The Seawanhaka Sports Rundown is a weekly roundup of five stories that examine developments in sports news at the local, state, and national, and international level.
By: MADISON MCCARTHY / SPORTS CO-EDITOR
LIU Men's Basketball Finishes Season, Women Secure Spot in NEC Championship
In the remaining weeks of the college basketball regular season, both LIU Men’s and Women’s Basketball had earned their spots in the chase for the NEC conference title. The men’s program finished the regular season with an overall record of 15-13 and 12-6 while the women’s program finished the regular season with an overall record of 9-17 and 9-9.
The men’s team secured the third seed placing in the quarterfinal at home on March 2. Graduate student Ty Flowers topped the charts picking up 20 points followed by redshirt junior Tre Wood with 12 points securing the win over sixth-seeded Sacred Heart University with a final score of 82-75. The Sharks finished its playoff run on Saturday, March 4, against Number Two seed Wagner College, fighting hard, but losing to Wagner with a score of 62-82.
On March 3, the final game of the regular season for the Women took place at Bryant University in Rhode Island with the Sharks coming back to win in a 48-47 game. The Women’s team wrapped up the season led by senior Brandy Thomas who scored 17 of the Sharks’ 48 points. The win secured the Sharks a spot in the NEC tournament starting with number 4 seed, Wagner College on Monday, March 7.
LIU Track and Field Shine at Conference
The LIU Men's and Women's Track and Field teams finished third in the 2022 Northeast Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships. The meet was held at Ocean Breeze on February 20-21 picking up top three finishes in several events.
The men’s program finished with 103 points with freshman Elyas Ayyoub claiming two championship titles in a sweep of the distance events. Ayyoub was also named the meet’s Most Valuable Performer and the Distance Athlete of the Meet. Sophomore Monodou Sey won his own championship title in the Men’s 60m dash, tying the NEC Meet record previously set by LIU alumni Nickolei Mahlungh in 2013.
The LIU Women's team finished with a total of 92 points with Tara Hernandez standing on the podium twice times during the meet. Hernandez finished 2nd in the 60m hurdles and the 4x400 relay with teammates Laurie Hauet, Hachlaine Petit, and Camille Watson. The Distance athletes also earned 2nd place points for the sharks in the 4000m relay made up of Ainhoa Brea, London Claxton, Margaret McKeever, and Lexi Smith. Smith also earned the team's first medal of the weekend in the 3000m and in the 5000m, Kelly Iocca finished third after finishing fourth in the 3000m the day before.
Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field season begins with Texas Relays at the University of Texas on March 23.
2022 MLB Season Delayed
92 days after MLB owners locked the MLB Players Association, the league has announced the cancellation of at least the first two series of the 2022 season. This is the second time in the past three seasons that regular season play has been interrupted with the 2020 season having been delayed and shortened in response to COVID-19 . MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred officially announced regular season cancellations after negotiations have continued to fail between the Player’s Union and the league. Upon the expiration of the 2016 collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players’ union, the MLB began its ninth lockout in history on December 2, 2021. The 2021 MLB work stoppage is the first since the 1994 MLB strike that canceled 938 games and the entire 1994 postseason including the World Series.
Sports Teams and Fans Stand with Ukraine
Along with the rest of the world, the sports world is reacting in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The ongoing military attacks are a growing concern for the international sports community with forceful responses from organizations including the UEFA, FIFA IOC, and many sanctioning bodies. The International Olympic Committee called on all International Sports Federations "to relocate or cancel their sports events currently planned in Russia or Belarus." The statement released by the IOC also stated: “In addition, the IOC EB urges that no Russian or Belarusian national flag be displayed and no Russian or Belarusian anthem be played in international sports events that are not already part of the respective World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) sanctions for Russia.”
The Russian national and club teams have been banned by FIFA and UEFA until further notice. The Russian men’s team was due to play in qualifying play-offs in March for the World Cup in Qatar later this year, while the women's team qualified for the European Championship in England, to be held in July.
2022 NFL Scouting Begins
The Annual Scouting Combine for the NFL started March 1 in Indianapolis to showcase this year’s NFL hopefuls. Over 300 of the best college football players were invited to participate in the camp for four days with executives, coaches, and medical personnel from all 32 professional teams. Offensive linemen and running backs took the field on Friday, March 4 with 12 athletes under five seconds in the 40-yard-dash. According to the NFL, this is the most offensive linemen to post a sub-five-second dash since 2003. University of Kentucky’s Dare Rosenthal picked up the fastest at 4.88 seconds. The combine continues through Sunday, March 6 with defensive lineman, linebackers, and defensive back still to take to the field. On-field drills will continue along with media interviews that have gained more importance over the past few years. The 2022 NFL Draft takes place over a month later on April 28.