Will Perkins
Sports Editor

Since the return of sports to The W in 2016, the university has placed several teams in championship tournaments and already brought back one national trophy.

This semester continued that success, as both the men’s and women’s soccer and cross country teams participated in the United States College Athletic Association championship tournaments. The women’s soccer team was a No. 3 seed in the Division 1 tournament, and the men’s team was a No. 6 seed.

With the men’s soccer team getting its first-ever playoff bid, the Owls seem to be continuing their tradition of winning. The team went on a four-game winning streak. While the team was knocked out in the second game of the playoffs, the fact that it got there in so few seasons shows the hunger of this team. Going from an overall record of 5-10-1 last season to 7-8-4 with a playoff bid this season is a great step up for this program.

The women’s team finished the season with a record of 10-7-1 which is a great winning record from a young program. This team was also knocked out of the playoffs in the second round.

This semester also marked a few new sports coming to The W. One of those is the men’s and women’s cross-country teams that were successful enough to be the first cross-country MUW teams to compete in the USCAA Division National Championship. While they competed well, they did not end up winning this year. Coach Morgan Turnipseed is very pleased with his teams, both for their competitiveness and for their team bonding.

“The bus ride home they were saying this felt like a family, and were also planning for the next season,” said Coach Turnipseed.

With the announcement in spring that the university has been accepted as a provisional member of the NCAA Division III, The W seems to be moving forward both in competitiveness and in its commitment to athletic success.