ATHLETICS | A crowd of 3,500 local middle-school students cheered as LMU’s women’s basketball team played a special noon game Jan. 18 against BYU. The visit, thanks to the generous funding assisted by donor Jim Morris, filled Gersten Pavilion with kids wearing crimson and white LMU shirts to see the Lions play a good game but come up short, 67-55. Boys and girls from Long Beach to Santa Monica saw Division I basketball firsthand and were treated to several educational experiences throughout the day, including campus tours from student-athletes.
Preseason rankings find women’s tennis and women’s water polo receiving first-place votes and both teams were selected third overall in their respective conferences. Women’s water polo is ranked No. 22 in the country in the latest national poll. Additionally, Gabriel Diaz-Freire of men’s tennis was selected to the All-WCC Preseason Team.
LMU baseball announced the full schedule of events for Jan. 27, as the Lions will host the annual Alumni Game and Casino Night on that Saturday. The events begin at 10:30 a.m. at Page Stadium, with batting practice for the Alumni Game prior to a noon first pitch. LMU will also celebrate the 2017 West Coast Conference Championship, with a ring ceremony to be held during Casino Night from 7:30 to 8 p.m. The 2018 Lions will also be introduced, and fans will have the opportunity to purchase their 2018 LMU baseball season tickets. Casino Night is open to anyone interested in playing or watching, and participants do not need to be LMU alumni. Online registration will be open until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, and can be accessed here. Mini-plans are set to go on sale Jan. 23. Don’t miss your opportunity to see the defending WCC Champions in Page this season.
