Athletics

Coverage of the Harvard sports and athletics—from team achievements to individual standout stories.

A football player in white uniform evades tackle from red jersey opponents on the field.

Crimson Football: Harvard 41, Cornell 29

Erasing an early deficit, the unbeaten Crimson roll to an Ivy win.

by Dick Friedman

Harvard team, wearing red uniforms, cheer and celebrate together by raising player #17 into the air

A Play for the Ages Propels Crimson Football to Victory

Dick Friedman on Harvard’s 20-17 win over Colgate

by Dick Friedman

Harvard football player #15 smiles and waves while holding the football

Crimson Football: Harvard 14, Brown 10

Xaden Benson’s “helmet trick” was the decisive factor in the Ivy opener.

by Dick Friedman

Two Harvard football players in white uniforms slap hands.

Crimson Football: Harvard 31, UNH 7

Another opening-day win brings a quarterback question. 

by Dick Friedman

A football player in a white jersey evades a defender in a green uniform on the field.

Can Harvard’s Football Team Repeat Its Ivy League Success?

Despite personnel losses, Crimson captain Xaviah Bascon is upbeat about the 2026 season.

by Dick Friedman

Runners compete on a track, with a Harvard athlete in the foreground and others behind.

Harvard’s Cross-Country and Track-and-Field Teams Aim for Repeat Success

After a historic 2025-26 season, athletes eye NCAA championships.

by Kate Kaufman

A man in a suit stands confidently on an ice rink, smiling, with a sports arena in the background.

Rob Rassey Named Head Coach of Harvard Men’s Hockey

Rassey returns to Cambridge from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

by Laurel M. Shugart

Soccer player and goalkeeper Matt Freese standing in front of the net

Matt Freese ’22 Makes His World Cup Debut

The former economics concentrator brings his talent for crunching numbers to netminding.

by Olivia Farrar

Racing driver gives a thumbs up from inside a car, wearing a helmet and safety gear.

He Operates on Eyes. And He Operates a Racecar.

Harvard graduate and NASCAR racer Patrick Staropoli on pedals, attention, and fearlessness.

by Matt Crossman

Katie Benzan stands on a basketball court holding a ball, with a hoop in the background.

How Women Are Changing the NBA

From coaching staffs to front offices, female leaders are bringing new strategies to men’s basketball.

by David L. Tannenwald

Older man in a green sweater holds a postcard in a warmly decorated office.

How a Harvard Hockey Legend Became a Needlepoint Artist

Joe Bertagna’s retirement project recreates figures from Boston sports history.

by Schuyler Velasco