EAGAN, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict flag football team capped its inaugural season with a conference title at TCO Stadium on Saturday, April 25. CSB defeated St. Olaf 13-12 in the semifinals before besting Concordia 26-20 on a last-second, one-handed grab by sophomore wide receiver Drew Buslee (Eagan, Minn.). 

First-year quarterback Nora Schmidt (Shoreview, Minn.) connected with Buslee for the third time on Saturday as time expired against Concordia. Buslee dove into the end zone and hauled in the pass with one out-stretched arm to win the title.

The Bennies (7-1 overall) scored 20 unanswered points in the second half against top-seeded Concordia (6-2 overall) for their second win over the Cobbers this season. 

"I am incredibly proud of, and thankful for, our athletes and coaches," said CSB Head Coach Joe Bartos. "Grit is handling hard better and they all showed a lot of it this evening. We have 23 pieces of iron which sharpened each other the past couple of months."

Saint Benedict advanced to the championship with a narrow victory over St. Olaf (7-2). Schmidt accounted for both of CSB's touchdowns through the air, delivering one to the hands of Buslee and another to first-year Lily Ryan (Arden Hills, Minn.), her fourth TD reception of the season. She sealed the victory with an extra-point pass to classmate Avary White (Stillwater, Minn.). 

Schmidt connected with Buslee to get CSB on the board first in the championship game, 6-0. Concordia stormed back into the game to take a 20-6 lead at the half. Schmidt found White in the end zone to start the comeback. Buslee then grabbed her third pick-six of the season on her fifth interception, setting the stage for her game-winning catch. Schmidt connected with White once more for the two-point conversion. 

Buslee, White, Ryan and Schmidt were selected to the All-MWCFL team. CSB led the league with four selections, followed by Concordia (3) and St. Olaf and UW-Stout with two each. Schmidt finished her rookie season with 13 touchdown passes, while Buslee led the team with 12 touchdowns and three defensive scores. White caught five throughout the season.  

CSB outscored opponents 202-95 through eight games, averaging 25.3 points to opponents 11.9.