2019 was a banner year for Lenoir-Rhyne Athletics. The Bears finished second in the Echols Cup, the best finish in program history. On top of that, 2019 gave us so many memorable experiences and tremendous team and individual performances.

Over the next few days, we will look back at the Top 10 stories from 2019. After unveiling stories 8-10 yesterday, today we bring you stories 5-7. 

#10 – Swimming breaks 26 records at Spartan Invite
One of the final memories of 2019 was the Bears dominating the Spartan Invite in late December. At the end of the four-day meet, the team would shatter 26 program records and 80 percent of the squad finished with personal bests. The team had 12 NCAA B cut swims including freshman Micah McRae finishing with the second-best time (3:50.86) in all of Division II in the 400 IM.

Following the meet, head coach Paul Schiffel would say, "We just finished one of the most outstanding meets in my 45 years of coaching."

#9 – Abbey Hartsell Playing in the NCAA Championships
Hartsell was one of six individuals from the South Region selected to compete in the 2019 NCAA Golf Championships. Hartsell tied for third overall at the South Atlantic Conference Tournament Championship and earned All-Conference accolades in each of her four years as a Bear.

Over her outstanding senior campaign, Hartsell racked up eight top 10 finishes. She would go on to finish in a tie for 26^th in the NCAA South Region Championship, beating three other individuals selected to play including the conference's Golfer of the Year.

#8 – Men's and Women's Tennis Finish Most Successful Seasons in Program History
Lenoir-Rhyne Tennis soared to new heights in 2019. On the men's side, the Bears finished the season with a program-best 18 wins and finished tied for second in the league. LR ranked No. 21 in the nation and beat Wingate who was ranked No. 5 in the nation. Six players were named All-Conference and Paul Lenz won the SAC Elite 20 Award.

The women also won a team-best 18 games and finished fourth in the league. The Bears were ranked as high as No. 35 in the nation and No. 7 in the region. LR had one nationally-ranked doubles pair and two all-conference players.

Each team earned the right to host a Conference Tournament match for the first time in program history.

#7 - Men's Basketball Beats Queens Twice/Advances to NCAA Tournament
Two of the most impressive wins in Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Basketball history came in the 2019 calendar year. On Jan. 30, the Bears traveled to Charlotte to take on the No. 6 Royals and handed Queens a 92-79 defeat. Proving it wasn't a fluke, the Bears knocked Queens out of the SAC Tournament on March 9 with the Royals ranked seventh in the nation. On top of the two wins over top-10 Queens, the Bears also defeated Lincoln Memorial making 2019 the first season with victories over both Queens and LMU since 2009. 

The Bears rode that momentum to the first SAC Tournament Championship appearance since 2005 and earned an at-large birth to the NCAA Tournament, marking the first appearance in the Big Dance since 2015-16. 

#6 Off the Field Excellence
On top of the on-the-field success, the Bears thrived off the field as well. In the calendar year, Lenoir-Rhyne accumulated three SAC Elite 20 winners and six academic All-Americans. Additionally, the Bears placed 195 student-athletes on the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll which was the third straight year of at least 188 student-athletes on the list. In the community, LR ranked No. 18 in all of Division II in community service hours with over 6,000 and 100 percent participation over the 22 sports. The student-athletes at Lenoir-Rhyne had 289 total opportunities, touching 82 different organizations in the Hickory community.

#5 Spirit Team Wins NCA National Championship
The Lenoir-Rhyne University Spirit Team placed first overall with its performance in the Division II Gameday division of the 2019 National Cheerleading Association (NCA) Championships to claim a National Championship. The Bears finished in second place in 2018 and completed the season-long goal of winning it all in 2019. The Bears sent cheerleading-only teams to past NCA Championships but this was their second year under Head Coach Christy Creson to perform as a group in the Gameday Division event.

According to Creson, "I knew when the Gameday Division was created, it was made for us! We thrive to create the best Gameday in D2 before there was a championship to win."

#4 Women's Track and Field Wins First SAC Championship in Program History
It was a historic season for the Lenoir-Rhyne Women's Outdoor Track and Field team in 2019. On April 20, the Bears won the first South Atlantic Conference Championship, beating Queens by 32.5 points and dominating the rest of the field. Autumn Drayton was named Field Athlete of the Meet as the Bears won six gold medals. Saidah Hardwick won two events, the 200 meter and 400 meter dashes, with times of 25.34 seconds and 56.19 seconds, respectively. Kylie Dahlberg claimed the 800 meter title with a run of 2:18.31. In the 400 meter hurdles, Jada Harrison crossed the line in a quick 1:04.40. Drayton won two gold medals in the field. In the shot put, she threw for a distance of 12.75 meters (41' 10"), while in the discus throw, Drayton tossed a new conference and championship meet record mark of 46.07 meters (151' 2").

#3 Women's Soccer Wins SAC Championship/Hosts NCAA Tournament
The women's soccer team was nothing short of amazing in 2019. The Bears ran out to a 9-0 start and never looked back. The Bears rose to as high as No. 8 in the national poll and clinched the seventh SAC regular season championship in program history with a 3-1 victory over Coker on Senior Night. Gary Higgins was the league's Coach of the Year and Aqsa Mushtaq was selected as the conference Offensive Player of the Year. Thanks to a strong regular season, Lenoir-Rhyne earned the No. 2 seed in the region and earned the right to host the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, the Bears came up short in the tournament with a loss to Wingate but finished the year with an impressive 15-4 mark. 

#2 Football's Successful 100th Season
The 100th season of LR football turned out to be one of the best in program history as the Bears started 13-0 for the only time in program history and advanced to a second straight NCAA Quarterfinal contest. The Bears won their second straight South Atlantic Conference title and the sixth in the decade. Overall, it was the 22nd conference championship in team history and the Bears advanced to the NCAA Playoffs for the fifth time. With wins over Miles and Carson-Newman, the Bears went to a second-straight (and third overall) regional final before losing to eventual national champion West Florida. It marked the second straight season that LR lost to the team who would go on to win a national title. The individual honors were plentiful, led by Kyle Dugger capturing the prestigious Cliff Harris Award and Jaquan Artis being named the D2CCA National Defensive Player of the Year. One of the biggest highlights of the year came when the Bears topped rival Wingate in the NCAA Division II National Showcase Game broadcast by ESPN3. 

#1 Neill McGeachy Sports Performance Center Opens
In just one year, the Neill McGeachy Sports Performance Center was unveiled, fundraised and built, a major feather in the cap for LR Athletics. The $3-million dollar state-of-the-art facility is a 14,000 square-foot facility was named for McGeachy '65, former director of intercollegiate athletics and executive director of the Bears Club, who died in 2018. The sports performance center features a weight room, nutrition bar and indoor turf training area, dedicated team meeting rooms, additional coaches' offices, and an enclosed pavilion and outdoor courtyard for Bears Club hospitality and engagement space. The facility supports student-athletes in all 22 intercollegiate sports in both sports performance and personal development. Officially opened in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 7, current and former Bears alike have been using the McGeachy Center for over three months. 

SEE THE MCGEACHY CENTER:
VIRTUAL TOUR (Classroom Meeting Space)
VIRTUAL TOUR (Bears Club Pavilion and Sports Performance Center)

This concludes the Top 10 stories of 2019. We can't wait to see what 2020 brings! #GOBEARS