MIT Dragon Boat Team Takes Gold Medal at Annual Festival
On Sunday, June 8, 2008, thirty-two teams of paddlers from greater Boston, New York, and as far away as Canada, raced down the Charles River at the annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival. Despite the blistering heat, the MIT Eager Beavers, sponsored by United Commercial Bank and the MIT Chinese Students and Scholars Association, paddled to victory, winning the gold medal in the festival’s recreational division.
Volleyball Programs Receive AVCA Team Academic Awards for Second Consecutive Season MIT Collects Eight Individual NACGC/W Academic Awards
MIT joined Vassar College as one of the only institutions to have both its men’s and women’s volleyball teams qualify for the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. Initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, this award honors collegiate and high school teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 mark on a 5.0 scale.
World’s Top Athletes Converge on Beijing For Olympic Games
The lead-up to the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, which begin today in Beijing, has been marked by controversy. Widespread opposition to the policies of the Chinese government inflamed demonstrations that disrupted the international legs of the Olympic torch’s journey last spring. Internet censorship, although slightly relaxed from a week earlier, continues to be a point of argument for the media covering the events.
Wellesley’s Sonia Raman Named New Head Coach of Women’s Basketball
Sonia Raman, who has served as an assistant coach at Wellesley College for the past six years, has been named head coach of MIT women’s basketball, as announced by Director of Athletics Julie Soriero.
Bennett Crosses English Channel In Grueling 21-Mile, 11-Hour Swim
On July 28, and after an 11-hour battle from Dover, England to Cap Griz Nez, France, Clara S. Bennett ’10 joined an elite group by swimming across the English Channel. Bennett became the third MIT student-athlete to successfully complete the grueling, 21-mile swim.
‘Baseball’ Exhibit Shows That Baseball Mirrors Everyday Life
Sport and society are often linked, whether by a fan’s comparison between a game-winning goal and real-life heroics or a journalist’s association between performance-enhancing drugs and rampant dishonesty in American politics. Such comparisons are primed for aggrandizement: caught up in the moment, we often forget that the realm of sports does not always equal the realm of the real world. Based on its name alone, the traveling Baseball as America exhibit seems likely to fall under this category of distorted reality.
MIT Theater on Ice Ends Season at International Competition in Vermont
MIT’s Theater on Ice team competed at the Thirteenth Annual International Theater on Ice competition, held at the Gordon H. Paquette Arena in Burlington, Vt. on June 28. The team placed fifth out of five teams in the Adult Choreographic Exercise category in its first season of existence.
MIT Student-Athletes Receive Academic All- America Recognition
Praveen Pamidimukkala ’08, Doria M. Holbrook ’08, and Julia C. Zimmerman ’09 earned College Sports Information Directors Association/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America accolades in the competitive at-large division to give the Engineers eight national plaudits for the 2007–08 academic year. Pamidimukkala received the first honor in the history of the men’s volleyball program, while Holbrook collected her third straight award as a member of the women’s swimming and diving team. Zimmerman was also a repeat selection for the women’s gymnastics team.
Bob, Eveline Roberts Pledge $2 Million To Upgrade Steinbrenner Stadium Turf
A gift from the parents of an MIT student-athlete will change the landscape for outdoor competition in the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation. Bob and Eveline Roberts, whose daughter, Julia N. Roberts ’10, is a midfielder on the women’s soccer team, have pledged $2 million for the installation of synthetic grass turf in Henry G. Steinbrenner ’27 Stadium.
The Nickname Edition: Yet Another Matchup For Celtics vs. Lakers
Praise The Basketball Gods, for you have smiled on us this June, most likely because Red Auerbach has joined your ranks. You have treated us to an incredible Lakers vs. Celtics matchup that has nearly lived up to the hype. (I say nearly because it’s not clear that even a Game Seven triple-overtime buzzer-beater fadeaway jumper could justify this amount of coverage.)
Men’s Lightweights Finish Eighth at Crew Nationals
On Saturday, June 7 the MIT men’s lightweight crew team finished eighth at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships.
Outstanding Service Award for MIT Sailing Master and Coach
MIT sailing master and coach Fran Charles received the prestigious Graham Hall Award for outstanding service by a college sailing professional this past week at the 2008 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association/Gill National Championship. As the recipient of this coveted honor, Charles was inducted into the Intercollegiate Sailing Hall of Fame.
MIT Sailing Team Finishes Sixth in Competitive ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship
The MIT sailing team finished sixth this week in the ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship. Senior co-captains John M. “Jack” Field ’08 and Julie C. Arsenault ’08 sailed in the B division boat, while Brooks L. Reed ’09 was the skipper for the A division boat with Elizabeth A. Hass ’10 on crew. Gabriel B. Cira ’08 also crewed with
Men’s Lightweight Crew Finish Strong at EARC SprintsWomen’s Novice Lightweights Take Bronze at Eastern SprintsHansen Goes 1-1 at NCAA Championship
For the first time in over 10 years, both the varsity and freshman eights of the men’s lightweight crew team finished in the top 10 in the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges Rowing Championships. The team sent three boats to the competition, which took place on Lake Quinsigamond on May 18.
Cheering Against Boston Sports Is Fun, Believe Me
What's the easiest way to have more fun than you ever thought possible while watching sports in Boston? Start cheering against the Boston teams. Seriously.
Team Time Trials Set Pace as Cycling Wins Div. II National Title
The MIT Cycling Team won the 2008 Division II National Championship at the USA Cycling Collegiate Championships help in Fort Collins, Colo. on May 11. The MIT team seized an early lead in the opening event, the team time trial, and built their advantage throughout the weekend to take a surprise victory.
All-Americans Thomas, Stephens Lead MIT at NCAA Championship
Donning the Cardinal and Gray for the last time, Aline Thomas ’08 and Omari Stephens ’08 (also a <i>Tech</i> senior editor) accounted for all of MIT’s scoring at the pinnacle event in Division III track and field, the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Hosted at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh from May 22–24, the pair earned All-American accolades.
Thomas, Bradshaw Set Institute Records at N.E. Championship
While the men’s track and field team placed 20th out of thirty-eight scoring teams at the 2008 New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Aline Thomas ’08 is leaving nothing in the tank for the women.
Pamidimukkala, Holbrook Named MIT Athletes of the Year
Praveen Pamidimukkala ’08 was named the 2008 winner of the Howard W. Johnson Award and for the third year in a row, Doria M. Holbrook ’08 was awarded 2008 MIT Woman Athlete of the Year last week at the 2008 Awards Convocation.