In this week's installmant of "Sports you missed this weekend," the women's swim team competed in the Big Ten Championships and placed 10th; freshman Lauren Abruzzo shined, finishing fourth place in the finals. The women's lacrosse team continues its winning streak, while men's golf is only 19 strokes behind leader Alabama. All those sports and more happened this weekend and they're compiled here, so sit back, relax and enjoy the recap.
Women’s lacrosse:
This year’s team seems to love nail-biters. After beating No. 8 Virginia 13-12 Feb. 9, they defeated No. 5 Duke 12-11 Saturday. The No. 4 Wildcats took their final lead after sophomore Kaleigh Craig’s fourth goal, a career-best. The score was back and forth all game, and goalkeeper Bridget Bianco stopped a point-blank shot late in the contest to clinch the victory. Senior Kat DeRonda also had three goals. The 'Cats' next game will be against Marquette Feb. 25.
Women’s swimming:
This weekend, the women’s swimming and diving team placed 10th in the Big Ten Championship tournament with 110 points. Minnesota won the title with 760 points. One of the bright spots for Northwestern this weekend was freshman Lauren Abruzzo, who finished fourth in the championship final of the 1,650-meter freestyle race. She finished with a time of 16:15.29 and was one of two Wildcats to reach the podium this weekend. By herself, she accumulated 15 team points, and was one of just three freshmen to reach the podium in her event.
Baseball:
The Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla., began a lot like last week’s series against USC – with a game decided in extra innings. After losing their first game to Kansas in 11 innings, the Wildcats bounced back and beat Nebraska-Omaha and Mississippi Valley State on Saturday. Sunday, the 'Cats lost a close game to Ball State 5-4. Leading the team in batting average is freshman Matt Hopfner, who is hitting .500 through six games. He racked up four hits in the double-header on Saturday. Joe Schindler made his first career start in the second game of the double-header, going seven innings and striking out nine.
Softball:
The softball team played in the Mary Nutter Classic this weekend and ended up with a 3-2-tournament record, including a big win over No. 3 Washington. That game was all knotted up going into the fifth, but junior Anna Edwards broke the tie with a three-run home run to help put the game out of reach for the Wildcats. Senior Sammy Albanese pitched all seven innings, holding Washington’s high powered offense to just two runs, only one earned. They had been averaging more than nine runs per game before facing the Wildcats.
Men’s tennis:
The men’s tennis team played three games this weekend, losing the one at Harvard Friday, but winning two Sunday matches at home. The 'Cats defeated No. 27 North Carolina State behind senior Raleigh Smith's victory over No. 33 Austin Powell in three sets. Like they have done in the past, the 'Cats overcame an early deficit and came back to win. They also defeated Valparaiso 6-1 on Sunday. The team's overall record is now 10-4 and will face Louisville on Feb. 28 Sunday.
Men’s wrestling:
After traveling to Durham, N.C., the wrestling team took on both North Carolina State and Duke on Sunday, notching victories against both opponents. The No. 10 Wildcats defeated NC State 24-15 and Duke 23-16. No. 1 in the country Michael McMullan unexpectedly lost his first match against his Wolfpack opponent, but came back and won by tech-fall against Duke. The wrestling team’s next action will be two weeks from now when they travel to Madison, Wis., for the Big Ten Championships.
Men’s golf:
The golf team finished Sunday’s round of the Puerto Rico Classic tied for ninth place. The 'Cats will play a round on both Monday and Tuesday to close out the tournament. Sunday, Andrew Whalen was Northwestern’s best performer, shooting a 1-under 71, which tied him for 17th overall. He’s five strokes behind the leader, and as a team, the Wildcats are 19 strokes behind the leader, Alabama.