Princeton University Athletics
2001: The Odyssey Begins
August 28, 2000 | General
Aug. 28, 2000
When last we left the Princeton athletic program, the women's lightweight crew was winning its second-straight national championship and extending Princeton's streak of consecutive years with at least one title to 14.
Will the streak reach 15? And if so, will it be any less dramatic than last year?
The answer to this question and others will begin to be brought into focus beginning this week, when the women's soccer team has the honor of being the first Tiger team to play in the 2000-01 school year. The season begins Saturday evening, Sept. 2, when Princeton hosts George Washington.
Among the other home events in the first week of the schedule include a men's soccer game against American (Sept. 8), a field hockey game against Boston University (Sept. 8) and the Princeton Invitational men's water polo tournament (Sept. 9-10). The remaining fall sports all open on the road.
Football season opens Sept. 16 at Lafayette, followed by a home game against Lehigh at 7 p.m. Sept. 23. The football team, led by first-team coach Roger Hughes, does play a scrimmage against Rowan Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. in Princeton Stadium. It is open to the public, and admission is free.
Before the school year ends in early June, Princeton teams will play almost 700 athletic contests. A total of 14 teams goes into the 2000-01 season as defending Ivy League champion after Princeton's record-setting championship haul of a year ago.
Teams like the men's lacrosse team, women's lacrosse team and women's squash team enter their seasons looking to take one more step after finishing as national runners-up a year ago. The men's cross country/track and field team looks to extend its remarkable stretch of Heptagonal titles into a four year.
Among the more intriguing individual stories for this school year include Julia Beaver's attempt for a third-straight national squash championship, Paul Morrison's shot at national honors in cross country and distance events in track and Chris Young's feats on the basketball court and the baseball field (provided the first day of classes arrives and he still hasn't signed a professional baseball contract).
The new Princeton coaches in 2000-01 include alums Len Qesnelle (men's hockey) and Maureen Davies (softball), who took over for overwhelmingly successful predecessors Don Cahoon and Cindy Cohen. The same is true for non-alum Glenn Michibata in tennis, who replaces David Benjamin. In addition to those three and Hughes, Princeton also features Kevin Morris (interim women's basketball head coach) and Keith Wadsworth (sprint football).