Fist pumps galore for CU Tennis

The Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams, which have both enjoyed outstanding seasons, finished their final Ivy League matches with a bang today. The squads pulverized Penn, with the Women winning 6-1 and the Men a resounding 7-0. With two wins this weekend, the Men’s Tennis team remains in the hunt for the Ivy League title with league-leading Harvard. Princeton also took beating from the Lions this weekend as Baseball came out of a four game series with three wins and Softball rallied from a 2-0 loss to take the nightcap 8-2 over the Tigers yesterday. Though Lacrosse and Tennis concluded their regular season competition today, there’s plenty more sports to be played this spring season.

Read on to get caught up with your Columbia Lions as we head into the final weeks of the school year.

Columbia Lions weekly round-up:

Men’s Tennis (18-3, 5-2 Ivy League):

Results:

Princeton 6-1 (W)
Penn 7-0 (W)

Highlights: The Lions, now ranked #45 nationally, beat up the Princeton Tigers on Friday, dropping only one singles match on the day and winning the rest in straight sets. In the doubles, Columbia and Princeton both picked up quick wins, as senior Haig Schneiderman and freshman Winston Lin took the No. 2 spot and the Tigers won minutes later in the No. 3 spot. Tied at 5-5 with #65 nationally ranked Tigers duo Matt Siow and Matt Spindler, freshman Max Schnur and Ashok Narayana battled to take the last three games and hand the Lions the doubles point. The Lions didn’t slow down in the singles, taking the first three matches in the No. 4, 5 and 6 spots to clinch the win, starting with a quick 6-0, 6-1 victory by Narayana. The Tigers picked up their only point of the day in the No. 1 singles, before Lin and junior Nathaniel Gery took the final two matches to bring the final score to 6-1.

Today, the Lions smoked Penn, 7-0, in the final match of regular season play. With the win, the Lions advance to 5-2 in the Ivy League and 18-3 overall. Last week, the Lions stood alone in second place in the Ivy League and remain in the title hunt with league-leading Harvard, who plays their final match next weekend. Congratulations to seniors Haig Schneiderman and Rajeev Deb-Sen for their tennis careers as Columbia Lions.

Women’s Tennis (13-6, 4-3 Ivy League):

Results:

Princeton 2-5 (L)
Penn 6-1 (W)

Highlights: The #73 Women’s Tennis team took on #72 Princeton on Friday in a highly anticipated Ivy League match-up. The Tigers started strong with a quick win in the No. 2 doubles spot, 8-1. Sophomores Bianca Sanon and Tiana Takenaga were able to fight off Princeton in a tiebreaker to take the No. 1 spot, but not before the Tigers clinched the doubles point with an 8-5 victory at No. 3. The Lions continued to struggle in the singles, losing two matches in straight sets to give the Tigers a 3-0 advantage. Columbia, however, would not go down without a fight, as Nikki Bartnik and Iani Alecsiu answered with straight set wins in the No. 1 and No. 3 spots, respectively. Now 3-2, the Lions had to win the remaining to matches to beat the Tigers, but fell in three sets in both.

The Lions crushed Penn today, 6-1, in the final match of the season and the final collegiate tennis match for the seniors. Congratulations to seniors Carolyn Costa and Sydney Clark on their careers with the Lions. The Women’s team finished the season 13-6 overall and 4-3 in the Ivy League.

Baseball (17-22, 9-7 Ivy League):

Results:

Manhattan (Game 1) 2-9 (L)
Manhattan (Game 2) 3-6 (L)
Princeton (Game 1) 4-1 (W)
Princeton (Game 2) 2-5 (L)
Princeton (Game 1) 8-7 (W)
Princeton (Game 2) 8-5 (W)

Highlights: The Lions faced a strong Manhattan team on Wednesday, dropping both games of the midweek doubleheader. In game one, Columbia allowed nine runs before getting on the board in the sixth inning. Freshman Robb Paller plated sophomore Mike Fischer on an RBI double to give the Lions their first run of the day. Junior Eric Williams then drove in senior Billy Rumpke off an RBI groundout to make it a 9-2 game. In game two, both teams started slow with Manhattan scoring first in the third inning. The Jaspers added two more that inning off an RBI groundout and a single to left field. Manhattan scored one run in the fourth a fifth innings to make it a 5-0 game until Columbia finally got on the board in the sixth. With runners on the corners, junior Nick Crucet stole home on a wild pitch before Rumpke’s RBI groundout cut the deficit to three. Senior Mark Heil tallied his first collegiate home run over the left fence in the seventh, but the Lions went on to lose 3-6.

The Lions returned home to play a four game series against Princeton this weekend. In game one on Friday, Columbia got off the a quick start with three doubles in the first inning. Senior Jon Eisen struck the first double into left center field, before junior Nick Ferraresi scored Eisen with an RBI double to give the Lions an early lead. Junior Alex Black ripped the third double of the inning off the fence in right center to plate Ferraresi. Columbia starter Pat Lowery retired the first seven batters, and got the Lions out of jams in the third and fifth to keep the Tigers off the board. In the sixth, junior Dario Pizzano’s solo homer made it a 3-0 game, and Crucet added an RBI to increase the Columbia advantage. The Tigers didn’t score a run until the seventh as the Lions went on the win 4-1. In game two, strong pitching kept the game scoreless for the first three innings until the Lions scored two in the fourth off a two run double from Ferraresi. Princeton, however, battled back to mount a three run lead by the eighth as the Lions dropped the second game of the day, 2-5.

Saturday’s doubleheader kept fans on the edge of their seats with several comeback and lead changes in both games. In game one, Princeton scored three early runs, but Columbia answered with five doubles in the bottom of the first to take a 4-3 advantage. The Lions added another in the second off a sacrifice fly from Pizzano to score Eisen, before Princeton tallied runs in the third and fifth to tie the game at 5. In the bottom of the fifth, Paller ripped his second RBI double of the game to plate Pizzano and give the lions a one run lead. The Tigers responded with a two-out single RBI in the top of the sixth and took the lead in the top of the seventh, 7-6. In the bottom of the seventh, Princeton allowed a single and walked Pizzano and Ferraresi to load the bases. Freshman Jordan Serena tied the game with a hit into center field, but the Tigers ended the inning before the Lions could take the lead. In the ninth, a wild pitch allowed Ferraresi to run home and score the game winning run. In game two, the Lions led 4-1 after two innings and added three runs in the seventh to win the game, 8-5, and take the series over the Tigers, 3-1.

Up Next: The Lions face Fordham at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium in a doubleheader on Wednesday, with games at 2 pm and 4:30 pm, before playing the final series of the season against Penn next weekend. The second doubleheader will take place at home at 12 pm and 2:30 pm on Saturday.

Softball (12-29, 6-10 Ivy League):

Results:

Fairleigh Dickinson (Game 1) 1-4 (L)
Fairleigh Dickinson (Game 2) 3-4 (L)
Princeton (Game 1) 2-1 (W)
Princeton (Game 2) 2-3 (L)
Princeton (Game 1) 0-2 (L)
Princeton (Game 2) 8-2 (W)

Highlights: Against Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday, freshman Liz Caggiano opened scoring for the Lions in game one with a solo home run, her third of the season. FDU drew even with the Lions in the second and added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 4-1 lead. Despite a number of chances to rally, Caggiano’s homer was the lone run for the Lions in the first game of the day. In game two, the Lions got on the board first again as Caggiano’s RBI single to center field drove home sophomore Emily Caruthers. FDU scored two in the third to take the lead, but Columbia answered in the fifth when freshman Kayla Shimoda hit an RBI single to plate sophomore Morgan Cook. In the bottom of the fifth, the Knights reclaimed the lead from the Lions and added to their advantage in the sixth. Caggiano opened the seventh inning with a leadoff home run, her second of the day, but the Lions were unable to catch FDU, falling 3-4.
In a four game series with Princeton this weekend, the Lions split both doubleheaders. In game one on Saturday, the Tigers got on the board first in the top of the first inning and held a one run lead until the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, junior Jennifer Bergeron hit an RBI double to plate Caruthers and tie the game at one. The game remained tied until the seventh inning, when junior Christie Taylor stepped to the plate with one out and runners on second and third. Taylor executed a textbook sacrifice bunt to plate sophomore Emily Snodgrass and win the game for the Lions. In game two, the Tigers took control of the game early, scoring two runs in the first inning. Columbia didn’t get on the board until the fourth, when Bergeron stole second and freshman Alix Cook followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to one. In the sixth, the Lions drew even with the Tigers after Caggiano drove home Cook with an RBI single to left center. It was Princeton, this time, who won the game in the seventh, bringing the series even at 1-1.

Today, game one was scoreless for the first five innings due to strong pitching from the Tigers and freshman Brooke Darling. In the top of the sixth, Princeton scored two runs, enough to win the first game of the day, 2-0. In game two, the Lions quickly broke the dry spell from the day’s first contest. After Princeton took a 1-0 lead, Columbia answered with a three run homer from Caggiano to pull ahead. The Lions extended their lead in the second and third before the Tigers tallied their second run of the day off a homer to make it a 5-2 game. In the fifth, freshman Kayla Shimoda smacked an RBI double to drive in Alex O’Hagan and then went on to steal home. Snodgrass’s RBI groundout put the Lions ahead 8-2 as Columbia went on to win the second game of the day.

Up Next: The Lions take a break from Ivy League play on Wednesday with a doubleheader against Lehigh at home at 3 pm and 5 pm, before a four game series with Penn next weekend. The Softball team will be home for the Saturday doubleheader, playing at 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm.

Lacrosse (2-12, 0-7 Ivy League):

Results:

New Hampshire 8-14 (L)
Harvard 3-10 (L)

Highlights: After a midweek loss to New Hampshire, the Lions took on Harvard on senior day in the final Ivy League game of the season. The Crimson went up early in the first half, scoring two goals in the opening minutes, but the Lions responded when sophomore Camille Richardson tallied her first goal of the season. Senior Taylor Gattinella added a goal midway through the first half to tie the game at 2-2 for her 76th career goal. Harvard, however, scored one more before the half to give them 3-2 advantage heading into the break. In the second half, the Crimson came out flying, burying seven unanswered goals to go up by eight. Freshman Katie Angulo tallied the Lions only goal in the half as the Lions went on to lose their final home game, 10-3.

Congratulations to seniors Karlee Blank, Amanda Goodhart, Taylor Gattinella, and Jenny Schiff on their lacrosse careers at Columbia. The Lions finished the Ivy League season at the bottom of the league at 0-7.

Up Next: The Lions head to Virginia next weekend to take on Virginia Tech for the final game of the regular season.

Track and Field:

Results:

Lions compete at Larry Ellis Memorial Invitational

Highlights: At the Larry Ellis Memorial Invitational in Princeton, NJ this weekend, the Lions had a number of impressive performances, highlighted by the women’s distance runners. In the 5000m Run Elite, junior Emily Lanois took fourth while teammates junior Caroline McDonough and junior Clare buck followed in fourth and fifth, respectively. Senior Lucie Cincinatis also had a great meeting, finishing sixth 100m Hurdles Open, and sophomore Tara Richmond took sixth in the High Jump Open.

Men’s Golf:

Results:

Princeton Invitational: 3rd of 14
Navy Invitational: Tied for 2nd after Day 1

Highlights: Last weekend, the Men’s Golf team placed 3rd in the Princeton Invitational following outstanding performances from senior Brendan Doyle and junior Michael Yiu, who each shot 1-under 70 on Sunday. The Lions posted an impressive even-par 284 in the final round to earn third place.

Rowing:

Results:

Heavyweight: Doc Lusins Trophy (Boston University, Syracuse) V8: 3rd of 3
Lightweight: Geiger Cup (MIT, Cornell) V8: 2nd of 3
Women’s Rowing: Dunn Bowl (Cornell, Brown) V8: 3rd of 3

Celebration via Columbia Athletics