ATHLETICS | “We’re in!” LMU softball players chanted Sunday night after hearing their name called in the 2018 National Invitational Softball Championships selection show. The Lions earned an automatic bid to the NISC, making their first postseason appearance since 2007. LMU earned an automatic qualifier to the tournament by finishing second in the West Coast Conference and will play in Region 1 in Greeley, Colorado, beginning Wednesday at 5 p.m. PST. The region includes LMU’s opponent Northern Colorado, as well as South Dakota State and Colorado State.
Riley Elmes is underway in the NCAA Tournament. The men’s golf junior is one of 75 players to compete in the NCAA Regional in Stockton, California, this week. The regional competition will be played at the Reserve at Spanos Park, a par-72, 7,239-yard course. The format will be 54 total holes with 18 played each day. Tee times will begin at 7:30 a.m. from Monday through Wednesday. Elmes recorded seven top-five finishes in 11 tournaments this season, including a win at the 2017 Wyoming Southern Dunes Invitational and a runner-up finish at the Oregon Duck Invitational where he tied the program record with a three-round 203.
Only four games remain at Page Stadium this baseball season. Catch the final stretch of the 2018 campaign as the LMU baseball team returns to the bluff to close out their regular season schedule and make a push for the WCC Championship. The Lions host Grand Canyon on Tuesday night for a nonconference midweek battle, before closing their home slate with three against St. Mary’s. The games are schedule for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, with Senior Day set before the 1 p.m. Sunday game. Tickets are still available, please contact the LMU Box Office at 310.338.5466 or visit LMULions.com/tickets.
Rowing takes second at WCC Championships, as the Lions (36 points) posted their best day at the championship since 2007. Competing at the 2018 WCC Championship from Lake Natoma in Gold River, California, LMU rowing took home second place behind Gonzaga. The Bulldogs won their fourth straight WCC Rowing Championship by winning all three official races. LMU followed in second in each of the races. LMU’s Esther Broddin was crowned co-WCC Newcomer of the Year and Broddin, Ellie Peebles and Ellery Martin were named to the 2018 All-West Coast Conference Women’s Rowing Team.
On the sand, LMU’s Savannah Slattery and Maddie Leiphardt won a match in pool play before dropping an opening-round match in the playoffs of the USA Volleyball Collegiate Beach Championships over the weekend in Hermosa Beach. The duo opened play with a 21-18, 22-20 setback to Texas Christian University’s House/Hill before knocking off Powers/Domanski of Louisiana State, 21-16, 17-21, 15-11 in the third-place match.
