RIVER FOREST, Ill. – Concordia University Chicago (CUC) athletics continued to shine this past week with a school record and multiple victories. Plus, baseball and dance start their seasons this week. Check out all the action below.
Women's Basketball (9-14, 8-8)
The women's basketball team competed in two Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) games this week. The Cougars hosted Edgewood University and Marian University.
Against Edgewood, the Cougars showed their grit and came out on top, 60-59.
Sophia Pedraza (Carol Stream, Ill.) came in clutch, tying the game up with 10 seconds left and then scoring the game winning basket with 2.2 seconds left on the clock.
Grace King (Fairland, Ind.) led the squad with 18 points, nine rebounds, five steals, and one block.
Ai Yonemura (Yachiyo, Chiba-Japan) picked up 15 points, three assists, two rebounds, two steals, and one block.
Naveya Jackson (Sun Prairie, Wis.) followed closely behind with 14 points, three rebounds, one block, and one steal.
Then on Saturday, CUC faced Marian at home, and fell in a heart breaker, 73-72. King led with 21 points and 10 rebounds. She also added four assists, three steals, and a block. Yonemura secured 15 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Jackson totaled 13 points, three rebounds, and a steal. Pedraza rounded out the Cougars in double digits, notching 11 points and contributing a team-high seven steals, three rebounds, and three assists.
This week the Cougars round out the regular season. CUC will host Dominican University on Wednesday, February 18 at 5:00 pm. Then, the Cougars travel to Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, February 21 to take on Lakeland University at 1:00 pm.
Men's Basketball (7-16, 6-10)
The men's basketball team also played Edgewood and Marian this week.
On the road against the Eagles, the Cougars came out on top with a 62-59 victory.
Jacob Robinson (Saint Louis, Mo.) led the charge with a career-high 18 points, including going six-for-six from the free throw line.
Matthew Guthrie (Carlyle, Ill.) also recorded a career-high 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Rounded out players in double digits was
Honore Yangoua (Williamstown, Ky.) who had 11 points and six rebounds.
Aaron Brown (Joliet, Ill.) led on the boards with nine rebounds while adding eight points.
The squad then hosted Marian and fell 74-63. Robinson once again led the Cougars with 16 points, two assists, a rebound, and a steal. Guthrie added 10 points, five rebounds, an assist, and a block.
Kenton Pryor (Hazel Crest, Ill.) contributed nine points, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
This week, the Cougars play their final two regular season games. On Wednesday, February 18, CUC will host Dominican at 7:15 pm. Then on Saturday, February 21, the Cougars play Lakeland up in Plymouth, Wis. at 3:15 pm.
Track & Field
Both track & field teams competed at the Chicagoland Championships hosted by North Central College.
On the men's side,
Nathaniel Hernandez (Harwood Heights, Ill.),
Jamel Goins (Columbus, Ohio),
Donovan Depakakibo (Norridge, Ill.), and
Gael Arroyo (Cicero, Ill.) secured bronze in the distance medley relay with a school record time of 10:52.86. The 4x400m relay team consisting of
Vincent Scarnato (Pottstown, Pa.),
Kamren Hannah (El Paso, Texas),
Austin Knight (Forest Park, Ill.), and Goins took silver with a time of 3:27.99.
Korey Randle (East Moline, Ill.) finished fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 13.62m while
Jonah Winkelman (Plano, Ill.) finished seventh with a personal best leap of 12.46m.
On the women's side,
Harmonie Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) took fifth in the high jump with a mark of 1.43m.
Aniyah Isom (Chicago, Ill.) put in two season-best performances, one in the long jump with a mark of 5.09m, and in the 200m with a time of 27.98.
Izzy Fairless (Royal Oak, Mich.),
Addi McKee,
Madison Hipshire (Riverview, Mich.), and
Ashley Vasquez (Riverside, Ill.) recorded a season best time of 4:29.18 in the 4x400m relay.
The Cougars' next meet will be the Margaret Bradley Invitational hosted by University of Chicago on Saturday, February 21.
Men's Volleyball (6-3, 0-0)
The Cougars played North Park University and Roosevelt University this week.
Against the Vikings, the Cougars came back to take the match, 3-1.
Alexander Ford (Skokie, Ill.) led the Cougars with 18.5 points, 14 kills, seven blocks, three digs, and a service ace.
Tyler Holubek (New Lenox, Ill.) followed with 16.5 points, 14 kills, 12 digs, five blocks, and two assists.
Jackson Stella (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) totaled 10 kills, three blocks, two digs and a service ace, while
Tyrise Armstrong (Grayslake, Ill.) also had 10 kills and added eight digs, three blocks, and two service aces.
CUC then took a short trip to Chicago to face Division II opponent, Roosevelt. The Cougars showed their talents and didn't make it easy for the Lakers, narrowly dropping the five-set match 3-2.
Grayson Arn (Beloit, Wis.) recorded a career-high 38 assists while also adding a team-high nine digs. Stella led the squad with 16 kills, 19.5 points, four blocks, two assists, and three digs.
Alexander Ford (Skokie, Ill.) and
Wyatt Anzenberger-Shea (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) led the team with five blocks and recorded eight kills each. Holubek secured 12 kills, 15.5 points, two assists, two aces, three blocks, and four digs.
CUC begins Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) play this week, with two road contests. On Thursday, February 19, the Cougars take on Rockford University at 7:00pm. Then on Saturday, February 21, CUC will play Benedictine University at 1:00 pm.
Men's Tennis (0-4, 0-0)
The Cougars will play three matches this week. On Saturday, February 21. CUC will head up to Ripon, Wis. to face Ripon College at 10:00 am and University of Wisconsin-Superior at 1:00 pm. Then on Sunday, February 22, CUC will take on Lawrence University at 8:30 am in Appleton, Wis.
Esports
The Smash team played this week.
Smash defeated the Tiffin University Dragons, 2-0. In game one, the Cougars dominated. Cameron Hall (Chicago, Ill.) grabbed two stocks from the Dragons before James Bruxvoort (Holland, Mich.) took over with his dark pit and took the Dragons' remaining ten stocks, while only losing two of his own to secure game one, 7-0. In game two, Connor Bleazard (Saint Joseph, Mo.) shined in his debut match. Using Cloud, Bleazard took down Tiffin's starter with two of his own stocks remaining. In round two, he secured four more stocks before Hall came back in to get four stocks. Bruxvoort took over as captain and took the rest of the Dragons' stocks to win game two, 5-0. CUC took the match 2-0 and are now 2-0 on the season. The Cougars' next match will be Tuesday, February 17 at 5:00 pm against Waynesburg University.
Overwatch's next match will be Friday, February 20 at 7:00 pm against FSU Black.
Baseball (0-0, 0-0)
The CUC baseball team kicks off its season this weekend at the Rhodes Tournament in Memphis, Tenn. On Friday, February 20, CUC plays host Rhodes College at 2:00 pm. Then on Saturday, February 21, the Cougars play University of Chicago at 10:30 am. To wrap up the trip, CUC will face Franklin College at 10:30 am on Sunday, February 22.
Dance
The Cougar dance team starts its season this weekend. They will host the Winter Cougar Collegiate Dance Invite on Saturday, February 21.
You can keep up with all things CUC Athletics on Twitter @CUChicagoSports, watch all the action at cucougars.com/coverage, and view all photos from the seasons
here.
