Weekend Preview: Championship Season

As the school year comes to a close, many Harvard athletic teams are competing in some of their most important events of the season.

The softball squad faces off against Cornell today and tomorrow in a best-of-three series, with the winner claiming the Ivy League Championship. The championship is a rematch of last year in which Cornell defeated the Crimson by one run in the third game. Despite the loss to the Big Red last season, Harvard has been improving, racking up a 34-10 season record and setting multiple program records this year. The two teams split their two-game matchup earlier this year. The Crimson seeks its fifth Ivy League Championship and its first since 2007.

The men’s lacrosse team is also looking to claim the Ivy League Championship tomorrow at noon against Cornell. After defeating Penn yesterday, 12-8, in the semifinals, the Crimson moved even closer to an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. Harvard enters the matchup with three straight wins, but Cornell comes in with even more momentum from nine straight victories and a 12-2 record. The Big Red has walked away victorious in the last 13 games against the Crimson, but Harvard still has a fighting chance. Cornell has only won by one goal in each of the last three seasons.

The women’s lacrosse team is the final team seeking an Ivy League Championship title this weekend. Harvard edged Dartmouth in the semifinals yesterday, 11-10, and will now face Princeton tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. Last season, the women emerged victorious over the Tigers with an 11-9 win.

With all of the championships taking place this weekend, the track and field teams are getting in on the action with an important race of their own. The men and women’s squads travel to New Haven, Conn., for the Outdoor Heptagonal Championships. Both the men and women’s squads finished seventh at Heps last year and will look to improve on those records.

Finally, the sailing team travels to Dartmouth this weekend to compete for the Fowle Trophy in the 62nd New England Team Race. Last year, the both the men and women’s squads placed seventh.