Spider Sports Recap | Week of Feb. 13

Women’s Golf

Feb. 13: Ninth place finish at Columbia Classic

After a three-day tournament in Melbourne, FL, the women’s golf team finished with a score of 615 (+39), which placed the team ninth out of 13 schools competing. Because of windy weather, the team’s second round scores were scratched. Junior golfer Rory Weinfurther shot a 151 (+7) on the final day of the tournament and led UR, finishing in 33rd place individually. Senior Muskan Uppal was not far behind as she shot 152 (+8) and tied for 36th place. The Spiders will play in the RiverTowne Invitational in Charleston, SC from Feb. 26-28. 

Swimming and Diving

Feb. 15-18: Second place finish at Atlantic 10 championships

Over the course of four days, the Spiders traveled to Geneva, OH to take on 11 fellow A-10 opponents in A-10 championships. The Spiders had trips to the podium on five separate occasions. Junior swimmer Katelyn Pennell earned three medals herself, a gold medal in the 200 yard medley relay, and two bronze medals in the 800-yard medley and the 100 backstroke. This was the Spiders’ third straight year with a finish in the top three of the championships. In 2021, UR got first place, last year UR got third place and this year, UR got second place. 

Women’s Lacrosse 

Feb. 15: Win 20-4 vs. the College of William & Mary

After a season-opener victory against the Queens University of Charlotte, 13-6, the women’s lacrosse team won decisively away against William & Mary. The Spiders got off to an early lead, scoring 11 goals in the first quarter and holding the Tribe scoreless until the 9:07 mark in the second quarter. Junior attacker Ali Susskind and senior attacker Arden Tierney led the Spiders with three goals apiece. Tierney also dished out four assists. Senior midfielder Lindsey Frank, sophomore attacker Colleen Quinn, sophomore midfielder Grace Muldoon, senior midfielder Sophia DiCenso and first-year Juliana Stanley each scored two goals, respectively. 

Feb. 18: Win 16-8 vs. Liberty University 

The Spiders carried momentum from their first two games of the season into their home opener against Liberty as the team emerged victorious. The score was tied early on, but the Spiders scored nine unanswered goals and pulled ahead, outshooting the Flames with shots on goal 24-16. Frank led the way with six goals, which brought her point tally as a Spider to over 150. Quinn scored a hat trick with three goals, bringing her total to 10 on the young season. Tierney scored two goals and assisted on four goals. The Spiders will take their undefeated record to Howard University at 1 p.m. Feb. 26. 

Women’s Basketball  

Feb. 15: Win 84-74 vs. Saint Louis University 

The Spiders got the job done at the Robins Center, winning their third straight game and fourth straight at home against the Billikens. Saint Louis had a slight edge heading into halftime, up 40-37, but the Spiders regained the lead in the third and eventually pulled away in the fourth, leading by 13 points with 37 seconds in regulation. The Spiders shot 50% from the field and 47.8% from the arc. First-year forward Maggie Doogan led the way with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Junior guard Grace Townsend, sophomore guard Katie Hill, junior forward Addie Budnik and first-year guard Rachel Ullstrom joined Doogan in double-figures. 

Feb. 18: Loss 83-69 vs. Duquesne University 

After a win at home, the Spiders traveled to Pittsburgh, PA and took on Duquesne University, losing 83-69. The Spiders had control of the game early, leading by five after the first quarter. The Dukes had control in the second quarter, on top 32-27 heading into halftime. The Spiders took back the lead, heading into the fourth quarter ahead by eight, but Duquesne pulled ahead, ultimately taking the game by 14 points. Budnik and Townsend scored 12 points apiece and Hill scored 10. This loss dropped the Spiders’ conference record to .500 at 6-6. The team will take on Virginia Commonwealth University away at 6 p.m. Feb. 22. 

Baseball

Feb. 17: Loss 12-3 vs. Alabama University 

The baseball team began their 2023 campaign with a loss away against 20th ranked Alabama. After redshirt junior catcher Zach Lass walked and made it to second on a wild pitch, a Crimson Tide error allowed him to score, which put the Spiders ahead 1-0. However, Alabama eventually surged ahead on the scoreboard, defeating the Spiders by nine runs. Only four Spiders got hits in the game — Lass, junior third baseman Jared Sprague-Lott, redshirt junior catcher Jason Neff and junior shortstop Mikey Kluska. 

Feb. 18: Loss 13-1 vs. Alabama 

In the second game of the three-game series in Tuscaloosa, the Spiders only scored one run, which came in the seventh inning. The Spiders kept the Crimson Tide scoreless in the final four innings but in the first five innings, Alabama scored 13 runs. This time around, seven Spiders were successful in the batter’s box, each getting a single hit. 

Feb. 19: Loss 14-1 vs. Alabama

The Spiders lost in similar fashion on day three of their series against Alabama, although this time around, they allowed one more run than the previous game. Graduate right fielder Christian Beal, redshirt junior centerfielder Alden Mathes and Sprague-Lott each had two hits apiece. Out of the four Spiders who pitched, all recorded a strikeout and two pitchers recorded three apiece. The Spiders’ next game is away against the College of William & Mary at 3 p.m. Feb. 21. 

Men’s Basketball 

Feb. 18: Loss 68-62 vs. La Salle University 

After a win in the Robins Center Feb. 11 against Loyola University Chicago, the Spiders showed the up and down nature of their season with a loss away at La Salle. With 2:57 to go in the first half, senior forward Tyler Burton scored a jumpshot to put the Spiders up eight. At halftime, the Spiders had the edge, leading by five, 29-24. A back and forth second quarter saw UR in the lead with three minutes left in regulation but the Explorers pulled ahead and took the conference victory. Burton and senior center Neal Quinn led the Spiders with 16 points each. The team’s next game is at home against Saint Louis University at 7 p.m. Feb. 21. 

Men’s Cross-Country/Women’s Track and Field 

Feb. 17-Feb. 18: JDL DMR Invitational 

Members of the men’s cross country and women’s track and field teams traveled to Winston-Salem, NC to compete in a plethora of events at the two-day JDL DMR Invitational. On the men’s side, first-year Henry Haase placed first in the 5k and was followed by five other Spiders in the other top six spots. First-year Jade Mawn ran an 8:47.62 3k, giving him a sixth place finish. Senior Jake Schindel finished in fifth place in the mile with a 4:14.88, giving him a ticket to compete in the ICAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. On the women’s side, first-year Nina Lavelle won her 200M race with a time of 25.73. First-year Elke van der Westhuizen placed second in the 400M and LaVelle placed fourth. Van der Westhuizen’s time of 57.70 will give her a chance to compete in the ECAC Championships. 

Men’s Lacrosse

Feb. 18: Win 18-5 vs. Bucknell University 

After a 15-4 loss to the University of Maryland on Feb. 4 to open up the 2023 campaign, the defending Southern Conference Champion Spiders took on the Bucknell Bison in their first game at home and flipped the script, winning by 13 goals this time out. Bucknell scored the first goal of the game and the Spiders and Bison were even at two early in the second quarter, but UR scored eight unanswered goals and never looked back, taking the game 18-5. Junior attackman Luke Grayum and graduate attackman/midfielder Derrek Madonna led the way with four goals apiece. Grayum also had four assists, bringing his point total on the day to eight. Junior midfielder Lance Madonna and senior attackman Dalton Young each had three assists. The team’s next game is against Towson University at 4 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Robins Center. 

Women’s Tennis

Feb. 18: Win 5-2 vs. East Carolina University 

In the team’s third win of the season, the women’s tennis team defeated East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. The Spiders were especially successful in doubles play, as three separate pairs won their doubles matches. Juniors Polina Shitikova and Andrea Campodonico took care of their opponents 6-2, first-year Elizabeth Novak and senior Marta Buendia escaped 7-6 and first-year and redshirt sophomore Claire Le Du won 6–3. In singles action, the Spiders picked up four more victories as Le Du, Campodonico, first-year Lara Bakhaya and junior Leonor Oliveira all won their singles matches. The team’s next match is away against Longwood University Mar. 1. 

Contact sports editor Jimmy James at jimmy.james@richmond.edu.