Athletics Committee

The Athletics Committee promotes the interests of Dartmouth alumni in athletics at Dartmouth, including varsity athletics, club sports, intramural athletics, physical education and recreation.  Specifically, the Athletics Committee performs the following duties:

• Gathers and assesses information regarding the administration, management, resource utilization and financial support of athletics by the College, particularly the Department of Athletics and Recreation, as well as student participation in athletics;
• Solicits input from the alumni body regarding the interests and concerns of alumni with respect to athletics at Dartmouth;
• Consults with, communicates to, and advises the department as to these interests and concerns
• Communicates to the Alumni Council, to the administration and, as appropriate, to the alumni body the results of the committee’s work.   

Report from the 203nd Alumni Council, December 1-3, 2011

After introductions around the room, Athletic Director Harry Sheehy ’55a addressed the committee. Summarizing his first 15 months on the job, he said his priorities have included increasing resources for athletics with new fundraising endeavors, raising expectations of coaches, enhancing fan behavior,developing a strong relationship with the admissions and financial aid departments, and rolling out of the Peak Performance initiative. Sheehy said he is thankful for his strong staff and is continuously amazed by the passion of Dartmouth alumni. 

Sheehy then provided an overview of athletics, which pointed out that there is still work to be done when it comes to winning Ivy League titles and included a fall varsity sports recap, an update on the state of Dartmouth football, and fall club sports highlights. He added that the committee can help by conveying alumni concerns to athletics leadership, informing the entire Alumni Council and constituents of important athletics issues and challenges, and informing alumni of ways to support athletics. 

Deputy Athletic Director Bob Ceplikas ’78 then gave a presentation on admissions, financial aid, and fundraising. He stated that there is better communication and predictability with admissions, which puts Dartmouth on a level playing field with the other Ivies. In the last three years, there have been no athletic recruits denied at Dartmouth and admitted by another Ivy League institution. He reviewed the concept behind Academic Index, the pros and cons of the current financial aid situation, and major fundraising initiatives, including endowed coaching positions, facilities, annual giving to athletics, and the new staff dedicated to athletic fundraising.

There was a student-athlete panel that consisted of Sabrina Chiasson ’12, captain, women’s alpine skiing; David Rufful ’12, captain, men’s basketball; and Kate Desrochers ’12, captain, women’s ultimate Frisbee. The seniors spoke about their experience as student-athletes at Dartmouth.

This was followed by a coaches panel with Erin Lindsey, the new head coach of women’s volleyball, who led the team to an 8-6 Ivy record in her first year; and Bob Whalen ’79a, head baseball coach since 1989, who has led his team to three Ivy titles and four division crowns in the last four years. Lindsey and Whalen talked about their core values as coaches.

Report from the 202nd Alumni Council, May 19–21, 2011

Harry Sheehy ’55a started off the meeting with a brisk resume of the athletic department’s major current objectives and initiatives.

The “Peak Performance” initiative intends to bring together in a meaningful manner all factors that teach and foster not only athletic skills and prowess but also prepare student-athletes for life after Dartmouth. Appropriate coaching is the basis of this process, but help and advice from faculty advisors, nutritionists, sports psychologists, career advisors, to name only a few, must also be integral parts of the “Peak Performance” mix.

A $20 million fund-raising drive is under way to endow coaching positions. Dartmouth at this time has the fewest endowed coaching positions in the Ivy League.

Our competitive profile must be improved, Sheehy insisted, and it will be one of his major concerns. In the 2010–11 season, Dartmouth won a mere two Ivy League championships, for example, compared to Princeton’s 15 and Yale’s seven. Penn, Harvard, and Cornell each had four; Columbia and Brown, none. There is an indication, though, that we may have turned the corner. In 2010–11, Dartmouth finished in the top three in the Ivy League 12 times. The results in previous years were considerably worse: 2009–10, three times; 2008–09, eight times; 2007–08, four times; and 2006–07, six times.

And Sheehy wants to improve sportsmanship—not of the Dartmouth athletes, though; they are doing just fine—but rather of the fans.

In response to a question, Harry also commented on the state of “amateur” Division I sports. He believes that too much money has caused much of college athletics to spin out of control. To pay a basketball coach in excess of $30 million during five or six years is simply incompatible with the concept of amateur sports. And now the Big Ten is even discussing officially paying its student-athletes.

Brian Austin, executive associate AD, gave a thorough and detailed rundown of varsity athletics of the late winter and spring. The highlights in the winter were men’s hockey, ECAC Final Four; women’s hockey, ECAC finalists, NCAA tournament; and men’s and women’s skiing, third place at NCAA Championships. In the spring the following were standouts: women’s acrosse, Ivy champs and NCAA bid; women’s tennis, Ivy champs; baseball, fourth straight division title; women’s crew, NCAA participation; and men’s lightweight crew, second at Eastern Sprints.

Roger Demment, senior associate AD, reviewed club sports and added a few comments about intramural and other athletic activities. Highlights for the winter were: figure skating, second at nationals; women’s water polo, New England champs and 10th at Nationals; and fencing (foil), 16th nationally. In the spring, the noteworthy teams were cycling, second at Easterns; endurance racing team, third (of 217) in Cape Relay; men’s rugby, only invited Ivy to USA 7s on NBC; women’s rugby, qualified for Division I Nationals.

The full stats for fall, winter, and spring varsity sports as well as the highlights for club sports can be accessed at www.dartmouthsports.com. Particularly noteworthy here are the many student-athletes named to All-Ivy or All-Conference teams, among them committee member David Dowd’s daughter Grace ’11 in women’s rugby.

Chris Wielgus ’79a, head coach of women’s basketball since the inception of the program, provided a glimpse of why she is Dartmouth’s winningest coach. She and her teams have produced 12 Ivy League championships, participated in seven NCAA tournaments, and claimed 381 victories and 80 All-Ivy players. Her approach sounds simple and probably is, as long as one doesn’t mind constant and minute attention to the basics and details and to the immense work load that that implies. She creates a culture that revolves around winning (but on her thoroughly ethical and fair terms), an overwhelmingly strong work ethic, strenuous yet fastidious recruiting, and motivating the players by permitting them to learn both on and off the court. This culture, moreover, needs to be reinforced at a minimum every year and totally recreated in many years as the seniors leave and the first-year students arrive. Wielgus is constantly on the lookout for new and better ideas to help her players in many different ways. To reduce the stress on their bodies, for example, particularly when injured, the women do a portion of their workouts in the pool. And not at all a new idea: No drinking during the playing season!

John Kemp Lee ’78, adjunct assistant professor in the studio art department and accomplished sculptor, and Jeffrey Taube, professor of psychological and brain sciences, discussed and answered questions about the concept and practice of faculty advisor to athletic teams. Both (as well as 40-plus other faculty members) are informally available to student-athletes to advise on a wide array of topics. They concentrate, though, on time management and appropriate intercourse with professors. For obvious reasons there is an emphasis on working with freshmen. For specific academic matters, the faculty advisors heavily utilize the outstanding Academic Skills Center (which is available to all students, not only athletes). It is interesting to note, Taube commented, that the heaviest users of the center are not the students in need of remedial help, but rather the students that already perform well academically.

Finally, the committee elected a vice chair for this coming year: Paul Elmlinger ’80. Norm Sylvester ’58 will take over as chair of the Athletics Committee for 2011–12.

Report from the 201st Alumni Council, December 1–4, 2010

Axel Grabowsky ’60 opened the meeting by welcoming all participants and thanking Robert “Cep” Ceplikas ’78 for his outstanding stewardship as acting director of athletics and recreation for more than a year.

Harry Sheehy, the new AD, led off with remarks that amplified and added to the points he raised at dinner the night before and followed-up with a free-wheeling Q&A session. His immediate challenge, he said, is to both improve the success of Dartmouth’s teams and to make sports at Dartmouth as broad-based as possible while absorbing the decreases in the athletic budget, which are in line with the belt-tightening in all areas of the College. “[But] there is no excuse for mediocrity … and there must be excellence across [the entire spectrum of] sports,” he said. Sheehy intends to ensure that every athletic program, major and minor, has the opportunity to be successful. But athletic success is not the only measure — every coach must not only produce competitive teams consistently, but also teach life-long skills that transcend sports. He believes that Dartmouth is very fortunate that President Kim “wants an outstanding athletic profile” for the College. Sheehy also commented on the excellent relationship that the athletics department maintains with the admissions and financial aid office and, in particular, with its dean, Maria Laskaris ’84.

A panel discussion about the impact of athletics on student life, moderated by Sheehy, introduced six exciting and enthusiastic speakers: Martha Johnson Beattie ’76 P’07 P’09, currently coaching women’s crew while a coach is on maternity leave and a varsity rower as an undergraduate; John Carey, government professor and department chair and academic advisor to the men’s hockey and soccer teams; Katie Horner ’11, varsity women’s hockey captain and president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee; Tim McManus ’11, varsity football captain; Tom Sheridan ’11, men’s rugby club president; and Yuhan Xue ’13, women’s club basketball and intramural athlete.

The overwhelming impression from the panelists is that the impact of athletics on student life is significant in spite of the many competitive demands on students’ time. The infectious enthusiasm of the student panelists was another overwhelming impression. Katie Horner talked about how well rounded Dartmouth’s athletes and non-athletes are and how much this is fostered by the College. The D Plan, she believes, is particularly helpful in that respect. She also commented on the pre-football-game BBQs last season, which apparently had a healthy influence on game attendance for football and other sports. Tim McManus persuasively asserted that the football program has been turned around and, while there is a ways to go yet, 2011 will see further significant improvement. Tom Sheridan said the rugby program is mostly student run and thereby provides many opportunities for independent learning and responsibility. He also pointed to the consistent — more than 50 years now! — success of the program. Yuhan Xue spoke about the importance of athletics to all students as a balance to academics, which is especially important to those who do not engage in organized competitive sports. Martha Beattie compared the impact of sports of 30 years ago and today and found little difference: athletics and their pursuit had a lasting effect on her life and is likely to have the same effect on today’s student-athletes. John Carey explained the many-layered functions of an academic advisor to a team and the importance of balancing academic and athletic success.

Brian Austin, executive associate athletic director for varsity sports, provided the varsity update. The highlights were the first winning football season in 13 years, women’s soccer second place in the Ivy League, men’s soccer reaching the NCAA Sweet 16, second place in the Heptagonals for the men’s cross country runners and fast starts for the men’s and women’s hockey teams, both already ranked nationally.

Roger Demment, senior associate AD for physical education and recreation, reviewed club sports. The highlights were men’s rugby’s 11th Ivy title in 14 years, women’s rugby’s invitation to the Nationals, men’s club soccer Ivy Championship and second place in New England, the New England championship for the club tennis team (coed), the Ivy League championship in men’s Ultimate, andsecond place in the inaugural Ivy Tournament for women’s Ultimate.

Richard Whitmore, the associate AD for facilities and operations briefly discussed the only two immediate projects in his area: an on-campus softball facility (modeled very much on the new baseball field) and a number of basketball-connected upgrades. Other projects in the pipeline are additional indoor practice facilities, expanded sports medicine areas, improvements to Thompson Arena, the replacement of the west stands of the football stadium, the Hanover Country Club clubhouse replacement and equipment room needs.

Ceplikas, now deputy director of athletics, brought athletic fundraising to the fore. In FY’09 Dartmouth was dead last in raising money for its football program. In December 2009, Ceplikas, then acting athletic director, explained our funding disadvantage, which expressed itself in recruiting (inability for coaches to travel extensively or bring promising high school football players to Hanover) and in lack of manpower, which tied up coaches with administrative work. Under Ceplikas’ aegis a dedicated crew of alumni did a remarkable job in FY’10 and outraised every one of our Ivy competitors.

There’s a new website of the Friends of Dartmouth Football at www.fodf.org. To see clips from the soccer victory over Notre Dame (ninth in the nation) go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0IDXpOTsAE. From there links take you to other athletic (and non-athletic) videos.