Basketball
NYU’s women’s basketball team was nothing but dominant over the break, fighting hard to extend its historic streak to 76 straight wins.
The NCAA Division III No. 1-ranked team wrapped up 2025 with a trip up north for the Montreal Shootout hosted by Champlain College Saint-Lambert on Dec. 29 and 30 in Quebec City. NYU’s underclassmen shined in the 86-48 win against Hamilton College and 89-37 win against State University of New York, Oneonta, led by first-years Aila Kaibara and Olivia Lagao, both of whom topped the offense and scored in double figures in both contests. A resounding 118-52 blowout against Skidmore College at home on Jan. 5 ended NYU’s pre-conference period on a high note, with even contributions across the roster for the win.
With NYU’s 79-49 triumph over Brandeis University in the Jan. 10 UAA opener, led by senior Caroline Peper with 37 points, the Violets secured the fourth-longest streak in NCAA women’s basketball history. The program holds the second-longest record in D-III, only behind conference rival Washington University in St. Louis.
The next week, the Violets returned to the Paulson Center, securing its first two home conference wins of the season. On Jan. 16, the Violets celebrated Pride Night during the game against the University of Rochester. Sophomore Zahra Alexander scored a career-high 22 points in the 75-54 win, and sophomore Yasmene Clark set her own career record with a staggering 17 rebounds. The Violets hosted a top-10 matchup on Jan. 18, taking on the then-No. 9-ranked Emory University, securing a decisive 93-66 win.
The Violets are now 14-0 overall and 3-0 in the UAA.
The men’s team picked up two more wins at home before the new year. Against Lancaster Bible College on Dec. 13, the Violets pulled off a 95-83 win, and the double-digit margins continued as the team triumphed over John Jay College 77-54. Senior Bryan Moussako sank a season-high six three-pointers against the Chargers, and graduate student Alex Daniels notched a season-high 16 points against the Bloodhounds. NYU’s final pre-conference matchup ended in a two-point loss to the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, CT on Jan. 3, which put NYU at 9-2 to open UAA play.
The Violets picked up a second loss in a row against Brandeis on the road to start its conference series, fumbling another close contest 88-85 on Jan. 10 in Waltham, MA. Graduate student Darius Gakwasi scored a career-high 24 points, and junior Carnegie Johnson’s late-game effort added seven points for the Violets in just 10 seconds.
Spirits picked up with the UAA home opener against Rochester on Jan. 16 as NYU, down 32-24 at the half, rallied for a 66-54 win in front of a purple-and-white crowd. Five Violets finished in double figures, led by Johnson with 15 points and Moussako with 13 points and four assists. The weekend ended with a 87-75 loss against No. 3-ranked Emory on Alumni Day.
Heading into its next matchup, the Violets stand at 10-4 for the season and 1-2 in conference play.
The teams will hit the road on Jan. 23 to face off against WashU’s No.15-ranked women’s team and No. 18-ranked men’s team in St. Louis, MO.
Fencing
NYU’s fencing team traveled to Philadelphia on Jan. 17 to compete in the Dave Micahnik Penn Invitational.
Led by junior Vincent Hong, who took home eight victories on the day in saber, the men had a strong performance overall, opening with a 21-6 victory over Lafayette College. Despite falling 18-9 to Duke University and 16-11 to the University of Pennsylvania in the second and third sets, the Violets rounded out the day with two strong wins over the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Haverford College.
The women’s team faltered at the start of the day, falling short in its first three matches to Cornell University, Duke and UPenn. But led by junior Audrey Shitamoto, who landed eight victories in foil, the team finished strong with 19-8 and 23-4 wins over NJIT and Haverford, respectively.
The Violets will take the piste again on Jan. 31 at Brandeis for the Eric Sollee Invitational.
Swimming and diving
NYU’s No. 2-ranked men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams defeated Gettysburg College in a swim-only meet in Gettysburg, PA on Jan. 14. The women swept 11 out of 14 events while the men took first in 12, setting the tone for the new year.
On Jan. 17, both the men’s and women’s teams celebrated Senior Day with a sweeping victory over Johns Hopkins University in a dual home meet. Prior to the competition, the Violets honored the program’s 13 seniors and held a ring ceremony honoring last season’s national champions.
The women closed out the meet ahead 199-62, sparked by a dominant showing in the 1,000-yard freestyle by junior Aanya Wala, with two other Violets finishing in the top three. Senior diver Meera Kasturi also showed out for the Violets, setting a new program record in the 1m with a score of 334.85.
The men secured a 173-89 win, led by strong 1,000-yard freestyle performances by sophomores Evan Jue and Adam Mekrami, who finished first and second, respectively. Additional standout swims helped to seal the victory, while sophomore Nolan Jennings qualified for the NCAA regional championship after landing a 295.05 score in the 3m dive.
The swimming and diving team will next compete on Jan. 23 against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA.
Track and field
NYU’s track and field teams kicked off 2026 with a record-breaking meet at the NYC Gotham Cup on Staten Island, NY, with the women’s team snagging seven top-10 finishes.
In the long jump, first-year Alexa McMillian took third and set a new program record in the event with a 5.46m jump. First-year Amalia Hronides and junior Areyanna McCarthy placed seventh and ninth, respectively, in the high jump.
Sophomore Rina Kurihara continued the record breaking with a 2:55.21 finish in the 1000m, earning fifth place. Kurihara was followed by fellow sophomores Gianna Dawson and Katharine Frank, who took 12th and 13th place, respectively.
Next up for NYU is the Dr. Sanders Scorcher on Jan. 23, hosted by Columbia University at the Track & Field Center at the Armory.
Volleyball
The men’s volleyball team traded snow for sun as they kicked off their season at the UC Santa Cruz Slug Slam in California.
The No. 8-ranked Violets snagged the first match on Jan. 16 against Concordia University Wisconsin, dropping the first set 25-23 but rebounding with 25-21, 25-23 and 25-22 wins. Junior Emerson Evans led the team with 22 kills and junior Devyn Nguyen had 39 assists.
The next day, the team faced California Lutheran University, who knocked NYU out of the NCAA Elite 8 Round with a 3-1 victory in the previous season. The Violets were now able to flip the script, defeating Cal Lutheran in a 3-1 win. The Violets took the first set 25-22 before dropping the second 29-27. NYU proceeded to win the third and final sets 25-22 and 25-20.
In its final match, NYU faced host University of California, Santa Cruz on Jan. 18, recording its first loss of the season. The Violets took the first set 25-21, but dropped the next three 25-23, 25-21 and 25-20. Sophomore Bennet Tchaikovsky recorded 16 digs in the match, his highest at the tournament.
The Violets ended the event with a 2-1 record and are set to play next at Arcadia University on Jan. 23 before heading to Hunter College on Jan. 27.
Wrestling
The No. 20-ranked wrestling team hosted the UAA Challenge on Jan. 3 at the Paulson Center, extending its season record to 7-0.
The Violets defeated Johns Hopkins 45-6, Centenary University 25-14 and Gettysburg College 33-10.
The team competed at the University of Northern Iowa for the National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals on Jan. 9 and 10. In its first day of competition, the Violets fell to Luther College in a tight 24-22 contest, but rebounded later in the day to defeat Albion College 23-18. Sophomore Xavier Diaz, junior Rex Jacops, seniors Nicky Bell and Harrison Gordon and graduate students Ty Finn and Justin Mayes won their respective bouts.
In the second day of competition, the Violets won both matches 26-20 and 21-20 against Cornell College and Baldwin Wallace University, respectively. Six Violets won their bouts against Cornell College, while five won their bouts against Baldwin Wallace to round out the tournament. That day, the Violets also competed in the Mariner Duals, hosted by the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, sweeping all three of their opponents 42-9, 41-3 and 51-6.
The Violets closed out its winter break competitions on Jan. 17 at the NY/PA Duals hosted by Wilkes University, dominating the competition with 46-9, 36-16 and 42-7 wins. Notably, sophomore James Carlock and senior Harrison Gordon both went 3-0 over the course of the three matches.
With a season record of 16-1, the Violets return to the Paulson Center on Jan. 24 for a Senior Day match against the Stevens Institute of Technology, also hosting The College of New Jersey later that day.
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