Vol.25, No. 11	Jan. 21, 2000

Fans pack Levien Gym to See Lions Win Ivy Opener Against Cornell

By Liz Griffith, CC'01

The Columbia men's basketball team upset Cornell last Friday night, 75-58, in their fourth straight win, bringing the Lions to 7-7 overall, 1-0 Ivy.

The nail-biting Jan. 14 game, the Ivy League opener for both teams, drew well over 1,000 fans to Levien Gymnasium. Columbia faculty, staff and students were admitted free to the game, which was broadcast live on DirecTV. Attendance was particularly impressive considering that many students were away from campus on winter vacation.

The Light Blue sported their skill from the start, though Cornell proved to be an able adversary. Early in the first half, Columbia capitalized on several Cornell turnovers, hitting four of five of their first three-point attempts and quickly leading by 11 points. However, the Big Red soon converted some steals, raising the score in their favor.

Rising to the challenge, Columbia sunk a three-pointer in the last few seconds of the first half, bringing the halftime score to a 34-32 Lion advantage.

The suspense was to be expected; the teams had comparable records heading into this game and similar results against common opponents. Nevertheless, led by top scorers sophomore forward Craig Austin and junior guard Treg Duerksen, the Lions pulled steadily ahead of Cornell in the second half.

Columbia shot 48 percent of their 25 three-point attempts for the Lions' first victory in an Ivy opener since the 1993-94 season.

While the men defeated the Big Red on home court, women's basketball was not as fortunate the next day on Cornell's turf in Ithaca, N.Y. Junior forward Shawnee Pickney posted 11 points and 11 rebounds, while junior guard Brie Cokos added 11 points off the bench, but the Lions still lost their Ivy opener, 78-58.

The women's team is now 1-10 overall, 0-1 Ivy, with many League games still ahead of them.

The Lions' recent seasons under Head Coach Jay Butler have been their best in recent years, as the program continues to rebuild.

The women's swimming and diving program is young, but among the most formidable in the Ivy League. The Lions are 4-1-1, having swept Dartmouth and Seton Hall most recently.

All-America senior tri-captain Cristina Teuscher, CC '00, still leads the way, but is backed by plenty of younger talent who will take the reins when she graduates, including Joanna Kolb, CC'03; Lucy Eccleston, BC'03; and Amy Blume, CC'02.

Led by a talented group of upperclassmen, the men's team hopes its combination of experienced members and enthusiastic sophomores and first-years will prove successful. Although disappointed by a recent loss to Penn, the Lions are 2-4, with wins over UMass and Fordham, and competitive meets against Army and Cornell. Look out for Gered Doherty, CC'00; Daniel Brown, CC'00; and Mark Fichera, CC'01.

Many archery events are not scored, but the Lions are holding their stance as one of the country's top teams. Co-captains Christina Jung, CC'00, and Melissa Shum, BC'01, will lead the squad in their upcoming shoots, which include a competition in Las Vegas.

Wrestling

The Lions went 2-0-1 in the recent Columbia Invitational, defeating Duke and Delaware State, and tying with Boston College. The team has posted other noteworthy results, including a strong showing, 23rd of 47, at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Ari Dolid, CC'01; Derek Nagy, CC'02; and first-years Steve Popovitch and Matt Greenberg are among the standouts.

Both teams opened 2-0, the women defeating Wellesley and Harvard, the men winning 20-7 against both Harvard and Tufts. The nationally ranked men's program is represented by Kevin Eriksen, CC'03, in foil, and Patrick Durkan, CC'01, in sabre, to name a few. The equally powerful women's team includes Monica Conley, CC'03, in epeé, and foilists Erinn Smart, BC'01, and Susan Jennings, CC'00.