Of Jay Fiedler And Some Track Recruits With Interesting Football Backgrounds

Recognize the fellow on the left? Former Dartmouth quarterback Jay Fiedler joins with Buddy Teevens -- who recruited him to Dartmouth -- at the Ivy Football Association dinner last week. Fiedler confirmed at the dinner that he's planning to give the NFL another shot next year. (Courtesy Dartmouth Sports Publicity.)

Recruiting news should pick up after next Wednesday's National Signing Day. ... In the meantime, a little more information on Chase Jensen, the Dartmouth-bound linebacker from Bishop's School in Southern California, courtesy of former defensive back Steve Jensen '05, a Bishop's grad. I emailed Steve to see if they were related, which they are not. But Steve's brother and Chase's brother are friends, so Steve was able to offer a bit of a scouting report. He says Chase is a terrific athlete with excellent hands, size and strength. Steve particularly likes Chase's aggressiveness on the field and tells us the new recruit enjoyed lacrosse and snowboarding growing up.

Pennsylvania defensive lineman Rob Bates, who garnered the attention of Dartmouth, Colgate and Columbia, has chosen Georgetown according to this blurb.

The Daily Dartmouth reports that the artificial surface at Scully-Fahey Field (lacrosse and field hockey) is being replaced and that there's discussion about whether to switch from the traditional plastic stuff to FieldTurf similar to what was installed on Memorial Field. While FieldTurf seems to be more popular for a wider variety of sports, the rubber in-fill pellets are not ideal for field hockey. According to The D, should the choice be FieldTurf, "(Coach Amy) Fowler confirmed that there is a possibility that this could mean the field hockey team would have to play its home games off campus."

Speaking of lacrosse, how about this from the Duke Chronicle regarding the troubled team's Feb. 24 season-opener against Dartmouth in Durham, N.C.?

Attendance for last year's Feb. 18 season-opening home game against Butler was just 425, but officials have suggested that figure could be as much as 20 times higher this year.

I'll save you running to the calculator. That would be 8,500. (I wonder if that counts the 60 Minutes, Primetime and Nightline crews?)

From a Q&A with writer/director James Ponsoldt, whose feature-film debut, Off the Black, is generating some interest: "You studied English at Yale on a football scholarship." Um, no he did not. The 2001 grad did letter in 1997, but he didn't have a football scholarship. Or if he did, there's absolutely no excuse for Yale going 1-9 that fall.

Next in a periodic series of early decision recruits shamelessly purloined from other sources is cross country/track and field:

Track and Cross Country

Men

• David Irving, Manchester, N.H., Manchester Memorial H.S., discus. (David is 6-8, 230. Hmm, wonder how he'd look at tight end?)
• Kane Kunz, Wheat Ridge, Colo., Mullen H.S. (Wanna guess who the 6-2, 210 discus thrower is rooting for in the Super Bowl? His dad, Lee, was a middle linebacker for three years with Da Bears after graduating as the third-leading tackling in Nebraska history.)
• Ben Bramhall, Plymouth, Mass., Phillips Andover (cross country)
• Corey DeWitt, Ellsworth, Maine, Ellsworth (cross country)
• Tom Robbins, Chicago Loyola Academy (cross country)

Women

• Danielle O'Bannon, Dallas Hockaday (sprints, father Don '79 was a teammate of Buddy Teevens)
• Haley Jansson, Wichita, Kan. (weights, father Ken '79 was another Teevens teammate and All-America thrower)
• Jaclyn Wypler, Ridgewood, N.J. (discus)
• Lauren Campfield, Temecula, Calif., Great Oak High (middle distance)
• Caroline O'Loughlin, Boston Latin (cross country)
• Andrea Imhoff, San Francisco University HS (800, mile)