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Softball and Baseball Teams Travel to Florida

While many students are headed home to celebrate the week off of classes, the baseball and softball players are headed to sunny Florida. Both teams leave this weekend and will return to New York early on Easter weekend.

Courtesy of athletics.houghton.edu
Courtesy of athletics.houghton.edu

Due to the weather conditions, the softball team has yet to play their first game in the new conference. Both teams have been practicing in the gym because the fields are covered in snow.

“[Going to Florida] is a chance for us to improve, to get out of the snow, to play consistently, and to play better. I think we are already playing better now than we did last year. But we need to continue to improve,” said baseball coach Brian Reitnour. “I think one of the things that Florida does for us is it gives us an opportunity to get outside because it is very difficult now to see fly balls and live pitching every day.”

“Our games have been cancelled, so it will be nice to get them out on the dirt, on real grass. It will be good for them to see the game because for half of them it is their first time playing in a collegiate game,” said softball coach Jeremy Shepherd. “We are just looking forward to them getting those first couple games under their belts.”

The schedule looks considerably different for both teams this year. Due to the new conference, the baseball and softball teams will be playing other teams recognized by NCAA division III.

“We are playing some really difficult teams. Our last day of spring break we finish with Luther who is ranked third in the country…so that will be a test,” said Shepherd. “And right when we get back we get Ithaca on that Saturday and right now they are ranked 15th in the country.”

“I think we will be better this year than last year now that we have experienced playing with each other,” said senior Jacob Kocher. “So we have pretty high expectations for Florida this year now that we have been there and done the same thing.”

Both teams plan to have a service on Good Friday as they will be in Florida over the weekend. The softball team will return to Houghton early on Easter Sunday so some players will go home with their teammates.

“We get in on Monday, we practice. We play on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On Friday we will have a service with family members…our players, and coaches,” said Reitnour. “It’s a little bit of an atypical year because on when Easter falls, we typically would have ten days in Florida. So it just looks a little different.”

The women have Wednesday off and will have the opportunity to take advantage of the different amusement parks in the area, such as Disney, MGM and Universal Studios. The men will have some time to head to the beach or the different amusement parks after they finish playing, and they also intend to do a service project while in Florida.

“A lot of the trip is that it is a great bonding experience. It is an opportunity for us to live out the mission of Houghton athletics,” said Reitnour. “It’s about more than just baseball and more than just our team. It is an act of worship and it is a ministry.”

“We are expecting some tough games, but as far as Coach told us, we have a good chance to win some,” said sophomore Ashley Popp. “It should be a lot of fun and I’m really looking forward to it because I just want to see the sun!”

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First Lacrosse Season Underway

As members of brand new programs at Houghton College, players on the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams are not only navigating a new conference, many of them are also learning a new sport.

Courtesy of Kathryn Hornibrook
Courtesy of Kathryn Hornibrook

The men’s team is 1-2 as of the game against Hiram this past weekend. Both Hiram and Baldwin-Wallace College have new lacrosse programs as well. The men’s next game is away against Cazenovia this Saturday.

“It’s not even teaching them the techniques; it is teaching them the rules and everything. They are learning so much in the game,” said men’s coach Josiah Snelgrove. “We are definitely going to be the most improved team.”

J. Snelgrove highlighted the play and leadership of seniors Tyler Kempney and Mike Ball. Kempney led the team with 15 goals, followed by Ball with five goals. Kempney was honored as player of the week ending March 10 by the Empire 8 Conference.

“We’ve got some great leadership from both the coaches and players,” said senior Matt Vogan. “We are hoping to set a good foundation for the lacrosse program that represents Houghton.”

The women are 0-1 so far this season. Although they scrimmaged at home this Saturday against Wells, the game was postponed due to the lack of referees to officiate.

Courtesy of Kathryn Hornibrook
Courtesy of Kathryn Hornibrook

“The team is working very hard and is constantly improving in all areas of the game! Our practices look ten times more positive and effective than what we were doing in fall ball,” said women’s coach Rachael Snelgrove. “Each individual member of the team is working hard to become the best player she can be to help better the team…and they are doing a great job at making this happen!”

R. Snelgrove emphasized the contributions made by juniors Amanda Zacchigna and Maesa Phongsamouth and sophomores Nicole Mason and Tyler Reese. These women have all played lacrosse before, bringing experience to such a new team. The team captains are Zacchigna, Phonsamouth and senior Rachel Stefanski.

“Rachel has never played before; however, she has very quickly picked up the fundamentals of the game and has really proven to be one of our top players on the field,” said R. Snelgrove.

“One of our goals that we made as a team is to make every single game an improvement from the last,” said Stefanski. “Not only an improvement in our skill, but also our attitudes and our display of Christ.”

Both teams have devotions and prayer partners to foster spiritual growth. They have participated in different service opportunities as well, such as visiting the Houghton Nursing Home.

Courtesy of Kathryn Hornibrook
Courtesy of Kathryn Hornibrook

“Every Friday we have a different guy share a thought for the day or a testimony,” said J. Snelgrove. “Especially since there are 22 guys who [didn’t] know each other before now, getting to know everyone and where they come from is important.”

Both coaches expressed their positive hopes and assessments of their respective teams. “I am so excited about this season with this group of young ladies; they are passionate and have an excellent work ethic,” said R. Snelgrove. “I have very high hopes for their success this season.”

“We are thankful for the support and obviously it is going to take a while for everyone to understand how it works,” said J. Snelgrove. “Hopefully we play an exciting brand of lacrosse for the school.”

 

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Athlete Profile: Mary Strand

Courtesy of athletics.houghton.edu
Courtesy of athletics.houghton.edu

Mary Strand was recently honored with the title of NCCAA Female Track and Field Athlete of the Week. Each week the NCCAA decides on one student athlete from a number of recognized schools to represent the accomplishments within that particular sport.  The recipient of the title exemplifies quality performances as well as Christian ideals.  

Strand set the new school record for the 200 meters, 4×200 meter relay, and qualified for NCCAA Nationals in the 400 meter during a competition at Brockport State Invitational.  At Nationals, held at Indiana Wesleyan University, Strand helped the relay team beat the school record again and placed individually with her best time of the season.   

Strand, a sophomore, has been participating in track and field since seventh grade.  Although she is mostly a sprinter, she has also trained in other areas and was even part of last year’s JV soccer team.  

While Strand is appreciative of this award, she said she will continue to stay focused.  Strand said that  while running, “you push yourself as far as you can go and then you push yourself further.”
Strand attributes her success to the support of her coach and team.  Her captain, Sarah Munkittrick, said there is a lot to learn from Strand, describing her as a hard worker and a perfectionist who still remains humble.  Munkittrick also said that Strand “not only pushes the team to work harder but also brings them together.”

Track and field coach, Matthew Dougherty, said those honored with the title of Athlete of the Week are great performers, tremendous athletes and talented individuals, with Mary Strand possessing all of these qualities.  Dougherty defined Strand as someone who has strong motivation paired with a ferocity most would not expect, allowing her to achieve anything she sets her mind to.  

Strand plans on practicing just as hard in order to continually get better and achieve more later on in meets both as an individual and as a team.  Dougherty said that Strand’s position on the team is “integral in terms of chemistry,” helping to inspire others through her talent and fun attitude.  

Strand is excited to begin the outdoor track and field season, having used these recent experiences as a preparation phase.  She expects to practice and compete with the same determination, progressively challenging herself.  Dougherty said that Strand’s disposition is one of a “driven and focused individual who is strong spiritually, academically, and athletically.”  

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Baseball Season Preview

Along with the rest of the spring sports, the baseball team’s pre-season training will be put to the test in two weeks. Their season will officially begin Friday, March 1 when the men play against St. John Fisher at a neutral site in New Jersey.

As last year was their opening season, the team struggled in the wins and losses column. There will be new starters at center field, second base, and right field due to graduating and injured players, but essentially the rest of the team is returning. With a year more of experience under their belts, the men have different goals for this season.

Courtesy of athletics.houghton.edu
Courtesy of athletics.houghton.edu

“I’ve seen tremendous improvement this year…Their camaraderie and brotherhood is just fantastic. I have coached baseball for 15 years and this is the most fun I’ve had coaching baseball,” said Coach Brian Reitnour. “I’m really pleased with the progress we’ve made and I just want to see them continue to strive for excellence in everything they do, not just baseball.”

“Goals, realistically, are definitely to do better than last year. We want to finish with a 500 record or greater,” said junior captain Ignacio Villalobos. “In preseason rankings we are last in our conference, so we want to prove that wrong. And at least be in the top four.”

“I want to make sure we aren’t going to be run over by teams, because we are good enough, we just have to finish, because that was a problem last year,” sophomore Michael Kerr said.

Not only has the team been practicing together for the past three weeks, but they have also been involved in service projects in the area. Last Friday night they volunteered at Houghton Wesleyan Church with the Valentine’s Dinner. They also help out with Little League in Fillmore.

Members of the team have highlighted the spiritual community they have built together. “Devotionals have helped us get closer knit as a team. Even the freshmen have been really involved, which has been really cool to see,” said Villalobos. “The guys [who] came back from last year have really found team chemistry from it; just focusing on the right thing: having the purpose of playing for Christ and the goal of being successful on the field.”

Kerr said, “We find joy in the hard work. Our team chemistry is better than it has ever been since we started the Bible study.”

“We are trying to be a team of grace and that is difficult within competitive athletics, because grace and competition in most people’s minds don’t mix. But I want to show them that they can; that it is not necessarily about reducing your opponent to an object, but allowing them to push you to become the best human being you can be,” said Reitnour. “It is about how can I make my brothers better, how can I be a witness, how can I use baseball as an act of worship?”

With all other athletic teams and intramurals sharing time in the gym, it is difficult for each team to get adequate training. The baseball team has made use of Burke Field when they can.
“Having the turf facility here is amazing,” said Reitnour. “Once we have the baseball field completed, that will be even better, because then we won’t have to compete with men’s and women’s lacrosse, or softball. But I’m pretty used to being in a gym at this time of year.”

The projection for the completion of the baseball field is sometime this summer, meaning the team will not be able to make use of it until preseason next fall. In the meantime, most of their home games will be played at Bolivar-Richford High School, a 45-minute drive south of Houghton. They will also have one game at Dwire Stadium in Batavia and play a four game series against Stevens Tech at St. Bonaventure.

“I know this year that will be tough with our games farther away, but I would really like this to be a place that people want to play because of the community,” said Reitnour. “I really hope we get some good support from the other teams and people [who] don’t even play on campus.”

 

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Athlete Profile: Mark O’Brien

If there are two things that seem to be unanimously attributed to senior Mark O’Brien, it’s his athletic dedication and the strength of his character, both of which are apparent on the basketball court.

Courtesy of athletics.houghton.edu
Courtesy of athletics.houghton.edu

Teammate Michael Ball commended O’Brien’s persistence and work ethic. “Mark is always one of the first guys in the gym and one of the last to leave the gym. He has impressed me with the amount of things he has on his plate and how he handles the many different things that he is involved with here on campus,” said Ball.

Teammate Seth Shay added, “For the past four years, Mark has been a go-to player for the men’s basketball team and has set a very good example for the younger guys. Houghton College will miss his high level of play and his incredible leadership skills. I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate, and a better friend.”

Coach Drew Hannan agreed with Ball and Shay’s appraisals and added to Mark’s list of qualities “leader” and “competitor.” “The hope is with any player you’ll see development in athletic skill,” said Hannan, “but Mark really took ownership of the program and what we are trying to accomplish. He stepped into a leadership role with the guys looking to him for direction and I think that has really helped him blossom as a player, being at that level on a daily basis.”

Hannan also commented that Mark’s character has been noticed by people who do not practice with him. “Mark is always one of the first guys to step up and volunteer when someone needs something done,” whether that be service related or manual labor, said Hannan. “His effect and personality go beyond himself” in a positive and inspiring way that Hannan best described as “infectious.”

“Playing on the team for four years has helped me grow a lot and gain perspective both on life and athletics,” said O’Brien. “It’s taught me to compete, be a good teammate, be a good friend and work hard every day, even if I sense things aren’t going the way I want them to. It’s really grown me up.”

Though O’Brien admits to occasional obstacles in motivation, leadership, and performance, he has demonstrated his ability to “work through adversity” and to “really care” enough to continually expend himself to his full potential for the good of the team.

O’Brien said that what he has enjoyed most about college basketball is his teammates. “They’re my buddies, my best friends, they’re hilarious, and I love hanging out with them outside of practice,” said O’Brien. “Doing what we do isn’t easy and a lot is demanded of us, but I’m proud of my teammates and wouldn’t trade them for anything. It takes strong people to keep fighting.”

After he graduates, O’Brien said he will miss the rest of his team as well as the competition and “just being around basketball.” Although O’Brien’s main postgraduate pursuit is business, he hopes to coach some day.

“I hope to see him do big things,” said Hannan. “He’s been nothing but successful since he came to Houghton and there’s no reason to expect anything different in the future.” Hannan described the best way to quantify O’Brien by quoting a man in charge of parking whom O’Brien volunteered to assist. “He’s one of the best.”

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Indoor Track NCCAA National Championship

Fourteen of Houghton’s indoor track athletes made it to the the 2013 NCCAA National Championships, and will be competing at Indiana Wesleyan University in men’s and women’s indoor track today and tomorrow, February 15-16.

Courtesy of http://www.campbellsvilletigers.com/
Courtesy of http://www.campbellsvilletigers.com/

Those competing include Andrew McGinnis, Jordan Cady, Josiah Evans, Tim McGowan, Alyssa Figueroa, Mary Strand, Sarah Munkittrick, Tatum Mcleod, Savannah Doviak, Cara Davenport, Leah Williams, Andrea Melhorn, and Emilie Edwards. Senior Annelise Hein qualified but is unable to attend the meet.

There will be a number of well-ranked schools at the upcoming meet. Senior Captain Andrew McGinnis said he is “pumped to see the intensity of the competition.”   

Going into this meet, Smalley said the primary objective is to be “consistently successful in getting better.”  A realistic goal would include two All-American Athletes, a National Champion, and more personal bests.  

The track teams will have the opportunity to compete in the National Championship meet for the second time in recent years. This meet will conclude the indoor track season that started this past November.

Smalley said that during training an emphasis is put on “learning to compete, to relax, but still be strong and powerful.” Planning around academic schedules and the limited space in the gym made preparing for this meet difficult, Smalley commented.

With about a month before the outdoor season begins, the teams will be fully prepared for the transition. Robert Smalley, assistant coach to the track teams, said, “this is due to the developmental training that has happened up to this point.”

Weekly devotionals help bring the individual athletes together as a team. Both the men and women plan activities to bond. Junior captain Sarah Munkittrick said, “It’s easy to become self-focused. You have to remember you are not just an individual, but a team.”

Athletes must “drive themselves to be better – they don’t have teammates to pick up the slack,” said Smalley. Track is “difficult because you can’t hide in a team,” and Smalley said he hopes that in general the athletes will have learned to compete as individuals who encourage the team.  

The team is unique in that “there is no stereotype,” Munkittrick said.  All the athletes share a mental toughness that pushes them in essentially competing against themselves.  

Junior Alyssa Figueroa agreed that the sport “relies heavily on individual performance, and you must therefore set progressive goals.”

Figueroa recently beat the school record for the triple jump and is the defending National Champion for the 60m dash.  As a dual athlete who is also playing soccer, she said that she can see the differences competing in track has made in her running.  

Smalley said that “having dual athletes on the team really brings different body types and skills” that are beneficial. “Being a student athlete is difficult, but in the end builds good character.”

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Athlete Profile: Kristen Moose

art&sports_athleteJunior captain Kristen Moose came to Houghton from Swain, New York to play basketball. Although she has had to sit out the past couple games due to illness, Moose continues to lead the women’s team.

“Moose is a quiet leader, she is not vocal, but she leads in her actions and her work ethic. Her teammates catch on to that and it motivates them to work hard too,” said Coach Alicia Mucher, “She is definitely an asset to a team and in a lot of ways she is a coach’s dream to have. Very coachable, listens, right now we just wish she were healthy.”

“I think her sickness has affected our team, but I think it has caused Moose to reflect on her role on our team more,” said freshman teammate Maggie Reynolds.Moose has been playing basketball since she was a little girl. She began playing with her dad, starting organized competition in elementary school. She competed in soccer and softball as well, but basketball won out as the more favored sport.

“Sometimes it’s probably a bad habit, but I tend to put basketball ahead of school. It probably isn’t the right thing,” Moose said, “But generally it is pretty easy to balance school with basketball.”
Moose is studying both physical education and health at Houghton. She aspires to be either a teacher or coach post-graduation. Her teammates and coach foresee her excelling in this field.
“Moose is definitely one of the hardest workers I have ever coached, if not the hardest worker. She has worked so much and put so much time into her individual development that she is really starting to reap some of those benefits,” said Mucher, “There is no question she is an outstanding basketball player.”

Last year, Moose received player of the year in the American Mideast Conference. This year, she leads the Empire 8 in points per game, averaging at 17. She leads the team in turnovers, field goals, three-pointers, assists, and free throws. She has earned player of the week twice this season as well.

“Moose is a very hard worker and that’s her style of play,” said Reynolds, “She does a good job pushing our team to excellence.”

“I just always want to be the best that I can be. I don’t ever want to look back and regret it,” said Moose, “The better I do individually, the more I can help the team out.”

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Basketball Teams Overcome Different Challenges

With their seasons well underway, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams have been practicing hard this winter. The players and coaches have sacrificed much of their energy and time, including part of their Christmas break, in order to compete.

Both the men and women’s teams play again at Alfred University this Friday night. While the women are 8-9 overall in season, the men hold a record of 0-18.

“We have had our ups and downs. With a new coach it’s a struggle, but she’s doing a really good job,” said senior captain Michelle Persons, “We have a couple injuries right now, some are key players, but we keep working through it and giving it our all, hoping everything comes together.”

“No matter if we are up by 30 or down by 30, we are working hard,” said Head Women’s Basketball Coach Alicia Mucher. “Mentality is more important than focusing on what the end goal should be as far as wins and losses. If you have a good mentality, those things will fall in line.”

Kaitlyn Gaffney looks for a pass.
Kaitlyn Gaffney looks for a pass.

Junior captain Kristen Moose leads the conference in points per game. She also holds the team record in points, three pointers, assists, and free throws. Freshman Maisie Pipher leads the team in rebounds and blocks. Junior Kaitlin Hammersley, senior Kaitlyn Gaffney and Persons are also on the statistical leader board.

“The competitiveness, what teams’ strengths are at this division are just different from NAIA; the type of athlete that you are up against is a little different. So the goal was to get a feel for things, but to make a statement that we should be in this conference and we are going to be competitive,” said Mucher. “Our more recent goal is to determine the kind of team we want to be remembered as. In the past couple weeks we decided we want to be known as relentless.”

For the men, senior captain Christopher Confair leads the team in rebounds and points, followed by senior captain Mark O’Brien and senior Seth Shay. Junior Matthew Ball records the most blocks while junior Andrew Makori has made the most assists.

“[This season] has definitely been a learning experience for all of us, but I think we have grown more into a family,” said Confair. “We as a team have been enjoying the opportunity to just play the game we love.”

Both teams have suffered from some injuries that have disabled them from playing with a full roster. Many younger players have been stepping into roles previously filled by the upperclassmen.

“So some of that has been tough, but every day the guys come in and practice with a great attitude, great mentality, and they continue to work hard in spite of the lack of success we have had in the win loss column,” said Head Men’s Basketball Coach Andrew Hannan.

Regardless of their play on the court, both teams try to foster spiritual growth on their teams. Through various activities and devotionals, teammates encourage each other.

“We try to volunteer around the area to help people in need, whether that is through children’s church or Operation Christmas Child,” said Confair. “No matter the outcome of our games and practice we thank God for the opportunity to play for Him.”

The basketball teams always offer to pray with the opposing team after a match. As the choice is left to their competitors, some accept the offer while others do not. [I would erase this paragraph]

“We usually do devotions at Coach’s house, sometimes once a week, sometimes every other week. We have also done prayer groups in the past,” said Persons. “We love to do the Burden Run every year, which is a spiritual run. It’s just a short jog where we lay out all our struggles to the team and pray for each other.”

“We are not about the individual, we are about doing the best we can individually for the good of the team,” said Hannan. “So, it takes some sacrifice on everyone’s part.”

 

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Personal Records in Indoor Track

Though the rest of the campus may be, the track and field team is undeterred by the cold temperatures and the snow, training hard for their indoor season. With three meets already completed, the men and women will continue to compete until their season ends in May.

Coming off of Christmas break, the Highlanders had one practice before competing in their second meet. Many of the athletes set personal records and qualified for National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Nationals at the RIT Invitational on January 12. The women’s 4×200 placed second, running the event in 1:55.07.

Indoor track race at RIT Invitational
Indoor track race at RIT Invitational

Junior Alyssa Figueroa qualified for NCCAA Nationals and broke two school records, running 60 meters in 8.08 seconds and jumping 11.35 meters in the triple jump.

Head track and field coach Matthew Dougherty said, “With Alyssa Figueroa, Sarah Munkittrick, Savannah Doviak, and Mary Strand as sprinters, Leah Williams and Annelise Hein running long distance, and Andrea Melhorn adding good depth on the field, we have a good group of returners this year.”

While all events in track and field are performed individually, aside from relays, the team still plays a significant role. The teammates encourage one another at practices and competitions to persevere through mental and physical exhaustion.

“The track team is really unique in a way that as a whole team we only practice together once a week, during meets is when we get to spend time together,” junior captain Sarah Munkittrick said. “We all want everyone to do their best.”

The team competed again this past weekend at the SPIRE North Coast Indoor Track and Field Open hosted in Columbus, Ohio. More personal records were broken as the athletes had a week more of training.

Sophomores Andrea Melhorn and Mary Strand both qualified for Nationals. Melhorn qualified for the hammer throw with a mark of 11.99 meters. Strand ran 200 meters in 27.06 seconds. The Highlanders ran the women’s 4×400 meter relay in 4:15.28, Strand anchoring with a split of 59 seconds. Dougherty also highlighted senior captain Andrew McGinnis’ time of 24.35 seconds in the 200 meter race.

“I think [the season] is going well. We have a bunch of new guys and girls coming in,” sophomore captain Austin Groff said. “We had about 48% personal records broken for girls in the last meet and a high percentage for the guys as well.”

The team will participate in the Empire 8 Championships this Saturday, January 26. The indoor season will end in March, and then the outdoor track and field events will begin.

The main difference when the team transitions to outdoor events is that the races are longer distances, losing the shorter sprints. In addition, some other throwing field events are added, such as javelin and discus.

The indoor facilities built with the Kerr-Pegula donation will result in more efficient ways to train for events such as the triple jump and pole vaulting. As of now, there are no pits to jump in and the vaulters do not actually vault until the meets, although they train in other ways.

“It is hard for a coach to have goals, but the team came in second last year and I think they want to replicate that this year,” said Dougherty. “Basically the team is as strong as any other and we just want to finish in the top half.”

Munkittrick said, “Personally, I want the womens 4x200m relay to become All-American at the NCCAA indoor nationals and to break the school record again!”