It sure was a fun week for our Cougars with a lot to celebrate! Our athletics programs took on the week with Indoor Track and Field Nationals on Friday and Saturday to start us off! Matt Storer and Hudson Majeski represented CCU well at the meet and both came home with All-American titles and podium finishes for both. An amazing way to wrap up the indoor season! Also on Saturday, our softball team traveled to Mines, not far from home, for four wins to add to their streak! Baseball was at All Star Park this past weekend and also snatched a victory against Colorado School of Mines. Our golf teams were off for the week, but we're excited to see what's next for them this upcoming weekend! 

3/10-11 Track and Field Recap 

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA- The Indoor Track & Field National Championships began at Norfolk State on Friday, and the Cougars had two runners representing at the championships. Matthew Storer competed in the 5000m finals on Friday, while Hudson Majeski took part in the prelims for the mile.

With a loaded field of top runners, many coming from the RMAC, Storer more than held his own in the 5000m. Over the course of the 12 and half lap race, Storer showed he is one of the best runners in the country as he kept a steady pace throughout and strategically passed his competition on his way to a fifth place finish. Storer's time of 14:03.39 gave him fifth and an All American nod in a tremendous finish for the sophomore from Colorado Springs. This marks the second time Storer has been named an All American, as he took home the honors in the fall for his performance at the National Championships in Cross Country.

"Matt ran a great race! He just kept closing gaps and picking people off all race," said Head Coach Jon Poag. "To finish 5th at NCAAs is a major accomplishment, a credit to Matt's years of hard work and focus."

Majeski took part in the prelims for the mile on Friday, and he needed to place in the top nine of runners to qualify for the finals tomorrow. He did just that, running a smart race as he came in with a time of 4:08.70 to claim ninth on the day and book his spot in the finals on March 11 at 2:35 p.m. MST. It will be an exciting finish to the indoor season for Majeski as he runs in a final that includes five other runners from the RMAC.

"Making the Mile final at NCAAs is one of the hardest things to do in Track & Field," Poag said. Amidst a lot of volatility, Hudson kept his composure and ran a great last lap to secure his spot in tomorrow's final. Very excited for Hudson!"

Congratulations to Matthew Storer for being named an All American in the 5000m!

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA- The final for the men's mile took place on Saturday, and Hudson Majeski represented CCU in the difficult race. 

Majeski qualified for the finals yesterday and ran amongst the nine fastest times in the country on Saturday. Majeski started strong, never falling behind the pack and showing great strategy and stamina. As the runners began to stray from the pack, Majeski stayed strong and closed with a fast final lap. Hudson's time of 4:09.89 gave him eighth place in the race, securing his place as an All American in one of the most difficult events in track.

"Guts! On his first trip to NCAAs, he was an All American in the most volatile event of the meet. Very excited about what Hudson accomplished this weekend," Head Coach Jon Poag said.

Congratulations to Hudson Majeski on his excellent mile run and being named an All American!

Baseball Recap 

3/11 LAKEWOOD,CO- The Cougars continued conference play with a doubleheader at home against the Colorado School of Mines on Saturday. Colorado Christian battled hard but came up short in a pair of losses to the Orediggers. 

GAME ONE

Mines got on the board with a run in the second, but CCU quickly responded. Boedy Flores scored Gabe Ramos on an RBI groundout as they tied the game up 1-1. The visitors broke it open from there, scoring 15 runs in the next two innings to take control of the game. Russell Cruz doubled home two more runs in the fifth, but the game ended with a 17-3 final score.

Anthony Thomas pitched two innings with just one run allowed while A.J. Perez worked a perfect seventh inning.

GAME TWO

The Cougars were the ones to jump ahead in the second contest of the day, as Jordan Medina blasted a long two-run homer to right center field to put his team ahead in the third. Frankie Shearn followed with a solo blast to left field in the fifth as CCU took a 3-0 lead. A two-run homer in the sixth from Mines closed the gap heading to the final inning. The visitors were able to plate four runs in the seventh as they closed with six unanswered runs in a 6-3 victory.

Jake Gimbel had a strong game, pitching six innings with six strikeouts for his team. 

3/12 LAKEWOOD, CO -The Cougars continued their series against Colorado School of Mines, with the fourth and final game of their series on Sunday at All-Star Park. In a back and forth affair, the Cougars came out on top 7-5 to close out the weekend in style.

Team production was the key to success in the Cougar's victory, as all hitters got in on the act throughout the course of the game along with some excellent and consistent pitching. Colorado School of Mines got on the board first scoring twice in the third inning, but from that point onwards it was all Cougars. Jordan Medina, Gabe Ramos, and Kade Carney all hit singles allowing Jonny Tewinkle to cross home plate, followed by Carney, Ramos, and Medina, as they helped each other across the line to make the score 4-2 Cougars.

While the Orediggers managed to give themselves a glimmer of hope as Nielsen hit a homer to close the gap to one, it was short-lived. The Cougars scored three on the bounce to increase the lead to 7-3, highlighted by a huge homer by Jordan Medina who continued his impressive display.

As the hitting display was spread amongst the team, the pitching was the exact same. Saxton Sorensen, Chaz Graham, and JC Watne gave the Orediggers nothing to hit all day, with Graham especially productive, as he did not allow a single hit throughout his 3 innings pitched.

The Orediggers managed to score twice late on to close the gap to 7-5, but the Cougars held on to take home the victory.

Coach Paul Koss had this to say about the game. "I'm very glad we were able to put together a complete game, we played great defense, pitched very well, and were able to score runs exactly when we needed to."

The Cougars are now 1-3 in RMAC play, and now hold a 4-12-1 overall record.

Softball Recap

3/11 GOLDEN, CO- The Cougars began their fourth RMAC series of the season on Saturday as they visited Colorado School of Mines for a doubleheader. Led by timely hitting, CCU held off a strong Orediggers team for a doubleheader sweep.

GAME ONE
The Cougars started off hot, as Logan Menzies crushed an early three-run homer in the first inning. From there, a pitching duel ensued and no one scored until the fifth. Mines brought a run across the plate to tighten the gap to two, but Leah Garcia responded with a triple in the fifth to make it 4-1. CCU closed the game out for a 4-1 victory over the hosts.

Kali Crandall picked up her tenth win on the year as she twirled a complete game victory with 12 strikeouts and only two hits allowed. Menzies pushed the offense with her early three-run shot.

GAME TWO
The second contest was low scoring throughout as the COugars struggled to push a run across. An error led to a 1-0 lead for the hosts in the second, a lead they would hold through five complete innings. In the sixth, CCU finally broke through on a Savannah Tourville single to send the game to the final inning tied 1-1. In the seventh, the offense came alive for the Cougars. After a long battle that saw her fend off numerous pitches with foul balls, Kenzie Midlleton gave her team the lead with a solo homer on a full count. Samaria Roope went on to pick up an RBI groundout, and Kayla Middleton ripped a two RBI triple to extend the lead to 5-1. A run in the final inning from Mines was not enough as CCU closed out a 5-2 victory.

Abrie Castillo had a strong game, pitching 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts. Crandall closed out the game with a big two outs with the bases loaded in the sixth, and finished the game with 1.2 innings pitched. Kenzie and Kayla Middleton came up big in the seventh for their team, hitting the go ahead homer and insurance triple. 

3/12 GOLDEN, CO- The Cougars came into Sunday's doubleheader with a 24 game win streak on the line. They extended that to 26, three shy of the program record, with a dominant day that saw them allow no runs to their opponent in two matchups. 

GAME ONE
The first contest of the day was delayed a half hour due to cold weather limitations, and when they got underway, the bats for both teams were a bit cold as well. Miki Berg did not let the conditions affect her though, breaking a scoreless tie in the fourth with a two-run homer over the left field wall. The triple leader at CCU Sami Edwards tacked on another run in the fifth with a three bagger to score her team's third run. They shut down the Orediggers all game en route to a 3-0 victory in game three of the series. 

Kali Crandall was fantastic in the circle, throwing seven complete innings for her 12th victory of the year with 106 pitches and no runs allowed. Berg powered the offense with her tie breaking two-run blast.

GAME TWO
Intent on closing the series with a sweep, CCU quickly got to work. A passed ball in the second allowed Kayla Middleton to score, and Leah Garcia followed that with a solo home run in the fourth for a 2-0 lead. Things broke open in the fifth, beginning with an RBI single from Edwards. Logan Menzies then singled home a run before coming around to score on a wild pitch. Middleton then tallied an RBI single as the score now stood at 6-0. Savannah Tourville doubled home another run as the fifth inning ended in a 7-0 Cougars lead. Kenzie Middleton slammed a solo shot in the sixth, and CCU closed out the 8-0 run-rule victory.

Abrie Castillo notched her eighth victory of the season with six innings of three hit ball and 10 strikeouts. A balanced effort saw six different Cougars tally an RBI in the dominant victory.

 

Next Up: This weekend will be full of more games and tournaments for our Cougars! Softball will look to keep their streak going at home this weekend beginning with a doubleheader on March 17 against Adams State at 12 and 2 p.m. MST. Baseball will next be in action in Alamosa against Adams State, as they take on the Grizzlies in a four-game series beginning March 17 at 3 p.m. MST. Our track team is also officially starting their outdoor season this week and will compete in Pueblo on Friday and Saturday in the Dr. Dan Caprioglio Early Bird Invite! Our golf teams will also be competing in Pueblo this weekend on the 20th and 21st. The women's team will compete in the El Cheapo Classic Tournament while our men's team will compete in the Southern CO Masters Tournament. Be sure to follow along!