POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 4, 2010) – As Spring Break approaches, Vassar's athletics teams will soon be dispersing around the globe with every single spring team competing in venues far from Poughkeepsie.

Baseball, women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's rowing, men's and women's rugby, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's track and field all hit the road for Spring Break competition. Also competing during break, men's volleyball plays two matches while men's and women's fencing conclude their season, and although their teams have concluded the season, three athletes from men's and women's squash will compete in individual championships. A brief look at the next two weeks:

Men's Tennis
-Next on the schedule: The Brewers host Christopher Newport University on Friday at 11:00 a.m., a team they defeated 6-3 on neutral courts in Florida last season. Vassar enters the match after receiving the program's first national Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) ranking on Tuesday, standing at No. 22 nationally and No. 12 in the Northeast. Christopher Newport is ranked No. 12 in the Atlantic South region.
-Last outing: Last Saturday, Vassar upset Liberty League foe Skidmore College, ranked No. 7 in the Northeast and then-No. 23 in the nation, with a 9-0 sweep. Senior Michael Mattelson, playing No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles, and freshman Andrew Guzick, playing No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles, earned Liberty League Weekly Honors for their 2-0 performances against Skidmore.
-Spring Break Itinerary: The Brewers are playing five matches in Orlando, Florida.
• Mar. 7: vs. Coe College at 12:00 p.m.
• Mar. 8: vs. University of Rochester at 12:00 p.m.
• Mar. 9: vs. The College of New Jersey at 11:00 a.m.
• Mar. 11: vs. Carthage College at 12:00 p.m.
• Mar. 12: vs. Haverford College at 11:00 .m.

Men's Lacrosse
-Next on the schedule: After their opening two games were cancelled due to inclement weather, the Brewers host both their home and season opener on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. against Kean University. Vassar dropped a 14-5 decision to Kean least season.
-Outlook: After recording a program-best six wins last season, the Brewers look to add to that number behind the offensive prowess of last year's top goal scorer, senior captain Nick Cardillo while junior captain and goalie Alex Tice and junior defender Zach Beauchamp, an All-Liberty League Second Team selection last season will anchor the defense.
-Spring Break Itinerary: Vassar travels South for three games before returning to Poughkeepsie for its final contest before Liberty League play begins
• Mar. 11: vs. Medaille College in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at 1:00 p.m.
• Mar. 12: vs. Alfred University in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, time TBA
• Mar. 14: at Christopher Newport University (Newport News, Virginia) at 2:00 p.m.
• Mar. 17: hosting Castleton State College (Weinberg Turf Field) at 3:00 p.m.

Squash
-Next on the schedule: Freshman Jake Harris, junior Kristine Bell, and senior Emilie Kraft will represent Vassar at the College Squash Association (CSA) Individual Championships at Trinity College from Friday through Sunday. It is the first appearance at the Individual Championships for Harris and Bell, while Kraft went 1-2 last year.
-Summary: Men's squash concluded its season with a 4-14 record. Although he missed the first six matches of the season with injury, Harris stepped in as Vassar's No. 1, compiling a 3-9 record. The women were 9-7, and nearly won the Walker Cup of the CSA Team Championships, dropping a 5-4 match to George Washington University in the title match. Kraft was 10-6 at No. 1 for the Brewers and has an impressive 47-25 career record. Playing at No. 2, Bell was also 10-6 this season.

Men's Volleyball
-Next on the schedule: The Brewers play a North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Metro Division match at New Jersey City University at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Vassar defeated NJCU 3-0 (30-19, 30-18, 30-23) last season.
-Last outing: Vassar picked up a huge 3-2 (27-30, 30-17, 30-25, 29-31, 15-12) NECVA Metro win over cross river rival SUNY New Paltz on Tuesday, putting the Brewers on track to win their second Metro Division title in three years. In its eighth consecutive win, Vassar was led by senior Phil Tully, the AVCA/Sports Imports Division III National Player of the Week, who amassed 26 kills and a .444 hitting -percentage, securing four of those kills in the critical fifth set.
-Spring Break Itinerary: As they near the end of their regular season, the Brewers have just one other match over Spring Break, playing an away NECVA Metro match at College of Mount Saint Vincent on Tuesday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m.

Women's Lacrosse
-Next on the schedule: The Brewers kick off the 2010 season in West Palm Beach, Florida during the first week of Spring Break before returning to Poughkeepsie to host two non-league games.
-Outlook: The Brewers finished 9-7, 3-5 in the Liberty League last season, narrowly missing the playoffs after finishing in a four-way tie for fourth place. A Vasar loss to University of Rochester in the final game of the season gave Rochester the tiebreaker to secure the final playoff position. The Brewers look to move into the playoffs this season behind the play of senior defender Liz Pacheco, a Liberty League First Team and Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Empire Region Second Team selection, as well as Liberty League Second Team junior midfielder Allie Morgan, and All-League Honorable Mention junior midfielder Sarah Warner.
-Spring Break Itinerary: Vassar plays three games from Monday, March 8 through Thursday, March 11 at Lake Lytal Park in West Palm Beach and then hosts games on • March 17 and 19.
• Mar. 8: vs. Bridgewater State College at 11:00 a.m.
• Mar. 10: vs. Drew University at 11:00 a.m.
• Mar. 11: vs. Simmons College at 4:00 p.m.
• Mar. 17: hosting Eastern Connecticut State University (Weinberg Turf Field) at 6:00 p.m.
• Mar. 19: hosting SUNY Oneonta (Weinberg Turf Field) at 6:00 p.m.


Women's Tennis
-Next on the schedule: The Brewers play their Spring Break matches in California for the third straight year.
-Last outing: Vassar, which retained its No. 21 national ranking in the most recent ITA poll and is No. 6 in the Northeast swept Muhlenberg College, 9-0, last Sunday. Senior Nicole Pontee and freshman Natalie Santiago earned their second consecutive Liberty League Weekly honors as Pontee earned wins at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles and Santiago won her matches at No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles.
-Spring Break Itinerary: Vassar's trip to California is full of tennis, with five matches in six days.
• Mar. 8: at Occidental College (Los Angeles, CA) at 11:00 a.m.
• Mar. 9: at California Lutheran University (Thousand Oaks, CA) at 4:30 p.m.
• Mar. 10: at Westmont College (Santa Barbara, CA) at 2:00 p.m.
• Mar. 12: at No. 7 nationally ranked Pomona College (Claremont, CA) at 2:00 p.m.
• Mar. 13: vs. Colorado College (Irvine, CA) at 10:30 a.m.

Men's and Women's Rowing
-Next on the schedule: Vassar opens its spring season on a training trip to Deland, Florida.
-Last fall: The Brewers are coming off a solid fall season highlighted by the appearance of the men's and women's varsity 8's in the Poughkeepsie Quadricentennial Regatta on October 3, an event hosted by Marist College, that was an effort to bring back a historical tradition that began in 1895, when the Hudson largest collegiate rowing championship in the nation. The Brewers raced against renowned competition River was home to the Intercollegiate Rowing Association's (IRA) National Championship race, the such as Cornell University, Syracuse University, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and Army.
-Spring Break Itinerary: Finally able to get in the boats after weeks of dryland training, the Brewers have three competitions scheduled for their Spring Break trip.
• TBA vs. United States Coast Guard Academy at 8:00 a.m.
• TBA vs. Wesleyan University at 8:00 a.m.
• Mar. 18: vs. Stetson University at 8:00 a.m.

Women's Golf
-Next on the schedule: With the links in the Northeast blanketed in snow, the Brewers have the opportunity to get outside as they head to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina during Spring Break.
-Last fall: The Brewers had a successful fall season, finishing in the top five in three out of five competitions. Vassar was led by sophomore Alex Bello, who finished in the top ten in four out of five events. Bello had three top five finishes, including her second straight medalist performance at the rain-shortened Ann S. Batchelder Invite hosted by Wellesley College, as she ended the fall season placing first in a field of 42 with a one-day score of 79.
-Spring Break Itinerary: The Brewers have two competition dates during their trip to Myrtle Beach.
• Mar. 16: vs. McDaniel University/Cortland State/Denison University/Doane College at 9:00 a.m.
• Mar. 18: vs. Doane College, time TBA

Baseball
-Next on the schedule: Vassar opens its season at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, with four games in four days.
-Outlook: Led by returning All-Liberty League Honorable Mention selections senior captain

and Scott Allen, who collectively started 14 games as freshmen. Backing them is a strong infield boosted by the addition of freshmen Mike Perrone and Conor Gallagher with defensive stalwart senior captain Adam Murphy anchoring the outfield at center.
-Spring Break Itinerary: Vassar is participating in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, an event in its second year of existence that drew over 200 college teams in its inaugural season and hosts games at 24 different venues throughout Central Florida.
• Mar. 15: vs. Framingham State (at Chain of Lakes Park, Winter Haven, FL) at 9:30 a.m.
• Mar. 16: vs. Sewanee University (at Lake Myrtle Park, Auburndale, FL) at 3:30 p.m.
• Mar. 17: vs. Salem State College (at Chain of Lakes Park) at 3:30 p.m.
• Mar. 18: vs. Gallaudet University (at Lake Myrtle Park) at 10:30 a.m.

Men's and Women's Track and Field
-Next on the schedule: The men's and women's track teams open the season at the Willie Williams Classic and Dave Murray Distance Carnival at the University of Arizona on March 19-20, an event Vassar has competed in each year since its inaugural season as a varsity program, in 2008.
-Outlook: The men's team saw some particularly impressive performances from its 4x400 relay team of sophomore

qualified for the ECAC Championships in the 5,000, finishing in seventh to become Vassar's first-ever track runner to score at the ECACs. Spangler earned a Track Performer of the Week and two Rookie of the Week honors while junior Brittany Davis was named Track Performer of the Week after winning the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the Silfen Invitational.
-Spring Break Itinerary: In what has become an annual Spring Break ritual, the Brewers will spend the week training in Tucson's hot desert heat before competing in the Willie Williams Classic and Dave Murray Distance Carnival against strong Division I competition.
• Mar. 19: Willie Williams Classic and Dave Murray Distance Carnival at University of Arizona
• Mar. 20: Final day of Willie Williams Classic at University of Arizona

Men's and Women's Rugby
-Next on the schedule: The Vassar rugby teams open the spring season across Atlantic, taking a tour of Ireland from March 9-20.
-Outlook: The men's team is coming off a 2-5-1 fall season. Sophomore

led Vassar in scoring with 40 points on eight tries, while senior Kate Hancock contributed 32 points on one try, 12 conversions, and one penalty try and fellow senior Willa Conway added four tries for 20 points.
-Spring Break Itinerary: The Brewers will travel around Ireland, spending time in Dublin from March 9-12 and Cork from March 13-19. Both men's and women's teams will compete against Dublin City College when in Dublin on March 12. When in Cork, the Brewers will practice throughout the week with games scheduled against Kinsale and Fermoy.

Men's and Women's Fencing
-Next on the schedule: The fencing teams conclude their season mid-way through the Spring Break,
competing at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships at Brown University on Sunday, March 14.
-Last outing: Both teams had impressive showings at the New England Championships on February 21 as the men placed a program best third out of 13 teams and the women finished fourth out of 15 teams. Sophomore Nick Johnson led the men's team to its historic finish, earning the title of 2010 NEIFC Champion in the epee as the Vassar epee squad of Johnson, senior Zach Pattison-Gordon, freshman Dan Flynn and sophomore Brian Rouse placed first. Junior Andrew Fischl and senior John Rothman placed second and fourth, respectively, in the sabre and along with junior Dennis D'Urso and senior Jared Berenholz, the sabre squad finished second overall. For the women, the epee squad repeated its win from last season as all three starting epee fencers, junior Sophie Courser, freshman Caitlin Clevenger, and sophomore Veronica Weser made the individual semifinals, placing second, ninth, and 11th respectively. Junior Julie Carlen finished fourth in sabre.