Setting the Scene: Tennis takes center stage this weekend with both the men's and women's programs competing at home. Men's and women's golf will compete locally in the Washington Cup while the men's track & field program is sending Grady Lemma to Seattle to compete in the heptathlon.
 
Revenge of Winter: Spring sports are only a few weeks in and already suffering their first casualties of the year. Softball's scheduled Northwest Conference opener this weekend in Spokane against Whitworth University was postponed as was baseball's weekend series with Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon. Neither series has been rescheduled at this time.
 
FRIDAY:
MT&F at Ken Shannon Last Chance Invitational in Seattle, Wash.
SATURDAY:
MT&F at Ken Shannon Last Chance Invitational in Seattle, Wash.
WTEN hosts CC of Spokane at Galbraith Tennis Center (3:30 p.m.)
MTEN hosts CC of Spokane at Galbraith Tennis Center (3:30 p.m.)
SUNDAY:
MGOLF at Washington Cup in Lakewood, Wash. (Oakbrook Golf Club)
WGOLF at Washington Cup in Lakewood, Wash. (Oakbrook Golf Club)
MTEN vs. Whitworth at UPS Tennis Pavilion in Tacoma, Wash. (10 a.m.)
WTEN vs. Whitworth at UPS Tennis Pavilion in Tacoma, Wash. (10 a.m.)

Leading the Pack: The NWC office released updated standings for the McIlroy-Lewis All-Sports Trophy on Nov. 23 with the Lutes leading the standings. PLU has 90 points, enjoying a nine-point lead on second place George Fox University. PLU's reign atop the standings comes after winning the NWC title in women's soccer and placing runner-up in men's cross country, men's soccer, and football.  Learn More: LINK

Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace on Wednesday through the department's partnership with Opendorse. Learn more about the deal here: LINK. But don't stay on the sidelines, get involved and connect with PLU student-athletes on the Luteville Marketplace: LINK
 
The Luteville Marketplace is the first dedicated NIL marketplace in Division III on the Opendorse platform that directly connects student-athletes with fans, supporters, and business partners in an easy to use website. 

Tickets, Tickets Tickets: The Lutes have made it easier for fans to attend home sporting events, signing a deal with HomeTown Ticketing to be the department's official electronic ticket provider. Lute fans can now purchase tickets online at GoLutes.com/tickets or on the HomeTown Ticketing mobile app available on iOS and Android devices. Learn More: LINK

Download the PLU Athletics App: Stay connected to your favorite teams by downloading the official mobile app of the Pacific Lutheran University athletic department powered by SIDEARM Sports, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play. 
 
To download the app to your smartphone or tablet, visit the Apple App Store (DOWNLOAD LINK) or Google Play (DOWNLOAD LINK) and search for "PLU Athletics."
 
Softball: Erin McGrath headlined the Lutes' road swing to the Deep South, shattering a pair of school records in the second week of the season. The senior outfielder was tabbed NWC Hitter of the Week on Monday after setting school records for career doubles (49) and extra base hits (84). Those are records that stood since 1987 and 2006, respectively.
 
On the diamond, PLU (8-4) showed it can compete against the nation's best, winning three of its six games, including a 9-5 victory over 19th-ranked Birmingham-Southern College. The Lutes fell just short 1-0 and 9-7 to 25th-ranked Piedmont University but closed the trip by blasting Emory University 11-0 and 8-4.
 
Men's Basketball: The Lutes (13-12, 7-9 NWC) dropped its season finale 86-75 to Pacific University last Friday, just missing out on the NWC Tournament. 
 
Sam Noland scored 20 points in the setback to the Boxers and on Monday was tabbed the NWC Player of the Week. Noland averaged 23.0 points per game during the week after pouring on 26 in a win over University of Puget Sound. Noland became the fourth Lute this winter to win NWC Player of the Week.
 
Noland wasn't the only Lute recognized during the week with Jordan Thomas earning Academic All-Region from College Sports Communicators (CSC). 
 
Women's Tennis: Pacific Lutheran (5-2) won two of its three dual matches last week. The Lutes downed crosstown rival University of Puget Sound 6-1 on Wednesday before rolling Highline College 6-3 on Friday night. On Saturday, the Lutes fell 8-1 to a tough team from the College of Idaho.
 
Jillian Chong was the star for the Lutes during the week, winning all three of her singles matches while also winning two doubles matches with partner Meggie Burnett. Chong's performance earned her NWC Player of the Week accolades on Monday.
 
Baseball: The Lutes (6-5, 1-2 NWC) belted Lewis & Clark College 9-3 in the NWC opener on Saturday but it was tough sledding the rest of the weekend, dropping game two 7-2 before the Pioneers took the series with a 15-11 win on Sunday. The weekend was capped off with L&C earning a 14-2 non-league win.
 
Spencer Howell was dialed in during the opener, striking out five in seven innings of work while Jonathan Cohen finished off the game by recording the final six outs. Lukas Delisle and Ethan Keintz headlined the game at the plate, both collecting a trio of hits. 
 
Women's Basketball: PLU (2-23, 2-14 NWC) led by seven after one quarter of play but shot just one-for-18 over the next two frames in a 62-36 setback to Pacific last Friday to cap off the season.
 
Kasidy Javernick led the way with 10 points while Stacie Spahr hauled in nine rebounds. This week, Ashley Akamine, Breeze Bartle, and Taylor Schmidtke were all recognized by CSC as Academic All-Region honorees.
 
Track & Field: Grady Lemma is the Lutes' lone entrant at the Ken Shannon Last Chance Invitational this weekend, competing in the heptathlon over the next two days. 
 
Lemma looks to improve on his heptathlon score of 4,622 which was achieved at the Whitworth Invitational two weeks ago and currently ranks as the 26th best point total in NCAA Division III this season.
 
Golf: PLU knocks off the rust on Sunday, competing against Puget Sound in the Washington Cup in the first competitive action since the fall.
 
The Lute men last competed on Oct. 24, placing fourth at the Confluence Classic in Walla Walla, Washington while the women have been idle since earning fourth at the NWC Fall Classic on Oct. 9 in Salem, Oregon.
 
Men's Tennis: The Lutes (0-1) play their first ever home match at the Galbraith Tennis Center this weekend with a dual against the Community Colleges of Spokane. 
 
PLU has been idle since its dual against Puget Sound back on Feb. 8, falling 9-0. Dillon Wells battled at No. 1 singles in that match, coming up short, 7-5, 6-4.