Freshman Bridget Ragan was the runner-up in the women’s mile race Saturday at the Principia Relays in Elsah, Illinois. Ragan finished with a time of 5 minutes, 35 seconds. (Photo by Luke Rinne/UMSL Athletics)
Men’s and Women’s Track and Field
The University of Missouri–St. Louis men’s and women’s track and field teams had strong showings at the Principia Relays, combining for 15 top-five finishes Friday and Saturday at the 18-school meet in Elsah, Illinois. Caleb Love won the men’s mile race with a time of 4 minutes, 26.46 seconds, while teammate Armando Montoya posted a fourth-place finish in 4:28.71. Caleb Cody-Jackson took second in the 200-meter dash in 22.44 seconds, and teammates Will Kaempfe, Sebastian Meyer and Luke Stevenson were second, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the men’s 3,000-meter race. The men’s 3,200-meter relay team of Leach, Sean Keys, Gavin Love and Montoya finished third in a time of 8:20.26. UMSL had three teams place in the top five in the men’s distance medley relay, and Bailey Riley finished third in the triple jump with a leap of 45 feet, 1/2 inch. For the women, Kennedy Moore won the triple jump with a leap of 35-6 3/4, and teammate Melissa White was fifth with a top mark of 32-5 3/4. Bridget Ragan took second in the women’s mile in 5:35.00, and Bella Massaro placed third in the women’s 3,000 in 12:01.94. UMSL will send split teams to the Bearcat Invite hosted by Northwest Missouri State next Friday and Saturday in Maryville, Missouri, and the Illinois Wesleyan Keck Select Invite on Saturday in Bloomington, Illinois.
Women’s Basketball
The Tritons ran their winning streak to three games after home victories over Illinois Springfield and McKendree last week at the Mark Twain Athletic Center. UMSL had to overcome a 12-0 fourth-quarter run to eke out a 49-48 win over the Prairie Stars on Thursday night. Illinois Springfield went ahead 48-47 at the end of that 12-0 run with 28 seconds remaining, but the Tritons pulled back in front as Katie Hamill sank two free throws after driving to the basket and drawing a foul with 2.9 seconds left. Hamill finished with 15 points, Morgan Ramthun scored 11 and Mara Rieder had 10 off the bench. UMSL overcame 37.5% shooting and 21 turnovers to win. The Tritons had an easier time dispatching of the Bearcats on Saturday. Kate Rolfes scored 20 points while going 6 for 10 from 3-point range to lead UMSL to a 68-50 victory, which snapped a three-game losing streak to McKendree. Hamill added 12 points, and Audrey Martinez-Stewart and Reider each scored 11. Reider also finished with 10 rebounds for her second double-double. The Tritons (16-4, 10-3 Great Lakes Valley Conference) outscored the Bearcats 44-26 in the second half. They will take to the road this week to play at Lewis on Thursday and Indianapolis on Saturday.
Men’s Basketball
UMSL split a pair of home games against Illinois Springfield and McKendree, beating the Prairie Stars 74-66 on Thursday but falling to the Bearcats 68-66 on Saturday. Matt Enright scored 23 points to pace the Tritons in Thursday’s win. UMSL outscored Illinois Springfield 39-29 in the second half to overcome a 37-35 halftime deficit. Emanuel Prospere II finished with 19 points, and Janeir Harris added 11. Troy Glover II finished with a team-best 11 rebounds. On Saturday, it was McKendree that came storming back after intermission. The Tritons led 37-29 at intermission and pulled ahead by as many as 15 after intermission, but the Bearcats stormed back, outscoring UMSL 32-15 over the final 14:11. Prospere missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would’ve given his team the win. Glover led four Tritons in double figures with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Harris had 15, Enright 13 and Savon Wykle 12. McKendree shot 60.9% from the field, including 5 for 8 from 3-point range, over the final 20 minutes. UMSL (10-10, 8-5 GLVC) travels to Lewis on Thursday and Indianapolis on Saturday.
Baseball
The Tritons opened their season with three straight victories in the Edmond First Pitch Classic in Edmond, Oklahoma. UMSL beat Central Oklahoma 12-9 in Friday’s season opener, blitzed Oklahoma Baptist 14-4 in eight innings on Saturday and edged Northeastern State 5-4 on Sunday at Wendell Simmons Field. The Tritons tied a single-game record with 16 strikeouts in Sunday’s victory. Andrew Buescher went 6 for 14 with three doubles in the three games. Barrett Rose went 5 for 11 with a team-high five runs. Newcomer Cade Grevengoed was 3 for 8 with a home run and a team-high five RBIs. Cody Brooks, RJ Elmore and Jacob Arndt each picked up wins for UMSL. Elmore had a team-high seven strikeouts while pitching five innings in a start against Oklahoma Baptist. The Tritons (3-0) will continue their season with a four-game series at Alabama-Huntsville beginning Friday in Huntsville, Alabama.
Softball
UMSL went 1-3 to open the season in the Music City Invite played at Cedar Stone Park in Smyrna, Tennessee. The Tritons dropped their season opener 3-1 against Trevecca Nazarene and also lost 13-4 in five innings against Ashland on Friday. UMSL’s bats came to life in their first game Saturday as they beat Cedarville 23-14, but they lost 5-3 against Ohio Dominican in their final game of the tournament. Gwyn Miller led the Tritons with seven hits and 11 total bases in the four games. She was one of four UMSL players to score four runs. Jamie Widule, Courtney Settles and May Pasqualini each had six hits. Lexi Sherrick picked up the Tritons’ lone win in the circle and held opponents to five earned runs in 11 2/3 innings over three appearances, including one start. UMSL will spend next weekend playing in the Alvy Early Memorial Classic in Bentonville, Arkansas. The Tritons (1-3) will play Northeastern State and Arkansas at Monticello on Friday, Harding and Washburn on Saturday and Emporia State and Missouri Southern State on Sunday.
