Winter Sports Summary

By Nick Dawson
Photos By Lawson Kita

Men's Basketball

At press time, PLU had yet to lose a men's basketball home game this season on the Names Court. The beautiful new hardwood court in Olson Auditorium has been friendly to the Lutes whether a game lasted the regulation 40 minutes or stretched into three overtimes. In fact, the Lutes have played a pair of three overtime games at home this year, beating Dordt College (Iowa), 108-103, on Dec. 27 and Willamette University (Oregon), 101-100, on Jan. 14.

Women's Basketball

Kim Corbray, arguably the best player to wear a PLU women's basketball team uniform, surpassed the 1,000-point mark in the 13th game of her third season as Lute. The 5-foot-4-inch junior point guard scored her 1,000th point on a layup in the final minute of her team's 71-57 victory over Whitworth College on Jan. 17. Corbray is the sixth player in the program's history to surpass 1,000 points, and only two of those players reached that mark in their junior years. Kelly Larson (1985-89), is first with 1,545 points; and Kris Kallestad (1983-87), is second with 1,464 points. Corbray is already Pacific Lutheran's all-time steals leader, and is on pace to break Larson's single-season scoring record of 422 points.

Wrestling

Senior team captain Matt Bliss qualified for his fourth straight trip to the NAIA national tournament, scheduled for March 6-7 in Jamestown, N.D. An honorable mention All-America performer in 1995, Bliss is one of the country's top-ranked 177-pounders. He is one of five Lute wrestlers to earn a berth at nationals.

Swimming

Pacific Lutheran University will serve with the University of Puget Sound as co-hosts of the NAIA Swimming & Diving Championships. The event will take place March 5-8 at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. Both the 1993 and 1994 championship meets were held at the same venue.

The "hometown" Lutes will be among the top teams at the event. Coach Jim Johnson's women's team finished third a year ago and returns many of its top swimmers, including junior Aurora Bray, the defending national champion in the 500- and 1650-yard freestyles. The men's team was 7th a year ago, led by sophomore Mike Simmons, who won the 100 breaststroke at nationals.

Source: Pacific Lutheran Scene, Spring 1997
Edited by: Janet Prichard, Senior Editor (prichajd@plu.edu)
Maintained by: Webmaster (webmaster@plu.edu).
Last Update: 03/31/97