Spring sports teams travel south for break for training and games
Men’s & Women’s Tennis
The men’s and women’s tennis teams travelled together to Hilton Head, South Carolina for the break. The women went through the trip undefeated, while the men ended the week 4-1 with a loss against Carleton College.
“The Macalester match was a big win, it was there big match for the week and we won it in singles,” Daniel Conroy, ’15, said.
Conroy won 6-3,6-1 in singles against Macalester and gave the rest of the team momentum going into doubles.
Conroy said a challenge through the beginning of the week was adjusting from the blue courts in the Wise Center to the regular courts and getting used to playing outside again.
“When we got there we were excited for the warm weather and ready to be successful on the trip,” Kirstie Oravec, ’16, said.
Oravec and doubles partner Michaela Thompson, ’17, were the clinching match against St. Norbert College and pulled through with a 8-4 win.
“We had a lot of support from players and parents, no matter where you were playing there was always someone cheering for you,” Oravec said.
Conroy said the team can learn from the wins and losses they face and take something from each match to work on.
Off the court the team spent the week at the beach and enjoy team dinners together.
“Being with the other players and parents was the best part,” Oravec said. “We are a close knit group and that helped us win matches.”
The team lived together for the week and spent time not playing tennis with hanging out with each other in Hilton Head.
The men will play tomorrow Sat. Mar. 28 against Wittenberg University at 10 a.m. followed by the women’s match against Wittenberg at 1 p.m.
Baseball
The men’s baseball team went to Florida for break for a week full of game play.
“We hadn’t had a game yet since our first few were cancelled, so we had to get acclimated to the grass and faced difficult teams like Oswego and Washington & Jefferson,” infielder Jacob Shick, ’17, said.
The team fell 1-9 to Washington & Jefferson College on March 17, then faced Oswego in a double header the next day. The men fell 0-7 in the first game, but won 6-1 in the second game.
“A highlight was taking two games from Bowdoin,” Shick said. “They were wins from a quality opponent and we came out on top.”
The team went 3-1, 6-4 against Bowdoin ending the week with a win, and a 6-3 record.
“Being able to play in the sun and warm weather was nice, your arm feels better and your swing is better in the warmth,” Shick said.
The men are using their experiences from Florida to prepare for their next games.
“We faced adversity and overcame the positions we got ourselves in,” Shick said. “We worked through the games and that’s something we can carry with us.”
The Gators will face College of Wooster at home on Sun. Mar. 29 at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Women’s Softball
For Spring Break the women’s softball team travelled to Clermont, Florida for a season opening week of games. Through the week the team played ten games ending the week with a 4-6 record.
“It was a change going from the blue courts of the Wise Center to outside on the dirt and in the heat,” third baseman and catcher Hannah Blinn, ’17, said. “It was nice to be outside though and be in the sun playing games.”
Blinn was a top hitter during the Keene State game.
Blinn said the evening game against Wisconsin Stout was a highlight game of the week.
“It was our first win of the week, and it was a great win that everyone can remember,” Blinn said.
Off the field, the team spend time with each other and with their families who came on the trip with them.
The women will travel to Delaware, OH to play Ohio Wesleyan University at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m tomorrow Sat. Mar. 28.
Women’s Lacrosse
The women’s lacrosse team went to Orlando, Florida for the break to enjoy team bonding time and face Western New England University and Rowan College.
“For better or worse it’s good to get beat up a bit,” Ashley Hughes, head coach, said. “It lets us check ourselves and know weaknesses.”
The team went into each game knowing they were going to face a challenge but were prepared to work.
“Not letting the other team get in our heads was a challenge,” Kaelin Clogan, ’17, said. “They were great teams with great skills and we let them get to us.”
The Gators fell 14-10 to Western New England University followed by a 22-8 loss to Rowan University.
“We played teams that are better than us and we know our weaknesses and can make ourselves better now,” Clogan said.
Hughes said the team knew they were going to face tough competition and were excited for the challenge.
“The games highlighted what we need to work on and the track we are set for,” Hughes said. “We played top quality teams.”
In addition to playing two games, the women visited Universal Studios, Magic Kingdom, Medieval Times, and went on a boat ride for an afternoon.
“The energy was higher and we were able to bond more, overall the attitude was better in Florida,” Clogan said. “I think our attitudes had a positive correlation with the weather.”
“Spring break is an opportunity to get to know people in a new way, team wise they can know more about each other,” Hughes said
.
The women will play University of Mount Union tomorrow Mar. 28 at 1 p.m at Robertson Athletic Complex.
