Sports Shorts
Swimming and Diving Teams Remain Undefeated With Win Over Tufts
The MIT Swimming and Diving teams dominated Tufts University this weekend to remain undefeated. The men’s team swept the 200 backstroke, with freshmen Brendan F. Liu ’13, Brendan T. Deveney ’13 and Ron Rosenberg ’13 racking up first, second and third respectively. Deveney also earned fourth in the 200 butterfly. Co-captain Rastislav Racz ’10 won the 100 and 200 breaststroke, and contributed to a MIT win in the 400 medley relay with teammates Rosenberg, Toomas R. Sepp ’11 and Luke R. Cummings ’10.
The women’s team exhibited similarly spectacular performances. Co-captain Amy E. Jacobi ‘11 swept the field, winning 2 relays and 2 individual races for the Engineers. Hailey E. Kopp ’13 captured second place with a season best in the 1000 freestyle, while Sydney A. Giblin ’12 paired with Elina L. Hu ’13 to grab first and second in the 200 IM. Emily F. Pitts ’12 also achieved career-best performances in the 200 IM and 200 butterfly.
The women’s diving team cleaned house, securing second through fourth on one-meter and second through seventh on three-meter. Kristie L. D’Ambrosio ’10 attained NCAA qualifying scores on both boards. Not to be outdone, the men’s diving team also performed personal bests on both boards.
The MIT swimming and diving teams will have their last home meet this Saturday against Amherst University.
—Diana LaScala-Gruenewald, Team Member
Alpine Skiing Competes in Slaloms
On Saturday and Sunday, the MIT Ski Team competed in Slalom and Giant Slalom at Waterville Valley, and had several exciting finishes.
Women’s Captain Jillian R. Reddy ’11 led her team with an top-50 finish. Behind her, Sarah J. Laderman ’12 edged out competitors by just hundredths of a second to finish 59th.
On the men’s team, Jason D. Pier ’12 had another top-25 finish, coming in 22nd for the day. Next, Michael J. Yurkerwich ’11 had a difficult first run, but raced a 25th place second run to finish 40th. Rounding things out was Kevin A. Rustagi ’11, who earned his first ever slalom finish this weekend. He came in 63rd.
On Sunday, Laderman represented the entire women’s team in its 10th place finish. She came in 59th individually. For the men’s team, each individual had a noteworthy finish: Pier was 29th, Yurkerwich 34th, and Rustagi 72nd.
Next weekend the team will continue their season racing at Gunstock and Blackwater/Proctor.
—Alexis Dale, Team Representative
Wheaton Hands No. 8 MIT Its First Division III Loss of The Basketball Season
Wheaton College put on an impressive shooting display to hand No. 8 MIT its first loss in 17 games against a Division III opponent Saturday. The Lyons connected on 48.8 percent of their shots, including 10 of 19 from three-point range. MIT’s record falls to 16-2.
William Tashman ’13 and Mitchell H. Kates ’13 were the high scorers for MIT, finishing with 15 apiece. Tashman added nine rebounds and four steals. William E. Bender ’12 had a double-double with 12 points and rebounds. The Cardinal and Gray held a 33-26 advantage on the glass but shot just 4-20 from three-point range.
The Engineers will look to bounce back on Wednesday, January 27 when they travel to Coast Guard.
—Mindy Brauer, DAPER Staff