Women’s hoops wins finale; to host regional
The No. 3 women’s basketball team is set to host the 2006 NCAA Regionals March 3-4 at the Field House.
WUSTL, which is making its 17th straight trip to the tournament, will face Manchester College at 7 p.m. Calvin College and Carroll College will square off in first-round action at 5 p.m. The winners of these two first-round games today will meet at 7 p.m. March 4 with a chance to advance to the NCAA sectionals.
The Bears (23-2, 13-1 University Athletic Association) won their ninth straight UAA championship this season to earn the league’s automatic bid. Manchester enters the tournament with a 21-7 record.
The WUSTL women closed out the regular season Feb. 25 with an 87-77 win at the University of Chicago. Senior Kelly Manning paced the Bears with a UAA-record 39 points. The 39 points, a career-best for Manning, was just one point shy of tying the school single-game record.
Manning was 14 of 27 from the field and 9 of 9 from the free-throw line, as she eclipsed the previous UAA high of 37 set by Marsha Harris of New York University in 1998.
Men’s hoops drops finale to Chicago
The men’s basketball team dropped its final regular season game with a 77-67 loss at Chicago Feb. 25. The Bears finish their regular season with a 17-8 record, 9-5 in the UAA.
Senior Mike Grunst led the Bears with 16 points, while sophomore Troy Ruths added 11.
Men’s tennis team pulls off two upsets
The No. 17 men’s tennis team upset two top-15 teams as the Bears improved to 3-0. The Bears upset No. 11 Washington & Lee University, 6-1, Feb. 25 in Fredericksburg, Va. Freshman Trevis Bowman clinched the match for the Bears as he posted a 6-4, 6-4 win over Charles Anderson at No. 6 singles.
On Feb. 26, WUSTL knocked off No. 12 Mary Washington College, 4-3. Senior Zack Fayne posted two wins to lead the Bears.
Baseball team posts season-opening sweep
The baseball team opened the season with a sweep of Fontbonne University Feb. 24 at Kelly Field. The Bears took Game 1, 6-0, and rolled to an 18-3 win in the second contest.
With three doubles on the day, senior Ryan Corning moved into sixth place on the Bears’ career doubles list with 33. In the first game, junior Brent Buffa tossed a shutout, giving up six hits and notching six strikeouts.
The Bears scored twice with two outs to take a 2-1 lead in the first inning of Game 2. In the second inning, WUSTL put the game away with six more runs. Junior Andy Shields picked up the win.
Women’s tennis team sweeps at Principia
The women’s tennis team swept all six singles flights and the three doubles flights at the Principia College Invitational Feb. 24-25 in Elsah, Ill.
At No. 1 singles, freshman Carrie Preston rolled to three wins for the tournament title. She surrendered just four games in three matches to improve to 16-1 this year in singles play.
Preston paired with junior Erin Fleming at No. 1 doubles for three comfortable wins. The duo is now 10-1 on the season.