A Green and White Winning Winter
CSU’s winter sports post-season wrapped up early in April and we could not be more proud of our athletes! In true pandemic style, each team pushed themselves – and each other – to outperform, keep focused and finish strong despite the challenges.
Basketball
“I think a good way to describe our past season is the quote ‘tough times don’t last, tough people do.’ Through the whole season we had to overcome so much adversity but even with all of that we continued to lean on each other and find the positives through it all!” – Isabella Geraci, Junior Marketing Major, Shooting Guard & Small Forward
After a 17-7 regular season, taking the HLMBB Tournament, the men’s basketball team fought their way into the NCAA March Madness Tournament for the first time since 2009. Though they had a tough loss to Houston in the opening round, they ended the season as a great success – from being featured on the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, to Coach Gates earning Horizon League Coach of the Year and other accolades. It was a wild ride and one we hope we get to see again, in the years to come!
Ending their season 14-9, the women’s basketball team competed in the Horizon League championship run and made it to the semifinals before losing to Wright State – finishing at #2 in the league. Their journey didn’t end there. Just days after the semifinal game, the Vikings competed in the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) where they defeated Portland and brought home the championship – for the first time in Viking history.
Wrestling
The wrestling team started out their season with six unbeaten matches, including a two-time winning quartet during their opening round robin with Kent State. The team went into the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships as the highest ranked team in MAC sports, then placing 5th and 6th in the tournament. Going into the NCAA Championship, the team had three qualifiers, the most since 2007 as the team finished the tournament with a 1-2 record.
Not only did these wrestlers give it their all on the mat, they took the top position in academics. Nine members of the team were named to the MAC All-Academic Team – the highest number of CSU honorees in program history!
Swimming and Diving
“We, as a team, did a great job on motivating each other and most of all we stayed patient and gained acceptance of our circumstances. Many people swam best times, records were broken, and there [was] just a whole lot of fun. The swim team truly broke through all the difficult times and that was proven at our conference meet.” – Sule van der Merwe, Senior Operations and Supply Chain Management Major, 200 Backstroke & 200/400 Individual Medley
The S&D team were 1-2 going into the Horizon League Championship where they dominated the competition, in what Head Coach Hannah Burandt called an amazing meet where CSU athletes swam better than they ever have. Within the first day, Matt Akers took home first place in the one-meter dive, the first to win this dive for the Vikings since 2014.
The women placed fifth overall while the men placed second, as the teams continued to place in the top five in the 500-yard freestyle, 400-yard medley, and 200-yard freestyle relay. Freshman Bob Fick won the freshman of the year award after winning the 200-yard butterfly – the first to win since 2011 and only one of seven Vikings to ever win the award.
Indoor Track and Field
The women’s team opened the season at the YSU Invitational with seven wins from the top 20, including two in the top five. Moving on to the Mastodon Invitational, the team continued to place in the top 20 as 10 individual performances were topped as well.
During the YSU Mid-Major Invitational, the team recorded six top 10 finishes which was then followed with a first-place win by Dynesty Ervin in the 60-meter dash during the second Mastodon Invitational. The team placed 11th in the Horizon League Indoor Championship.
Fencing
“This year has been very challenging for a lot of us, but the fact we got to compete and that we did so well as a team is amazing. The fencing team really put in the work this year, and we did so well. I’m so proud of everyone.” – Paul DiVenti, Sophomore Mathematics Major, Foilist
Even with a quick season, the fencing team was ready for battle. In their first two matches, the women’s team went 2-0 as the men’s team went 1-1. After three matches, the teams advanced to the NCAA Championships where multiple members of the men’s team placed in the top 25 in the epee, foil, and saber competitions.
The women’s team picked up the second half of the championship where three members of their team placed in the top 25 in the epee, foil, and saber competitions. With their placements in the competition, Cleveland State finished 17th overall, their best finish since 1995, in addition to the six qualifiers who had the best individual performance since the 90s.
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With limited fans in attendance for meets and matches, social media picked up the slack, with friends, family and the CSU community supporting our Vikings all the way. We hope you heard us. We’ll say it again, “Well done, Vikings! You Earned It!”
CSU spring sports are in full swing – Lacrosse, Soccer, Tennis, Softball, Outdoor Track & Field, Golf – check out https://csuvikings.com/landing/index for schedules, rosters, news and more. Support our Vikes!
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