The Christmas season is over, and now spring season sports are back in full swing at Lipscomb with competition already underway.
To start off the season, track and field and men’s tennis will both be traveling to Vanderbilt over the weekend. Men’s tennis has added four new players to its roster, enabling them to participate in their main season with a full team.
Coach Mario Hernandez is excited for the next few months and believes that the bright, new players will bring a fresh dimension to the team.
“There are a lot of things we have to get used to, especially being such a young team,” Hernandez said. “From what I have seen at practices, the guys are pumped to play and I can see that they are hungry to start this season.”
Freshman Philippe Courteau has his eyes set on a victory.
“This is my first collegiate match and I am excited to compete with these guys as a new Bison,” Courteau said. “I have waited two years for this moment since I began looking to play for a University, and I am ready to get out there and hit balls against some of the top men in the country.”
The match begins on Jan. 16 at 5 p.m. at Vanderbilt’s indoor courts. The Commodores are standing at no.19 in the country, with one of their players in the top 10 when the NCAA rankings were revealed at the beginning of January. The rankings have given the Bisons some momentum, and they are looking for an upset.
“The boys are coming into this competition as the underdogs, we have respect for this team but that doesn’t mean we won’t try to cause them to shake,” Hernandez said. “As one of the boys put it, we are going to try and get a “scalp.” We will try and get that upset victory, let’s start the year off right.”
Track and field men and women also travel across town to Vanderbilt to compete in an invitational over the weekend. The men will be up against 10 other teams while the women will take on 13 teams. This meet will be a stepping stone for later competitions as they compete alongside teams like the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University.
Assistant Coach Jenny Randolph, who mostly works with the distance runners, has shown a positive attitude towards the start of the season.
“We aren’t shooting for massive goals as this invitational is all about letting them get their feet wet,” Randolph said. “Every year we have a feeling about where we are as a team; this is a perfect starting point, especially to compete at the likes of Vanderbilt.”
After a successful cross country season, the Bisons track and field teams have been given a push in the right direction. Many of the distance runners have been able to compete already in the last few months and the other athletes have had to wait a year and are eager to start the season.
“There isn’t too much pressure with this meet, we are just looking to get the rust off and to have fun,” Assistant Coach Benton Reed said. “We have roughly six freshman competing this weekend which will be interesting to see how they handle the collegiate level of competition.”
The meet begins Friday Jan. 16 and concludes Saturday Jan. 17.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics