A Grade Report On Harvard's Spring Sports

There is officially one month left in the spring season. At the mid-point in the season, some teams are still in contention for league and national honors. Others, however, are out of the race.

The Crimson offers a look at where Harvard's teams are now and where they are likely to find themselves at the end of the season.

The women's lacrosse team improved to 9-2 on the season with a 10-7 victory over Maryland this weekend. More important, the laxwomen are 5-0 in the Ivy League and face a showdown with Dartmouth, a loser of only one league game, today in Hanover. If the Crimson wins, it will capture its first outright title since since 1985.

Grade: A

The men's lacrosse team is 8-2 overall, a lofty record under most circumstances. However, these aren't most circumstances. The Crimson's two losses--to Penn and Brown--have come against Ivy League foes. Thus, Harvard is virtually eliminated from the league title race.

A post-season bid is a long shot.

Grade: B

The baseball team is still in contention for the EIBL title. The team's 5-3 league record is good enough to keep it in the title hunt. However, the Crimson must win nine of its next 10 games to force a playoff with Penn for the league title. If it wins 10 of its next 10, Harvard will be the champion.

Look for pigs to fly first.

Grade: B

The softball team is out of the race for the Ivy League title. Powerhouse Princeton, the only Ivy school which owns a national ranking, already wrapped up league honors. The Crimson is 9-8 and is looking to finish strong.

Grade: B

The women's water polo team is ranked 10th nationally and will host the Eastern Tournament this weekend. Look for a full preview of this upcoming tournament in Friday's Crimson.

Grade: A

The women's tennis team is looking to win its sixth straight Ivy title and receive its fifth straight NCAA bid. The NCAA Tournament will be held at UCLA next month. Harvard (15-7 overall, 4-0 Ivy League) rushed Yale, 7-2, last Saturday, setting up an Ivy title showdown against Dartmouth tomorrow.

The nation's 25th-ranked netwomen have won 35 individual Ivy matches, while dropping only two. Harvard now has a 31-game Ivy winning streak.

After next week, the squad will be singing "I Love L.A."

Grade: A

Thanks to losses to Brown and Yale, the men's tennis team is out of the Ivy race. Moreover, losing to West Virginia two weeks ago eliminated the Crimson from post-season honors.

Harvard is looking to finish the season strong with matches against Army, Cornell, Dartmouth and archrival Princeton.

Grade: C+