The past two weeks for Aggieland sports have been filled with action as many teams fought their way into the NCAA playoffs.
The women’s golf team struggled to find its rhythm at the Big 12 Tournament while battling the elements in Lawrence, Kan. The Aggies finished in sixth place, but made it into the NCAA East Regional at Penn State in State College, Pa.
The Aggies showed their resolve and finished tied for second out of 24 teams to advance to the NCAA championship round. Led by East Regional winner sophomore Katerina Ruzickova, the Aggies finished tied for 16th place to end their season. During the season Ruzickova wasn’t in top game form but maintained her composure and kept grinding through the season until her victory in the East Regional. The women’s golf team will return seven letter winners next season in hopes of another successful season.
The men’s golf team advanced to its fifth straight NCAA Championship as they took second place in the Bowling Green Regional. Freshman Ty Dunlap finished tied for third place, shooting five-under 211, with seniors Geoff Shaw and Jordan Russell finishing in 11th and 14th place respectively. The 2009 NCAA champions will look to add another championship this year as they make their way to Pacific Palisades, California.
The Texas A&M men’s track and field team claimed another Big 12 championship and the women’s track and field team finished in third place, 11.5 points behind Big 12 champion Texas. On the men’s side, the Aggies saw Henry Lelei win the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Prezel Hardy Jr. win the 100-meter and 200-meter races, and Deon Lendore win the 400-meter race. The men’s 4×100-meter relay and 4×400-meter relay teams also brought back home victories.
While the Aggie women’s track team fell short of the Big 12 championship, they had great showings in the 100-meter hurdles, the 100-meter dash and 5,000-meter race. Overall, A&M will send 25 entries (13 entries from the men, 12 from the women) to the NCAA championships in hopes of a fourth consecutive national title.
The Aggie softball team saw its season end at the hands of LSU as the Aggies came back after an early loss in the NCAA College Station Regional. The Aggies defeated Bethune-Cookman 11-0, lost to LSU 6-2, and beat Texas State 7-4 before losing one last time to LSU 2-1. Aggie catcher Meagan May, pitcher Mel Dumezich and first baseman Nicole Morgan took All-Regional honors. The Aggies return 17 letter winners for next season.
The Aggie baseball team dropped a 5-3 decision to the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big 12 Tournament loser’s bracket to fall out of contention for the conference title. Pitcher Ross Stripling threw a no-hitter against San Diego State the same day he graduated, to make him the 11th pitcher in A&M history to throw a no-hitter. The Aggies have earned a top-16 seed and will host a regional Friday in College Station with TCU, Ole Miss and Dayton joining the Aggies at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.