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‘Cac DREAM TEAM Results

The Olympics wrapped up last night with as much nostalgia, neon, and esoteric British humor as one could expect. Before we put it to rest for another four years (Helloooo Rio) here are the results of our ‘Cac DREAM TEAM.

Katie Yates e-mailed us to nominate that “kid from midd who won the cross country nationals with one shoe.” After a quick Google search of “middlebury cross country winner one shoe” we identified the All Star: Michael Schmidt. And because a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s a photo from Midd Athletics capturing Schmidt’s 2011 feat…

Robert K. wrote in to nominate Spencer Noon, saying “I have followed Amherst soccer through the years. Never have I seen a player as dynamic as Spencer Noon. He is entering his senior season in 2012 and his list of achievements is already astonishing.”

Making our lives especially easy, he summarizes Noon’s beast status in bullet points:

- 2011 NESCAC Player of the Year
- 2011 ECAC Player of the Year
- D3Soccer All-American
- Amherst College All-Time Leading Goal Scorer (35) in just THREE seasons
- Led the NESCAC in Goals, Goals/Game, Game-Winning Goals, Points in each of his 3 seasons
- Scored this RIDICULOUS bicycle kick goal to beat Trinity in the 2011 NESCAC Final

And provides a link to that bicycle kick at 0:13:

Jordan Reyna also shot us an e-mail. She nominated Logan Todhunter ’12 (Williams) for being an “11 time D3 individual champion” over the course of her swimming career, and included this video:

And then we have the nominations which came in via Twitter.

Dom Kone of Colby was actually nominated twice. Here’s one of the nominating tweets:

Kone won the NCAA Div. III championship in the indoor 60-meter dash this spring and the outdoor 100 meter–THE ultimate comeback after pulling his hamstring 35 meters into the indoor National Championship in 2011.

Middlebury lacrosse alumni Mike Stone was also nominated.
In the past, we’ve covered Stone for his success as a member of the Boston Cannons. He’s #41 on the squad (2011 MLL Champions).

One of the nicest exchanges to come out of our DREAM TEAM campaign was Cole Townsend’s nomination of Skyler Cummins:

Skyler, in turn, nominated Cole. Cummins is a Quint-Captain on the Wesleyan track and field team, Townsend runs for Williams.

And, because there is one in every crowd, here’s a selfie nomination from CheddaSK. Although we have to admit a deep fondness for his song ‘Letter To Taylor.’ Don’t overthink it.

And here are OUR nominations based on the athletes we’ve covered since the blog’s inception. In no particular order…

Joey Cleary and Griffin Cardew

Chiara Del Piccolo

In 2011, Del Piccolo of Williams became the first NESCAC runner to win the women’s individual XC title in 15 years.

Chris Binnie

This summer, Binnie (Trinity ’12) became the first Jamaican to win a Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour title.

Kendra Stern

Amherst class of 2011, this swimmer won the prestigious NCAA Today Top VIII Award, recognizing excellence in academics, athletics and community service. She competed in the 2012 Olympic Trials in three events, although she ultimately fell short of making the team.

DJ Hessler

D.J. Hessler (Tufts ’11) was one of 25 male nominees for the Tewaaraton trophy,  presented annually to the top male and female collegiate lacrosse player. He was a two-time NESCAC Player of the Year and NCAA Division III Championship Game Most Outstanding Player.

Hessler signed to the Boston Cannons practice squad last August.

Ben Scheetz

Amherst College’s Ben Scheetz ’12, was named the 2011 Division III Indoor Track & Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. Scheetz won the 800-meter run at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and was named Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and New England Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year this spring.

Ryan Bak

While at Trinity, Ryan Bak ’03 broke five of the college’s running records. Learn more about Ryan in this profile written by Michael Bradley ’98. He placed 23rd in this year’s Olympic marathon trials.

Keelin Godsey

Keelin Godsey, a former Bates thrower and All- American, attended the U.S. Track and Field Championships where he placed 3rd in the hammer throw. Although falling short of the Olympic squad, Godsey was featured in an out-in-athletics photo exhibit called ‘Fearless’ at the Olympic games.

Godsey faces unique challenges as a transgender athlete, identifying as a male but competing as a woman. While at Bates, Godsey was in a Boston Globe slideshow highlighting his journey.

‘Cac-ers who have recently gone Big League:

-Bowdoin alumnus Jon Landry ’06 has signed an NHL contract with the New York City Islanders for the 2012-2013 season.
-Williams’ Harry Marino ’12 signed as a free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks
- Kevin Heller ’12 (Amherst) was drafted by the Red Sox’ in the final round of picks

 

And some GREAT greats…

Joan Benoit Samuelson

Known to her family, friends, and the world as simply “Joanie,” Joan Benoit Samuelson (Bowdoin ’79) won the first women’s Olympic marathon (and America’s heart) on August 5, 1984. She still lives in Maine, and she’s still breaking records. Nike recently released a documentary called There is No Finish Line celebrating Joanie’s life and career.

Here she is winning the 1979 Boston Marathon as a Bowdoin student:

Mickey Kobrosky 

Mickey Kobrosky ’37 was the first Bantam to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. During his Trinity career Kobrosky earned 11 letters (three in football, four in basketball, and four in baseball). After college he played for the New York Giants.

Mickey Kobrosky passed away in 2003 at the age of 88.

 

Well, there you have it! Though I would be remiss if I neglected to say that we love ALL our athletes and celebrate you for everything that you are.

Here are links to our coverage of this year’s ‘Cac olympians:

NESCAC Athletes Brave It Out In The Olympics

‘Fearless’ness of Olympic Proportions 

‘Cac Olympic Update: Clark and Stone

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