2011 marks the first year of the USAU D-III National Championship, and the second year that the newly re-branded organization has run the tournament. The bid process to get into this year’s D-III championship is drastically different than last, and by no means uniform throughout the country. Some teams got here directly through Sectionals Conference Championships, others through Regionals. Skyd sent 10 questions to every team Women’s team competing, and set the email to explode after 8 seconds.
The Sneetches of Haverford College
Skyd Spoke with Emily Temple:
Do you think the new system for selecting teams for D-III Nationals is an improvement?
I do think its an improvement to have separate divisions for DIII and DI schools, because it allows for better competition for both. We each stand to improve this way.
What scares you the most about the upcoming tournament?
Honestly, I’m most scared that as a captain of a team with no coach, that I’ve forgotten some important administrative detail.
Have you perfected your autograph / how many babies do you plan on kissing / did you bring a flag for victory laps?
My signature is definitely a little girly for autographs, but I’ll work on it :)
How do you plan to intimidate the competition in pregame warmups?
Intimidation is not my strong suit–and as a team, I know we’ll be better served to focus on our own warm-ups.
Who would you say is favored to win the tourney, and if your answer is your school, who do you think will be hardest to trample over on the way to the top?
We haven’t played Carleton or Claremont yet, but from what I’ve heard and read, they will be the teams to beat.
Buffalo is The City of No Illusions, of Good Neighbors, and Queen City of the Lakes. Who has the best nickname on your team(and what is it)?
Wow, our nicknames are nothing like the city of Buffalo, but we do have a player who used to have pierced nipples and when she lay[ed]out once, she got up and it was clear, well, that she had disturbed her piercings. For the rest of that season, we called her ‘Bloody Nips.’
What has been the highlight of the year so far? The lowlight?
The highlight was definitely wining the Ohio Valley Regional tournament, and winning over Gettysburg during soft cap. They had beaten us many teams earlier that season and finally, when it mattered most, we were able to seal the deal. The lowlight was finishing not as highly as we would have liked at our home tournament in April, in particular losing in a close game against WVU.
Are you going to visit Niagra Falls?
No Niagra visits planned yet, just parents and siblings of our team headed there :)
Season MVP?
Too tough! It sounds cheesy but our teams greatest strength is truly our ability to be a team, and not rely on any one particular player.
Outstanding First Year player?
We have a ton of great first year players, but Helen Wistman has some sick long throws already!
Describe your seniors with 1 adjective each.
Erin McMurtrey — Fierce
Larken Wright Kennedy — Brilliant
Emily Carton — Speedy McSpeedster
Emily Temple (that’s me) — Nurturing
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