The men’s and women’s tennis teams started their Ivy League seasons on a high note this weekend, with both teams cruising to victories over Penn to start the crucial final stretch of the season.
At this time two years ago, the men’s basketball team was wallowing in its 6-23 final record and its last-place finish in the Ivy League.
On Saturday, March 20, a day that 10th-year head coach Rich Lopacki said “[would] go down as one of the great days in Princeton Rugby history,” the men’s rugby team defeated the Barbados national team 32-15 to finish its spring break tour at 3-0.
Last weekend, three of Princeton’s four crews opened their seasons, each delivering a strong performance. The men’s lightweights journeyed to Annapolis, Md., to trump the Naval Academy in the first and second varsity eight races. The women’s lightweight team stayed at home at Lake Carnegie to steal victories over Philadelphia University and MIT. The women’s openweight team, also at Lake Carnegie, edged out Brown and Ohio State to claim victory in the first varsity eight race.
If you had told junior Geoff Faux a year ago where he would be today, he wouldn’t have believed it. The sprinter and backstroker not only pushed himself out of a career low; he shot straight to the top. On Friday, Faux swam the 50-yard freestyle at the NCAA championship — the fastest race in the country.
The men’s and women’s track and field teams went away this weekend as they eased into the spring season that started at the beginning of March.
The No. 19 women’s water polo team fell victim to the depths of Bucknell’s Kinney Natatorium on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers (12-8 overall, 0-1 Southern Division CWPA) were outperformed by the Bison early on and lost 15-10.
Outside the comfort of Dillon Gymnasium, which had seen a number of thrilling wins for the home team in the previous few weeks, the men’s volleyball team lost to both Penn State and St. Francis on its two-game Pennsylvania road trip.
The fencing team sent 12 fencers to compete in the NCAA championship tournament at Harvard on March 25–28. The Tigers (Men: 21-3 overall, 5-0 Ivy League; Women: 27-3, 6-0) finished sixth place in the nation in the combined event, competing against 27 teams in the finals.
After an 18-year hiatus, the baseball team returned to California this weekend for a final tune-up before the start of its Ivy League campaign. Princeton (5-13 overall), who last played in the Golden State in 1992, went 1-3 in its series against offensive powerhouse Santa Clara (11-11 overall).
After beating Ivy League rival Columbia last week, the women’s lacrosse team notched its 300th win in program history this weekend with a thrilling 15-14 four-overtime win over No. 9 Georgetown in Washington, D.C. The win was the first for No. 19 Princeton (4-4 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) against a ranked opponent this season.
The softball team played two doubleheaders this weekend at Class of 1895 Field, taking on Rutgers on Saturday afternoon and Lafayette on Sunday. Princeton (6-15) dropped both games against the Scarlet Knights (12-15), falling 9-4 in the first and 4-3 in nine innings in the second. On Sunday, the Tigers lost 14-4 to Lafayette (8-9) before the second game of the team’s doubleheader was canceled due to rain.
After eking out an overtime win against Penn last week, the men’s lacrosse team was hoping for a much smoother game against No. 20 Yale when it traveled to New Haven, Conn., on Saturday. While the team did get a victory, it didn’t get its wish. Princeton (6-1 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) needed a late-game goal for the second consecutive time before it was finally able to secure a 7-6 win.
The men’s volleyball team has seen some tense games and impressive comebacks that have assured fans that its endurance is unquestionable. Coming off a two-week break, the rejuvenated squad should have no difficulty continuing its string of comeback victories, having won four of its last five games. The Tigers will take on reigning Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association champion Penn State today in Happy Valley, followed by St. Francis on Saturday.
When the men’s lacrosse team takes the field on Saturday at Yale, all eyes will be on the Tigers for a strong start. No. 5 Princeton (5-1 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) will take on the No. 19 Bulldogs (4-1, 0-1) at Reese Stadium for the second year in the row.
At the midway point in its season, the women’s lacrosse team travels to Washington, D.C., to take on No. 9 Georgetown on Sunday.
After a winning week in California, the softball team will play Lafayette and Rutgers this weekend in Princeton’s first home games of the season.
In its final tune-up before the all-important Ivy League season begins, the baseball team travels to California this weekend for a four-game series against Santa Clara. The Tigers (4-10) and the Broncos (8-10) square off at 6 p.m. tonight, and again in a double-header on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. The series concludes on Sunday with a 1 p.m. game.
Veteran experience and raw talent have joined forces, putting the four Princeton crews within reach of a new level of collective success.
While the women’s lacrosse team is still trying to find its footing in early-season competition, some things don’t change: The Tigers have maintained an authoritative position in the Ivy League.
