Columbia Spectator Sports

Senior profile: Mike Mazzullo

Mrinal Mohanka — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 EST

This story is one of a series of profiles of 2012 graduates. See all senior profiles for this year here.

Most seniors at Columbia spent the last few weeks of school thinking about the end of classes, finals, and senior week among other things the end of the semester brings. But Mike Mazzullo’s last few weeks at Columbia College have not revolved around the sense of an ending. The senior, who was a four-year starter for and the first-ever three-time captain of the Light Blue men’s soccer team, has been training with the New York Red Bulls, one of the largest franchises in Major League Soccer and one that boasts several world-class players.

“It’s a huge adjustment coming from the college game to playing with guys like Henry and Marquez,” Mike Mazzullo said, referring to international soccer stars Thierry Henry and Ráfael Marquez.

Mazzullo made history in January, becoming the first Columbia soccer player ever to be drafted by an MLS team when the Canadian side Toronto FC selected him in the supplemental draft. But things did not work out across the border, and Mazzullo returned to Columbia and began training with the Red Bulls.

“I’m just training with them,” Mazzullo said. “I don’t know what my official status is. I trained with the first team last week which was obviously a lot of fun and that’s how I’m treating the opportunity: That it’s fun and I’m just trying to make the most of it and it’s soccer, so you can’t go wrong.”

The New Yorker was a significant part of a class that helped turn around the men’s soccer program. The season before Mazzullo and his peers from the class of 2012 set foot in Morningside Heights, the Lions went 0-7 in the Ivy League. Four years later, a team captained by Mazzullo almost delivered the program’s first Ivy title since 1993. The Light Blue finished with a 4-1-2 conference record and came closer to the Ivy League title than any other occasion in the past 18 years, as Brown and Dartmouth shared the crown with a 4-2-1 record. The Lions tied 1-1 against Cornell in Ithaca in the season finale—a win would have handed the title to Columbia.

“Soccer-wise, with the group of guys that we had coming in—a strong freshman class—I expected that we were going to win an Ivy League championship and be pretty dominant, so that’s an obvious letdown never to have achieved those goals,” Mazzullo said. “I think if you’re an athlete, you should always feel like you didn’t do enough rather than you achieved too much. You should always have that hunger to achieve more and that feeling of ambition.”

But even with that outlook, Mazzullo recognizes that the team has made strides.

“At the end of last season, I didn’t think we had as good a season as I’d have hoped, but looking back at the past four years, the team is a lot better now than it was when I came in and that’s an achievement in itself,” he said.

The midfielder was an all-Ivy honoree twice during his Columbia career, and finishes with four goals—including two game-winners—and five assists. Mazzullo played in 66 matches out of a possible 68 during his career as a Lion as he attempted to perfect the art of balancing soccer with academics.

“Academically, I knew what I was getting into,” he said. “I became a history major and obviously it’s tough academically, but at Columbia, like a lot of other schools, it’s as hard as you want to make it. So I was able to negotiate my soccer goals and sacrifices with having a pretty successful academic career throughout.”

Even though Mazzullo has already represented the Red Bulls in a fixture against the Lions, he’s still getting used to becoming an alum.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” he said. “I played in the New York Red Bulls reserve game against Columbia, which is kind of strange, because these were my teammates just a couple months ago. It was obviously a little strange but it hasn’t really sunk in yet. I think when the fall comes around and I see the schedule, see the teams they’ll be going up against in the Ivy League and the rest, that’s when it’ll sink in.”

Senior profile: Pat Lowery, CC

Eli Schultz — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 EST

This story is one of a series of profiles of 2012 graduates. See all senior profiles for this year here.

When the Lions open the 2013 campaign, for the first time since 2009, Pat Lowery will not be on the mound.

At 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, the righty, a senior in Columbia College, has been an imposing presence on the mound for the Lions over the last four years, and was the Light Blue’s opening day starter each of the last three seasons. In his time at Columbia, Lowery amassed a career record of 10-16, an ERA of 3.56, and 147 strikeouts in 192.1 innings.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Lowery said of the end of his collegiate career following the Lions’ final game of the season on April 28.

But what a career it’s been.

In his first year, the Oakdale, Conn. native saw limited action. He went 0-4 with a 4.32 ERA in 11 appearances, including four starts, also registering his only two saves as a freshman.

But Lowery emerged as a dominant force in the Ivy League during his sophomore season. The 2010 campaign was a very successful one for the team as a whole, as Columbia won a Lou Gehrig Division title, and Lowery was an integral part of the team’s success. After becoming the Lions’ ace, the righty went 5-3 with a 3.46 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 65 innings on the way to earning Ivy League Pitcher of the Year honors. Lowery was especially impressive in conference play, recording a 3-1 record and holding opponents to a remarkably low .172 average. He also pitched brilliantly in his final start of the season, which came in game one of the Ivy championship series versus Dartmouth. Lowery lasted the full nine innings and gave up just two earned runs, striking out seven en route to a 13-2 Columbia win.

Like many of his teammates, Lowery struggled to meet expectations in 2011. His ERA rose to 4.62 and his record was an unimpressive 1-5 due in part to problems with run support. One of his losses came in a game in which he allowed only one earned run, and in five of his nine starts he failed to pick up a win despite giving up three or fewer runs.

Lowery bounced back, though, and pitched brilliantly in his senior season. He went 4-4 on the year, posting a career-high 46 strikeouts in 53.2 innings. In addition to being the lowest of his college career, Lowery’s ERA of 2.35 this past season was the best in the Ancient Eight.

Though his college career is over, Lowery’s baseball future is very promising. With a fastball that is consistently in the 90-92 mph range and that occasionally hits 94, coupled with a slider in the mid-to-high 80s, Lowery has attracted the attention of a number of professional scouts.

“There’s been a number of guys who have been out to see him,” head coach Brett Boretti said. “From the activity and the guys who have been out to see him, I’m pretty sure he’s gonna get a shot at the draft.”

While a MLB career is still far from guaranteed, Lowery will leave Columbia with a bright future ahead of him.

Senior profile: Sammy Roberts, SEAS

Spencer Gyory — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 EST

This story is one of a series of profiles of 2012 graduates. See all senior profiles for this year here.

While Columbia’s fencing future is very bright, senior sabreist Sammy Roberts leaves big shoes to fill as she graduates this May.

Roberts fenced at an elite level throughout her four years as a Lion. She accrued a 140-58 record and was named first team all-Ivy three times and second team all-Ivy once. Moreover, Roberts earned honorable mention All-American the past three years at NCAAs.

But Roberts never planned to get involved with fencing. She fell into it thanks to a push from her best friend Caroline Vloka.

“I got involved with fencing when I was 14,” Roberts said. “My best friend tricked me into going to practice with her. What she was trying to do was really obvious, but I fell for it. It turns out I like the sport and I have a knack for it.”

Vloka, who has fenced on Harvard’s sabre team for the past four years, has been a mentor and friend to Roberts throughout her fencing career.

“Caroline walked me through the whole process,” Roberts said. “She got me into the sport, got me involved with the competitions. To this day she is one of my best friends and she is an amazing fencer. She has supported me 100 percent.”

Roberts began competing at North American cups when she was 15 and internationally when she was 16. Fencing has taken the Upper Saddle River, N.J., native all over the world: Germany, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, France, England, Azerbaijan, South Korea, and even Cuba.

In addition to Columbia’s fencing coaches, Roberts works with renowned fencing instructor Yury Gelman at the Manhattan Fencing Center. Gelman was inducted into the Fencing Hall of Fame in 2010 and has been the U.S. Olympic coach at the past four games.

While she has achieved a number of accomplishments on the strip, including making the junior Olympic team in 2010, Roberts believes her greatest moment as a fencer came at this season’s NCAA Championships.

Midway into the regional qualifying tournament and 11 days before NCAAs, Roberts suffered what could have been a season-ending ankle injury.

“I lunged, my ankle twisted outwards and I heard my ankle pop,” Roberts said. “I crumbled to the floor and I couldn’t get up, I couldn’t walk.”

When she went to the hospital later that night, she found out she had torn two of the five ligaments in her ankle.

“I begged [head coach] Michael [Aufrichtig] to give me a chance to recover,” Roberts said. “I went home to ice and I worked with Jim Gossett for hours. Rehabbing was my job. I became an expert.”

Her fencing test was scheduled for Tuesday but Roberts said she couldn’t even walk until Saturday. Fortunately, she passed her tests and junior sabreist Loweye Diedro gave up her spot to let Roberts compete at NCAAs, where the senior finished in 12th place.

“I have no words to express my gratitude to Loweye,” Roberts said.

Roberts majored in chemical engineering at the School of Engineering and Applied Science and plans to begin a Ph.D. program at the University of Florida for chemical engineering in the fall.

“It was an opportunity that came up on my door and I wasn’t going to say no,” Roberts said.

Eventually she hopes to work in product manufacturing, particularly in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, but she still hasn’t ruled out continuing her fencing career.

“I have spoken to my coaches and I don’t feel I have accomplished everything I think I can accomplish in this sport,” Roberts said. “I plan to take a year off to give myself a break from everything and I will re-evaluate then. If I decide to keep fencing, I want to make the senior team on the U.S. World Team and, if feasible, I would like to go for the 2016 Olympics.”

When asked to give advice to younger fencers, Roberts always says the same thing.

“Once you come to Columbia it’s not about you anymore,” Roberts said. “You’ll be better off when it’s not about you. Once you make it about this team you excel further than you ever thought you could. If you let your teammates in, your coaches in, at this school, you will be a better fencer than you ever knew.”

Senior profile: Melissa Shafer

Rebeka Cohan — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 EST

This story is one of a series of profiles of 2012 graduates. See all senior profiles for this year here.

One of Melissa Shafer’s favorite memories in light blue is also her first. In her debut game for Columbia, the guard scored her first-ever basket against Oakland as her family cheered her on.

“I have a bunch of family in Michigan and they were there,” she said. “They brought a lot of fans and I made my first shot when I got in–and they were screaming.”

Scored only two minutes after she entered the game, that shot was Shafer’s first-ever three-pointer in college. Although she didn’t know it at the time, it was the first of many.

Years later, during her senior season, the graduating guard broke Columbia’s record for the number of three-pointers over the course of a career, with 168. When asked about her record, Shafer was modest.

“That was my job,” she said. “To make three-pointers.”

Shafer took this job to the next level, breaking the record with the help of a fierce sense of competition. According to head coach Paul Nixon, Shafer is a remarkably committed player.

“I think on the court, she’s a very tenacious competitor,” he said. “She doesn’t back down for anyone, even if it’s somebody with a lot of size on her.”

So when her coach pulled her aside after she had been struggling with her shots and told her that she was on mark to break the record, something clicked.

“Obviously that shows how well he knew me, because that little competitive spark was lit and it helped me get extra focused and refocus on my shot,” she said. “It wasn’t necessarily a goal game in and game out. I think he knew I needed a little more.”

Shafer quickly brings up contests with her younger brother when asked if she’s always been competitive.

“And then he got bigger and stronger than me,” she said before laughing. “And I had no chance.”

Her competitive edge always made her a force to be reckoned with. In addition to holding the Columbia record for three-pointers, she played in every game all four years of college, starting in all 28 contests her senior year. In her sophomore year, she led the Ivy League in three-point shooting percentage.

“I think she’s a player who I know is always going to give me everything she had and compete to win,” Nixon said.

But when it comes to her personality off the court, Shafer is different. Friendly and caring, it’s hard to imagine her, according to Nixon, having no interest in making friends.

“Off the court, Melissa is a very sweet-natured person,” he said. “She has a great sense of humor, and she really gets along very well with people.”

He’s right. When asked about her defining moment on the team, she’s can think of only the team.

“I’ve been able to develop some really close bonds with some girls,” she said.

This is also true for Shafer in her day-to-day life at Columbia. The psychology major is quick to joke about the nostalgia she’s feeling with the end of senior year, but that doesn’t change how much she appreciates her time at Columbia.

“I think the people here,” she said when asked what her favorite thing at Columbia. “Just how different everyone is and how everyone can still be on the same page together.”

Senior profile: Kyle Merber, CC

Charlotte Murtishaw — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 EST

This story is one of a series of profiles of 2012 graduates. See all senior profiles for this year here.

“I stepped on it, and I obviously make a lot of inappropriate gestures and a lot of bad words came out of my mouth. ... Like, ‘Bad word, bad word, I’m going to have to take at least a day off of running while waiting for this cut to heal.’”

On a training run the August before his junior year, Columbia track and field standout Kyle Merber tore a tendon in his foot when he stepped on a piece of glass, an injury that prevented him from training the next day—and from competing in all three of his seasons: cross country, indoor, and outdoor—that year.

Just months earlier, Merber, then a sophomore in Columbia College, had set an Ivy League record in the mile, becoming the second ever in the conference to break four minutes in the event, and later took 10th at the NCAAs.

“It was obviously a difficult time for me,” Merber said of his forced sabbatical. “The hardest part was the fact that every day I thought there was a chance I would be able to run again. But in terms of development as an athlete, that gave me time to rest and reflect on what I’d done in my career and what I wanted to do going forward … I walked away with a lot of motivation.”

Because of that motivation, Merber’s career was characterized not by what could have been but by what was.

Merber has topped off his career with a superb senior season, claiming the individual silver at cross-country Heps, taking gold in the mile and helping set a conference distance medley relay record at Indoor Heps, and breaking his own Ivy League record in the 4x800 in Outdoor Heps—a record he and three other Lions had set just the previous week at the Penn Relays. He also holds the Ivy League record in the 1,500 meters, and has won multiple Ivy titles.

On May 14, 2012, Merber made history on a much larger scale. Running in the 1,500 at the Swarthmore Last Chance Meet, he crushed the competition by finishing in 3:35.59. This time was not only good enough to crush his old Ivy League record, but it was also the fastest 1,500 time ever recorded by an American collegiate athlete.

A clearly successful athlete, Merber is also modest and graceful in his disappointments. This year, for instance, his silver medal at cross-country Heps was a mixed victory: Although he helped the team make Nationals for the first time ever, Merber was only one-tenth of a second from individual gold.

“Naturally in the sport there’s a lot of tight finishes, and I’ve been fortunate lots of times to finish on the right side of it. Other times, you unfortunately finish on the backside of it,” he said. “Definitely the most upsetting part was the team was so close, and so not only did I get nipped at the line, the team did. But I mean, those types of moments you take in a stride and you recover from them, and you ultimately realize that there’s a lot of positives to take away.”

Though he competes in a seemingly individual sport, Merber views the joy of running as heavily team-based. When asked to name personal highlights, for instance, he hovers on his sub-four miler before waxing rhapsodic about collaborative efforts. “The relays I was able to anchor and help my teammates and together win a individual DMR or 4x800 title really stand out,” he said. “It’s way more fun to celebrate with other people.”

Columbia’s emphasis on the team played a large part in Merber’s decision to enroll. “I was told by the coaches, ‘Look, we don’t have any scholarships or anything but we really, really want you,’” he said, “and I wanted to come here and be a part of something that where I wasn’t just another athlete to these coaches or this team but really a part of it and embraced by a family atmosphere.”

A philosophy major, Merber says his solitary time spent running helps him think. “There’s probably some connection,” he said. “I’m not necessarily thinking about Kant’s theories while I run, but I think you have plenty of time to reflect on life, its meaning, why you’re doing things.”

At the same time, his philosophizing reveals him to be, at least on some level, intensely practical. Besides that one ill-fated run, Merber doesn’t have many regrets, besides learning too late that Rite Aid sells the cheapest cereal in the neighborhood.

“I’m very happy with the way everything’s worked out. I’ve had a lot of fun in the process and with the friends and relationships I’ve made, and coming out with those memories is definitely something that I’d say contributed largely to these best four years of my life,” Merber said. “Everyone says that college should be the best four years of my life, and I can say confidently up to this point, they have been.”

2011-12 in Review: After roller coaster season, baseball finishes 3rd

Myles Simmons — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 EST

This article is part of a special issue looking back at the 2011-12 academic year. Read the rest of the issue here.

The season might not have gone exactly the way the players and coaches would have wanted, but baseball finished the year as one of the most competitive Light Blue teams. The Lions got off to a slow start, going 1-3 in their first four contests against the Citadel in South Carolina, and followed that up with a West Coast road trip during spring break where the Lions won just two of their 10 games.

But just like the weather, the Lions began to heat up toward the end of March, and were able to end the season with a 21-24 overall record, including a 12-8 mark in Ivy play. This season marked the second time in the last three years that the Light Blue reached 20 or more overall wins paired with a winning Ivy record. The Lions finished in third place in the Lou Gehrig Division—two games behind division winner Cornell and just one game shy of last year’s Ivy champion, Princeton.

Although the Lions came up short in terms of making it to postseason play, the team had quite a few standout performances throughout the year.

Perhaps the team’s greatest strength was its pitching staff, especially starting pitching. The Lions were second in the league in ERA at 4.36, behind only Lou Gehrig champion Cornell. If only Ivy games are considered, then the Lions ended up first in ERA (3.34) and strikeouts (140). Led by senior Pat Lowery, the starting staff put up impressive numbers.

Lowery led the league in overall ERA at 2.35 in nine starts, also throwing two complete games, including one shutout. But in Ivy play, Lowery was even more dominant: He had a 3-1 record with a 1.80 ERA and 30 strikeouts. His collegiate career may be over, but according to head coach Brett Boretti, it may just be the beginning of a new chapter.

“From the activity and the guys who have been out to see him, I’m pretty sure he’ll get a shot at the draft,” Boretti said. “If a guy is pitching 90-92 these days, he’s got a pretty good shot. I’m hoping he’ll be a solid pick and get a good opportunity.”

Replacing Lowery will be no small task, but considering the strength of the three returning pitchers in the rotation—juniors Tim Giel and Stefan Olson and sophomore David Speer—there won’t be as much pressure to step into Lowery’s shoes. Giel posted a 3.83 ERA in his nine starts this season, while Olson did him a tad better with a 3.65 ERA in nine starts. Speer went 3-1 with a 4.91 ERA in 10 appearances, including nine starts.

On offense, however, the Lions will need to replace some valuable contributors. Senior Jon Eisen was the offensive catalyst all year, batting in the leadoff spot for the vast majority of games. At one point, he had compiled an 18-game hitting streak.

“He’s consistently confident, which is great,” Boretti said during the streak in early April. “Him getting on base definitely helps us.”

Eisen finished the season with a .360 batting average and 54 hits, and his .446 batting average in Ivy games was tops in the league. All of that time spent on base placed Eisen in the record books. He finished his Columbia career in sixth place all-time in runs scored (121) and in third place in hits (198).

“It means a lot,” Eisen said. “Looking back on it, it’s not something I ever thought would happen. It’s crazy.”

A couple other seniors will leave a substantial void in the Lions lineup as they graduate, including senior Billy Rumpke, who held down center field for most of his Lions career.

“A lot of what Billy does for us doesn’t show up in the box scores,” Boretti said. “He’s a great center fielder, and I think that’s something that is going to be very tough for us to replace. That will be our biggest loss defensively, for sure.”

Designated hitter Alex Aurrichio will also leave some big shoes to fill. The 6-foot-6 lefty put up great power numbers in his career and finished tied for third on Columbia’s all-time home run list with 23. As a two-sport athlete, Aurrichio experienced more than his fair share of heartbreak this year by coming just short of an Ivy Championship in soccer and then finishing just two games behind Cornell in the spring.

“What sticks out is just how close I came,” Aurrichio said, reflecting on his baseball and soccer careers. “We came real close in 2010, and this year, with soccer we were a goal away. There’s a lot of heartbreak involved and a lot of dedication and hard work.”

Junior Dario Pizzano also made history this season by launching four home runs to give him 25 for his career, tying the all-time Columbia record held by Gene Larkin, CC ’84. Larkin is perhaps best known for his walk-off single for the Minnesota Twins in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.

“I was trying not to think about it, but when something like that is on the line, it’s just always going to be in the back of your head,” Pizzano said after tying the record on April 25 against Fordham. “It’s an honor to be in the same category as Gene Larkin.”

Though he is just a junior, according to Boretti, Pizzano’s stellar play has caught the eye of some MLB organizations. Boretti said that there is a possibility the slugger could be drafted in June. If Pizzano is drafted and decides to sign, it will certainly leave a big void in the Lions lineup next season.

Still, with or without Pizzano, the Lions should be strong contenders next season. Boretti wants his lineup to become more consistent and believes the pieces will be there to do so.

“Nick Ferraresi improved this year, we’d like to see him continue to improve, and Al Black is a guy who finally got healthy and showed what he could do,” Boretti said. “Aaron Silbar had a very good year at shortstop—defensively, he’s a good player. Between him, [Jordan] Serena, and [Nick] Crucet in the middle, that’s a good solid middle that’s returning.”

For now, the Lions will have to wait until next March to see the field once again. But when they do, Boretti expects to see much of the same quality of baseball that he saw the last few weeks of the season.

“I think as a whole, the guys did a really great job of getting better each weekend,” Boretti said. “We’re at a really great point right now, and the season’s over.”

Read the rest of the issue here.

2011-12 in Review: After strong start, men’s basketball unable to make a comeback

Steven Lau — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 EST

This article is part of a special issue looking back at the 2011-12 academic year. Read the rest of the issue here.

A season-ending injury for the star player, the longest win streak in 30 years, and a disappointing sixth-place league finish were just a few of the unexpected turns in the men’s basketball team’s 2011-2012 season.

In head coach Kyle Smith’s second season, the Lions finished with an even record, 15-15, and went 4-10 in Ivy play. But after the home opener on Nov. 14 against Furman, many fans did not even expect the Light Blue to have a .500 season.

With 6:19 remaining in the second half of that game, star point guard Noruwa Agho landed awkwardly on his knee and fell to the ground as the crowd in Levien Gymnasium went silent.

Agho did not re-enter the game, and by the end of that week, it was announced that he had suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Whatever vision the team had for itself prior to the season changed completely once the Lions’ top scorer took a permanent seat on the sidelines.

“Everyone has a vision of what they want the team to be like, but once we start to actually play games without Noruwa, we’ll see what it’s like and what the dynamic is,” junior center Mark Cisco said in November.

The first thing that had to change was the Light Blue offense. With Agho gone, junior guard Brian Barbour stepped into the role of top scorer, primary ball handler, and team leader. By the end of the season, Barbour was the fourth-highest scorer in the Ivy League, averaging 15.5 points per game.

But the team’s attempts to redefine itself initially produced few positive results. After losing the season opener at UConn and dropping the home game to Furman, the Lions suffered two double-digit losses to American and Stony Brook.

After Thanksgiving, something changed.

In their first game after the holiday, the Lions defeated Manhattan, 59-41, for a win that sparked the team’s most successful run since the 1981-1982 season. From Nov. 26 to Dec. 10, the Lions won seven consecutive games, and in only one of those contests did their opponents break 60 points.

Smith—known as an offensive guru during his tenure at Saint Mary’s—was surprised to find that Columbia’s strongest facet was the part of the game the Lions thought would be their weakness.

“I think our calling card this year—funny for me—is going to be defense,” Smith said after the Light Blue came back from a 20-point deficit to beat Holy Cross.

The team’s success was spurred on by the efforts of sophomore guard Meiko Lyles, who took the starting position left open by Agho. During Columbia’s three-game stint in Los Angeles, Lyles went 14-of-17 from beyond the arc, and at one point hit 12 consecutive three-pointers.

While Lyles became a fixture in the backcourt, the Lions’ also saw a new face in the starting frontcourt lineup. Freshman forward Alex Rosenberg got his first collegiate start against Manhattan and proved himself as both a scorer and rebounder.

The Lions’ winning streak was snapped at the end of December with a loss to Marist, but Columbia continued its success through the new year, and by the start of conference play, the Light Blue had won 11 of 12 games.

But when the Ivy season began, the Lions’ momentum came to a grinding halt.

Columbia lost its first two conference games against Penn and Princeton in almost identical fashion, giving up an early lead and falling just short of a successful comeback.

After that, the Lions struggled to string together two wins. A five-point win at home against Cornell was followed up by a disappointing five-point loss in Ithaca, and a last-second victory at Dartmouth was accompanied by another close loss to Harvard.

Ten of the 14 conference games were decided by single-digit margins, and most of the time, the Lions ended up on the wrong end of a close result.

“Each one gets worse a little bit—hurts more and more,” Barbour said after the loss to the Big Red.

But the blow that ripped the sails of the Light Blue came in the home game against Yale. The Lions led by 21 points halfway through the second half, but the Bulldogs battled back to hand the Light Blue a heart-wrenching 59-58 loss.

The loss to Yale was the start of a six-game skid, highlighted by a two-point overtime loss to Penn, a 16-point loss at Brown, and a disappointing overtime loss to league leader Harvard at home.

The unexpected thrashing by the Bears was indicative of the Lions’ ailing defense, which was less effective than during the nonconference season.

“We were good defensively the first three-fourths of the season, we were really good,” Smith said. “Then as the season went on, in order to score we sacrificed some defense, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and we could make more baskets but we couldn’t stop them as well.”

Despite the six consecutive losses, the Light Blue ended the season on a high note with a 61-55 win over Dartmouth to finish the year with an even 15-15 record.

Though Columbia had expected results for its league season, Barbour and Smith both acknowledged that, for the most part, the team was young and inexperienced.

Alongside Rosenberg, freshman center Cory Osetkowski and freshman guard Noah Springwater both made significant contributions on the court throughout the season, and Smith expects the roles of all three players to continue to grow next year.

“They have some of the normal hiccups being a freshman,” Smith said. “What we were looking for last year, I think they delivered, as far as we needed more skill.”

The Lions lose four seniors—guard Chris Crockett, guard Steve Egee, forward Matt Johnson, and forward Blaise Staab—to graduation, but the heart of the Lions offense will be back next year.

Barbour, Cisco, Lyles, Rosenberg, and junior forward John Daniels—the team’s primary starting five this season—will all return for the 2012-2013 season, and Agho is also expected to be back on the court.

With the experience gained from this season, in addition to the team’s training trip in Europe at the end of May, Smith is confident that the Lions will have a shot at success against Ancient Eight opponents next year.

“I know we’re getting closer to where we need to be as a team,” he said. “Now I think we have a good grasp of what we’re trying to do offensive and defensively. Having Meiko, having Brian, having Mark get a lot of valuable experience will be very helpful.”

Read the rest of the issue here.

2011-12 in Review: Disappointing football season ends with overtime thriller

Jeremiah Sharf — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 EST

This article is part of a special issue looking back at the 2011-12 academic year. Read the rest of the issue here.

The Columbia football team had a rough 2011 campaign that saw it go 1-9 overall and 1-6 in the Ivy League—the team’s worst record since the 2002-2003 season in which it posted the same record.

The season got off on the wrong foot with a 21-14 loss at Fordham. In a game where neither team could get things going early—there were only 77 yards of total offense between the two teams at the end of the first—the Rams were able to capitalize off the Lions’ mistakes. Junior quarterback Sean Brackett had a strong day passing, but one of his two interceptions was returned for a touchdown—which was the difference in the contest.

The next game, the home opener against Albany, was indicative of how the rest of the Lions’ season would play out. The team lost in blowout fashion, 44-21, after giving up over 400 yards of total offense to the Great Danes.

Another trend beginning to take shape was the team’s inability to keep the ball. Albany was able to score on three of the four Light Blue turnovers, resulting in three touchdowns in the span of five minutes of the third quarter.

Albany head coach Bob Ford gave credit to his team after the game, but he also admitted that turnovers played a big role in the final outcome.

“I think that was probably what caused the disparity in the score more than anything else,” Ford said.

Columbia had the perfect opportunity for a bounce-back game the next week in its Ivy League opener at Princeton, a team it thrashed the past two seasons, winning 38-0 and 42-14 in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, respectively. But the Light Blue was unable to take advantage of the perennial Ivy bottom-dwellers, losing 24-21. The Light Blue’s inability to play consistent football for four quarters was evidenced. Columbia was unable to score on several occasions, including a last-minute drive at the end of the game.

After the game, the Lions tried to explain the failure to perform in key situations, and for senior defensive back and co-captain Ross Morand, it came down to the basics.

“In those key situations, you’ve got to believe you can do it, you’ve got to see yourself doing it, and you’ve got to get it done,” Morand said after the game. “It’s simple as that: Get it done.”

Simple as it may have been, the team still couldn’t pick up the elusive first victory in the final nonconference game of the season against Sacred Heart, which it lost. More problems came into the forefront in the 34-25 loss—in particular, defense and special teams.

For the defense, it came down to simple tackling, especially against the run.

“We weren’t stout enough in the run game,” senior defensive back A.J. Maddox said following the loss. “Guys were missing the first tackle. Everybody has to move their feet.”

The remainder of the season was against conference competitors, which meant the Lions would be facing teams at their best.

First up for the Light Blue was Homecoming, against reigning Ivy League Champion and powerhouse Penn. The Quakers won, 27-20, in a highly contested contest in which they got the winning score—a seven-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Billy Ragone—with 25 seconds remaining in the fourth.

Though the Quakers are a strong team with a lot of offensive weapons, mistakes played a huge role in deciding the contest, according to Brackett.

“We hurt ourselves more than they actually hurt us,” Brackett said. “Penn’s a good team with a good defense but I think we shot ourselves in the foot too many times.”

The following week at Dartmouth, the Lions were without Brackett, and senior quarterback Jerry Bell had to fill the role. Both the offense and defense were helpless against the Big Green, as the Light Blue allowed 426 yards of total offense to its 148. Bell threw two interceptions—both of which were taken by linebacker Bronson Green—as the Lions fell in devastating fashion, 37-0.

It was unclear who was to blame more for the loss. After the game Bell said it was his fault, but senior linebacker Nick Mistretta also placed some of the blame on the defense.

“It’s still up to the defense to make a play, make a stop, and I’d say for the most part we had trouble doing that whether it was on a short field or a long field today,” Mistretta said after the loss.

Columbia was 0-6 with four games remaining.

The next opponent was Yale, and in a game in which the most interesting story was the massive downpour of snow, the Bulldogs won, 16-13. Running back Mordecai Cargill kept Yale in the hunt for the title with his monstrous 230-yard, two-touchdown performance.

The Light Blue then faced league-leading Harvard at home. With hopes of being the giant-killers, Brackett kept the team in the game with his feet for the first half, and the score was even at 14 at the end of the half. From there, Harvard quarterback Collier Winters took over, finishing the game with 323 yards passing and three touchdowns to lead the Crimson to a 35-21 victory.

History was made in Ithaca, N.Y., as the Lions’ record fell to 0-9 with a 62-41 loss to Cornell. Unfortunately for Columbia, it was on the wrong end of Cornell quarterback Jeff Mathews’ 521-yard, five-touchdown performance. Brackett couldn’t match Mathews’ output, but still put up impressive numbers (409 yards and four touchdowns).

With one game left at home against a Brown team that was sitting at second in the league, the Light Blue seniors were determined to save the team from a winless season. With the help of a supportive crowd and inspired seniors, Columbia beat the Bears, 35-28, in a double overtime thriller. Brackett’s 16-yard run in the second overtime sealed the deal for the Lions, who were carried by the quarterback’s four-touchdown performance.

Following the final game, Athletic Director M. Dianne Murphy put an end to Wilson’s time at Columbia after the disappointing season.

Though the termination did not come as a surprise for most, the players lauded Wilson’s devotion.

“He had the respect of everyone on the team. I don’t think that ever waned,” senior wide receiver and captain Mike Stephens said following the firing. “We wanted to play hard for the guy but unfortunately it didn’t pan out the way we wanted it to.”

Head coach Pete Mangurian has since been brought in to replace Wilson, who left Columbia with a 17-43 record in his six seasons at the University.

Mangurian has brought an entirely different work ethic to Morningside Heights, hoping to bring a winner’s mentality to Columbia, something he made clear at his introductory press conference.

“We need to expect to win,” Mangurian said. “It has to become part of who we are ... We cannot go in with any kind of marginal idea of, ‘OK, this is good enough.’”

Columbia football players returning in the fall will be playing for a new head coach, and if Mangurian has his way, they’ll bring in a new winning culture to Columbia.

Read the rest of the issue here.

2011-12 in Review: Sports Briefly

Spectator Sports Staff — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 EST

This article is part of a special issue looking back at the 2011-12 academic year. Read the rest of the issue here, including season recaps for baseball, football, men's basketball, and women's track and field.

FALL SPORTS

Cross Country
Ivy Finish: second
Star Players: Waverly Neer, Kyle Merber
Highest High: both the men and women taking second at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships
Lowest Low: women’s team being just two points shy of tying with first-place Cornell at Heps
Players to Watch: Neer, Mike Murphy, Nic Composto, Caroline McDonough

Field Hockey
Season Record: 9-8, 5-2 Ivy
Ivy Finish: tied for third with Dartmouth
Star Player: Gabby Kozlowski
Highest High: defeated Dartmouth 4-2 to keep hold of first place in the conference
Lowest Low: Losing to Yale 3-1 and dropping out of first place
Player to Watch: Lauren Skudalski

Men’s Soccer
Season record: 8-7-2, 4-2-1 Ivy
Ivy finish: third
Star Player: Will Stamatis
Highest High: beating Brown in overtime
Lowest Low: failing to beat Cornell and missing out on the Ivy title as a result
Players to Watch: David Najem, Henning Sauerbier

Women’s Soccer
Season Record: 6-10-1, 3-3-1 Ivy
Ivy Finish: tied for fourth with Brown
Star Players: Liz Wicks, Ashlin Yahr
Highest High: beating Dartmouth 2-1, with both goals coming in the last 10 minutes of regulation
Lowest Low: losing to Princeton 4-1 after going scoreless the three games prior
Players to Watch: Alexa Yow, Chelsea Ryan

Volleyball
Season Record: 15-10, 9-5 Ivy
Ivy Finish: third
Star Player: Megan Gaughn
Highest High: a three-game conference win streak, during which it toppled Brown, Harvard, and Dartmouth
Lowest Low: falling to Princeton and Penn in the final weekend
Players to Watch: Savannah Fletcher, Heather Braunagel

WINTER SPORTS

Women’s Basketball
Season Record: 3-25, 1-13 Ivy
Ivy Finish: eighth
Star Players: Tyler Simpson, Melissa Shafer
Highest High: defeating Yale for first Ivy League win of the season, 56-52
Lowest Low: finishing last in the Ivy League having accumulated only three wins
Players to Watch: Simpson, Courtney Bradford

Men’s Fencing
Season Record: 8-10, 2-3 Ivy
Ivy Finish: third
Star Player: Alen Hadzic
Highest High: Hadzic coming back in the semifinals at the NCAA Championship from 7-12 to win 15-14
Lowest Low: falling to eventual Ivy champion Princeton 13-14 at Ivies
Players to Watch: Hadzic, Will Spear, Michael Josephs

Women’s Fencing
Season Record: 13-6, 5-1 Ivy
Ivy Finish: second
Star Player: Sammy Roberts
Highest High: beating Harvard 14-13 at the Ivy League Championships to go into bout against Princeton 4-0
Lowest Low: falling to eventual Ivy Champion Princeton 9-18 at Ivies
Players to Watch: Nzingha Prescod, Essane Diedro, Loweye Diedro, Lydia Kopecky

Men’s Squash
Season Record: 7-11, 1-6 Ivy
Ivy Finish: seventh
Star Player: Ramit Tandon
Highest High: finishing second in the Hoehn Cup at the CSA National Championships
Lowest Low: going 0-9 against both Harvard and Dartmouth in the same weekend
Player to Watch: Tandon

Women’s Squash
Season Record: 7-11, 0-7 Ivy
Ivy Finish: eighth
Star Player: Liz Chu
Highest High: back-to-back 9-0 wins over Georgetown and Connecticut College
Lowest Low: losing its last six regular season matches in a row
Players to Watch: Chu, Alisha Maity, Kate Calihan

Men’s Swimming and Diving
Season Record: 7-4, 4-3 Ivy
Ivy Finish: third at Ivy League Championships
Star Players: Omar Arafa, Jeremie DeZwirek
Highest High: having two first-team all-Ivy athletes at Ivy League Championships and three second-team all-Ivy
Lowest Low: getting beaten by Harvard 206-92 during a dual meet where the races were close
Players to Watch: Dominik Koll, Omar Arafa, Jeremie DeZwirek, John Wright, Daniel Gosek

Women’s Swimming and Diving
Season Record: 8-1, 6-1 Ivy
Ivy Finish: fourth at Ivy Championships
Star Player: Katie Meili
Highest High: beating Princeton for the first time in history, which was the first time the Tigers have ever lost in their own pool
Lowest Low: narrowly placing fourth to Yale at Ivies
Players to Watch: Meili, Laney Kluge, Grace Senko

Wrestling
Season Record: 8-5
Ivy Finish: tied for second with Penn
Star Player: Steve Santos
Highest High: three wrestlers making it to day two of NCAAs
Lowest Low: 30-9 blowout at hands of Cornell
Players to Watch: Santos, Jake O’Hara, Shane Hughes

SPRING SPORTS

Archery
Star Player: Sarah Chai
Highest High: taking gold in recurve and compound at the Eastern Regional Intercollegiate Archery Championships
Lowest Low: failing to overcome Olympic-level competition at AAE Arizona Cup
Player to Watch: Sarah Bernstein

Men’s Golf
Ivy Finish: third
Star Players: Michael Yiu, Brendan Doyle
Highest High: finishing in third place at the Ivy League Championships
Lowest Low: finishing 11th out of 16 teams at the UALR/First Tee Collegiate Classic
Players to Watch: Brandon Jowers, Andrew Kim

Women’s Golf
Ivy Finish: fourth at Ivy Championships
Star Player: Michelle Piyapattra
Highest High: Piyapattra winning first and the team placing second at the Roar-EE Invitational
Lowest Low: Placing 13th out of 13 at the Fresno State Classic
Players to Watch: Piyapattra, Jane Dong, Lisa Combs

Lacrosse
Season Record: 2-13, 0-7 Ivy
Ivy Finish: eighth
Star Player: Kacie Johnson
Highest High: 19-11 win over Lafayette, where CU snapped eight-game losing streak and four players had hat tricks
Lowest Low: 13-9 loss at Yale, where Columbia had a chance to tie for seventh in the Ancient Eight
Players to Watch: Johnson, Paige Cuscovitch

Men’s Heavyweight Rowing
Ivy Finish: currently sixth
Highest High: finishing first of four and winning the Alumni Cup
Lowest Low: not finishing first in all of April

Men’s Lightweight Rowing
Ivy Finish: currently seventh
Highest High: nearly sweeping the Governor’s Cup
Lowest Low: finishing third out of three in the Fosburgh Cup against Princeton and Georgetown

Women’s Rowing
Ivy Finish: currently seventh
Highest High: sweeping the Governor’s Cup, including a 35-second victory over the hosts by the first varsity eights
Lowest Low: finishing third of three in the Dunn Bowl against Cornell and Brown

Softball
Season Record: 12-33, 6-14 Ivy
Ivy Finish: fourth in South Division, seventh overall
Star Player: Liz Caggiano
Highest High: ending March having won five out of its last seven games
Lowest Low: ending Ivy League play with four straight losses to Penn
Players to Watch: Liz Caggiano, Brooke Darling

Men’s Tennis
Season Record: 18-4, 5-2 Ivy
Ivy Finish: second
Star Player: Winston Lin
Highest High: defeating Harvard 5-2 to remain undefeated
Lowest Low: losing to Brown 5-2 and dropping out of first place for good
Player to Watch: Lin

Women’s Tennis
Season Record: 13-6, 4-3 Ivy
Ivy Finish: tied for third with Harvard
Star Player: Nicole Bartnik
Highest High: six straight wins in the regular season that led to its best Ivy League record and finish in the team’s history
Lowest Low: coming very close to beating Harvard for the first time in years, losing 4-3
Players to Watch: Bartnik, Bianca Sanon, Iani Alecsiu

Men’s Track
Star Player: Kyle Merber
Highest High: men’s 4x800 team setting an Ivy League record at Penn Relays with a time of 7:20.80
Lowest Low: finishing more than 100 points behind second-place Cornell at Indoor Heps
Players to Watch: Brendon Fish, Connor Claflin

Read the rest of the issue here.

2011-12 in Review: Women’s track and field takes first Ivy title in program history

Melissa Cheung — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 EST

This article is part of a special issue looking back at the 2011-12 academic year. Read the rest of the issue here.

For the first time since spring of 2010, a Columbia team won an Ivy League championship this winter. The women’s track and field team won the first title in the history of the program at the Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Track & Field Championships in Ithaca, N.Y., on Feb. 27.

“It’s so special. We’ve won in cross country before, but never in track and field, and it was just amazing,” head coach Willy Wood said, “It was a great day for us.”

The Light Blue scored 124 team points, dominating the field with many outstanding performances in both short- and long-distance running events, as well as in the jumps. Cornell finished second with 103 points.

After a season filled with strong performances, the stars aligned for the Lions the last weekend in February.

Freshman Nadia Eke won the triple jump, while sophomore Marvellous Iheukwumere advanced to the finals in both the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, winning the latter on the second day of competition.

“Everyone wants to do well individually, and across the board we’re a very talented team,” freshman Waverly Neer said.

Neer also entered Heps with high expectations after she earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association cross country All-American honors in the fall and recording an NCAA Division I auto-qualifying time in the 3,000 at the Boston University Valentine Invitational. At Heps, she took first place in the 3,000.

“It was great to see my training pay off, and it was humbling to be a part of this team as a freshman,” Neer said.

The Lions took first and fifth places in the long jump, third in the weight throw, second in the pole vault, third and fifth places in the 5,000, and first in the high jump.

“It was an overall team effort, and everyone contributed in some way or another,” Wood said. “We had every event covered.”

Cornell and Princeton had been the only team to win a women’s indoor title since 2001, when Brown took home the championship. The Lions fell just short last year, when they lost to the Big Red.

“We’ve been so close so many times, but now everyone sees that it can be done,” Wood said. “It’s going to propel us in the years to come.”

Neer also underlined the importance of the win. “We’ve set a standard, and I hope years from now people will look back at the 2012 team and say that we set the foundation.”

Read the rest of the issue here.