Setting the Scene: Nine programs will be in action for Pacific Lutheran University over the weekend with three competing at home. Rowing hosts the PLU Invitational to open their spring slate while softball begins its NWC slate by hosting George Fox University and baseball hosts Pacific University. Elsewhere, men's and women's tennis has a pair of local matches while men's and women's golf tee off the spring at the Washington Cup on Sunday.   
 
FRIDAY:
T&F at Ed Boitano Invitational in Tacoma, Wash. 
MTEN at Bellevue in Bellevue, Wash. (7 p.m.)
WTEN at Bellevue in Bellevue, Wash. (7 p.m.)
SATURDAY:
T&F at Ed Boitano Invitational in Tacoma, Wash.
ROW hosts PLU Invitational at American Lake (8:30 a.m.)
WTEN at Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. (10 a.m.)
BB hosts Pacific (DH) at PLU Field (11 a.m.)
SB hosts George Fox (DH) at PLU Field (12 p.m.)
MTEN at Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. (12 p.m.)
SUNDAY:
GOLF at Washington Cup in Gleed, Wash. (Suntides Golf Course)
SB hosts George Fox (DH) at PLU Field (11 a.m.)
BB hosts Pacific at PLU Field (12 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. 

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."

Men's Track & Field: Grady Lemma inched up the national list and virtually locked a spot for the 2023 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships with a personal record performance in the heptathlon on Saturday at the Ken Shannon Invitational.
 
Lemma placed eighth overall with 4,776 points against a field that included nine competitors from Power Five programs. Lemma's PR day included setting lifetime bests in four of the seven events, including the long jump, shot put, high jump, and 1,000-meters.
 
Women's Tennis: The Lutes (6-4) played three matches last weekend, downing Community Colleges of Spokane 6-3 on Saturday afternoon before dropping non-conference matches 8-1 and 7-2 to Whitworth University on Sunday. 
 
Jillian Chong continues to be red-hot in singles play, winning all three of her matches to extend her winning streak to six straight. Chong is currently 8-1 in singles, playing at the No. 3 position while No. 1 singles player Chloe Andrewjeski is 7-3 in her debut season with the Lutes.
 
Women's Rowing: The six-time defending NWC Champion Lutes are back on the water this weekend, hosting the PLU Invitational on American Lake. It will be PLU's first regatta of the spring and the first time racing at the 2,000-meter distance. During the fall, PLU's varsity eight boat placed third at the American Lake Fall Classic, a 5,000-meter race. 

Men's Tennis: Pacific Lutheran (0-4) came up short in a trio of matches over the weekend. The Lutes were edged 5-4 by CC Spokane on Saturday before succumbing to Whitworth 9-0 and 9-0 on Sunday.
 
Dillon Wells and Drew Kraft had big days against CC Spokane, winning their doubles and singles matches. Wells and Kraft earned an 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles before Wells prevailed, 6-4, 7-6 (10-6) at No. 1 while Kraft secured a three-set win at No. 3.
 
Women's Track & Field: Kristine Nguyen and Lily Luksich both competed at the George Fox NCAA Final Qualifier on Wednesday in Newberg to wrap up the indoor season. Luksich finished fourth overall in the pole vault while Nguyen was fifth after clearing 11' 0 ¼" which is a half inch off her season-best.
 
Hoops Hardware: The Lutes received some postseason hardware on Tuesday with four members of the men's and women's basketball programs earned All-League honors. Sydney Reisner headlined the group, earning NWC Rookie of the Year while also earning Honorable Mention All-NWC along with Ava Edmonds. 
 
On the men's side, Sean McCurdy was First Team All-Conference with Brandin Riedel securing Second Team All-Conference. 
 
Baseball: Pacific Lutheran (6-5, 1-2 NWC) was idle last weekend after a winter storm postponed the three-game series against Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon. 
 
Aaron Barber has been instant offense for the Lutes through the opening 11 games, racking up a team-best 14 RBIs while Andy Schmitz leads the team in batting average (.435), runs scored (17), and extra base hits (nine). On the hill, Spencer Howell has a 2-1 record with a team-high 18 innings pitched with newcomer Landon Day logging a team-high 16 strikeouts.
 
Softball: In a similar predicament as baseball, Lute softball (8-4) had its NWC opener postponed last weekend at Whitworth University due to weather. It's the home opener this weekend for PLU that last time out picked up a 9-5 victory over then 19th-ranked Birmingham-Southern College along with a doubleheader sweep of Emory University in Georgia.
 
Erin McGrath has been off the charts, batting .512 with 14 RBIs, 11 extra base hits and 14 runs scored. Kennedy Kila has added 15 RBIs and a team-best seven doubles while also rocking a 3-0 record inside the circle with a 2.37 earned run average. 
 
Golf: The men's and women's golf programs were slated to open the spring last Sunday with the first leg of the Washington Cup before it was scuttled due to inclement weather. 
 
Both programs will be playing their first competitive rounds this weekend since October. 
 
Swimming: Seven members of the PLU men's and women's swimming teams were recognized for academic success, earning Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators (CSC) on Tuesday. Henri Coronado-Volta, Charlie Cutter, and Na'inoa Loo were recognized from the men's team along with women's swimmers Makenzie Chan-Orcutt, Sidney Chan-Orcutt, Annika Eisele, and Malia Wisham. PLU accounted for seven of the 25 student-athletes from the NWC to be recognized. 

Lutes Around the World: Check out Lute men's soccer student-athlete Elijah Singleton's first hand account of his study away adventures in Montevideo, Uruguay. Singleton is one of several student-athletes who packed their bags and studied away during the J-Term break. Full Story: LINK