Defending national champion Grand Valley State ended Fort Lewis’ season Sunday with a 5-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II women’s soccer tournament in Allendale, Mich.
The Lakers advanced to the semifinals with a 20-1-2 record. Third-ranked Fort Lewis finished 18-3-2.
“They’re coached extremely well and are obviously that good,” Skyhawks coach Damian Clarke said of the fifth-ranked Lakers, who have yet to allow a goal this season in 15 matches on their home field. “We made some mistakes, and those mistakes led to goals.”
The Lakers finished with a 23-4 advantage in shots.
Fort Lewis’ achievements included its first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular-season championship and first Central Regional championship.
“You have to be proud of a team like this,” said Clarke, saluting the Skyhawks. “We played a pretty special team today. We’ll be back.”
AFA water polo team wins.
Seventh-seeded Air Force defeated fifth-seeded Redlands 13-6 in the fifth- place game of the Western Water Polo Association Championships in Santa Clara, Calif.
The Falcons were led by senior Kurt Lemmen, who scored four goals. Air Force also received a strong performance from sophomore goalkeeper Mike Fish, who finished with 13 saves.
Area golf stars saluted.
Aurora’s Gunner Wiebe, who won the Colorado Golf Association Match Play Championship and finished second in the Colorado Open, was named the CGA player of the year Sunday. Kim Eaton of Greeley swept the Colorado Women’s Golf Association’s top playing honors for the open and senior divisions.
The CGA, CWGA and Colorado Junior Golf Association held their annual Colorado Golf Awards brunch Sunday at Pinehurst Country Club, where the top performers on and off the course were honored.
Meeker alum shines.
Wyoming star Joe LeBlanc defeated Purdue’s fifth-ranked A.J. Kissel 10-5 in the 184-pound match at the 45th National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic in Fresno, Calif.
LeBlanc, a junior from Meeker High School and a two-time All-American, wrestled for just the second time this year because of an injury.
Turnovers trip UNC.
Northern Colorado committed 24 turnovers Sunday and lost 61-53 to Northeastern in the consolation game of the Hawkeye Challenge women’s basketball tournament in Iowa City, Iowa.
Northeastern made 10 of its final 11 free throws in the last 2:30 of the game and improved to 1-3. The Bears fell to 2-3.
D’shara Strange, a freshman guard from Fountain- Fort Carson High School, led Northern Colorado with 14 points. She hit 7-of-13 shots, but the Bears shot only 38.6 percent as a team.
Legacy swimmer commits to Indiana.
Legacy High’s Steve Schmuhl, an eight-time All-American, and CHSAA state record holder in the 100 and 200 freestyle, has signed a national letter of intent to swim at Indiana, the university’s head swimming coach, Ray Looze, announced Friday.
