BY ALEX CONOVER
Sports Editor
MEN’S BASKETBALL (9-16 overall, 7-13 in the MIAC)
The men’s basketball team improved in almost every statistical category and won two more games than last season. Home wins over playoff teams Gustavus and Hamline highlighted the schedule. Junior guardWillWright led the conference in points per game (PPG) with 18.1, and his consistent production has landed him as the eighth-leading scorer in Saint Mary’s University history with his senior year still ahead of him.
Junior point guard Lukas Holland and freshman forward Chris Palmer tied for the secondleading scorers with 14.4 PPG each; Palmer also finished fourth in the conference in rebounds with 8.1.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (5-20 overall, 4-18 in the MIAC)
The Cardinal women’s basketball team had an identical win count as last year. Defeating Hamline and Carleton were great moments for this year’s team, along with barely losing to third-ranked Concordia by three points. The Cardinals lost several contests by a small margin, often being decided in the final seconds of the game.
Junior forward Jess Miller finished ninth in the conference in scoring with 14 PPG, including a 29-point effort against Gustavus early in the year. Junior guard Cherie Kulig also tossed in 9.5 PPG and led the team in assists with 3.16 per game. Freshmen Renee Pecarina and Jess Thone each had large contributions this year, starting nearly every game and gaining valuable experience as rookies.
SWIMMING AND DIVING (Men finished 6th in the MIAC; Women finished 10th)
After logging hours of hard work this winter, the Saint Mary’s swimming and diving team culminated its season when several records were set at the MIAC conference championships.
Ten SMU records were broken at this year’s championships, including a cumulative 226-point effort from the men’s squad. Mark Ross had a part in setting seven records, a great end to a breakout season for the freshman. Sophomore Liz Flynn also set a school record in the three-meter dive.
For senior John Fox, a remarkable career as a Cardinal swimmer has concluded. The Winona native will leave with several records to his name, including the 50 and 100-meter freestyles and the 50 and 100-meter breaststrokes. Fox appeared in the NCAA Division III championship races as a junior, becoming SMU’s first swimmer to automatically qualify for such a berth.
MEN’S HOCKEY (1-23-1 overall, 1-15 in the MIAC)
The men’s hockey team won a single game against Concordia on the Cobbers’ home ice. The Cardinals tied Nichols College during the team’s January East Coast tour. The foundation was laid for next year with several young players ready to replace this year’s senior class. Senior Anthony Bohn led the team in points with 17, including 12 assists. Bohn and senior Morgan Shepherd tied for the team lead in goals with five each.
Freshman Kevin Wentland had the highest production of any newcomer with 11 points. 23 different Cardinals had at least one point.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY (12-11-2 overall, 9-6-2 in the MIAC)
By the time this issue went to press, the SMU women’s hockey team had just earned the No. 4 seed in the MIAC playoffs, losing 3-1 to St. Olaf College in the first round. This postseason opportunity is simply the result of a determined team that had an impressive push at the end of the season, finishing 4-2-1 to secure a tournament berth.
The team was led in scoring this season by sophomore Nicole Olson, who logged 12 goals along with 9 assists. Fellow sophomore Stevie Fiek led the team in assists with 12. Freshman goalie Kaye Collier held her own in her first year guarding the net, starting 23 games and earning a goals-against average of 1.71.
No comments:
Post a Comment