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Sonya Chandra
Sonya Chandra's Articles
Track Transitions Well From Indoor to Outdoor
| May 13The Columbia track and field teams had an indoor season that left them well-trained for their outdoor competitions. The athletes continued their performance trends from the cross country season, with the mid-distance and distance cores of both teams lending a large amount of support and standout sprinters and jumpers contributing as well.
Cross Country Rebuilds During Fall, Develops Program Depth
| May 13The 2007-2008 season was a time of rebuilding for the Columbia cross country squads. With 18 freshmen and two new assistant coaches, the Lions worked to develop team depth for upcoming years.
After a Last Effort at Princeton, CU Moves to Heptagonals
This weekend’s final test run before Ivy League Championships next week proved fruitful for the Columbia track teams at the Princeton Elite Invitational. In the Lions’ last race tune-up, the Light Blue runners managed to nab some high-place finishes while keeping their legs in competitive shape.
Final Tune-Up for Track Before Heptagonals
| May 2The Columbia men’s and women’s track teams head into their final meet before the Ivy League Championships at this weekend’s Princeton Elite Invitational.
Final Tune-up for CU Before Ivy Championships
| May 2The Columbia men’s and women’s track teams head into their final meet before the Ivy League Championships at this weekend’s Princeton Elite Invitational.
Track Star Boylan-Pett Leads Lions to Success in Multiple Events
| Apr 30As senior co-captain Liam Boylan-Pett toed up at the Penn Relays Championship of America 4x800-meter relay heat, he awaited his handoff from freshman Jeff Moriarty with what could only be trepidation.
Track Takes It In Stride at Penn Relays, Trains at Yale Invitational
| Apr 28Columbia track experienced success during the final two days of Penn Relays. While the Lions did not perform as outstandingly as they did last year, they managed to defeat tough Ivy League teams and place highly among nationally ranked competitors. The Light Blue then went on to compete in the Yale Springtime Invitational with some of its nascent athletes.
Light Blue Track Breaks School Records at Penn Relays
| Apr 25The Columbia track team kicked off the first day of the 2008 Penn Relays with a few successes on the women’s side.
Track Heads Back to Penn Relays Hoping to Repeat Historic Win
| Apr 24The Lions will return back to the site of some of last season’s most memorable achievements as they compete at the historic Penn Relays today.
Three More Columbia Runners Qualify For NCAA Regionals After Weekend
| Apr 22The Columbia track team had a tremendous weekend in individual performances as it raced at the Princeton-hosted Larry Ellis Invitational and New York Relays.
Columbia Track Team Pulls Double Duty This Weekend
| Apr 18After soaking Columbia students with water guns in front of Low Library earlier this week in a spirit-raising event, the track and field teams will move on to try and drown their competition over this weekend. The Lions will be competing in two important meets, the Larry Ellis Invitational and the New York Relays.
CU Qualifies Three Runners For Regional Championships
| Apr 14The Columbia track and field team now has three more runners who will compete in NCAA Regional Championships at the end of May in Tallahassee, Fla. Coming off of a three-meet weekend, the Lions continue to keep Heptagonal and national championships in sight.
Light Blue Track Splits Up to Face Tough Competition Across Country
| Apr 11This weekend, the Columbia track teams will once again split up to compete in different parts of the country as they look to gain conference experience and train for league and national championships.
Light Blue Track Experiences Success in Bicoastal Weekend
| Apr 7The Lions tore up track on both sides of the country this weekend, earning individual success at the Stanford Invitational and Penn Invitational.
CU Track and Field to Participate in Variety of Meets
| Apr 4The Columbia track and field teams will spread their members across the country this weekend, competing in a variety of events designed to better prepare the athletes for national championships.
Columbia Women’s Basketball Program Receives $50,000 Grant
| Apr 1Thanks to a new $50,000 grant, the Columbia women’s basketball team will be working alongside Roar-ee and the rest of the spirit squad to enhance attendance and audience participation at its games next season.
Crew Looks to Repeat Past Opener Success
| Mar 28The Light Blue men’s heavyweight and women’s rowing teams will be opening their conference seasons this weekend. The men’s team will race against Rutgers at the Collins Cup in New York, while the women will travel to New Haven to compete in the Connell Cup against Penn and Yale.
Outdoor Track Hopes for Stronger Finishes
| Mar 25The outdoor track season will be Columbia’s opportunity to turn its individual success on the indoor circuit and turn it into tangible team results.
Governor’s Cup Yields Victories for Men and Women Rowers Over Spring Break
| Mar 24The Columbia crew teams are returning from their Florida spring break with tans and triumphs. Competing in the Governor’s Cup Regatta, both the men and the women garnered substantial wins to make a notable spring season debut.
Rowing Team Heads to Florida for Spring Break Training Trip
| Mar 12The Columbia heavyweight and lightweight crews will inaugurate their regular season with a training trip to Florida over spring break. Armed with new coaches and coming off of a short fall season, the Lions are looking to make their mark in key competitive meets.
Runners Vie For Bids to NCAA Champs
| Mar 10Select athletes competed at this weekend’s Last Chance Qualifier in Seattle, Wash. for the opportunity to race at NCAA Championships next week. Although only one runner qualified for nationals at the University of Washington meet, the Lions managed to break school records and deliver quality performances.
Select Members of Track Team Race to Washington for Meet
| Mar 7After wrapping up a successful league season, the Columbia track teams will send select members across the country this weekend to compete in the University of Washington’s last-chance qualifier meet.
Underclassmen Bring Cheer Squad Hope
| Mar 4While this past weekend, the men’s basketball team faced the daunting task of taking down Dartmouth in Levien Gym, there was another group on the court who worked just as hard—Columbia cheerleading.
Heps Highlight Light Blue’s Individual Success
| Mar 3The Columbia track and field teams earned mixed results in the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships this weekend. While the women improved upon last year’s last place finish to tie for fifth place, the men’s team dropped from fourth to sixth place this season.
Track Heads to Ithaca for Ivy Championship Hoping to Improve on Last Year's Finish
| Feb 29The Columbia indoor track team will travel up to Ithaca this weekend to compete in the two-day Ivy League Championship. The men’s team will be working to improve upon its fourth-place finish, while the women will be looking to top last season’s last-place finish. Competition will be stiff at Cornell’s Barton Hall, and the Light Blue will have to rely upon its depth to make an impact at the meet.
Tough Cornell, Princeton Await Track
| Feb 26Those looking for a true battle within the Ancient Eight will be pleasantly surprised as this season’s Heptagonal Championship titles may be up for grabs for a few select teams with the depth to truly compete.
Lions Score, Ikono Makes History at Meet
| Feb 25While this weekend’s Princeton Invitational will not be a very significant factor in the Lions’ season, the Columbia track and field teams managed to make history and run some impressive times at the meet.
Lions Look to Distance Squads to Rack Up Points at Princeton Invitational
| Feb 22Nearing the Ivy League Championships, the Columbia men’s and women’s track teams will compete at the Princeton Invitational this Saturday, facing off against the Tigers.
Track Triumphs but Needs To Pick Up the Pace for Ivies
| Feb 18The Lafayette-Rider Invitational brought mixed tidings for the Columbia track and field teams this weekend. While individuals succeeded on both the men’s and women’s sides, the competition proved that come Ivy League Championships, the Lions will face tough opposition from this weekend’s participants, Penn and Cornell.
Wrestling Falls to Penn and Drexel, Manages to Pin a Victory Over Princeton
| Feb 18The Columbia wrestling team had a mixed weekend, falling hard in Philadelphia and scoring a win at Princeton. The Lions succumbed to nationally ranked Penn and Drexel on Friday, but went on to defeat Princeton on Saturday.
Track Travels to Lafayette Invitational to Advance Standings for Spring
| Feb 15Coming off a strong performance at last weekend’s New Balance Collegiate Invitational, the Columbia track and field team hopes to use its recent success to compete at the Lafayette-Rider Invitational this Friday.
Wrestlers Have Busy Weekend Planned with Penn, Drexel and Princeton Meets
| Feb 15The Columbia wrestling team will take on three teams this weekend as it competes on Friday against Philadelphia schools Penn and Drexel and on Saturday against Princeton. The three opponents will all provide different levels of competition for Columbia, but the Light Blue hopes to be able to use these meets to gain a winning record this season.
Long Distance Runners Excel Against Tough New Balance Field
| Feb 11The New Balance Invitational served as a milestone meet for the Light Blue’s winter season as Columbia track and field delivered solid performances against its toughest foes yet.
Nationally Ranked Foes Await Lions
| Feb 8The Lions will have to dig deep into their pride in this weekend’s competitions.
Columbia Wrestling Tramples Bucknell but Falls to Maryland in Bittersweet Weekend
| Feb 4The Lions managed to defeat the Bucknell Bison this past weekend as the Columbia wrestling team posted a 21-16 win in its home opener. Fighting in a neck-and-neck battle that lasted for most of the meet, the Light Blue was able to bounce back from trailing 16-12 to secure its victory, only to fall on Sunday to Maryland in a 22-12 loss.
Light Blue Tears Up the Track at Metro, Millrose
| Feb 4The Columbia track and field teams brought a tough arsenal to the Armory this weekend, improving upon last year’s Metropolitan Championships performances and finishing third on the women’s side and fourth on the men’s. The men’s 4x800 relay also delivered a standout fourth-place finish at the Millrose Games later in the day.
Lions to Race in Sold-Out Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden
| Feb 1The Columbia track teams will be taking their racing spikes uptown and downtown on Friday as the relay team will race at Madison Square Garden. After the men and women compete at the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Championships at the Armory Track & Field Center, the Lions’ 4x800-meter relay will travel to the Garden to race in front of a sold-out crowd at the Millrose Games.
Lions Get a Taste of Princeton, Penn at Great Dane Classic
| Jan 28The Columbia track teams ventured upstate to take on eastern competition at the University of Albany Great Dane Classic this weekend. With both the men and women’s teams placing 12th, the Lions saw some tough performances from Ivy League contenders Penn and Princeton.
Track Teams Compete at Great Dane Classic
| Jan 25The Columbia track and field teams will take on Eastern Conference competitors at the University of Albany’s Great Dane Classic this Friday.
Track Fails to Impress at Tri-Meet, Losing Hard to Dartmouth, Yale
| Dec 31The Columbia indoor track team traveled to Hanover, N.H. this weekend and was defeated by Dartmouth and Yale in bitter cold weather.
Indoor Track Season Underway at Yale Opener
| Dec 10The Columbia indoor track team made a solid debut at the Yale Season Opener this past weekend. Competing in an unscored meet, the Lions managed to scoop up four wins while training veteran tracksters and preparing novice runners.
Track and Field Races Against Broad Field in Yale Opener
| Dec 7Columbia’s indoor track and field season will kick off this weekend at the Yale Opener.
Sophomore Benton to Lead Distance Squad
| Dec 6Erison Hurtault, CC ’07, is, by many accounts, the best middle distance runner Columbia has ever seen.
Women Repeat Previous Success, Youth Hurts Men
| Dec 4The Columbia cross country teams experienced a season of rebuilding this year. With 18 freshmen and two new assistant coaches, the Lions needed to capitalize on the combination of youthful energy with a veteran program.
Track Takes Talent to the Next Level
| Nov 27With nine athletes earning all-Ivy first-team honors and seven tracksters advancing to NCAA Regionals, last year’s indoor track season was a success as far as individual achievement was concerned.
Ballard Brings Home All-American Honors
| Nov 20Senior co-captain Carmen Ballard made her last race as a Columbia cross country runner truly memorable when she earned All-American honors at yesterday’s NCAA Cross Country Championships.
W. Swimming Drowns Black Knights, Downed by Harvard
| Nov 19After scaring Harvard in a close meet and defeating Army by a large margin, the Light Blue (2-1, 1-1 Ivy) will wrap up its packed week with what is expected to be an easy victory against Fordham today.
Women’s Swimming Poised for Success Against Harvard, Army
| Nov 16Returning from last week’s decisive win over Yale, the women’s swimming team is prepared to take on Harvard and Army this weekend as it looks to improve upon last year’s Ivy standings.
Lions in Top Ten at Cross-Country Regionals
| Nov 12The season has reached a close for the Columbia cross-country teams; the Lions trekked home from NCAA Northeast in Boston this past weekend with the women’s team taking sixth place and the men’s taking tenth.
Cross-Country Sets Its Sights on Qualifying for Nationals
| Nov 9The finish line is in sight for the Columbia cross-country teams.
Offense Still Looking for Balance
| Oct 30As rain washed over the newly dedicated Kraft Field Saturday, it took with it any hope of an upset by the Columbia football team.
Cross-Country Races in Ivy Championships
| Oct 26While a first place finish appears unlikely for the Columbia cross-country team at today’s Ivy League Heptagonal Cross-Country Championships, the Lions will duke it out all the way through Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
Working Hard Comes Easily for Drouin
| Oct 24Columbia freshman Jackie Drouin has proven to be more than just the average runner.
Chain Stores Change Face of Broadway
| Oct 12For Morningside Heights and Manhattan Valley residents, finding a Starbucks isn’t the problem.
Weintraub Faces Former Team
| Oct 12The upcoming match against Seton Hall on Friday holds special significance for Ilene Weintraub, CC ’02 and head coach of the women’s tennis team.
Freshman Already Making an Impact
| Oct 9Freshman Bayo Adafin has been nothing short of a sensation since joining the men’s soccer team.
Judy Blume Visits Bank Street Bookstore
| Oct 1A line of Manhattanites outside Bank Street Bookstore wrapped around 112th Street Saturday, not for a world leader or presidential hopeful, but for long-time author of children’s and young adult’s books, Judy Blume. Blume, as part of her book tour, stopped at the Bank Street Bookstore to autograph her new book, Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One.
Cross Country Heads to Penn Meet
| Sep 28In the midst of a strong season, the Columbia men’s and women’s cross-country teams look to dominate in the upcoming Spiked Shoe Invitational this Saturday.
Players Surprised by Liability Policy For Club Sports
| Sep 27Many club sports captains might think twice before encouraging players to tackle an opponent or use elbows in a match. At a club sports training workshop last weekend, club sports officers learned that they, not the University, were liable to be sued in the event of a player or fan injury.
Lafayette Slides Past Columbia in Overtime
| Sep 27The Columbia field hockey team has let the sweet feeling of victory slip away yet again. In its third overtime loss this season, the Light Blue fell to Lafayette by a final score of 2-1.
M. Soccer Searches for First Win Against Defending National Champs
| Sep 21Formerly an assistant coach at University of California, Santa Barbara, Leo Chappel will be returning on Friday as a head coach—but of the opposing team.
‘Gadfly’ Exiled From Garden
| Sep 19“I thought you’d be in jail by now,” Don Colflesh said laughingly to Barbara Hohol, his neighbor. Hohol has had several run-ins with the police due to her fixation with the local community garden on West 111th Street.
Women's Soccer Looks to Hurt Hofstra's Pride
| Sep 14After dominating its opponent and evening its season record this past weekend, the Columbia women’s soccer team aims for its third straight win as they prepare to face off against the Hofstra Pride Friday night.
Young Cross-Country Squad Faces First Challenge
| Sep 7Columbia cross-country is heading into its 2007 season with a fresh start. Equipped with 18 new freshmen and two new assistant coaches, the Lions are prepared to dominate in the Ivy League and NCAA.







