Top moments from 2024-25, captured in story and on film
NCAA Tournament appearances. Record-breaking performances. Career and season-high statistics. Runaway victories. Court storms. Top seed takedowns. A final season filled with unforgettable memories that cemented the seniors’ legacy in Creighton athletics history and established newcomers as the future of the program.
If you were in the stands — or even watching from your dorm — you felt it. The 2024-25 season delivered moment after moment where Creighton fans held their breath, cheered until hoarse and lived every play. In whatever way the play unfolded on the pitch, court or track, the Jays gave us moments that made us proud to wear the white and the blue.
Thus, in no particular order, let’s relive the top five Creighton sports moments from 2024-25.
- The Milestone March
This wouldn’t be a true list of best Creighton sports moments if it didn’t lead off with a Creighton volleyball program that not only matched its standard but exceeded it. It was the kind of season demanding to be remembered; one that seemed to have been building all along, just waiting for the right time to take center stage. Led by Head Coach Kirsten Berthal Booth and her veteran squad, the Jays didn’t just win, they dominated. A program-record 32 wins on the season, the 10th straight Big East Tournament title in 11 years, a trip to the Elite Eight that meant taking down No. 13 Texas in four sets, all to nearly dethrone Penn State, the eventual national champions, forcing them to fight the Bluejays in a five-set thriller. The team may not have reached the Final Four, but they absolutely made history, bringing endless pride back with them to Omaha and giving seniors Norah Sis, Kendra Wait, Kiara Reinhardt, Elise Goetzinger, Abbey Milner, Katie Maser and Maddy Bilinovic the perfect sendoff for their success-riddled careers. Their season wasn’t just about getting to the Elite Eight. It was about how they got there—and what it meant. A milestone, yes, but more than that, it was a statement. One that the Creighton community will never forget.
- The Philly Silencer
Some moments, with plays executed in the final seconds, don’t just win games– they silence crowds, etch themselves into memory and show who’s in-it-to-win-it.
That was Steven Ashworth in crunch time of the Bluejays men’s basketball team’s road game against Villanova.
The last moments of the game, unsurprisingly for Big East play, left both sides unsure of who would emerge victorious. But as the game clock ticked down ominously and Creighton trailed by one, the sequence that followed would have Bluejay fans reminiscing about it for days. Picture this: game on the line, crucial inbound and a Villanova defense (as expected) locking down on Ryan Kalkbrenner in the paint. But what nobody expected was for Ashworth to receive the pass, take two steps back to just beyond the three-point line and take a corner three. Was it unexpected for Ashworth, who’s three-point shooting is a defining feature of his game, to bet on himself and take that clutch shot? No. But was it unexpected when the ball, arcing through the air in seeming slow motion from the deep corner, hit off the backboard and into the basket? Absolutely — three pointers from the corner don’t go off the glass and in. That just doesn’t happen. But whether it was simply an incredible shot or a faint gust of (lucky) wind that blew the ball into the correct trajectory, it was an unforgettable finish for the Bluejays.
- The Comeback Kid
Often, the most unforgettable moments in sports aren’t defined by dominance—but by determination, the times when the tide turns and an athlete digs deep to turn the impossible into a win. No better moment this season exemplified just what it means to use utter determination to overcome obstacles than when men’s tennis player Kirtan Patel battled to a third set victory against trying odds. Trailing 4-2 in the third set to his opponent, already down a break, Patel unlocked another gear. Each point was a test, one that increasingly held more weight than the next: one small misstep and Patel could have easily lost control of the match. But with grit and endurance in spades, Patel clawed back, not letting his opponent get another game and securing the third set, 6-4. With his win, Patel not only clinched the match, but helped Creighton claim a spot in the Big East Finals for the first time in program history.
It was more than a comeback. It was a breakthrough for men’s tennis.
- The 60-Yard Stunner
The play unfolded in a flash—but somehow felt like it was happening in slow motion. And it all started with a forward pass near midfield that ended with three Villanova defenders and the goalkeeper baffled as to what just happened. Locked in a battle with their Big East foe on Creighton’s home turf, the men’s soccer team held a 2-1 lead as play continued in the second half. But no one-goal lead is safe in the Big East until the clock hits 90 minutes, especially not with just over 15 minutes left to play. That is, until a sequence of pure brilliance unfolded. With one pass near midfield from senior midfielder Lucio Berron that found sophomore midfielder Miguel Arilla in stride, the magic began. Gliding past tackles, cutting with precision and sprinting nearly 60 yards to thread the goal in the bottom right corner of the goal, Arilla’s solo run was equal parts finesse and firepower. The goal not only allowed Creighton to claim a 3-1 home win, but left fans and teammates alike shaking their heads, wondering what they just witnessed. With one run, one finish, Arilla gave the Jays not just a win, but a spark.
- The Pickpocket
In a big moment when nerves were high and adrenaline was pumping, senior women’s basketball forward Mallory Brake demonstrated exactly how pressure makes diamonds. At the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. for the Big East Tournament, a one-point deficit stared the Bluejays down, with the clock ticking ominously and possession pointing towards the Georgetown Hoyas. The Bluejays needed a big play, or they risked their season ending and the premature farewell to the one of the greatest classes in Creighton women’s basketball history. More than that, they needed a big play in less than 10 seconds, which didn’t seem likely as the Hoyas slowly made their way over half court. But Brake, standing at the top of the key, didn’t wait for a mistake to give Creighton the break it needed—she was the disruption, ripping the ball away from the Georgetown player and sprinting down the court to execute a layup as the Bluejay sideline exploded. Brake didn’t just steal the ball. She stole the moment and the breath from the building. With that play, Creighton seized control, and after two free throws from junior guard Kiani Lockett iced the game and the final buzzer sounded, the Bluejays had secured the victory, heading to the Big East Tournament semi-finals.
And yet, just five moments could never capture all that Creighton sports offered fans and the Creighton community this year. With that in mind, here are two honorable mention moments:
The Late-Game Lift
In the 86th minute of the regular-season home finale, women’s soccer midfielder Azumi Manriki delivered an equalizer against Butler that earned a crucial draw. The result helped clinch a top-four Big East finish and home-field advantage in the conference tournament.
The Four-Record Frenzy
At the Jim Duncan Invitational on April 11, the Creighton track team broke four records, as Anika Nettekoven and Natalee Gehred broke their own school record and Jacob Ludwick and Piper Logan also set Creighton records at the event.
The 2024-25 season wasn’t just a collection of great moments — it was a testament to the heart and grit of Creighton athletics. With each unforgettable play, the Bluejays showed that the best is yet to come.