Men's basketball in the Ivy League has been characterized over the past 30 years by the two-team rivalry of Princeton and Penn.
The best way to characterize the men's basketball team this year is probably with a question mark.Due to the departure of three starters from last season's team, Princeton is the biggest wild card among the top teams in the Ivy League.However, Princeton also had the greatest "infusion of talent," as head coach John Thompson '88 puts it, of any team in the league.At the heart of this infusion are two juniors ? forward Andre Logan from injury and wing Spencer Gloger off a transfer.Even with the addition of these two players, Princeton finds itself ranked third in most preseason polls behind Penn and Yale.
Football stands at 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the Ivy League, which already makes it the best statistical year under third-year head coach Roger Hughes.What separates those five wins from the four losses?
It is often said that the first win is the hardest to get.The men's hockey team, having cleared that hurdle with its 4-3 victory over Rensselaer last Saturday, hopes that this old adage holds true as it travels north this weekend.
Although the Tigers have been eliminated from Ivy title contention, the game 1 p.m. Saturday against Dartmouth at Princeton Stadium has profound meaning for the football team.After last week's loss to Yale, 7-3, Princeton finds itself in a precarious position as far as its record goes.
If preseason polls can be trusted, then the women's basketball team should finish second-to-last in the Ivy League this season.The 2002-03 Ivy League Preseason Womens Basketball Poll, a survey of 16 members of the media that cover Ivy League athletics, unanimously chose Harvard as the League favorite, followed by Penn, Dartmouth, Cornell, Yale, and Columbia.
Field hockey's goal coming into this season was a very simple one ? to win the national title.While the Tigers fell short of that goal, they still had a successful season, winning their ninth consecutive Ivy title and knocking out the defending national champions, Michigan, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.Princeton (12-7 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) dominated the rest of the league all season and won the title with ease.
The women's basketball team will not be tiptoeing into the 2002-2003 season. With two new assistant coaches, five new freshman players, and a pre-season schedule pitting them against the likes of Stanford, Baylor, and Hofstra, the Tigers are stomping back to the court.Though assistant coach Robin Bostick's departure from the team during the summer was an unexpected loss for head coach Richard Barron and the Tigers, her replacement, Helen Williams, has had no trouble filling that hole.Williams spent the last five years as an assistant coach at Navy, where she helped the Midshipmen earn the 1997-98 Patriot League regular-season title.Gerard Garlic is the other assistant coach who brings seven years of coaching experience, including three years as head coach at Morgan State.
It's not just Wall Street anymore. More and more, Princeton students are emerging from the nerdery and tackling professions that have been typically underrepresented by Ivy League talent.
"Five-dash-two."On October 15, 1995, then-Tampa Bay Buccaneer coach Sam Wyche pronounced each word with relish in front of the gathered media.After three tough years as coach of the worst franchise in pro sports, Wyche's team had finally reached first place in the NFC Central.From that point, the Bucs went 2-7, costing the man once called an "offensive genius" his job.The Princeton football team also started its season five-dash-two (and 4-1). The Tigers looked like they would make a run at the Ivy League title, but losses to Harvard and Penn doomed them to fighting for third place.Now Princeton needs a win in Saturday's 1 p.m.
If only the men's soccer season began in late October.Had the Tigers' season started with their 1-0 homecoming win over rival Harvard, they would be sitting atop a 2-1-1 Ivy League streak right now with very realistic hopes of defending their 2001 Ivy title.
Last night in Dillon Gym, women's volleyball played its last game of the season against Ivy League-champion Penn, and they competed in one of the most exciting matches of the year, which the Quakers took 3-1.After dropping the first two games, Princeton came out with much more emotion in the third game, jumping out to a 17-9 lead, including a 13-5 run that would help extend their season at least another game.
Head coach Jeff Kampersal '92 may have his best team in six seasons as coach of Princeton women's hockey, a good sign as his team begins its quest to win the Eastern College Athletic Conference title for the first time in his tenure.But this may also be the hardest year to accomplish that feat.Four ECAC teams ? No.
Ever run a timed mile in gym? Kinda sucked, didn't it? Everything's great for a while, and then suddenly you're out of breath, there's a stitch in your side, and your gym coach is yelling at you to run faster, it's the last lap.Not too fun, really.Now imagine that you're back in middle school, magically reliving the experience.
Women's hockey suffered its first two defeats of the season this weekend against No. 8 New Hampshire (9-1-1). After winning out in a four-game homestand to start the season, the Tigers faltered against the Wildcats."This weekend was a big test to see what kind of a team we are," head coach Jeff Kamper-sal '92 said.In game one, Princeton was able to force overtime in a tightly contested battle before falling, 2-1.
Twice, 28 minutes wasn't enough. Twice, men's water polo left the pool disappointed.Last weekend, the Tigers traveled to Providence, RI, for the Eastern Championships.
On a cold, rainy Saturday morning in the mountains of West Virginia, the cross country season ended for all but one individual.
With an early goal, men's soccer sat back and let the defense hold on to the game. Going 2-1-1 in the second half of the Ivy League season, Princeton finally found its playing style and finished its season with an exciting win.After losing overtime games and making too many mistakes in their last two weekends of the season the Tigers (4-8-5, 2-3-2 Ivy) finally played with consistency, tying Penn and then beating Yale, 1-0, on Saturday.Playing in a cold and steady rain, the conditions were not favorable for the speed and attacking style of Princeton.
Sophomore goalie Trevor Clay showed the poise of a veteran in the goal crease Saturday night.With his team up, 4-2, late in the third period against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Clay made the save of the night to cement the Tigers' first Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference victory of the season and the first victory of his young career.The Engineers' Kevin Croxton stood unguarded on the doorstep of Clay's crease, with his team up a man on the power play.
What began as the perfect season came to a disappointing end on Friday afternoon when the women's soccer team was eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
