The Badger softball team kicked off its Big Ten season with a nearly perfect weekend, sweeping Purdue and splitting a doubleheader against Illinois at home.
Wisconsin (3-1 Big Ten, 20-10 overall), took the home field against the Boilermakers, destroying the competition 6-4 Friday and 6-1 Saturday.
All it took to pull off the wins was an explosive inning each day. Friday, the Badgers overcame a four-run deficit with six runs in the sixth inning, including a single from senior outfielder Kerry Hagen that cleared the bases. Junior catcher Nicki Starry also batted to score for Wisconsin.
The Badgers leapt to a lead early in Saturday's game, batting for four runs in the top of the third inning. With two outs, freshman shortstop Kristin Zacher hit her third home run of the season. Sophomore hitter Sheena Padovan batted a three-run double later in the inning to put UW ahead. Jones also scored for the team while junior pitcher Andrea Kirchberg struck out 12 batters.
The Badgers continued their winning streak in Sunday's first game of the doubleheader versus the Illini with a 3-2 win. Wisconsin scored first, with Starry and junior outfielder Erin Barnhurst batting in sophomore infielder Meghan Reiss and Jones, respectively. Illinois then responded to knot the game at two but a Reiss hit in the seventh brought the Badgers the win.
The Badgers lost their winning touch in the second game, as they dropped to the Illini, 2-1. Padovan scored off a Hagen single for UW's only run in the fifth.
Trina Bourget announced her resignation as the head coach of the women's hockey team March 20. Bourget has been on medical leave since Jan. 2 and assistant coaches Tracey Cornell and Dan Koch have been filling in.
In her career at UW, Bourget served as an interim head coach for 2000-'01 and was named permanent head coach in 2001-'02. Bourget garnered two seasons with plus-20 wins at Wisconsin and third- and second-place finishes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
Cornell and Koch will continue to coach the team until a new head coach is named.
Sophomore forward Meghan Hunter and junior defender Kerry Weiland were named to the JOFA/American Hockey Coaches Association University Division Ice Hockey All-American Team for their outstanding play this season.
Weiland, who was also a 2002 First-team All-WCHA pick, made the first-team list after helping the team to a 1.44 goals-against average. She also had eight goals and 14 assists throughout the season.
Hunter was named to the second-team All-American after leading the team with 23 goals and 45 points. She ranked second in the WCHA with 11 power-play goals.
