The Master’s University basketball and track and field teams fought for a championship over the weekend, where some emerged victorious and others did not.

First up, the Lady Mustangs (25-6, 9-5) took down #1 Vanguard University (20-5, 12-2)  in the Golden State Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship with a score of 68-65 to ultimately win the title on Saturday. 

TMU came into the tournament ranked third and went on to beat #6 Hope International University (75-61) in the quarterfinals and #2 Menlo College (61-60) in the semifinals. 

Although the Mustangs closed out the third quarter trailing behind the Lions (52-44), the Mustangs did not let them roam free.

Senior Belle Hernandez and junior Marin Lenz made all the difference during the fourth quarter with 10 points and nine points, respectively. 

It was freshman Nicole Chuang who led the Mustangs with 19 points followed by Hernandez with 17 and Lenz with 15. 

“This group is so resilient and selfless and somehow found a way again when the chips were down to fight their way back and finish it.” said head coach Lisa Zamroz. 

Thanks to this win, the Lady Mustangs automatically qualified for the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship Tournament. 

More information about the opening rounds will be revealed on Thursday at 5 p.m. via YouTube. 

While the women’s team battled it out against Vanguard, the men’s team confronted Arizona Christian University in their championship match. 

The Firestorms stole the title by just one point to end the match 95-96. 

Although it was a loss for the Mustangs, the match was heated from tip-off to the final buzzer. 

Both TMU (22-8, 10-4) and ACU (23-7, 10-4) entered the tournament as the No. 1 seeds after tying for first during conference play. 

Junior Ty Harper racked up 37 points and GSAC Co-Player of the Year, Kaleb Lowery, followed with 21. 

The first half was in the Mustangs’ favor, which they closed out with a buzzer-beater from Jaren Nafarette to make the score 51-44. 

With four and a half minutes left in the game, ACU caught the lead to go up 87-81.

TMU responded with a 3-pointer by Harper and free throws by Deon Earley to make the score 91-89 with the Mustangs pulling ahead. 

The Firestorms tied the score yet again at 91-91. 

Not ready to give up victory yet, Kamrin Oriol made a layup with 28 seconds left. 

Unfortunately for the Mustangs, ACU’s Dennis Flowers III made his shot and was fouled in the process. 

He made his free throw and TMU was unable to make the final shot to win the championship. 

“It was heartbreaking to lose that game … that final shot could have bounced just a little differently and it would have been us celebrating on the court,” said TMU Men’s Basketball Head Coach Kelvin Starr. 

There’s still hope, however — the NAIA will announce the teams that qualify for the national championship tournament on Thursday via YouTube at 4 p.m.

Two more teams emerged from the weekend with victories with the addition of 11 All-Americans — men’s and women’s track and field. 

Both teams competed in the NAIA Indoor National Championships in Brookings, South Dakota from Feb. 29 to March 2. 

After finishing fifth in the 5000m, Brint Laubach of the men’s team claimed his fourth All-American award. 

Zach Garey earned his second All-American with a time of 2:26.02 in the 1000m. 

Garey was also part of the distance medley relay (DMR) with Jayk Kelton, Domenic Ghiorso, and Jack Anderson who placed fifth to earn yet another All-American award. 

For pole vaulting, Caleb Pouliot finished third with a jump of 4.95m. 

As for the women, they tied for sixth place in the team competition. 

Hannah Fredericks claimed victory in the women’s 3000m with a time of 10:08.21 and also propelled the Mustangs during the DMR to set an NAIA Championship record (11:38.20). 

Rebekah Niednagel, Emma Nelson, Suzie Johnson, and Ellen Palmgren were also named All-Americans after placing second in the 4x800m relay. 

TMU is scheduled to begin its outdoor season at the Occidental Distance Carnival and Spring Break Classic this Saturday. 

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