Sports update April 25

Men’s track wins third straight UAA title

The men’s outdoor track and field team wrapped up an impressive 2010-11 academic year by winning the 2011 University Athletic Association (UAA) Outdoor title April 23 at Emory University. The WUSTL women finished second.

This latest win for the men’s team gives WUSTL a sweep of both the UAA indoor and outdoor titles for the second year in a row. It was the third straight outdoor title, marking just the second time in school history the team accomplished that feat.

Additionally, WUSTL captured the 2010 men’s cross country title last fall making it the first time in school history the Bears have won the men’s UAA cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field championships during the same academic year.

Junior Dan Davis won three UAA Championships at the meet while posting a second-place finish in a fourth event. He won the 110-meter hurdles (14.64) in addition to running on the Bears’ first-place 4×100-relay (42.92) and 4×400-relay teams (3:18.77) while placing second in the 400-meter hurdles (54.00).

Junior Liz Phillips starred for the women’s team winning three conference championships. She was a member of the first-place 4×800-relay team (9:20.28) on Friday night, and won the 1,500-meter (4:44.53) and the 800-meter (2:16.24) on Saturday.

Both teams return to action Saturday, April 30, for the Illinois College Twilight Open in Jacksonville, Ill.

Women’s tennis third at UAA championship

The No. 15 women’s tennis team upset No. 11 Carnegie Mellon University 5-4 to finish third at the 2011 University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship April 22-24.

The Bears opened the conference tournament with a 5-4 win over the University of Rochester, avenging a first-round loss suffered to the Yellowjackets at last year’s UAA championship.

WUSTL lost to top-seeded Emory 6-0 in the semifinal and erased a 2-1 deficit through doubles play to come back and beat Carnegie in the third place match.

Sophomore Paige Madara and freshman Corinne Rauck delivered what proved to be a crucial doubles point for the Bears with a win in the No. 3 match. WUSTL went on to win three of the first five complete singles contests to tie the match at 4-4, leaving the decision up to freshman Evelyn Qin at second singles.

Qin won the first set over Carnegie’s Courtney Chin 6-2, but trailed 5-4 in the second set. Qin broke Chin’s serve twice to tie the set at 6-6 and head to a tiebreaker, where she prevailed 7-2 to clinch the win for the Bears.

WUSTL finished third at the UAA tournament for the first time since 2008, following fourth and fifth place finishes over the last two years. The Bears (15-5) return to action Saturday, May 7, against No. 14 DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind.

Men’s tennis continues hot play

The No. 6 men’s tennis team picked up its 15th win of the season following an 8-1 win over regional-foe Grinnell College April 24.

WUSTL (15-5) closes out regular season play Saturday, May 7, at No. 19 DePauw University.

Senior Max Woods had the biggest win of the day for the Bears, upsetting No. 21 ranked Juan Carlos Perez at No. 1 singles, 6-4, 6-4. Woods improved his all-time record to 164-66 (.713) with two victories on Saturday, moving just four wins shy of fourth place on the all-time list.

Softball splits doubleheader at Monmouth College

Senior pitcher Claire Voris struck out a season-high 14 batters as the No. 22 softball team posted a 1-0 victory in the first game of a doubleheader at Monmouth College April 24.

The Bears’ late rally fell short in a 3-2 loss in the second game. Voris improved to 13-3 this season, allowing four singles. She struck out the side in the second and fourth innings, picking up her 69th complete game of her career, one shy of the school record.

Voris’ 14 strikeouts also moved her past Jenna Harvey (Wellesley, 2005-08, 773) into 23rd all-time in NCAA Division III history with 775. Voris drove in the eventual game-winning run with a ground out to third base in the top of the sixth inning.

WUSTL bats came alive in the top of the seventh inning trailing 3-0 in the second game. Freshman Kelsey Neal drove in a run with an RBI double, and then sophomore Sondra Polonsky made it 3-2 with an RBI single to left. Sophomore pinch-hitter Kathy Peter kept the rally alive by beating out an infield hit, but sophomore Ashley Janssen struck out on a check swing to end the game.

The Bears (27-8-1) have five days off before hosting a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, April 29 with Fontbonne University.

Baseball drops three games at Chicago

The baseball team lost all three games of a tripleheader with the University of Chicago April 25 with scores of 17-3 in the first, 7-4 in the second 7-4, and 5-4 in the third.

In the first game, WUSTL trailed the Maroons just 5-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth, but Chicago scored 12 runs that inning to put the game out of reach.

Chicago carried its momentum from the first game into the second, scoring five runs through the first three frames to stake claim to a 5-0 lead. WUSTL found some offense in the sixth when senior Travis May’s two-RBI double to left center field plated senior Matt Skinner and junior Brandon Rogalski to make the score 6-4, but the Red and Green were unable to pull any closer.

Sophomore Stephen Bonser received the loss in game two, just his first of the year to drop his overall record to 5-1. He struck out six batters in six innings but gave up seven runs on 13 hits.

The third game was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning when four different Maroon batters registered an RBI base hit to lift Chicago to a 5-1 lead.

Once again WUSTL began a comeback that fell just short in the end. Rogalski doubled down the left-field line to score senior Ben Ingell in the top half of the fifth, then came in to score himself when Skinner blasted a double to centerfield.

WUSTL (25-16) returns to action at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 28, when it hosts Millikin University at Kelly Field for a single game.