Freshman Justice Beard joined upperclassmen Conley Savage and Zara Konstapel as two-time All-Americans at this year’s NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships. Beard earned first-team honors with a seventh-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle and was an honorable mention honoree after placing 11th in the 1,000-yard freestyle. (Photo by Luke Rinne)
Men’s and Women’s Swimming
University of Missouri–St. Louis freshman Justice Beard swam to a seventh-place finish Saturday evening in 1,650-yard freestyle relay to capture first-team All-American honors on the final day of the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Beard, swimming in Lane 2 during the final heat, posted a time of 16 minutes, 47.53 seconds, averaging 28.02 seconds per lap. It was her second All-America accolade of the week after she received honorable mention honors with an 11th-place finish in the 1,000-yard freestyle relay on Wednesday. Beard joined senior Conley Savage and graduate student Zara Konstapel as two-time All-Americans at this year’s championships. Savage earned first-team honors with an eighth-place finish in Friday’s 200-yard butterfly and was an honorable mention All-American by virtue of his 16th-place showing in Wednesday’s 200-yard individual medley. Konstapel, meanwhile, received honorable mention All-American honors as part of UMSL’s 400-yard medley relay team, which finished 15th on Thursday, and also placed 12th in Friday’s 100-yard breaststroke. Ella Lantz, Audrey Lantz and Kate Nelson joined Konstapel on the 400-yard medley relay team. Konstapel, swimming the breaststroke on the second leg of the race, and Nelson, closing with the freestyle, each set school records in the relay. UMSL’s women finished the championships in 26th place with a total of 27 points while the Tritons’ men’s team came in a tie for 31st with 12 points.
Women’s Golf
Junior Juliette Lecomte finished seventh individually and led UMSL to a sixth-place showing in the team competition at last week’s Emerald Coast Collegiate, which wrapped up Tuesday at Baytowne Golf Club in Destin, Florida. Lecomte posted a 54-hole score of 218 while helping the Tritons to a combined score of 904 in the three-day tournament. She earned Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week recognition for the first time in her career after posting her first top-10 of the season while competing in a field of 95 players. Sophomore Wilma Zanderau finished in a tie for 16th after posting a total score of 223. Flagler’s Stella Jelinek was the individual medalist with a total of 205, and she helped her team capture the championship with a combined score of 852. UMSL is competing in the Findlay Spring Invitational this week at Boone Trace National Golf Club in Richmond, Kentucky.
Softball
The Tritons opened GLVC play by sweeping one doubleheader against William Jewell and splitting another with Rockhurst over the weekend. UMSL won by scores of 4-0 and 14-5 on Saturday at Cardinal Field in Liberty, Missouri, and it took the first game 8-5 Sunday at Loyola Park Softball Field in Kansas City, Missouri, before getting shut out 3-0 in the finale. Ashley Borowitz tossed a three-hitter, striking out four, against William Jewell to win Saturday’s opener. Left fielder May Pasqualini drove in two runs in the victory. McKenzie Lamos and Rylie Buchanan each homered and had five RBI in the second game against the Cardinals. The Tritons pounded out 18 hits – three each by their first five hitters, Maddie Snemis, Irene Travis, Lamos, Courtney Settles and Jamie Widule – in Sunday’s victory against the Hawks. Settles, Widule and Gwyn Miller each drove in a pair of runs. Earlier in the week, UMSL beat Lake Erie College 6-1 but lost to Salem 11-9 as it wrapped up competition in The Spring Games in Auburndale, Florida. The Tritons (16-12, 3-1 GLVC) travel to McKendree for a doubleheader on Sunday.
Baseball
UMSL took three out of four from Lewis in a weekend series, dropping the opener 13-6 on Friday at Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Missouri, but sweeping a doubleheader by scores of 9-6 and 11-9 on Saturday and taking the series finale 9-5 on Sunday at the UMSL Baseball Field. The Tritons scored the final four runs to come from behind and take the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Left fielder Jake Isaacs capped the rally with an RBI triple. Center fielder Braedon Stoakes was the offensive hero in the second game Saturday, belting a pair of home runs and driving in five runs. Stoakes also had an RBI single and scored a run in the seventh inning on Sunday to help UMSL withstand a Lewis comeback after the Flyers cut a 6-1 deficit to 6-5 in the top on the seventh. Stoakes and shortstop Dane Stevenson each had two hits and drove in two runs during the victory. Garrett Brunstetter had the best start of the weekend for the Tritons, going 6 1/3 innings and yielding three earned runs with six strikeouts to collect the win in Sunday’s game. UMSL (12-9, 4-4 GLVC) will take on Truman State in a four-game series beginning Friday in Kirksville, Missouri.
