Colby men's cross country heads into the 2006 season led by senior co-captains Jeff Alden '07 and Dan Vassallo '07.

The Mules, who will have an interim head coach, Jared Beers '01, got a solid season last year from John Swain '08. He was the top Colby finisher at the NESCAC meet, taking 20th place at Wesleyan, where Alden took 37th place and Vassallo was 52nd.

Swain also led the way at the State of Maine meet at Colby, where he was sixth, and at the Open New England meet at Boston's Franklin Park, where he was 67th.

Vassallo placed ninth at the state meet, Alden 15th, Michael Collins '08 17th, and Jim Hurder '09 21st. Alden was Colby's top finisher at the Division III New England meet, finishing 46th.

Teammates Anna King '08 and Elizabeth Petit '08 placed consistently in the fourth and fifth spots in 2005 and will bring strength and experience to the top seven in 2006. Devan FitzPatrick '09 and Kathleen Maynard '09 made big contributions last year and are expected to be in the top seven in 2006.

Tri-captains Kirsten Davis '07 and Betsy Littlefield '07 will vie for one of the top seven positions.

The Colby harriers also will look for contributions from talented first-year students including Terri Bello '10, Margo Derecktor '10, Katrina Gravel '10, Amanda Ivey '10, Cassandra Knight '10, and Elizabeth Powell '10.

With 17 players returning, the field hockey team looks forward to the 2006 season after a rebuilding year that saw six first-year players starting. This year the Mules hope to capitalize on their youth and athleticism.

The speedy forward line will include leading scorer Mary Clare Snediker '09, tri-captain Jenn Reilly '08, Emily Lawrence '07, and Chrissy Maloney '07.

The midfield will be solid with MaryClaire McGovern '08, Madison Gregor '09, and Jesse Crouch '09 all returning.

The backbone of the defense is tri-captain Kyla Wagman '07, whose ability to distribute the ball also makes her an offensive threat. Wagman is supported by Frazer Humes '09, Mollie Kimmell '09, and Nikki Crocker '09.

The Mules have two exceptional goaltenders: tri-captain Molly Rice '07 (.889 save percentage) and Jamie Enos '08 (.830 save percentage).

Jess Egan '08, Beth Cole '09, Chelsea Rosenheimer '09, and Sara Manoli '07 are all talented players capable of contributing from various positions. A successful recruiting season yielded top players from nine different states.

Smith and running back Chris Bashaw '08 will give the Mules a dangerous offensive backfield. Smith threw for 976 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2005, and Bashaw ran for 508 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and showed the ability to catch the ball. Casey Shea '09 is a leading candidate to start at fullback.

While Brennan Moore '07 moves into a full-time role at tight end, Colby has other solid targets for Smith. Matt Peabody '07, Justin Candon '08, Jonathan Forsythe '07, and a host of talented underclassmen make up the receiving corps.

Bourdeau will anchor the offensive line along with Brett Sabbag '07 and Mike Paleokrassas '07. Younger players will need to fill the void left by the graduation of some fine linemen.

The Mules will have depth at linebacker and in the defensive backfield. Andrew Heaney '07, Paul Howanitz '07, Josh Donabedian '07, John Murphy '09, and Jackson Parker '07 will all start or see quality minutes at linebacker.

In the secondary, Mike Bracco '07 and Brian Liberty '07 each earned NESCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors last year. Bracco led the Mules in total tackles (67), solo tackles (45), and interceptions (4). Liberty was sixth in tackles and had one interception. Greg Enos '08 had two interceptions in a reserve role last year and will compete for a starting spot with Andrew Roland '07, Tom Daley '09, and Alex Halls '09.

Mike Poplaski '07 and Scott Roulson '07 are returning starters on the defensive line, and Kevin Bird '09 played plenty of minutes last year.

On special teams, Brian Bachow '09 will be one of the kickers/punters.

Eric Legere '07 and Matt Wahl '07 will be co-captains of the 2006 golf team after solid seasons a year ago. Legere and Wahl were consistently among Colby's top five scorers last season. Also back are Nick Spillane '08 and John Wagner '09.

Jackie Page '07 was the CBB women's champ two years ago, and Andrea Heidt '07 led the Colby women past Bowdoin in a dual meet last year.

Coming home to the Waterville Country Club on September 23 for the Sid Farr '55 Invitational will be one of the high points of the season. The popular tournament has drawn some of the best golfing competition in New England. Colby also will play host to the Colby Classic the following day, September 24, and then the Mules entertain Bates and Bowdoin in the CBB tourney on October 7.

In men's soccer, co-captain Dan Kiernan '07 proved he could be an offensive threat two years ago by leading the team in scoring. He switched to defense for his junior season and was named to the All-New England and NESCAC second teams.

Co-captain Josh Kahane '07 returns in goal after being among the NESCAC leaders in saves per game (5.00). Colby will have more experience in back this year, with Matthew Shatkin '09 and Jamie Waters '08 returning.

Will Kinder '08 and Mike Butler '08 each started in the midfield last year.

Forward Chris MacFadyen '07 led the 2005 team in scoring, with five goals and two assists for 12 points. Todd Boertzel '09 joined the team midway through the season and added one goal and three assists. Logan King '09 adds depth to the forward line.

The Mules hope to be tough again at home in 2006. Colby went 4-3 on its home turf, with all three setbacks just one-goal losses.

Colby will try to earn the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award for a sixth straight year. The Mules are the only men's soccer team in NESCAC to have earned the award five straight years.

The Mules have defensive experience in Meridith Blascovich '07, Meg Davis '07, Mollie Puskar '08, Libbie Howley '09, and Emma Schofield '09.

Goaltender Benson will return to the starting position and will provide the voice and the vision on the field. Sophomore Rachel Freierman '09 will vie for time in net.

To say that Colby's volleyball team will have a different look this season is an understatement, after it lost four key seniors. Last year's team won the New England Division III NCAA regional championship and was one of the "Sweet Sixteen," in the national tournament in Virginia.

"There will be no replacing the natural leadership that Kaitlin Adams '06 has brought to this team these past two seasons," said head coach Candice Parent. "Team chemistry has had a great deal to do with our success over the last four seasons, and I attribute that to great leadership."

A key returning starter is senior tri-captain Kendall Kirby '07, who led the team with more than five digs a game and was selected as the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Setter Jenny Lawrence '09 was selected to the New England Regional All-American Honorable Mention team, only the second player ever so honored as a first-year at Colby. She set a school record with an astounding 1,331 assists (9.95 per game) this season.

Tri-captain Julie Hike '07 will be called upon to continue playing a valuable roll at the net, both offensively and in blocking, where she led the team last year. Middle Meredith Lawler '09 improved tremendously in her first year of collegiate volleyball and will be asked to step in as a go-to player this season. Jessie Prentice '08 played behind two great outside hitters in Megan Devlin '06 and Cait Cleaver '06. She has worked hard to improve every aspect of her game and should make an impact.

2006 Colby Night Dinner
Here and There . . .