This weekend the Washington University women’s basketball team proved it can adjust to any style of play.
First, the top-ranked Bears responded to the pressure of a long-standing rivalry against number-three New York University. This Friday, both teams entered the contest at the Field House 14-0 and 3-0 in the University Athletic Association, and the Bears prevailed in a slow-moving slugfest by a score of 57-47.
Then, on Sunday, WU had some fun running and gunning with Brandeis University in a 92-60 win. The women improved to 16-0 and 5-0 in the UAA, while also extending their home winning streak to 66 games. The last time the Bears lost at home was over five years ago, to none other than NYU.
As expected, both teams relied on defensive pressure Friday.
“Defensively we had to be on top of things,” said junior forward Jen Rudis. “And on offense, they were up in our shorts making us work to get open and look for ball movement. They’re feisty. They’ll knock you around”
Junior forward Meg Sullivan hit a three-pointer to put the Bears on the board first with 17:26 on the clock. But the NYU Violets also turned to perimeter shooting to cut an 8-point deficit to one, 14-13, with 5:29 left in the half.
The Bears then scored ten of twelve points to extend their lead to nine and headed off the court with the 24-15 advantage. However, NYU had held the top scoring team in Division III to its lowest first half total of the season.
“NYU tried to delay,” said WU head coach Nancy Fahey. “They shot within the last ten seconds of the shot-clock. That’s going to slow a ballgame down, so that’s why the point total was so low.”
WU saw its lead dwindle as the Violets pulled within four to open the second half. Senior captain Kristi Eller then sank three buckets from the foul line and assisted a smooth jumper by sophomore Leslie Hawley, with 12:38 to play. Having regained a nine-point lead, 31-22, the Bears heard loud cheers of approval from all the green and red fans among the 1714 boisterous spectators.
Meanwhile, NYU called for a full timeout. They responded with an 8-1 run, only to be matched again by a 9-2 WU run.
In the final minute, Rudis later broke away to drive in for a lay-up, but a rough foul took her to the floor. After tempers were calmed, Rudis calmly knocked down the two free throws to establish a 12-point edge for WU.
A Laura Crowley free throw in the final seconds finalized the scoring and sealed the 57-47 victory for the Bears.
Crowley led the team with 13 points with Rudis finishing with 12 and a game-high nine rebounds and Eller adding 10 points of her own.
WU doubled NYU’s points in the paint, nearly doubled their bench points and scored 25 points off Violet turnovers.
“I can’t even describe what it feels like playing NYU because of the rivalry,” said Rudis. “It was such a classic feeling and such a sweet win for our team.”
In search of another sweet victory against Brandeis Sunday, the Bears were able to execute their offense easier, running and penetrating the defense to work the ball inside more often.
“They came out and ran,” said Fahey. “We ran. We had similar styles so it was fun to get out and just play some hoops.”
Brandeis found an early four-point lead until Sullivan put the Bears on the board with a three. Within six minutes, Sullivan and Crowley each nailed three three-pointers apiece to help the Bears to jump to a commanding 18-4 lead.
“It was a great opening statement for the game,” said Rudis. “They were just nailing it left and right.”
Over the next eight minutes freshman Hallie Hutchens, stepping in for the injured Robin Lahargoue, established herself with 11 points and gave the Bears some vital inside scoring punch.
Soon after, Eller assisted a set of threes and junior Diana Hill completed a 10-0 run with a layup to put the Bears up by 25. Having shot 54.5% from the field, the Bears lead 47-24 at the half.
In the second half, Sullivan connected on another pair of threes, and junior Allison Randle added one of her own. Then, with 1:50 remaining, Fahey called upon the bench. With three freshmen on the floor, Leslie Berger threw to Nicole Wylie for the jumper and made a steal and behind-the-back pass to Anna Johnson for the layup. Then, Berger stole again and assisted sophomore Lindsay Williamson with yet another three, with 00:03 remaining.
Williamson’s bucket gave the team a new record of 12 three-pointers in a single game and drove the winning score to 92-60 with a capital W.
With fifteen players scoring, the Bears took the idea of balance to a new level.
“The depth of our bench as a whole is why we do so well,” said Rudis. “[Our bench] allows us to really wear other teams down.”
The stats prove the story in this case, as WU had 54 bench points compared to just 11 for Brandeis.
Sullivan had a season-high 17 points in the contest and Hutchens tallied a career-high 13 points on 5-5 shooting and 7 rebounds. Hill and Rudis each added ten points. Also, Eller’s career-high 12 assists left her one shy of the all-time school record.
With the Bears’ aggressive defense, accurate shooting and depth in all other areas, it may come as no surprise that the women were able to adapt to two distinct styles of play and continue their steak of success.

contact Renee at renee.hires@studlife.com

The men’s and women’s cross country teams began a new season this past weekend with a new coach, some new runners, and a new focus at the North Central College XC Invitational in Naperville, Ill.
In his first year coaching for the Bears, Jeff Stiles, a 1999 North Central alum, returned to familiar ground to lead the WU women to a runner-up finish and the men to a fifth-place finish.
Stiles offered a new race strategy to his runners before the race, and apparently it worked.
“We really wanted to go out conservatively, slowly at the beginning, then work our way into it and accelerate throughout the race,” said senior Brian Shapiro. “We did an excellent job of that this weekend and that will continue to be our plan for the rest of the season”
Individually, the women claimed second and third, with sophomores Mindy Kuhl and Emily Lahowetz running 18:32 and 18:37 respectively. Race winner, Mary Farrell of Saint Xavier, finished in 18:27 after taking a wrong turn and an accidental shortcut to the finish. Kuhl and Lahowez, intent on chasing Farrell down, challenged her to the finish.
“On the first mile there were about eight of us that were definitely ahead, but at some point we broke away even more,” said Kuhl. “On each hill, in the back, around mile two, I was gaining on [Ferrell]. And Emily was pretty much at my back the entire way. Normally, we’re really good about encouraging each other, but this time I wasn’t sure if it was her.”
Nearing the final stretch, the leader missed a turn for a short loop of the girls course, and continued on the men’s course instead. Kuhl thought Ferrell had made a mistake, however.
“When you’re racing someone you’re not going to take a longer way,” said Kuhl. “The only thing going through my head was this might be wrong, but I want to catch her; I want to beat her.”
Sophomore Melanie Mikecz, senior Kathy Busch, freshman Lauren Grabski, and junior Hannah Moore followed the pack to finish 16th in 20:34, 29th in 20:55, 31st in 20:57, and 33rd in 21:01, respectively.
The first five runners who finished for WU averaged 19:55 min. to Wheaton’s 20:22 min. for the 5K course. However, Wheaton’s fifth runner placed 21st, while WU’s fifth took 29th. With places determining points, the women’s 81 point score put them behind Wheaton College with 62, but ahead of a University Athletic Association rival, University of Chicago, and the rest of the 16-team field.
A non-collegiate runner, Jack Kafel, paced the men’s 5 mi. race by clocking at 26:25, and his team of North Central Alums won with merely 22 points. North Central College scored 56 points, University of Chicago 101, and Elmhurst College 132. WU tallied 141 points.
“We have a large number of guys working together for one common purpose, and that’s a good key to success,” said Shapiro.
The strength and leadership of the men’s sophomore and senior classes showed as they composed the team’s first ten finishes. Sophomore Matt Hoelle placed 33rd in 28:20, and classmate Nate Tower placed 60th in 29:10. Darius Viet and Steve Lloyd, also sophomores, finished 9th and 10th for the Bears as well.
Seniors Travis Deutman, Pat MacDonald, Jeremy and Justin Mikecz, Brian Tilton, and Matt House placed 18th in 27:52, 26th in 28:24, 41st in 28:39, 46th in 28:49, 53rd 28:59, and 66th in 29:16, respectively.
“We have a large number of guys who have stuck with the program over the years, and that’s really a testament to the dedication and tightness of our upperclassmen,” said Shapiro. “We’re experienced, know what our goals are, and know the best ways to accomplish those.”
“Our whole focus this year is geared towards Nationals,” said Shapiro. “That’s something that we’ve wanted desperately and never been able to do.”
“I think Coach Jeff is doing great,” Kuhl said. “I liked Coach Schilling a lot, but the changes we’ve had have been really good for the whole team. I could tell during the race that our hill workouts and tempo runs are really working. And everyone has a new attitude.”

Contact Renee at Renee.hires@studlife.com

Maintaining the Washington University football team motto, sophomore defensive back Sam Noffs said of the season’s first game Saturday, “I thought the team did really well, and we found a way to win.”
The 34-27 victory over Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. was the Bears’ twelfth consecutive season-opening win, breaking the school record of 11 straight season-opening wins that began in 1914.
“We won the first game. That’s all that’s important,” said senior defensive back Kyle Runnalls. “We only lost about, oh four or five guys.”
Unfortunately those four or five guys were going to play major roles on the team this season. Freshman receiver Jeff Buening broke his wrist and junior linebacker Kevin Cherrick broke his leg. Also, having likely torn his anterior cruciate ligament and fractured his left knee, Gus Haug, a key starter at tight end, may never make it back in for his senior year. Plus, starting running back John DeLeon came out injured.
“There was an interception so I went to go tackle a guy,” said DeLeon. “I grabbed him around the neck, and then other guys came in. The whole pile got flipped around, and my leg ended getting caught under something.
“I might not be playing anymore this year if it’s as bad as I think it probably is,” said DeLeon, expecting a torn ligament. “If that’s the case I might have to have surgery. It’s definitely not cool.”
Already having to rely heavily on their freshman forces, the Bears are a little worried about these injuries.
“If we keep this pace up we’ll have to go recruit some high school kids to come play for us,” joked junior offensive lineman Bo Murphey.
Fortunately, DeLeon had a willing and ready replacement. Beginning his rookie WU season, sophomore running back Bobby Collins made a good first impression with “phenomenal” playing, according to fellow sophomore DeLeon. Collins rushed for 152 yards on 21 carries to pace the WU offense. The Bears totaled 228 rushing yards on 44 carries and outdid WC’s -31 yards rushing.
Head coach Larry Kindbom also praised his special teams and freshman defensive back Reggie Crume, who ran back five punts for 93 yards.
As predicted, Westminster quarterback Chris Marshall kept the game close with 395 yards passing and four TDs, while the Bears’ air attack netted only 81 passing yards from QB Brian Tatom.
Sophomore kicker Jonathan Feig hit a pair of field goals from 26 and 38 yards to give the Bears an early 6-0 lead, and junior RB Mike Friedman’s two-yard run with 0:22 left in the first quarter extended the lead to 12.
However, by this time, the Bears had already realized a 37-0 shutout like last season would not nearly be as simple a task.
“In this game, we just found out that we’re going to have to fight our way through every game of the season,” said DeLeon. “We played well enough, but we’re definitely going to have to get better to make it through the schedule we have.”
Suddenly, the back-and-forth battle began as Marshall and WU’s senior defensive back/ kick returner Quincy Davis dominated the second quarter.
Marshall brought the Blue Jays to within five on a 15-yard pass to Jeff Hawkins, but Davis quickly answered with an 85-yard kickoff return. Down 18-7, Marshall threw another TD, this time a 19-yard pass to get back within five again. However, with 3:04 left in the half, Davis blocked an extra point attempt and returned it 90 yards for a two-point conversion, sending the Bears into the locker room with the psychological edge.
“That rarely happens,” said Murphey. “Due to the fact that the game was so close, the three-point swing was definitely a killer for the other team.”
Soon after the second half began, WU found its greatest lead, 27-13, on a four-yard scamper from DeLeon’s.
But Marshall would not give in just yet. He ignited a Westminster comeback, delivering a 38-yard pass and a 58-yard bomb to Andy Jahnsen, who racked up eight catches for 249 yards.
With the game tied, Friedman completed a key one-yard run early in the fourth for the 34-27 winning margin.
Facing fourth-and-20 at his own 10-yard line with under two minutes to play, Marshall looked to please the home team once more, while Jahnsen caught a 46-yard Hail Mary. But the Bears would not allow WC within the 30-yard line, as Runnalls broke up a fourth-down pass in the endzone to secure the win.
“I told our guys before the game it was going to be a four-quarter game,” said Kindbom. “That was probably more prophetic than I would have liked. They were well prepared, and I was impressed.”
“They threw a lot of loops at us, like parts of their defense showed our offense a lot of different things that we hadn’t prepared for,” said Murphey.
Now the men that can still play will look to improve defensively by forcing turnovers and by finishing off offensive drives.
“I’m happy that we pulled off the victory, but we all know that we are going to have to improve a lot to meet our goals for the season,” said Noffs. “We have some pretty high goals. We want to win our conference and make the playoffs, then do well in the playoffs.”
He and his teammates also look ahead to their next match-up, the home opener against Illinois Wesleyan University at 6 p.m. this Sat., September 8. Wesleyan went 9-1 last season and shut out WU 24-0 in their meeting last year
“This time we want a shutout,” said Noffs. “That’s what we shoot for every time.”

To contact Renee, email her at renee.hires@studlife.com