by Spencer Boehme | Apr 23, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Lipscomb announced Monday that Rhodes College head coach Lauren Sumski has been hired as the new women’s basketball coach. Lady Bisons fans were formally introduced to the former D-III coach at a welcoming conference Tuesday afternoon in the Hall of Fame room. “There were many candidates that we had,” Lipscomb athletic director Philip Hutcheson said. “High school, college, all levels, people from all over the country who were interested in the job. And I think that’s a credit to the Lipscomb community.” The biggest takeaway from Sumski’s introduction is how noticeably enthusiastic and energetic she was from the get-go. “I’d be remiss to not thank Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, for allowing me to be here,” Sumski said. “I’d be remiss to not thank President Lowry and Hutch, as they affectionately call him.” During what was a brutal 2018-19 season, the Lady Bisons began the year with a 2-1 record. They followed that with 19 straight losses before scraping a couple conference wins to finish the year 4-25. “This is just a reset,” Sumski said. “This isn’t a rebuild. We’re going to take every single day, and we’re going to work to be the best people we can be, the best students we can be, the best athletes we can be.” So how much of this “reset” will affect the current coaching staff? “I’m speaking with [Lipscomb assistant] Hannah Phillips,” Sumski said. “I love her. I just wanna make sure that we gel, and we click. And then outside of that, we’re just kind of taking it day-by-day. I’ve met with Kelsey [Gregory], who’s also been here.”...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 23, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
Longtime Alabama-Huntsville coach Lennie Acuff has been named Lipscomb’s next basketball coach, the school announced in a release Tuesday afternoon. The news was initially reported by 247Sports basketball analyst Evan Daniels Tuesday morning, and News Channel 5’s Steve Layman later reported that a deal was in place. Acuff will be formally introduced to the Lipscomb community on Wednesday at 2 p.m. CT in the Paul Rogers Board Room in the Ezell Center. “I am thrilled, very humbled and thankful for the opportunity,” Acuff said in the school’s release. “I understand the tradition that exists with Lipscomb basketball and I will do everything I can to continue to build upon that tradition.” Acuff has served as UAH’s head coach for the last 22 seasons, growing the Chargers into a national power on the Division II level. He owns a 437-214 record at UAH and an overall record of 554-325 in 29 total seasons as a head coach. Acuff was reportedly a candidate for the Lipscomb job in 2013 when then-Stetson coach Casey Alexander got the nod. Ironically, Acuff now replaces Alexander, who left for Belmont on April 10 after guiding Lipscomb to three consecutive 20-win seasons. “I have always wanted an opportunity to coach at the Division I level,” Acuff said. “I felt like if I were going to do it, it would need to be an institution I felt I was in alignment with from a faith-based and values situation, and Lipscomb had that. “The type of players at Lipscomb are the same type I recruit in Huntsville, high-character kids that they’ve developed. Coach (Casey) Alexander built a great culture...
by George Wong | Apr 23, 2019 | Fashion, News Slider
Lipscomb’s Department of Fashion and Design proudly presented the annual “Spring Fashion Show” Monday night. Held in the heart of Ezell, many students, staff, friends and family flocked to witness the show. It also happened to be International Earth Day, which fitted the theme of the night — sustainability and supporting the environment through raising awareness. This night commended the seniors in the department and all their hard work throughout individual collegiate careers. In doing so, they showcased their works on the runway with student models. Senior fashion and merchandising student Kayla McEathron shared her story about her love of fashion and how eliminating sweatshops that abused their workers was a strong passion of her’s. According to McEathron, the main mission is not to change the world but to save it. “The seniors and I were very proud with how the fashion show turned out,” McEathron said. “We each had a role in the show to make it happen, and I thought everyone did a great job of coming together to make the show successful. It is a bittersweet feeling for all of us seniors….” The night concluded with an award ceremony and gifts. Donated prizes were provided by local businesses Cabana, Molly Green, Nordstrom, The Perfect Setting, The Escape Game, Jos. A Bank and Gus Mayer. The Fashion Merchandising Award was given to senior Caitlin Nichols, who demonstrated “academic achievement, student leadership and potential contribution to the field of fashion merchandising.” “This award means the world to me, and I am so honored that my teachers chose me to be the recipient,” Nichols said. “It shows how much...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 22, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb guard Garrison Mathews is quickly gaining attention as he prepares for his professional basketball career. The latest development? He now has his own Wikipedia page. “I didn’t even know I had one,” he said with a laugh. “I guess I’m making a name for myself, huh? Mathews just returned from the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, where his Portsmouth Partnership team won the championship with a 90-81 win over Sales Systems, Ltd. on Saturday. He averaged nine points over three games, performed well during agility and athletic tests and spoke with representatives from at least nine NBA teams. “It was overall a really good experience just to spend time with [the other prospects] and to show what I can do against some higher-level guys,” Mathews said. Mathews, who measured at 6-foot-6 in shoes, scored 15 points and made three shots from beyond the arc in his second game, an 83-71 win over Portsmouth Sports Club. He also pulled down 12 total rebounds in his three games, which were attended by Lipscomb assistant Sean Rutigliano and Director of Basketball Operations Adam Notteboom. “I didn’t shoot it as well as I would’ve liked to, but that wasn’t my ultimate goal in [Portsmouth],” he said. “My mindset was to show that I can guard higher-level guys, and that I can rebound and do the little things. If I make it to the NBA, I don’t know if my role will necessarily be as a scorer. But I want to be the guy that can come in and knock down open shots and play some defense.” Portsmouth Partnership runs the inbound to perfection and...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 22, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
Rhodes College women’s basketball coach Lauren Sumski is taking the same job at Lipscomb, athletic director Philip Hutcheson announced Monday morning. Sumski has been head coach at Rhodes since 2017 and compiled a 35-21 record over two seasons. She is the first-ever female to lead the Lipscomb women’s basketball program in the school’s DI era. “I am humbled, honored, and grateful,” Sumski said in a release. “I am excited for the opportunity. I think that Lipscomb has a ton of things in place for us to field a successful women’s basketball program. “More than the things, it’s just such a high-quality type of person there. We’re excited to get to work and start building back up.” Sumski, 27, will be one of the youngest college head coaches in the nation. She graduated from Rhodes in 2014 and also played one year at Tennessee under legendary coach Pat Summit. She was rated the 28th-best high school prospect in the nation by ESPNU Hoopsgurlz, although injuries slowed her time as a Lady Vol, prompting her to return to Memphis to play for Rhodes. Following her graduation, Sumski spent three seasons as an assistant at Union under Lipscomb alum Mark Campbell. Hutcheson said several people highly recommended Sumski for the job, saying that she was “on her way to great things in the coaching profession.” “Those people commented on her energy, her intelligence, her ability to connect with others and her high emotional and basketball IQ, and those involved in the process all found that to be the 100 percent truth,” Hutcheson said. “From the very first phone call to our final...
by Quinn Gorte | Apr 19, 2019 | News Slider, Student Spotlight
After applying for the Fulbright Scholars Program with the support of numerous friends, professors and others, Lipscomb graduate Lauren Borders, along with four out of seven semi-finalist Lipscomb students, was accepted by the program. “The application process and being given this has been one of the most humbling experiences of my life, because the people that I asked to help me do this delivered beyond what I could’ve ever expected,” Borders said. “So many people helped me out… I’m just very grateful for all the people in my corner and what they did for me.” The Fulbright Scholar Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and offers scholarships for students to live abroad while teaching English or conducting research. For Borders, who recently graduated with a strategic communication major and international studies and Spanish minors, this means living in Uruguay for nine months and researching the country’s political climate. “My project is a journalism-based research project about political broadcast journalism and its effect on political division within the state and the culture,” Borders said. Borders plans to focus her research on “what kind of measures Uruguayan press takes to present a diverse opinion… [The basis of my research is] the relationship between political journalism and how divided the people are politically.” “Basically, [it’s] how you talk about politics at your dinner table with your friends, and how your sources of journalism enforce those ideals,” Borders said. Borders’s background in news and politics inspired her research project idea. “I obviously love journalism, but I also work in politics,” Borders said. “In college, I also did...
