Despite a shocking 60-54 loss to Fordham on Tuesday, Harvard managed to remain in the top 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, coming in at No. 25. But the Crimson’s didn’t fare as well in the AP Top 25, receiving just 16 points and falling 10 spots, well out of the rankings.
In the coaches poll, Harvard extended its four-week stint, though the squad dropped four spots. Garnering 58 points, the Crimson made the top 25 with 15 points to spare.
2011 was a big year in Harvard athletics. Women’s soccer captured its third Ivy League championship in four years. The men’s basketball team took home a share of the Ancient Eight title and entered the nation’s Top 25, both firsts in program history. Football set a modern-era program record for points in a season, scoring 374 points en route to a 9-1 finish and a league crown. Four other teams—men’s fencing, men’s heavyweight and lightweight crew, and softball—also finished 2011 on top of the Ivy League standings.
There were a number of standout individual performances as well. Women’s fencer Alexandra Kiefer captured the NCAA Foil Individual title. Men’s basketball forward Keith Wright became just the second player in Harvard history to take home Ivy League Player of the Year honors. Women’s soccer and lacrosse captain Melanie Baskind was named to the First Team All-Ivy in two different sports and was selected as the Ivy League Player of the Year in soccer.
We at The Back Page have taken on the tall task of determining the best Harvard athlete of 2011. Here’s how it will go down: we’ve selected 16 standout Harvard athletes—eight male and eight female—and set up two single elimination brackets. Each round, Harvard’s finest will square off in head-to-head matchups. And based on their performances in 2011, we will determine who advances and who is eliminated until just one male and one female remain. Then, the two champs will square off to determine the top Harvard athlete of 2011.
First up, we have football stalwart Josue Ortiz against top wrestler Walter Peppelman. Check back later this week to find out the winner of this first-round matchup.
2011 was a big year in Harvard athletics. Women’s soccer captured its third Ivy League championship in four years. The men’s basketball team took home a share of the Ancient Eight title and entered the nation’s Top 25, both firsts in program history. Football set a modern-era program record for points in a season, scoring 374 points en route to a 9-1 finish and a league crown. Four other teams—men’s fencing, men’s heavyweight and lightweight crew, and softball—also finished 2011 on top of the Ivy League standings.
There were a number of standout individual performances as well. Women’s fencer Alexandra Kiefer captured the NCAA Foil Individual title. Men’s basketball forward Keith Wright became just the second player in Harvard history to take home Ivy League Player of the Year honors. Women’s soccer and lacrosse captain Melanie Baskind was named to the First Team All-Ivy in two different sports and was selected as the Ivy League Player of the Year in soccer.
We at The Back Page have taken on the tall task of determining the best Harvard athlete of 2011. Here’s how it will go down: we’ve selected 16 standout Harvard athletes—eight male and eight female—and set up two single elimination brackets. Each round, Harvard’s finest will square off in head-to-head matchups. And based on their performances in 2011, we will determine who advances and who is eliminated until just one male and one female remain. Then, the two champs will square off to determine the top Harvard athlete of 2011.
After examining the matchup between Josue Ortiz and Walter Peppelman last night, we now turn to a faceoff between men's basketball star Keith Wright and men's volleyball standout Matt Jones.
To which NBA player is Oliver McNally most similar?
It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. On Dec. 25, we all shared in a gift that is way better than any Christmas sweater or box of chocolates. Yep, professional basketball is back. To ring in the good times, we at The Back Page have set out to find the best NBA match for several of Harvard’s own ballers. Which NBA player is most like each Crimson star? Keep reading to find out.
Oliver McNally – 7.9 PPG, 3.5 APG, 2.3 RPG (2011-2012 season)
During his junior season, McNally ranked second nationally in free-throw percentage, shooting 92.6 percent from the line, setting a single season record for the Crimson. Over the last three seasons, McNally has shot 44.6 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc. But McNally’s leadership has made as much, if not more, of an impact on his team than his physical play. As Harvard men’s basketball coach Tommy Amaker said, “[His role] is invaluable. …Without his heart and soul, we’re not where we’ve been in the past, and we’re certainly not where we want to go in the future.” Which NBA player possesses a similar skill set to McNally?
Nearly two months after the beginning of its search for a new head football coach, Penn State has selected New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien to replace Joe Paterno as the head football coach at Penn State University, ESPN.com has reported.
Like Harvard coach Tim Murphy, who was rumored to be a favorite for the job earlier in the process, O’Brien has Ivy League connections, having played and coached at Brown.
With 19 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and professional level, O’Brien is the third consecutive Penn State coach to have Brown affiliations. Paterno also suited up for the Bears between 1946 and 1949, and his predecessor, Rip Engle, coached Paterno at Brown.
O’Brien’s selection marks the end of a wild search that began following the Jerry Sandusky scandal and Paterno’s subsequent dismissal. Murphy—known for his historic success on the field and his clean track record off of it—was almost immediately named as a favorite, with one betting site even giving the 18-year Crimson coach 4-1 odds of nabbing the post.
Yet throughout the process, Murphy insisted that Penn State never contacted him, a claim corroborated by Russ Rose, the Penn State women’s volleyball coach and a member of the six-person search committee. Recently, Murphy disappeared from any rumors and was replaced by many others, including Boise State coach Chris Petersen and O’Brien.
