Sports

March 1, 2023 By bacw Leave a Comment

Cross Country’s Best “Pack” Leader: Meet Coach Dan Finanger

Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Presslie Mariner

Coach Dan Finanger, a nationally-recognized distance running coach, is the head cross country and track and field coach here at the Abbey. He has coached for 32 years, including five years at the Abbey. He has coached more than 5,200 athletes across 16 states and sent four athletes to the 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic trials.

In addition, Coach Dan coached the 1995 Boston Marathon team and served as director and head coach in international clinics in Saudi Arabia. He established his running camp, Finanger Running Adventure Camps, with the intent of promoting running in outdoor settings, such as the Cascade and the Rocky Mountains, as well as the Maine Coast.

Coach Dan began his running career when he was a sophomore in high school. He intended to play football; however, he started talking to some of the cross-country guys and decided to give the cross-country team a chance. He has loved the sport ever since! He would go on to run D3 at the Lutheran College in Iowa, where he was a part of seven conference championship teams, including four cross country and two-track. He also served as captain of the cross-country team during his senior year. He and his family moved from Minnesota to Charlotte in 2011, and he began coaching at Belmont Abbey in 2017. Some of the tactics he uses in order to ensure a healthy runner, physically, mentally, and spiritually, include combining the values of “body, mind, and soul.” Another one of his tactics includes grouping the men’s and women’s teams into “packs,” with each “pack” having a “pack leader” in order to ensure that no one is running alone, and it involves more team bonding!

Coach Dan has a firm Christian faith and believes that it provides him with direction and purpose in life. When asked about how he incorporates his faith into running, Coach Dan replied, “I believe that the freedom I receive from my running comes from God providing me that direction!”. Coach Dan has established a handshake on the team known as the “Abbey High Five.” God is the top corner of our hands, while family is at the lower corner, as well as friends and teammates. When you raise your hands above your head to do the high five, you put all of that above you. It shows our priorities and humbles us to say that others, including God, are more important.

The cross country and track teams are fortunate to have Coach Dan as their head coach. His positive attitude, optimism, and strong faith in the Lord have contributed to the overall kind and friendly environment here at the Abbey. Thank you, Coach, for all that you’ve done for us here at the Abbey, and here’s to making more memories and smiles on the team!

This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 1 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.

February 28, 2023 By bacw Leave a Comment

Outdoor Practice for Golf

Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Lauren Denhard

The Belmont Abbey Men’s and Women’s golf program has added a new outdoor short-game practice facility at their off-campus office. Last year, the golf teams were able to move their office from Sacred Heart to a building off of Woodlawn Street. This move allowed the golf teams more space, including an outdoor area that could house a practice facility.

At the beginning of the fall 2022 semester, construction began at the Woodlawn office of two new practice greens, a bunker, turf, and fencing. There are two greens at the location that run at two different speeds: one faster and one slower. The greens are twenty feet by thirty feet and thirty feet by forty feet, which allows for there to be variety with practice. Also, there is a bunker where players can work on their sand and play with targets at various distances. Finally, the exterior of the greens is lined with artificial turf that varies in thickness.

The area around the building is lined by fencing and mulch, which enhances the beauty of the area. There will be customized banners added with the Belmont Abbey Golf team logo.

The golf teams are continuing to utilize local golf courses as well as use the outdoor practice facility. This transition has allowed the players to be able to practice at convenient times as well as have a shorter commute to practice. The facility is open six days a week, which allows for more consistent practice.

Finally, the team can practice at this location in all weather conditions. In addition to the outdoor facility, the teams have an indoor hitting area with a Flight Scope launch monitor. The men’s and women’s teams have several events this semester from September through October, and the new practice facility will help with the success of the team.

This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 1 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.

February 23, 2023 By bacw Leave a Comment

Belmont Tennis: More than a sport, More than a team

Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Joseph Rowzie

Last year, Belmont Abbey tennis won the Conference Carolinas Tennis Tournament for the first time in the program’s history. It came down to a tight score of 4-2 against Mount Olive, a formidable opponent. In addition to winning the conference championship, Belmont Abbey tennis made its first appearance in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional since 2001! Their opponent was set to be Columbus State, the number 1 seed of the region. Though the match ended in a loss, that year’s success set a path to a brighter future for the Belmont Abbey College tennis program. I asked returner Andy Golindano: “what was it like to win a conference championship?” And he responded by saying, “I have never felt so many different emotions just to be met with the greatest sense of relief.”

Behind every great team, there is a greater coach, and that coach’s name is Michael Solomon. I went around and talked to the returners of the Belmont Abbey tennis team and asked them a few questions about how Coach Solomon has impacted the program and this year’s team. One of the questions was: “if you could describe Coach Solomon in one word, what would it be?” The most popular words were hardworking and professional, and many would say that he took Belmont’s tennis to a higher standard of work ethic and play.

What makes this team more than your ordinary program is the steam standards. Out of the eleven, I have seen enforced the most: compete, respect, and have positive enthusiasm. To this team, respect is more than a thank you or please, in a competitive sense, respect is shown through honesty and competitiveness but on and off the court, treating everyone as images of God is key to our success. In all the matches, I always hear the coach telling the team and myself to “compete.” To compete is to play with your tools and bring the best tennis you can. I remember him telling me a story about one of his college matches where he was a set and, like, 4 or 5 games down; he found a way to win. And that’s when he started to believe there is always a chance to win.

We, as freshmen, have to recite these team standards if we want to receive tennis gear. And these standards apply to life, practice, and matches. Belmont tennis is brought to a higher standard through our coach and is carried on through each first-year class that has come to Belmont tennis. As a freshman entering a brand-new college environment, making friends and settling in can be a struggle. Believe me when I say I have never been more welcomed into a group in my whole life than this team in the Abbey. I believe that this team has had this much success because of the way they treat newcomers and each other. This team wins together, and they lose together with excellence.

This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 2 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.

February 22, 2023 By bacw Leave a Comment

Men’s Basketball

Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Saveon Falls

Belmont Abbey College first had a basketball team in 1928, but they mainly played against junior colleges and other small teams in the area. The Haid Gymnasium was completed in December 1930, and that is where the team was able to hold games and be a showplace for the team. The Abbey’s men’s basketball program has had a lot of success in the past couple of years, winning two out of the last three conference championships. They are looking to win another championship this upcoming season with a lot of new faces on the team and a new
coaching staff.

With the mindset of back-to-back another championship, Coach David Belfield is new but has a winning mindset. He cares about his players and how they carry themselves in the classroom and as a person as well on the floor. Coach Belfield will be the 18th coach in the program’s history and is seeking to continue the tradition of national relevance, academic excellence, and formation guidance. One quote that he tells his players is to “Assume Positive Intent.” If someone doesn’t trust you, it doesn’t matter how well you measure your words, the other person will misinterpret you. If someone trusts you implicitly, it doesn’t matter how poorly you phrase something, the other person will assume you meant well.

Also, the program welcomes Dave Matturro to the team. Where he’s just coming off a national championship from Randolph-Macon, where he helped them win the 2022 national championship. He brings the same hunger and passion to the Abbey program and looks forward to having a great season.

Come watch us play during the Spring season.

This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 2 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.

February 21, 2023 By bacw Leave a Comment

Insight on the Track Team!

Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Kenneth Jensen

Track and Field is one of the most popular individual sports, as it has many athletes going against each other to see who is the best! It is always fun to watch athletes compete because of the high suspense the people have before and after an event. The Belmont Abbey College Track and Field team is known for its many accomplishments. Last year, they competed in the 2022 Conference Carolinas Championship Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field. They came in fourth place with three athletes breaking the school record and making all-conference! But for the new starting season, they also have many incoming freshmen and a new coach in their lineup!

The new coach, James Thierfelder, is getting everyone ready to compete in the track meets. Coach James has excellent experience coming off as a Belmont Abbey Track and Field alumni. His input on the freshman is exciting as he says, “this new team that we formed this year is great. We have a lot of exciting freshmen with great times. I’m excited to see the growth of everyone on the team”.

The Track and Field athletes undergo challenging conditioning workouts to prepare for the upcoming season. They run 10-20 100-meter repeats for hard days, with only 25 seconds to recover before they run again. This workout is challenging because it usually takes about 2 minutes to recover from a sprint but to train our D2 athletes to the best of their ability, they have less time to recover to get their bodies in better shape. As for a follow-up the next day, they do bodyweight workouts, with light stretching exercises after. For team bonding, once every week, they play fun games, like kickball or football, to get everyone excited and loose.

Our other main Track and Field coaches, Dan Finanger and Tomas Cerdeiras, love to keep the team positive throughout every workout and session. The crew hangs with each other almost daily to keep that positive vibe, even in the classroom! But the question is, why should you support the track team? Our athletes are excited to watch as they compete hard to the best of their ability, and the track team is an outstanding team that positively impacts our school and our community.

Don’t be afraid to drop by the track and support us; we would love to have you guys!

This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 2 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.