The Year in Sports, part 1
@ByName:sport
Basketball
The basketball team improved from a dismal three-win season in 1988 to a respectable 7-13 last year. Maureen Fahey '90 was the key to the turnaround, scoring an MIT single season record 386 points. Fahey, averaging 19.3 points per game overall, averaged 22.1 points per game within the conference to lead it, and 13.4 rebounds to finish second. Her overall rebound totals gave her a 25th ranking in the nation. Tough defense also contributed to the turnaround; The team allowed only 54.9 points per game, among the 20 lowest averages in the nation.
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Crew
Crew posted an impressive 8-5 mark in dual meets, culminated by a fourth place finish in New Englands.
Laura Opsasnick '90 was the most lauded performer on the team. Her abilities led her to be one of 24 people in the nation selected to the National Development Camp, which is used as a preparation for the Olympics.
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Cross Country
MIT also enjoyed a great deal of success in cross-country. In the New England Women's Eight Championships, the Engineers finished fourth overall. Theresa Fuentes '91 finished fifth and Chris Goh '92 finished sixth, and both were named NEW8 All-Stars. In the MAIAW Championships, Goh finished fifth and Fuentes sixth, with Gabrielle Rocap '92 coming in tenth.
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Fencing
The fencing team qualified for the New England Regional Championships, with Alice Chang '90 and Laura Armstrong '90 qualifying for individual championships. Chang was also named first-team All-New England, and Armstrong was MVP.
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Field Hockey
Under new Head Coach Carol Martin, the field hockey team finished a strong 8-8-1 and won one tournament game before being eliminated. Susie Ward '92 was named All-Conference for her play, and Karlin Anderson '91, Kirsten Domingo '90, and Sandy Owen '91 were all selected to play on the New England Colleges team.
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Gymnastics
Despite a 3-5 record on the season, the gymnastics team made their presence known in post-season tournaments. They finished second in the New England Championships, and then went on to finish fifth in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Division III championships.
Lisa Arel '92 was the lifeblood of the team. She won the all-around, balance beam, and uneven bars events at New Englands, while finishing second in the vault and third on the floor. At the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championships, she finished fourth all-around, third on the floor, and fifth in both the balance beam and uneven bars events.
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Skiing
The ski team finished with a respectable 23-27 record for the season. Rebecca Emerson '89 won an award for lettering all four years while at MIT.
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Soccer
The soccer team provided the most pleasant surprise of the season as they captured the NEW8 Championship, rising from the number seven seed to upset the top three teams in the conference. The team wound up 11-7 on the year, with all seven losses ironically coming within the conference.
All three victories in the championship were by 1-0 scores. The team had expected a quick exit against a potent Mount Holyoke squad which was ranked second in the conference. Riding high after the upset, the team ground out another winner against third-ranked Wellesley, and then upset defending champion and top-seeded Smith.
The team set school records for goals and wins. Lorainne Cirillo '90 was All-Conference and second-team All-New England. She scored the game winning goals against Mount Holyoke and Wellesley. Julie Ask '90 netted the winner against Smith.
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Softball
Despite unimpressive numbers on paper, the softball team put up impressive numbers where it counted -- on the scoreboard and in the record book. Tough pitching by Lynn Albers '92 and Lisa Johnson '92 "kept us in the game," said Head Coach Jean Heiney. She also commented that the team "played smart enough to win," and they did just that in posting a 9-6 record. Dianne DiMassa G was named All-Conference.
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Swimming
The record of the swim team was 5-4, but the real story was Yvonne Grierson '90. Grierson won the NCAA Division III championships in both the 100 butterfly (for the second consecutive year) and 100 freestyle. She now owns or shares an incredible 11 school records, and was a four-event All American. For these amazing efforts, she was named NECAC Division III Female Athlete of the Year.
The team finished a best-ever 16th at nationals.
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Tennis
In the spring, the tennis team concluded its season ranked 20th in Division III. Fiona Tan '91 ranked 47th individually.
In the fall, the team finished at 3-9, 2-5 in the conference. Dheera Ananthakrishnan '90 was named to the All-Conference team.
Compiled by Shawn Mastrian,->
with assistance from Stu Schmill->
and Roger Crosley of the->
Sports Information Office->
Copyright 1990 by The Tech. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published on Tuesday, February 6, 1990.
Volume 110, Year in Review
The story was printed on page 19.
This article may be freely distributed electronically, provided it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice, but may not be reprinted without the express written permission of The Tech. Write to archive@the-tech.mit.edu for additional details.
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