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:
Sports Shorts
Rising senior Wyatt Ubellacker ’13 completed his U.S. Olympic Trials experience Saturday June 30 with an outstanding swim in the prelims of the 50-meter freestyle event. He finished second in his heat with a personal record time of 22.78 seconds. Ubellacker also competed in the 100-meter freestyle trials on Thursday and finished with another personal record of 51.39 seconds.
Federer takes No. 1 at Wimbeldon
Roger Federer of Switzerland won his seventh Wimbledon Championship last Sunday at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London. On his path to the championship, he defeated first-seeded favorite Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semifinals in four tough sets (6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3). In the finals, Federer rallied back to beat the fourth-seeded Andy Murray of Scotland in four sets after dropping the first set (4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4).
Heat and Thunder face off in 2012 NBA Finals
The 2012 NBA Finals features the two valiant number two seeds: the Miami Heat from the East and the Oklahoma City Thunder from the West. Both teams have had to battle back in the previous rounds in order to arrive here at this point. The Heat trailed 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers before winning three in a row to wrap up the series. They were also down 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics before winning two straight to thrust themselves into their second straight NBA Finals.
Taking a swing at the French Open
The 2012 French Open is in full swing, and the men’s side is still in contention, competing for the top spot at the Roland Garros in Paris. Top-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia will face third-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland in the upcoming semifinals. In the process of reaching this stage, the 30-year-old Federer has dropped five sets, one in each of his second through fourth round matches and two in his quarterfinal match against the ninth-seeded Argentinian Juan Martin Del Potro. Djokovic won his first three matches of the tournament in straight sets but had to grind out his last two, both five-setters.
Women’s Ultimate fifth at regionals
Although sMITe, MIT’s Women’s Ultimate, finished the season placing fifth at Division I regionals, they are not done with the sport. Many team members plan to continue playing during the summer, and next weekend a few will volunteer at the Northeastern High School Regionals.
Men’s track takes sixth at New England Championship
MIT served as the host of the All-New England Championship over the weekend, welcoming teams from across the region in Divisions I, II, and III to the Steinbrenner Stadium. The Engineers had a number of impressive performances during the meet and finished sixth as a team, the highest finish among Division III squads. Tech had 39 points, bolstered by second-place showings in three events.
Predictions for the NBA Conference Semifinals
It just doesn’t get much better than this. A matchup of two franchises with a well-established rivalry, from the days of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell to Julius Erving and Larry Bird, the 76ers and Celtics go way back. As of late, the Celtics have dominated the Sixers, especially since Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen arrived in Boston, but this year, it appears Philadelphia may be competitive again. The 76ers have taken two of three in the season series this year against the Celtics, with both wins coming in blowouts. In all fairness to Boston, the first loss was after two straight overtime games and both were on the second night of a back-to-back. The Celtics struggled with Atlanta’s athleticism in the first round, but in the end, Boston’s playoff experience simply wore down the Hawks. Almost no one expected the 76ers to be in this position at the beginning of the playoffs, but after Andre Iguodala’s clutch free throws with 2.2 seconds remaining to send Chicago home, Philly looks to continue its improbable run.
MIT swimmer qualifies for the Olympic Trials
Like many MIT students, Wyatt L. Ubellacker ’13 is going to be around campus this summer, doing a UROP in Mechanical Engineering. When late June comes around, however, Ubellacker will venture out to an unlikely midsummer destination: Omaha, Nebraska, the site of the USA Swimming Olympic Trials. The Tech talked to Wyatt about his ongoing preparations for the trials and his experiences swimming at MIT.
Mike A. Nackoul aims for the 2016 Olympics in Rio Junior earns bronze in the National Collegiate Weightlifting Championships for weight class
How can you balance being a world-class weightlifter while studying mechanical engineering at MIT?
Men’s rugby reinvented
You don’t often hear rugby associated with MIT, but for the 30 players on the MIT Men’s Rugby team, it’s something that brings them together. Started in 1949, the club is one of the oldest in Boston and the founding core of Boston’s Super League club. A mixture of different countries, languages, and styles of play, the team has pulled together, seeking to play at their top level at all times. For the past four months, men’s rugby has been practicing and preparing to defend the Division III NERFU (New England Rugby Football Union) Cup. Whether playing in snow, sleet, or sun, the team knows that this is their chance to retain their championship and prove that they can play Division II rugby.
MIT hosts National Taekwondo Championship
The National Taekwondo Collegiate Championships were hosted by MIT Sport Taekwondo on April 7 and 8 with a record breaking 601 competitors. Although it was a difficult task to organize such a large tournament, the team, led by head coach Dan Chuang and captains Seth “Matt” Weinberg G, Erika Lee ’12, and Tara P. Sarathi ’12, had a strong showing and received second in the novice and championship divisions, as well as second place overall with a total of 49 points.
Hamels admits to hitting rookie Harper with pitch
Baseball is a game of unwritten rules. Don’t steal bases when you have a big lead. Don’t bunt to break up a no-hitter. Retaliate when one of your teammates is hit by a pitch. It is understood that once you get to The Show, you abide by these rules. There is no need to speak of them to the media, to your teammates, or to anyone else, for that matter. This is what made Cole Hamels’ recent admission to intentionally plunking rookie phenom Bryce Harper all the more alarming.
Track and field take 1st and 2nd!
The MIT Men’s Track and Field team captured its eighth New England Division III outdoor title on Saturday, winning the meet held at the Steinbrenner Track with 113 points, snapping Williams College’s streak of eight consecutive team crowns. Tyler S. Singer-Clark ’14 led the way with a pair of individual wins, as the Engineers won four total events but used their outstanding team balance to outscore Williams by 15.5 points.
SPORTS SHORT
The triathlon club had an impressive turn out at their annual Iron Nerd race. The team holds the race each year to help promote a healthy and active lifestyle at MIT. The race also serves as a recruiting event for the MIT team. Seventy-seven undergraduates, graduates, and MIT affiliates registered for the race this year.
Thunder, Heat expected in finals
Although the Bulls dominated the majority of the Game 1 matchup, the victory may have come at too steep a price. Coach Tom Thibodeau’s controversial decision to leave his starters in the game with one minute left with his team up 12 proved costly as superstar point guard Derrick Rose’s season-ending ACL tear may jeopardize the high expectations Chicago had coming into the playoffs. Philadelphia guard Evan Turner infamously tweeted last week that “the heat are a tougher team for us to match up against,” which has elicited much criticism over the past week. There may be some truth to that statement, however. The 76ers have matched up very well with Chicago over the past two seasons, even with Derrick Rose in the lineup. The two teams have great benches, with the 76ers’ second unit scoring 40.8 PPG (fourth in the NBA) and the Bulls featuring Kyle Korver, Omer Asik, Taj Gibson and C.J. Watson. Chicago and Philadelphia also pride themselves on playing stellar defense and are first and third, respectively, in the NBA this season in points allowed. This series already had upset potential, but the Sixers were never fully expected to win more than one or two games. Without Derrick Rose, Chicago is still incredibly formidable, but I think Philadelphia may be able to steal a game or two in Chicago, and pull off the upset.
Women’s crew has best finish
MIT Women’s Openweight Crew had its top finish in its three years as a member of the Patriot League at the conference championship regatta last Sunday on the Cooper River in New Jersey. The Engineers placed third in the team standings, behind the U.S. Naval Academy and defending champion Bucknell University, after back-to-back fifth-place finishes in 2010 and 2011.