Do you think they used special arrows on Saturday?

Because his love for Columbia sports is unfailing, Roaree-Ross Chapman brings you with the best way Columbia got physical this weekend. 

Multiple Valentine’s Day-themed meets were held this weekend among multiple feet of snow, and nearly every team in action this weekend faced an Ivy opponent. Here’s who experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat this weekend.

Men’s Basketball officially dropped out of contention for the Ivy League title this weekend after falling to Harvard and Dartmouth on the road. The boys went to Cambridge first, and found themselves in an early hole, ending up down 17 points at the half. But five minutes into the second half, the lead had been cut to 4. Both teams played fantastic second halves, and the Lions couldn’t tie the game until a Jeff Coby three-pointer with eight seconds left knotted the score at 68. Unfortunately, Harvard’s Siyani Chambers made a tough jumper with three seconds left and won the game, killing Columbia’s momentum for the weekend. The trip up to Dartmouth featured a lackadaisical offensive performance against one of the worst teams in the league, and other than Maodo Lo’s 1000^th career point, very little good came in Hanover. The Lions (3-5 Ivy) will now have to depend on a strong finishing stretch like last year’s if they want to reach the postseason again.

Women’s Basketball had a wonderful game against Harvard on Friday, which we covered in detail. The next night, they returned to Levien for a matchup with Dartmouth for the annual Play4Kay Pink Game. The Lions (1-7 Ivy) and the Big Green both got off to harsh starts, and the score was a paltry 22-21 at the half. Columbia’s freshman standouts struggled, going 4-22 from the field and contributing 11 points. The second half was characteristically back and forth, and Tori Oliver wound up with the ball in a tie game with four seconds left at halfcourt. She drove up to the far side of the basket, but couldn’t get off her lay-up in time. Columbia dropped the game in overtime, 61-54.

Archery has dominated in its two events so far this season. Most recently, the team went up to Hartford to compete in the UConn Cupid Classic. Between recurve and compound events, the Lions posted 11 top-eight finishes. Judy Zhou has led the Lions on the compound bow, while Joy Chang and Tiffany Kim pull the strings for the recurve team.

Also keeping with the holiday theme, Track and Field ran up to Boston University’s Valentine Invitational. In women’s competition, Leila Mantilla led all college athletes with a 16:39 5K time, while Olivia Sadler garnered fourth place in the 1 mile at 4:42. A trio of women posted sixth place finishes: Nadia Eke (long jump, 5.68m), Akua Obeng-Akrofi (200m dash, 24.06), and Iris Chijioke (60m hurdles, 8.64). The men got a few more podium finishes, with a school record 800m performance from Connor Claflin for silver (1:48.7), a third place 500m job by Corey Hammond (1:03.6), and a personal best from Ben Eversole for third place in the 5K (14:21).

Women’s Squash got their first ever program bid to the main draw of the CSA National Championships this season following a 7-7 record against an insanely tough schedule. The Lions couldn’t pull off an upset against #2 Penn in the first round, and had a tough time against #6 Cornell in the consolation bracket, dropping the match 8-1. Columbia couldn’t play their last match against George Washington because of inclement weather.

Wrestling’s heavyweight Garret Ryan had a great weekend, but the rest of the team couldn’t say the same as it dropped a pair of duals to Princeton and Penn. Ryan scored a 7-2 win against the Tigers and then a 10-2 major decision against the Quakers. Johnson Mai, Tyrel White, and Angelo Amenta also notched individual victories on the weekend. They travel to the frozen north next weekend to see Harvard and Brown.

Men’s Tennis travelled to the ITA National Men’s Team Indoor Championship to compete for a title for the first time in decades. The #15 Lions took the courts in a budding rivalry against the #4 Bulldogs of Georgia in the first round, dropping the doubles point but earning singles wins on the #1, #5, and #6 courts to take a 3-2 advantage in the meet. While it would have taken just one more win to clinch the meet, Georgia’s trio of top-25 stars proved too much, and the Lions dropped the contest 4-3. The next day in the consolation bracket, the finishes lined up so that Lin’s matchup against California’s ace would decide the contest. He dropped the first set but rallied back to give Columbia the match and meet victory over the nation’s #12 team.

Women’s Tennis (#39 nationally) rode the momentum of a strong showing at the ECAC championships last weekend when they played host to the #43 Terrapins of Maryland in New York on Saturday. The Lions’ two best doubles teams knocked off the Maryland duos for the doubles point, but the opposition stuck around, splitting matches with the Lions to bring the meet to a 3-2 Columbia lead. Crystal Leung and Vivian Cheng were able to power through their long matches and secure a 5-2 victory for the team.

Secretly shooting students with love arrows via Columbia University Athletics/Eric Sucar