Sports Features
With the Olympics Around the Corner, Harvard and Radcliffe Rowers Prepare to Make Their Mark
Dean is the only enrolled Crimson rower headed to the Olympics, but not the only Harvard affiliate; alumni Andrew Reed, Alexander Richards ’18, Conor Harrity ’18, Liam Corrigan ’19, and Olivia Coffey ’11 from the Radcliffe team are competing for America. Sam Hardy ’18 and Josh Hicks ’13 are competing for Australia, and Jüri-Mikk Udam ’17 is rowing for Estonia.
Going for Gold
While multiple Harvard alums will be rowing in Tokyo, Dean (pictured in the foreground in the stroke position) is the only actively enrolled Crimson rower to suit up in Japan. After the uncertainty of a year's postponement, Dean and others will finally compete this week.
Senior Perspective: Gabrielle Fernandopulle
As of June 1, it’s been 562 days since we last competed. But I’ve felt the strength and lessons of my team more so in the last 562 days off the field than I could have imagined. Harvard Women’s Rugby, more than anything else at Harvard, taught me how to learn, how to be a teammate, and how to be brave.
Senior Perspective: Matt Thomas
It’s a strange thing to have the last 75 games of your collegiate career cancelled. In fact, during my four years, I only played in one-third as many. The Harvard Baseball Team has been such a core part of my identity in college, so I struggled to find direction and purpose when it was taken away. What did it mean to be a Harvard baseball player if we didn’t play any games?
Life on the Tour: Amanda Sobhy ’15, Haley Mendez ’15, and Sabrina Sobhy ’19 Reflect on Time at Harvard, Pro Squash Careers
Of the top 50 female athletes in professional squash, three are former Crimson stars. Amanda Sobhy ’15, Haley Mendez ’15, and Sabrina Sobhy ’19, ranked fifth, 42nd, and 20th respectively, all played as members of Harvard’s elite squash team before pursuing full-time careers on the Professional Squash Association World Tour.
Harvard Women’s Rugby Standouts One Step Closer to Representing the United States on Rugby’s Biggest Stage
“Harvard kind of snuck up on everyone. I believe that all of us are really dedicated to improving ourselves for the betterment of the team and finding ways to learn and improve on and off the field to help the team, which were definitely values that were instilled at Harvard.”
It Takes Two to Tackle Jarrell
Erica Jarrell resists two opposing defenders in the Crimson's 2019 NIRA national championship victory over West Point.
Post Player: Former Women’s Basketball Captain Jacqueline Alemany Covers Congress for The Washington Post
It has been 10 years since Alemany captained the Harvard women’s basketball team, but the habits she built while playing still serve her in her current job. Only now, instead of running down power forwards at Lavietes Pavilion, she is running down power brokers in the U.S. Capitol and reporting on Congress for The Washington Post.
A Note to Readers: The Last Supplement of Its Kind, Hopefully
The 2021 “Year in Sports” edition marks a third supplement that The Crimson Sports Board has completed during the hiatus in Ivy League sports. This should, however, be our last in this style. And we are certainly grateful.
Women's Squash Team's Sweet Taste of Victory
Amanda Sobhy ’15 and Haley Mendez ’15, back row fourth from the left and back row fifth from the left, respectively, pose after capturing the 2015 National Championship. While not a member of the 2015 squad, and thus not pictured, Sabrina Sobhy ’19 would go on to capture four national championships in her four years with the Crimson.
'Love First': How RuQuan Brown Bounces Back and Makes a Difference
"Studying love is an everyday experience. When you study love, you’ll realize what you need to put first. If I could share anything, if there’s any lesson, if there’s anything about me, it’s one love.”
Moy Siblings Make a Transatlantic Leap
“It was definitely hectic. But in my heart, I knew I was going the whole time.”
Beginnings and Endings: Parting Shot
Through countless columns, I’ve simply written down exactly what I’ve thought. When I think about my Sports Board tenure, all I can think — despite its tragic ending — is that we had a whole lot of fun.
Margaret Purce ’17: Prolific Goal Setter, Scorer, and Achiever
“I joked with her after she was in the White House, 'Hey, 30 years' time, Midge, get yourself ready because you may be back there. With Midge Purce, you legitimately may have gone to school with the next president."
Student-Athletes Deferred Enrollment at Markedly Higher Rates than College Students at Large in 2020-21, Crimson Analysis Finds
The aggregate finding of this study is that, out of the entire population of Crimson student-athletes, approximately 40 percent opted to take time off from classes during each of the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters. This rate is roughly twice that of College undergraduates at large (student-athletes and non-athletes alike) who opted for time off from classes in 2020-2021.
Dillon Field House
The Harvard Athletic Department did not sponsor intercollegiate competitions in the 2020-21 academic year. In the same academic year, student-athletes deferred enrollment at roughly twice the rate of College students at large.
The Game '16
A capacity crowd fills Harvard Stadium in the 2016 football game against Yale, the last time "The Game" took place at Harvard. Fenway Park hosted the 2018 contest, and the 2020 installment was canceled. In 2020-21, The Harvard Athletic Center has remained largely empty to contests and spectators, opening only to limited groups of student-athletes to practice. All of this will change soon.
To the Hoop
Alemany drives to the basket in front of a packed house in a game against the Boston College Eagles.
Mask Up
Shelby Lin '14 side-lunges in a warm-up session with USA Rugby. Covid-19 safety protocols, such as mask-wearing on the field, are in full effect.
Fernandopulle Finds the Try Zone
Gabrielle Fernandopulle '21 (#7) scores a try in the 2019 season home opener against Dartmouth.
Multi-Positional Star
Brown takes the field for Roosevelt High School, where he starred for three years prior to coming to Harvard.
Thomas Tees Off
Matt Thomas ’21 launches a drive into left field against rival Yale in an April 2019 meeting.