Fall Sports at MIT by Emiko P. '25

Hi, everyone! My name is Emiko, and I am one of the new bloggers :) I am a junior, and I play midfield on the Varsity Women’s Soccer team. I thought I’d give you guys a glimpse into the life of a student-athlete here at MIT…

When you think of competitions at MIT, the first thing that comes to mind might be math competitions, chess matches, or some form of hackathon. However, what may come as a surprise is that MIT is very, very good at a specific type of competition — athletics. 

We have 33 varsity sports teams, and a whopping 25% of students will participate in one during their time at MIT. We have won NCAA⁠01 The NCAA is the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which is the organization in the United States in charge of college athletics. National Championships, the NCAA Woman of the Year (which is given to the top female student-athlete across all sports and divisions), and broken national records — and that was only last year. 

According to our athletics website, MIT student-athletes have won 62 individual national championships, 26 team championships, and lead the NEWMAC⁠02 This stands for the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference, which MIT is a part of. in conference championships. 30 alumni have participated in the Olympic Games, winning three Gold medals, and Jasmin Moghbeli, a former member of the women’s basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse teams, is currently on the International Space Station. Reading these stats for the first time was wild, but in no way was I surprised — our student-athletes are crazy talented.

Anyways, all that to say that MIT sports are pretty epic. With all this in mind, as a junior midfielder on the Women’s Soccer team, the start of the fall season has me pretty pumped. I thought I’d take the chance to talk to three fall sport student-athletes to get their take on sports at MIT and the current 2023 fall season. 

How has your experience been as a student-athlete at MIT so far? 

Field hockey student-athlete: “I really have enjoyed being a student-athlete because it is hard to find the friendships and bonds you get with your teammates anywhere else. There’s always an upperclassman to give you advice on classes or career choices.” 

Football student-athlete: “Playing a varsity sport provides time off mentally and physically from the academic day of being an MIT student. I’ve made many close friends and enjoyed continuing my passion for sports.” 

Men’s soccer student-athlete: “So far I’ve really enjoyed being an athlete at MIT because it has given me the opportunity to continue playing the sport I love while also being able to devote time and energy to academics and social life. Overall, it’s a great balance of all the things that are important to me.” 

Favorite sport-related memory? 

Field hockey student-athlete: “My favorite memory is when we traveled to Middlebury for our second-round NCAA game. It was a pretty long bus ride and we played lots of fun road trip games on the way. Even though we lost 0-8 (cry), it was so fun to go on a road trip and stay in a hotel together.”

Football student-athlete: “My favorite memory of playing football at MIT is having a perfect fall Saturday devoted to no school — just playing football and hanging out with friends and family after the game.” 

Men’s soccer student-athlete: “During freshman year, the “golden goal” rule was still in play, where if there was a tie after 90 minutes of regulation time, the first team to score in the next 30 minutes of extra time won. We had a game against Brandeis at home, which was a pretty competitive game, and after regulation time the game was tied 0-0. Late into extra time, our captain Pete scored a header to win the game, and we all chased him to the bushes behind the goal to celebrate.” 

Tips for athletes getting recruited right now? 

Field hockey student-athlete: “My recruiting process was pretty typical in terms of exchanging emails with the coach and playing at an MIT summer recruiting camp.” 

Football student-athlete: “I sent in my Hudl highlights to the head coaches, sent them emails often, and made sure my test scores were acceptable.” 

Men’s soccer student-athlete: “The recruiting process is different for everyone but definitely pretty tough for all. For recruiting at MIT, I think the most important first step is having all of the academics lined up because MIT does not offer automatic admission for athletes, and that will catch the attention of the coaches when you reach out. I would recommend doing your homework to understand the team’s style and where you would fit in.” 

What is an example of a day in your life? 

Field hockey student-athlete: “For our last game day, I woke up around 8:15 am and scooted over to my first class of the day, Dynamics and Controls II. During the 1.5 hour lecture, I ate part of my brekky. After that, I had a GEL⁠03 Gordon-Engineering Leadership Program lecture where we learned about how engineering is also about being social! At 12:30, I went to the Stud with some friends and did some exploring because it was newly renovated. At 1 pm, I scooted over to Sloan for Managerial Finance, where I learned about how to calculate the future value of money. Then I scooted to the locker room and ate some pregame snacks. I changed into my uniform, packed my bag, brought my iPad to do some work on the bus, and then the bus left at 4 pm for our away game! The game was at 6 pm, and we got back to MIT at around 8:30 pm. I showered, did some Thermofluids Engineering PSETting, chatted with my roommates (aka Emiko), then went to bed.”

Football student-athlete: “On a weekday in the fall, I wake up at 9:30 am, eat a quick snack, then head to Intensive French Conversation. After that I go straight to Aerodynamics for an hour. Then I either grab Chipotle or Masseh dining during my break, after which I have Corporate Finance for 1.5 hours. Then I usually have a quick nap. I lift from 4-5 pm, have practice from 5-7 pm, and then eat dinner at my fraternity. At night I do homework that’s due the next day for my classes.” 

Men’s soccer student-athlete: “I wake up at 10 am and get ready for my Urban Energy Systems and Policy class at 11 am. After class, I grab a quick lunch at either Sloan or the Stud. Then, at 1 pm, I go to Organizational Process for Business Analytics until 2:30 pm. At home, I grab a pre-practice snack, relax a bit, roll and stretch until 4:30 pm when I head to the locker room to change. Practice is from 5-7 pm, and then I go back to the locker room to shower. I eat dinner at home at 7:30 pm, work until 1 am, then sleep!”

Something you are excited about for this season?

Field hockey player: “My bestie’s birthday is soon, so I am excited to plan something good for this year. Last year she received a cake with an image of her own foot with an iPhone charger woven through the toes.”

Football player: “I am looking forward to the season because I will be an upperclassman and I will get to lead and teach my younger teammates on and off the field.”

Men’s soccer player: “With the soccer team, I feel like each class we recruit is more excited about the program than the last, so I’m super excited to incorporate all of the new guys into the team. As a leader in the program now, I’m excited to be able to leverage my experience to help them get comfortable and then make an impact. I have high hopes for the success of the team.”

My teammates and I <3

Some members of the field hockey team during a tailgate.

The football team celebrating a touchdown! (credit to Thunder Bunny Studios)

Wholesome men's soccer pic from media day.

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So far, it’s been a blast. Although I got injured early during preseason⁠04 Preseason is when fall sports teams all came back to campus a couple weeks before school to start practicing. Soccer typically comes back two weeks early and practices twice a day during that time! (fractured my foot in a nasty tackle at our Harvard scrimmage, oof), it was still so fun. There’s nothing else like bonding with my team, shivering in ice baths together, scoring a banger goal, and feeling the chemistry turn on. Preseason was a time of outrageous tan lines (I have a permanent razorback tan on my back now), of music blasting on Roberts Field, of sunsets at practice. It almost felt like summer camp as we all piled into New Vassar dining for lunch, each team welcoming its new first-years and catching up with the friends they hadn’t seen all summer. 

Shout out to: Women’s Soccer, Men’s Soccer, Field Hockey, Women’s Volleyball, Football, Water Polo, Cross Country, Women’s Tennis, Men’s Tennis, Crew, and Sailing! 

It’s time for fall sports.

Roll Tech!