Days after receiving good news concerning funding for the National Collegiate Paintball Association College Championships, the NIU Paintball Club grabbed its first ever first place finish.

“We were a force to be reckoned with,” said NIU paintball president Dave Moore.

Ranked No. 9 in the country, the Huskies defeated No. 15 Iowa State 2-0 in the finals in Kewaskum, Wisc. on March 7. NIU had played the Cyclones in the preliminaries and quarterfinals, but lost both contests.

All 17 teams played in eight preliminaries to figure out which eight teams would move on to the next round of competition. The Huskies finished in eighth with a 5-3 record. In one preliminary match against No. 4 Wisconsin-Platteville, NIU came out victorious 94-12.

In the semifinals, another tough opponent awaited the Huskies in No. 3 Minnesota, but NIU had no problem in a 2-0 win.

According to Moore, the club will not be sending 10 players for two five-man teams to the National Collegiate Paintball Association College Championships on April 17-19. Instead, the club will be sending 12 players for one five man team and one X-ball team.

“It’s going to be the first time that this club competes in X-ball, but some of our players have experience playing it with other teams,” Moore said.