By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
When the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel eliminated overtimes in the regular season for men's and women's soccer, most coaches applauded it. But they also knew what the byproduct would inevitably be.
 
With seven games remaining in the regular season, William & Mary's men already has five ties on its ledger. Four have come in the last seven games, the latest a 2-2 draw Sunday at Charleston. One more will be a program record for a season.
 
"There's no way of knowing for sure if those would  have remained ties or not, but at the end of the day, it's better for the kids to not have to play all these overtime games," W&M coach Chris Norris said. "Our season is congested as it is."
 
The Tribe is one of four teams in Division I with five ties along with Fordham, Boston University and San Diego. In the CAA, UNC Wilmington has four draws.
 
In the conference standings, W&M is 2-1-2 for eight points, which is tied for fourth place. Sunday's draw at Charleston came even though the Tribe had a 22-3 advantage in shots, including 9-2 on goal.
 
Because of Hurricane Ian, the game was moved from Saturday to Sunday.
 
"Our travel was changed, and we didn't get to train on Saturday," Norris said. "Yet I thought our performance was very good other than not getting the result."
 
Cross country competes in loaded event
The men's and women's cross country teams both finished 27^th out of 46 teams in the Paul Short Run Friday in Bethlehem, Pa. And it was exactly the kind of experience Tribe coach Forest Braden hoped it would be.
 
"It was a really strong field, probably the strongest it's been in a long time," Braden said.  "We got to race against some of the better teams in the country at all divisions, and even some Canadian schools.
 
"It was really good to get that kind of big-race experience with that many people. It really should help us out for regionals when we have some big fields and really good competition."
 
Individually, freshman Sofia Istnick finished 92^nd (20:48) and sophomore Arianna DeBoer 99^th (20:52.6). DeBoer made up 45 spots in the final mile of the 5K race.
 
In the men, sophomores Jacob Jones (24:13.4), Sam Pritchard (24:17.4) and Nate Jennings (24:18.6) were among the top 130 in the 8K race.
 
Hedda Gurholt takes singles title in Navy event
As a freshman, Hedda Gurholt had a 13-7 record at No. 2 singles last spring. And while a promotion to No. 1 as a sophomore isn't automatic, she's making her case this fall.
 
Last weekend in the Navy Blue and Gold Invitational, Gurholt went 3-0 to win the top singles flight. She lost the first set she played but then won six in a row, two coming in the semifinals against Tribe teammate Raffaela Alhach.
 
Gurholt defeated Emily Tannenbaum, who went 24-11 playing mostly at No. 2 last spring at Navy, 6-4, 6-2 in the final.
 
"She had what I'd say was some pretty tough competition," W&M coach Jessica Giuggioli said. "She had a very close first round and was able to come out on top. She had to play one of her teammates in the semifinals, and that's not an easy thing to do.
 
"But she managed to handle that with a lot of grace and determination. Hedda played very well and made all the adjustments necessary throughout the match."
 
After winning the CAA championship last spring, the Tribe has played in two events this fall. Its next is Oct. 20-24 in the ITA Atlantic Region Championships in Blacksburg.
 
"With every event, our goal is to see what we need to work on to get better," Giuggioli said. "Seeing completion is the best way to see where we are as a team and the best options for the lineup going into the spring."
 
More from last week
Women's soccer (6-4-3, 2-0-2) extended its unbeaten streak six games with a 1-0 win over UNC Wilmington Thursday and a 2-2 draw against Charleston Sunday. W&M is a point behind first-place Drexel in the conference standings. …
 
Field hockey (7-4, 1-0) began its conference schedule Friday with a 2-1 shootout win over CAA newcomer Monmouth. Grad student Aidan Rossman scored the winning goal. On Sunday, the Tribe lost 3-0 at No. 7 Virginia with all three of the Cavaliers' goals coming in the fourth quarter.
 
Volleyball (8-6, 3-3) had its third consecutive 1-1 weekend but in reverse order of its previous two. This time, the Tribe swept Stony Brook 3-0 on Saturday but lost 3-2 on Sunday. In the two matches, grad transfer Taylor Burrell had 32 kills with a .466 percentage.
 
Men's and women's swimming each lost its conference opener at UNC Wilmington. For the women, senior Annie Tuttle won the 100 and 200 breaststroke while freshman Sophia Heilen swept the butterfly events.
 
On tap this week
Tuesday: Men's golf (day 2) in East Carolina Ironwood Collegiate.
Thursday: Women's soccer vs. Northeastern, 7 p.m., Martin Family Stadium.
Friday: Men's tennis (day 1) in River City Open, Richmond; Field hockey vs. Delaware, 6 p.m., Busch Field.
Saturday: Men's tennis (day 2) in River City Open, Richmond; Volleyball at North Carolina A&T, 2 p.m.; Football vs. Delaware, 3:30 p.m., Zable Stadium; Men's soccer at Elon, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday: Men's tennis (day 3) in River City Open, Richmond; Women's golf (day one) at Edisto Island Invitational, Edisto, S.C.; Field hockey vs. Drexel, noon, Busch Field; Women's soccer vs. Monmouth, 1 p.m., Martin Family Stadium; Volleyball at North Carolina A&T, 2 p.m.
Monday: Women's golf (day two) at Edisto Island Invitational, Edisto, S.C.; Men's golf (day 1) at Elon Phoenix Invitational.