UofL has three other sports besides hoops going on currently.
Speaking of challenges, it's allegedly rumored that Coach Walz got a call from the NCAA about his "shooting" and such. No more details available, but, I guess we can assume there will be no more "catch and shoots" from the Cardinal WBB coach.
There are other activities currently engaged in competition, though...with more to come...so, let's take today and catch up on how tennis, swimming and track & field are doing. Two of the three are currently involved in their "indoor" seasons (imagine trying to serve and volley on slicked surfaces and snow drifts or sprinting down a ice-covered track).
UofL has a couple of Spring Sports Media days planned, the first today with the aforementioned three in the spotlight. Next week, softball, rowing, lacrosse and golf take the stage to discuss their upcoming seasons.
Today, let's look at how those who make serves, sprints and splashes are doing.
TENNIS
The Cards field men and women's sports in this racket, net and ball based sport and this is an activity that features an indoor and outdoor season. Since we primarily cover women's sports here at "the Couple" that's where my focus will be today. Louisville women's tennis began the spring season on Sunday at the Bass-Rudd Center adjacent to I-65 and brought in two schools from the Buckeye state to kick the schedule off. In the morning session, UofL faced Bowling Green and successfully got a 5-2 win over the Falcons from the MAC. A 2-0 start for the season for Mark Beckham's squad !
As we have covered here before, seven "points" are obtainable in a contest, although nine matches are actually contested (six singles and three doubles). The players are ranked for the contests (#1 thru #6) in singles on each squad and they face off against their counterpart with the objective to win two sets. The Cards fared well in the morning/early afternoon session, getting wins from their #2 thru #5 players and picking up four points. Those that triumphed were #2 Nikolina Jovic, #3 Raven Neely, #4 Diana Wong, #5 Chloe Hamlin.
Head coach Mark Beckham discusses the win here: BECKHAM DISCUSSES BOWLING GREEN MATCH
In the afternoon, the Cards went against Miami (OH). Once again the Cards found success, downing the RedHawks 6-1. The seeding of the players can change from one match to another, so a slightly different group of Cardinals went to singles competition and picked up five points...all seeds winning except the #1 seed for the Cards. This match it was, in ranking order, Suswam, Jovic, Neely, Wong and Hamlin getting net success.
With five points already in the bag, the Cards doubles units swept the RedHawks in all three contests to pick up the final point and the 6-1 triumph.
Beckham also discussed the Miami win. LINK: CARDS 6-1 over Miami
TRACK AND FIELD
The Cardinal runners, jumpers and throwers have had two meets so far and distance specialist Dorcas Wasike has competed in and additional meet to kick off the spring. Once again, an indoor season and we'll focus on the women's results again.Wasike went to Boston to compete in the aptly named BU Season Opener and won the 5000 meters, setting a new school record for the event, where she finished sixth after an unfortunate fall at the 4K mark.
The Cards went to Purdue as a team for their season opener in the Gene Edmunds Invitational on January, January 12th. They fared well against the competition, getting six wins on the women's side. Hats off to winners Makenli Forrest (weight throw), Morgan Zacharias (pole vault), Radhida Harris (shot put) and Renate van Tonder (long jump) in field events .
The Cards went to Notre Dame to compete on Saturday, Jan 19th. and the women got three wins in track and three on the field to win the meet. Raglin took both the 60 meters and 200 meters and Wasike captured the mile run. In field events, wins were secured by Gabrielle Leon in the pole vault, von Tonder in the triple jump and Forrest in the weight toss.
The Cards travel to Illinois this Saturday to take part in the Illini Classic.
SWIMMING
Success goes synonymous with swimming and the Dive and Stroke Cards entered January defeating Missouri 163-137. 18 women's wins in the various swim and dive events, a list way too long to list here. Multiple event winners were Sophie Cattermole (500, 1000 free), Mariia Astashkina (100, 200 backstroke), and Alina Kenndzior (100 back, 200 back).
Mallory Comerford ruled in the 200 freestyle and the Cards won numerous "team" events as well.
It appears the #6 ranked Cards are in for a very successful season as they compete with the best in the ACC and in the nation.
Have a great Tuesday!
paulie
xxxxx
Ha, ha on Walz. Those NCAA administrators just won't leave him alone, will they?
ReplyDeleteGood to hear that the spring sports are off to great starts. I have watching Mallory swim on my "bucket" list, having seen only one other UofL great in the water in Kelsi.
I ran the 440 in high school and on the 1 mile relay team. I never won anything and that one lap around the track was about my distance limit. Our relay team got to run in the prestigious Mason Dixon Games event years ago and we finished third, so that was cool. Running these days for me consists of running my mouth, which I'm great at.
On tennis, I did "fool around" with the game as a kid. I had a "nailed together" wooden racket I found in a dumpster and we were able to find a few tennis balls that were knocked into the trees surrounding the tennis courts near my boyhood home.
we weren't good but had fun with it. That's what sports are about, anyway -- the pleasure. We were poor but competitive. one of my pals used a badminton racket. LOLOL
Curtis "Likes brown and serve, is that a tennis term?" Franklin
My tennis time roughly equals your, Curtis. I would play against a guy who preferred the hard hitting slug it out style. I used to play the "dink and dunk" style and beat him by running him to death and defeat. I gave the game up because the courts were tearing my knees up.
DeleteI'll have audio from the Spring Sports Media Day today that I'll add to Jared's article tomorrow. Free lunch, I'm there!
Paulie
Heard Paulie on Louisville First this morning. Thank you for talking about women's sports. I like Howie's show, but he spends way too much time on a 2-10 football team.
ReplyDeleteI'm a first time poster, Googled Cardinal Couple and found the site. I like what I see here, keep up the great coverage on UofL women's sports!
Disappointed to learn NCAA nixed anymore of Coach Walz shooting exhibitions. You know if he hit that shot it would have made Sportscenter. I thought like everyone else it was funny. I was looking forward to some more future attempts to see what his % would be end up. Can you imagine him putting up a shot every errant pass he caught? Would have become a crowd favorite seeing that 6 times a year for sure. Especially when he stuck a few. Should count as 4 points for distance.
ReplyDeleteThey are the stern old Victorian grandmothers clucking in disapproval at the youngsters dancing to rock n roll.
DeletePaulie
Just a FYI, had a great time at the Louisville Spring Sports Media Dayand have lots of audio to add to Jared's column tomorrow. Men's tennis was represented by head coach Rex Ecarma, Christopher Morin-Hougoucheff, Brandon Lancaster and Fede Gomez.
ReplyDeleteWomen's tennis had Mark Beckham, Sena Susham and "Grandma" Ola Mally.
Track and Field head coach Dale Cowper brought field athletes Makenli Forrest (weight toss)and jumper Tony McRoberts.
Plenty of swimmer representation with head coach Arthur Albiero, Mallory Comerford, Zach (Batman) Harting. Molly Fears and Daniel Pinto.
Paulie