tribe annals and Shallcross’ successor. “I wanted to just earn a scholarship, not make my way into the NFL. Once Brian had graduated, I was able to get my fair shot and luckily did well.”
Well enough for Sterba to…make his way into the NFL. More on that later.
“By far, it was the academic and athletic combination,” replied Pate as to what brought him to William & Mary. “I knew that W&M respected that it is not all about athletics at the college level.”
For the second year in a row, Pate- a Finance major from Fredericksburg- also earned CAA All-Academic accolades.
“It’s really planning and time management,” Pate elucidated. “That first day of class when they are giving you that syllabus, you’re already seeing when you need to knock out assignments and when your free time might be. Every week before practice, I need to sit down and think ‘If I don’t get this assignment done at this time, it will put me behind later.’”
“There was something different at William & Mary, besides what every other team experiences,” recalled Sterba. “It was the challenge of being successful at a school where academics came first.”
Academics come first, but that might not be apparent based on the recent performances of Tribe place kickers. W&M kickers have been first or second team All-Conference in nine of the last dozen years. With Pate garnering All-America talk, it is likely to be 10 for 13. Consider:
- Steve Christie earned All-American honors in consecutive seasons before leaving Williamsburg. He is the NFL’s 16th all time leading scorer
- Since Christie’s departure, three Tribe kickers have earned All-American citations. Shallcross picked up the honor in 1997; like Pate he also placed on the All-Conference (Atlantic 10) Academic team
- Sterba bombed 18 field goals in 1999, which helped him earn a first team All-American honor. He later had a cup of coffee with the Green Bay Packer organization
- In 2001, Mike Nagelin duplicated Shallcross’ double: All-Atlantic 10 in both football and academics
- Greg Kuehn left William & Mary as the Atlantic 10’s all time career field goal record holder, with 59 of them. He earned his All-American honor as a senior in 2004
“It is certainly not by accident. It is a pattern,” Shallcross believes. “The most important reason is the coaching staffs’ commitment to Special Teams. Coach Laycock has a history of not taking the kicking game for granted. When I used to step on the field, I knew that everyone was on the same page and was mentally prepared for what we were going to do.
“The execution was always going to be there. Did we have some physical mistakes? Sure, and that is going to happen. But what Coach Laycock does not accept are mental mistakes or lapses during those opportunities.”
Sterba also feels that the Tribe’s truly acting like a Tribe substantially contributes to the lineage. He stated: “I’ve been able to learn from each one of them. When I got to W&M, I was pretty unpolished and Brian (Shallcross) was as willing as anyone- and that’s your competition- to give me pointers on things I was doing wrong or help me adjust from the high school to college atmosphere. You’re teammates first of all and you’re competitors second. I think that says something about the program that everyone is willing to learn from each other.”
Sterba- who now works for the PGA- had a chance to pay back. One of his football campers was Kuehn; when Kuehn arrived at William and Mary, Sterba took him under his leg, er, wing.
These players take with them lessons learned on and off of Zable Stadium’s turf. “I think that the coaching staff at W&M has been so professional over the years in how they handle their athletes and in the way that they interact with each other that you have no choice but to learn from them,” reflected Shallcross, who works as the general manager of the Baltimore Orioles’ double-A affiliate, Bowie Baysox.
“That is another legacy of Coach Laycock: his ability to groom players in regards to the game plan or culture. He demands a commitment to the organization and the program. That commitment is not just on the football field but off the field as well.”
“When I got to Green Bay, I think that W&M- just the discipline of Coach Laycock and the program- helped me out in terms of what to expect at the different level,” Sterba credited.
Cheer for those William & Mary quarterbacks, who deserve their kudos. Laycock’s prolific offenses have given each of these kickers plenty of opportunities to ply their trade.
But should opposing defenses rear up to prevent a Touchdown, Touchdown, Indians- and the situation calls for the field goal unit- it is comforting knowing that in Williamsburg, special teams are truly special.
Extra Point:
Brett Sterba struggled with accuracy on long field goals when he first arrived in Williamsburg. Advice from a Tribe alum- who happened to be a 15 year NFL veteran- made him a better player. “Steve Christie was willing to come back during spring practices and he helped me tremendously,” Sterba remembers. “Steve said ‘Brett, when you’re kicking a PAT, kick it as hard as you would a 50 yarder and vice versa. Don’t try to strengthen up on a 50 yard field goal. Kick it the same as your extra point. They’ll go the same distance.’ I went from being from someone who was a kickoff specialist my first year…to when I left, I don’t think distance was my strongest point, it was accuracy. That’s what gave me my shot there (in Green Bay). It all came because of Brian (Shallcross) and Steve and the coaching staff’s advice.”
Sterba left Williamsburg having converted over 80% of his field goals, the best in Tribe history. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers after graduation. “I didn’t go to camp expecting to beat out (Packers’ incumbent kicker) Ryan (Longwell) but the first person who welcomed me there was Darren Sharper. Darren made it much easier for my transition as a free agent rookie and not as a top draft pick. The discipline of the program and what we experienced at W&M was the same in Green Bay, but having Darren there made that personal transition much easier socially as well,” Sterba concluded.
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Tribe’s Rhymes One Step From The Show
08/01/2009
By Don Leypoldt ‘96
At just 5’9” and 155 pounds- “experts” were certain that Will Rhymes ‘05 couldn’t play professional baseball because of his size.
And once upon a time, “experts” were certain that the sun revolves around the earth.
All Rhymes has done- at every level he has ever played- is hit and field with the best of them. The Toledo Mud Hens’ second baseman and W&M biology major is on the cusp of a Major League call-up.
“Will sounds like the type of player I would have loved to coach,” commented current Tribe skipper Frank Leoni. “By all accounts, he played the game with an intensity much bigger than his physical stature. I believe that, as much as his pure talent, has probably taken him so far in his professional career.”
Few would have predicted a pro career after Rhymes’ sophomore season at William & Mary- a mess where he hit just .167 in very limited playing time. But Rhymes made the adjustments that would transform him from bench warmer into Good Will Hitting.
For the last two months of the 2004 season, the junior hit .449. Not a typo. Rhymes finished second on the team in batting average (by .001) and slugging.
“It wasn’t until conference play started where I was playing every day. I think I had a chip on my shoulder about that,” recalled Rhymes. “I never really hit for much power but I made some adjustments in my swing, hit a few homers and I think that is what got me in the lineup even though that isn’t really my game. I got to where I felt really comfortable at the plate.
“I was never thinking about it in terms of a breakout year,” he continued. “I never even really thought about playing professional baseball. At my size, it wasn’t something I was really considering. It was more about proving to myself that I was good enough to play at that level.”
Rhymes earned first team All-CAA honors in ‘04, which landed him a spot in the prestigious Cape Cod League. He made All-Star on the Cape, was fourth in the league in batting (.308) and won the Brewster Whitecaps’ team MVP.
“I went there as a temporary player. My goal was just to stay up there and get a full-time contract,” Rhymes remembered. “They gave me my full contract the day I was named to the All-Star team so that was pretty cool.
“It was a great summer- one of the best times I’ve ever had playing baseball.”
Back in the 'Burg, Rhymes’ .413 batting average and 22 steals during his senior year both rank as the sixth best single seasons in Tribe history. That, plus his impressive .969 fielding percentage cemented an All-Region selection. Rhymes still ranks among the Tribe’s all time top 10 in batting average (.338), runs (145), hits (221) and RBI (145).
His performance in the classroom cemented him CoSIDA Academic All-District Honors as well. Yet when the Detroit Tigers finally called his name in the 27th round of the June 2005 Major League Draft, Rhymes’ plans for medical school were put on hold.
Not that the indignity of falling that far in the draft didn’t sting.
“I think it did for a while,” Rhymes admitted when asked if the draft slight fueled him. “I’m over it now. I knew- because of my size and being a senior- that I wasn’t going to be drafted highly. But I felt I was going to go a lot higher than I did because of my track record as a hitter.
“It was a frustrating couple of days. I felt I was going to go on the first day (first 18 rounds) at the least and when that didn’t happen, I threw my phone against the wall. I didn’t want to contend with the whole process because what do you have to do? I’d hit .400 over my last two years and done well on Cape Cod. I was thinking ‘I don’t know if this is worth my energy because obviously I’m not going to get a fair shake at it.’ I definitely had that motivation for the first summer.’”
Upon reporting to the Tigers’ A-ball affiliate in Oneonta (NY) after the draft, Rhymes took that frustration out on opposing pitchers. His .328 average was the sixth best in the NY-Penn League and it earned him All-Star honors from Baseball America.
In each of his first four professional seasons, Rhymes finished in the league’s top 10 in batting average and/or fewest strikeouts per plate appearance. At triple-A Toledo, Rhymes is hitting .284 after June 1st- while making just three errors in his first 72 games.
But gaudy career minor league stats have their own ignominy. Rhymes’ obvious goal is to get to the Motor City. Positive feedback from Tiger manager Jim Leyland and his coaches this past Spring Training finally convinced Rhymes he would likely get an eventual shot at the Major Leagues.
He will be the first to tell you that correcting his traditional slow starts will speed his way to Detroit.
“I do it (start slow) every year,” observed Rhymes who hit just .203 this April. “It’s frustrating but I dig this huge hole for myself. I always seem to climb out of it. It’s weird, because I have good Spring Trainings. Maybe it’s the cold weather. I did it at W&M as well.”
It helps Rhymes that Toledo manager Larry Parrish possesses the perspective that comes with his own 13 year Major League career.
“LP called me into the office- after I started playing pretty well- to talk about things because (current Tiger second baseman Placido) Polanco is in the last year of his contract,” Rhymes offered. “There are going to be opportunities. Their job is to help us get there and that’s what they do. They’ve been there so when they tell us things, we listen and really try to get the most out of their advice.”
Detroit has much colder Aprils than Lamar High, Rhymes’ alma mater in Houston and home to one of the best prep baseball programs anywhere. Rhymes broke the mold when he committed to Williamsburg.
“At the time I had never heard of W&M so I assumed that it was a Division III or a religious school,” Rhymes confessed. “But my Dad grew up in Tennessee. He knew it was a great school and he was real excited about it.”
Despite hitting over .500 as a senior and earning an all-state selection, Rhymes feels that his twin brother Jon was the better prep ball player. Catcher Jon played one season for Richmond before transferring to William & Mary; the backstop had a .318 lifetime average for the Tribe.
“W&M is a place where I thought I could start as a freshman and play for four years,” Rhymes noted. “That is pretty much what happened and it worked out really well. It was one of the first schools to make a serious offer and it had a lot of things that I was looking for in a college.
“I’ve learned so much in pro ball,” Rhymes observed. “So much that would be helpful for college kids. I hope that at some point I get the opportunity to get back and help them out.”
Rhymes would make a great addition to any coaching staff. But it suits the Tribe just fine if a Major League career precludes that from happening any time soon.
Statistics are current through July 25th.
Anderson Running Away With Tribe Records
07/04/2009
By Don Leypoldt '96
No offense to Derek Cox, Kevin Landry or any other Tribe notable, but rising senior and track star Emily Anderson may have had the greatest 2008-09 of any William and Mary student athlete.
Last month, the junior from suburban Chicago had the chance to run for a national championship. For the second straight year, Anderson finished her 5,000 meter run fast enough to earn an All-American selection.
“I was in 12th or 13th place with 1200 meters to go. Even then, I had to remind myself ‘I am a 4:14 (1500 M) runner. There is no reason why I should be getting passed up’ so I was able to pick off some girls in the last mile,” Anderson declared.
Anderson- as personable as she is fast- first grabbed attention by winning the CAA 1,500 meter championship as a freshman. In June 2008, the then-sophomore ran a blistering 4:14:73 1,500 meter race at the NCAA National Championships. It was good enough for fifth place…and an All-American honor. She became the first Tribe harrier in seven years to make outdoor All-American.
Anderson’s times in June 2008 were good enough to earn an invitation to the U.S. Olympic Trials in Oregon one month later. “World Class” is an overused cliché, but no truer phrase exists to describe her company and her experience at the Trials.
“That was the coolest thing,” remembered Anderson. “Last year was a huge whirlwind for me. I had never qualified for a national meet. The year before, I was probably in the bottom five at Regionals in the same event. In 2008, I peaked at Regionals and Nationals were just two months later.
“It was so cool to compete at Haywood Field. I try to tell people but it is just indescribable. During a 1500 prelim, people are giving you standing ovations, banging on the seats and going insane. (Olympic medalist) Bernard Lagat walked by and asked me if I could watch his spikes- I had to remind myself ‘I’m not a spectator, I’m an athlete. I can’t be asking these people to take pictures with me!’ The world’s best are just hanging around.
“I actually got to cool down with some of the other Olympians and talk about professional running with them,” Anderson concluded.
That resume made Anderson’s selection as the 2007-08 CAA Track Athlete of the Year pretty easy.
“The first time I thought she might have had something was in her freshman year at the end of the season,” recalled Tribe Director of Track and Field Dan Stimson. “We ran a 3,000 meter with the cross-country girls a few days before Regionals to see where everyone was. I think she might have even won. That’s pretty darned good for a kid who had no distance background.”
Anderson dominates inside too. This past March, she earned her second All-American honor at the indoor NCAA Championships. The kinesiology major finished ninth in the 5,000 meter run with a William & Mary record time of 16:03.
Her success in both the 1500 M and 5K gives the talented kinesiology major several avenues for next season. “I don’t know if I’m going to go back to the 1500 or stay with the 5K,” she admitted. “Both have worked out. I think the 1500 is more fun but in reality, I’m better suited for the 5K if I pursue professional running which I hope to do.”
“My training definitely changed. I’ve been doing a lot more volume mileage wise, getting up to 75 miles a week this year,” Anderson noted. “We do a lot of 1000 meter repeats or mile breakouts. Before I was doing hard 1000s and maybe doing four of them. Now I’m doing six at the same pace. I think the fact that I was doing so much more mileage and volume is indicative that I was ready to move up in race distance.”
“For some reason, she didn’t have the power in her finish as she did last year,” observed Stimson. “We bumped her up to the 5K. (Head Coach) Kathy (Newberry) did that because of the finishes she had.”
When Anderson finished that 5K at just over 16 minutes- an incredible time for a rookie running her first fast 5K- Stimson, Newberry and Anderson knew they were on to something.
Anderson is equally decorated in the classroom. She earned the CAA Scholar-Athlete Award in December 2008. Perhaps she removed one of her two USTFCCCA All-Academic Awards in order to make space for the trophy.
An impressive C.V. for someone lightly recruited out of an area of the country that isn’t exactly a gushing pipeline to William & Mary. “I think her high school mile was a 5:26,” recalled Stimson. “That is an okay time but there are hundreds of those kids.”
“I’ve always loved the East Coast,” said Anderson sounding ironic with her slight Chicago accent. “I came out and visited schools like Wake Forest, Duke and UVA, but I didn’t know a lot about William & Mary.
“As I walked around campus I thought, ‘I love this!’ The old brick buildings. It was the perfect size. I met with Kathy, fell in love with the program instantly, came on a recruiting visit and ended up applying early decision.
“When I talked to Kathy I could get a good sense on where the team was going. She was looking to build a distance program and in my class there are so many mid-distance runners. I knew that that was where I wanted to be- in a developing program.”
Her years on the Williamsburg tracks and in the classrooms have taught Anderson some valuable life lessons.
“If you put in the work, you can do it,” she believes. “So many times I’d go into Kathy’s office as a freshman crying and saying ‘I can’t do this- this is so hard.’ She’d say, ‘You know what? It is hard now but it’s going to pay off.’ Even putting in my time, I’d feel like I would be plodding along, being pathetic but it did pay off at the end.
“And to have confidence. The balance scared me at first because coming in you hear that W&M is such a tough academic school. But it actually has been easier being on a team. Every class I have, I have with girls on the team so we’ll have a team study hall.
“I’d say that too- the importance of building relationships with teammates. We live together, we have the same lifestyles. Surrounding yourself with positive influences who are striving for the same goal helps out so much.”
“She’s a tremendous speaker. When she does, she blows people away. We have a lot of smart kids on our team- she isn’t the only smart kid- but she is very, very articulate. Very mature. And a very impressive person. She does well in school and has a great personality. She’ll be very successful in whatever she tries to do,” predicted Stimson.
Agreed Coach…but from the looks of things, Emily Anderson is already successful in whatever she tries to do.
Tribe's Zimmeck Keeping Pace With World's Best
06/06/2009
By Don Leypoldt ‘96
Poor Claire Zimmeck is at the bottom of almost every alphabetical roll call.
This is ironic placement for someone who ranks at the top of the William & Mary soccer record books.
The forward garnered a bevy of honors in her four years (2005-2008) on the Williamsburg pitch:
- An All-State selection who punched in five game winning goals as a freshman
- The CAA Player of the Year award and All-American recognition by Soccer Buzz magazine as a sophomore
- A repeat performance as CAA Player of the Year and a semi-finalist for the Hermann Trophy (the women’s soccer equivalent to the Heisman) as a junior
- Repeat honors as both a Herrmann Trophy semi-finalist and an NSCAA All-American as a senior
“She was one of the most fearless players I’ve ever seen play the game,” recalled Tribe assistant coach Britta Marmon. “She would throw her body into just about any situation and she produced goals and scoring opportunities purely based on her willingness to do that. I think that is one of the things that set her apart from other players in the CAA.”
“Claire's emergence as a top quality was no surprise to me,” echoed Tribe head coach John Daly. “She possesses tremendous courage. She was often brutally man-marked during her college career but she would always make herself available to receive the ball. It is this kind of courage that will help her succeed as a professional.”
Zimmeck’s 57 career goals register as the third best in Tribe history. She leaves Williamsburg as the school’s all time leader with 25 game winning goals. Under her leadership, Daly’s side won three straight regular season CAA titles.
Continued Marmon, “She was also an unconventional player. A lot of times you’d look at her and say ‘How the heck did she do that?’ Once she became an upperclassman, people caught on to her tendencies, but she was naturally deceptive.”
Her style and resume attracted attention in the soccer world. As a result, Zimmeck did not have the same post-college job worries that daunted many of her classmates.
The Washington Freedom, of Women’s Pro Soccer, took care of her job search in March. The Freedom selected Zimmeck in the ninth round of WPS’ inaugural draft; Zimmeck survived the cut down process to make the active roster when the Freedom debuted.
The leap from the CAA to professional soccer is obviously a challenge. Several of Zimmeck’s Freedom teammates were part of the 2004 gold medal winning U.S. Olympic soccer team. To label these women as the best players in the world is no understatement.
But like she did when she jumped from W.T. Woodson High in Fairfax to William & Mary, Zimmeck adroitly handled the promotion. She started the Freedom’s first game and has seen action in four of their first eight contests.
“When I was drafted, I didn’t have a sure spot,” observed Zimmeck. “My goal was to get a contract spot. Now, I am trying to acquire more playing time so I’m working hard and trying to make that happen.”
“It’s a testament to Claire’s work ethic and heart in terms of getting to the place that she is now. She is 100% talented enough to play in the WPS,” believes Marmon. “No doubt about it. But she had to do a lot of hard work to get there. She had to continue to work out after the fall season when most kids after their four years would want to take the month off.
“She had to showcase herself at the league combine and she scored two goals there. She produced some really good numbers and had one of the highest testing numbers of anyone at the combine. She did great.”
William & Mary proved to be an excellent college choice for one of the best prep athletes in Virginia. Zimmeck led Woodson to a state title as a junior and capped her senior year with All-American honors. A blur on a soccer field, Zimmeck even earned all-state distinction in indoor track.
“William & Mary had everything I was looking for,” remembered Zimmeck when asked why she chose the Tribe. “It was a really good academic school and a good soccer school. It was also just two hours from my house so that made it a perfect fit. I really liked the coaches and I loved the team. The campus was a terrific size.”
Many elite student-athletes in high school cannot make the jump to competitive Division I. Many athletes who distinguish themselves at Division I struggle when moving to the professional ranks…assuming they even get that opportunity.
Zimmeck admits that she is still getting used to the speed of the professional game, an adaptation that may be her biggest challenge on the pitch.
“She is just in a learning curve,” noted Marmon. “She is going from one style of soccer to another style of soccer with some really big names. But I think Claire has shown that she can play with those players.
“She is obviously a rookie who will need time to adjust to being a professional athlete and working beside new faces. But I certainly think that she is a fantastic player who will have a lot of great things to give to her team and to this game. She adds such a different element to any team because I think she has some qualities that not everybody has.”
Professional soccer was not an option when freshman Zimmeck matriculated in 2004. The first women's pro league- the WUSA- rode the popularity wave of the World Cup winning U.S. Women's national team. But the league folded in 2003 after three seasons.
This past March 29th, women's pro soccer rose from the ashes when the Freedom fell to the Los Angeles Sol in the league's inaugural game. Zimmeck started in the historic match.
Williamsburg is no stranger to making history, and lessons from four years with the Tribe helped to place Zimmeck in that notable game. "Coach Daly is an experienced and successful coach. I have learned much from him. He has prepared me well for the WPS and has supported me greatly,” commented Zimmeck on what she took from her William & Mary experience.
"Coach Marmon prepared me mentally by staying positive, physically by showing me the importance of keeping up strength training, and gave me good insight about the game," she added.
The League’s spring start date meant Zimmeck had to postpone her graduation. But her hiatus from Williamsburg will not be long. “I’ll be back in August and early September to volunteer coach and finish my semester at school,” Zimmeck said.
The Tribe’s new assistant coach will likely be the same polite and grounded person that starred for them. “She was like no other player that I’ve seen to be very honest,” admitted Marmon. “You learn a lot from being around a player like (Claire), one who has done so many things that you haven’t seen before.
“She is also an incredibly hard worker. She is intensely competitive and she is very, very modest and humble. You would never know that she was the best player in our conference the last three years. Never in a million years would you hear anything come out of her mouth that would suggest that. That is a testament to the way she is as a person and the way she plays the game.”
Crapolfest created in memory of Andy Crapol '00
06/01/2009
Please visit the website
www.andycrapol.com. This is a site developed by friends of men's soccer alumnus Andy Crapol '00 to memorialize him and also help manage the events of Crapolfest, an annual event which will be held first October 2-4,2009 in Williamsburg. The weekend will include parties, a road race, a miniature golf tourney and the game between W&M men’s soccer and archrival George Mason. We hope you will participate in some way in the events of the weekend or simply make a contribution to the Andrew E. Crapol Soccer Scholarship, which since its inception in March already has over $30K in assets. Please help us to pass on the information on Crapolfest to anyone that might have an interest. We expect this to be a hugely successful annual event to bring the soccer community together in the fall.
William and Mary’s Derek Cox Drafted in NFL’s Third Round
05/02/2009
From www.tribeathletics.com
Tribe Cornerback Selected by Jacksonville with 73 Overall Pick
New York, N.Y. - William and Mary senior cornerback Derek Cox (Winterville, N.C.) was selected this morning by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third-round of the NFL Draft.
Cox, a four-year starter for the College, was the 73rd overall player selected in the draft, and the second taken overall from the Football Championships Series (FCS). His placement in the third-round makes him the second-highest drafted player in school history, as only former Tribe All-American safety Darren Sharper was selected higher (second round by the Green Bay Packers in 1997).
Cox will seek to join Sharper (New Orleans Saints) and Mike Leach (Arizona Cardinals) as fellow William and Mary alumni on NFL active rosters.
On the field, Cox was one of the league’s premier cover corners, as he was a two-time All-Colonial Athletics Association selection (as a junior and senior) and finished his senior season tied for fifth in the CAA with four interceptions and returned a pair of those for touchdowns (at NC State and vs. Northeastern). While opposing quarterbacks often elected to avoid throw-ing to his side of the field, Cox ranked 11th in the league with 0.82 passes defended per game. He also made a significant impact on special teams returning punts, averaging 16.4 yards per return with a pair of touchdowns (89 yards vs. Northeast-ern and 80 yards vs. Richmond). Cox finished his career with 172 tackles and nine interceptions.
Even more impressive, perhaps, was Cox’s leaderships off the field, as he was one of just four players in current Tribe Head Coach Jimmye Laycock’s 30-year tenure at the College to be selected as a captain for two terms. Cox was also elected as the Student Athletics Advisory Council (SAAC) President for the 2008-09 athletics year and was presented the 2008 Leadership Award by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
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Video Highlights from Derek Cox's 2008 season are available on the home page of www.tribeclub.com . An additional interview with Cox is available at www.tribeathletics.com
Paladino Caps Stellar Career for Tribe
05/01/2009
By Don Leypoldt
A sound argument could be made that Brent Paladino was the most heralded recruit in Tribe golf history.
In his senior year of high school, Paladino- a second team All-American as a prep player- qualified for both the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Amateur Public Links national championships.
That’s the same U.S. Amateur whose past champions list includes Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and an obscure Stanford kid named Tiger.
There is no way that Tribe golf coach Jay Albaugh would take a mulligan on Paladino’s recruitment.
“Brent has been the stabilizer and leader for our golf program in most of his four years here,” says Albaugh. “He has not missed a tournament in his four years. He is quiet and unassuming, but he commands the respect of all of his teammates.
“In a take-off on the old John Houseman commercials, 'when Brent talks, his teammates listen.'”
Paladino carded the second best rookie season ever at William and Mary, leading the team in stroke average. He was selected to the CAA All-Tournament team as a sophomore after placing fifth at the conference championships.
Paladino made both the PING/Mid-Atlantic All-Region team and the All-CAA first team during his junior season- a validation of a campaign where he re-wrote the Tribe record books. He was the runner-up at the CAA Championship, thanks to a three day total of 6 under par, which tied a William and Mary record. In seven of the Tribe’s nine tournaments, he led the team.
“I think that is something that I improved on over the last four years,” assesses Paladino. “When I was a freshman, I was up and down. I’d start well and have a terrible finish. This spring, I haven’t been out of the top 20. I could have done better, but I haven’t had any garbage rounds.
“I try to be as steady as I can and that is an important lesson you learn from college golf. You can’t have the up and downs or you aren’t going to make it.”
Paladino kept clearing his raised bar. On September 17th, the lanky 6’3” senior won CAA Co-Player of the Week thanks to his 14 under par score as medalist at the Raines Development Intercollegiate Tournament. In addition to obliterating the Tribe’s 54 hole record, Paladino paced William and Mary to a third place finish.
No joke, Paladino repeated the CAA Player of the Week honor on April 1st thanks to his 2-under par performance at the Towson Invitational. Paladino- the second round medalist- led the Tribe to a second place finish.
“I think that college golf is not about the end result as it is the experience,” he feels. “You learn to deal with a lot of different things like traveling, trying to manage schoolwork on the road- especially at W&M more so than other schools.
“You learn a lot of life skills like managing your time, learning to have personal responsibility. Learning to understand that while golf is a priority there are obviously other things you need to worry about.”
When he could focus on golf full time- during summers- Paladino crafted a stellar resume. In 2006 and 2007, he again qualified for both the U.S. Amateur and the Pub Links, marking six straight USGA championship appearances for the Kensington, Connecticut native. He upset the seventh seed en route to advancing to the Round of 16 at the ’06 Pub Links.
Connecticut has never been a paragon of ideal golf weather. Much of Paladino’s practice time involved indoor ranges or playing in near freezing temperatures.
But if you love the game- and Paladino has been swinging a club since he was three years old- and you have that special passion, it is easy to shrug off those circumstances.
The same might be said of Paladino in the classroom. He is believed to be the first William and Mary golfer to major in Computer Science.
“It’s been tough in a couple of different ways,” admits Paladino. “One is that very few athletes have done Comp Sci so a lot of teachers don’t understand the traveling- especially with golf when we’re gone for five days at a time.
“I’ve had teachers who have been sympathetic to my situation and teachers who haven’t been. You prioritize and the ones that haven’t been, you put in a little more effort to and try and get everything done for those classes.”
W&M student-athletes like Paladino are unique because they are able to work around those challenges in both the classroom and on the links. Tribe Club support helps to attract students like Paladino, who excel athletically and academically.
“We’re obviously grateful for anything that our alumni can give to us,” thanks Paladino. “The only reason our program stays afloat is through the generous gifts of a lot of different people. As much funding as we have, we don’t have close to that of other schools. Coach Albaugh does very well in using the money that he gets.
“A lot of us are going to look back and realize that people gave us the opportunity to play golf for four years against some of the top teams in the country. Even at this age, we see what it took to make our program what it is. I would definitely use any opportunity to give back to make a college kid’s experience as good as mine was.”
In less than a month, Paladino will have a diploma…and a career dilemma. His plan is to head home and turn professional. There are daunting challenges on and off the course- sponsorships for pro golfers can be difficult to obtain in this economic climate- but Paladino is determined to give his dream a fighting chance.
Albaugh believes, “Brent has worked tirelessly in developing his game. He has been single minded in working toward his goal of playing golf professionally. He has worked on fine tuning all aspects of his game to be able to compete on the professional tour after school.”
Paladino also has a great backup plan in the form of a William & Mary bachelor’s degree.
“(Computer Science) is always something that I have been interested in,” says Paladino, who is minoring in Economics. “If I weren’t playing golf, I could see me in this field- designing websites or getting a Comp Sci job.
“It didn’t make much sense for me to major in something ‘easier’ just to play golf. I think that down the road if golf doesn’t work out than this will be more rewarding.”
“I have said since he arrived at W&M four years ago that he is the epitome of a student-athlete,” states Albaugh. “The academic challenges of W&M are difficult enough without playing a sport. Brent has been able to manage himself and his time well and he met all those challenges successfully.”
The graduate can assess his William & Mary years with an impressively mature view. “There have been a lot of long nights but down the road, when you look back, what is more important?” Paladino asks. “College golf really has little bearing as far as your professional career goals so it makes more sense to have all of your bases covered while you’re at school. You know that if professional golf doesn’t work out, you’ll be fine.”
New Photo Galleries Now Available!
04/01/2009
Updated photo galleries for the Steve Cole Recognition Dinner held on March 27th, and the Soccer Alumni Weekend held over the weekend of March 28th, 2009 are now available on our photo gallery page or by clicking here. Check out these photos and recap all of the action from these great events!
Remarks from the Andrew Crapol '00 Memorial Service
04/01/2009
The following are remarks made by former Tribe Head Men's Soccer Coach, Al Albert at the Memorial Service for Andrew Crapol '00, a men's soccer alumnus who recently passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. All in the Tribe family are deeply saddened with this loss. In recognition of the many friendships Andy made as a member of the soccer community and his love of "the beautiful game," a scholarship has been established. Donations can be made to the College of William and Mary Foundation, with the notation "Andrew Crapol Scholarship Fund," P.O. Box 1693, Williamsburg, VA 23187.
"Over the past few weeks, I have gotten dozens of calls and emails from Andy’s teammates expressing their thoughts at this moment and I only hope I capture the essence of what everyone from our team feels at this moment.
On page 26 of the 2008 W&M men’s soccer media guide, about halfway down the page, there is a small entry that reads: 2000 Coaches Award - Andy Crapol. Let me explain to you what that means and who Andy was to me and to the W&M soccer program.
I first saw Andy play soccer when he was about ten years old. Having coached his brother Paul, I knew the family and it was no surprise to me that he was involved in the game and shaping up to be a prospect one day. Over the next seven years I saw him play numerous times for the Williamsburg Soccer Club, at my summer soccer camps and for the Lafayette HS team. His senior year, former LHS teacher and coach Steve Shaw, who was also my assistant, came to me and said in his then raspy voice,” Al, I think you should take a look at Crapol.”
Which we did. Andy came to see me in my office and whereas many of the better players from town were looking at getting out of the ‘Burg, lured by the frat parties of UVA and JMU, Andy was focused on coming to W&M for soccer. We had some pretty extensive discussions, examining all of his options, and I explained to Andy that he could go a lot of places in Division 1 and play more, or maybe even go to a Division 3 team and be a big star. Andy was clear. He wanted to stay and play at William and Mary if he could.
Given that we have squad limits on our roster here at W&M, this dragged on for several months but then finally we made the decision to give Andy what may have been the last spot on the roster that year.
Let me say that it doesn’t always work out in these situations for both parties. In this case, it did. Andy entered W&M in the fall of 1996. Along with the rest of his freshman class, he was welcomed to the locker room on the first day of practice with a tape over his nameplate with his new Tribe soccer nickname-Spicoli - Sean Penn’s character in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. I assume this was based on his shoulder length hair, more than anything else, and it made little sense after he got it cut. Like a lot of our younger players, Andy redshirted his first year, played the next four seasons, and shared that prestigious Coaches Award his last semester on the team with Adam Schultz, another very important player for our team that season.
The Coaches Award is given annually to a player or players who define what is important about W&M soccer. Whether through superior efforts, attitude or deeds, whoever receives this honor is deemed by the coaches to be vital to the success of the program. When I look at the list of people who have won this award since we began giving it in 1982, it is an amazing list of some of the greatest individuals who have come through our team, including our present soccer coach, Chris Norris, and many others who are in the audience today.
Andy Crapol didn’t score a ton of goals in his career at W&M or register numerous starts or minutes on the field. But on the practice field, the sidelines, the locker room, the bus and anywhere else he interacted with his teammates, he was a giant. It was no coincidence that we went to the NCAA tournament all five years in which he was a member of our team.
Andy’s influence on the team was simple. First of all, his laidback, friendly personality reached out to all extremes and every member of the squad. Shall we say there were less stable and well balanced individuals around him? Sorry guys, I couldn’t resist that. Adin, his positive influence on you alone was probably worth a couple of wins a season! Andy was a symbol of stability and a voice of reason; a quiet, easy going guy that didn’t just have an audience with one group but with every person in the locker room.
One of his teammates wrote to me last week and put it this way- “Crapol embodied everything that was good about a true Tribe soccer teammate. From his infectious laugh to his quiet leadership even often from the sidelines, he always built others up.”
In addition, he always gave 100% on the practice field, whether he thought he was going to play in the next game or not. His work ethic was very high, he was one of the fittest players in the squad, and everyone knew how much it meant for him just to be a member of our program.
During their time on the team, other players don’t fully understand the importance of this type of individual to the success of a program but most of them do now. I guarantee every coach in W&M Hall will back me up on this point. Great seasons are made of a lot of hard work and great players of all types. In the category of great teammate, Andy was at the top of the list.
In conclusion, Tribe soccer is honored than Andy’s family would like to see him remembered with a named soccer scholarship. I would also like to announce at this time that our Coaches Award, given to the player that exemplifies the spirit of W&M soccer, will now be known as the Crapol Award. We hope that future teams and players will understand through this, what type of player Andy was and what he meant to his team."
New Mascot Search is Underway.
04/01/2009
The recently formed Mascot Committee has been charged with the task of finding a new mascot for William & Mary. Chaired by Terry Driscoll, the mascot committee includes alumni, students, faculty and staff. The committee is responsible for encouraging participation and reviewing mascot ideas. Visit the Mascot Search website for more information about this new initiative or to submit your new mascot ideas online!
"Elegant Tailgate" Raises $136,000
03/14/2009
A record crowd of over 300 guests gathered in Kaplan Arena on February 6 to celebrate Charter Day Weekend at the 20th annual Lord Botetourt Auction. Guests wore sneakers to match this year’s athletic theme and bid on vacations, spa packages, and memorabilia. Two round-trip airline tickets to anywhere in the world and a custom game table commissioned by Roy Charles were popular items. Net proceeds from the event were over $136,000—the second highest total ever! “Susan [Driscoll] and I are thrilled with the success of the Lord Botetourt Auction,” said Sue Gerdelman, 2009 auction Co-Chair, “We are proud to be a part of the extraordinary accomplishments of our student athletes - both on and off the playing field. The support of our alumni, friends and the Williamsburg community ensured a fun and fabulous evening.”
All proceeds from the auction help support the William and Mary Athletic Department. Thank you to all of our sponsors, donors, committee members, guests and Student-Athlete volunteers.
Doug Wood Announced as the Interim Director of Special Events
03/05/2009
As of January 2009, Doug Wood will be lending his skills to the Tribe Club as the Interim Director of Special Events. Doug is an alumnus of the College of William & Mary graduating with honors in 1963. He continued his education at the College’s Marshall Wythe School of Law completing his JD in 1972 after a stint in the U.S, Navy. Beginning his career as a Clerk in the 4th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Doug then progressed by working as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Virginia in 1973, then moving to the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an Assistant General Counsel in 1974. In 1978 Doug began a 23 year tenure with the U.S. Department of Justice. During the last 11 years with the U.S. Department of Justice, he was employed with the Immigration and Naturalization Service as the Associate General Counsel before starting his own Immigration Bond Consulting Firm in 2001, Doug Wood and Associates. Now retired, Doug continues to give back to the Williamsburg community by serving as a dynamic member of the Heritage Humane Society Auxiliary, President of the William & Mary Alumni Association Williamsburg Chapter, Secretary of the City of Williamsburg Electoral Board, and an active supporter of William & Mary Athletics. Doug and his wife Janis reside in Williamsburg.
New & Improved TribeClub.com Website Now Available!
02/23/2009
Tribe fans can enjoy the benefits of a new and improved tribeclub.com website. The re-vamped website shows off a brand new look and includes lots of new features such as alumni and student-athlete video interviews, photo galleries, and lots of information on upcoming Tribe Club events. Be on the lookout for more video, photos, and news in the coming months.
Tribe Athletics Creates Facebook Page to Celebrate Tomlin '95 Super Bowl Title
02/09/2009
The College of William and Mary’s fund raising arm, the Tribe Club, has created a site on the social networking group, Facebook, called Tribe 4 Tomlin that is dedicated to William & Mary alumnus, Mike Tomlin (’95), who became the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009.
A native of near-by Newport News, Va., Mike, who wore the No. 4 at the College, went on to become a three-year starter at wide receiver for William & Mary from 1990-94, finishing his Tribe football career with 101 receptions for 2,046 yards and 20 touchdown receptions. A leader even during his collegiate years, Mike was named as the squad’s co-captain his senior season (1994). He put a fitting exclamation point on a solid playing career by earning First-Team All-Yankee Conference honors as a senior. He graduated with a pair of school records in career yards per catch (19.6) and single-season average per reception (25.5).
In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, the exposure that William & Mary gained through various media coverage was fantastic. On this group page, you will find numerous links to articles covering Mike Tomlin’s story and his background at the College. William & Mary Head Football Coach Jimmye Laycock was also interviewed on the ESPN2 show First Take, as he talked about Mike’s personality and playing days at the College.
In addition to the articles and Laycock interview, you will find a compelling testimonial from Tomlin himself about his experience as a William & Mary student-athlete.
Watch Mike Tomlin YouTube Video
William and Mary Again Amongst National Academic Leaders in Graduating Student-Athletes
10/16/2008
Tribe Program Has 12 Teams Graduate 100% of Players Entering College Between 1998-2001
10/16/08 5:00PM INDIANAPOLIS, IND - The College of William and Mary athletics department again ranked among the national leaders in graduating student-athletes, with 12 teams graduating 100% of their participants who enrolled between 1998 and 2001.
"We are extremely proud of our student-athletes," athletics director Terry Driscoll said. "It is a credit both to them, and to our coaches, that so many Tribe teams perform both on the court and off at a high level year after year."
William and Mary athletes graduated well above the national average in 18 of the 19 sports measured, including in all nine men's sports. Four teams, including the 2008 National Academic Champion gymnastics squad, soccer, swimming and diving, and tennis, posted a 100% graduation rate. The nine teams averaged 19 points above the national GSR average in each sport. The basketball team's GSR of 92 was a full 30 points above the national average, and the football team also performed extremely well, with a GSR of 91 against the national average for Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) programs of 65.
The women's teams at the College also performed extremely well, with eight teams showing a GSR of 100. One of those eight was the basketball program, which ranked 18 points over the national average as the single-largest margin for all of W&M's women's teams. Also achieving a GSR of 100 were the cross country and track teams, golf, gymnastics, soccer, tennis, and volleyball. In total, the 10 women's teams measured averaged 8.5 points above the national average.
In the federal data, which does not take into account transfer athletes who go on to complete their degrees at another school, both the men's and women's soccer teams achieved a 100% graduation rate, with the men's score an astonishing 42% above the national average for the sport. Seven of the Tribe's men's programs were measured in the federal data, with each averaging 26.86 percentage points better than the national average. The women had eight teams measured, with an average clearance above and beyond the federal rate of 14.88 points in each sport.
William and Mary's 12 teams with GSR rates of 100% led all conference and state schools. Only UNC Wilmington equaled the Tribe with four men's teams at 100, while no other school had more than six women's teams reach that plateau. In fact, only one school (Drexel) combined for eight teams at 100 between both genders.
The NCAA released its 2008 Graduation Success Rate (GSR) data Tuesday, along with the latest federal graduation rate data for all Division I athletic programs, and both datasets showed the highest-ever graduation rates for athletes. Measuring the degree-completion rate of students entering college between 1998 and 2001, the GSR showed that 78% of all student-athletes earned their degree within six years, up one point from last year, and the federal rate showed a success rate of 64%, up two points from last year at two points above the federal graduation rate for all students.
Tune In To The Tribe!
09/01/2008
Listen to live radio broadcasts of William & Mary games on your computer by going to www.TribeAthletics.com and clicking on "live audio." All Tribe Football and Men's Basketball games, as well as various other home contests including Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Soccer and Baseball, are available at no cost.
2008 Football Alumni Reunion Sold Out!
06/23/2008
Five-hundred guests gathered in Kaplan Arena on June 21st for the Fourth Annual Football Alumni Reunion. This year's event was highlighted by the dedication of the Jimmye Laycock Football Center. The celebration of the tradition of success of William & Mary Football included speeches by Frank Beamer, Jim Copeland, Ralph Friedgen, Marv Levy and Mike Tomlin. Emcee for the evening was Lanny Wadkins, a close friend of Coach Laycock.
Guests were able to tour the Laycock Center. Prior to the evening's festivities the Football Alumni Golf Tournament was held at Williamsburg National. Winners for the third consecutive year were Russ Brown, Wade Harrell, Mike Mesi and Mathew Witham.
Football alums, make plans to attend the 2009 Reunion - - June 28.
Tribe Club Pro-Am Raises $50,000
06/03/2008
The 2008 Tribe Club Pro-Am was held June 2 at Two Rivers Country Club. Fifty-two golfers enjoyed a spectacular day of golf followed by a fabulous buffet dinner. Each foursome was joined by an L.P.G.A. pro.
The net result was $58,000 which will help to fund scholarships for William & Mary Olympic Sport student-athletes.
The Tribe Club would like to offer special thanks to the following Presenting Sponsors: Marshall Acuff, Gordon and Judy Angles, Jon Doyle, First Market Bank, John Jamison, Jim and Jane Kaplan, Terry and Carol Lady, Tracy Leinbach, Owens Foundation, Don Patten and Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center.
Senior Athletes of the Year
05/30/2008
Alex Cojanu - Men's Tennis
1st team All-State, All CAA, four times
Qualified for NCAA Championship in singles and doubles
Kyra Kaylor - Women's Basketball
W&M All-time leading scorer and rebounder.
All CAA four-times, CAA Player of the Year as Sophomore
Tim Park – Baseball
All-American Top 20 in nation in BA, hits and doubles
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