2006

It would have been nearly impossible for this year to live up to the last. The 2004-05 season established itself as the greatest in the history of Harvard sports. The Class of 2006, however, did not disappoint. A year after contributing to the Crimson’s 14 Ivy League titles, the seniors drove their teams to new heights and earned multiple awards for their efforts. And the knowledge and skills they imparted laid the foundations for years to come.



NEW KID ON THE BLOCK Rookie Drew Housman (below) made headlines for the Crimson, filling in ably at point guard after the graduation of Dave Giovacchini ’05 left a question mark at the position. But it was the frontcourt play of captain Matt Stehle, coupled with the all-around ability of senior guard Michael Beal, that led Harvard to a 5-0 start. Stehle earned his third consecutive team MVP award, becoming only the second Harvard player to do so.



THE REPLACEMENTS Coming into the 2005-2006 season, Harvard was expected to relinquish its position at the top of the ECAC. According to critics, the Class of 2005 was too crucial to the team’s success. But the Class of 2006 held its own as captain Peter Hafner, leading goalscorer Dan Murphy, and goaltender John Daigneau (right)—the winner of the John Tudor Memorial Cup as the team MVP—guided the Crimson to an Ivy League title, an ECAC championship, and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.



POWER STROKE For yet another season, Harvard dominated the competition in the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League, earning a share of the regular-season crown. Co-captains Bill Cocks and seven-time All-American Dave Cromwell, and classmate Daniel Rybalko were awarded the Harold S. Ullen Trophy for demonstrating leadership and sportsmanship and for emphasizing team cooperation, a crucial factor in the Crimson’s successful season.



GOLDEN RECEIVER Freshman Hayley Bock (left) shined in her rookie year, but it was senior catcher Erin Halpenny who had the standout season. Batting at a .274 clip, she pounded out 37 hits, 11 for extra-bases, and picked up a spot on the All-Ivy honorable mention team. Her leadership, along with that of co-captain Michelle McAteer, was invaluable to a team that relied heavily on younger players, especially on the mound. Halpenny nurtured the Crimson pitching staff, most notably helping sophomore ace Amanda Watkins earn All-Ivy second-team honors.



LOOK MA, TWO HANDS On a squad with freshman wide receiver Alex Breaux (below) and sophomore quarterback Liam O’Hagan, the leadership of seniors like captain Erik Grimm was invaluable. The more experienced players on the team kept the Crimson from collpasing in down-to-the-wire games, as Harvard came from behind to upset eventual Ivy champion Brown in double overtime and capped its season with a triple-overtime thriller at the Yale Bowl to win the 122nd edition of The Game.



CROUCHING CRIMSON Senior Melissa Anderson and classmate Eva Wang led Harvard to another undefeated Ivy season and a berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2006. Wang went 7-0 at No. 1 singles for the Crimson in Ivy play to earn Ivy League Player of the Year honors, becoming only the fourth woman in Harvard history to win the award. Co-captains Anderson and junior Elsa O’Riain went 31-7 at first doubles on the year, earning an All-Ivy nod and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament. The successful senior seasons of Wang and Anderson were perfect capstones to stellar careers, as the two players graduated having won the Ivy title each of their four seasons at Harvard.



CRAIG’S LIST Two-time captain Will Craig (right) anchored the Crimson defense, earning an All-Ivy Honorable Mention nod for his effort. Classmate Ryan Johnson locked down the goalmouth for Harvard, starting 15 games and posting three shutouts on the season. Along with the Tornaritis twins, the two seniors provided leadership to a young Crimson team that will need rising sophomores and juniors to fill the void left by their departure.



HAV’ING FUN A year after capturing the Ivy title and the NCAA Tournament berth that goes along with it, the Harvard baseball team looked to repeat as league champion in 2006. Though it was younger players like sophomore ace Shawn Haviland (above) who provided the Crimson with the spark, it was the steady play of Harvard’s seniors like All-Ivy captain shortstop Morgan Brown that allowed the Crimson to capture its second consecutive Red Rolfe division title.