NCURAMS Update: 3/2

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The North Central University (NCU) women’s basketball team is the talk on campus after winning their program’s first ever Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) tournament championship. Ranked number three in the tournament, the Rams beat Martin Luther College in the first round, 68-55, and went on to demolish the number two seeded University of Northwestern, 79-48. NCU was then the host of the championship game in which they took down the number four seeded Cougars out of the University of Minnesota Morris, 52-47.

With the tournament championship under their belts, the Rams head to the NCAA DIII Tournament for the first time in program history as they face the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire this Friday at 7:30 pm.

The women’s program received a whole slew of awards from the NCCAA North Region and the UMAC alike. Below are the players who received honors.

Emily DiGiorgio: 1st Team UMAC, All-Defensive Team UMAC, 1st Team NCCAA North Region

Kadija Conteh: 2nd Team UMAC, 2nd Team NCCAA North Region

Aubrey Robinson: 2nd Team UMAC, All-Defensive Team UMAC, Honorable Mention NCCAA North Region

Naomi Hagstrom: 3rd Team NCCAA North Region

Hannah Grubbs: UMAC Sportsmanship Award

Paul Brunner: Coach of the Year NCCAA North Region

Click here for updates on the women’s schedule and here for the full NCAA DIII bracket.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The men’s basketball season came to a close this past Friday in the semi-final game of the UMAC tournament. The Rams traveled to Crown College as they battled for a full 40 minutes, losing 72-68 in a nailbiter. Out of the conference tournament, NCU hoped for a bid to the NCCAA tournament but sadly did not receive one in the Sunday night selection show. The Rams concluded with a still impressive record of 16-11 (9-5 UMAC), and finished third in the conference.

The men’s basketball team received awards from both the UMAC and the NCCAA North Region. Below are the players who received honors.

Micah Filer: 1st Team UMAC, 1st Team NCCAA North Region

Justin Castro: 1st Team UMAC, 1st Team NCCAA North Region, All-Defensive Team UMAC

Eddie Speller Jr.: UMAC Sportsmanship Award

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

The men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams competed in their final event of the season at the UMAC meet held at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

On the men’s side, Isaac Weiers was the champion of the high jump with a jump of 1.81m. Finishing in fourth was Nehemiah Juaire with a jump of 1.76m. Jackson Omeja placed fourth in the 60m dash with a time of 7.36 seconds followed by Juaire in eighth place. With a time of 54.66 seconds, Derek Burgin placed sixth in the 400m run. In the 4x200m relay, the men finished 3rd with a time of 1:43.22. The relay was composed of Burgin, Omeja, Juaire, and Carson Kleiber. And finally, the men’s distance medley relay, composed of Joseph Kwong, Christian Campbell, Weiers, and Michael Herr-Zielke, finished in sixth at 13:52.

For the women, Elizabeth Lofstad brought home the gold of 21 total points with second place and PR in the mile (5:31.06), second place in the triple jump (9.38m), and fourth place in the 800m run (2:31.69). The women’s distance medley relay finished third and was ran by Tea Davis, Serena Lanes, Lofstad, and Kayley Hyland.

Click here to see the full results of the meet.

The track team will get back into action in the outdoor season on April 2nd. Click here to see their full schedule.

SOFTBALL

The softball team opened up their season with a 9-5 win over Regis College in the Spring Games Tournament held in Clermont, FL. The Rams then braced themselves for a week full of games. Monday, the 28th, NCU gave away a close one to Chatham University with a final score of 9-7, and lost a tough one to Houghton College the same day. Tuesday, the 1st, the Rams lost to both Concordia College, and Rose-Hullman. 

The team gets a break on Wednesday, and heads right back into action Thursday with a double header, first at 12:15 pm against Saint Mary’s University, and second at 2:30 pm against Cabrini University. Friday, the 4th, the Rams will have another double header to conclude the tournament. The first game is set for 10 am against New England College, and the second for 2:30 pm against Elizabethtown College.

Click here for the softball team’s full schedule.

Go to NCURams.com for all your #DOWNTOWNU information.