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.
Starting with the most successful, the No. 1 ranked women’s cross country team recently won the Crossroads League Championships, qualifying them for the NAIA National Championships on Nov. 18 in Tallahassee, Florida. They won with a score of 24 points, 56 points clear of runner-up No. 11 Huntington University.
The No. 14 ranked men’s cross country, while not being as dominant as the women’s team, also has been successful. They finished third in the Crossroads League Championships with 88 points. Taylor’s performance all year qualified them for the NAIA National Championships to run as a team, which is also on Nov. 18 in Tallahassee, Florida.
For the first time since 2011, the No. 11 ranked Taylor volleyball team qualified for NAIA”s national tournament. As of writing, the team reached the Crossroads League Finals where they will play No. 21 Marian. The first round of the national tournament will be on Nov. 19.
Taylor’s football team has won five games this year at the time of writing. This is the most wins since 2015 for the program. In head coach Aaron Mingo’s second season, the team has been more consistent which has helped them to potentially earn third place in the MSFA Mideast League. The team has far exceeded expectations as they were picked to finish seventh out of eight teams in the division in the preseason.
Taylor’s women’s soccer team started the season unbeaten through 10 games and was near the top 25 for most of the season with the latest poll having them just outside. In a thrilling upset, the team beat Indiana Wesleyan in the Crossroads League Quarterfinals 2-1. A strong comeback effort in the semifinals fell just short against Marian and the team lost 3-2. They now hope to receive an at-large bid to NAIA’s national tournament.
Despite a season riddled with injuries, Taylor’s men’s soccer team fought hard to the end. They entered the final stretch of the season out of the Crossroads League Tournament and won their last two games to be the fifth seed in the conference tournament. Unfortunately, the team lost 3-1 in double overtime to Huntington, ending their season.
Due to a rating error, Taylor’s men’s golf team started the season unranked but has soared to a No. 10 ranking as they finish their fall season. They won four of their six tournaments including the Crossroads League Preview, showing the team is in a great position to win the Crossroads League for the seventh straight year.
Loaded with talent, the No. 12 women’s golf team won one tournament this fall to go with three runner-up finishes. Looking ahead, the team will have to top No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan to win the Crossroads League.
As the fall season finishes, there is much to look forward to. Silent Night is on Dec. 9 against Miami-Middletown. Indoor track starts their season the next day in Fort Wayne. Competitive Cheer starts their season on Jan. 28 at Marian University.
