Wednesday February 26, 2020 vol. CXLIV no. 18
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Super Bowl champion and activist Marshawn Lynch selected as 2020 Class Day speaker By Zachary Shevin and Sam Kagan Head News Editor and assistant news editor
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Marshawn Lynch at a 2015 press conference.
National Football League (NFL) running back Marshawn Lynch has been chosen to speak at Class Day on June 1, according to an email sent to the Class of 2020. Lynch, a Super Bowl champion and member of the Seattle Seahawks, played in the NFL for 12 years and appeared in five Pro Bowls. The University noted in an announcement that the University of California, Berkeley graduate “is known for his
community service and social justice work.” Recent Class Day speakers include actress Ellie Kemper ’02, Senator Cory Booker, former Vice President Al Gore, film director Christopher Nolan, and New Yorker editor David Remnick ’81. Class Day co-chairs Jonathan Haynes ’20, Jaylin Lugardo ’20, and Caleb Visser ’20 announced the decision in an email to members of the Class of 2020 at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 25. In this message, they wrote that their goal was “to invite a speaker who embodies the various experiences” of Univer-
sity students and “whose professional and personal passions speak to the service-focused and intellectually rigorous interests core to the University.” “Mr. Lynch’s sustained professional excellence is not the only reason we are excited to have him serve as our Class Day speaker,” the trio wrote. “His substantive work in communities stands alongside his on-field success.” Their message went on to highlight Lynch’s philanthropic efforts in his hometown of Oakland, Calif. and around the world — shining a spotSee LYNCH page 3
U . A F FA I R S
Art collecter sues U. for backing out of $1M agreement Head News Editor
New York art collector Vincent Fay is suing the University, alleging breach of contract in a million-dollar deal gone awry. A complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York on Feb. 20 contends that the University backed out of a deal to purchase 17 works from Fay for the art museum, due to ‘“concerns’ over the authenticity of seven of the objects.” At the time of publica-
tion, the University had not responded to request for comment. In November 2018, Fay agreed to sell the collection to the University for $945,000. The money was to be paid in two installments of $472,500 each. According to the complaint, in December 2018, the University paid the first installment. Six months later, on June 21, 2019, Fay received a letter saying that the University would not complete the second transaction until the works were proved authentic. After allegedly realiz-
THE PROSPECT
USG movie review: ‘The Social Network’ By Sreesha Ghosh Contributor
I was 14 when I watched “The Social Network” for the first time, but even at this very moment four years later, I still remember everything about it. I especially remember the now-iconic opening scene between Jesse Eisenberg and Rooney Mara — the first time I saw it, I thought that the mile-aminute dialogue sounded like music. It was the first time I had ever paid considerable attention to film dialogue. Today, I have aspirations of being a screenwriter — and Aaron Sorkin’s “The Social Network” is precisely the reason why. “The Social Network” is set at Harvard at 2003 and details the creation of Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg. From its very first line, “The Social Network” announces itself unmistakably as Sorkin’s writing — there is obviously his trademark breakneck, whip-smart dialogue; his witty, whiny men with their immense intellect and poorly-disguised narcissism (this detail serving as an advantage to Sorkin rather than a handicap); and a dark, insistent kind of pessimism. Adapt-
In Opinion
ed from Ben Mezrich’s “The Accidental Billionaires,” “The Social Network,” directed by David Fincher, is a film crafted to perfection. Jesse Eisenberg plays Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, with an incredible amount of insight: He is unfazed and unflustered, never raises his voice, never concurs in an argument, and is profoundly aggravating. These traits are exhibited all while he demands a certain admiration and sympathy from his audience, as unwilling as they might be. With Sorkin’s script, and four powerhouse performances (see Andrew Garfield), “The Social Network” was the sharpest movie I had ever seen when I first watched it — and it still is today. There is much to appreciate about “The Social Network,” including Fincher’s impeccable direction, quality acting, and Sorkin’s airtight script. Take for example, how Sorkin uses overlapping dialogue to indicate misunderstanding between characters. In the opening scene I so adore, it’s remarkable to note that Mark and Erica are almost never on the same page, even in something See MOVIE page 3
Senior columnist Leora Eisenberg reflects on how her beliefs have changed during her time at Princeton, and columnist Claire Wayner argues that, due to the mixed success of residential colleges, the University ought to have more co-ops and diverse eating communities.
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ing the works’ supposed inauthenticity, the University sent a rescission letter to Fay, asking for the first payment to be returned. “Mr. Fay has been damaged by … demand for the return of the First Payment,” as well as the lack of second payment, according to the complaint. The plaintiff’s counsel John Cahill referred to the seller’s warranty, which he said did not provide a blanket warranty based on the works’ objective authenticity. Instead, the warranty certified authenticity to
the best of the seller’s knowledge. According to the plaintiff, the University would have to prove that Fay knew the works were inauthentic in order to void the contract. “Even if the works are called into question, … Princeton still has an obligation to pay Mr. Fay,” said Cahill in an interview with The Daily Princetonian. “It seems very clear. Princeton signed a contract, and they just haven’t paid the money. There’s no basis for Princeton to not have paid,” Cahill continued.
The works in questions remain unknown to preserve their artistic integrity, according to Cahill. “The art should be valued for itself,” he said. “It shouldn’t be valued for the questions that have been raised about it, especially vague questions.” Fay has previously displayed works at the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museo del Barrio in New York City. See ART page 2
F E AT U R E
COURTESY OF RON MIASNIK AND DANIELLA COHEN
Participants on Princeton’s first international Tiger Trek.
Faith, family, and tech startups on Princeton’s first international Tiger Trek By Patrycja Pajdak Staff Writer
Ron Miasnik ’22 and Daniella Cohen ’22 were just first-years when they realized what they had in common: a connection to Israel through family and faith, a deep interest in tech and startups, and a desire to travel. It took them 18 months and surprisingly few obstacles. By Intersession
2020, they’d pieced together Princeton’s first international Tiger Trek, modeled on pre-existing New York City and Silicon Valley Tiger Treks. The weeklong trip offered 18 students and two chaperones the opportunity to travel to Israel in an attempt to understand how the country’s political climate, culture, and other institutions contribute to creating such an expansive tech ecosystem in such a
Today on Campus
12:00 p.m.: Adam Hanieh examines the shaping of the political economy in his lecture “Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Political Economy of the Contemporary Middle East.” Louis A. Simpson International Building A71
small space. Israel, which is approximately the size of New Jersey, boasts the highest number of startups per capita in the world. Participants spent the trip’s first four days in Tel Aviv, following a speaker-heavy program with a focus on understanding the ecosystem of the startup nation. The last three days took place in Jerusalem and were dedicated to giving the students a betSee TIGER TREK page 4
WEATHER
By Claire Silberman
HIGH
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Scattered Showers chance of rain:
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The Daily Princetonian
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Cahill: Even if the works are called into question, Princeton still has an obligation to pay Fay ART
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According to Cahill, Fay’s collections have not received questions about their authenticity prior to this suit. “All the museums have been happy,” he said. The University Art Mu-
seum holds “over 100,000 works of art spanning from antiquity to the present,” according to its website. Ten of Fay’s works are currently part of the collection. The University received a summons on Feb. 21. They must respond within a 21-day window, lest a default judgement be en-
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University Art Museum.
Wednesday February 26, 2020
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The Daily Princetonian
Wednesday February 26, 2020
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Johnson: As a black football player, I’m proud that Princeton recognizes the excellence that Marshawn Lynch represents LYNCH
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light on the Fam 1St Family Foundation, football clinics, and the running back’s summit at South by Southwest in which he celebrated the achievements of students who attended historically black colleges and universities. “From his stops in the Bay Area, to Buffalo, to Seattle, Mr. Lynch has always prioritized community engagement and empowerment by leveraging his prominence as a professional athlete to promote opportunities for civic engagement and social justice,” Haynes, Lugardo, and Visser added. Nicknamed “Beast Mode” for his explosive running style, Lynch’s speech will come just months after the University celebrated the 150th anniversary of college football and its role in founding the sport. Lynch gained notoriety throughout his career for
skipping press conferences and ignoring media questions, receiving over $100K in fines from the NFL. During Super Bowl Media Day, he famously answered more than 20 questions with variations of the phrase “I’m just here so I won’t get fined,” a phrase that he later trademarked. Despite some former teammates considering Lynch an introvert, he has been an outspoken advocate for civic engagement and social justice. In their message to the Class of 2020, Haynes, Lugardo, and Visser described Lynch as an advocate for social justice, financial literacy, and a host of other issues. “During our time as students, we have seen professional athletes take up the mantle of critiquing some of the most systemic challenges facing our society,” they wrote. “Marshawn Lynch has courageously engaged in these debates.” Will Johnson ’20, a de-
Eisenberg plays Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, with an incredible amount of insight MOVIE
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as simple as this: MARK: The Phoenix is the most diverse. The Fly Club — Roosevelt punched the Porc. ERICA: Which one? MARK: The Porcellian, the Porc, it’s the best of the best. ERICA: Which Roosevelt? The overlapping dialogue effectively characterizes Mark as rude, abrasive, and someone who struggles to communicate within the first couple of minutes of the film. Perhaps this is ironic for the mastermind of a social networking site, but the truth is that the film’s greatest strength lies in its cruel irony — “The Social Network” is not about Facebook or connectivity, but loneliness; the genesis of a technology designed to bring people closer began with a breakup and
ended with the dissolution of a friendship. At the end, Rashida Jones’ spectator character observes, “You’re not an asshole, Mark. But you’re trying so hard to be.” In doing so, she acquits him of the scathing remark his exgirlfriend Erica delivers at the end of the opening scene: “You’re going to go through life thinking that girls don’t like you because you’re a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won’t be true. It’ll be because you’re an asshole.” But even if Jones doesn’t agree with Mara’s accusation, the script — and the audience — do. Even after two hours of breakneck arguments and hyperactive head-butting, Zuckerberg is still exactly where he was at the beginning of the film — sitting across from somebody, be it Erica or Eduardo, rude, abrasive and unable to communicate. And if that isn’t truly the greatest irony of all, I don’t know what is.
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Marshawn Lynch (left) celebrates the Super Bowl XLVIII victory alongside quarterback Russell Wilson (right).
fensive back on the University football team, referred to the news that Lynch will be speaking as “beyond amazing.” In a statement to The Daily Princetonian, Johnson praised Lynch’s work with disadvantaged communities in Oakland and wrote that Lynch “represents a
tremendous black ambassador and leader in our society.” “As a black football player myself, I’m proud that Princeton University recognizes the excellence that Marshawn Lynch represents, and I hope the student body can learn a lot from a man who at first
glance appears egregiously juxtaposed to a majority of the student body,“ Johnson wrote. Members of the Class of 2020 will also hear from journalist and 2018 Time Person of the Year Maria Ressa ’86, who will deliver the Baccalaureate speech on May 31.
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Wednesday February 26, 2020
Blitz: All the students represented Princeton very well TIGER TREK Continued from page 1
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ter understanding of Israel’s culture. “All the students represented Princeton very well,” said Marni Blitz, a chaperone of the trip and the associate director of the Center for Jewish Life. “Every speaker remarked at how incredible their questions were. They had really done their homework and were prepared.” Students met on three separate occasions before the trip to orient themselves with Israeli culture. On the trip itself, teams of students presented each speaker before he or she spoke to provide context and add depth to each conversation. Daily meetings were spaced out, and a tour guide traveled with the group to help them understand Israel’s cultural context. The itinerary even included a visit to Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, with the hope of putting conversations about shared Israeli trauma into perspective. One highlight of the trip, according to participants, was discussing life, business, marriage, investing, and startups with Michael Eisenberg, one of Israel’s top venture capitalists. After dinner with him on the first night, the group was invited for Shabbat dinner at his house later in the week. The dinner was one of three home-cooked meals the group enjoyed throughout their trip, with the other two hosted at Miasnik’s grandparents’ house and the home of Idit Harel, the founder and CEO of Globaloria, during a panel on female entrepreneurs. Other speakers throughout the week included Hilla Ovil-Brenner, one of the first women to break into the Israeli high-tech industry, and Kira Radinsky, a mathematician and computer scientist with whom the group was able to reunite after the trip at a presentation titled “Learning to Predict the Future in Healthcare” on Feb. 10 at Princeton. What problems did the organizers encounter when planning the trip’s first-ever run? Short answer: none. Ron and Daniella struggled to recall any problems. “There were no major logistical issues. We started working far in advance and were never in a rush,” the duo said. “We worked together very well and tried to perfect it as much as possible.” The often tedious job of
fundraising was made simpler, too, by the immediate interest of organizations such as the CJL, the Keller Center, the Princeton Entrepreneurship Council, departments such as computer science and mechanical and aerospace engineering, and alumni donors, both in the United States and in Israel. Due to their contributions, the trip became a cross-campus initiative and attracted a diverse body of applicants. “For trips sponsored by the CJL, usually the number of applicants is two to three times the amount of spots available. This trip had six times the amount of applicants,” said Rabbi Julie Roth, the executive director of the CJL. Roth applauded Ron and Daniella for their initiative, vision, and enthusiasm. “I wasn’t sure how easy it would be for them to find the funding,” she continued. “I didn’t imagine it would be as phenomenal as it was because it was the first time. They hit an A+ across the board.” Blitz seconded how remarkable the group was and commended how easily they adapted to the smallest of changes. “The day we were supposed to go to the Old City, we couldn’t because of Trump’s Peace Plan release,” Blitz said. “We quickly made alternative plans and decided to go to the Dead Sea, which ended up being one of the highest-rated activities after an intense week of meetings. Then we visited the Old City the next day. Ron and Daniella had incredible patience and great communication.” For the participants, apart from being a time to learn about startup culture, the trip was a time to learn about themselves. By the time the trip drew to a close, the students had bonded as a group. the participants felt close to the group. Ayushi Sinha ’20 spoke on this, stating: “Family is important as a value in Israel. We were not only able to share our own family stories with one another on this trip, but we also learned how these values are instilled in Jewish culture and how they’re able to help foster a new generation of startup founders.” The group hopes to continue the conversation about Israel’s startup ecosystem on Princeton’s campus. Some admit to leaving with more questions than answers, given the country’s complexities. They hope the trip will run as successfully in the future, which appears likely given the enthusiasm and support of its sponsors.
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Don’t set so many limits editor-in-chief
Jonathan Ort ’21
BOARD OF TRUSTEES president Thomas E. Weber ’89 vice president Craig Bloom ’88 secretary Chanakya A. Sethi ’07 treasurer Douglas Widmann ’90 trustees Francesca Barber David Baumgarten ’06 Kathleen Crown Gabriel Debenedetti ’12 Stephen Fuzesi ’00 Zachary A. Goldfarb ’05 Michael Grabell ’03 John G. Horan ’74 Joshua Katz Rick Klein ’98 James T. MacGregor ’66 Betsy L. Minkin ’77 Alexia Quadrani Marcelo Rochabrun ’15 Kavita Saini ’09 Richard W. Thaler, Jr. ’73 Abigail Williams ’14 trustees ex officio Jonathan Ort ’21
144TH MANAGING BOARD managing editors Benjamin Ball ’21 Elizabeth Parker ’21 Ivy Truong ’21 Cy Watsky ’21 Sections listed in alphabetical order. chief copy editors Lydia Choi ’21 Anna McGee ’22 associate copy editors Celia Buchband ’22 Sydney Peng ’22 head design editor Harsimran Makkad ’22 associate design editors Abby Nishiwaki ’23 Kenny Peng ’22 head features editor Josephine de La Bruyère ’22 head multimedia editor Mark Dodici ’22 associate video editor Mindy Burton ’23 head news editors Claire Silberman ’22 Zachary Shevin ’22 associate news and features editor Marie-Rose Sheinerman ’22 associate news editors Naomi Hess ’22 Allan Shen ’22 head opinion editors Rachel Kennedy ’21 Madeleine Marr ’21 associate opinion editors Shannon Chaffers ’22 Emma Treadway ’22 editorial board chairperson Zachariah Sippy ’22 head sports editors Tom Salotti ’21 Alissa Selover ’21 associate sports editors Josephine de La Bruyère ’22 Emily Philippides ’22
144TH BUSINESS BOARD chief of staff Carter Gipson ’21 chief strategy officer Louis Aaron ’22
Leora Eisenberg
Senior columnist
I
don’t believe that I would have liked my first-year self very much. That version of Leora was remarkably set in her ways. She stuck to certain ideas strongly, like that everyone who drank alcohol was bad, regardless of quantity and context. Sophomore Leora softened a bit — she realized some of the drinkers were OK — but she still silently vilified them and thought drinking was a mortal sin. First-year Leora also believed that everything that happened after 9 p.m. on campus was part of the admittedly much longer “devil’s hour.” Any evening meeting was sure to devolve into debauchery and drunkenness, she thought. Anyone who wanted to meet afterwards was bad, and going to any parties — with or without alcohol, on a
weekday or on a weeknight — was absolutely out of the question for any moral person. The list could go on, really: First-year Leora was absolutely set on majoring in a different department — and nearly refused to consider her current one — and dismissed dozens of people from being her friends because they drank alcohol or did things after 9 p.m. Making things worse, she responded exceedingly poorly to criticism or any kind of change. It made for a difficult first year at Princeton: It was my way or the highway. Now, in the twilight of my undergraduate career, I realize just how glad I am to have changed over these past four years. In reality, some parts of me really haven’t changed: I still don’t drink very much, and my morningperson, introverted personality prevents me from doing much of anything, particularly with people, after 9 p.m. However, I’ve stopped believing that my way is the only way. Even better, I’ve stopped dismissing people who do
drink alcohol or do, say, see a movie with friends at night or — gasp! — go to a party. I still don’t love drinking or going to parties, as I felt as a first-year, but I now hold that there’s nothing inherently wrong with doing so. There’s plenty of other ways one can spend time, even after the “devil’s hour” — even as a senior, I still like to spend my evenings reading books or stresscleaning. That said, other times, I host parties in my room for my a capella group or watch a movie with friends, sometimes late at night — and sometimes with alcohol. Some of these events have been the most meaningful for me at Princeton, and I never would have taken part in them had I held by all of my first-year rules. On a more academic note, had I really stayed firm in everything I believed in my first year on campus, I wouldn’t be a Slavic major — arguably my best decision at Princeton. I would have chosen the path I thought I liked without ever doing the close examination that forced me to change
Leora Eisenberg is a senior from Eagan, M.N. She can be reached at leorae@princeton.edu.
Residential college community is a farce Claire Wayner
E
Columnist
arlier this week, Anna Wolcke lamented the upcoming closure of the Pink House foodshare. Indeed, the loss of the Pink House as we know it will be a true tragedy. I recall spending many hours there baking, cooking, and brunching with friends. Even as an underclass student, I felt welcome within the house’s walls, a part of a community focused on sustainable living that I hadn’t been able to find elsewhere on campus. Ironically enough, the need to create more community — specifically, residential college community — is the driving factor behind Pink House’s closure and the University’s broader refusal to establish more co-ops. This seems entirely backwards — why shut down an existing and thriving community, like Pink House, in the name of creating a different community? The answers lie in an obscure document most undergraduates don’t know exists: a 2016 report on the findings of the Task Force on the Residential College Model, which came out of the University’s most recent strategic planning process. What did this task force
conclude? Certainly not that additional co-ops on campus would help to diversify affordable eating options and communities available to upperclass students. Certainly not that more co-ops should be added in response to the expected growth in the student body over the coming years, even when over 300 students are already waiting for entry into five co-ops, which can handle only a fraction of this demand. In fact, coops, despite being a popular alternative to eating clubs, are not mentioned once in the 25 pages of the report. Instead, the task force members found that residential colleges should be expanded to include more upperclass students by making all six current colleges four-year, not just two-year. As part of this grand plan to expand the residential colleges, Pink House as a food-share had to go. Next year, Pink House will be just another set of upperclass student dorms to give Forbes the space to become a four-year college. In doing so, the house will be incorporated into the Forbes “community.” I myself am a member of Forbes, yet I can confidently say that the idea of a residential college creating community is entirely a myth. This is because residential college assign-
ments to incoming freshmen are entirely random; while this creates a diverse mix of students, the whole concept behind a community is that there should be commonalities among the residents. This is why different eating clubs have their stereotypes, from Ivy’s international students to Tower’s pre-law students. Co-ops, too, build community based on commonality, specifically a desire to prepare food with intention. All that is “common” about a residential college, however, is the free food and gear that the college council f lings at us. But the University should realize that one can’t just “buy” community with t-shirts and Broadway trips. Community occurs organically and should be given room to thrive on its own, not forcible structure through the residential college system. I personally have found my strongest communities in my extracurriculars like the Princeton Student Climate Initiative or Princeton Birding Society and in my new eating club, Quad. Never have I turned to Forbes; in fact, most of my close friends don’t even live in Forbes. Princeton is trying to turn the residential college model into something more than it is. The administration is compar-
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in favor of something that really represented me and my interests. Had I not deviated from the rules I set for myself then, I would never have made many of my closest friends. Had I never challenged the beliefs that I held, I would never have shaped the worldview I currently hold, which has since expanded greatly. Trying things that went against my preconceptions have led to the life I now happily lead. Whether we are in our first or final years at Princeton, it’s worth challenging our assumptions in order to determine whether or not we actually believe it. It’s in our own best interests — as students and individuals both — to figure out who we’ve been telling ourselves we are, and who we actually are. Once we take the time to figure out the latter, we may discover someone completely new and waiting for a chance to grow.
JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Forbes Residential College.
ing it to systems such as Harvard’s House system, where students live for their last three years of college and which alumni use to identify each other. At Harvard, “What House were you in?” is often the first question out of alumni’s mouths, according to an alumnus I know. Yet, Princeton is not Harvard. Ask any alum at Reunions where they found community, and the most likely response will be their eating club. Princeton must not respond to the need for more “community” by converting more co-ops into residential college living. Upperclass students are tired of being in the dining halls after two years of being forced to use a meal plan. As Wolcke pointed out, co-ops can be orders of magnitude cheaper and can produce food that fits the dietary restrictions of its members much better. Two Dickinson, for example, is entirely vegetarian, and Pink House was mostly vegan; meanwhile, the dining halls consistently fail to have adequate vegetarian or vegan options. The solution is more, not less — more co-ops and diverse communities, instead of fewer residential colleges with their standardized, homogeneous atmospheres. Other universities have been able to successfully do this. Stanford is a good example, hosting a range of eating options from co-ops to Greek life to self-ops, where a community of students with a common vision hire a chef. If the University actually had a sense of awareness of how community worked on this campus, they would act by adding more co-ops, not taking them away and forcing a false residential college system on us. Claire Wayner is a sophomore from Baltimore, Md., majoring in civil and environmental engineering. She can be reached at cwayner@ princeton.edu.
Wednesday February 26, 2020
Sports
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{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } WOMEN’S SOFTBALL
Softball wins 6–4 against Syracuse, but loses 11–1 to Houston and 6–3 to Louisiana Tech By Sreesha Ghosh Contributor
Princeton softball’s opening weekend was one of hurdles and hiccups — due to several cases of norovirus on the team, they did not play two out of the five scheduled games at Houston, and the illness weakened their performances in the other three. However, despite the adversity, the team fought back — “[They] were absolute warriors,” said head coach Lisa Van Ackeren. “Our team is tough. We were hit with the norovirus and a couple cases of food poisoning and weren’t even close to full strength to compete for our games on Friday. Luckily, we were able to contain the virus and got a couple of our players healthy and in form for Saturday and Sunday.” Van Ackeren sees this as she sees every trial and tribulation: as a learning curve. “They were tough, grounded, and had each other’s backs. It’s exactly what we expect of them when difficult things come up throughout our season.” The opening day of the tournament for the team saw them split a pair of games, winning against Syracuse 6–4 and losing to Houston 1–11. In the Tigers’ first game of the weekend, Syracuse scored two runs from a homer before Princeton equalized by the end the inning, with senior Megan Donahey’s single, first-year Ashley McDonald’s reaching third base and Donaey’s run, and junior Mackenzie Meyer’s groundout allowing Mc-
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The women high-five Syracuse players after their game on Saturday in Houston, TX.
Donald to score. When Syracuse attempted to fight back, sophomore Ali Blanchard’s home run and a two-run double from sophomore Madison Hamilton drove in base hits from senior Alex Colón and first-year Lauren Murphy to give Princeton the lead, and after first-year pitcher Alexis Laudenslager kept Syracuse scoreless in the seventh, the win. The Tigers had less luck against Houston. The game was scoreless into the third inning before Houston came up with three runs on a pair of homers. Once Princeton got on the board in the sixth inning, with firstyear Caitlin Bish’s run following senior Allison Harvey’s leadoff double,
three runs followed by another three-run homer for the Cougars quickly ended the game. The women also suffered a loss on the second day with Louisiana Tech defeating the Tigers 6–3. Although the Bulldogs scored first with a two-run homer, Princeton brought one back in the bottom of the second when first-year Adrienne Chang hit a run-scoring single after Meyer’s double. Despite Harvey hitting another run-scoring single after Hamilton’s base hit, the Bulldogs got the two-run lead back in the top of the fourth and wasted no time widening the gap to 6–2 in the fifth, inevitably securing the win for themselves despite Chang’s run in the
sixth. Van Ackeren said of the performance: “Our firstyears showed up in a big way; they looked really grounded against some great teams and got a lot of game experience. We will continue to get better in key moments in close games to help shift momentum in our direction and produce more runs.” The ramifications of Houston are clear — “The first weekend is about finding out who we are and what we have, and we feel like we were able to do that this weekend.” The team is headed to Washington, D.C. next weekend to attend the George Washington Tournament against Georgetown, Towson, Morgan State, and their host, the
George Washington Colonials. The Tigers play Georgetown and Towson on Feb. 28, Morgan State and George Washington on Feb. 29, and finish up the weekend with one final match against Morgan State on March 1. “We can’t wait to play again, hopefully at full strength this weekend,” said Van Ackeren. “George Washington is a great complex to play in, and we’ll have a great group of fans and parents there to play in front of. It’s energizing for us when we’re on the road, and we look forward to showing up a better team than we were this past weekend. If we keep growing, getting 1 percent better each day — over the course of the season, that adds up.”
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