Middlebury Panthers

The Middlebury Panther, a bronze sculpture commissioned from American sculptor Lorenzo Ghiglieri in 1997 overlooks the entrance to Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium

The Middlebury Panthers are the 31 varsity teams of Middlebury College that compete in the New England Small College Athletic Conference. The Panthers lead the NESCAC in total number of National Championships, having won 33 individual titles since the conference lifted its ban on NCAA play in 1994.^[1] Middlebury enjoys national success in soccer, tennis, cross country running, lacrosse, ice hockey, field hockey, and skiing, and fields 31 varsity NCAA teams and several competitive club teams. Since 2000, Middlebury's varsity squads have won 54 NESCAC titles. Currently, 28% of students participate in varsity sports.

In the early 20th century, the Panther's traditional athletic rivals included the University of Vermont and Norwich University. Today, rivalries vary by sport. In football, Middlebury's rival is Hamilton College, as NESCAC no longer allows out-of-conference football competition. Since 1980, the annual game between Hamilton and Middlebury is designated the Rocking Chair Classic, with the winning team keeping the Mac-Jack Rocking Chair for the following year.

Notable achievements

Middlebury's success in intercollegiate sports is evidenced by the college's second place ranking in the 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Directors' Cup.^[2] The college has won 31 NCAA Division III national championships since 1995.^[3]

• Middlebury alumni have competed in downhill or Nordic skiing events in every Winter Olympic Games since World War II^[4]
• In 1979 and 1980 the women's ski team won two AIAW national championships.
• From April 1997 until the NCAA Division III Semi-finals in March 2004, the Men's Lacrosse team had a 45 game winning streak at home.^[5]
• From 2004 to 2006, both the men's and women's ice hockey teams won three consecutive NCAA Division III National Championships, an unprecedented feat for a college at any level.
• In 2007, Middlebury's Men's Soccer team captured its first NCAA Championship in the 54 year history of the program.
• In 2007 and 2009, the Middlebury College Rugby Club won Division II USA Rugby Championships.
• In 2010, two Middlebury Alumni, Garrott Kuzzy '06 and Simi Hamilton '09, represented the United States in Nordic Skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. ^[6]

National Championships

National Championships

Sport	Year(s) Won
Men's Hockey (8)	1995
	1996
	1997
	1998
	1999
	2004
	2005
	2006
Women's Cross Country (6)	2000
	2001
	2003
	2006
	2008
	2010
Women's Hockey (5)	2000
	2001
	2004
	2005
	2006
Women's Lacrosse (5)	1997
	1999
	2001
	2002
	2004
Men's Lacrosse (3)	2000
	2001
	2002
Men's Tennis (2)	2004
	2010
Men's Rugby (2)	2007
	2009
Men's Soccer (1)	2007
Field Hockey (1)	1998

Facilities

Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium, with the Ralph Myhre 18-hole golf course in the background

The 2011 Princeton Review ranks Middlebury's athletic facilities as #18 best in the United States.^[7]

Middlebury's athletic facilities include:

• 50-meter by 25-yard (23 m) Olympic-size swimming pool
• 3,500-seat Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium for football and lacrosse
• 2,600 spectator hockey arena
• 5,000 spectator natatorium
• Regulation rugby pitch
• Middlebury College Snow Bowl, the college-owned ski mountain
• 18-hole Ralph Myhre golf course
• Carroll and Jane Rikert Ski Touring Center at the Bread Loaf Mountain campus
• Fitness Center
• Allan Dragone Track and Field Complex
• Pepin gymnasium, home of the mens' and women's' basketball and volleyball teams
• Field Turf mens' soccer field
• Indoor and outdoor tennis courts, paddle tennis courts, squash courts
• Rock climbing wall

See also

• List of Middlebury College alumni
• Middlebury College
• Middlebury College Rugby Club
• Middlebury College Snow Bowl
• Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium

References

1. ^ Burlington Free Press.com | Sports
2. ^ Directors' Cup Division III Standings
3. ^ Women's Cross Country Wins NCAA Title – Men Place 21st | Middlebury. Middlebury.edu (2010-11-20). Retrieved on 2010-12-23.
4. ^ Chairlift Dedication | Middlebury. Middlebury.edu. Retrieved on 2010-12-23.
5. ^ "2004 Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship: Nazareth 12, Middlebury 8". National Collegiate Athletics Association. 2004-05-23. http://www.ncaasports.com/lacrosse/mens/results/5047. Retrieved 2008-02-22. 
6. ^ http://www.middlebury.edu/giving/priorities/special_projects/snow_bowl/lift
7. ^ Middlebury College Rankings

External links

• Middlebury College athletics
• Middlebury College