Patriots Stay Perfect; Giants Shock Packers In NFC Championship
While the New England Patriots’ pursuit of perfection remains intact after finishing off the San Diego Chargers, their final hurdle is an unlikely one. Apparently, the clock has not quite struck midnight for the New York Giants, who ended the Green Bay Packers’ run at a Super Bowl appearance. Before we preview the Super Bowl in next week’s issue, here are our recaps of the conference championships.
Tech Athletes of the Week: Amy E. Jacobi ’11 and Michael J. Dobson ’11
Amy E. Jacobi ’11 helped the women’s swimming and diving team capture a 170-124 victory over Colby College on Saturday afternoon, placing first in four different events. MIT swept the top three positions in the 50-yard freestyle with Jacobi clocking in at 24.64 seconds, just ahead of teammates Sarah B. King ’10 (25.93 seconds) and Ashley E. Pinchinat ’10 (26.46 seconds). She also earned victories in the 100-yard (54.42) and 500-yard (5:10.50) freestyle events. Jacobi’s fourth victory came as the lead on the 200-yard freestyle relay team, with teammates King, Jacquelyn M. Nowicke ’08, and Pinchinat, who won with a time of 1:43.13.
Patriots and Packers Predicted to Face Off In NFL Championship
This weekend’s divisional championships feature a cast of characters that would make Hollywood jealous (or at least ready to pitch a screenplay).
Current Varsity Athletes Best Grads in Track’s Alumni Meet
The annual track and field alumni meet pits the guts and raw talent of the alumni has-beens against the training of the current varsity team. The men’s and women’s varsity teams, fresh off a winter break spent in the weight room, proved up to the challenge. The women’s team won the meet by a score of 86-23, while the men’s meet came down to the wire, with the varsity team winning 70-61.
Game of the Week: Men’s Basketball Beats Camels In Overtime
James M. “Jimmy” Bartolotta ’09 scored 26 of his game-high 29 points in the final 25 minutes of last Thursday’s men’s basketball game against Connecticut College (7-2) as MIT erased a 16-point halftime deficit en route to a 79-73 overtime victory. Hamidou Soumare ’08 added a career-high 25 points and 11 rebounds in the thrilling non-conference win, which took place in Rockwell Cage.
Athlete of the Week: All-American Devin M. Lewis ’10
The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches recently announced its 2007 All-America selections, naming Devin M. Lewis ’10 to the Division III Second Team for his contributions to MIT’s record-breaking season. The utility player’s goal-scoring exploits helped turn the Engineers into an offensive juggernaut, as the team finished the season with a school-record 358 goals.
Patriots Take Undefeated Season Into NFL Divisional Playoffs Against Jags
As the weekend’s divisional playoffs approach, we attempt to answer a few burning questions. Will the Patriots continue their march to perfection? Will Brett Favre demonstrate why he deserved to be named the 2007 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year? Most importantly, which Manning(s) will cry this week? For your enjoyment, we offer our playoff picks.
Bowl Championship Series Doesn’t Need A ‘Plus-One’ Format
I began writing this column with every intention of supporting a playoff system for college football. Perhaps it was because I really didn’t think two-loss Louisiana State University was the best team in the nation. Or maybe it was because I felt bad for all of those University of Southern California fans, who clearly were not satisfied with just a whopping on Illinois. Having a playoff just feels fair; it’s too sad to turn teams away.
Patriots’ Likeability Should Not Affect Appreciation of Their Skills
If you follow football, you should be quite familiar with the saga of the 2007 New England Patriots. That is, the 16-0 Patriots, directed by Coach of the Year Bill Belichick and star-studded with players such as National Football League Most Valuable Player Tom Brady (all-time NFL record of 50 touchdown passes) and Randy Moss (all-time NFL record of 23 touchdown receptions).
Taekwondo Finishes Second in November Cornell Tournament
The MIT Sport Taekwondo team took second place at a Nov. 11 tournament at Cornell University. The team, coached by Daniel B. Chuang, remains in second place out of 18 schools in the Ivy Northeast Collegiate Taekwondo League, behind only archrival Cornell.
Women’s Hockey Suffers Rough Losses in Two ECAC East Games
The women’s ice hockey team fell to New England College and the University of Southern Maine in its final two games of the semester, held on Friday and Saturday. MIT will return to the ice after the holiday break.
Sports Shorts
In the inaugural meeting between both programs, the MIT women’s basketball team defeated Fisher College, 59-29, on Saturday. With the win, the Engineers improved to 3-4 on the year while the Falcons fell to 1-8.
Men’s Hockey Falls to Vermont 3-1; Winning Streak Snaps at Five
University of Vermont defenseman Adam Roof notched a goal and two assists to help the Catamounts hand the MIT men’s ice hockey team its first loss of the season, 3-1, in NorthEast Collegiate Hockey Association Conference A East Division action on Saturday night in the Johnson Ice Rink. The loss snapped the Engineers’ season-opening five-game winning streak.
Sports Shorts
In light of a spectacular early season run, MIT heavyweight Glenn J. Geesman ’09 has been ranked ninth in Division III among wrestlers in his weight class by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. It is the first time in recent history that an MIT wrestler has been awarded nationwide seeding.
Women’s Hockey Loses Against Holy Cross and Manhattanville
The MIT women’s hockey team lost a pair of games this weekend, including one against nationally-ranked No. 5 Manhattanville College on Saturday.