Setting the Scene: The Pacific Lutheran University men's and women's basketball teams open up the final month of the season on the road, heading to Oregon for the first of two weekend road trips to open February. Meanwhile men's and women's swimming and men's and women's track & field has the weekend off before returning to action the following week. 
 
FRIDAY:
WBB at Willamette in Salem, Ore. (6 p.m.)
MBB at Willamette in Salem, Ore. (8 p.m.)
SATURDAY:
WBB at George Fox in Newberg, Ore. (4 p.m.)
MBB at George Fox in Newberg, Ore. (6 p.m.)
 
Women's Basketball: The Lutes (10-9, 2-8 NWC) led wire-to-wire on Saturday evening, surging out to a 12-2 lead and never looking back in a 51-38 victory over Linfield University to cap off a two-game homestand inside Olson Gymnasium.
 
Sydney Reisner paced the Lutes with 15 with Kasidy Javernick adding 11 off the bench. PLU's lockdown defense limited the Wildcats to shooting just 26.4 percent from the floor, including just 6.3 percent (one-for-16) from three-point range. 
 
The victory improved the Lutes to 7-4 at home this season while Linfield's 38 points is the fewest points a NWC opponent has scored against the Lutes since Lewis & Clark College mustered just 35 in PLU's 59-35 win back on Jan. 11, 2019.
 
The Lutes currently lead the NWC in both field goal percentage defense (34.9 percent) and three-point percentage defense (25.0 percent) and sit second in the league in scoring defense 54.0 points per game). 
 
Men's Basketball: Pacific Lutheran (11-8, 4-6 NWC) downed Linfield 75-64 on Saturday, using a 7-0 run in the second half to take the lead for good. Four Lutes finished the game in double figures, including Sam Noland scoring 15 and Miles Nash adding 14. 
 
The Lutes are one of the nation's best teams from the field, ranking 23rd nationally (out of 412 teams) in field goal percentage (48.4 percent) while ranking 33rd nationally and first in the NWC in turnovers per game (10.9). 
 
Women's Swimming: The Lutes (5-5, 4-4 NWC) won six events on Saturday, closing out the regular season with a 122-100 setback to crosstown rival University of Puget Sound. 
 
Five of the Lutes' six wins came from the 2024 senior class that was swimming in their final home meet. Makenzie Chan-Orcutt won two of those events, winning the 100-yard butterfly in one minute, 9.73 seconds while also taking the top spot in the 200-yard butterfly (2:32.50). 
 
Other senior event winners included Annika Eisele (100-yard backstroke), Jersey Razzano (200-yard butterfly), and Jessica Ordaz (100-yard butterfly). 
 
The Lutes are off this weekend and will compete at the 2024 NWC Championships beginning on Feb. 8 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington. The 2024 Championships span four days and will conclude on Feb. 11. 
 
Men's Swimming: PLU (4-6, 4-4 NWC) won three events on Saturday, coming up short 131-70 to Puget Sound in the final dual meet of the season. 
 
Devin Stanley won the 100-yard backstroke in 56.45 while Tyler Tanaka claimed the top spot in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:01.03. Stanley and Tanaka teamed up with Luke Farag and Dylan Dang to win the 200-yard medley relay.
 
Track & Field: Keola Sanchez headlined the weekend for the Lutes, one of two student-athletes competing at the UW Invitational on Saturday in Seattle. 
 
Sanchez clocked a personal best time of 6.93 in the 60-meter dash, finishing seventh overall and as the top NCAA Division III sprinter in the event.
 
Teammate Grady Lemma clocked a 52.28 in his first-ever indoor 400-meter dash while also competing in the pole vault. 
 
Extra Credit: While PLU's varsity sports are on the road, the PLU women's lacrosse club team is in action on Saturday, opening the year at 6 p.m. at East Field. The women's lacrosse team, under the direction of Melanie Rizzotti, will compete as a club team this spring before making the jump as a varsity sport for the spring of 2025. 
 
Saturday's showdown with Seattle University's club team is the first of four home games at PLU between now and mid-March. 
 
Academic Attaways: The PLU men's and women's cross country teams were recognized for its commitment to academic success with the men and women both claiming the USTFCCCA All-Academic Award. Read More: LINK
 
Coaching Promotions: The Lute football team announced some staff promotions this week for the 2024 season. Spencer Crace is being elevated to Assistant Head Coach in addition to his duties as offensive coordinator while Ketner Kupp is promoted to Defensive Coordinator and Zach Willis is promoted to Recruiting Coordinator. Read More: LINK