Dupage Policy Journal

Keep up with all of the Elmhurst University athletic teams and take a look at the week ahead with the Bluejay Weekly.

This week (January 17-22), all five winter sport programs are in action with just one playing at home. Elmhurst men's and women's basketball continue their CCIW schedules this week with a pair of games, with the women playing in R.A. Faganel Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 18, while the wrestling team will have a weekend full of conference action at the CCIW Duals. Elmhurst men's and women's track and field head to Bloomington, Ill. for the I-55 Invite, while the bowling team makes their 2023 debut with a pair of contests.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

After just one game last week, an 89-69 conference victory over Carroll, the men's basketball team sits at 11-5 overall and a 3-4 mark in CCIW play. Wesley Hooker continues to stay hot for the bluejays, now leading the team with 14.1 points per game and 2.6 assists per game. Jonathan Zapinski leads the way in rebounds, averaging 10.5 per game, and is just six blocks away from breaking the all-time Bluejay record for blocks in a career.

The team will hit the road for a pair of CCIW matchups this week, first traveling to Rock Island, Ill. for a game against Augustana College (IL) on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 7:00 p.m. CT before heading up to Kenosha, Wis. for a matchup with Carthage College on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 4:15 p.m. CT.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Elmhurst women's basketball owns a 2-13 overall record, and an 0-7 mark in conference play after dropping their matchup with Carroll last Wednesday on the road. Taylor Harazin continues to lead the way for the Bluejays, leading the team in points (14.4 ppg), rebounds (8.4 rpg), and blocks (1.1 bpg).

The Bluejays will have two opportunities to pick up their first conference win this week, beginning on Wednesday by welcoming conference-leading Millikin to R.A. Faganel Hall at 7:00 p.m. CT before kicking off a doubleheader with the men's basketball team at Carthage College on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. CT.

WRESTLING

The Elmhurst wrestling team is coming off hosting the largest-ever Al Hanke Invitational last Saturday, Jn. 14 where over 270 student-athletes competed in the 40th edition of the tournament. Roberto Pena led the way for the Bluejays with his fifth-place finish at 285, while Justin Hames and Colin O'Neill both finished sixth at 133 and 197, respectively.

This weekend, the Bluejays will head up to Mequon, Wis. for the third time this season, this time for a trio of CCIW Duals. At the event hosted by Concordia University Wisconsin, the Bluejays will take on Lakeland University (11:00 a.m.), Aurora University (12:30 p.m.) and Milwaukee School of Engineering (2:00 p.m.) in CCIW action.

BOWLING

The ladies of the Elmhurst University bowling team will compete for the first time in 2023 this week after last being in action at the first CCIW tournament on Nov. 19 and 20.

First, Elmhurst will host Dominican University at Stardust Lanes in Addison, Ill. on Wednesday, and will head to Waterloo, Iowa this Friday-Sunday (Jan. 20-22) for the Peacock Classic.

TRACK AND FIELD

A select number of Bluejay runners and jumpers competed in Boston, Mass. in two events last weekend. First at the Suffolk Ice Breaker last Saturday, Jan. 14, the Bluejays on the women's side had a strong showing in all events with Nakala Nadeau earning a third-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles and Alyssa Rafuse finishing in sixth-place in the mile with a lifetime PR of 5:13.47. Ava David earned a top three finish in the 200 meters with a 25.98, while teammate Huda Hussaini checked into the seventh spot in the same race with a 26.80. On the men's side, Braxston Redmond finished in fifth-place with a time of 50.14 seconds in the 400 meters and Rickey Martinez posted a personal best in the triple jump with a distance of 13.27 meters to earn a second-place finish while also adding a fifth-place finish in the long jump.

This week, both teams will head to Bloomington, Ill. on Saturday, Jan. 21 for the I-55 Invitational at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Original source can be found here