Tartans On Top

Tops In Tennis; Lax Finalists; Track Qualifiers

MAY 22, 2023 | written by STEVE ULRICH

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TOP STORY
1. Tartans On Top

For the first time in school history, Carnegie Mellon University has a national champion in athletics.

The Tartans fashioned the tournament’s low round with a 279 over the Keene Trace GC to take a six-shot victory over Piedmont for the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship.

CMU trailed the Lions and 13-time champion Methodist entering the final round. Piedmont’s Josh Hebrink took individual medalist honors, shooting a six-under-par 66 over the final 18 to edge Christopher Newport’s Alex Price and Robb Kinder by a single shot.

» What They’re Saying: Today's victory is a testament to the tenacity, hard work, and resilience of these young men,” said head coach Dan Rodgers. “Their final round performance, finishing nine-under, shows not only their skill but their ability to rally under pressure.

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TENNIS (M)
2. Tops In Tennis

Tip of the cap to Tufts senior Rishabh Sharda and Case Western Reserve’s James Hopper and Vishwa Aduru for coming away with the 2023 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis singles and doubles, respectively.

“Sharda came from behind to pick up a thrilling 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 three-set victory against Williams College's Matthew Kandel. He joins Boris Sorkin as individual national champs, as Sorkin won back-to-back ITA Cup titles in 2018-19 and 2019-2020. 

“Hopper and Aduru put a bow on a historic season for the men's tennis program by winning the 2023 NCAA Division III Doubles Championship, defeating Michael Melnikov and Utham Koduri in a third-set tiebreaker, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (5) at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida on Sunday afternoon.

In the tiebreaker, Swarthmore led 4-2 heading into the break, but Hopper and Aduru responded by winning the first three points after the restart to take a 5-4 lead. Melnikov and Koduri picked up the next point to tie the score at 5-5, but Hopper held serve to set up match point for the Spartans, and a return by the Swarthmore duo on the next point went long to clinch the title for Hopper and Aduru.“

TENNIS (W)
3. Beavers Look For Sweep

Olivia Saffer, Babson (photo by Nathan Blumberg)

Can Babson bring the brooms out?

That’s the question as the Beavers have participants in both the women’s individual singles and doubles competitions at the NCAA Division III Championship in Orlando, Fla.

It will be Olivia Saffer against Pomona-Pitzer’s Angie Zhou in the singles final, while Saffer will team with Matia Cristiani in the doubles title match against Sewanee’s tandem of Brooke Despriet and Katherine Perry.

LACROSSE (W)
4. Down To Four

Sydney Lowe, Franklin & Marshall (photo by David Sinclair)

The Centennial, NESCAC and Liberty League will be represented in Salem, Va., this weekend as the NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse semifinals get underway Friday.

#1 Middlebury d. #12 Colby, 12-7

Hope Shue and Susan Rowley each scored three goals as the Panthers (21-0) earned a fourth straight trip to the NCAA semifinals. Middlebury won its 26th straight game and GK Annie Enrietto improved her record to 37-0 between the pipes.

#8 Franklin & Marshall d. #18 Pomona-Pitzer, 18-13

Sydney Lowe scored five goals, while Gillian Brennan added four as the Diplomats (18-4) jumped out to a 12-4 halftime lead and hung on to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2016.

#9 Gettysburg d. #10 York, Pa., 17-8

The one-two combo of Caroline Sullivan and Jordan Basso led the Bullets (18-4) to their ninth semifinal appearance. Sullivan had two goals and six assists, while Basso found the back of the net five times.

#3 William Smith d. #5 Tufts, 14-4

The undefeated Herons (21-0) are back in the national semifinals for the first time since 2003 as Maddie Montgomery had four goals and an assist, while Natalie Daniels also added four tallies.

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LACROSSE (M)
5. Jumbos, Gulls Share Linc To Final

Cross Ferrara, Salisbury (photo by Joey Gardner, FotoJoe Photography)

The two top-ranked teams in Division III men’s lacrosse - Tufts and Salisbury - will meet for the national title on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

The Jumbos (22-0) are back in the final for the fourth time and first since 2016. Tommy Swank scored five times for Tufts while Jack Boyden added three goals and an assist.

The Sea Gulls (21-1) turned back No. 4 Christopher Newport, 12-8, to reach their 20th final in program history. Cross Ferrara scored four goals and added three assists for Salisbury, who defeated the Captains (19-3) for the third time this season.

TRACK AND FIELD
6. Ready For Rochester

Nat Sawyer, Buffalo State

The NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Committee announced the participants in the 2023 NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

For each individual event contested, including the decathlon and heptathlon, the top 22 declared student-athletes were accepted into the competition. For each relay event contested, the top 16 declared relay teams, one per institution, were accepted into the competition.

The championships will be held May 25-27 at the Polisseni Track & Field Complex at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York.

Accepted Entries: Women / Men

NEWS
7. Lightning Round ⚡️

🥎 Softball. Christopher Newport’s Kate Alger faced 21 batters and set down same in the eighth perfect game in program history, blanking Roanoke, 2-0.

🗞 News. Our condolences to the family and friends of Rowan head women’s basketball coach Demetrius Poles, who passed away over the weekend.

🎂 Happy Birthday. Cake and candles for Lisa Rogers, Doug Chin and Shawn Postliglione. Belated wishes for Dawn Scialabba and Bill Curtis.

Do you know of someone celebrating an upcoming birthday? Drop us a line at [email protected]

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