You know what is probably one of the worst ideas ever?The business of sports.I'm so fed up with professional sports these days, that I can't stand to watch them, let alone read about them.
Providence, R.I. has not treated Princeton very kindly this year. The men's basketball team lost to Brown for the second time this season last weekend, while women's basketball and men's hockey have also left College Hill with an embarrassing "L" tattooed across their foreheads.But the men's hockey team is going back into the Bears' lair this weekend.
It is always difficult to take the stage following a flawless performance. On Sunday, women's tennis did not rise to the challenge after the men's consecutive 7-0, 7-0 victories the previous day against Army and Temple.
Princeton squash already had one national champion. Could the women's team make it two? Freshman Ruchika Kumar qualified for the quarterfinals, but could not beat Yale's top player.
"Princeton sucks, Princeton sucks."Now let me preface this column by saying that I don't believe the above quote, but rather heard them this past weekend when sitting as a spectator at a number of Princeton athletic events.My ears, and those of the few Tiger fans around me, were rendered helpless by the onslaught of vulgar chants hurled at our innocent University by the blood-red Cornell hockey faithful and the ravenous Johns Hopkins lacrosse groupies.What specifically dismayed me was my observation of the dearth of Princeton students in attendance at these games.
Space is tight in the up coming four-team Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association playoff, especially with one of those spots virtually guaranteed to nationally-ranked Penn State.
If the men's tennis team needed to prove it could beat inferior teams, this weekend provided the perfect opportunity.
Though the men's squash team played on Trinity's courts, the Tigers stole the show.The individual championship came down to a battle between two Princeton teammates ? freshman star Yasser El-Halaby versus senior captain Will Evans ? with the younger Tiger coming out on top.Three Princetonians entered the Men's A Pool Division of the men's squash championships.
The Princeton women's track team placed fourth last weekend at the annual indoor track Heptagonal Championships.
On paper, No. 2 Cornell should have dominated Princeton in Friday's men's hockey contest. As ESPN anchorman Kenny Mayne likes to say, however, "games aren't played on paper, they're played in television sets," or in this case, Baker Rink.Friday the Tigers (3-24-2 overall, 2-18-2 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) fell 2-1 to the second best team and arguably looked like the better side for most of the game.
While some Tigers performed up to expectations, a host of normal highpoint scorers did not compete well and, as a result, the men's track team found that rankings are meaningless.
With third place in the conference at stake and just over three minutes left on the clock, freshman forward Sarah Butsch knocked the puck into the goal on Saturday to put women's hockey ahead of Dartmouth and secure a 3-2 upset over the Big Green.The next day, the Tigers finished their regular season with a bang, handily defeating Eastern College Athletic Conference cellar-dweller Vermont, 5-0.With these two wins, Princeton improved to 18-8-2 overall and 11-5-0 in the conference, earning the third seed in next week's ECAC tournament.No.
After leading his team to No. 2 in the nation in men's squash, Yasser El Halaby claimed the one thing that had been missing from an incredible freshman season: the Intercollegiate Squash Association Individual Championship.In the end, it came down to a battle between two teammates.
The seniors on the women's basketball team (9-16 overall, 4-7 Ivy League) wanted to hold on for just a second.
Championship teams everywhere follow the time-honored ritual of soaking their coach with a celebratory shower.
Saturday ? season opener ? national title expectations ? No. 2 vs. No. 3 in the nation.
PROVIDENCE, RI ? It's rainin' three's! Hallelujah, hallelujah! Three-pointers were flying into the basket Friday and Saturday nights as the men's basketball team went 1-1 over the weekend, which potentially ruined the Tigers' chances for an Ivy League title.After defeating Yale (12-13 overall, 6-6 Ivy League) on Friday night, Princeton (14-10, 8-3) needed to steal a victory from Brown (15-11, 10-2) in order to stay realistically in the Ivy League race.The Tigers jumped out to an early lead against the Bears, leading, 11-4, with 15 minutes, 48 seconds left in the first half.
This weekend 254 fencers descended on Boston College for the 106th meeting of the Intercollegiate Fencing Association Championships.
This weekend of men's basketball could decide everything in the Ivy League or nothing. Princeton (13-9 overall, 7-2 Ivy League) sits squarely in third place in the Ivy standings ? on the outside looking in.The two big dogs on top are Penn (17-5, 9-0) and Brown (14-10, 9-1), both of which defeated the Tigers earlier in the season.
One of the beautiful things about Ivy League women's basketball is that each team plays every other team twice.
