Sports

Two easy fixes could improve flawed BCS

The Bowl Championship Series sucks. The vast majority of college football fans can agree on that. Don’t try to tell me that a playoff “devalues the regular season.” A playoff is the only fair way to determine a championship. Unfortunately, though, a college football playoff won’t be happening anytime soon. The BCS TV contract is not up until 2014, and it will likely be extended, as the current one rakes in a sweet $125 million per year.

Tigers topple No. 1 Terps

After one semifinal loss in the NCAA tournament and 11 years of tough losses to Maryland, the field hockey team scored a triumphant 4-2 victory over the No. 1 Terrapins on Tuesday night at Class of 1952 Stadium.

On Tap with ... Michael Crowder

After three seasons as a Tiger, senior center Michael Crowder took the field on Saturday to help lead the men’s football team to its 36-33 victory over Lafayette.

Rugby: Squad opens season with 2 tough defeats

The men’s club rugby team opened its Ivy League campaign at home this weekend, meeting Brown on Saturday and Dartmouth on Sunday. These first league games came a week later than they did last year relative to Princeton’s academic calendar, giving the Tigers time to fit in extra preseason training and exhibition matches.

Golf: Men's golf competes in Windon Memorial Tournament in Glenview, Ill.

The men’s golf team traveled west this weekend and finished 16th at the Northwestern Windon Memorial tournament at the North Shore Country Club in Glenview, Ill.

Sprint Football: Team once again falls to rival in home game

For a moment on Friday night, it seemed like the sprint football team was coming close to overtaking Cornell in its first conference game at home this season.

Tennis: Princeton fares well in New York

The men’s tennis team had another successful weekend, as it competed in the USTA Men’s Collegiate Invitational in New York. The Tigers started off strong, collecting three victories in singles and five victories in doubles on the first day of play. Sophomore Matt Siow advanced in the A singles bracket while senior Alex Faust advanced in the B bracket and freshman Dan Richardson advanced in the C bracket. Siow, Faust and Richardson were dominant in the opening round, each defeating his opponent in straight sets. Princeton also advanced two doubles teams, as Siow and junior Coleman Crutchfield, along with Richardson and junior Ravi Yegya-Raman, each won two matches.

Cross Country: Tiger women dominate HYP

The women’s cross country team stole the show on Friday at the annual Harvard-Yale-Princeton meet in New Haven, Conn., outrunning Harvard and Yale to take five of the top 10 places.

On the Prowl: September 26, 2010

Vikram Rao and Gabriel Debenedetti discuss this week in sports.

Men's Water Polo: Merlone, Helou lead successful Southern sojourn

Generally, when a team graduates eight seniors, bumps in the road are a rite of passage on the path to recovery. Apparently, someone forgot to tell that to the men’s water polo team.Princeton (8-2 overall, 3-0 Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division) opened conference play with three wins in Maryland and Washington this weekend. The No. 17 Tigers posted tight wins in a difficult Saturday doubleheader, topping Johns Hopkins (7-6, 1-1) 10-9 in overtime in Baltimore before defeating No. 18 Navy (14-5, 1-1) 7-6 in the nightcap at Annapolis, Md. The following day, Princeton made it a clean sweep with a 13-9 win over George Washington (5-9, 1-1).

Football: Culbreath caps comeback

Saturday’s game began as a question mark. The football team had not faced Lafayette since ending a six-year series in 2007, and the Tigers looked weakened after just one game, with the team’s defensive captain and top tackler — senior linebacker Steve Cody — on the sidelines with a broken leg. As it turned out, the outcome remained a mystery until the very end, when a second-overtime touchdown capped an emotional contest in Princeton’s favor, 36-33.

Men's Soccer: Hoppenot nets 4 as offense returns to form

Behind an threatening offense and a stifling defense, the men’s soccer team won the Princeton Invitational Tournament this weekend by beating Richmond 3-1 on Friday and crushing Adelphi 3-0 on Sunday.

Field Hockey: Sharkey scores 3 as Princeton continues Ancient Eight domination

The field hockey team has made a habit of running away from its opposition this year and its game on Saturday was no exception.Princeton (6-0 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) defeated Yale (4-3, 1-1) in convincing fashion this weekend, storming to a 7-0 win in New Haven, Conn.

Women's Soccer: Tigers quiet Bulldogs’ bark in first Ivy League match

Grit. The women’s soccer team lived up to its one-word motto for the season by defeating perennial rival Yale in New Haven, Conn., in a hard-fought and physical contest on Saturday.Sophomore forward Jen Hoy scored the Tigers’ (4-3 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) only goal, and the defense shut down Yale’s (2-5-1, 0-1) attackers to secure the 1-0 win for Princeton. 

Football: Brown upsets Harvard; Yale tops Cornell

Nearly all the football teams in the Ivy League competed in thrilling and intense matchups on a Saturday that saw the first major upset in league play and the near-defeat of a national champion. 

Football: Hurry-up offense pays dividends in fourth quarter

Under first-year head coach Bob Surace ’90, the football team is quickly becoming known for its fast-paced attack. A team needs more than talent for such a system to be successful; it needs to be well-conditioned and disciplined to take advantage of a tired opponent late in games.

Live Blog: Football vs. Lafayette

Men's Soccer: Princeton to play Richmond, Adelphi at home

Despite lofty preseason expectations and an opening-game victory, the men’s soccer team has fallen on hard luck. Princeton (1-3-1) will look to turn that around with a positive showing in the Princeton Invitational, featuring a Friday night match with Richmond and a Sunday game with Adelphi.

Field Hockey: Bulldogs the last test before No. 2 Terps

After a strong start to the season, the field hockey team is finally getting into the meat of its schedule. The No. 4 Tigers (5-0 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) travel to New Haven, Conn., to face Yale (4-2, 1-0) on Saturday before hosting No. 2 Maryland (7-0) on Tuesday night. It is the second time in as many weeks that Princeton has played an Ivy League opponent and a nationally ranked competitor.

Column: Do yourself a favor, watch a game

To the Great Class of 2014:By this time in your short Princeton careers, you’ve probably received your fair share of sales pitches on why Princeton is the greatest thing since sliced bread (it is). And since we would hate to miss out on our opportunity to offer you a few sips from the orange Kool-Aid, here’s one more:Princeton is good at sports. Check that — Princeton is really good at sports.