It was a defensive clinic for the No. 13 Washington University Bears on Saturday as they crossed the Mississippi River to visit the nearby Millikin University. Led by stellar play from junior guard Hayden Doyle, the Bears claimed their seventh victory of the season.

Washington University No. 8 men’s and No. 17 women’s swim team competed in the Denison Invitational on Nov. 30 to Dec. 2,  placing 4th and 5th respectively.

The Saint Louis native, who played 7 years of professional soccer against the likes of Pele in the North American League (NASL), came to WashU after leading the Saint Louis University men’s soccer program for 14 years.

Despite a resilient second-half effort that included control over the majority of possession, three shots, and five corner kicks, the Bears never put the ball in the back of the net. With their one goal, Cal Lutheran rode to their first-ever national title, becoming the first unranked team to achieve the feat.

After 110 minutes of gridlocked soccer in this year’s Final Four matchup, the Bears and Falcons headed to a penalty shootout once again. “The history of these two teams, these two programs — we could have just gone to PKs and been done with it. Saved ourselves some time,” Messiah head coach Scott Frey quipped after the game.  

With under a minute left in the Midwest Challenge championship game between the Washington University women’s basketball team and that of Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU), tensions were heightened as the back-and-forth contest neared the end. Despite the Bears’ best efforts, the Titans played on par with them throughout the hour.

After a dramatic win against the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, the Washington University women’s soccer team is back in the NCAA Division III Final Four for the first time since 2018. In the semifinals — which will be played on Thursday, Nov. 30 in Salem, VA — the Bears will take on a familiar foe: Messiah University. 

Entering the tournament, the Bears had placed sixth at the University Athletic Association (UAA) conference championships, denying their hopes of a conference title and the right to host regionals in the NCAA tournament. After finishing tied for second in the regular season UAA standings, the Bears were upset by Case Western Reserve University in the first round.

“We talk about having a next-play mentality… I thought we played some great possessions on defense, our guys just stayed strong, stayed level, they believe in each other, and just found a way,” Juckem remarked. 

Over the weekend, the #17 Washington University men’s cross country team finished 17th place at this year’s NCAA Division III country championship meet, while the No. 13 women’s team finished 13th overall.  Senior Alexandra Blake finished first for the Bears and 28th overall in the 6,000-meter race with a time of 21:37.10. Both Capuano and Blake’s performance earned them All-American honors.