Posted by James Canfield …

Aug 09 2012
By James Canfield News, Olympics

Olympic Headlines, Day 13: Beach’s Golden Girls Victorious, No NBC Love for the Decathlon

Long Live the Queens

It was an all-American final in women’s beach volleyball on Wednesday, as the two-time defending gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings looked to claim the gold for an unprecedented third time. They were challenged by their fellow countrymen Jen Kessy and April Ross, who set up the star-spangled showdown by upsetting the heavily favored Brazilian duo of Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca. The Kessy/Ross Cinderella story ultimately ended in silver, but they did not go down without a fight.

Another Olympics, another gold for Misty and Kerri. (USA Today)

In the first set, Kessy/Ross kept it close for most of the first set before Misty and Kerri pulled away to take the opener 21-16. The underdogs came out strong again in the second set, and the two teams were tied at nine apiece before it became increasingly evident that May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings were simply by far the superior team. They claimed their third consecutive gold medal after winning the second set by an identical 21-16 scoreline. The iconic duo plans to go out on top: May-Treanor said that she will not be competing four years from now in Rio, meaning that Kerri will need to find a new partner.

Misty’s shoes are sure to be some tough ones to fill.

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Aug 05 2012
By James Canfield News, Olympics

Olympic Headlines, Day 8: USA Sneaks by Lithuania; Swimming Closes Out Games with W’s

Let’s hope no one was really trying against Lithuania…

Following their utter thrashing of Nigeria, the American men’s basketball team was pushed to the brink by Lithuania. The Eastern European team led in the fourth quarter but LeBron James took over to lead the Americans to a 99-95 win. James and some guy who used to wear orange named Carmelo led the team with 20 points each, and Kevin Durant added 16. With Team USA coming off of the Nigeria blowout, one possible theory might be that the team forgot how to turn on that extra gear that went unused their last time out. Whatever the case might’ve been, they still pulled out the win in what was an essentially meaningless game, since the U.S. is still poised to advance out of group play with the top seed.

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Jul 31 2012
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By James Canfield News, Olympics

Olympic Headlines, Day 3: U.S. Men’s Gymnastics 5th, Lochte Left off Medal Stand

Twelve gold medals were awarded in Olympic competition on Monday, four of them coming in swimming. Our Day 3 recap below:

U.S. Rules the Backstroke In the women’s 100m backstroke, 17-year-old American Missy Franklin gave a herculean performance as she overtook the heavily favored Aussie Emily Seebohm down the home stretch to secure the upset and an American record in the event. Franklin was in the difficult position of having to swim a mere 20 minutes after the semifinals of the 200 free, in which she grabbed the last spot in the finals. Her gold is the first individual medal of what looks to be a very promising career. The Americans’ backstroke superiority continued, as Matt Grevers and Nick Thoman took gold and silver respectively in the men’s 100m, with Grevers setting an Olympic record in the process. In the women’s 100m breaststroke final, meanwhile, 15-year-old Lithuanian phenom Ruta Meilutyte held off a late charge by American Rebecca Soni to become the youngest athlete to ever win the event.

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Apr 29 2012
By James Canfield Rapid Recap, Women's Lacrosse

Rapid Recap: Women’s Lax Seals Big East Tourney Berth with Season-Ending Win

The Hoyas’ (9-7, 5-3 Big East) finished their home season on a high note on Saturday as they beat Big East rivals Rutgers (9-7, 4-4 Big East) by a score of 9-7 to clinch a berth in the Big East tournament. Before the game, Georgetown took time to honor their four seniors along with graduate student Kristen Coleman, who would all be playing their final home game.

Georgetown went into the locker room down 5-4 after the Scarlet Knights got out to an early three-goal lead just over 11 minutes into the contest. The Hoyas then settled down on defense and were able to rally and tie the game at 4, before a late Rutgers goal sent the Scarlet Knights into the half with a lead. The Blue and Gray tried to fend off a Rutgers charge in the beginning of the second half, but the team found itself down 7-5 with 20 minutes remaining in the game.

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Apr 16 2012
By James Canfield Baseball, Diamond Roundup, Softball

Diamond Roundup: Baseball Wins 4 of 5 While Softball Picks Up First Big East Wins

Georgetown baseball (18-18, 4-7 Big East) looked very strong on the diamond this week, winning four of their five games. They began the week by avoiding a series sweep by dominant Louisville (23-9, 7-2) and salvaged a 6-3 win over the Cardinals. The Blue and Gray capitalized on their opportunities, and secured the win despite being outhit by the Cardinals. Following a 5-3 home win over a struggling Mount Saint Mary’s (11-24) in which the Hoyas settled down and came back after giving up three runs in top of the first, Georgetown traveled up I-95 for a three-game series against the Big East rival Villanova (19-18, 4-8), in which they took two of three and played well throughout.

In the first game against the Wildcats, senior starting pitcher Will Harris was dominant, allowing just one unearned run in six strong innings. The bullpen then held off a late charge by Villanova in the seventh and eighth innings to hold on for a 6-5 win.

Prolific offense was not enough when Georgetown was plagued by their five errors in the second game of the series, though as three unearned runs in the bottom of the eighth gave the Wildcats the win in a 10-9 slugfest. In the rubber match of the three game set, the Blue and Gray made a statement with an 8-2 win and climbed back to .500 in the process. Sophomore Jack Vander Linden got the start for the Hoyas and went seven innings to improve his record to 4-1, and senior Pablo Vincent shut down Villanova to close out the win. Next up for Georgetown is a non-conference game against Coppin State followed by a three game series against the Fighting Irish. Continue reading →