The Hastings College Bronco men's basketball team will go up against the Cardinal Stritch University Wolves in the first round of the NAIA National Tournament on March 11. The tournament runs March 10-16 in Point Lookout, Mo.
The Wolves are part of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference and have an overall record of 27-5. They are ranked No. 11 out of 32 national-qualifying teams.
The Broncos are one of three GPAC teams to qualify for the NAIA National Tournament. They join Dakota Wesleyan and University of Sioux Falls.
Head coach Lance Creech's expectations at nationals are simple.
"I hope we're happy to be there, and I hope we have the intentions to win some games and stay [in Missouri] for as long as we can," Creech said.
The GPAC announced post season awards yesterday. Four Broncos gained all-conference status.
Senior Jeremiah Slough was first team and co-defensive player of the year for the second consecutive season. This season, Slough also set the conference and school record for highest number of points in one game with 61 points against Midland Lutheran.
Senior Waid Vontz was also awarded first team status, an improvement from his second team selection for the 2009 season. He is the Broncos' leading scorer and the second leading scorer in the GPAC. He averaged 18.8 points per game.
Senior Kyle Dossett and junior Derek Fletcher were each named honorable mention. This is the first season either player gained a spot on the all-conference team.
Creech was voted GPAC Coach of the Year. This is Creech's eighth season as head coach.
Creech said the fact that the team is getting back to the national tournament for the first time since the '95-'96 season is the teams biggest accomplishment of the season. The Broncos' overall record was 23-8. They went 13-5 in conference games.
"I was really pleased to see how we fought through adversity early on. We played at a high level and had the opportunity to win every game," Creech said.
Read about the Women's journey to the NAIA National Tournament here.
