For the first time in program history, the Harvard men’s cross country team has earned a top-30 ranking in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I coaches’ poll. The Crimson is coming off perhaps its best showing of the season at the elite Wisconsin Adidas Invitational, where the squad took 13th place (out of 35) in a competition of the nation’s best teams. The performance earned Harvard the No. 21 spot in the national rankings.

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Harvard women’s ice hockey coach Katey Stone, in her newest gig as head coach of the USA national women’s hockey team, is off to a challenging start.

In their exhibition game against Canada, Team USA’s defense was slow to start, as three unanswered goals found the back of the net. Stone’s offense struggled to catch up the entire game.

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We have hit the middle of October, and it is finally starting to feel like fall. The temperatures are dropping and the leaves are changing colors, making it very easy for you to tell which of your classmates are not from the New England area.

The middle of October also signifies the start of Ivy League play for many of the sports teams here at Harvard. Although the Crimson is diligently preparing for its most important stretch of the season, Harvard athletes have still found the time to keep us entertained through social media. So here you are: our favorite tweets from this week!

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Until a few days ago, the most fans looking forward to Sunday evening’s primetime NFL matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans thought that backup quarterback and Harvard alum Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05 would be making his third-straight start for the Titans.

But Tennessee starter Jake Locker took snaps during the week and was cleared to play, giving the Harvard graduate the same view of the game as those of us sitting on couches back home—from the sidelines.

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In ‘Quotes of the Week’, The Back Page will look each weekend at the five best quotes of the week, providing context for the five best moments from the past seven days in Crimson sports.

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