Posted by Katie Peverada
While Skidmore students were on break, the men's winter teams were hard at work trying to establish themselves in the pool, on the ice and on the court. And although there is still much to be expected this semester, there also was plenty of action while students were gone that is deserving of attention.
Men's Ice Hockey
The hockey team entered the winter break with a record of 3-4-3, and now stands at a respectable 7-7-6. Three seniors led the team in scoring, with Aaron Beck (13 goals, 4 assists), Vlad Gavrik (8G, 9A) and Brad Schuler (5G, 12A) each contributing 17 points to the Thoroughbred offense. First-year Anthony Bird leads all of the first-years on the team and ranks fourth overall in scoring (6G, 10A). Gavrik is tied for sixth in the ECAC East in scoring and his three power play goals are tied for second overall in the league. Meanwhile, Bird is third in the league for first-year scoring while Schuler is fourth among defensemen. Jack McDonald '17 has been getting most of the action in goal, sporting a .920 save percentage and 2.68 Goals Against Average. The Thoroughbreds, who sit in sixth place in the league, have five games remaining, all of which are ECAC contests.
Men's Swimming and Diving
Heading into the break, the men's swimming and diving team had a record of 2-4, and finished off their fall semester with a fifth place finish at the Liberty League championships. In their first meet after the break, they finished sixth out of seven at the RPI Invitational before dropping their final dual meet of the season 127-160 to RPI. The meet served as the final home meet for seniors Taylor Best, Tim Brodsky, Jon Markowitz and Peter Quattromani. On the diving board, Jacob Nathan '15 qualified for NCAA events in the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. The men have two meets remaining as they travel to the Vassar College Men's Invitational on Feb. 2 and the state championship from Feb. 19 to 22.
Men's Basketball
The men's basketball team finished the fall semester with a solid 4-2 record and have continued that strong play since returning from break. With their 10-7 record and 4-4 Liberty League record, the Thoroughbreds are positioned to move up from their fifth place standing into a playoff spot. With the top four teams qualifying for the post-season tournament, Skidmore College will have to beat RPI, RIT and Vassar, all teams who are ahead of them in the standings, in their upcoming games. Sophomore Aldin Medunjanin leads the offensive charge with 16.4 points per game, while classmate Erik Sanders is right behind with 16.2 per game. Both Medunjanin and Sanders are in the top 10 in the Liberty League in scoring. Medunjanin also is helping his teammates score, as he leads the team with 5.2 assists per game, also first in the league. Connor Merrill '15 and Medunjanin are tied for the team lead with 6.2 rebounds per game and Merrill leads the team with 1.9 blocks per game. Merrill and Perun Kovacevic '15 are first and second in the league in