WINTHROP HOUSE
INTRAMURALS
LIONS GOTTA EAT
Winthrop Wins 2017 Straus Cup
"It Wasn't Even Close" (Everything you need to know about the Lions' Three-Peat)
"The Architect" (In his 10 years with Winthrop House, Dean Gregg Peeples has orchestrated 8 championships)
"I Hate That Guy" (Nicholas Larus-Stone wins Male IM Athlete of the Year)
"The Winthrop Way" (Examining Winthrop's culture of intramural excellence)
"The Future is Bright" (The Lions are poised for more Straus dominance)
"Game/Play of the Year" (Re-live the greatest highlights)
"So Long, Seniors" (Winthrop graduates the most dominant Senior Class of this millenium)
"By Any Other Name" (Familiarize yourself with the greatest nicknames of Winthrop Intramurals)
The Captains
Nicholas Larus-Stone
Frisbee
Squash
IM Rep
Nick Bookout
Football
Basketball A
Demren Sinik
Soccer
Matt DiSorbo
Volleyball A
Mens Crew B
Basketball C
Softball
Renan Carneiro
Soccer
Juanky Perdomo
Volleyball B
Mens Crew A
Katherine Phllips
Womens Crew A
Maura Duggan
Basketball C
Maile Sapp
Womens Crew A
Cooper Bryan
IM Rep
Jack Allen
Broomball
Will Macphee
Basketball B
Adam Mohsen-Breen
IM Rep
Peter Tu
IM Tutor
Drew Wong
IM Tutor
Gregg Peeples
Innertube Water Polo
Michael Liu
Basketball B
Danielle Okezie
Volleyball B
Adam Mohsen-Breen
IM Rep
Peter Tu
IM Tutor
Drew Wong
IM Tutor
The Captains
Nicholas Larus-Stone
Frisbee
Squash
IM Rep
Nick Bookout
Football
Basketball A
Demren Sinik
Soccer
Matt DiSorbo
Volleyball A
Mens Crew B
Basketball C
Softball
Renan Carneiro
Soccer
Juanky Perdomo
Volleyball B
Mens Crew A
Katherine Phllips
Womens Crew A
Maura Duggan
Basketball C
Maile Sapp
Womens Crew A
Cooper Bryan
IM Rep
Jack Allen
Broomball
Will Macphee
Basketball B
Adam Mohsen-Breen
IM Rep
Peter Tu
IM Tutor
Drew Wong
IM Tutor
Gregg Peeples
Innertube Water Polo
Michael Liu
Basketball B
IM Rep
Danielle Okezie
Volleyball B
Katherine Cohen
Womens Crew B
Alvaro Valle
Soccer
Laura Schell
Womens Crew B
It Wasn't Even Close
This was Winthrop's 18th Straus Cup and 8th since 2008. In the end, Winthrop demolished the competition. Leverett maintained control of 2nd place throughout the year before falling behind to Kirkland at the last moment. The Lions finished far above both Houses, beating Kirkland by over 20% of their point total. Interestingly enough, this dominance comes after the IM Council adjusted the point system to ensure more parity!
Winthrop's 2015 and 2016 victories were not nearly as comfortable. In 2015, Winthrop outscored Dunster by 1% (ultimately, by the amount of points awarded for winning a regular season game). Last year, Winthrop defeated Kirkland by 3% (although the Head Referee abstained from adding more of Winthrop's points after the Cup was decided).
As always, the championship was a community effort. Well over 100 different Winthropian athletes competed in intramurals this year (yes, we counted), from Sophomores to Seniors, Tutors (Resident and Non-Res) to Deans. The Lions reached the finals in 6 of the 9 team tournaments in the Spring, and reached the semi- or quarter-finals in the remaining 3 tournaments. Winthrop claimed 4 championships in season-long team sports (Volleyball A, Volleyball B, Broomball and Football).
The Architect
Gregg Peeples is serving his final year as Winthrop Dean, and 2017 yielded him his 8th Straus Cup Championship in 10 years.
The Harvard Houses struggle mightily to develop and maintain some sort of identity to distinguish themselves, and Winthrop was no different. Upon his arrival, Peeples decided that Winthrop would become the "IM House". He created the "IM Tutor" position, an unprecedented move that was soon copied by nearly every other House. Under his watchful eye, Winthrop developed a culture of IM intensity, accountability, and passion and quickly rose to dominance.
In addition to his role as a chief facilitator, the Dean contributes to the cause on the court as well. Although a gruesome basketball knee injury cut short Peeples' career in most IM sports, he is well-known and highly-feared on the Innertube Water Polo circuit. Every semester, for the weekend of the tournament, Gregg's right arm ceases to be a 'right arm' and becomes a 'scoring arm'. He leads Winthrop in career goals and carried the Lions to a championship in the Fall of 2016.
I Hate That Guy
Senior Nicholas Larus-Stone, captain of Frisbee and Squash and legendary Winthrop IM Rep, was named "Male Athlete of the Year". Thanks to our continued dominance, Winthrop IMs are generally hated by other Houses, and Nicholas is often the focal point of this hate.
In the Spring 2017 Innertube Water Polo Tournament, Winthrop found themselves outmatched to a Quincy team peppered with former varsity Water Polo players. In the dying seconds of the game, the Lions were down by 5 goals and had no hope of a possible comeback.
Nicholas, the defensive captain for the team, received the ball from his star goalie, Juanky Perdomo. He immediately began paddling up towards the Quincy goal, calling out directions to Nick Bookout, the Winthrop forward. The Quincy players started laughing: the game was essentially over and the final seconds were ticking off of the clock, but this scrappy senior was still trying to score!
Nicholas didn't score on that possession (and the Penguins, of course, won the championship), but this episode was indicative of a larger theme. The Male IM Athlete of the Year is an unyielding (even obnoxious) competitor who fights to the final whistle no matter what. His perseverance and his trash-talking have earned him the contempt of athletes from around the League, but, over the long-haul, he's taught his teammates one thing: never give up.
The Winthrop Way
Winthrop is, at least in this millennium, the House of Champions, but the Lions don't dominate individual sports as much as our championship record would suggest.
Winthrop has an affinity for finishing second place. The 2016-2017 saw many more second-place finishes (Volleyball A and B in the Fall, Handball, Spring Water Polo, Spring Soccer, Basketball C, etc.) than championships. Of course, the Lions finish second to different Houses nearly every time, which means that we come out on top in the aggregate; it's a war, not a battle.
Ultimately, the 'flair for second place' is indicative of the style of Winthrop Intramurals. We have a scrappy culture of passionate athletes and we produce competitive teams. However, in nearly every sport, there is at least one House with a team of 'Specialists' (i.e., Quincy's Water Polo squad, and Dunster's Handball team). The Lions are usually athletic and organized enough to beat other novice Houses, but it is difficult to beat teams that have played a specific, niche sport their whole lives.
Of course, we wouldn't have it any other way: these second-place finishes only emphasize the culture of passion and competitive spirit in Winthrop.
The Future Is Bright
The Lions are graduating an iconic Senior Class, and Mather and Leverett have real momentum looking into next year, but the Lions are still poised to defend the throne.
Sophomores Cooper Bryan, Will Macphee, Jackson Wagner, Bryant Huggins, Theo Lebryk, Michael Liu, Trevor Noon and Adam Mohsen-Breen look to continue to make contributions on the field, as well as stepping up as team leaders as the senior captains graduate en masse. The Lions also return core group of female athletes: Eva Monroe, Laura Schell and Madeleine Woods. Winthrop legend and 5-time Straus Cup Champion Tarek Austin is returning to Boston and will likely serve as a Non-Res tutor for the House.
In 2018, look for Mather and Leverett to pose the biggest threats to the 4-peat. Leverett returns nearly their IM community, with especially little turnover in their organizational structure. Mather will likely come out swinging, as a late run in 2017 propelled them from their usual 13th place to an unprecedented 5th place finish. Ageless Kirkland will also be a threat.
Games/Event/Play of the Year
Games of the Year:
(Third) Spring Football Semifinals vs. Lev. The Lions had lost a tough tournament football game to the Bunnies in the fall, and were down 16 at half when captain and freak athlete Nick Bookout decided that he wanted to go out with a football championship. Bookout combined his notorious rushing attack with his iconic 'pick-sixes' to score 6 touchdowns in the second half and carry the Lions to a victory. On that day, Winthrop defeated Leverett in 3 elimination games (Football was the only close one). Although the Straus Cup wasn't decided for weeks to come, historians point to this day (and specifically, this game) as the breaking point.
(Second) Spring Volleyball A Finals vs. Kirkland. The Straus Cup had already been decided so this was a game for pride. This was a rematch of last year's championship, which Winthrop had won behind the legendary arm of Jimmy Loomos (Class of 2016). This time around, Kirkland had more fight in them, and took Winthrop to the 3rd set (IM Volleyball is played best-of-three), which had a final score of 27-25 (each set is played to 25, win by 2). The talented Winthrop team (Matt DiSorbo, Nick Bookout, Nicholas Larus-Stone, Demren Sinik, Madeleine Woods, Monica Reichard and Will Jaroszewicz) turned in classic performances and clinched a 2-year undefeated streak against other undergraduate volleyball teams.
(First) Basketball C Opener vs. Kirkland. This was a strange game: it was the first of the season, meaning that any level of Basketball player (A or B) could play C. Both teams took advantage of this rule, and turned in likely the highest-level Basketball C game ever played. Nearly 20 different Winthropians played in this game (including stars Eva Monroe and Madeleine Woods, who played the entire game) but the Lions were led by Super-Seniors Teng Zheng and Dash Young-Saver and Sophomore stars Theo Lebryk and Jeff Huang. The Lions overcame a 20+ point deficit and won on a Teng buzzer-beater.
So Long, Seniors
By Any Other Name
Sports would be incomplete without nicknames, and Winthrop Intramurals has its fair share of 'name-calling'.
'Hive Mind' (Jackson Wagner): The only thing that could derail this monster/freak sophomore athlete is his rugged individuality. The mantra 'Hive Mind' keeps Jackson locked in as one of Winthrop's star athletes.
'Row-Pro / Agent Justice' (Rob Proctor): When this law-man is not in court dishing out justice, he's shredding Olympic-level times with the Mens A Crew Boat.
'Big Will / Little Will' (Will Jaroszewicz / Will Macphee): These two key athletes differ in height by about a foot and weight by about 70 pounds. What they have in common is a fiery passion for Winthrop.
'The Mouth' (CJ Christian): Trash-talking is an art. CJ has perfected this art.
'Moe Money' (Maura Duggan): The Basketball C Captain is absolute cash from long-range.
'Captain Smash' (Juanky Perdomo): Elite athlete and Mens A Crew Captain literally snapped a solid metal rigger in half with the force of his stroke.
'King Squid' (Matt DiSorbo): The best nicknames are the ones that you give yourself!
'The Babe' (George Zachary): This softball cleanup hitter sent a rare out-of-the-park homerun on its way in a key elimination game against Leverett.
'Young Silantro' (Theo Lebryk): No one really knows why he is called this.
'Two-Stroke Trev' (Trevor Noon): Common refrain on the Mens B boat: "Trevor, I need a stroke to angle us correctly." (Stroke) "Wow, Trevor, I'm going to need 5 more of those."
Play of the Year: Despite a mediocre 2-2 record (including a controversial IM Council ruling that handed the Lions a loss) Winthrop had managed to make the finals in the first ever IM Broomball Season (per captain and notorious Aaron Rodgers fan Jack Allen, the team had to "run the table", and they did). The Lions had beaten top-seeded Eliot in the semi-finals (in historic "Miracle on Ice" fashion) and were set to face a Quincy lineup filled with club Hockey players. The Lions took an early lead on a combination goal from Laura Schell and captain Jack Allen, but the Penguins responded after the second half whistle, scoring just the second goal on the Winthrop Defense of Matt DiSorbo, Juanky Perdomo and Nicholas Larus-Stone.
With 5 minutes left, right back Matt DiSorbo collected a loose ball behind the goal and spotted a streaking Jackson Wagner up the seam. DiSorbo played a long-ball that proved to be inches too far for the Quincy center back, and Wagner collected the ball and sent it emphatically through the keeper's legs. The Lions maintained the lead with some scrappy defending and took home the coveted Broomball championship.
Special Event of the Year: The Winthrop Boat Club had not won a race in recorded memory; no one told that to the Men's B boat, though. This scrappy crew posted a scorching 3:37 1K time in the trial Heats (3rd fastest of any boat, A or B) before defeating defending champions Lowell in the head-to-head race days later to claim first place. The Lions were coxed by Will Macphee, a man known for his passion and intensity.
Winthrop graduates a Senior Class accustomed to IM excellence. The Blocking Group from Matthews, Nick Bookout, Will Jaroszewicz, Kalvis Hornburng, Dave Matthews, James Heckendorn, Colton Peppelman and Bennett Capozzi successfully completed the IM 4-peat (championships freshman year and each year in the House). IM Male Athlete of the Year Nicholas Larus-Stone's Blocking Group (Matt DiSorbo, CJ Christian, Demren Sinik, Juanky Perdomo, Renan Carneiro and Kevin Miller) as well as former HOCO-Chair Maura Duggan's Blocking Group (Marissa Segala, Maile Sapp, Ali Welch and Carly Rotatori) are content with their 3-peat. Winthrop also loses key contributers Alex Beyer, Amanpreet Kandola, Douglas Maggs, Nelson Barrette, Mitch Lipka, Andrew Mazzanti, Dhurv Pillai, Sophie Van Weede, Felix Ruano, Alex Kerfoot, Marissa Balleza and Abbey Thronhill.