Friday, March 6

Sports

Stories from the sports community at McKendree Unviersity.

McK Dance Team at Nationals
Sports

McK Dance Team at Nationals

By: Dylan Powell, Head Sports Writer Photos collected by Marisa Ortega, Editor (and dance team member!) When you think about the sports teams that compete on McKendree’s campus, one group you may not consider is the McKendree Dance Team. You can see the dance team at football games, basketball games and around campus during events like homecoming, where they walk in the parade and show support through school spirit.  However, another factor that makes this team so special is an annual competition they participate in. This past week, the McKendree Dance and Cheer teams competed at the National Dance Association (NDA) competition in Daytona Beach, Florida.  “We began learning choreography the second week of January. Since then, we have practiced at least four days ...
Rugby at Lindenwood
Sports

Rugby at Lindenwood

By Grace Gross, Head Culture Editor Photos taken by Grace Gross I had the opportunity to travel to Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri for the Lindenwood Sevens Tournament on Saturday, April 2. I rode with a friend and classmate, Breanna Sampo, along with team members Emmanuel Segbedzi and Takeru Yamada. The first match we played was against Marian University at 9:40 a.m. The second match was against Principia College at 11 a.m. The third game was played against the University of Colorado at 11:40 a.m.  The scores for the matches are as follows: Marion vs. McKendree, 27-14 Principia College, 24-12 University of Colorado, 21-14 Even though we didn’t win any matches, McKendree Rugby accomplished many things.  This is the first time our McK...
Giving More Than the Status Quo
Profiles, Sports

Giving More Than the Status Quo

Meredith Geyer, Contributing WriterEnergetic, goofy, caring, feisty, competitive, wearing Lululemon pants…these are just a just a few words that characterize Nathan Townsend, McKendree swim team’s new assistant coach. After growing up in Kingwood, Texas and being a part of an extremely talented swimming community, Nathan developed a love for the sport of swimming. After a semester at his dream college, Nathan knew that something was missing and that swimming needed to become an integral part of his life: “I went to the University of Texas, which is where I wanted to go for a long time, but I realized something was wrong because I just didn’t feel right. I made the realization that I needed to swim.” And swim he did, for the rest of his college career before eventually going overseas (afte...
When Student-Athletes Retire
Sports

When Student-Athletes Retire

By Magdalena Knapp, Editor in Chief Picture courtesy of the three interviewees and Magdalena Knapp Every athlete knows this moment will come eventually: One day we all are going to put on our goggles for the last race, tie our shoes for the last penalty shoot-out, and walk off the field one final time before we are officially done with our senior season as a collegiate athlete. To be honest, this moment seemed to be so far in the future just a few years ago. After middle school, athletes continue their sport in high school, after that they move on to college athletics, and after college – well, what is going to happen after college? I love swimming so much that I moved from my hometown in Italy to a different continent. For almost four years I have been swimming now in a pool that is 7,6...
Sure Shot
Entertainment, Sports

Sure Shot

By Alec Deyong, Contributing Writer If you ask a McKendree student what there is to do around town, you might be a bit underwhelmed at the response. There’s Cobblestone; there are the tailgates, but there isn’t much in the way of entertainment without making the haul to O’Fallon or another neighboring city off of highway 64. Now, this isn’t to take anything away from the Leb; we knew it was a small college town when we enrolled here and keeping a campus of college-aged young adults entertained is a task too great for any one city. One establishment has cropped up to help shoulder that burden, Sure Shot IL. Sure Shot is an axe throwing and archery range located just down the road in Mascoutah. If you’re surprised to hear this, that is probably because they opened up in November of 2018, ...
Bearcats Fall Short, But Set Gaze Forward
Local News, News, Sports

Bearcats Fall Short, But Set Gaze Forward

By Andrew GardewineMany sports teams on campus competed in their conference meets during the spring semester. Many teams' achievements have been swallowed by the waves of other information that have been thrown at the students this semester. This is a detailed article about the accomplisments of our Men's and Women's track and field team at their conference meet. It was a good meet for the Bearcats - The men finished 2nd overall in the team standings with many podium finishes, falling short only to the University of Indianapolis. On the women’s side they placed 5th overall with great individual finishes. Head coach Michael Mendez was pleased with the team's performance saying, “We may not have finished where we wanted as a team, but I am proud of the way we performed. When we show up, ou...
No Pain, No Gain: Most Common Sports Injuries on Campus
Campus News, Entertainment, Sports

No Pain, No Gain: Most Common Sports Injuries on Campus

By Madeline Cade, Contributing WriterWhile McKendree University has many great academic programs, we are mostly well-known for our participation in NCAA Division II athletics. Between the 33 teams on campus we hold many GLVC Conference titles and a few National Championships. These trophies do come at a slight cost: the physical and mental well-being of the athletes. Mental wellness aside, athletes are injured a lot of the time. Professor Gabriel Shapiro says, “It sometimes looks like Vietnam around here." You take one look out at campus and you will see walking boots, casts and slings scattered around. It is interesting to do research and find the most common injuries among different sports teams at McKendree. I look at my track and field teammates and see injuries all the time. Since be...
Transferable Skills – From the Field to the Stage
Campus News, Sports

Transferable Skills – From the Field to the Stage

By Loren Terveer, Contributing Writer McKendree University is becoming known for their wide variety of sporting teams. Water polo, track and field, lacrosse, bowling and bass fishing are just a few examples of the teams that the university offers to students. Being on any of these teams is a large time commitment. Athletes are often spread entirely too thin between demanding practices and required coursework. While they somehow find the time to practice and keep up with their studies, they can also be found somewhere else: the stage. Michelle Magnussen, the McKendree Theatre Department head, often says that some of her best student actors have also been athletes. Throughout her time at McKendree she has seen hundreds of students. The student athletes have multiple skills obtained from the...
Basketball – A Tough Sport for Even Tougher People
Profiles, Sports

Basketball – A Tough Sport for Even Tougher People

By Jordan Heberg Private photos by interviewees With today’s modern game of basketball there are various injuries that may occur. There is an estimation of 1.6 million injuries that have been recorded associated with basketball each year. There are a few injuries that happen more often such as ankle sprains, jammed fingers and knee injuries. Many injuries can reoccur if not taken care of right away. According to my athletic trainer, Blake Hudspeth, one of the most common injuries that happen in basketball is ankle sprains. An ankle sprain is defined as an acute injury, which means that the injury can have swelling for 24-48 hours until it goes down. An easy way to get the swelling to go down would be rest and ice. Elevation while icing will help the swelling go down majorly with a visual...
When Passion Meets Agression in the Ice Rink
Sports

When Passion Meets Agression in the Ice Rink

By Caylin Dean Featured Image by McKendree University Athletics Beer, extreme passion and a touch of aggression, the few words I knew that describe the atmosphere of a hockey game. Coming from western Illinois, hockey is not a sport that I ever had the opportunity or desire to watch. That is, until now… On January 25th, I attended my first ever hockey game as the D2 McKendree Bearcats took on the Northern Illinois University Huskies. I observed their expert balance, skill and agility as if it was improvised choreography. As I examined the multitude of masterful techniques that they demonstrated, I had a few thoughts. First of all, to me, hockey seems to be a mixture of multiple sports combined into one. The players pass the puck from one to the next, as basketball players do with a bask...