Water polo club posts 3-1 weekend
Observer Staff Report
Competing against the powers of the Big Ten brought out the best in the women's water polo team this weekend.
The club opened with a 13-2 thrashing of Minnesota in the opening round, before falling in a tight 13-10 contest to host Wisconsin. Sophomore Lauren Kuzniar tallied five goals to keep the team within striking distance for the entire game.
Notre Dame rebounded in the next round to defeat nemesis Illinois 6-4, and closed the weekend with a 5-3 victory over Northwestern. Liz Parolin was named the outstanding Irish player for the weekend.
Figure Skating
The figure skating club's synchronized team finished a very respectable eighth in the team nationals at Plymouth, Mich. this weekend. In its debut season, the club placed ahead of established teams such as Providence and Oswego State, and narrowly was edged out of seventh place by Princeton.
Defending champion Miami (Ohio) outdistanced the field, with Delaware and Michigan finishing second and third.
Senior Lindsay Read was the driving force behind the team's success and growth. She leaves a team that is anxious to improve its ranking at next year's nationals.
Bowling
Despite a marked improvement in its score, the bowling club finished 35th out of 42 teams at Ohio State's Buckeye Classic.
In what was the final tune-up for the National Championship, on Apr. 13-16 in Omaha, Neb., freshman Jason Pawlak rolled a 210 average to pace the Irish. Sophomore Dave Rigato and junior Darren Kraft approached the 200 plateau, with 198 and 193 averages, while sophomore Kevin Gertken posted a 185.
Ultimate
A weekend of near misses did little to dampen the spirit of the Ultimate Club at the Mardi Gras Invitational.
Placed in the "A" bracket designed for the 10 best of the 50 teams competing, the club dropped their opener to defending national champion North Carolina State, 13-7.
Freshman Paul Shepard's zone defense lifted the team to a 13-6 victory over Rochester in the second round.
The Irish then lost to three teams ranked among the top fifteen in the country, by a total of five points. Losses to perennial power Rice, 14-12, tournament favorite Winona State, 13-12; and host LSU, 13-11, completed the trip.
The club will compete at the High Tide in Savannah, Ga. over spring break.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, March 7, 2000
