The UMSL men’s golf team won its first Arch Cup title since 2022 after posting the fifth-best 36-hole combined score in school history last Tuesday at Gateway National Golf Links. (Photo by Luke Rinne/UMSL Athletics)
Men’s Golf
The No. 21 University of Missouri–St. Louis men’s golf team opened the season by reclaiming the Arch Cup for the first time since 2022. The Tritons posted a combined score of 562 last Tuesday at Gateway National Golf Links. It was the fifth-best 36-hole score in school history and was 12 shots better than runner-up Drury. Dani Solavera claimed medalist honors after firing rounds of 70 and 66 for a total of 136. He beat Drury’s Ellton Bostrom by two strokes and was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week. Benjamin Berger and Logan Mayo tied for fourth with 36-holes scores of 140. Seniors Andy Hennan and Leo Baudry placed 13th and 19th, respectively. UMSL will next play at the Midwest Collegiate, beginning Sept. 28 at Rock Hollow Golf Club in Peru, Indiana.
Volleyball
The Tritons went 3-1 to open their season in the McKendree Invitational in Lebanon, Illinois. UMSL swept Michigan Tech and Purdue Northwest in its two matches on Friday and also beat Southwestern Oklahoma State in three sets in its opening match on Saturday. But the Tritons dropped their final match in three sets against Minnesota Duluth, losing 25-19 in all three sets. Setter Caitlin Bishop averaged 38.5 assists in the four matches, and Alayna Santel paced the team with 42 kills on the weekend. Maggie Johnson and Hannah Copeland added 35 and 34 kills, respectively. Copeland also had 12 blocks. The Tritons (3-1) will travel to Nebraska next weekend to play in the Rosella Meier Fall Classic, hosted by the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
Men’s Soccer
UMSL opened its season with a 1-1 draw against Kentucky Wesleyan last Thursday at Panther Field in Owensboro, Kentucky. The Tritons had an early lead when Tommy Wortham shot into the top right corner of the net for his first collegiate goal. Matt McNally evened the match with a goal in the 41st minute for Kentucky Wesleyan. The Tritons had several chances to pull back in front as they outshot the Panthers 6-4, but neither team scored in the final 49 minutes. UMSL goalkeeper Jack Franklin made two saves. The Tritons (0-0-1) will be back in action on Wednesday when it faces Roosevelt in Chicago. UMSL will play its home opener Sunday against Drury as it kicks off GLVC play.
Women’s Soccer
The Tritons went 1-1 in the season’s opening week, falling to Pittsburg State 2-0 on Thursday but topping Washburn 3-0 on Saturday at Don Dallas Soccer Field. Kennedi Hooks headed in a cross from Josie Maddox for the opening goal in the 19th minute of Saturday’s win over the Ichabods. Gwen Maggard extended the lead when she scored off a free kick that bounced on the crossbar and in from 22 yards out in the 40th minute, and Maggard picked up an assist as Taylor Martin headed in her corner kick just over a minute before halftime. Goalkeeper Rylee Griffith made six saves while recording her third career shutout. UMSL kept the Gorillas scoreless through the first 82 minutes in Thursday’s opener, but Pitt State scored on a penalty kick at 82:16 and added a second goal 27 seconds later to spoil the evening for the Tritons. UMSL (1-1) will play host to Northwest Missouri State on Wednesday and opens GLVC play against Drury on Saturday.
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country
Senior Will Kaempfe opened the season by winning the 7-kilometer men’s race at the University of Illinois Springfield Prairie Star Invitational on Friday evening at the UIS Cross Country Course in Springfield, Illinois. Kaempfe posted a time of 21 minutes, 45.38 seconds to pace the Tritons, who finished fifth out of 11 teams in the field. Kaempfe was seven seconds in front of his closest challenger. UMSL’s Luke Stevenson also finished in the top-20, placing 19th with a time of 23:01.74. The Tritons’ women’s team finished seventh out of 11 teams. Junior Bella Massaro was the team’s top finisher, crossing the line in 38th place with a time of 21:06.05 in the 5-kilometer race. Both the men’s and women’s teams will race again on Friday in the Larry Young Invitational at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri.
Women’s Tennis.
Aleksandra Lopez went 2-0 in singles competition as UMSL opened the fall portion of its schedule at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Cougar Invitational Friday and Saturday at the SIUE Tennis Courts in Edwardsville, Illinois. She got blanked in the opening set of Friday’s match but rallied to defeat SIUE’s Jessica Li. On Saturday, she beat Saint Louis’ Fiorella Duran 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (2-7) and 10-6. Alexandra Cedeno finished 1-1 in singles play. Hannah Tse and Morgan Lint teamed up to beat SLU’s Nicolly Ferreira and Emmerson White 6-3 in doubles competition on Saturday. The Tritons will play their first dual meet of the year on Friday as they play host to Missouri Baptist at Dwight Davis Tennis Center in Forest Park.
