For much of the regular season, the women’s basketball team has preached the importance of winning a championship. That vision became a reality on Saturday, March 7 against conference rivals Bethel University. Not only did the victory crown the Pack conference champions, but the victory was earned against a team that they suffered two of their three regular season losses. Head Coach Kellie Kennedy continued to praise the effort of the team, especially the seniors.

“I’m so proud and happy for our senior class. They have been talking about winning a championship for a long time. It’s really what this team has had their sights set on all year,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy also did not ignore the significance of gaining the championship from conference rivals Bethel University. Coming into the conference tournament the Wildcats were undefeated in conference play before falling to Loyola 81-59.

“It was fun and very satisfying. We just never put together a complete game against them. We were finally able to put together a complete game in the championship. It was the right team at the right time,” Kennedy said.

Now the team is gearing up for the national tournament, which takes place on March 18 in Independence, Missouri. The most important thing that Kennedy is stressing to her team now is rest.

“It’s a long tournament, and I want our team to have good legs going into it. We want to focus on having short but intense practices. We have to continue to shoot the ball well and rebound in order for us to be successful.”