By Chris Estrada
There is nothing more agitating to a writer than having a possible thesis for an article dashed due to whatever reason.
Now this isn’t an attack on my superiors at The News or on the subjects that I write about. It’s simply an opinion of mine. And sometimes, this happens to writers of all stripes. I’m sure this has happened to some of you while you were in the middle of writing that 20-page term paper for Prof. What’s-His-Name’s class.
Today, I’m in your shoes. With that in mind, this will be a mixed bag. You’ve been warned.
To start, it’s been a nice winter for Husky sports fans, hasn’t it? Despite taking it on the chin up in Vermont this weekend, the 11th-ranked hockey team remains on course for a breakthrough season and a bit of overdue revenge at the Beanpot (if you’re reading this, I assume you came back alive from the last-gasp ticket sale last night at Matthews Arena). We’re not as sure on the basketball team, a group that boasts solid talent but still needs to improve. But after blowing a 12-point halftime lead last Wednesday against William and Mary, we’ll give them credit for sucking it up and delivering an overtime win against Delaware, this year’s surprise in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
However, I believe some of the attention that invariably focuses on the bigger sports this time of year should be turning from Matthews Arena to Barletta Natatorium. In the waters of this nearly 40-year-old facility, the women’s swimming and diving team have quietly put together a stellar season.
Sitting atop the conference with a 9-0 overall record and a 3-0 mark in league competition, the team has been superb from the get-go. The last time they’ve been unbeaten at this point of the season, they won the 2001-02 America East title to cap an undefeated season. Boston University and New Hampshire took their shots last weekend, but Northeastern survived to beat the Terriers, 154-145, and rout the Wildcats 175-124.
They’re ranked No. 11 on CollegeSwimming.com‘s Div. 1 Mid-Major rankings and sophomore Kathrine Fugge and senior co-captain Kara Lane have won CAA Swimmer of the Week honors during the season. Going one better has been senior diver Brittany Gilles, who has won two CAA Diver of the Week awards so far.
Their next meet is at home against Dartmouth Feb. 9, right in the down week between the Beanpot games. While I’m not a knowledgeable source for swimming and diving, I think you and I know winners when we see them. This could turn into something really big.
Continuing with the theme of sports that don’t get as much publicity as they should, this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway will have a dash of Husky flavor once again. Russ Oasis, Class of ’73, will contest the 24-hour endurance race for the second time in three years.
A former radio DJ for campus station WNEU-FM (now WRBB), Oasis will be part of a seven-car team for The Racer’s Group in the GT class for this weekend’s event. He’ll share driving duties with Tom Atherton, Jim Stout and Jason Daskalos in the No. 65 Porsche GT3 Cup machine.
Oasis will look to improve on his inaugural Rolex 24 outing in 2006. Driving a Corvette for Banner Racing, he and his team fought through mechanical problems that sidelined the team for almost two hours to salvage a 17th place finish out of 34 cars in the GT class.
Last year, Oasis competed in the lower-tier Viper Racing League (that’s Dodge Viper, naturally) and finished second in the final points standings with a pair of wins, both at Virginia International Raceway in July.
You can catch the Rolex 24 this weekend on TV. Beginning on Saturday at 1 p.m., Fox 25 will carry the race until 2:30 p.m., when SPEED Channel takes over for a seven-and-a-half hour run. SPEED will again pick up the race Sunday morning at 6 a.m. and continue until 2 p.m.
Finally, I’d like to see this column branch out beyond the big sports. No offense to them, but we’ve got a good-sized array of sports here, don’t you think? This is where you come in. If you know of or have any interesting stories about Northeastern sports (teams, athletes, etc.), feel free to drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you.
– Chris Estrada can be reached
