After an initial preview to the CUW Athletics fall season, here is an update for the progress for all sports.
Men’s Sports
The Falcons have picked up right where they left off after a successful ‘23-’24 season. So far, they’re 9-3 and have won seven of their last eight games including a 4-0 conference record. Senior Forward Tommy Cassel has been instrumental to the teams early season success. He leads the team in points (12), goals (7), and assists (5). The Falcons will host MSU Denver in their next matchup on November 1st and 2nd.
After starting the season off with a sixth place finish at the St. Norbert Tom Berry Invite, the Falcons continued to show well at the Rose Hulman DIII Pre-Nationals meet. The team totaled 1,019 points, which was good for 38th place. Senior Timmy Brey led the way for the Falcons, finishing 38th individually.
After a 2-0 start to the season, the Falcons dropped two in a row to St. Norberts and Aurora. The team got back on track last week with a win at home against Eureka. Freshman Quarterback Justin Clark was tasked with the starting job after injuries, and shined against Eureka, finishing 22 of 30 with 216 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Linebacker Justice Kaneta has paced the defense well, leading the team with 48 tackles thus far. The Falcons look to continue their winning ways on the road against Rockford this weekend.
Golf:
After beginning their season with a 19th place finish at the Culvers Edgewood Fall Classic, the Falcons struggled to keep up during the end of the first half of their season. The team finished 10th at the first half NACC championships with Freshman Dylan Smith leading the Falcons. Smith had the best round of the day for the squad at 86 strokes, highlighted by a birdie on hole No. 13. The Falcons will look to bounce back in the second-half of the season during the spring.
After a 0-1-1 start to the season, the Falcons have struggled to find their groove at times, but have won their last two matches, coming against Marian and Concordia Chicago. Senior Forward Alishan Sharipov has been a nice complement for the offense, tallying six goals and two assists. Senior Goalkeeper Jeremy Munoz has battled some injuries, but has still managed to compile a 3-4 record with a 1.27 goals against average. The Falcons will look to continue their winning ways as they push for a NACC tournament berth.
After opening up the season at the Depauw Invitational in Indiana, the Falcons Men’s Tennis team finished up their prequel of a fall season in Minnesota at the ITA Regional championships. Senior Landon Sather and Freshman Hayden Latus shined, both competing in the singles championships. The Falcons will look to claim the NACC championship in the spring with a solid fall season under their belt.
Women’s Sports:
After starting the season with a 1-3 record, the woes have continued, as the Falcons field hockey team currently sits at 2-12. Senior Paige Armijo has been a brightspot, leading the team in goals (4), assists (3), and points (11). The Falcons will look to pick up some key conference wins in the back-half of their schedule to hopefully turn things around.
After a 1-1 start to the season, the Falcons women’s tennis team has had a rather rollercoaster of a season since then. After falling 7-0 to Edgewood, the team bounced back to beat Marian 7-0. They currently sit at 5-5 with five matches left in the fall season. Senior Peyton Morgan has led the singles numbers with a 6-5 record. Morgan and her doubles partner Ruth Dolde have also posted a solid 5-3 record as a pairing.
The Falcons women’’s soccer team features a lot of experience along with some talented underclassmen and the record show is, as the squad has gotten off to a 10-4-1 record thus far. Senior Bella Rapp has been a big factor in the offensive production, tallying 12 points on five goals and two assists. With seven conference wins, the Falcons are in a quality position to get a high seed in the NACC tournament.
After a rocky 3-4 start to the season, the Falcons women’s basketball team has settled in nicely, accomplishing a 12-9 record. The team has especially excelled in NACC play, posting a 7-1 record and putting them in a good position for the NACC tournament. Junior Paige Stickney has been a star for the Falcons this season, posting 185 kills thus far, which is best on the team. They look to finish strong in the last five games of the year.
Golf:
The Falcons women’s golf team recently wrapped up a solid end to their fall season, finishing 6th at the NACC Championships. Senior Elizabeth Montaba led the Falcons with a 13th place finish at 248 strokes. She finished the tournament with a round of 80 and had birdies at holes four and 13 on Monday. The Falcons will continue their season in the Spring.
After a hot start to the season, the women’s cross country team has had sustained success throughout their season. Most recently, the team won Wisconsin Private College Championships. Junior Ainara Sainz de Rosas won the individual title and also broke the course record with a winning time of 22:20.6. The Falcons look to defend their NACC title on November 2nd.
—Will Sommers is a Graphic Designer and Writer with The Beacon. He is a Senior Mass Communication major graduating in May of 2025 with a minor in sports media.