CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Capital University trio of seniors
Nate Stahl and
Ryan Wood along with Head Coach
Damon Goodwin earned the highest honors in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region from the National Association of Basketball Coaches on Thursday.
Stahl was named the Great Lakes Region Player of the Year and a NABC First Team All-America recipient. Wood was an All-Great Lakes Region Second Team pick. In addition, Goodwin was tabbed as the Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year.
Stahl (St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry HS) is the first Crusader to earn All-America status in consecutive seasons and is the fifth All-America designation (amongst four different players) in program history. Stahl's consistent play throughout the season allowed him to be named the Ohio Athletic Conference Player of the Year despite not winning a single OAC Player of the Week award. The four-time All-OAC selection led the Capital in scoring (14.6 ppg), three-point shooting (76 treys) and blocked shots (25) while ranking second in steals (32) and fourth in rebounding (4.3 rpg). Stahl tallied a season-best 27 points in the NCAA Sectional Semifinal against UT-Dallas while connecting on seven shots from downtown. He also finished a perfect 6-for-6 from three-point range in a win over Ohio Dominican, which was the most makes without a miss in the nation this season.
Wood (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central HS) becomes the fourth different player in program history to earn NABC All-Region honors. He was also an All-OAC First Team and OAC All-Academic Team pick after averaging 14.2 points per game as a senior. Wood was named the OAC Player of the Week on Nov. 24 after winning Tournament MVP honors at season-opening Case Western Reserve Alumni Tip-off Tournament. Wood also put up a career-best 32 points on two different occasions this season including Jan. 17 at Otterbein when he became the 29th Crusader to surpass the 1,000-point plateau. He was the second Capital player to be named to the D3Hoops.com National Team of the Week. Wood finished his career with 1,195 career points, which is 19th best in program history.
Goodwin guided Capital to its best season in school history with a program-record 26 victories and a trip to the NCAA Round of 16. The Crusaders made their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and were nationally ranked throughout the entire regular season reaching a program-record mark of No. 5 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll. CU had the best home record in the Great Lakes Region at 15-0 and was a host of the NCAA First and Second Rounds at the Capital Center in front of sold out crowds. The three-time OAC Coach of the Year (1996, 2007, 2008) has mentored the Crusaders to four 20-win seasons in his 15-year career.