The biggest and best sports moments of 2010
If sports can strike awe in the collective imagination of the spectator, the player, or the manager in moments of triumph, the day after can be pretty damn good, too. The Yankees lost 22-0 to the Cleveland Indians the night before my school year began in 2004. For the entirety of the next day, I had, and seized, the opportunity to warn the Yankees fans at my high school of their team’s impending doom. As we began our classes, each student had to sign up for a day to give a presentation on current events in social studies class. My chosen date was October 28. By sheer luck, this was to become the day after the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years. Never mind that the momentous 2004 election was only a week away, the title slide of my presentation featured a picture of the euphoric celebration inside Busch Stadium. Let’s take one last opportunity to savor the biggest and best sports moments of 2010:
Engineers rack up impressive 2010 victories
MIT Athletics once again had an outstanding year in 2010. Several teams ended their years nationally ranked, and many others earned NEWMAC Championships and went on to compete for national championships. Here’s a look at some of the notable achievements of MIT’s teams from the past year.
2010’s defining moments
A few years from now, we will look back on 2010 and remember only certain moments in the world of sports — those instances of great influence, moments that changed the history and impacted the future of sports.
Upcoming Home Events
Wednesday, February 2 Women’s Basketball vs. Babson College 7 p.m., Rockwell Cage
Sports Shorts
MIT Skiing finished their IAP Training Camp with races in giant slalom at Gunstock on Friday and slalom at Blackwater on Saturday. Highlights from Friday’s race include a personal second best USSA points race for Jonathan D. Allen ’14, who finished 62nd for the men; a huge personal improvement for Alix M. de Monts ’13, who finished 60th for the women; and a top points race for Jennifer L. Hawkin, who finished 66th. MIT’s third woman was Sarah J. Laderman ’12 in 71st. Jillian R. Reddy ’11 did not finish. The men’s remaining scorers were Jason D. Pier ’13 in 28th, Michael J. Yurkerwich ’11 in 50th, and Joshua Walker CME in 65th.
Volleyball scores Newbury victory
In its first home match of the 2011 campaign, the nationally-ranked No. 8 MIT men’s volleyball posted a 25-21, 25-19, 25-13, victory over Newbury College in a North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) New England Division contest on Jan. 18. With the win, the Engineers improved to 4-0 on the year and in conference action while the Nighthawks saw their ledger dip to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the league.
Upcoming Home Events
Wednesday, January 26 Women’s Basketball vs. Coast Guard 6 p.m., Rockwell Cage Men’s Basketball vs. Coast Guard 8 p.m., Rockwell Cage Thursday, January 27 Men’s Volleyball vs. Emerson College 7 p.m., Rockwell Cage Friday, January 28 Rifle — Bean Pot 5 p.m., DuPont Range Saturday, January 29 Rifle — Bean Pot 9 a.m., DuPont Range Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Coed Invitational 12 p.m., Johnson Track Women’s Basketball vs. Springfield College 1 p.m., Rockwell Cage Men’s Ice Hockey — MIT/Boston Bruins Alumni Game 2 p.m., Johnson Rink Men’s Basketball vs. WPI 3 p.m., Rockwell Cage
Sports Shorts
MIT skiers raced with their largest team yet in slalom and giant slalom events at Waterville Valley on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. On the women’s side, top-placing Chyleigh J. Harmon ’14 earned her best finish Saturday at 41st. Captain Jillian R. Reddy ’11 strongly led the rest of the team, finishing 56th. Rounding out scoring were Sarah J. Laderman ’12 in 63rd and Jennifer L. Hawkin in 64th. Newcomer Alix M. de Monts ’13 was disqualified. Sunday, however, all of the MIT women finished in a pack and recorded their best team result yet. Hawkin came in 60th, Harmon 61st, Reddy 63rd, de Monts 65th, and Laderman 66th. It was a personal best USSA points race for Hawkin.
Men’s volleyball starts off season with 3 wins
The MIT men’s volleyball team opened their season with three matches last week against Wentworth, Lesley, and Elms. The Engineers, who are ranked No. 8 in the AVCA Division III Coaches Top 15 Poll, won all of their matches to start the season 3-0.
Sports Shorts
The MIT Ski Team had their first two slalom races of the season this weekend at Cranmore. Despite clocking in their fewest ever team finishes Friday, individuals from the MIT team had successful weekends. On Friday, Michael J. Yurkerwich ’11 and Jason D. Pier ’13 both placed in the top 25 for the men (in 14th and 19th, respectively) and scored personal best USSA points. Saturday saw another top-25 finish from Yurkerwich (12th; Pier was 29th), and a first-time finish for newcomer Joshua Walker ’12 (68th). In addition, Jonathan D. Allen ’14 improved in the league from 71st Friday to 67th Saturday. For the women, Chyleigh Harmon ’14 narrowly missed the top-50, placing 51st in Saturday’s race. Her teammates Jennifer L. Hawkin ’12 and Sarah J. Laderman ’12 raced consistently placing 72nd and 74th Friday, then 72nd and 73rd on Saturday. Next weekend the team will race one slalom and one giant slalom race at Waterville Valley in New Hampshire, their “home” mountain.
Taekwondo takes on Cornell
Before break, the MIT Sport Taekwondo team competed in two Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (ECTC) tournaments, held at Cornell and Princeton. The Engineers finished second to archrival Cornell in both competitions, falling to second in the overall season standings.
Upcoming Home Events
Saturday, January 22 Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving vs. Tufts University 1 p.m., Z-Center Pool Men’s Volleyball vs. Baruch College 3 p.m., Rockwell Cage Men’s Volleyball vs. Elms College 5 p.m., Rockwell Cage Sunday, January 23 Men’s Volleyball vs. Emmanuel College 12 p.m., Rockwell Cage
Engineers fall 73-56 to Babson at NEWMAC opener, face WPI next
The MIT men’s basketball team hosted Babson in its NEWMAC opener on Saturday. Despite four Engineers finishing in double-figures, Babson connected on nearly 52 percent of its shots to hand the nationally-ranked No. 19 Engineers a 73-56 loss, their third in four games.
Men’s swim wins 219-78; stays undefeated
The MIT men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams traveled to Wheaton College last Thursday for their first meet of the year.
Ski team competes at Mount Sunapee
The MIT Ski Team completed its first week of IAP training camp this weekend with two giant slalom races at Mount Sunapee in New Hampshire. On each race day, the skiers are timed in two runs of the course(s), and their total times determine finishes. In the McConnell Division, totals of each team’s top four female and top five male finishes determine the team results. Every MIT individual racer posted successful finishes, though the small teams’ standings were affected by time penalties for having too few scores. The women’s team is currently tenth out of ten schools, while the men are ninth out of nine schools.
Taking advantage of one of Boston’s unique thrills
Many Bostonians have been to Fenway Park to see the ever-popular Red Sox play. The sounds of the roaring cheers that engulf the stadium following a solid crack of the bat or the whiff of a 95 mph fastball, not to mention the excitement and anticipation present whenever David “Big Papi” Ortiz steps up to the plate or when Tim Wakefield seemingly defies projectile dynamics with his crazy pitching style on the mound, are experiences few fans would be willing to give up.
Sports Shorts
The MIT Men’s Basketball team lost to Harvard on New Years Eve, with a final score of 84-58. Ranked 19th in Division III, The Engineers struggled from the beginning, quickly falling behind the Crimson as they took a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes. The Engineers took the lead, at 11-10, with thirteen minutes to go in the first half. After a few strong plays, Harvard regained the lead, ending the first half leading MIT 44-26. The Engineers continued to fight in the second half, with forward William Tashman ’13 helping keep up a strong pace, but Harvard maintained a solid lead for the remainder of the second half. The Crimson led by 34 points with eight minutes left in the second half, finishing the game with 95 percent of free throws completed and a 26 point lead over the Engineers. After an eight game winning streak, the Engineers are now 9-2 for the season.
Upcoming Home Events
Wednesday, January 5 Women’s Basketball vs. Clark University 6 p.m., Rockwell Cage Men’s Basketball vs. Tufts University 8 p.m., Rockwell Cage Saturday, January 8 Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Alumni Meet 9 a.m. Men’s Basketball vs. Babson College 2 p.m. Rockwell Cage
Fencing dominates Ivies Engineers bout Brown, Yale, Cornell at invite
The MIT men’s and women’s fencing teams competed at the Brandeis Invitational last weekend. The women went 4-1, and now have nine match wins on the season, while the men went 1-4 to get their fourth match win.
Basketball keeps up their winning streak Engineers now 7-1 for the season
The MIT men’s basketball squad, ranked 21st in the nation (out of over 400 teams), extended their winning streak to six games with a 92-68 win over UMass-Boston Tuesday night in Rockwell Cage.