A look back at 2020: February
MEQUON, Wis. – Over the next few weeks, we will be taking a look back at 2020. Through all of the ups and downs, there has been a lot to cheer about in 2020 at CUW. We continue our series today with February.
The men's basketball team won eight games in February including four-straight victories to close the month. On Feb. 15, the Falcons defeated MSOE to claim head coach Shawn Cassidy's 216th victory and the most in program history. The Blue and White closed the regular season with an 88-79 overtime victory over NACC Regular Season champion, Benedictine. The Falcons advanced to the NACC Tournament Championship Game with a 68-63 victory over Illinois Tech and a 96-83 victory at Wisconsin Lutheran, where Jordan Johnson (Cedarburg, Wis.) scored a program-record 45 points. The Falcons then claimed their first NACC Tournament title since 2015 with an 80-75 overtime victory MSOE. On Feb. 11, Jordan Johnson was named the NACC Player of the Week.
The CUW track & field team posted a strong month of February, anchored by solid performances at the NACC Indoor Track & Field Championships. The Falcons competed at Ripon, Wisconsin-Platteville, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Chicago and the NACC Indoor Track & Field Championships.
The CUW men were able to post top-four finishes at Ripon and the NACC Championships. Five Falcons earned medals at the NACC Indoor Track & Field Championships. CUW finished in second place in the 4x400 meter relay. The team of Henry Jensen (Muskego, Wis.), Christian Prohl (Downers Grove, Ill.), Preus Hasselbrook (Missoula, Mont.) and Samual Spranger (Fond du Lac, Wis.) clocked in at 3:29.64. Brandon Hargis (Henderson, Nev.) won the silver medal in the shot put at 14.05 meters and Samual Spranger also secured the silver medal in the 400-meter dash at 50.50. The Falcons also had two event champions at other meets in February with Christian Prohl winning the 400-meter dash at Ripon and the 4x200 meter relay at Platteville.
The Concordia women also shined in February, finishing with a third-place finish at the NACC Indoor Track & Field Championships with 90 points. Megan Curran (Spring Grove, Ill.) broke the school record in the shot put at 12.88 meters at the NACC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Alden Goucher (Port Charlotte, Fla.) claimed a NACC title in the triple jump with a mark of 11.29 meters. In total, eight Falcons medaled at the NACC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Megan Curran claimed second-place finishes in the shot put and in the weight throw at 16.00 meters. Nicole Veldhorst (Cedar Grove, Wis.) won the silver medal in the high jump at 1.56 meters and LaNea Bartel (Kewaunee, Wis.) secured the silver medal in the 1-mile run at 5:25.10. The Falcons finished in third place in the distance medley relay. The team of Mackenzie Larsen (Appleton, Wis.), Lindsay Pluister (Woodridge, Ill.), Madison Chiappetta (Lenexa, Kan.) and Micah Hill (Camdenton, Wis.) finished at 13:59.68. The Blue and White secured NACC Student-Athlete of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks on February 10 and February 18 in Megan Curran and Mackenzie Larsen.
The Falcons of the CUW softball program posted a perfect 4-0 record at the Finlandia Dome Classic with victories over Northland, Finlandia, Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Wisconsin-Superior. Nicki Becker (Brodhead, Wis.) was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament and the NACC Pitcher of the Week after posting a 3-0 record in the circle on the weekend. She also recorded 12 strikeouts and a 0.00 earned-run average. Krystal Cortes (Aurora, Ill.) was named to the All-Tournament Team and the NACC Position Player of the Week after she led CUW with six hits, including two doubles. She also notched three RBI and two walks. Three other Falcons were named to the Finlandia Dome Classic All-Tournament Team. Molly O'Connell (New London, Wis.) made her second appearance on the Dome Classic All-Tournament Team. Kelsey Bollon (Orangeville, Ill.) finished the season with six hits, including two doubles. She also led the flock with five RBI. Gina Followell (Romeoville, Ill.) earned a victory in the circle and had 19 strikeouts.
The women's basketball team opened the month with a trio of records falling in a 102-39 victory over Rockford. The Falcons broke the program record with 102 points in a game, with a program-record 16 three-point baskets and a program-record 30 assists. On Feb. 20, Emily Hafemann (Hales Corners, Wis.) was named to the 2019-20 CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team, announced by CoSIDA.
The ACHA men's hockey opened February on a six-game winning streak to advance to the Hap Cup Tournament Finals for the first time in program history. The Falcons downed DePaul and Aurora to advance to the finals, where they fell in overtime to the first-place host team. Mack Willy netted 63 saves in the championship game and was named the NCHL Playoff MVP. Team captain Jonathan Grodzki (Tampa Bay, Fla.) was named the NCHL Player of the Year and Willy earned the NCHL Rookie of the Year title.
The women's hockey program picked up three victories in February, including a sweep at Finlandia. The Falcons picked up their first Slaats Cup victory since 2015 with a 3-2 victory over Lake Forest on Feb. 28. The Blue and White also had 10 student-athletes named to the NCHA All-Academic Team on Feb. 27.
The CUW men's hockey program closed the year with a 3-2 victory on senior night to upset the ninth-ranked Foresters of Lake Forest. Senior Jim Pearson stole the puck on the penalty kill and found the back of the net to win the game on senior night. Senior Andrej Buchko scored the lone goal in a shootout to secure the Border Battle Cup for the second time in program history. The victory also helped the Falcons receive votes in the final USCHO rankings. The Concordia men had 10 NCHA All-Academic selection on Feb. 27
The Falcons competed in five meets in February. The Blue and White bounced Georgetown College out of the building on a snowy morning on Feb. 9 with a 138-133 victory. At David & Elkins, the Falcons posted season-best scores in 19 of the 20 heats. The Falcons broke the school record in acro heat No. 3 with the team of Madalynn Visser (Belvidere, Ill.), Katelyn Mirasola (Sussex, Wis.), Samantha Hoolerbek (Belvidere, Ill.) and Alyssa Schnulle (Janesville, Wis.) notched a score of 9.55 points.
The men's volleyball team soared to a 6-2 record in February, including two wins over Olivet and Maranatha Baptist on Feb. 1 to secure the CUW Invitational title. The Falcons also won five-set thrillers over NACC rivals Marian and Lakeland. On Feb. 25, Andy Ellingham was named the NACC Player of the Week for his performances against Marian and Lakeland.
The men's lacrosse program posted a 2-1 record in February with a 17-3 victory over Northland and an 11-6 victory at Dubuque. For their performance at Northland, Connor Peterson (Calgary, Alta.) and Ben Gramarossa (Smithtown, N.Y.) have been named Midwest Lacrosse Conference Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 18.
The CUW esports program had its first-ever competition on Feb. 18. The Falcons finished in 27th place in the Fortnite Tournament. The Falcons also competed in Rocket League, NHL and Call of Duty competitions.
The CUW men's tennis team kept busy in February with a 4-5 record, the best in the NACC. The Falcons claimed three NACC Student-Athlete of the Week titles on the month with Nolan Rademacher (Monument, Colo.) winning twice and Tim Peters (Slinger, Wis.) also claiming the title. The Falcons collected victories over Carroll, Lawrence, Central and St. Norbert.
On Feb. 13, the CUW baseball team was picked to finish in fourth place in the NACC Preseason Poll.
We will continue our series over the next few days.