One was the culmination of a three-year resurgence that saw the Crusader men’s tennis team go from winless in the Horizon League to the top of the mountain. The other was one of the most remarkable league tournament runs you’ll ever see, as the Crusader softball team put together an incredible four-day performance at the Horizon League Championship. Both journeys culminated with teams raising Horizon League title trophies and advancing to the NCAA Tournament, and with over 800 votes cast in the semifinals, they are your final two – but only one can claim to be the Best of Valpo Athletics in 2015-2016. Which will it be?

Softball goes 4-0, wins the Horizon League Championship - May 11-14, 2016

In eighth place with eight days to go in the regular season, needing a win on the final day of the regular season just to secure a spot in the tournament. But once it got to the Horizon League Championship, the Crusader softball team more than proved it belonged. The sixth-seeded Crusaders rolled through the first three days of the tournament, out-scoring Youngstown State 10-6 before Taylor Weissenhofer tossed back-to-back shutouts versus Wright State and UIC to advance to Championship Saturday. It looked like the tournament was destined for a winner-take-all game, as Valpo trailed 4-0 entering the bottom of the seventh inning to Wright State in the first title game. But the improbable run was missing just an improbable rally, as the Crusaders pushed across four runs to force extra innings and earned the walk-off tournament championship in the bottom of the eighth. Sam Stewart was named Tournament MVP, while Weissenhofer – who pitched all but two outs over the four games – was named Pitcher of the Championship and Lanie Callaghan was named Batting Champion.

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Men's tennis wins the Horizon League Championship - Apr. 30-May 1, 2016

The Crusader men’s tennis team felt it had unfinished business after losing last year’s Horizon League title match to Green Bay, and after winning the 2016 regular season title – it’s first since joining the Horizon League - and easily dispatching Cleveland State in the league tournament semifinals, faced off once again with the Phoenix with the league championship on the line. Wins at first and second doubles gave Valpo the 1-0 lead, and Jeffrey Schorsch and Charlie Emhardt earned straight-set wins to move the Crusaders to the brink of the title. It would be Garrett Gardner who rallied for a three-set win at fifth singles to clinch the title – Valpo’s first tournament title as a Horizon League member and assuring the team it’s first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament.