Ivy League Showed Heightened Competition in 2014

It was a competitive season for the Ivy’s in the NCAA.  Honorable mentions go to Yale, Brown, Princeton, and Dartmouth. Penn, Cornell, and Harvard all had some championship worthy seasons and displayed great talent in the NCAA tournament.  They brought a new respect to the Ivy division, even though these three teams lost in the first round. The level of play each of those teams displayed in the tournament was unmatched, and each team had a few standout contributors and success factors.

Penn: Three players were selected for the All- American third team. Seniors Brian Feeney, Zack Losco and Maxx Meyer were the first Penn players to be named to any All-American team since 1988. These three seniors contributed dramatically to the success of Penn this season, Especially Losco on defense.  Penn also took the Ivy Tournament title, and proved they were undoubtedly the top of their league.

Cornell: Connor Buczek was the only All-American first team selected from the Ivy’s, so his contributions to his team were absolutely vital.  Cornell’s freshman goalie, Christian Knight, was also a standout in his first season with Cornell. They had a solid defense that kept most opponents at bay.  

Harvard: Harvard had a disappointing loss to Penn in the Ivy Tournament championships, and had trouble bouncing back in the NCAA tournament. Although they played well, it was not enough to beat Penn.  Harvard did have a few standouts this season, Dwyer and Duvnjak
(also been named first team All-Ivy) contributed immensely to their team.  Duvnjak held his own on the defense this season, and since both players are rising juniors, it will be interesting to see how much they improve and will develop as leaders on the team next season.