Whether on the hardwoods, the ice, or the track, the Life College Running Eagles have had a memorable year on the athletic front, winning national championships in basketball, ice hockey, and track and field.
On the Court
Life's basketball team finished the regular season as the top-ranked Div. I team of the National Assoc. of Intercollegate Athletics (NAIA), and went into NAIA National Championship tournament at Maybee Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma as the top seed.
In the first round of the NAIA tournament, Life stomped Huston-Tilloston, Texas 107-68; Brigham Young-Hawaii fell to Life 81-65 in the second round; the quarterfinal contest saw Life pulling out a tight victory over Birmingham-Southern, 66-64; Life breezed through semifinal action, defeating Cumberland by 17 points, setting the stage for a final showdown with Oklahoma Baptist.
In the first half, Life had a 13-2 scoring run to take a 42-28 lead with 5 minutes remaining, but Oklahoma Baptist countered by scoring the final 8 points of the half to pull to 42-36.
In the second half, Oklahoma Baptist evened the score at 50-50, but Life responded with 7 of the next 9 points to go up 57-52 with 9:37 remaining. The Running Eagles kept the pressure on to lead 66-58 with only 2:27 remaining. A brief rally from Oklahoma was thwarted, and Life went on to a 73-64 victory.
While the life hoopsters shot only 33 percent from the field, they had a huge rebounding edge (51-27) and forced Oklahoma into 24 turnovers.
"It has not sunk in yet," commented senior guard Curtis Carrington, who led all scorers with 18 points, and had a team high 8 rebounds.
Also in double figures for Life were junior guard Anthony Maxwell (16 points), and senior guard Don Smiley (15 points and four steals).
"This is a tremendous victory for our school," said Life head coach Roger Kaiser, who was named NAIA Division I Men's Basketball "Coach of the Year." For Coach Kaiser, this was his second NAIA title, having previously lead West Georgia College to the title in 1974.
The Running Eagles' championship season ended with a 28-game winning streak, and a 37-1 record, both school records.
On the Ice
Life's ice hockey team, runner-up in last year's American College Hockey Association Div. II National Championship, entered this year's competition as the number one seed in the Southeast.
Justifying that seeding, the Life Eagles were a juggernaut, whipping Central Michigan University 9-2; battling Wagner College to a 7-4 victory; and dominating the University of Southern California 9-1.
In the semifinal round, Life faced what appeared to be a tough match-up in Michigan State, but took no prisoners in a 12-0 rout.
Standing between Life and a national championship was Penn State. The Life Eagles, clearly showing they weren't intimidated by anyone in the tournament, soundly defeated Penn State 8-2.
Life goalkeeper Bryan Musa was named the tournament's most valuable player. Musa, along with teammate Ryan Darcy, were named to the all-tournament team. Life defenseman Scott Lynch made the second team all-tournament.
Life finished the hockey season with a 19-3-2 record.
Life Claims First NAIA Track and Field Championships
At the NAIA National Track and Field Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska, the men's team of Life College outscored California Baptist College by seven points to capture top honors and win its first national collegiate track title.
Life had four national champions:
Life will host the 1997 NAIA Outdoor National Championships, May 21-23 at Life College Stadium.
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