Bearcats Unleashed
Softball’s Lauren Harris Crowned 2024 NFCA NCAA DII National Player of the Year
McKendree University softball sophomore shortstop Lauren Harris earned yet another historic crown for the Bearcats on Memorial Day. She was named the 2024 TUCCI/NFCA NCAA Division II National Player of the Year, making it her fourth Player of the Year honor of this year.
Lauren is the first sophomore to garner the award while also becoming McKendree’s first DII-era National Player of the Year and its first multi-time All-American honoree with her First Team nod this May. A native of Woodlawn, Ill., Lauren collected numerous laurels following the 2024 campaign, which includes D2CCA Player of the Year, D2CCA First Team All-American, D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year, D2CCA Midwest First Team All-Region, NFCA First Team All-Region, GLVC Player of the Year, and unanimous First Team All-GLVC.
Lauren helped the Bearcats to their first postseason wins since 2021 and first 30-plus win season since 2018 as McKendree finished its season in the semifinal of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships on May 5. The Bearcats then went on a tear to fight back into title contention, winning three straight to reach the final day of the tournament. Lauren also claimed the DII batting title while smashing multiple program records on the campaign.
Men’s Swim and Dive Team Places 4th at DII NCAA Championship to Conclude Season
McKendree University’s men’s swim and dive team concluded their season with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Swim and Dive Championships with 313 points.
In three of the five races on March 16, McKendree placed in the top eight. First-year Christian Davidson placed 10th in the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 15:24.88. The Bearcats’ second podium finish came from senior Filipe Pinheiro who finished fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke, also breaking his own school record.
To close out the day, the Bearcats placed third in the 400 free relay with a time of 2:53.18. McKendree’s relay consisted of junior Alireza Yavari, sophomore Arthur Souza, sophomore Mario Perez Torrado, and first-year Tyson Upton. The swim team demolished records in the final race of day 3 as junior Patryk Rozenek, junior Jackson Lustig, Filipe, and Tyson swam in the 400-medley relay. The team broke the previous Division II record of 3:07.38 for the event with not only a DII record but also a school record of 3:07.11.
The Bearcats concluded the 2023-2024 season by finishing fourth overall at the Division II National Championship.
Christian Mejia Claims 125lb Crown
McKendree University men’s wrestling finished off its season at the NCAA Division II National Championships, earning fourth place with 73.0 team points while claiming one individual title with redshirt senior Christian Mejia at 125 while tallying four more All-Americans at the national tournament. The individual national title by Christian is the first by the Bearcats since 2021 while the fourth-place team finish is the highest finish since 2019.
McKendree brought eight wrestlers to the national tournament, all of whom tallied points toward the team finish while two wrestlers became three-time All-Americans, two notched first-time All-American status, and one earned his second All-American finish.
Now a three-time All-American, Christian finished off his collegiate career in style by winning not only the regional title but also earning the program’s first individual national title since 2021 when Ryan Vasbinder collected the title at 197 pounds. The redshirt senior started his tournament with an 8-1 decision over Manuel Leija of Davenport before taking the championship quarter-final over No. 6 Zachary Ourada (University of Nebraska-Kearney) in TB-1, 3-1.
The semifinal matched Christian up against a familiar foe in No. 2 Shane Corrigan of University of Wisconsin – Parkside, who Christian pinned at the 1:10 mark. He pushed through to the finals, where he got the first takedown, then rode and returned No. 4 Jaxson Rohman of Augustana to claim his 125lb National Championship. Christian tallied 12 falls, eight majors, and three technical falls this season while claiming the 125lb belt, led the team in majors, and was tied for the lead in falls.
Cameron Guerin Notches Fourth-Straight 130lb Crown
No. 4 McKendree University women’s wrestling finished out the collegiate season on March 9, taking fourth place at the 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships with six All-American finishers, including a fourth-straight individual national title for senior Cameron Guerin at 130 pounds. The Bearcats finished the championship tournament with 106.0 team points, scoring in eight weight classes and placing in five. McKendree now has 19 individual national championships in program history with Guerin’s 2024 crown, all of which have been won over the last six seasons.
Cameron, now a four-time reigning national champion at 130 pounds, sprinted to her 2024 belt via three wins by technical superiority before avenging her sole loss of the campaign in the final match of the collegiate season. She trounced her first three matches without allowing a point, 32-0, before topping the number-one seed in Maria Victoria Baez Dilone of King, 2-1. Cameron ended the year with a 19-1 record while totaling nine falls and six techs, five of which came during the NCWWC Regionals and Championships.
