by Charissa Ricker | Apr 12, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
American Idol finalist and award-winning Gospel singer Colton Dixon performed with Cody Fry in Collins auditorium Wednesday night. The concert, presented by the College of Entertainment and the Arts, included the Lipscomb a Cappella Singers, the Chamber Orchestra and commercial music students throughout the performance. Music professor Ben Blasko has been friends with Dixon for several years and reached out to Dixon about the performance. Though Dixon said he would trust Blasko “with his life,” he said he was originally nervous about playing with the students. “If you have any of my records, they don’t sound anything like this, but that’s kind of the fun of music, right, you get to reimagine songs that were created in my head,” Dixon said. Blasko is not Dixon’s only tie to Lipscomb, he said he considered attending the university before his American Idol audition. The singer-songwriter auditioned for season 10 but didn’t make it to the top 25. Dixon came back the next year to support his sister, unexpectedly auditioned and made it to the top seven before getting voted off the show. “This music career has been quite a journey,” Dixon said. “It all started in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, just down the road, and I actually had a scholarship to come to Lipscomb. I wound up not really going to college anyway so it doesn’t really matter.” Dixon quickly made a name for himself in the Gospel community, winning a Dove award in 2013 and 2015. But instead of playing all of his well-known songs during the concert, he chose to perform a song that didn’t make the cut on his original...
by Tyler Harvey | Apr 11, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb baseball played the Kentucky Wildcats Wednesday night at Dugan Field in a game that came down to a tough fielding play and a rough eighth inning for the Bisons. A popup just beyond the infield in the fifth inning got lost in the lights and ended up bringing in two runs for the Wildcats. Then in the eighth inning, Kentucky was able to score four runs, all with two outs. Coming into the game The Bisons came into the game off a tough road trip that started with ASUN conference foe Florida Gulf Coast, who swept the Bisons in a three-game series, and ended in Knoxville where the Volunteers hit seven home runs to defeat Lipscomb 11- 2. Kentucky also came into the game on a rough stretch that had seen them lose seven of their past 10 games after starting their season with a 14-8 record. Senior Erik Gutierrez made his second start of the season for the Bisons on the mound, while Kentucky put forward freshman starting pitcher Dillon Marsh. Both starting pitchers have begun the season with rough stat lines. Gutierrez came in having pitched 10 innings on the season and earning a 4.50 era, while Marsh had pitched 24 innings and earned a 6.75 era. The Game Both pitchers might have finally gotten their season on the right track with their starts Wednesday night. Gutierrez got through the first four innings of the game not giving up any runs and only allowing two hits and one walk to the Wildcats. Marsh allowed more baserunners than Gutierrez through four innings, giving up four hits to...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 10, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Wednesday morning brought news that Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander is heading to Belmont to take the reins at his alma mater. Lipscomb is now tasked with a national coaching search to replace him. Associate Head Coach Roger Idstrom will serve as the interim in the meantime. Two of the top names being tossed around include Brian Ayers, a former Lipscomb player and current Belmont assistant, and Drew Maddux, an ex-Vanderbilt star and current head coach at CPA. Athletic director Philip Hutcheson could look to others with Lipscomb connections or someone with college head coaching experience. Here are Lumination’s five potential candidates to replace Alexander (listed alphabetically): Lennie Acuff, University of Alabama-Huntsville head coach Acuff’s resume speaks for itself, as he has turned UAH into a national power in the D-II ranks. He has a 437-214 record with the Chargers and a 554-325 overall record in 29 seasons as a head coach. His track record of success might interest Lipscomb. According to public records, Acuff earned about $180,000 at UAH for the 2017-18 school year. A D-I opportunity in Nashville would give him a salary bump and a chance to stay close to his hometown of Huntsville. Brian Ayers, Belmont associate head coach As a Lipscomb alum with plenty of college coaching experience, Ayers figures to a natural choice. Stadium basketball analyst Jeff Goodman tweeted that Ayers could be high on Lipscomb’s list Wednesday morning. Ayers graduated from Lipscomb in 1993 and was an assistant at Lipscomb Academy for the 1994-95 season. He was later on the staffs at Austin Peay and Vanderbilt before joining the Bruins as an assistant in 1998....
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 10, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander is changing addresses on Belmont Boulevard. In an email sent to students Wednesday morning, Lipscomb president Dr. Randy Lowry III announced that Alexander will accept the open Belmont coaching job. Alexander will be formally introduced as the Bruins’ head coach Thursday at 9 a.m. CT in a welcome event at Curb Event Center. Lipscomb associate head coach Roger Idstrom will serve as the interim while Lipscomb conducts a national search for its next coach. Alexander previously spent 20 seasons at Belmont, including four as a player and 16 as an assistant under the legendary Rick Byrd. Alexander has spent the last eight seasons as a head coach, including the last six at Lipscomb. “It’s an honor and a great privilege to have the opportunity to return to Belmont,” Alexander said in a Belmont release. “I’m grateful that Dr. [Bob] Fisher and Scott Corley believe I’m the right person to lead this incredibly successful program. The experiences gained over the last eight years have shaped and impacted me greatly, and I return to Belmont far better positioned to lead.” Byrd spent 33 years as Belmont’s head coach. He won 805 career games, which ranks 12th all-time among NCAA Division I coaches. Alexander said he is excited to follow the legacy his mentor left with the Bruins. “This will always be Coach Byrd’s program in my mind,” Alexander continued. “So nothing will motivate me more than to make him proud and honor his legacy. We have a history of sustained excellence at Belmont, and everything is in place to build upon recent successes and make new history. We’re...
by Rachel Pavelich | Apr 8, 2019 | Fashion, News Slider
With the weather finally getting warmer and the realization that there is less than one month left until the end of the semester, I’ve got my mind on the hot summer beach days ahead. One of my favorite parts of this time of year is the release of new spring and summer products at stores, including swimsuits for the season. Here I’ll share with you some of my favorite places to get suits for the summer ahead. Scrolling through sites and taking strolls through numerous shops has given me lots of insight on this season’s swimsuit trends. Just like with spring and summer clothing trends in general this year, florals are in. If you’re looking for something super affordable, JCPenney and Target are my suggestions. Target has some bright, textured suits that are absolutely adorable. They also have numerous options if you like stripes or if you are a fan of floral. They provide a great variety of styles as well, with many one-piece, tankini and bikini options. What’s even better is that Target’s swimsuits start at just $15. Meanwhile at JCPenney, there is a variety of more unique suits available. These include fringe tankinis and off-the-shoulder one-pieces. Once again, florals are dominant and are paired with bright colors. Swimsuits cost as low as $20. I love shopping in stores and usually hate buying things online, but Cupshe is my one exception. Their ads pop up everywhere and draw me in. There are tons of options on their site, with plenty of one-piece, two-piece and tankini styles. Stripes and florals are prominent, but one of the things I love...
by Kathryn Farris | Apr 7, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
The 56th annual Singarama wrapped up Saturday evening, with the coveted Sweepstakes awarded to “The Wonder Years.” The Sweepstakes award represents a fourth win for “The Wonder Years” after consecutively winning all three other awards for Theme, Music and Staging. The winning group was comprised of the social clubs Phi Sigma, Theta Psi and Kappa Chi, as well as several “friends.” “The Wonder Years” tells the tale of “most responsible child” Andrew Foster, played by Dane Mortensen. After his parents leave for a “business trip,” Andrew’s “Glammy” whisks him and his two younger siblings away to a weekend biblical retreat. “It just means that even in times when there’s unknown and there’s wonder to be had in life, life can still be wonderful,” director Myron Sailors said on the meaning behind the show. “There’s no reason to stress about not knowing what’s coming next because that’s just part of life.” Months of preparation went into the mini-musical. Sailors spoke on how highly he valued the work put in by the production team and cast. “My production team that was right there with me through it all and my cast that was just so encouraging and worked so hard…Without them, none of this would have happened.” This year’s performances were hosted by Berkley Boglin, Luke Howard, Hudson Parker, Peytan Porter, Alexa Williams and Brittney Wood. The group preformed various songs between productions such as “Bring the Family,” “You are the Reason,” “Family is Family,” “Ladies in the 90’s” and “Baby.” The night opened up with the production of “The Good Times,” which follows Rachel, played by Diana Dockery, and her...
