Weekend review: In critical sports weekend, athletes break records

Baseball @ Penn: L 2–1 (L 2–7, W 3–0, L 10–1)

The baseball team dropped a home series against the Quakers this weekend, losing the rubber match Saturday afternoon after splitting the first two games of the series. Saturday morning proved to be the best game of the weekend for the Orange and Black, as senior pitcher Ben Gross recorded his first career complete game shutout, striking out seven batters and allowing nine hits in the 3–0 victory. Junior wide receiver Jesper Horsted had a nice weekend, registering four hits and an RBI in the series. Most of the Tigers, however, struggled to find sustained success against the Penn pitching staff. The lost series dropped Princeton to fourth in the Ivy League standings, falling behind Dartmouth who is 4–3–1. The Tigers hope for a quick turnaround in morale as they face Harvard in a critical three game series starting on Tuesday.

Men’s Lacrosse @ Dartmouth: W 24–13

An offensive showcase ensued on Sherrerd Field as the Tigers defeated the Big Green in the highest scoring game in Princeton history. The 24 goals were the second most scored by the home team in school history, behind 28 goals scored in a game played more than 30 years ago. Leading the way for Princeton was sophomore attacker Michael Sowers who scored seven goals, and 10 points total; both were career highs, and he became the eighth player in University history to score 10 points in one game. He also tied a school record for assists in one season with 48 — and there are still two games to go. Senior attacker Riley Thompson and senior midfielder Austin Sims each reached 100 career points with seven points apiece, while sophomore attacker Phillip Robertson scored six goals in the game, giving him 13 in the last two games. Riding the offensive firepower, the Tigers have won three in a row and earned their first conference win of the season. Up next the Tigers take on Harvard next Saturday in Cambridge for their final road game of the season.

Men’s Volleyball vs. Penn State: W 3–0, vs. St. Francis (PA): L 3–2

A rollercoaster of a regular season for the Tigers culminated in a playoff-clinching final weekend, ensuring Princeton will play at least one more series. The Orange and Black needed a victory in their final two matches of the season and wrapped it up on Friday with authority, sweeping matches against Penn State for their first ever win at State College. The win earned the Tigers a No. 4 seed in the playoffs and a date with top-seeded George Mason on Thursday. Princeton finished the regular season with a loss to St. Francis but kept a .356 kill percentage; sophomore middle blocker George Huhmann wrapped up the EIVA individual regular season leader in kill percentage with .365.

Women’s Lacrosse @ Yale: W 18–4

The Tigers won their 11th straight game in the series against the Bulldogs with an 18–4 victory on Sherrerd Field. The 19th-ranked Tigers outshot the Bulldogs 44–14 and took an 8–1 lead into halftime. Eight different Tigers scored in the game, with freshman attacker Kyla Sears leading the way with four goals and an assist. The Tigers are now 3–1 in league play and are second in the Ivy League; they have the week off before taking on Cornell next weekend.

Track @ Texas Invitational The men’s and women’s track teams both competed at the Texas Invitational this weekend in Austin, Texas. Highlighting the weekend was the men’s 4x100 relay team of junior Charlie Volker, freshman Austin Carbone, senior Carrington Akosa and sophomore Joseph McGrath; the team finished with a school record time of 40.05 in the event, the fifth best in Ivy League history and the fastest since 2014. The men’s team had scorers in nine of the eleven events and finished third overall. On the women’s side, senior Christina Walter ran a personal best 11.91 in the 100 meter, placing fifth overall in the event. The women finished fifth in the invitational despite bringing a much smaller squad to the meet. Next up for both teams is the Larry Ellis Invitational hosted by Princeton this Friday and Saturday.

Women’s Tennis @ Yale: W 6–1

The women’s tennis team continues to impress, winning their fourth in a row on Saturday with a 6–1 victory over Yale in New Haven. Sophomore Clare McKee and senior Katrine Steffensen won their doubles match, as did the duo of senior Sara Goodwin and freshman Nathalie Rodilosso. In the singles, sophomore Gaby Pollner won her match to secure the clinching fourth point for the Tigers. Princeton is in action against Brown on Sunday, where they hope to remain perfect in the Ivy League portion of their schedule. Next weekend is a showdown against fellow first place team Harvard at the Cordish Family Pavilion & Lenz Tennis Center on Saturday.

Notable Individual Performances:

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Sophomore attacker Michael Sowers (Men’s Lacrosse)

Sowers had a career day that few could best; with seven goals and three assists, he became just the eighth player in Princeton history with a 10-point afternoon. Sowers’ seven goals were also a career high, and he added to his impressive assist total with three more today. He now has 48 assists on the season and ties the school record for assists in a game; with two games to go he will almost certainly break the record.

Freshman midfielder Kyla Sears (Women’s Lacrosse)

One of the biggest reasons for the Tigers’ success this season has been the emergence of standout freshman midfielder Kyla Sears. She continued to add to her numbers with four goals and an assist. Sears leads the team in goals with 39 and assists with 14. She has also scored three game winning goals for the Tigers, giving them critical clutch performances. Her continued success will help carry the Tigers for the rest of the season.