What You Missed: Spring Sports in Review

Men’s Track

Davis wins 110-meter hurdle national championship as men finish fourth; women finish 37th

Senior Dan Davis prevailed in the 110-meter hurdle national championship to push the Washington University men’s track team to a fourth-place finish, the best in school history, at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships.

Davis’ time of 14.40 was .08 seconds ahead of his closest competitor as he pulled away in the final 40 meters to earn the program’s third men’s individual national title.

Five of the six men competing for the Bears earned All-America honors at the meet.

The Red and Green women finished tied for 37th place, thanks in large part to senior Liz Phillips’ pair of All-America performances. Phillips finished sixth in both the 1,500-meter and 800-meter races.

Women’s Golf

Buck leads women’s golf to eighth-place finish at NCAAs

Junior Hannah Buck finished in a tie for third overall, shooting a three-round 239, to lead the Washington University women’s golf team to an eighth-place finish at the weather-shortened NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championship.

The eighth-place finish was the best in the program’s short history. The Bears shot a 344 on day one, good for ninth place, and improved each day, shooting 343 and 327, respectively, on days two and three.

Buck and sophomore Andrea Hibbert paced the team throughout the tournament. Buck earned All-America honors for the second straight year, while Hibbert’s 246 was good for a twelfth-place tie.

Methodist University won its fourteenth straight and 24th overall NCAA Championship with a score of 966, 48 strokes ahead of Wash. U.’s 1,014.

Women’s Tennis

Women’s tennis falls in NCAA regional semifinals

The Washington University women’s tennis team was swept 5-0 by Sewanee University in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament, prematurely ending its twelfth postseason appearance in program history.

The Bears lost all three doubles matches, as well as the first two singles matches, and were trailing in No. 3 singles when the match was decided.

Then-senior Elise Sambol and sophomore Theresa Petraskova lost the closest match of the day in No. 2 doubles, sending the match to tiebreak before falling 9-8 (7-4).

Wash. U. concluded its season with a 16-6 overall record.

Men’s Tennis

Men’s tennis takes third at NCAA tournament; Stein, Woods reach semis

After falling to University Athletic Association rival Emory University in the NCAA semifinals, the Washington University men’s tennis team swept Williams College 5-0 in the third-place match of the Division III Championships.

Then-seniors Isaac Stein and Max Woods overcame a late deficit at No. 1 doubles, winning three straight games for a 9-7 win, as the Bears swept doubles 3-0.

Junior Kareem Farah sealed the victory with an upset of 50th-ranked Bryan Chow at No. 5 singles.

Wash. U. ends its season with a 20-5 overall record.

Stein and Woods also competed in the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Doubles Championship, reaching the semifinals before falling in three sets 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

The duo ended their season with a 21-11 overall record for 2011.

Women’s Softball

Softball drops final two games in regionals to end year

After rallying to top Fontbonne University in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Regional tournament, the Washington University softball team lost two games in a row, ending their 2011 season.

The Bears fell to then-No. 1 -ranked Linfield College 17-0 in the winners’ bracket, sending them to an elimination game against the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The Red and Green and UW-Whitewater were locked in a scoreless tie through 13 innings before the Warhawks scored two runs in the top of the 14th. Wash. U. managed one run in the bottom of the frame, on sophomore Kelsey Neal’s solo home run, but the Bears fell 2-1.

Then-senior Claire Voris pitched 14 innings and struck out nine, ending her career with 818 strikeouts, placing her 21st in NCAA Division III history.

Wash. U. finished the season with a 32-12-1 overall record.