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Phoenix Chosen as New MascotThanks to an energetic effort bystudents, Swarthmore College hasa new mascot: the phoenix. Campusvoting in April and a recente-mail poll of alumni bothreached the same conclusion,choosing the mythical bird overthree other candidates and a“none of the above” option.With the support of the PhysicalEducation and AthleticsDepartment, the Student AthleteAdvisory Committee (SAAC) ledan initiative to gauge interest inthe creation of a mascot. SAAC,consisting of representativesfrom each of the College’s 22intercollegiate sports, discussesissues faced by Swarthmore’s student-athletesand works toenhance communication aboutathletics within the campus community.The Garnet Club, formedin 2004 to organize pre-gametailgates, post-game bonfires,and fan buses to Haverford-Swarthmore games and conferencechampionship games, alsosupported the initiative.The new mascot will notreplace “The Garnet” as the nameof Swarthmore’s intercollegiateathletic teams. “We wanted atangible creature—a character—that will get people fired up atCollege events,” said Heidi Fieselmann’06 of SAAC.Kyle White ’08, a leader of theGarnet Club and ex-officio memberof SAAC, explained that aThe phoenix has deep rootsin Swarthmore lore. When an1881 blaze gutted Parrish Hall,the College’s original structure,it was rebuilt. Thereafter,The Phoenix became the nameof the campus newspaper,which used this representationof the mythical bird on itstitle page in the 1890s.mascot is “intended to bring thecampus together in a community—notonly in athletics buteverywhere a little school spiritand fun are needed.”The phoenix won the campusvote, garnering 327 of 873 ballotscast, and a straw poll ofalumni that accompanied theCollege’s regular electronicnewsletter on April 28. The newmascot was endorsed by 368 ofthe 851 alumni who responded,defeating “none of the above” by100 votes. Remaining votes werescattered among the other threecandidates.In the fall, a new committeeof students, faculty members, andalumni will determine how themascot can be incorporated intoCollege life and begin an implementationprocess, which willlikely include the creation of acostumed character and a graphicidentity for the phoenix.—Jeffrey LottCentennial and became the 12th Swarthmorewoman to score 100 goals in hercareer. Head Coach Karen Borbee—one of12 former players named to the NCAA DivisionI Women’s Lacrosse 25th AnniversaryTeam—notched her 135th career victory as acoach.Softball (23-17, 9-7) Swarthmore had one ofits best seasons in history, breaking schoolrecords for overall and conference wins andearning its first Centennial playoff berthand an 8-4 playoff victory. The Garnet ledthe CC in batting average (.313) and on-basepercentage (.388). Theyfinished second in runs(199), hits (332), andruns batted in (156).Freshman second-basemanChristine Sendelskyled the team inseven offensive categories,including tyingthe school record forhome runs (4). She isthe first Garnet softballplayer to earn All-Region honors and thefirst Swarthmore freshmanto make First TeamAll-CC. Senior catcherChristina Procaccijoined Sendelsky on thefirst team, breaking herown conference record for walks (38) andfinishing third in Division III history with104 career walks while not committing anerror in conference play (66 chances). Juniorfirst baseman Kelly Siano was an All-CChonorable mention selection after settingcareer highs in seven offensive categoriesand finishing second on the team with a.984 fielding percentage. Freshman pitcherAlexandra Zelaski was the first Garnethurler to win 10 games in a season.ELEFTHERIOS KOSTANSMen’s track and field (ninth at CC Championship)Garnet sophomore Ross Wellerwon a bronze medal in the 3,000-metersteeplechase, running the fifth-fastest time(9:48.30) in school history and the best in15 years. The 4 x 800-meter relay team ofDillon McGrew ’07, Vernon Chaplin ’07,Keefe Keeley ’06, and Paul Thibodeau ’06collected a silver medal, finishing with atime of 7:54.83.Women’s track and field (ninth at CCChampionship) The 4 x 800-meter quartetof Kavita Hardy ’08, Lauren Fety ’06, CaitlinMullarkey ’09, and Emily Wistar ’06 ranthird at the CC Championships, finishingwith a time of 9:54.31 to earn a bronzemedal. Mullarkey also took fifth in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles, posting a personalbest (and the fifth-fastest time inSwarthmore history). Senior Carrie Ritterran fourth in the 10,000-meter run with atime of 39:44.58 (good for fourth fastest inschool history). Ritter set the school mark inthe 3,000-meter steeplechase at the TuppanyTwilight on May 16, and Wistar capped astellar senior season by lowering her time inthe 1,500 to 4:49.77 (fifth fastest in schoolhistory). Classmate Emily Conlon passedthe 100-foot mark in the javelin to land inthird position on the school annuals.Hood Trophy In the annual head-to-headcompetition with Haverford College for theHood Trophy, Swarthmore fell 11–7 toHaverford, which will retain the trophy.—Kyle Leachjune 2006 : 11