AWS Website Banner 11/4 – 12/4
The University of Chicago’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1892

Chicago Maroon
The University of Chicago’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1892

Chicago Maroon
AWS Website Banner 11/4 – 12/4
The University of Chicago’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1892

Chicago Maroon
Stories and content by Chris Boots

University architect envisions Ellis Avenue as enhanced campus gateway

By Chris Boots / February 27, 2009
Speaking to a full house in Ida Noyes Tuesday, Associate Vice President for Facilities Services and University Architect Steve Wiesenthal gave community members a taste of what’s to come in the school’s ongoing expansion, laying out a framework for the University’s physical development as it moves through the largest physical growth in its history.

Gaza “mob” protests recent fighting

By Chris Boots / February 20, 2009
As part of a protest organized by Students for Justice in Palestine, demonstrators appeared in Hutch Commons and Bartlett Dining Hall Tuesday to call attention to Israeli actions during the recent fighting in Gaza.

Two wins will keep Chicago in NCAA race

By Chris Boots / February 20, 2009
It's do or die time for women's basketball. With games against Carnegie and Rochester this weekend, the Maroons have a chance to keep their playoff hopes alive with wins over two teams they've already beaten this year.

Naked Economist Wheelan runs for Congress

By Chris Boots / January 16, 2009
After filing paperwork Monday, Harris School lecturer Charlie Wheelan is officially a candidate for Congress. Wheelan, the Naked Economics author, has thrown his hat into a crowded field of Democratic hopefuls looking for their party’s nomination in the Illinois Fifth District special election to replace Rahm Emmanuel. Emmanuel resigned his seat earlier this month to become Barack Obama’s chief of staff..

Football falls 38–24 to Case

By Chris Boots / November 4, 2008
Chicago gave undefeated Case one its toughest tests of the season but ultimately couldn't keep up with Case's passing attack in Saturday's UAA opener.

U of C runners pass marathon test

By Chris Boots / October 14, 2008
As 33,033 runners toed the line in Grant Park Sunday for the start of the 31st Chicago marathon, at least seven University students were among them, taking a break from one of the nation’s most rigorous colleges to try their hands at one of the most rigorous events in sports..

Volleyball success carries over into conference debut

By Chris Boots / October 7, 2008
A year ago, sporting a 1–10 conference record, few would have put money on a Chicago volleyball revival after just one season. In a conference that counts two squads in the national top five, and where only one team owns a losing record, rebounding in the UAA this season looked to be a tough task for the Maroons..

Advising

By Chris Boots / September 25, 2008
Academic advisers can be invaluable, if taken advantage of. After all, "No man is an island."

Perry opts for D-I job after building Maroon tennis program

By Chris Boots / June 3, 2008
After revitalizing the men’s and women’s tennis programs in his four-season tenure, head coach Marty Perry will leave this summer to take the same position at D-I University of Richmond. Perry broke the news to his team just under two weeks ago, as second-year Marissa Lin and third-year Vindya Dayananda were preparing to represent the...

Track sending 12 to Nationals

By Chris Boots / May 20, 2008
[img id=”80640″ align=”alignleft”] The breakout year isn’t over yet for track and field. After winning indoor UAAs, claiming an indoor All-American, and setting records all season long, Chicago qualified a program-record 12 athletes for outdoor NCAAs and will get a chance to go out in style when the meet kicks off Thursday at UW-Oshkosh. “It’s...

Reliving the year’s top plays

By Chris Boots / May 16, 2008
Bontz is bad news for Bears When 10th-ranked Wash U rolled into town to take on women’s soccer for the final game of the regular season, the Bears got to play with the comfort of knowing they had their fourth UAA title locked up and a spot in the playoffs. The Maroons had no such...

Sports Short: Trio of Maroons grab UAA recognition

By Chris Boots / May 16, 2008
As the spring season draws to a close, Chicago has claimed three UAA Athletes of the Week for the second straight time as Maroons from three different squads netted the honor. After blasting a game-winning home run in his last at bat as a South Sider, fourth-year Dominik Meyer took home the league’s recognition for...

Balanced outlook made Moots senior leader

By Chris Boots / May 13, 2008
For many gifted athletes, joy comes in the form of thriving under pressure, excelling in competition, and putting up numbers, either on the field, court, or course. But for fourth-year cross country runner Hannah Moots, who hadn’t originally planned on making running part of her Chicago experience, athletics is a supplement to an otherwise balanced...

Zhang named Rookie of the Year

By Chris Boots / May 5, 2008
Although he narrowly missed out on a postseason berth, first-year men’s tennis star Will Zhang tucked another honor under his belt Friday when he was named the UAA Rookie of the Year. Playing most of the year at the Maroons’ top singles slot, Zhang posted a 14–8 record. His season highlights included a 7–6 (3–0),...

Lacrosse clubs to host Stagg games

By Chris Boots / May 1, 2008
[img id=”80567″ align=”alignleft”] For most Maroon teams, home games on the sparkling new fields behind Ratner are the norm. For the men’s and women’s lacrosse clubs, tonight will mark a rare chance to showcase their skills under the lights of Stagg Field. Hosting Northwestern’s club teams in a season finale doubleheader, the lacrosse squads will...

Eagles deny women’s tennis

By Chris Boots / April 22, 2008
Traveling to Wash U for the UAA Championship Tournament, the Maroons knew they would likely have to knock off powerhouse Emory for a shot at the title. After a 6–3 victory over Brandeis gave Chicago its chance on Saturday, injuries to key players meant that an upset would not be in the cards. The Eagles...

Track ready to defend indoor UAA crown

By Chris Boots / April 18, 2008
Despite following up a pair of indoor UAA titles with a successful spring season, nothing is guaranteed for track and field as it looks to protect its crowns in an intensely competitive conference. The Maroons will get a chance to defend their victories this weekend when the seven-team UAA congregates in Chicago for its Outdoor...

Track passes final test before hosting UAAs

By Chris Boots / April 14, 2008
With their most important meet of the season only a few days away, Chicago raced in weather more suited for the indoor season as they got one last tune-up at the Wheaton Invitational over the weekend. Continuing a dominant streak that has lasted since the start of the indoor season, women’s track and field crushed...

Women’s tennis stumbles in rematches against old foes

By Chris Boots / April 8, 2008
Fresh off a successful spring training trip, women’s tennis ran into a momentum roadblock over the weekend on their journey toward the upcoming UAA tournament. Traveling to Madison, WI, for the Midwest Invitational, 23rd-ranked Chicago (9–6) dropped a 5–3 decision to conference rival and 24th-ranked Wash U (10–2) before an injury to second-year top singles...

Hirve places fourth in NCAA triple jump

By Chris Boots / April 4, 2008
Before kicking off their outdoor season last weekend, one chapter of the winter remained for third-year Appie Hirve, who was representing the Maroons at nationals. As Chicago’s sole participant in the meet, Hirve capitalized on her opportunity. Competing at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships March 15 in Ohio, Hirve placed fourth in the...

How sweet it is: women’s basketball advances

By Chris Boots / March 10, 2008
Fresh off of its first UAA championship in nearly 20 years, women’s basketball continued to make school history over the weekend, scoring Chicago’s first postseason win and using a dominant second-round performance to advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Traveling to Stevens Point, WI, Friday to participate in their first tournament since 1989, the Maroons...

Men’s tennis dominates Luther, falls to Bears

By Chris Boots / March 3, 2008
Splitting a pair of home matches this weekend, men’s tennis showed that while it has the confidence and skill to dominate mid-level squads, it still needs some work before it can contend with the big boys. Crushing Luther (10–2) 8–1 on Friday, the Maroons lost only three sets as they topped the Norse, who are...

Men’s basketball swamps NYU, comes from behind to topple Brandeis

By Chris Boots / February 26, 2008
[img id=”80363″ align=”alignleft”] In the penultimate chapter of the regular season, the Maroons peaked at the perfect time and put the pieces in place for a storybook climax. With a dominating 81–62 win over NYU (10–14, 3–10 UAA) and a 74–66 come-from-behind victory over sixth-ranked Brandeis (19–5, 9–4), Chicago (17–7, 10–3) gave home crowds a...

Von Tersch leaves volleyball

By Chris Boots / February 8, 2008
After seven seasons at the helm of Chicago volleyball, head coach Dorinda von Tersch announced last week that she will not be returning next fall, citing family reasons. Von Tersch confirmed reports of her departure, but declined to give further comment. “It was her decision,” athletic director Tom Weingartner said. “I don’t want to speak...

After upset, men’s hoops takes UAA lead

By Chris Boots / February 5, 2008
A year ago, men’s basketball overcame a slow start to lead the UAA, and this time around, the song remains the same. Knocking off a top-five team for the second week in a row, the unranked Maroons became unlikely conference contenders on Sunday as they moved into the top of the UAA standings. After falling...

Rookies carry men’s tennis

By Chris Boots / January 29, 2008
After opening their spring season with a 6–1 spanking from Northwestern, Chicago would have been justified to head into their next D-I match with trepidation. Yet despite dropping three of Saturday’s first five matches at Bally Total Fitness, tough doubles play and strong contributions from a pack of rookies in the lower singles rankings pulled...

Men’s tennis at a glance

By Chris Boots / January 18, 2008
The Recap Anchored by a corps of first-year talent, the Maroons made their way to a third-place conference finish last spring and a 10–8 record. Then-rookies and roommates Garrett Brinker and Noah Schneider earned their spots with respective singles records of 13–6 and 12–8, good for first- and third-best on the team. Adding to their...

Bears stop women’s basketball in its tracks

By Chris Boots / January 15, 2008
In their success so far this season, women’s basketball has relied on aggressive rebounding and a balanced, widespread, team-oriented attack. But in a hostile away environment, mistakes broke down these two strengths at the worst possible time, and the result was predictable: a 67–56 loss to Wash U (9–3, 1–0 UAA) to open the critical...

Winter squads ready to take it up a notch

By Chris Boots / January 11, 2008
Not all Chicago students have the luxury of a month-long break. While the majority of us sat in vegetative states in front of Law and Order marathons, a handful of South Siders stayed in the ice-world of Hyde Park to hone their game skills as competition continued for Chicago’s winter squads. As Maroon fans return...

Early weaknesses apparent as men’s basketball splits weekend

By Chris Boots / November 27, 2007
After a disappointing loss in the final game of last weekend’s Midway Classic, the Maroons had another chance to grab an early season tournament title on Sunday. Advancing to the championship game in the DePauw Tournament after easily besting Transylvania (1–2) 89–75 Saturday, the Maroons, for the second weekend in a row, showed difficulty in...

Sports Shorts 11/20/07: Wrestling places two at Concordia Invite

By Chris Boots / November 20, 2007
After starting their season with a win over Wheaton last Wednesday, the wrestling team headed to Concordia, WI on Saturday to test its mettle against 332 athletes from dozens of regional schools in an unscored individual tournament. Putting in Chicago’s best performance, third-year Ben Hart took fourth place in the talent-stacked 133-pound weight class, wherein...

Wash who? Maroons down Bears

By Chris Boots / November 6, 2007
With each second that ticked by, Chicago found itself closer to the end of its season, closer to accepting the fact that this would be the last time its seniors donned a maroon-and-white uniform. Down a goal and fighting against eighth-ranked Wash U, the Maroons needed heroics. Then, in a matter of moments, second-year forward...

Turnovers haunt football

By Chris Boots / October 29, 2007
This fall, Maroon football has pulled off the feat of playing two separate seasons. The first saw Chicago light up the scoreboard with 132 points and a 3–1 record, while the second brought a three-game UAA losing streak with Chicago outscored 87–13. Stumbling over their latest hurdle, the Maroons (3–4, 0–3) fell to Case (8–0,...

Sports Shorts: First goal earns first UAA recognition for Manuelli

By Chris Boots / October 25, 2007
Continuing her climb into the Maroon spotlight, first-year defender Kate Manuelli netted UAA Athlete of the Week honors Tuesday after a week that saw her enter the boards in a big way. During a 4–0 rout of UW–La Crosse last Wednesday, Manuelli scored her first goal of the year just 40 seconds after assisting second-year...

Football guns for UAA win

By Chris Boots / October 19, 2007
It’s the age-old question in sports: Can the best defense beat the best offense? On Saturday, fans will have another case study for fodder when Chicago’s tight-run blocking looks to shut down the runaway train of Carnegie’s rushing offense. Looking for their first UAA win since 2005, the Maroons (3–2) host Carnegie Mellon (2–4) in...

Football can’t bring back Cup

By Chris Boots / October 16, 2007
Football is playing with the big boys now, and it found out on Saturday that the UAA is far less forgiving than regional competition. After spending the first half of their season scoring big against little teams, the Maroons (3–2) found conference action harder to handle as the Bears (6–1) held them to a season-low...

Men’s soccer fails to finish

By Chris Boots / October 8, 2007
The hits just keep on coming. In a near-repeat of their devastating home loss to Emory two weekends ago, men’s soccer again took an early lead only to see it fall apart in the game’s final minutes. This time around, the Maroons avoided the loss but felt frustration nonetheless. Allowing multiple goals for the third...

Slump continues for injury-plagued volleyball

By Chris Boots / October 5, 2007
As in the past few seasons, volleyball has entered 2007 looking for its breakout year. This fall, the Maroons are watching another chance to reform the program slip away as injuries and inconsistent play get the best of the squad. Extending their losing streak to eight games, Chicago (3–14) faced a difficult Benedictine (19–2) team...

Fresh faces bolster offense

By Chris Boots / September 30, 2007
After edging Macalaster (2­­­­­­–2) last Saturday at home, football (2–1) will face Lewis and Clark for the first time in recent memory when the Pioneers (0–2) arrive at Stagg this weekend. Allowing 88 points while only managing six for themselves, the Pioneers join Eureka (0–3) as the only winless opponents on Chicago’s schedule, and the...

Vets, newbies look for right mix

By Chris Boots / September 30, 2007
Riding a two-game win streak and finally showing signs of entering the groove they found last season, men’s soccer will have its momentum challenged when 18th-ranked Emory comes to town on Saturday. After a home blanking of Aurora (5–2–1) last weekend gave the squad its first multiple-game margin above .500, the Maroons (5–3–0) looked to...

Velo newcomer moves into fast lane

By Chris Boots / September 19, 2007
In the world of sports, there’s beginner’s luck and then there’s proven talent. This summer, economics grad student and rookie cyclist Devon Haskell followed up on a breakthrough spring to solidify her place among the tried-and-true. After two high-ranking finishes at the Midwest Collegiate Cycling Conference Regional Championships last April, Haskell earned a shot to...

Ushering in a new era, Omodele-Lucien dominated at doubles

By Chris Boots / June 1, 2007
After sending two first-years to NCAAs in as many years, and boasting a starting order with only two upperclassmen, women’s tennis doesn’t deny the importance of youth to its rise as a competitive program. However, the ability to attract the top-notch recruits who have boosted Chicago’s stock of late stems from the squad’s marked improvement...

Spring All-Maroons

By Chris Boots / May 25, 2007
Top Team: Women’s Track Boasting top-notch competitors in multiple events, the squad responded to the loss of All-American Jessica Winter [A.B. ’06] this season by stepping things up across the board. The true depth of the roster shone through at UAAs, where the squad backed up its silver effort at indoor conferences with 12 All-Association...

Wade stepped up to smash records when softball needed her most

By Chris Boots / May 25, 2007
In her first two seasons as a Maroon, Petra Wade took a comfortable backseat to All-American Hannah Roberts (A.B. ’06) in pitching duties, starting in just under half of Chicago’s games. Yet when the unexpected departure of Roberts and two other senior starters left the team’s future in doubt last spring, Wade stepped up to...

Sport Short 5/18/07: UAA, Order of the C honor Maroons

By Chris Boots / May 18, 2007
Letting the Maroons boast a quartet of honorees for the second week in a row, four athletes garnered UAA Athlete of the Week recognition Tuesday. Two of the winners were also crowned their teams’ most valuable players at Tuesday’s Order of the C banquet. Fourth-year third baseman Allen Cooper and classmate pitcher Dan Cozzi netted...

State of our athletics: A program at an impasse

By Chris Boots / May 15, 2007
As we approach the 20th anniversary of competition in the UAA, it seems like there has never been a better time to be involved with Maroons athletics. Everywhere you look, there’s some new development—be it a refurbished football field, a trans-Pacific training trip, another team recording a best-ever season, or another effort to reach out...

Crew takes on Dad Vail in spring finale

By Chris Boots / May 15, 2007
For the University’s club rowers, a year of pre-sunrise practices and blistered hands paid off last weekend with the opportunity to post strong competition against hundreds of crews from across the country. After a spring season stunted by poor weather and cancelled regattas, crew turned in some of its best performances of the year Friday,...

Venkataraman eased tennis’s growing pains

By Chris Boots / May 15, 2007
As the Maroons bested nationally ranked Carthage 6–3 for the first time in men’s tennis history this March, fourth-year Vivek Venkataraman could only have been thinking about how far his team had come. Four years prior, Vivek had watched as his ragtag men’s tennis squad, then on its way to an 8–15 record and a...

Weekend of milestones for baseball

By Chris Boots / May 1, 2007
Breathing life into a slow-going season, Chicago bested a nationally-ranked team for the first time this year and scored a season-leading run total during a quartet of games in St. Louis. Chicago (13–14) split a pair of games with 13th-ranked Wash U (28–9) and toppled Case (11–19) twice by wide margins. After ushering in the...

Peaches and dashed dreams for track

By Chris Boots / April 24, 2007
Coming off of heartbreaking results at the indoor championships last March, both track and field squads entered UAAs with a burning desire to set the pace. Unfortunately, neither of Chicago’s teams could go the distance. After being painfully edged out by Wash U just six weeks ago, the women’s squad found itself nipped once again...

NCAAs: Mission Impossible for tennis

By Chris Boots / April 20, 2007
Riding an 8–1 crushing of Augustana in its final home appearance of the season, women’s tennis must harness its momentum and use every inch of its potential if it wants to come out on top at UAAs and extend its season into May. Almost certainly needing a tournament championship to guarantee a second consecutive trip...

Illini’s loss was U of C’s gain with QB Rinklin

By Chris Boots / April 13, 2007
With three losing seasons behind them and a dismal 3–6 record in 2004, Chicago Maroons football was in need of a fresh approach when Matt Rinklin, then a second-year at U of I, came calling for head coach Dick Maloney. “Matt contacted me and expressed a desire to transfer to Chicago and play football,” said...

Spring success has softball thinking repeat

By Chris Boots / March 30, 2007
After posting an impressive 8-–2 mark against tournament-caliber competition during their spring break trip, softball has every reason to feel confident about the 2007 season. Chicago can boast of a solid cluster of veterans at key positions and a host of talented rookies as it looks for a repeat of last year’s playoff run. The...

Men’s tennis survives Red scare

By Chris Boots / March 6, 2007
Fueling the young squad’s momentum heading into spring action, men’s tennis earned a key upset over a top 25 program to further establish itself as a contender in the Central region. Clinching their first victory against a nationally ranked foe, the Maroons (4–3) upset 25th-ranked Carthage (5–2) Saturday to extend their winning streak to three...

With new depth, track set to take leauge by storm

By Chris Boots / March 2, 2007
After years of looking at UAAs as a chance to improve on the previous showing, track has been putting itself in position to not only take gold but also to keep on running with some NCAA bids. With a deep roster that holds the coveted ability to score highly in both track and field events,...

Broomball madness sweeps U of C

By Chris Boots / February 23, 2007
“Prove you’re from Russia!” As second-year Sergey Novikov squares off in front of the net to take his team’s final penalty shot in a tied-up broomball match, his Shorey House teammates begin to chant. It’s past 11 p.m., far below freezing, and the next time the sun rises on the Midway, most of Novikov’s teammates...

Women’s swimming earns best UAA finish in 12 years

By Chris Boots / February 13, 2007
Although their sixth-place finish may not bring glory and a UAA championship banner to deck the rafters of Myers-McLoraine, women’s swimming’s showing at the UAA meet marks the team’s best finish in over a decade, heralding the possibility of even greater things to come. Lining up on the block against UAA rivals at Case Western’s...

Women’s hoops falls back to Earth

By Chris Boots / January 30, 2007
Just days after climbing to the top of the coaches’ poll for the first time in program history, women’s basketball took a brutally hard fall. On the same weekend in which the nation’s only other undefeated squad, sixth-ranked Howard Payne, dropped its first decision, the 13th-ranked Maroons (16–2, 5–2) fell from the ranks of the...

Men ride outsdie shooting in routs

By Chris Boots / January 23, 2007
Breaking UAA scoring records and setting season-high points totals, the Maroons’ high-powered offense made it look easy as they led men’s basketball to wins over Carnegie Mellon and Rochester in front of packed crowds at Ratner. Breaking into triple digits for the first time in three years Friday, the home team (13–3, 4–1) downed the...
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