No. 1 Women’s Cross Country:
With a ranking of No. 1 in the Preseason NAIA Coaches’ Poll, anticipation for the fall season of Taylor women’s cross country has begun. One point away from securing the National title a year ago, the team enters 2025 as the early favorites to bring home a red banner.
There are plenty of Maddawgs to watch for this season, led by sophomore Jaynie Halterman. Halterman was the individual champion at the NAIA National Championship meet and set the NAIA National Championship record at a groundbreaking 20:24.7 to cap an outstanding freshman season.
Returning for the women’s team for her fourth year is senior Noel VanderWall, an All-American for every year at Taylor. VanderWall posted her fastest time of the season, a 21:06.9, at the National Championship meet. She will be joined by junior Sam Patterson and senior Kaitlin Burden, who both return after placing in the top 50 in last season’s National Championship.
The Maddawgs welcome four new freshmen in Kate Bowen, Catey Campbell, Elizabeth Erwin, and Marlina Howell. After taking first at the Indiana Wesleyan Twilight Invitational, their season continues at the Florida State Cross Country Open on Sept. 26.
by Elise Hoylman
No. 3 Men’s Cross Country:
Ranked No. 3 in the Preseason NAIA Coaches’ Poll, the Taylor Men’s Cross Country team is set to improve upon their eighth-place finish at the 2024 NAIA National Championships.
They return all ten of their top runners from the previous season, including senior Luke Harber, who earned All-American honors at the national meet in 2024 with a time of 24:30.7. Additionally, the Jarheads will continue to have the backing of seniors such as Joel Mumaw, Jared Stayte and Alex Ortiz who were all All-Crossroads League runners. Also returning for a fourth year is Ryan Hanak, who posted the fastest time on the team last year of 24:23 at the NAIA Great Lakes meet. Other Jarheads who have continued to post strong times include juniors Nathan Burns and Jordan Burden.
The team will add three new runners to their ranks, including freshman Grant Burns, freshman Noah Lowman, and freshman Aiden Ortiz. Led by head coach Quinn White, the team opened with a second-place finish at the Indiana Wesleyan Twilight Invitational. Their next meet is the Florida State Cross Country Open on Sept. 26.
by Elise Hoylman
Football:
Taylor football is off to yet another promising start after finishing 9-2 last season.
TU started with a matchup against Olivet Nazarene. The game played like a faithful sequel of last season’s bout with another offensive battle and overtime finish. The Tigers won the rematch away in a high-scoring, 48-42 barn burner.
The Trojans traveled to Joliet, Ill. a week later to take on St. Francis (Ill.). The game got off to a shaky start as senior quarterback Damon Hockett threw an interception on the second play of the game. St. Francis broke through for the opening score, but Taylor quickly took control. The Trojans scored six first-half touchdowns and the defense did enough to keep St. Francis at bay after halftime and came away with a 45-28 win.
The Taylor offense hasn’t skipped a beat from last year. They are averaging 412.5 yards per game and 43.5 points per game. Most of it has come on the legs of sophomore running back Nathan Parker. He has compiled 193 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns, leading the team in both categories.
Taylor’s next game is on the road against the Judson Eagles on Sep. 27 at 2 pm.
by Dalton Keay
No. 18 Women’s Golf:
The start of a new semester also marks the beginning of a new Taylor women’s golf season, a team entering the year with high hopes, ranked 18th in the NAIA preseason poll.
The 2024-25 campaign was a success, as the team won the Crossroads League championship and finished 23rd at the NAIA Women’s Golf Championships. Last fall, the Trojans won three of five tournament titles and posted a 35-21 head-to-head record. In the spring, they stayed consistent, adding six team victories.
Senior Margarita Garrido looks to build on the successes in her junior season, when she claimed four individual titles and fired a career-low round of 70 on Day 2 of the Players Club Invitational. Fellow senior Shayne Lim aims to continue her momentum, coming off a Crossroads League Championship where she paced the Trojans with a 54-hole score of 230.
New head coach Steve Toon is entering his first year with Taylor golf. He led Heritage Christian High School to a 985-385 record from 2019 to 2024 with 10 regional appearances. The three-time Indianapolis High School Women’s Golf Coach of the Year enters the season with high expectations, with the Trojans flying high off the success from last year.
Taylor teed off with a few athletes at the Lawrence Tech Collegiate Kickoff before traveling to the Folds of Honor Qualifier on Sept. 15-17.
by Eli Boone
Men’s Golf:
Taylor University’s men’s golf program has proven itself quite successful over the last nine years. They have placed first in the Crossroads League Championship six times and qualified for the NAIA National Championship seven times during that span.
Last year, TU jumped to an early second-place start on Day 1 of the conference championship, but ultimately dropped to fifth by the end of the event.
After a mediocre year, big changes lie on the horizon. Steve Toon has been named head coach of the Trojans’ golf teams for the upcoming season. Toon turns to Taylor after a successful run leading Heritage Christian High School, which included 10 playoff appearances.
This upcoming year, Taylor rosters three players who secured awards for the 2024-25 season. Senior Will Schuitema represents Taylor on the All-Crossroads League Team. Sophomore Porter Dick deserves notice this year as well after winning the Crossroads League Newcomer of the Year last season. Schuitema and fellow senior Matthew Albright also received CSC Academic All-District Honors for their outstanding academic performances.
Taylor’s entire team will be returning for the 2025-26 season. With an experienced squad led by Schuitema, along with All-Crossroads League Team Honorable Mentions: Albright, Dick, Kyle Kasitz and Tanner Conklin, Taylor seems poised to improve upon last year’s performance.
Taylor opened their season on September 1 with a first-place finish at the Lawrence Tech Collegiate Kickoff, the first of their events this fall.
by Jonas Loy
Women’s Soccer:
Taylor women’s soccer ended last season with a record of 7-6-4. They went 4-3-2 in the Crossroads League with a home record of 5-3-2 and an away record of 2-3-2. With a new season and a fresh team, they are looking to approach the season with energy.
Seven seniors graduated in May, leaving holes in the roster. The Trojan coaching staff brought on seven freshmen including, Reagan Britt, Brielle Siefert, Brooke Bambey, Norah Puckett, Rush Havens, Lydia Johnson and Mille Jones.
Five games into the season, the Trojans are undefeated, receiving Top 25 votes and have outscored opponents 16-1, holding Indiana Tech, Oakland City, Georgetown and Trinity College to a combined zero goals.
The Trojans are bringing back five Academic All-Crossroads League honorees and two All-Crossroads League First Team members, senior Morgan Fletemeyer and senior Brooke Cimini.
There are four captains stepping up into leadership this season. One of them is senior Brianna Rawlings, a returning captain. She, along with the other six seniors, will help cultivate the team into the Christ-centered culture that makes the Taylor soccer program what they are.
Coach Scott Stan has put year-over-year effort into making this successful. As he enters his eighteenth year at Taylor, he looks to push the Trojans to one of their best seasons yet.
by Chase Petry
Men’s Soccer:
After finishing with a 5-8-3 overall record last season, the Trojans have shown off their skills after their first three games.
They started the year on the road against Defiance, spoiling the Yellow Jackets’ homestand. Freshman Noel Calix led the charge for TU, scoring the first two goals of the year for the Trojans. Calix scored again in the Trojans’ first homestand of the year, in which they won 3-0.
The team received their first loss on August 30 against Madonna in a closely contested 2-1 game.
Tadé Adeyemi, a sophomore transfer student from Iowa Lakes Community College, has also been off to a hot start. He has scored twice with one assist.
Adeyemi previously played in one of his home country of Nigeria’s most notable academies, the Pepsi Football Academy. This academy has produced several professional players, such as Premier League starter John Mikel Obi and Bundesliga journeyman Joseph Akpala.
The Trojans will be staying in Indiana for their next three games, taking on Indiana Northwest and Indiana East on the road, then returning to Upland for home-field advantage against the Lourdes Gray Wolves.
Indiana Northwest sits at a 1-2 overall record, while Indiana East is 1-1. Lourdes matches the Trojans at 2-1.
Taylor previously defeated Northwest 3-1 last season but lost to the IU East Red Wolves 3-0 the last time the two met.
by Spencer Smith
Women’s Tennis:
For the first time since 2020, tennis has returned to Taylor University. Head coach Josh Grubbs leads a roster of seven athletes, led by senior Sarah Scott.
Both the men’s and women’s tennis programs were placed on hold after the 2019-20 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Taylor went 7-7 in their fall season before the spring season was derailed.
The new iteration of Trojan tennis features a young roster with three freshmen and two sophomores, anchored by Scott and junior Kamryn Miller.
Taylor will face stiff in-conference competition in the spring, but get a welcome warmup against familiar rival Saint Francis on Sept. 20. The Cougars struggled last year, going 2-15 and 1-7 in conference play.
Both the Bethel Pilots and the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats will be the most challenging foes come spring. The Pilots went undefeated in conference play, winning the Crossroads League title. The Wildcats will show just as strong of a roster after winning nine straight conference titles between 2015 and 2024.
Much of Taylor’s fall schedule is still being scheduled, but the Trojans opened the year against the Indiana East Red Wolves, winning 6-1. They head to Angola, Ind. to face Trine on Sept. 12 before returning home to duel Manchester on Sept. 16.
by Caleb Joshua Heffron
Men’s Tennis:
After five years, tennis has returned to Taylor University. Head coach Josh Grubbs helms the return on Taylor’s new purple courts after building his roster over one offseason.
Ian Helfert is the lone upperclassman on a ten-man roster full of freshmen and sophomores, including the 6 foot 4 inch freshman Garrett Spencer from Zeeland, Mich.
Taylor’s youth doesn’t scare them, as they have a date scheduled with in-state Division I school Ball State on Feb. 7.
Before the coronavirus pandemic ended the 2019-20 season, Taylor ended the fall season 7-6, struggling against tougher conference foes Bethel and IWU, but cleaning up against their mid-level Crossroads League opponents like Spring Arbor and Saint Francis.
Trying to make a name in the 2025 Crossroads League standings won’t be easy. The Trojans are the last school in the division to reintroduce the sport. The Grace Lancers are the early favorites after finishing 8-0 in-conference in 2024 and winning their third straight division title.
Taylor opened the year with a 4-3 win over Indiana East, but September will be a busy month with matchups against Trine and Manchester before their first conference showdown of 2025 versus Saint Francis on Sept. 20.
by Caleb Joshua Heffron
No. 22 Volleyball:
The Trojans ended with a losing record of 11-20 in the 2024 season. With 10 wins and three losses currently, the team is off to a different start this fall.
Last year, Taylor secured a spot at the Crossroads League Tournament, falling to No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan in the quarterfinals. This marked the last game for notable seniors. Grace Ieremia, Jen Springer and Gracie Conway were among the seven who graduated in May.
The 2025 season began with four non-conference wins at the Keiser Invitational in Florida. Combating three losses at the following Big Sky Tournament, the Trojans won four straight games on the home court. Returning mainstays senior McKaylah Flagle, sophomore Daya Vestal and senior Lindsay Springer have ushered the crew to No. 22 in the NAIA Top 25 Poll.
Springer was named First-Team All-CL last year. Flagle was chosen for the Second-Team All-CL, while Vestal was named to the 2024 All-Freshman team.
On Sept. 3, Taylor took their first conference triumph, closing out Goshen in three sets.
Ellie Frey, a junior transfer, has played an immense role in victories. She finished her time with the Grand Canyon Lopes being named to the GCU All-Invitational Team as a sophomore. Through 14 matches with Taylor, she has already claimed 224 kills.
Taylor alumna Erin Luthy enters her tenth year as head coach. She leads alongside assistant coaches Gabby Reed, Maddy Payne and Joe Ross.
Taylor takes on Grace on Sept. 10 in Odle Arena. The Trojans fell to the Lancers twice last season.
by Taylor Post
