In its second straight appearance at the NCAA Division III Championship, the MIT women’s cross country team improved to a fifth-place showing at Saturday’s national meet, hosted by Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Maria J. Monks ’10 and Jacqueline M. Wentz ’10 led the way for the Cardinal and Grey, as each earned All-American honors, the first such accolades for the program since 1998. Monks’ 13th-place finish marks the best individual effort at the NCAA Championship in school history.

Monks’s time of 22:29.5 easily eclipsed the previous Institute standard, a 26th-place showing by Debbie Won ’00 in 1998. Wentz also had an impressive performance, crossing the finish with a time of 22:43.6 and in 29th. Alina E. Gatowski ’11 (23:08.2) narrowly missed the top 50 with her 51st-place standing. Tania K. Morimoto ’12 came through the chute in 23:49.1, good for 128th overall. Brooke C. Johnson ’13’s time of 23:58.8 was good for 145th, and 23rd best among all freshmen at the meet.

The Cardinal and Grey was able to improve upon its 10th-place showing in 2008, the only other NCAA Championship appearance in program history, and finish among the top five teams in all of Division III. Tech finished just 10 points behind defending national champion Middlebury’s total of 245. The two teams shared the New England Regional title a week ago. Wisconsin-Eau Claire won the team Championship with 171 points. Wendy Pavlus of St. Lawrence was the individual winner, finishing in 21:28.0.

Coach Halston Taylor has developed the program into one of the top squads in New England and nationally. Although the Engineers will miss the senior leadership of Monks and Wentz, five of the top seven runners will return next year.

MIT Men’s basketball improved to 3-0 this weekend with two wins in the Tip-Off Tournament at RPI. The Engineers blew out John Abbott College 78-38 in the first round, and edged host RPI 56-55 in the final.

In the finals matchup against RPI, neither team was able to put the game away late in the second half, as both teams had several missed opportunities. The winning shot by Erik S. Zuk ’11 came with 13 seconds left, off a missed free RPI free throw.

Mitchell H. Kates ’13 was named the Tournament MVP and joined Noel Hollingsworth ’12 on the All-Tournament team. MIT returns to action on Tuesday at Curry College.

—David Zhu, Sports Editor

In a rematch of last year’s seventh-place game of the Eastern Championships, the MIT Men’s Water Polo Team topped Iona College 9-8 on Sunday in the Z-Center pool. Devin M. Lewis ’10 and Mark E. Artz ’10 had three goals apiece as the Engineers built an early lead and were able to hang on for the win. Columbus P. Leonard ‘12 led the MIT defense with six saves in goal

MIT finishes its season with a 9-16 overall record, including 3-3 in conference play.

—David Zhu, Sports Editor

Seven Engineers were honored by the New England Football Conference for their achievements both on and off the field.

Offensively, All-American captain DeRon M. Brown ’10 was the only player to be named to either the first or second team. Brown, the first-team representative for the second consecutive year, ended the year with 1363 total yards on 269 rushing attempts and 151.4 average yards per game — which significantly dropped when Brown left the final game of the year with a concussion in the first quarter. Brown was also named the offensive player of the year in the Boyd Division of the NEFC for the second consecutive year.

On defense, linebacker Peter W. Gilliland ’12 and defensive back Brian P. Doyle ’11 were named to the first team, while captain Alexander F. Rubino ’10 was named to the second team for the second straight year.

Gilliland led the NEFC with 13.0 tackles per game, totaling 117 tackles, 52 solo. He was second in total tackles, but the leading tackler for Worcester State had played an extra game. Gilliland was “decently happy with [his] performance during the season.” The sophomore linebacker, however, understands it’s a team game; “a big motivator for me during the offseason is the team’s performance. The team didn’t do well, regardless of my personal awards, and that will only push me to continue to work hard and push myself and my teammates.”

Doyle anchored the defensive secondary, providing the MIT defense with 44 tackles, 27 solo, 1.5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, and 4 interceptions. Doyle, now a junior, has played all across the field, returning punts and kicks for the Engineers after starting his career as a quarterback.

“I am excited and honored to receive the accolades, to be in the class with Pete, DeRon, and Alex. It gives me something to build off of next year. The awards system is also based off of team performance, so hopefully, with a few more W’s, more accolades will accumulate for us, and it makes me and everyone else over the offseason to push it in the weight room.”

Rubino finished his final campaign with 43 tackles, 19 solo, and lead the team with 12.0 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and one interception. Rubino was also awarded the Hal Chalmers Award, given to the senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

“I was a little disappointed in myself because my goal at the beginning of the season was 1st team, but I’m still proud and thrilled to be named to the 2nd team. As well, I am very appreciative and ecstatic for the Hal Chalmers award. These awards, however, don’t make up for a disappointing season, but I am definitely optimistic about the team’s future.”

Along with these awards based on football performances, Doyle, Rubino, Brian H. Mickle ’10, captain William J. Gibson ’10, and Zachary W. Rose ’10 were named to the Academic All-District team. Of the 5, Rose was the only player who did not start all 5 games, as a broken ankle left him sidelined for the majority of the year. Gibson finished the season as the Cardinal and Grey’s third leading tackler, accounting for 57 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries, while Mickle ended his year with 25 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, one sack, and one forced fumble.

All 5 nominations will be eligible for the CoSIDA Academic All-American award.

Playing through monsoon-like rain and ankle-deep mud, MIT Women’s Rugby inched up the field against tough opposition from Middlebury at the New England Championship game in Newport, RI on Saturday. MIT controlled the ball for most of the game. With a try in the first half and another plus a penalty in the second, MIT won with a score of 13-0. Next up for the team is the National Championships in Cherry Hill, NJ this weekend.

—Kat Kononov, Team Member

Men’s Basketball defeated Emmanuel College in their season opener on Tuesday, 68-54. MIT took a 31-28 lead at halftime, and would hold for the rest of the game. The Engineers were led by Willard J. “Billy” Johnson ’10, Noel Hollingsworth ’12, and Mitchell H. Kates ’13, who had 18, 15, and 14 points, respectively.

MIT will play in the RPI Invitational Tournament this weekend.

—David Zhu, Sports Editor

The MIT women's cross country team came into Saturday's NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship ranked number four in the nation and tops in the region. Thanks to an impressive performance led by individual champion Jacqueline M. Wentz ’10 and third-place finisher, Maria J. Monks ’10, the Engineers justified those rankings and took home the Team Championship for the first time in program history. MIT and defending National Champion Middlebury finished with the same number of team points, 63, with their top five runners, but Brooke C. Johnson ’13 came through the chute just 2.1 seconds faster than Middlebury's number six, giving Tech the tiebreaker and the New England Championship.

Wentz was the first to complete the six-kilometer course, breaking the tape in 21:35.7. The senior easily eclipsed Debbie Won ’00’s Institute-best fifth-place finish at this Championship in 1998. Two weeks after earning NEWMAC Runner of the Year honors, Monks finished in third place with a time of 21:44.9. Alina E. Gatowski ’11 gave MIT a third harrier in the top 10, turning in a time of 22:05.4 to finish eighth. Katherine J. Eve ’12 (22:32.5) and Tania K. Morimoto ’12 (22:38.2) picked up key points with 24th and 27th place showings, respectively. But, it was Johnson's strong finish to beat out Erin Toner of Middlebury that wound up clinching the Championship for the Cardinal and Grey.

The Engineers automatically qualify for the NCAA Division III Championship, held next Saturday at Baldwin-Wallace College in Cleveland, Ohio. The women's Championship race begins at 11:00 a.m.

The MIT men’s cross country team took sixth place at the NCAA Division III New England Championship, hosted by the University of Southern Maine on Saturday. NEWMAC Runner of the Year, Hemagiri Arumugam ’10, was the top overall finisher for the Cardinal and Grey, who matched the program’s best finish at the meet since 2003, with 163 total points.

Arumugam navigated the eight-kilometer Championship course in 25:59.7, to place 20th overall. Paul Welle came through the chute directly behind him in 26:03.8. Gihan S. Amarasiriwardena 11 turned in a time of 26:22.2 to take 37th. Daniel E. Harper. 12 crossed the finish in 26:26.6, good for 41st overall. William S. Phipps 10 (26:28.0) rounded out the scoring for Tech, coming through in the 44th position.

—Greg McKeever, DAPER Staff

Rowan University defeated MIT 3-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Playoffs.

Rowan opened the scoring in the 28th minute on a penalty kick, then scored again three minutes later for a 2-0 lead. Rowan would add one more goal in the second half on a breakaway, for a final score 3-0.

The Engineers had several chances to score, including Kathryn A. Pesce ’10’s shot off the crossbar and Alisha D. Lussiez ’12 miss in the box in the 32nd minute, but they were unable to convert.

“We’ve been playing big games for two weeks now,” MIT coach Martin Desmarais said. “We came up strong in each of those games.” MIT finishes its season at 12-6-2.

—Paul Blascovich, DAPER Staff

The MIT field hockey team lost to nationally-ranked number four Tufts University in the Second Round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Saturday, bringing to an end the Engineers’ record-breaking 2009 campaign. Tech’s season comes to a close at 18-5.

Tufts came out strong from the outset, with Michelle Kelly scoring twice in the game’s first three and a half minutes. Kameron L. Klauber ’12 had an opportunity to cut into the lead, following a penalty corner, but was denied by the Tufts goalie. With just under five minutes to go in the frame, Kelly broke through again to complete her hat trick and send the game into the break at 3-0.

Just under two minutes into the second period, Tufts scored again. Molly E. McShane ’13 did finally find the back of the net with less than 12 minutes remaining on an assist by Kimberly A. Barker ’13. A final goal with 2:41 remaining would give Tufts its final 5-1 margin.

NEWMAC All-Conference goalkeeper Keri A. Dixon ’11 made eight saves in the loss.

MIT set new program records for overall wins (18), consecutive wins (nine) and goals scored (79) in 2009 while capturing the program’s first ever NEWMAC Championship.

—Greg McKeever, DAPER Staff

Making the first appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament in program history, the MIT field hockey team picked up a hard-fought 2-1 decision over Nichols College on Wednesday night. The Engineers opened up a two-goal lead in the first half and withstood a furious, late rally to advance past the host Bison. Kimberly A. Barker ’13 and Ekavali Mishra ’10 found the scoring column and Keri A. Dixon ’11 had another spectacular performance in net to help the Cardinal and Grey earn its 18th win in this record-breaking campaign. Nichols’ season comes to an end at 18-4.

MIT began attacking from the opening whistle, outshooting the Bison, 15-3, in the first half while controlling possession for most of the frame. Barker — recently named to the NEWMAC Second Team All-Conference — put MIT on the board early, tipping a shot from Kameron L. Klauber ’12 past the Nichols goalkeeper just five minutes into the game. It was her 20th goal of the season.

Nichols threatened midway through the period, with five consecutive penalty corners, but Dixon and the defense withstood each try.

Danielle C. Smith ’11 nearly doubled the lead with 11:43 remaining but Nichols keeper tipped her shot wide, thwarting the scoring opportunity. However, after the Engineers earned a penalty corner of their own five minutes later, one of nine in the first half, they finally broke through for a second tally. Mishra entered the ball on the corner and, following a scramble at the top of the circle, received it back from Molly E. McShane ’13, pushing it home for the 2-0 advantage.

Nichols would not go quietly, getting an unassisted marker from Barbara Roy just over seven minutes into the second half. Dixon made a pair of saves on the initial attack but MIT was unable to clear the rebound and Roy was there to convert.

Neither team was able to generate much offensive momentum until the final minute, when Nichols had a pair of chances to tie the game. The Bison earned a penalty corner with 45 seconds to go but Dixon, once again, picked up a key save to preserve the one-goal lead. As the clock ticked down, the teams battled in MIT’s defensive zone. Tech had a few opportunities to clear the ball and clinch the win but was unable to get it downfield. As the clock hit zero, the Engineers’ bench erupted thinking they had advanced. However, the referees awarded the Bison one final corner with no time remaining. The defense stood, once again, just as it had done all game, and sent the Cardinal and Grey into the Second Round.

Dixon made 10 saves, including seven in the second half. The junior has now given up just five total goals in the last nine games, all MIT wins. The nine-game winning streak is also program record. Forand had 10 saves in the losing effort. MIT outshot the Bison, 22-12, and had a 14-13 advantage in corners.

The Engineers now move on to the next round of the Championship, earning a date on Saturday, November 14 with Tufts University. MIT will make the short trip to Medford, Mass. for an 11:00 a.m. start Saturday morning. Skidmore and Amherst will play in the other game Saturday, with the winners facing off on Sunday.

NEWMAC announced its 2009 women’s soccer post-season awards on Tuesday. Lauren R. Hernley ’11 received accolades as NEWMAC Women’s Soccer Player of the Year, and the Engineers picked up five awards total.

As co-captain, Hernley started every match of MIT’s 12-5-2 season while leading the team in assists. Last weekend, she helped MIT to clinch its first NEWMAC tournament championship and NCAA National Championship Tournament berth.

Hernley also received her second All-Conference honors with selection to this year’s First-Team. Joining her on the First-Team was Emily Kuo ’13. Senior co-captain Kathryn A. Pesce ’10 was awarded Second-Team honor, along with Alisha D. Lussiez ’12.

—Paul Blascovich, DAPER Staff

For the second year in a row, the MIT women’s volleyball team received four conference honors from NEWMAC on Tuesday.

Alexandra T. May ’10 and Barden E. Cleeland ’10 collected All-Conference First-Team accolades while Jennifer Li ’11 and Alyssa L. Rothman ’13, both first-time honorees, represented the Cardinal and Gray on the Second Team.

May picked up her second straight First-Team nod while leading the Engineers’ attack with 409 kills to go along with 300 digs and 64 blocks. Cleeland, a Second-Team pick last year, posted a team-high 106 blocks in addition to 262 kills, a .300 hitting percentage, and 44 aces.

—Mindy Brauer, DAPER Staff

After helping MIT capture its first ever NEWMAC Field Hockey Tournament Championship on Sunday, Cheryl Silva was named the conference’s Coach of the Year. In addition to Silva’s accolades, four Engineers were named to the All-Conference Team. Keri A. Dixon ’11, Molly E. McShane ’13, and Anna H. Teruya ’12 picked up First Team plaudits while Kimberly A. Barker ’13 made the Second Team.

This is the second Coach of the Year honor for Silva, who helped the Cardinal and Grey capture the NEWMAC Championship for the first time in the league’s 12 year history. She also received the award in 1994. Under Silva’s guidance, MIT has already set a new program record with 17 wins this year.

—Greg McKeever, DAPER Staff

The MIT Field Hockey Team captured the NEWMAC Championship this weekend, shutting out Mount Holyoke 2-0 in the semifinals and defeating Springfield 4-2 in the final. With the wins, the Engineers improved their season record to 17-4 — a program record — and earned the second conference title in program history.

In the semifinal matchup on Saturday against Mount Holyoke, neither team was able to score until late in the second half. In the 59th minute, Anna H. Teruya ’12 scored on an assist by Molly E. McShane ’13; just under ten minutes later, Kameron L. Klauber ’12, scored on a breakaway to seal the victory. Goalie Keri A. Dixon 11 led the Engineer defense with two saves.

In Sunday’s final against Springfield College, MIT got out to a quick start behind goals by Teruya and Danielle C. Smith ’11, and had a 2-0 lead by the 11th minute. A deflection by Klauber on a hard shot by McShane gave the Engineers a 3-0 lead, which they would take into halftime.

MIT kept their momentum in the second half, and took a 4-0 lead on a goal by Barker off a penalty corner. Springfield would mount a comeback, outshooting MIT 11-5 in the second half. MIT’s defense held on, however, allowing only two goals for the 4-2 win.

In the tournament, Keri A. Dixon ’11 had 11 saves; on offense, Barker led MIT with three goals, while Klauber, Teruya, and Smith had two goals each.

As conference champions, MIT will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The first round of the tournament will be held on November 11, at a location to be determined.