Junior Benjamin VandenBrink placed second in Saturday’s Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship, recording the highest finish in school history. (Photo by Luke Rinne)
Men’s Cross Country
University of Missouri–St. Louis cross country runners Benjamin VandenBrink and Jacob Warner each placed among the top five finishers in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship and secured all-conference honors on Saturday at the Bolivar Municipal Golf Course in Bolivar, Missouri. VandenBrink finished the 8-kilometer race with a time of 24 minutes, 49.28 seconds to cross the line in second place, just under 13 seconds behind winner Cortland Ross of Illinois Springfield. It was UMSL’s highest finish at a GLVC meet, improving on VandenBrink’s 13th-place finish last year. Warner also took fifth place with a time of 25:05.99. VandenBrink and Warner helped UMSL to a fourth-place finish in the team competition, which was won by Lewis for the third time in the past four years. Sam Savastino, Emmett Johnson and Julio Cruz Jr. rounded out the Tritons’ top five in 29th, 41st and 43rd, respectively. Michael Wright was named UMSL’s honoree for the James R. Spalding Sportsmanship award at the conclusion of the meet. The Tritons’ next competition will be at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional on Nov. 4 in Evansville, Indiana.
Women’s Cross Country
UMSL placed eighth in Saturday’s GLVC Championship held Saturday at the Bolivar Municipal Golf Course in Bolivar, Missouri. Kayley Heeter was UMSL’s top finisher in the 6-kilometer race, clocking a time of 23:14.78 to finish 24th. She was followed by Bella Massaro and Lily Wagemann, who finished 36th and 37th overall with times of 24:01.49 and 24:04.21, respectively. Megan McMillen and Peyton Brueck rounded out UMSL’s top five in 56th and 70th, respectively. The Tritons’ Zoey Losch was named the team’s honoree for the James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award. Lewis claimed its second straight championship, and the Flyers’ Hannah Smrcka was the individual champion with a time of 21:13.23. UMSL will compete in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional on Nov. 4 in Evansville, Indiana.
Women’s Soccer
The Tritons ran its winning streak to three matches after picking up road victories at Illinois Springfield and Quincy over the weekend. UMSL blanked the Prairie Starts 1-0 on Friday evening in Springfield, Illinois, with Kayley Judy delivering the lone goal in the 20th minute. The Tritons exploded for five goals on Sunday afternoon against the Hawks in Quincy, Illinois. Jada Holloman gave UMSL the lead in the third minute, and it stretched the lead to 3-0 after goals from Jaycee Cotton and Abby Reeves in the first half. Judy scored twice after intermission to complete the scoring. Goalkeeper Mary Kate Neal made four saves in Friday’s shutout but was untested Friday as UMSL outshot Quincy 27-2 with neither of the Hawks’ shots finding their way on goal. The Tritons (7-4-3, 6-3-1 GLVC) wrap up the regular season with home matches against Drury on Friday and Southwest Baptist on Sunday.
Men’s Soccer
UMSL dropped a pair of hard-fought road matches against Illinois Springfield and Quincy, falling 1-0 against the 14th-ranked Prairie Stars on Friday and losing 3-1 against the Hawks on Sunday. Austin Reis made eight saves against Illinois Springfield to keep the Tritons within striking distance throughout Friday’s match, but Riccardo Sandulli slipped one past him in the 38th minute that proved decisive. UMSL was tied at 1 in the second half against Quincy after a goal from Devin Livingstone in the 61st minute, but the Hawks scored twice in the final 17 minutes. The Tritons (2-9-2, 1-9-1 GLVC) next play Drury on Friday and Southwest Baptist on Sunday as they wrap up the regular season at home.
Volleyball
The fourth-ranked Tritons extended their record winning streak to 22 matches after dispatching of Missouri S&T and Maryville over the weekend at home. UMSL beat the Miners 25-11, 22-25, 25-23, 25-17 on Friday night with Lexie Rang, Mya Elliott and Delaney Humm combining for 43 kills. Elliott also had five blocks. Rang had a team-high 20 kills as the Tritons beat the Saints 25-19, 25-20, 25-14 on Saturday. Kylie Adams pitched in a team-high 17 digs and also had three aces. UMSL (22-0, 7-0 GLVC) will look to continue its streak on the road as it faces Upper Iowa on Friday and Truman State on Saturday.
Men’s Golf
UMSL climbed six spots on the final day to finish in sixth place in the Doc Spragg Fall Invitational last Tuesday at the Findlay Country Club in Findlay, Ohio. The Tritons posted a combined score of 869 in the 16-team tournament. Sophomore Leo Baudry led the way with a 54-hole total of 214, good for 16th place. Fifth-year senior Rob Hogan tied for 31st with a score of 218. UMSL will wrap up its fall schedule on Monday and Tuesday at the Nemacolin Intercollegiate at Mystic Rock Golf Course in Farmington, Pennsylvania.
Men’s and Women’s Swimming
The Tritons swimming teams opened their home schedule by sweeping dual meets against William Jewell with the men’s team defeating the Cardinals 155-108 and the women breezing to a 170-92 victory on Friday at the Mark Twain Athletic Center. Conley Savage claimed three of UMSL’s 20 first-place finishes, winning the 200-yard butterfly, the 200 backstroke and the 100 butterfly, and he also contributed to his team’s win in the 200 medley relay. Guillem Masjuan Roca swam the opening leg of the winning medley relay, did the same in the 200 free relay and won the 100 breaststroke and the 100 freestyle individually. Kate Nelson led the women’s team as part of the winning 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays, and she also took first in the 50 freestyle. Ella Lantz was also part of the winning relay teams and 1-2-3 UMSL finish in the 200 backstroke. The Tritons will race against Lindenwood on Friday at the Mark Twain Athletic Center.
