THE CHICAGO MAROON - JANUARY 8, 2019
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SPORTS Maroons Crush Beloit, Fall to Wash U in Holiday Games WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
By JOSHUA PARKS sports reporter
After an electric start, with their only blemish coming courtesy of No. 2 Thomas More, the Maroons took their 8–1 record on the road to Nashville over the holiday break to compete in the Music City Classic at Trevecca Nazarene University. In their first test in 11 days, the Maroons squared off against Midwest foe Beloit on Saturday, December 29. Controlling the game from the opening tip, the women pulled away with a stellar second half, outscoring the Buccaneers 74–49 in the final 20 minutes of play. Third-year Mia Farrell led the Maroons offensively with 14 points that night. Fourth-year Olariche Obi recorded another double-double, adding 12 points and 11 rebounds. Third-year Miranda Burt also chipped in 10 points for Chicago. In a quick turnaround, the South Siders were back on the hardwood on Sunday, December 30 to face Husson University of Bangor, ME. In a defensive struggle, the Eagles held off a late-game push from Chicago, handing the No. 8 Maroons their second loss
Fourth-year Olariche Obi looks to pass between Wash U opponents. courtesy of uchicago athletics of the season by a score of 64–59. Mia Farrell continued her production, pouring in 18 points in the loss. Fourthyear Jamie Kockenmeister added 13 points and seven rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass. Anchored by nine steals and eight blocked shots, the Maroon defense forced 16 turnovers in the contest. Returning to Ratner to ring in the New Year, the South Siders were back in action on Saturday, January 5, to open UAA play
against rival Wash U. Dropping consecutive games for the first time in two seasons, the Maroons were outmatched by the visiting Bears, falling in convincing fashion, 85–66. After establishing a commanding 28–15 lead at the end of the first, the Bears weathered the counterpunches from Chicago in the second quarter. The lead proved to be insurmountable as Wash U won a hard-fought second half, handing the Maroons their first UAA loss in two seasons. Obi led the way for
a stagnant Chicago offense, finishing with 17 points and eight rebounds. First-year Klaire Steffens added nine points and seven boards of her own. “The loss over break was a tough one, but I think it really exposed some issues that we’ve been able to talk about and work on in practice, [among those being better shot selection and bringing more energy in the first half],” Kockenmeister said after returning to campus. Despite the disappointing start, Kockenmeister was excited to get back on the court in conference action. “UAA should be fun this year because every team is talented and should make the conference very competitive. Hopefully we’ll start picking up like we did last year and have some statement wins under our belt in the coming weeks.” The South Siders (9–3, 0–1 UAA) will kick-off a busy weekend Friday night, hosting the Rochester Yellow Jackets (6–6, 0–1 UAA) at Ratner Athletics Center before welcoming first-place Emory (10–2, 1–0 UAA) on Sunday. With little room left for forgiveness, the weekend’s conference matchups are pivotal for the Maroons. Friday’s tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Men Compete Through Break Wrestlers “Dual” to the Death MEN’S BASKETBALL
By CAMILLE AGUILAR sports reporter
Over the break, the men’s basketball team met t wo formidable foes. On December 30 the team met with Millikin, and on Januar y 5 the Maroons played longtime athletic rival Wash U. Heading into the game w ith a w inning record of 7 a nd 3, the Ma roons were hungr y. Though hungr y, the Milli k in Big Blue proved to be hung r ier. Ser v ing pivota l three-pointers at the onset a nd of fset of the ga me, the Big Blue edged out the Maroons 84–78 for the w in. In the beginning, five of the v isiting tea m’s f irst eig ht f ield goa ls were three-pointers. Then in the paint, the Maroons were out-rebounded for the first time in their season. Throughout t he ga me, it felt t hat just a s t he Maroons would progress for a bit, the Big Blue would catch right back up and stif le all for ward advances. Second-year Dominic Laravie scored a career high of 20 points as the Maroons fell short by six points. Bet ween the Millik in a nd Wash U games, the Maroons had vacation time. Determined not to let the holidays impair their ability to defeat Wash U, the
WRESTLING
M a r o on s m ade su r e t o e at wel l a nd maintain their exercise regimen. Coming back right after the new year, the Ma roons focu sed on t hei r upcom i ng competition. The game served as a conference opener for both teams, leaving the Maroons with a 1–0 UA A claim and the Bears w ith nothing to claim, save a loss. UChicago defeated Wash U with a final score of 88–80. From the onset of the ga me, four th-yea r Justin Jackson scored three long f ield goa ls a nd slammed a dunk to account for 11 of the Maroon’s first 19 points. Larav ie a lso put up a strong showing once again for the Maroons. W hile setting his career high in Millikin, he reset the ba r scoring 24 points in total, with 16 occurring at a pivotal time in the second half. With some sources going so far as to call him a leader of the half, Larav ie had an 11-point run as soon as his teammates were beginning to slow. While the game certainly was one of runs, Laravie and Jackson’s performances gave fuel to the fire of the basketball team.
SCOREBOARD SPORT
W/L
Women’s Basketball
L
Men’s Basketball
W
Wrestling
W
By MIRANDA BURT sports reporter
The University of Chicago men’s wrestling team opened 2019 at the National Division III Duals in Louisville, Kentucky. The matches took place on Friday, January 4, and saw the Maroons go 2–2 to bring their record to 6–3 overall in dual matches. The South Siders opened against Centenary University, winning 23–15. Fourth-year Louis DeMarco (133 pounds), first-year Cole Riemer (149 pounds), third-year Steve Bonsall (157 pounds), third-year Kyle Peisker (174 pounds), first-year Ben Sarasin (184 pounds), and fourthyear Patrick Mulkerin (285 pounds) all won matches against Centenary. DeMarco said, “We wrestled tough, and definitely made a good impression on teams around the country.” DeMarco won a match 20–3 on a technical fall victory against Centenary University. The Maroons dropped the next match 36–3 against No. 1 Augsburg University. Riemer won the only match for the Maroons on a 7–5 decision. The team forfeited the 184-pound class. UChicago then won their third match of the day, 23–21 against No. 20 Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Bonsall, Sarasin, Riemer, third-year Kahlan Lee-Lermer (165 pounds), and fourth-year John Jayne (197 pounds) all
won matches. Bonsall was a big factor for the Maroons this weekend, going undefeated in his matches and holding up his No. 3 weight class ranking. UChicago’s final match resulted in a loss to No. 9 York College. Second-year Alec Gleason (141 pounds), second-year Jason Crary (157 pounds), Will Britain (165 pounds), Sarasin, and Mulkerin all won matches for the Maroons. The Maroons forfeited two matches, resulting in the loss, but went 5–5 in the matches they competed in. Third-year Matt Shoub said of the team’s weekend, “We had a lot of guys get experience. Many younger guys had their biggest matches of their careers and were able to help out the team. We have a lot of confidence in our team, but it was good to see so many step up when it counts. It was great to get this experience, especially before NCAA regionals in February. Coming out of this weekend, we now have a lot of things we know [we] need to improve [on], and we have the time to work hard and get better.” The Maroons wrestle next at Elmhurst in the Elmhurst Invitational this Saturday at 9 a.m. The Maroons follow that with a match at home against Elmhurst, then away at the Wheaton Pete Wilson Invitational. In February, the Maroons have one home match against Augusta before the UAA championship and NCAA regional.
UPCOMING GAMES
OPPONENT
SCORE
Wash U
85–66
Wash U
88–80
Division III Duals
82–72
SPORT
OPPONENT
Women’s Basketball
Rochester
Friday
Men’s Basketball
Rochester
Friday
Elmhurst Invite
Saturday
Phoenix Invite
Saturday
Wrestling Track & Field
DAY
TIME 6 p.m.
8 p.m. 9 a.m. 11:30 a.m.