After winning the Ivy League title last year, the Harvard women's softball team can only hope to repeat its performance from the 2000 season. The league will be very competitive this year, however, as Dartmouth returns all but one player from last year's second-place team, and Cornell still has a few key players remaining from its 1999 team that edged out the Crimson for the Ivy Title.

The Crimson predicts that the final Ivy standings will be as follows:

1. Harvard

With its highly touted pitching staff and unique blend of new talent and experience, Harvard possesses a good chance of winning the league title this season. For more, please see team preview, page B-1.

2. Dartmouth

Last year, Dartmouth (32-16, 7-5 Ivy) surprised everyone with a second-place finish and dealt the Crimson its only Ivy loss . The question now is whether the Big Green will be even better this season.

Led by Coach Steffany Bender, the 2000 season was a turning point for the Big Green. The team shattered 24 school records and finished second in the ECAC Championship. The biggest difference on the season was the addition of freshman Christine Quattrocchi.

Quattrocchi won the Ivy League Rookie and Pitcher of the Year Awards for 2000 as she ended the season with a 22-4 record, 169 strikeouts and 10 shutouts. Named a First Team All-Ivy player, she also received Second Team All-Region honors. Quattrocchi broke ten Dartmouth pitching records over the course of the season.

The Big Green has all of its position players returning, as its only loss to graduation was No. 2 starter Stacy Sanders. The experienced infield should be an advantage for Dartmouth, as the veteran combination of junior Kristin King at shortstop and senior Jenny Harsey at second base is one of the best in the Ivy League.

With the addition of three new pitchers to bolster the rotation and a few new freshmen in back-up positions, Dartmouth brings both experience and talent to this year's season.

3. Cornell

Cornell (30-18, 5-7), who had a surprisingly difficult Ivy season last year, usually is a force in the league. The Big Red began its season strongly with a 17-4 start in non-conference, but struggled following a 1-0 loss to the Crimson in the Ivy League opener.

All-star senior pitcher Nicole Zitarelli is the most dangerous weapon of the Big Red, as she ended the 2000 season with a 17-9 record and a 2.55 ERA, tied for the third lowest in the Ivies. She also limited the Crimson to just four runs in two meetings last season. In 1999, she was Second Team All-Ivy with a 21-3 record and 1.20 ERA.

Cornell will suffer this year from the graduation of Tracy Quinn, who had the second-best batting average in the Ivy League (.358), but Coach Dick Blood looks to make up for this loss with the addition of eight new freshmen.

He will also rely on his returning seniors, such as Zitarelli and outfielder Charlotte Bromabach, who was First Team All-Ivy in 2000. Bromabach led Cornell with seven stolen bases, despite missing seven games due to injury. If she can have a healthy season, the Big Red will combine experience with some new faces as it aims to win the Ivies for the first time since 1999.

4. Princeton

Following a mediocre season which concluded with four straight Ivy losses, Princeton Coach Cindy Cohen announced her resignation. The departure of Cohen--who led Princeton to the College World Series twice in the mid-90's--marks the end of an era of Tiger dominance in the Ivy League. Princeton (21-25, 6-6) will hope to improve under new coach Maureen Davies, who won a school-record 83 games during the Tigers' glory years.

Besides adjusting to a new coach, the Tigers must overcome the loss of ace Sarah Peterman, a stellar pitcher who led the team with 100 strikeouts and a 2.68 ERA, which was the fifth-best in the Ivy League. Junior Brie Galicinao, who last year earned the second lowest ERA in the League at 2.25, will have to step up.

Senior Lori Volker, an outfielder whose speed can be an asset on both defense and offense, looks promising for the Tigers this year. If senior Lauren Poniatowski, who led the team with a .301 batting average last season, can come back for another strong offensive year, the Tigers have a good shot at improving on their 6-6 Ivy record.