Sports Shorts

Cornell eludes the prick of Rose to maintain No. 1 standing

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Peter Lee, TD '02, couldn't prevail

In the game against Yale (3-1, 1-1) on Sat., Sept. 23, place-kicker Mike Murawczyk, MC '01, missed his first field goal from inside 40 yards in two years, after 22 in a row. Against Harvard (2-2, 1-1) on Sat., Oct. 7, Cornell took a more active approach, as wide receiver Joe Splendorio'01 blocked a 27-yard attempt by Robbie Wright '04 in the last seconds of the game.

Harvard first-year starting quarterback, Neil Rose '02, threw the second 300-yard game of his young career and ran for three rushing touchdowns in the first half, after which Harvard led 28-0. But then Rose could only watch as his Cornell counterpart Ricky Rahne '02 led the resurgent Big Red offense on a remarkable 16.5-minute, 29-point scoring explosion to take the lead. Rahne finished with 391 yards and four touchdowns, and was named the Ivy League and ECAC/Budget Div. I-AA Offensive Player of the Week. "I think overall our team was playing not to lose instead of playing to win," Rose said,"and Cornell is good at making plays when it matters, period."

But Cornell's proclivity for procrastination will likely burn the the team before this season is over. With the worst rushing defense (306 ypg and 14 touchdowns) and offense (72 ypg and two touchdowns) in the league, the Big Red has had to rely on Rahne's second-half heroics to pull off its wins. The Crimson, led by two 5'7" sophomore running backs who weren't even on the depth chart at the season's start, gained 263 yards against the porous Cornell rush defense.

With contests remaining against Penn and Brown, whose offense averages 450 yards per game, Cornell will be hard-pressed to remain undefeated; if it falls, the rest of the league will take advantage. "The Cornell-Harvard game is just another example of the parity in the Ivy League and the excitement we have to look forward to in the final five weeks of the season," Yale Coach Jack Siedlecki said. "It is anybody's title to win."

—Carl Bialik and Dave Goldenberg



MEN'S TENNIS

Rain—and Harvard—spoils the Bulldog's ECAC parade

As the rain continued to fall, Andrew Rosenfeld, ES '04, and Dustin West, BK '04, were moved to Harvard's indoor courts after several hours' delay. When they finally returned to the court, the younger Bulldogs were unable to replicate their team's earlier successes, both losing their singles matches 4-3.

Doubles play was the highlight of the weekend, as Greg Royce, SY '01, and David Goldman, BK '04, teamed up to win No. 2 doubles, while Shackelton and Ryan Coyle, BK '02, were victorious in No. 3 doubles.

The team rebounded well in consecutive victories over Marist, 7-0 and Navy, 5-2. The two back-draw wins earned the team ninth place overall in the tournament, a respectable showing for a team that still has much room for improvement. "

"We really should have won the first match, and that would have given us an opportunity to play the No. 1 seed (Columbia)," Goldman said. "And we probably could have given them a good match as well. We did as well as we could after our first round loss."

The Bulldogs travel next to Hanover for the Dartmouth Invitational, an individual tournament that should serve as practice for next month's ITA Individual Regional Championships at Virginia Tech. The team hopes to land four or five players in the ITA, the concluding event of the fall season.

—Kenny Hammond



MEN'S CROSS-COUNTRY

Seven out of 10 at H-Y-P

After a tough September meet at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota, in which the Bulldogs placed 26th, the Harvard win was huge. The New Englands are this weekend, followed by the Heptagonals on Fri., Oct. 27. The team has placed fifth at the New Englands the past two years, but Ireland is looking for a top-three finish. The Bulldogs haven't fared well at the Heptagonals in recent years, finishing at or near the bottom of the pile.

Perhaps most important for the future of the men's team is the guidance given by the upperclassmen to the freshmen: out of the 14 runners, eight are frosh. Ireland doesn't expect perfection from the freshmen and he knows there will be mistakes. But "they're running really well so far," he said. If the team gets its way, they'll streak to victory later this month, but even if not, Ireland knows that the team's future is bright.

—Chaim Bloom

Back to Sports...