New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

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Wrestling secures third consecutive UAA championship, basketball teams suffer defeats

Rachel Kaplan/WSN

Basketball

NYU men’s basketball team competed in two games over the weekend, both in their conference. The games tipped off on Feb. 14 when the Violets took on the University of Chicago Maroons at the Coles Sports and Recreation Center. NYU thoroughly dominated the first half of the game. LS sophomore forward Evan Kupferberg led the way in the opening frame by scoring 14 points and ripping down six rebounds, while CAS junior guard Iyoho Agho contributed five points and two assists off the bench.

The second half did not go as well, as the Maroons beat the Violets with a score of 44-29. The game finished 68-63 in Chicago’s favor, which left NYU disappointed after conceding its 10-point lead at the half.

Two days later, NYU faced off with Washington University in St. Louis. The Bears handed the Violets their biggest loss of the season in January, which motivated the team to play harder. Even though the Bears were heavily favored, the Violets made a valiant effort. The first half was extremely tight, featuring four lead changes early on. Led by the eight points and seven rebounds by LS freshman forward Alec Papesch in the first half, the Violets found themselves down by only five points at the break.

The second half was even more competitive than the first. Featuring six ties, the Violets constantly challenged the Bears at both ends of the court. NYU eventually fell by a score of 79-75, despite the back and forth play.

SCPS sophomore center Costis Gontikas said the team should focus on defense and rebounding.

“I believe we executed well on offense, but that does not mean we can’t do much better,” Gontikas said.

The women’s team faced a similar fate. On Feb. 14, the Violets faced off against the University of Chicago. The first half was highly contested. In the opening period alone, there were eight lead changes and six ties, but the second half was not as close — Chicago was able to open up a lead on the Violets and outscored NYU by 13 points to take the game 73-57.

The Violets then took on Washington University on Sunday at Coles. The Bears scored the game’s first points and never trailed during the game. NYU fell 73-46 despite CAS freshman guard Kaitlyn Read chipping in 20 points, a personal game high.

Both basketball teams look to rebound from their recent losses when the teams travel to Atlanta on Feb. 21 to face Emory University.

Swimming and diving

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams competed this weekend in Atlanta for the UAA Championships. However, only five out of the eight swim teams were present due to the snow. Therefore, none of the final results could be immediately verified. Once the final three teams, Case Western Reserve, University of Chicago and Rochester, compete in their own “mini-meet,” the times will be compiled and the official winners will be announced.

The diving portion of the event, which has verified official results, featured an impressive performance from LS junior Austen Blease, who garnered a 526.1 in the one-meter dive, which is a new UAA record.

On the women’s side, CAS freshman Nia Sorgente won the three-meter dive with a score of 437.17. Diving coach Scott Donie was awarded UAA co-coach of the year at the event.

CAS senior men’s captain Aleksandr Kouk praised his squad for their efforts thus far.

“I think the strong leadership of the coaches and their great efforts in recruiting a very talented freshman class [has] contributed greatly to our success,” Kouk said. “The team seemed extremely cohesive this year, more than I’ve ever experienced in my two years as captain.”

NYU will take the pool next on Feb. 22 at the Kenyon College Invitational in Gambier, Ohio.

Wrestling

The wrestling team continued their dominance by capturing their third straight UAA championship on Feb. 15. The team beat Case Western and the University of Chicago at Coles to claim their title. NYU won their first match against Case Western with ease by 38-7.

The match against the University of Chicago was anything but easy. After some seesawing with the score, NYU needed to win the final bout in order to take the championship. CAS senior Chris Amro took that to heart and pinned his opponent at the 1:43 mark to seal the victory. CAS junior Brandon Jones earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors in the conference.

The men’s team will look to build off this strong performance when they travel to Ursinus College for the Centennial Conference Championships on Feb. 22.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Feb. 18 print edition. Ferenc Puskas is a staff writer. Email him at [email protected].

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