The University of Saint Francis men's basketball team provided a fitting end to a nationally successful basketball season for the Mid-Central College Conference by winning the NAIA Division II National Championship over Walsh (Ohio) University, 67-66, in Point Lookout, Mo., on Tuesday.

Along with the title crown, the Cougars were rewarded with the NAIA Men's Basketball Coach of the Year in Jeff Rekeweg, the NAIA National Tournament Most Outstanding Player in junior DeJovaun Sawyer-Davis, the NAIA Hustle Award winner in junior Ferdinand Morales-Soto and three all-tournament team members in Sawyer-Davis, Qadr Owens and Matt Edmonds.

 

Goshen (Ind.) College, Grace (Ind.) College and the four national tournament qualifiers contributed six NAIA All-Americans, including three First Team members (Zach Coverstone, Indiana Wesleyan; Errick McCollum II, Goshen; Sawyer-Davis), one Third Team member (Ryne Lightfoot, Bethel) and two Honorable Mentions (D.J. Baisden, Spring Arbor; David Swanson, Grace).

Approximately 495 miles north of Point Lookout, Mo., in Sioux City, Iowa, four MCC women's basketball teams added to the national impact of the league at the State Farm-NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship.

Led by Indiana Wesleyan's second final four appearance in four years, the MCC was also represented by Saint Francis, Huntington (Ind.) and Taylor (Ind.).

Recognized on the All-Tournament First Team, Elaine Hessel (IWU) was also named an NAIA First Team All-American, pacing five MCC athletes on the All-America lists. Bessie Jenkins (Saint Francis) earned Second Team honors while Mandy Yoder (Bethel), Kayla Thompson (Indiana Wesleyan) and Courtney Beerbower (Huntington) were selected as Honorable Mention All-Americans.

The tournament success was not necessarily an anomaly for the 2009-10 season, as the Saint Francis men may have just provided a grand finale to a highly successful regular season in the MCC. Over the course of the year, 13 of the 18 men's and women's basketball programs were ranked or received votes in the NAIA Top 25 at one point and six of them reached the Top 10.

From Jan. 5 - Feb. 23 five different league players were recognized by the NAIA as National Players of the Week - Zach Coverstone (IWU), Ryne Lightfoot (Bethel), Errick McCollum II (Goshen), Rachel Kenney (Marian) and Bessie Jenkins (Saint Francis).

On Nov. 3, Goshen's McCollum topped the 2,000 career points plateau on his way to breaking the school's scoring record just over a month later. Little did anyone know the milestone would foreshadow a wave of individual accomplishments.

Bethel's Ryne Lightfoot joined McCollum over the 2,000 point barrier while 11 other male and female ballers topped 1,000 career points. Indiana Wesleyan's Zach Coverstone reached four digits in the rebounding column, adding to his mantle that carries every IWU blocked shot record (game, single season and career).

It's no surprise these individuals posted outstanding careers and seasons as they are led by some of the country's top coaches and a part of some of the top NAIA programs. In the fall the NAIA national office released a list of the nation's winningest NAIA programs of all time which included the Taylor men (10^th), Huntington men (23^rd), Bethel men (24^th) and Taylor women (19^th).

Some of the NAIA's winningest active coaches also head up these elite programs according to a list compiled and released by the NAIA last October, including Paul Patterson, Taylor (6^th); Mike Lightfoot, Bethel (10^th); Jim Kessler, Grace (11^th); and John Grimes, Marian (15^th).

Adding to their lists of accomplishments, Patterson coached in his 1,000^th career game at Taylor on Dec. 22 and Kessler recorded his 600^th career victory. Women's head coaches Tena Krause of Taylor (400) and Jody Martinez of Bethel (300) and Spring Arbor's men's coach, Ryan Cottingham (200), also topped individual milestones.

The league made noise off the court as well with 16 student athletes earning Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete recognition. Nominated by each institution's head coach, students must maintain a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and achieve junior academic status to qualify.

Giving back to the community, each school was involved in various service projects throughout the winter, most notably the 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer "Suits and Sneakers" weekend on Jan. 30.

In case you were counting that was 16 NAIA Scholar-Athletes, 13 Top 25-worthy teams, 11 NAIA All-Americans, 8 national tournament qualifiers, 5 sweet sixteen squads, 3 elite eight participants, 2 final four teams, an NAIA National Championship and one heck of a league.