Track and field
The men’s and women’s track and field teams opened up the outdoor season last Friday at the USF Invitational down in Tampa, Fla. Both teams showed that they came to compete, as the women had six top-10 results while the men had four.
Thrower Osazenoriuwa Ebose ’15 continued with the types of stellar performances that marked a successful indoor season in which she was named Centennial Conference Indoor Field Athlete of the Year. At the USF Invitational, she placed second in the discus throw and third in the shot put. Lulu Allen-Waller ’17 achieved personal collegiate-best marks in the 100-meter high hurdles and the 400-meter intermediate hurdles, as did classmate Anise Charles ’17 in the 200-meter dash.
Jason Heo ’15 highlighted for the men by placing sixth in the 100-meter high hurdles with a time of 16.52 seconds, .06 seconds short of his personal best. Zach Kronstat ’15, Emmanuel Schorsch ’15, and Andrew Jansen ’18 also had top-10 performances in the triple jump, javelin throw, and shot put, respectively.
The next day, Sarah Nielsen ’16 placed eighth in the mile at the NCAA D-III Indoor Track and Field Championships. In the process, she became the fifth athlete in the women’s team’s history to earn all-America recognition indoors.
Both teams will compete next in Widener University’s Danny Curran Invitational on March 27 and 28, looking to build on a great start to their outdoor season.
Men’s tennis
The Garnet went 1-2 over a spring break that consisted of a competitive set of matches against nationally-ranked opponents. Although they lost to 31st-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology and 19th-ranked University of Mary Washington, the Garnet earned their second win of the season against 37th-ranked Washington and Lee.
Despite the losing record during that time, the team still had great performances that showed why they are a force to be reckoned with. Mark Fallati ’18 remained undefeated at second singles until the spring break finale against the Mary Washington, during which he fought to three sets but ultimately lost 6-2, 2-6, 10-8. One of the highlights of the trip was the team’s sweep of singles play against Washington and Lee en route to a 7-2 victory.
On Tuesday night, the men’s tennis team hosted second-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who dominated the Garnet and won 9-0. CMS did not lose a set in any of its singles matches. Fallati and Ari Cepelewicz ’18 kept it close in second doubles, but ultimately fell 8-6.
The team will continue with a packed schedule this week. They host Ursinus College Thursday night before leaving Friday morning to play at DePauw University on Saturday and Kenyon College on Sunday.
Women’s tennis
The women’s tennis team went to Hilton Head, S.C. over spring break and left with three wins against all three of their opponents: Westminster College, Randolph College, and Albion College. There were streaks and sweeps everywhere for the Garnet, making it fitting that they won their last match against Albion with a 9-0 sweep.
Alli Wong ’17 and Maria Cuervo ’18 went undefeated at first doubles to kick off each of the victories. The team swept third doubles throughout the three victories as well. Wong and Cuervo also won all of their singles matches, setting the tone for the Garnet’s dominance. Ashley Gao ’18 had impressive performances throughout the break as well, with two doubles wins with Rachel Bronkema ’18 and three singles wins.
With a four-game winning streak dating back to March 1, the Garnet have plenty of reason to be confident going into their next match on Saturday against McDaniel College, their first Centennial Conference opponent this season. From there, they head over to play Oberlin College on Sunday to close out a busy weekend.
Women’s Softball
With one of the most packed spring break schedules, the women’s softball team went down to Fort Myers, Fla. to kick off their season. Although they started off with three wins, the team lost some momentum and closed out the break with a 4-4 record.The Garnet put out a high-scoring offense in all of its wins, driving in at least 10 runs in each. Likewise, it struggled to put up runs in the games that it eventually lost, failing to score more than three runs and even getting shut out once.
However, solid pitching performances often kept the Garnet close, as three of their four losses were only by one point. One of the more notable games like this was a 1-0 loss to Geneva, in which Swarthmore pitcher Emily Bowman ’18 dueled the opposing pitcher and lost, despite giving up only four hits and striking out eight over six innings. Bowman also provided 4.2 scoreless innings of relief the previous night to keep Swarthmore within distance of opposing Drew, who ultimately won 4-3. Mary Olesnavich ’18 also pitched strongly throughout the trip, posting a 1.58 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched. Swarthmore’s pitching overall was solid, with a 2.83 ERA over the course of the trip.
The team’s doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday against Widener University was postponed. Their next matchup is a doubleheader at home against Penn State Brandywine at 3 and 5 p.m. today.
Men’s lacrosse
During spring break, the men’s lacrosse team won two games to bring their win streak to a total of four games. The games, in which Swarthmore went against Gordon College and Whittier College, were both played in California. However, the Garnet showed that they can win in any way needed on enemy territory, as they easily defeated Gordon 16-8 before pulling out a close 13-12 win against Whittier.
The game against Gordon was never really in question. Although Gordon did score first, the Garnet responded with eight unanswered goals by the half and built themselves a comfortable 12-3 lead as they went into the final quarter. Cam Marsh ’18 and Ian Lukaszewicz ’15 led the team by scoring four goals apiece, while Andrew Preiser ’15 led in assists with four.
Against Whittier, the Garnet had a respectable 10-5 lead going into the final quarter. Whittier would not go down easily, though, as they trailed just 12-11 with less than a minute left. Goalie Cole Fox ’17 stepped up under the pressure and was able to turn away a shot attempt that was soon converted to a goal by the Garnet. The Garnet survived a goal in response by Whittier in the closing seconds to escape with the win. Fox performed well in both matches, saving 16 and 15 shots respectively, and now has a 3-0 start to his season.
The Garnet will look to continue their winning streak this Saturday when they play Ursinus College, their first Centennial Conference opponent this season, at home.
Women’s lacrosse
Following a winless spring break, the women’s lacrosse team came to life at home against Alvernia on Tuesday as they earned a 17-4 victory. The first half of the victory showcased the Garnet’s offensive explosiveness, evidenced by the team’s 12-3 lead at the half. Overall, 8 different players scored for the Garnet; Sara Lentricchia ’15, Kathryn Restrepo ’18, and Elyse Tierney ’15 had four goals apiece. In the second half, the team displayed their defensive abilities as they kept Alvernia to only one goal. The victory was the definition of a full-team effort, the kind the Garnet hope to have in future games.
Over spring break, the Garnet lost its two games against Lynchburg and Rochester. The team struggled to put away shots against Lynchburg, netting only five out of 24. Restrepo scored a hat-trick to mark one of the positives in the 11-5 loss. The game against Rochester was much closer. During the first half, the Garnet was able to equalize after being down 4-2, and trailed 6-5 at the half. Restrepo had yet another hat-trick along with Lentricchia, but the team ultimately fell 14-10 as Rochester turned the ball over only twice and had twice as many shots as the Garnet in the second half.
The team’s next game will be away against Eastern University, where they hope to start to build some momentum for the rest of the season.
