Sports

Women’s season ends with loss to Millikin

The No. 7 women’s basketball team fell to No. 6 Millikin University, 67-58, in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament March 5 to end its season at 22-5.

The Bears jumped out to an 18-7 advantage by the 12:04 mark of the first half, behind the post play of senior Hallie Hutchens. Millikin went scoreless for more than six minutes, then rallied to within three points (24-21) with 3:17 left in the half. WUSTL led, 30-23, at the break and extended the lead to 35-23 early in the second half.

The Big Blue took their first lead of the game at 55-54 with 3:10 and never trailed again.

Hutchens shot 11-for-16 en route to a career-high 25 points and eight rebounds.

Indoor track and field has best NCAA finish

The women’s track and field team placed ninth of 60 teams March 11-12 at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Bloomington, Ill. The finish was the best in school history.

The 4×400 meter relay team of junior Michelle McCully, sophomore Natalie Badowski, freshman Danielle Wadlington, and junior Katelin Gruber improved on its sixth place finish in the preliminaries to place second with a time of 3:52.86.

Senior Maggie Grabow earned All-America honors for the second time in the meet by placing fourth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:20.02. Grabow, also earned all-America honors in the distance medley relay.

A week earlier, the men’s and women’s teams shattered five school records at the Iowa State University Last Chance Meet March 5.

Baseball goes 3-1 at UAA Championship

The baseball team began conference play with a 3-1 record at the UAA Championship. After falling to Rochester, 5-2, March 11 on the first day of competition, WUSTL (7-3) reeled off three straight wins.

Senior Jason Ortwerth pitched a complete-game in a 10-1 win against Brandeis March 12; sophomore Andy Shields and senior Dan Rieck each hit a two-run homer in the win. Shields also went the distance in a 4-3 upset of No. 14 Emory later that day.

On March 13, WUSTL pounded out 19 hits in a seven-inning, 13-1 win against Rochester.

The baseball team went split its four games March 5-6 at Kelly Field. On March 5, the Bears won both games in the bottom of the ninth, 5-4 against Eureka and 6-5 against Cornell College.

Cornell turned the tables the next day, winning 12-6 and 10-5.

Perfect game helps Bears to 12-0 start

The No. 9 softball team began University Athletic Association (UAA) play last week with six straight wins. The Bears (12-0) opened UAA play with back-to-back 9-0 wins March 10 against Case Western Reserve University and Brandeis University.

Sophomore Laurel Sagartz pitched a three-hit shutout in game one and then picked up the win in game two by pitching 4 2/3 scoreless innings in relief.

The Bears picked up another shutout as senior Victoria Ramsey made history in the win, pitching the second perfect game and fifth no-hitter in team history in a 10-0 win over the University of Rochester March 11.

WUSTL picked up two more wins March 12 at the UAA Championship as the Bears rallied in the seventh to defeat Emory University, 3-1, and followed that with 12-1 win against Brandeis. Sagartz started and went 5 2/3 innings, allowing six hits and one unearned run while striking out five. Ramsey picked up the win in relief.

A week earlier, the team began the season with four victories at the Rebel Spring Games in Orlando, Fla.

Swimmers, divers have standout NCAA

The women’s swimming and diving team placed seventh (184.5 points) of 53 teams at the NCAA Championships March 10-12 in Holland, Mich. The finish was the Bears’ best in school history; their previous best finish was 10th in 2003.

Freshman Meredith Nordbrock earned seven All-America citations in her first champonship appearance, and junior Jenny Scott, an 18-time All-America honoree, also was tabbed seven times as an All-American.

Both recorded their best finishes in the 400-medley relay, along with freshman Tina Deneweth and junior Allie Boettger.

Men’s, women’s tennis split on spring trip

The No. 13 men’s tennis team posted a 2-2 record over spring break, starting with a tough 4-3 loss at No. 19 California Lutheran University March 9. The team then won, 6-1, win at Occidental College March 10, lost, 7-0, at No. 5 University of the Redlands amd won, 6-1, at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges March 12.

The No. 16 women’s tennis team went 2-2 on its spring break trip, opening March 7 with a 6-3 win against No. 20 California Lutheran University, then falling, 5-4, to No. 10 University of the Redlands March 9.

No. 11 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges nipped WUSTL, 5-4, on March 11, but the Red and Green rebounded for a 7-2 win the next day against Connecticut College.