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Athletics

Tennis Players Compete at ITA Cup

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By Olivia Miller Eight talented Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldog student athletes – four girls and four boys – set off to represent their school at the prestigious ITA Cup in Georgia, competing in both singles and doubles. The three-day knockout tournament, running from Thursday to Saturday, brought together some of the top collegiate tennis players. On the men’s side, Lucas Grana and Lucas Perez will join Mario and David from Spain forming a strong international lineup. The women’s team featuring Ivet, who will be competing in both singles and doubles, alongside Honoka, Laia and Olivia. Below are the results. Women’s Singles Ivet Prat from Spain delivered a strong showing. In the first round, she battled through a tough three-set match to defeat Javiera Verdugo (Lindsey Wilson College) 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. In the quarterfinals, Prat faced top-seeded Violet Apish (Keiser University) and, despite a determined effort, fell 6-1, 6-0. Women’s Doubles The women’s doubles teams had a busy run in the main and back draws. Olivia Alcala and Laia Berne faced a strong Keiser University duo, Violet Apisah and Patricia Apisah, in their opening match, falling 6-0, 6-1. Honoka Tsuji and Ivet Prat opened their campaign with a solid 6-2, 7-6 victory over Keyla Rodríguez and Maria Ortega Mateu (Lindsey Wilson College). The pair later exited in the quarterfinals after a hard-fought 7-5, 6-0 loss to Alexandra Melnikova and Cato Tangka (Keiser University). In the back draw, Alcala and Berne showcased impressive teamwork and determination. They defeated Szilvia Ferenczy and Paola Lameda (Bethel University) 6-4, 6-3, then followed up with another victory in the semifinals against Nora Louko and Alessia Piccioliori (SCAD Savannah), 6-4, 7-6, securing a strong finish to their tournament run. PICTURED Ivet Prat and Tsuji  Hononka Men’s Doubles On the men’s side, two teams represented TWU with grit and perseverance. Lucas Grana and Lucas Perez dropped their first match against Nereo Suarez and Ivan Vazques (Xavier University) 2-6, 6-2, 10-8. David Leon and Mario Monclus also faced a tough opening draw, falling 6-3, 6-2 to Mateo Larrea and Lev Sholosh (Lindsey Wilson College). In the back draw, Grana and Perez bounced back strongly, defeating Jose Perez and Nelson Ramos (Oakland City University) 6-4, 5-7, 10-4. They advanced to the semifinals, where they battled Francisco Perez and Kanan Gasimov (Georgia Gwinnett College) but came up short 6-2, 2-6, 10-3. Back Draw and National Rankings This tournament featured a back draw format, allowing players who lost in the first round to continue competing for final placement. These results contributed to the players’ national ranking points, offering valuable experience and recognition at the national level. The team displayed remarkable effort throughout the tournament, with several matches decided by narrow margins and tiebreaks. A special mention to Ivet who is the first woman in the program history to qualify for the ITA Cup in singles and advance to the quarterfinals. A huge achievement. Overall, their strong performances, especially in the back draw rounds, reflect the continued growth and competitive spirit of TWU tennis. Photos by Lucas GranaEdited by Jakov KusanovicEditorial Assistance by Kamaurian Frierson

Athletics

TWU Women’s Volleyball Making Program History with Current Win Streak 

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By Niko Marinacci  The Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs women’s volleyball team has found a strong rhythm in recent contests, mounting a five‐game win streak that signals both the competitive potential of the squad and the positive trajectory of the season. Over the span of these matches, the Bulldogs have shown a willingness to grind out wins and contribute to making program history.  The streak began on October 3rd when the Lady Bulldogs won at home against Truett McConnell with a score of 3-1. This win layed the groundwork for an increase in momentum and created a spark for the team. Shortly thereafter, on October 4th, they followed up with a sweep against the Montreat Cavaliers (3-0) demonstrating that when the team is clicking, they can finish off opponents cleanly. Their next victory came on October 7th against Johnson University, in which the Bulldogs fought until the end and came out on top. That win was meaningful in that it came on the road and in a tight five-set match, setting the tone for the rest of the run. Their fourth consecutive win, much like the third, was an intense five set match against Columbia College that resulted in a huge win for the Bulldogs. Lastly, on October 14th the Bulldogs went on to face a significant rival, the Bryan lions, which resulted in the team dominating in another sweep. These combined victories give the Bulldogs a five-match run in which they showed competitiveness across both tight contests and commanding sweeps.  Two added wins earlier in the season also reflect the team’s ability to string victories together: a 3-0 win over the Toccoa Falls Eagles on September 9th and a 3-0 win over the Bluefield Rams on September 20th.  In terms of context, the Bulldogs’ 2024-25 season had been challenging, finishing with an overall record of 10-22 and a conference mark of 7-14. This history gives even more weight to the current win streak: it signals that the program is trending upward rather than merely maintaining the status quo. The coaching staff and players are clearly responding to prior season struggles and refining their game. The ability to sustain a five-game stretch of winning is a tangible marker of improvement.  We conducted a multi-question interview with player Talynn Wheeler, number 22, regarding the team. The questions were as follows:  Q: How does it feel knowing the team is so close to making the playoffs?  A: I think it’s really exciting that we know that we are close to making the playoffs because I know that the team’s record in the past that making it to the playoffs was not a high possibility, but knowing that we are closer to being in the top teams that make it to the playoffs is overall, exciting.  Q: What do you think has been the key to the team’s success this season?  A: This year the key to our successes has been communication, chemistry, and talent. Obviously if you have the talent your team will go far, but you also need team chemistry and communication and that has taken us pretty far this season and hopefully we can continue to build with that.  Q: How has the team improved since the start of the year?  A: I feel like our team has improved since the start of the season because of chemistry. Most teams start off bumpy because they don’t have the chemistry yet since there are new people and they haven’t been acquainted with the team and there hasn’t been a connection. II feel like throughout the practices, games, and tournaments, you get chemistry very fast, and I think that that has been the main improvement from the start until now.  Q: What has been your favorite game/moment this season?  A: My favorite moment so far this season was playing and beating Johnson University. I think this was my favorite because it was a match that was taken to five sets, and each set was very close. It was a loud, fun, communicative game and we ended up with a win so that was great.  Q: How do you and your teammates keep each other motivated?  A: My teammates and I keep each other motivated by pushing each other to be better every day. By giving us the competition in practice whenever we play against each other and by fighting for spots, that usually motivates a player to be the best that they can be, whenever they are fighting for a spot.  Looking ahead, the Bulldogs should aim to maintain this momentum. Practicing habits that foster consistency will be vital. It may also be important for the coaching staff to continue setting incremental goals. Additionally, as they transition deeper into conference play, handling adversity and bouncing back after losses is a determining factor in the race for playoff contention. A team trending upward but unable to rebound from setbacks may stall, but the Bulldogs will look to prove that they are not that.  Photos By Robert Gordon Interview By David Ballenilla Edited and Published By Jayla Lowe 

Athletics

Bulldogs Make Noise at Conference Championship

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By Noah Lones The Tennessee Wesleyan men’s and women’s outdoor track and field team travelled to Johnson City for the Appalachian Athletic Conference championships this past week. The teams combined for multiple individual championships and 14 top three finishes. Men’s Meet The men’s outdoor track and field team had one individual champion, Armoni Hicks, in the men’s Long Jump. Hicks won the event by 0.39m. There were also seven top three finishes for the men’s team. These finishes came in the men’s 100m, 200m, 5000m Race Walk, Javelin Throw, 4 x 100m Relay, and the 4 x 800m Relay. KT Buchanan finished in second place in the 100m. Buchanan and Jay Ellis finished second and third place in the 200m. Dakota Caldwell finished in second place in the 5000m Race Walk. Tyson Thompson finished in second place in the Javelin Throw. The 4 x 100m Relay team of Ellis, Buchanan, Roni Bailey, and Chris Harper finished in second place. The 4 x 800m Relay team of Tyler Bowers, Stephen Kerley, Jack Headrick, and Dani Meisen finished in second place. The TWU Men’s Track and Field team finished in fifth place overall at the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship. Women’s Meet The Women’s Track and Field team had one individual champion, Samantha DeGrace, in the 100m Hurdles. DeGrace won the event by .09 seconds. There were also seven top three finishes for the women’s team. These top three fishes came in the 200m, Discus Throw, High Jump, Long Jump, Shot Put, 4 x 100m Relay, and 4 x 400m Relay. Grace Clemens finished in second place in the 200m. Lisa Schoen finished in second place in the Discus Throw. DeGrace finished in second place in the High Jump. Clemens finished in third place in the Long Jump. Schoen finished in third place in Shot Put. The 4 x 100m team of Clemens, DeGrace, Ann Moses, and McKenna Hubbard finished in second place. The 4 x 400m team of Clemens, Hubbard, DeGrace, and Jakara Tobler finished in third place. The TWU Women’s Track and Field team finished in fifth place overall at the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship. MVP of the Women’s Meet DeGrace was named the MVP of the women’s track meet for winning the 100m hurdles, along with placing second in the high jump, fifth in the 200m and long jump, and helping the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 teams get two top three finishes. Photo by Dakota Caldwell

Athletics

5 Straight Conference Titles Cement TWU Mens Tennis Dominance

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Written By: Dakota Caldwell Most tennis teams are lucky to win back-to-back conference titles. Imagine the joy a team would have to achieve five consecutive conference titles instead. Coach Pancho led TWU men’s tennis to an outstanding victory over SCAD Atlanta in the championship. The Bulldogs swept all their opponents on the way to capturing the conference crown. Their journey started by taking care of business in the quarterfinals against No. 8 Columbia. Doubles matches were a breeze for Wesleyan, with the duos of Gaia and Simpson cleaning up Columbia to win 6-0. On the singles side, Volpi put on an absolute clinic, allowing only one point scored. Next up was the mission of advancing past No. 4 Milligan. A highly anticipated conference matchup turned out to be one-sided. The dominance was led by a convincing doubles win for the duo of Rios and Leon. Pascal and Leon clinched in singles to finish the sweep over the Buffaloes. Finally, Championship Saturday brought out the best in the Bulldogs. They fought past a sneaky SCAD Atlanta team to win the championship. Volpi and Garcia led the momentum on the doubles side as they took a convincing 6-2 victory. Rios closed out the final singles match to finish off the Bees’ hopes of happiness. All this sweetness of a conference championship can be enjoyed by the team for a while, as their next match is a little less than a month away. It will encourage the team to start their national championship run on May 13–17 in Mobile, Alabama. Photos By: Lucia BonfanteEditorial Assistance: Nick Collins Published By: Cody McGillEdited By: Hunter Cookston

Athletics

Track Dawgs Dominate

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Written by: Nick Collins This past weekend, the TWU indoor track and field program competed in the Appalachian Athletic Conference championships. The Tennessee Wesleyan mens and womens teams both came in 5th in the standings with the men scoring 80 overall points and the women 91 points from all of the events that took place. However, both the men’s and the women’s team found success in specific events over the weekend. KT Buchanan, Jay Ellis, Chris Harper, and Ke’andrae Campbell all came through for the Bulldogs and put them up on the scoreboard. Dakota Caldwell competed in the Mens 5000m Race walk finishing in second place earning them an outstanding 8 points. For the Women, Samantha Degrace took home 1st place in the women’s 100mH earning them 10 points. The men also placed second in the 100 meter relay race giving them another 8 points. Throughout the weekend the Bulldogs had 12 players finish in the top 3 throughout these events, drastically boosting their score. Overall, the weekend was fairly successful for both the men and the women teams leaving room for growth and improvement. The individual success they had will hopefully lead to more team success as the Bulldogs travel down to Cleveland May 10th for the Lee Last Chance Meet. Edited By: Tyler HarwellEditorial Assistance By: MaKaylee TorbettPicture By: Dakota CaldwellPublished By: Hunter Cookston

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Another AAC Series Sweep for Lady Bulldogs

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Written by Dakota Caldwell The Tennessee Wesleyan Softball team swept St. Andrews in a big conference victory. It was a largely dominated game by the Bulldogs as they won the first game 11-0 and the second game 12-0.  1st game: Mackenzie Baldwin led the team in RBIs with 4 and 2 hits. The pitching effort was brought on by a clinical performance from Bailee Phillips. She pitched 5 innings and produced 4 strikeouts to help lead the shutout effort. This marks her 9th win of the season with only 3 losses on her record for the season. Her 60 pitches thrown were enough to add up to 44 strikes for the Lady Knights. 2nd: game: The Destruction of the Lady Knights continued in the next game of the series as they ran up 12 scores. It started from the beginning by putting out 5 scores in the first inning. Bailee Philips continued to put on a show for the Lady Bulldogs as she fought for 4 RBIs along with 2 runs scored. Another offensive powerhouse was the duo of Taylor Penning and Macy Chastain with 2 runs scored as well. Isabella Jenkins took care of business on the mound by only allowing 1 hit in 4 innings pitched. She passed the torch to Gracie Calton to finish the game and allowed no hits in 1 inning pitched.  A conference sweep of this stature will give the Lady Bulldogs the confidence they need to keep up the fight to climb the AAC rankings. This marks their 16th win of the season and 12 conference victory to date for the 2025 adventure. Another challenge is coming up for the Lady Bulldogs with their next double header taking place on April 14th against Union Commonwealth at 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Pictures by Noah LonesEditorial Assistance by Gabe Katz

Athletics

Bulldogs Lacrosse falls against #2 Reinhardt

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By Jacob Stephenson The Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs men’s lacrosse team played their final home game of the 2025 season losing to #2 Reinhardt Eagles 14-5 on Wednesday afternoon.  The Eagles got off to a quick start in the first quarter taking an early 4-0 lead over the Bulldogs. The second quarter was also dominated by the Eagles out-scoring the Bulldogs 3-1. After the half the Eagles began to put the game out of reach, outshooting the Bulldogs 6-2 in the third quarter. The Bulldogs were able to outscore the Eagles 2-1 in the fourth quarter bringing the game to the 14-5 final. The Eagles were led in scoring by Luke Greer and Joey Amatulli with four goals each. The Eagles were led in assists by Benjamin Shackelfor with three assists. Starting Goalie Ethan Rogers had five saves on eight shot attempts and allowed a low total of three goals. The Bulldogs were led in scoring by Jack Driscoll and Hayden Harmon with two goals each. The Bulldogs were led in assists by Jack Driscoll, Carson Bowling, and Hayden Harmon with one assist each. Goalie Jack Shaw had nineteen saves on thirtythree shot attempts and allowed fourteen goals. The Bulldogs will look to rebound Saturday as they play their final game of the 2025 season against #4 Cumberlands on the road.  Edited by Jaci PowellPhotographs by Tyler HarwellEditorial Assistance by Tate GrayPublished by Lucia Bonfante

Athletics

Softball Sweeps Saint Andrews

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By MaKaylee Torbett On Wednesday afternoon, the Tennessee Wesleyan softball team met with St. Andrews for a doubleheader. Coming into the season, the Lady Bulldogs have had high expectations, getting predicted to win the championship before the season started. At times the team has struggled, but with a couple of weeks left in the season, the plan is to get hot at the right time. In game two of the doubleheader, Tennessee Wesleyan beat visiting St. Andrews by a score of 12-0 in five innings. Isabella Jenkins was awarded the win, giving her the 7th win of the season. She pitched four innings only allowing one hit. Gracie Calton closed the door on St. Andrews, tossing an inning of no-hit ball. Bailee Phillips hit a home run in the game and had four RBIs to go with it. Phillips led the team with two hits alongside Tatum Massengale, Courtney Sneed, and Hallie DeArman. Phillips, Macy Chastain, and Taylor Penning had a knack for scoring as they all had two runs on the day. Haven Carter, Penning, Massengale, and Sneed each had an RBI in the game. The wins for Tennessee Wesleyan put them at seventh in the conference with six games left in the regular season. The Lady Bulldogs are back in action April 14th at Union Commonwealth. Published by Cody McGillEditorial Assistance by Nick Collins Photos by Jordan Smith Graphics by Hunter Cookston

Athletics

Baseball Mid Season Recap

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By Noah Lones East/West Challenge The Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs started off the season ranked number one in the nation and traveled to Florida for the East/West Challenge that included five ranked teams out of the eight that were competing. The Bulldogs started off the East/West Challenge defeating #24 British Columbia 9-6 on day one of the tournament. The next game came against #10 ranked Arizona Christian where the Bulldogs won a close one 4-3.  Catcher Daniel Stewart had an amazing day at the plate going 3-4 while batting in 4 RBIs. He also had a double, triple, and a home run in the game. Next, the Bulldogs found themselves in a rematch of the NAIA World Series Championship against #2 Hope International. The Bulldogs were out for vengeance in this matchup as they had lost to Hope International in the National Championship. In this rematch, Tennessee Wesleyan came out on top in a very close game 5-4. In the last game of the tournament for the Bulldogs, they faced off against another top 10 opponent in #7 Lewis-Clark State. They dropped this game 10-3 and finished off the East/West challenge 3-1 with three ranked wins, two of them being against top 10 opponents. Rough Schedule Tennessee Wesleyan have played in six ranked matchups and two ranked series matchups, with five of the matchups being in the top 10 and one of the series being a top 10 series showdown. In this stretch of ranked matchups, the Bulldogs have posted a 10-3 record against these ranked opponents, outscoring them 91-68. Conference Play The Bulldogs got off to a hot start in conference play. They started off by winning their first three series and only losing one game in that stretch including a series sweep of #6 ranked Reinhardt. Tennessee Wesleyan then hit a little rough patch in their schedule. They dropped their series to conference opponents and rivals, Johnson and Bryan. Rough stretches of pitching plagued the Bulldogs in these series. The Bulldogs lost three games in a row with losses to teams including Bryan, #3 ranked Georgia Gwinnett, and Milligan. After losing the first game in the series against Milligan in extra innings, Tennessee Wesleyan came out the next day looking to prove a point and show why they were still one of the top teams in the nation. They took the last two games against Milligan and showed elite pitching and hitting in both of these games. In their latest conference series against Truett-McConnell, the Bulldogs got the series sweep in electric fashion. They hit a two-run walk-off homerun in the first game to take the first game 15-14. The next day they played a double header to finish out the series and won both games. They won the first game 23-5 and the second game 5-4. The Bulldogs currently sit at second in the conference standings behind Johnson. Rest of the Season Tennessee Wesleyan has 12 more games left and two more conference series. One of these last 12 games comes against another top 10 opponent in #9 ranked University of the Cumberlands. The last two conference series against St. Andrews and Union Commonwealth are shaping up to be very important in regard to the conference tournament since the top three teams in the conference are so close to each other. The Bulldogs have dominated the Appalachian Athletic Conference and have been at the top of the standings for well over a decade. They are looking to continue their dominance in the conference tournament as they have won 14 conference tournament championships over the last 18 years. Graphic by Dakota CaldwellEditorial Assistance by Gabe KatzPhoto by Noah Lones

Athletics

Women’s Basketball Recognized for Tournament Run and Personal Awards

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By Jaci Powell With seven seniors and one last shot at a ring, the lady bulldogs left everything they had in Kingsport, becoming the Cinderella story of the year, breaking school records, and only coming up short in the championship game to the number one team. Starting the season with a new head coach and two new assistant coaches the seasons success was very up in the air, especially considering over half the team were seniors. The season was filled with many up and downs, eventually leading the team to end with a 18-13 record on the year and snagging the number 7 spot in the conference tournament. Going into the tournament, the lady bulldogs were viewed as a team that would not advance far but instead shocked all teams making the biggest run of the season and left their mark in the school history books. The first game of a tournament is always the most nerve-raking. It’s the first game playing in a new atmosphere, and also the game teams absolutely DO NOT want to lose. This year was the second year in a row that the lady bulldogs faced the Union lady bulldogs in the first round. The Union lady bulldogs fought hard and brought the game to the wire, but Wesleyan lady bulldogs pulled through winning the game 60-57. In the second game the ladies faced #2 Johnson lady lions. This game had a very slow start with a low half-time score of 18-16 with the TWU lady bulldogs in the lead. The lady bulldogs had a big second half surge gaining a comfortable lead on the lady lions, which ultimately led to a 52-35 win. In the semi-finals game, the lady bulldogs faced off against the #3 Reinhardt lady eagle who beat the lady bulldogs by one in an intense overtime game earlier in the season. While this game was anticipated to be close, the lady bulldogs came out hot, shooting over 50% from the field and over 60% from the 3-point line. Collectively the lady bulldogs made 18 3-pointers breaking the current school record of 17 made 3’s in a game. Thanks to the hot hands, the lady bulldogs got an early jump on the lady eagles and held roughly a 20-point lead majority of the game. This big win was a great statement for the lady bulldogs to make going into the championship game against #1 Milligan lady buffs. After such an incredible run the lady bulldogs had finally made it to the championship game against the lady buffs who had dominated most teams in the conference and beat the lady bulldogs twice earlier in the season. The lady bulldogs knew that a championship title was on the line and came out playing like it as well. The team held the lead majority of the game until the last few minutes when Milligan made some much-needed shots to push the game into overtime. During overtime play the lead was back and forth for much of the period, but in a very heartbreaking end Milligan pulled through thanks to their sharp shooting skills and won the game 79-75. Though this was not the outcome the lady bulldogs hoped for, it was still considered a great tournament run, and one the seniors can look back on and be proud of. On Saturday, April 5th between Tennessee Wesleyan’s baseball double header against Truett McConnel, the lady bulldogs were recognized for their tremendous tournament run. Anna Crowder joined the 1000-point club against Reinhardt in the conference tournament and was recognized by this substantial achievement by receiving her 1000-point ball.  It was a season and a tournament worth recognizing, and we hope the next season will lead to more records broken and more great achievements. Edited by Jordan SmithPhotos by MaKaylee Torbett