Rochester Lourdes grad Clara Billings helps Gustavus win national championship

ROCHESTER — After coming up just short a season ago, Lourdes graduate Clara Billings is part of an NCAA national championship team.

Billings is a senior forward for the Gustavus Adolphus College women’s hockey team that won the NCAA Division III national title a week ago.

The Gusties had a thrilling postseason run which included a 3-2 double overtime win over Plattsburgh State in the national semifinals. Gustavus needed even more time to pull out a thrilling victory in the championship game as it defeated Amherst College 2-1 in triple overtime.
Billings earned an assist on the game-winning goal in the championship game. In the third overtime, Billings came up with a loose puck near the net and sent it to the right post where Kaitlyn Holland jammed it over the goal line for the winning goal, which ended the longest Division III women’s championship hockey game ever.

The win gave Gustavus its first national championship in program history and the first team national championship for the college. The Gusties finished the season with a 27-3 record.

Last season the Gustavus women suffered an overtime loss to Middlebury College in the championship game. Billings scored a goal late in regulation to send the game to OT.

Billings finished her senior season with 19 points on 11 goals and eight assists. She had seven goals and 12 assists as a junior. Billings has 27 career goals and still has one year of eligibility remaining due to a five-game COVID-shortened season her sophomore campaign.