74 Student-Athletes Among the 2018 Graduates

ATHLETICS | Loyola Marymount University’s commencement ceremonies on Saturday included 74 LMU student-athletes walking the stage in Sunken Garden. The complete list of graduated athletes, as well as photos from Saturday morning’s reception can be found here.

Three individual athletes found out last week that their seasons will continue as they prepare for the Division I NCAA Championships. Junior golfer Riley Elmes looks to continue his historic season as one of the 10 at-large individual selections at the Stockton Regional, taking place May 14-16. The Stockton Regional includes 13 teams and 10 individuals. Five teams and one individual will advance to the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Okla. Elmes recorded seven top-5 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. Elmes earned a top-five finish at the WCC Championships, leading to his second-consecutive All-WCC selection.

On the tennis courts, freshman Veronica Miroshnichenko has been selected to represent LMU at the 2018 NCAA singles championship, May 23-28, at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, while she and fellow freshman Eva Marie Voracek will compete in the 2018 NCAA doubles championship. Miroshnichenko earned an at-large bid into the singles draw, while the Lion pair also earned the at-large big into the doubles draw. Both players participated in the 2017 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships. Miroshnichenko was named West Coast Conference Co-Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-WCC First Team as a singles player while managing a 22-9 overall record, including a 15-5 mark at the top spot in LMU’s order during dual-meet play. Miroshnichenko, currently ranked No. 45 in the ITA rankings, went 5-2 in WCC contests. Voracek joins Miroshnichenko as part of LMU’s talented doubles pair which most recently took home all-tournament honors at the WCC championship tournament. The duo, which earned All-WCC First Team honors, has been ranked throughout the year, and currently owns a 22-7 overall record, including a 15-5 mark in dual matches while playing at the top of the order. The pair currently holds a No. 30 ranking according to the ITA.

A trio of Lion rowers are preparing for the 2018 West Coast Conference Championship this weekend as they have been named to All-WIRA teams, following a strong showing at the WIRA championships at the end of April. The 2018 WIRA Championships, hosted by the Sacramento State Aquatic Center, were held on April 28 and 29 on the championship course at Lake Natoma in Gold River, California. Esther Broddin and Ellery Martin were named to the first team, while Jessica Apodaca took a place on the second team.

New Lions are LMU bound as several teams have announced their incoming additions. Men’s basketball has recently added Jordan Bell, a local transfer who will be joining the team as a sophomore, as well as Ivan Alipiev, a Bulgarian freshman who Coach Mike Dunlap believes is a “gem.” Volleyball added a trio of players for Coach Aaron Mansfield to work with in his second season at LMU. Men’s water polo also announced their new class, which includes three Californians, a player who’s coach in an alum, and an international asset.

This week, baseball, softball, and track continue their seasons after being on hiatus during graduation week. The softball team travels to BYU to battle for first place in the final series of the season. Both the Lions and Cougars share 11-1 conference records and the winner of the series takes the WCC crown. Baseball has a single Tuesday game at Bakersfield before continuing their conference slate with three games at Santa Clara. The LMU track and field team will be split between the Oxy Invitational in Eagle Rock and the Portland Twilight in Oregon.

logo-instagram