The men's lacrosse team was also active, falling 18-14 at Chapman University Friday night, but rebounding to defeat the Santa Barbara Lacrosse Club on Saturday.
On the road, the men's and women's ulitmate teams had a good run in San Diego, where the Black Tide's top squad won all eight of their games, capping it off with a 17-12 victory over Stanford for the tournament title. The men's "B" squad also performed respectably, going 3-3 and making it to the quarterfinals before bowing out to San Luis Obispo. On the women's side, the Burning Skirts split their four games, dominating Santa Cruz 15-2 in the quarterfinals before falling 17-5 to Stanford in the semis.
The cycling team went on the road literally as well as figuratively, and had a tough time of it. Facing Claremont, Cal Poly Pomona and UC Riverside, they placed third on Saturday, then came in second in Sunday's competition. Currently 7th in their league, they head to San Jose State hoping to gain the two spots they'll need to qualify for the nationals.
Taking to the water, the sailing club was in New Orleans for the Nelson Rolsch Regatta. While the rest of the town was at play for Mardi Gras, the Gaucho sailors went to work and claimed fourth place out of a field of 20, which propelled UCSB to #17 in the nation, their first top-twenty ranking ever.
Field conditions permitting, the UC Santa Barbara Rugby squad will be in action this Saturday at 1pm at Storke field. This week's intended victim: UC San Diego.
Weather conditions won't be a factor in the other local Club Sports activity, as the Bowling team is hosting a tournament. San Marcos Bowl is the site for Saturday's play, then the action moves to Orchid Bowl on Sunday.
Finally, two sports find the UCSB clubs travelling for key late-season contests. The Fencing team closes out their league schedule in Long Beach, where the Gauchos hope to take home the trophy for the third year in a row, while the Skiers are in Squaw Valley for the regionals, facing a tough field including Reno, Berkeley and defending National Champions Sierra Nevada.
For sportspot, this is Joe P------k with the Club Sports Roundup.