The Dartmouth Sports Weekly 1/29/18

1.29.18

Griffith’s Got Stats: men’s basketball lacks defensive touch p. 8 Swiss product Tanguy Nef ’20 finds comfort zone in carnival circuit p. 7 Men’s hockey bests top conference rivals p. 6 The Olympics Corner: The loss of the NHL for men’s hockey p. 6 The Weekend Roundup p. 2–3

Men’s soccer impacted by departures of seniors and head coach p. 4–5 COURTESY OF MATT DANILACK

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

SW 2

The weekend Roundup Compiled by Luke Gitter and Jake johnson

Squash Men’s squash picked up its seventh win of the season against No. 12 Drexel University at home this weekend. After a commanding 8-1 win, Dartmouth improved to 7-3 on the season.

Carson Spahr ’19 came out swinging with a 3-0 win, followed by two more three-game sweeps from Sam Epley ’19 and James Bell ’21.

Toby Harding ’21 fought hard in a five-game match and came away with a well-earned win. In the second round of matches, co-captain Jack Harvey ’18 picked up another win for Dartmouth without dropping a game.

Women’s squash fell short against Drexel, losing 6-3. The Dragons had a hot start, winning their first four matches of the day.

Things started to shift toward Dartmouth in the second round of matches, as Zainab Molani ’18 bested her opponent with a 3-1 comeback win for Dartmouth’s first victory of the day.

Ellie Gozigian ’21 followed suit with another 3-1 comeback victory. Drexel won the next two matches to seal the team finish, before Annie Blasberg ’20 came away with a five-set victory to round out the day.

On Sunday, men’s squash competed against the University of Rochester in an exciting 5-4 win. Brandon de Otaduy Nam ’20 battled back from a 2-1 deficit to pick up an important five-set win for the Big Green at the No. 5 position. The Big Green improved to 8-3 with the win.

Skiing

After a strong performance last week in the Nordic portion of the St. Michael’s Carnival, the Big Green fell just 10 points shy of the team title to the University of Vermont after the Alpine events this weekend. The women’s team was dominant on Friday, taking second place in a competitive giant slalom race. Led by women’s alpine captain Foreste Peterson ’18, who put together two strong runs to secure her eighth career victory, the Big Green saw five total skiers finish in the top 10. The team’s 122-point effort fell just short of Vermont’s 130 points. In the slalom, Alexa Dlouhy ’19 finished second for the Big Green, just ahead of Peterson, Meg Currie ’17 and Stephanie Lebby ’20, who finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

On the men’s side, Tanguy Nef ’20 excelled for the Big Green on back to

back days, winning the giant slalom on Friday before throwing down a great run for a second victory in the slalom on Saturday. Brian McLaughlin ’18 and Kalle Wagner ’21 raced to fourth and fifth, respectively, for Dartmouth in the slalom.

The Nordic teams stuck closer to home, making a day trip to the Craftsbury SuperTour on Sunday.

In the men’s 10-kilometer freestyle, Gavin McEwen ’19 crossed the line first for Dartmouth in 21st position, while men’s Nordic captain Luke Brown ’18 and Adam Glueck ’21 followed him in 25th and 26th place, respectively. Taryn Hunt-Smith ’19 led the way in the 5-kilometer freestyle for the Big Green, finishing in 11th place.

Maddie Donovan ’21, the only other Dartmouth racer competing, was seven spots back.

Ray Lu ’18 Editor-in-Chief

1.29.18 Vol. CLXXIV No. 169

Philip Rasansky ’18 Publisher

Kourtney Kawano ’18 Executive Editor

Nathan Albrinck ’20 Samantha Hussey ’20 Evan Morgan ’19 Chris Shim ’18 Sports Editors

Michael Lin ’21 Saba Nejad ’18 Tiffany Zhai ’18 Photography Editors

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

ICE HOCKEY Women’s hockey stunned conference-rival Brown University with a 3-2 comeback victory led by a stellar performance from Tess Bracken ’19.

Brown took the first lead of the game just nine minutes in regulation. With less than two minutes to play in the first period, Bracken tallied her first goal of the game, evening the score at 1-1. Dartmouth outshot Brown 20-6 in the first frame but slowed its aggression in the second period. The Bears outshot the Big Green 13-9 in the second period and left with the only goal, taking a 2-1 lead into the final period.

Goalie Christine Honor ’19 was exceptional in the third. She kept the game close with a number of clutch saves, which gave Bracken an opportunity to even the score at 13:17. With just 45 seconds to play in regulation, Bracken fired her third goal past Brown’s goalie, Calla Isaac, to complete her hat trick and seal the game.

The Big Green did not fare so well as it headed from Providence, Rhode Island over to New Haven, Connecticut, where Yale University bested Dartmouth 6-0. Yale netted four goals in the second period to put the game out of reach.

An empty first period for Dartmouth and an early lead for Yale set the tone for the remainder of the game.

Dartmouth failed to capitalize on early opportunities, as Yale ran away with a game that was closer than the box score indicates.

Dartmouth looks to bounce back at Thompson Arena with four straight home games in the upcoming weekends. The stretch will be the last homestand of

the season.

Coming off of four wins in its last five games, the men’s hockey team was looking to continue its hot streak this weekend against Colgate University and No. 2 Cornell University.

Dartmouth topped Colgate in a close match, emerging with a 2-1 win. In his 99th career game, Tim Shoup ’18 put in the game-winning goal at 12:11 in the third period.

Colgate jumped out to an early lead at 5:08 in the first period, but seven minutes later, Dartmouth evened the score with a goal from Corey Kalk ’18.

Devin Buffalo ’18 faced 11 shots in the final period and made 23 saves on the day, giving him an impressive save rate of 95.83 percent.

Heading into the game against Cornell, Dartmouth was 7-2-1 in its last 10 games; a strong turnaround from the 2-8-1 start to the season. Cornell scored the first goal of the game quickly, just over two minutes into the first period. Shoup, playing in his 100th game of his career, equalized just over four minutes later.

The goal brought an end to the Cornell goaltender’s remarkable scoreless streak of 227:11, which is the 13th longest in NCAA history.

Dartmouth outshot Cornell 28-19 and saw several opportunities on the powerplay but came up shy.

Cornell capitalized on an empty net opportunity with just over a minute left. With the win, Cornell won the Ivy League title outright.

Dartmouth looks to best conference rival Harvard University this weekend.

SwIMMING & DIVING

Despite strong individual showings on both the men’s and women’s sides, neither swimming and diving team was able to come out on top in their meets at the University of Connecticut this weekend.

On the women’s side, Dartmouth started off with a second-place performance in the 200-yard medley relay to open the meet. Co-captain Hayley Winter ’18 gave a dominating performance in the 1,000yard freestyle, finishing nearly 10 seconds ahead of UConn’s Ryan Dulaney. She later came in second in the 500-yard freestyle.

Justin Sodokoff ’21 led men’s divers throughout

the meet with a first-place finish on the 3-meter board and a second-place finish on the 1-meter board.

The Big Green had other notable performances on the day, including Josh Hendell ’20’s second-place finish in the 1,000-yard freestyle and Henry Patrick ’19’s near first-place effort in the 50-yard freestyle, where he fell just two-tenths short of first-place.

Both the men’s and women’s sides finished the meet strong, with first place finishes in the 200-yard freestyle relays.

UConn beat the men’s team 178-119, while the women’s meet ended 186-108 in favor of the Huskies.

TRack and field

Dartmouth had strong individual performances on both the men’s and women’s sides in the nonscoring Boston University Terrier Invitational. Top performances include Nick Feffer ’21’s second-place finish in the 1,000 meter run, finishing with a time of 2:26.78, and Abby Livingston ’18’s first-place finish in the 500 meter run, with an impressive time of 1:14.37, nearly a second better than the second-place finisher.

Other notable performances include a seventhplace finish in the 5,000 meter run by Kyle Dotterrer ’18 with a time of 14:31.35 and a ninth-place finish by

Will Shafer ’18 with a time of 14:33.85. Bridget Flynn ’18 led women’s track and field in the mile, finishing seventh with a time of 4:51.31. Lauren Archer ’20 and Grace Thompson ’19 also finished in the top-10 at ninth and 10th, respectively.

Four Big Green runners, Julia Stevenson ’20, Lillian Anderson ’19, Olivia Lantz ’19 and Leigh Moffett ’18, placed in the top-15 in the women’s 5,000 meter run.

Miles Irish ’18, Pat Gregory ’18 and Henry Raymond ’20 finished in the top-20 of the men’s mile, placing 16th, 17th and 18th respectively.

CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth. com for corrections.

Correction Appended (Jan. 26, 2018): The original version of the Jan. 24 article “DOC unveils 2018 Trips directorate” stated that Pierson said the directors consciously considered identity representations in this year’s decision-making. However, that decision-making process would have only come into play had there been a lack of diverse identities in this year’s applicant pool. The article has been updated to clarify this detail.

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

SW 3

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

Basketball

TENNIS Men’s tennis was undefeated this weekend, shutting out both the University of Buffalo and St. John’s University 4-0.

In the doubles matches, Dartmouth edged out Buffalo in the No. 1 and 3 positions, showcasing the young duo of Charlie Broom ’20 and David Horneffer ’20 at the top spot and Ciro Riccardi ’18 and Roko Glasnovic ’19 at the No. 3 slot to clinch the doubles point for the Big Green.

Dartmouth continued its strong play across the board in the singles matches. Max Fliegner ’18 picked up the first singles win, while Horneffer and Riccardi grabbed the second and third wins that sent Buffalo packing.

Dartmouth continued its momentum into the match against St. John’s later in the day, coming out on top in doubles after wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles positions, and sweeping the singles. Broom and Horneffer maintained their level of play, dispatching their opponents in quick straight set wins. John Speicher ’21 won his match to close out the day for Dartmouth.

Dartmouth returns to action this weekend on a two-game road trip to the University of Indiana and the University of Louisville.

Women’s tennis competed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s National Indoor Kick-Off Weekend

TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Kate Letkewicz ’18 guards Brown University’s Dominique Leonidas in a 78-73 win against the Bears.

Led by two double-doubles from Cy Lippold ’19 and Olivia Smith ’18, the women’s basketball team came out victorious against Brown University, winning 78-73 and improving to 10-6 on the season. The game was hotly-contested throughout, with 14 lead changes and five ties.

The Bears controlled the lead for the majority of the game (26:32) while Dartmouth only led for 11:05 minutes.

Dartmouth played solidly in the first quarter, holding the Bears to a one-point lead heading into the second, and a five-point lead at the half.

With a little over eight minutes left in the game and at a nine-point deficit, Dartmouth battled back with stellar shooting and fast-paced play to seal the game away.

Lippold secured her second double-double of the season, and Smith secured her first. The Big Green had five scorers in double digits for the third time this season. The team also shot 48.4 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range while making all of its free throws.

On Saturday, Dartmouth was unable to repeat its amazing shooting in the previous game, falling to Yale University 57-39. The Big Green fell to 10-7 on the season. Isalys Quiñones ’19 led Dartmouth with 13 points and was the only player to score double digits for the Big Green. Over the course of the game, Kate Letkewicz ’18 tied for fifth all-time in program history for three-pointers made with 162.

The Big Green face Cornell University and

Columbia University this weekend at home.

Men’s basketball fell to Brown 64-62 after a buzzer-beater from Zach Hunsaker. Brown came out hot with a 13-2 lead in the first six minutes, and extended its lead to 14 in the first half. Dartmouth slowly whittled away at the lead, eventually trailing Brown by a point just 14.6 seconds remaining in the game. After a timeout, Dartmouth gave the ball to Will Emery ’20, who was fouled on a dunk attempt and converted one of his two free throws to tie the game. After missing his second, Brown secured the rebound and immediately passed to Hunsaker, who drove and banked a 10-footer to win the game.

Emery finished the game 7-8 from the field and 4-7 from the free-throw line. Emery’s efforts were unfortunately in vain; despite his careerhigh 18-point night, Brown walked away with the win.

Yale held off the men in a 74-64 victory on Saturday, led by a game-high 25 points for Alex Copeland. Taylor Johnson ’18 led the Big Green with 15 points and a career-high seven assists. Dartmouth now stands at 4-13 on the season and 0-4 in the Ivy League.

Yale led 45-35 early in the second half, but Dartmouth slowly made a comeback effort.

Chris Knight ’21 brought Dartmouth within three when he made a jumper with just under 11 minutes to play, but the Big Green wasn’t able to get any closer, eventually losing by 10.

Dartmouth will play this weekend at Cornell and Columbia.

in Atlanta, Georgia, battling the University of Denver on Saturday and the University of South Florida of Sunday.

In a close match against Denver, Dartmouth fell 4-3. The Big Green comfortably took care of the doubles point early, winning the first two matches of the day. Top seeded partners Racquel Lyn ’20 and Kristina Mathis ’18 beat their Denver opponents 6-4, while Allison Chuang ’19and Julia Schroeder ’18 clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 victory.

Dartmouth was edged out in singles, dropping four of six matches. Lyn was dominant on the day, securing her second victory to give Dartmouth a 3-2 lead over the Pioneers. Unfortunately for the Big Green, this would be its last win on the day, as Denver secured the last two points to claim the match.

In its second match of the weekend, Dartmouth bested USF 4-3. The Bulls claimed two doubles wins to propel USF to a 1-0 lead against the Big Green.

In singles, Chuyang Guan ’20 and Mathis battled to straight set victories.

Lyn and Allison McCann ’20 finished off the Bulls with hard-fought three-set wins.

Women’s tennis improved to 3-1 on the year, while USF fell to 0-4. The Big Green hosts Boston College and the College of William and Mary this weekend.

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

SW 4

With Riley headed to Notre Dame, Danilack and Omsberg bo B y JUSTIN KRAMER

The Dartm

omsberg: Scarborough Dartmouth Minnesota United FC

COURTESY OF MATT DAN

Midfielder Matt Danilack ’18 wins a challenge. Danilack was selected in the fourth round of the MLS SuperDraft by the Philadelphia Union.

RILEY: NOTRE DAME

NOTRE DAME

NOTRE DAME

How the Omsberg pick unfolded

ISHAAN JAJODIA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

- First Ivy League player ever taken in first round of MLS SuperDraft - Second consecutive year a Dartmouth player has been drafted (Stefan Cleveland ’16)

PHILADELPHIA UNION

Minnesota United FC ‘s pick of Wyatt Omsberg ’18 was part of a series of draft-day moves for the club. The Loons dealt their No. 5 pick to the Chicago Fire in exchange for the No. 15 pick, cash and the Fire’s starting goalkeeper. The club then traded for the seventh and 23rd picks in a series of moves set to load the club with young talent. Many insiders had pegged the 6-foot-4-inch Omsberg as the second-best centerback of the draft behind Tomas Hilliard-Arce, a star on the three-time national champion Stanford University team. Omsberg bolstered his stock with an impressive performance at the MLS combine last week, finishing second in the 30-meter dash and tying for fourth in the shuttle run.

Hailing from Belgrade, Maine, with a population just over 3,000, Omsberg was largely overlooked by colleges in high school. Despite twice captaining his high school team to Class “A” State Championships and earning the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year, only a handful of Division I programs expressed interest.

Dartmouth

Brown University, bringing home an Ivy League Championship and an automatic NCAA tournament berth.

The next three seasons brought more accolades to Riley and the Big Green as the role of the ’18s continued to expand.

Dartmouth defended the Ivy League championship in 2015, 2016 and 2017 as Riley was named Ivy League Coach of the Year in three of his five seasons at the helm. Danilack was named to the All-Ivy League first team in his sophomore through senior seasons.

Omsberg’s stardom rose quickly after his sophomore season, when the Dartmouth defense allowed just 13 goals and Omsberg earned First Team All-Ivy honors. As a junior and senior, he began to receive national recognition. Named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017, he was also selected as a National Soccer Coaches Association All-American both years. “[Omsberg] brought an exceptional ability on the soccer field — a big presence, great in the air, all that type of stuff,” Riley said. “But I think he really just elevated that back line with his focus and that approach of every day you knew you were going to get [Omsberg’s] best or close to his best.”

The ’18s led the team not only on the field but also off of it, as demonstrated by their ability to lead each year’s incoming class and instill in them the same winning culture. Danilack, Dowse and Omsberg were tri-captains for their senior year.

“The team started to play with each

dartmouth

BETHESDA-OLNEY

Finding Championship Form Danilack, Dowse and Omsberg joined a Dartmouth team that finished 6-7-4 overall and last in the Ivy League in 2013. Riley, a former assistant coach under Jeff Cook, spent the 2013 helping the team adjust to his leadership. Riley was given the head coaching position after Cook, a 12-year veteran of the program, stepped away to pursue opportunities with the MLS Philadelphia Union.

The Big Green managed only 19 goals in 17 contests in 2013 while going 1-6 in the Ivy League. Dartmouth had

not fared worse in the Ancient Eight since 2003; however, the 2014 season, the first for the Class of 2018, was a different story. It began on Sept. 6, 2014 against then-No. 2 Notre Dame, a familiar foe for Riley, who played midfield for the Fighting Irish under Bobby Clark. Clark coached Notre Dame in 2014 and decided to leave the program at the end of this season, opening up the position for Riley’s homecoming. Riley was an assistant coach under Clark before he made the move to Dartmouth.

In the 4-1 loss, the Class of 2018 hinted at the future impact it would have on the team. Danilack, Dowse and Omsberg were all included in the starting 11 players. Omsberg sent a late header just wide of the net, but classmate Giorgio Gorini ’18 scored the Big Green’s lone goal in the second half.

The Big Green found more success in the games to come. After another loss, this time to then-No. 12 Indiana University on Sept. 8, 2014, began an eight-match unbeaten streak in which the trio of ’18s contributed four goals, three of which came from Danilack. His first career goal came on the same day that his older brother, Hugh Danilack ’15 scored against the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

Following a pair of losses, the Big Green did not drop another regular-season match in 2014. Dartmouth ended conference play with a 3-0 romp over

st. john’s

DANILACK: potomac school

Former men’s soccer coach Chad Riley and the Class of 2018 shared a special connection. The ’18s were the first class Riley recruited as an assistant coach and the first group of players to enter a system with Riley entrenched at the helm after he became head coach in 2013. Three seniors — Matt Danilack ’18, Tyler Dowse ’18 and Wyatt Omsberg ’18 — started games from the get-go, and the Big Green won the Ivy League Championship every season they played on the team.

Now with Riley taking the men’s soccer head coach position at the University of Notre Dame and departure of the seniors, including Danilack and Omsberg, who were selected in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft earlier this month — the men’s soccer team could look quite a bit different next season.

oberlin

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

SW 5

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

ound for MLS, men’s soccer confident it will maintain identity and EVAN MORGAN

mouth Staff

NILACK

other better this year, and that was because of the leadership we had this year from our three seniors,” Eduvie Ikoba ’19 said. “I can tell it’s something that definitely changed our team.”

The three ’18s were honored to receive the opportunity, humbled by the inherent respect across the roster.

“To be honest, it [was] really not a hard group to lead,” Danilack said.

“Everybody [was] motivated, talented and works hard. It [was] a great honor to be captain of Dartmouth men’s soccer, especially considering all the great leaders and players that have come before us, so we took a lot of pride in that.”

The trio of captains shared a long run of success alongside Riley to highlight their time playing for Dartmouth.

“The first Ivy League Championship we won together was very special,” Riley said. “All of them were very special, but I think that first one — whether it was the time on campus, the crowd, the night — it will be with me forever.”

From the Ivy League to Major League Soccer Omsberg and Danilack, who became the fifth and sixth players, respectively, in Dartmouth history to be drafted to an MLS team, credited the Big Green with catalyzing their professional careers.

“I’d like to think I was pretty good when I got to Dartmouth, but I got so much better in the last four years from everyone involved with the Dartmouth soccer organization,” Danilack said.

“Everyone has been so crucial to me being able to make this next step, and I can’t thank them enough.”

The Philadelphia Union selected Danilack in the fourth round of the SuperDraft.

“When you’re playing soccer as a little kid, you’re not really thinking about being a professional athlete — you’re just having fun, running around with your friends,” Danilack said. “When that dream became a reality later in my college career, it was surreal and then when it actually happened, I couldn’t believe it.”

Danilack made it clear he would not take the opportunity for granted when asked about what he is most looking forward to in the MLS. “The idea that I get to do what I love for a living at least for a little bit, I think that’s what most people want to do in this world and to play the sport that I love for a living is beyond exciting,” Danilack said.

Omsberg entered the SuperDraft considered a sleeper by many scouts.

A strong outing at the combine a week before the draft moved him into a higher position on draft boards. When Minnesota United selected the defender with the 15th overall pick, he became the first Ivy League player ever to go in

ISHAAN JAJODIA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Wyatt Omsberg ’18 graduated two terms early and is currently in Minnesota training with Minnesota United FC.

the first round.

“I was with my family just watching the draft,” Omsberg said. “You’re kind of nervous, you have no idea what to expect, you have no idea when you’re going to get called, but seeing my name pop up next to Minnesota, I was really excited.”

Becoming the Ivy League’s first player drafted in the first round was particularly meaningful for Omsberg.

“It’s obviously a huge honor,” he said. “There’s a lot of good players who have come out of the Ivy League, but I think it speaks to how well the league has been doing lately.”

Omsberg was not always a firstround lock, as he was not heavily recruited coming out of high school in Scarborough, Maine.

“The coaches saw something in me and Riley did a great job in recruiting me,” he said. “I’m really glad I made that choice. The things we do in training and the everyday habits that they instill in us are really professional, and it’s helped me immensely to get ready for what’s here.”

Having already graduated from Dartmouth in the fall, Omsberg headed to Minnesota only a few days after the draft where he has been touring and training since Jan. 21.

“The biggest adjustment for me has been getting used to the pace of play,” Omsberg said. “Everybody is bigger, faster, stronger, smarter, better than what I’m used to.”

For Danilack and Omsberg, getting drafted has been a lifelong journey.

Danilack was used to triumph before his four titles at Dartmouth, winning multiple championships with his topranked OBGC Rangers and for the Bethesda-Olney Academy in high school.

“I was always in a high level environment growing up and got used to it, and I’m looking forward to the

next steps of getting to the next level,” he said.

Omsberg shared Danilack’s level of early success, raised in a family of college soccer players.

“Growing up, we’d always be playing sports and soccer was me and my brother’s favorite so we would play a ton with my dad or just by ourselves,” Omsberg said.

Once Danilack, Dowse and Omsberg finally made it to Dartmouth, they worked hard to sustain their prior level of success.

“I don’t remember the three of them ever having a bad training session,” Riley said. “That’s a pretty amazing thing to do over a four-year period.”

The ’18s never forgot to cherish their time with the Big Green.

“They wanted to win games very badly but at the same time they knew being together, training together, just being able to spend this time together was so special,” Riley said.

Danilack and Omsberg, now at the start of their MLS journeys, are reminiscent of their time donning the green and white stripes.

“Getting to be around every single one of those guys all the time created the best memories of my life,” Danilack said. “I’m never going to forget those moments.”

Reflections on Riley Riley said establishing a team identity is the crux of any coaching transition.

“A team will form its identity with its coach, because it’s not like a coach and a team are separate,” Riley said.

“They’re all altogether, and they all have their roles so that’s the piece to find.”

When Riley took the head coaching position at Dartmouth, he knew a successful transition would not come immediately.

“There’s really no substitute for time and experiencing things together,

whether it’s training sessions, games or specific team-building things — really it just takes time,” Riley said.

Before 2017’s season, the team had an established identity, according to Riley and the players — a mindset Danilack called the “Dartmouth soccer culture.”

“It was a very confident team but humble at the same time,” Riley said.

“I don’t think there was a game that we didn’t approach with a lot of focus and a lot of intensity, whether it was a ranked team, whether it was a league game, whether it was an out of league game.”

Riley developed close relationships with his players, according to Ikoba, who struggled with injury last season.

“He would encourage me and talk to me and tell me that even though things are hard right now my time will come,” Ikoba said. “I’m very thankful he had faith in players especially when other coaches may not have given people chances.”

Back at Burnham Even without the leadership of Riley and the ’18s, the underclassmen are confident they will maintain their strongly solidified identity.

“I truthfully can’t see that [identity] changing because we’ve had this attitude through my whole time at Dartmouth personally, and it was the same for the class before us,” Ikoba said.

This identity does not figure to waver, even as the program searches for a new head coach.

“Now that we have a legacy of winning [four] Ivy League titles in a row, it’s not something that we’re willing to give up easily or change with the coach,” Ikoba said. “I’m sure there will be small changes in tactics or the way we approach training, but on the field we’re all going to work hard for each other and keep our streak going.”

Omsberg is confident that the school will find an excellent coach to fill Riley’s spot at the helm and continue Dartmouth’s success.

“For a new coach, I have a lot of trust in the athletics department that it is going to bring in the best candidate possible that will continue to lead Dartmouth men’s soccer in the right direction,” Omsberg said. “That coach has all of the tools that he or she needs.”

Riley outlined what steps his successor will have to take upon joining the program noting the importance of recruitment and developing players over time.

In the interim, assistant coach Ryan Fahey is managing training sessions until Riley departs on Feb 1. After that, the team will temporarily be without a coach, but Ikoba believes the team can overcome this because of its work culture.

“At a glance, people don’t really notice how much we work,” he said.

“Our mentality has always been that championships are not won in November, it’s something that happens throughout the whole season.”

During the winter, the team runs three miles before every practice. It is this extra effort that Ikoba believes has pushed Dartmouth to the next level.

“We have the talent, but if you can’t work as a group to bring it together, then it will be a waste,” With Danilack, Dowse and Omsberg departing, the team is losing much of its core from the past four seasons.

However, there are options among the underclassmen to lead the next period of Dartmouth soccer. In addition to Ikoba, who was the team’s leading scorer in 2017, the Big Green will also have Ivy League Rookie of the Year Dawson McCartney ’21 and Justin Donawa ’19, who earned All-Ivy accolades from his freshman to junior seasons. As Ikoba noted, however, everyone on the team will need to work hard for the next season.

“It’s not just one person that will need to improve,” Ikoba said. “As a team, we’ll have to work harder and become leaders on and off the field.”

The faces on the field and sidelines where the ’18s and Riley once stood will surely look different next year, but the ingredients for a fifth consecutive championship are still there.

“All they have to do is keep doing the little things,” Danilack said. “Keep doing the things that they did over the last four years, and they’re going to find success no matter who the next coach or no matter any of the personnel changes.”

Omsberg followed up on his teammate’s aspirations for the future of Dartmouth soccer.

“With what we’ve done the past four years, hopefully we have set a new precedent for success,” he said.

“Hopefully that success continues.”

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

SW 6

The Olympics Corner: The loss of the NHL for men’s hockey

By CAITLYN MCGOVERN The Dartmouth Staff

With the 2018 Winter Olympics kicking off in 11 days, athletes around the world are preparing to travel to Pyeongchang, South Korea for the experience of a lifetime.

This year, however, players from the National Hockey League will not be lacing up for men’s ice hockey. For the first time since before the 1998 games, the NHL will not be sending players to the Olympics. Over the course of five Winter Games, the league has had 706 players take the ice for their nations and an average of 141 athletes per season.

When NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the decision, the league cited several reasons for restricting players from hitting the ice for their countries. The 17-day break in the schedule needed to accommodate the Olympics is seen as a burden to the League and the potential for players to get injured while playing could sideline them for the rest of the season, such as when the New York Islanders’ captain John Tavares suffered a

season-ending knee injury during the Canada-Latvia game in 2014.

Additionally, the International Olympic Committee had paid for costs associated with the Games in the past but informed the NHL that this year it would not be covering these. While the International Ice Hockey Federation offered to take on the $20 million, the league declined the offer in favor of the money being used to work on developing hockey. However, what better way is there to grow the game than display it for the whole world to see?

The Olympics is not a small event by any means. In 2014, the USARussia men’s hockey game became the NBC Sports Networks mostwatched half hour of television and its most-watched hockey game in the network’s history. In contrast, the average NHL game has 336,000 viewers on the network. If the league is truly invested in growing the sport, it would not let a twoweek break in the schedule hold their players back from showing off their talents to the entire world.

It is also important to consider

that players want to be able to take the ice for their countries, as it is one of the greatest honors endowed on an athlete. When news broke that the NHL would not be participating in the games, the NHL Player’s Association released a statement in response to the decision, stating, “The players are extraordinarily disappointed and adamantly disagree with the NHL’s short sighted decision to not continue our participation in the Olympics.” By not allowing players to participate, the NHL is depriving them of the opportunity of a lifetime. The purpose of the Olympics is to put the greatest athletes in the world on display, and that’s exactly who NHL players are. They are premier athletes, the most accomplished in their sport, and they deserve to take their spots in Pyeongchang.

Having these big name NHL players on the ice would also draw in viewers who want to see their favorite skaters face off, such as the Chicago Blackhawks’ captain Jonathan Toews, representing Canada, and Patrick Kane for

Team USA. Sidney Crosby will not be resuming his position as captain of the nine-time gold medal-winning Canadian hockey team, while Connor McDavid, the fastest skater at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition for the second year in a row, won’t be making his Olympic debut. For Team USA, Ryan Callahan, Kane and Phil Kessel will no longer have the chance to redeem themselves after placing fourth and failing to medal at Sochi in 2014. For Zdeno Chara, the captain of the Slovakia 2014 Olympic team and the bearer of the country’s flag at the 2014 Opening Ceremony, the NHL’s decision means he will not be able to take his 108.8 mph slap shot to Pyeongchang.

The caliber of NHL players can be seen on the ice and in the locker room, as all but two of the 2014 captains were once NHL players, from the Minnesota Wild’s Zach Parise leading Team USA to the former member Detroit Red Wing’s magic man Pavel Datsyuk leading the Russian team. The significance of the NHL on the Olympics does

not come as a shock, considering the league’s status as the premier hockey league in the world with players from 17 different countries.

NHL players also made an impact in Sochi. Canada had an entire roster of NHL players and claimed the gold, while Sweden, which has all but one player coming from the NHL, placed second. Finland took home the bronze medal and had 12 players from the NHL and 13 from other leagues, including nine from the Kontinental Hockey League.

Additionally, Team USA, which was completely composed of NHL players, took fourth place.

The prohibition of NHL players has left countries looking toward the AHL, KHL and college leagues to fill their Olympic rosters. While these players are still incredibly talented, the absence of players such as the Washington Capitals’ Alexander Ovechkin or the Red Wings’ Jimmy Howard will be noticed.

This is the second installment in The Dartmouth’s 2018 Winter Olympics coverage.

Men’s hockey bests Eastern College Athletic Conference rivals

By JAKE PHILHOWER The Dartmouth Staff

Dartmouth men’s hockey has been successful as of late, toppling some of the best teams in the country and playing very strong hockey. Last weekend, the Big Green went on its yearly “North Country” trip, playing games at St. Lawrence University and Clarkson University. This has historically been a very difficult road trip for the Big Green as the men have only won both away games once in the past five years, during the 2013-14 season. This road trip is one of the key points for the Big Green during the Eastern College Athletic Conference schedule and often serves a benchmark showing how the team is progressing.

Both opponents on this road trip have historic backgrounds and are regular contenders in the ECAC. On Friday, Jan. 19, the Big Green made the trip up to St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York to face off in the first game of the road trip. Dartmouth jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period after an even strength goal from Charley Michalowski ’20. In both the second and third period each team scored a goal; however the Big Green was able to hold on and deliver a key 3-2 win.

In the second game of the weekend, the Big Green knew it had a big challenge as it was slated to play against Clarkson, the then-No. 2

team in the nation. Clarkson had a 15 game-unbeaten streak coming into the game and was unbeaten in ECAC play.

“Going into that game, we knew we had to bring our best because they hadn’t lost in the ECAC yet, and we just tried to stick to our systems, cut down on their scoring chances and convert on our opportunities since we knew we wouldn’t get many,” Alex Jasiek ’19 said.

The Big Green rose to the challenge and played a solid all-around game, not only holding its own defensively but capitalizing on the few chances that Clarkson’s tough defense allowed. Matt Baker ’21 delivered key goals late in the game and eventually buried the winning goal early in the third period. The Dartmouth defense was then able to hold off the Clarkson attack and deliver a huge win for the team.

“We have been playing very well lately,” Collin Rutherford ’21 said.

“I think Clarkson was a good test for us. We had really good defensive and offensive play from everyone on the team. Our goaltending has also been phenomenal and has been keeping us in games. It was great team effort.”

A win away at Clarkson showed that the Big Green had made big strides since the beginning of the season which featured several disappointing losses. Dartmouth’s play on the ice seems to be trending in the right direction, which is good

news for the men in green with the ECAC playoffs on the horizon.

This weekend, the Dartmouth hockey team had a key homestand against Colgate University and Cornell University. Both foes have had strong showings in ECAC play this year and would both proved to be tough opponents for the Big Green. Colgate has produced a respectable .500 record in ECAC play this year. The match proved to be a nailbiter as it was tied at one for a majority of the game after the Big Green and Colgate posted a lone goal in the first period. Finally, with just under eight minutes left in the third period, Tim Shoup ’18 delivered the game-winning goal to propel the Big Green to a key victory.

On Saturday, the Big Green faced another tough test against Cornell. The Big Red has had a fantastic season, rolling over its ECAC competition and posting dominant performances against stiff competition. Cornell was ranked No. 2 in the nation prior to this weekend, but an argument can be made that it should be the top-ranked team in the nation because of its clear dominance.

The Big Green put up a good performance, staying within one goal of the entire game until Cornell posted an empty net goal to seal the win. Playing in his 100th career game for the Big Green, Shoup was able to find the back of the net and score against one

TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

The Big Green currently sits at 9-11-2 after the weekend series.

of the nation’s top goaltenders, Matthew Galajda. Nonetheless, the Big Green suffered a tough 3-1 loss as Cornell clinched the Ivy League Championship.

“We obviously don’t want to be content with losing, but a 3-1 empty net loss to Cornell is a good measure of where we are as a team right now,” Brendan Demler ’21 said. “Everyone is very confident with our play heading forward.”

The Dartmouth penalty kill also had a strong showing, killing both penalties called against the Big Green. Throughout the season, the Big Green has had a strong penalty kill, which will be key going forward as the ability to recover from critical mistakes becomes increasingly important in playoff hockey.

Looking forward, the Big Green

has consistently been posting solid performances against tough competition, showing it will not be an easy out in the ECAC playoffs.

“We had a bumpy start to the season, but since we went to Denver in December — we have really turned things around,” Rutherford said after the Cornell game.

“We’ve proven we can hang with the best in the country, and we are absolutely a team that could make a deep run in the playoffs.”

The Big Green currently sits at 9-11-2 overall and 7-7-1 in ECAC play. The team is slated to play against Harvard University on Feb. 2. The team is focused not only because it is a high-profile game, but also because this is the next test for the Big Green and an important game for seeding in the ECAC tournament.

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

SW 7

Swiss product Tanguy Nef ’20 finds comfort zone in carnivals

By EVAN MORGAN

The Dartmouth Senior Staff

Going by a single name rather than a full name identifies you as a “somebody.” Think Bono, Ronaldinho and Voltaire.

It was fitting, then, that Tanguy Nef ’20 became known as “Nef ” when he came to Dartmouth from Switzerland in 2016. The Big Green men’s alpine skier and Swiss national alpine ski team member has been a force to be reckoned with on the carnival circuit this season, most recently winning the slalom and giant slalom at the St. Michael’s Carnival at Smuggler’s Notch this weekend.

When he first came to Dartmouth, Nef said he was unsure about what name people would call him by and how it would be pronounced.

“Before I came here I was like, ‘maybe Tanguy works,’” Nef said.

He quickly discovered that his first name – pronounced “Tongee” with a hard “g”— did not roll off American tongues. Nef now introduces himself by his last name.

A stop in Hanover might seem like an unusual detour for a promising European skier. But in truth, Europeans fill much of the upper tier of United States collegiate skiing, especially at western powerhouses like the University of Colorado and the University of Utah. Last season, four of the top 10 finishers in the men’s giant slalom at NCAA Championships were European.

When Nef broke his leg in a downhill race during his junior season of high school, he had to consider a future that did not include competitive skiing. Suddenly, a seemingly clear shot to the Swiss national team had become more complicated.

“I [thought] ‘after that, what am I going to do now?’” Nef said. “I can go to university, I can study or I can just do skiing.”

He had heard about a collegiate system in the United States where he could study while racing at the same time. It sounded ideal, so Nef reached out to coaches and was impressed on an eventual visit to Dartmouth. But while Nef had been off the slopes due to injury, his world ranking had slipped.

Nef recalled a conversation where he told Dartmouth skiing coaches, “Just give me a chance, wait for me in the season to perform.”

For about 10 months in 2015, Nef bided his time off the slopes, recovering from injury. When he got back on his feet, he showed Dartmouth coaches what he could accomplish when he was healthy. During the 2015-2016 season, Nef took second in a pair of International Ski Federation slalom races, finished fourth in the slalom at the Swiss National Junior Championship and competed at the Junior World Ski Championships in Sochi, Russia.

It was enough to get him a spot on Dartmouth’s team.

Nef said the atmosphere of the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association circuit — where ski team parents prepare snack tables at every carnival and competitors from other teams quickly become familiar faces — is a welcome change from racing in Europe.

“The vibes in the [European] races are like you start, you push, you do your best, you get the finish and no one’s there,” Nef said. “You wait in the cold, play cards, do your second run and play cards again, wait for the guy who tunes your skis, and go to bed. Here, it’s completely different, and that’s why I loved last year.”

He also noted the personal investment in the performance of his teammates. European racing, Nef said, focuses on the individual.

Racers are nominally part of a team, but skiers are focused on their own performances.

In U.S. collegiate racing, while individual performances matter, overall carnival victories require wellrounded performances from the entire team.

Nef said rooting for one’s teammates is partly a product of the American mindset. Even in the weight room, teammates cheer one another on. He recalled feeling surprised during one of the first lift practices last season. While Nef was doing squats, his teammates swarmed another teammate who was about to do a one-rep max test.

“They’re cheering for him to do his max rep and I’m thinking, ‘He’s probably just the captain, so they do that for him,’” Nef said. “Soon I got to do my max rep and then they did that for me and I [thought,]... ‘I’m part of the team now too.’”

While training at Dartmouth, Nef has tried to balance pushing his physical limits with improving technically. He said he “wasn’t strong” when he came to Hanover and has improved significantly in the weight room. On the slopes, he has recently turned his focus to his turns through the gates. Pressing on the outside ski and staying low can produce cleaner turns, which translate into valuable fractions of a second at the finish line.

“I think his ability to see lines is really good,” men’s alpine skier Brian McLaughlin ’18 said. “He always seems to be putting his pressure in the right place.”

Success at Dartmouth and on the North American Cup circuit will help Nef climb the ladder of the Swiss national team. An agreement with the team allows him to remain a full member while training and competing in North America.

A trio of high finishes in Nor-Am races in Panorama, British Columbia in December 2017 — third place and fourth place in giant slalom, followed by a win in slalom — vaulted Nef

higher in the worldwide rankings.

The move made him eligible for the European Cup, the equivalent of the North American Cup in the larger and more competitive world of European skiing, as well as the Swiss national B team.

After discussions with Swiss Ski, Nef decided not to make the leap to the European Cup this season. Instead, he is aiming for podium performances in NCAA and FIS races, which will help Dartmouth win carnivals while boosting Nef ’s point total and his world ranking. So far, so good for the Geneva, Switzerland native, who now has a second-place finish and two victories in the three carnival races this season.

If all goes well, he will be a key part of a Dartmouth team that betters last year’s fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championship.

“He’s just really relaxed and provides chill vibes on the team,” McLaughlin said. “When we need to be serious he can be, but when we need a light moment he’s also really fun to have around.”

With enough points, Nef may be able to bypass the European Cup entirely and move straight to the World Cup. But for now, he is comfortable with the routine of the carnival circuit.

“You go to school, do the races … get your work done, keep going to school, take your exams and everything, and then escape again,” Nef said. “And I really like that.”

Alpine teams come up just short in carnival comeback bid The Big Green entered the second week of the St. Michael’s College Carnival in a 46-point hole after losing significant ground to the University of Vermont in the men’s 15-kilometer freestyle. Although Dartmouth’s alpine teams beat the Catamounts in three of four alpine races over the weekend, the Big Green could not surpass UVM’s advantage. The Catamounts finished with 956 points to Dartmouth’s 946, earning their first carnival win since the 2017 Dartmouth Carnival.

“The snow this weekend was really good,” women’s alpine head coach John Dwyer said. “The courses held up extremely well, so it was really fair racing across the board— nobody had an advantage.”

Big Green skiers occupied the top step of both podiums on Friday.

Women’s alpine captain Foreste Peterson ’18 won her second giant slalom of the season with a total time of 1:51.64 as she edged the University of Vermont’s Paula Moltzan by 0.14 seconds. Kelly Moore ’18 and Stephanie Lebby ’20 also scored team points in sixth and seventh, respectively, while Claire Thomas ’21 took ninth and Alexa Dlouhy ’19 took 10th. Strong performances from UVM skiers, however, made the

COURTESY OF TANGUY NEF

Tanguy Nef ’20 won both of his races at the St. Michael’s Carnival this weekend.

women’s giant slalom the only event of the weekend that Dartmouth did not win. On the men’s side, Nef won his second career EISA giant slalom by a margin of 1.20 seconds over UVM’s Sandy Vietze. Thomas Woolson ’17 finished in third, while McLaughlin ’18 took ninth.

Saturday brought even better results in the slalom. Five Dartmouth names again landed among the women’s top 10, led by Dlouhy, Peterson, Meg Currie ’17 and Lebby.

The foursome finished 2-3-4-5, while Moore took eighth.

Dwyer said the women’s team has established a strong foundation this

season.

“It’s pretty realistic for us to have our entire team in the top 10 in both slalom and giant slalom every weekend,” he said.

Nef, the first men’s skier to take the slopes, was the quickest down the mountain in the first run, and he protected his lead enough on the second run to earn the win.

McLaughlin and Kalle Wagner ’21 followed in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Dartmouth will have a chance to start its EISA win streak anew at the University of Vermont Carnival this weekend.

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

SW 8

SPORTS Griffith’s Got Stats with Evan Griffith ’18

M e n ’s B a s ke t b a l l L a c k s Defensive Touch Dartmouth’s men’s basketball started off the season trying to prove all of the team’s doubters wrong.

A panel of media representatives predicted the Big Green to finish seventh in the Ivy League this season, only ahead of Brown University. In addition, just a day before the season was set to begin, Dartmouth’s standout forward Evan Boudreaux ’19 officially announced that he would forgo the 2017-2018 season and play at Xavier University as a graduate transfer for two years, starting next season. With Boudreaux’s All-Ivy Second Team performance and a 7-20 overall record in 2017, many wondered how the Big Green would turn the team around.

In short, the team has struggled.

I n a d d i t i o n t o B o u dreaux’s departure, the team lost one of its offensive cornerstones, Guilien Smith ’19, indefinitely due to a hand injury. The underclassmen, as a result, have had to step up and take on larger roles. Taylor Johnson ’18 and former Ivy League Rookie of the Year and current co-captain Miles Wright ’18 make up two of the five starting players, but the remainder of the major contributors for the Big Green have come from underclassmen.

Forward Aaryn Rai ’21 has started 16 out of 17 games this season and is shooting .476 from the three — second best in the Ivy League. Brendan Barry ’20 is the team’s third-leading scorer behind Johnson and Wright. He is shooting .434 from behind the arc, good for fourth in the Ivy League, and .886 from the free-throw line. Chris Knight ’21 has come into his own as a jack-of-all-trades player. The team uses the 6-foot 7-inch first-

year at both center and forward.

He and fellow big man Will Emery ’20 are currently leading the team in offensive rebounding percentage (the proportion of a player’s offensive rebounds to the total number of offensive rebounds available while they were on the court), with 7.9 percent and 8.9 percent respectively.

Dartmouth’s offense seems to be clicking with a good balance of stud underclassmen and senior leadership, but the team only won four games this season — three if you disregard one against Division III Emerson College.

The answer could stem from poor defensive play. Dartmouth’s defense has marred its offensive success this season, and it has hurt them in games where it counted.

Dean Oliver, the first full-time statistician hired by the National Basketball Association, developed statistics in his book “Basketball On Paper” that theorizes why a team is good or bad. Oliver describes these “Four Factors,” which can be used to analyze one’s own team and one’s opponent: 1. Shoot the ball and score: This is measured in “effective field goal percentage.” This can be viewed as standard field goal percentage but weighted to give slightly more credit to 3-point shots.

2. Take care of the ball: This is measured in “turnover percentage,” literally the number of tur novers per number of possessions.

3. Offensive rebounding: This is measured in “offensive rebound percentage,” which is calculated using the number of offensive rebounds per total rebounds.

4. Getting to the foul line: This is measured in “free-throw rate,” which is the number of free throws attempted per field goals attempted.

Dartmouth’s biggest defensive struggle is the first and most important of the Four Factors, making the shot. Dartmouth’s defensive effective field goal percentage is 54.7 percent, which, according to college basketball statistics website KenPom.com, is ranked 316th out of 351 teams in Division I and last in the Ivy League. The analysis is simpler than you think — if the opposing team scores a lot of points, it will beat you.

There are two games that are perfect examples of Dartmouth’s

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

TODAY’S LINEUP

NO EVENTS SCHEDULED

SEAMORE ZHU/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

After finishing last season with a 7-20 overall record, the Big Green is currently 4-13 overall and 0-4 in Ivy play.

This weekend, the team continues Ivy play as it takes on Cornell University and Columbia University.

play this year: the Dec. 19, 2017 loss to the University of Notre Dame and the Jan. 20 overtime loss to Harvard University.

Dartmouth’s matchup in South Bend, Indiana was, without a doubt, its toughest game of the year; however, Notre Dame, at the time, was in a slump. The Fighting Irish had lost three of its last five games that took them from No. 5 in the AP Poll down to No. 9. Notre Dame had a lot to fight for, and a loss to Dartmouth would be a big hit on its résumé come March. Both teams delivered a great matchup, but Notre Dame came out on top 97-87. Notre Dame senior Bonzie Colson, who is currently out with a foot injury, put up his 30th career double-double with a career-high 37 points. Four out of five of Notre Dame’s starters scored in double figures this game, but Notre Dame only recorded three points off its bench, compared to Dartmouth’s 32. Dartmouth also hit 15 3-point shots. When you put up a performance like that, you should win the game. However, you can’t let the other team score 97 points and expect to win.

The Harvard game was not an offensive shootout; it was a defensive brawl. Harvard’s team this year is characterized by two elements: stifling defense and a complete inability to shoot. This game went to overtime with both teams at 48 points. Dartmouth was able to keep up with Harvard, closing a 17-point lead to force overtime, but the Crimson kept scoring by using their size to get to the interior and make easy layups. According to KenPom,

Dartmouth’s 2-point field goal percentage on defense is 55.3 percent, 325th out of 351 teams in Division I. Harvard exploited this, shooting 47.2 percent from two and 29.2 percent from three, compared to Dartmouth’s 44.4 percent from three. Dartmouth’s defensive play let the team down again. Despite Harvard’s inability to shoot, the Big Green could not make the necessary defensive adjustments to win this game.

Dartmouth is currently 4-13, having lost seven straight and dropping its first four Ivy contests. This upcoming weekend, Dartmouth travels to Cornell University, who currently sits at 7-10 overall and 1-3 in Ivy play on Friday, and Columbia University, who is 4-13 overall and 1-3 in conference play, on Saturday.

At first glance, one might think that the game against the Lions might be winnable by looking at their record. However, Columbia is the second “least lucky” team in the country, according to KenPom. This team had a streak of six games from Nov. 25, 2017 to Dec. 10, 2017 in which it lost by 10 points or less, including an overtime loss to the University of Connecticut and a four-point loss to University at Albany, SUNY. I would expect Columbia to finish in the middle of the pack in the Ivy League; although wouldn’t it be great if Columbia made the Ivy League tournament with its out-of-conference record?

My predictions for the four teams to make the Ivy Tour nament this year falls

somewhat in line with the standard teams at the top. For the past five years, three of the four teams to make the Ivy tournament or finish in the top four in the years without the tournament have been Harvard, Yale University and Princeton University. Currently, the top four in the conference are Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton and Yale and Brown University tied for fourth. Yale is performing worse than predicted due to the injury of star player Makai Mason at the beginning of the season, but Brown’s Ivy record of 2-2 includes some key wins. The Bears beat Yale and Dartmouth on its own turf by margins of one and two points, respectively. The fourth spot in the Ivy League is up for grabs, but I can reasonably see Columbia or Yale taking that spot at the moment.

Both of these teams can shoot the ball fairly well. Yale is the best 2-point shooting team in the Ivy League and the 11th best nationally, better than Pacific-12 leader University of Arizona. Columbia is the secondbest 3-point shooting team in the Ivy League behind Princeton, who will certainly make the tournament barring a total collapse, sporting an overtime road win over Pac-12 powerhouse University of Southern California. Neither Columbia nor Yale has a signature win on their résumé, but Columbia has already played its two toughest Ivy tests this season, losing to both Princeton and Penn on the road. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Lions take advantage of an easy late-season schedule to make a push for that fourth spot. Their luck has to turn at some point, right?