Special to the Journal Sentinel

The Marquette men’s lacrosse team certainly has a flair for the dramatic.

MU withstood a late onslaught by Providence to edge the host Friars, 10-9, in the Big East championship game at Chapey Field.

The Golden Eagles (8-7) earned the Big East’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament and will learn their opponent during Sunday night’s selection show.

But it wasn’t easy.

Marquette had a 10-7 lead after a goal by Ryan McNamara with 4 minutes 4 seconds to go. The Friars stormed back and closed to 10-9 on a tally by Ryan Schaffer with 1:25 remaining.

Providence was unable to capitalize on an extra-man opportunity down the stretch and time ran out.

MU goaltender Cole Blazer finished with 11 saves and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.

TRACK AND FIELD

Alisha Harper and Melissa Kirchoff took the top two spots in the long jump to help the UW-Milwaukee women’s team move into third place in the Horizon League outdoor championships in Youngstown, Ohio.

The Panthers had a total of 57.5 points after the second day of the meet. Youngstown State led with 103.5.

Nate Pozolinski was second in the long jump as the Panthers took over third place in the men’s meet. Peter Andrew (shot put) and Caleb Abfall (3,000-meter steeplechase) also had second-place finishes.