WOMEN’S TENNIS
In its last match before Tuesday’s showdown with Swarthmore, Muhlenberg defeated Gettysburg, 7-2, for its fifth win in a row.

The No. 2 doubles team of junior Pam Kimmelman and freshman Jenn Powell, which has made a habit of coming from behind to win, had no chance to this time, winning 8-0. Both players also won their singles matches.

Senior Amy Schmidt came back from a doubles loss, her first in a CC regular-season contest in two years, to win 6-0, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. She had dropped only seven games in winning her five CC singles matches this year.

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TRACK & FIELD
Cold temperatures, rain and wind forced most of the field events indoors at Princeton’s Sam Howell Invitational, but they did not prevent several Muhlenberg runners from turning in ECAC-qualifying performances.

Five individuals and one relay team qualified for ECACs. The men’s 4x400 scored the highest finish in the meet, which featured mostly Division I schools, coming in second.

Sophomore Sara Gearin became the third runner in team history to break the 19-minute mark in the 5,000 meters.

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MEN’S TENNIS
For the second match in a row, three-set singles marathons and close doubles contests were the order of the day, but this time they did not go Muhlenberg’s was as the Mules lost an indoor home match to Franklin & Marshall, 6-1.

Senior Adam Nodiff scored the only point, coming back after getting shut out in the first set to win, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 1 singles.

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Senior Shannon Donohue, who entered the game leading the Centennial Conference in assists, recorded four assists (one short of the school record) against Haverford.

The Mules (8-3, 3-3) previously won eight games in both 2003 and 2005 and have five games remaining on the schedule to set a new standard.

To tie the record, Muhlenberg had to deal with adverse weather conditions and a team to which it had lost four straight, by a total of 11 goals. The game was played in a steady rain that got heavier, with an accompanying drop in temperature, as the game went on.

“We couldn’t feel our bodies, and our fingers were completely numb in the cold,” said junior defender Kelli Sakonchick. “We just had to focus on the basics of lacrosse. Our last few games with Haverford have been close, but we came out mentally prepared and overcame the weather and played strong from the start.”

The Mules won all but one draw control in the first half, with freshman Ruth Morrongiello winning six, and took a 6-3 lead into halftime. They kept the Fords (6-5, 0-4) at bay by scoring nine goals, their most in the second half this season, in the final 30 minutes.

Tapkas’ seven goals were two off the school record she shares and moved her into the Centennial Conference all-time top 10 with 198 career goals. Morrongiello scored a career-high five points on four goals and an assist and tied a school record with 10 ground balls.

“We were able to implement everything we wanted to today,” Sakonchick remarked. “Today was one of our best transition games of the season.”

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