The Norwich mens rugby team saw yet another strong undefeated 6-0 season in their conference, earning their 3rd berth in a row in the nationals by defeating Bentley University 35-0. Their regular season ended with them going 9-2. Unfortunately, their championship run was ended by the Queens University of Charlotte,N.C., who barely defeated the Cadets 29-26. In the 3rd place consolation match the team beat Marquette University 7-0.
For seniors, last football game marked bittersweet end to 4 years as teammates
Senior offensive linemen Paul Bielo (61) and Jared Barton (70) right before the snap against a game again Morrisville State. Picture by Norwich University
There isn’t much like tying your cleats and putting on your jersey knowing it’ll be the last time. The seniors on the Norwich football team did just that on Saturday, Nov. 10 at Sabine field.
No more kickoffs, no more touchdowns, and no more wins.
For the past four years, 11 seniors on the football team have given all their time and energy to training for football – and just like that their athletic career is over. They will take with them the memories they made and teammates that became family, as well as lessons that go far beyond the athletic field.
Even though their final game was a close 20-17 loss to WPI, they gave it their all on their last time on the field, appreciating the opportunity they had to play the sport they love at Norwich.
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Men’s club hockey holds ‘Puck Cancer’ t-shirt fundraiser for Vermont’s Camp Takumta
Madhurance Muthukumaraswany and Matthew Dunn manning the fundraising table. Photo courtesy of the men’s club hockey team.
Norwich mens club hockey looks to “make an impact,” off the ice this year by creating a fundraising campaign to raise money for charity according to the club president.
“We’re definitely looking to make an impact on campus and in the community; it’s a goal of ours to be a well-represented team and do the most we can for our community,” said Peter Orlandella, 22, a senior computer security information assurance major from Wayland, Mass.
Orlandella serves as the club’s president, being tasked with organizing a majority of the teams scheduled practices, games and lifts, Orlandella also works hard to get the team as active in fundraising as possible.
“The entire team has tried to do as much as they can fundraising for cancer, we’re going to be starting a local charity for the holiday season as well,” Orlandella said.
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After hard work in off-season and practices, women’s basketball eager to improve record
Junior forward KristieAnn DeSilvio. Picture by Norwich University
New season, new team, and new goals. The Norwich Women’s basketball team began their new season on October 15. Although last season didn’t have the outcome they had hoped for, losing to the Emmanuel College Saints in the quarterfinals of last years’ GNAC tournament and finishing with a 10-16 record, the Cadets women’s basketball team hopes to have a successful season this winter in the GNAC conference.
With the addition of five freshmen and the experience of the 12 veteran ballplayers already on the team, Norwich women’s basketball team is working hard to achieve many of their season goals. While the official start of the season was Oct. 15, the ladies have worked incredibly hard in the off-seasons, both during the summer and fall. The team has used assigned summer workouts, as well as preseason fall pick-up games and lifting programs, to prepare for the schedule ahead and improve results since the end of last season.
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Mens soccer bows out after stellar season
Freshman midfielder Azma Issa looks downfield on the pitch. Picture by Norwich University
The Cadets had a great season both in the GNAC and out, finishing with a record of 11-3-4, and making it to the semifinals of the GNAC tournament.
Although the team took a hit when last year’s class graduated, the freshman class did an excellent job of filling the spots that were needed.
“Anytime you have a lot of new player’s things are going to be different than the previous year,” Said Adam Pfiefer, the men’s soccer head coach. “I think guys pushed last year to start focusing on their daily jobs and have the focus at each practice and each game at the same levels at all times.”
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Norwich softball looks forward to strong season
This year, the Norwich Softball team is working hard and early on creating a “family-like atmosphere” when working on their fall season and working their way into their spring season, say members of the women’s squad.
For cadet Makenna Wade, team building is a key goal. “I’m cadre, but when I’m on the softball field I’m just Makenna,” said Wade, 20, a junior computer science major from Pensacola, Fla., who is a shortstop for the Norwich softball team.
Wade really wants to focus on the team bonding and the chemistry that this team holds, as well as making sure that the team looks professional in what they do.
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A light at the end of the football tunnel?
Junior halfback Connor Bourque runs past a defender. Picture by Norwich Athletics
The Norwich Cadets football team has been coming up short this season, recording just two wins against five losses so far.
But last weekend Norwich saw encouraging signs when it hit the road to take on Maine Maritime in a NEWMAC Conference battle in Castine, with the maroon and gold pulling off the 15-7 victory.
It’s been a year for rebuilding confidence and for a new game plan with new coaches. “Success and winning are hard, winning will always be hard,” said assistant and defensive backs coach Grantham Raymond. “Someone has to win and someone has to lose, and unfortunately we’ve been coming up a little short.”
The Cadets were able to pull off their first win, 40-0, against intra-state rival Castleton University, where the team was able to reclaim the Maple Sap Bucket trophy.
The team, which has only 11 returning seniors, is a young group and along with the team being young there are also several coaches that are new to Norwich’s staff.
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‘Don’t mess with the family’
Senior Jacob Forsman during a meet. Picture by Norwich Athletics
With a new, younger team, Norwich wrestling’s motto, stands out more than ever. “Don’t mess with family,” is a the message that head coach Alex Whitney tries to emphasize always to new and old wrestlers alike.
“In order for us to be successful we have to perform two vital behaviors, love each other like brothers, and hold each other socially accountable. These make up the idea of ‘Don’t mess with the family’” said Whitney.
Whitney believes that if the team focuses on these two things it will not only lead to success on the mat but off of it as well. “If your teammate is asking you why weren’t you in class, why were you late to training, why aren’t you going to lifts, instead of coming from a coach that’s going to create the most effective results,” he said.
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New weight room caters to athletes
Norwich mens lacrosse team working out in the new gym. Picture by Andrew Thomas
Preseason, in season, and postseason, no matter the time of year, athletes are in the weight room lifting. Both men’s and women’s teams at Norwich University know this first hand. Putting in work in the weight room with the strength and conditioning coach is a key component in succeeding as an athlete.
Take all those student-athletes with busy schedules, combined with non-athletes trying to work out, and put them all in the same gym: that is one extremely overcrowded gym in Plumley Armory. Norwich felt there needed to be a change and so did the student-athletes.
This past month Norwich’s athletic director decided to create a smaller but more effective weight lifting gym for varsity sports teams. The gym was created by taking two racquet ball courts and equipping the rooms with lifting racks and new dumbbells.
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Running Big in Honor of the 200th Year
For the first time in almost 200 years, Norwich University experienced a regimental run during rook week, planned by the commandant’s staff.
Norwich has a history of trying new ideas and techniques and adapting to the times with the Corps of Cadets. For example, the university recently restructured the corps to have upperclassmen live in rook barracks.
But the latest change came with a decision to try something new that had never been done before – and it was pulled off on very short notice.
Retired Command Sgt. Maj. John de Nagy, a cadet mentor here at Norwich, was the staff member who was put in charge of making sure that the project was completed, and that the correct people got the correct information.
The idea for having the whole Corps run was spawned last summer. “The regimental run came on the schedule at some point during the summer planning,” said de Nagy. He was assigned as the point of communication for the project, and he reached out to the regimental master fitness trainer Cadet Capt. Jake Drew, a senior physical education major from Houlton, Maine, to begin planning this run.
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