PFL Weekly: Recent Episodes
PFL Weekly
PFL Weekly is a student-run, Middlebury-focused podcast that tells the top sports stories of the week. Career-highs, winning streaks, and broken records turn into personalized, lively stories. Who are the people behind the athletes? Find out on PFL Weekly!
The two highest goal scorers for the top-ranked Middlebury women's lacrosse team join PFL Weekly! They discuss their partnership in attack, the NCAA tournament, and future plans.
This week, all three men’s tennis senior captains –– Aidan Harris ’23.5, Andrew Mueller ‘23.5, and Robby Ward ‘23.5 –– join the PFL crew in the studio. Prior to winning the NCAA regional tournament at John Hopkins, men’s tennis retained its title as NESCAC champions, which it has held since 2019. The captains share their insights on building a championship-caliber team, highlights from a recent team trip to Guatemala, and their upcoming journey to Orlando for the final rounds of the NCAA tournament.
Senior golfer Hogan Beazley '23 just led Middlebury to its 10th NESCAC championship, finishing in a tie for first place individually. On this episode, Beazley talks about taking classes at Middlebury during high school, what it's been like to play under legendary coach Bill Beaney, and what this title means to the team.
Senior captain/baseball pitcher Alex Price '23 comes onto the show to discuss his school record, baseball's success this spring and his background on the diamond.
This week, we welcome the captain of women's golf, Katie Murphy '23, to the show! On this episode, Murphy discusses the team's early-season success, her upcoming running race, and where she's improved most as a Panther. She also tries her hand at some of Marco's "Stat of the Week" questions.
Attacker Russell Thorndike ’25 leads men’s lacrosse in points as the team climbs into the top five nationally. This week, PFL interviews Thorndike about his journey to Midd, what has driven the team’s success, and what he participates in at Middlebury outside of lacrosse. Thorndike gets put to the test with some lacrosse team trivia and Marco drops another one of his famous guarantees. This one’s a must-listen!
Women’s tennis standout, Nathalie van der Reis ’25, joins the show! Going from an injury that sidelined her last spring to being undefeated since September, Nathalie has charted a stunning comeback. How has she done it? Nathalie also describes her early tennis years and deciding on Middlebury. Is teammate Amanda Frank ’23 to thank? Finally, check out this week’s episode to hear Marco’s new variation of his stat of the week.
PFL weekly returns from spring break with a bang! Drew Petzing ‘09, the recently appointed offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals, comes on the show to share his journey from Middlebury to the NFL. Tune in to hear about Drew’s favorite dining hall, the Middlebury memorabilia in his office, and his reaction to getting the job offer.
On our last episode before spring break, women’s alpine skier Sofia Yubero ’22.5 joins the show. The conversation takes an interesting spin to bungee jumping?! Women’s tennis highlights why the NESCAC is the most dominant conference in the country and Marco knocks on wood after Blaise gives a daring statement about men’s lacrosse. Captain presents this week’s Panther All-Star, and it features a former walk-on who is now stealing headlines. Finally, you won’t want to miss the women’s lacrosse game on Thursday before heading out for spring break!
On this episode, we interview 2022-2023 NESCAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Alex Sobel '22.5. Sobel reflects on bowing out in the NCAA tournament last weekend, what's next for him, and his optimism for next year's squad.
After last week's snow, it's only fitting that we kick off with some Nordic skiing trivia. Ciara Dale '24 runs us through her two championship wins at New Englands, while Marco gives us the scoop on Men's Basketball's road to the NCAA tournament. Last week's Panther All-Star, Riley Griffis '24, talks about his three Middlebury records and qualifying for nationals. To round out the episode, Eli's Panther All-Star puts the student in "student-athlete" and Captain gives us the rundown on what teams to look out for in the coming weeks.
A new season of PFL Weekly kicks off with Alexa Mustafaj's take on eclipsing 1,000 career points in a Middlebury jersey. Do we have World-class athletes at Middlebury? Absolutely. After an almost undefeated squash season, Maya Bardorf talks about preparation and the mental game of squash. Eli gives us our Panther of the Week and Captain lets us know what teams are still making a deep post-season run. Tune in to see what team has a historic win on the horizon.
The PFL team welcomes Shea Brams '26 of the Middlebury Nordic Ski team to the pod this week! As a first year, Brams has led the women's team, with multiple podium finishes at the Bates and St. Mike's Carnivals. Shea talks all about her experience as a collegiate skier and why she's proud to be a Panther. The Track and Field Team hosted the Middlebury Invitational, where Marco Motroni beat his own 60m school record, Cady Barns broke her own triple jump record, and Emily Rubio set a new pentathlon record! Men's Basketball beat #4 Keene State and #6 Williams back-to-back to improve to 15-2 overall. Women's hockey swept Bowdoin over the weekend, again buoyed by Britt Nawrocki's offensive production. Men's hockey pulled off a huge upset against #4 Norwich and went on to pick up a huge NESCAC win vs. Bowdoin. Give it a listen!
The PFL Crew is back! After a holiday break, your favorite cohosts are back in the studio to bring you all things Middlebury College Athletics. The winter sports teams have been competing at a very high level: Cady Barns '23 and Marco Motroni '25 broke the 60 meter school record for the Women's and Men's Track and Field Teams. Women's Hockey beat a tough #9 Colby team twice over the weekend after being propelled by Britt Nawrocki '26's offensive heroics. Men's basketball continues to stack wins behind their strong core of Sobel, Stevens, and Osher. Women's basketball remains very competitive in the NESCAC with a very high margin of victory. Its a great day to be a Panther!
Men’s and women’s swimming snag wins at Springfield College, and the PFL hosts check in with sophomore swimmer Cara Fritz for the inside scoop on their season. Guest Hosts Ian Bolton and Nima Khodakhah join the PFL Crew to get you up to date on Midd Athletics. Women’s ice hockey beats UMass Boston to return to their winning ways. Men’s ice hockey takes two tough losses versus Hamilton and Amherst. Men’s and women’s basketball combine for a 6-0 record this past week, with strong offense and stifling defense across the board. The teams now head into a bit of winter break. Tune in!
And we’re back! Panthers for Life Weekly hosts Ben, Sam, Dan, and Cole bring you the highlights from early-season winter NESCACtion. Men’s squash is undefeated, and we caught up with star sophomore Julian Sandoval to hear all about the matches so far, and what to look forward to. Numerous fall athletes earn all-region and all-american honors. Field Hockey takes the natty in a 1-0 overtime contest for their fifth-straight NCAA Champsionship. Ice hockey teams battle through tough early seasons and earn gritty wins. Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving start the season 1-1, while Ryan Greguski impresses with consistency on the diving board. Men’s Basketball is hot sitting at 5-1. Next week, Panthers take on their last opponents of the 2022 calendar year. Tune in, y’all!
Field Hockey is headed to the NCAA Final Four after cruising past MIT and Trinity in NCAA tournament play; Bob Ritter ends his career as head football coach in a shootout against Tufts; Men’s and Women’s Cross Country competed in gritty regional races, with Alec Gironda and the men’s team punching their ticket to nationals; Men’s Soccer loses their NCAA tournament match; Women's Soccer and Volleyball are rewarded with numerous All-NESCAC selections; winter nears with season openers for Swim, Ice Hockey, and men's basketball coming up. It's a great day to be a Panther!
Tough games, fierce competitions, and sweet sweet victory. This past week has been all about NESCAC tourneys and the start of ice cold Panther winter practices. Men’s soccer concedes a hard-fought NESCAC semifinal in overtime vs. the Amherst College Mammoths but earns an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Volleyball ends their season in the quarterfinals vs. #3-seeded Williams. Football takes another win against Hamilton, currently sitting at 7-1 with one game remaining. Field Hockey wins the NESCAC and sets their sights on defending their NCAA national championship. The PFL crew also welcomes Cady Barns '23, who talks about the women's track and field team's quest to defend their NESCAC title.
This week, Dave Filias '25 chats with the PFL team about Football's back-and-forth, comeback win vs. Colby on Saturday. Dave talks about what it was like to fight in the trenches in such a close game, as well as how Colby's offensive line prepared for him specifically with double-teams and trap plays. Ben provides a recap on the Crew teams' performance at the Head of the Charles Regatta. As this weekend was the start of the NESCAC tournament for soccer and field hockey, men's soccer and field hockey both picked up important wins against Hamilton. Women's soccer lost to Trinity, but still remain in contention for an NCAA tournament bid. Men's and Women's Cross country had strong performances at the NESCAC Championships at Hamilton, with the men finishing 3rd and the women 8th. Volleyball wrapped up its regular season and now looks to the volleyball NESCAC tournament. It's a great day to be a Panther!
Link to Butch Varno's in memoriam article: https://athletics.middlebury.edu/news/2022/10/20/general-middlebury-mourns-the-loss-of-butch-varno.aspx
The PFL Team is joined by Emily Stone '25, a starting defender for the Field Hockey team; Emily talks about the team's response to their loss against Trinity, how they're preparing for the NESCAC and NCAA tournaments, and how upperclassmen lead the team; Football handled a late Bates comeback in an important road win; Volleyball placed second at the New England Challenge; Women's Soccer tied a strong Tufts side; Men's Tennis had an excellent showing at the Dartmouth Invitational; and much more!
The PFL Team welcomes cross-country first year Owen Johnson '26, who placed 24th individually out of a field of more than 300 runners at the Connecticut College Invitational, helping the men's cross-country team to a third-place overall finish; Men's soccer dominated Trinity College in a 6-0 win; Women's soccer upset #21 Trinity 1-0; Volleyball went 2-0 in NESCAC play over the weekend; Football lost at Trinity after digging out of a 21-0 hole; Field Hockey ended its overall win streak and home win streak after falling 2-1 to #7 Trinity College; Sean McGarrity made a Hole-in-One en route to medalist honors at the NEIGA Men's Golf Championship, and much more!
Middlebury Athletics delivered this Fall Family weekend, with an impressive 9-1 record for all competing teams on campus! The PFL Team welcomes Emma Binks, who scored both game-winning goals for women's soccer in their two games. Backup quarterback Cole Kennon took the reins of Middlebury's red-hot offense and led the team to a 30-7 win over rival Williams. Field Hockey handled Colby and Connecticut College en route to the teams 50th straight win on Kohn field. Men's soccer won a tough match against a strong Colby team, and outlasted reigning Division III champs Conn College to go 2 - 0 for the weekend. Volleyball had a great showing, going 2 - 1 over the weekend against strong opponents. Women's golf and tennis were off campus this weekend but still made Panther nation proud with excellent team and individual performances. It's a great day to be a Panther!
For the third episode of the fall season, the PFL team welcomes Victoria Fawcett '26, who has started her collegiate career off with a bang by being one of the Panthers' best runners. Fawcett talks all things cross country, including her pre-race routines and rituals that have helped her succeed. Them PFL team recaps Football's comeback win against Bowdoin, Field Hockey's domination in its much-anticipated home opener and extension of its undefeated stretch to 39 games, Men's soccer's upset over #9 Wesleyan anchored by keeper Ryan Grady, and much more. Give it a listen!
For the second episode of the fall season, the PFL team chats with Eujin Chae '25 after his corner kick goal against Framingham State makes it onto ESPN's SportCenter Top 10. The crew also has updates on Field Hockey and Senior goalie Grace Harlan reaching some impressive milestones, Football's strong home win against Wesleyan, Men's and Women's Cross Country teams successful trip to the Saint Lawerence University Invitation, and much more. Dan brings back his stat of the week, and Sam rounds out the episode with an intriguing trivia question.
For the first episode of the second season of PFL Weekly, a new slate of hosts introduce themselves and get down to business. The crew catches up on the incredible start to Fall competition for the 11 competing Varsity Panther Teams, including #1 Field Hockey's dominant 4-0 win over #7 Babson, the successes of Men's and Women's Cross Country in Invitational Meets, and Football's strong opening win. The crew also has the scoop on two impact transfer athletes providing additional firepower to already strong Men's and Women's soccer teams. Sam introduces his first Trivia Question of the Week, and Dan keeps it simple with his inaugural Stat of the Week. It's a great day to be a Panther!
For the final episode of the spring semester, PFL Weekly recaps NCAA championship season. The crew comments on women's lacrosse's eighth national title, Stan Morris' back-to-back national titles, and the track athletes who turned heads at the NCAA meet. The crew also names their Panther all-stars of the season, as well as their rising all-stars. To round the episode out, Marco offers the most interesting stat of the week of the semester.
Can you believe this?! Middlebury baseball overcame an 8-5 deficit in the top of the ninth inning, winning the 2022 NESCAC Championship with a 12-8 win over Hamilton. In this episode, several baseball players recount the final inning of the title game, giving an inside perspective on the comeback. In other news, both tennis teams are headed to the NCAA quarterfinals in Florida, and multiple track & field athletes set personal bests at Open New Englands this past weekend. Another great week to be a Panther!
For the second straight season, men's tennis are the NESCAC champions. The Panthers defeated Tufts, 5–3, on Sunday to claim their 14th-straight victory this season. In other news, track & field had a successful outing at the D-III New England Championship meet, including first-place finishes from Audrey Grimes (3k steeplechase), Kate Kenny (1500m), Max Cluss (1500m) and Peter Hansen (400m hurdles). Perhaps the most electric moment of the week, though, was Zip Malley's walk-off hit to earn Middlebury baseball a victory over Tufts in the first game of their three-match NESCAC quarterfinal series. If these stories didn't sell you, our trivia question covers a wild winning streak, while Marco's stat of the week highlights the excellence of the softball team.
For the first time since 2000, Middlebury women’s track & field is the NESCAC champion. This past Saturday, the Panthers captured the conference title in Clinton, New York, powered by three first-place finishes from senior distance runner Cassie Kearney. Back on campus, other varsity teams, such as men’s tennis and baseball, are eagerly anticipating their postseasons, which begin this weekend. Catch this episode of PFL Weekly for a full run-down on what’s ahead for Middlebury’s varsity teams during championship season.
Photo courtesy: Josh McKee
The school records keep coming! Baseball and softball both shattered program home run records this past weekend, recording dominant victories in the process. In this jam-packed episode, the PFL Weekly crew also highlights the men’s golf team, who finished second at the Williams Invitational; women’s tennis, currently 7–1 in NESCAC play; and track & field, who are preparing for the NESCAC Championship meet this coming weekend. Captain also convinces Marco to make another “Marco guarantee.”
Women’s track & field means business this spring, finishing first out of 20 teams at the Silfen Invitational meet this past weekend. Captain highlights notable individual achievements at this meet, while Eli discusses another team that’s on fire: baseball. In other news, Blaise discusses women’s lacrosse’s victory over nationally-ranked Colby, including an interview with first-year phenom Hope Shue ’25. Marco makes another “Marco guarantee” while the rest of the crew begins to question if he can actually predict the future.
After beginning the year unranked, men’s tennis was just ranked fourth in Division-III by the ITA. The team just defeated No. 18 Amherst and Hamilton and is showing no signs of slowing down! In other news, the PFL Weekly crew features the women’s golf team, who will tee off on their spring season this weekend at the Vassar College Invitational. Eli also recaps Middlebury’s club sports teams and their recent accomplishments. In case that didn’t sell you, Marco’s stat of the week is about… discipline?! Check out this action-packed episode!
For the first time since 2009, men’s lacrosse has defeated Tufts. The Panthers put on a clinic on Saturday, winning 21–14 in a game that turned heads across the nation. Elsewhere, junior catcher John Collins is leading men’s baseball in several hitting categories, while Noelle Ruschil is among the best in the nation in slugging percentage for women’s softball. The PFL Weekly team also previews Middlebury men’s golf, who open their season this coming weekend. You won’t want to miss this episode!
Undefeated! Women’s hockey (27–0–0) completed their perfect season on Saturday with an overtime win in the NCAA final. The PFL Weekly team recaps this historic accomplishment and interviews captain Madie Leidt ’22 about the victory. In other news, women’s lacrosse was recently ranked No. 1 in Division-III and men’s tennis found great success in California on their spring break trip. All of this, and more, on this episode of PFL Weekly!
What a week to be a Panther! Women’s hockey has punched their ticket to the NCAA semifinals, men’s tennis won 18 straight matches on Sunday, and the women’s DMR relay team earned All-American honors. On this episode, the PFL Weekly team recaps these accomplishments, while also previewing the women’s swim & dive NCAA championships and upcoming spring break trips for Middlebury’s varsity teams. Blaise, Captain, Eli, and Marco name their Panther all-stars of the week and Marco gives a “Marco guarantee!”
What a weekend for women's hockey...NESCAC champions! PFL Weekly provides an in-depth feature on this accomplishment, along with a recap of women's lacrosse's dominant season opener against Bowdoin. The team also previews the alpine/nordic NCAA championships, men's lacrosse's upcoming double-header, and the men's and women's tennis teams. You won't want to miss Marco's stat of the week or Blaise's trivia question, either!
This week, PFL Weekly recaps women’s hockey’s NESCAC quarterfinal win, new track and field school records, and women’s squash’s resilience at the CSA tournament. Marco puts $5 on his stat of the week––wait, what? The crew names their Panther All-Stars of the week and previews a big weekend ahead in Middlebury sports. And you won’t want to miss Blaise’s trivia question! (Shoutout to the Middlebury Athletics coaching staff!)
On our first episode, we recap Max Cluss's 4:07 mile, women hockey's undefeated regular season, and the Winter Carnival. Marco's stat of the week includes... jellybeans? The crew names their Panther All-Stars of the week and finish with a run-down on games you can't miss this weekend! Plus, a trivia question on first-year women's basketball phenom, Alexa Mustafaj!
Special thanks to our producer, Caroline Harding!