By: Resty Gray

CSUSM Women’s Basketball team finishes the season under .500 but they take home their first A.I.I. Division 1 Championship title.

The Lady Cougars were allowed the opportunity to compete in the NAIA championship tournament, but lost in the first round against number 1 seed, Vanguard.

Heather Thompson and MacKenzie Harnett were named 2014 Daktronics-NAIA-Scholar-Athletes.

“They’re also great people, which is what the NAIA hones in on; balance and character. You’re talking about two kids that have great character and they have their priorities straight,” Coach Crystal Harris said.

Thompson was named A.I.I. player of the week earlier this year. According to CSUSM athletics, she was the first woman in CSUSM basketball’s history to be named NAIA All-American as an honorable mention.

“She deserves it; she’s a double-double every night,” Harris said. “It not only speaks with her ability to score or just rebound, it speaks about her entire game.”

Although CSUSM’s leading scorer Shirika Miller is graduating this semester, Coach Harris has high hopes for next season.

“We’re gonna get better every game, we’re gonna do better every season,” Harris said. “Through athletics and through basketball, we’re trying to mentor and teach them how to be successful, high functioning and intelligent people.”

With almost the entire team returning for another season, the sky’s the limit for CSUSM cougars.

The Women’s Basketball team finish their season 15-17, but leave their mark in their final games of the season.

“Winning this Division 1 Title helped put our name out there,” Coach Harris said.