Thanks to their stellar performances this past weekend at the George Mason Spring Invitational, four members of the men’s and women’s track and field teams were awarded Patriot League weekly honors, the conference announced Monday.
Sophomore distance runner Alec Olson and freshman distance runner Michelle Sumner were named Male and Female Athlete of the Week. Freshman sprinter Justin Flynn earned his second consecutive Male Rookie of the Week honor while freshman Felicia Sciortino received the Female Rookie of the Week.
Saturday, Olson dominated the 3,000m race, winning by more than five seconds and running a personal-best time of 9:07.38. Olson’s performance puts him at the top of the Patriot League rankings in the event.
Sumner, building upon her successful indoor campaign, ran the fastest time of the Patriot League so far in the 5,000m race, placing first with a time of 16:59.52. She crossed the finish line more than 20 seconds ahead of her closest competitor and her time smashed her previous personal-best mark in the event by more than 40 seconds. Both Sumner and junior sprinter Gemma Acheampong have won Female Athlete of the Week twice in the outdoor season.
In the women’s 3,000m, Sciortino won the first race of her collegiate career, completing the seven-and-a-half laps in 11:05.55. The Niskayuna, N.Y. native was a key member of the women’s cross country team that finished 14th as a team in the NCAA Northeast Regional on Nov. 15.
Flynn continued his stellar rookie season over the weekend when he placed fifth in the 200m dash and finished eighth in the 100m dash final. At the Florida Relays on April 7, Flynn posted the conference’s top time in the 100m and was a member of the 4x100m relay team that set a school record with a time of 40.97.
Women’s tennis defeats Army
Facing the nine-time defending champion U.S. Military Academy, the Boston University women’s tennis team continued its hot streak, earning its fifth straight victory in a 7-0 win Saturday in Allston.
Reigning Patriot League Player of the Month, sophomore Johanna Hyoty, got things started for the Terriers (11-6, 2-0 Patriot League) in singles play, defeating Black Knight (21-3, 7-1 Patriot League) senior Jamila Paul, 6-3 and 6-0.
In addition to Hyoty, sophomore Lauren Davis, senior Leonie-Charlotte Athanasiadis, junior Sami Lieb and freshman Barbara Rodriguez won in straight sets. Sophomore Kim McCallum, playing in the No. 6 spot, lost the first set to freshman Nancy Porter 6-3, but came back to win 6-4 and 10-5 in the next two sets to complete the singles sweep for the Terriers.
In doubles action, the duo of Hyoty and Athanasiadis downed the sister combo of senior Della Taylor and junior Elle Taylor, 8-7. Army earned its first win of the afternoon when the duo of Paul and sophomore Caroyln Pitman beat Davis and Rodriguez by a score of 8-5.
The final match of the afternoon saw McCallum and sophomore Madison Craft claim an 8-3 victory to secure the match win for the Terriers.
BU’s win snapped the Black Knights’ 65-game conference win streak that dated back to 2002 when they lost to American University. The victory also clinched the No. 1 seed for the Terriers in this weekend’s Patriot League Tournament at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa.
Crew rows in two competitions
Facing off with Northeastern University in the Arlett Cup competition Saturday, the Boston University men’s rowing team lost two varsity eight races by mere seconds.
The Terriers’ first varsity eight boat, coxed by senior Justin Rau and stroked by Vass Ragoussis, lost its race by 2.8 seconds. Meanwhile, the 2V8 race was decided by an even closer margin, as the Huskies pulled away at the very last moment, finishing 1.1 seconds ahead of the BU boat.
During the 3V8 race, the Terriers finally earned a win after they out-stroked the Huskies for the nine-second victory. When the teams faced off in the final race, BU’s 4V8 boat coxed by sophomore Maggie Read and stroked by freshman Mike Kapp glided to a time of 6:19:09, while Northeastern ended up at 6:31:04.
Competing in the Class of 1985 Cup versus Yale University and Dartmouth College, the Boston University women’s rowing team lost all three races Saturday. The Terriers’ three varsity eight boats finished more than 18 seconds behind the Bulldogs and the Big Green in each race at New Haven.
Following the three-race day in Connecticut, BU traveled back to the Charles River to take on Harvard University and Northeastern. The first varsity eight boat coxed by freshman Marlaina Miller and stroked by Mackenzie Wiler finished with a time of 7:09.3, but the Crimson took home the Allen-DeWolfe Trophy and the Huskies the Council Cup.
Both the 2V8 and 3V8 boats also finished in last place for the Terriers, as the team looks forward to a welcome break before traveling to Providence, R.I. Friday to race Brown University.
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