RIVER FOREST, Ill. – Spring break saw multiple Concordia University Chicago (CUC) athletic teams travel down to Florida for sun, warmth, and competition. Plus, some teams stayed local and took on conference opponents. Take a look at all the action below.
 
Track & Field
The Cougars competed at the Carthage Final Qualifier.
 
Noor Sammour (Berwyn, Ill.) placed third in the high jump with a mark of 1.55m.
 
The Cougars will begin their outdoor season in Cleveland, Tenn. at the Lee University Invitational on March 20-21.
 
Men's Volleyball (9-7, 2-3)
The men's volleyball team split the week against Dominican University and Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC).
 
CUC first fell to Division Street rival, Dominican, 3-1. Jackson Stella (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) led the match with 16 kills, 11 digs, two blocks, and an assist. Leon Gudzovski (Des Plaines, Ill.) led with six blocks while also adding nine kills and two aces. Tristan Caminar (Bolingbrook, Ill.) recorded eight kills, 11 digs, three blocks, an assist, and an ace. Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio) added 41 assists and a team-high 16 digs.
 
The Cougars rallied on Saturday to defeat WLC, 3-1. Stella once again led the charge, totaling 19 kills, seven digs, three blocks, and an ace. Gudzovski registered 11 kills, three blocks, an ace, and an assist. Caminar contributed 11 digs, eight kills, two assists, and an ace. Mosher put up 42 assists and a team-high 16 digs.
 
CUC will return to Geiseman Gymnasium on Wednesday, March 11 for a 7:00 pm match against Aquinas College. Then on Saturday, March 14, the Cougars head to De Pere, Wis. to face the Green Knights of St. Norbert College. First serve will be at 12:00 pm.
 
Men's Tennis (0-10, 0-0)
The Cougars competed in three matches down in Orlando, Fla. over spring break.
 
The first match was against St. John Fisher University, where the CUC fell 7-0. The duo of  August Barnes (Sodus, Mich.) and Collin Dickey (Frisco, Texas) were able to claim victory at No. 2 doubles, 6-2, but the doubles point went to the Cardinals. Despite being swept in the singles matches, the Cougars didn't make it easy for their opponents. At No. 1 singles, Dickey came close in both sets, falling 6-4 in each. Sam Smith (Munster, Ind.) held a tight three-set battle at No. 3 singles. Smith won the first set, 7-6, but dropped the second, 6-0, and fell in the tiebreaker, 10-4.
 
Next, the Cougars fell to John Carroll University, 7-0. Barnes put up a fight at No. 6 singles, falling with set scores of 6-2 and 6-3. Kevin Bullens (River Forest, Ill.)  came close in his first set at No. 5 singles, being edged out 6-4. He then fell 6-0 in the second set.
 
The final match was also a 7-0 defeat against Trine University. Barnes picked up two game wins against his opponent at No. 6 singles but lost, 6-2, 6-0. Andres Villagran (El Paso, Texas) and Smith also won two games in their respective singles matches, but both fell in two 6-1 sets.
 
The Cougars' next match will be Thursday, March 26. CUC will host Olivet Nazarene University at 2:00 pm.
 
Women's Tennis (1-15, 1-7)
The women's tennis team also traveled to Orlando, Fla. over spring break.
 
The Cougars faced the Cardinals of St. John Fisher and fell 6-1. Amelia Engelman (McKinney, Texas) secured CUC's lone point at No. 1 singles, defeating her opponent 6-1, 6-0. At No. 2 singles, Amirah Shakir (Dekalb, Ill.) was just edged out by her opponent, 7-6, 7-5. Aura Cortez-Cali (Berwyn, Ill.) made it difficult for her opponent at No. 6 singles, only dropping the match, 6-3, 7-5.
 
CUC also played Trine and fell 7-0. Kathleen Castillo (Elmwood Park, Ill.) picked up a game win at No. 3 singles but fell 6-1, 6-0. Shakir lost with same set scores at No. 2 singles. Engelman secured a game win, falling 6-0, 6-1 at No. 1 singles.
 
This concludes the women's tennis season. The Cougars finish the season with a 1-15 overall record and 1-7 record in NACC play.
 
Baseball (3-6, 0-0)
The CUC baseball team rounded out their spring break trip with four more games.
 
Starting on Tuesday, March 3, the Cougars played Wartburg College and won 9-3. Cam Buckley (New Lenox, Ill.) led at the plate, going two-for-four with two RBIs and one run. Jack Linko (New Lenox, Ill.) followed with one RBI while going two-for-five at the plate. Dylan Scott (Bartlett, Ill.) picked up his first win on the mound, going five innings with three runs allowed. Josh Prosise (Joliet, Ill.) came in relief and picked up three strikeouts in five batters faced.
 
The next day, CUC battled St. John Fisher, going into extra innings, but ultimately lost, 5-4 (12 inn.). Austin Koberstein (Milwaukee, Wis.) recorded his first career home run with his first start in the maroon and gold. Brandon Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) was the lone Cougar with multiple hits on the day, going two-for-six at the plate with two RBIs. Ryan Renella (Bartlett, Ill.) got the start on the mound and went five innings while only allowing two runs and six strikeouts.
 
After a rest day, the Cougars were back on the field against Saint Mary's University (Minn.). While CUC had some late rallies, they ultimately fell, 9-3. Buckley led the squad going three-for-five at the plate with two RBIs, including a solo home run. Reid Benner (Pittsboro, Ind.) went two-for-three at the plate, making his way on base every at-bat. Samuel Beringer (Plainfield, Ill.) pitched his first two career innings for the Cougars, recording a strikeout while only allowing one hit in seven batters faced.
 
On the final day of the trip, CUC upset No. 19 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, claiming the game, 2-1 in the ninth inning. Richie Sperando (Darien, Ill.) led the charge with one hit and one RBI. Down 1-0 and with bases loaded, Sperando's at-bat in the ninth inning allowed for the tying run to come in for the Cougars. Next to plate was Linko, who's at-bat saw the winning run for the Cougars cross home plate.  Jack Carroll (North Aurora, Ill.) got the start on the mound and went two innings and picked up two strikeouts. Blake Hickey (Chicago, Ill.), Michael Southard (Northbrook, Ill.), Josh Prosise (Joliet, Ill.), Kyle Ston (Winfield, Ill.), Kadin Borck (McHenry, Ill.), and Kyle Connelly (New Lenox, Ill.) all came in relief, and combined for two additional strikeouts while only allowing one hit and no runs.
 
The Cougars take their last big trip of the season, heading to Abilene, Texas for a three-game series against Hardin-Simmons University. They will play a double header at 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm on Friday, March 13. The next day, first pitch will be at 11:00 am.
 
Softball (3-5, 0-0)
The Cougars started off their season with a string of eight games down in Vieira Beach, Fla.
 
On March 2, CUC played Baruch College and Concordia College (Minn.). Against Baruch, the Cougars won, 5-1. Melisa Hadzic (Westchester, Ill.) and Arissa Santos (Moreno Valley, Calif.) both recorded a hit and two RBIs, one of which was a double for Santos. Emily Garcia (Eastvale, Calif.), Alyssa Campos (Eastvale, Calif.), Mayah Larenas (Chino, Calif.), and Linley Southern (Decatur, Ill.) each added a hit. Katie Davis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) recorded her first career win in the circle, while also picking up her first career strikeout. Against the Cobbers of Concordia College (Minn.), the Cougars fell 13-5 in six innings. Garcia went three-for-four at the plate while Eliza Auger (Littleton, Colo.) went two-for-two with one run and one RBI.
 
On March 3, CUC played New England College and Anna Maria College. Against the Pilgrims of New England, the Cougars dropped the game, 5-3. Santos was the lone Cougar with multiple hits, going two-for-three at the plate while adding two RBIs and one run. McKyler Morris (Belvidere, Ill.), Julia Pataluna (Commerce City, Colo.), Campos, and Southern each went one-for-three at the plate, while Campos added an RBI. Against the AMCats, the Cougars fell 8-0. Haley Gulsby (Englewood, Fla.), Auger, Southern, and Santos all recorded a hit on the day. Morgan Houfek (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) pitched three innings and recorded two strikeouts in 14 batters faced.
 
On March 5, the Cougars split the day. They first fell 4-3 to the University of Dubuque in eight innings. Multiple Cougars recorded hits while Auger picked up two RBIs, which came in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. Larenas totaled one RBI. Houfek pitched all eight innings, recording four strikeouts on 38 batters faced. Later in the day, CUC faced the Engineers of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and won, 9-4. Garcia and Gulsby were perfect at the plate, going four-for-four and three-for-three respectively. Garcia added three runs and three RBIs while Gulsby added two runs. Alyssa Lopez (Corona, Calif.) picked up the win in the circle after pitching three innings with 13 batters faced. Eden Pufahl (Laguna Hills, Calif.) picked up her first save of the season, pitching 2.2 innings with one strikeout on 11 batters faced.
 
On March 6, the Cougars faced John Carroll and Houghton University. Against John Carroll, CUC fell 13-2. Charlize Gonzalez (Dallas, Texas) went one-for-two at the plate with two RBIs. Emily Lucero (Chino, Calif.) also went one-for-two at the plate, adding a run. Megan Bouska (Plainfield, Ill.) recorded the other run. Against Houghton, the Cougars came out blazing and took the game, 12-3. Pufahl commanded the circle, pitching all seven innings and securing a career-high eight strikeouts on 32 batters faced in the win. Santos went a perfect four-for-four at the plate with an RBI and a run. Southern went two-for-four with two RBIs and run while Campos went two-for-three with three RBIs and two runs.
 
The Cougars are back home and will take some time to prepare for their double header on Wednesday, March 18. They will travel to Kenosha, Wis. to face Carthage College in a double header. First pitch is at 2:30 pm while game two is scheduled for 4:30 pm.

Dance
The Cougars will host the Spring Cougar Collegiate Dance Invite on Saturday, March 14.
 
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.