The Year in MIT Sports
William Yee—The Tech
Two thousand and eight saw a number of impressive performances from MIT’s student athletes, both noteworthy individual achievements and successful seasons for several varsity teams. Across all MIT athletics, the Institute set a new record for Academic All-American honors with 11 selections for the 2007-2008 seasons.
James M. “Jimmy” Bartolotta ’09 has been leading the men’s basketball team in a successful season, while delivering a historic personal performance. Bartolotta broke the long-standing institute record for total career points on December 6, surpassing the previous total of 1,699. Bartolotta also set a new record for points in a single game when he scored 43 points against Curry College on November 25.
DeRon M. Brown ’10 was named MIT’s first football All-American in 11 years after a season in which he set institute records in rushing yards and touchdowns. Brown finished the season with 1,816 rushing yards and also set a new career total record with 2,778 yards. Brown also scored a total of 22 season touchdowns. Additionally, he rushed for 251 yards on 27 carries against Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the second-highest total in MIT history.
The men’s soccer team also had a record-breaking season, finishing with a 16-4-2 record and making it to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. It was MIT’s first appearance in the tournament since 2003. The team also went undefeated for a record 13 games and received three Academic All-America awards.
Both the men’s and women’s Cross Country squads had great performances in 2008. The men finished eighth at the New England regional championship, while the women secured a spot in the NCAA championship for the first time in the program’s history. Competing in Hanover, Indiana on November 22, MIT earned an impressive tenth place finish.
Several of MIT’s club sports had highly successful years in 2008 as well, sending competitors to national competitions and earning top honors. The MIT Sport Taekwondo Club travelled to Stanford University in April to compete in the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association Championships. With a team of 39 competitors, MIT took first place in the novice division, third place in the championship division, and first place overall.
Also competing at the national level was sMITe, the MIT women’s ultimate Frisbee team. The team travelled to nationals in Boulder, Colorado after defeating Dartmouth University in the New England Women’s Regionals.
MIT Cycling captured the 2008 Division II national championship after taking first at road nationals and second at track and cyclocross nationals. They have carried their momentum into the start of the 2008–2009 season, taking first at track nationals and third at cyclocross nationals. MIT also sent a team to mountain bike nationals this season for the first time in several years.