The baseball team was one of 56 teams selected to
compete in the 2012 NCAA Division III baseball championship, and will
travel to Millington, Tenn., to compete in regional play
Wednesday through Sunday, May 16-20.
WUSTL, who finished the regular
season with a 28-12 record and are No. 1 in the Central Region rankings,
are the No. 2 seed in the six-team regional. Seventh-ranked
Birmingham-Southern College (35-7) is the No. 1 seed in the regional, while
No. 22 DePauw University (33-12), Emory University (26-12), Webster
University (31-11) and Illinois Wesleyan University (29-15) will be the
third through sixth seeds, respectively.
WUSTL will face Webster
in the first round May 16, with the game time yet to be
determined. The Bears will be making their eighth NCAA tournament
appearance all-time and first since 2009. WUSTL has an all-time
record of 3-14 in the tournament, and will look for its first win since
2005.
Women’s golf finishes 13th at nationals
Freshman Olivia Lugar highlighted the final round with a two-over 74 and earned All-America honors as the Bears concluded play at the 2012 NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championship May 11 at Zollner Golf Course in Angola, Ind.
WUSTL fired a four-day total of 1,297 to finish in 13th place in the 19-team field. No. 1 Methodist University claimed its 15th straight and 25th overall national championship with a score of 1,242.
“It was a tough week for us. We came here with expectations of playing well and finishing high and we did not get it done,” said fourth-year head coach Sean Curtis. “This is part of the growth of the program. Hopefully after going through this experience, they will now know what it takes to put together four solid rounds and be ready for it next year.”
Lugar’s round tied her mark set earlier in the week for the
lowest round in school history at the NCAA championship. Lugar took home
ninth place honors with a four-day total of 309 (74-84-77-74, +21).
Men’s tennis picks up pair of NCAA tournament wins
The No. 15 men’s tennis team swept No. 26 Gustavus Adolphus College 5-0 in the NCAA Division III Regional Championship May 13 in Whitewater, Wis.
The Bears are making their sixth-straight and ninth overall NCAA quarterfinal appearance. WUSTL also posted a 5-0 win over No. 30 Coe College May 12 after receiving a first round bye.
Junior Kareem Farah won all four of his matches to lead the Bears. Farah lost just three games in two wins at No. 4 singles over No. 30 Coe College and No. 26 Gustavus Adolphus College. He also teamed with freshman Parker Chang for an 8-4 and 8-6 No. 2 doubles victories.
WUSTL (17-6) takes on No. 1 and defending national champion Amherst College (31-2) in the national quarterfinals Monday, May 21. The final three rounds of the tournament will take place at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C.
Junior Adam Putterman and freshman Ross Putterman also will represent WUSTL in the NCAA individual championships May 24-26. Adam Putterman will represent the Bears in the 32-man singles draw, while the Puttermans are one of 16 doubles teams selected.
Women’s tennis loses in second round at nationals
The No. 11 women’s tennis team dropped a 5-1 decision to No. 21 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the second round of the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship May 12.
Senior Natalie Tingir was the lone bright spot, picking up a win at No. 1 singles. The Bears finished the season with a 15-8 overall record, with all eight losses coming against nationally ranked teams.
Tingir will compete in the singles individual championships May 24 and 26 in Cary, N.C. Junior Kate Klein and sophomore Corinne Rauck will represent WUSTL in doubles.
Track and field sets three school records
Seniors Erica Jackey and Elizabeth Phillips, and sophomore Anna Etherington each set school records to highlight several outstanding performances for the track & field teams at the Dr. Keeler Invite hosted by North Central College May 10-11.
Jackey became the first athlete in school history to break 17 minutes in the women’s 5,000-meter run, finishing third with a school-record time of 16:57.38.
Phillips broke Jackey’s school record set earlier this season in the 1,500 with a runner-up time of 4:25.88.
Etherington added 14 centimeters to her own school record in the pole vault, winning the event with a clearance of 4.01 meters. She has now improved her personal best in the event by 45 centimeters during the outdoor season.
Senior Tyler Jackson led the men with a runner-up finish in the 110 hurdles. He clocked a season-best time of 14.25 to place second in the event.
The track & field teams return to Naperville, Ill., to compete in the Gregory Invitational Thursday and Friday, May 17 and 18. The meet will be the final tune-up for the Bears prior to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships May 24-26 in Claremont, Calif.