With the recent start of the NBA season, and the NFL season in the swing of things, it’s time to check up on how a few Harvard alums have been doing in these two professional sports leagues:

Jeremy Lin ’10 has become a bit of an NBA journeyman over his career, playing for five different teams in his six-year career. This past offseason, after the conclusion of a middling Lakers campaign in which he averaged 11.2 points and 4.6 assists, Lin signed a two-year contract with the Charlotte Hornets, where he will serve as the backup point guard behind Kemba Walker. The Hornets are expected to compete for the 8-seed in the weaker Eastern Conference, with the most recent ESPN projections ranking them as the 10th best team in the conference.

Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05 has suffered misfortune as of late, breaking his thumb in last Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders. The New York Jets quarterback—who got the starting nod this season after presumptive starter Geno Smith broke his jaw in a preseason locker-room scuffle—is out for an undefined amount of time. Meanwhile, the Jets—who have lost their last two games—are scrambling to find a replacement quarterback. Before the injury, Fitzpatrick was having one of his best seasons, with an 86.5 passer rating and 11 thrown touchdowns.

Over the last two seasons, Kyle Jusczcyk ’13 has seen playing time as the starting fullback for the Baltimore Ravens. Jusczcyk already has two touchdowns for the season—more than his other two seasons combined—and while he doesn’t see consistent touches, he plays a key role in the Baltimore offense as a ball-handler and blocker. The Ravens are 2-6 on the season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate ’14 scored his first career touchdown last Sunday in a win against the Atlanta Falcons, pulling in a 20-yard heave from quarterback Jameis Winston. Earlier in the game, Brate had another big highlight, nabbing a 28-yarder in the second quarter. While Brate hasn’t seen much playing time yet this season—and will likely take a backseat once Austin Seferian-Jenkins returns from injury—his success last game could be indicative of a bigger role in the games to come.

Junior goalie Molly Tissenbaum’s first career shutout for Harvard Women’s ice hockey on Friday earned her The Crimson’s Athlete of the Week title. But in a big week for Crimson athletics, quite a few Harvard athletes showed impressive performances deserving acknowledgement on the runners-up list.

Elizabeth Jacobson, Field Hockey

The senior forward is leaving her mark in the record books after notching three goals for Harvard this week. The New Jersey native executed her signature backhand spin-move for her ninth goal this season in the team’s 3-2 loss to Boston University on Wednesday. In the last home game of her Crimson career, Jacobson recorded two more goals in Harvard’s 4-1 thrashing of Dartmouth, earning a tie for eighth place for goals in a season in Harvard history.

Abigail Parker, Radcliffe Heavyweight Crew

Parker was the only member of Radcliffe Heavyweight Crew to take on the Small Boat Challenge, and emerged victorious in the 1A singles race on Saturday. The junior bested five other opponents, and went on to compete as part of the Radcliffe heavyweight eight in the Princeton Chase held at Princeton, N.J., the next day.

Miye D'Oench, Women’s Ice Hockey

In another strong performance from Harvard’s team this weekend, the senior forward tied her career-high of three points in a game. In the team’s 3-2 victory over St. Lawrence, the New York found the net twice in the second period, recording her first career shorthanded goal, and completed a critical assist for the game-winning goal.

Justice Shelton-Mosey, Football

With just seconds on the clock, the rookie caught a pass from senior quarterback Scott Hosch for a game-winning two-yard touchdown reception on Saturday. The freshman was pivotal for Harvard offense with a career-high of nine receptions and 71 yards as Harvard came back from a 13-0 deficit to take a 14-13 victory over Dartmouth.

Courtney Smith, Women’s Cross Country

In her fourth first-place finish for Harvard this season, the sophomore placed third of 90 runners at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships. Finishing just 0.5 seconds behind the second-place runner, the Pennsylvania native’s performance earned her a spot in the All-Ivy first team.

Jimmy Vesey, Men’s Ice Hockey

The captain notched four points in a historic 7-0 season-opener against Dartmouth on Saturday. With a goal and three assists, Vesey led the team in in its largest margin of victory since 2008 and its first seven-goal season opener in almost 20 years. Vesey went on to contribute a goal in Harvard’s 5-2 win over the Big Green the next night.

UPDATED: October 30, 2015, at 3:05 a.m.

There are few Harvard athletes as decorated as Zack Hodges ‘15, the first two-time Defensive Player of the Year in Ivy League history, who was added to the St. Louis Rams practice squad this past weekend.

With outside linebacker Alec Ogletree headed to injured reserve, the Rams picked up Hodges as part of a roster reshuffle. The former Crimson standout signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent this spring before being released.

The 6’2”, 250-pound defensive end racked up a program record 26 sacks during his time at Harvard while adding 41.5 tackles for a loss and 118 total tackles. He was part of last season’s undefeated, Ivy League champions, recording 8.5 sacks as part of a Crimson defense that allowed just 12.3 points per game.

Despite excelling as a down lineman in college, Hodges will likely transition to an outside linebacker role in the NFL due to his relatively diminutive frame. Scouting reports often tout his pass-rushing skills. NFL.com wrote that he “[g]ets upfield with good burst after snap. Good speed to the ball when in back-side pursuit, and can plant his foot and turn the corner at a tight angle when rushing. Loose, athletic hips. Spin move can become a featured pass-rush weapon.”

Hodges was hoping to hear his name called late in this spring’s draft in Chicago, but ended up coming to terms as a priority free agent with the Colts. A 2015 Senior Bowl participant, Hodges spent the entire spring and much of the summer with the Colts before being waived on August 31 as part of the team’s final wave of preseason cuts.

Hodges’ background came to the forefront last spring during pre-draft workouts, when outlets from the New York Times to the Bleacher Report recounted his difficult past and subsequent path to Harvard. Hodges dealt with tragedy after tragedy, losing his father, grandfather, and mother all before the end of his junior year, struggling with homelessness and poverty throughout.

After losing his father to a brain tumor during infancy, Hodges was raised by his grandfather and mother, but the former, an influential part of Hodges’s life, passed away before his freshman year of high school. He lost his mother to a stroke during his junior year, exactly 15 years after the death of his father.

Instead of allowing his history of tragedy to limit him, Hodges ended up at Phillips Exeter Academy for his senior year, where he was recruited to play under Harvard football coach Tim Murphy.

This story has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: October 30, 2015

A previous version of this article misspelled the name of Zack Hodges '15.

After spending two weeks on the sideline nursing an upper-body injury, senior wide receiver Andrew Fischer returned to action this past weekend with 10 receptions for 190 yards and a touchdown as the football team routed Princeton, 42-7, to stay undefeated. His strong performance, highlighted by an over-the-shoulder touchdown grab in the third quarter, earned him Athlete of the Week honors.

While the senior stood out on the football field, it was also a fine weekend for a couple of the Class of 2019’s female athletes during Freshman Parents’ Weekend:

Kathleen Young, Women’s Field Hockey

Freshman forward Kathleen Young’s performance in the Crimson’s 2-1 loss to Princeton was one of the brightest spots in the hard-fought defeat. She created the game’s first clear-cut scoring opportunity early in the first half, using her combination of shiftiness and strength to turn away from two Princeton defenders and round goalkeeper Anya Ersoff. She was unable to control the ball before the Tigers backs closed in, but it was a sign of things to come.

Just minutes later, Young finally got the goal her play deserved, sticking home the rebound from senior forward Elizabeth Jacobson’s penalty corner to give Harvard the 1-0 lead.

The Essex, Vt., native almost sent the Jordan Field crowd into a frenzy late in the second half with the score still knotted at one apiece. She picked up the ball deep in Harvard territory and used her speed to slalom through Princeton’s helpless defense. One-on-one with the goalie, Young’s stick got caught in the turf, spurning the opportunity, but it was a moment of individual brilliance from the young forward.

Young, who is third on the team with four goals and 10 points this season, will look to continue her form Wednesday against Boston University.

Caitlin Weigel, Women’s Rugby

On the rugby pitch, freshman Caitlin Weigel led the charge in the Crimson’s record-breaking win over Penn, scoring four tries as Harvard ran away with the game, 132-5.

Hailing from Hudson, Ohio, Weigel has emerged as an integral part of this Crimson squad which improved to 4-2 overall and 3-2 in Ancient Eight play. Her first score was part of an early spurt in which the Crimson jumped out to a commanding early lead, notching three tries in the game’s opening minutes.

Weigel was similarly influential in the team’s 111-5 win over Yale, converting three tries of her own and playing an integral part in a number of her team’s scores. She also tallied one of the team’s more memorable tries against Princeton, opening up the scoring with a 30-yard run through the Tigers defense.

Weigel’s unique blend of power and agility have made her one of the team’s most effective players, and the Crimson will certainly be relying on her talents during the Ivy League tournament and in the years to come.

NFL veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05 entered the 2015-2016 campaign as the backup quarterback for the New York Jets, but a bizarre locker-room incident pushed him into the lead role before preseason even started.

Seven weeks into the season, it seems like the former Harvard quarterback and 11th-year NFL journeyman might finally be finding his groove.

Fitzpatrick was set to start for the sixth different team of his career after incumbent starter Geno Smith got in a fight with a teammate and had his jaw broken. Even with new head coach Todd Bowles and a bevy of new star players providing for a new-look team, the incident prompted many to preemptively write off the Jets’ season as a train wreck.

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