By Robin Deutsch, Sports Information Director
Sports pundits are always searching for the next Great One. They’re not unlike slot machine players who drop quarter after quarter into a bottomless tray, snap the magic lever forward and then helplessly pray that three bars miraculously all stop in harmony, signaling the Great Quarter Payoff, or Jackpot.
We all remember our first Great One. Our first great romance. Our first great automobile, or pet, or teacher or coach or boss or whatever you remember making your soul feel great.
Vassar has had its share of Great Ones. They arrive on the athletics stage as freshmen with little fanfare and expectation. They transform into greatness with remarkable ease. The Great Ones all share something in common, an intangible bond: They all make being a Great One appear effortless.
When he was a freshman, former basketball star Lawrence Avitabile was granted one trip around the Liberty League until his considerable talents were no longer a secret. Next time through the league he was double teamed on every offensive possession. Avitabile was still named the league Rookie of the Year.
When she was a freshman, nothing short of draining the pool could contain swimmer Emily Love. At the Liberty League meet held just two months into her career, Love was named Rookie of the Meet. She would earn All-America status five times in her career.
When he was a freshman, fencer Andrew Fischl displayed such majesty in Epee competition that he qualified for the NCAA Championships. He repeated that distinction last year as a sophomore.
When she was a freshman, cross country runner Johanna Spangler raced with a maturity and confidence that was a marvel to watch. In the six months following her high school graduation, Spangler was competing in the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
With the athletics season into its third week, there are already signs that the next Great One resides in our midst. Freshman volleyball setter Hilary Koenigs has already been named the Liberty League Rookie of the Week twice. Ditto that for men’s cross country runner Yaron Teich. Women’s cross country runner Katie Holmes has earned the distinction once.
Freshmen tennis players Andrew Guzick and Josh Kessler had impressive debuts and each have a glorious future ahead. Whether weekly awards will follow remains to be seen, but it’s improbable that recognition won’t follow each player sooner than later.
Freshmen dot the rosters of every fall Vassar team. More will follow for the winter and spring teams. If history is any indication, the aforementioned freshmen will rekindle memories of Avitabile and Love. There are a plethora of athletes that will fall nicely into Fischl and Spangler’s path.
We will continue to search for the next Great One. We will pull the lever of a mythical slot machine, watch intently as three bars rotate in circles and then stop in succinct alignment.
We will have hit jackpot again.
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