Tyler Marsh finished second, and six other WPI wrestlers reached the podium as the Crimson and Gray turned in an impressive second place team showing at home Sunday in the final day of action in the 2018 NCAA Division III Northeast Regional. Second through sixth place was separated by just a total of 5.5 points with the Engineers finishing second with 92.5 points followed by Wesleyan (91.5), NYU (89), Southern Maine (88) and Roger Williams (87). The second place finish for WPI was its best in a conference/regional tournament since sharing the 1995 New England Championship.
Reid Walker tied his career-high with 23 points, including the final free throw, and Chris Rodgers forced overtime with a late layup as fourth-seeded WPI knocked off top-seeded Springfield, 84-80, in the NEWMAC Men's Basketball Championship semifinals held in Blake Arena. Kahleb Downing canned a key 3-pointer and a jumper in the extra session. The Engineers fell to third-seeded MIT 63-57 Sunday in the championship game.
Ama Biney recorded a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds to propel the second-seeded Women's Basketball to a 64-56 overtime win against third-seeded Babson in a NEWMAC Tournament semifinal on Saturday afternoon at Ainsworth Gymnasium on the campus of Smith. With the win, second-seeded WPI (22-5), who was ninth in the latest NCAA Regional Rankings, extended its winning streak to eight games and advanced to the NEWMAC title game for the third consecutive year. The Crimson and Gray were defeated 54-50 by fifth-seeded MIT in the finals Sunday.
Jack Bauer set another meet and school record as the WPI men finished the 2018 NEWMAC Swimming & Diving Championships in third place. Bauer completed the sweep of the backstroke events with a winning, and B cut, time of 1:47.44 in Sunday’s 200. Jenny Day set a school record in the first event of the night as the WPI women placed fourth. Day also achieved a B cut and collected All-NEWMAC second team honors for her runner up time of 17:21.02 in the 1,650-yard freestyle.
The distance medley relays broke records Sunday as select members of the Track & Field teams competed at the BU Last Chance Meet. The women's lineup of Emily Newman, Maggie LaRoche, Lea Strangio and Sydney Packard posted the fourth fastest DMR of the season with a time of 11:47.01 while Middlebury claimed the top spot on the NCAA performance list. Tom Hanlon, Warren StaverRyan Wittenberg and Austin Scott delivered a time of 10:01.16, which is just .19 seconds slower than the current 12th-place team from NYU.
Divers will be competing Friday and Saturday in the NCAA Regionals at Middlebury while Track and Field heads to Tufts Saturday for a Last Chance Meet with NCAA selections announced on Sunday. Finally, Sunday marks the start of spring! (at least for WPI Athletics). Baseball beings a 10-game spring break trip with a doubleheader against Aurora (IL) while softball kicks off their 12-game spring break slate with games versus Alfred (NY) and Muhlenberg (PA).
If you can’t wait for Mondays to get your info on WPI Athletics, please check us out online, follow us on Twitter at @WPIAthletics and Instagram, like us on Facebook or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Thanks and see you at the game - Rusty and Mark
Student-Athlete of the Week
Tyler Marsh - Wrestling - Sophomore - Upper Black Eddy, PA
Tyler Marsh from the wrestling team has been named as the WPI Male Student-Athlete of the Week for the week ending Sunday, February 25th. After going 2-0 Saturday, the third-ranked wrestler at 157 punched his ticket to the NCAA Division III Championships by grinding out a 4-2 victory over Christopher Sullivan of Coast Guard in the semifinals. The sophomore 133-pounder then dropped a tight 3-2 decision to NYU's Raymond Jazikoff in the finals to place second. His individual performance, along with the six other Engineers that reached the podium, helped WPI place a program-best second under the current regional format.
Jenny Day – Swimming & Diving - Senior – Chelmsford, MA
Jenny Day of the swimming & diving team has been tabbed as the WPI Female Student-Athlete of the Week for the week ending Sunday, February 25th. Day reset two of her own school records, achieved a B cut and swam on a pair of fifth-place relays over the course of the four-day NEWMAC Championships at MIT. In between leading off the 800 free relay and anchoring the 400 free relay, Day earned All-NEWMAC second team honors with a runner up, and school record, time in the 1,650 free and was third with another record time in the 500 free. The senior also placed fourth in the 200 fly.
Men’s Basketball (16-12 overall, 8-6 NEWMAC)
Schedule and Results | Roster | Stats | News
2/21 - Career Nights Carry Men’s Basketball to 15th Consecutive NEWMAC Semifinal
2/24 - Walker, Rodgers & Downing, Oh My: Men’s Basketball Advances to NEWMAC Final
2/25 - Walker Shines as Men’s Basketball Edged by MIT in NEWMAC Championship Final
Women’s Basketball (22-6 overall, 13-3 NEWMAC)
Schedule and Results | Roster | Stats | News
2/21 - Jennifer Toland: Ama Biney’s Games At WPI Winding Down
2/21 - Pair of Surges Send Women's Basketball by Coast Guard in NEWMAC Tournament Quarterfinal
2/22 - Biney Hauls in Third Academic All-District Nod for Women’s Basketball and Fifth Overall
2/24 - Seniors Send Women’s Basketball to Third Consecutive NEWMAC Final
2/25 - Women’s Basketball Knocked Off by MIT in NEWMAC Championship Game
Wrestling (18-4 overall)
Schedule and Results | Roster | News
2/21 - Jennifer Toland: Engineers Host Wrestling Regional (Third Item)
2/23 - Hall Named NWCA NCAA Division III Northeast Region Coach of the Year
2/24 - Marion, Marsh, Wensley and Curtis Shine for Wrestling at Day One of NCAA Regionals
2/25 - Marsh Qualifies for NCAA Championship, Wrestling Finishes Second at NCAA Regionals
Men’s Swimming and Diving (10-4 overall)
Schedule and Results | Roster | News
2/23 - Shriner, Barrett, McDonald & Zimmermann Highlight NEWMAC Swim Dive Opening Session
2/24 - Burgwardt's B Cuts Headline Men’s Swim Dive’s Team Effort on First Full Day of NEWMACs
2/25 - Bauer Rewrites NEWMAC Record Book on Day Three of Swim Dive Championships
2/26 - Men’s Swimming & Diving Takes Third at NEWMAC Championships
Women’s Swimming and Diving (8-8 overall)
Schedule and Results | Roster | News
2/23 - Shriner, Barrett, McDonald & Zimmermann Highlight NEWMAC Swim Dive Opening Session
2/24 - Day Resets 500 Free Record as Women’s Swimming & Diving Sits Fifth at NEWMACs
2/25 - Grant Sets Record as Women’s Swimming & Diving Concludes Day Three of NEWMACs
2/26 - Women’s Swimming & Diving Finishes Fourth at NEWMAC Championships
Men’s Track and Field
Schedule and Results | Roster | News
2/26 - Men’s & Women’s Track & Field’s Distance Medley Relays Break Records at BU
Women’s Track and Field
Schedule and Results | Roster | News
2/26 - Men’s & Women’s Track & Field’s Distance Medley Relays Break Records at BU
Baseball (0-0 overall, 0-0 NEWMAC)
Schedule and Results | Roster | Stats | News
Season begins on Sunday, March 4th at the RussMatt Invitational in Auburndale, FL
2/20 - Baseball West Division Favorite, Fourth Overall In NEWMAC Preseason Coaches Poll
Softball (0-0 overall, 0-0 NEWMAC)
Schedule and Results | Roster | Stats | News
Season begins on Sunday, March 4th at the Sunkissed Games in Kissimmee, FL
2/20 - Softball Ties For Second In 2018 NEWMAC Preseason Coaches Poll
Last Week's Results
Wednesday, February 21
Men’s Basketball 95, Wheaton 76 (NEWMAC Quarterfinals)
Women’s Basketball 72, Coast Guard 42 (NEWMAC Quarterfinals)
Thurs., Feb 22 - Sun., Feb 25
Men’s Swimming & Diving - 3rd place at NEWMAC Championships (at MIT)
Women’s Swimming & Diving - 4th place at NEWMAC Championships (at MIT)
Sat., Feb. 24 - Sun., Feb. 25
Wresting - 2nd place hosting NCAA Northeast Regionals
Saturday, February 24
Men’s Basketball 84, Springfield 80 (OT) (NEWMAC Semifinals)
Women’s Basketball 64 Babson 56 (OT) (NEWMAC Semifinals at Smith)
Sunday, February 25
MIT 63, Men’s Basketball 57 (NEWMAC Championship at Springfield)
MIT 54, Women’s Basketball 50 (NEWMAC Championship at Smith)
Men’s Track and Field - No Team Scoring at BU Last Chance Meet
Women’s Track and Field - No Team Scoring at BU Last Chance Meet
Next Week's Games
Friday, March 2
Swimming and Diving at Diving Regionals (at Middlebury) Day One
Saturday, March 3
Swimming and Diving at Diving Regionals (at Middlebury) Day Two
Track and Field at Tufts Last Chance Meet TBA
Sunday, March 4
Softball vs. Alfred (NY) (at Kissimmee, FL) 11:15am
Softball vs. Muhlenberg (PA) (at Kissimmee, FL) 1:30
Baseball vs. Aurora (IL) (DH) (at Auburndale, FL) 2:30