Women’s cross country wins nationals
ByOn Nov. 18 in Tallahassee, Florida, the Taylor women’s cross country team capped off an undefeated season with the first national championship in program history — topping the 36-team field.
On Nov. 18 in Tallahassee, Florida, the Taylor women’s cross country team capped off an undefeated season with the first national championship in program history — topping the 36-team field.
Taylor women’s soccer ended their conference run on Nov. 9, falling to No. 2 Marian in the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinals. Although the Trojans did not finish on their own terms, they received a bid into the 2022 NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship during a selection show held on Nov. 14.
In head coach Aaron Mingo’s second season, Taylor’s football team took a step forward on the process toward the team’s goal of being the best Christian college football program in the country.
Taylor’s volleyball team was the Crossroads League regular season champ, and by beating Marian University in the championship match, they are now Crossroads League Tournament champions. This is the first time since 2010 that the Trojans are Crossroads League Tournament Champions.
She’s amassed over 4,000 career assists. She’s gotten over 1,000 digs and is nearing 500 kills. In just this year alone, senior setter Kacy Bragg has led the Taylor women’s volleyball team to one of its greatest seasons in over a decade.
Basketball season arriving means that fall sports are coming to a close. Altogether, it has been a successful season for all eight of Taylor’s competitive teams.
Taylor cross country finished the regular season strong at the Crossroads League (CL) Tournament this past weekend. Both the men’s and women’s teams will head to the NAIA National Championships in Tallahassee, Florida on Nov. 18th.
Taylor University Ultimate Frisbee Club was established in the fall of 2019 by Isaac Titche (’22) and senior John Soderdahl, who plans to graduate this December. Its platform has afforded many students from varying skill levels the opportunity to create unexpected friendships in a competitive environment.
Football season is coming to a close and Taylor greatly improved from last year. Last season, the Trojans only won two games. Heading into the final 2 games this season, they have a record of 5-4. Recruiting has played a large role in Taylor’s success. But how does Taylor get recruits to commit?
This fall season, the men’s and women’s programs for Taylor University golf have been nothing short of successful. As the men’s team finished top, the women’s team finished top ten.
There is an exciting buzz going around Taylor University athletics which involves certain athletes being inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame takes in the sports that Taylor has had, both past and present, there at the school in the athlete’s time.
The Taylor University Athletic Department released their annual report in accordance with the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act.
Basketball season is fast approaching here at Taylor University. The women’s team finished last season with a record of 15-13 (8-6 in Crossroads League). Last season was a bit of a heart-breaker for coach Jody Martinez.
Many people complain that the current college football world is not competitive enough. Six of the last 10 national champions have been from the SEC, a Power 5 conference. Of the other four champions, the ACC, another Power 5 conference, has accounted for three of those champions with Ohio State being the other winner from the Big Ten, also a Power 5 conference.
The No. 13 Trojans took down the No. 17 Marian Knights 3-1 (24-26, 25-22, 25-22, 25-23) on September 30 in a hard-fought game where each point was a back-and-forth battle. This game extended Taylor’s current win streak to four and continued their undefeated run at home as the Trojans are now 10–0 when playing in Odle Arena (11-0 after defeating Spring Arbor on October 5).
The women’s cross country team, fresh off two consecutive event wins, added to their dominant season by capturing the title Oct. 1 at the Louisville Cross Country Classic. Program history was rewritten, with the previous team time record being surpassed by 23 seconds and freshman Noel VanderWall setting an individual record time of 17:34.6.
In a five-set match for the ages, No. 13 Taylor beat No. 11 Indiana Wesleyan 3-2 on Sept. 24 in a rowdy Odle Arena. Coming into the match, Taylor played two games that week, a five-set loss to Saint Francis and a sweep over Huntington. “The Saint Francis game showed us that we were starting to get complacent, and we walked into that gym assuming we were going to win without a fight,” junior Anna Frey said.
The Taylor Men’s Soccer team ended the contest against Mount Vernon Nazarene 2-2. This marks the team’s fourth draw this season, with the team at a record of 2-4-4. The Trojans came out aggressive and fired a quick goal in the fifth minute of the game, with senior Sawyer Watterson finding the back of the net. The Cougars then responded with scoring a penalty kick, evening the score.
Despite never playing a live snap for the Taylor football team, senior Sam Wilkinson has had a large impact on the team on and off the field. Wilkinson came to Taylor from Western Boone High School in Thorntown, Indiana where he was an offensive lineman on a state championship winning team in 2018, his senior year. He also drew attention from Franklin College and Eureka College, two NCAA Division III schools, but felt that Taylor was where he needed to be and signed for the Trojans.