Dartmouth athletes dominated their Crimson-clad opponents last Saturday in a competitive affair loosely known as "Harvard Weekend."
Dartmouth emerged victorious in football, women's soccer and field hockey, leaving a mark on Harvard's fields and in students' hearts that will not soon be forgotten.
Perhaps as remarkable as the performance of Big Green athletes was that of dedicated Dartmouth fans, who numbered in the hundreds. Jessica Ovici '06, a member of the Dartmouth marching band, was on the field and in the thick of the excitement.
"I really think that our fans were amazing, for an away game especially," Ovici said. "Usually if you're at an away game you're going to hear more booing than cheering, but this was tremendous.
"I saw everyone from students to alums to people I didn't even know, all cheering for Dartmouth."
Meredith Benz '04, a cheerleader for the College, was also in the heat of the excitement and affirmed Ovici's comments about the intense spirit of Dartmouth fans.
"The game got a lot more exciting as it went on," Benz said. "As it became more apparent that we were going to win, the crowd went wild. You could feel the excitement."
And it appears that Dartmouth's spirit finally paid off for the football team -- the Big Green cremated the Harvard Crimson in a resonating 30 to 16 victory.
Last weekend marked the first time Dartmouth football beat Harvard since a 6-3 victory in 1996.
The loss was reportedly a difficult one for Harvard students.
Benz noted that when Dartmouth won, and the College's "Alma Mater" was playing in the stadium, all of the Harvard students had cleared out "by the first verse," while the Dartmouth students remained, taking in the joy of victory.
"I think they were surprised, more than anything else. They cleared out of the stands so quickly -- none of them really wanted to talk about it," Benz said.
Ovici, who stayed overnight in Cambridge, Mass., after the game, noted an air of disappointment, if not disbelief, among Harvard undergraduates.
"A lot of the students seemed kind of upset," Ovici said. "It was kind of a 'How did you guys beat us?' attitude."
