The Golden Eagles capped a 37-3 season with a National Championship in 1999, during the team’s first trip to the NAIA National Tournament.

It was a long journey sparked by team chemistry and a bit of fan spirit. But it came down to determination.

“This group really had been denied the year before,” head coach Kim Elders said. “They were bound-and-determined to get there this season.”

“They only picked us to finish third in the [Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference] in the preseason rankings,” center Mark Zichterman said. “We took it as a slap in the face. We were on a mission and really wanted respect.”

In early February the Golden Eagles got that respect, as the team moved to No. 1 in the NAIA Division II national rankings for the first time in team history. The team was glowing with excitement, but also a little bit of inexperience. 

“It became extremely tough the rest of the season,” Elders said. “Everyone wanted to knock us off. We knew people were after us because we were No. 1, so every game was a battle.”

The Golden Eagles had more than their share of close calls the rest of the season. In a home game against Tri-State the team pulled out a 65-64 victory, thanks to several heroic plays.

“It was packed,” Elders said. “We trailed and then we had two huge plays late in the game. Both were [on missed] free throws. We missed the free throw and Matt Mekkes tipped that in. A few plays later Luke Moord did the same thing, except Luke was falling backwards when he tipped it. I think that one actually was the game winner.”

Elders is still amazed at how loud the crowd was. That was back when the basketball teams played in the blue gym, because the new one had not been built.

“I just remember the noise level of that particular game and that play [by Moord],” he said. “It was louder than I’ve ever experienced before. It was just unbelievable the noise level in that small gym. I don’t remember a lot, but that one just stands out because I cannot believe how loud it got on that particular play [by Moord].”

“I remember after we beat them in the tournament game their coach said, ‘This team’s going to win it all.’ He just was very impressed with our team,” Elders said.  

The team persevered through the rest of the season though, riding a 23-game winning streak to the trophy. They became the first team in WHAC history to go undefeated (14-0) during the conference season.

Senior point guard Brad Tilma credits it to the team’s chemistry.

“We weren’t the most athletic team, but we had chemistry,” Tilma said. “All we cared about was winning. We wanted to get a ring. We knew each other’s games. Everyone knew their role.”

The starters were sophomore Zichterman, senior Matt Mekkes (forward), senior Mike Long (forward), sophomore Jason Currie (guard) and Tilma. Senior Al Gortmaker filled the sixth-man position.

The rest of the team included juniors John Lanser, Luke Moord, Chad Musch and Dave Buikema; sophomores Andrew Swadling and Brian Robinson; freshmen Todd Negoshian and Brad Gray; and coaches Elders, Jared Crandell and Bo Comer.

“As we were climbing up in the rankings and clicking on all cylinders, it started to dawn on us [coaches] we could do it with this team,” Elders said. “As a coaching staff, we just sat back and watched them play. They had great chemistry. Phenomenal chemistry. They were great competitors.”

Long led the team with 18 points (ppg) and 6 rebounds (rpg) per game. Gortmaker contributed 16 ppg and Zichterman had 6.5 rpg.  

“The championship created an awareness of our team,” Tilma said. “It gave Cornerstone the respect it deserved.”

“It was one of the greatest experiences of my life playing here and winning the championship,” Tilma said. “Not a lot of people end their careers on a win.”