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By now you probably know that three Ivy Leaguers were taken in the NFL Draft with Cornell offensive lineman JC Tretter going to the Packers (25th pick of the fourth round), Harvard's Kyle Juszczyk going to the Ravens (33rd pick of the fourth round, 130th overall) and Princeton defensive end Mike Catapano going to the Chiefs (1st pick of the seventh round, 207th overall).Here's something you might not know: The last time more than one Ivy Leaguer was picked in the draft Dartmouth tight end Casey Cramer was one of the selections. He and Yale tight end Nate Lawrie were both taken by the Bucs in 2004 with Lawrie drafted in the sixth round and Cramer in the seventh. Cramer played five years in the NFL, finishing up with the Carolina Panthers in 2004.
The Sports Network points out that this is the first time since 2001 that the Ivy League had three players taken. (What it doesn't point out is who they were and that they were chosen in succession in the seventh round, if you can believe it. Princeton center Dennis Norman went to the Seahawks with the 222nd pick, Yale safety Than Merrill to the Bucs at 223 and Yale tight end Eric Johnson to the 49ers at 224.)
Interestingly, no Patriot League player was chosen.
Jay Greenberg writes on Catapano and the fact that the Chiefs plan to use the 275-pound defensive end at linebacker. (link)
The Boston Globe has a piece on the Ravens drafting Juszczyk. (link)
There's a story highlighting Tretter to the Packers as well. (link)
Several free agent signings are being reported as well with Cornell receiver Luke Tasker going to the Chargers, Columbia defensive end Josh Martin to the Chiefs and Penn linebacker Brandon Copeland to the Ravens.
Looking ahead to next year, The Sports Network writes:
The Ivy League can follow up this year's Tretter-Juszczyk-Catapano trio with a strong duo, Princeton defensive tackle Caraun Reid and Cornell quarterback Jeff Mathews.Next year at this time Dartmouth fans may be watching the draft a little more closely as well ;-)
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Kudos to the Dartmouth baseball team which clinched its sixth consecutive Rolfe Division crown yesterday before an overflowing crowd on sun-splashed Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park. The Big Green posted 3-1 and 8-0 wins over Harvard on senior day in Hanover and will finish the Ivy regular season at Harvard with a twinbill today.Dartmouth, which closes the home season Tuesday against Amherst, will play in the the Ivy League Championship Series next weekend at Columbia. The Big Green needed Penn to take at least one of four games from Columbia Friday and Saturday and while the Quakers made it close the Lions swept that series including wins of 3-2, 1-0 and 6-4.
Dartmouth is now 29-7 overall and 13-5 in the Ivies.
Columbia is 24-19 overall and 16-4 in the Ivies.
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Dartmouth softball, meanwhile, has to win one of two at Harvard to claim the North Division crown.
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Be sure to check out yesterday's BGA Premium for detailed coverage of the most entertaining Dartmouth football action of the spring. There's also a sidebar on a true hero suiting up for the Big Green this spring, a U.S. Army veteran.