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.
A look back at a year of MIT sports
Whenever I go back home over a break and I mention that I write for the sports section of The Tech, people always ask me questions like, “Does MIT have any good athletes?” and “Do the teams ever win games?”
Women’s basketball overtakes Mount Holyoke
The MIT women’s basketball team saw four players reach double-digits in scoring as it defeated Mount Holyoke College, 57-44, in a NEWMAC contest on Saturday. Sabrina M. Drammis ’16 led all scorers with 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds in leading the Engineers (9-11, 5-9 NEWMAC) to their first series sweep of the Lyons. Sophomore Amber Legare paced Mount Holyoke (5-14, 3-11 NEWMAC) with 12 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
Baltimore wins first Super Bowl game since 2001
In one of the most memorable Super Bowls in recent history, the “Outage Bowl” wasn’t short on excitement. Although they had a lackluster start, the 49ers picked up intensity in the third quarter after a power outage threw half of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome into darkness. The delay lasted 34 minutes, and it was obvious that the Ravens lost a lot of their momentum during the break. With so many storylines to follow throughout the game (the Harbaugh brothers coaching against each other, Ravens’ linebacker and leader Ray Lewis playing the last game of his Hall of Fame career, San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl in his first season as a starter), this game will go down as one of the best Super Bowls in the modern era.
Rifle competes in Beanpot
Competing for the first time since early December, the MIT Rifle team hosted its annual Beanpot competition at the MIT Shooting Center on Friday and Saturday. Shooting against a seven-team field that included No. 17 Akron, the Engineers wound up second overall with an overall score of 4,399. Akron was first with 4,556 points, with Penn State taking third with 4,388 and Coast Guard fourth with a total of 4,301.
Men’s fencing dominates
MIT Men’s Fencing compiled a 4-1 ledger in its final Northeast Fencing Conference (NFC) competition held this past Saturday at Brown University. The Engineers fell to the host Bears (19-8), but defeated Boston College (16-11), Tufts University (22-5), Dartmouth College (15-12), and Vassar College (18-9). The épée team racked up a record of 38-7 on the day while the best individual performance came from Nicholas Sledeski ’16 who won 14 of his 15 bouts in sabre action.
Men’s swim team wins No. 1 ranked Engineers overtake Tufts
On a windy Saturday afternoon in New England, the No. 1 nationally-ranked, undefeated MIT Men’s Swimming and Diving defeated Tufts University, 255-101. The Engineers won all but two of the events, sweeping first through third place in a number of them. Five different MIT swimmers won two of their individual events.
Track and field earns sixth
The MIT Women’s Track and Field, which was ranked 11th in the nation in the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association rankings, officially opened the season at the Harvard Challenge on Friday and Saturday. The Engineers ended the weekend in sixth place with 26.5 points, just a handful of points behind Williams with 34 and Brown with 46.
First squash match
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — In the first match of the new year, the MIT coed squash team fell to Connecticut College, 8-1. The Engineers are now 3–10 for the season.
Men’s basketball beats Babson College
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — With the score tied at 64-64 and time winding down, James Burke ’13 nailed a three-pointer with three seconds left to lift the MIT men’s basketball team past Babson College, 69-64. Will Tashman ’13 led all scorers for MIT with 22 points, while Kelly Ross led four Babson players in double figures with 17 points.
From MIT to Brown
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Mark Lawrence, MIT’s head water polo coach, has announced that he will be stepping down as the Head Coach of the Engineers’ program. He will be moving on from MIT to become an assistant with the Brown University men’s water polo program.
Women’s basketball prevails
In the first meeting between two programs, MIT emerged with a 55-43 victory over Johnson & Wales University in a non-conference women’s basketball game on Wednesday night. Alexxis R. Isaac ’15 paced the Engineers (6-4) with 18 points, to go along with six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
MIT beats Lyons
Saturday afternoon was the start of New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference play for the MIT men’s basketball team, and the Engineers kicked things off with a solid effort, rolling past Wheaton College with a final score of 84-47. Mitchell H. Kates ’13 scored 20 points, and Matthew M. Redfield ’15 established a new career best of 19 points to help MIT improve to 10-2 and 1-0 in the NEWMAC. Wheaton fell to 6-5 and 0-1 with the loss.
Manziel makes history with Heisman honor
Johnny Manziel, a freshman at Texas A&M, is breaking all precedents during his first season playing college football. The quarterback is the first freshman in history to be awarded the Heisman Trophy, college football’s highest individual honor.