Spurs expected to repeat as Southwest Champs
After falling to the Miami Heat in the 2013 NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs enter this upcoming season with much of the same team. Stalwarts Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili all return to try and win yet another title before their seemingly endless window of opportunity finally closes.
MIT falls to nationally ranked Mount Holyoke
Facing its second straight nationally-ranked opponent this week, the No. 19 MIT field hockey team fell to No. 18 Mount Holyoke College, 6-2, in a NEWMAC game on Saturday afternoon. Charlotte Wagner produced one goal and three assists as Diana Banmann registered a hat-trick for the Lyons (14-1, 6-1 NEWMAC). Madeline L. Wharton ’13 and Molly K. Duffy ’13 provided the scoring for the Engineers (12-4, 5-2 NEWMAC).
Wellesley tops MIT, 4-1
In a battle of undefeated NEWMAC rivals, No. 13 Wellesley College tallied three second-half goals en route to a 4-1 victory over No. 19 MIT in field hockey action on Tuesday afternoon. Michelle H. Teplensky ’14 posted the lone marker for the Engineers as their ledger moved to 12-3 overall and 5-1 in conference action.
Babson edges out MIT
In a back-and-forth affair, host Babson College emerged with a 20-25, 18-25, 21-25, 25-22, 15-10 victory over MIT in a NEWMAC women’s volleyball match on Tuesday night. Megan E. Gebhard ’17 generated a match-high 17 kills to go along with 10 digs and two aces for the Engineers (18-8, 5-3 NEWMAC).
Los Angeles Clippers expected to take Pacific
The Los Angeles Clippers had another busy offseason this year, dealing backup point guard Eric Bledsoe and aging small forward Caron Butler to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for swingmen Jared Dudley and J.J. Redick.
Bingham scores twice in win
In a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game on a uncharacteristically warm late October afternoon, Sean D. Bingham ’16 netted two goals to lead the MIT men’s soccer team to a 2-0 win over Clark University. Bingham’s NEWMAC-leading 14 goals on the season puts him sixth in the country for goals per game and tied for seventh for total goals. Tech is now 9-3-1 for the season and remains undefeated in conference action with a record of 4-0-1. The Cougars dipped to 3-10-2 and 0-4-1 in league play.
Senior heads to weightlifting worlds
Massachusetts Institute of Technology student, Michael A. Nackoul ’14, a Pittsburgh native, has been selected by USA Weightlifting (USAW) to represent the United States at the International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) World Weightlifting Championships in Wroclaw, Poland, Oct. 16–27. Nackoul was named to the USA World Weightlifting Team, an elite group of the country’s 15 top male and female weightlifters, who will compete in Poland against athletes from 62 different countries.
Brooklyn Nets to win NBA Atlantic Division
Brooklyn is absolutely in win-now mode. This offseason, they added to their already mega-talented starting line-up consisting of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez with a mega-trade with the Boston Celtics. They acquired future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, while also adding bench scorer Jason Terry. They have arguably the best starting five in the league, but it remains to be seen if their bench can be effective enough to make a significant push in the Eastern Conference. There have been plenty of outstanding starting line-ups over the years, but it’s been proven time and time again that a championship team needs a bench to succeed. Another question going into the season is how new coach Jason Kidd will handle his first coaching experience, especially with a team full of veterans. The Nets will have an interesting year, but they should win the East handily.
Women’s tennis beats Tufts for the first time since 1996
In its first non-conference dual match of the season, the MIT women’s tennis team hosted local rival Tufts University and came away with an 8-1 victory. The win broke a 16-match losing streak to the Jumbos and was the first victory by the Engineers since the 1996-97 season.
Men’s cross country ranks up
Even though they did not compete this past weekend, the MIT men’s cross country team moved up one place to fourth in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III National poll that was released on Wednesday afternoon. The Engineers, who received the program’s first-ever top five ranking in the poll that was released on Sept. 25, keep making program history as they continue to climb up the ranking’s ladder.
SPORTS SHORT
It was a successful start to the 2013-14 season for the MIT rifle team as the Engineers downed the Wentworth Institute of Technology. The two teams competed in just the air rifle event, with MIT coming out on top by a score of 2,184-1,873.
MIT football falls just short of win over Curry College
MIT had a first and goal with just a little more than a minute to play, but the Curry College defense held the Engineers out of the end zone as the Colonels held on for a 26-21 win in New England Football Conference play this afternoon. Junior Justin Wallace (Palatine, Ill.) led MIT (2-2, 0-2 NEFC) with 104 yards on the ground while Curry (1-3, 1-1 NEFC) saw Phil Bigelow ’14 and Trae Weathers ’15 run for 86 and 85 yards respectively and a touchdown each for the Colonels.
New England Revolution looks for playoff bid
As MLS nears the end of regular season play, the hunt for a playoff spot is becoming heated. One of the teams competing for a spot in the playoffs is the New England Revolution. On Sept. 19, 2013, I had the chance to interview New England Revolution rookie midfielder, Scott Caldwell right after their practice and ask him about how the season has been so far, their chances for playoff qualification and how it feels to be a professional athlete at an age where most of his peers are in a university.