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‘Sports’ Category
Senior football captains respond to last week’s events
The rising senior captains of the football team have spoken out about the arrest and the tweets that gripped campus last week. In a letter sent to Spec, they report that head coach Pete Mangurian has had two meetings with the team to discuss the incidents and “has made it clear that our teammates will be held accountable for their actions.” The captains write that it is their job “to lead in a way that all of our teammates embrace and respect all the diversity within our University community.”
Full email below and after the jump:
Members of the Columbia community:
Given the events of the last week, we feel it is important for us to address the actions of some of the members of the football team. We understand that what has happened reflects poorly on the University, the student body and our football team as a whole. It is unfortunate that the inappropriate actions of some of our former and current teammates have had such a negative effect on our entire University. We apologize for that. More »
An olympic tale of motivation
Despite her ongoing battle against a chronic disease, nothing has stopped Barnard senior Brooke Azcuy from doing what she loves and pursuing her dreams. She now has her eyes set on the Olympics post-graduation.
What was your reaction after finding out you were named to the USA National Team for Modern Pentathlon?
Just before I found out, I had been looking for something exciting and intense to do. With all of the qualifier Modern Pentathlons passed- I began looking into an Ironman to register for and work towards, at the last moment in registering I thought to wait a minute and check my email- and there it was!
My invitation saying I had qualified for and been named to Team USA to compete in the World Cup for Modern Pentathlon! I was totally shocked, I thought I was hallucinating! More »
Gulati now on FIFA executive Committee
Breaking free of Columbia’s notorious reputation for lackluster athletics, everyone’s favorite Principles of Economics lecturer Sunil Gulati, who’s also the president of the United States Soccer Federation, was elected to the FIFA Executive Committee on Friday, after a vote at the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Association Football) Congress in Panama.
Gulati defeated Mexican Football Federation president Justino Compean by one vote for the victory. The committee is the decision-making body of FIFA, responsible for tasks like determining final dates and locations of tournaments, and designating delegates to the IFAB (International Football Association Board).
The move from his current position on the CONCACAF Executive Committee to the FIFA Executive Committee will allow Gulati to have greater influence in soccer on the international level. Rather than solely dealing with soccer matters in the North, Central American, and Caribbean region, he will now represent this region on the most powerful board in soccer. More »
Wrestling’s Steve Santos talks about recent success in newest Sportscast
Over spring break, senior Steve Santos of the Light Blue wrestling squad took third place in his weight class at the NCAA wrestling championship in Des Moines, Iowa.
Steve joined Eli Schultz and Nick Scott this week on the latest episode of the Spectator Sportscast to talk about his experience at the national tournament and his plans for after graduation.
Send any suggestions for the Sportscast to podcast@columbiaspectator.com.
Despite 8th-place finish, Lions have bright future in young backcourt
Despite being predicted to finish third place in the Ivy League, the Light Blue men’s basketball team had a disappointing 2012-2013 season, as they posted a record of 12-16 overall and 4-10 in conference play, and finished in last place.
In our season wrap-up show, Spectator’s men’s basketball beat writers—Eli Schultz, Steven Lau, and Muneeb Alam—discuss the problems that plagued the Lions’ season and the highlight the players that will play a key role in future years, especially with the graduation of point guard Brian Barbour and center Mark Cisco, who both played central roles in Columbia’s squad.
Learning to make anything look like a grand-prix horse
Equestrian, also commonly known as riding, made its Olympic debut in the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. After its initial debut, equestrian disappeared from the Olympic scene for over a decade before returning in 1912.
Since then, it has remained an Olympic discipline, with three subdivisions: dressage, eventing, and jumping.
In Spectrum’s club sport spotlight series’ first interview, Columbia’s Equestrian club co-captains Julie Ahn and Sarah Coleman talked about how they became involved with riding, the club’s presence on campus, and what it takes to be a member of Equestrian here at Columbia.
The team, courtesy of Julie Ahn
Women’s basketball player Tyler Simpson guest stars on Sportscast
Even though Brian Barbour was unable to make it to this week’s filming of the Spectator Sportscast, there was no lack of basketball talent in the studio.
Senior guard Tyler Simpson of the women’s basketball team made a guest appearance and talked with hosts Eli Schultz and Nick Scott about her recent 26-point performance against Brown, her plans for after graduation, and more.
Have any suggestions for the show? Send them to podcast@columbiaspectator.com.
Former international tennis star looks to dominate courts of law
Columbia’s tennis programs have several of the nation’s top-ranked college athletes on their rosters, but the biggest name in tennis currently at Columbia isn’t part of either team.
Mario Ančić, the 28-year-old Croatian tennis star who was once ranked No. 7 in the world, is pursuing a LL.M. at the Columbia Law School.
Ančić—whom the media nicknamed “Super Mario” after he defeated Roger Federer at Wimbledon when he was 18 years old—doesn’t play much anymore, but he occasionally hits with members of Columbia’s men’s tennis team.
Spectator caught up with Ančić and some friends at the Vanderbilt Tennis Club, tucked away in the upper levels of Grand Central Station, to talk about his transition from a professional athlete to a lawyer and to see what skills he still has on the tennis court.
Read the full feature about Ancic written by Kyle Perrotti in today’s paper.
Let’s play ball! Baseball kicks off 2013 season
With the Light Blue baseball team poised to begin its season this weekend against Lamar University in Texas, two of the baseball beat writers—Myles Simmons and Eli Schultz—sat down to discuss the prospects of this year’s team.
Watch the video above to hear sound bites from their interview with head coach Brett Boretti and see clips from one of the Lions’ recent practices.
For an in-depth look at this year’s team, pick up a copy of the Baseball Supplement or read it online.