Top five moments from this fall

Turning ordinary games into extraordinary memories is what Creighton athletics does best, and the fall of 2025 proved it once again. With jaw-dropping plays and record-setting feats, the Bluejays kept fans hooked from start to finish.  

 In no particular order, here are the five highlights that stole the show. 

1. The Run into History  

Some moments are memorable. Some moments are legendary. And some moments make history.   

That’s exactly what the Creighton cross country program achieved this season, hosting the 2025 Big East Championships for the first time in school history on Oct. 31.  

Armed with talent on both the men’s and women’s side of the roster, the men’s cross country team finished sixth for the second season in a row, while the women surpassed a previous best mark five years ago by placing seventh this fall.   

Creighton’s cross country and track programs are constantly evolving under the leadership of Chris Gannon — head coach since 2018 — and with the progress of the last eight years culminating in making history this October., it’s safe to say that this is only the beginning of what this program has in store.  

2. The Ninth Wonder of Senior Day  

Everyone in the crowd was on the edge of their seats as redshirt freshman Nora Wurtz ran toward the baseline, jumped up, threw her right arm back and swung through the serve. The Georgetown defense was no match for Wurtz’s serve.   

 “It’s another ace,” the PA announcer yelled. Two in a row. Then three in a row. Then two in a row again. Then another. Then the school record-breaking ninth ace that put Creighton ahead 3-0 in the third set.   

In only her first year in the white and blue, Wurtz delivered a performance for the record books, putting a bow on the 3-0 sweep that defined Senior Day 2025 and saw Sky McCune, Kiara Reinhardt, Ava Martin and Annalea Maeder play their final moments at D.J. Sokol Arena.   

From her first ace to the ninth, Wurtz’s dominance made Senior Day even more unforgettable, a triumph that honored the program’s past and present while celebrating its future.  

3. The Sibling Score  

A familiar saying goes, ‘You must be related,’ whenever two siblings share the same mannerisms or habits. Little did Creighton fans know that they were about to witness one of the greatest ‘you must be related’ moments in a soccer doubleheader on Nov. 1 between men’s soccer player Brady Bragg and women’s soccer player Anna Bragg.   

In the first game of the day against St. John’s — with a berth in the Big East Tournament on the line — Anna Bragg got the sibling scoring off to a solid start in the 31st minute. Rising above defenders, she located a curling corner kick coming to the right side of the box, heading it into the back of the net.   

Not even four hours later — against then-No. 23 ranked Seton Hall — Brady Bragg did nearly the same thing. In the 32nd minute of the men’s match that afternoon, he rushed toward goal on the right side, leaping up and changing the course of the pass from his teammate, heading the ball into the back of the goal.   

Just one minute apart, on the same side of the goal and in the same fashion, both Bragg siblings scored for their respective teams. Coincidence? I think not. The only explanation is that they must be related!  

4. The Record Roar  

It’s no secret that Nebraska is a volleyball state. Fans in Husker Red and Bluejay Blue alike show up and show out for their team. And when both fans are in the same building, it’s bound to be historic.  

Creighton volleyball made history indeed, hosting 17,675 people at CHI Health Center on Sept. 16, the largest indoor volleyball-only-regular-season crowd in NCAA history.   

With a record crowd packed in CHI and ready for a show, the in-state rival game didn’t disappoint. The match was thrilling, the energy electric, each point more heart-stopping than the last. The in-state volleyball rivals truly put on a show.  

While the Bluejays couldn’t clinch the victory, with a 3-2 mark favoring Nebraska, the implications of nearly 18,000 people packed into CHI Health Center to watch women’s volleyball demonstrated something even more important: women’s volleyball is on the rise, people want to see it and Creighton is one of the programs at the helm. How many programs can say that?  

5. The Nine-Under Knockout  

A shot can win a hole. A round can win a tournament. And a performance can help define a career. So, when senior golfer Grant Feldman took his swing at the Shadow Ridge Country Club for the Bluejay Invitational, he didn’t just emerge better than he was the day before: he emerged as the best on the course.   

Playing in a home tournament for the first time in more than 20 years and posting a nine-under par across three rounds for a 207 overall score — one shot better than the runner up — Feldman earned his first individual title and a place among Creighton golf’s all-time best.   

The title broke his own 54-hole scoring record by two, the 207-score tied for the fifth-best score in Creighton golf history. Feldman’s effort on the course gave him his seventh finish in the top five of his career.  

By the time the final card was signed, Feldman had delivered more than a win — he delivered a benchmark, for himself and for a program that will remember this homecoming performance for years to come.  

Honorable mention: The Goal Score That Belonged in the Movies  

There are some moments you never see coming, but once you see them, you wish you could go back and watch it for the first time. Creighton men’s soccer player Miguel Arilla, in hostile Butler Bulldog territory, was about to pull off one of those moments.  

The score was 1-0 in favor of Creighton, as Creighton’s Omar Ramadan had just scored three minutes before. But now, Ramadan was about to assist in arguably the most highlight-worthy goal of the season. Sending a pass high and arcing just outside the 18-yard box, Arilla located the ball and executed a perfect bicycle kick shot that evaded the Butler goalkeeper and went into the net.   

In one breathtaking moment, Arilla turned a simple pass into pure soccer magic.  

Overall, the 2025 fall season delivered records, jaw dropping moments and example after example of Creighton athletics at its finest. And if this is what the fall can bring, what’s to come is sure to be bigger and better than fans could ever imagine.