Sports Shorts
Men’s Basketball Tops Babson, 69-56
The senior tandem of James M. “Jimmy” Bartolotta ’09 and Willard J. “Billy” Johnson’ 09 combined for 59 points in MIT’s 69-56 victory over Babson College in a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men’s basketball game on Saturday. Bartolotta led the way with 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the floor, including a 5-of-8 performance from behind the arc. Johnson totaled 26 points, 24 of which coming in the second half, on a 10-of-12 outing at the free-throw line and a 7-of-11 total from the field.
The Engineers quickly established a 7-2 edge to open the game. Babson countered with an 8-3 spurt, capped by a basket by Zach Etten to even the contest at 10 at the 12:59 mark. Two lead changes and a tie ensued before MIT entered the break with a 30-29 margin. The Beavers came within 10 (64-54) late in the game on a three-pointer by Jake Gruber, but the Engineers thwarted any hopes of a late rally.
In addition to his game-high scoring effort, Bartolotta added three steals and two blocks while Johnson notched seven rebounds and three steals. Bradley H. Gampel ’09 dished out six assists as William E. Bender ’12 contributed six boards and four assists coming off the bench.
—James Kramer, DAPER Staff
Rookies Stevenson and Morinishi Join Zimmerman in leading Gymnastics at Opening Meet
In kicking off the 2009 campaign, the host MIT women’s gymnastics team received outstanding performances by a pair of freshmen to along with a terrific outing from senior standout Julia C. Zimmerman ’09 this past Saturday. Zimmerman and rookies Leanna S. Morinishi ’12 and Karis E. Stevenson ’12 virtually stole the show for the Engineers, who scored at 174.575, finishing fourth among the six entries. Yale University took the top spot with a tally 182.80, followed by Ursinus College at 180.525 and SUNY Cortland at 177.625. Rhode Island College closed at 167.2 and Wilson College at 139.950.
As a team, the Engineers proved strongest on the beam with a score of 45.325. Morinishi scored the squad’s highest individual tally of the whole event with a 9.550, while Zimmerman followed with a 9.525. Stevenson, along with Marie S. Heglund ’10 and Katie M. Mingo ’10, who each posted an 8.75.
On the vault, Zimmerman topped out at 9.475, her trademark front handspring front pike just dazzling, while Morinishi and Stevenson, and sophomore Elizabeth L. Stavely ’11 shined with scores of 9.3 and 9.1, and 8.95, respectively.
All five of MIT’s participants scored well on the bars, with Zimmerman leading the way at 9.45. Captain Alison M. Barnard ’09, fighting injuries throughout the fall, stepped up to hit her routine at 8.55, while another highlight included Rebecca L. Stavely ’11 rebounding from a tough outing on the vault to score a solid 8.075.
Zimmerman also scored highest on the floor with a 9.2, ending the event with a huge opening pass, the first full-in to be competed by an MIT gymnast. Mingo, meanwhile, coming off ankle surgery, tallied an 8.85, while Rachael A. Holmes ’11 proved strong with an 8.550. Elizabeth Stavely, Morinishi, and Stevenson also fared well with scores of 8.4, 8.3 and 7.8, respectively.
—Mike Stoller, DAPER Staff
MIT Wrestling Goes 0-3 In WPI Quad Meet
Among its three matches, the MIT wrestling team had its best performance against the University of Southern Maine, despite a 27-25 loss to the Huskies during this past Saturday’s quad meet hosted by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The Engineers also fell to WPI, 34-20, and Williams College, 41-9.
Against USM, MIT surged to a 15-6 lead thanks to a pin by Jaes C. Jones ’12, in 1:58, a 9-5 decision win by Kenzan Tanabe ’11, and a forfeit victory by Grant M. Kadokura ’11. The three wrestled at 149, 141, and 125 pounds, respectively.
But a 14-7 decision and a win by fall by Larry Coughlin and Mike Dumas evened the tally at 15-15. A pair of forfeits at 174 and 184 pounds hurt the Engineers, who recovered nicely but not enough for the team win. Joseph B. Silverman’s ’10 10-0 major decision, at 197 pounds, made it 27-19, while heavyweight Glenn J. Geesman’s ’09 forfeit win closed it closed in at 27-25.
Silverman, who went 3-0 on the day, also scored a 16-1 technical fall in 4:04 against his opponent from WPI, and a 5-0 decision win over his counterpart from Williams. Geesman, meanwhile, pinned his WPI opponent in 3:23, while finishing at 2-0. Both standouts continue to be the top ranked wrestlers in their weight classes in the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA). With Saturday’s outings, Geesman remained undefeated at 17-0, while Silverman improved to 17-1.
Kadokura, at 125 pounds, finished at 2-1, while David Young, at 149 pounds, and heavyweight Sean Jameson, picked up wins by decision and pin, respectively.
—Mike Stoller, DAPER Staff