Athletics

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.

February 20, 2023 By bacw Leave a Comment

Freshmen to Watch on the Track and Field team

Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Levi Byer

The Belmont Abbey Track Team has gradually improved over the past few years. Last year was a pretty good year for the team, where they placed 4th in the Conference Carolinas. The track team has some real upcoming talent this year. This could be the year where the Abbey’s Track team wins it all.

One of the fastest freshmen on the team is Kenny Jensen. He runs 10.7 seconds in the 100-meter dash. Jensen has run track all through high school and is looking to continue improving his 100-meter time. I asked Jensen how much time he was looking to shave off his 100-meter time this year. He responded with, “.03-.04 seconds,” which would have him running a 10.3. That would make him one of the fastest runners in our conference.

Another one of our freshmen is Rex Thorston. He’s from Reno, Nevada, and will be the second-highest high jumper on the team. High jump is a field event; it involves a lot of skill and form. His PR is 6’4 in the high jump. I asked him what he was looking forward to the most this year. He responded, “I am most looking forward to Coach Tomas’s training. I think he will be able to take me to new heights.”

Our freshman pole vault crew is looking very good this year. The freshman pole vaulters consist of Syah Huenink, Bryson Church, and Levi Byer. Syah and Bryson are vaulting over 12 feet, and Levi is vaulting 11 feet.

As a track enthusiast, I know pole vaulting is by far the hardest field event, so to be vaulting this high is very impressive. They should be able to rack up quite a few points in the upcoming meets. All in all, it looks like the track team will be pretty solid this year.

Hopefully, with the coaching of Dan Finanger, and training from Tomas Cerdeiras and James Thierfelder, they can help the team win the conference this year!

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

February 19, 2023 By bacw Leave a Comment

Women’s Golf; Bock and Denhard Conclude Patsy Rendleman Invitational

Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Chrissy Popovich

The women’s golf team concluded play at the Patsy Rendleman Invitational. The course was a par of 71 from 5,900 yards for the women. There were eleven other schools competing. Normally golf courses have a par of 72, and each hole has a specific number of strokes to be attained. The lowest number of strokes in golf wins overall. The par for nine holes is 36, and the par for 18 holes is 72. The goal in golf is to be closest to par or under if possible.

Coach Katie Tomassoni led the women’s golf teams for the Patsy Rendelman Invitational. She assisted the team in course management and course advice. The A team was in contention to win the tournament on day one but was unable to finish out on the second day. Bock’s first-day score was her personal best in her college career.

Albany Bock scored 73, and Lauren Denhard shot 75 on the first day of the tournament at the Country Club of Salisbury. Bock was tied for first going into the second day. She ended up shooting 82 on the second day and placed 6th overall.

Lauren Denhard shot 80 on the second day and tied with Bock for 6th place. Denhard explained, “The golf course was in great condition, but was also a great challenge for us to participate in during the week. It was a special experience to be back on my home course”.

Belmont Abbey Women’s Golf placed 3rd for the A team and 8th place for the B team. The other players of the A team included Kaylee Ong, who placed 19th with a score of 81 and 79. Paeton Phillippi placed 25th with a score of 80 and 82. Lastly, Hannah Bailey placed 35th with 82 for both days.

The B team for women’s golf included Madison Srinivasa, Chrissy Popovich, Kate Nyers, Ashlan Tresca, and Kyleigh Whittemore. Srinivasa placed 19th with a two-day total of 78 and 82. Popovich placed 25th with a score of 82 and 80. Nyers shot 81 and 82, placing her 31st. Tresca scored 83 and 89, putting her at 45th. Whittemore placed 45th with 82 and 90.

Come watch us play during the Spring semester.

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

February 18, 2023 By bacw Leave a Comment

Women Soccer Alum Returns to Coach

Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Reagan Cullen

Cierra Skyers, former alumni of the Belmont Abbey women’s soccer team, has returned this 2022 season to help coach the team, along with Coaches Mike Lynch and Jaime Malilong. Skyers graduated from the Abbey in 2016. She juggles her time as a coach whilst working as a 5th-grade teacher at Jackson Day School. If her name doesn’t sound familiar, her face might as she is pictured on one of the billboards that surround Alumni stadium field. Skyers played as a forward on the field for the Crusaders.

During her four years here, she left quite a mark on the program. She scored 33 goals, was selected for the All-Southeast Region Second Team, and was named the team’s most valuable player. After graduating from BAC, she went on to play for The Citadel for a season, where she scored seven more goals. Being on the Women’s soccer team myself, I had the pleasure of getting to know and personally interview the former alum to discuss her memories as a former player and as a coach now.

During our interview, I was able to learn a lot about Skyers and the Women’s soccer program over the years. It was both comforting and heartwarming to discuss her favorite memories she had whilst being a crusader soccer player. I found that in the four years, she was here, most of the team’s traditions have remained the same.

Along with personally interviewing her, I had some of my teammates ask her questions about what she enjoys most about returning to the crusader soccer environment, in which she responded, “It feels like returning home after a long time away.” She proceeded to tell the team how she was nervous that her young age would affect how we saw her but felt very respected and welcomed. She stated that “even though being a teacher and coach at once can be a lot to handle, she has become very invested in the team and program,” allowing her love for the sport to consume her once again.

Skyers continues to leave an even bigger mark on the program through her continuous positivity and dedication as a coach. The players and I were able to open up and see an even deeper side of Skyers that I hope will create a special player-coach relationship. It is apparent that Skyers has a deep connection with this school and program and has really influenced the women’s soccer team.

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