Sean Tobin, left, shown winning the men's mile at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Nashville.
PETRE THOMAS/OLE MISS ATHLETICS.
By John Manley
A double-double by Matty Rudak wasn’t enough for Birmingham Southern, as the Panthers lost, 98-95, in the championship game of the Southern Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament in Memphis on Sunday. Rudak, a sophomore forward from Kinsale, Co. Cork, scored 25 points (co-high for the game with a teammate). He made 10 of 13 shots from the field and five of eight from the foul line. He also put the clamps on 14 rebounds.
BSC began its run through the tournament with a 62-59 win over Oglethorpe on Friday. Rudak chipped in 11 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the floor and 1-of-2 from the line. He also came away with 17 boards. Saturday’s 77-71 win over Centre sent the Panthers to the championship tilt. Rudak was good for 12 points (4-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-7 at the line) and nine rebounds.
Rudak finished the season averaging 10.7 points per game on 52 percent shooting from the floor. His 6.3 rebounds per game were second-highest on the squad. BSC finished the season with a 14-14 record.
Matty Rudak, left, seen in action earlier this season.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Whitney Moia scored nine points and pulled down 14 rebounds to help MidAmerica Nazarene defeat Clarke, 76-72, in Olathe, Kan. on Saturday. Moia, a sophomore from Dublin, also got credit for three blocks and three steals as the Pioneers improved to 17-12 overall and 16-10 in the Heart of America Conference.
TRACK & FIELD
Sean Tobin of Mississippi won the men’s mile at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships in Nashville, Tenn. Tobin, a junior from Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, just missed breaking four minutes; his winning time was 4:00.18. Ole Miss swept the top three spots in this race en route to finishing joint-third in the team standings.
Villanova’s Siofra Cleirigh Buttner won the women’s 800 meters at the Big East Conference Indoor Championships in Staten Island, N.Y. The Dublin junior broke the tape in 2:06.63.
Providence College senior Hugh Armstrong got third place in the men’s 5,000 meters at the Big East meet. Armstrong, from Ballina, Co. Mayo, ran the distance in 14:24.32 against a winning 14:14.59 from Butler’s Erik Peterson. Friars teammate Aaron Hanlon, a junior from Drogheda, came in sixth, timed in 14:32.67.
A trio of Adams State runners from Ireland contested the mile runs at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Indoor Championships in Spearfish, S.D. The Flanagan sisters, sophomores from Gortin, Co. Tyrone, ran fourth and sixth in the women’s mile. Roisin Flanagan ran a 5:01.32 mile, while twin Eilish was caught by the watch in 5:01.57. Western State’s Alicja Konieczek won the race in 4:50.10.
Adams’ Paddy Robb, a freshman from Belfast, got seventh place in the men’s mile, having churned out a 4:16.72 clocking. Teammate Austin Anaya ran a winning 4:12.65. Adams State won both the men’s and women’s titles.
Indiana State’s Jamie Murtagh took fourth place in the men’s high jump at the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Murtagh, a junior from Ashbourne, Co. Meath, cleared his first four attempts, beginning at 1.95 meters. He failed to clear 2.12 in three attempts, however. Kyle Landon of Southern Illinois got over the bar at 2.25 for championship honors.
MEN’S GOLF
Keith Murphy of South Carolina-Beaufort tied for fourth place in the Invitational at Savannah Harbor in Georgia. The junior from Dublin shot rounds of 71, 71 and 72 to finish four strokes off the low number posted by William & Mary’s Austin Morrison. Murphy transferred to Beaufort after two years at Lindenwood University.
Jessica Carty tied for 35th place in the Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate at English Turn in New Orleans. The University of Denver senior from Holywood, Co. Down shot rounds of 74, 75 and 76 to finish nine strokes over par and 15 behind Arizona’s Haley Moore, the medalist.
TENNIS
Montana’s Peter Mimnagh-Fleming won his match at third singles as the Grizzlies defeated Montana State, 6-1, in Missoula, Mont. on Saturday. The senior from Navan, Co. Meath had the upper hand, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1, against Adrian Torrico.
Wisconsin defeated Clemson, 4-1, in Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday, with Dublin sophomore Osgar O’Hoisin racking up a point at fourth singles for the Badgers. He finished off Sam Edwards, 6-2, 6-2. Earlier, O’Hoisin and John Zordani won their doubles match at no. 3 over Alex Favrot and Carlos Kelaidis, 6-3.
Caroline Lynch went undefeated over the weekend for Yale in New Haven, Conn. The senior from Slane, Co. Meath won a match, 6-1. 6-4, at fifth singles on Sunday over Quinnipiac’s Layla Rodriguez as Yale romped, 7-0. Lynch also teamed with Elizabeth Zordani at first doubles, where they defeated Rachel Horton and Sydney Young, 7-5. On Friday, Lynch and Zordani pulled off a 6-3 win at no. 2 over the UMass duo of Janja Kovacevic and Ana Yrazusta to help Yale edge their foes, 4-3.
Emily Beatty contributed to Montevallo’s 8-1 win over Clayton State in Morrow, Ga. on Saturday. The sophomore out of Moria, Co. Down took the measure of Darina Drozdova, 6-2, 6-1, in a match at second singles.
Utah State’s Lucy Octave came through at third singles to defeat Catherine Orfanos, 7-5, 6-3, on Saturday to help the Aggies to a 5-2 win over Montana. Octave is a freshman from Donaghadee, Co. Down.
