Sports updates Jan. 17

Women’s basketball wins thriller against Rochester

The No. 10 women’s basketball team improved to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in the University Athletic Association with a pair of home victories last weekend at the Field House.

The Bears saw four players score in double figures in a 94-55 victory over Emory Jan. 14. Two days later, WUSTL used career-highs from seniors Kathryn Berger and Alex Hoover to hold off No. 5 University of Rochester in a 101-90 double-overtime thriller.

Junior Claire Schaeperkoetter nailed a three-pointer with six seconds remaining in regulation against Rochester to tie the score at 72-72 and send the game to an extra period. The Bears pulled ahead by two when Hoover drove the lane for a bucket with five seconds to play in the first overtime, but Rochester’s Jackie Walker hit a 15-footer from the wing as time expired in overtime to force five more minutes of action, where the Bears were finally able to pull away for the win.

Berger scored 26 points with eight rebounds while Hoover added 24 points in the win. Against Emory, sophomore Kristin Anda scored a career-high 19. Berger (17), Schaeperkoetter (13) and freshman Jordan Rettig (11) also scored in double figures against Emory.

WUSTL has a pair of road games this weekend, at New York University Friday, Jan. 21, and at Brandeis University Sunday, Jan. 23.

Men’s basketball in a slump

The men’s basketball team lost three games a week last week to drop its overall record to 6-8.

WUSTL closed out non-conference play with a 61-58 loss at Webster University Jan. 12. The Bears followed that up with a pair of home University Athletic Association (UAA) losses to Emory University 69-68 Jan 14. and the University of Rochester 86-80 Jan. 16.

Junior guard Dylan Richter took over the team scoring lead after averaging 19.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in three contests last week.

The Bears (6-8, 0-3 UAA) have six of their next eight games on the road, beginning this weekend with a pair of contests on the East Coast. WUSL takes on New York University Friday, Jan. 21, followed by a game at Brandeis University Sunday, Jan. 23.

Swimming & diving dominates WUSTL invitational

The women’s swimming and diving team concluded its 2010-11 home slate with a first-place finish in the Washington University Invitational Jan. 14-15 at the Millstone Pool. The WUSTL men’s team finished in third place.

A trio of freshman found themselves leading the women’s team to the win. Chi Pham and Allison Siegel each finished first in five different races between individual and relay events while Paige VanTassell finished first in four races. Pham won the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:10.54 and the 100-yard backstroke in 1:00.02,

Siegel finished first in the 100-yard freestyle (55.02) and the 50-yard freestyle (25.28), and VanTassell took the top spot in the 200-freestyle (2:00.02) and the 500-freestyle (5:15.83).

The Bears also won four relays, with Pham, Siegel or VanTassell having a part in each one.

Senior David Chao was dominant for the men’s team just as he has been all season, winning three individual races and three relays. Chao turned in a time of 21.61 to capture the 50-yard freestyle, he won the 100-freestyle in 47.06, and the 200-freestyle and 1:45.36.

Senior Kartik Anjur, freshman Brian Carpenter, sophomore Brendan Morin and Chao teamed up to win the 200-medley relay (1:36.12) and sophomore Mark Minowitz, Anjur, freshman Jason Wan and Chao finished first in the 400-free relay (3:09.58). Anjur, junior Chris Valach, Wan and Chao represented the winning team in the 800-free relay with a time of 7:00.84.

Both teams return to action at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21, for a dual meet at Principia College in Elsah, Ill.

Jackson breaks school record in indoor track meet

The men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams each got their 2011 season off to a strong start Jan. 15 at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Double Dual Meet in Terre Haute, Ind.

Both teams placed second overall out of three teams in the Division III competition. The WUSTL men’s team tallied 90 points, finishing 14 points behind first place Rose-Hulman while the Bears’ women’s team compiled 98 points, with Illinois Wesleyan University finishing first at 121 points.

Individually, each team had a student-athlete submit an NCAA Division III championship provisional performance in just the first competition of the season, and for the men’s squad, junior hurdler Tyler Jackson opened the year with an all-time great run in the 60-meter hurdles.

Jackson finished first in the men’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.32, eclipsing the 2011 NCAA provisional qualifying standard and the WUSTL school record in the process.

Sophomore Anne Diaz-Arrastia highlighted a number of impressive performances for the WUSTL women’s team, finishing first in the triple jump with an NCAA Championship provisional distance of 11.34 meters. She was also the runner-up in the long jump, clearing 5.06 meters.

Both teams will be back in action at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, for the Illinois College Snow Bird Open in Jacksonville, Ill.