The No. 3 women’s soccer team advanced to the Sweet 16 with a pair of victories at home last weekend.
The Bears upended Transylvania University 3-0 in the first round Saturday behind goals from sophomore Anna Zambricki, junior Jen Reed and freshman Anna Sippel. WUSTL outshot Transylvania 36-6, and had a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks. Senior goalkeeper Clara Jaques made one save in 75 minutes, while senior Caitlin Heim played the final 15 minutes in goal for WUSTL.
On Sunday, junior forward Jessica Johnson scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner two minutes and 46 seconds into the first overtime, to lead the Bears to a 3-2 victory over No. 16 Thomas More College in the second round. Washington University (18-1-1) picked up its school record-tying 18th victory of the season, matching the win total from a year ago. Zambricki was involved in all three WUSTL tallies against Thomas More as she scored the first goal of the game and added an assist on Johnson’s first goal. She leads the squad with 14 goals and six assists for 34 points. Jaques made a pair of saves and picked up her single-season record-tying 18th win of the year. WUSTL had the 32-11 advantage in shots, including a 4-0 advantage in the overtime. The two teams combined for 41 fouls and Thomas More received five yellow cards.
WUSTL advances to the Sectional semifinals for the second-straight season and will take on No. 14 Concordia College (Moorhead) at 3 p.m. Friday at Francis Field. The Bears will host the NCAA Sectional for the first time in school history. In the other Sectional semifinal Friday, No. 2 Hardin-Simmons University will take on No. 11 Wheaton College (Ill.) at 5:30 p.m. The winners of Friday’s two semifinals will play in the Sectional Championship at 6 p.m. Saturday for a berth to the NCAA Semifinals Nov. 30-Dec. 1 in San Antonio, Texas.
Men’s cross country team, Lucy Cheadle earn trips to NCAA Championships
The men’s cross country team placed third out of 39 teams at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships Saturday, and was selected as an at-large qualifier for the 2012 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships to be held Saturday, Nov. 17, at LaVern Gibson Course in Terre Haute, Ind. In addition, sophomore Lucy Cheadle will represent the WUSTL women as an individual at the championships.
The WUSTL men’s team had five runners finish in the top 45 of the 271-runner race. Junior Kevin Sparks led the way for the Bears, placing fifth overall. Sparks, senior David Hamm (16th), and sophomore Garrett Patrick (35th) each received All-Region honors by finishing in the top 35 individually.
All five scorers for the WUSTL women at the NCAA Regional ran season-best times in the 6K race. Cheadle finished as the regional runner-up in the field of 276 runners to receive All-Region honors. She claimed an automatic qualifying spot for the NCAA Championships as one of the top-seven runners in the regional whose team did not qualify for the national championships. Last year, Cheadle placed 20th overall at the NCAA Championships to earn All-America honors as a freshman.
Football retains Founders Cup with 23-7 win at Chicago
The football team claimed the outright University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship and retained possession of the Founders Cup with a 23-7 victory Saturday at University of Chicago.
WUSTL’s defense was superb for the fourth-straight game – forcing four turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble) and five punts in the win. The Bears’ defense allowed 30 points (7.5 ppg) and 1,004 yards of total offense (251 ypg) during the four-game win streak to end the season. Senior defensive lineman William Small led the defensive unit with five tackles, two forced fumbles, one tackle for loss, one sack and one pass break-up.
The Bears offense piled up a season-high 489 yards of total offense in the win. Junior quarterback Eric Daginella improved to 5-1 as the starting signal caller for the Bears completing 18-of-32 passes for a career-high 236 yards and a TD. Daginella’s favorite target was sophomore wide receiver Tim Bartholomew, who hauled in a career-best six catches for 116 yards. WUSTL also had success running the football against the Maroons, picking up a season-high 247 yards on 47 carries. That marked the most rushing yards since Nov. 7, 2009 – 300 yards in a 44-37 win over Chicago. Junior John Hagemann led the rushing attack with a career-high 86 yards on 15 carries, while sophomore Zach Lonnemann (eight carries, 46 yards) and senior quarterback Dan Burkett (three carries, 43 yards) also had success running the football. Freshman punter Alex Stanke made his collegiate debut and punted three times for a 44.7 average with a long of 50.
Saturday’s contest marked the final game for 13 seniors on the WUSTL squad. The Class of 2013 had an overall record of 22-18 (.550), and won its final four games. The Bears finished the season with a 5-5 record overall and a perfect 3-0 mark in the UAA.
Volleyball falls short in Regional Championship at No. 9 Elmhurst
The No. 3 volleyball team earned wins over College of Mount St. Joseph and No. 15 University of Chicago, before falling to No. 9 Elmhurst College in the NCAA Regional Championship Sunday in Elmhurst, Ill. The Bears ended the season with a 31-4 record.
WUSTL swept Mount St. Joseph Friday, and earned a 3-0 win over Chicago Saturday to advance to the regional championship match for the 25th time in school history. The Bears were upended by Elmhurst 25-19, 25-19, 25-22 in the championship match. Senior outside hitter Drew Hargrave and junior outside hitter Meghan Byrne were each named to the regional all-tournament team after leading the Bears offensively in all three matches.
The Bears are now 93-17 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Sunday’s match marked the end of the careers for four seniors — defensive specialist Meg Buker, setter Marilee Fisher, Hargrave and libero Kelly Pang. The Class of 2012 helped WUSTL compile a 134-14 overall record in their four seasons on the Danforth Campus. Pang finished her career with a school-record 2,520 digs, and holds four of the top-eight single-season digs marks in school history along with the single-match record. Hargrave recorded 1,133 attacks this season, which ranks fifth on the WUSTL single-season list all-time, and also ranks eighth on the career attacks list with 3,220. Fisher ended her career with 4,475 assists, which ranks fourth all-time in WUSTL history.
Earlier in the week, Fisher, Hargrave and Pang were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Central Region team, as well as the All-University Athletic Association (UAA) First Team. Byrne received All-UAA Second-Team honors, while junior middle hitter Emily Tulloch was selected to the All-UAA honorable mention. In addition, Fisher was named to the Capital One Academic All-District Five Division III Volleyball First Team for the second year in a row.
Men’s soccer ends season with loss to North Park
The men’s soccer team had its season come to an end with a 4-1 loss to North Park University in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship Saturday at Loras College.
North Park scored twice in the first half to take a 2-0 lead into halftime, and added a third goal early in the second half to make it 3-0. Freshman David Alemany scored his second goal of the season in the 68th minute to bring WUSTL to within 3-1, but the Vikings added another goal in the 86th minute to earn the 4-1 win.
Junior goalkeeper Jonathan Jebson recorded six saves in just more than 85 minutes, while senior goalkeeper David Wilson played the final 4:38 of the match and tallied one save. North Park outshot the Bears 21-10 in the match, including a 12-2 advantage in shots on goal.
WUSTL ended the season with a 10-5-2 overall record. The Bears’ senior class – Jack Fischer, Kenji Kobayashi, Zac Query, James Underwood, David Wilson, and Brian Wright – finished their careers with a 48-17-11 record at WUSTL.
Men’s and women’s basketball picked to win UAA
The men’s and women’s basketball teams were both picked first in the University Athletic Association (UAA) Preseason Coaches Polls.
The WUSTL women garnered seven of eight first-place votes to land in the top spot, while Emory University picked up the lone remaining first-place vote and was second.
WUSTL and University of Rochester both picked up three first-place votes in the men’s poll, and are first and second, respectively. New York University garnered two first-place votes and was third.
The Washington University women open the 2012-13 season by hosting the 12th Annual McWilliams Classic Friday-Saturday, Nov. 16-17, at the Field House. The Bears host Buena Vista University at 7 p.m. Friday in the season opener. The WUSTL men’s team begins regular-season play Saturday, Nov. 17, against Trinity University (Texas). Tip-off is set for 2 p.m., in Chicago.
Men’s tennis ranked No. 4 in ITA Top-30 poll
The men’s tennis team is ranked No. 4 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division III Top-30 poll.
University Athletic Association (UAA) member Emory University opens the season as the top-ranked team in Division III. The Eagles posted a 25-0 record a year ago and won their third national championship in school history. Kenyon College, Williams College, Washington University and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges round out the top five.
Head coach Roger Follmer guided the 2011-12 team to an 18-8 overall record and a trip to the Final Four for the fifth-straight season. The Bears, who are ranked No. 2 in the Central Region, have made 13 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Washington University returns 14 letterwinners and its entire starting lineup from a year ago. Senior Adam Putterman opens the spring season ranked No. 3 nationally in singles after placing fifth at the 2012 USTA/ITA Division III Championships in Mobile, Ala.
Washington University opens the season with a pair of matches against NCAA Division II opponents Drury University Feb. 9 and Southwest Baptist University Feb. 16. The Bears will have 10 matches this season against teams ranked in the top-30.