Records broken, winning streaks continued, and West Coast Conference standings shifted, the Dons had an action-packed week.
Track and Field hit some personal bests in the Husky Classic hosted by University of Washington on Feb 11. Graduate student Anna Tait earned her best time in the mile at 4:51:07 as well as the 3K at 9:37:58. Senior Fian Sullivan-Sweeney and sophomore Baneet Bains found their personal bests in the 3K with 9:49:12 and 9:47:43 in the races, and sophomore Ruby Smee continued to shatter the school record in her 5K at 15:36.04, placing her at No. 9 in the NCAA.
Women’s Tennis cut close in a 4-3 win over the University of California, Davis Aggies on the road Feb. 11 with a slow start in the doubles. With the Aggies up 3-0, the Dons pulled through in the singles to tie it up 3-3, and sophomore Maria Martines Vaquero clinched the win through going 6-1, 1-6, 6-4, in her sets.
Women’s basketball found dominance in the first half in their home match against Gonzaga University Feb. 12, outscoring their opponent 26-22 in the first quarter and 26-18 in the second, leaving them up 52-40 by the end of the half.
Despite contributions down low from redshirt sophomore Ioanna Krimili and freshman Claudia Langarita, as well as a three made by redshirt junior Amalie Langer in the third quarter, the Bulldogs came off of a 21-7 run against the Dons, leaving them with the 61-59 advantage.
Three pointers by Langer and Krimili would bring them back up 67-63 early in the fourth quarter, but a late exchange in free throws and a lay up at the final buzzer would bring the Bulldogs the 83-82 win.
After a 105-61 home game blow out against Pepperdine University, the men’s basketball team traveled to Santa Clara Feb. 12 off of a high after coming to a close 88-85 win against the Broncos two weeks prior. Exchanging the same amount of points at the start, the Dons found a 15-4 lead just before half time bringing the score from 25-24 to 40-28 to close the first half.
Powerhouse graduate student Yahuen Massalski finished 7-9 in field goals and 5-6 at the free throw line, seeing his twelfth double-double of the season with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks on the floor. The team found the 74-58 win in an all around effort with redshirt senior Khalil Shabazz and graduate student Jamaree Bouyea also reaching double figures.
This win brought the Dons to a third place standing in the West Coast Conference, a spot that was originally taken by the Broncos who are now placed fourth in the conference. The Dons are now under No. 1 Gonzaga University and No. 22 Saint Mary’s College of California in standings.
Men’s tennis fell short in their first two doubles against the Sacramento State University Hornets Feb. 13, freshman Nikola Kuraica and sophomore Stevie Gould eventually securing the 4-3 win in their match. The Dons would then rule the singles, winning four out of their five matches and securing the 4-2 victory in their home opener.
