Athletics roundup: AU hoops teams sweep Flagler on the road
Staff report
The Augusta University men’s basketball team had four players in double figures, led by Miguel Arnold with 25 points, and the Jaguars got revenge at Flagler on Feb. 18 by a 93-71 score.
Earlier, Kennedi Manning had 14 points and eight rebounds to lead the AU women to a 68-52 win over Flagler.
In the men’s game, Arnold was a sizzling 9-of-10 from the field and made all six of his free-throw attempts for second-place AU (12-4, 21-5). Ja’Queze Kirby chipped in 19 points, David Viti had 14 and Darren Lucas-White added 11.
The Jags had lost at home to the Saints 89-75 on Jan. 21. Augusta now faces a showdown with first-place North Georgia on Wednesday, Feb. 22. A Jaguar victory would put the Nighthawks (13-3, 20-4) and AU in a tie for first, with the Jaguars holding the tiebreaker.
The Augusta women are also in second place in the Peach Belt Conference, tied with USC Aiken and Clayton State.
The AU women (10-6, 17-9) will tip off at North Georgia on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men at 7:30.
A large contingent of AU fans took a charter bus to the game to support the two Jaguar teams.
AU’s Ting wins Moon Golf Invitational
Mirabel Ting rolled in a 54-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to win the Moon Golf Invitational at the Suntree Country Club Classic Course in Melbourne, Fla.
The freshman from Miri, Malaysia, was playing in her first collegiate tournament. Ting, who sat out the fall campaign due to a death in her family, tied Leila Raines of Michigan State at 13 under par through 54 holes. The Jaguar golfer shot 68-67-68 at the 6,362-yard, par-72 Suntree layout.
"Mirabel played flawless golf all week," said Augusta Coach Caroline Haase-Hegg. "This was the first college event of her career due to her father suddenly dying last fall, so it is especially sweet that she honored him with a win. She has worked incredibly hard and has been a great teammate. I am excited to see her perform the rest of the spring."
The AU women Augusta will play in the Ford Invitational Feb. 25. The tournament is hosted by Yale at Ford Field & River Club in Richmond Hill (Ga.).
Jaguar softball keeps rolling, sweeps S. Wesleyan
Bobbi Poff and Bailee Roberts both homered to lead the AU softball team to a 7-0 win over Southern Wesleyan in the second game of a doubleheader on Feb. 21 in Central, S.C. Poff hit a grand slam and Roberts a two-run shot. Freshman Ansley Gibson (5-2) got the win for AU. She pitched five innings and struck out five batters. The Lakeside High product only allowed four hits.
In the opener, the Jaguars (11-3) scored two runs in each of their final two at-bats for a 5-4 victory. Paige Patterson homered and went 2 for 3 for AU. Alissa Bolinger improved to 6-1 with a nine-strikeout performance.
AU will play at Lander on Feb. 24-25.
Jaguar men’s tennis improves to 5-0
The AU men’s tennis team improved to 5-0 with 5-2 win over Francis Marion on Feb. 19. Augusta won the doubles and then got singles victories from Quentin Cano Perez, Arthur Valette, Alexis Bailhache and Artur Abyan.
The Jaguar women also won over Francis Marion by a 5-2 score. Singles winners for AU (4-1) included Silvana Figueroa, Juliana Martinez, Priscilla Landi and Carlota Costa. Augusta won two of the three doubles matches.
Both AU tennis teams play at Converse on Feb. 23.
The AU softball celebrates another win, as the Jaguars improve to 11-3 with a sweep of Southern Wesleyan. At the top of the page, Miguel Arnold scored 25 points to lead the Jags to a big road win at Flagler. (photos by Madison Keel)
