Winthrop Claims 2017 Intramural Sports Title for Third Consecutive Year

Winthrop House was awarded the 2017 Straus Cup—the intramural sports championship prize—for the third consecutive year after the House Intramural Program drew to a close on Friday.

The Straus Cup is awarded to the House that has garnered the most number of points at the end of the spring season. Approximately fifty students gathered in the Quincy House courtyard Friday afternoon to observe the presentation of the top prize along with awards to individual IM participants, referees, and teams.

The Harvard Athletics Department oversees the House Intramural Program in which all 12 upperclassmen Houses and Dudley participate in each year. Freshmen dorms compete in a separate intramural league for the Yard Trophy.

Students compete for the Straus Cup at a soccer game in 2015. By Savannah I. Whaley

Student representatives in each of the Houses coordinate schedules and recruit students and tutors for the plethora of IM teams. Nicholas L. Larus-Stone ’17, who oversees IM sports for Winthrop House, said he has enjoyed watching the residents who come to the competitions.

“I think what’s great about Winthrop IMs is we have a lot of people come out. We’ve had over a 100 different athletes come out to our events, and IMs is all about participation, but it’s also about competition,” Larus-Stone said. “I’ve met a lot of people in the House through IMs and I just have a lot of fun going out there every day.”

This past season, Jackson Wagner ’19, a participant in Winthrop IMs, played soccer, crew, water polo, crew, rock climbing, and futsal for the House’s team.

“Winthrop IMs are super awesome because they’re a huge part of our House community,” Wagner said. “It’s where we get all the classes together to really bond as a House.”

While Houses compete in sports represented at the varsity level like basketball, volleyball, and soccer, they also play in more unique intramural athletic events. This year, the IM program had tournaments for dodgeball, inner tube water polo, and table tennis to name a few.

Winthrop resident Laura D. Schell ’18 enjoys participating in the diversity of IM sports like crew and spikeball.

“It’s all about meeting new people in your House and kind of bonding over fun competition with other Houses,” Schell said. “I really like inner tube water polo, it’s always a highlight for that tournament.”

Winthrop has won the Straus Cup eight out of the last ten years and eighteen times since the cup was first awarded in 1935. Currently, Winthrop holds second place in all-time standings for the coveted IM program prize behind Kirkland House which boasts 21 wins over the Straus Cup’s history.

—Staff writer Kenton K. Shimozaki can be reached at kenton.shimozaki@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @KentonShimozaki.