The origin of the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” is unknown.
England, Sweden, France and other European countries all have their spins on the classic Christmas carol around the 1700s, but I’m willing to bet that there’s a chance that it started in Upland.
Now, we may never know what the original lyrics of the song were. We may never know what the Trojans fans of yesteryear sang, but I’m willing to bet it went a little something like this.
On the first day of Christmas, the Trojans gave to me … 1(,000) career digs.
In the opening matches of the season, junior defensive specialist McKaylah Flagle reached a career milestone against Dakota State, marking her 1,000th career dig, continuing to anchor the backline of the Trojans’ defense.
On pace for 2,000 career digs by the time she completes her Taylor career, Flagle set a new career high with 550 digs on the year, averaging a career-high 4.87 digs per set and sits at 1,513 total through three years of play.
On the second day of Christmas, the Trojans gave to me … two returning tennis teams.
After being one of the three varsity sports shut down after COVID, tennis will be back at Taylor after the 2024-25 academic year.
Taylor hired Josh Grubbs as the head coach of the future and he has already been on the recruiting trail, bringing in eight recruits, four women and four men, and one returner to the team, junior Ian Helfert, who will finally finish his collegiate career as a Trojan.
On the third day of Christmas, the Trojans gave to me … three straight NAIA World Series appearances.
Under head coach Kyle Gould, Taylor baseball has excelled to new heights in the last three seasons. In three years, Taylor has won two Crossroads League Tournaments and two regular season CL titles and participated in the NAIA World Series in three consecutive seasons.
Taylor has been to the World Series four times, and on the backs of a double regular season and tournament CL victory last season, the No. 19 Trojans will be hungry to make it four in 2025.
On the fourth day of Christmas, the Trojans gave to me … four College Disc Golf National Championship athletes.
In one of the most exciting and unexpected stories of 2024, the Taylor University Disc Golf Club became one of the best teams in the nation … in their first season.
Senior Frank Smith and freshman Ethan Darby led the team to No. 19, not in the NAIA, in the entirety of America, finishing above NCAA schools like Michigan State and Virginia Tech. Smith tied for 23rd overall individually and Darby climbed the ranks, finishing tied for seventh individually.
On the fifth day of Christmas, the Trojans gave to me … five Crossroads League Runner of the Week awards for Jaynie Halterman.
Freshman Jaynie Halterman has been nothing short of phenomenal in her inaugural season, leading the No. 1 Taylor Trojans women’s cross country team back to the top of the NAIA before the National Championship.
In her first season, she shattered the trifecta of Taylor records. The 5k, 6k and TU Cross Country Farm top races all belong to her. She has been awarded five Crossroads League Runner of the Week awards and two NAIA Runner of the Week awards before the NAIA National Championship.
On the sixth day of Christmas, the Trojans gave to me … six golf first-place finishes.
In the 2024 fall season, the Trojans men’s and No. 16 women’s golf teams took home six individual first-place finishes to pair with their three team event wins to start their season.
Junior Matthew Albright started the year with a victory at the Players Club Invitational before freshman Porter Dick took his own first-place crown at the Grace Invitational. Meanwhile, on the women’s side, juniors Margarita Garrido and Shayne Lim tied for first place in the Battle at Brookwood and Garrido continued to dominate, taking first overall at the Players Club Invitational and the Saints Classic Invitational.
On the seventh day of Christmas, the Trojans gave to me … seven club sports.
Continuing the storied tradition of Taylor students creating their own athletic teams, 2024 marked the addition of the seventh competitive club team.
Disc golf entered the field of play in the 2023-24 academic year, adding onto men’s and women’s rugby, women’s lacrosse, equestrian, ultimate and men’s soccer.
On the eighth day of Christmas, the Trojans gave to me … eight outdoor track and field NAIA All-American awards.
There is not a ‘twentieth day of Christmas,’ so this will have to do. The Taylor outdoor track and field team finished with eight All-Americans in 2024 on top of the twelve All-Americans from their indoor season.
Josh Forbes took fifth in the pole vault, Olivia Jeanette, Abby Mays, Emily Johnson and Noel VanderWall took fifth in the 4x800m relay, VanderWall added a sixth-place 1,500m finish, Mollie Gamble took third in the 5,000m in her final race at Taylor and Ahna Neideck took second in the steeplechase.
On the ninth day of Christmas, the Trojans gave to me … a nine-win football season.
In head Coach Aaron Mingo’s fourth season, the Taylor football team shocked everyone except themselves. After a disappointing 2-9 season in 2023, Taylor went 9-2, 4-1 in conference play, and finished No. 22 in the nation to complete their best season since 1999. Mingo was named the AFCA NAIA Region 2 Coach of the Year for the exceptional turnaround.
With statement wins over Saint Francis and Concordia, Taylor finished fifth in the NAIA in points per game (48.4), second in touchdowns (75), sixth in yards per game (486.4), second in rushing yards per game (311.7), first in rushing touchdowns per game (51), and tied for first in sacks (41). Taylor also set the MSFA and program record for points in a game in a 91-28 rout of Madonna on Nov. 9.
On the tenth day of Christmas, the Trojans gave to me … 1,0(00) rushing yards for Jameson Chesser.
So this number might be a little bit cheating again, but Jameson Chesser is worth breaking the form for. With 1,174 rushing yards on the year and 20 touchdowns, Chesser was the powerhouse of the Taylor offense.
Averaging over 106.7 yards per game on 6.1 yards per carry, Chesser won the MSFA Mideast Offensive Player of the Week twice, and was named the NAIA Offensive Player of the Week for his Taylor-record seven-touchdown masterpiece against the Saint Francis Cougars on October 5.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, the Trojans gave to me … Aidan Craig.
Okay, so the number 77 isn’t quite 11, but they can look similar depending on the font you use. Taylor lacrosse’s number 77 was synonymous with talent, skill and dedication.
In his senior season, attackman Aidan Craig was dominant, setting Taylor and WHAC records averaging 4.73 assists per game and finished with 71 assists on the year. Named an NAIA Second-Team All-American and Taylor’s Male Athlete of the Year, Craig and his 241 career points left a legacy with the Trojans. Whenever he was on the field, the offense ran through him.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, the Trojans gave to me … 12 straight Crossroads League women’s cross country championships
Ever since 2013, the women’s cross country Crossroads League Championship might as well be named the Taylor Trojans victory lap. This season, No. 1 Taylor took home their twelfth straight conference title before heading to the NAIA National Championships.
This season’s team was led by freshman Jaynie Halterman, who set the 6k personal, program and course records at 20:26.9, senior Ahna Neideck and junior Noel VanderWall. The Trojans set a team program record with a 1:48:34.7 time beating second-place No. 9 Grace by 50 points.
