As the University Campus is getting back into the groove of things after coming back from Thanksgiving break, Saint Leo Athletics had some action you may have missed. Luckily, here is your Thanksgiving break recap:
Volleyball Makes NCAA South Regional
The Lions were riding hot at the end of the regular season, winning five of the last seven games, and looked to make some noise in the NCAA South Regional tournament in West Palm Beach. The Lions drew the No. 11 Tampa Spartans Nov. 15, who they faced a week prior and were defeated in four sets. Unfortunately for the Lions, they were not able to overcome a talented Spartans’ team but played three tightly contested sets. Tampa ended up winning the match in straight sets ending the Lions’ season, but there is optimism going into beach volleyball in the spring as the team was able to defeat two ranked teams (Florida Southern and Palm Beach Atlantic). This team may have lost in the opening round of the regional tournament but there is a lot to be excited for in the volleyball program.
Congratulations to junior Annabella Arcari for being an AVCA All-South Region Honorable Mention in volleyball to wrap up an incredible year. Credit: saintleolions.edu
Successful Saint Leo Classic
The men’s basketball program hosted their annual Saint Leo Classic and saw the team pick up their first two wins of the young season by defeating Auburn-Montgomery and No. 12 West Florida. In the first game, the Lions faced off against the Auburn-Montgomery Warhawks and had a very good first half to give them the 83-72 victory. The team was led by junior Kyran McClure scoring 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field in 32 minutes of action. The Lions shot 50 percent from the field and 35 percent from behind the line.
“It’s good to come home and get the win to open the home portion of our season,” coach Vince Alexander said after the game. “To be able to have our guys play the way we need, not in foul trouble, this is the outcome we expect and will work towards daily.”
In their second game of the Saint Leo Classic, the Lions faced off against the West Florida Argonauts and defeated them by a final score of 69-65 overcoming a 12-point halftime deficit. McClure again led the team with 24 points going 7-of-10 from the field in 32 minutes. Coach Alexander saw some things the Lions will need to correct as the season continues.
“Though the guys showed growth and maturity [during the Saint Leo Classic], we still missed crucial shots and free throws to put the game away earlier. We will get back in the gym and continue to improve.”
The team also competed in the Terrace Hotel Classic in Lakeland and lost both games. The team’s next home game will be against Nova Southeastern Dec. 8.
Women’s Basketball Split Games
The women’s basketball program had two games over the break and ended up splitting the two. The first game was at home against the Montevallo Falcons and lost 67-57 behind a 44 point second half by the Falcons. Junior Gina Brierly led the Lions in scoring with 17 points, and sophomore Alani Gallagher finished the game with 10 rebounds. The team shot 34 percent from the field but were plagued with 23 turnovers.
The team bounced back when they traveled to Flagler University and defeated the Saints 50-42. This was behind a 15-5 first-quarter run by the Lions, and graduate student Casey Wortley tallied a season-high 14 points and added five rebounds, two blocks and an assist.
“It was a great evening to be a Lion,” coach Anthony Crocitto said after the victory. The team is now 2-2 and next play at Palm Beach Atlantic Dec. 1.
Cross Country Runs into NCAA South Regional
Both cross country teams took sixth place out of 18 teams that competed at the South Regional meet at Holloway Park. On the women’s side of the meet, freshman Paige Patterson (23rd), junior Ashley Lindeman (24th), senior Alyssa Bayliff (27th) and senior Laura Tobin (28th) all finished as top-30 runners for the meet.
On the men’s side, junior Shawn Bell placed 18th as an individual out of 133 runners on the 10K course with a time of 32:43.96. Sophomore Shane Bracken (34th) and junior Tyler Pantley (47th) round out the top-50. Neither team finished high enough to receive an automatic qualification for nationals out of the South Region.
Swim Meet Against the Spartans
The volleyball court wasn’t the only place Tampa and Saint Leo battled as the two teams met in Tampa and lost both days. The men’s team lost 100.5-64.5 Nov. 17 and 108-59 on Sunday as they suffered their first two losses of their season to the No. 12 Spartans. On the women’s side, the Lions were defeated 126-39 Nov. 17 and 126-41 on Nov. 18 to the No. 6 Spartans. The next time the Lions take to the pool is Dec. 15-18 when they travel to Clearwater for the Spartan Invite hosted by the University of Tampa.
