2013 US Sports in Review
The 2013 Super Bowl between the Ravens and the 49ers began with Baltimore taking early control of the game. Momentum changed completely, however, when an electrical failure caused the stadium to lose power, and allowed the 49ers to mount a furious comeback. San Francisco fell just short on the final drive of the game as Colin Kaepernick attempted a pass to Michael Crabtree in the endzone that fell incomplete. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was the MVP.
2013 MIT Sports in Review
After making it to the NEWMAC finals and barely falling to Wheaton College, the MIT Men’s Soccer Team earned a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second year in a row. Although the Engineers fell to Western New England University in the first round, they ended their spectacular season with a 13-5-2 record.
D*Face’s new monograph
When I told people I was writing a book review on a street artist’s monograph, nearly everyone asked me “Is it Bansky?” “No,” I replied, “it’s about this artist called D*Face who is like Banksy, but different.” The promotional material for the book talks about Shepard Fairey and Banksy, name-dropping to give credibility to this apparently lesser-known urban artist. The foreword is by Shepard Fairey and the “B” word is mentioned a few times, but this book is entirely about D*Face — his life and work — and that’s what makes it unique.
MIT club sports teams rocked the 2013 season
People don’t generally think of MIT as an athletic powerhouse. What they don’t know is that in addition to 33 varsity sports, MIT has 35 club sports teams — and they’re really good. Last season, many club teams made it to the national championships in their sports, and individuals from each team excelled. Here are last season’s highlights from some of MIT’s club sports teams.
Cameron Cogburn wins Mt. Hood Cycling Classic
From June 21 to 23, Cameron Valier Cogburn G competed in Oregon’s Mt. Hood Cycling Classic and walked (or rode) away in first place with the yellow jersey. He came into the final stage of the four-stage race weekend in fourth place overall and 40 seconds behind the leader. Cogburn made up significant time on the last climb of the race to finish eighth in the stage and win the professional men’s category by six seconds.
Cycling caps off season with DII national and ECCC titles
The MIT Cycling team capped off a great season last weekend in Ogden, UT, where they won the Division II National Championships team omnium. This comes after a stellar performance the weekend before at Penn State where MIT secured the season team omnium victory in the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC). The team omnium competition combines points from all men’s and women’s races, so usually requires a team to have depth in both fields.
Triathlon competes at Nationals
On Saturday, April 13, four MIT triathlon club athletes competed in the USAT Collegiate National Championship in Tempe, Arizona. The event was like none other — there were over 1000 athletes from 108 schools from around the country who were excited, nervous, and exhilarated all at the same time. For the MIT club, most races occur during the summer and fall against other northeast collegiate teams, so an early-season April race was a great way to kick off the local season.
MIT cycling hosts race weekend
This past weekend, MIT’s cycling team hosted the X-Pot, a four-race cycling invitational held near Worcester, MA. 34 MIT riders woke up before dawn to conquer the hilly courses and contributed to MIT’s domination of the team omnium, which they won with 380 points.
MIT cycling team on top after first race weekend
This past weekend, MIT Cycling opened its Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC) season in New Jersey at the Rutgers Frozen-Toed Season Opener. In just two days of racing, the team has already shown great promise for the season to come. 21 MIT cyclists competed in an individual time trial (ITT), a criterium, and a circuit race over the weekend and drove MIT to the top of the Team Omnium standing with 206 points.
2012 summer Olympics highlights
I’m not sure where you were this summer, but from July 27 to August 12, I was glued to my computer/TV for any coverage of the Summer Olympics. In case you missed any important moments, I’ll do my best to highlight some key events of the Games.
US women’s gymnastics: Gold
The 2012 London Olympics officially started on Friday with a quirky opening ceremony which included the Queen jumping out of a helicopter and lots of corgis.
Olympic swimmers chosen
We’re currently midway into July. That means it is hot and humid in Boston, there are less than two months before school begins, and the London Olympics are only a few weeks away. The USA Olympic team is currently being assembled for the Games which begin on July 27th. From June 25th to July 2nd, the Olympic team trials for swimming were held in Omaha, Nebraska. The big story from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was Michael Phelps’ domination of the pool he earned eight gold medals to become the most decorated Olympic athlete in history. He will be competing in seven events (four of them individual) at this year’s Olympics. However, there are other superstars this year, including Missy Franklin in freestyle and backstroke and Rebecca Soni in women’s breaststroke. Here are some things to watch out for in the coming Olympics:
Prints come alive
I’m sure that most of us are familiar with the “experimental” nature of contemporary art. While some of these works are stimulating, when I consider the great paintings from the Renaissance or the Impressionists in comparison to conceptual art and other modern art movements, I sometimes wonder if figure painting will ever “come back.”
Sophomore Emily Dunne runs NYC marathon
On Nov. 6, 2011, MIT sophomore Emily L. Dunne ’14 ran in the New York City Marathon. For her, the experience was “even better than I could have imagined.” The ING NYC Marathon is held every year on the first Sunday of November. Runners traverse all five boroughs of New York City throughout the 26.1 mile event, starting on Staten Island and finishing near Central Park. Emily finished the marathon in 3:59:56, making her the ninth fastest female 19 years old or younger. Emily is a Course 2 sophomore who hails from Bermuda. We caught up with her to ask a few questions about her experience.
Why they fired JoePa: The Penn State scandal
Earlier this month, news spread that Jerry Sandusky, former defensive coordinator for the Penn State football team, was arrested for sexually assaulting young boys from his charity, The Second Mile. Although he denies the charges, there is credible evidence against him.
JAMES SERDY
Seventy-one-year-old James G. Serdy has been rowing with the MIT Rowing Club for the past four years. In addition to working at the Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity, he wakes up to go rowing on the Charles from 6–8 a.m. every morning. James has “always been fascinated to watch the art of rowing,” he said.
Lacrosse clinches playoff spot
The MIT Women’s Lacrosse team beat Wheaton 14-10 on Monday in a pivotal match on Roberts Field. The Engineers dominated in the first half, with only three turnovers and a total of 21 shots to Wheaton’s 10. Kathleen M. Kauffman ’12 and Laura M. Wacker ’13 scored MIT’s first five goals, with Wheaton’s Tess Meyer and Katie Powers each finding the goal for a 5-2 score to begin the game. However, Wheaton was then unable to respond, and the Engineers brought the half to an end with five unanswered goals and a 10-2 score.
BETH STAVELY ‘11 Flying, soaring, and winning
Elizabeth L. “Beth” Stavely ’11, who was named an All-American diver this year at the NCAA Division III championship, enjoys falling from great heights. Before coming to MIT, Beth completed a skydiving course and earned her “A” license, which allows her to jump from an airplane alone. She has also been honing her daredevil skills by taking classes at a trapeze school in Reading, Mass., since the summer. This love for falling and soaring through the air may have begun in her early years when she started gymnastics at age 4. A competitive gymnast since elementary school, Beth continued with the sport here at MIT.
Lacrosse gets conference win
Following a shaky start, the MIT Engineers were able to overpower Smith College 9-3 on Saturday to win their first New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) lacrosse game of the season. A little over three minutes into the game, Smith’s Becky Bracken put the Pioneers on the board, giving them a 1-0 lead which stood for ten minutes, until MIT’s Kaitlyn L. Nealon ’14, assisted by Erica W. Little ’11, managed to tie the score.
Swim and dive teams dominate at MIT Invitational
Both the MIT women’s and men’s teams handily won the MIT Winter Invite held this weekend at the Zesiger center pool. The women’s team edged out second-place New York University by 381 points, and the men’s team beat the also second-place NYU team by 646 points.
Bentley takes down MIT Rugby
In the New England regional finals this past Saturday, the MIT Women’s Rugby team fell to Bentley 29-15 in 80 minutes of play. As a result, they have ended their run in the playoffs and will be unable to defend their national title this year.
Women’s rugby has eye on playoffs
This past Saturday, the MIT Women’s Rugby team braved the wind and cold on Briggs field to take on Wheaton College in the first round of Regional playoffs. Despite some inconsistent play and early problems with penalties, they easily defeated Wheaton, 39-7. Undefeated in regular season play for the past three years, the Engineers are looking to defend their national title.