Weekend of home openers brings Bears key victories

One of the busiest weekends of fall sports on the Washington University campus produced several Bear wins and a few notable milestones.

The volleyball team improved to 8-0 on the season with a sweep of its WU Classic in the Field House. The Bears, who have yet to lose a game this season, gave head coach Teri Clemens her 500th career victory Saturday when they topped the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in three games.

The senior trio of Jenny Cafazza, Jennifer Martz and Meg Vitter were named to the all-tournament team, with Cafazza earning Most Valuable Player honors after hitting a team-high .450 during the tournament.

Sophomore place-kicker Wesley Flake (left) and senior holder Josh Lauer celebrate with a Wheaton College defender sprawled at their feet as Flake's game-winning 27-yard field goal sails through the uprights Saturday at Francis Field. Flake's kick, which came with 10 seconds remaining in the game, gave the Bears a come-from-behind 31-28 victory. The Bears, now 2-0 on the season, had trailed 21-0 in the first half.

The all-time winningest coach in NCAA volleyball history (.871 winning percentage), Clemens is serving her last season after announcing her resignation effective at the end of the season. She has her Bears in the hunt for an eighth national championship in 10 years.

The football Bears (2-0) notched their seventh consecutive home victory with a come-from-behind win over Wheaton College (Ill.) at Francis Field. Trailing by as many as 21 points in the second quarter, the team rallied with 18 fourth-quarter points to beat the Crusaders.

Sophomore kicker Wesley Flake's 27-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining sealed the Bears' biggest comeback under head coach Larry Kindbom (WU rallied from a 17-point deficit versus Rose-Hulman in 1994).

The Bears were outgained in total yardage 535 to 346 yards but kept Wheaton off the scoreboard on eight of the Crusaders' final nine possessions. In contrast, the Bears scored all five times they moved the ball inside Wheaton's 20-yard line (four touchdowns, one field goal).

The men's and women's cross country teams both swept through the field of the WU Invitational Saturday at St. Louis' Tower Grove Park. Senior Emily Richard (18 minutes, 35.08 seconds) emerged victorious on the women's side, while junior Tim Julien (25:54.23) topped the men's race.

The women swept the top three spots in the race with senior Eileen McAllister (19:12.65) and sophomore Susan Chou (19:17.37) finishing second and third, respectively. Casey Stahlheber placed third on the men's side (26:39.45) and Nathan Hershberger (27:03.79) was fifth.

The women's soccer team (4-1) continues to throttle its opponents. The Bears, ranked fourth in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III poll, outscored their opposition 21-1 in three games last week.

The Bears won at Principia College (6-1) before returning home to post victories over St. Mary's College (5-0) and Wittenberg University (10-0).

The dynamic scoring duo of senior forward Lori Thomas and junior linemate Rachel Sweeney combined to score 12 goals (six apiece). Sweeney, a returning NCAA first-team All-American who scored two goals in each of the Bears' three victories during the week, has scored in four of the squad's five games in 1998.

Thomas and Sweeney, the program's most prolific scorers of all time, have scored a goal in the same game 17 times during their 44-game career playing together, including all three games last week.

The men's soccer team was not so lucky, falling to regional foe Rhodes College 1-0 Saturday in Memphis, Tenn. The Bears (2-2) are ranked 16th in the latest NSCAA Division III national poll.