2015-16 Stories of the Year (No. 4): Future looks bright

MEQUON, Wis. - The 2015-16 athletic year saw more memorable moments from Concordia University Wisconsin athletic teams. As in years past, the Department of Athletic Communications tries to sort through all the great moments and give you, the fans, the top stories from the past athletic year.

The list of stories was compiled by the Department of Athletic Communications and, like all lists, is subject to debate. The top stories will be revealed over the next six weeks, with a story being released each Tuesday (exception: none on July 5). The top story of the year will be released July 26.

No. 4

Rookies shine for CUW in 2015-16

The 2015-16 athletics season was a good one for Concordia University Wisconsin for many reasons. As we previously eluded to in the past two stories of the year, the Falcons had several strong individual performances and were also led by outstanding coaches.

Another key ingredient to the success of the Falcons last season is the No. 4 Story of the Year, the tremendous success of the freshmen class. CUW had six players honored as the Freshmen of the Year in their respective conference this past season, providing their teams with an immediate impact. The future certainly looks bright for the Falcons, thanks to their efforts.

Two of the Falcons six Freshman of the Year honorees, also went on to win another major award in their sport. In the fall, Men's Soccer defensive standout Gavin Falotico was chosen as the Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference Freshman of the Year, in addition to being named Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Rookie Men's Lacrosse goalie Garrett Wohlford also picked up two major awards, being named the Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the Midwest Lacrosse Conference.

The Falcons had four others land Freshman of the Year honors, including one each in Men's and Women's Tennis. Rookie Ashley Solberg was the Freshman of the Year after helping lead her team to a NACC Championship and a NCAA Tournament bid. In the spring, it was Christian Docter for the Men's Tennis program who was honored with Freshman of the Year honors in the NACC, helping lead the Falcons to program-record season win total.

Women's Soccer and Women's Lacrosse represented the final two programs who saw student-athletes capture Rookie of the Year honors. Josie Dombrowski was a key member of a dominant Women's Soccer defense, one that helped lead the Falcons to a 10-0 NACC record this past season. The final Rookie of the Year, Women's Lacrosse attacker Lauren Paquin, also helped lead her team to an undefeated conference season, scoring 31 goals for the Falcons.

There were several outstanding performances for the Falcons in 2015-16 and many of those came from first-year players. Going forward, we will likely find some of their performances on future Stories of the Year lists in the coming seasons.

2015-16 Stories of the Year
HM: Individual success, accolades big part of Falcons year
No. 5: Falcons have six land Coach of the Year honors
No. 4: Future looks bright for CUW with strong freshmen class
No. 3: July 12
No. 2: July 19
No 1: July 26