SESS Wins Durand Cup

Undefeated run clinches revived Aero/Astro athletic championship

On a gorgeous spring day at Roble Field on the campus of Stanford University, a gathering slowly appeared, renewing an age-old tradition previously halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the Durand Cup, and the battle-ready athletes who arrived in shorts, cleats, and covered in sunscreen were from the department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Today was the day they would stretch their winter-weary muscles in noble competition for glory.

The Space Environment and Satellite Systems (SESS) Laboratory had been waiting with anticipation for this day to come. They knew their potential and had keenly honed their skills in the preceding weeks to give themselves the best chance of holding the coveted trophy. Donning their matching space-themed headbands, they set out to achieve what no one thought possible: an undefeated run.

Things started off hot at the lawn games station, where an early win in cornhole boosted morale. Emotions ran high however, when a toppled Jenga tower and a cornhole defeat put them behind the master's students. Trevor Hedges made a stellar Jenga play to put the master’s students on edge, and a subsequent move by Xiaohan Mei forced the master’s students to attempt a bold counter-maneuver by pulling out a second base block. A fateful gust of wind balanced the scales by knocking over the now unstable tower. Tied up with time running out, it all came down to the final cornhole match. By the skin of their teeth, SESS escaped with a win by having the higher score as the airhorn blew, signaling time was up.

The next challenge was racquet sports. The NAV lab put up a good showing, taking a badminton and pickleball match early. However, Argyris Kriezis pulled out the stops and unleashed his pickleball fury while Victor Perez-Ramirez took over the badminton court, both marking wins and pulling SESS even. Two more wins sealed victory for SESS at 4-2.

Ultimate frisbee now demanded the speed of the SESS warriors, as Professor Hara and the PDML tried to stop the SESS dream in its tracks. Nicolas Lee set the example early on, sacrificing his body for a magnificent catch on the edge of the goal line. Stifling defense by Daniel Oluwalana and a high-jumping touchdown catch by Kofi Blake secured the victory, 6-2.

Ashwyn Sam asserted his Spikeball dominance against the reigning Durand Cup champion, SISL. Allowing only one point in each of his three dominating victories, he provided SESS with some breathing room early on. Joseph Ferguson added even more victories to the count as SESS pulled away and finished with a 5-2 win.

The soccer match against the Mechanical Engineering students was locked at a stalemate with no goals scored. Out of the blue, a deep run from center back Jared Blanchard led to a goal, and SESS just had to hold onto that lead for a few more minutes. Several scares late were put to rest by goalie Raymond Lau, as he defended the goal like a grizzly bear defending its cubs and SESS had its fifth win, at 1-0.

Due to scheduling requirements, another round of racquet sports was the final stop for SESS. The undefeated run was now within reach, but an early pickleball loss set everyone on high alert. In the next match, Dennis Dong showed admirable tenacity, diving for every ball to keep his team in the match. Down 7-9, a hot streak of serving by Michael Kwara clinched the game and tied things up. Not willing to let their dream die at the last minute, the next badminton and pickleball players kept comfortable leads and finished things off with a 4-1 victory over the MSL.

With an undefeated record in the books, SESS was declared the 2023 Durand Cup champion. As they lifted the trophy, lab members discussed what changes they would add to the trophy, continuing a long tradition. They have 12 months to figure it out, before next year's installment of the Durand Cup requires another Herculean effort to keep the trophy.