Sophomore Rachel Wallwork (above) was the third Swarthmore tennis player to be named Conference Player of the Year.

Women’s tennis (12-6, 9–1 Centennial Conference (CC)) The Garnet reached the CC Championship match for the third year in a row. Sophomore Rachel Wallwork became the third Swarthmore tennis player to be named the Conference Player of the Year after she posted a 17–3 overall record in singles, including a 10–0 mark in conference play at the number-one spot. Wallwork traveled to Minnesota in mid-May after receiving a spot in the NCAA Division III Individual Championships at Gustavus Adolphus College. Wallwork’s teammate Jennie Park ’09 was also named to the All-Conference first team for a school-record third year in a row, with a 9–6 overall record this season at the No. 2 spot, and a 7–2 mark in Centennial action.

Senior Jonathan Lo (above) was named First-Team All Centennial for singles’s play and earned the same distinction in doubles with partner junior Kevin Shaughnessy.

Men’s tennis (7–10, 7-2 CC) Under interim–head coach Jason Box, the Swarthmore men appeared in the conference championship match in the team’s first season of Centennial play. Senior captain Jonathan Lo was named First-Team All-Centennial for singles’ play and teamed up with junior Kevin Shaughnessy to earn the same distinction in doubles, where the duo earned a perfect 8–0 mark in conference regular season play.

Baseball (10-21, 3-15 CC) The Garnet made great strides in 2008, winning 10 games for the first time since 1999, raising the team batting average by 60 points (.302), and committing 15 fewer errors. Outfielder Scott Dalane ’08 topped off his Swarthmore career with a stellar senior season, leading the team in batting average (.350—top 20 in Centennial), on-base percentage (.428), hits (42), walks (16), runs scored (25), and RBIs (20). Third baseman Conor Casey ’09 registered a career-high batting average for the second straight year, leading the Garnet in slugging percentage (.450) and ranking second in batting average (.342), hits (38), on-base percentage (.419), and runs scored (22). Freshman right-hander Neil Mejia (4-4) led the Swarthmore pitching staff with 45 strikeouts, including a three-hit, complete-game victory over Franklin & Marshall.

Golf: The Swarthmore golf team traveled to Pinehurst Golf Resort during spring break, defeating the University of Pittsburgh– Greensburg in the season-opening match at the No. 4 course, site of the 2008 U.S. Amateur. Sophomore Jeffrey Lazarus led the team with three top-five finishes and broke the school record for the lowest round, carding a one-under par 70 on April 20 at the Glenmaura National Golf Club in northeast Pennsylvania.

Men’s lacrosse (9-8, 1-7 CC) The Garnet returned to postseason play in 2008, earning the top seed in the E.C.A.C. Metro/-South Region Championship after posting the first undefeated nonconference regular season (7-0) in the past 25 years. Senior captains Frank Mazzucco and Dan Sartori were selected for the All-Centennial second team. Sartori, a defenseman, made All-Conference for the second straight year, collecting 51 ground balls as part of a defensive unit that earned third place in the Centennial in goals per game (8.10). Mazzucco, the starting goalie for the last four seasons, earned All-Centennial honors for the very first time for a Garnet goalie, ranking second in the conference in goals-against average (7.90). Sophomore attackman Gavin Musnyske set the pace for the Swarthmore offense, earning 41 points (22 goals, team-leading 19 assists); and junior attackman Stelios Wilson scored a career-high 22 goals as the Garnet posted their largest win total since 1985.

Women’s lacrosse (6-11, 2-7 CC) Junior defender Melissa Grigsby was named to the All-Conference team for the second year in a row, earning second-team honors after scooping up 38 ground balls and causing 21 turnovers. Freshman attack Amy Vachal led the team in points (46) and goals (39) and posted seven hat tricks. Swarthmore returned home from a spring-break trip to San Antonio, Texas, in time to host the first-annual Women’s Lacrosse Tri-Co Invitational. Six teams competed in the weekend tournament, a round-robin event, raising money with a goal-a-thon and concessions that collected more than $6,200 for the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, whose aim is to benefit childhood cancer research.

In softball, junior Christine Sendelsky (above) and teammate sophomore Kathryn Riley were both named All-Region and All-Centennial at season’s end.

Softball (23-20, 10-6 CC) The Garnet women reached another milestone this year. Participating in postseason play for the first time in the program’s history, they succeeded in making it to the E.C.A.C. South Region Championships at Washington & Jefferson College. Tying the school record for wins in a season, they earned a third consecutive trip to the CC playoffs. Junior Christine Sendelsky and sophomore Kathryn Riley were both named All-Region and All-Centennial at season’s end. Sendelsky, a second baseman, was the first Garnet player to make All-CC three times and is on the All-Region team for a second time after hitting .319 and finishing tied for the team lead in hits (45). Riley, who achieved the best season by a Swarthmore pitcher, posted a record of 18-9 with a 1.97 ERA in 184.1 innings, broke school records for wins, innings pitched, shutouts (8) and strikeouts (188), and recorded two no-hitters. Surpassing the offensive numbers of last season, she led the team in seven offensive categories—batting average (.371), hits (49), doubles (14), home runs (four), RBIs (26), total bases (67), and on-base percentage (.444).

Men’s track-and-field (eighth at CC Outdoor Championship) Senior Ross Weller earned a bronze medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Conference Championships. Classmate Jon Shoop ran a personal-best time in the steeplechase, the sixth-fastest mark on the Garnet top-10 list, at the second annual Last Chance Meet (formerly Tuppeny Twilight) hosted at the College on May 13.

Junior Kate Mullarkey (above) broke the school record in the 3,000 steeplechase at the Penn Relays and won two medals at the Centennial Conference Championships.

Women’s track-and-field (ninth at CC Outdoor Championship) Junior Cait Mullarkey broke the school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on April 24 at the historic Penn Relays and then also picked up two medals at the CC championships—a silver in the 800-meter race and a bronze in the steeplechase. Mullarkey posted an NCAA provisional qualifying time in both these events during the season.