<t about how you start, it is about how you finish. Some of the most successful sports teams in history have hit a few road bumps to start a season, but most always finish strong en route to a winning season or even a championship. This year, both the Carleton Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams have not gotten some of the results they hoped for to start the season. However, they are both optimistic about the rest of their season and possible post-season opportunities.
Carleton Women’s Basketball is currently 2-11 with a little over half of the regular season left to play. Freshman leading scorer, Sam Cooke ’20, had this to say about the team’s start to the season: “We’re playing extremely talented and experienced competition as a relatively young and inexperienced team. We’re learning a lot and getting better every day.”
Carleton Women’s Basketball has played some of the top competition in the region and the nation, including 4 of the Top 25 teams, according to D3hoops.com. Additionally, many of their losses in conference play have been by slim margins, leaving the team excited for the rest of their season. Cooke said that she is “really excited to play St. Mary’s again. The first game was a really tough loss, but I know that we’ll be ready to go out and fight for a win.”
Assistant Coach Chris Dalhed is also excited for the remainder of the season and points out that the team has many goals for its remaining twelve games. “We want to work hard, be unified as a team, be resilient in the face of any adversity and be proud to represent Carleton on and off the court,” Dalhed said. “By doing these four things we can always be at our best in whatever we do. If we can stay consistent with these ideals then we can consider the year a success.”
Women are not the only ballers on campus looking finish the year strong. Carleton Men’s basketball is also hoping to have a winning season with their sights set on a trip to the postseason.
Carleton Men’s Basketball is 4-8, but they too have played extremely tough competition, including top 25 teams in division 3, NCAA D2 teams and last year’s D3 national champion. They also have obtained two overtime buzzer-beater losses in their start to the season. But there is plenty of time to work out the kinks, with thirteen regular season games left before the playoff field is set.
About the team’s goals for the rest of the season, Quinn Johnson ’19 said, “Right now we are definitely on track to keep playing better and have a chance to make a playoff run near the end of the season.”
Indeed the team is playing better every game. Two games ago against last year’s NCAA D3 national champion University of St. Thomas, Kevin Grow ’18 broke a 30 year old record for most rebounds in a game in Carleton history. Kent Hanson ’20 and Henry Bensen ’20 also made significant contributions, and the team had an 8 point lead throughout much of overtime.
Even with a frustrating starts to their seasons, both teams are looking forward to closing the season on a high note to prove that Carleton is a competitive force in Division 3 collegiate hoops.