Men’s tennis tops St. Olaf
The St. Thomas men’s tennis team defeated St. Olaf 5-4 behind the stellar play of four freshmen Saturday night at the University of Minnesota Baseline Tennis Center.
Freshmen Burke Anderson (6-3, 6-1), Scott Wall (6-0, 6-4) and Grant Johnson (7-6 (7), 6-3) each won their singles matches, and Matt Kavanagh and Anderson won their doubles match (8-2). Wall and sophomore Brady Radermacher also won their doubles match (9-7).
“The toughest part was coming back on the doubles match with Brady. We were down 4-7 and ended up winning,” Wall said. “We’re proud of how we’ve been able to pull together all of these wins.” 
The win is the Tommies’ second in the MIAC this season making their conference record 2-1 and overall record 4-1. Coach Terry Peck said the team showed signs of growth and maturity in the win.
“I think they showed maturity and kept focus on the game plan. They didn’t give up, and it’s a young team, so it was an especially good performance, and it showed,” Peck said. “We always work on consistency. Any points St. Olaf got, they worked for. I can tell the team is gaining confidence.”
The Tommies will be back in action Saturday at home against Concordia-Moorhead and will play St. John’s Sunday at the Baseline Tennis Center.
Baseball wins three in Arizona
The St. Thomas baseball team went 3-1 in its trip this weekend to Tucson, Ariz. with a sweep of Simpson College (Iowa) and a split series with No. 14-ranked Concordia University (Ill.).
Center fielder Ben Podobinski led the Tommies to a 26-6 victory over Concordia in the first game of the series, going 5-5 from the plate with 6 RBIs.
The Tommies defeated Simpson 8-0 and 2-1 in the two-game series Saturday. Eric Veglahn pitched 6 shutout innings and gave up 6 hits in the first game of the series.
In the second game against Concordia, pitcher Colin Wendinger had 8 strikeouts, even though the Tommies lost 6-5 in nine innings after a late comeback by Concordia.
“The freshman class actually brought in a lot. They definitely add to our depth in both pitching and hitting,” Wendinger said. “We have a lot of potential, and we can still get better. This weekend shows how good we can be if we get all the cylinders rolling.”
St. Thomas will play its next games during its spring break trip to Winterhaven, Fla. The Tommies are scheduled to play St. Norbert, Grinnell and Wis.-Whitewater.
Women’s tennis stays undefeated in conference
The St. Thomas women’s tennis team defeated St. Olaf 5-4 at the University of Minnesota Baseline Tennis Center on Friday, improving its overall record to 6-1 and its conference record to 4-0 for the 2014 season.
After winning its last three matches 9-0, the Tommie women held off St. Olaf to remain unbeaten in MIAC play with the help of singles and doubles wins from junior Kara Lefsrud. St. Thomas and St. Olaf split their singles matches 3-3, but St. Thomas took two of the three doubles matches to secure the one-point win.
“For our team, I’d say what we really have is just we are willing to be out there for as long as it’s going to take. We are dedicated, and we don’t give up,” sophomore Shelby Henderson said. “The main thing is that we are really willing to put in the time and effort and support each other; we’re all about lifting each other up.”
Lefsrud, Henderson and senior Rachel Wright won their singles matches in straight sets, while Lefsrud teamed up with Brittany Alexander for an 8-2 doubles win, and Lauren Keller and Paige Becher combined for an 8-4 doubles win.
“We’re doing so well this year, I’d say last year our weakness was connecting more of the team, but this year we connect so much better,” Henderson said. “We’re there for each other, we know each other, we’re good friends so it just works out really well.”
The women’s tennis team will host Concordia-Moorhead on Saturday in the Anderson Fieldhouse.
Women’s track and field wins MIAC title
The St. Thomas women’s indoor track and field team earned its 15th consecutive team title at the MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships in Collegeville, Minn. over the weekend.
The Tommies scored in 19-of-20 events to earn a 63-point team victory over second-place St. Ben’s. Senior All-American Mallory Burnham won three races and had one runner-up finish, contributing 38 of St. Thomas’ 185 total points.
“It is a great feeling knowing that our whole team put in their effort to make it a championship. We all contributed to the championship,” Burnham said. “We have a saying, it’s the acronym “TTE,” which stands for total team effort. We really strive to work as a team to accomplish our goals, so from indoor to outdoor we carry that goal.”
St. Thomas won four events and added another four second-place finishes, but the consistent scoring from 21 different Tommie athletes carried them to the title. Burnham won the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles, while Abby Baier took first in the pole vault for the Tommies. Burnham, Maggie Harris, Angela Tipp and Erika Tipp also combined for a win in the 800-meter relay.
Burnham set two meet records in the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles and qualified for the national meet in both events. The national indoor track and field meet will be held this weekend in Lincoln, Neb.
“(I am) going in with a positive attitude and going in there giving it my all, and knowing that whatever the outcome may be, I gave it my all, and that’s what matters,” Burnham said. “I am only practicing tomorrow, and I am taking this week easy just so I can be ready for Friday and Saturday.”
Men’s Track and Field wins MIAC indoor title
The St. Thomas men’s track and field made it 30-for-30 in conference titles Saturday after earning a 60-point team victory over St. Olaf at the MIAC championship in Collegeville.
Sophomore Brian Jarvey had three first place finishes and one runner-up finish, earning the Tommies 38 points. Jarvey won the indoor 400 meter dash, the 200 meter dash and anchored the win for the 800 meter relay with sophomore Cole Boughner, senior Tremayne Williams and freshman Ryan Queenan. He anchored a second-place finish in the 4×400 meter relay with junior Doug Thorenson, Boughner and Queenan.
The team scored in 19 of 20 events, winning six events. Twenty-six different teammates added points to the team’s total of 186 points.
Of the 30 team wins since 1985, coach Steve Mathre has been coach for the last 19.