CHICAGO – As 2025 wraps up, there have been many exciting moments that have thrilled Lakers fans this year.
We have taken a look back through the calendar and picked one moment from each of the nine months of Roosevelt athletics (with some leeway on one of the picks). Be sure to let us know on social media (@RooseveltLakers on X and @RULakers on Instagram) if we missed some of your favorite moments of the past year.
January 24: Khaniya Higginbotham Dominates Sprints
Khaniya Higginbotham opened up 2025 with the indoor track team by dominating the three sprints in Roosevelt's first meet at Olivet Nazarene. The then-junior blazed her way to second place in the 60-meter dash as well as the 400 meters, but the 200 was her crown jewel. She finished in 27.07 seconds to take the crown and complete her dominant day on the track for the Lakers.
February 17: Marie Outlay Steals The Show
Marie Outlay has set so many Roosevelt records when it comes to steals, and this day was no different. The then-sophomore tied the program record with nine steals against Wayne State, the final one coming with 11 seconds left to help secure a third straight win for the Lakers. Outlay scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds in addition to her sterling defensive effort.
March-May: Kendall Pearson Dazzles In Center
Kendall Pearson was a cheat code for Roosevelt in centerfield this season, as she flashed off Gold Glove worthy plays in almost every game. She was credited with six assists last season, including three times she threw out runners trying to score. She also made several diving grabs to rob opponents of hits among her 77 putouts last year.
April 20: Pierre Heylen Controls The Course
Pierre Heylen led the charge for Roosevelt in the GLIAC Championships with consecutive rounds of 69 to finish in third place as an individual in the conference's premier event. He catapulted himself into contention with four birdies on the back nine of his first round then added four more in the second round to be one of four players to finish under par in both rounds.
May 3: Baseball Upsets Davenport To Secure Postseason
Roosevelt entered the final weekend of the regular season with a slim hold on the final spot in the GLIAC Tournament. The Lakers also were entertaining No. 20 Davenport in the four-game series to close the season. In the second game of a doubleheader, the Lakers entered the seventh inning trailing 3-0, but emerged with a 5-3 win on the back of four runs in the seventh and one more in the eighth.
September 28: Caco Fernandez Rides His Bicycle
The iconic music from ESPN's Top Plays was already playing in many people's ears when Caco Fernandez scored against Northern Michigan. By the end of the evening, Fernandez was No. 5 on ESPN's Top Plays as he provided the only goal of the game in stunning fashion at Morris Field. Daniel Schaefer's throw-in was nudged on by Matthew Goulding, and Fernandez steadied himself before sending the bicycle kick into the corner.
October 24: Women's Volleyball Mounts Comeback
For one night, Roosevelt showed its full potential to the rest of the GLIAC with a stunning five-set win over Saginaw Valley State. The Lakers trailed 22-13 in the fourth set but battled back to close within two before the Cardinals had their first match point. Roosevelt denied Saginaw Valley State on four match points in the fourth set to win 27-25 before dominating the fifth set 15-11 for the Lakers' second win of the season.
November 8: Jack Young Jr. Drags Warriors To End Zone
There were many memorable football moments from this season, but the single play that sticks out is Jack Young Jr.'s touchdown catch against Wayne State. The 43-yard touchdown began as a simple 16-yard pass over the middle as Young turned to run upfield. He was quickly swarmed by Wayne State defenders, but none of them could drag him down as he ran the final 15 yards with Warriors draped over him.
December 19: Jalen Windham Upsets Peacocks
There is arguably no better way to enter the holiday break than nailing a buzzer beater on the road to take down a ranked opponent. Jalen Windham did just that to stun No. 24 Upper Iowa in Roosevelt's final game of the calendar year, lifting the Lakers to their first win of the season. With less than two seconds remaining, Windham freed himself from the defender then spun to his left to for the winning 3-pointer.
