JULIA TIERNAN/YH Onaje Woodbine, BK '02, has been key to the Elis' resurgence.

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Columbia Coach Armond Hill saw that same confidence in the Bulldogs' eyes. They had struggled on the road much more than Leanza had been struggling with his shots. But Hill said Yale did not look like a team that had lost 26 games in a row away from home. "We just kept playing," Yale Coach James Jones said about the tight second half.

This sounds simple, but the Bulldogs have struggled to keep playing well in tight road games. The night before, Yale (7-14, 5-3 Ivy) squandered a 19-point lead at Cornell (8-13, 1-7 Ivy). "We were pretty much awestruck," Kirkowski said about the aftermath of the loss. "We didn't know what to think."

"I like to think that our guys believed they can win on the road all along, but sometimes you don't believe it until you do it," Jones said. It was difficult to believe after the collapse against Cornell, yet after the Columbia win the players are brimming with confidence.

This weekend, the Bulldogs will look to extend their road-winning streak to three games against Dartmouth (6-15, 2-6) on Fri., Feb. 18, and Harvard (8-13, 3-5) on Sat., Feb. 19. The Bulldogs swept Dartmouth and Harvard at home in January, but this time they will face two players who were injured when Yale last played their teams—Dartmouth point guard Flinder Boyd '02 and Harvard forward Dan Clemente '01. Boyd leads the Ivy League in assists with 6.8 per game, and Clemente leads the league in scoring with 18.8 points per game.

Yet the confident Jones and Kirkowski were not impressed with these additions. "Flinder Boyd is an adequate point guard, but by no stretch of the imagination is he the best point guard in the conference," Jones said. Kirkowski was also unworried. "We're going in with 100 percent confidence that we'll beat Harvard," he said. "Clemente won't have anything to say about that."

—Carl Bialik

MEN'S SWIMMING
Facing end of year, Elis work to qualify for postseason

As the season races to a close, the men's swimming team is practicing harder each day to shave seconds off of their times. The team has compiled a 10-2 record and proven themselves to be a force in the Ivies behind the leadership of their seniors. "They have been a very strong presence to all the swimmers," Coach Frank Keefe said. "Their enthusiasm really helps the team."

This weekend, the Elis have one last chance to prepare for the important meets ahead. The Yale Invitational on Sat., Feb. 19 is a chance for all the swimmers to make the qualifying time for the upcoming Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League (EISL) championships at Princeton on Thurs., Mar. 2. "We can't afford to sit out for two weeks," Keefe said, "We need to stay sharp, and improve our qualifying times."

Only 18 swimmers attend the EISL meet, which is a qualifier for the NCAA championships. Swimmers who do not qualify for the EISL will finish their season at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championships on Thurs., Feb. 24. The qualification for each championship depends on individual times. "We cannot control what the other teams do; we can only swim our best," Keefe said. The competition for qualifying spots will most likely come from Harvard and Princeton swimmers on the teams that handed Yale its only two losses.

In preparation for the upcoming meets, the Elis have been working on the basics. "We have cut down on our yards, but we are swimming faster sprints," George Gleason, TC '01, said. The intensity and health of the team are of utmost importance to the success of the upcoming weekends. "We are pretty driven, so there is a good chance of making it," Gleason said.

—Lindsey Stimpson

WOMEN'S TENNIS
Bouncing to the top

While they haven't faced any Ivy competition yet this season, the women's tennis team is setting up for what could be its most competitive spring season in memory. Sweeping the University of Massachusetts, 9-0, on Fri., Feb. 4 gave the Elis the confidence they'll need to win in a very talented Ivy League. "There'll be some tough competition this year, but I believe we have the ability to rise to the occasion," Captain Jacklyn Fu, MC '00 said. "Maintaining a high level of confidence and determination will be key factors."

Fu's positive outlook and leadership have also been key factors, especially during Coach Meghan McMahon's maternity leave. "Jackie has done an amazing job organizing team meetings, improving practices, and motivating each member," Lauren Muehl, CC '01, said. Aside from the void left by Coach McMahon's absence, the Elis are also adjusting to the small size of their team. They take to the court with only nine players, three fewer than last year. While this provides a strong sense of intimacy and individualized attention, it also creates a limited support system in the event of injuries.

"Considering the size of our team this year, injuries will be one of our greatest obstacles," Fu said. "We really need everyone to be fit and healthy in order to come up with our best possible lineup." Hoping to provide their best lineup, the Elis head to the Princeton Invitational on Fri., Feb. 18 to take on the rest of the Ivy League.

—Alison Morris

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