ATHLETICS REVIEW
Women ’ s Wrestling
The women ’ s wrestling program also made major strides forward with successes at the first annual NAIA Women ’ s Wrestling Championship with a seventh-place finish . The team also recorded its highest ever ranking within the NAIA Coaches ’ Poll at No . 4 . Erica Sotelo was a NAIA Runner-Up as a total of five Running Eagles earned All-American status . The team won the MSC Tournament Championship as Amber Garriga ( 109 lbs .) and Zoe Wight ( 143 lbs .) each won a conference title . Two members of the team earned All-Academic MSC honors with three athletes finishing as an MSC runnerup . Wight was also named a NAIA / Daktronics Scholar Athlete , and Stephanie Pantoja earned WCWA All-American honors .
Men ’ s Bowling
The men ’ s bowling team had a breakout year , qualifying for the USBC Intercollegiate Sectionals for the first time in program history after finishing second at the MSC Championships . The Running Eagles captured fourth at the Glenn Carlson Invitational in Las Vegas , which also marked a program-high finish . Juwan Wallace also became the first Life U bowler to earn All-Conference honors on the Second Team .
Women ’ s Bowling
The women ’ s bowling team captured seventh at the MSC Championships , but also earned its first MSC Title with Hannah Walker and Amber Beene taking the Doubles Championship . Academically , the team earned two All-Academic MSC bids and was named a NAIA Scholar Team .
Swimming
The men ’ s and women ’ s swimming programs had breakout years with great finishes at the NAIA Swimming Championships . Both teams finished sixth at the MSC Championships ; however , five athletes earned Second-Team All-MSC honors . Both teams had one NAIA / Daktronics Scholar Athlete with a record five NAIA All-Americans . At the NAIA Championships , the team accomplished 17 new program records , nine of which were individual records . Gustav Lucas , Victoria Acosta and Kirsten Coetzee finished on the podium at the championships with freshman Acosta earning the highest placement in program history at fourth in the 200-Butterfly . For her accomplishments , Acosta was named Newcomer of the Year at the Student Athlete Awards Banquet . Head coach Patrick Sonsteng was recognized at the MSC Championships as the Men ’ s Swimming Coach of the Year . Both teams finished with one MSC Swimmer of the Week , and the men ’ s team was recognized by the NAIA as a Scholar Team .
Women ’ s Lacrosse
The women ’ s lacrosse program completed its inaugural season in 2019 , playing seven teams that were ranked in the top-10 within the NAIA . The Running Eagles finished with a 7-8 overall record and recorded its first upset win over Tennessee Wesleyan 17-16 . The young team finished with three Second-Team All- MSC members and earned two MSC Player of the Week awards . Bridgett Simmer and Julia Thompson were also recognized by the NAIA as Players of the Week . For its community service , the program received the Servant Leadership Team of the Year award at the Student-Athlete Awards Banquet .
Men ’ s Volleyball
Also in its inaugural season , the men ’ s volleyball program finished with an impressive 17-4 overall record . During the year , the team won seven consecutive matches in 3-0 fashion . The Running Eagles won 16 of the 17 games in straight sweeps without dropping a set . One member from the team earned All-Academic MSC honors , while two were named First-Team All-MSC and two Second-Team All-MSC . The program also earned two MSC Players of the Week honors throughout the season as the Running Eagles advanced to the semifinals of the MSC Championships to end the year .
Men ’ s Rugby
The men ’ s rugby team completed the 2019 season undefeated for the second consecutive year to capture back-to-back D1A Rugby National Championships . The Running Eagles defeated
Cal in the title match once again by a score of 29-26 . For his efforts , Ryan Rees was named the MVP of the title match . Harley Wheeler earned the Rudy Scholz Award , which is given to the best collegiate men ’ s rugby player in the country . Within the Midsouth , a staggering 12 players earned All-Conference honors with seven being named to the First Team and five to the Second Team . Six athletes earned USA Rugby Academic honors with 10 athletes being named All-Americans . At the Collegiate Rugby Championships in Philadelphia , the Running Eagles defeated Cal in Pool Play 19-17 for the first sevens victory over the Bears in program history . The Running Eagles finished as the runner-up at the event . The program was honored at the Student-Athlete Awards Banquet as the Team of the Year .
Women ’ s Rugby
The women ’ s rugby team advanced to the D1 Elite National Championship for the second consecutive year in 2019 but fell to Lindenwood in the final . The team earned three USA Rugby Scholar Athletes and nine D1 Elite All-Americans . On the sevens circuit , the team won the Tropical 7s tournament in Florida and captured fourth at the USA Rugby College 7s National Championships . At the CRC , the women again finished pool play 3-0 , but fell to Lindenwood in the semifinals to take fourth place .
Men ’ s Club Rugby
The men ’ s club rugby team returned to the D1 Club scene and captured the National Championship in a dramatic 28-27 win over the Austin Blacks . The game was a back-and-forth affair as Sam Cowley was named the MVP for his penalty kick with less than two minutes in the match to seal the victory .
72 Alumni . LIFE . edu | 2019