2017-18 Stories of the Year (No. 3): Women win four fall championships, land another All-Sports Award
MEQUON, Wis. – The 2017-18 athletic year was another successful one for the Concordia Wisconsin Athletic Department. The Falcons won and contended for conference championships in many sports and put together an impressive list of great achievements. As in years past, the Department of Athletic Communications tries to sort through all the great moments and give you, the fans, top stories from the past 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 three weeks, with a story being released on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The top story will be released on June 21.
Story No. 3
Women win four fall championships, land another All-Sports Award
The 2016-17 season was a hard one to top for the Concordia University Wisconsin Women’s teams after capturing a NACC All-Sports Award last season. In 2017-18, the Falcons rolled to another All-Sports Award led by the fall sports where four Women’s teams won NACC Championships.
The Falcons were 4-for-5 in winning NACC Championships on the Women’s side in the fall sports with Cross Country, Golf, Tennis, and Volleyball all gaining titles.
It all began on October 1 when Women’s Golf came rallied on the final day of the NACC Championship to defeat Aurora by 10 strokes for its first title since the 2013 season. Leah Wilde and Maddy Zastrow led the way, finishing first and second, while Molly Mundinger also was in the top-10, earning All-NACC accolades. Head coach Greg Nikolai was named NACC Coach of the Year.
On October 7, Women’s Tennis kept the NACC Championships coming in, completing a perfect 9-0 conference regular season. The title was the third straight for the Falcons, who posted undefeated marks in conference play each season. Ashely Solberg was named the league’s Player of the Year while head coach Steve Anschutz was honored as Coach of the Year.
On October 24, Women’s Volleyball finished off another perfect season, posting an 11-0 record in conference play. The Falcons dropped just three sets in the 11 league matches, rolling to a second-straight title. Kaily Erdman brought home Player of the Year honors and head coach Janelle Katz was named Coach of the Year.
Women’s Cross Country won the fourth NACC title for the Falcons on October 28, running at the NACC Championships on their home course on campus. The Falcons had five runners earn All-NACC honors and head coach Russ De Lap was named Coach of the Year. CUW won the meet with 40 points, easily out-distancing runner-up Aurora (62).
Those four teams played a big role in the Falcons gaining another Women’s All-Sports Award, but CUW was solid across the board in 2017-18. Women’s Basketball finished second in the NACC, as did Indoor Track & Field. Outdoor Track & Field was third, and Women’s Soccer tied for third in the NACC standings. Softball was tied for fifth in the NACC after posting another 20-plus win season.
Outside of the NACC, Acrobatics and Tumbling qualified for nationals in an event for the first time in program history and Mikaela Leach of shooting sports posted the fastest time among women in the Optics Rifle at nationals. Field Hockey won five games in their second season as a program and also made history with its first conference win in program history.
Women’s Hockey posted double-digit wins and qualified for the NCHA Tournament for the first time since the 2014-15 season. Women’s Lacrosse stayed neared the top of the MWLC standings, finishing in third place with a 9-2 league record. Triathlon performed well at nationals with three finishing the race among the nation’s best. Cheer and Dance each had strong seasons, highlighted by the Dance Team winning the first-ever CIT Competition. Dance also won the Milwaukee Championship in 2017-18.
The Women’s Sports teams and Concordia Wisconsin continue to set the bar extremely high. They did so in 2016-17 by winning the All-Sports Award and showed no signs of slowing down in 2017-18 with a second-straight All-Sports Award.
2017-18 Stories of the Year
HM: Individual athletes honored as the best
No. 5: Men’s Soccer back to the top of the NACC
No. 4: Tennis programs continue NACC dominance
No. 3: Women win four fall championships, land another All-Sports Award
No. 2: June 19
No. 1: June 21