Though it doesn’t have as many brackets filled out for it as its Division I counterpart, the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball tournament was rife with action this past weekend.
After winning both the regular season and tournament Ohio Athletic Conference title, Capital’s men’s basketball team took their show on the road in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Wooster. After beating Randolph-Macon (Va.) 68-60 in the first round, the Crusaders fell to 15th ranked Wooster on their home court the next day by a score of 92-79.
The last time Capital made the NCAA tournament, in 2009, they also played Wooster. But that game was at home, and saw a much different outcome, with Capital winning by two points with one second left thanks to a timely shot by D.J. Frazier. This year, Wooster got their revenge. Despite this, Capital’s season was still a very impressive one.
Starting a mere 5-6, Capital finished the season 19-10, and with four starters returning next year, they will be a force to be reckoned with once again. However, seniors Kelly Winter and Tyler Munro will be missed.
Junior Michael Sommer said ““This is one of the closest teams I’ve ever been on. Kelly and Tyler did a great job of taking on their leadership roles. One of our mottos this season was ‘give nothing’, and those guys made sure we did that.”
Awards aplenty also came Capital’s way this season. Junior Spencer Niekamp was picked first-team All-OAC, while Winter garnered second team accolades. Sommer received honorable mention all-conference. All three players are first-time honorees. Capital’s head coach, Damon Goodwin, was also named OAC coach of the year.
The men’s team wasn’t only impressive on the court this season. Winter and Niekamp were also named OAC Academic All-Conference recipients.
Though the women’s team did not see as much success as the men’s this year, their season was still one for the history books. Head coach Dixie Jeffers notched her 600th career win, only the 48th coach in any division of either men’s or women’s basketball to do so.
The Lady Crusaders finished the season with an 18-9 overall mark after finishing fourth in the league during the regular season with a 12-6 conference record. They lost in the OAC tournament semi-final to sixth-ranked Mount Union.
Like the men’s team, the women’s team also managed to rack up an impressive number of awards. Senior Shalena Hawkins received first team All-OAC accolades, while senior Hilary Kuhns and sophomore Cookie Geroski earned honorable mentions. Hawkins was also her team’s lone Academic All-Conference recipient.
Despite not making it to the postseason, Coach Jeffers remained optimistic for next year. “I’m extremely proud of the growth and competitiveness of the girls. We will regroup for next year,” Jeffers said.
