Fall sports gear up for new season
The student athletes at Carnegie Mellon are wrapping up pre-season and are ready to hit the ground running. Here is a rundown on the varsity teams competing in the fall:
Football:
The Tartan football team finished last season 5-5, capturing its 500th career win over the University of Chicago.
Returning senior running backs Patrick Blanks and Jake Nardone prepare to lead the team on the offensive, since the team’s other top scorer Chris Garcia has graduated. Senior outside linebacker Nick Karabin will be set to lead the defense.
One of the biggest changes the team will face is the new assistant coach, Joe Lapkowicz. Lapkowicz comes to Carnegie Mellon after coaching at McDaniel College, where he specialized in running backs. For the Tartans, he will focus on the wide receivers and tight ends.
Their season kicks off Sept. 1 at 1 p.m. in a non-conference game against the Grove City College Wolverines here at Gesling Stadium. The Tartans defeated the Wolverines 21–19 last season.
Men’s Soccer:
The men’s soccer team had a slightly disappointing 2011 season, finishing 7-8-1.
The Tartans will need to replace the handful of starters it lost. Senior goal keeper Zach Stahl, who averaged 1.81 goals scored per game last year, will be returning while senior forward Alex Abedian will play an essential role in the offense for the Tartans.
The Carnegie Mellon Invitational debuts the 2012 season on Aug. 31. The Tartans will face Hobart College in the first round of the invitational at 7:30 p.m.
Women’s Soccer:
Over the summer, head coach Yon Struble led the USA Deaf Soccer Women’s Team to the gold medal with a 1-0 win over Russia in the Deaf World Cup.
Back in Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Mellon soccer team is coming off a 9-7 2011 season, and the girls, led by the offense of sophomore forward Savina Reid and junior defender Rachel Contopoulos, return to start the 2012 season.
The Tartans open their season against Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, on Aug. 31.
Golf:
The Tartans finished strong academically in the 2011 season with a cumulative grade point average of 3.46. They received the All-Academic Team award from the Golf Coaches Association of America.
The Grove City Invitational is Sept. 13, where the Tartans will face the first challenge of the year at the Grove City Country Club.
Volleyball:
The team finished 15-15 overall and 2-5 in conference. The Tartans won the last game of the season against Brandeis University to finish seventh in the University Athletic Association Championships.
On Aug. 31, they will compete in the Ohio Northern Tournament, where they will first play Wooster College at 5:00 p.m. at Ada, Ohio.
Men’s Tennis:
Losing only one player to graduation last season, the Tartans return with a young team.
The team as a whole did not make the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships last season.
However, the doubles duo of senior Duke Miller and sophomore William Duncan made it to the quarterfinals. Miller also competed individually in singles, where he made it to the quarterfinals of championships.
Women’s Tennis:
The Tartans ended last season in a 5–4 loss to Amherst College in the quarterfinals of the 2012 NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship.
The combo of Courtney Chin and Laura Chen, along with Cze-Ja Tam, graduated at the end of last season. For the upcoming year, it will be up to junior Katie Cecil, sophomore Chelsea Motie, and sophomore Angela Pratt to step up as leaders.
Men’s Cross Country:
Senior Evan Gates returns after finishing 28th at NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country Championships last season.
The Tartans open their season Sept. 1 at the Duquesne Duals in Schenley Park.
Women’s Cross Country:
The Tartans welcome back senior Emily Wobb, who earned All-American at the NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Championships last season.
The team opens their new season on Sept. 1 at the Duquesne Duals in Schenley Park.