Athletes

Yorai Shaoul, a second-year student at MIT, won the men’s triple jump at the NCAA Division 3 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, helping the Engineers secure a second-place finish, reports The Boston Globe.

Graduate student John Urschel appears on Good Morning America to discuss his new book chronicling his career and passion for football and math. “Math is something that I have loved ever since I was very little,” explains Urschel. “I love puzzles, I love problem solving. Math, truly, is just a set of tools to try to solve problems in this world. 

In comments told to NCAA’s Champion magazine, MIT’s recently retired lacrosse coach reflects on 43 years at MIT. The coach, Walter Alessi, describes the feeling when hundreds of former players who attended his retirement ceremony. “I was overwhelmed that I had this kind of an influence over guys who are now doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists,” said Alessi. “It made me feel pretty good.”

MIT sophomore Maryann Gong has been named the NCAA Division III Women's Track Athlete of the Year. According to The Boston Globe, “Gong is the fifth Engineer to win the award.”

Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Cohen takes a look at the revival of the MIT football program, which after being disbanded in 1901 was resurrected as a student-run squad in 1978. “They deserve a lot of credit for where we are today,” says MIT President L. Rafael Reif of MIT’s founding football players.

Ron Mott of NBC News reports on the MIT football team and its first undefeated season. “It’s not hard to motivate them because they are very intelligent, very motivated, very passionate about what they are trying to accomplish in every facet of their lives,” says Engineers Head Coach Chad Martinovich. 

“Really it’s a tribute to the kids on the roster, the seniors in particular. When they came in as freshmen, they were 2-7 and they’ve helped really improve the program each year, along with the three recruiting classes since then,” says Head Coach Chad Martinovich of the MIT football team’s perfect season. 

Wired reporter Katie Collins writes about how MIT student Ben Harvatine designed a sensor to help detect potential concussions in athletes. The ‘Jolt’ device can be clipped to head-worn athletic equipment and vibrates to warn the athlete when a dangerous impact is detected.