Sports: Kirby, Dibilio, Willis among other rookies shining early

The men’s soccer and men’s water polo teams are not the only Princeton squads to rely on rookies early in their fall seasons. Here’s a look at some other freshmen who have made an impact while adjusting to college life:

The new members of the field hockey team knew they would have opportunities to show their talents after a quartet of top players left Princeton to play for Team USA this fall. Freshman midfielder Sydney Kirby spearheaded the charge, leading the team in both goals and assists with five of each. None was bigger than her hard shot from deep in the circle on Saturday afternoon, which gave the Tigers a 3-2 overtime victory over Columbia. Kirby, who had also scored earlier in the game, was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week.

Before she even enrolled in her fall semester classes, freshman striker Allison Evans teamed up with her classmate to defeat then-No. 6 Penn State at Class of 1952 Stadium, netting two goals to go with Kirby’s three assists in a 4-3 upset. The pair of freshmen, who played together for the Under-17 National Team before teaming up at Princeton, has scored or assisted 12 of the Tigers’ 17 goals.

“Obviously, the future is very bright for those two ... they’ll be able to hold their own at any level,” head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn said of the freshman duo last week.

Football is one of the toughest sports for freshmen to make an impact — training starts early in the summer, players have not had much time to work with college-level strength coaches and rookies are facing opponents who are larger and three years wiser. But a few new members of the football team are seeing regular playing time and played key roles in snapping the team’s 10-game losing streak last weekend.

Freshman running back Chuck Dibilio wasted no time making his name known. The native of Nazareth, Pa., gained 112 yards from scrimmage in the Tigers’ season opener against Lehigh, scoring the team’s first offensive touchdown on a 26-yard shovel pass. Dibilio also owns Princeton’s longest rush this season, a 45-yard scamper down the left sideline last weekend that set up a score.

“It’s a little more physical. I got a lot bigger hits than in [the high-school level Lehigh Valley Conference],” Dibilio said of his transition after his debut. “But it’s great to be playing college football.”

An early injury to sophomore wide receiver Connor Kelley opened up a starting position for freshman Matt Costello, who caught three passes for a season-high 66 yards against the Lions and has also earned the full-time punt-returning role. Freshman cornerback Khamal Brown also started against Columbia after a couple of Princeton’s defensive backs were sidelined.

Princeton players have been named the last two Rookies of the Week in women’s volleyball, as new players have been a big part of the team’s 3-0 start in Ivy League play. Middle hitter Nicole Kincade was tabbed this week’s top freshman after collecting a combined 23 kills and 13 blocks in the Tigers’ victories over Harvard and Dartmouth.

Ginny Willis has quickly taken over as the Tigers’ full-time setter, receiving Rookie of the Week honors when she assisted 48 kills in the team’s 3-2 victory over Penn to open its conference slate. Freshman outside hitter Sarah Hanna has also cracked Princeton’s full-time rotation, ranking second on the roster with 147 kills.

“The freshmen are doing great,” senior middle blocker and co-captain Cathryn Quinn said. “They’re working really hard and we need them right now.”