Violet Sports Gear Up For Success in New Year

With most of the NYU student body resting up for another semester, the university’s student athletes stayed busy in the month of January, trudging through a cold month of competition just as the sports calendar is ready to heat up.

NYU’s basketball teams have been stellar this season. Both were victorious in the final round of the NYU Holiday Classic on Jan. 3, as the men handled Emmanuel College 79-61, and the women got by Middlebury College 70-62. Two days later, the men continued their winning streak and crushed Wells College in their first road game of the season by 22 points. In their Jan. 9 University Athletic Association opener, the Violets were neck-and-neck with Brandeis for the entirety of the game, but managed to prevail by two in the end, 69-67. After dispatching Hunter College, 81-76, they suffered their first loss of the season on Jan. 15 against Emory University 71-64. The Violets immediately bounced back two days later with a spirited 77-67 win over the University of Rochester.

Meanwhile, the women’s team displayed its dominance and remained unbeaten in its UAA opener, defeating Brandeis University 57-46. Facing the same set of opponents as the men, they remained unbeaten against Hunter on Jan. 11 in a 27-point drubbing. The women then squeezed by Emory in a tight 48-45 contest, before their hopes for an undefeated season were crushed against Rochester, 73-54.

NYU’s men’s and women’s fencing teams competed Jan. 8-11 at the North American Cup. Junior Mickey Bak posted a 9-1 record in the junior men’s sabre competition for a tie for third place and a share of the bronze medal. He also posted a 6-5 record in Division I Men’s Sabre, good enough for an eighth-place finish. NYU’s men’s foil, women’s epee and women’s sabre teams placed third and earned bronze medals in their senior competitions.

In the pool, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams celebrated Family Day by dominating Springfield College on Jan. 16. The men swept every event, winning 188-98. The women weren’t far behind, winning most events easily for an impressive 177-115 victory.

Meanwhile, on the mat, the wrestling team took fifth place at the Citrus Open in Fort Lauderdale, FL on Dec. 30. At the annual National Wrestling Coaches Association Cliff Keen National Duals on Jan. 8, the Violets dropped their first two matches to Baldwin Wallace University and Luther College before bouncing back to defeat the University of Mount Union. They kept up their momentum on Jan. 17, placing first at the Jim Aguiar Invitational in New Hampshire.

As track and field starts its second week of action after getting off to a solid start, men’s volleyball is ready to begin. The team, ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s top ten, is prepared to have a strong season. Baseball and softball begin their second seasons since being resurrected alongside tennis on Feb. 27, while men’s and women’s golf resumes on March 12 at the UAA Championship in sunny Sorento, Florida. And with the latest extension of the Coles Sports and Recreation Center, basketball’s regular seasons will finish at the gym the teams have called home for over three decades. Both teams looked poised to finish the regular season strong, with the ultimate dream of National Championship glory in their sights.

A version of this article appeared in the Jan. 25 print edition. Email Ashley Arnold at [email protected].