SELINSGROVE, Pa. - It's crunch time in more ways than one as four Susquehanna University sports teams gear up for finals in the classroom and on the playing field.
Women's lacrosse, softball and men's and women's track and field will be in the thick of the hunt as the Middle Atlantic Conference postseason gets underway later this week.
The women's lacrosse team will be at home on Wednesday to battle Widener in the MAC semifinals beginning at 4 p.m. Head coach Sarah Catlin has guided the Crusaders to an 11-4 overall mark and a 6-1 MAC record that gave the squad its first-ever MAC regular-season title.
Junior Krista O'Brien scored a single-season record 48 goals to lead the Crusader offense while sophomore Giulia Umile has posted a 7.76 goals-against average and a .636 save percentage between the pipes.
Should the Crusaders get past the Pioneers on Wednesday, they will host either Drew or Messiah on Saturday in the MAC championship game. The conference champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championships.
Softball has also earned its first-ever regular-season championship with a 10-4 mark in the Commonwealth Conference (15-9-1 overall) and will travel to Lebanon Valley on Friday to battle the host Flying Dutchwomen at 11 a.m. in the first game of the four-team, double-elimination tournament. The tournament will conclude on Saturday with the championship game at 1 p.m.
Co-coaches Vince Anselmo and Cheri Swineford will rely on the right arm of senior Kristen Hogan to pitch the Crusaders to their first-ever postseason championship. Hogan is 12-3 with a 1.92 earned run average in 15 games this season, and holds school career records in both victories (44) and strikeouts (435).
Men's and women's track and field will travel to Messiah College for the MAC Championships on Friday and Saturday. The Crusaders' best hope for a gold medal is sophomore Matt Deamer, who owns the longest throw in the javelin in Division III this season and has already qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships next month in Decatur, Illinois.
Susquehanna's men's track and field team has won 10 MAC championships in the 22-year career of head coach Jim Taylor, but the Crusaders will have their hands full in attempting to prevent Widener University from winning its third straight championship.
The women's team, under Craig Penney, is seeking its first-ever championship and is coming off a sixth-place finish in last year's MAC championship meet. Moravian College has won or shared each of the last eight championships and is heavily favored to capture a ninth straight title this weekend.
POSTSEASON SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 2
Women's Lacrosse - Widener at Susquehanna, 4 p.m. (MAC semifinals)
Friday, May 4
Track and Field - at MAC Championships (Messiah College), 10:30 a.m.
Softball - Susquehanna at Lebanon Valley, 11 a.m.
Softball - Moravian or Messiah vs. Susquehanna, 3 p.m. (if Susquehanna wins at 11 a.m.)
Saturday, May 5
Track and Field - at MAC Championships (Messiah College), 9 a.m.
Softball - Susquehanna at Commonwealth Conference championships (Lebanon Valley), TBA
Women's Lacrosse - Drew or Scranton at Susquehanna, 1 p.m. (if Susquehanna wins on Wed.)
