Princeton-Yale weekend

Football fails to leash Yale

A year ago, Princeton football's second-half comeback at Yale helped the Tigers secure a win and a share of the Ivy League championship. While the Tigers slipped out of the Ivy title chase early this year, they tried to pick up where they left off against the undefeated Bulldogs at Princeton Stadium Nov. 10, surging through the defense for 361 yards, compared to 272 for Yale. But a pair of early fumbles kept Princeton out of the end zone, and the Bulldogs eventually broke through with 24 second-half points in a 27-6 victory. Yale running back Mike McLeod, who averaged more than 180 yards rushing in his first eight games this year, ran for just 107 yards against Princeton. "Our kids just played their tails off," head coach Roger Hughes said. "I thought our defensive line as a whole did a great job against their offensive line." Yale's defense also was impressive, holding the Tigers to two field goals. Cornerback Casey Gerald said that the Yale coaches made the players watch film of last season's loss to Princeton during the preseason and a few days before this year's game. "We've had those images of getting beat and giving up plays for about a year," he said. "[But] it wasn't a revenge game. It was just us going out and doing what we're supposed to do." Princeton will finish its season at Dartmouth Nov. 17, while Yale will host Harvard in a game that will determine this year's Ivy champion. Above: The Princeton Tiger had a grip on Yale mascot Handsome Dan, but on the field, the Bulldogs were harder to contain. Photo by Beverly Schaefer

Princeton's own 'de' Medici'

Peter B. Lewis ’55 was described by President Tilghman as "a modern-day version of Lorenzo de' Medici" as the University recognized his $101 million donation by renaming the Center for the Arts after him. Lewis, a Princeton trustee and chairman of the board of Progressive Corp., was honored with a series of public and private events Nov. 8 and 9 for his gift in support of the arts. Lewis received a portfolio of student and faculty art work and signed copies of books by noted faculty authors at a reception Thursday at 185 Nassau St. Thursday evening, and the Lewis family had a private dinner on the stage of Richardson Auditorium with Tilghman, trustees, friends, and faculty. The Lewis Center for the Arts -- described by poet Paul Muldoon, the chairman of the center, as "a new iambic tetrameter destined for eternity" -- was launched publicly with a celebration of the arts at Princeton Nov. 9 in Richardson. Students and alumni offered a series of music, theater, and dance performances. "It is a real privilege to be able to do the things I've been able to do," Lewis told the audience. "Princeton makes it a pleasure to give." By W. Raymond Ollwerther ’71

Alumni in the news, sports edition

Fighting is on the rise in the NHL, and according to an Oct. 30 article in the Winnipeg Free Press , a Princeton alumnus is partly to blame. The Free Press quoted an unnamed NHL executive who said, "Lots of teams saw what the [Anaheim] Ducks went and did last year, getting bigger and fighting a lot and winning the Cup, so they've added some size." Anaheim's chief enforcer is 6-foot-5-inch, 230-pound defenseman George Parros ’03, "part of the new breed" of hockey tough guys, according to the newspaper. ... Former women's hockey goalie Megan Van Beusekom ’04 helped the U.S. Women's Select Team to a second-place finish at the Four Nations Cup Nov. 7-11. Van Beusekom made 13 saves and allowed one goal in the Americans' 2-1 win over Finland Nov. 10. ... Men's track alumnus Chris Banks ’00 placed 89th in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in New York Nov. 3, completing the 26.2-mile Central Park course in 2:30.22. ... San Francisco 49ers fullback Zak Keasey ’05 has spent the season moving back and forth between the team's practice squad and its active roster, where he has become a key special teams player. The San Francisco Chronicle documented Keasey's journey in two recent stories .

Hoops in Hawaii; cross country championships

Princeton men's basketball will make its 2007-08 national television debut Nov. 19 against Duke at the EA Sports Maui Invitational . The Tigers, who won their opener against Central Connecticut State Nov. 12, face the 13th-ranked Blue Devils at 9 p.m. on ESPN2. All 12 tournament games will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU. Viewers also can watch runners from the Princeton women's and men's cross country teams on Nov. 19 as they compete at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. Beginning at noon, CSTV will air the first live broadcast in the event's history, and the Princeton women, ranked No. 4 nationally, could contend for the title. The women have won every race they've entered this season, including an impressive victory at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional meet, where all seven Tigers finished in the top 25. Three Princeton men qualified for the meet as individuals: 2006 All-American David Nightingale ’08, 2007 Ivy League champion Michael Maag ’09, and talented sophomore Ben Sitler.