No. 4 Women’s Cross Country:
Women’s cross country is looking to make an impact this season. Projected No. 4 in the preseason polls, they seek to improve last year’s fifth-place finish at the NAIA National Championships meet.
They return to the 2024 season with six of their seven national competitors. One of those runners is junior Noel VanderWall, an All-American who placed 31st last season with a time of 22:25.9. VanderWall, the 2023-24 TU Female Athlete of the Year, also had the top time over the 6k distance for the women’s team last year with a time of 21:07.53.
2023 All-Crossroads League senior runners Ahna Niedeck and Audrey Brinkruff return for a fifth season this year. Niedeck was a part of the undefeated 2022 National Champion team and held the eighth-best individual time in the 6k for the 2023 season with a 22:12.54. Brinkruff placed 3rd for the team at Nationals and nearly dipped under an impressive 22 minutes with a season-best 22:04.9.
Other members to watch are Huntington transfer and senior Abby Mays, senior Lynae Ackley, and junior Madelyn Borchelt. The team welcomed six new Maddawgs – freshman Sarah McKowen, sophomore Malarie Pinwar, freshman Janie Halterman, freshman Lauren Saddington, freshman Allie Clamme and freshman Kennedy Applegate – led by head coach Quinn White for the 15th straight season. Coach White is a multi-year Crossroads League Coach of the Year and will look to take the Trojans to Nationals once again.
by Staff Writer Elise Hoylman
No. 8 Men’s Cross Country:
With a ninth-place finish at the NAIA National Championships meet, the Jarheads are looking for an even better finish in the 2024 season. Ranked No. 8 in the preseason polls, the team returned six out of their seven runners that competed at Nationals last year.
This includes sophomore Nathan Burns, who earned All-American honors for his 32nd-place individual finish. As the first meet approaches on Sept. 6 at the Indiana Wesleyan Twilight Invitational, they will add several more members to the program.
The new additions, freshman Cambel Brown, freshman Ethan Morgan, freshman Nathan Meister, freshman Andrew Bryant, freshman Noah Kelly, freshman Hunter Smith, freshman Charlie Hanak, freshman Luke Mumaw, and junior Paul Gabrielsen, will be joining the National qualifying athletes from both the cross country and track seasons.
Juniors Luke Harber and Ryan Hanak have the potential to be All-American contenders this year after running season bests of 25:12.9 and 24:50.6, respectively, in 2023. Joining them is fellow junior Joel Mumaw, who looks to have a standout season after breaking out in the 2024 track season with a 26-second PR in the 1500m and a 23-second PR in the 5k.
Other athletes to watch include National Qualifiers junior Alex Ortiz, junior Bryce Nobel, and senior Zach McKowen.
by Staff Writer Elise Hoylman
Football:
The Trojans are starting the 2024 season on the right foot with an MSFA (Mid-States Football Association) conference win over Siena Heights. After a less-than-ideal 2-9 (1-6) 2023 campaign, the Trojans are hungry for a higher conference finish in 2024.
Junior quarterback Damon Hockett has returned to command the Trojan offense. Against Siena Heights, he completed 10 of 20 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was senior wideout Dakohta Sonnichsen, who hauled in three catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior linebacker Aven Jones is already wreaking havoc after just one game. He collected 10 tackles against the Saints, one of which was the game-sealing tackle for loss. His impact earned him the MSFA Defensive Player of the Week.
Joining the MSFA this season is the Yellow Jackets of Defiance College. This is Defiance’s first season at the NAIA level after competing at the NCAA Division III level since the team’s inception. Defiance went 4-6 last season and will look to be a competitive conference opponent for the Trojans on Nov. 2nd at 1 p.m.
Taylor’s next game will be a road matchup on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 4:30 pm against the Kentucky Christian Knights.
by Associate Sports Editor Dalton Jones
No. 19 Women’s Golf:
The Taylor University women’s golf team will enter the 2024-25 season with high expectations. Opening the year at No. 19, the Trojans start as the third-highest-ranked Crossroads League team in the NAIA, just below No. 13 Indiana Wesleyan and No. 7 Marian.
Last season, the Trojans concluded the fall at No. 12, taking first in three of their five events. In the spring, they continued their winning ways with five top-three finishes and a third-place spot in the Crossroads League Championships.
In the 2023-24 NAIA Nationals, the team finished 18th. Now-junior Shanye Lim was the top performer of the season. In 2024, she took home four individual wins, an eighth-place finish at Nationals, an NAIA First-Team All-American honor and a Women’s Golf Coaches Association Second-Team All-American award.
Two returning seniors will be back on the course this season: Ellie Karst and 2024 All-CL Honorable Mention Ellie Beavins. Also returning is junior and All-CL Team member Margarita Garrido, who shot a career-low 72 at the Players Club Invitational last season.
Taylor has five events on the schedule for the fall and opens the year at the Huntington Invitational in Fort Wayne, IN, from Sept. 2 to Sept. 3.
by Sports Editor Caleb Joshua Heffron
Men’s Golf:
The Taylor University men’s golf program has recently gained a few significant achievements.
Three student-athletes from Taylor’s squad were recognized for their academic excellence, with Austin Davis (‘24), junior Kyle Kasitz and junior Will Schuitema named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selections for 2023-24.
The Academic All-Crossroads League honors from the spring semester announced on Aug. 9 featured multiple Trojans, with Davis (‘24), Adam Kasitz (‘24), senior Tommy McWatters and Lance VanErman (‘24) picking up awards for the men’s golf team.
Taylor collected 69 points in the preseason poll, tying with Tennessee Wesleyan outside of the rankings, only trailing No. 25 Ave Maria by 28 points.
In the past eight Crossroads League seasons, TU placed first or second, but they have not won the conference since 2022. The Trojans finished as runners-up at the CL Championships last spring, just behind the No. 9 Marian Knights, who won their second straight conference title.
With six returning players this year, including Kyle Kasitz, Schuitema, and sophomore Tanner Conklin, Taylor is optimistic heading into the season.
Taylor will be at the Players Club Invitational in Yorktown, IN on Sept. 9 and 10 to open the season, the first of five events on their fall slate.
by Staff Writer Naomi Atanus
Women’s Soccer:
The Trojans look to improve after a successful season last year. In 2023, the women’s soccer team finished the year with a record of 10-3-5. In the Crossroads League, the Trojans went 5-2-2.
After a fantastic junior year with nine goals and three assists for a total of twenty-one points, now-senior forward Audrey Grimm seeks to lead the Trojans on the offensive end. Between the posts, junior goalkeeper Brianna Rawlings will be a defensive menace in her first year as a full-time starter. After her sophomore campaign finished with thirteen saves and only three goals allowed, she seeks to take the starting role and run with it. Another forward, senior Sydney Thompson, will be a force on the offensive side of the ball after three goals last season.
As of Sept. 1, the team stands at 0 - 1 - 2. Their loss came against the Aquinas Saints 3-1. The Trojans managed to scrap to draws against Northwestern Ohio and Carroll College. The goalscoring has been a team effort so far, with junior Kiana Siefert, Grimm, sophomore Cambell Massey and senior Sydney Thompson finding the net to start the year. Rawlings has opened the year with twenty-four saves while allowing six past her. The next match is against Defiance on Sept. 11.
by Staff Writer Chase Petry
Men’s Soccer:
The Taylor Men’s soccer team is off to a hot start. The Trojans are coming off a disappointing 5-11-2 record in 2023 but already have started ‘24 on the right foot, currently standing at 2-1-0.
Sophomore Matthew Yoder is a player to watch for this season. He has taken charge on the offensive side of the ball thus far with three goals, one versus Concordia and two versus Defiance. Other players to watch are senior midfielder Levi Yoder (brother of Matthew) and junior midfielder and defender Justin Devlin, to name a few.
Some exciting matchups in the future are showdowns with conference rival No. 7 Grace on Saturday, Sept. 25, and No. 17 Indian Wesleyan on Wednesday, Oct. 16, both at home. Thus far for the Trojans, Taylor’s next game is Aug. 28, where they’ll play host to Indiana Northwest before going on the road to play Madonna and Aquinas to open play in September.
by Staff Writer Samuel DeVries
Volleyball:
The Taylor Trojans’ 2024-25 volleyball season is officially underway! Through 12 matches, the Trojans sit with an overall record of 5-7, a .417 win percentage, slightly below last year’s ending of a .441 win percentage and a 15-19 overall record.
This season, fans and coaches alike can be on the lookout for some of the Trojans’ standout players who are returning. Junior defensive specialist MaKaylah Flagle officially reached 1,000 career digs against Mobile on August 17, and senior hitters Grace Ieremia and Gracie Conway always make their presences known on the court. During the 2023-24 season, Ieremia led the team in blocks, with 112, and Conway placed first in kills, with 394.
Taylor’s schedule has a perfectly balanced ratio of 9 home games to 9 away games, where they will take on tough competition, such as the currently 12-0 No. 22 Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars. On the week of Nov. 9-16, the Crossroads League Tournament will take place. The quarterfinals of the tournament will be on Nov. 9, the semifinals on Nov. 13, and the championship on Nov. 16.
by Staff Writer Spencer Smith
