club sports

Feb 27, 2003

CYCLING

Cycling completed the first half of its season last weekend in San Luis Obispo, earning second place in the team time trial and solidifying its chances at a berth to the national championships.

The team time trial consists of teams of two to four riders racing together against the clock. The women’s team of Megan Wemmer and Ramlah Nehring finished second overall, and the men’s team of Geoff Rapoport, Joseph Merlone and Tona Rodriguez finished third overall.

The three-race weekend was the first to represent all the top teams in the conference, including the No. 1- and 3-ranked teams in the nation. In conference scoring, the top five results from each half of the season count for a team’s conference ranking. With this weekend’s second-place finish, UCSD is well on its way to a nationals berth with two first-place finishes, two second-place finishes and a third.

In the individual time trial, Rapoport came in sixth in men’s category A; Jared Janowiak, second in men’s category C; Nehring, fourth and Wemmer, sixth in women’s category A. In the hill climb time trial, Rapoport earned a sixth place in men’s category A and Tucker Dulin came in third in men’s category B.

Collegiate cycling is a co-ed club sport with several categories, from the entry level to the near-professional level. The results from all categories count toward the team finish, with the women’s team especially important in supplying the margin of victory.

The cycling team will have a short break before competing in a UC Berkeley-hosted race through the roads of Sonoma and Alameda the weekend of March 15 and March 16.

WOMEN’S RUGBY

The UCSD women’s rugby team still remains undefeated after a nail-biting finish against rival UC Santa Barbara. Both sides were unwilling to give an inch of opportunity to the other, stifling each attack with a smothering defense.

UCSD scored the first and only try of the game in the first half with a penetrating dive. However, after a failed extra-point attempt, the outcome of the game was still up in the air. To make matters worse, UCSB scored a field goal early in the second half to close the score to 5-3, meaning that a single field goal could be the deciding factor for a win.

The Tritons made every attempt to keep the ball away from their side of the field, mostly by lengthy kicks that nullified any UCSB progress. With the game clock expired and only a few minutes of injury time left to play, both sides became increasingly ferocious. In the end, UCSD’s defense held just long enough to claim victory in its closest game of the season. UCSD captain Abby George admitted that the Tritons were not “”playing on the same level as last week,”” referring to their easy wins over ASU and University of Arizona.

UCSD’s next game will be played on the road against Claremont College on March 9.

MEN’S LACROSSE

UCSD gave head coach Ed Jesiorski his first Western Collegiate Lacrosse League win, upsetting No. 23 UCLA in an overtime game on Feb 22.

UCLA jumped to a 3-0 lead before UCSD could blink, but the Tritons fought back with some methodical offensive possessions. The game was tied 4-4 at the half.

In what looked to be a repeat of the start of the game, UCLA took a quick 6-4 lead in the second half, thanks to Tilman Endsley. Things looked to get worse for the Tritons when they were then hit with a two-minute penalty. UCSD killed the penalty and responded with three unanswered goals. Freshman attackman Nick Dean gave UCSD its first lead, making four goals and one assist on the night.

With less than a minute to play, UCLA intercepted an errant clearing pass and sent the game into overtime. Triton midfielder Phil Smith won the face-off and gave UCSD the first chance of the extra period. That was all the Tritons needed for Ross Stensrud to slip one past UCLA goalie Spencer Fivelson for the win. UCSD goaltender Wade Tam finished the night with 12 saves.

The men’s lacrosse team is now preparing for its next game, which will be played at Warren Field on March 2.

SAILING

The UCSD sailing team traveled to Newport Beach, Calif., to compete in the South 3 & 4 competitions hosted by UC Irvine. The team hoped to repeat its previous outstanding performance in the North, but it was not meant to be.

Sailing in a southeast breeze of seven knots in a field of 13 teams, the UCSD teams finished 10th and 11th overall on Feb. 22, and 9th place overall on Feb. 23. The USC sailing team ultimately took the South 3 win, and UC Santa Barbara slid by with a narrow win for South 4.

In the South 3 A division, UCSD’s Sean Anderson and Heather Martinelli finished in ninth, while Ryan McDonnell and Jesse Smith finished in 12th. In the B division, Chris Nilson and Tori Pinto finished in 10th, and McDonnell and Smith finished 11th.

On Feb. 23 in the South 4, Anderson and Martinelli came away with a respectable sixth-place finish in the A division, while the team of Nilson, McDonnell and Smith finished in 10th in the B division.

This weekend, the sailing team will split up, competing at both Stanford’s Jeremy McIntyre Invitational and UC Berkeley’s Cal Team Race Invite.

UPCOMING EVENTS

February 28

Hockey vs. ASU at UTC Ice Chalet

Men’s rugby at University of Arizona

March 1

“”Dance By the Shores”” Ballroom Dance Competition at the Main Gym

Wrestling at Western Regionals – Reno, NV

Hockey vs. ASU at UTC Ice Chalet

Women’s lacrosse at ASU

March 1-2

Men’s and women’s ultimate at Stanford Invitational