Many students spent their spring break representing Golden Bear Athletics as they traveled down south to compete at the national caliber. Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse, Tennis, and Baseball and Softball each hopped on an airplane and spent their time off from academics still intertwined with the Western New England University community.
The teams spent this time preparing for their upcoming seasons, and they were given the opportunity to practice in the warm spring air as well as play against teams from around the country. Each team proved themselves day after day and showed other colleges what it meant to be a part of the Golden Bear Family.
The Men’s Tennis Team battled through five matches against top schools. In their first match on Sunday, March 17 against Wisconsin Superior, they pulled out an 8-1 win as they debuted their Florida play at Lake Cane Tennis Center in Orlando. Their next four matches were tough battles, one of them being canceled due to rain despite the Golden Bear’s 3-0 lead after doubles play. They fell to Onondaga Community College of New York and faced nail-biters against North Central College of Illinois and Concordia Wisconsin, losing both 5-4 as three singles matches went into tiebreakers. The men were able to compete at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, where their matches were livestreamed for friends and families to watch from home.
The Women’s Tennis Team faced two matches against top ranked teams. Their first match was against Wisconsin Superior at Lake Cane Tennis Center in Orlando as well, where they fell short with a 5-4 loss. There were big singles wins for the women that day, with Maylene LaPress and Morgan Schrader coming out on top for their doubles and singles matches as well as Rachel Bauer coming through with a win. The women also faced Hamline University of Minnesota at the USTA National Campus on March 21, where they faced the #33 player in the nation. They fell 6-3 to the competitive team.
The Golden Bears Baseball Team found themselves in Lexington, South Carolina during spring break as they played seven games against three different colleges from around the country. They first battled Case Western Reserve of Cleveland, Ohio for a 2-0 win and later followed that with a 12-2 loss. They then faced Trinity College of Connecticut with two close games, winning the first 12-8 and falling just shy of a second victory at 7-6. Lastly, they played Oswego College of New York three times, winning one of the games 16-14 and losing the other two 15-1 and 6-5. The men are now back for the start of their regular season and are more prepared than ever to begin their season.
Western New England University’s Softball Team competed in twelve games during their time in Florida, finishing with a positive record of 7-5. They played most of their games in Clemont, Florida, with the exception of a few that they played in Kissimmee. They won their first two games, beating Staten Island 2-0 and Albright College of Pennsylvania 6-2. They fell short to Marian University of Indiana 8-4 as well as to Allegheny College of Pennsylvania 9-6, but came back for a 4-1 win against Wisconsin Superior. They were shut out 2-0 and 9-0 by New Paltz and Bowdoin College respectively, yet posed an 8-6 win against Calvin College of Michigan. Lastly, they fell 6-5 to Trinity College and finished strong with three wins: they beat Farmingdale State 5-4, Framingham State 7-5, and Rutgers-Camden 5-3. The Softball team is now ready for their main competition season this spring after a great run down south.
Men’s Lacrosse spent their spring break preparing for their upcoming season in Tampa, Florida. On Friday, March 15, they pulled out a close 14-12 win against Nazareth College of New York with midfielders Matt Greer and John Shahpazian leading the team. Following their win, on Thursday, they fell short to St. Lawrence University of New York with a score of 16-7. They returned back to regular season play just one day after returning home, and they will carry their momentum from spring break play into their upcoming season.
Women’s Lacrosse faced an undefeated streak on their spring break in Englewood, Florida. On Tuesday, March 19, the team battled for a 19-13 win against Farmingdale State College of New York with Eileen Ruby accounting for four of those goals and Reilly Miller racking up five assists. In their next game, Ruby was unstoppable with five goals, one of them being the game winner to take the win over Calvin College 15-14. In addition to Ruby and Miller highly contributing to the wins, freshmen Hannah Jarvis and Samantha Vitka each tallied three goals to the win. The women will keep on rolling into their spring season off of their hot streak in Florida.
