MEQUON, Wis. – The 2024–25 athletic year was another successful one for the Concordia Wisconsin Athletic Department. The Falcons won and contended for conference championships in many sports and put together an impressive list of great achievements. As in years past, the Department of Athletic Communications tries to sort through all the great moments and give you, the fans, top stories from the past year.
The list of stories was compiled by the Department of Athletic Communications and, like all lists, is subject to debate. The top stories will be revealed over the next few days, with stories being released throughout the week.
The Concordia Wisconsin women's hockey team reached new heights in 2024–25, finishing with a program-best 20-7-1 overall record and a 13-4-1 mark in NCHA play. The Falcons placed third in the conference standings after being picked fifth in the preseason poll and delivered the most dominant and complete season in program history.
CUW opened the year with a 4-3 upset at No. 15 Saint Mary's and followed with a record 10-game win streak, earning sweeps over Trine, MSOE, Lake Forest, and Dubuque. The Falcons reclaimed the Border Battle Cup, erupted for a 10-0 win over King's College, and recorded three straight shutouts behind the efforts of senior Kami McCardle (Jackson, Wis.) and sophomore Carolyn Bourgeault (Buffalo, N.Y.).
The wins kept coming after the break, including a 3-1 victory over UW-Stevens Point and a 5-0 shutout at Lawrence that broke the program's single-season wins record. The Falcons added a signature moment with a 1-0 road shutout at No. 5 Adrian, their first shutout over a ranked opponent. McCardle made 42 saves in the upset and later surpassed 1,000 career saves. CUW ended the regular season with a 10-3-0 mark at the Ozaukee Ice Center and swept Marian in the Slaats Cup Quarterfinals to reach the semifinals for the first time under the current format.
The Falcons set single-season records in wins, goals, assists, total points, shutouts, and team goals-against average. Senior Brooke Gibson (LaSalle, Ont.) rewrote the individual record book, graduating as the program's all-time leader in points, goals, power-play goals, and game-winning goals. She also broke CUW's single-season records for assists and points.
A program-record six Falcons earned All-NCHA recognition: Gibson, sophomore Mackaylan McGown (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), sophomore Brenna-Grace Dittmer (Chatham-Kent, Ont.)), and McCardle were First Team selections, while freshmen Taylor Heleniak (Mercer, Wis.) and Scout Stromberg (Tomahawk, Wis.) landed on the All-Freshman Team.
Eleven seniors, including Gibson, McCardle, Amanda Bauer (Waunakee, Wis.), and Natalie Mackrell (Florissant, Colo.), led the team to 59 career victories — the most by any class in program history.
Head coach Steve Fabiilli, in his 11th season and was voted CUW Coach of the Year for guiding the Falcons to a season that raised the bar in every category.
