CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University football senior is set to send eight student-athletes to compete at the Dream Bowl in Tokyo at the National Stadium on Saturday, January 21.
 
Harvard's group of student-athletes includes wide receiver/return specialist Jack Bill, defensive back Khalil Dawsey, defensive back Diassa Diakite, linebacker Solomon Egbe, linebacker Kobe Joseph, defensive lineman David Madzivanyika, defensive lineman North Peters, and defensive back Victor Tademy.
 
The Ivy League has partnered with Japan's National Football Association (NFA) to compete in the Japan-U.S. Dream Bowl, featuring an Ivy League All-Star Team vs. a Japan All-Star Team. The event is set for Saturday, Jan. 21 at 11 p.m. EST (Sunday, Jan. 22, 1 p.m. JST) at the National Stadium, newly built for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. The Ivy League will send a 52-person roster led by Columbia head coach Al Bagnoli. The delegation will arrive in Japan on Jan. 15 and take part in several cultural experiences throughout the trip.
 
Bill captured Honorable Mention All-Ivy, Third Team (All-Purpose) and Fourth Team (Kick Returner) Phil Steele All-Ivy League, and Second Team Bluebloods All-Ivy League this past fall. In the return game, Bill brought back 28 kickoffs this past fall for 570 yards (20.36 average), including a long return of 60 yards against Holy Cross. As a receiver, he added 17 catches for 185 yards, including a six-catch, 79-yard performance at Penn.
 
Dawsey gained Honorable Mention All-Ivy and New England Football Journal Honorable Mention All-Ivy accolades in 2022. As one of the team's starting cornerbacks, Dawsey registered 29 tackles – including 22 solo stops – alongside seven pass breakups and 2.0 tackles for loss. He totaled season highs in tackles (six), tackles for loss (1.0), and pass breakups (four) in The Game against Yale.
 
Diakite posted five tackles and three pass breakups as a member of the Crimson's secondary this past fall. He broke up a pair of passes at Brown and notched two tackles in back-to-back games at Cornell and at Howard.
 
Egbe played in all 10 games for Harvard in 2022, compiling 20 tackles with seven solo stops and 1.0 tackle for loss. He notched two tackles, including a tackle for loss, at Howard and posted a season-high four tackles vs. Princeton.
 
Joseph contributed to the Crimson on both defense and special teams, closing the season with 11 tackles, an interception, a pass breakup, and a blocked punt. His blocked punt at Cornell led directly to a touchdown before he came up with an interception vs. Columbia. He tallied a season-best four tackles at Penn.
 
Madzivanyika registered 16 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks on the season as a defensive tackle for Harvard. He recorded one sack apiece against Holy Cross and Penn. He made a season-high four tackles in The Game vs. Yale.
 
Peters played in all 10 games along the defensive line, compiling 18 tackles including 0.5 sacks. He posted a season-best six tackles, including his half sack, at Howard. He notched three tackles against both Merrimack and Holy Cross.
 
Tademy – a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District choice this past fall – totaled 35 tackles, 21 solo stops, 2.0 tackles for loss, nine pass breakups, one interception, and one fumble recovery as a starting safety for Harvard. He made his interception on the final play of the game at Dartmouth before coming up with his fumble recovery vs. Columbia. He tallied season highs in tackles (five) and pass breakups (four) in The Game against Yale.
 
The event comes after Japan's National Football Association reached out to the Ivy League to gauge its interest in competing in the Dream Bowl with the goal of growing the game of football in Japan. The league's 52-person roster will be comprised of senior and graduate student-athletes from all eight Ivy League programs. The Japan All-Star team will be a combined team of X League (Japan's top American football league) players, including nine Americans, college players and crossover sport athletes.
 
The Ivy League delegation will balance its time between preparation for the game along with several Japanese cultural and educational events, including a planned visit to the U.S. Embassy, interaction with Ivy League alumni, discussions with Japanese students and social exchanges with the Japanese team. The league's group will be joined by two professors from Ivy League institutions to further the educational experience of the travel party.