Harvard Teams Open Fall Offensives

Field Hockey

A new coach can set an athletic program back several years because of the time required to learn a new system of training and game strategy.

However, the Harvard field hockey team, despite losing coach Nita Lamborghini, could not afford a break in its climb from the bottom of the standings.

No problem. Assistant Coach Sue Caples, who has worked closely with Lamborghini over the last three years, is now the head coach.

"We've been able to keep a great amount of continuity, considering the transition," Caples said. "There have been few changes--everything has stayed fairly consistent."

One of the strongest aspects of the Crimson this year will be Co-Captain and goalie Denise Katsias, who played every minute for Harvard last year. Katsias recorded four shutouts last year and allowed 1.48 goals per game. She was at her best in the Ivy League games, allowing only 1.11 goals per game.

Co-Captain Katie McEnaney, Erin O'Brien and Lynn Frangione return to lead a strong defensive backfield which should combine with Katsias to keep opponents' tallies down this year.

However, the team's 1-0 loss to Brown was typical of the team's problems last year. Katsias turned aside several close shots with some brilliant saves, but without any offensive pressure at all, the Crimson fell.

One aspect of the team's continuity that Caples would like to end is the team's inability to score goals. The Crimson tallied only 22 times last season and just four in the team's six Ivy League games. Also, the team's two leading scorers, Kate Felsen and Nicole Simourian, and their 10 goals combined have graduated, leaving a void up front.

Harvard's leading returning scorer, junior forward Lisa Cutone, and Sharon Landau and their explosive, speedy style of attacking will be the foundation upon which Caples will try to build an offense. Cutone slipped the ball past goalies five times last season, tying for the team lead in that category.

"We've matured a lot and have a lot of people returning who are very poised around the net," Caples said. "I feel we'll score a lot more this year."

An added luxury for Caples this year will be depth, which will be provided by a great recruiting class, which netted her six of the top recruits in the country.

The Crimson must avoid any lingering effects of a late-season tailspin which ruined its chances of a winning season last year. Having compiled a 6-3-2 record (1-1-1 Ivy) through the first five weeks of the season, Harvard crumbled, scoring only one goal in the next week while losing to Princeton, Boston College and Brown. A loss to Yale in the final game of the season gave the team a disappointing 6-7-2 record (1-4-1 Ivy).

"I'm excited about this season," Caples said. "The preseason has gone well and we have an evenly-balanced team, which is good. Actually, I'm optimistic about the next two years, since so many of our returing players are juniors."

Harvard's toughest competition in the Ivy League this year should once again be Penn and Dartmouth. The Crimson's chances for a Boston Four title are slim since Northeastern sports one of the best field hockey teams in the nation.

Water Polo

Coach Chris Haferty has the unenviable job of repeating a 17-7 1987 season without six starters who have graduated.

"Last year was a big year for us because after years of getting blown out by the water polo powers in the east," Haferty said, "we were in games at halftime with the likes of Brown and Bucknell."

However, the missing characters from last year's squad include the two goalies. Second Team All-Ivy pick Don Benson has graduated and Greg Beber is taking the year off. Scott Freiwing and John Greco are butting heads for the starting goalie spot.

Replacing hole setter Bill Wolff probably will be either Co-Captain Eric Bentley or John Marshall, though both lack the size of Wolff.

Joe Kaufman, Nick Branca, Andy Freed and John Griffin, who is returning from a two-year stint as a missionary, are all expected to contribute.

"It's tough to get back into shape after two years," Haferty said, "but Griffin's a hard-worker and we expect him to be able to help us a lot by the middle of the season."

Co-Captain Steve Dodge is not expected to play for the squad after suffering a debilitating back injury during the summer.

"It won't be easy for us because we are going to be facing teams that have been practicing for three or four weeks," Haferty said, "while we've only been practicing for three or four days."

Volleyball

That was then, this is now.

That is the attitude the Harvard women's volleyball team is taking into the upcoming season.

Harvard is coming off its best year ever, finishing in third place in the Ivy League and winning a club record 18 games. The Crimson was two points short of reaching the finals of the Ivy tournament.

But that was then, this is now.

Harvard enters the season under third-year Coach Wayne Lem, who has developed his own Lem magic. Lem has turned a program that was going nowhere fast into one of the top programs in the Ivy League.

"Everybody on the team knows there's a lot of work ahead of us," Lem said. "Realistically, we have to work our tails off. We didn't get too much help as far as freshmen. Either they didn't get in or they chose another school."

This has created a tough situation for an athletic program on the rise. To compete with the other Ivy teams, the Crimson has to get a fair share of solid recruits.

"The other teams are getting the kids we're trying to get," Lem said. "We don't have any recruits coming in. It's not a good situation for us. The other teams are getting stronger. We may have some really close matches this year."

Where are those recruits? Well, they're going to be wearing the orange and gold of 1987 Ivy champion Princeton or the red and blue of 1987 Ivy runner-up Penn.

The recruiting problem isn't the only one the Crimson has. Harvard lost three key players to graduation last year.

The Crimson will open its third season at the Malkin Athletic Center against Boston College Thursday.

"We have to work our tails off, then see where it takes us," Lem said. "I think with a lot of work, we can have a pretty good season."

"We have to take it one game at a time," Co-Captain Mia Forman said. "We lost three key players from last years team. The youngers players and the bench will both have to play bigger roles this year."

After the season opener with B.C. on September 23, the Crimson will face Holy Cross and Fordham on September 24. Harvard last played Holy Cross in 1986, while the squad has never played Fordam. The spikers also have added Hofstra to an already beefed up schedule.

Cross Country

It's tough to improve on a 7-1 record, but that doesn't mean that women's cross country Coach Frank Haggerty won't try.

Captain Katie Toner returns after an injury-filled 1987 season to lead a strong women's cross country team. Juniors Eva Klohnen and Lise Vansen and sophomore Amber Duncan are the other returning runners with the fastest times last fall.

Meanwhile, the men's cross country team will try to improve upon last season's 3-5 finish. Captain Brian Caan will be supported by senior Richard Glew, juniors Brian Davis (the team's leading scorer in last year's IC4A Championships) and Jon Lewis, and sophomores Tim Langen, Hans Weber and Todd Wells.

The culmination of the cross country season will be November 12 when the men's team competes for the IC4A Championship and the women's team fights for the ECAC Championship in New Canaan, Conn.

Golf

Golf Coach Jack Hopkins makes no bones about it, he's looking for a few good men. If not a few, he is willing to take just one.

"I'm looking for some magical freshmen to come to our organizational meeting on Monday [at Dillon Field House] and turn this program around," Hopkins said. "We're not only looking for people to play in the fall, but also for the golfers who will join us on the spring trip next March."

The first-year coach, who is a member of the Concord Country Club, will try and reverse last year's 0-4(0-2 Ivy) finish with the help of Captain Terry Murray.

The golf team will be traveling to compete in a tournament in Florida next spring.

Women's Tennis

Put together a team of superstars and you've got yourself a championship, right?

That theory may be kicking around inside the mind of women's tennis Coach Ed Krass after several members of his squad brought home tournament championships last summer.

In advancing to the finals of the National Amateur Championships in New York last month, junior Christina Dragomirescu upset Yale's number one singles player. Dragomirescu also teamed with Crimson Co-Captain Kristin Bland to capture the doubles championship.

Jackie Farrell defeated Diane Gardner, Princeton's number one singles player, in the finals of the New England Women's Open in June. Sophomore Amy deLone then defeated Gardner in the finals of a national amateur tournament in July.

"It's a pleasant situation because the team is so deep this year and several players have been exposed to championship settings over the summer," Krass said. "We'll never have a shortage of players."

The Crimson, which captured the ITCA Eastern Championship last fall, lost just one senior, Cyndy Austrian, to graduation. Tonya Stasik, a transfer from Princeton, will combine forces with Co-Captain Kathy Mulvehal on the doubles team.

"Stasik gives us a lot of experience, enthusiasm and grit," Krass said.

Two freshmen are also expected to add to the Crimson's arsenal. Kim Cooper, who was ranked third in the East and 40th nationally in the 16-and-under category last year, will get off to a late start this year due to a severe tendonitis problem in her right elbow.

The other frosh recruit, Jen Minkus, also owns an impressive resume. She defeated the nation's 29th-ranked 16-and-under player in the Easter Bowl last spring in Florida.

The addition of Stasik, Cooper and Minkus adds tremendous depth to a squad already steeped with experience. Bland returns along with Mulvehal, Dragomirescu, Farrel and sophomore Jamie Henikoff. All will play singles for the Crimson.

The doubles team of Bland-Henikoff, winners of the ITCA Eastern Individual Championships last year, returns along with deLone-Dragomirescu to bolster the squad's strongest area.

Hard Work

"We'll have to work hard to win by a couple shots this year," Krass said. "There are too many teams that have improved since last year. Virginia had a great recruiting year, and William and Mary, Princeton and Dartmouth all look strong."

Rugby

The Harvard Rugby Football Club will be rebuilding with smaller blocks this year.

After years of dominating foes with pure strength and size, the Crimson has to rebuild after seven of its eight forward pack members graduated.

"Basically, the whole forward pack is gone," volunteer Coach Martyn Kingston said. "We had a strong dominant pack over the past few years, one of the best in New England. We had size, and we were able to bully people."

So instead of the knock-down, face-in-the-mud battles Crimson fans may be used to, Harvard will try to speed up the games by getting the ball out to its deep cast of returning backs.

"We return a backline which can get the job done," Co-Captain Scott Tierney said. "It's hard to say what we will look like until we play since we lost so much, but our backs have been around for a while now and that should help."

Among the top backs returning for the Crimson are wing Michael Gibbs, junior Scott Helinski and Tierney.

"Those three have got to be amongst the best in the region at their positions," Kingston said.

Hard-running Dave Beardsley and speedy Annor Ackah also return to the Crimson backfield.

While the backfield will be the focus of the attack, that doesn't mean that the forward pack will be the weak link.

Casey J. Lartigue Jr., Michael Lartigue and Michael Stankiewicz contributed to this report.