Only five games remain in the regular season, and the Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team has reached a new season-best ranking.
The Skyhawks (19-3, 15-2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) checked into the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll Tuesday at No. 14.
FLC was ranked as high as No. 15 twice this season for consecutive weeks Dec. 5 and Dec. 12. The Skyhawks have appeared in the top 25 all but one week this season. They also cracked the D2SIDA top 25 for the first time this season. FLC is No. 21 in the poll conducted by sports information directors.
FLC will play four of its next five games on the road as it will try to maintain first place in the RMAC. No other RMAC team appeared in either poll Tuesday.
FLC will play at Western State at 7:30 p.m. Friday and at Colorado Mesa at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Fort Lewis College went 0-5, including a 3-0 loss to fifth-ranked Humboldt State, at the season-opening Desert Stinger tournament in Las Vegas.
FLC fell 4-3 in eight innings to UC-San Diego to open the tournament, then dropped a 5-2 game to Texas Woman’s. FLC followed that with a 11-0 loss in five innings to California State-Dominguez Hills and a 6-3 loss to Stanislaus State before Sunday’s loss to Humboldt.
Julia Roberts led the team at the plate. She played in and started four games for FLC. In 10 at bats, she recorded four hits, including a solo home run and a double. Lauren Caldwell had two doubles and played in all five games.
Mandy Lorenson went 0-2 in the pitcher’s circle. Kelly Decker, Kendra Keahbone and Kassidy Trumbo each went 0-1 from the circle.
Lorenson pitched 13 2-3 innings. She allowed 10 hits and seven runs with five of those runs earned. She struck out 11 and walked nine.
FLC will travel to the Dixie State Tournament in St. George, Utah, for games Thursday through Saturday, beginning with a 3 p.m. Thursday game against California Baptist.
The FLC women’s indoor track and field team went up against some of the best competition in the country last weekend at the university of New Mexico.
Erin Renner set a new FLC record in the mile, as she finished 21st overall in 5 minutes, 27.20 seconds. That broke the previous FLC record by more than three seconds. Carly Wilborn finished 30th in the mile in 5:46.29 and was the only other Skyhawk to break six minutes.
Renner ran the 3,000 meters in 10:40.19, and that was good for 13th place. Rebecca Bramley finished 14th in 10:41.79.
Bayfield’s Amber Johnson also set a program record for FLC in the 60-meter hurdles, as she finished in 10.47 seconds to break the previous school record by 2.41 seconds. Johnson did not advance past the preliminaries in the event, however. Johnson also finished 58th in the 200-meter finals in 27.30.
Sarah Chacon led FLC in the 400-meter finals in 1:04.55. That placed her 36th. Chacon also was the fastest Skyhawk in the 800 finals, as she placed 34th in 2:29.29.
Saylor Sargent finished 23rd in the 600-meter finals in 1:40.65.
FLC placed 12th in the 4x400 relay with Emma Alaimo, Quinlyn Borneo, Johnson and Sargent. Alaimo placed 18th in the triple jump with a leap of 33-feet, 9.25 inches.
In the shot put finals, FLC was led by Victoria Fagan’s throw of 31-6.5, which was good for 22nd place.
Next on the indoor schedule for FLC women is the Adams State University Invitational on Saturday in Alamosa.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
