Cougar Connection
May/June 2007
Cougars Nab Five RMAC Sportsmanship Awards, Rank Second in Conference
Your Colorado Christian University Cougars capped off a tremendous 2006-2007 campaign with a total of five RMAC Sportsmanship Awards including a second place ranking for the Sportsmanship Cup.
The awards process is divided into two categories: institutional and team awards.
The Team Award is presented to the team that displays the best sportsmanship throughout their season. This award is based on evaluations filled out by game officials following each season. Officials from each sport select the top three institutions—including the participating student-athletes, coaches, and bench reserve—that they feel best displayed sportsmanship. The second award is the Institutional Award. This recognition is based on the overall character (enthusiasm, spirit/innovation, and sportsmanship) of a team’s spectators. During all-conference voting, head coaches from each sport vote for the top three institutions that they feel best displayed these qualities.
The 2006-2007 Cougar winners included:
Men’s Baseball – Team Award (Coach – Rob Pegg)
Women’s Soccer – Team Award (Coach – Tammy Wishard)
Women’s Basketball – Institutional Award (Coach – Kristen Buckley)
Men’s Soccer – Team and Institutional Awards (Coach – John Russo)
Additionally, the Sportsmanship Cup is awarded to the institution the holds the highest combined total average from the Team and Institutional Awards. The Cougars finished in second place with 21.8 points, only 2.5 behind Nebraska-Kearney. Congratulations to the teams, staff, and fans who represented Colorado Christian University this past season with tremendous class and dignity.
A Special Thanks to Everyone Who Participated in the 2007 Golf Classic!
The Cougar Athletics family would like to thank those who joined us at the beautiful Raccoon Creek Golf Course to make the 8th annual CCU Golf Classic a tremendous success.
Over 100 golfers enjoyed great weather, a fantastic par-72 course, and an electrifying putting contest while supporting the Cougar’s NCAA Division II athletic programs. In addition to excitement on the links, participants were treated to a mouth-watering afternoon barbecue and a well-stocked silent auction.
Wrapping up the day’s competition, the powerful foursome of Bill White, Chick Lee, Don Harwell, and Johnny Lee finished in first place for the morning group while Kevin Laurey, Todd Wilcox, Paul Shepardson, and Justin Gold topped the afternoon contenders.
Congratulations to the winners and, once again, thank you to all who participated. We look forward to seeing each of you in the very near future!
Baseball Wraps Up Season in Style
In May, the men’s baseball team ended their season on a high note with back-to-back 6-5 and 5-4 victories over regionally ranked New Mexico Highlands University.
In game one, a Chris Polton RBI in the bottom of the second inning gave CCU an early 1-0 lead. But the Cougars fell behind as the Cowboys rattled off a combined five runs between the fifth and sixth innings.
CCU answered in the bottom of the sixth, when Michael Cavazos nailed a solo shot over the left field fence, bringing the Cougars to within 3 runs. Not yet finished, he capped a brilliant four-hit, four-run eighth inning with a two-run bomb to right field, pulling CCU ahead by a 1-run margin.
The fans were on their feet as Matt Tomlinson took the mound for CCU in the seventh. The freshman boldly faced New Mexico’s potent sluggers for an entire three innings, allowing only two hits, holding the Cowboys scoreless, and netting his first collegiate win in one of the most pressure-packed situations in 2007 RMAC baseball.
After an hour-long rain delay, both teams resumed the field for the second game of Friday’s twin bonanza. This time around the Cougars fell behind early with the Cowboys taking a 4-1 lead heading 
into the bottom of the fifth. But a Bud Wilborn two-RBI double got things rolling once again for CCU. Trailing by only one run in the sixth, Chris Murray doubled to center field, driving home Cavazos and Joseph Candelaria and putting the team up by one run heading into the final inning.
In the seventh, Cougar ace Justin Quador took the mound, where he backed up his reputation as one of the conference’s top pitchers. Quador punctuated the last start of his collegiate career by throwing a no-run, no-hit inning that allowed CCU to hang onto the lead for a thrilling upset.
The victories marked the first defeat of a regionally ranked team for the young CCU baseball program. Doubling their win total from last year, the Cougars have the right combination of talent and high expectations to give them a legitimate shot at an RMAC postseason berth as early as next year.
Co-Athletes of the Month
Men’s Baseball: Pat Garcia (Catcher-Salinas, CA) Justin Quador (Pitcher-Littleton, CO)
CCU baseball is proud to announce senior catcher Pat Garcia and senior pitcher Justin Quador as recently inducted members of the 2007 All-RMAC Honorable Mention Team.
Garcia averaged a team-high .365 at the plate this season while starting all 53 games for the Cougars. He led his team in every significant offensive 
category including runs, hits, doubles, RBIs, and home runs.
Quador, a transfer from Division I Northern Colorado, notched a team-high five wins for the Cougars, posting an ERA of 5.92 and striking out 28 batters on the year. He punctuated a fantastic career with CCU on May 4, going the distance in an improbable 5-4 upset over regionally ranked New Mexico Highlands University.
Congratulations to both Pat and Justin for your hard work and leadership. Many thanks to everyone who helped make the 2007 baseball season a success!
A Letter From the Athletic Director
This spring, Colorado Christian University applied for membership in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) to supplement our existing membership in NCAA Division II athletics. The NCCAA was founded in 1968 to promote and enhance intercollegiate athletic competition within a Christian perspective. Approximately 100 Christian colleges and universities—involving well over 13,000 student-athletes—comprise NCCAA. The organization annually sponsors a combined total of 20 national championships, as well as several invitational tournaments, in men's and women's sports.
Over the first weekend in June, I had the privilege of attending the annual NCCAA convention in Kansas City, Missouri. I was extremely impressed with the people I met and the mission of the organization. Many NCCAA representatives felt that our University’s desire to integrate Christian discipleship with athletic excellence is a perfect fit for their organization. Within the next two months we should hear back from NCCAA regarding their decision to accept our full membership, which would tentatively begin on August 1, 2007.
As a point of clarification, CCU will NOT be leaving the NCAA Division II. Our membership in NCCAA would be an auxiliary membership, providing extra benefits on top of those we already receive from the NCAA. In summary, our membership in NCCAA would provide two primary opportunities:
- Further educational and networking opportunities to assist in the discipleship of student-athletes while pursuing excellence in intercollegiate athletics.
- Additional competitive opportunities for student-athletes against like-minded and similarly talented institutions.
CCU Athletics is extremely excited about the possibility of dual membership in both NCAA and NCCAA. Please join us in prayer as we anticipate acceptance into NCCAA and strive to fully embrace the opportunities that membership would provide.
