New Haven, CT — Dartmouth won the B Division, Haverford won the E Division, and Vanderbilt won the Emerging Teams Division.
B Division (Kurtz Cup): Dartmouth College will be bringing the Kurtz Cup back to Hanover, New Hampshire. The Big Green clinched early in a hard-fought victory over Bates, a team that rode a string of upsets into the B Division final. The Bobcats did not give in easily, taking multiple matches past three games. But the top-seeded Big Green had been dominant all weekend, and they served up another strong performance today. Perhaps the most dramatic match of the day was the number 1 contest between Dartmouth senior captain Corey Schafer and Bates sophomore Nessrine Ariffin. Playing on court 1 in front of a full house, Schafer and Ariffin traded points in four close games, with Schafer winning. It was a fitting end to Schafer’s career, and winning the Kurtz Cup — which is named for former Dartmouth coach Aggie Bixler Kurtz — was a fitting end to Dartmouth’s season.
E Division: Haverford College is the 2013 E Division champion. The Fords defeated Tufts 6-3 in a competitive, spirited match. It was clear that the match would be a close from the first round, as two seniors — Haverford’s Alex Love and Tufts’ Ushashi Basu — took their match to five games. Basu roared out to a commanding lead in the fifth game, but Love was not done yet, digging out of match ball after match ball. The final game went to extra points, and Basu came through with the win in the end. The match stayed close through the first and second rounds, and coming into the final flight the score was 3-all. Caroline Nightingale (number 1), Alisa Strayer (number 4), and Sarah Madigan (number 7) all won for the Fords, giving the team the upset victory. This is the first E Division title for Haverford.
Emerging Teams Division: Vanderbilt is the winner of the 2013 Emerging Teams Division. The Commodores clinched the victory early Sunday morning by sweeping Notre Dame, 5-0. Vanderbilt has had an impressive run at this weekend’s tournament, dropping a single match en route to the Emerging Teams title. They opened the competition by sweeping Minnesota 5-0, and they followed up that performance with a 4-1 win by defeating Washington University in St. Louis. Vanderbilt last won the Emerging Teams Division in 2010. Hannah Elbaum and Vicky Coussa are the Commodores’ captains. Wash U finished second in the division.
