Ski club captures four of top five spots at Divisionals
Special to The Observer
In it's most dominating performance to date, the women of the ski club captured first, second, fourth and fifth at the MCSA Divisional Championships at Crystal Mountain.
Molly Munsterer, Nikki Douillet, Jen Caswell and Ellen Blook all had outstanding runs, while teammate Kate Ryan placed a very respectable 15th.
On the men's side, freshman Mike Ryan turned in the club's best performance of the season, finishing third in the slalom.
This weekend, the club will compete in the MCSA Regionals at Marquette, Mich. The strongest competition will come from Minnesota's varsity programs of St. Olaf's, St. Thomas and St. Cloud. The Irish will be shorthanded because of Junior Parents' Weekend, but still plan on moving on to Nationals.
Equestrian
Returning to second semester action, the equestrian club fell by a single point to Purdue in the St. Mary's of the Woods Invitational.
In a field of eight teams, Purdue and Notre Dame ranked among the top 20 in the country. The club captured Reserve High Point honors, while Suzy Weber captured the individual Reserve High Point.
Kristen Jones' second place in Open Fences, Meganne Hoffman's second place in Intermediate Fences, Jackile Nesson's first in Novice Flat, Suzy Weber's first in Novice Fences and Sheridan Griffin's third in Open Flat highlighted the event for the Irish.
Women's water polo
Miami (Ohio) was the venue for women's club water polo, as the Irish gained a hard fought split against a formidable field.
A furious rush at the end fell short as Notre Dame was clipped by Illinois, 5-4. The club rebounded to trounce Maryland 9-2, before stumbling against a very strong Salem squad, 10-1.
Completing the tournament, the team captured seventh place with a 9-3 victory over Emory. Lisa Thomas had an outstanding tournament in goal with many lunging saves.
Judo
John McKiernan of Notre Dame's judo club took first place at the Indiana Judo State Championships in the novice 198-220-pound division. McKiernan's victory is a first for the club at this level.
Ultimate Frisbee
The men and women of the Ultimate club competed in freezing rain at the Arctic Vogue in Cincinatti.
The men completed the weekend 4-2 with a win against perennial power Ohio, 13-4. Wade Hellner's strong defensive play, including three layouts, was the difference. Joe Miller had five scores and no turnovers in a good win over Tulane.
Sparked by the tenacious defense of Carolyn Grimes and long cuts from Lara Pozorski, the Irish women recovered from a 4-0 deficit to whip regional rival Illinois, 11-9, in the final game of the weekend. Another highlight for the club was a win over a Cincinatti club team, the Sisters of Cinn, which had defeated the Irish the past two years.
Men's volleyball
The men's volleyball club dropped a well-played match to Western Michigan last week.
Although missing more than half the team including three key starters, the club was in each game, succumbing 25-18, 25-23, 25-23, in rally scoring.
Mike Griggs had an outstanding match, playing out of position with so many missing teammates. The club returns to divisional championship play this weekend.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, February 15, 2000
