In the fall of 2021, Hobart and William Smith Colleges announced that they would be adding 12 new or returning varsity sports to campus. Starting as soon as the fall 2022 semester, these sports would begin practicing and playing games. Current students had the opportunity to try out for these teams, and coaching staff for each team started recruiting incoming freshmen to play for the Colleges. Hobart and William Smith Colleges are still working on hiring head coaches to begin recruitment for student-athletes for some of the sports, and they currently have plans to renovate some of our preexisting athletic facilities to better accommodate the increase in the number of teams soon to be practicing on campus. Some of the new sports teams who began competing this past fall have already concluded their seasons. William Smith volleyball had an outstanding inaugural season this past fall, and the Hobart swim and dive team recently finished their first season back on campus since 1995. The William Smith bowling team is currently competing in its first varsity season and is doing well. Two specific teams are on the rise and showing a lot of promise right now: the Hobart and William Smith alpine ski team and the Hobart baseball team.
The Hobart and William Smith alpine ski team is currently competing in its first season after the ski club officially became a varsity sport this winter. The Hobart team has had a rather successful inaugural season, consistently placing at least top 5 at all races. They compete against other teams in the Mideast surrounding Upstate New York, traveling around to different slopes nearby, such as Greek Peak in Cortland and Bristol Mountain in Canandaigua. Recently, they placed fifth of 11 teams at Bristol Mountain for the Mideast Regional Championships. They also qualified to participate in National Championships, which will be held at Mammoth Mountain in Mammoth Lakes California the week of March 6. Current skiers for the Statesmen who are doing well this season include Benjamin Gordon ‘23, Jack Ross ‘26, and Rex Eidlin ‘26.
The William Smith alpine ski team, also competing as a varsity sport for the first time this season, has had a fantastic inaugural season. On average, they placed first or second in most of their races. Most recently, they competed in the Mideast Regional Championships at Bristol Mountain, placing 1st out of 14 teams. At the moment, key skiers for the Herons are Caraline Gray ‘23, Marjorie Plants ‘25, and Katherine Broderick ‘26. They will also be headed to Mammoth Mountain the week of March 6th to compete in National Championships. We wish them the best of luck as the Hobart and William Smith alpine ski team finish off the rest of their first season and continue to succeed in future seasons to come.
As the spring season fast approaches, it is necessary to talk about the resurrection of the Hobart baseball team, which will be again competing as a varsity sport this spring semester. The team had a scrimmage over alumni weekend, and since then they have been practicing to prepare for their first season back. Their season opener was scheduled to be March first against Medaille University, but was postponed until further notice. With a team heavily made up of first years, it will be interesting to see how their first season goes. We will be rooting for the Statesmen as they represent Hobart this upcoming spring, and wish them luck as well.