Sports in brief

Womens tennis looks to individual champs

The Harvard women’s tennis team fell to Purdue, 4-2, this past Friday (May 12) in the NCAA regionals at Combe Tennis Center on the campus of Northwestern University. The following day, Northwestern advanced to the team finals with a 4-1 win over the Boilermakers.

The Crimson, who finished the season 18-7 overall (7-0 Ivy), now turn their attention to the individual championships. Recently selected Ivy League Player of the Year Eva Wang ’06 will vie for the singles title, while co-captains Melissa Anderson ’06 and Elsa O’Riain ’07 will try for the doubles crown. Competition begins May 23 and runs until May 29. In other individual news, Laura Peterzan ’09 captured the league’s rookie of the year award.

Huge half lifts Orangemen in lacrosse tournament action

Fifth-seeded Syracuse knocked off the 19th-ranked Harvard men’s lacrosse team with an 11-4 win in the first round of the NCAA tournament this past Sunday (May 14) in New York. The Orangemen erupted for five goals in the first 15 minutes before extending their advantage to 8-1 at the half. The Crimson closed the gap to 8-3 in the third period following unassisted goals by juniors Greg Cohen and Brian Mahler before Brett Bucktooth tallied two-straight goals (his fourth and fifth on the afternoon) to reassert the home team’s lead. Harvard closes out its season at 6-7 (3-3 Ivy).

– Compiled by Andrew Brooks