by Logan Butts | Jul 8, 2014 | News Slider
Update: The arrangements for Jacob Akers’ visitation and funeral are as follows, courtesy of Scott McDowell. Visitation will be on Saturday, July 12, at the Taylor Funeral Home in Dickson, Tennessee, from 2 to 8. Memorial service will be at 2 on Sunday, July 13. The burial will be at Dickson County Memorial Gardens. Original story below. Jacob Akers, a May 2014 graduate from Charlotte, Tennessee, was killed in an auto accident Monday night. Senior Vice President for Student Life Scott McDowell notified students of Akers’ death via email Tuesday afternoon. A molecular biology major, Akers, 22, had plans to attend Lincoln Memorial University in the fall for medical school. He had also proposed to his girlfriend on the Fourth of July. Kyrsten Turner, a fellow May graduate from Lipscomb, spoke on why she was glad to know Akers. “From the very start, Jacob was never afraid to ask a question or to speak out for what he believed to be right. He had a true, servant heart, and it was evident by his attitude that Christ was forefront in his life,” Turner said. “Jacob is going to be missed so, so much.” In a statement released to the Lipscomb community, McDowell shared his condolences on behalf of the university. “We were deeply saddened to learn of that May 2014 Lipscomb University Graduate Jacob Akers lost his life in an automobile accident,” McDowell said. “Please lift the family up as well as his fiancé, Savannah Grant, in your prayers.” A prayer service, hosted by Lipscomb’s department of biology, was held Tuesday night on the front steps of the McFarland Hall of Science. Additional reporting by...
by Logan Butts | Jul 7, 2014 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
It feels like an eternity has passed since the end of the group stage. I have completely forgotten about the likes of Japan and Russia. Was Spain even in the World Cup? The knockout rounds always turn the intensity up significantly compared to the group stage, and 2014 has been no different. Let’s revisit the key moments from the knockout stage so far. Round of 16: This was probably the most entertaining round of a World Cup I have ever followed. Granted, I have only followed three World Cups closely, but even experienced World Cup fans have spoken highly of the merits of this tournament, with the Round of 16 being the focal point. If the round of 16 was the peak of the Cup thus far, then the goalkeepers were the shining stars in the middle of it all. Mexico’s folk hero Guillermo Ochoa, Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama and the United States’ Tim Howard all displayed goalkeeping heroics in losing efforts, Brazilian Julio Caesar shouldered the weight of a soccer-obsessed nation while saving consecutive penalty kicks against Alexis Sanchez and Chile, and Costa Rica’s Keylor Navas somehow topped them all in leading the Cup’s Cinderella to the quarterfinals. The United States failed to defeat the Red Devils of Belgium, a team that exudes cool and is full of stars from the top European leagues, ending their enthralling World Cup run excruciatingly close to the quarterfinals. Although the loss was a tough one, there is plenty to celebrate with the USA’s run. The longtime thorn in the side of the US squad, Ghana, was vanquished. Christiano Ronaldo was shut down...
by Logan Butts | Jul 1, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
The summer of 2014 has reached the halfway mark, and Nashville has had its full share of sports news in May and June. Here is a recap on what you may have missed. Lipscomb Baseball: Former Lipscomb baseball stars Rex Brothers and Caleb Joseph have been performing well in the MLB. Joseph, who was called up to the majors on May 7, hit his first home run on June 22 against the New York Yankees. After coming very close to making the MLB All Star team last summer, on June 14 Brothers became the first pitcher in Colorado Rockies history to pitch an “immaculate inning,” which means he struck out three batters on only nine pitches in the inning. Rex’s younger brother Hunter was drafted by his brother’s team, the Rockies, in the 30th round of the 2014 MLB draft. Brothers is currently pitching for the Grand Junction Rockies of the Pioneer League. Former Bisons Chris Nunn and Josh Smith are also currently playing in the Minor Leagues. Nunn is pitching for the Lake Elsinore Storm of the California League, while Josh Smith is suiting up for the Louisville Bats of the International League. Lipscomb Track and Field: The Lipscomb track and field team continued their run of success from the fall semester into the spring and concluded their triumphant run through the summer thanks to appearances at the NCAA Nationals by Gemikal Prude and Madi Talbert, as well as participation in the NCAA East Preliminaries by Prude, Talbert and Colin Dempster. Talbert was named a Second Team All-American, while Prude earned an honorable mention All-American spot. Vanderbilt Baseball:...
by Logan Butts | Jun 27, 2014 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
In one wild week, the group stage came to a chaotic end and the knockout rounds have been set. We’ve seen former champs (Spain, Italy, England) go down and Cinderella teams (Costa Rica, Algeria, Greece) make a run to the round of sixteen. Let’s take a look at the events that transpired and what to expect in the coming week. Best goal(s): Leo Messi, all of them The best player in the world has lived up to his monstrous expectations so far with four goals, including three in the past week. All of the goals have been impressive, but with skill and timing factored in, his goal against Iran stands above the rest. Most heartbreaking elimination: Ivory Coast With a spot in the knockout round all but secured, “Les Elephants” were robbed of their first round of sixteen birth thanks to the most controversial penalty kick given out in the Cup so far. Greece made the kick and lived to play another day, while the best team in Africa was left to ponder what happened. The “Oh no, not again” award: Luis Suarez Most soccer fans, myself included, wanted to believe that Suarez had gotten past his early career antics. He was dominating games for Liverpool in the Premier League and for his national team, Uruguay. But then the Mr. Hyde side of Suarez flared up again. Now Italy is unfairly watching at home, and Uruguay is missing its best player. The “Too little too late” award: Spain With two games and some national embarrassment behind them, the Spanish national team finally decided to play like themselves in their...
by Logan Butts | Jun 26, 2014 | News Slider
Longtime Nashvillian Joe Dudney died on Tuesday at the age of 91. Dudney was best known for his work with the Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort Inc., an organization dedicated to sending emergency supplies, including food, water and cleaning supplies, to areas hit by natural disasters across America. In his time with the company Dudney worked in the positions of vice president and executive director. Dudney moved to Nashville in 1967 with his wife Doris after spending many years in Jackson County, Tennessee. The Dudney’s have been members of Brentwood Hills Church of Christ for over 20 years, where Dudney served as both an elder and a deacon. While in Jackson County, Dudney became one of the charter members of the Jackson Country Livestock Association, before moving on to a position with the Tennessee Crop Improvement Association. Dudney became the chief inspector for the TCA in 1964 and stayed with the association, holding the positions of manager, secretary and treasurer until his retirement in 1991. The deceased is survived by a brother, a daughter, two granddaughters and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife. The family will receive visitors on Thursday, June 26, 3-8 p.m., and Friday, June 27, 10 a.m.-12 Noon, at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ, and on Saturday, June 28 at 11 a.m. at the Anderson Upper Cumberland Funeral Home. The funeral service will be at noon on Friday at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ. A burial will take place in Gainesboro, Tennessee on Saturday. Photo courtesy of the Christian...
