ATHLETICS | The LMU women’s basketball team enjoyed their home cooking this week, earning a pair of home wins over WCC opponents. The Lions won their first conference match of the season on Thursday beating University of San Francisco, 76-69, while Aspyn Adams made LMU history after draining seven three-pointers. On Saturday, the team pulled off a, 75-59, win over Santa Clara in Gersten Pavilion. This week, the Lions have just one game on the calendar, a PCH Cup matchup in Malibu on Saturday evening.
In front of more than 3,500 fans in Gersten Pavilion on Saturday night, the LMU men’s basketball team hosted the top team in the country. Eli Scott went 9-for-13 from the field for a game-high 20 points, but No. 1-ranked Gonzaga topped the Lions, 87-62. Prior to tip-off, 8 year old Malea Emma brought the house down with a stirring performance of the national anthem. This week opens with the road edition of the PCH Cup on Thursday evening in Malibu, followed by an afternoon game at USF on Saturday at 1 p.m. Both games will air on Spectrum Sportsnet in Los Angeles.
LMU swim makes their 2020 debut with the WCC Cup this week. The Lions host Pepperdine and San Diego on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18. Friday’s tri-meet will begin at 2 p.m. with the first session, and the two remaining sessions will take place on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. at Burns Aquatics Center. There will be 19 total events.
Men’s tennis will play their first conference matches of the year. The Lions host San Francisco at 10 a.m. on Jan. 18 and then host Santa Clara on Jan. 19. Both days will be free admission to the public at LMU Tennis Center.
Lions junior right-handed pitcher Nick Frasso and senior infielder/outfielder Trevin Esquerra have been named Preseason All-Americans by Perfect Game, it was announced last Tuesday. Frasso was named to the Second Team and Esquerra was selected to the Third Team. It’s the second Preseason All-America honor for both. The Lions begin the 2020 season on Friday, Feb. 14, when they take on the University of Washington Huskies at Page Stadium with season-opening first pitch set for 6 p.m.
LMU men’s soccer racked up a pair of honors from Top Drawer Soccer, the publication announced. First-year midfielder Noel Caliskan claimed a spot on the Top 100 Freshman List, while also collecting First Team TDS Freshman Best XI. Caliskan continues to add to his list of honors following a stellar freshman campaign for the Lions. He was earlier named West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and to both the All-WCC Men’s Soccer Second Team and Freshman Team. In addition, he was placed on the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Men’s All-West Region Third Team.
The LMU men’s and women’s track and field teams open the 2020 season on Saturday, Feb. 15 with the Pomona-Pitzer All-Comers Meet on the campus of Pomona College. Next, the Lions head to San Jose to face multiple conference rivals at the West Coast Invitational on Feb. 22.
The LMU volleyball team is adding two more players to its roster for the 2020 season, as Isabella Bareford and Annabella Pirrotta signed their National Letters of Intent, announced by Coach Aaron Mansfield on Wednesday. Bareford comes to the Lions from Long Beach, California, where she attended St. Anthony High School. The setter is 5-10 and tallied 90 assists and 101 kills her senior season.
