WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD POSTS BLAZING TIMES AT MONTREAT COLLEGE INVITATIONAL

Photo Credit: Jan Yinger

Black Mountain, NC- The women's track and field team returned to the track looking to build on the success the team saw in their first meet. Tennessee Wesleyan saw three school records fall at the Montreat College Invitational.

The Saturday meet started off with Rachel Gallison in the 3000m Steeplechase, jumping over the hurdle and through the water in 12:55.94, slotting her in second place in the event. The 1500m Race saw a 5-6 finish by the Lady Bulldogs as Hannah Rhodes (5:02.95) and Keupper Feehan (5:06.07) crossed the line back-to-back, respectively.

Gracie Smith used a 17.38 second time to go the 100m distance over the hurdles, finishing fifth place in the event. In the 400m Race, Tranico Parson was the fifth person to cross the line, coming in at a time of 1:02.21. Malika Reviere finished 12th in the event with a time of 1:09.00.

The school record holder in the 100m Dash, Alexandria Johnson, came in fourth place at the meet, running a time of 12.40 to accomplish the spot. Alexis Lankford, the Indoor 100m Dash record holder, finished in 11th place in 12.86 seconds. Representing TWU in the 800m Race was Rosa Cisneros, who finished 12th with a time of 2:34.33 and Bailey Condone with a time of 2:38.42 to finish in 15th.

One of the three school records which fell on the day came in the 200m Dash. Johnson added her name to another place in the record books, previously breaking the school record in the 100m Dash the week before, as her 25.43 time in the event, good enough for third place, etched her name as the top time. Four other members of the team finished in the top 20 of the event: Els Van Hooijdonk (5th, 25.84), Parson (12th, 27.68), Bri Williams (14th, 28.00) and Dasha Varner (20th, 29.31).

The final track event was the 4x400m Relay and it was the second school record to fall on the day. The team of Feehan, Johnson, Hooijdonk and Rhodes crossed the finish in 4:03.18, giving the team a second place designation. The second team of Parson, Cisneros, Condone and Karlie Yinger used a 4:23.53 time to finish seventh in the event.

On the field side, the day started with the jumping events: the Triple Jump, Long Jump and High Jump. In the High Jump, Smith used a 1.45m mark to finish seventh. It was a rough outing in the Long Jump for Williams as her 4.27m mark placed her 17th. Redemption came for Williams in the Triple Jump though, as she finished in the top 10 with her mark of 9.56m to give the Lady Bulldogs a second member in the top 10 to go along with Hooijdonk's fourth place finish (10.43m).

The star shining the brightest though belonged to Rachel Lawhorn. Competing in three events, Lawhorn saw her name in the number one spot on all three. In the Discus, the third school record to fall, Lawhorn threw a 41.84 to shatter the record and finish in first. Her next event, the Shot Put, saw her throw a 12.82m mark to come out on top in the event. The Javelin saw three throwers in the top 10, beginning with Lawhorn's throw of 33.13 meters, winning the event by 4.11 meters. Olivia Fisher (23.22m, 7th) and Rhodes (21.76, 9th) joined Lawhorn in the top 10. The performance by Lawhorn earned her Appalachian Athletic Conference Women's Field Athlete of the Week for the second time in a row.

The team takes a week off before returning to the University of Cumberlands Invitational in Williamsburg, KY. The meet is set for April 13-14.

Clarke's Six RBIs Powers Bulldogs to Game One Win Against Bluefield

Recap, photo courtesy of TWU

Athens, TN- The baseball team returned to Athens Insurance Stadium this afternoon, less than 24 hours since the thrilling victory against #2 Georgia Gwinnett College. The receiving-votes Bulldogs welcomed the Bluefield College Rams, an Appalachian Athletic Conference foe, to Athens on Thursday for the opening of a three-game series which was originally set to begin on Friday.

The hangover from beating the second-ranked team reared its ugly head in the first inning as Tennessee Wesleyan gave up five runs to the visiting Rams. Dakota Phillips hit his eighth home run of the season in the second inning to make a minor cut into the deficit, starting a streak of seven-straight innings with a score for the Bulldogs.

With the offense warming up, a pitching change in the form of Carson Bach stabilized the defense for TWU. Tristan Clarke's two-run dinger with Tyler Halas on-base brought the Bulldogs within two runs and made the score 5-3.  The biggest damage came in the fourth inning, which started with a Phillips single. Mosley's fielder's choice forced Phillips out but kept a runner on first and Grant Lang used a walk to put runners on first and second. Sid Kumar gave Tennessee Wesleyan three home runs on the day with this three-run blast, giving the Bulldogs their first lead of the day, 5-3. Two more runs came off Clarke's second home run of the day joining Malik Stephens crossing the plate to extend the lead to four runs, 7-3.

TWU added a run each in the fifth, off a Grant Lang homer, and in the sixth inning from Tyler Halas' run off a Collin Ridout single. Another four runs came for the Bulldogs in the seventh inning as Halas' scored a pinch-running Alfred Cruz off a single, Clarke scored Kumar and Halas off another single and Clarke scored on an opposing player's bobble. A second run from Cruz in the eighth along with a third run from Kumar gave Tennessee Wesleyan the amount of runs needed to end the game according to the mercy rule with a final score of 16-6.

Bach came in in the first and went 6.1 innings deep and only gave up two runs on one hit while striking out eight batters and surrendering no walks. Clarke finished the day 4-5 with two runs scored, two home runs and six RBIs. Kumar also aided the offense with three hits, three runs scored and four RBIs.

The Bulldogs (22-16, 11-5) are currently riding a five-game winning streak and looking to continue it in the first game of a doubleheader on Friday. The weather could play a factor in the start time but it is currently scheduled for 1:00 PM. Stay tuned to the athletic website and Tennessee Wesleyan Athletics' social media (@twbulldogs) for all the updates concerning start times.

Five-Run Eighth Helps Bulldogs Spring Upset of #2 Georgia Gwinnett

Recap, photo courtesy of Tennessee Wesleyan

Athens, TN- A tough schedule peaked once again for (RV) Tennessee Wesleyan (21-16, 10-5) on Wednesday when they were back on Jack Bowling Field. Sitting in the other dugout of Athens Insurance Stadium was the second-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College Grizzlies.

In a game where the teams combined for 31 hits on the day, runs did not start to roll in until the fourth inning. Georgia Gwinnett scored two runs to make it a deficit for the Bulldogs when they came to bat. Tristan Clarke began the inning with a single but was forced out on Collin Ridout's fielder's choice. The second out of the inning occurred before a Dakota Phillips single moved Ridout to third give the hope of scoring a run. Ridout scored on the next batter's, Braden Mosley, single to cut the deficit to one, making the score 2-1 in favor of the visitors.

A run in the fifth inning by the Grizzlies set up TWU's two-run sixth inning which tied the game 3-3. A double from Ridout was followed by a double by Phillips, scoring Ridout's second run of the game. Phillips' game-tying run came on a Grant Lang ground out after Mosley's second hit of the game moved Phillips to third, forcing the tie at the end of the inning.

The scoring continued for the Bulldogs, taking their first lead of the game in the seventh inning. Malik Stephens started the inning with a double to right field and advanced to third on a Tyler Halas bunt single. A sacrifice fly by Clarke pushed the go-ahead run in Stephens across home plate to make the score 4-3. It would not remain a one run lead for Tennessee Wesleyan though as Georgia Gwinnett scored a run in the top of the eighth inning to tie the score once again. But losing the lead did not hold the Bulldogs from making the march back to the top of the scoreboard.

A five-run inning started with a Mosley walk and was followed by a pinch-hitting Adrian Gonzalez's bunt single. A second consecutive bunt single by Chris Baetzel loaded the bases. The momentum stalled temporarily with the next two batters striking out. A Clarke single restored the drive for TWU to take the lead as Mosley scored to give the Bulldogs a 5-4 advantage. A hit by pitch for Ridout as the bases remained loaded scored Gonzalez to extend the lead to two. Aloysius Cruz come to the plate and hit a ball in the air which hit off the right fielder's glove as it came down, unloading the bases with pinch-runner Kyle Tunnell, Clarke and Ridout scoring to expand the lead to 9-4. Tennessee Wesleyan held on to win the game by a final score of 9-6.

Jack Granath pitched his way to nine strikeouts in seven innings of play, giving up just one earned run in the game. On the offensive side, the Bulldogs finished with 15 hits in the game, led by Ridout's 3-4 from the plate with three runs scored and a RBI.

Thursday sees the beginning of a three-game series, originally set to begin on Friday but moved up with the potential for torrid rain over the weekend, against Bluefield College. The matchup between the Appalachian Athletic Conference opponents in Athens Insurance Stadium is set for a single-game to begin at 3:00 PM.

Lady Bulldogs Follow Split With Sweep of Montreat

Athens, TN- The short rest between games did not affect the softball team on Tuesday, as they were playing less than 24 hours since their split against Maryville College. The team was back at Athens Regional Park for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) doubleheader against the Montreat College Lady Cavaliers.

It was a slow start for the Lady Bulldogs though in the first game of the doubleheader against Lady Cavaliers when the visitors scored a run to lead 1-0 after the second inning. Tennessee Wesleyan took over in the third inning, beginning with Olivia Housewright's single. A Baylee Sutton double put runners in scoring position with Housewright moving to third. A run from Housewright did not come to fruition when she was caught in a rundown but Sutton moved to third on the rundown and scored on a wild pitch after a Courtney Black walk to give TWU a 1-1 tie, who moved to second on the wild pitch.

Two walks from Briana Muller and Allee West loaded the bases before a third consecutive walk by

Bulldogs Outscore Montreat 23-6 Over Three Games to Win Weekend Series

Recap, photo courtesy of TWU

Black Mountain, NC- The baseball team was back on the road this past weekend. After a non-conference doubleheader last Tuesday, the team jumped back into Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play, opening a three-game series against the Montreat College Cavaliers.

Game 1 (Friday)

On Friday, the Bulldogs used a big first inning to take control of the single nine inning game. Tyler Halas opened up the game with a single to left. With the next batter striking out, Collin Ridout took the first pitch thrown to him and sent it over center field to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. The third run of the inning came from Dakota Phillips who, after hitting a double in his at-bat, crossed home plate on Braden Mosley's single. A wild throw moved Mosley around the bases, landing on third before the second homer of the inning from Grant Lang gave TWU a 5-0 lead.

Aloysius Cruz's double moved Ridout to third base in the third inning with the Bulldogs looking to strike again on the scoreboard. A two-RBI double by Phillips scored Ridout and Cruz to make the score 7-0. With Mosley on first off his batted ball which caused an error, Malik Stephens sent a ball to right field, scoring Phillips for run number eight and moving Mosley to third as Stephens moved to second on the throw from his hit. A double to left by Halas gave Tennessee Wesleyan a double-digit lead, with the team leading 10-0 at the conclusion of the third inning. In the fifth inning, Addison Adams used a single to reach base and eventually scored off a Ridout batted ball to give the team an 11-0 lead. Four runs after the fifth inning from the Cavaliers were not enough to stop TWU from walking off the field with the first win.

Halas went 4-6 from the plate with two RBIs in the game. Ridout led in the RBI category with three,

TWU Women's Tennis Beats Point University 7-2

Recap, photo courtesy of Tennessee Wesleyan University

Valley, AL- The women's tennis team was back on the road on Wednesday, traveling to Valley, AL for a neutral site game at the Sportsplex against the Point University Lady Skyhawks of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC). Each team came into the match ranked in the receiving votes column of the 2018 NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches Top 25 Poll.

The match began with a defeat for the Lady Bulldogs when the No. 1 doubles team of Nadin Antic and Giovanna Alves De Morae fell. The other two doubles teams though, consisting of Haruka Hirata and Noemi Perez in the #2 doubles along with Katerina Saskova and Arianna Pelletti in the No. 3 doubles, gave Tennessee Wesleyan a 2-1 advantage with their 8-4 and 8-6 wins, respectively.

After a loss in the first singles for the Lady Bulldogs, the team swept the remaining singles match to help them take the overall match. The first win in singles came in the No. 3 singles as Hirata got a 6-2, 6-0 victory. Saskova, in the #2 singles spot, used a 6-1, 6-3 win to give Tennessee Wesleyan a 4-2 overall lead on the day. Pelletti clinched it for the team with her tough 6-4, 6-3 win in the fifth singles match. The team would win the match 7-2 off singles match wins from Perez, in the No. 4 spot 7-6 (5), 6-3 and Antic in the sixth spot 6-3, 6-1.

The team gets their second win of the season and second win in the AAC with the victory. The Lady Bulldogs will look for their third overall and conference win against Columbia College on the road Wednesday. First serve is set for 2:00 PM.

TWU Men's Tennis Get Seventh Win Against Point

Recap, photo courtesy of Tennessee Wesleyan University

Valley, AL- The 21st ranked men's tennis team returned to the court after an exhilarating 5-4 win against Southern Indiana University, which saw them fall behind 3-0 in doubles play only to win five of the six singles contests and win the match. The team looked to carry the momentum from the win into their match with the #25 Point University Skyhawks on Wednesday and notch their fourth Appalachian Athletic Conference victory.

The first doubles match to finish, the No. 2 doubles team of Sergio Lapaz and Mauricio Muniz, went in favor of Point 8-4. The Bulldogs took the final two doubles matches though with Caio Bardauil and Bernat Paredes winning the #3 doubles 8-3 and the team of Federico Staksrud and Borja Perez winning a thriller in the first doubles match 9-7. Staksrud and Perez came back from being four match points down to win.

The tough double matches set up competitive singles matches. After falling in the #1 singles match, Tennessee Wesleyan picked up two-straight wins in the #3 singles match from Bardauil (7-5, 6-1) and Perez in the #2 singles (6-4, 3-6, 6-4). The 4-2 lead for the Bulldogs soon was cut to one as the fourth singles match went in to the Skyhawks. Fabrizio Tormen gave Tennessee Wesleyan the fifth win they needed to win the match with his 6-3, 7-6 victory in the No. 5 singles, giving the Bulldogs the 5-4 match win.

Tennessee Wesleyan (7-3, 4-1 AAC) sits atop the AAC standings with two conference matches remaining on the schedule. The first of the two will be next Saturday, April 7 at Milligan College. First serve is set for 1:00 PM.