Setting the Scene: It's a week on the road for the Pacific Lutheran University athletic department. The swimming programs compete in the Northwest Conference Championships beginning on Thursday in Federal Way while track & field heads across the state to Spokane for another indoor meet. Softball opens the 2023 campaign in southern California, baseball plays in Texas, with men's and women's hoops making a two-game tour of Oregon. Topping it off is men's and women's tennis bookending the week with matches against crosstown rival University of Puget Sound. 

WEDNESDAY:
MTEN at Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. (4:30 p.m.)
THURSDAY:
SWIM at NWC Championships in Federal Way, Wash. (9:30 a.m. Prelims/5 p.m. Finals)
FRIDAY:
BB at Concordia in Austin, Texas (10 a.m. Central)
SWIM at NWC Championships in Federal Way, Wash. (9:30 a.m. Prelims/5 p.m. Finals)
T&F at Whitworth Invitational in Spokane, Wash.
SB at Pomona-Pitzer (DH) in Claremont, Calif. (12 p.m.)
WBB at Lewis & Clark in Portland, Ore. (5:30 p.m.)
MBB at Lewis & Clark in Portland, Ore. (7:30 p.m.)
SATURDAY:
BB vs. Hardin-Simmons in Austin, Texas (9 a.m. Central)
SWIM at NWC Championships in Federal Way, Wash. (9:30 a.m. Prelims/5 p.m. Finals)
T&F at Whitworth Invitational in Spokane, Wash.
BB vs. Texas Lutheran in Austin, Texas (12:30 p.m. Central)
SB at La Verne in La Verne, Calif. (12 p.m.)
SB vs. Redlands in La Verne, Calif. (2 p.m.)
WBB at Willamette in Salem, Ore. (4 p.m.)
MBB at Willamette in Salem, Ore. (6 p.m.)
SUNDAY:
BB vs. Texas Lutheran in Austin, Texas (9 a.m. Central)
SWIM at NWC Championships in Federal Way, Wash. (9:30 a.m. Prelims/4 p.m. Finals)
SB at Chapman (DH) in Orange, Calif. (11 a.m.)
TUESDAY:
WBB hosts Puget Sound inside Olson Gymnasium (6 p.m.)
MBB hosts Puget Sound inside Olson Gymnasium (8 p.m.)
WEDNESDAY:
WTEN at Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. (4:30 p.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."

Baseball: The Lutes (2-1) opened up the season last weekend, winning their weekend series against host Linfield University. Aaron Barber was three-for-four with two RBIs in an 8-3 opening day win over the Wildcats last Friday. Linfield took the second game of the series 6-5 on Saturday on a walkoff wild pitch before PLU avenged the loss with a 6-5 victory to cap off the weekend.
 
Andy Schmitz finished the weekend with five RBIs and tied a school record for triples with his 11th career three-bagger. On the hill, Spencer Howell racked up six strikeouts in the opening day win while Wyatt Norris and Chris Moreno both proved their value in the pen, picking up their first collegiate saves. 
 
Swimming: Pacific Lutheran makes the short trek north to the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way for the four-day NWC Championships. Malia Wisham looks to defend her title in the 200-yard freestyle, entering the meet with the top time in the event while owning the second fastest time in the 200-yard individual medley.
 
Maya Lovre holds the third fastest time in the 200-yard backstroke while on the men's side first-year Tyler Tanaka makes his NWC debut with the second best time in the 200-yard breaststroke and the third best effort in the 400-yard individual medley. 
 
Softball: The Lutes (30-14, 20-8 NWC in 2022) open the lid on the 2023 campaign this weekend down in California. It's the first of two straight weekend road trips for PLU prior to starting league play. Last year the Lutes had one of the best offenses in the nation and advanced to the NWC Championship game. Learn more about the 2023 Lutes in the season preview that will be released tomorrow.
 
Men's Basketball: It was a roller coaster weekend for PLU (11-10, 5-7 NWC) on the hardwood inside Olson Gymnasium with both games going down to the wire. The Lutes opened up an early 19-point cushion on George Fox University on Friday night but it wasn't enough, with the Bruins battling back and hitting a clutch shot with 0.7 seconds left to escape with an 82-80 win.
 
The following night, the script flipped with a Sean McCurdy block at the buzzer giving PLU the 81-80 win over Linfield University. Brandin Riedel hit the go-ahead free throws with 18 seconds remaining before the Lute defensive stand that included the McCurdy swat as time expired.
 
Pacific Lutheran sits one game back of fourth place with four games remaining in the regular season. The top four teams qualify for the 2023 NWC Tournament.
 
Track & Field: The Lutes head to Spokane for their third indoor meet of the year. It is the first meet PLU plans to send a full squad to compete. 
 
The Lutes were last in action on Jan. 27 at the UW Invitational in Seattle. It was a meet that three of PLU's eight competitors hit personal bests. 
 
Four Lutes dot the national rankings with Masum Real owning the 22nd best throw in NCAA Division III in the shot put while Ryan Stracke is 24th in the mile, Lily Luksich is 34th in the pole vault, and Keola Sanchez is 46th in the 60-meters. 
 
Women's Basketball: The Lutes' defense continued to put the clamps on opponents but short-staffed PLU was unable to convert that into wins, dropping a pair of games inside Olson Gymnasium.
 
On Friday, the Lutes held a lead late in the first quarter before George Fox scored 24 of the next 31 points, enjoying a comfortable lead at the break en route to a 50-32 win. Taylor Schmidtke and Kasidy Javernick paced the Lutes with nine points apiece. 

The following night, Sydney Reisner scored 13 points in her return to the lineup but it wasn't enough against Linfield, coming up short 56-35. 
 
Men's Tennis: Pacific Lutheran hits the court this afternoon for its first dual match of the season. PLU's last competitive match was back at the ITA Northwest Championships in Portland in late September and early October. 
 
Women's Tennis: The Lutes (3-1) are back in action next Wednesday, facing off against crosstown rival University of Puget Sound before opening up the home slate over the weekend against Highline Community College and College of Idaho.