PFL Weekly

Men’s and women’s swimming snag wins at Springfield College, and the PFL hosts check in with sophomore swimmer Cara Fritz for the inside scoop on their season. Guest Hosts Ian Bolton and Nima Khodakhah join the PFL Crew to get you up to date on Midd Athletics. Women’s ice hockey beats UMass Boston to return to their winning ways. Men’s ice hockey takes two tough losses versus Hamilton and Amherst. Men’s and women’s basketball combine for a 6-0 record this past week, with strong offense and stifling defense across the board. The teams now head into a bit of winter break. Tune in!

And we’re back! Panthers for Life Weekly hosts Ben, Sam, Dan, and Cole bring you the highlights from early-season winter NESCACtion. Men’s squash is undefeated, and we caught up with star sophomore Julian Sandoval to hear all about the matches so far, and what to look forward to. Numerous fall athletes earn all-region and all-american honors. Field Hockey takes the natty in a 1-0 overtime contest for their fifth-straight NCAA Champsionship. Ice hockey teams battle through tough early seasons and earn gritty wins. Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving start the season 1-1, while Ryan Greguski impresses with consistency on the diving board. Men’s Basketball is hot sitting at 5-1. Next week, Panthers take on their last opponents of the 2022 calendar year. Tune in, y’all!

Field Hockey is headed to the NCAA Final Four after cruising past MIT and Trinity in NCAA tournament play; Bob Ritter ends his career as head football coach in a shootout against Tufts; Men’s and Women’s Cross Country competed in gritty regional races, with Alec Gironda and the men’s team punching their ticket to nationals; Men’s Soccer loses their NCAA tournament match; Women's Soccer and Volleyball are rewarded with numerous All-NESCAC selections; winter nears with season openers for Swim, Ice Hockey, and men's basketball coming up. It's a great day to be a Panther!

Tough games, fierce competitions, and sweet sweet victory. This past week has been all about NESCAC tourneys and the start of ice cold Panther winter practices. Men’s soccer concedes a hard-fought NESCAC semifinal in overtime vs. the Amherst College Mammoths but earns an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Volleyball ends their season in the quarterfinals vs. #3-seeded Williams. Football takes another win against Hamilton, currently sitting at 7-1 with one game remaining. Field Hockey wins the NESCAC and sets their sights on defending their NCAA national championship. The PFL crew also welcomes Cady Barns '23, who talks about the women's track and field team's quest to defend their NESCAC title.

This week, Dave Filias '25 chats with the PFL team about Football's back-and-forth, comeback win vs. Colby on Saturday. Dave talks about what it was like to fight in the trenches in such a close game, as well as how Colby's offensive line prepared for him specifically with double-teams and trap plays. Ben provides a recap on the Crew teams' performance at the Head of the Charles Regatta. As this weekend was the start of the NESCAC tournament for soccer and field hockey, men's soccer and field hockey both picked up important wins against Hamilton. Women's soccer lost to Trinity, but still remain in contention for an NCAA tournament bid. Men's and Women's Cross country had strong performances at the NESCAC Championships at Hamilton, with the men finishing 3rd and the women 8th. Volleyball wrapped up its regular season and now looks to the volleyball NESCAC tournament. It's a great day to be a Panther!

Link to Butch Varno's in memoriam article: https://athletics.middlebury.edu/news/2022/10/20/general-middlebury-mourns-the-loss-of-butch-varno.aspx

The PFL Team is joined by Emily Stone '25, a starting defender for the Field Hockey team; Emily talks about the team's response to their loss against Trinity, how they're preparing for the NESCAC and NCAA tournaments, and how upperclassmen lead the team; Football handled a late Bates comeback in an important road win; Volleyball placed second at the New England Challenge; Women's Soccer tied a strong Tufts side; Men's Tennis had an excellent showing at the Dartmouth Invitational; and much more!

The PFL Team welcomes cross-country first year Owen Johnson '26, who placed 24th individually out of a field of more than 300 runners at the Connecticut College Invitational, helping the men's cross-country team to a third-place overall finish; Men's soccer dominated Trinity College in a 6-0 win; Women's soccer upset #21 Trinity 1-0; Volleyball went 2-0 in NESCAC play over the weekend; Football lost at Trinity after digging out of a 21-0 hole; Field Hockey ended its overall win streak and home win streak after falling 2-1 to #7 Trinity College; Sean McGarrity made a Hole-in-One en route to medalist honors at the NEIGA Men's Golf Championship, and much more!

Middlebury Athletics delivered this Fall Family weekend, with an impressive 9-1 record for all competing teams on campus! The PFL Team welcomes Emma Binks, who scored both game-winning goals for women's soccer in their two games. Backup quarterback Cole Kennon took the reins of Middlebury's red-hot offense and led the team to a 30-7 win over rival Williams. Field Hockey handled Colby and Connecticut College en route to the teams 50th straight win on Kohn field. Men's soccer won a tough match against a strong Colby team, and outlasted reigning Division III champs Conn College to go 2 - 0 for the weekend. Volleyball had a great showing, going 2 - 1 over the weekend against strong opponents. Women's golf and tennis were off campus this weekend but still made Panther nation proud with excellent team and individual performances. It's a great day to be a Panther!

For the third episode of the fall season, the PFL team welcomes Victoria Fawcett '26, who has started her collegiate career off with a bang by being one of the Panthers' best runners. Fawcett talks all things cross country, including her pre-race routines and rituals that have helped her succeed. Them PFL team recaps Football's comeback win against Bowdoin, Field Hockey's domination in its much-anticipated home opener and extension of its undefeated stretch to 39 games, Men's soccer's upset over #9 Wesleyan anchored by keeper Ryan Grady, and much more. Give it a listen!

For the second episode of the fall season, the PFL team chats with Eujin Chae '25 after his corner kick goal against Framingham State makes it onto ESPN's SportCenter Top 10. The crew also has updates on Field Hockey and Senior goalie Grace Harlan reaching some impressive milestones, Football's strong home win against Wesleyan, Men's and Women's Cross Country teams successful trip to the Saint Lawerence University Invitation, and much more. Dan brings back his stat of the week, and Sam rounds out the episode with an intriguing trivia question.