Last week was a busy one for athletics at USF. Women’s golf competed in Hawai’i in the ‘Ānuenue Spring Break Classic while men’s and women’s tennis competed against the University of Portland and Gonzaga University. Men’s and women’s track and field also had great performances at the Stanford invitational and the Mike Fanelli Invitational.
In Lahaina, Hawai’i, the Dons were able to finish in eighth out of the 14 teams that competed in the three day tournament. Second-year Riana Mission’s three round score of 211 made her five under par and seventh overall out of the 80 participants. Mission also finished with the fifth most birdies in the tournament with 11 total. Second-year Yvonne Shang one upped Mission with 12 birdies, fourth most in the tournament. Shang had her best performance of the season for the Dons, finishing tied for 21st place with a score of 218, just two over par.
While women’s golf was in Hawai’i, the women’s tennis team went up north to Portland and Spokane to play against the Portland Pilots and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Dons were able to come out on top against the Pilots, winning 5-2, which extended their winning streak to seven straight. Graduate students Arianna Capogrosso and Rita Colyer won their doubles match 6-1. Capogrosso was later victorious in her singles match as well, sweeping her opponent in two sets. Like Capogrosso, graduate student Caragh Courtney won her singles match as well as her doubles match alongside fourth-year Chiho Mushika. The pairings of Capogross and Colyer and Courtney and Mushika could not find the same success against the Bulldogs, as the Dons’ winning streak was put to an end in Spokane. The Dons were swept by Gonzaga in both doubles and singles, losing 4-0.
The men’s team did not have the best luck either in their matches, falling to both Gonzaga and Portland at home. Against the Bulldogs, the Dons were defeated in both doubles games and their two singles wins, by second-year Nikola Kuraica and third-year Moritza Hoffmann, were not enough, resulting in a 4-2 loss. The following day, the Dons lost to Portland in very similar fashion, also losing 4-2. Just like the game against Gonzaga, Kuraica and Hoffmann were the only two Dons able to come up with wins against the Pilots. Kuraica and Hoffmann were also able to win their doubles match, but Portland was able to win the other two doubles matches, winning the point for the Pilots. The women’s and men’s tennis teams hope to return to winning ways as they face off against University of San Diego on April 8, and Brigham Young University on April 7.
Lastly, the men’s and women’s track and field teams had a collection of great performances in the Stanford and Mike Fanelli Invitationals. Fourth-year distance runners, Hiruy Alemseged and Caleb Haugland, as well as third-year distance runner, Ben Preddy, all set personal bests in the 5k at the Mike Fanelli Invitational. That same day, first-year Sophia Priester-Veasley finished in first in her heat for the 100m sprint with a new personal best of 12.27 seconds. Graduate student Olivia Alexandre also finished in first in her heat in the 800m, for an overall great outing for the Dons.
Even more personal bests were accomplished in the Stanford Invitational, with fourth-year Ruby Smee beating her old personal best in the 10,000m by 90 seconds. Her 32:30.60 time gives her the sixth fastest time in all of the NCAA. Graduate student Ed Buck also accomplished a new personal best in the 5k with a time of 14:11.41. Fourth-year Baneet Bains finished just one second short of a personal best in the 3000m steeplechase. The Dons hope to keep this momentum going into the Brutus Hamilton Invitational this coming Saturday, April 8.
