FULLER TAKES TITLE AT PLNU FALL PREVIEW
Haley Fuller did not shy away from the opportunity that awaited her entering the final round of the Point Loma Nazarene University Fall Preview at Torrey Pines last week. The Sea Lion freshman came into the round just one shot off the lead, and she seized the individual championship by one stroke with a 1-over 149 over the 36-hole tournament.
Fuller posted a 73 (-1) in the opening round Sept. 15 and then backed it up with a 76 (+2) on Sept. 16. Both days Fuller registered three birdies. After posting the second-best score among all individuals in the opening round, she tied for the fifth-best score in the final round. She finished one stroke ahead of Sonoma State’s Haley Whitbeck for the victory.
The Sea Lions also had to fight to climb the team leaderboard between the opening round and the final. PLNU shaved five strokes off its score in the second round to post a 318 (+22) and finish with a 641 (+49).
Kathleen Crossley, Alyssa Orito and Annika Nousiainen led the way by each finishing in the top 25. Crossley was the top scorer for Point Loma with a 10-over 158. She shot a 77 (+3) in the final round after posting an 81 (+7) on Monday to finish tied for 18th. Orito shot an 80 (+6) in both rounds to finish tied for 22nd. Nousiainen was tied for 24th with a 161 (+13). Mariah Fuller, Haley’s sister, placed right outside the top 25 as she finished tied for 26th with a 14-over 162.
Sonoma State won the team title by nine strokes with a 611 (+19). The Seawolves held the lead after the first round with a 308 (+12) and they never relinquished their advantage as they posted a best score of second round as well with a 303 (+7). CROSS COUNTRY HITS GROUND RUNNING Sixteen Point Loma cross-country runners took part in the 2014 Adidas/UC Irvine Invitational to open the season on Sept. 6. The Sea Lions took eighth place with 257 points.
Freshman Alexandra Hernandez paced the Sea Lions by placing 22nd in the 157-person field. Hernandez posted a time of 19:25.7 on the 5K course. “Alex opened her college career very well,” said PLNU head coach Jerry Arvin. “She got out and ran today liked I hoped she would. She had great credentials coming to PLNU and she did very well. But I think she’ll get even better.”
Hallie Swenson placed 50th with a time of 20:19.4 to give Point Loma two finishers in the top 50.
As a team, Point Loma’s 257 points placed it just ahead of Cal State Los Angeles in the final standings and just behind Cal State San Bernardino. Arkansas won the race as its nine runners took the first eight spots and 10th place.
“Overall, it was a very good showing,” said Arvin. “We competed well with the other NCAA Division II regional teams in the race and there is a lot of good reason for hope. I know we are still going to get better.” PLNU DRAWS TOUGH COMPETITION IN OPENING TOURNEYS
The Point Loma volleyball team is off to a 3-5 start. The Sea Lions, who were picked to win the Pacific West Conference after going 30-7 last season and winning the NCCAA title, opened the year by going 3-1 while hosting their annual Seaside Invitational. PLNU then went to the GNAC-PacWest Crossover Challenge in Riverside and stumbled against the top four teams in the Great Northwest Conference. The Sea Lions fell to sister school Northwest Nazarene and dropped matches to No. 9 Western Washington, No. 13 Central Washington and Alaska Anchorage. PLNU is now prepared for the opening of PacWest play.