RIVER FOREST, Ill. – This past week Concordia University Chicago (CUC) athletics. began Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) play, picking up multiple wins and breaking a school record.
 
Women's Basketball (2-6, 1-1)
The women's basketball team began conference play this week with two games.

The Cougars first traveled to Wisconsin to take on Edgewood University, where they fell 80-57. Naveya Jackson (Sun Prairie, Wis.) led the charge with a career-high 23 points, three rebounds, and ten free throws. Ai Yonemura (Yachiyo, Chiba-Japan) followed with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Grace King (Fairland, Ind.) also put up double digits with 13 points. Defensively, Linley Southern (Decatur, Ill.) led the squad with eight rebounds and three steals, while Abby Kulig (Carol Stream, Ill.) totaled four blocks.

CUC then hosted Rockford University. After a slow start, the Cougars came back to win 61-45. Yonemura led the squad with 23 points, five rebounds, and four steals. Sophia Pedraza (Carol Stream, Ill.) recorded a career-high 15 points along with five steals. Jackson also put up double digits with 10 points. King grabbed eight rebounds.

This week, the Cougars will play one game, taking on Division Street rival, Dominican University, on the road. Tipoff is set for 5:00pm on Wednesday, December 10.
 
Men's Basketball (3-4, 2-0)
The men's basketball team also took on Edgewood and Rockford this week.

The Cougars opened conference play with a victory against the Eagles of Edgewood, 63-56. Darrian Williams (Garland, Texas) put up a team-high 18 points while also contributing three rebounds and two steals. Tallis Lowery (Fairview Heights, Ill.) followed with nine points, five rebounds, and a steal. Both Vic Garrett (Chicago, Ill.) and AJ Willard (Germantown, Wis.) each recorded eight points.

It was a tight battle with Rockford on Saturday, but the Cougars held on to claim the win, 57-54. Williams once again commanded the game with 19 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Lowery totaled 12 points while Aaron Brown (Joliet, Ill.) had 11. In addition, Lowery added three assists and Brown grabbed six rebounds.
 
This week, CUC will play two games. The Cougars will take on conference opponent, Dominican, on Wednesday, December 10, at 7:00 pm on the road. They will then come back to Geiseman Gymnasium on Sunday, December 14, to play Adrian College at 3:00 pm.
 
Track & Field
Both track & field teams kicked off the indoor season on Saturday at the ONU Holiday Open in Bourbonnais, Ill.

In his collegiate debut, Jonathan Knoebel (New Albany, Ind.) broke the school record in the 600m, posting a time of 1:25.38, to finish fourth. Austin Knight (Forest Park, Ill.) finished third in the 200m dash with a time of 22.95. Gael Arroyo (Cicero, Ill.) set a personal best of 4:41.92 in the mile to finish third while Dominic Carlson (Loves Park, Ill.) took fourth with a time of 4:42.07. Jordyn Boatman (Elmwood Park, Ill.) and  Julian Switzer (Lakes in the Hills, Ill.) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the long jump with leaps of 6.41m and 6.33m, respectively. Darius Strother (Joliet, Ill.) finished in fourth place in the high jump with a mark of 1.67m and William Leonard (Oskaloosa, Iowa) secured a fifth place finish in the 3000m, with a time of 10:10.72.

On the women's side, four Cougars placed in the top ten of the mile run. Izzy Fairless (Royal Oak, Mich.) led the team, finishing second with a personal best of 5:39.11. Rose Losey (Royal Oak, Mich.) finished sixth with a time of 6:12.23,  Marlena Butler (Norridge, Ill.) finished ninth with a time of 6:43.66, and  Lydia Anderson (Carpentersville, Ill.) finished tenth with a time of 6:43.78. Harmonie Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) set a new personal best for high jump with a leap of 1.48m to finish second. Noor Sammour (Berwyn, Ill.) finished just behind with a mark of 1.43m. Addi McKee finished second for the 800m with a time of 2.53.46. Butler followed behind in third while Amya Marquez (Berwyn, Ill.) took fourth. Both Kirsten Bockhorst (Union, Mo.) and Aniyah Isom (Chicago, Ill.)  finished top ten in the long jump, with leaps of 4.92m and 4.84m, respectively. Bockhorst finished fifth and Isom finished eighth. Ashley Vasquez (Riverside, Ill.) finished eighth in the 60m dash with a time of 8.50.

The Cougars pick competition back up in the new year. On Saturday, January 10, CUC will race at the Phoenix Invite hosted by University of Chicago.
 
You can keep up with all things CUC Athletics on Twitter @CUChicagoSports, watch all the action at cucougars.com/coverage, and view all photos from the seasons here.