Sports in brief

SOPHOMORE O’CONNOR PINS DOWN WRESTLER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Ivy League officials recently named sophomore grappler J.P. O’Connor Wrestler of the Year. Ranked second nationally in the 149-pound category with a 22-1 record on the season, O’Connor was a unanimous choice by the league. Last year’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year, O’Connor is the third Harvard wrestler to earn the award and the first to do so as a sophomore.

FREE LAX TIX

In celebration of its faculty and staff day on March 15, the Harvard men’s lacrosse team is offering a pair of free general admission tickets to all Harvard ID holders. Tickets for the 1 p.m. contest opposite Fairfield must be reserved in advance by calling the Harvard Athletic Ticket Office at 877-GO-HARVARD.

CRIMSON SAILING COASTS, LAGS, TO OPEN SPRING SEASON

Commencing its spring season in Providence, R.I., the Harvard sailing team finished in a three-way tie for second place with Brown and Tufts in the Sharpe Trophy Team Race this past weekend (March 1-2). The Crimson finished with an overall record of 12-8 in the field of six teams, while top-ranked B.C. captured the race with an impressive 18-2 effort.

A second Crimson contingent, meanwhile, struggled over the weekend in the Graham Hall Team Race in Annapolis, Md. There, Harvard finished seventh out of the eight participating schools, defeating Hobart and William Smith Colleges to pick up its sole win of the regatta. Washington College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Connecticut College took the top three spots with records of 9-1, 8-2, and 5-5, respectively.

Harvard resumes competition March 8-9 at the Navy Women’s Intersectional in Annapolis.

COOL HEADS KEEP HOOPS ON TOP OF IVY HEAP

Senior backcourt duo Lindsay Hallion and Jessica Knox each buried a pair of free throws in the final minute of play to lift the Harvard women’s basketball team past Cornell, 51-48, this past Saturday (March 1). The previous night, Harvard edged Columbia, 71-70. Against the Lions, senior Adrian Budischak knocked down two shots from the charity stripe with 9 seconds remaining to set up the win.

With the victories, Harvard holds a one-game lead over Cornell in the Ivy race. The women play their final two games of the season on the road this weekend (March 7-8) against hosts Brown and Yale, respectively. Visit http://www.gocrimson.com for the latest league basketball news.

— Compiled by Andrew Brooks