Sports Shorts

COURTESY MEN'S RUGBY Yale's experienced scrum has been a key to the Elis' success.

Men's Rugby

Rugby caps season with home victory over hapless Harvard

The Elis managed to get on the board first when Collin May, SY '02, received a pass from Johnny Kwon, DC '01, and scored a try. The Bulldogs would score once more in the first half when Kwon intercepted a Harvard pass five meters from the Yale try zone and ran the ball the length of the field for a try. The Elis failed to convert the kick, and the score was 10-0 in favor of the home team at halftime.

In the second half, Harvard scored on a penalty kick and a try, making the score 10-8. President David Dickson, DC '01, said, "we responded with the kind of play that won us the Northeastern Championship last year."

Solid tackling by Yale defenders during the rest of the second half helped to neutralize the Harvard attack. "Our team isn't known for defense, but we really stepped up and played better defense than we have all year long," captain Corey Lee, TD '00, said. In the end, Yale prevailed. According to the Bulldogs' coach, Thomas McKinlay, "The game plan was to put relentless pressure on Harvard, which I think we accomplished even though they are a bigger and more experienced side. We were able to use our skills, team speed, and aggressiveness to offset their advantages."

—Aaron Lichtig

Men's Basketball

Despite Yanke's efforts, Elis mediocre in early play

The Bulldogs started the season 1-3, but they remain upbeat about their prospects for the rest of the year. Over Thanksgiving break, the team headed out to the West Coast and played well in two close losses to tough opponents, falling to Colorado 65-50 on Thurs., Nov. 25, and to Denver 72-69 on Fri., Nov. 26. While the Elis' play against those two strong teams was encouraging, they suffered a disappointing loss to Central Connecticut, 59-45, on Thurs., Dec. 2.

One of the season's pleasant surprises has been the emergence of 6'11" center Neil Yanke, MC '01, as a dominant inside force on both ends of the floor. Yanke is averaging nearly 16 points per contest to go along with 11 rebounds and four blocked shots a game through the team's first four games. Yanke attended the famous Pete Newell's Big Man Camp this summer in Hawaii and, with the graduation of last year's leading scorer, David Tompkins, SY '99, Yanke has risen to the challenge of filling Tompkins' rather large shoes.

Guard Chris Leanza, SY '03, has also stepped up his performance this season. When last year's starting point guard, Isaiah Cavaco, JE '01, sat out the beginning of this season with an injury, Leanza stepped into the starting lineup and didn't miss a beat. He averaged almost 13 points a game and earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors. Cavaco has returned from his knee injury, and, along with another of last year's starters, Onaje Woodbine BK '02, makes the Bulldog backcourt the team's deepest unit. With everyone healthy, the Elis should be a force to contend with in the Ivies.

—Benjamin Case

Women's Ice Hockey

Turning the season around

The Elis have had a tough start to their season largely because of a failure to put up the offensive numbers necessary to win games—they are averaging less than a goal a game. "We just need to score more goals," forward Lisa Meyers, SY '01, said. The core of the problem stems from a lack of experience on the squad. With only three seniors returning, the Bulldogs have had to rely heavily on seven freshmen. While these new players have shown a lot of talent and promise, as forward Emily Hyde, JE '02, explained, "It's a totally different level of play from high school."

"Now we are looking for our first league win," Meyers said. "This game was a stepping stone." They will need this confidence when they face off against Harvard. The Crimson won the Ivy championship after going undefeated last year, and are favored to win the title again. Still, a weight was taken off the Elis' shoulders after their first win of the season. As the Bulldogs get more victories under their belt, the rest of the league will start looking over their shoulders. —David Lisson

Around the Ivies

Slick as ice: Brown women's ice hockey

On thin ice: Harvard men's ice hockey

After winning its first three games of the season under first-year head coach Mark Mazzoleni, the Cantabs now stand at 3-4. The Crimson saw its eight-game home winning streak come to an end with a 2-1 loss to Boston University on Tues., Nov. 23 and a 4-2 defeat at Brown on Sat., Nov. 27. Senior goalie J.R. Prestifilippo made 16 stops to move into second place on Harvard's all-time saves list.

—Compiled by Laurie Randell

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