From 2005 to 2009, no other Capital Crusader scored at the rate of Nate Stahl. Some of the best Capital teams came while Stahl led the Crusaders' offense, as seen by the program's OAC titles and deep NCAA Tournament runs.
Stahl graduated a two-time All-American as named by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), among many additional accolades. While those honors came later in his career, success on the court came immediately.
As a freshman in 2005, Stahl played in all 25 contests, led the team in scoring by a wide margin, averaging 14.8 points per game and a 45.4 percent (132-291) shooting mark from the field. He also served as the Crusaders' top 3-point threat having hit 71-of-169 (.420) attempts. Twenty-six assists, 26 steals, 18 blocks, a Second Team All-OAC selection, plus the team setting the foundation for years to come helped Stahl label his freshman campaign a huge success.
The 2006-07 season set into motion a tremendous run of Cap Hoops teams, and Stahl was at the forefront of it all. He nearly equaled his point production ( 391, 13.9 ppg) and matched his rebound totals (119, 4.6) from the previous season, but also saw his assist total and shooting percentages rise as a sophomore. Stahl shot 47.1 percent (139-295) and better than 50 percent from behind the arc (72-139, .518) to guide the Crusaders to an 18-8 overall record and 13-5 OAC record for the first of its back-to-back regular season championship. The Crusaders went on to defeat John Carroll University in the OAC Tournament Championship to seal its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1996. Stahl was rewarded by being named First Team All-OAC and with the first of three NABC all-region accolades behind a second team nod. The best was yet to come.
Surrounded by an even better supporting cast as a junior, Stahl and the Crusaders set a then-program record with 24 wins, won its second straight OAC regular season championship and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where it defeated Bethany College in its first-round matchup in Columbus. He joined the ranks of few by scoring his 1,000th point as a junior that season, and went on to average 13.2 points (383 total), 4.7 rebounds (137), and collected 30 steals plus 20 blocks. After being named First Team All-OAC and OAC Player of the Year, and collecting two different all-region laurels, the NABC called and named Stahl an All-American, Capital's first in two decades.
The 2009 season was magical for the program and for Stahl. For the third time in his four seasons, Stahl led the Crusaders in the scoring department and put forth his best season. Behind 453 points (14.6 ppg), 133 rebounds (4.3 rpg), 32 assists, 25 blocks, and 32 steals, Stahl was crucial in Cap's record-setting season. His shooting lines were superb again as he surpassed 45 percent efficiency from both the field and 3-point range. As the points compiled, so did wins. The Crusaders went on to reset the program record for wins in a season (26) and earned an at-large bid to the Big Dance, where the Purple and White made its magical Sweet 16 run. Stahl and the Crusaders went on to defeat Thomas More College in overtime in the first round and then followed that with a two-point win over The College of Wooster to propel them to the furthest a CU team has ever been since the 64-team field had been established. Once again, Stahl was tabbed OAC Player of the Year, an all-region selection by the NABC and D3Hoops.com, and donned All-America status for the second year in a row.
At the end of it all, Stahl ended his Capital career with 1,596 points scored which ranks him second all-time in CU history. He was a two-year team captain, four-time All-OAC selection (three times to the first team), collected seven different all-region honors, and a two-time All-American.
