Harvard Football 5-1 Heading Into November

Harvard VarsityVarsity Club NEWS & VIEWS of Harvard Sports

Volume 49 Issue No. 3 www.varsityclub.harvard.edu October 26, 2006 Harvard Football 5-1 Heading into November Penn and Yale still ahead for Crimson by Chuck Sullivan and Crimson defensive tackle Michael Berg ‘07 (Stamford, CT) Director of Athletic Communications burst through the line to block a Princeton punt, se� ing the Har- vard off ense up at the Tiger 20-yard line. In terms of excitement, the matchup between the Ivy League’s Harvard quickly took advantage of its fi eld position as two unbeaten schools suffi ciently matched the pregame expec- quarterback Chris Pizzo� i ‘08 (Reading, MA) dumped the ball to tations. In terms of statistics, it produced the balance that one All-America tailback Cli� on Dawson ‘07 (Scarborough, ONT) on would expect from two evenly matched opponents. a screen pass, and Dawson followed his blockers to reach the end Unfortunately for Harvard, the only terms that really mat- zone untouched, giving the Crimson an early lead. tered were those listed under the schools’ names on the score- Princeton was able to string together a 76-yard drive on the board. Although the Crimson ba� led back from an early defi cit to next series to tie the score, and the Tigers forced a Crimson error take a lead into the fourth quarter, it was Princeton that had the when defensive back Tom Hurley made a diving interception of edge in that category a� er 60 minutes were complete as the Tigers Pizzo� i’s second-down pass on Harvard’s next series. That put the held on for a 31-28 decision at Princeton Stadium on October 21. Tigers deep into Harvard’s half of the fi eld, though Princeton had Harvard head coach Tim Murphy, who saw his Crimson to se� le for a fi eld goal to take a 10-7 advantage. endure its fi rst loss in the Tigers’ 10-year-old facility, off ered Murphy looked to his bench for a spark to start the second no excuses— even if others tried to provide them. Instead, he quarter, and he found it in junior quarterback Liam O’Hagan acknowledged the miscues that the Crimson made while taking (Minnetonka, MN), pride in the team’s ability to get back in a game that could have last year’s starting go� en out of hand. signal-caller who Corey Mazza ‘07 scoring a third “I thought our eff ort was outstanding,” said Murphy follow- was held out of quarter TD against Princeton. ing the game. “But the bo� om line is that Princeton made more the Crimson’s fi rst Photo by Harvard Athletic Communications plays than we did, and we made too many mistakes.” fi ve games of 2006. The game fi gured to be a classic. The last time Harvard and O’Hagan integrated Princeton both entered their annual aff air with each school hold- precise throws with ing at least a 5-0 record was 1922. The schools accounted for 40 his ability to scramble percent of the remaining unbeaten programs in Division I-AA to add a diff erent football and recent history of Harvard-Princeton meetings — fi ve look to the Crimson of the last nine matchups were decided by three points or fewer off ense. — suggested that this one should not be missed. O’Hagan’s With two outstanding units taking the fi eld, the adage holds second drive saw that the team that makes fewer mistakes is probably the one that the Crimson reach wins the game. Princeton made the fi rst mistake a� er Harvard’s the Princeton 8-yard defense forced a three-and-out on the Tigers’ second possession, Continued on page 6 F�� S�� U�� M��’� S�� (11-4-0, 4-1-0 I��) S��

• The Crimson has reeled off fi ve straight wins, four against Ivy T�� H��: League teams and two on the road against ranked opponents, • The Crimson won at least one rega� a on each of fi ve straight to storm into the national top 25 and a share of fi rst place. Most weekends in September and October. Harvard has taken fi rst recently, Harvard gu� ed out a 2-1 win Oct. 21 at Princeton. place in seven events overall with the latest team win coming •T�� Harvard H��: took back-to-back wins against No. 19 Fairfi eld Oct. against 13 other schools in the Regis Bowl Sept. 30-Oct. 1. 9 and No. 14 Brown Oct. 14. The Crimson beat the Stags, 2-1, • In the Oct. 17 Sailing World collegiate rankings, the Harvard in double overtime and scored six straight goals for a 6-2 win coeds are ranked third, while the women are 10th. against the Bears. • Senior Clay Johnson (Toms River, NJ) won nine of 13 races to • Sophomore Michael Fucito (Westford, MA) racked up three cruise to his fourth straight NEISA Men’s Singlehanded Cham- goals and three assists in the wins at Fairfi eld and Brown to earn pionship title Oct. 7-8 at Roger Williams. He won the fi rst four selection as the Soccer Times National Player of the Week and Ivy races of the weekend and led the rest of the way. Teammate Kyle League Player of the Week. Kovacs (Pennington, NJ) placed second in the fi eld of 29 sailors, • Andre Akpan (Grand as both Crimson men qualifi ed for nationals Nov. 3-5. Prairie, TX), the nation’s • The women placed second in both divisions of the Regis Bowl, top-scoring freshman, accumulating 42 points in each for a total of 84. tallied two assists at Fairfi eld and two more at Brown. He then W��’� G�� added two goals and T�� H��: an assist in a 5-2 win at Holy Cross and the • Harvard placed second in a fi eld of 11 teams at the Yale In- game-winning goal vitational Sept. 30-Oct. 1, giving the Crimson one win and two against the Tigers. He second-place fi nishes in its three events this fall. Rain forced won two straight Ivy the cancellation of the ECAC Championships, scheduled for League Rookie of the the following weekend in Williamsburg, VA. Week selections to give • The Crimson shot 306-298--604 at Yale to fi nish just two him four such honors strokes behind winner and defending Ivy League champion for the season. Akpan Princeton. leads the Ivy League • Freshman Sarah Harvey (Forest, VA) led the way for Har- with 1.93 points and vard, carding rounds of 76 and 73 for a two-day score of 149 0.73 assists per game. and third place. Sophomore Emily Balmert (El Cajon, CA) had the low score in Saturday’s fi rst round and took fourth. • The fall season wraps up for Harvard Oct. 30-31 at the Mike Fucito ‘07 Rollins Invitational in Southern Pines, NC. dspics.com W��’� V�� (9-10, 3-5 I�� L��) W��’� T�� T�� H��: T�� H��:

• The Crimson opened Ivy League play with a pair of wins • Tennis players represented Harvard on opposite coasts at against Dartmouth and later picked up a 3-2 win at Columbia. the beginning of the month, with some athletes competing at • Junior co-captain Suzie Trimble (San Juan Capistrano, CA) the USTA National Women’s Invitational in Flushing Mead- pounded 24 kills with just three errors on 33 swings for a .636 ows, NY, and one playing at the ITA Riviera All-America hi� ing percentage in the win against the Lions. It was the Championships in Pacifi c Palisades, CA. middle blocker’s second match hi� ing be� er than .600 with • The doubles pair of senior Preethi Mukundan (Folsom, more than 20 kills. Trimble is hi� ing .405 for the season and CA) and sophomore Laura Peterzan (London, England) averages 3.18 kills and 1.00 blocks per game. placed second in the A Flight at the National Invitational. The • Senior Katie Turley-Molony (San Jose, CA) is also having two were seeded eighth and recorded wins against teams Preethi Mukundan ‘07 a solid season, averaging 2.97 kills per game and hi� ing .243. dspics.com She registered 18 kills and seven blocks in the second win from Boston College, Texas against Dartmouth. Junior co-captain Laura Mahon (Moraga, A&M, and Yale to advance CA) averages 2.27 kills and 3.68 digs per game, and freshman to the fi nals, where they lost Katherine Kocurek (Kingwood, TX) has posted 4.49 digs per to the No. 5 seed from North game. Carolina State. • Freshman Lena Litvak (Bronx, NY) reached the M��’� T�� quarterfi nals of the top singles T�� H��: fl ight with straight-set wins over athletes from Syracuse • In its only team action of the fall at the ECAC and Duke. Championships Sept. 29-Oct. 2, the Crimson posted two wins • Sophomore Beier Ko (Boca and a loss. Sixth-seeded Harvard was edged by No. 11-seed Raton, FL) lost a hard-fought Manha� an, 4-3, and posted a 7-0 shutout of 14th-seeded St. match to Notre Dame’s Catrina Joseph’s. The Crimson then met No. 7-seed Boston College Tompson in the main draw of and recorded an emphatic 7-0 win. the All-American Champion- • Senior Sco� Denenberg (Trumbull, CT) won all three of ships. his No. 2 singles matches over the weekend, and sophomore Michael Kalfayan (Bristol, England) claimed two wins at No. M��’� W�� P�� 5 and one at No. 6. T�� H��: • Harvard players complete competition in the ITA Regionals Oct. 24 in hopes of securing berths in nationals Nov. 2-5. The • The Crimson heads into the Northern Championships Oct. Crimson will also take part in the Dartmouth Invite Nov. 3-6. 28-29 with some momentum a� er a goal by senior Michael Garcia (Annapolis, MD) in the third overtime period li� ed M��’� � W��’� C�� C�� Harvard to an 8-7 win against Brown Oct. 19. Garcia totaled three goals in the win, while freshman Spencer Livingston T�� H��: (Sacramento, CA) scored twice late in the game and sopho- • The Crimson hopes to fi nish up October with a strong show- more Jay Connolly (Pacifi c Palisades, CA) made 10 saves. • Since the end of the ECAC Championships in late Septem- ing at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships Oct. 27 at ber, Harvard has picked up six wins. The Crimson put up Van Cortlandt Park in New York City. Harvard prepared with big numbers in victories over Connecticut College (17-5) and a solid performance at the Iona Meet of Champions on the Queens (14-4) on consecutive days Sept. 29-30. Harvard also same course Sept. 30. defeated crosstown rival MIT, 9-5, Oct. 5, downed Fordham, • The Harvard men’s team placed fourth among 20 schools 9-6, Oct. 7 and defeated Occidental, 9-3, Oct. 13 during a four- at Iona. Senior Sean Barre� (San Diego, CA) led the Crimson game venture to California. with a personal-best time of 25:29 and a 21st-place fi nish. Junior Ryan Hafer (Colorado Springs, CO) was two places W��’� S�� (3-11-1, 2-3-0 I�� L��) and two seconds back, and the next three Crimson runners all fi nished 19 seconds or fewer behind him. Junior Lindsey T�� H��: Scherf (Scarsdale, NY) took 10th place in her fi rst race of the • The Crimson won consecutive games early in October, year, as the Harvard women placed seventh of 18. knocking off Vermont and Cornell by identical 2-0 scores. • Barre� led four Harvard runners in the top 50 as the Crim- Harvard’s luck then turned, as it suff ered 2-1 overtime losses son men won the open race at Pre-Nationals Oct. 14 in Terre to Brown and Holy Cross. Haute, IN. The women fi nished 10th in the open race, led by • Freshman goalkeeper Lauren Mann (Encinitas, CA) regis- junior Sarah Bourne (Sti� sville, ONT) in 73rd. tered her fi rst two collegiate shutouts. She stopped fi ve shots on Oct. 4 against the Catamounts and made seven saves Oct. 7 M��’� G�� against the Big Red. • Other Crimson freshmen are also starting to make their T�� H��: presence felt. Kelli Okuji (Aptos, CA) and Lizzy Nichols (Princeton, NJ) recorded assists in the Vermont win, then • Balance was the name of the game for Harvard at the Dart- scored goals against Brown and Holy Cross, respectively. mouth Invitational Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Three Crimson golfers fi n- • Erin Wylie (Pleasanton, CA) paces Harvard with three ished tied for 16th as the Crimson placed sixth at the 12-team. goals, while fellow sophomore Rachel Lau (Honolulu, HI) has Freshmen Danny Mayer (Winter Park, FL) and Greg Shuman two goals and two assists to match Wylie’s six points. (New Canaan, CT) and senior Thomas Hegge (Fargo, ND) all fi nished with two-day totals of 155, as Harvard shot 305-319- F�� H�� (2-12, 2-3 I�� L��) 624. T�� H��: • Shuman and sophomore Michael Shore (Boca Raton, FL) both placed among the top 11 individuals to lead the Crimson • The Crimson broke through with back-to-back league wins to a ninth-place showing in the team standings of the Mac- against Cornell and Yale Oct. 8 and 14 at Jordan Field, in Donald Cup tournament on the Course at Yale Oct. 7-8. Shu- hopes of igniting a turnaround to its season. Senior forward man was Harvard’s most consistent golfer for the tournament Gretchen Fuller (Shaker Heights, OH) scored the game-win- as he shot rounds of 75-74-75 for a 224, good for ninth place in ner in overtime for a 1-0 victory against the Big Red, then the 96-man fi eld. Shore was the fi rst-round leader a� er shoot- added two goals in a 3-2 double-overtime win against the ing a two-over 72. He ended up with an 11th-place fi nish with Bulldogs. a three-round total of 226 (72-78-76). • Sophomore Tami Jafar (Ann Arbor, MI) scored her second • Harvard had rounds of 309, 312 and 307 to fi nish with a goal of the season to end the Yale game in the 94th minute. 928 at the MacDonald Cup, just three strokes behind seventh- Junior Siobhan Connolly (Walpole, MA) made six saves in place Yale and Birmingham Southern. the win. • The Crimson’s last fall tournament is the NEIGA Champion- • Sophomore Kelly Knoche (San Diego, CA) has ba� led ships Oct. 23-24 in Brewster, MA. through injuries to rank 19th nationally and second in the Ivy League with an average of 6.82 saves per game. Her .773 save percentage is 20th in Division I and third in the league. 2 CRIMSON COMMENTARY

by Michele McLaughlin The Women’s Rowing Teams of Boston University, MIT, Assistant Director of the Harvard Varsity Club Northeastern and Harvard have collaborated to dedicate four new racing shells all to i� le did anyone know that be named a� er Bayer, when last year’s NFL MVP, considered “The Mother of Shaun Alexander, went down Women’s Rowing”. Bayer L with an injury, it would set in died at the age of 97 on motion a chain of events that would put September 10, 2006. two former Harvard football greats on Radcliff e heavy- the same team. weight head coach Liz But that was exactly how the O’Leary spoke at the Crimson’s all-time tackles leader, Isaiah dedication about Bayer, Kacyvenski ‘00, became teammates with who was the woman who the captain of Harvard’s last undefeated taught her how to row. A team, Ryan Fitzpatrick ‘05. true legend in the sport Kacyvenski made his debut with the of rowing, Bayer was a St. Louis Rams October 8th against the world leader in introduc- Green Bay Packers a� er playing more ing women to the sport than seven seasons with the Sea� le of rowing. Her name is Seahawks, who had dra� ed him follow- New Rams teammates Isaiah Kacyvenski ‘00 and Ryan Fitzpatrick ‘05. recognizable around the ing his senior year at Harvard. world for her achievement Kacyvenski joined Fitzpatrick — who made national head- and advancement of women’s competitive rowing. Her pioneer- lines last year by throwing three touchdown passes in his NFL ing eff orts made it possible for women to row at the club, college debut with the Rams — to mark the fi rst time since 1924 that two and international level. She was instrumental in women’s rowing Harvard players were on the same NFL team at the same time events being added to the Olympic Games in 1976. (Charlie Clark and Arnold Horween played for the Chicago Bears ***** that year). The Head of the Charles weekend also featured a tribute to ***** rowing Hall of Famer Andy Sudduth ‘85. The Harvard men’s Five current and former members of Harvard’s women’s ice rowing program honored Sudduth in a special ceremony at hockey team have been chosen to compete in the prestigious Four Newell Boathouse on Saturday, Oct. 21 during the Head of the Nations Cup tournament, which will be held Nov. 7-11 in Kitch- Charles Rega� a. ener, ONT. The ceremony took place at 3:45 p.m, just as the Champion- Three current players and two of the Crimson’s most deco- ship singles event (an event rated alumnae will compete in the tournament — an annual event that Andy won fi ve times) in which teams from the United States, Canada, Sweden and passed by Newell and includ- Finland compete for national supremacy. All fi ve of Harvard’s ed comments from represen- representatives were members of their respecive Olympic teams tatives of Sudduth’s 1983 and in 2006. 1985 National Championship Senior captain Julie Chu and junior defenseman Caitlin Ca- crews. how will compete for the U.S. squad, while sophomore forward A framed photograph of Sarah Vaillancourt will compete for Canada. Sudduth was also unveiled Chu and Cahow are joined on the U.S. team by perennial prior to being mounted per- national team stalward Angela Ruggiero ‘04, while Vaillancourt manently in the boathouse. will be reuinted with Team Canada fi xture Jennifer Bo� erill ‘03. Sudduth, one of the ***** greatest rowers in Harvard Harvard was one of four Boston area colleges honoring history, passed away on July women’s rowing pioneer Ernestine Bayer with the dedication 15, 2006. Andy Sudduth ‘85 of four racing shells in her name during the Head of the Charles weekend.

Harvard and Radcliﬀ e Compete at Annual Head of the Charles

Radcliff e heavyweights and lightweights competed at the an- CRRA fi nished ninth in the College Eight race, while Harvard nual Head of the Charles Rega� a October 20-22. Three boats in all was 37. The CRRA boat completed the course in 15:45.219. The competed in the event with two crews earning top fi ve fi nishes. Harvard lightweight boat clocked in at 16:34.629. Radcliff e had the fi � h best time in the Collegiate Eight, fi nishing Harvard had one of its best fi nishes in the Championship four in 17:34.652. Competing in their fi rst collegiate event were freshmen where Jess Hoy ‘07, Andrew Boston ‘07, Toby Medaris ‘07, Phil Amanda Deutsch, Ariel Shaker, Anne Washburn, Laura Huppert, Kaiser ‘07 and Nick Baker ‘07 combined to fi nish fourth. Harvard Charlo� e Chuter, Christine Baugh, Alex Perkins and Tess Wood completed the three mile course in 15:54.197. Thunderbird Rowing and junior walk-on Morgan Wimberly. Club won the event for the second straight year. In the Championships Eight, the Black and White had the 15th The Championship Eight had two Harvard heavyweight boats best time. The Black and White fi nished the challenging three-mile partcipating. The Harvard course in 16:43.128. boat featuring Drew Davis The lightweights competed in the Lightweight Eight, fi nishing ‘09, Blake Pucsek ‘09, James with the fi � h best time. The Black and White completed the course Bayley ‘09, James Canning ‘09, in 16:31.652. Kate Walro ‘07, Lesley Burke� ‘07, Rebekah Kharrazi Simon Gawlik ‘09, Mark ‘09, Rachel Orler ‘07, Naomi Ford ‘08, Sarah Blankstein ‘08, Kayla Crocker ‘09, Henrik Rum- Feld ‘09, Amanda Kolb ‘08 and Jennifer Chung ‘07 comprised the mel ‘09, Sam Kenary ‘09 and Radliff e boat. Tom Fleming ‘09 took 15th Members of the Harvard heavyweight and lighweight crews in 14:48.958. The CRRA entry competed for Harvard and the Charles River Rowing Associa- of Fryer, George Kitovitz ‘08, tion. O� o Stegmaier ‘08, Joe Me- The boat of Ashley Fryer ‘09, Mike Collins ‘06, Bede Morre dioli ‘08, Anton Wintner ‘08, ‘06, Winter Mead ‘08, Welly Sculley ‘08, Ted Schrek ‘09, Toby Mc- Matt Lausberg ‘08, Breffny Dougal ‘08, J.T. McGrath ‘08 and Paul DiMaggio ‘07 competed in Morgan ‘08, Simon Kotzeff ‘08 the Club Eight on Saturday a� ernoon, taking ninth out of 58 boats. and Ma� McLane ‘07 took 19th Nick Baker ‘07 - Jon Crispin Photo The Crimson clocked in at 16:37.386. in 14:56.289. Two Harvard boats competed in the Youth Eight. The heavy- In the Lightweight Eight, the CRRA entry took 11th with a time weights, rowing under Charles River Rowing Associate, fi nished of 15:04.998 and the Harvard crew took 18th in a time of 15:38.417. third in 15:25.108, while the lightweights under the name Harvard Forty-seven particpiants competed in the event. were 17th in 16:10.647. 3 THE THIRD “H” BOOK OF HARVARD ATHLETICS

On Saturday, October 7th, the Varsity Club announced the start of the production of the “Third H Book of Harvard Athletics.” This book will pick up in 1964, where the “First H Book” (1852-1922) and the “Second H Book” (1923-1963) le� off in chronicling each of Harvard’s 41 inter- collegiate programs. Scheduled for a 2010 publication, this important project will require signifi - cant a� ention and resources. Members of the Third “H” Book executive commi� ee (Bill Markus ‘60, Teresa Moore ‘86, J. Louis Newell ‘57 and Karen Weltchek ‘88) chose longtime News & Views editor and Sports Information Director John Veneziano to write the historical book. John has fi rst-hand knowledge of the teams from his 14- year tenure in the Harvard Athletics Department. The commi� ee also chose John Bethel to serve as editor and Dan McCarron as the book Dave Mi� ell ‘39, chairman of the coordinator. Second “H” Book commi� ee.

Bill Markus ‘60, chairman of the Third H Book commi� ee, kicked things oﬀ at the October 7th ceremony. CRIMSON PHOTO GALLERY

Cli� on Dawson ‘07, Eleanor Williams ‘58 and Ed Bursk ‘54 at the Harvard’s Ivy champion 1066 football team. Friends of Football Huddle Luncheon on October 6th.

A. John Caulﬁ eld ‘50 was the sixth recipient of the prestigious Leather Helmet Trophy awarded each year by the Harvard Football Old Timers. L-R: Jim Kenary ‘50, John Caulﬁ eld ‘50 and John Coan ‘50.

B. Friends of Harvard & Radcliﬀ e Rowing board member and rowing Hall of Famer Jon Bernstein ‘90 (le� ) with men’s lightweight rowing Head Coach Charley Bu� and women’s heavyweight rowing Head Coach Liz O’Leary at the annual rowing dinner held October 20th.

C. Friends of Harvard & Radcliff e Rowing board member Karen Weltchek ‘88 (le� ) with Steve Hochman and rowing Hall of Famer C Julie� e Thompson Hochman ‘89 at the rowing dinner. 4 Charles Atlchek ‘07: Searching for a Nickname by Kurt Svoboda “I used to beat him up Assistant Director of Media Relations all the time when we were younger,” admits Altchek. “Our Of the many classic ESPN SportsCenter commercials that parents got us Sock’em Boppers have aired over the past decade or so, there are always ones that once, but we punched through resonate in diff erent ways to diff erent people. One particular them because we hit each other commercial that brings a smile to this writer’s face deals with the so hard. Another time, I had fi ctional, yet fantastic, ESPN University. him jump up and down on our Chris Berman is teaching class and quickly asks his student pool in the winter when it was to give the nickname of NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe. One unaware student mumbles out, “Drew bled so much he needed a transfusion.” Wrong answer. The next student then stands up and exclaimed that, “it’s a trick question, Drew Bledsoe has no nickname.” Correct. The commercial comes to mind when interview- ing men’s soccer captain Charles Altchek. A senior forward, Altchek is the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year a� er leading the Ancient Eight with 11 goals in 2005. He ranked among the league leaders in virtually every statistical category and unloaded nearly four shots per game on opposing goalkeepers. Now, in an age where nearly all athletes have a host of nicknames from friends and teammates, it seems a performer like Altchek might have several choice monikers. But this is not the case. “I don’t think I have had any good nicknames over the years,” says Altchek, “but I am not a big nickname guy to begin with. I would rather just be called by my name than have a bad or obvi- frozen until he fell through. Luckily his arms got caught so he ous nickname.” didn’t fall all the way in. He was very physical and not afraid to That outlook is consistent with the workman-like approach mix it up. That’s probably why he is so tough now.” for which Altchek has become known among his teammates and With age comes maturity, so those days are in the past and coaches. One of the most intense players in the league, Altchek Charles has found that having family nearby has been a ground- was named team captain last spring and has his sights set on a ing experience for one of the league’s best players. successful season. “Being here at Harvard with Chris is great,” states Altchek, Altchek has admi� edly learned a lot along the way to be- who actually had to persuade Chris to shun other elite schools in coming a senior leader and points to his focus and work ethic as favor of wearing the Crimson uniform. “He has really developed reasons for his on-fi eld success — something to which head coach some skills on the fi eld. We understand each other, and he has re- John Kerr can a� est. ally helped me in terms of understanding the mood of our team.” “Charles is simply driven to win,” says Kerr. “Focus and will- It would be understandable if the mood of those teammates ingness to train properly have been hallmarks of his tenure, and was somewhat subdued coming into camp this fall upon discov- he is a noticeable physical presence on the fi eld. Charles is also ering an injured Altchek, who was still being hampered by a leg extremely motivated to see his teammates mature and has done injury sustained at the end of the 2005 season. Largely ignored everything asked of him in leading this team.” during the team’s rigorous off -season conditioning, the leg injury “I think that I grew up a lot a� er my sophomore year, and was thought to be normal wear and tear for a player known for even last year I found myself thinking more about decisions I having a high pain threshold. was making both on and off the fi eld,” says Altchek. “There is a “Focus and the willingness to work hard are so important lot more scrutiny on a captain, and I want to be a resource for my in life,” says Altchek. “I think that people can push themselves teammates because I remember what it was like as a young player further than they believe, whether it’s life or training for a sport. In and needing someone to look up to.” this case, however, there was an injury at play, and hopefully I’ll Harvard’s 2006 roster boasts a solid mixture of upperclass- be able to work through it so we can have a successful season.” men and talented newcomers — something that has become a With one fi nal year to play, success is defned as a league trademark of Kerr’s Crimson over the past few years. Still, with a championship — something that has eluded Altchek during his short preseason schedule in place for the Ivy League, teams have tenure at Harvard. What drives him toward that goal more than li� le time to fi nd the cohesion necessary on the fi eld and in the anything is memory of the one that got away. In 2004, the Crimson locker room. Leadership quickly becomes key to a positive season. had a chance to gain sole possession of fi rst place with a late-sea- “To be voted captain by the team certainly makes me proud,” son match at Dartmouth. It would not be Harvard’s day, however, confesses Altchek. “It truly makes me step back and think hard as Dartmouth scored in the last minute to steal the victory. about my interaction not only within my team, but the school and “I remember that game well, and it is my most vivid soccer our community. I am thankful that my teammates want to hear memory,” says Altchek. “I actually got knocked unconscious and what I have to say on issues, but we have such a great group of don’t remember much about the game itself, but I remember the seniors that I will rely on their help as well.” whistle blowing and realizing that we had lost. I remember it so With the dedication of his teammates and renewed vigor well because I had thought so much about what it would be like for the team’s off -season workout program implemented by the to win that game but never about what it might be like to lose that strength and conditioning coaches, Harvard’s athletes entered game.” fall camp in top form. From the on-fi eld fi tness, to laughing and Sidelined during preseason, the ability to delete that setback joking with each other during the team’s annual photo day, to from his memory seemed slim with an initial prognosis of two-to- cheering for each other during scrimmages while competing for three weeks on the mend. That would have cost Altchek anywhere playing time with one another, the team gelled early. form six to nine games of his fi nal campaign. Yet the focus on his “This is by far the best group of guys I have been around team remained — a team fi lled with talent from across the globe in my four years,” says the captain. “Coach Kerr did a great job but with prevailing youth in the wake of its fallen captain. bringing in tremendous kids, both talent- and personality-wise. I The Crimson trailed early in the team’s fi rst game of the sea- think this can be a special group.” son against nationally ranked Old Dominion at the Rhode Island As far as competing for playing time with his own team- Soccer Classic. Looking for reassurance, this writer instinctively mates, Altchek points out that it is just a part of the team-build- looked down the sideline and was not surprised by what was ing process that every team must experience. Players must make witnessed. Jogging back-and-forth was Altchek, who would soon personal sacrifi ces for the good of the team, and players must enter the game and spark a torrid comeback during which the pull for each other regardless of playing time. Altchek learned Crimson scored three times in a six-minute span to tie the contest. about competition early, as he routinely ba� led with his younger And as he discarded his warm-ups and ran onto the fi eld, what brother, Chris, who followed in the elder Altchek’s footsteps by was heard? Nothing more than someone on the bench shouting joining the Harvard soccer program. out, “Go get ’em, Charles!” No nickname needed. The two ba� led in everything growing up — nothing unusual for brothers — but a� er learning the details of their relationship * Originally published in Harvard Football News September 16th. as children, one may wonder why Chris would choose to live so To date Altchek has appeared in 15 games in 2006 and has 9 goals and close to his brother. 4 assists.

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25 – Men’s Hockey Autograph Night, Bright Center, following 7 p.m. game against Princeton against game p.m. 7 following Center, Bright Night, Autograph Hockey Men’s – 25

20 – Football Annual Dinner, 5:30 highlight ﬁ lm, 6:00 rec., 6:45 dinner, Harvard Club on Comm. Ave. Comm. on Club Harvard dinner, 6:45 rec., 6:00 lm, ﬁ highlight 5:30 Dinner, Annual Football – 20

18 – Tennis/ Squash Annual Dinner, Murr Center Hall of History, 6 p.m. cocktail hour, 7 PM dinner PM 7 hour, cocktail p.m. 6 History, of Hall Center Murr Dinner, Annual Squash Tennis/ – 18

18 – Tennis/Squash Football Game Tailgate, 10:30 a.m., Beren Tennis Center Tennis Beren a.m., 10:30 Tailgate, Game Football Tennis/Squash – 18

18 – Women’s Volleyball 25th Anniversary Celebration, Murr Center Third Floor Lounge, 7 p.m. 7 Lounge, Floor Third Center Murr Celebration, Anniversary 25th Volleyball Women’s – 18

17 – Friends of Squash and Tennis Hit-Around and Reception, Murr Center Courts & Barnaby Gallery, 5 p.m. 5 Gallery, Barnaby & Courts Center Murr Reception, and Hit-Around Tennis and Squash of Friends – 17

17 – Football H/Y Luncheon & 2001 Team Recognition, Hall of History, 10:30 a.m. rec., 11:30 lunch 11:30 rec., a.m. 10:30 History, of Hall Recognition, Team 2001 & Luncheon H/Y Football – 17

16 – Friends of Lacrosse New York City Dinner, TBA, Harvard Club of New York New of Club Harvard TBA, Dinner, City York New Lacrosse of Friends – 16

6 – Varsity Club Annual Meeting, Harvard Club on Comm. Ave., 12 noon 12 Ave., Comm. on Club Harvard Meeting, Annual Club Varsity – 6

4 – Women’s Volleyball Parents’ Dinner, Harvard Club on Comm. Ave., 7 p.m. 7 Ave., Comm. on Club Harvard Dinner, Parents’ Volleyball Women’s – 4

4 – Baseball Team Banquet, Harvard Club on Comm. Ave., 6 p.m. reception, 6:30 dinner 6:30 reception, p.m. 6 Ave., Comm. on Club Harvard Banquet, Team Baseball – 4

4 – Men’s Lacrosse Brunch, Harvard Club on Comm. Ave., 9:30 a.m. 9:30 Ave., Comm. on Club Harvard Brunch, Lacrosse Men’s – 4

3 – Friends of Football Huddle with Coach Murphy, Murr Center Hall of History, 12 noon 12 History, of Hall Center Murr Murphy, Coach with Huddle Football of Friends – 3

November

Upcoming Friends and Varsity Club Events Club Varsity and Friends Upcoming

automatic ﬁ rst down at Harvard’s 24-yard line. 24-yard Harvard’s at down rst ﬁ automatic

Murphy.

similarly puzzled the Crimson sideline and gave Princeton an an Princeton gave and sideline Crimson the puzzled similarly

“We didn’t play well enough to beat a really good team,” said said team,” good really a beat to enough well play didn’t “We

manlike conduct penalty for excessive celebration — a call that that call a — celebration excessive for penalty conduct manlike

turnovers.

ized in the second quarter, Tanner was ﬂ agged for an unsports- an for agged ﬂ was Tanner quarter, second the in ized

Princeton as well. But it just wasn’t enough to compensate for ﬁ ve ve ﬁ for compensate to enough wasn’t just it But well. as Princeton

bringing up fourth down. But just as Princeton had been penal- been had Princeton as just But down. fourth up bringing

three quarters. Harvard showed both facets of its game against against game its of facets both showed Harvard quarters. three

Daniel Tanner ‘07 Tanner Daniel (Chesapeake, VA), seemingly seemingly VA), (Chesapeake, safety Harvard

ards to just 240 total yards while pitching a shutout for the last last the for shutout a pitching while yards total 240 just to ards

his target’s hands as the receiver was met with a hard hit from from hit hard a with met was receiver the as hands target’s his

against Lafaye� e two weeks ago, as the Crimson held the Leop- the held Crimson the as ago, weeks two e Lafaye� against

Terell’s third down pass to the Tiger fullback went through through went fullback Tiger the to pass down third Terell’s

this year. That defensive eﬀ ort was the key behind the 24-7 win win 24-7 the behind key the was ort eﬀ defensive That year. this

third-and-four situation. third-and-four

recent past and a run defense that has been all but impenetrable impenetrable but all been has that defense run a and past recent

half, brought the Tigers to Harvard’s 39, where the Tigers faced a a faced Tigers the where 39, Harvard’s to Tigers the brought half,

mance that rivals that of any of the Crimson’s great teams of the the of teams great Crimson’s the of any of that rivals that mance

interception. Terrell, who had reentered the game for the second second the for game the reentered had who Terrell, interception.

the season. Harvard has been able to display an oﬀ ensive perfor- ensive oﬀ an display to able been has Harvard season. the

Princeton took possession on its go-ahead drive a� er a Tiger’s Tiger’s a er a� drive go-ahead its on possession took Princeton

And a� er all, 5-1 is hardly a bad place to be six games into into games six be to place bad a hardly is 5-1 all, er a� And

third quarter giving Harvard a 28-24 lead. 28-24 a Harvard giving quarter third

a� erthoughts. a�

series, with Mazza’s 15-yard touchdown catch with 3:55 le� in the the in le� 3:55 with catch touchdown 15-yard Mazza’s with series,

league loss by year’s end, Harvard and Penn are by no means means no by are Penn and Harvard end, year’s by loss league

O’Hagan and Mazza hooked up again on the Crimson’s next next Crimson’s the on again up hooked Mazza and O’Hagan

But with one of those two schools guaranteed to have at least one one least at have to guaranteed schools two those of one with But

play to set up Dawson’s second rushing touchdown of the day. the of touchdown rushing second Dawson’s up set to play

are in the best shape with regards to the Ivy League title picture. picture. title League Ivy the to regards with shape best the in are

Oaks, CA) down the le� sideline for a 35-yard gain on the next next the on gain 35-yard a for sideline le� the down CA) Oaks,

The translation is that the Tigers and Bulldogs, at least today, today, least at Bulldogs, and Tigers the that is translation The

Corey Mazza ‘07 ‘07 Mazza Corey (Thousand (Thousand hit then third-and-eight, on pickup

and Princeton still has to face both of those squads as well. as squads those of both face to has still Princeton and

in part to two big plays by O’Hagan. He scrambled for a 32-yard 32-yard a for scrambled He O’Hagan. by plays big two to part in

has Harvard facing Penn and Yale to close the season, however, however, season, the close to Yale and Penn facing Harvard has

Harvard responded well at the start of the second half, thanks thanks half, second the of start the at well responded Harvard

stands in third place, tied with Penn. The late-season schedule still still schedule late-season The Penn. with tied place, third in stands

seconds le� before hal� ime, giving Princeton a 24-14 lead. 24-14 a Princeton giving ime, hal� before le� seconds

the only schools without a loss in Ivy League play, while Harvard Harvard while play, League Ivy in loss a without schools only the

10-play drive that ended with the Tigers in the end zone with 58 58 with zone end the in Tigers the with ended that drive 10-play

With Princeton able to take a knee, the Tigers joined Yale as as Yale joined Tigers the knee, a take to able Princeton With

from its bench as backup quarterback Bill Foran engineered a a engineered Foran Bill quarterback backup as bench its from

have the ﬁ nal answer. nal ﬁ the have

Like Harvard earlier in the quarter, Princeton got a spark spark a got Princeton quarter, the in earlier Harvard Like

time but saw its last two drives end with interceptions in its bid to to bid its in interceptions with end drives two last its saw but time

tackle to go in easily and make it a 17-14 game. 17-14 a it make and easily in go to tackle

Harvard needed to gain substantial ﬁ eld position in a short short a in position eld ﬁ substantial gain to needed Harvard

automatic fi rst down at the 4. Dawson took the next play off right right off play next the took Dawson 4. the at down rst fi automatic

who made his way to the end zone to make it 31-28 with 4:37 le� . le� 4:37 with 31-28 it make to zone end the to way his made who

for unsportsmanlike conduct on the play, giving the Crimson an an Crimson the giving play, the on conduct unsportsmanlike for

took advantage of his third chance when he hit Brendan Circle Circle Brendan hit he when chance third his of advantage took

of Princeton’s bench, one of those players, however, was ﬂ agged agged ﬂ was however, players, those of one bench, Princeton’s of

play, but the Tigers were able to recover at the 20. Terrell then then Terrell 20. the at recover to able were Tigers the but play,

Princeton defenders short of the ﬁ rst down marker. To the chagrin chagrin the To marker. down rst ﬁ the of short defenders Princeton

Harvard was able to strip the ball from Terrell on the next next the on Terrell from ball the strip to able was Harvard

sprinted toward the right sideline, where he was met by three three by met was he where sideline, right the toward sprinted

cize, but to me it didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.” the of out anything be to seem didn’t it me to but cize,

looked like he would be stopped for a loss, but he broke free and and free broke he but loss, a for stopped be would he like looked

and was celebrating. Without seeing it on ﬁ lm, it’s hard to criti- to hard it’s lm, ﬁ on it seeing Without celebrating. was and

line for a third down play that would prove pivotal. Dawson Dawson pivotal. prove would that play down third a for line

when asked about the penalty. “The kid just made a great play play great a made just kid “The penalty. the about asked when

“I still don’t know exactly what happened,” Murphy said said Murphy happened,” what exactly know don’t still “I Football, continued from page 1 page from continued Football,