Queens of the NACC!

MONTGOMERY, Ill. – The Falcons are the outright champions of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). The Blue and White clinched their first NACC Tournament title since 2009 with a 5-0 victory over MSOE.

The Raiders started the game with a single to left field to start that game, but that marked the final hit of the game for MSOE as senior Gina Followell (Romeoville, Ill.) showed how she is one of the best players in the nation.

Sophomore Madison Wheat (Coweta, Okla.) scored what turned out to be the game-winning run in the second inning when she smashed the ball into the gap in left-center field for a triple that scored senior Taylor Kuske (Kaukauna, Wis.) and freshman Megan Bloyer (Oregon, Wis.). Wheat scored on a throwing error on the play.

The third inning saw a sacrifice fly from Megan Bloyer to right field that allowed senior Kelsey Bollon (Orangeville, Ill.) to score.

Kelsey Bollon closed the scoring on Sunday in the fourth inning on a single into the gap in left-center field to land Madison Wheat onto home plate.

The Raiders stranded all three base runners on base. Senior Claudia Utz (Lockport, Ill.) kept the Raiders glued to the base and did not allow a stolen base on her watch.

Madison Wheat was a continuous pain in the neck for the Red and White and also stole a base in the victory.

Kelsey Bollon and Madison Wheat both finished with a game-high two hits. The triple was the second of the year for Wheat.

In the circle, Gina Followell finished with 11 strikeouts, one hit and zero walks in her 20^th victory of the season. Sunday was the fifth time this season that Followell has given up one or fewer hits.

This is the second time this season that MSOE had been shut out. The one hit was a season-low for the Raiders and the 11 strikeouts tie the season-high that was set by Followell in April.

The 20 victories break the school record for victories in a single season. Emily Brekke won 19 in 2017.

With the victory, the Falcons are also claiming the conference regular-season title and tournament title in the same year for the first time in program history. CUW won the 2009 NACC Tournament and the 2006 Lake Michigan Conference Tournament title. The Blue and White had won the regular-season title in 2002, 2019 and 2021.

With the victory, the Falcons earn the automatic bid from the NACC for the NCAA Division III Tournament. This will be the third NCAA Tournament appearance for CUW with appearances in 2006 and 2009. Concordia is 1-4 in the tournament with a 2009 victory against St. Norbert.

CUW heads into the NCAA Tournament with a 34-4 record.

The Falcons will figure out their destination and opponent on Monday afternoon at 12:00 during the NCAA Selection Show.