Checking in with the Spring Season Gryphons
Jeff Jordan II.
Credit: Tony Correa
Colette Harley '17
Credit: Jim O’Connor
Erin Chafatelli
Credit: Tony Correa
Athletes are amazing people. I think they are amazing because they are able to balance a full course load and participate in competitive and physically challenging sports. The Gryphons 2014-15 athletic season has, thus far, been successful and full of growth. It is hard to believe that it is already time to wrap up basketball and swimming and move on to softball and men’s volleyball. But, without further ado, I present recaps and previews of more impressive student-athletes who are breaking school records and raking in points left and right!
BASKETBALL:
On Feb. 28, the Men’s Basketball team will finish their 2014-15 season. The young team won their first and only game against Pratt at Homecoming in November. The squad is noticeably young; it consists of nine first-year students. Head coach Chris Ehmer predicts that with more time the team will continue to grow and be competitive in every game. “I think we’ve come a long way, but we need to keep getting more polished,” Ehmer explained. Some highlights from this past season include a tight game against Maritime on Jan. 17, which ended in a very close loss of 62-65. In Skyline games against Martime and Mount Saint Vincent, rookie Keith Burns ('18) led the Gryphons with 29 points, which earned him Athlete of the Week.
MEN’S and WOMEN’S SWIMMING:
In three weeks, the swimmers of the Men’s and Women’s teams will ditch their bathing suits, goggles, and caps after three months of competing. The swim season will end with a four-day competition at the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association Championships. Eric Mitchell, the coach of the Men’s and Women’s swim teams, remarked that this season was full of highlights including the recruitment of first-year student Hannah Lawson ('18) who set school records for the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke. Mitchell added that the swimmers have “become a strong and closer team, which are all good things. We work on camaraderie and make sure we are cheering for each other. Swimming is a team sport at the NCAA level, but it’s really an individual sports so it’s easy to just get in and swim your laps and not worry about what the person next to you is doing. We make sure that everyone is aware to cheer on the person who’s still swimming behind them.” Six seniors, three men and three women, will graduate from the team this year.
SOFTBALL:
Although the softball season will not officially begin until March, second-year coach Chelsea Sheehan will train her young team for six weeks at Sarah Lawrence in preparation for their first game of the season. On March 11, they will kick off their season against Yeshiva, before traveling to Myrtle Beach for a week of training in warm South Carolina. Last year was Sheehan’s first season coaching at SLC and she notes that it was a “learning curve” for her and the team. The players and coaches have agreed that their season is not about winning or losing. Instead, the softball team looks to put in their full effort and energy during every practice and game. The team has seven first-year students and three seniors. The Gryphons will host their first home game of the season on Mar. 29 against Mount Saint Vincent.
WOMEN’S CLUB BASKETBALL:
SLC offers a wonderful diversity of activities to explore one's interests. The focus of the women's basketball club program is to offer students a previously-unavailable way to enrich and enhance their college experience. Women's Basketball is about learning and improving a set of skills, as well as overcoming the challenge of working as a team made up of individuals from all walks of life. The women’s basketball club team is actively seeking and welcoming new players. Mark Burger, assistant coach of the men’s basketball team, is the head coach of the women’s team. Burger writes that he is “happy with this season because one of the things that makes this year so special is our diversity. We have players who started with zero experience and others who have played on a competitive team before. It's been a blast seeing them figure out how to succeed in a team concept.” Burger goes on to write that his “primary goal is to offer our student body another means of personal growth and self expression. This one just happens to be called basketball. In that sense my goal for the participants is to learn to overcome boundaries and have fun doing so.”