Tennis teams win conference finales

Men’s Golf The Muhlenberg men's golf team found itself in fifth out of seven in a tight field after the first day of the Centennial Conference Championships. The Mules trail co-leaders Franklin & Marshall and Gettysburg by just 11 strokes. McDaniel and Swarthmore are ahead of the Mules by just four strokes and one stroke, respectively. Senior Biff Slocum shot a season-best 75 and is tied for sixth, just three shots behind the leader. Sophomore Zachary Oyer is tied for 10th after shooting a 77. Track The track teams competed at Division I Lehigh. Sophomore Peter Rice won the 400 in 49.99, breaking 50 flat for the second weekend in a row. Senior Alex Faust improved on her NCAA provisional mark in the pole vault by clearing 12-1½. Click here for Muhlenberg placewinners. Softball Ursinus, which came into the doubleheader with the lowest staff ERA in Division III (0.75), held the Muhlenberg softball team to one run and five hits in a 5-0, 2-1 sweep. Two of the hits were doubles by junior Jess Kasza in the second game. The first led to a run scoring on a wild pitch in the top of the first, but the Bears (27-5, 15-1) tied the score in the third and plated the eventual winning run in the fourth. Freshman Brielle Klein had the lone hit in the first game for the Mules (12-19, 6-10), a third-inning double. Muhlenberg struck out a Centennial Conference-record 18 times in the opener. Click here for line scores. Click for complete stats: Game 1 | Game 2

Both Muhlenberg tennis teams brought their Centennial Conference schedules to an end with close victories at Gettysburg.

Kral's last two doubles wins have come in tiebreaks - both of which he and his partner won, 7-4.

The men knocked off the Bullets, 5-4. The Mules (5-8, 3-6) took two of the three doubles matches; sophomore Jordan Rutt and junior Robbie Goldwein won 8-3 at No. 1, and senior Matt Kral and junior Wayne Mitchel took No. 2 in a tiebreak, 9-8 (7-4).

Gettysburg (9-8, 3-6) took a 3-2 match lead with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 singles, but Muhlenberg rattled off the next three to take the dual match. Kral and senior Mark Apostolos won at fourth and sixth singles, respectively, and Goldwein clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-4 victory at No. 2.

The Mules fell to Franklin & Marshall, 9-0, on Senior Day yesterday. Kral, Apostolos and Yoni Farber were honored before the match before facing off against a regionally ranked and playoff-bound Diplomat (10-7, 6-2) squad.
Click here for F&M box score.
Click here for Gettysburg box score.

The women beat Gettysburg, 6-3, behind their four junior captains, who cruised in doubles play. Caitie Druker and Sara Sutker won at No. 1, 8-1, and Danielle Winston and Lindsay Schmidt didn't lose a game in an 8-0 victory at No. 2.

The quartet then all won in straight sets for the Mules (6-8, 5-5) at first through fourth singles. Druker dropped just one game in the first set at No. 1 before being challenged in the second, 7-5. Winston won her first set at No. 3 in a tiebreak, 7-6 (7-4), before cruising, 6-1, in the second. Schmidt won a similar match at No. 4, 7-5, 6-1. Sutker took the second set at No. 2 6-0.

The win ensured Muhlenberg finished at .500 or better in the CC for the 10th consecutive season.
Click here for box score.