Senior Jon Osa set a school record in the 100-yard backstroke and was part of two school record-setting relay performances in the University of Chicago Phoenix Fall Invitational. (Photo courtesy of UMSL Athletics)
Men’s Swimming
The 21st-ranked University of Missouri–St. Louis men’s swimming team set four school records and recorded 11 B-cut qualifying times over the weekend at the University of Chicago Phoenix Fall Invitational. Jon Osa set a school record in the 100-yard backstroke on Saturday with a winning time of 47.66 seconds and narrowly missed setting another school mark Sunday when he won the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:45.68. Osa also won the 50-yard freestyle on Friday in a time of 20.35 seconds and was part of two school record-setting relays with Austin Stevenson, David Reynolds and Aiden Clark. They won the 200-yard freestyle relay on Friday with a time of 1:20:48 and placed second in Sunday’s 400 freestyle relay with a time of 2:59.23. Conley Savage set the school record in the 200 butterfly with a second-place time of 1:47.44 on Sunday. The Tritons will return to the pool on Dec. 16 when they host Great Lakes Valley Conference rivals Missouri S&T, Maryville and Quincy in a quadangular meet at the UMSL Swimming Pool.
Women’s Swimming
All-American swimmer Zara Konstapel won the 100-yard backstroke and took second in the 200 backstroke to lead the Tritons in the three-day University of Chicago Phoenix Fall Invitational. Konstapel posted a time of 1:03.15 to achieve a national qualifying mark in the 100, and she swam the 200 in 2:18.03. UMSL’s 200-yard freestyle relay team of Ava Boehning, Sarah Nelson, Franziska Hauptmann and Kate Nelson won their race in a time of 1:34.38. Boehning also finished third individually in the 50 free and set a school record with a time of 23.74 seconds. That was one of two school records UMSL set during the weekend with the 800 free relay quartet of Stephanie Schoemans, Isabella Gruidl, Sarah Nelson and Rebecca Bechtel posting a record time of 7:45.41 while finishing fourth. The Tritons return to the pool on Dec. 16 when they host Maryville and Quincy in a triangular at the UMSL Swimming Pool.
Men’s Basketball
Freshman guard Matt Enright finished with a team-high 14 points, sophomore Sam Bledsoe chipped in 12 and a total of 13 different players scored as UMSL routed East/West University 94-48 last Thursday in its home opener at the Mark Twain Athletic Center. The Tritons (3-0) shot 49.3% from the field and made 14 3-pointers. They held East/West to 31.5% shooting, including 5 for 26 from beyond the 3-point arc, and forced 23 turnovers. Coach Bob Sundvold‘s team is hosting the St. Louis Union Station Hotel UMSL Thanksgiving Classic this week and will play Grand Valley State on Tuesday and Michigan Tech on Wednesday.
Women’s Basketball
The Tritons are still searching for their first victory after losing 61-48 Saturday at Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville, Tennessee. Amaya Blake scored a team-high 14 points for UMSL, and Morgan Ramthun added 10 points and nine rebounds, but the Tritons shot only 31.7% from the field, including 1 for 14 from 3-point range. Lili Wilken scored 16 points to lead three players in double figures for Trevecca Nazarene. UMSL is playing host to Kentucky Wesleyan today in its only game of the week.
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country
Both UMSL cross country teams concluded their 2022 seasons Saturday at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional at the Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The men finished 22nd with a score of 626 points while the women were 29th with 859 points. Junior Benjamin VandenBrink was UMSL’s top runner, finishing 66th in a field of 196 runners with a time of 32:47.28 on the 10-kilometer course. Toby Middleton finished 101st in a time of 33:24.26. On the women’s side, Lily Wagemann was the top runner as she covered the six-kilometer course in a time of 24:58.43, and Peyton Brueck finished at 25:33.15 to finish 158th and 167th, respectively.
