CMC75 Landmark Years (2018): CMS Finishes Third in Learfield Cup Behind The Year of the Athena
As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments and landmark years from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you would like to add to the memories of one of these moments, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moment, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.
Great Moments Featured in This Story
2017 Volleyball: CMS 3, Wittenberg 0 (National Championship)
2018 Women's Tennis: CMS 5, Emory 4 (National Championship)
2018 Women's Golf: Athenas Beat Williams in Playoff for National Championship
2018 Women's T&F: Athenas Earn Three National Championships, Finish Fourth
2018 Softball: CMS Wins SCIAC Title as Fourth Seed
When the 2017-18 academic year began, the Athena half of the CMS athletic department was looking for its first team national title.
By the time the year ended, it had three.
The women's track and field team, meanwhile, had won three individual national title in its history, but after the 2018 NCAA Championships, that number doubled to six, and the program had its highest-finish ever (fourth).
It truly was The Year of the Athena, and it helped CMS to a third-place finish in the standings for the Learfield Cup, which measures athletic success across the board. It's the highest finish in department history.
The year began with CMS Volleyball taking home the first women's national title in CMS history in the fall, defeating Wittenberg 3-0 in the championship match. In the spring, women's golf won a thrilling national championship on the second playoff hole, which was followed one week later by women's tennis winning the national title at home at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center.
The Athena teams all lifted each other up and supported one another, which was pretty easy in some cases. First-year volleyball player Melanie Moore and first-year tennis player Caroline Cox were roommates, and although Cox's title came after school had ended and students were home for the summer, they both got to share in each other's successes.
"Melanie and I lived together both freshman and sophomore year and we both won team titles freshman year. Mel had gone home for the summer, but we got to watch each other during our regular seasons in person and then the championships online! I always enjoyed watching CMS sports regardless of my personal relationships with the specific team members but being close with Mel and knowing how sweet the other volleyball players were that she brought around made watching their games even more fun because I felt more invested in their success."
That feeling was felt by the players, even though the championship was held in Michigan.
"My favorite part of the whole experience, beyond the actual match and winning the physical title, was the sense of community that encompassed the entire experience," said Moore. "During regionals, leading up to nationals, I could feel the CMS community's whole buzz supporting and rooting for us every step of the way. From texts from my friends and family to emails from my teachers to even mass viewing events on campus, I felt like the joy of the journey was shared not just with myself and the team, but it was a communal experience. When I think back on winning the championship, I do not remember the game itself, but I remember my team, my family, and the community that supported us every step of the way."
The volleyball championship also came at the end of an exhausting run for the Athenas, which lost the first set in each of their first four NCAA Tournament wins before rallying back each time. They put it all together in the Wittenberg match, though, for their only 3-0 sweep of the postseason.
"That whole tournament run was amazing," said Matt Fenton, who served as the CMS sports information director that year and got to cover three national championships. "That team was just flat out good. Margaux Arntson was amazing all season, but she took her game to a whole different level in the Championship. She hit over .500 in a National Championship game, absolutely amazing to watch! It was just a blast to be able to sit on the court and capture the moments of the first of three Athenas' Championships in the same year. It was something I'll never forget."
The entire journey was challenging, especially since the Athenas started out the year 9-5 and maybe felt the pressure of living up to their own expectations, and then they had to repeatedly come back during the playoffs.
"I'm so proud," said senior Jenny Smith of that NCAA Tournament run. "I can't begin to describe the physical, mental, and emotional hardships everyone on the team overcame. We truly fought for one another and I am so proud of what we were able to accomplish together. It also meant a lot to me that we were the first all-women team to earn a national title. We set a new standard of excellence and established a legacy that will positively impact the CMS program for years to come."
It didn't take long for that impact to show, as the spring season saw the trophies keep coming in. First up was women's golf, which played four rounds in four days, only to end up tied with Williams. The first playoff hole didn't decide things, and on the second playoff hole, senior Margaret Loncki, who had already become the first Athena to win the individual national championship, sank a pressure-packed 15-foot putt to put CMS on the cusp of a team title as well.
"Besides watching professional sports, that putt was definitely the most amazing thing I had ever witnessed," said Emily Attiyeh, a freshman on that team. "Although, she had been hitting clutch shots like that all season and I think it was incredible just to bear witness of her golf those few months."
It still wasn't over yet, as Loncki's Williams counterpart, who forced the second playoff hole with a clutch putt of her own, had a 10-footer of her own to try to match, but her putt stayed on the lip, giving CMS the title by less than the width of a golf ball.
"That moment included overwhelmed nervousness that wouldn't let my hands stop shaking, grit and confidence in my team to get the job done, and joy to the point of tears," said Emma Kang, a sophomore on that team. "There were so many emotions leading up to the last moments of the 2018 NCAA National Championship. Each shot and every putt from both CMS and Williams made our team shake with nervousness. But when Marge sank the final putt, our entire team began shaking with relief, joy and excitement. We had done it."
Once again, the championship was far away (Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida), but the excitement resonated with their fellow Athenas back home.
"I remember my team kept checking in with Matt for updates on their tournament during our own because they were in a tight matchup with Williams," said Cox. "We were all super happy for them too and it gave us even more motivation to get another win for the women's side of the program."
The tennis Athenas accomplished that goal on their own home courts, winning a pair of difficult matches over Williams in the semifinals and Emory in the finals, the two programs that had combined to win 16 of the previous 17 national championships. Rebecca Berger's clinching win at No. 5 singles resulted in an emotional dogpile that still brings goosebumps to those close to the program.
"That moment when we won was so special because we all knew that we had put everything we had into that season and match," said Lindsay Brown, a senior on the Athenas that year. "So many players contributed to the match on and off the court and the atmosphere was amazing since we were playing at our home courts and so many CMS alumni, parents, students, and faculty came to support us. We truly had one of the most passionate and hard-working teams that year, and I can't imagine achieving this goal with anyone else."
And although Melanie Moore, and just about all of their other close friends, had to follow the championship from afar, once again a national championship CMS team felt the support of the community.
"We were all kinda disappointed the school year ended before NCAAs so most of our non-tennis friends had left campus," said Cox. "But we had so many faculty members, Claremont residents, and other people connected to CMS that most of us had never met who came out to cheer us on. That support we received from people who had no obligation to come watch was incredible and I still really appreciate it."
"We knew early on it was a special team," said Fenton. "Seeing them win the national championship on their home court, defying a lot of odds and on consecutive days and beating the two teams along the way that had been there 16 of the last 17 years to win the national title was awesome. It was special and everyone was there from the department who worked so hard to support CMS throughout the year."
The year wasn't quite over yet, though, as women's track and field competed at the NCAA Championships just two days after women's tennis held up the trophy. The list of national champions in program history included Gwynn Hardesty (1985), Jennifer Culley (1998) and Tyra Abraham (2016), but the Athenas added three more individual titles to its all-time list. Abraham won the 100 meters again, but this time was joined by teammates Emily Bassett in the hammer throw and Bryn McKillop in the 5000 meters.
As a result, the Athenas finished fourth in the team competition, earning an NCAA trophy (given to the top four finishers) for the first time.
"Watching Emily and Bryn also win national championships was surreal and exciting," said Abraham. "It happened so quickly! We all won our races within a few hours of each other toward the end of the three-day championship. I vividly remember standing on top of the podium with my coaches and teammates and holding up the fourth place team trophy with Bryn and Emily. All of our hard work had paid off and it was very much the rewarding ending I was seeking."
McKillop also enjoyed being able to share the moment, both with her fellow champions and the community back home.
"It was great to share the nationals trips with Tyra and Emily, who are both very down-to-earth but still competitive people," said McKillop. "Sharing the experience of just having graduated but still looking to cap off a college experience with big wins was really special. I felt like we all were in the same head space. I still felt like I was sharing the nationals experience with the entire CMS team and alumni community though. Looking at my phone after my race and seeing 50 texts from teammates past and present is not something I will soon forget!"
The national championships were the highlights of the 2017-18 academic year, but the Athenas had others as well. Women's Cross Country captured the SCIAC title (its eighth in a row), won the NCAA Regionals and finished 12th at the NCAA Championships, as McKillop was the runner-up, just missing on national championships in both seasons. Women's Swimming and Diving was 19th at the NCAA Championships to pick up some more points in the Learfield Cup standings, with 11 student-athletes qualifying.
In the spring, softball was the fourth seed in the SCIAC Tournament, but used the dominant pitching of Anna Gurr (3-0, 0.00 ERA) and a timely homer from Maddie Valdez in a 2-1 win over Pomona-Pitzer to win the title and add more points to the CMS Learfield Cup standings. Women's Lacrosse rolled to its second of three straight perfect SCIAC seasons, earning an NCAA bid, and taking one of the seven conference championships that Athenas won out of their 11 sports (women's basketball also had a regular season SCIAC title, making it eight teams that won either a regular season or postseason championship).
The Stags also helped get CMS to its highest-ever Learfield Cup finish, as men's tennis was fifth, men's golf was ninth, men's basketball won its opening NCAA game to finish 17th, and men's swimming and diving was 25th.
But over 75 percent of the total Learfield Cup points came from the Athenas. It was their year, after all.