Though the fall semester has just begun, for weeks varsity teams have been playing their way to victories – or losses. Their performances so far can help us predict what will happen during the rest of the season.
Posts published in “Sports and Wellness”
In an increasingly polarizing world nothing is as it seems and the fight for ideals bleeds into all aspects of life. A political statement can come from anywhere or anyone and the basketball court can be a platform for change.
Five of Smith’s varsity teams dominate the spring calendar: lacrosse, softball, tennis, track and field and crew. How have these teams fared so far, and what do they have on the horizon?
Elizabeth Muirhead ’20 | Assistant Sports Editor
Here at Smith, most of our winter sports are wrapping up, and we can begin looking toward the spring season. But in the world of Division I sports, the winter season stretches into March. Hockey fans, in particular, can look forward to enjoying the UMass Amherst Minutemen’s performance. They rattled the hockey world with their strong play straight out of the gate. Last season, the Minutemen finished with a record of 17-20-2 and got knocked out of their conference tournament in the second round by Northeastern University; they didn’t earn a spot in the following NCAA Men’s tournament to compete for the championship. But this season, the best in the team’s history, has been a totally different story. At this point, their record stands at 24-7, and they have held a No. 2 ranking for the majority of the season.
This fall, Rachel Simmons worked with coaches in the athletic department retreat at the beginning of the semester. Kristin Hughes said, “I thought some of her messages, especially as they related to failing, could be really powerful for our student-athletes as well.” Hughes added: “Handling failure is as much a part of the athletic experience as is winning. So, building skills and a mentality that allow you to grow from it and not be stopped by it is really significant. And Rachel is a former athlete and has a great delivery and connection with students.” Simmons was eager to take on a project at Smith and had been looking to collaborate with different departments. She thought that a team dynamic would be a perfect way to work regularly with Smith students and pitched her idea for the “Failing Well” series to the athletic director and the coaches.
On Jan. 19 and 20, the Smith swimming and diving team competed in the Seven Sisters Championship along with Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Vassar and Wellesley. Smith finished third with 511 points, ahead of Mount Holyoke and Bryn Mawr and behind Wellesley and Vassar. Wellesley took first place with 1334.5 points, and Vassar ranked second with 983.5 points. Mount Holyoke snagged fourth with 483 points, while Bryn Mawr closed out the ladder with 295 points.
This Sunday, Smith College Ice Hockey traveled up to Hanover, NH to face off against Dartmouth College at the Thompson Arena. The team arrived with a 4-3 record to play against Dartmouth with a 3-3 record. Earlier in the season, Smith beat Dartmouth 7-1 at home. Dartmouth arrived with only six skaters, and Smith was able to tire out the team and keep up the momentum through all three periods. The odds were a little more even with Dartmouth at home, with their whole roster of 10 and a small fan base to cheer them on.
This past Sunday, the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams faced off in Super Bowl LIII. This marked New England’s ninth Super Bowl under the coach-quarterback duo of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, which is more Super Bowls than any other pair in league history have had. The Patriots have been a force in the NFL since the early 2000s. As broadcaster Scott Zolak said after the Patriots defeated the Chiefs two weeks earlier to earn their spot in the Super Bowl, “America’s worst nightmare is back.” Winning this Super Bowl would tie New England with the Pittsburgh Steelers at six wins, the most in franchise history. For the Rams, this would have been their first Super Bowl win since moving back to Los Angeles from St. Louis in 2016 and for their starting quarterback, 24-year-old Jared Goff.
This past Saturday, sandwiched in-between the NFL’s conference championship and the Super Bowl, a significant college game took place: the Senior Bowl. The Senior Bowl is a North vs. South all-star game for draft prospects. Compared to the NFL’s all-star game, the Pro Bowl, which took place the next day, the stakes are much higher. For these players, their football future is on the line, making it both tense and competitive. It’s one of the last opportunities for players to showcase their skills before the draft in April.