Quiz Bowl Team Takes First at MIT Invitational

There were no hordes of screaming fans. There weren't any body pads. There wasn't even a coach.

But that didn't stop Harvard's College Bowl team this weekend from bringing home the University's first bowl victory in decades.

A newly formed team, composed of four male students, came in first place at Saturday's MIT Invitational, which pitted teams from approximately 20 East Coast schools in an academic competition. Of the three teams Harvard sent to the Invitational, two made it to the final four.

Jordan A. Katine, a first-year physics graduate student who was a member of the victorious Harvard team, said he believes the win at MIT was important for morale, as well as for receiving invitations to other tournaments.

The win "gave us a boost as far as our confidence goes," he said. "Other teams will respect us more."

Besides Katine, Harvard's winning team consisted of President Christopher M. Vuturo '93, Ali Vaezy '93, Roger W. Lee '93, Eric B. Evans '94 and alternate Matthew J. Strong '95.

In its previous tournament at Princeton--the team's only other competition--the team won nine games and lost two. Vuturo said he believes the team will continue to do well during the year.

"We can field two crackerjack teams," he said. "Three out of four members of the [College Bowl] all-star team were Harvard students."

Katine agreed that the team has great potential.

"It's a less experienced team," he said. "There is more raw talent."

Despite the team's initial success, Katine said it is still in its fledgling stages. Funding is still a problem, and each team member had to pay for part of the Invitational entry fee, he said.

The team is hoping to host a tournament at Harvard in the spring, Vuturo said, adding that there are no definite plans yet.