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Cumberland athletics 2021-22

4 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Entering the 2021-22 academic year, Cumberland University Athletics had five individual national titles in the history books. This season, Cumberland Athletics nearly doubled that number with four NAIA National titles in just one season: Cole Smith, Praise Idamadudu, Sibanda Dumoluhle, and Jaylen Taylor.

Cole Smith

Cole Smith became the fifth NAIA National Champion in the wrestling program’s history. He is the first under head coach James Hicks. Smith ran the table this season going a perfect 29-0 to win the 165 pound weight class. He had an improbable come from behind victory in the finals defeating No. 3 Marty Margolis via the pinfall. He joins Keith Cupp, Corey Bleaken, and Jake Williams as Cumberland National Champions. Smith was also named the Deno White Mid-South Conference Wrestler of the Year.

Praise Idamadudu

Praise Idamadudu won the first individual national championship in Women’s Track & Field history. Idamadudu was phenomenal all season earning four NAIA All-American honors during her freshman campaign. She was named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association South Region Track Athlete of the Year. During the Indoor Season she was the National Runner-Up in the 200m and 400m and was the National Runner-Up in the 200m at the Outdoor Championships before bringing home the first title for the women’s program in the 400m.

Sibanda Dumoluhle

Sibanda Dumoluhle was the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Triple Jump Champion winning with a mark of 15.45m. He is the second National Champion in the men’s programs history joining Charles Shimukowa. Dumoluhle was a two-time All-American this season finishing third in the indoor triple jump. He was named the Mid-South Conference Men’s Track Athlete of the Year during the Indoor season.

Jaylen Taylor

In the first season of competition for Cumberland eSports, Jaylen Taylor brought home a national championship in the NECC Madden National Title on the PlayStation. Taylor entered the National Tournament as the No. 2 seed and ran the table to bring home the first national championship in the inaugural season for eSports. Taylor also stars on the football team as a wide receiver.

LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Standings

Best finish in school-history finishing 19th in the NAIA

Cumberland Athletics finished 19th in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Standings, the highest-finish ever for CU Athletics. Points are awarded based on where each team finishes in their respective National Tournament. The Phoenix teams totaled 515.00 points throughout the 2021-22 season. The spring sports combined for 214.75 points while the winter sports totaled 218.25. The fall sports chipped in 82.00 points.

CU Athletics finishes 4th in the Mid-South Conference President's Cup

The points are awarded based on the final regular-season standings for each conference-sanctioned sport. The Phoenix finished in third place in the Men's All-Sports Trophy with 60 points and finished in seventh place in the Women's All-Sports list.

Women's Golf

Women's golf won the Mid-South Conference Tournament Championship in a dramatic play-off fashion. The women's team rode that momentum to a 10th place finish in the NAIA National Championships. Their second-best finish in program history. Sophomores Emma Hermansson and Nathalie Nutu garnered NAIA Third Team All-American honors while Anna Krieger was named the Mid-South Conference Freshman of the Year. The team finished the season ranked No. 10 via the GolfStat rankings, the highest the program has finished in history.

Esports

The Phoenix esports team kicked off their inaugural season this year. Taylor claimed the program's first national title while the Rocket League team won the NECC Conference Championship. The team placed four members on First Team All-Conference and two on Second Team. Dominic Rodriguez was First Team in both Rocket League and Overwatch. Chris Crenshaw and Logan Wilson were also First Team selections in Overwatch while Ian Boister and Sam Bates were Second Team in Rocket League.

Men's Golf

Cumberland Men's Golf claimed the Mid-South Conference Regular Season Championship. This is the second regular season conference title for the men's program in a row. Last season, the Phoenix earned a share of the title. Isaac Walker was a First Team All-Mid-South Conference selection while Tomi Acotto, Domino Mollesand, Will Samuelsson, and Adrian Steeger were each Second Team selections.

Tyra Johnson

Johnson was named the Mid-South Conference Player of the Year and a Second Team NAIA All-American. Johnson had a special season becoming just the second player in school history to score 500 points in a season. Johnson led the conference in scoring and three-point field goals made, 35th and 28th best nationally. She averaged 17.5 points per game shooting 37.8% from the field and 32.3% behind the arc.

Nolan Machibroda

Machibroda earned NAIA First Team All-American honors and Mid-South Conference Player of the Year accolades after posting one of the best offensive seasons in school history. Machibroda hit .460 with 17 home runs and 83 RBI, each rank him on the all-time list for Cumberland hitters. He was the 70th player in program history to earn All-America honors and the 11th to earn Conference Player of the Year.

Women's Soccer

Cumberland ended the season with a 14-5-1 record and making their third-straight appearance to the NAIA National Tournament and seventh in program history. The Phoenix had one of best offense's in the nation scoring 71 goals in 20 matches for 13th most in the NAIA and finished with the fourth-most assists in the country with 76. Marie Bathe was named an NAIA All-American Honorable Mention and First Team All-Conference selection. Freshman defender Grace Morris was named Mid-South Conference Defensive Player of the Year for her efforts in anchoring the Cumberland defense. Alongside her was First Team All-Mid-South Conference member Becca Campbell. The duo along with the defensive units for CU notched seven shutouts.

Men's Soccer

Cumberland men's soccer made their third NAIA National Tournament Appearance this season. The team finished 13-5-1 and third place in the Mid-South Conference. Senior Captain Tyler Watson was a Third Team All-American and Cumberland's prestigious Lindsey Donnell Award winner. Martin Walsh and Edvin Grevskott were Second Team All-Conference selections and Brandon Gonzalez and Retsin Kabambala were Honorable Mentions. The Phoenix were ranked as high as No. 20 in the NAIA Top-25 Polls.

Wrestling

Cumberland wrestling had another spectacular year finishing eighth in the NAIA. Cole Smith won the fifth NAIA National Championship for the wrestling program. Carter Cox, Anthony Maia, and Keshawn Laws each finished with All-American honors. Cox, Laws, and Smith each were Mid-South Conference Champions this season winning their respective weight class at the Conference Championships.

Men's Basketball

Cumberland men's basketball produced their first 20+ win season in over 10 years while making their fourth appearance to the NAIA National Tournament. The Phoenix picked up their first win in the tournament since 2004 before losing to eventual National Runner-Up Talladega. Tavon King became the 10th Men's Basketball All-American in school history while also earning First Team All-Conference honors. Isaac Stephens was a First Team All-Mid-South selection as well. TJ Stargell became the all-time assists leader in program history and also earned Mid-South Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Aaron Ridley earned Second Team All-Conference honors.

Women's Track & Field

The women's track and field program had their best season since the program started in 2017. Praise Idamadudu captured the first individual title in program history while leading the Phoenix to a 10th place finish at the Outdoor National Championships. The squad had five All-Americans this season as Daveina Watson earned her first of her career with a sixth-place finish in the shot put.

Men's Tennis

The men's tennis team had a great season finishing 14-9 and making their sixth all-time appearance to the NAIA National Tournament. The Phoenix were ranked as high as No. 16 in the NAIA Top-25 polls. Daniel Wessels was named the Mid-South Conference Freshman of the Year. Adrijan Hrzic and Wessels were First Team All-Conference selections and German Suarez and Jackson Vaughan were Second Team. 

Men's Track & Field

The men's track and field program had their most successful year to date. The team had their highest finish in program history at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships finishing 13th overall. The team posted six NAIA All-Americans, the most they ever have had. Dumoluhle won the second Individual National Title in school-history. Geogret Pontillo was a two-time All-American this season in the 800m at both the Indoor and Outdoor season. Pontillo was the National Runner-Up in the Indoor 800m. Tobi Oniyide was an Outdoor All-American finishing in eighth in the 100m dash. Jaylen Poole finished in fourth in the triple jump for his second All-America honors of his career.

Women's Volleyball

Cumberland women's volleyball had their most successful season since 1997 totaling 29 wins. The Phoenix made a run in the Mid-South Conference Championships to the semifinals before falling to tournament champions Life University. The team finished the season ranked inside the Top-10 in nine statistical categories including first in the NAIA in service aces, fifth in assists, and seventh in both kills and digs.

Men's Volleyball

Cumberland men's volleyball had their best season since the start of the program finishing with a 21-16 record. This was the program's first winning season and first season with 20+ wins. Caleb Ginnings earned Mid-South Conference Defensive Player of the Year while finishing second in the NAIA in digs. Jordan Pierce was named Second Team All-Mid-South finishing seventh nationally in assists. The Phoenix finished the season Top-5 in 10 statistical categories in the NAIA.

24 NAIA All-Americans

Cumberland Athletics posted the most NAIA All-Americans in one academic season this year with an honor of 24 this season. The previously record was in the 2013-14 season with 16.

  • Jace Capps, Football
  • Tyler Watson, Men's Soccer
  • Marie Bathe ,Women's Soccer
  • Carter Cox, Wrestling
  • Anthony Maia, Wrestling
  • Keshawn Laws, Wrestling
  • Cole Smith, Wrestling
  • Tavon King, Men's Basketball
  • Tyra Johnson, Women's Basketball
  • Praise Idamadudu, Women's Indoor Track & Field (200m)
  • Praise Idamadudu, Women's Indoor Track & Field (400m)
  • Sibanda Dumoluhle, Men's Indoor Track & Field (Triple Jump)
  • Georget Pontillo, Men's Indoor Track & Field (800m)
  • Emma Hermansson, Women's Golf
  • Nathalie Nutu, Women's Golf
  • Daveina Watson, Women's Outdoor Track & Field (Shot Put)
  • Praise Idamadudu, Women's Outdoor Track & Field (200m)
  • Praise Idamadudu, Women's Outdoor Track & Field (400m)
  • Sibanda Dumoluhle, Men's Outdoor Track & Field (Triple Jump)
  • Jaylen Poole, Men's Outdoor Tack & Field (Triple Jump)
  • Georget Pontillo, Men's Outdoor Track & Field (800m)
  • Tobi Oniyide, Men's Outdoor Track & Field (100m)
  • Nolan Machibroda, Baseball
  • Jessica Hernandez, Women's Tennis

62 Mid-South Conference Players of the Week

6 NAIA National Players of the Week

Student-Athletes record 3.144 GPA

562 Cumberland athletes combined for a 3.144 cumulative GPA, which includes 78 student-athletes achieve perfect 4.0 marks for the 2021-22 academic year. An astounding 228 student-athletes accomplished a 3.5 or better GPA and 350 achieved at least a 3.0 or better.

17 athletic teams combined to have a 3.0 or greater GPA. Cumberland men's tennis led the way with the highest-team GPA at 3.646. Women's cross country finished with the second-highest at 3.612 and women's tennis was third at 3.540.

Community Service

Each season, Cumberland Athletics prides itself on giving back to the campus and community. This year was no different with each team working on several community service projects throughout the year counting for over a thousand hours all together. The men's and women's tennis teams earned the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's East Region Community Service Award for their efforts throughout the year to give back.

Thank you to all of our amazing student-athletes, coaches, faculty, and staff that made this year special!

Go Phoenix!