Kenzie Torpy makes one of her 30 saves against the Hamline Pipers. The Tommies went on to win 2-0 to claim the MIAC championship. (Drew Bouman/TommieMedia)
Women’s hockey
The No. 1 St. Thomas women’s hockey will compete against No. 8 University of Wisconsin-Eau-Claire in the NCAA Division III tournament Quarterfinals Saturday at St. Thomas Ice Arena.
The Tommies (24-1-2) received an automatic bid into the tournament after winning the MIAC championship Saturday, March 2. Their opponent, the Eau-Claire Blugolds (21-5-2) also received an automatic bid by winning the WIAC.
“We haven’t played them in a few years, but I know their first line is very good and they tend to play pretty solid defense,” coach Tom Palkowski said. “They’re going to give us everything we can handle.”
The Tommies have not played Eau-Claire since they lost 4-1 to the Blugolds in the 2016-17 season.
“I think we have a lot of confidence, we’ve played extremely well all year,” Palkowski said.
Senior goalie and MIAC player of the year Kenzie Torpy will lead the Tommies. Torpy recorded a shutout in the MIAC championship against Hamline and led the MIAC in save percentage and goals against.
Sophomore forward Maddy Fiedler leads the team with seven goals and 23 assists. The Tommies placed second in the MIAC in goals and assists.
Blugolds forward Courtney Wittig leads her team and the conference with 26 goals and 13 assists. Wittig scored 2 goals in WIAC championship for the Blugolds. Forward Elizabeth Bauer totaled nine goals and 26 assists in the season. The Blugolds were second in the WIAC with 117 goals, 167 assists and five shutouts. They’ve only lost once in their last 13 games.
Palkowski expects the arena to be loud on Saturday.
“As you keep winning, you bring more fans in. I’m sure they’re going to bring a good crowd so it’s going to be fun,” Palkowski said.
The winner of the game will advance to the Final Four and play on March 16.
Hannah Spaulding looks for an open pass. Spaulding led the Tommies with 21 points. (Kat Barrett/TommieMedia)
Women’s basketball
The No. 3 St. Thomas women’s basketball team will compete against back-to-back defending national champions No. 6 Amherst in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament Friday, March 8 at Schoenecker Arena. This is the fifth consecutive year the Tommies are playing in the Sweet 16.
The Tommies (28-1) beat the University of Wisconsin-Lutheran 67-51 to advance to the Sweet 16, while the Mammoths (25-3) defeated SUNY Geneseo 58-46. This is the first time St. Thomas and Amherst will face each other since the 2012 NCAA tournament, when the Tommies won that game 87-60 to take third place.
“We’re excited to play in the Sweet 16 and play Amherst. They’ve won the national championship the last two seasons with undefeated records,” Coach Sinn said.
The Tommies average 75.5 points-per-game and 18.6 assists-per-game. They will be led by Hannah Spaulding who was first in the MIAC with 17.7 ppg and shot 69.4 percent from the field. She has been named a finalist for Jostens National Player of the Year. Spaulding recorded 21 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists in the win over Wisconsin-Lutheran.
The Mammoths average 65.5 points-per-game and 14.4 assists-per-game. Guard Hannah Fox led the NESCAC with 16.5 points-per-game. Fox had 18 points, nine rebounds, and four steals in the win over SUNY Geneseo.
“It’s going to be great women’s basketball to come watch. Anybody who enjoys women’s basketball, this is the place to be,” Coach Sinn said.
The winner will advance to the Elite Eight and play Saturday, March 9 at 7 p.m.
Senior forward Connor Bair leaps in the air while attempting a three-point shot. Bair scored 12 points while collecting five rebounds. (Jacob Schneider/TommieMedia)
Men’s basketball
The No. 13 St. Thomas men’s basketball team will face Guilford College in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III tournament Friday at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
The Tommies (24-4) dethroned defending national champions No. 1 Nebraska Wesleyan 70-58 to advance to the Sweet 16 Saturday, March 2. Their opponent, the Quakers (23-7), are on a five-game win streak, most recently defeating No. 17 Wittenberg University 70-61.
This is the first time since winning the national championship in 2016 that the Tommies have played in the Sweet 16.
After defeating the top ranked team in the country last weekend, the Tommies have a lot of momentum on their side.
“I have a lot of faith in our guys,” senior forward Connor Bair said in an March 2 interview after defeating Wesleyan.
The Tommies led the MIAC in scoring with 84.9 points-per-game and 17.7 assists-per-game. Bair led the team with 14.4 points per game and first-year guard Anders Nelson helped out with 14.1 points-per-game. Bair recorded 12 points and five rebounds in the win over Nebraska-Wesleyan and Nelson had seven points and 10 rebounds.
Marcus Curry, the leading scorer for the Quakers averaged 15.4 points-per-game this season and recorded 14 points and 12 rebounds against Wittenberg. The Quakers averaged 73.4 points-per-game and 13.5 assists-per-game.
The winner will advance to the Elite Eight and play March 9 at 7 p.m..
Brennan Campbell can be reached at camp3460@stthomas.edu