Horned Frog Sports Roundup: March 9, 2023

Swimming and Diving: TCU Swimming and Diving sent two representatives to the American Short Course Championships in Austin last week as Edgar Cicanci and Geremia Freri both competed for the Frogs. Cicanci had an excellent showing in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 47.16, good for 5th overall. Freri was very solid in his event as well as he finished 5th overall in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 3:45.18.

The Frogs also began competition in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the NCAA Zone Championships which present an opportunity for athletes to qualify for the NCAA National Championships. TCU has already had two Frogs clinch spots in the National Championships through two days of the Zone Championships in David Ekdahl and Jadon Wuilliez. Ekdahl especially has had an excellent couple of days as he clinched spots in both the 1-meter and 3-meter NCAA Championships. Wuilliez will be competing in the 100-meter breaststroke for the Frogs at the National Championship.

The Frogs have one more day of competition at the Zone Championships as well as 23 Frogs heading to Elkhart, Indiana for the National Invitational Championships that kick off tomorrow and run through this Saturday.

Men’s Tennis: The ITA Indoor National Champion and number 1 ranked TCU Men’s Tennis Team kicked off their outdoor season last Friday at home against UTA. The Frogs secured their first outdoor win in dominant fashion by a final score of 7-0.

TCU controlled all three doubles matches even with their top pairing from the indoor season not playing together as Pedro Vives and Sebastian Gorzny beat the top UTA doubles pairing 6-3 and Luc Fomba and Lui Maxted clinched the doubles point in the third doubles slot by a score of 6-2. Jack Pinnington and Sander Jong were winning 5-1 as well when the doubles point was won by Fomba and Maxted.

Singles matches were more of the same as TCU did not lose a set and swept all 6 singles pairings. TCU won the sets handily too as only one set went to a tiebreaker in a big win for the national champs. Sebastian Gorzny had the largest margin of victory for the Frogs in the singles matches, winning the two sets he played in by scores of 6-0 and 6-1.

The Frogs will next take on the UCLA Bruins in Fort Worth this Saturday, March 11 which will be the first of 7 straight matches home matches against ranked opponents.

Equestrian: TCU Equestrian had a very successful senior day last Saturday as they beat the number 8 ranked team in the nation in Baylor by a score of 12-7, avenging a loss in Waco from earlier in the season.

The Frogs started off strong with a 3-1 win in Fences. Ashleigh Scully was the top rider for the Frogs in the event as she earned a score of 83 and a point for TCU. Isabella Baxter and Ella Bostick both won their matchups in Fences for the Frogs as well while Sydney Berube tied her opponent with a great score of 81.

Flat was up next where the Frogs narrowly lost the event 2-3 despite valiant efforts from Wynne Weatherly, who collected MOP honors for the event, and Scully, both of whom scored points for TCU. The Frogs rebounded nicely with a 3-2 win in Horsemanship behind victories from Giorgia Medows, Jessica McAllister, and Payton Boutelle.

TCU clinched the match with a comfortable 4-1 win in Reining with McAllister earning MOP honors for the event thanks to a 76 point ride. Medows, Shea Graham and Mattie Dukes all won their matchups in the event as well.

The Frogs will next head up to Stillwater, Oklahoma for the Big 12 Championship on March 24th and 25th before heading out to Florida for the NCEA Championships on April 13th-15th as they were one of eight teams in the country selected to compete in the event.

Track and Field: TCU Outdoor Track and Field kicked off their season at a throws only meet in the Longhorn Invitational in Austin last Saturday.

Two Frogs picked up victories as Mathilda Bjorklund and Samantha Callaway both won their respective events. Callaway took first place in discus with an excellent throw of 51.08 meters while Bjorklund won hammer in a landslide with a throw of 56.50 meters that 16 feet was further than the second place finisher. Kyler Van Grouw had a very solid showing in the men’s discus with a 6th place finish off of a 46.74 meter throw.

The Frogs will next head to the Armor UTA Invitational this Friday while sending a couple representatives to NCAA Indoor Championships this Friday and Saturday in Jaren Holmes and Grace Anigbata who will both be competing in the triple jump.

Women’s Tennis: TCU Women’s Tennis got back on track last Monday after two straight losses with a convincing win over Richmond by a final score of 6-1.

The Frogs got off to a fast start as the clinched the doubles point behind victories from their top pairing of Mercedes Aristegui and Jade Otway by a score of 6-4 as well as their third pairing of Tiphanie Lematrie and Destinee Martins by a score of 6-2. Aristegui would secure her 100th career victory as a Horned Frog in singles with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win over the top singles player from Richmond.

Martins, Yu-Chin Tsai, and Helena Narmount would also win their singles matches in straight sets. Margaret Polk also won her singles match in a very close match that went to three sets. Polk battled back after dropping the first set in a tie breaker, winning the second set 7-5, and winning the third set tie breaker to clinch the match.

The Frogs will kick off their conference schedule next with a trip up to Oklahoma to face OSU and OU this coming Friday and Sunday respectively.