Women’s golf closes out regular season with a win
The No. 5 women’s golf team concluded regular-season play by capturing the 2011 Millikin University Spring Classic April 15-16 in Decatur, Ill. WUSTL finished 11 strokes ahead of second place Rend Lake College (344) and 21 strokes in front of third place Franklin College (354).
Wheaton’s Casi Blanton shot a 79 (39-40) to win the individual title. Sophomore Hannah Buck finished two shots off the individual lead in third place after an 81 (38-42), while classmate Melanie Walsh, who had the tournament lead at the turn after an opening 36 on the front nine, finished in a tie fourth place with an 83 (36-47.
The team is ranked fifth in the NCAA Division III head-to-head rankings and will await word on selection to the 2011 NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championship May 10-13 at the Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
The 20 teams and six individuals (106 participants total) will be announced at 7 p.m. Monday, May 2 on ncaa.com.
Men’s tennis second at UAA championship
The No. 5 men’s tennis team suffered a 6-0 loss to No. 2 ranked Emory University in the 2011 University Athletic Association (UAA) championship match April 17 in Beverly, Mass.
Emory (20-3) gains the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, while the Bears will wait to see if they are selected for an at-large bid as the Central Region’s third-ranked team.
WUSTL defeated Case Western Reserve University (9-0) April 15 and No. 15 University of Chicago (5-3) April 16 to advanced to the championship match.
WUSTL (14-5) plays two matches in preparation for the NCAA championship, which begins Friday, May 13, at a site to be determined. The Bears take on Grinnell College Saturday, April 23, on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and No. 19 ranked DePauw University Saturday, May 7, in Greencastle, Ind.
Baseball picks up pair of home victories
The baseball team picked up a 5-4 win over Webster University April 14, and defeated Principia College, 14-4, April 16 to improve to 23-13 on the year.
Junior Brandon Rogalski hit a two-RBI double down the left field line to break a 3-3 tie against Webster and lift the Bears to the win. Sophomore Stephen Bonser tossed a complete game on the hill, his fourth of the year, to improve his record to 5-0.
WUSTL stole 15 bases, breaking the school single-season record in the process in the win over Principia. The Bears have swiped 106 bases this year, eclipsing the old school record of 93. Freshman Kyle Billig has 28 steals on the year, one shy of the WUSTL individual single-season record. Sophomore Taylor Berman allowed just four runs in nine innings with five strikeouts to earn the victory over Principia.
Softball sweeps doubleheader at Westminster College
Sophomore Alex Fjeldheim had three hits in game one and freshman Kelsey Neal added three hits and three RBIs in game two as the softball team posted a doubleheader sweep at Westminster College April 13.
Fjeldheim was 3-for-3 in the Bears’ 5-1 victory in game one, while Neal was 3-for-3 with three doubles, three runs scored and three RBIs in the 10-1 five-inning win in the nightcap.
Senior Claire Voris (12-3) tossed a complete-game in the opener, the 68th of her career, allowing four Westminster hits. She also struck out nine in the win, moving into a tie with Jackie Demline (Wheaton, Mass., 2001-04) into 24th in NCAA Division III history with 761 strikeouts.
Freshman Maggie Mullen went 2-for-3 with three RBIs as the Bears recorded 11 hits in the game one win. Senior Ally Berenter was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored in game two, as Washington U. out hit Westminster, 12-4.
Sophomore Hilary Stepansky and junior Alyssa Abramoski also added two hits for the Bears. Junior Olivia Cook (9-3) picked up the win in game two on the mound allowing four hits and an unearned run. She also lowered her team-leading earned run average to 1.85.
WUSTL (26-7-1) hosts Missouri Baptist University in a doubleheader at 4 p.m. Friday, April 22.
Women’s outdoor track team wins Rose-Hulman Twilight Meet
The women’s outdoor track & field team finished first in eight events while setting three 2011 NCAA Division III Championship provisional qualifying marks as it placed first at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Twilight Meet April 15 in Terre Haute, Ind.
The WUSTL women tallied a team score of 223 points to grab the top spot among 11 competing schools. The men’s team finished fourth with 107 points and had a pair of runners meet NCAA provisional standards in the 5,000-meter run.
Junior Liz Phillips won the 1,500-meter with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 4:35.21. Freshman Shannon Howell placed first in the 400-meter hurdles with a provisional mark of 1:03.69, finishing .44 off her season-best pace of 1:03.25, and freshman Anna Etherington cleared 3.55 meters in the pole vault to grab another first place finish for the Bears while meeting the provisional NCAA Championship standard for the first time this year.
In the men’s 5,000, senior Dave Spandorfer finished first with a mark of 14:38.91 while junior Michael Burnstein was right behind him, coming in second with a time of 14:42.39.
WUSTL returns to action Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23, for the 2011 University Athletic Association (UAA) Outdoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by Emory University in Atlanta.
Women’s tennis to host 2011 UAA Championship
Washington University will serve as host for the 2011 University Athletic Association (UAA) Women’s Tennis Championship Friday-Sunday, April 22-24, at Dwight Davis Tennis Center in Forest Park.
Tournament play begins April 22 with four quarterfinal matches and continues through April 24, when the 2011 conference champion will be crowned.
WUSTL is ranked No.15 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Top-30 poll, and will look to improve on a fifth-place finish at last year’s conference championship.