Every team at every school has a rival. At NYU, while there are some similarities in the opinions of student athletes as to the biggest rival, there are also some differences between teams.

The women’s soccer team has just finished the regular season with an 11-6-2 record and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament. Senior forward Cami Crawford immediately thought of Washington University in St. Louis as the team’s top rival and was backed up by her teammates. This selection is not much of a surprise, as the Violets had not defeated the Bears since 2011 until Crawford scored an incredible four goals to give NYU the win on Nov. 2 of this year.

The wrestling team has gotten off to a tremendous start this season with a 4-0 reacord after duals with King’s College, University of Scranton, Wilkes University and Elizabethtown College. Junior Matt Eulau said the team’s rivals are dependent on location, as well as talent.

“Our rivalries are usually Stevens Tech because of location and Chicago because they’re our toughest competition in the UAA,” Eulau said.

The men’s fencing team began its season with a victory, defeating Stevens Tech 17-10. Junior Evan Accardi said the team has a few big rivals each year.

“Traditionally, our biggest rival is Columbia, but Brandeis and Sacred Heart are also big rivals,” he said.

The women’s basketball team won its Tip-Off tournament on Nov. 15 and 16. Sophomore center/forward Emily Rowe echoed the women’s soccer team, expressing a similar rivalry with Washington University in St. Louis.

“They are a very competitive and skilled team,” Rowe said. “They win league consistently throughout the years, but we want to change that this year.”

Similarly, the men’s basketball team cited Washington University in St. Louis as a standout rival. A preseason poll ranked NYU second in the UAA, and the team finished second at the Tip-Off Tournament after narrowly losing the championship game to Union College.

“All the teams in our conference we look forward to playing and competing against because league play means everything,” sophomore guard Joe Timmes said. “I would say, though, that Washington University in St. Louis stands out because they have traditionally been at the top of the UAA and this year they were nationally ranked in the preseason top 25.”

Junior guard Max Ralby also expressed the strength of their division and the multiple teams that are routinely difficult to play.

“Every game is a big one for us, and that’s the mindset we try to have,” he said. “I would say our biggest rivals are the teams in the UAA with us. Every UAA game is an absolute gut-check game and each win is earned. In my two years, I have yet to beat Emory and University of Chicago, which are two of the top teams in our conference, so I will definitely be looking forward to playing those opponents.”

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Nov. 18 print edition. Email Kyle Luther at [email protected].