Men’s track win fourth straight championship, baseball and softball struggle

Men’s basketball

Final (2/25): La Salle 84-61 URI

Final (2/28): VCU 88-67 URI

Following a loss at home against the University of Richmond Spiders men’s basketball team last week, the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team went on the road and played the La Salle University Explorers on Sunday. The Rams didn’t come home with a win, losing their fourth game in a row in a blowout loss, 84-61. Second-year guard Brandon Weston led the team in scoring, talying 12 points and six rebounds. The Rams also took on the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams on Wednesday, losing their fifth straight game, 88-67. The Rams fell behind early with third-year David Green tallying a team-high 16 points. For more on the games, visit David Okula’s recap (page 10, rhodycigar.com).

Women’s basketball

Final (2/24) Saint Joseph’s 72-67 URI

Final (2/28) VCU 69-59 URI

Coming off a win at home against the Davidson College Wildcats, the URI women’s basketball team faced off against the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks on the road. The Rams were down 13 points heading into the final quarter where they went on to make a run, cutting the lead to one with 17.2 seconds remaining. Ultimately they came up short, losing 72-67. Fifth-year Dee Dee Davis led the team in scoring with 19 points, and third-year Sophie Phillips tied URI Assistant Coach Megan Shoniker for fifth all-time in three pointers made in Rhode Island history. The Rams also lost against VCU on Wednesday, making it back to losses. The Rams trailed the entire game and were led by Davis with her season high of 23 points. For more, visit Peter Gigliotti’s recap (page 11, rhodycigar.com)

Men’s Track and Field

Atlantic 10 Men’s Championships – 1st of

The URI men’s track and field team continued to cement their place as a A-10 dynasty over the weekend, winning their fourth consecutive indoor Atlantic 10 championship at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. The Rams had a total of 227 points and multiple individual championships. Head Coach Trent Baltzell was also named coach of the year for the second consecutive year. The men will compete in the New England Championship next weekend in Boston at the TRACK at New Balance in Boston. To learn more about the championship, visit Justin Theriault’s recap (page 12, rhodycigar.com)

Women’s track and field

Atlantic 10 Women’s Championships – 7th of 10

The URI women’s track and field team trekked south to the Virginia Beach Sports Center for the Atlantic 10 Indoor Track & Field Championship on Saturday afternoon, finishing in sixth place with a total of 56 team points. Second-year Lily Saul was the lone individual champion for the Rams, defending her 800 meter title with a time of 2:08.15 minutes. The Rams will compete next at the New England Championship and the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship. Both meets will be held in Boston the first weekend of March. For more on the meet, visit Nick Vinacco’s recap (page 10, rhodycigar.com)

Baseball

Final (2/23): Virginia Tech 18-3 URI

Final (2/24) Virginia Tech 7-2 URI

Final (2/25) Virginia Tech 14-2 URI

The URI baseball team traveled to Virginia Tech over the weekend where they were swept in the series. The Rams were thoroughly beaten, being outscored 39-7 over the series. Third-years Anthony Depino and Eric Genther finished the final game of the series 2-3 at the plate. The Rams travel across the country to Washington State for their next series starting next weekend. For more on the series, visit David Okula’s recap (page 12, rhodycigar.com)

Softball

Final (2/23) Florida Atlantic 5-1 URI

Final (2/24) Boston College 3-1 URI

Final (2/24) Florida Gulf Coast 8-0 URI ( 5 inn.)

Final (2/25) Columbia 4-2 URI

Final (2/25) Florida Atlantic 1-0 URI

The University of Rhode Island women’s softball team traveled to Boca Raton, Florida to compete in the Owl Classic over the weekend, losing all five games. The team fought hard in their final game against the Florida Atlantic Owls, losing 1-0 in extra innings. First-year Avery Vale-Cruz shined in her third start, allowing no earned runs with a pair of strikeouts. For more, visit Abby LePage’s recap (rhodycigar.com)

Tennis

Final (2/24): URI 7-0 Colgate

URI cruised to their fourth consecutive win against the Colgate Raiders, 7-0 over the weekend. The Rams are now sitting at 5-2 and come home this weekend for a pair of matches against the Stony Brook Seawolves on Saturday, March 2 and against the Hofstra Pride on Sunday, March 3.

Swimming and Diving

Atlantic 10 Championships – 10th of 11

The Rams competed in the Atlantic 10 Championships over the weekend, where they posted a team score of 148 points, the highest team score at the tournament for URI in seven years. Third-year Hannah Benavides had the team’s best individual performance for the final two days, notably finishing 7th in the 200 meter breaststroke.