Another great season has come to an end at Middlebury College, with the Panthers once again turning in some amazing performances. Middlebury captured one NCAA Championship this season, along with 11 NESCAC Tournament appearances and two titles. The Panthers finished the year fifth in th country in the Director's Cup standings, based on excellence in NCAA play. The school has now finished in the top five for the last five years and 10 of the last 11.
The fall season saw a magical run by the men's soccer team as they captured their first NCAA Championship. National Coach of the Year David Saward led his squad to a school-record 18 wins, not allowing a goal in NCAA Tournament play. The field hockey team won an NCAA Regional and advanced to the NCAA title game with a 17-5 record. Regional Coach of the Year Bob Ritter led the football team to its first outright NESCAC Championship with a 7-1 mark on the gridiron. Erik Woodring was named the NESCAC Player of the Year and earned All-East honors for the Panthers. On the trails, women's cross country runner Alexandra Krieg earned All-American status with a third place finish at the NCAA's.
The men's basketball team made history in the winter with its first NCAA Tournament appearance and a school record 19 wins. Andrew Harris earned District I Academic All-American honors for the second straight season. Marika Ross capped an amazing career in the pool, capturing the NCAA title in the 200 fly for the third consecutive season, her fourth overall individual crown. The women finished seventh overall at the NCAA's, while John Dillon led the men with a second and fifth place finish to earn All-American honors. The men's hockey team advanced to the NESCAC finals, while the women took part in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA's. The Middlebury ski team had its best finish in years, placing fifth overall at the NCAA's. Rookie Alexa Turzian earned All-American honors by placing fourth in the 5K and 8th in the 15K races. The women's squash team won a pair of matches to advance to the Walker Cup Final.
The men's tennis team led the spring season with its sixth straight trip to the NCAA semifinal round. Filip Marinkovic had an impressive run in singles play, battling his way into the championship match. The men's lacrosse team made its 11th straight trip to the NCAA's, advancing to the quarterfinal round. NESCAC Player of the Year and All-American Mike Stone paced the squad with 29 goals. The women's lacrosse team took part in an NCAA Regional for the 15th straight year, while Krieg excelled in track, earning All-American honors in both the 5 and 10k events. The women's golf team made its second consecutive trip to the NCAA's with a 14th place finish.
