To the next athletic director,
You couldn't have chosen a more exciting time to be involved with DePauw athletics.
We find ourselves in our first year in a new conference with the NCAC, and already, we are making waves, literally and figuratively. With all our fall sports completed, this winter sports season is shaping up to continue the excellence that we have grown so accustomed to seeing ever since Page Cotton assumed your position in 1996.
Our athletes have pride, passion and love for the contests in which they compete. Those will be on display when you eventually arrive on campus and witness the men's and women's swim teams and basketball teams.
The women's basketball team, coached by Kris Huffman, is again finding a winning stride utilizing a combination of veterans and rookies. Since winning the NCAA Div. III national title in 2007, Huffman has proceeded to the tournament every year. After losing to unranked Franklin College in the second game of the season (now ranked No. 19), the Tigers have rattled off four straight wins over tough opponents in Washington University in St. Louis, Millikin University and the defending NCAC champ, Denison University. Now 5-1, the team will be pushing for a conference title and its ninth straight playoff appearance.
Similarly, the men's swim team finds itself in arguably the most exciting years of the program's history. Not because we are now in a conference with national powers Kenyon College and Denison, but the young swimmers who head coach Adam Cohen has brought in to compete with those schools years down the road. Freshmen Casey Hooker and Alex Alfonso are finding early success with national ‘B' cuts, while being led by two charismatic and vocal leaders in seniors John Montgomery and Dylan Klossner. While Denison and Kenyon hold the edge for now, they should be worried about what's coming out of our pool.
The women's team is hoping to improve on the national scene with freshmen Emily Weber and Mary Reilly. Led by perennial national competitor senior Catie Baker, the Tigers are looking to recruit more talent to compete with Kenyon in years to come. Both swim programs are coached by two extremely passionate individuals, Cohen and coach Mary Bretscher. They are welcoming and always willing to talk about Tiger athletics.
As for our men's basketball team, it finds itself in a year of growth and a ceiling of potential as high as the Neal Fieldhouse. Led by seniors Sean Haseley and Tommy Weakley, the team is 5-2 with sophomore Michael Wilkison at point guard and a lot of young talent on the bench. The key for them will be to correct key defensive miscues that gave away a 31-28 halftime lead against NAIA opponent Indiana University-East and a final 66-79 loss last Monday. The half where the Tigers led showcased where the team could be later in the season.
Welcome to Tiger sports, where excellence is expected and more often than not, achieved. We look forward to seeing you at games and being just as visible to all of us as Cotton was. While we will miss him dearly, we are excited for a new face to build on the complete student athlete experience DePauw provides.
Oh, and talk with the student media here. We like DePauw athletics just as much as you do.
—Appelgate is a junior Media Fellow from Kent, Wash., majoring in communications. He is sports editor for The DePauw.
sports@thedepauw.com