Updated: 10/7 1:10 a.m.
The Harvard women’s tennis team is sent some of its players to the 2010 Riviera/ITA Women's All American Championships this week in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Facing some tough competition, Harvard players found some wins and some losses but the early tournament has helped the team assess how it matches up with other squads across the country.
“It’s a privilege for our squad to make this tournament,” Harvard coach Traci Green said. “It’s a privilege to play against top opponents. We are taking each match very seriously, and our goal is to improve with every match.”
The tournament was divided into three separate brackets for each of the singles and doubles competitors. Players who were invited to the pre-qualifying or qualifying draws are given a chance to play into the main draw through a series of wins in the single elimination opening draws.
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It is a weekend of opportunity for the Harvard women’s tennis team, as it travels to Flushing, N.Y., to compete in the USTA Billie Jean Invitation. The competition, which will be held Oct. 9th-11th, will offer the squad a chance to develop its young players and gain more court-time before beginning Ivy competition.
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In the second edition of Crimson Faceoff—The Back Page’s new video series that pits Crimson sportswriters against varsity athletes—the sports board's own sophomore Martin Kessler decided to take on a monumental challenge: grappling with defending NCAA champion JP O'Connor '10.
In a first-to-five format, O'Connor demonstrated his dominance on the mat. But was he able to pin Kessler with his arms taped behind his back? Check out The Crimson’s video footage to find out!
To read more about O'Connor's quest for the 2012 Olympics, check out Kessler's column here.
As the news of Grammy-winning rapper Wyclef Jean accepting a job offer from the department of Africana Studies at Brown University reaches Ivy League ears, it’s fitting that this week’s edition of Around the Water Cooler is all about top-notch performance and uncharacteristic moves. Though not literally taking the stage, Ivy League teams and individual athletes from each of the eight schools are holding their own on a national scale. In just a minute, we’ll look at a few Ivy Leaguers who have secured national rankings, some athletes who are bringing their A-game on and off the field, and a noteworthy event about to happen right in our backyard (and, no, I’m not talking about the free showing of The Social Network tomorrow night). We’re hanging out Around the Water Cooler, you know how it is.
Let’s start with a healthy dose of Ivy League football. Sophomore quarterback Sean Brackett of Columbia, one of the League’s Co-Offensive Players of the Week, tied the school record of five touchdowns in a single game this week (set in 1942 and tied in 1982) as the Lions dominated Princeton, 42-14. Another sophomore QB, Penn’s Billy Ragone, earned Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors as well by securing his team’s 35-28 victory over Dartmouth with the winning touchdown in overtime. On a different note, Cornell sophomore QB Josh Vick is making an impact off the field, leading the Big Red community, alongside women’s basketball coach Dayna Smith, and helping the Be The Match Foundation raise money for bone marrow donation and awareness.
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In the modern era of sports, being a college coach carries with it the burden of constant media attention. Facing dozens of reporters at press conferences, head coaches have gotten savvier—they say what they need to and leave the rest up for speculation. Here at The Back Page, we’re happy to decode some of these media sessions, showing the average fan what we think coaches’ answers “really” mean.
For Lafayette coach Frank Tavani, the 2010 season has been a nightmare the Leopards can’t seem to wake up from. After dropping three close games to Georgetown, Penn, and Princeton, Harvard came to town on Saturday and blew Lafayette out, romping to a 35-10 win. Now the Leopards, with the meat of their Patriot League schedule left to play, are winless against a slate they were 3-0 against last fall. It’s no wonder that Tavani expressed his frustration in this week’s edition of Sound Off.
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