While most students were away from University City for winter break, winter sports athletes stayed busy on campus, playing in games for the blue and gold. Here is a recap of everything you missed over break.
Over Winter Break
Wrestling
Wrestling started off their break with a loss to Rutgers, 12-28, on Dec. 14th. The Scarlet Knights were ranked 14th in the nation. Four days later, the team took a trip to California, where they beat Cal Poly 24-11 and Cal Baptist 21-18. To kick off the new year, on Jan. 2nd, the Dragons defeated #25-ranked Purdue 19-16 at the DAC. Overall, the team went 3-1 over break.
Men’s Basketball
Compared to wrestling, the men’s basketball team did not fare as well, going 2-4 over break. The team played three non-conference teams, losing to Howard 66-74, and beating Mount Saint Mary’s and Maine 75-67 and 74-56, respectively.
The team also started conference play in the CAA over break. They dropped three games in a row against Charleston (63-72), UNCW (53-65), and Hofstra (67-70).
Women’s Basketball
On Dec. 16th, the women’s basketball team started winter break strong, beating Chestnut Hill 95-38. This was the largest margin of victory in Drexel’s history. Sophomore forward Iriona Gravely contributed a career-high 23 points.
Unfortunately, the rest of the break did not fall in the Dragon’s favor, as they lost to Vermont 69-59 and CAA conference opponent Campbell 51-62, going 1-2 over the three weeks.
Over Winter Quarter Weeks 1 and 2
Wrestling
After the key victories over winter break, the team traveled to Iowa to compete in the NWCA Mid-Major Duals, where they placed third after beating Northern Illinois 21-12. This competition put them at 9-3 overall on the season. Their next competition is against Binghamton on Jan. 16th in Vestal, New York, at 6 pm.
Men’s Basketball
Drexel picked up momentum when the quarter started, winning three in a row against Stony Brook (56-37), William & Mary (64-58), and Monmouth (73-51).
After the win on Thursday night against Monmouth, the team is 9-10 overall and 3-3 in the CAA. Their next game is at Towson on Jan. 19th at 1 pm.
Women’s Basketball
The Dragons continued the post-winter break play with mixed results, losing to Stony Brook 53-57 and beating Hofstra 67-38.
Drexel is currently 8-6 overall and 1-2 in the CAA. The team’s next game is at Charleston, who are currently 4-0 in the conference, on Jan. 16th at 7 pm.
Squash
Both men’s and women’s squash teams started off the year with a match against Cornell. The men’s team beat the Big Red 6-3, putting them at 5-3 for the season. The women’s team narrowly lost to the Ivy League university 4-5, who were ranked 7th in the nation. They are currently 4-5 overall.
Both teams are set to play Virginia on Jan. 18th at home. UVA’s men’s team is currently ranked 4th, and their women’s team is ranked 6th.
Swim and Dive
For the first meet of the year, the men’s and women’s swim and dive teams hosted Penn at the DAC. Both teams lost to the Quakers 127.5-169.5 and 119-178, respectively. During the meet, freshman diver Lada Volkov scored 282.90 on the 3-meter dive, earning her a spot in the NCAA Zone Championship.
Drexel’s next meet will take place on Jan. 24th, where they will host Towson.