Year in Sports 2015

With just 60 ticks left on the game clock, perfection was on the line.

After battling back from a traumatic head injury, Josephine Pucci made the U.S. women's ice hockey team and captured silver in Sochi. But upon her return to Harvard, the decision to play a final season was not an easy one.

Female Athlete of the Year: Amanda Sobhy, a Four-Time Champion

If the life of Amanda Sobhy appears to be hectic, that is because it is. But with a packed schedule has come impressive results.

Male Athlete of the Year: Jimmy Vesey Revives Men's Ice Hockey

Junior men's ice hockey forward Jimmy Vesey notched 32 goals to top all Division I scorers, leading him to a stage inside Northeastern’s Matthews Arena as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award at season’s end.

Team of the Year: Women's Ice Hockey

On the ice at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, over 1,100 miles from home, the Harvard women’s ice hockey team had the program’s first NCAA title within reach. But 60 minutes of play later, that same ice was cleared smooth once again, and the Crimson watched another team, hometown favorite Minnesota, hoist the trophy in victory.

By Ariel Smolik-Valles

Taking Their Talents to the Next Level

Following graduation, Harvard students disperse into the world on a diverse range of paths. Many pursue full-time employment. Some immediately enroll in graduate school. Others travel abroad. However, a select few follow their dreams of becoming professional athletes.

By Stephen J. Gleason and Katherine H. Scott

The Place of Club Sports at Harvard

From aikikai to archery, water polo to wushu, Harvard club sports run the gamut of interests, experience, and athletic skill levels found across campus.

By Theresa C. Hebert and J. Kevin Qualey

Making the Jump From Juniors

In a season that saw the Harvard men’s ice hockey team return to national prominence, the Crimson offense tallied 3.27 goals per game, the highest mark in the ECAC. In addition to having an eye for the back of the net, Harvard’s five highest-scoring forwards all shared another thing in common: They all played junior hockey prior to arriving in Cambridge.

By David Freed

Gaming as Sport: eSports on the Rise

When asked to identify Harvard athletes, you might think of the football team taking the field at Harvard Stadium for The Game, the men’s basketball squad suiting up at Lavietes Pavilion, or the heavyweight crew team racing down the Charles River. A crowd of 50 people gathering in Pierce Hall 301 to play competitive video games might not be the first group that comes to mind.

By Justin C. Wong

No Offseason: The Lives of Two-Sport Athletes at Harvard

During their offseasons, most athletes are able to take a step back and limit their frequent treks across the river, to the Malkin Athletic Center, or to the boathouse. But that is not the case for freshman Candida Janachowski and senior Matt Brown.

By Amanda X. Fang and Jed Rothstein

Women's Ice Hockey: An Inside Perspective

As an assistant coach on this year’s staff, I am proud of our entire team. However, I am particularly proud of our class of 2015, all of whom I played alongside for at least two seasons and coached for at least one. They are largely responsible for what was one of the most triumphant winters in program history.

By Laura Bellamy

Awards

Female Breakout Athlete of the Year; Female Athlete of the Year, Runner-Up: Okwelogu the Record Breaker

First it was a school-record 15.33 meter throw, then a 16.09 mark, followed by a 16.39 meter and Ancient Eight record-setting follow-up. Then it became a weekly series of record-breaking revisions—16.51, 17.12, 17.22, and, most recently, 17.32.

By Julio Fierro

Male Rookie of the Year: Dershwitz To Pursue Olympic Dreams

For some athletes, collegiate competition is not enough. Freshman sabre fencer Eli Dershwitz came to Harvard with the full knowledge that he would be taking a break from the team after his freshman season.

By Caleb Lee

Coach of the Year: Murphy Pushes Football to Perfect Season

Every four-year athlete Murphy has recruited has won an Ancient Eight title. While team success may seem as consistent as a Cambridge winter, Murphy reached new heights in 2014.

By Sam Danello

Comeback Player of the Year: Blackwell Returns for ECAC Tournament Run

During the 2012-2013 season, Blackwell sustained two major concussions within a span of four months. Returning in 2015, Blackwell scored five goals in seven games during the ECAC tournament.

By Michael D. Ledecky

Female Rookie of the Year: Enoch Crowned an Ivy Champion

Moments before her first Ivy League Championship final in late February, freshman Geordie Enoch stood behind the blocks, going through her last minute pre-race routine. Exactly 2:00.66 later, Enoch exited Blodgett Pool as the Ivy League champion in the 200 individual medley.

By Isabel DeLaura

Male Athlete of the Year, Runner-Up: Saunders Wills Crimson to Ivy Title

Senior wing Wesley Saunders averaged 16.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game this season, capping his career with a 26-point performance against North Carolina in the NCAA tournament.

By Andrew Farber and Theresa C. Hebert

Male Breakout Athlete of the Year: Ferreira Lifts Baseball's Offense

Senior catcher Ethan Ferreira was the only member of the Crimson to appear in all 42 games this year, leading the team in hits, doubles, triples, home runs, runs batted in, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

By Stephen J. Gleason

Coach of the Year, Runner-Up: Kevin Rhoads, Men's and Women's Golf

Now in his 11th season of coaching the Harvard women’s golf team and his third season with the men's team, Kevin Rhoads has accomplished far more with both programs than his predecessors.

By Emily T. Wang

Team of the Year, Runner-Up: Men's Ice Hockey

After finishing second to last in the ECAC last season, the Harvard men's ice hockey team rebounded in a big way during the 2014-2015 campaign, capturing the conference crown and reaching the NCAA tournament.

By Michael D. Ledecky

Upset Game of the Year: Women's Ice Hockey Defeats Boston College To Win the Beanpot

On Nov. 28, 2014, then-No. 1/1 Boston College handed the then-No. 7/7 Harvard women’s ice hockey team the most punishing loss it would see all season. But in the rematch at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center with a Beanpot title on the line, the Crimson delivered.

By Cordelia F Mendez

Female Athlete of the Year, Runner-Up: Bain Repeats as All-Ivy

As the setter, Bain led Harvard in assists with 602 on the season. But despite the fact that she was aiding the attack of her teammates more than anyone else, she also led the team in kills per set with 2.63.

By Kurt T. Bullard

Comeback Game of the Year: Men's Basketball, Harvard vs. UNC

Entering its tournament opener as a substantial underdog, the men's basketball team showed it was a force to be reckoned with, fighting back from a double-digit deficit before ultimately falling to the Tar Heels.

By David Freed and Stephen J. Gleason

Coach of the Year, Runner-Up: Katey Stone, Women's Ice Hockey

After being away from the program for last season to coach the U.S. Olympic team in Sochi, Russia, Harvard women’s ice hockey coach Katey Stone returned to the Crimson for her 20th season and continued her success as the head of the program.

By Ariel Smolik-Valles

Female Rookie of the Year, Runner-Up: Lexie Laing

In her inaugural season on the women’s ice hockey team, freshman Lexie Laing took the team by storm. As one of the six freshmen to be added to this year’s squad, the 5’6” Marblehead, Mass., native was thrown into the mix of Olympians and experienced players early in the season and never looked back.

By Ariel Smolik-Valles

Male Performance of the Year: Steve Michalek

Fourth-year goaltender Steve Michalek did everything he could for the Harvard men's ice hockey team in its Beanpot opener, making 63 saves against then-No. 3/2 Boston University.

By Kurt T. Bullard

Team of the Year, Runner-Up: Football

In a season that saw the team go undefeated and win yet another Ivy League title, the football team proved its dominating power once again.

By Samantha Lin

Male Athlete of the Year, Runner-Up: Paul Stanton, Football

After a breakout sophomore season where he recorded 936 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground, junior running back Paul Stanton continued to impress, rushing for 990 yards and 11 scores in 2014.

By Samantha Lin

Male Rookie of the Year, Runner-Up: Johnson Challenges Records from the Start

Freshman Malcolm Johnson was a highly recruited sprinter coming out of high school and a centerpiece of a strong incoming recruiting class for the Harvard men’s track and field team and had little trouble finding success in his first year of collegiate competition.

By Julio Fierro

Parting Shot: The Losses That Matter

March 30, 2011, was a dreary day in Winston-Salem, N.C.—cold, gray, and wet—but that didn’t stop me from getting to BB&T Ballpark early. The Class-A Winston-Salem Dash were hosting the Chicago White Sox, and I was in desperate need of a distraction.

By Jacob D. H. Feldman

Parting Shot: Seeking Journalism's Empty Spaces

I’ve gotten used to the sounds of a newsroom. The clicking of a dozen keyboards and the quick, clipped footsteps of writers on deadlines. But this was, necessarily, quite different.

By Juliet Spies-Gans

Parting Shot: The Owen Room in Winthrop G

Since I can remember I’ve argued with my friends about sports.

By Julian Ryan

Parting Shot: The Unremarkable Remarkable

I hadn’t known it at the time, but that two-foot putt on the 18th green had marked one of the most special moments of my time at Harvard: It signified the end of my collegiate golf career.

By Brenna R. Nelsen

Parting Shot: My Failure as a Varsity Athlete

Immediately after our last college finals ended, while camping in the woods, my Senior Outdoor Reflection Trip [SORT] of 11 people sat around in a circle, each person reflecting on their time at Harvard. By the time it got to me, it was pouring rain and pitch-black outside, but still, everyone turned to listen to my deep, thoughtful ruminations on the last four years.

By Glynis K. Healey

Commencement 2015

The Harvard Crimson