Despite the Thanksgiving holiday, Lafayette’s athletes were hard at work on the court, on the strip and in the pool. Here is what you missed.
Men’s basketball
The men’s basketball team (1-6 overall) won its first game of the season on Nov. 19, defeating Wilkes University (4-1 overall) 69-53 in Kirby Sports Center. Senior guard Eric Sondberg, senior forward Kyle Jenkins and junior guard Devin Hines scored 16, 12 and 10 points, respectively. Sondberg led the Leopards in rebounds against the Division III side with seven.
Men’s fencing
The men’s fencing team traveled to Hunter College on Nov. 19 for the MACFA A vs. B tournament. The Leopards fell to NJIT (20-7) and Stevens (14-13) but pulled off commanding wins against Hunter (26-1), Yeshiva (24-3) and Army (17-10). This was the last tournament of 2023 for the Leopards, who will suit up next at the Philadelphia Invite on Jan. 21.
Swimming and diving
The swimming and diving teams traveled to Lehigh on Nov. 17 for their rivalry meet. The men’s diving team swept the podium in the 1-meter and 3-meter dives, with freshman Landon Orth capturing the winning nine points in both events. The Nebraska native broke both his personal record and the school record in the 1-meter dive (304.28) while qualifying for the NCAA Division I Diving East Regionals.
The men’s swimming team fell to the Mountain Hawks 164-134, while the women lost 229-71. Juniors Andrew Campbell, Peter Kawash and Jack Oleson all captured first-place finishes. Campbell won the 500 and 1,000-yard freestyle races, Kawash topped the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard IM and Oleson won the 200-yard breaststroke. On the women’s side, sophomore Isabella Van Ess put together a winning performance in the 200-yard breaststroke.
Women’s basketball
The women’s basketball team (3-3 overall) put together its first two wins of the season over the break, first defeating Long Island University (1-5 overall) 54-51 on the road on Nov. 18. Then, the team routed NJIT (4-3 overall) 83-60 in Kirby Sports Center last Tuesday.
Standouts from the Leopards included senior guard Makayla Andrews, who was the team’s leading scorer in both games. She scored 13 points against LIU and 24 points against NJIT. Andrews was supported by junior guards Abby Antognoli and Halee Smith, who put up 43 combined points between the two games. Senior forward Kayla Drummond scored 16 points against NJIT.
