Golf
The Saint Louis University men's and women's golf squads have teed off for spring tournament play. Both teams started with tournaments on opposite ends of the Atlantic coast, followed by a match against the University of Evansville last week.
For the men, the links at St. Louis' Normandie Golf Club proved favorable as they downed Evansville, 7-3. Leading the way for the Billikens were juniors David Perritt and Barry O'Neill, who bested all other competitors' round-lows of 71.
Perritt saw the closest pairing of the day. Golfing in the two spot, he defeated Evansville's Shawn Marshall by one stroke, 71-72. O'Neill followed him from the three spot, finishing with a five stroke advantage over UE's Kyle Straub, 71-76.
Evansville claimed victories in the fourth and fifth parings-after which the Bills went on to roll through the lower parings, winning four of the remaining five.
The women did not fare as well, losing to UE by a score of 4-1. For SLU, their only win came by way of freshman Kaela Burke, who dropped Evansville's Megan Andress by three strokes, 90-93.
Though she did not win her pairing, freshman Keely Fitzgerald shot an 18-hole career low with a score of 83-leaving her three strokes short of Helen Duffe.
Earlier in March, the men entered their first competition of the spring at the William & Mary Colonial Invitational on March 20 through March 21.
After two days of play, the Bills finished eighth in an 18-team field.
Perritt's consistent play placed him at 23rd overall for the event, shooting a 77 in both rounds. Senior Evan Frederick was not too far behind at 29th, shooting a 78 in the first round, followed by a 77 in the second.
Also placing were O'Neill, sophomore Ryan Blechle and senior Tony Harmon, who respectively shot 157, 160 and 161 for the tournament's 36 holes.
The team title went to the hosts, William & Mary, but it took a one-hole playoff for them to knock off the University of Richmond.
As the men played in Williamsburg, the women's team competed at the North/South Intercollegiate, hosted by Butler University, in Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
Freshman Jenny Madras was tops among SLU golfers, shooting an 85 in consecutive rounds. Also notable, Lainey Trahan bested her 18-hole low by nine strokes, shooting a 97 in the second round.
The men compete next in the Branson Creek Invitational tournament, hosted by Southwest Missouri State, held this upcoming Monday and Tuesday.
The women golf on Monday and Tuesday as well, in the Payne Stewart Memorial tournament in Springfield, Mo.
-Robert Seefeldt
Men and Women's Tennis
Coming down to the wire, the Saint Louis University men's and women's tennis teams are ready to host their final home duels of the year.
The women's squad is just a shade below .500 on the year, currently with a record of 7-11, and has been hampered by the loss of two of their top three players over the course of the past month.
The loss of Katerina Lozanova at the top spot caused all of the players below her to jump up a spot and play out of position.
However, the Bills were performing more than adequately in her stead, until the loss of Ana Renda, number three on the ladder, who went down with a season-ending knee injury.
Still, the Billikens have hopes to close out their season on a high note this weekend against the visitors from Motor City.
This relatively young squad has a lot of talent to build on for the future.
This is similar to the youthful men's squad, who, aside from senior Tom de Larzac, will return with their entire team.
The team got off to a rough start, but has started to put it together, winning two of their last three games against IUPUI and local rival UMSL.
The men's team will host their final two home duels of the year in two weeks against Oral Roberts and Conference USA rival DePaul.
-Jack Smedile
Men's Soccer
The Saint Louis University men's soccer team announced their spring schedule on March 30. The Billikens will play three games in their abbreviated summer session.
The Billikens will host two games at Robert R. Hermann Stadium and will take their talents on the road for one contest.
The lone road game puts the Bills against the defending national champions, the Indiana Hoosiers. The game will be played next Friday at 7 p.m. at Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington.
The following Saturday, April 16, the Billikens welcome Drake to campus for an afternoon match slated for 1 p.m.
Then on April 21, Southwest Missouri State will kick off against the Billikens at 7 p.m.
The schedule should be a good barometer for the Billikens, as they face the off season subtraction of sophomore Will John and freshman Tim Ward.
Facing the Hoosiers will prove exceptionally tough, especially considering the fact that it is a road game.
The Billikens will look to the truncated spring schedule for a boost of confidence, heading into the fall.
Even with the subtraction of John and Ward, the Billikens return a bevy of top-flight talent and should be a strong contender for the NCAA championship.
-Thomas W. Delaney
