Hockey, tennis, soccer: Summer 2011 in sports
This past summer was an eventful time in professional sports. From the French Open in June to the PGA Championship in August, champions were crowned in everything from tennis to soccer to golf. Here’s a summary of some of the notable results from the past three months.
New student athletes storm the fields (and pool)
While many freshmen are out exploring the history of Boston or creating soccer playing robots with their FPOPs, new varsity sports players and the rest of their teams are putting their skills to the test and getting into serious shape for the tough season ahead of them. The Tech was able to catch a few fall season varsity sports at practice and visit with some incoming freshmen.
SPORTS SHORTS
The MIT Women’s Tennis team will begin its 2011-12 season on Sept. 10 when it travels to Smith College for a match that will also begin NEWMAC Conference play for the Engineers, who finished the 2010-11 season ranked No. 22 in Division III. It will begin a fall season for MIT that includes a full slate of NEWMAC matches as well as the Conference Championships in October.
Sports Shorts
MIT’s Jack Barry Field is under construction that is expected to be completed in the first week of August. After 12 seasons of use of the current surface, a new synthetic surface will be installed. The facility is not only used by MIT’s field hockey team, but is also used by the entire MIT community. Students, faculty, and alumni can often be found playing lacrosse, soccer, and other sports on the field in the evening. Improvements on the field will not only include the new synthetic surface, but also a new walkway, safety netting, sound system, and lighting for use in the evenings.
McShane honored with nod by Academic All-America Program
Standout Molly E. McShane ’13 was honored on June 9 with a Third Team nod on the Capital One Academic All-America team, as presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). McShane, a two-time field hockey All-American, was honored in the At-Large category, which encompasses the sports of bowling, crew, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, and water polo.
Men’s track and field team captures 11th straight title Competes in NCAA Division III National Championships, takes second place in New England
The MIT men’s and women’s track teams competed at the NCAA Division III National Championships in Delaware, Ohio two weekends ago. The men’s team, which captured its 11th straight conference title and finished second in New England, had three representatives: Kenneth B. Cooper ’13, Paul D. Welle ’11, and Vladimir Sobes ’11. Cooper was the first competitor for MIT in the hammer throw. Mother nature was not cooperative, however, as a lightning delay postponed the meet during Cooper’s flight. After returning to action, Cooper fouled on two of his attempts, and his third was not enough to qualify for the final. He finished in 17th place with a throw of 176-00 feet.
Ubellacker ’13 swims to win Earns spot on Academic All-America program
Wyatt L. Ubellacker ’13 was named to the third team of COSIDA’s Academic All-America program. As a swimmer, Wyatt earned a spot on the at-large team — the most competitive team that includes student athletes who compete in a variety of sports, including swimming and diving, men’s volleyball, tennis, lacrosse, field hockey, and fencing. He was named to the First Team All-District, which includes all New England states, New York, and several Canadian provinces.
Will Mavericks be able to beat the Heat?
The champs from the East, the Miami Heat, are here for a reason,
Men’s Rugby claims Div. III Cup
Going 5-1 in the regular fall season and 8-1 in the spring, the MIT Men’s Rugby team took its awesome streak one step further by winning the Division III Championship at the North East Rugby Football Union Cup Tournament. MIT went down to the tournament in Newport, R.I. on May 14 as the second seed in their division. In the first match the Engineers overtook the division’s third seed team, Springfield, scoring and converting tries throughout the game. Despite 10 points being awarded to and earned by Springfield as the result of MIT penalties, MIT won the match 29-10.
Sports Shorts
Two of MIT’s baseball players received recognition in the College Sports Information Directors of America’s Academic All-American Program. The award comes as a result of strong athletic performance in addition to consistent and impressive academic performance.
Women’s Track takes 4th at OC
The MIT Women’s Track and Field team capped off the most successful year in program history with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship over the weekend. The Engineers collected 14 All-America nods and finished with 45 team points. Coach Halston Taylor’s program also clinched the Deb Vercauteren national Program of the Year award, given to the team that registers the best combined finishes at the NCAA Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
CURRAN Y. OI ‘13 Before MIT, a world-class figure skater Oi takes sixth place at US National Championships in 2008-2009 season
Nearly 10 years ago, Curran Y. Oi ’13 was picked to skate as a young Scott Hamilton in the Boston stop of Stars on Ice. Since then, he has placed sixth in the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, beating Olympic competitor Johnny Weir in the short program.
Track and Field hosts New England Championship
The MIT Track and Field teams hosted the New England Division III Outdoor Championships last weekend, as 29 women’s teams and 31 men’s teams gathered at Steinbrenner Stadium on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
SPORTS SHORT
In its inaugural season, squads from the MIT Sporting Clays Association took fourth and fifth place at the New England Clay Cup on April 16. Shooters from MIT competed in trap, a shotgun shooting discipline in which small clay discs flying away from the shooter at 30 mph are targeted 30–40 yards downrange. Hitting the target requires identifying its trajectory, correcting for lead, aiming, and firing within 1° accuracy — all within a second. Cumulative scores are tabulated from four rounds of 25 targets.
SPORTS SHORT
In its inaugural season, squads from the MIT Sporting Clays Association took fourth and fifth place at the New England Clay Cup on April 16. Shooters from MIT competed in trap, a shotgun shooting discipline in which small clay discs flying away from the shooter at 30 mph are targeted 30–40 yards downrange. Hitting the target requires identifying its trajectory, correcting for lead, aiming, and firing within 1° accuracy — all within a second. Cumulative scores are tabulated from four rounds of 25 targets.
2011 NBA Playoffs: The lay of the land
As we approach the later rounds of the 2011 NBA Playoffs, the team-to-team matchups are incredibly exciting. First, the experienced Los Angeles Lakers are up against the Dallas Mavericks and their high-powered offense. With so many players gracing the stage, there’s just so much to watch for: the slithering drives of the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (the Black Mamba) into the lane, the physical play of Lakers Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum inside the paint on both offense and defense, the sharpshooting of the Dallas power forward Dirk Nowitzki, the brilliant passing of Jason Kidd, and the acrobatic moves and unique shooting style of Shawn Marion. This is all against the backdrop of the intense sportive atmosphere brought about by the Staples Center in Los Angeles and the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
MIT Men’s Tennis takes the victory
The MIT Men’s Tennis team played in the NEWMAC tournament last weekend, hosting Wheaton, Coast Guard, and Babson. The top-seeded Engineers swept both their semifinal and final matches en route to their 13th straight conference title.