NORMAL, Ill. — In a field of 38 teams and 228 golfers at the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational, UW-Eau Claire sophomore Spencer Lynch stood alone at the top on Saturday.
Lynch became the champion of the largest tournament in college golf by finishing the two-day meet 6 under par. He won the tournament by two strokes. He had tied for 44th at the tournament last season.
As a team, the Blugolds’ top squad finished in sixth place out of 38. The Blugolds’ second team finished tied for 14th.
Playing at Weibring Golf Club on Saturday, Lynch shot a blistering 67 to surge into first place. He entered the day tied for third. He sank six birdies with only two bogeys on Saturday to clinch medalist honors. His 67 was the personal low for his college career.
Ben Pausha soared up the leaderboard by carding a 70, moving him 37 spots up the board to finish tied for 14th. Nick Amtmann finished tied for 18th after a 76 on Saturday. Nick Mueller tied for 43rd at 7 over par.
WOMEN’S LACROSSEBlugolds set scoring record
The UW-Eau Claire women’s lacrosse team set a new program scoring record with a 27-2 victory over Augsburg on Saturday at the Sonnentag Fieldhouse. The Blugolds broke the previous team record of 26 goals set in both 2022 and 2023. The victory pushed UW-Eau Claire to 2-1 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The Blugolds (5-4, 2-1) scored the first 16 goals. They outscored Augsburg 11-0 in the first quarter.
UW-Eau Claire also set a new program high with 57 shots.
Eight different Blugolds had three points or more. Ellie Fisher led them all with eight points off six goals and two assists. Jess Stiller added six points, tallying three goals and three assists.
Paige Kiani had three goals and two assists for five points. Lydia Wickersham had four points.
Bella Jones and Alexandria Shea both played 30 minutes in net and made one save apiece.
TRACK AND FIELDBlugold men win Ashton May Invitational
The UW-Eau Claire men’s and women’s track and field teams opened their outdoor season at the Ashton May Invitational at UW-La Crosse’s Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Blugold men started their outdoor campaign on a high note, winning the team title, while the women finished third.
The UW-Eau Claire men tallied 162 points to finish atop the standings, which featured two NCAA Division I schools. The Blugold women had 96.5 points, finishing only behind UW-La Crosse and Milwaukee.
The Blugolds had two athletes win two events apiece. Yakob Ekoue, the Blugolds’ three-time national champion making his 2025 debut, won the men’s discus and hammer throw. Kylee Grabarski, fresh off earning All-America honors in indoor season, won the women’s 400-meter and was also part of the victorious 4x400-meter relay.
SOFTBALLUWEC splits games at Illinois Wesleyan
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The UW-Eau Claire softball team split its first two games at the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational on Saturday at Inspiration Field. The Blugolds fell to the College of Wooster 7-6 to start the day, but rebounded with a 10-8 victory over Illinois Wesleyan.
The Blugolds (18-4) fell into a four-run deficit early in the game against Wooster, and the deficit later grew to six by the end of the fourth inning. Wooster capitalized on five Blugold errors.
Kendall Lenz stole home for the Blugolds’ first run in the fourth, but UW-Eau Claire’s biggest rally came in a five-run sixth. Haylie Schmidt and Kenna Strunsee both hit two-RBI doubles, and Katie Jones added an RBI double.
The Blugolds reversed the script against Illinois Wesleyan.
A two-RBI single from Claire Beck highlighted a three-run third inning, and Megan Patterson added a three-run homer in the fifth to put the Blugolds ahead 6-1.
Beck earned the win in the circle. She pitched five innings and ...
