Leona Maguire at the Rio Olympics.
INPHO/JAMES CROMBIE
College Roundup / By John Manley
Leona Maguire looked set to move on from the college sphere to the pro ranks after a sparkling freshman campaign for Duke’s women’s golf team. But there were some bumps in the road during her sophomore year, which led the young lady from Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan to reconsider her immediate future. Back for her junior year at Duke, she appears to have recaptured the form that saw her rule the college ranks two years ago with a joint-first place finish in the Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge at Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes, Calif. Maguire, who represented Ireland in the Rio Olympics, shot rounds of 68, 71 and 70 to finish on even terms with two rivals at 4-under-par 209.
Arizona State’s Olivia Mehaffey got a share of 14th place in Palos Verdes. The Belfast freshman actually outscored Maguire over the final two rounds, having shot 71 and 69. But her opening 76 consigned her to also-ran status. She finished seven strokes behind the medalists.
leona-maguire-trophy-by-duke-sports-information
Duke's Leona Maguire receives her trophy at the Northrup
Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif.
PHOTO: DUKE SPORTS INFORMATION.
MEN’S GOLF
Wake Forest’s Paul McBride worked out a tie for 26th place in the SunTrust Gator Invitational at the Mark Bostick Golf Course in Gainesville, Fla. McBride, a junior from Malahide, Dublin, shot rounds of 71, 73 and 73 that left him 13 strokes off the low score tallied by Arkansas’ Charles Kim.
Two Irish golfers finished in ties for 33rd and 54th places in the Spring Intercollegiate Kickoff at Fleming Island in Orange Park, Fla. John Bolger of Young Harris College shot rounds of 76, 71 and 79 to earn the higher placement, while Belmont Abbey’s John Molyneaux posted rounds of 84, 73 and 77. Bolger is a freshman from Gorey, Co. Wexford, while Molyneaux, a Dubliner, is a sophomore. Medal honors went to Nick Stafford of Belmont Abbey, who shot 208.
Rounds of 74 and 72 landed Daniel Cosgrove of Academy of Art University in San Francisco in joint-55th place in the Visit Stockton Cactus Thaw at Brookside Golf Club in El Paso, Tex. Cosgrove is a senior from Trim, Co. Meath. He was 10 strokes off the winning number posted by Greg Gonzalez of California Baptist in a field of 123 golfers.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Conor Quinn led Mayville State in scoring as the Comets finished the regular season with a 62-50 road win over Dakota State. Quinn, a freshman from Belfast, came off the bench to drain five of 10 field goal attempts, including two of four from the base of Mount Rushmore. Twin brother Aidan Quinn led the Comets in steals with three, grabbed four caroms and assisted on two buckets. Mayville is 9-18 overall and 2-14 in the North Star Athletic Association.
Matty Rudak shot a perfect 3-of-3 off the bench as Birmingham Southern ended its regular season with a 74-58 win at home over Millsaps. The Panthers started an all-senior lineup in their final home game of the season, thus Rudak, a sophomore from Kinsale, Co. Cork, came in as a reserve and saw 13 minutes of action. He pulled down five rebounds to go with his six points. BSC is 12-13 overall and 8-6 in the Southern Athletic Association.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Whitney Moia’s 15 rebounds were a team high as MidAmerica Nazarene dropped a 77-59 verdict to visiting Central Methodist in Olathe, Kan. on Saturday. Moia, a sophomore from Dublin, also had a game-high four rejections and scored nine points on 3-of-8 shooting from the floor and 3-of-4 from the foul line. The Pioneers are 16-11 overall and 15-9 in the Heart of America Conference.
SWIMMING
The Texas A&M women’s swim team won the Southeastern Conference championship in Knoxville, Tenn. Sycerika McMahon, a senior from Belfast, contributed points to the Aggies’ cause with a sixth-place finish in the ‘B’ final of the 100-yard breaststroke. She finished in 1:01.93 in a race won in 1:00.59.
Assumption College came up 10 points short in their title quest in the Northeast-10 Conference Championships in New Haven, Conn. Niamh Morgan, a junior from Bettystown, Co. Meath, picked up points for her team in three events. She took third place in the individual medley at 400 yards, touching the wall in 4:32.19 in a race won in 4:29.12. She also finished fourth in the 200-yard individual medley, with a 2:09.86 clocking against the winner’s 2:05.92, as well as fourth in the backstroke at 200 yards, where she was clocked in 2:05.99 against a winning 2:00.03. .
WOMEN’S TENNIS
New Mexico defeated Wisconsin, 5-2, in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday. The Lobos’ Ruth Copas, a sophomore from Dundalk, won her match at third singles, 6-2, 6-4, over Kendall Kirsch.
Utah State’s Lucy Octave contributed a victory at third singles as the Aggies defeated Grand Canyon, 5-2, in Logan, Utah on Saturday. Octave, a freshman from Donaghadee, Co. Down, knocked off Susan Baklini, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. She also teamed with Sophia Haleas at third doubles for a 6-3 win over Celina Buhr and Kylie Waschuk.
Montevallo steamrolled Clark Atlanta and Spring Hill by 9-0 scores over the weekend. The Falcons’ Emily Beatty, a sophomore from Moria, Co. Down, defeated Clark’s DiAndrea Galloway, 6-0, 6-1, and Spring Hill’s Madison Artigue, 6-0, 6-0, both at second singles.
MEN’S TENNIS
Robert Dudley’s victory at third singles went a long way in helping Clemson defeat Miami (Fla.), 4-3, in Coral Gables, Fla. on Sunday. The Dublin senior downed Max Andrews, 6-4, 6-4.
Wisconsin defeated Drake, 5-2, in Madison, Wis. on Thursday, with sophomore Osgar O’Hoisin returning to winning form. The Dubliner, slotted at fourth singles, took out Barny Thorold, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, and joined John Zordani at third doubles, where they knocked off Thorold and Tom Hands, 6-3.
“His effort has always been there,” Wisconsin head coach Danny Westerman said of O’Hoisin. “He always comes to practice trying to get better and it clicked today. His level went up in the third [set] and it’s a credit to the work he’s put in.”
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
American International’s Mitchell Byrne finished a close second in the men’s 3,000 meters at the Northeast-10 Conference Indoor Championships in Boston. The junior from Dublin ran the distance in 8:37.81, with only teammate Leakey Kipkosgei, home in 8:37.32, ahead of him. AIC finished second to Southern Connecticut State in the team standings.
Wagner’s Liam Harris produced top-5 finishes in the two distance events at the Northeast Conference Indoor Championships in Staten Island, N.Y. Harris, a freshman from Cork, crossed fourth in the 5,000 meters at the 15:01.80 mark in a race won by Sacred Heart’s Connor Rog in 14:40.48. Harris finished fifth in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:41.77 against a winning 8:18.55 run by Bryce England of St. Francis (Pa.).
