Junior guard Caroline Strande led the Bulldogs with 19 points in the win against Seton Hall on Feb. 24. Photo by Grace Hensley.
NICK ORR | SPORTS REPORTER | nporr@butler.edu
Wednesday, Feb. 22
Women’s swimming at Big East Championships
After day one, the Butler women’s swimming team sat in a tie for fourth place with 100 points. The team set a school record in the 800 Free Relay with a time of 7:33.78. First-year Caroline Zimner set a school record in the 200 Free in her leadoff leg with a time of 1:51.62. The 200 Medley Relay team also set a school record with a time of 1:43.80.
Men’s basketball at DePaul
The Bulldogs knocked off the DePaul Blue Demons in a hard-fought 59-58 game. Butler improved to 14-15 on the season with the win. Simas Lukosius and Ali Ali led the way for the Bulldogs with 15 points each. Lukosius also tied for the team lead with seven rebounds while Ali led the way with five assists.
Friday, Feb. 24
Women’s golf at Rio Verde Invitational
After day one, Butler sat tied for 11th place, shooting 28 over par. Individually, Cybil Stillson was tied for 15th place with 73 points. Kelli Scheck cracked the top 20 by also shooting for 73 points.
Women’s track at Big East Indoor Championships
Kicking off day one of the Big East Indoor Championships, Karmen Koch placed second in the indoor pentathlon with 806 points. In the high jump pentathlon, two Bulldogs placed in the top five with Koch and Remi Beckham each posting scores over 730.
Men’s track at Big East Indoor Championships
Jack Elder had a strong showing at the Championships. Elder placed first in the men’s heptathlon and the men’s 60-meter dash heptathlon. Jesse Hamlin finished in second place in the one-mile run with a time of 4:09.97. Gavin Cougle also had a second-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 47.76.
Women’s lacrosse at Central Michigan
This matchup between Butler and Central Michigan was canceled. Butler was back in action on Feb. 26 at Detroit Mercy.
Women’s tennis vs. Middle Tennessee
The women’s tennis team fell to Middle Tennessee in a close, 4-3 decision. The Bulldogs jumped out to a lead after taking the doubles point on the first and second courts. Middle Tennessee was able to rebound and pull out the win.
Softball vs. Louisiana-Monroe
The softball team knocked off Louisiana-Monroe 5-2 to move to 2-10 on the season. The Bulldogs scored five straight runs to jump out to a five-run lead. Olivia Moxley had a strong offensive game, driving in two runs. Mackenzie Griman pitched a complete game with three strikeouts.
Baseball at Campbell
The baseball team dropped the first game of their three-game set against Campbell 9-4. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 4-1 lead on a three-run home run by Lukas Galdoni. The Camels would respond with a seven-run eighth inning to steal the victory.
Women’s basketball vs. Seton Hall
The women’s basketball team improved to 11-17 on the season with their 76-64 win over Seton Hall on Senior Night. Multiple Bulldogs scored in double digits. Caroline Strande led the way for the Bulldogs with 19 points. Sydney Jaynes and Jessica Carrothers each put up 13 points, while Jordan Meulemans added 12.
Saturday, Feb. 25
Women’s swimming at Big East Championships
The Butler swim team placed sixth overall in the Big East Championship meet. Villanova repeated as Big East Swim and Dive Champions and UConn finished as the women’s runners-up. The Dawgs broke nine school records and earned 590 points. Maurice Stewart was named the 2023 Women’s Co-Coach of the Year. First-year Kate Schilling set the school record in the 200 IM and 200 Fly. First-year Caroline Zimner set school records in the 400 IM and the 200 Back.
Women’s golf at Rio Verde Invitational
Day two of the Rio Verde Invitational was highlighted by Katie Steinman and Kelli Scheck, who both posted scores under 80. Steinman posted a score of 76 and Scheck scored 77. The Bulldogs sat at 314 points and are looking to have a strong day three.
Women’s track at Big East Indoor Championships
Day two of the Big East Championships for the women’s track team was highlighted by Angelina Ellis. Ellis earned her second gold medal of the weekend in the women’s 3,000 meters with a time of 9:10.63. The women’s team finished in seventh place with 47 points.
Men’s track at Big East Indoor Championships
The men’s track team finished day two of the Big East Championships with three silver medals. Luke Finnegan finished in second for the 60m by breaking his own school record with a time of 6.76. Jesse Hamlin was less than a second shy of breaking Simon Bedard’s record in the mile. Hamlin finished with a time of 3:59.25, good for second place. Gavin Cougle also found the podium in the men’s 400 meters with a second-place finish with a time of 47.76. The men’s team finished with 78 points, a half point behind Marquette for fourth place.
Softball at UAB
The Bulldogs fell to UAB 9-5 in game two of the Green & Gold Classic. Butler took the 3-0 advantage after the first inning on a two-run double by Ella White and an RBI single from Kieli Ryan. UAB was able to put together three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to take the lead and secure the win.
Baseball at Campbell
Butler baseball fell to 2-5 on the season with a 25-6 loss to Campbell. The Bulldogs jumped ahead 5-1 in the second inning, but Campbell stormed back with big innings in the fifth and seventh. Joey Urban had a solid hitting game for Butler, finishing 2-5 with two RBIs.
Women’s tennis at Purdue
The women’s tennis team fell to Purdue 4-1 in West Lafayette. The Bulldogs got on the board by freshman Chase Metcalf earning the straight-set win. Purdue answered by taking matches on courts 2, 4 and 5 to secure the win. Butler drops to 2-8 on the season and will be back in action on Friday, March 3 as they head to Ball State.
Softball vs. Cleveland State
The softball team dropped the second game on Saturday in a 3-2 loss to Cleveland State. The Vikings had the lead for the majority of the game, but the Bulldogs were able to score twice late in the game to cut the deficit. Teagan O’Rilley homered in the sixth inning and Sydney Carter scored in the seventh to cut into the lead but Cleveland State closed out the win.
Sunday, Feb. 26
Women’s golf at Rio Verde Invitational
The women’s golf team finished the Rio Verde Invitational with a 13th-place finish with 925 points. Steinman and Scheck again finished with sub-80 scores. Steinman finished with 73 points and Scheck had 77. Scheck finished the Invitational tied for 23rd place individually.
Men’s tennis at St. Louis
The men’s tennis team completed their second straight shutout victory by defeating St. Louis 7-0. Butler claimed two of three matches to earn the doubles point. The Bulldogs rode that momentum and took each singles point. Thomas Brennan earned a straight-set win in No. 1 singles, while Patrick Joss and Zach Trimpe each only needed two sets to earn their victories. The team is back in action for the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship from March 2 to March 5.
Softball vs. Cleveland State
The softball team knocked off Cleveland St. in their second meeting. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 4-0 on a grand slam by Paige Dorsett. Monique Hoosen hit a two-run home run in the third inning to give Butler a 6-0 lead. Rylyn Dyer pitched a complete game and earned her second win of the season. Dyer surrendered only one run while striking out three to give the Bulldogs the 6-1 win.
Women’s lacrosse at Detroit Mercy
The women’s lacrosse team earned their first win of the season and the first of Coach Zentgraf’s career. The Bulldogs fell behind 3-0 early in the game but found a way to steal the win. Emmie Ridgeway and Leah Rubino led the Bulldogs by scoring twice. Kayleigh Colleary and Julia Putzi each had two assists and added a goal apiece to lead with three points. The team is back in action on Saturday, March 11 against Lindenwood.
Softball at UAB
The Butler softball team dropped the final game of the Green & Gold Classic in a 2-0 finish. UAB’s only runs of the game came on a two-run home run in the first inning. Besides the home run, pitcher Mackenzie Griman pitched a strong game, surrendering just four hits and striking out two. The Bulldogs will head to the Saluki invitational on Friday, March 3, as they take on Southern Illinois in the first game. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.
Baseball at Campbell
Butler baseball dropped the final game of the series against Campbell in a high-scoring, ten-inning, 10-9 affair. Butler scored the first six runs of the game, highlighted by a bases-clearing double by Kollyn All. Butler would eventually take a 9-2 lead. Campbell would storm back to score the final seven runs of the game, capped off with a walk-off single.
Monday, Feb. 27
Women’s basketball at Creighton
The women’s basketball team finished the regular season with a 74-46 loss to Creighton. Anna Mortag was a bright spot for the Bulldogs offensively, putting up 16 points. Mortag also shot 50% from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs finish the regular season at 11-18 overall and 6-14 in conference play. They begin the Big East tournament on Friday, March 3 against Georgetown.
Tuesday, Feb. 28
Men’s baseball at Indiana
The men’s baseball team fell to Indiana 13-2. The Hoosiers scored eight runs over the first three innings to take control early. The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning. First-year third baseman Ian Choi walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Sophomore infielder Carter Dorighi then doubled to knock in Choi. The second run came in the sixth when senior outfielder Kyle Van Liere earned an RBI on a fielder’s choice. Ty Bothwell earned the win for the Hoosiers and first-year Grant Brooks took the loss for the Dawgs. Butler will travel to Baton Rouge to face off against Central Connecticut and LSU on March 3.
Men’s basketball vs. Marquette
The men’s basketball team fell to No. 6 Marquette 72-56 in their final home game of the season. Graduate center Manny Bates returned to action after missing the last two games, but senior guard/forward Ali Ali was out due to concussion symptoms. Sophomore guard Jayden Taylor led the Bulldogs with 13 points and forward Jalen Thomas contributed 10 points and eight rebounds. Marquette shot 56% from the field — 65% in the second half. The Bulldogs will conclude the regular season on March 4 when they travel to Xavier.
