The No. 2 volleyball team picked up three 3-0 wins Nov. 9-11 at the NCAA Central Region Championship at the Field House. With the wins, the Bears improved to 36-1 and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the 19th time in program history.
WUSTL opened regional play with a 30-17, 30-18, 31-29 win against Nebraska Wesleyan University. Junior outside hitter Haleigh Spencer paced the Red and Green with 10 kills and 17 digs, while senior middle hitter Whitney Smith posted nine kills and 12 block assists.
On Nov. 10, the Bears upended Capital University 30-18, 30-27, 30-28 behind sophomore right side attacker Nikki Morrison’s 15 kills. Morrison tallied a .750 hitting percentage in the match, while Smith hit .526 with 13 kills and nine blocks. Smith also became WUSTL’s single-season record holder for blocks.
On Nov. 11 in the region final, WUSTL defeated Rhodes College 30-17, 30-21, 30-20. Spencer led with 13 kills and 13 digs, and junior middle hitter Emilie Walk posted nine kills and eight blocks.
WUSTL returns to action at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 16, vs. Stevens Institute of Technology in the national quarterfinal in Salem, Va.
Women’s soccer goes on to sectionals
The No. 6 women’s soccer team will face No. 24 Washington & Lee University at 5 p.m. Nov. 18 in the NCAA Division III Sectional Semifinals in Norfolk, Va.
The Bears advanced with a 3-0 win over Loras College in the second round Nov. 11. Washington U. (17-2) is riding a school-record 15-game winning streak.
The Bears received an automatic bid to the tournament after capturing the UAA title.
In the other sectional semifinal, No. 19 and host Virginia Wesleyan College (18-3-2) will take on Elizabethtown College (14-4-3) at 7:30 p.m.
The two winners will meet on Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. for a berth to the Final Four, held November 24-25 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Women runners win regional, men 5th
The women’s cross country team claimed its third NCAA Midwest Region championship Nov. 11 in Rock Island, Ill., to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
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WUSTL’s men took fifth place at regionals to earn one of 16 at-large bids to the NCAA Championships.
In a field of 38 teams, the women, led by five All-Region Team members, claimed the title with 56 points. Senior Beth Herndon paced the women with a fourth-place finish in the 6K run. Herndon recorded a time of 21:34 to become a four-time all-Midwest region honoree.
Junior Kate Pentak finished just behind Herndon in 21:35 (fifth place), while junior Tricia Frisella (seventh), junior Tyler Mulkin (19th) and senior Lindsay Harkema (21st) also garnered all-region honors.
The men scored 156 points for fifth out of 37 teams. UW-La Crosse won the men’s title with 65 points. Three WUSTL men’s runners garnered all-region accolades, led by junior Jesse McDaniel. McDaniel finished the 8K run in 25:19 for 18th place. Senior Kevin Gale (19th) and classmate Joe Guinness (34th) also were tabbed all-region.
The 2006 NCAA Championships are Nov. 18 at Voice of America Park in Wilmington, Ohio.
Men’s soccer falls in NCAA first round
The No. 18 men’s soccer team fell to Wheaton College, 1-0, Nov. 10 at Francis Field in the NCAA Tournament. With the first-round loss, the Bears finished 2006 with a 12-4-2 record. Wheaton scored on a penalty kick late in the game to seal the win.
Women’s swimming takes 2nd, men 3rd
The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams turned in some strong performances Nov. 10-11 at the Maroon Invitational in Chicago.
The Bears women placed second of 10 teams, while the men took third of 11 teams.
On the women’s side, sophomore Kelly Kono posted an NCAA provisional mark in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Kono also swam the second leg in the 200-free relay, helping lead junior Meredith Nordbrock, sophomore Kim Jenkins and freshman Marin Hawk to first place in 1:40.63. Nordbrock also took first in the 100 backstroke. Hawk picked up another win in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:56.36, and junior Priya Srikanth won the one-meter diving competition.
Sophomore Kevin Leckey paced the Bears’ men. He won the 200 freestyle in 1:45.72 and anchored the 200-free relay, which clocked a time of 1:29.11.