For many Sam Houston students, Spring break was a time for a much-needed time out from the daily stresses brought on by classes.
However, for the sports teams at SHSU, Spring Break symbolized the notion of playing more games to either better a record or try to advance to March Madness.
Here is a listing of how Bearkat sports teams did over the break.
Men’s Basketball
Perhaps the biggest disappointment over the break, the men’s basketball team went into the Southland Conference tournament with high hopes.
After winning the West Division of the SLC and obtaining a third ranked seat in the tournament, the Bearkats seemed unstoppable. However, their greatest foe would be met in the first round of the tournament when they played sixth-seeded UT-San Antonio.
After trailing by four points during halftime, SHSU failed to garner enough momentum in order to dominate the Roadrunners. Throughout the second half, UTSA failed to fall behind the Bearkats, while SHSU could not get any higher than a two point deficit.
Despite UTSA having lost to SHSU twice during the regular season, they managed to pull off the upset, winning 83-74.
The Roadrunners finished as runner-up in the SLC tournament, losing to Stephen F. Austin in the championship. SFA takes on Syracuse, ranked third in the NCAA tournament, Friday, Mar. 20.
Softball
The Bearakts played a three game series against visiting Northwestern.
The opening game of the doubleheader was nothing more than a stalement between the two teams. Following the lead of pitcher Morgan Mikulin, SHSU kept Northwestern to two hits, both earned in the first inning.
The winning run came in the bottom of the eighth inning when Whitney Wilson smacked a double, scoring Hailey Wiginton for the only run of the game. Despite the second game being less of a nail biter than the first, SHSU pulled off the win, beating Northwestern 6-3.
Northwestern, however, managed to stave off the sweep on Sunday, beating SHSU 4-1. The Bearkats were limited to only two hits in the game, earning their first run in the first inning.
Track & Field
At the NCAA Track & Field Indoor Championships, Bearkat sensation Dess Meek finished in 11th place in the high jump.
Meek failed to clear the 5 ft. 10 in. mark to push her further in the competition. Instead, she finished with a 5 ft. 8.75 in. jump.
Meek qualified for the championships by posting a 6 ft. jump at the Southland Conference Indoor championship. She became the first SHSU track and field athlete to earn a berth to the NCAA Indoor championships.
Meek’s six-foot jump placed her sixth nationally in NCAA Division I women’s track and field.
Baseball
The Bearkats played seven games over the break, walking away with six wins.
In the three-game series against UT-Arlington, SHSU finished the weekend with a sweep. The Kats outscored their opponents 22-10.
However, SHSU battled out their greatest duel in a slug fest with the Houston Cougars. Despite SHSU’s huge deficit of 9-2 in the first four innings, the Kats managed to pull off two miracles during two separate innings.
In the fifth inning, SHSU mustered up six runs to cut the lead down 13-8. It was the eighth inning however that proved the undying spirit of the Bearkats. With a total of seven hits in the inning, SHSU earned 10 runs to take both the lead and win from the Cougars.
Closing out their busy schedule, SHSU took on Texas State in a three-game series, walking away with two wins.