Each staff member and athlete has their choice for the top moment of the 2019-20 Cleveland State athletic year- but now YOU get to settle this and decide. We're excited to present Coug Craziness, containing all the drama and fun of March Madness Cleveland State style! Here's the full story and rules of how everything will play out- bookmark this page so you can follow along in case you have questions later on. 

Each team gets two moments from their season in the running for 2019-20 Top Moment. These moments were decided upon by our Sports Information Director and the coaches from each sport. Each of these moments was assigned a number, and then matchups were formed into a Sweet 16-style bracket by drawing numbers at random. The Sweet 16 could not feature two moments from one sport against each other, but two from the same sport can face each other if it occurs in later rounds.

Starting Monday, March 23, we will release a matchup on our social media platforms with a poll to choose which one you think should advance to the next round on every weekday at 10 AM ET. Each individual gets one vote on each social media platform per matchup. Each matchup will be open to vote on for 24 hours and the winner who advances to the next round will be announced after the next matchup (or if the matchup was voted on on a Friday, at 10 AM ET Saturday). We'll announce the winner of the Top Moment of 2019-20 on Monday, April 13! We will also post an updated bracket at the start of each new round. Since there are 16 moments, there will be round of eight, a semi-final round, and then the championship!

You can also earn an extra vote on each social media platform in the following ways:

• Facebook- Share the post to your profile explaining why you voted for that moment or give a shout-out to one (or both!) of the two teams in the matchup or an athlete from them! Tag us in the post- Cleveland State Cougars Athletics.

• Twitter- Retweet the post with a comment explaining why you voted for that moment or give a shout-out to one (or both!) of the two teams in the matchup or an athlete from them! Tag us in your post: CS_athletics.

• Instagram- Share the post to your story explaining why you voted for that moment or give a shout-out to one (or both!) of the two teams in the matchup or an athlete from them! Tag us in your post: clevelandstateathletics.

Replies to Tweets and commenting on a post do NOT count towards an extra vote. It must be shared to your profile. Please remember to tag us to be sure that we can see your post to count your extra vote!

Here are the moments chosen from each sport with a description about each. Read up before the competition starts Monday and may the best moment win!

BASEBALL:

1. Baseball earned a dramatic win over Jackson State on February 29, defeating the Green Jays 3-2 to earn a sweep on the day. Alex Ray drove in Andrew Carpenter for the go-ahead run in the fifth. Pitching wise, Kaleb Orr earned the win, keeping Jackson State off of the board for four innings, while Bradley Hayes allowed no hits or runs in two innings to earn the save.

2. Baseball found themselves down 8-3 to Roane State on March 7 in the rubber match of the series, but the deficit wouldn't last for long. The Cougars battled back to score two runs in the fourth and fifth innings and three in the sixth inning to take a 10-8 lead. They won the game 10-9 behind Blake Bryan, Jonathan Hickman, and Alex Ray's multi-RBI games.

GOLF:

1. Golf tied for first at the Eagle Invitational at Nob North Golf Course in Cohutta, Ga. on October 28-29 after setting records for their lowest two-round score in program history with a 610 mark and also lowest and third-lowest individual round scores with marks of 303 and 307. Wes Spillers was named to the All-Tournament team and shot the second-lowest two-day score in program-history with a score of 150, while Jared Thomas also placed in the top 15.

2. The number 16 played an important role in Golf's 2019-20 season. On October 18, GolfStat revealed the Cougars as the 16th ranked in NJCAA Division II National Poll. Just a month later in November, Wes Spillers also found himself ranked 16th, earning a spot in the top 20 on the Individual Rankings leaderboard.

MEN'S BASKETBALL:

1. Just three days after the Chargers upset nationally-ranked Dyersburg State, Men's Basketball stole their momentum by fighting hard to win a dramatic game over Columbia State that needed overtime to reach a 85-80 final score on January 11. Kerry Pratt led the team in points in overtime with six and also scored a team-high 23 points, while Jakobey Hitchens also scored 18.

2. Men's Basketball played a down-to-wire game vs. Chattanooga State on January 16, winning the game against their cross-town conference rival 65-63. Jon Morgan made go-ahead free throws in the last two minutes of the game to help the Cougars to victory. Kerry Pratt led the team with 12 points, while Jakobey Hitchens, Jaquez Hicks and Morgan all also reached double-figures. 

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY:

• 1. Men's Cross Country posted a dominant race vs. Walters State on October 25 to capture the inaugural Region VII Championship. Derek Gallardo was named Most Valuable Runner, winning the race with an 8k time of 26:59. Erik Martinez, Diego Guzman and Riley Higginbotham followed just behind Gallardo as the Cougars swept the top four spots.

• 2. Men's Cross Country fielded a full team at the NJCAA Division I National Championship for the first time in program history on November 9. The Cougars placed 22nd overall out of 45 total times to place in the top 25 nationally on the year. Derek Gallardo was the Cougars' top finisher in 47th place, breaking the 8k program record with a time of 26:12. Guzman recorded the program's second-fastest time in the race, finishing in 26:32.

SOFTBALL:

1. Softball earned a huge conference sweep over Roane State on March 6 and 7, with three of the four wins requiring the Lady Cougars to erase deficits. Amber Atkins recorded 10 RBI and hit three home runs in the series. The wins helped them move up to third overall in the TCCAA with a 6-2 record.

2. Softball's offense and pitching came together in a big way on March 11 as the Lady Cougars defeated Glen Oaks 27-0. Both Hannah Turner and Kaylee Hughes drove in five runs each, while Katie Davis also drove in four herself. Hughes also hit two home runs while McCoy Hensley and Kati Kennedy also each hit one out of the park in the game. Pitching-wise, Kaylee Cornelius and Anna Yell combined to no-hit the Vikings, with Cornelius earning the win.

VOLLEYBALL:

1. Volleyball earned their first conference win in program history vs. Chattanooga State on September 25 and it did not come without its share of dramatics. The Lady Cougars needed five sets to earn the win. Stephanie Burke led the team with 21 kills, tying Aly Grace Lemons' program record, while Sydney Allen broke the program record with 53 assists. Rileigh Barbour also recorded five serve aces.

2. Volleyball faced Chattanooga State on October 25 in the opening round of the Region VII Tournament and won their first region tournament game in program history, defeating the hosting Lady Tigers 3-1. Stephanie Burke had a team-high 19 kills, with Aly Grace Lemons also recording 16 of her own. Sydney Allen had a team-high 47 assists, while Lydia Martin had 39 digs, a program record.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL:

1. On the final day of the regular season on February 22, Women's Basketball hosted Dyersburg State in a do-or-die matchup for the TCCAA Tournament third-seed. The Lady Cougars needed overtime to earn the dramatic 85-80 win. Asjah Harrell scored a team-high 29 points, while Britnay Gore, Charisma Barner, and Za'kkria Robinson all reached double-figures on their Sophomore Day to help secure the victory.

2. On March 1, the TCCAA announced their conference awards. Asjah Harrell earned two of the TCCAA's highest honors, winning Freshman of the Year and Most Valuable Player. Harrell led the league in assists per game and was third overall in points per game while also breaking multiple single-season program records.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY:

1. On October 19, Women's Cross Country had a huge day at the Berry Invitational. All three women running recorded a huge personal best on the 6k course. Sadie Lane led the way for the Lady Cougars with a time of 29:50.08.

2. On October 25, the Lady Cougars competed against Walters State in the first ever Region VII Championship meet in region history. Sadie Lane placed in the top five for the Lady Cougars, finishing fifth in the 5k race, and Lydia Hollis also recorded a personal-best time of 33:34.00.

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