Track and field: On March 14 and March 15, Joy Areola placed 17th in the triple jump at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships in Rochester, N.Y. Areola competed as Trinity’s sole representative.
“I’ve never been to indoor nationals. I was a little disappointed, I was expecting to place higher, but at the same time it sets me up really well for outdoor to have a good season there as well.”
Last season, Areola competed in the Outdoor National Championships, placing 13th and earning All-American Second Team honors. However, this time she was the only athlete from Trinity.
“I draw a lot of my energy from my teammates so it was a little bit tough being there by myself, but my coaches are a great support system,” Areola said. “I had my parents there too with me, and a lot of people that I saw at indoor nationals I also knew from outdoor nationals. So I found my community. I found my way to find my energy even without my teammates even though they were also cheering me on from home.”
Trinity track and field will compete next at the Texas Lutheran University DIII Challenge on March 23. This will be the first of six outdoor meets before the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships on April 27.
Women’s tennis: Trinity women’s tennis can safely be named among the best Division III tennis teams in the country. They are ranked No. 10 as of March 5, and stand at 14-2 with their only losses coming against No. 6 Washington and Lee on Feb. 14 and No. 1 University of Chicago on March 18.
Prior to their loss to Chicago, the Tigers had been on a 10-match winning streak, which included four straight 7-0 victories — one of which was against No. 23 Gustavus Adolphus on March 6. Other foes vanquished by Trinity include four top 25 opponents, including No. 7 Johns Hopkins on Feb. 16.
Trinity’s standard-bearer in singles competition, in more ways than one, has easily been junior Trinity Levy, who has gone 14-1 in her sets this season. In doubles competition, the Tigers have leaned on the dynamic 10-1 duo of senior Ruth Hill — who also boasts an 11-3 singles record — and first-year Lauren Tin.
The Tigers next play Stevens Institute of Technology on March 21 at 5 p.m. at the Butch Newman Tennis Center. They will then host No. 14 Tufts University at 3 p.m. the next day.
Men’s tennis: The No. 11 Tigers ran into trouble after their appearance in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Indoor National Championship in February. They lost 3-4 to No. 26 Carnegie Mellon on March 5, and over spring break, they lost twice to Texas A&M Corpus Christi on March 12 after a 7-0 victory over Occidental College the day before.
Against Carnegie Mellon, Trinity won all three doubles sets, but were soundly outmatched in singles sets despite valiant efforts by first-year Rocco Mendez and junior Aashish Dhanani. The Tigers fared much better against Occidental, taking every set, but hit a brick wall against Texas A&M Corpus Christi on March 13. Trinity again fared well in doubles sets, but were dominated in singles.
The Tigers now sit at 8-5. They will play next on March 21 at the Stag Hen Invitational hosted in Claremont, CA by Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.
