RIVER FOREST, Ill. – With the beautiful weather this past weekend, Concordia University Chicago (CUC) athletics shined on the court, track, and field. Check out all the action below.
 
Track & Field
The Cougars kicked off the outdoor season with a trip to Cleveland, Tenn. for the Lee University Invitational.
 
The men's team put in some strong performances, including a second-place finish from Korey Randle (East Moline, Ill.) in the long jump. His mark of 6.93m broke the meet record, ranks first in the Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC), and currently ranks 14^th in all of Division III. Jamel Goins (Columbus, Ohio) finished seventh in the 400m hurdles with a time of 57.08. Matthew Cardwell (Cincinnati, Ohio) competed in the decathlon. His best event was the 1500m, finishing fourth with a time of 5:18.41.
 
The women's team also produced solid performances. Madison Hipshire (Riverview, Mich.)  took seventh in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:10.78. Izzy Fairless (Royal Oak, Mich.) finished 12^th in the 800m with a time of 2:27.27. Aniyah Isom (Chicago, Ill.) leapt 4.94m to finish 18^th in the long jump out of 32 jumpers.
 
The Cougars' next meet will be on Saturday, March 28. CUC will head to Decatur, Ill. for the Big Blue Outdoor Meet hosted by Millikin University.
 
Men's Volleyball (11-9, 3-5)
The men's volleyball team hosted two NACC opponents this week.
 
The Cougars first welcomed Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) to River Forest. Despite taking set two, the team fell, 3-1. Tate Johnson (Plainfield, Ill.) led the match with 10 kills, seven digs, and three blocks. Tristan Caminar (Bolingbrook, Ill.) picked up nine kills and five blocks. Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio) led in both assists and digs, with 29 and 14, respectively. Alexander Ford (Skokie, Ill.) recorded eight kills, two aces, and three blocks while Leon Gudzovski (Des Plaines, Ill.) registered a team-high three aces and four blocks.
 
Two days later, the Muskies of Lakeland University came to town. The Cougars battled in an intense five-set match and came out on top, 3-2. Johnson led the night with a career-high 16 kills. Tyrise Armstrong (Grayslake, Ill.) followed with 13 kills, 14 digs, and three blocks. Mosher collected 22 digs and 43 assists. Michael Cardines (Chicago, Ill.) contributed nine assists and 21 digs. Ford was a force at the net, recording five blocks.
 
CUC will host Aurora University on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:00 pm. Then on Saturday, March 28, the Cougars will head to Milwaukee, Wis. to face Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) at 1:00 pm.
 
Baseball (5-10, 0-2)
The CUC baseball team played its first games in Illinois this week.
 
The Cougars played one final non-conference game before beginning conference play. The team traveled to Wheaton, Ill. to face Wheaton College and defeated the Thunder, 4-1. Jake Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) led the charge, going two-for-four with one RBI, including his fourth double of the season. Austin Koberstein (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Richie Sperando (Darien, Ill.) followed going two-for-four at the plate with each of them tacking on one run of their own. Brandon Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) went one-for-three with one RBI and one walk. Nine Cougars saw time on the mound, collectively totaling seven strikeouts while only allowing one run in 30 batters faced.
 
CUC then welcomed CUW to the Thunderdome for the home opener. In game one, it was a back-and-forth between the Cougars and the Falcons. CUC tied the game up in the bottom of the eighth, but the Falcons were able to pick up three runs in the top of the ninth to take the game, 8-5. B. Mahler led at the plate, going two-for-three with three RBIs and two home runs. Xavier Zagerman (Chandler, Ariz.) picked up his first home run of the season with two RBIs. Ryan Renella (Bartlett, Ill.) got the start on the mound, pitching five innings and recording five strikeouts.
 
In game two, the Cougars fell, 23-8. B Mahler continued his offensive success, picking up his third home run of the double header, going one-for-two with three RBIs and two runs. Sperando went two-for-five at the plate, picking up a double and a single with one RBI. J. Mahler recorded his first home run of the season, going one-for-three at the plate with two runs.
 
This week, the Cougars continue NACC play with two doubleheaders. The first will be against Division Street Rival, Dominican University on Wednesday, March 25. First pitch will be at 1:00 pm in Schaumburg, Ill. Then on Saturday, March 28, CUC heads up to Plymouth, Wis. to take on Lakeland. First pitch will also be at 12:00 pm.
 
Softball (3-9, 0-4)
The Cougars faced two strong NACC opponents this week, taking on Lakeland and Benedictine University.
 
In their home opener against the Muskies, the Cougars fell, 2-1. McKyler Morris (Belvidere, Ill.) went a perfect two-for-two with an RBI. Haley Gulsby (Englewood, Fla.)  went two-for-three, one of which was a double. Emily Garcia (Eastvale, Calif.) went one-for-four, scoring the Cougars' lone run.
 
In game two, CUC dropped the game, 13-1. The Cougars' lone run came from Garcia. Garcia reached base off a Muskies error and was able to advance to second. Mayah Larenas (Chino, Calif.) then came up to bat and recorded a sacrifice bunt to advance Garcia to third. On the throw to first base, Garcia pounced on the opportunity to go home and scored. However, after that it was all Lakeland. Morris and Arissa Santos (Moreno Valley, Calif.) also each recorded a hit.
 
The following day, CUC traveled to Lisle, Ill. to take on the Eagles of Benedictine. Despite the Cougars rallying in both games, the team came up short. In game one, the squad fell, 6-5. Morris led the way, going a perfect two-for-two, including an RBI double. Gulsby and Santos each recorded a hit. Larenas and Melisa Hadzic (Westchester, Ill.) each tallied an RBI while Eliza Auger (Littleton, Colo.) contributed three runs. Alyssa Campos (Eastvale, Calif.) and Alyssa Lopez (Corona, Calif.) split time in the circle for the Cougars.
 
Game two was a high scoring game that saw CUC fall, 17-14. Morris remained dominant at the plate, going for-for-six with three doubles and four RBIs. Auger, Hadzic, and Larenas each added two hits while Larenas also totaled two RBIs. Alaina Pilas (Chicago, Ill.) and Linley Southern (Decatur, Ill.) contributed two RBIs each.
 
The Cougars have a busy schedule this week with three doubleheaders. First, on Thursday, March 26, the squad will face non-conference opponent, North Park University. First pitch will be at 3:00 pm in Chicago, Ill. NACC play resumes on Saturday, March 28, as the Cougars head to Mequon, Wis. to take on CUW at 12:00 pm. Finally, on Sunday, March 29, CUC will host Dominican at 12:00 pm.
 
Men's Tennis
The Cougars will play three matches this week. On Thursday, March 26, the Cougars welcome Olivet Nazarene University to River Forest for a 2:00 pm start. The following day, Friday, March 27, NACC play begins with a match against Edgewood University at 10:00 am at home. The final match of the week will be Sunday, March 29, at 10:30 am. CUC will head up to Jackson, Wis. to face Wisconsin Lutheran College.
 
Esports
Both the Smash and Overwatch teams competed this week.
 
Smash defeated UM-Flint Maize, 2-0 to end the regular season, 4-2.  The squad showed grit and came out on top in both games, 12-10. Every Cougar was able to secure at least two stocks individually and accomplished their roles. The Cougars have secured the sixth seed in the NECC Playoffs. They will face #3 Drury University on Tuesday, March 24, at 6:00 pm for the first round of the playoffs.
 
With a forfeit victory over the HCC Hawks, the Overwatch team also secured a spot in the NECC Playoffs as the sixth seed. The Cougars will play #3 Waynesburg University on Friday, March 27, at 7:00 pm. The match will be streamed live on the CUC Esports Twitch page: https://www.twitch.tv/cucesports.
 
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.