by Camry Sturdivant
The Eagles Nest of Athletics has had quite a few ups and downs for the 2018-2019 season with new coaching additions, new recruits, and just trying to find a team rhythm to get wins for the program, but the Judson College athletic program always finds a way. Marsha Ford, the athletic director here at Judson College says, “I am excited for this year’s athletic program.” The expectations for the athletes this year are for them to give their best on and off the fields and court. For the athletes, the schedule can seem quite hectic trying to balance all aspects of Judson, but the same effort is required of them as of any other student.
Grades are a valuable aspect to Ms. Ford. The freshmen are required to complete 4 hours of study hall in the library every week to stay on top of the game in the classroom as well. All athletes are to maintain a 2.0 GPA while attending practice, being involved in Judson festivities, and games. So far, the Eagles are heading in the right direction. There are also quite a few new additions to the athletic program.
First on the coaching roster is our new addition, Coach Bridget Goodnight. Prior to joining the Judson Athletics family, Goodnight coached at Columbia State College in Tennessee. She has 22 new basketball recruits to rebuild the basketball team here at Judson College. Freshman Koko Brooks says, “Workouts have been challenging, but anything worth having is going to be hard. I look forward to a great season with my teammates. I know we will nine times out of ten be the fitter team.” The Eagles will kick off the basketball season on October 31.
Coach Cynthia White has also returned to the roster of athletics this year. White is a familiar face around the Judson campus, and she has returned as the head coach of the volleyball team. They also have an assistant coach—Chakia Hinkle, a Judson senior.
Coach Justin Pino is entering his fifth season as the head coach of the Judson Soccer program. The Judson soccer team kicked off its season on August 31 against LaGrange College of Georgia but fell short in the seventy-second minute and lost 5-0. On September 7 in the Eagles Nest, the soccer team accomplished their first victory against Talladega College. On the road in Tennessee the Eagles lost both back-to-back games on September 13 and 14. This seemed to disappoint Pino. He told the team, “We still have a whole season ahead of us; let’s put these four games behind us and keep improving.” The 2018-2019 captains of the soccer team are Quenteeria Mooney, Whitney Batt and Payton Luker. Mooney says, “As a team we need to shift gears and get better to improve collectively. We cannot let past losses define the rest of our season.” The meeting seemed to help everyone’s mindset, the soccer team won against Oakwood University on September 26 with a score of 5-0. Mooney, Luker and Kh’Lari South each had a goal, and Camry Sturdivant two.
Coach Tom Hannah will be coaching his second season as the softball head coach at Judson this year. There have been quite a few new recruits on the softball team. The practice style has changed since last year. Hannah has become big on the team’s fitness and technicality. Softball has won a few games and lost a few as well. and the team is still looking to improve. Hannah is seen daily caring for the softball field as if it was his own child. The freshman collectively said, that they know they sometimes make careless mistakes in the game, but Coach Hannah always pushes them to play their best.