ST. PAUL, MINN. – It was another big weekend for the St. Catherine University athletics department. The Wildcats saw one individual and a team advance to the finals of the NCAA Tournament in their respective sports. Track and field’s Megan Pohlmann (Grey Eagle, Minn. / Long Prairie-Grey Eagle) qualified for nationals for the second straight season while junior pitcher Krista Flugstad (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) guided the softball team to two wins over the University of St. Thomas to advance to the Division III Women’s College World Series (WCWS) for the first time in program history. For their performances, Pohlmann and Flugstad were named Co-Wildcat Athletes-of-the-Week.
Prior to the weekend, Pohlmann had essentially already qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships set to take place in Geneva, Iowa. The senior thrower ranked No. 11 in the country in javelin entering Thursday’s Last Chance Meet in La Crosse, Wisconsin after a third-place finish at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Championships two weekends ago. However, the senior solidified her place among the top-10 throwers in the country on Thursday, as she won javelin with a season best throw of 43.84 meters. That throw ties both her career best throw and the school record, which Pohlmann set at La Crosse in 2016.
Flugstad was stellar on the mound for St. Kate’s, as she helped the Wildcats sweep the rival Tommies in the Super Regional to advance to the WCWS. In St. Kate’s 1-0 game one win, Flugstad earned her fifth complete game shutout of the season, as she gave up just two hits to St. Thomas in seven innings of work and did not allow a single run to cross the plate. The junior ace was just as good on Sunday. Despite the rain and less than ideal conditions, Flugstad guided the Wildcats to an 8-4 come-from-behind win by holding St. Thomas to just four runs on six hits in seven innings of work.
Both Pohlmann and St. Kate’s softball team will compete on Thursday, May 25. Pohlmann will throw at 3 p.m. in Geneva, Ohio Thursday afternoon while Flugstad and the rest of the Wildcats will take on Illinois Wesleyan at 5 p.m. in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Thursday.
