Engineers fall to Clark, 61-50
Pink balloons lined Rockwell Cage Saturday afternoon while fans dressed in pink packed the bleachers. Not only was it Senior Day for the MIT Women’s Basketball team’s final home game, but it was also the “Play4Kay” initiative. This fundraiser by the Kay Row Cancer Fund, in collaboration with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, aimed to raise funds for breast cancer research and generate awareness on the courts and in communities.
Swimming and Diving takes NEWMAC title
Our Engineers got off to a decisive start at this year’s NEWMAC swimming and diving finals this weekend. The men’s and women’s teams opened the meet winning a combined 8 of 13 events. By the end of the first evening, the men’s team led with an impressive 323 points to second place United States Coast Guard Academy with 220 points. The women’s team held a strong lead with 323 points over Springfield College’s 256.
SPORTS SHORTS
Over the weekend, the MIT Figure Skating Club hosted the Eastern Sectional Intercollegiate Team Skating Competition. The USFSA-sanctioned competition included skaters from 20 universities on the East Coast. The Engineers last hosted this event two years ago, when they finished sixth overall out of 13 schools; this time, they finished seventh with 28 points. The University of Delaware, Dartmouth, and Boston University took the top three spots with 125, 100, and 88 points, respectively.
Men’s Basketball beats WPI
On Wednesday, the MIT’s Men’s Basketball team demonstrated its ability to perform well under tough conditions, an ability they will need as they fight for the NEWMAC postseason championships and the national championships.
SPORTS SHORT
On Tuesday night at Harvard, the MIT’s Women’s Fencing team entered the Bean Pot Tournament against Brandeis, Harvard, and Boston College. The team arrived with a promising record of 12-19, straight off a 2-5 record from the Eric Sollee Invitation where MIT crushed Hunter College, 23-4, and Haverford College, 17-12. Throughout time, however, Harvard has boasted a 25-12 record against the Engineers, which means that this match was time to retaliate.
Nationally ranked volleyball wins Invitational
Nationally-ranked No. 5 MIT defeated No. 9 Rivier College, 25-16, 25-19, 25-22, en route to winning the championship of the MIT Men’s Volleyball Invitational on Sunday afternoon. The Engineers also swept Emerson College (25-17, 25-22, 25-13), Stevenson University (25-22, 25-20, 25-13), and York College (N.Y.) (25-17, 25-23, 25-17) to capture their second consecutive title and their fifth overall in the eight-year history of the tournament. Kenneth M. Siebert ’14 was selected to the all-tournament team while David R. Thomas ’12 earned Tournament MVP honors for the second year in a row, becoming the first player to accomplish this feat.
SPORTS SHORT
On Saturday, the MIT Women’s Basketball team made a remarkable comeback against Springfield College, winning 51-50. MIT has not beaten Springfield since 2003, and with this win they bring their record for the season to 10-12 (the highest since 2008). Springfield dominated the first half, with MIT trailing 27-17 at halftime. However, the Engineers were able to capitalize on Springfield’s turnovers in the second half and outscored the Pride 34-23. This win was not sealed until the end — actually, until after the clock had stopped. Alexxis R. Isaac ’15 made two free throws at the very end of the game to complete this comeback victory. Other notable players from the game include freshman Mari R. Kordell, who made 19 points to become the high scorer for the game, and Anna L. Merrifield ’13 who had seven assists. The Engineers will play Wheaton on Wednesday to hopefully continue their NEWMAC winning streak.
Men’s Track and Field team dominates at BU Invitational
This weekend, the No. 14 ranked MIT Men’s Track and Field team competed in a pair of nonscoring invitational meets, one at home and another across the river at Boston University. The Engineers were focused on posting strong individual performances just a week ahead of the New England Division III championship.
Men’s Basketball defeats Clark, 63-60
No. 5 MIT withstood a late rally by Clark University to win, 63-60, in overtime in the NEWMACs conference game. With the win, the Engineers improve to 10-1 in the conference and secure their second NEWMAC regular season title in three years. MIT’s 22nd victory in 23 games this season ensures that it will host the conference semifinals and championship in two weeks.
Squash victorious
The MIT squash team welcomed Boston University and Boston College to the Z-Center Squash courts on Saturday and the Engineers were able to come away with a pair of victories, defeating BU, 8-1, and BC, 5-4, to improve to 7-10 on the season. Four different Tech players picked up wins in both matches led by freshman Sung Won “Steve” Cho ’15, who improved to 8-9 on the season.
Basketball defeats Babson
On Wednesday, MIT’s men’s basketball team faced a challenge from Babson College in its last home game of the season.
SPORTS OPINION Football embodies American values
Football is America’s sport. Not only because it is the most watched sport in America. Not because it is the top grossing sport in America. Football is America’s sport because it represents the morals that we as Americans value. There is little doubt about it after this past year.
NBA lockout defined basketball in ’11
Editor’s Note: Due to editorial deadlines for this issue, score records here may not be the most current.
MIT falls to Harvard, 3-1
The MIT Men’s Volleyball team, ranked sixth nationally, fell to Harvard last week in a close game, 3-1.
MIT prepares for NEWMACs
The top-10 battle between No. 6 MIT and No. 7 Amherst lived up to its billing on Jan. 28 at the Z-Center on the MIT campus. With a dramatic victory in the final event, the 400 free relay, MIT came out on top by a score of 153-144. With the victory, MIT improved its dual meet record to 8-0 this season.
Men’s basketball beats Wheaton, Springfield
Last week was quite successful for MIT men’s basketball. Individually, the team’s leading scorers, Noel Hollingsworth ’12 and James D. Karraker ’12, both reached the 1,000-point career milestone. As a team, the Engineers pulled away with an easy victory against Wheaton on Wednesday and a tough victory against Springfield on Saturday to reach 20 victories total for the season. The team was also featured in Sports Illustrated, along with No. 1 Middlebury, in an article focusing on the success of the two teams athletically and academically.