Sports update Feb. 27: Track team sweeps UAA championships

The men’s and women’s track & field teams combined to win eight events as they swept the team championships at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Indoor Championships Feb. 25 and 26 in New York.

The women scored 149 points to win their 11th UAA indoor team title in school history, while the men finished with 117 points for the sweep. It marked the third-straight UAA indoor championship for WUSTL, and the 12th in school history.

Senior Erica Jackey won a pair of events to lead the Bears. She set a UAA record in winning the women’s 800 meters (2:12.60) and also grabbed gold in the mile (5:00.22). The women’s distance medley relay team also set a UAA record with a time of 12:01.04 to win that event.

Freshman Lucy Cheadle and junior Ryan Doll each set school records at the meet. Cheadle won the women’s 3,000 in a record time of 9:58.16. Doll broke the school record in the men’s 200 prelims, but improved on that time to finish second in the final of the event.

Freshman Madison Cannon (shot put), and sophomores Anna Etherington (pole vault) and Sarah Fisher (5,000) also won individual titles for the women. Senior Tyler Jackson was the lone event champion for the men, clocking a season-best time of 8.14 to win the 60 hurdles. His time ranks fourth in NCAA Division III in the event this season. Overall, the Bears had 27 top-three finishes at the meet.

Both teams compete at the North Central Last Chance Meet in Naperville, Ill., on Friday, March 2, to try to improve their standings on the Division III performance lists. The qualifiers for the 2012 NCAA Division III National Championships will be officially announced on Monday, March 5.

Men’s basketball wins regular-season finale

Senior Dylan Richter scored a team-high 14 points and sophomores Alan Aboona and Chris Klimek added 13 points each as the No. 24 men’s basketball team concluded regular season play with a 73-60 win at the University of Chicago Feb. 25.

Senior Alex Toth added 11 points in the win, while junior Robert Burnett chipped in with nine points. Richter added 10 rebounds and three assists for the Bears as he recorded the second double-double of his career. Aboona also filled up the stat sheet with seven rebounds and seven assists.

The men’s basketball team will host the 2012 NCAA Division III First and Second Rounds on Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3, at the WU Field House.

No. 23 North Central College and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology will square off in first-round action at 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 2, while WUSTL will take on Buena Vista University in the second game at 7:30 p.m.

The winners of the two first-round games will meet at 7 p.m. Saturday March 3, with a chance to advance to the NCAA sectionals.

Women’s basketball falls in finale

The No. 9 women’s basketball team dropped its regular-season finale at No. 2 University of Chicago, 76-67, Feb. 25.

The loss gave the team a 20-5 record (10-4 UAA) and second place in the University Athletic Association (UAA).

Freshman Melissa Gilkey had 15 points to lead WUSTL, while senior Dani Hoover (14 points), senior Claire Schaeperkoetter (12 points) and freshman Alyssa Johanson (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Bears.

The women’s team will make its 23rd consecutive NCAA tournament appearance Friday, March 2, when the Bears travel to Danville, Ky., to take on Ferrum College in the opening round of the NCAA Division III tournament. Host Centre College and Guilford College will square off in the other game.

The Bears’ at-large bid to this year’s tournament marks the 24th NCAA tournament appearance in 26 seasons under head coach Nancy Fahey.

Men’s tennis finishes fourth at ITA

The No. 3 men’s tennis team posted a 1-2 record and placed fourth at the 2012 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division III National Team Indoor Championship in St. Peter, Minn., Feb. 26.

The Bears dropped a 5-4 decision to No. 7 Kenyon College in the third-place match. WUSTL also defeated No. 11 University of Chicago on Feb. 24 and dropped a 5-4 decision to No. 7 University of California-Santa Cruz Feb. 25.

Junior Adam Putterman improved his singles record to 15-2 and was a perfect 3-0 at the ITA Indoor Championship.

The Bears also captured three singles flights at the Principia College Invitational Feb. 24-25, in Elsah, Ill. Freshman Amreet Mohanty, freshman Connor Mulhall and junior Seth Sankary each won there respective flight.

WUSTL (3-2) will have a week off before hosting NCAA Division II Ferris State University at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 6.

Swimming and diving competes at Midwest Invitational

The swimming and diving teams posted seven B-cut times to lead the Bears to fourth-place finishes in both the men’s and women’s team standings at the Midwest Invitational Feb. 25.

Sophomore Chi Pham raced to a pool record and lowered her B-cut time in the 200-yard individual medley to 2:07.12. Other event-winners, all posting B-cut times, included the women’s 400 freestyle relay; sophomore Grace Murray (1,650 freestyle); sophomore Allison Siegel (50 freestyle); freshman Luke Dobben (500 freestyle); senior Chris Valach (200 freestyle); and junior Brendan Morin (100 butterfly).

Both teams now wait for the March 9 announcement of qualifiers for the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. The meet will be held March 21-24 in Indianapolis.

Baseball drops season-opening series

The baseball team suffered three tough losses to DePauw University in the season-opening weekend for both teams Feb. 25 and 26.

DePauw earned a 4-2 win Feb. 25, before sweeping the Bears 12-3 and 22-9 in a doubleheader Feb. 26. WUSTL had several solid offensive performances in the series, led by senior Brandon Rogalski who went 5-for-10 at the plate with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Freshman Brian Cizek, sophomore Kyle Billig and freshman Zack Kessinger all recorded four hits each, while accounting for eight of WUSTL’s 13 RBIs on the weekend.

The team will try to pick up its first win of the season at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, hosting Greenville College. That’s followed by four home games at Kelly Field this weekend, as the Bears host Buena Vista University at 3 p.m. Friday, March 2 and Saturday March 3; and College of St. Scholastica at noon Saturday, March 3 and 1 p.m. Sunday, March 4.