RIVER FOREST, Ill. –Concordia University Chicago (CUC) athletics showed out this past weekend with baseball and softball competing in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) playoffs and track & field setting a new school record. Check out all the action.
 
Track & Field
A group of six Cougars competed at the Fighting Chance Invite, hosted by the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill.
 
Noor Sammour  (Berwyn, Ill.) led the squad, breaking the 37-year-old record in the high jump, posting a leap of 1.58m to finish eighth. The previous record of 1.57m, was set in 1989 by Hall of Famer Davina Polk and matched in 1993 by Ruppert. Sammour also finished ninth in the triple jump with a leap of 10.01m. Kirsten Bockhorst (Union, Mo.) also competed, leaping 4.27m in the jump to claim 14^th.
 
Four Cougars competed on the men's team. Kamren Hannah (El Paso, Texas) finished 35^th out of 75 competitors in the 100m with a time of 11.16. Tremain Dockery (Chicago, Ill.) took 44^th in the 100m with a personal best time of 11.34. He also ran in the 200m and finished with a time of 24.03. Gabriel Baez (Cicero, Ill.) set personal bests in both the 100m and 400m with times of 11.76 and 56.33, respectively. He also ran a time of 23.82 to finish 43^rd of 63 competitors. Gael Arroyo (Cicero, Ill.) finished 32^nd out of 67 competitors in the 800m with a time of 2:01.82.
 
CUC will compete at the Midwest Twilight Qualifier, hosted by Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill. on Wednesday and Thursday, May 13-14.
 
Baseball (24-19, 17-7)
The CUC baseball team made a deep run into the NACC Playoffs, just one game short of the championship game.
The No. 3 Cougars started out their run on Thursday, May 7, by taking on No. Benedictine University. The Eagles came out hot, taking an early lead and never relenting, stealing the win, 19-3. Brandon Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) was the lone Cougar with multiple hits, going two-for three with two runs of his own. Cam Buckley (New Lenox, Ill.) went one-for-two at the plate while Jake Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) and Dom Owens (Frankfurt, Ill.) each went one-for-three. Owens also scored the other run. Xavier Zagerman (Chandler, Ariz.) drove in two runs while Jack Linko (New Lenox, Ill.) picked up the third RBI.
 
With the tournament being a double-elimination format, the Cougars had a chance to keep their season alive the next day. CUC came out hungry in the first game of the day against No. 4 Illinois Tech. In true Cardiac Cougar fashion, the team walked off the game, 4-3. With the game tied, 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Brendan Holloway (Vernon Hills, Ill.) found himself in scoring position after a double to right field. This brought J. Mahler up to the plate, who the Scarlet Hawks intentionally walked. B. Mahler made the Scarlet Hawks regret that decision, rocketing the ball into center field to score Holloway and take the game. J. Mahler led at the plate, going two-for-three with two runs and two RBIS while being intentionally walked twice. His two hits were both multi-base hits after he launched a home run and a triple in the do-or-die game. B. Mahler went two-for-five. Ryan Renella (Bartlett, Ill.) went five innings on the mound with five strikeouts and Kyle Connelly (New Lenox, Ill.) dished for four innings with three strikeouts.
 
Later that day, the Cougars exacted their revenge, getting another opportunity to face Benedictine, this time in an elimination game. Despite going down early, the Cougars roared back and took the game, 10-8. J. Mahler went a perfect three-for-three at the plate with three RBIs, two runs, and three walks. B. Mahler went one-for-two, after being intentionally walked four times. Linko would be the only other multi-hit Cougar in the game, going three-for-six at the plate. Jack Carroll (North Aurora, Ill.), Matthew Licardi (Peoria, Ariz.), and Connelly all dealt on the mound, combining for 10 strikeouts.
 
With the win, the Cougars came back on Saturday, May 9, for an elimination game against No. 2 Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). CUC battled until the final out, but came up just short, 15-13, in the high-scoring thriller. J. Mahler led the offense, going four-for-six at the plate with five RBIs. He also launched his 16^th home run of the season, tying for second in Cougar history for single-season home runs. Buckley went four-for-five with two RBIs while collecting a double and a stolen base. Richie Sperando (Darien, Ill.) went two-for-four at the plate, scored two runs of his own, and dominated in the field. Five Cougars dished on the mound in Dylan Scott (Bartlett, Ill.), Kyle Ston (Winfield, Ill.), Josh Prosise (Joliet, Ill.), Anthony Pullano (Park Ridge, Ill.), and Kyle Connelly (New Lenox, Ill.) all combining for three strikeouts while trying to rally for the Cougars.
 
The Cougars finish the season with a record of 24-19 overall and 17-7 in NACC play.
 
Softball (17-24, 12-12)
The Cougars played a tune up double header against North Central College (NCC) before competing in the NACC Tournament.
 
On Tuesday, May 5, CUC traveled down to NCC for a non-conference doubleheader. Both games went to extra innings, as both teams showed grit. In game one, the Cougars fell, 3-2 in nine innings. Eden Pufahl (Laguna Hills, Calif.) put in some work in the circle and at the plate. At bat, she recorded her first hit and RBI of season. She also pitched 3.2 innings and recorded three strikeouts. Emily Garcia (Eastvale, Calif.) was the lone Cougar with multiple hits in the game, going two-for-four at the plate while tacking on a run. McKyler Morris (Belvidere, Ill.) and Eliza Auger (Littleton, Colo.) each recorded a hit while Morris picked up an RBI and Auger scored a run of her own.
 
Game two saw the Cardinals and Cougars go to 11 innings, where CUC ultimately fell, 6-5. Garcia and Morris led the charge, going three-for-five and three-for-four at the plate, respectively. Garcia would tack on a run, kicking off the game with a leadoff triple, and collected an RBI. Morris would add a double and score a run of her own. Alyssa Campos (Eastvale, Calif.) recorded a double and an RBI, going one-for-two. Arissa Santos (Moreno Valley, Calif.) also picked up a run of her own and an RBI.
 
Just two days later, the No. 7 Cougars faced off against the No. 6 Sabres of Marian University in the first round of the NACC Tournament. In a must-win elimination game, the Cougars never backed down but sadly fell 8-0. Santos went a perfect two-for-two at the plate while Melisa Hadzic (Westchester, Ill.) secured the Cougars' only other hit of the game. Four Cougars dished in the circle, including Morgan Houfek (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), who recorded two strikeouts in two innings of work.
The Cougars ended the season with a final record of 17-24 overall and 12-12 in NACC play.
 
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.