Angelique Elemen blasted home runs in five consecutive games and hit six home runs, including two walk-off homers, to propel Fort Lewis College to a 3-2 weekend at the Dixie State tournament in St. George, Utah.
All those homers, paired with several other big hits, led the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference to award Elemen the player of the week award Tuesday.
The junior from Litchfield Park, Arizona, had 11 hits during the five games. She drove in 12 runs and scored nine times. She also had two doubles to give her eight extra-base hits. She hit .524 during the three-day tournament and boasted a 1.1476 slugging percentage.
Elemen, who hit 12 home runs her freshman season and another 17 as a sophomore, is on pace to hit more than 20 homers this season. She has hit for a .389 average so far this season and has struck out only three times in 36 at-bats.
FLC (3-7) will hit the road this week for a third consecutive tournament before it will begin RMAC play. FLC will compete in the Cactus Classic Friday through Sunday in Tucson, Arizona, beginning with a game against Mary at 10 a.m. Friday.
The top-15 teams in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll all remained the same this week, including Fort Lewis College at No. 14 for a second consecutive week.
FLC (21-3, 17-2 RMAC) completed a brutally tough road sweep of Western State Colorado University and Colorado Mesa University over the weekend. The Colorado Mesa game went to overtime in thrilling fashion, and FLC held on to pick up a season sweep of its rival.
FLC clinched the right to host the RMAC tournament with the win at Colorado Mesa, as the Skyhawks have a three-game lead on the next postseason eligible team in the RMAC, Regis, with three games to play. FLC also owns the tiebreker against Regis thanks to sweeping the Rangers this year.
FLC will face its biggest nemesis over the last two years, Colorado Mines, at 8 p.m. Friday in Golden. It is the team’s lone game this week. The Skyhawks are eager for a win, especially with postseason ineligible Westminster only one game behind in the regular-season conference race. Westminster will visit FLC the final week of the regular season for a game Feb. 24 in Durango.
Two women from Bayfield set new program records for FLC at the Adams State University NCAA Qualifier meet last weekend in Alamosa.
Freshman Amber Johnson broke her own record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 10.05, as she placed fifth. Katie Hawkins soared 9-feet, 9-inches in the pole vault for a new record, and she finished fourth in the meet.
Also for the Skyhawks, Saylor Sargent set a program record in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:31.81, as she placed fifth.
Victoria Fagan also set a new mark in the shot put with her throw of 33-9.5.
FLC is finished with the indoor season and will look ahead to outdoor season, which will begin March 16-17 at Colorado State University-Pueblo.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
