Claremont, Calif. (December 30, 2013) The end of the holiday break saw a major milestone reached by a Sagehens head coach, and an impressive showing by the Women’s Swimming and Diving team, which nearly upset the No. 12 ranked team in Division II.
Men’s Basketball Coach Charles Katsiaficas became one of only 35 NCAA Division III active coaches with 400 career wins.
Men’s Basketball Head Coach Charles Katsiaficas (“Coach Kat”) became one of 35 active coaches in NCAA Division III with 400 career wins when he reached the milestone in a 68-63 road win over Trinity (Texas) on Dec. 30. Since assuming the head coaching duties in 1988, Katsiaficas has led the Sagehens to 10 SCIAC Championships, and 11 berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Katsiaficas is also director of athletics and chair of Physical Education Department.
Katsiaficas added win No. 401 on Jan. 4 when the Sagehens returned to SCIAC play with a 90-73 home win over Redlands. Xavyr Moss ’14 had 17 points in the win over Redlands, while Joseph Eyen ’15 gave the Sagehens the lead for good with a late three-pointer in the win over Trinity.
Women’s Basketball picked up a non-conference win over Webster on Dec. 30 at Voelkel Gymnasium, holding on for a 66-60 win, but fell to Redlands on Saturday in a defensive struggle 56-41. Ruth Shapiro ’15 had seven points and 10 rebounds in the win over Webster, while Basha Brulee-Wills ’17 added 13 points and seven rebounds. Brulee-Wills added a double-double in the loss to Redlands with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Shapiro had seven points and eight rebounds.
Both basketball teams host Chapman this week, with the men entertaining the Panthers on Wednesday night at 7:30, and the women hosting a game on Thursday night at 7:30. Both teams will then be on the road on Saturday for a doubleheader at Whittier.
Swimming and Diving resumed action after a three-week layoff when it traveled to Biola for a multi-team meet on Saturday. Men’s Swimming and Diving went 2-0, edging NAIA Fresno Pacific 146-141 and easily defeating host Biola, while Women’s Swimming and Diving was 2-1, falling by just five points (142-137) to Alaska-Fairbanks, which is ranked No. 12 at the NCAA Division II level.
On the men’s side, the meet with Fresno Pacific came down to the final relay, with Eirik Hansen ’15 swimming the first leg of the victorious 200-yard freestyle relay team. Will Thorson ’16 also swam the butterfly leg of a 200-yard medley relay team that started the meet out with a narrow win. Thorson was second in the 100-yard butterfly, while Kyle Dalrymple ’17 was the top Sagehen finisher in both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke.
On the women’s side, the Sagehens won the final freestyle relay with Cayla Nishizaki ’17 swimming the first leg , but Alaska-Fairbanks had enough of a lead to hold on for a five-point win. The Sagehens did pick up comfortable wins over both Fresno Pacific (183-102) and Biola (196-85) to go 2-1 on the day. Nishizaki also finished second in the 50-yard freestyle (25.09), while Dawn Barlow ’16 was second in both diving events.
The Sagehens host two meets this week, entertaining Wheaton (Mass.) on Tuesday at Haldeman Pool and then a conference tri-meet with Occidental and Caltech on Saturday.
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This Week’s Schedule
Home Events In Bold
Tuesday, January 7
Swimming/Diving (H) vs. Wheaton (Mass.), 12 p.m.
Wednesday, January 8
Men’s Basketball (H) vs. Chapman, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 9
Women’s Basketball (H) vs. Chapman, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 11
Swimming/Diving (H) vs. Occidental/Caltech, 11 a.m.
Men’s Basketball at Whittier, 5 p.m.
Women’s Basketball at Whittier, 7 p.m.
