Sports

Column: Football team brings fans on wild ride

Column: Football team brings fans on wild ride

By the end of last season, I had become rather pessimistic about Princeton football, as had many of my peers. But it is our football team. It is the only one we have. Maybe it was a chicken and egg problem — Princeton football would not do well until we supported it, but we wouldn’t support it until it did well.And maybe miraculously, but probably not, the Tigers gave us something magical this season.

SPORTS | 11/19/2012

Men's Basketball: Rutgers’ defense frustrates hosts at Jadwin

The men’s basketball team’s first home win of the season eluded the Tigers on Friday night, when they dropped a close contest to Rutgers. After leading most of the first half, Princeton fell into a six-point deficit by the end of the period and would never recover. The hosts eventually came up short by the same margin, losing 58-52.

SPORTS | 11/19/2012

Women's Soccer: Seniors led Princeton to thrilling season

Last Thursday, the women’s soccer team saw its 12-game win streak and season come to an end with a 3-1 loss to No. 12 Marquette in the second round of the NCAA tournament. While the Tigers undoubtedly hoped to advance further in the tournament, they still have much to be proud of.

SPORTS | 11/19/2012

Sports Shorts: Swim teams win Ivy openers, squash teams begin play

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams won their first Ivy League dual meets this weekend, beating Penn and Cornell in Philadelphia. And the men’s and women’s squash teams swept their season-opening matches at Jadwin Gymnasium this weekend.

SPORTS | 11/19/2012

Men's Water Polo: Princeton's repeat bid falls short at Easterns

The men’s water polo team rounded out its 2012 season with a third-place finish at Eastern Championships this weekend at DeNunzio Pool. The Tigers had hoped to see a repeat of their 2011 postseason run, in which they not only took first at Easterns but also went on to take third at the NCAA Championships, but St. Francis won the tournament and the automatic bid to nationals.

SPORTS | 11/19/2012

Field Hockey: Princeton wins NCAA championship

The field hockey team staged a furious second-half comeback to upset the nation’s top-ranked team, North Carolina, 3-2 on Sunday afternoon to bring home Princeton’s first-ever field hockey national championship. The Tigers (21-1 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) broke through in their first appearance in the title game since 1998.

SPORTS | 11/18/2012

Cross Country: Tigers finish 11th nationally, setting men's program record

When it has mattered most this season, the men’s cross country team has always brought its best. Staying calm and under control in the NCAA national championship meet last Saturday, the Tigers fought their way over the fast and flat course in Louisville, Ky., battling head to head with the country’s best teams and individuals. Surging over the last miles, the men placed a program-best 11th in the deep and talented field.

SPORTS | 11/18/2012

Players react to bonfire, season's improvement

At the beginning of the year, who would have thought students at Princeton would be referring to “after the game” on a regular basis and planning their Saturdays around the football schedule? After two seasons of being almost completely irrelevant in the Ivy League, this season was more than just an effort to improve the record; it was also a push for respect and a drive to bring excitement for athletics back to the community.

SPORTS | 11/18/2012

Football: Dartmouth hands Tigers season-ending loss

Despite faltering late in the season, Princeton still entered Saturday’s game with its hopes for the Ivy League title still alive, needing a win over Dartmouth and a Penn loss to Cornell in order to share the title. However, the game against the Big Green (6-4 overall, 4-3 Ivy League) went very similarly to the season as a whole — a hot start by the Tigers (5-5, 4-3) being undone by poor play in the second half.

SPORTS | 11/16/2012

Princeton celebrates bonfire on Cannon Green

At 7:24 p.m. Saturday evening, football cocaptain Mike Catapano ’13 marched onto Cannon Green with a long, silver torch, ready to ignite Princeton’s first bonfire in six years. Thousands of students and alumni watched as Catapano lit the large pile of firewood, sending a bright orange flame into the black night sky.“It’s an awesome feeling to be able to unify the University and to have everyone be able to come for a single cause and be proud to be a Princetonian,” said wide receiver Roman Wilson ’14, whose last-minute touchdown catch against Harvard last month helped make the bonfire happen.

SPORTS | 11/16/2012

Women's Soccer: Marquette ends Tigers' NCAA run, 3-1

The women’s soccer team’s matchup with No. 4-seed Marquette in the second round of the NCAA tournament shaped up as a battle between Princeton’s high-scoring offense and the Golden Eagles’ brick-wall defense. But in the end, it was Marquette’s offense that made the difference, coming from behind to win 3-1 and ending the Tigers’ season.

SPORTS | 11/15/2012

On Tap with ... Luis Nicolao

Head coach Luis Nicolao is in his 15th season in charge of the men’s water polo team. Also head coach of the women’s team, Nicolao just finished his most successful year ever at Princeton after leading both squads to the Eastern title and the NCAA Championships in 2011-12. Before the Tigers open Eastern Championships against Brown at 1:30 p.m. today at DeNunzio Pool, Nicolao sat down with the ‘Prince’ to talk about Princeton’s rivalry with Navy, “Lord of the Rings” and bonsai trees.

SPORTS | 11/15/2012

Football: Seniors lead balanced team into finale

The football team has reason to feel pretty pleased entering its final game. Princeton (5-4 overall, 4-2 Ivy League) is coming off a huge win against rival Yale. Not only did the Tigers win at Yale, they trounced the Bulldogs by a score of 29-7, the first time since 2006 the Tigers have defeated rivals Harvard and Yale in the same season. But bonfire aside, Princeton will host Dartmouth (5-4, 3-3) in its last game of the season this Saturday in what promises to be a challenging and emotional test, with a share of the Ivy League title still possibly on the line.

SPORTS | 11/15/2012

Field Hockey: Tigers reach NCAA finals

A penalty stroke in sudden-death overtime gave the field hockey team a 3-2 victory over No. 6 Maryland on Friday afternoon, sending No. 2 Princeton to the NCAA championship game. The Tigers will face No. 1 North Carolina at 1 p.m. Sunday for the national title.

SPORTS | 11/15/2012

Princeton bonfires through the years

Stephen Wood

"A bon-fire will be held around the cannon for which wood must be gathered. No fences or valuable lumber must be taken.”Those are not the words of USG president Bruce Easop ’13, nor do they come from this century — nor the last. They can be found in the Sept. 26, 1896, edition of The Princetonian, and they tell of one of Princeton’s longest-standing traditions. The bonfire, which will be lit Saturday, will be only the most recent chapter in a story nearly as old as Old Nassau itself.

SPORTS | 11/15/2012

Field Hockey: Rematch with Maryland looms in semifinal

For the sixth time in program history, the field hockey team will compete in the final four of the NCAA tournament this weekend. No. 2 Princeton (19-1 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) will travel down to Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va., for the semifinal round against No. 6 Maryland (18-5) on Friday. If they win that game, the Tigers will advance to the championship game on Sunday to compete for their first-ever NCAA crown.

SPORTS | 11/15/2012

Around the Ivies: Football season comes down to wire

Entering the final week of Ivy League play, one team has already clinched the conference title, but two others have a chance to share it. What’s at stake in the final games? We break it down for you.

SPORTS | 11/14/2012

Squash: After thrilling 2011-12 season, new teams return to court

For the men’s squash team, the 2011-12 season will be a tough one to beat. After finishing with a national championship upset over Trinity and its 13-year winning streak, Princeton starts its season at the top. The Tigers are not resting on their laurels but rather are working hard to repeat those successes this year. Princeton has been working to improve on its weaknesses and maintain its strengths.

SPORTS | 11/14/2012

Column: NCAA hurts players, fans with N.J. championship ban

Maybe you’ve heard: Princeton will not be hosting any NCAA championship events this year. Neither will the entire state of New Jersey. This is because the NCAA has once again mounted the highest, flimsiest soapbox in all of institutionalized athletics to tell us a thing or two about “integrity.”

SPORTS | 11/14/2012

Men's Soccer: Decorated senior Linnville may get shot in the pros

Four years, 67 starts and at least three Ivy League First Team awards later, it is obvious that senior defender Mark Linnville was not out of his league in Division I college soccer. In fact, as his college career has come to a close with a 1-0 victory at Yale on Saturday, which brought the Tigers’ final record to 8-6-2 (4-1-2 Ivy League), Linnville hopes for the opportunity to continue to play at a higher level — in Major League Soccer.

SPORTS | 11/13/2012

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