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UT’s Worley to test his resolve in an NCAA 1,500-meter title shot

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A shadow of mental anguish still looms over Sam Worley, to a certain extent.

He is still haunted in some respects by the memory of a disappointing effort three months ago at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship.

“I remember the feeling,” the former state champion at New Braunfels Canyon said recently. “I almost don’t know how to put it into words. I was not happy.”

Worley just didn’t have it that day.

One of the best high school mile runners in U.S. history showed up in College Station in March with significant momentum in his burgeoning career.

But after a lackluster showing in the preliminaries of the mile, he failed to reach the finals.

Remembered Worley, “I had worked too hard … I was too good of a competitor not to be in the final.”

In that regard, Worley said it represents a break through in his own mind to have qualified for the finals of the 1,500 meters outdoors.

Worley will toe the starting line as the only freshman in the finals tonight at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field.

He qualified Wednesday afternoon with a fourth-place finish in his heat and the fourth fastest overall time in the semifinals.

“That improvement alone has been really special to me,” Worley said in an interview Thursday afternoon. “I’m celebrating that. But, at the same time, I have a chance to do something special in the final.

“Now, it’s just a matter of going out there and competing and having the killer instinct to finish as high as possible.”

Athletes who will chase the championship in the 1,500 all held back some on Wednesday, with qualifying times ranging from 3 minutes and 47.47 secconds to 3:50.03.

The times are expected to be much faster tonight, but it’s hard to tell what kind of race will unfold.

Two years ago, the winner in the men’s 1,500 came in at 3:36.38. Last year, New Mexico’s Josh Kerr won in 3:43.03.

Kerr is the clear favorite to win tonight, having set the NCAA record in the event at 3:35.01 on April 20 in Azusa, California.

Worley, whose best is 3:40.00 from that same race, said he doesn’t know what type of pace he will see tonight.

“I have no clue,” he said.

Worley said he only knows what to expect from himself, and he thinks he can run under 3:40 if he feels good and the conditions are right.

“If it’s an honest race where I can run free and clear for a good portion of it, I think I could go sub 3:40,” he said. “But you also have to take into account, it’s the end of the season.

“It’s been a long six months of training. The body’s getting a little tired. So you never know until race day what you think you can do.”

Anyone who has seen Worley run as a prep athlete for New Braunfels Canyon understands the extent of his talent and the size of his heart.

He won the state title in the 1,600 twice, as both a junior and a senior. Last year, as a senior, he won the 800 and the 1,600 state titles on the same day at UT’s Myers Stadium.

Asked directly if he thinks he can win tonight, Worley said he does believe it is possible, but that everything would need to fall into place.

Two months ago in California, he could’t find much space on the track in a congested field, and he finished the fastest 1,500-meter race in collegiate history in 18th place.

This time, with a little more wisdom in the ways of elite runners such as Kerr, Robert Domanic and Sam Prakel, maybe he can find some open spaces. Maybe Worley can win, or, at least, find his way to the podium.

“I know it’s going to be hard, and it’s going to be tough,” he said. “I’ll have to really work for it. But you know, anything is possible.”

If nothing else, Worley now feels more confident than he did a few months ago when he left College Station bewildered about his sub-par effort.

After all, his body of work speaks for itself.

In high school, he was a generational phenomenon who broke Reuben Reina’s 30-year-old area records.

In his third race in college, Worley set the UT school record in the mile.

He also won a Big 12 title outdoors in the 1,500 and now, as of this week, he has made it to his sport’s biggest stage in an NCAA outdoor final.

“Some of the hurt that I felt during indoor kind of evaporated a little bit (on Wednesday),” Worley said. “But at the same time, I feel I’m on a mission, I’m really hoping to get in the top eight.

“It’s just going to be about … competing as best I can.”

Riley ends UTSA career with second All-American honor

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UTSA senior Adrian Riley gave it everything he had.

After running the 1,500 meters to complete his 10th and final event in two days Thursday, he collapsed on the track at Hayward Field.

Riley finished the four-lap finale in 4 minutes and 52.51 seconds for 604 points.

All told, he finished 12th in the decathlon at the NCAA Track and Field Championship with 7,520 points.

When the decathlon opened Wednesday, 24 athletes held out hopes of competing for a title. By the time it was over, only 16 had finished all 10 events.

Kentucky senior Tim Duckworth outlasted everyone, claiming the championship with a score of 8,336.

Duckworth fell a little more than 100 points shy of the meet record held by former Oregon star Ashton Eaton.

It was a solid showing all the way around for Riley, who finished in the top 10 in four events, including third in the long jump with a UTSA school record of 25 feet, 11 and 1/2 inch.

Riley was also fifth in the 100 meters (in 10.82 seconds), seventh in the discus (140 feet, 1 inch) and 10th in the javelin (176-6).

By virtue of his 12th-place overall finish, he earned second-team All-American honors, becoming the first track athlete in school history to get the award in two events.

He was an honorable mention All-American in the long jump last year.

“It feels great, like a job well-done,” said Riley, a native of Jamaica. “Especially (after) coming in and not being a high (rated) recruit.”

Riley also became the first at UTSA to earn multiple All-America honors since hurdler Keyunta Hayes did it in 2012, 2014 and 2015.

He was the first UTSA athlete to compete in the decathlon at the national meet since Justin Youngblood placed seventh in 2004.

“I’ve had five decathletes make it to the national meet since I’ve been at UTSA,” coach Aaron Fox said. “Adrian came in primarily as a sprinter-jumper.

“He had only jumped around 23 feet coming in, so he had a huge improvement in his long jump.”

In the coming year, Riley will continue to take classes at UTSA in pursuit of a finance degree.

He will also work on his long jump in an attempt to make the Jamaican national team for the 2019 world championships.

“He’s just a very talented athlete and can do a lot of things,” Fox said. It was a lot of fun to have him. He was a great team leader.”

Horton leads Baylor relay

Anchor Kiana Horton passed two runners in the final 200 meters to lead the Baylor women’s 4×400 relay to a second-place finish in its heat and into the finals.

Earlier in the day, Arkansas sophomore Devin Clark moved on to the finals in the women’s 3000 steeplechase.

Horton ran track at Judson. Clark was a distance running star at Smithson Valley.

Texas’ Sam Worley qualifies for finals in NCAA 1,500 meters

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Texas’ Sam Worley, a former state champion at New Braunfels Canyon, emerged Wednesday as the only freshman to qualify for the 12-man finals in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

His UT teammate, Alex Rogers, did not qualify in spite of a strong performance in the semifinals on the first day of the national meet. The meet runs through Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

A field of 24 runners competed in the 1,500 semifinals, 12 each in two heats. The top five finishers in each heat qualified automatically, with the next two best times also making it through to the finals, scheduled for Friday night.

Both Worley and Rogers ran in the second heat, the fastest of the day, which was won by New Mexico’s Josh Kerr in 3 minutes and 47.47 seconds.

Other automatic qualifiers out of the heat included second-place Robert Domanic of Ole Miss (3:47.61), Vincent Ciattei of Virginia Tech (3:47.73), Worley (3:47.84) and Cameron Griffith of Arkansas (3:47.93).

Rogers, who also ran in high school at New Braunfels Canyon, finished 10th in 3:48.67. He didn’t advance even though he ran faster than anyone in the first heat.

The five automatic qualifiers from the first heat of the day included Oregon’s Sam Prakel (3:49.33), Wisconsin’s Oliver Hoare, Oregon’s Mick Stanovsek, Virginia Tech’s Diego Zarate and Michigan State’s Justine Kiprotich.

The two fastest times outside the automatic qualifiers belonged to Amos Bartelsmeyer of Georgetown (3:48.00) and Mike Marsella of Virginia (3:48.01).

Friday’s race is expected to be much faster. Kerr, a junior, set the NCAA record in the event earlier this year in 3:35.01. Domanic and Prakel have also run 3:36 plus. Worley’s best this season has been 3:40 flat.

Ford reaches 800 finals

Robert Ford, a senior at Southern Cal from Johnson High School, registered the seventh best time of the day in the semifinals of the 800 meters. As a result, he will move into the eight-man finals, scheduled Friday night.

Ford ran 1:47.38. He was third in his heat. The top two finishers in each of three heats advanced, plus the next two fastest times. Ford had the No. 2 time among runners who finished outside the top two.

UTSA’s Riley in the decathlon

UTSA senior Adrian Riley had a fast start but fell back into 10th place after five events in the decathlon. He has 4,086 points.

Riley from Jamaica, opened with the 100 meters in 10.82 seconds for the fifth fastest time in the field. He was third best in the long jump at 25 feet, 11 and 1/2 inches, which set the UTSA school record. The decathlon is scheduled to be completed with the final five eventes on Thursday.

UTSA’s Patrick Prince ran the 110 hurdles in 14.10 seconds for the 20th best time of the day in the semifinals. He did not advance, but he did earn honorable mention All-American, a first in school history in the high hurdles.

Texas State’s 4×100 relay placed seventh in the second of three heats and also failed to advance. The Bobcats’ time of 39.81 was 18th overall on the day.

NCAA notebook

Worley, a record-setting middle distance runner in high school, has already started to make headlines on the collegiate level.

He won the Big 12 outdoor title in Waco, becoming the first UT runner to win that event since Leo Manzano in 2008. His time of 3:44.63 was a track record.

Worley’s season best — 3:40.00 — came on April 19 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California. The time stood up as No. 13 in the nation leading into the NCAA meet.

In high school, he established San Antonio area records in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

The records in the 1,600 and 3,200 previously belonged to Reuben Reina, the 1980s-era star at John Jay who ran in the 1992 Olympics.

Worley won the state title twice in the 1,600 meters, as both a junior and a senior. Last spring, in his senior year, he won both the 800 and 1,600.

Local athletes set for NCAA track and field championships

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Today, I’m all set to try something different.

Your correspondent here at The JB Replay is determined to take a shot at covering athletes from the San Antonio area competing in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

The meet starts today and runs through Saturday at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.

Sam Worley and Alex Rogers at the University of Texas are two of the athletes on my list.

The two former stars from New Braunfels Canyon High School are set to compete in the 1,500 meters.

Robert Ford, a senior at Southern Cal from Johnson High School, is running in the 800 meters.

Devin Clark, a University of Arkansas sophomore from Smithson Valley, and Kiana Horton, a Baylor junior from Judson, are also in the meet.

Clark is qualified in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Horton is set to run both the 400 meters and the 4×400 relay.

Area colleges

UTSA

Ty Anderson, high jump
Patrick Prince, 110 hurdles
Adrian Riley, decathlon

Texas State

T’Mond Johnson, shot put
Jaylen Allen, 4×100 relay
De’Marcus Porter, 4×100 relay
Lincoln Warren, 4×100 relay
Carlos Wilson, 4×100 relay

Texas Tech, Texas set to host in NCAA Super Regional round

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When the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Texas Longhorns clinched NCAA regional titles in baseball on Sunday night, it appeared likely that both Big 12 Conference powerhouses would be playing on the road in the next round.

A day later, both moved into position to host best-of-three NCAA Super Regionals at their respective home fields this weekend.

By Tuesday morning, it was made official.

Texas Tech will host the Duke Blue Devils starting Saturday afternoon at Rip Griffin Park in Lubbock.

Texas also will host on Saturday, taking on the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Disch-Falk Field in Austin. UT has already announced a sellout.

Winners of the eight Super Regionals will advance to the College World Series.

Texas Tech, the No. 9 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, and Texas, the No. 13 seed, both won three straight games at home last weekend to win their respective first-round regionals.

When Texas Tech closed out its Lubbock Regional sweep with an 11-6 victory over Louisville on Sunday, fans figured the Red Raiders would be headed to Athens, Ga., to play the No. 8-seeded Georgia Bulldogs.

Duke had other ideas, eliminating Georgia by sweeping the Dawgs 8-5 and 8-4 on Monday to win the Athens Regional.

Texas was in a similar situation after it polished off Indiana 3-2 on Sunday night to claim the Austin Regional.

The Longhorns figured they would be headed to Oxford, Miss., to play the No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels.

But Tennessee Tech scrambled the picture by shocking the Rebels 15-5 and 3-2 on Monday to claim the Oxford Regional title.

Entering play on Monday, all that Georgia and Ole Miss needed was one victory on their home field against a lower-seeded program, and both would have hosted a Super Regional.

But as it so often happens in college baseball, what appeared likely didn’t actually come to pass, which in turn sent a pair of Super Regional series to the Lone Star State.

Lubbock Super Regional
Duke 44-16
at Texas Tech 42-17
Best of three, starting Saturday

Austin Super Regional
Tennessee Tech 52-10
at Texas 40-20
Best of three, starting Saturday

What ever happened to …

Here is what happened to the other five NCAA tournament teams from the state of Texas on opening weekend.

Texas A&M — The Aggies (40-22) endured a tough weekend in losing two of three at Austin. After walloping Indiana on opening night, A&M lost to Texas on Saturday and Indiana on Sunday, falling short of the Super Regional round for the first time since 2014.

Houston — The Cougars (38-25) went 2-2 in a spirited run at the Chapel Hill Regional. The American Athletic Conference champions beat Purdue twice but also lost twice to tournament host North Carolina. The Tar Heels pounded the Cougars 19-11 in the championship round Sunday.

Baylor — The Bears (37-21) went 1-2 at the Stanford Regional, losing to Cal State Fullerton, beating Wright State and then losing to host Stanford. Fullerton knocked off the tournament host Cardinal to win the regional.

Dallas Baptist — The Patriots (42-21) bowed out of the tournament with a 2-2 record at Fayetteville, Ark., but they did enjoy their moments. Following a 9-0 opening-night loss to Southern Miss, Dallas Baptist beat Oral Roberts 18-9 and Southern Miss 9-4 to reach the championship round, where it lost to Arkansas, 4-3.

Texas Southern — The Tigers (27-28) were swept out of the tournament in Austin, losing to Texas, 10-0, and to Indiana, 6-0. Texas Southern, from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, has now played in NCAA tournaments in 2015, 2017 and 2018.

Texas edges Indiana for NCAA Austin Regional championship

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Kody Clemens drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the seventh inning, and starting pitcher Blair Henley worked into the eighth, lifting the Texas Longhorns to a 3-2 victory Sunday night over Indiana for the NCAA Austin Regional title.

The win propelled Texas into the Super Regional round of the playoffs for the first time under second-year coach David Pierce. It is Texas’ first Super Regional trip since 2014.

Indiana survived an elimination game earlier in the day, beating Texas A&M, 9-7, and then pushed Texas to the limit in a drama- and controversy-filled ninth inning.

In their last at bat, the Hoosiers loaded the bases against Andy McGuire on a single, a hit by pitch and a walk.

Frustrated at the turn of events, Texas coaches pulled McGuire, their third reliever since the eighth, and handed the ball to Chase Shugart.

Shugart promptly fanned freshman Sam Crail for the second out.

Next, Matt Lloyd stepped to the plate and sent a fly ball twisting into foul territory and toward the left field grandstand.

UT leftfielder Masen Hibbeler raced to the barrier to get in position, reached over the rail and appeared to make the catch.

But when he pulled his glove back, the ball came loose and landed on the outfield turf.

For a moment, Hibbeler thought he had made the grab and so did the fans, who celebrated what they thought was the game-clinching out.

Moments later, officials ruled the play a no catch, giving Lloyd new life. It didn’t last long.

Shugart recorded the strike out, prompting Pierce to turn and clinch his fists in triumph.

Clemens called Hibbeler’s effort a “crazy” play.

“He caught the ball,” Clemens said on ESPN. “Then I saw the ball on the ground. I thought he just tossed it.”

Pierce later told the network that he thought the umpire made the correct call.

“(Hibbeler’s) feet hit the ground, but he never really had total possession of the ball,” the UT coach said.

In discussing his at bat that produced the go-ahead run, Clemens said he was looking for a breaking ball, and he pulled it into the corner in right field.

“I was able to put a good swing on it,” Clemens said.

Records

Texas 40-20
Indiana 40-19

Indiana eliminates Texas A&M from the NCAA playoffs

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Trailing by nine runs early, the Texas A&M Aggies stayed patient.

They kept chipping away, inning by inning, until they pulled to within two runs with two runners on base in the ninth.

In the end, A&M’s comeback bid wilted in the 100-degree heat.

Indiana turned a double play to close it, claiming a 9-7 victory in the NCAA Austin Regional.

As a result, the Aggies’ season is over after a second straight loss in the tournament, while the Hoosiers earned a chance to take down Texas for the championship.

Texas can win the regional tournament with a victory tonight. Indiana hopes to win to force a deciding game Monday.

Indiana stunned Texas A&M by exploding for nine runs in the first inning.

The big blows came on a two-run home run by Scotty Bradley and a three-run shot by Matt Lloyd.

Lloyd, who started the game at first base, led Indiana with two runs scored, three hits and three RBI.

He also figured into the game as a pitcher, working part of the eighth and closing out the ninth.

For Texas A&M, Logan Foster produced three hits. Chris Andritsos had two hits and three RBI.

Relievers Cason Sherrod and Nolan Hoffman held the Hoosiers scoreless from the second through the ninth inning.

The loss sent Texas A&M home from the NCAA tournament shy of the Super Regional round for the first time since 2014.

Records

Texas A&M 40-22
Indiana 40-18

Texas A&M coach shrugs off Clemens’ theatrics

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Texas A&M coach Rob Childress is trying to get his team ready to play the Indiana Hoosiers this afternoon at the NCAA’s Austin Regional.

The Aggies and Hoosiers are both 1-1 in the regional and facing elimination.

The winner would advance to play Texas tonight in the championship round.

Texas A&M fans would like nothing more than another shot at the Longhorns after what happened Saturday night.

Not only did the Longhorns beat the Aggies 8-3, but UT star Kody Clemens stirred it up with some theatrics.

After a first-inning, three-run homer, Clemens rounded third and stared briefly into the Aggies’ dugout.

During media interviews later, Childress brushed off a question about the incident.

“We are all competitors, and it’s the biggest moment, Saturday night in a regional, and he is in the moment and if you don’t like it, make a better pitch is the way I look at it,” Childress told reporters.

Added Childress: “They feed off him, and he is an incredible player, very competitive, very good approach as a baseball player and he loves the moment.

“He did a great job for them tonight, certainly the difference in the game.”

Clemens hit two home runs and produced four RBI in a three-hit performance.

As a result, the Longhorns improved to 2-0 in the regional, needing only a win tonight to advance.

For a full story on Texas A&M’s reaction to its loss to Texas, please see Richard Croome’s story in the Bryan Eagle.

Six teams in the state alive in NCAA baseball playoffs

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Six of the seven Texas-based teams in the NCAA baseball tournament remain alive through three days of regional play. Texas and Texas Tech are 2-0 in their regions. Here’s the breakdown leading into Sunday afternoon competition:

Texas — In the drivers’ seat in the Austin Regional. The No. 13 overall seed in the NCAA tournament is 2-0 and will play at home tonight against either Indiana or Texas A&M. This is a hot team. Might be tough to beat them two straight in Austin. So far, Texas has hammered Texas Southern 10-0 and beat up A&M 8-3.

Texas A&M — The Aggies are 1-1 in the Austin Regional and will play this afternoon to stay alive against the Indiana Hoosiers. A&M needs a quality start to steady the team. Will it be freshman lefthander Asa Lacy from Kerrville Tivy?

Texas Southern — The Tigers were swept out of the tournament in Austin, losing 10-0 to Texas 6-0 to Indiana. Texas Southern is a program on the rise, having played in NCAA regionals at College Station in 2015, at Baton Rouge in 2017 and now in Austin, all under coach Michael Robertson.

Texas Tech — The Red Raiders are 2-0 and playing for the regional title tonight in their own Lubbock Regional. Kent State and Louisville will meet this afternoon to determine Tech’s opponent. Either way, the No. 9 national seeded Red Raiders appear to be in good shape after beating New Mexico State 9-2 on Friday and Louisville 10-4 on Saturday.

Baylor — The Big 12 tournament champions are 1-1 and facing long odds in the losers’ bracket at the Stanford Regional. They’ll play the host and No. 2 overall seed Cardinal this afternoon in an effort to stay alive. Baylor needs to beat Stanford and Cal State Fullerton twice to win the regional. The Bears lost to surprising Fullerton 6-2 on Friday and then bounced back to defeat Wright State, 11-5, on Saturday.

Houston — The Cougars are 1-1 and facing elimination Sunday afternoon against Purdue in the Chapel Hill Regional. Houston must win three straight to advance. It must beat the Boilermakers and the host North Carolina Tar Heels twice. Houston started fast in the regional, knocking off Purdue 9-2 on Friday. The Cougars hit two home runs in their second game but fell to the Tar Heels 4-3 on Saturday.

Dallas Baptist –The hard-hitting Patriots slammed Oral Roberts 18-9 on Saturday to even their record to 1-1 in the Fayetteville Regional. They’ll take on Southern Miss, the Conference USA champions, on Sunday afternoon. If Dallas Baptist can win, it would move into the championship round against host Arkansas Sunday night. One of the hidden gems in NCAA sports in Texas, Dallas Baptist has played in four NCAA regionals since 2011.

Clemens powers Texas past Texas A&M in NCAA regional

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Kody Clemens set the tone with a three-run homer in the first inning, powering the Texas Longhorns past the in-state rival Texas A&M Aggies 8-3 Saturday night at the NCAA Austin Regional.

Clemens, the Big 12 Player of the Year, hit two homers on the day and produced four RBI.

With the victory, the Longhorns moved into Sunday night’s regional championship game at Disch-Falk Field against either Indiana or Texas A&M.

Indiana and A&M will play Sunday afternoon, with the winner earning a shot against Texas Sunday night. If either Indiana or A&M beat Texas, a deciding game would be played Monday at Disch-Falk.

Regardless of the opponent, the Longhorns appear to have a good shot at winning the tournament and advancing to the NCAA Super Regional round for the first time since 2014.

UT fans were into the game from the beginning as Clemens, a left-handed hitter, greeted A&M righty and starter Mitchell Kilkenny with a three-run homer over the right field wall in the first.

In the third, the Aggies of the Southeastern Conference rallied against UT pitcher Nolan Kingham to pull within 3-1 on an RBI bunt single from Michael Helman.

But the Big 12 regular-season champions would explode for two runs each in the fourth and the fifth innings and another in the sixth for an 8-1 lead.

DJ Petrinski hit a solo homer in the fourth and Clemens added a solo shot in the sixth.

It was Petrinski’s second home run in two nights and his eighth on the season. For Clemens, the son of former UT and major league star Roger Clemens, he increased his team-leading total to 21.

Pitching against a team with a .285 batting average, Kingham (8-3) worked effectively through 7 and 2/3 innings. He struck out eight and walked one. Kingham yielded nine hits and three runs, two of them earned.

Zach DeLoach and Logan Foster, who both had three hits in Texas A&M’s 10-3 victory Friday over Indiana, produced only one hit between them. Helman, Chris Andritsos and Will Frizzell had two hits apiece.

Kilkenny, the first of five A&M pitchers, lasted only four innings. Even though he worked out of trouble a few times, he gave up five runs on seven hits.

Records

Texas 39-20
Texas A&M 40-21

Notes

Officials announced a sellout crowd of 7,046 for UT and A&M, longtime intra-conference rivals in the Southwest Conference and the Big 12. A&M left the Big 12 and joined the SEC for the 2012-13 season.

Kilkenny (8-5) took the loss. Kingham (8-3) was credited with the win.

Earlier in the day Saturday, Indiana of the Big Ten stayed alive in the tournament with a 6-0 victory over Texas Southern. The loss eliminates the Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.