In the spirit of reflection, here is a recap of what were arguably the top five sports events from Princeton’s fall-season sports in 2010.
The fall athletic season saw a number of impressive individual performances. In a season in which Princeton brought home five Ivy League titles, choosing just five athletes for their accomplishments proved a difficult task. But whether on the turn of Class of 1952 Stadium or the grass of Roberts Stadium, these five individuals stood out for contributions to their teams’ successful seasons.
The men’s and women’s track and field teams opened their seasons confidently Saturday at the New Year’s Invitational, breaking records and snagging victories across the board. The Tigers hosted 11 schools — including in-state rivals Rutgers, Rider and The College of New Jersey — in Jadwin Gymnasium. After winning 16 of the 25 events last year, Princeton had a lot to live up to. Fortunately, the Tigers had no problems living up to those expectations.
Senior sprinter Jim Behot of the men’s track and field team confessed that he has been injured for most of his Princeton career. After a host of hamstring strains and a new hip injury this fall, he said he is ready to come back in full force for the team’s next meet against Navy on Jan. 8. He has been rehabilitating his hip and hopes to compete for the rest of the year. When he returns, he will run the 60m, 200m and 300m races. Behot will add to an extremely powerful men’s track and field team that showcased its talents with a series of victories at Saturday’s New Year’s Invitational.
Winter break is almost here. For most students that means a long-awaited trip home; for the ardent basketball fan, however, it means the NBA has completed a quarter of its season. The season has offered us exciting plays, great players and interesting storylines so far, all of which I have compiled in this list of First Quarter Awards for the 2010-11 NBA season.
Despite eventually pulling off a dominant 74-61 victory over Navy on Friday, the women’s basketball team initially struggled to earn a definitive lead and was up by just three points at the half. That certainly was not the case Monday night against Lafayette when Princeton (7-2) got off to a 52-27 first-period lead en route to a 90-58 victory over the Leopards (5-6) in front of its home crowd in Jadwin Gymnasium.
The women’s hockey team (6-10-1 overall, 4-6-1 ECAC Hockey) had an exciting and successful end to the first half of its schedule this weekend, beating Syracuse (8-9-2) twice. On Friday night, Princeton outscored the Orange 4-2 and followed that performance with an even more decisive 5-0 win on Saturday. The Tigers have now won their last three games in a row.
A hat trick, 13 goals and 87 shots over the weekend solidified a powerful offensive performance for the men’s hockey team as it rolled over University of Massachusetts Lowell in a weekend doubleheader.
Executive Editor for Sports Vikram Rao '11 and Associate Editor for Sports Gabe Debenedetti '12 discuss the weekend in sports during their farewell to On the Prowl.
The more time senior forward and co-captain Kareem Maddox and the men’s basketball team have on the floor, the better they seem to play. In its third overtime game of the season, Princeton beat Tulsa 82-78 in the second extra period to win its fifth game in a row.
For 20 minutes on Friday, it seemed as if both rims at Jadwin Gymnasium were four feet wide. The women’s basketball team and its opponent, Navy, both made 60 percent of their shots in the first half — an unlikely shootout for two teams that entered the game with top-30 defenses in the nation.
The wrestling team produced mixed results this weekend, capturing its first victory of the season against George Mason University but falling to Rutgers in a complete rout on Saturday at Rutgers before returning home to face Rider at home in Dillon Gymnasium.
The women’s basketball team will meet Navy tonight at Jadwin Gymnasium in a non-league clash. Although the Midshipmen are coming straight off of a win against Mount St. Mary’s, the Tigers have momentum of their own. Princeton, which has gone 5-2 so far this season, will expect to win tonight.
The wrestling team will be greatly challenged this weekend as it looks to earn its first win of the season. The Tigers will head over to Piscataway, N.J., where they will take the mat against cross-state rivals Rutgers and George Mason University on Saturday.
Coming into the season, the men’s basketball team planned to ride the stellar play of its guards in order to make up for the lack of a clear playmaker among the team’s frontcourt. Almost 10 games in, though, Princeton’s highest scorer and star player has not been either senior guard and team co-captain Dan Mavraides or junior guard Doug Davis. Sophomore forward Ian Hummer, fresh off of winning Ivy League Player of the Week honors, surprisingly leads the Tigers (6-3) with more than 15 points per game.
After a home split last weekend against conference opponents Clarkson and St. Lawrence, the men’s hockey team will play host to University of Massachusetts Lowell (2-12-2) on Friday and Saturday at Baker Rink. The Tigers (6-5 overall, 6-3 ECAC Hockey) have played Lowell five times over the last couple of years, losing their first four matchups against the River Hawks but earning a 3-2 victory in their most recent competition. Sophomore Eric Meland carried the team in that effort, scoring two goals for the Tigers.
With regained confidence, the women’s hockey team (4-10-1 overall, 4-6-1 ECAC Hockey) is looking forward to hosting a two-game series against Syracuse (8-7-2) today and Saturday. Last weekend, the Tigers fell to Yale 2-1 but came back the next day to beat Brown with a decisive 4-0 victory. Defeating Brown ended a four-week stretch without a win for the Tigers. In the Brown game, the Tigers were finally able to convert for a goal on their power play, something they have been struggling with all season. The team was also pleased that it was able to capitalize on its five-on-five opportunities. Princeton is currently in sixth place in the ECAC Hockey.
While most students are counting down the days until they can return home for winter break, the men’s and women’s track and field teams are preparing for their home opener at the Indoor New Year’s Invitational on Saturday in Jadwin Gymnasium. Eleven other schools will be competing, including in-state rivals Rider, Rutgers and The College of New Jersey.
The men’s basketball team cannot avoid drama. On Wednesday, favored Princeton took a 15-point lead over Monmouth but nearly gave it all back in the second half. Though the visitors had a chance to tie the game with one second left, the Tigers (6-3) held on for their fourth straight victory, 64-61.
