Snow Powers | Student Life

What do you love about your sport(s)?

Varsity sport PE credit. Enough said.
Claire Voris, softball

Playing softball gives me thighs like what what what. Basically, we all have nice thighs and asses, which is awesome.
Antonia Ferguson, softball

I love the fast-paced and competitive nature of the game, while still being lighthearted and not taking itself too seriously.
Neel Kotra, Contra (men’s Ultimate)

The first thing I love is that [football] is all reaction. You get out there and you don’t have time to think. There’s thinking that goes in right up until the ball is snapped, but once the ball is snapped, you just go in and you do what you can. You react, but it’s all natural from that point in.
Jim O’Brien, football

I love how swimming wakes me up in the morning. When I don’t have morning practice, it takes me a couple of hours to wake up fully. But when I have practice first, I start my day physically tired, but mentally ready to go.
Dima Galkin, swimming and diving

What can fans love about your sport(s)?

Often we wear spandex and participate in strip fests changing into street clothes after a game.
Antonia Ferguson, softball

Fans can love the fast pace and the frequent exciting plays. Also, it’s not too low-scoring like some soccer or hockey matches can be, but it’s not crazily high-scoring like basketball. In addition, since it is a relatively unknown sport, by watching and enjoying it, you don’t feel like a bandwagon fan.
Neel Kotra, Contra (men’s Ultimate)

The fact is that it’s such a team sport. You need everyone firing at the same time to succeed, and watching when a team is successful, you can really tell that they’re doing the right things.
Tim Machan, football

We have a dedicated group of guys who demonstrate the team concept very well. We all compete very hard and realize that basketball is a sport we all love and respect.
Sean Wallis, men’s basketball

People have evolved for living on land. There’s something magical about seeing people excel in water.
Dima Galkin, swimming and diving

Fans should love soccer, because it is a game that is constantly being played, which allows for a lot of fan interaction and amusement, as we have proved during our performances for the girls’ soccer team during the playoffs.
Peter Jebson, men’s soccer

What do you love about D-III and playing at the D-III level?

I’m not a math student, but last I checked III > I.
Claire Voris, softball

I enjoy competing at the Division III level, because we’re all on an even playing field; nobody gets their tests taken for them.
Patrick Ryan, cross country/track and field

I love the challenge, I love the fact that people don’t necessarily know that I play a sport; that they can see me as somebody first, as a student first or as a person first.
Jim O’Brien, football

I love D-III because everyone is competing and training because they love it, not because they are paid to do it. It’s the true love of the sport.
Molly Schlamb, cross country/ track and field

How much does your sport help in getting guys or girls?

If you’re on a varsity sport, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be in good shape. Certainly sports give you a lot of confidence.
Chris Malaya, track and field

I can’t say it’s helped me get any guys, but I have been very successful with the ladies. I think my sexy uniform, my seductive face in media photos, and the amazing tan I get during the season all contribute to that success.
Zoë Unruh, women’s basketball

Not at all, really. I pulled the varsity athlete line once kind of jokingly, but kind of serious, just to see if it worked. It did not work. I think Wash. U. girls get more aroused hearing that you got a perfect score on your ACT or that you want to be a doctor or researcher or something.
Miguel Davis, baseball

Girls generally love tall, skinny, nerdy guys, so I would say cross country is instrumental in me “getting” girls.
Will Forrester, cross country

How does being in a varsity sport affect your relationship/dating life?

Being on the track and cross country teams has been great for my dating life. Going to bed early, staying in on Friday nights, and losing eight to 12 hours of sleep every Saturday really give me a leg up on the dating scene.
Patrick Ryan, cross country

[Being in a relationship] gives you an extra someone you can talk to about your frustrations, or goals, or whatever you’re doing with the season.
Michael Chamberlin, men’s soccer

It’s never hindered my dating life, but I’ve only ever dated athletes…so that may be the hindrance.
Leslie Davis, women’s soccer

It kills it. I have no time for females, but I’d like to use this issue of StudLife to put out an ad if I may—Dylan Richter, 6-foot-3, wears number 20, looking for a fun cute girl to spend hours gazing into each other’s eyes. Facebook message if interested. ;)
Dylan Richter, men’s basketball

What are the best or worst sports pickup lines that you’ve heard or used?

Hey there, need some help with your ball handling?
Zoë Unruh, women’s basketball

I’ll show you my breast if you show me your fly.
Karina Stridh, swimming and diving

Get ready for a throw-in, because I’m about to cross a line with you.
Michael Chamberlin, men’s soccer

The best is probably lying and saying you play for the basketball team.
Jim O’Brien, football

Your sport is like sex because ______

Basketball is like sex because with enough practice, you can score consistently.
Zoë Unruh, women’s basketball

Softball is like sex because we are always going for a home run.
Antonia Ferguson, softball

Football is like sex because we go hard, we go long, and at the end you’re really sweaty.
Tim Machan, men’s football

Soccer is like sex because it is unwelcome in the workplace.
Paula Davis, women’s soccer

Your sport is like love because ______

Cross country and track are like love because they drive you crazy, but you keep coming back for more.
Hope Rathnam, cross country/track and field

Baseball is like love because our season is very, very long. It takes a lot out of time and energy out of you, but in the end is definitely worth it.
Miguel Davis, baseball

Swimming is like love because swimmers don’t play “games”, and aren’t always looking to “score” like most other athletes. Instead, we’ll dedicate ourselves for hours and hours for a single event, and will continue to work on it whether we’ve had the time of our lives or a terrible setback.
Karina Stridh, swimming and diving

The Washington University men’s and women’s cross country teams placed 7th and 10th, respectively, at the NCAA Division III national championship meet Saturday in Cleveland, Ohio. (Joe Angeles | WUSTL Photo Services)

The men, entering the weekend meet in Cleveland unranked, placed seventh in their best finish in program history, while the women placed 10th.

The Lady Bears were led by junior Taryn Surtees with a time of 22:36 in the 5-kilometer race, which earned her 13th place overall and All-American honors for the second time in her career. She was followed by senior co-captain Molly Schlamb, who had a time of 23:07, earning her 35th overall. Behind her were junior Jessica Londeree (23:12, 39th place) and sophomore Elizabeth Phillips (24:11, 118th place).

“It was a challenging race,” Surtees said. “The conditions were less than ideal. The women’s team had a solid performance, but it wasn’t perfect.” The Red and Green improved on last year’s 12th place finish in their sixth straight year of running in the NCAA National Championship.

The men were led by sophomore Michael Burnstein with a time of 25:56, finishing in 16th place out of 220 runners in the 8-kilometer race. His performance garnered All-American honors. Burnstein was followed by junior Dave Spandorfer (26:30, 46th place), junior Kwin Keuter (26:41, 69th place) and sophomore Tucker Hartley (26:43, 72nd place).

“We never expected to get seventh. Our goal was just to land in the top 10, so we were blown away when we heard the results,” Burnstein said. This was the fifth time that the men have competed at the NCAA National Championships.

“The meet was incredible. I’ve never been so happy in my whole life,” Keuter said. “This season is proof that the Wash. U. men’s cross country team is one of the best in the country.”

For co-captain Molly Schlamb and the rest of the team’s seniors, the meet was bittersweet.

“I’m proud of the effort the women put into their races on such a tough course yesterday,” Schlamb said. “I’m sad that it was my last cross country race, but I was happy with my performance.”

Many runners are looking back on this season as a stepping stone for greater success in 2010.

“It was a good season and an important experience for our team. Next year we will return six of our top seven runners,” Surtees said. “We have a lot to look forward to.”

Others are focusing on training and making sure they’ll be ready for the winter. “I’m going to be training for some indoor races like the 5k until next season starts. I want to be in nationals again,” Burnstein said.

Most, however, are just happy to be able to relax finally. “Next year should be another awesome season,” Keuter said, “but for now I think we’re all content to bask in the glow of this season.”

The men’s team also ran well with a third-place finish, but the team needs an at-large bid to make the national meet. Top-ranked North Central College and No. 2 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire won the meet.

Junior Taryn Surtees anchored the women’s team, placing second overall with a time of 21:06. Sophomore Michael Burnstein recorded the fastest men’s time of 24:53, good for 16th overall. All five point scorers for each team were awarded NCAA All-Midwest Region accolades for their placements.

Surtees was followed by sophomore Liz Phillips (seventh place overall, 21:42), senior co-captain Molly Schlamb (13th overall, 22:00) and junior Jessica Londeree (15th overall, 22:06). “For the women’s team, this race was a step in the right direction,” Surtees said. “It wasn’t perfect, but we had a lot of solid performances.”

The team’s national championship berth is its sixth consecutive and ninth appearance at the meet overall. Last year, the Bears placed 12th at the NCAA national meet.

Despite these accomplishments, “the story of the day was definitely the men’s team,” Surtees said.

Burnstein competed for the first time since recovering from pneumonia and still recorded the team’s top finish at 16th place. Junior Dave Spandorfer (20th overall, 24:58), sophomore Matthew Schwab (21st overall, 25:02), junior Kwin Keuter (26th overall, 25:08) and sophomore Malik Nabulsi (35th overall, 25:20) followed Burnstein.

“I think the meet went basically as well as it could have. We were hoping to get fifth, and we got third,” Burnstein said. “The two teams in front of us are ranked first and second in the nation, so that says a lot.”

The women’s team has been preparing for the championship all season and is ready to make a run at the national title.

“It works in our favor that the race wasn’t spectacular. This way, we go into nationals under the radar and with no expectations,” Surtees said. “Our job is to run as a team, and I know we can do that.”

Over 40 non-competing teammates made the trip to regionals to cheer on the team, which the runners say contributed to their successes.

“The meet was everything our team represents, not just because of the runners, but because of the cheering teammates too,” Schlamb said. “To have both men and women qualify for nationals in an atmosphere like that was incredible.”

“Our performance Saturday showed that both men and women are ready to have great team races at nationals. I can’t wait to see what happens,” Schlamb said. The national championship meet begins Saturday at 11 a.m. (ET) in Cleveland, Ohio. The men’s race, should they qualify, starts at noon (ET).

Junior Taryn Surtees took first at the UAA championship and was named UAA Most Valuable Athlete for the second straight year. (Mary Butkus | WUSTL Photo Services)

Hometown: Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Major: Spanish/Biology

Taryn Surtees finished first with a 21:07 as the women’s cross country team won the 2009 UAA championship. Surtees earned the UAA Most Valuable Athlete title for the second year in a row and is the Student Life Athlete of the Week.

Student Life: When did you start running?

Taryn Surtees: I started running track in 7th grade. I ran the 800-meter race after finding that hurdles didn’t really work out for me. The year after I started running cross country as a last minute decision to stay in shape for track. However over time I began to appreciate cross country more and more.

SL: Out of three years running for Wash U., you’ve been the UAA most valuable athlete twice. How was it different the second time?

TS: Last year it was a lot more exciting. It was a really big goal of mine. However this year I’m a lot more focused on the team, I was worried more about how the team was performing at conference rather than just myself. It ended up putting a lot less pressure on me, which is when I run the best, so it was probably a big factor in my race time. Being the UAA most valuable athlete was more of a steeping stone to the greater goals I have this year.

SL: What are your personal goals for the season?

TS: I haven’t talked to the coach yet, but I am really hoping to be in the top 10 at nationals. I was hoping for top 5, and that’s still at the back of my mind, but there are a lot of variables and strong runners who are going to be there, so it’s really more realistic to aim for top 10.

SL: Is there a certain time you want to beat?

TS: Well at Oshkosh I got a 34 second personal best of 21:07, so breaking 21 minutes would be awesome. We have regionals at the same course as Oshkosh, so I hope I will do as well as I would like. But I’m definitely more focused on the team doing well. I was more worried about time when I was in track, but in cross country I’m a lot more focused on the team.

SL: How do you balance work, being a pre-med major, and running?

TS: It’s definitely a learning process, and without a doubt something that I’ve learned how to do with time. I used to feel really bad in freshman year when I couldn’t concentrate on my work on the bus because people were talking, but since then I’ve gotten a lot better at managing my time. I know that I won’t have my team forever so Id rather be spending time with them when I can at the meets, rather than worrying about work that I may be missing. We do run at 6:30 in the morning so that requires getting enough sleep, which can be hard when you have an exam the next day. It’s definitely a trade off between work and running, but I’m getting a lot better at balancing it with time.

SL: You’ve got another year after this. Do you think the Wash U girls can win UAAs again? And do you think you could get most valuable athlete again?

TS: I don’t know. Everything depends on being healthy, who’s in the conference, or if some crazy freshman comes out of nowhere, you never really know. A lot of things could happen. I don’t think we’ve ever had a three time champion at the UAAs, so I would love to be the first.

SL: Is there anything you want people to know about cross country that they may not know about?

TS: Yes! Races are six kilometers! So many people come up to me asking what event I run in cross country. Every cross country race is the same distance, 6K!

Cross country competes at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships on Nov. 14 in Oshkosh, Wis.

Senior Molly Schlamb, above, took sixth place in the UAA championship meet on Saturday morning as the women’s cross country team took first place to capture the UAA title. (Scott Bressler | Campus in Focus)

The team combined for a total of 37 points, beating out Case Western Reserve and NYU for the first-place spot. Leading the team was senior Molly Schlamb, finishing sixth overall with a time of 23:48, to be followed by junior Sangeeta Hardy (23:49:04) in seventh, and sophomore Liz Phillips (23:55:72) in eighth.

Junior Kwin Keuter led the men, finishing 12th overall with a time of 26:47. Finishing just moments later was junior David Spandorfer, who took 13th with a time of 26:49. Freshman David Hamm came in 26th overall with a time of 27:18:05, which earned him the title of the UAA Rookie of the Year.

Despite the teams’ standings, there were many who didn’t achieve personal bests—the fault of which seemed to be the weather and the condition in which the field was.

“The meet was a slopfest, which made for very slow times, but we competed well,” senior Alex Bearden said.

With the men’s top runner, Michael Burnstein, out sick with pneumonia, Bearden made it very clear that the team had to find other reserves to do its best. “We were running without our top guy, but we had some guys come through with clutch performances right when we needed it,” Bearden said.

Overall, the Bears view this meet as a success. “The men’s team really redeemed itself after having a disappointing conference meet last year,” said Keuter, who had his best race of the season. “Our competition at regionals will be really tough, but our success today shows that we’re capable of great things.”

The race was undoubtedly a success for the women’s team, who beat out the second-place team Case Western Reserve, last year’s champion, by over 22 points. “It was such a great team meet, and it was awesome to see teammates working together,” said Schlamb, a co-captain. “I love conference because it’s really focused on being a team, and so to win, that was really fun. We had a lot of people really step up to the challenge yesterday.” The Lady Bears had six runners placed in the top 25.

On Nov. 14, both Bears teams return for the NCAA regionals meet in Oshkosh, Wis.

“We lost to three teams [yesterday] who could all finish in the top 10 at NCAAs,” senior Zach Griffen said.

Despite that, the team remains motivated.

“If we are firing on all cylinders at regionals in two weeks, we will be going to nationals expecting nothing but a top-10 finish,” Bearden said.

“This is one special group of girls, because we care so much about each other outside of running,” Schlamb said. “It makes it that much easier to fight through the pain of racing each other, and instead focus on what’s really important.”

The women were led by junior Taryn Surtees with a time of 21:04, finishing sixth overall. The men were led by sophomore Michael Burnstein who had a time of 24:48, finishing 13th in the meet.

Surtees was followed by senior Molly Schlamb, finishing 10th overall, with a time of 21:55. Rounding off the Bears’ top three female finishers was junior Jessica Londeree, who was good for a 20th place finish with a time of 22:09.

“The meet was awesome; we had a great team race with tons of personal bests,” Schlamb said.

The women’s team was only beaten by top-ranked Calvin College, whose runners combined for 80 points in the meet, beating out Washington University by 13 points. Coming so close to the first place victory showed the Wash. U. team that they have promise to be one of the top contenders in the cross country field, but lots of practice is necessary for that to happen.

“Yesterday showed that we are going to be ready to make a really strong showing in the upcoming meets,” Schlamb said. “The next few weeks we have some tough training to get through.”

Following Burnstein in the men’s race was freshman David Hamm (25:18, 35th), senior Alex Bearden and junior Dave Spandorfer (25:30, 51st), fresh off of an early season knee injury. Finishing off for the Red and Green was sophomore Malik Nabulsi at 64th place, 10 seconds behind Spandorfer.

“We have four weeks until we return to Oshkosh for the nationals qualifying meet in one of the most difficult regions in the country, but by that time we will be a much faster and smarter team,” Nabulsi said. “We’ve only just begun increasing the intensity of our training.”

The team is focusing on training for the time being to get ready for the University Athletic Association meet. “We’ve got some difficult competition from Emory and NYU, but if things keep going the way they have been, it will be a very successful weekend,” Nabulsi said.

Despite all that, the team is keeping its eyes on the prize, with Regionals looming in the middle of November. They are buckling down on their training while figuring out what doesn’t work and fixing it. “Specifically we are increasing our speed work but still maintaining our mileage. We need to continue to work hard in practice to prepare for UAAs and regionals,” Burnstein said.

With enough hard work and determination, this team looks ready for great things at regionals and beyond. “We will line up at nationals knowing that we are ready to see what this team can do,” Schlamb said. “I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together.”

The conditions were beautiful in Terre Haute, Ind., which promised for a good race and even better times. Senior Alex Bearden led the men’s team with a time of 26:11.40 (fifth), and was followed by another senior, Alden Black, with a time of 26:43.09 (19th). The women’s team was led by freshman Bronwyn Bedrick, who held a time of 24:02.00 (17th). Only a second behind, freshman Brittany Cronin finished at 24:03.60 (19th).

Wash. U. had roughly half its team missing from the meet. Due to a number of injuries, and both physical and mental exhaustion, many athletes were kept from running. Senior Hope Rathnam, who finished for the women’s team with a time of 24:37.40, said the team is still strong enough to compete without them.

“Some of our team had to take the weekend off in order to take a mental and physical break since we just had a big race in Louisville and another one coming up in Wisconsin,” Rathnam said. “Although we had only about half our team racing, we still had a very strong meet.”

The Gibson Family Invitational was a rest meet, focused more on getting the team ready for the big meets coming up, according to members of the team.

“The meet was all about having fun and setting ourselves up to run well at next week’s big meet, where we’ll field our full team for the first time this season,” said co-captain Bearden, who was the men’s leader over the weekend. “It’ll be our first good look at the competition we’ll face at regionals in November, so the meet was a success.”

The teams continue getting ready for their huge meet in November. The entire season has been devoted to securing a spot at NCAA regionals and running well enough to go beyond them. The runners and the coaches have been working overtime to make sure that the team is prepared and ready to do well enough at regionals to continue this year’s run to more challenging and difficult competition.

“We’re excited about how well the freshmen have been racing,” Rathnam said. “The adrenaline is starting to build for the big races coming up.”

The Bears compete at the UW-Oshkosh Brooks Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 10:30 a.m.

Against mostly Division I squads, junior Tayrn Surtees was able to lead the women with a time of 18:04:28, and sophomore Michael Burnstein led the men with a time of 25:06:99. Surtees finished 21st and Burnstein finished 45th.

Running against Division I teams like University of Kentucky and Western Kentucky University, two runners on the women’s team were able to break the 20-minute barrier: juniors Jess Londeree (18:44:48) and Sangeeta Hardy (18:55:91).

Freshman runner David Hamm ran for 25:47:62, finishing second among the Washington University runners. Sophomore Malik Nabulsi, who beat his time from last week’s meet by over a minute, said, “I think we left this meet a much better team because we took risks during the race and learned from them.”

Senior Molly Schlamb, the second finisher for the Red and Green, finished 10 seconds behind Surtees. “The race was awesome with perfect weather, a fast course and great competition,” Schlamb said. This is the second meet in a row in which Schlamb finished second for the Bears. Schlamb beat her time from last week’s meet by just under a minute.

The teams continue to have their eyes set on the regional meet in November. The teams did well to continue their drive to qualify, which senior Zach Griffen attributes to the fact that Saturday’s meet was the best meet the teams will run all year. “This meet was all about getting our feet wet,” Griffen said. “NCAA regionals and nationals will be similar to yesterday.”

If Wash. U. runners continue running like they have been, they will be able to run at regionals and continue their trek to qualifying for nationals. The team is slowly working its way up and aiming to field an experienced squad.

“Come regionals we are going to have a strong seven [runners] toe the line, and we will all feel the excitement,” Nabulsi said.

The women’s team combined for 48 points, falling 14 points behind the first-place team, Southern Illinois University, and beating the third-place team, Murray State, by 16 points. The men’s team defeated the third-place team, University of Evansville, by 22 points. Despite their strong performance, the men were unable to overcome Southern Illinois University’s perfect score of 15 points.

The teams were challenged by the elements and were unable to meet some of their personal best times. The field was muddy and unforgiving to the runners.

“Because of the muddy conditions the meet was more about competing than time, and we did a great job of that,” senior Molly Schlamb said. The women had nine runners in the top 25, while the men had seven in the top 25 finishers. Leading the way for the women was sophomore Liz Phillips in sixth place, Schlamb at seventh and junior Jess Londeree in 11th.

“Everything we do is geared towards qualifying for the NCAA’s regional meet in November,” senior men’s co-captain Zach Griffen said.

Although many of the runners are out due to injury, some new runners, such as freshman David Hamm and sophomore Malik Nabulsi, have been huge additions to the team, Griffen said.

Hamm paced the Bears, finishing sixth overall with a time of 26 minutes and 33 seconds, while Nabulsi came in seventh. The men’s race was very competitive, with eventual winner SIU’s Jason Ordwar finishing just eight seconds ahead of Hamm. Junior Erik Hinrichsen came in 13th overall, rounding out the Wash. U. top three. The men are determined to make a name for themselves and perform as best as they can every time, members of the cross country team said.

The team travels to Louisville, Ky., next week to represent the Red and Green against some Division I teams in one of the biggest invitational meets of the season. The meet is incredibly important for qualifying for the NCAA regionals in November.

“Last week was some great practice for bigger meets such as next week’s,” Griffen said. “Hopefully, it won’t be covered in mud again.”

The entire team hopes to qualify together for regionals in November and really put Wash. U. on the map for cross country.

“This year’s team is really special, and I believe when November comes, we will be ready to achieve some really great things,” Schlamb said.

With a final score of 46-0, it was evident that the Tigers were dominant on both the offensive and defensive fronts; the second quarter alone provided 36 of Wittenberg’s 46 points.

The Bears’ defensive players stepped it up in the second half, effectively halting Wittenberg’s scoring frenzy, excluding a field goal in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter. But their performance was unable to prevent a shutout.

Wash. U. beat Wittenberg 30-27 last year.

The Bears had trouble with their running game throughout the day. Wittenberg had a net gain of 208 yards from rushing alone, while the Bears had a net loss of 7 yards. Wash. U.’s top-performing runningback, junior Jim O’Brien, had a net gain of 31 yards and an average of 2.1 yards per run, while Corey Weber of the Tigers gained 73 yards with zero losses. The Bears were unable to penetrate the Tigers’ defense, leaving the Bears with only their passing game.

But Washington University’s passing game left much to be desired as well. Junior starting quarterback Steve Sherman threw for 63 yards on an 8-for-15 performance and suffered one interception. Junior Mitchel Bartel was limited to 34 yards on a 5-for-8 outing. The Bears combined for a total of 106 passing yards (the Tigers had 237), suffered four sacks and fumbled the ball twice.

“As a team we just aren’t producing like we know we’re capable of,” senior co-captain Matt Glenn said.

The inability to stop Wittenberg’s offensive players in the first half was what gave Wash. U. the finishing blow. Many of Wittenberg’s touchdowns were from big plays in which the receivers seemed to slip through each one of the Bears’ defenses. A prime example was the 83-yard kickoff return in the second quarter by the Tigers’ Brandyn Brown for their fourth touchdown. That play immediately followed a blocked punt, which resulted in a Wittenberg safety.

Washington University’s defense finally stopped the Tigers in the second half.

“The game was very disappointing to our team as a whole,” senior co-captain Andrew Berryman said. “I think the positive thing that we can take from the game is that we didn’t quit in the second half, only allowing three points.”

The Bears have a bye next week, which they will use to fix the issues made evident by Saturday’s game and to prepare for the game against Rhodes College in two weeks. The Bears hope to train heavily in their running game and in stopping opponents from making big plays.

“Having a bye week is going to be very beneficial to us for us to heal up from injuries and work on a few things,” Berryman said.

The team is not only set on proving itself after Saturday, but also set on breaking last season’s 5-5 record.

“We are going to have a focused and productive two weeks of practice and come out and beat Rhodes,” Berryman said.