Cedarville Magazine, Spring/Summer 2015

Cedarville Magazine | 33 Lady Jackets Score a Spectacular Season of Historic Firsts The Lady Jackets basketball team hit a trey of successes their third season in NCAA Division II. They received their first invitation to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament. The No. 8 seed Lady Jackets faced host and top-seed Michigan Tech in the first round at Michigan Tech’s home court. They played hard, hitting almost 50 percent of their shots, and kept it close deep into the second half. But the host Huskies pulled away at the end for the 71-59 victory. Cedarville finished the year at 27-4. During the season, the Lady Jackets cracked the NCAA Division II Top 25 for the first time, landing at No. 23 in the February 10, 2015, USA TODAY Sports Division II Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll. By February 24, they jumped to a tie for No. 22 with the University of the District of Columbia. By the time of the Division II tournament, they had risen to sole possession of No. 17. The Lady Jackets finished the regular season 25-3 overall. They were Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) regular season champions with a 15-1 record. They hosted the G-MAC tournament andwon it all, beatingKentucky Wesleyan 63-52 in the championship game and were extended an at-large bid to the Division II Midwest Regional. G-MAC will automatically advance its tournament champion to the tourney in 2016. Head Coach Kirk Martin’s teamwon 11 consecutive games leading up to its first Top 25 ranking. By that point in February, the Lady Jackets were 21-2 overall and 11-0 in the G-MAC. “We’re excited about what’s happened,” saidMartin ’76. “The thing about this group is just how committed they are to getting it done and being successful. When we’ve needed something special to happen, this just seems to be the year that it’s happened for us.” One of the keys to the team’s success was the development of the younger players. “We had seven freshmen, and we played four to five of them a lot of minutes,” Martin said. “But, the reality is, we had a lot of experience coming back. We’ve had great leadership from our six juniors and seniors. They set a standard for our freshmen; they bought into it, and we just watched them grow by leaps and bounds every single game. The upperclassmen and freshmen pushed each other every night in practice.” The whole team demonstrated a no- holds-barred attitude all season. “It’s tough mentally for an athlete to run through the wall for her teammates and coaching staff,” noted Martin. “This group does that, and I’m proud of them.” But they also showed attention to the details. “Because of the fact we shoot free throws quite well, we had the opportunity to win a lot of close games,” Martin said. “I’m also blessed with an unbelievable staff — Kari (Flunker) Hoffman ’05, Stacie Travis ’07, and Steve Buettell ’14.” For the Lady Jackets basketball team, this season is another remarkable chapter in a winning history. They won the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division II National Championship in 2008. They earned National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II national runner-up in 2004 and 2005. They reached the NAIA Division II Final Four in 2007 and the Elite Eight in 2006 and 2011. The Lady Jackets basketball team won G-MAC regular-season and tournament titles on their run to a first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament.