by Erika Plunkett | Jan 30, 2021 | BREAKING NEWS, News, News Slider, Sports
Friday morning the ASUN conference announced the arrival of three new teams, Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas, and Jacksonville State, as well as the addition of NCAA FCS football to the sports offered by the conference. All three teams will join the conference in the 2021-2022 school year and will bring the total enrollment to 12 teams in the ASUN. “When a conference embarks on a mission to strengthen itself through expansion, it has to present a case for why a membership with one conference would be more beneficial to the institution than membership in its current conference,” ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart said in a release from the conference. “The ASUN spent two years examining and defining its advantages and then presenting interested candidates with the option to join. Every institution will select the best option for conference affiliation from the available options. Each institution owes it to the student body, the athletic department and the university community as a whole to do what is best for the university. The ASUN works extremely hard to build options. To know that these three institutions have evaluated their options, and knowing each had multiple choices for conference affiliation and that they chose the ASUN is a great achievement. The ASUN Presidents’ Council set this process in place years ago when the Council members challenged the conference to be a great destination, and that would attract new member interest. The plan has worked and we are thankful for the visionary leadership of our Council to prioritize the student-athlete experience and the institutional value of being a member of the ASUN.” Jacksonville State is...
by Erika Plunkett | Jan 29, 2021 | News, News Slider, Sports
In their first matchup since 2007, Lipscomb defeated the UAB Blazers, for the first time ever, in a three-set sweep Friday afternoon and continued their winning streak in game one of a doubleheader between the Blazers and the Bisons. Following their sweep of MTSU last weekend Lipscomb secured all three ASUN weekly awards, with senior outside hitter Megan Kuper winning Player of the Week, freshman middle blocker Meg Mersman winning Defensive Player of the Week, and freshman setter Delaney Dilfer winning Freshman of the Week. Kuper, Mersman, and Dilfer continued their hot streak against the Blazers putting up a combined 14 kills, seven blocks, three aces, 13 digs, and 31 assists. Meanwhile, UAB came into the night with an 0-1 record, after suffering a loss in November 2020 against WKU before their fall season was cut short by COVID. Following the two-month pause, UAB started off slowly in the match and quickly fell behind. Lipscomb, however, started off on a hot streak winning the first set of the match 25-15, behind six kills from junior outside hitter Lanie Wagner. But the second set started in favor of the Blazers until Lipscomb went on a 9-0 run served by freshman libero Delaney Smith. While the Blazers kept the third set close, trading the lead with the Bisons six times, it was Lipscomb who would finally pull away and complete the three-game sweep. Despite the loss, Fernanda Maida finished the night with 11 kills, five blocks, and five digs, leading the way for the Blazers. Lipscomb travels down to Birmingham tomorrow afternoon to continue the doubleheader matchup against UAB before traveling...
by John Tomlinson | Jan 23, 2021 | Galleries, News, News Slider, Sports, Uncategorized
Lipscomb came off of a split last weekend with UNF and looked poised to bounce back against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, but the Bisons were unable to stop the Eagles who outplayed Lipscomb in the second half and won by a score of 79-69. With an 11-0 run to start off the game for Lipscomb, things looked optimistic in the first half. However, from there, FGCU went on a 19-4 scoring run that had them up midway through the first half by four. The Bisons managed to claw their way back towards the end of the half with a three-pointer from sophomore guard KJ Johnson, free throws from senior guard Romeao Ferguson and hustle plays from senior forward Parker Hazen. With the late surge in the first half, Lipscomb found themselves ahead 36-32 going into the halftime break. With a fairly even first half from the conference foes, the question was who would pull ahead in the second half. As Lipscomb has been struggling to hold leads in recent matchups, the Bisons were hoping to break the trend with some reliable defense for the second half. Out of the gates, things were neck and neck. Both teams battled for the lead, but once the Eagles took the lead with 12:36 in the second half, they wouldn’t look back. Lipscomb tried to hold on, closing the lead back to three with six minutes remaining in the contest, but then with back-to-back 3’s from FGCU, the game became out of reach for the Bisons. The Bisons had no answer for the 47 point explosion in the second half from FGCU,...
by Abigail Davis | Jan 22, 2021 | BREAKING NEWS, COVID-19, News, News Slider
The COVID death of a man of the cloth who also was a longtime security officer and helping hand to students hit the university, which already had suffered two losses to this plague, hard. “It is with great sadness that I share the news of another loss in the Lipscomb family,” read an email from President Randy Lowry sent out to the Lipscomb community on Thursday afternoon. Lowry went on to explain that the Lipscomb Security veteran and minister at the 19th Avenue Church of Christ in Springfield, Tennessee, Maurice J. Conner, had died of COVID-19, marking the third loss in the Lipscomb community in the past six weeks. Conner started at Lipscomb as a student and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1981. Shortly after graduating, he joined Lipscomb’s security team in 1983 and while serving the security team also earned his master of arts in Bible in 2000. Lowry shared how respected and loved Conner was among the Lipscomb community due to the “wisdom, compassion, and joyful nature,” that Conner brought to his job every day. “The deep and profound respect and love the security team has for Maurice was obvious as they relayed stories about shared work experiences, his humorous radio calls to dispatch to report on weather conditions during the third shift and their lively conversations about faith, theology and life,” said Lowry. “In addition to being a dedicated security officer, Maurice was also a minister and mentor to his colleagues through the years.” “He was definitely gentle, caring, and very devout,” said security colleague Alex Ryan. “He had clearly done a lot...
by Kathryn Farris | Jan 20, 2021 | News, News Slider
President Joe Biden looked toward a future of unity as well as to the problems he inherited when he took the oath of office at high noon D.C. time Wednesday. “This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge,” the newly inaugurated president said in his address that was greeted with enthusiasm around the world and at Lipscomb, where a socially distant viewing party took place. “…Unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you we will not fail,” said the 46th president of the United States. The inauguration was historically important in many ways, including the fact that Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris is the first female to hold that office. She also is the first Black and Indian-American vice president. This inauguration held special significance for many reasons including a raging pandemic (U.S. COVID deaths surpassed 400,000 in the day prior), a fortressed Capitol and the notable absence of former President Donald Trump, who broke with the nation’s symbolic peaceful transition — a shining light to the world — by flying to Mar-A-Lago, his exclusive Palm Beach resort rather than attending the ceremony. Former presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and their spouses attended the inauguration as well as joined Biden and Harris for a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. The only other living President Jimmy Carter, 96, could not attend the ceremonies because of his age, but Biden took note of Carter and his support. Carter, who took office in 1977, expressed his regrets...
by Mckenzi Harris | Jan 19, 2021 | News, News Slider
Today at the Lipscomb University virtual gathering Dr. Orpheus Heyward spoke. The university used the chapel to honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King and the importance of his work. This year, 3 students offered up three of Dr. Martin Luther King’s prayers. Amara Ukazim read ”Help us rise up out of our egotism.” Dorie Harrison read a prayer for uncertain times, “Love even our enemy neighbors.” Donovan Ross read, “We are made for the high places.” “In a climate like today, we need a balanced voice like Martin Luther King Jr,” said Dr. Orpheus Heyward. Dr. Heyward discussed how the world is facing much social injustice today and how the “heart of a racist can only be addressed for the perspective of God.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did a sermon out of luke chapter 10, verse 25, and following on the good samaritan. This was the parable that Dr. Heyward taught out of the chapel. “Jesus moved the conversation from who is my neighbor to what is a neighbor in the bible.” In the parable, God used a Samaritan as the hero of the story. Dr. Heyward related the samaritan to how we should act as well. Dr. Heyward answers the question of who should be treated as a neighbor by stating,“Anyone who’s in crisis” is who needs help from a neighbor. “We need people to behave as neighbors,” said Dr. Heyward,” Love as God loves.” Colleges such as Belmont, Fisk, Lipscomb, Meharry, Nashville State, Tennessee State University, Trevecca and Vanderbilt, as well as other area colleges and universities are honoring the life and legacy of...
