Women’s tennis wins weekend matches

As their final homestand rolls on, the Maroons just keep getting stronger.

Women’s tennis (12-6) rolled up the opposition, beating McKendree 9-0 and Lewis 6–3 in a Saturday doubleheader at the Stagg Courts. The team has now won eight straight meets.

In the front end, the Maroons decisively put down the Bearcats (3–8), sweeping every set on singles. Third-year Annie Miller had the most impressive victory of the day, whipping McKendree second-year Heather Brinkmeyer 6-0, 6-0 at third singles. At third doubles, third-year Katie Dulmage and fourth-year Christine Kim took care of business against the Bearcats pair of third-year Lori Autenrieb and third-year Timanye Hackney 8-0.

For the nightcap, Lewis (14-10) put on a game effort but was unable to overcome the home team. Kim at fourth singles and third-year Liz Saydah at fifth both dropped their first sets, but came back to sweep the next two to help lock things up for the Maroons. At second doubles, Miller and first-year Cassie Kramer pulled out the set 9-7 over third-year Jenny Jones and first-year Melanie Sandberg.

The team faces Olivet Nazarene at home this afternoon in their last meet before the UAA tournament.

—Joe Katz

Solid day for track at Chicagolands

As temperatures rose this weekend, the Maroons heated up with them.

Both track and field teams turned in respectable showings at this weekend’s Chicagolands Invitational at Naperville. The women finished sixth out of 17 teams, coming home with a meet score of 69.5 points. The men fared slightly worse, placing ninth in a field of 16 teams with a 41-point mark.

The meet began with a bang, as second-year distance runner Dilshanie Perera focused intensely from the gun to come in second in the women’s 10,000-meter run. Perera recorded a time of 38:49.48 for the 25-lap race. Inspired by Perera’s effort, third-year Pat Hogan scored a second-place finish of his own with a 32:06.49 mark in the men’s 10,000-meter race.

The second day of competition featured a number of first-rate performances, most notably by third-year distance runner Jessica Winter, whose 4:38.80 performance in the 1,500-meter run Saturday was the fastest time in the country in that event. She was joined in the winner’s circle by third-year javelin thrower Dan Milroy, whose 50.65-meter mark was more than two and a half meters ahead of his closest competitor.

Alongside these stellar individual performances, the women’s 4 x 100-meter relay team’s 49.11 mark shattered the old school record of 50.58. Several other women’s records also appear to be in danger, as first-years Appie Hirve (11.01-meter triple jump) and Nofi Mojidi (12.56-second 100-meter dash) tied the current school records in their events.

With the UAA conference meet coming up in just two weeks, the prospects for both teams are looking up.

“We seem to be preparing pretty well for the conference meet,” said head coach Chris Hall. “It appears as though Washington is out in front, but both teams will be battling for second place.”

Other top contenders for league honors include Carnegie Mellon on the men’s side and Emory on the women’s.

Both teams will compete at the Wheaton Invitational Saturday.

—Kim Song