UCI awaits Bracket Buster foe

The UC Irvine men’s basketball opponent for the Feb. 21 Bracket

Buster Saturday event featuring mid-major programs is scheduled to be

announced today.

The Anteaters (9-9, 4-5 in the Big West), who have lost their last

three games, will be one of 23 road teams in the event, designed to

highlight teams outside of the major conferences.

Potential matches for UCI, based on location and similar records,

include Fresno State (10-8, 6-3 in the Western Athletic Conference),

Nevada (12-6, 6-3 in the WAC) and New Mexico State (9-9, 3-4 in the

Sun Belt Conference).

Fresno State, Nevada and New Mexico State are all former

conference rivals of the Anteaters.

Other selected home teams are Butler, Cleveland State,

Illinois-Chicago, Wisconsin Green Bay and Wisconsin Milwaukee

(Horizon League); Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan,

Kent State, Marshall and Miami of Ohio (Mid-American Conference);

Rice and Tulsa (WAC), Lafayette (Sun Belt); and Bradley, Evansville,

Illinois State and Indiana State (Missouri Valley Conference).

UCI’s opponent Feb. 21 will visit the Bren Events Center next

season for a nonconference game, by virtue of an agreement of all

Bracket Buster participants.

UCI is No. 170 in the latest Sagarin ratings. Others with similar

Sagarin ratings include Illinois State (169), Butler (167), Indiana

State (174), Marshall (179), Bradley (180) and New Mexico State

(187).

Sagarin rates Nevada No. 45 and Fresno State No. 89.

-- Barry Faulkner

Hlushchanka honored

* TENNIS: Vanguard University women’s tennis standout Olga

Hlushchanka, who won the

Flight A singles crown at the season-opening Redlands tournament,

has been named Lion of the Week by the school.

Hlushchanka, a junior, improved to 5-0 in singles, including a

victory over Jennifer Dao from Azusa Pacific, ranked No. 3 in the

NAIA, 6-1, 6-4.

Hlushchanka, from Balarus, Minsk, ended last season as the

top-ranked player in the NAIA. She teamed with Amy Brown to win the

Flight A doubles title, defeating a squad from Redlands, 8-2, in the

championship match.

Hlushchanka’s other singles victims included Peggy Bell of Azusa

Pacific, 6-2, 6-0, and Tatiana Steinberg of Redlands, 6-0, 6-0.

Vanguard runners shine

* TRACK AND FIELD: The men’s and women’s distance medley relay

teams from Vanguard University both met indoor national qualifying

standards Saturday in a season-opening nonscoring meet at Azusa

Pacific University.

The women posted a time of 12 minutes, 35.9 seconds, nearly 10

seconds faster than the qualifying mark and shattering a

seven-year-old school record of 12:56.6.

Christol McDonald completed her leg of 1,200 meters in 3:49.6,

while freshman Jenifer Zipprich clocked a 1:02.6 over 400 meters.

Junior Jenny Thune ran her 800 leg in 2:23.8 and senior Sarah Hall

posted a time of 5:19.9 in her 1,600 leg.

Vanguard finished second to a quartet from Concordia.

The VU men cruised to a time of 10:22.3. The men’s team was

comprised of senior Mikael Larsson (3:08.6 over 1,200 meters),

freshman Zach Powell, a Costa Mesa High product (52.1 in the 400),

sophomore Matt Meyer (1:58.8 over 800), and freshman Billy Smith

(4:22.8 in the 1,600. They helped the Lions finish second to a relay

unit from Asuza Pacific.

Also impressive in the season debut was senior Debbie Chop, who

won the long jump (16-10 3/4), ahead of teammate Megan Leapaldt, a

freshman who leapt 15-1 3/4.

The Vanguard men’s and women’s 1,600 relay teams bettered their

season bests from last year. The VU women were second to Azusa

Pacific, posting a time of 4:11.4, while the men were second to APU

in 3:40.2.

Sophomore Alex Castro was third in the men’s 1,000.

The meet included VU, Azusa Pacific, Concordia and Biola, as well

as several unattached athletes.

‘Eaters handle Hawaii

* TENNIS: The UC Irvine men’s tennis team recorded its first win

of the season Sunday, defeating visiting Hawaii, 5-2, in a

nonconference match at the Anteater Tennis Stadium.

UCI, ranked No. 74, swept the Warriors in doubles to earn the lone

doubles point, while Ryusuke Kashiwabara, Brian Morton, Renouk

Wijemanne and Peter Surapol all won in singles, where the hosts

posted a 4-2 edge.

UCI returns to action Feb. 14, when it plays host to Northern

Arizona.

*--*

Nonconference

Singles - Ptak (H) def. Endrikat, 6-3, 7-6; Sceats (H) def. Korac, 6-3, 6-0; Kashiwabara (UCI) def. Weinberg, 6-3, 6-4; Morton (UCI) def. Lajola, 6-3, 7-5; Wijemanne (UCI) def. Marold, 6-1, 6-4; Surapol (UCI) def. Smith, 6-1, 6-4. Doubles --

Morton-Kashiwabara (UCI) def. Ptak-Sceats, 8-4; Endrikat-Williams (UCI) def. Lajola-Weinberg, 8-3; Korac-Surapol (UCI) def. Marold-Diepraam, 8-4.

*--*