by Jade Spilka | Feb 23, 2018 | News Slider
Lauren Williams’ life was thrust into the mainstream media following a bullying incident at Franklin High School. The 16 year-old daughter of Lipscomb alumna Myckelle Williams suffers from eczema and psoriasis and, as a result, chose to wear a wig. While L. Williams was speaking with a friend at school, a male student ripped her wig from her head. Williams ran into the bathroom to cry while a female student followed her with a camera, placing it above the bathroom stall door to videotape her. “I was really defeated and down,” Williams said. “My own safe place where I felt beautiful was taken from me.” Following the bullying incident, Williams chose to shave her head as a stance of advocacy. She has since adopted the motto “shame free” to promote self-acceptance. “I wanted to stop hiding under a wig to feel beautiful,” Williams said. “Beauty is not defined by the number of strands on your head. It is what’s within. Williams story and subsequent actions have sparked a response from people nationwide, including model and television host Tyra Banks who contacted the teen via Instagram and Twitter. “Girls around the world need warrior queens like you,” Banks tweeted. “TyTy loves you LuLu! And so do so many people. Let’s all spread love to LuLu. She and so many young ladies around the world need and deserve that love. Now everyone remove your fake hair & post pics for LuLu! #Love2LuLu” Williams has since attended the first annual BET Social Media Awards in Atlanta and hosted an anti-bullying rally. She plans on hosting other rallies and diversifying her #shamefree movement...
by Spencer Boehme | Feb 23, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb entered Senior Night with the number two seed wrapped up for the ASUN tournament. But they certainly played like the tournament had already started. Seeking their second-straight 20-win campaign in the regular season finale, the Lipscomb Bisons (20-9, 10-4 ASUN) took down the Kennesaw State Owls (10-19, 6-8 ASUN) 83-74 without surrendering the lead or even a tie. Prior to the game, Lipscomb honored seniors Asa Duvall, Aaron Korn and George Brammeier. Alexander said the veterans “made a huge impact on our team” during their careers. “Not necessarily with career stats, but been exactly the kind of guys that we think Lipscomb deserves. They’re leaving this program much better than the way that they found it, and, you know, any time you can say that then you’ve done your job.” Junior center Rob Marberry led the Bisons in scoring for the 10th time this season, shooting 13-of-15 on field goals and 6-of-6 on free throws for 32 points. “My teammates, they’re some of the best passers in the league,” Marberry said. “And so I can always count on them to give me a perfect pass.” Four of his field goals were dunks. He added a team-high 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. “I’ve got the flu right now,” Marberry said, “so … I lost a couple pounds doing that.” Leading scorer Garrison Mathews put in a bit of an uncharacteristic performance for Lipscomb, shooting 4-of-11 on field goals and 5-of-7 on free throws for 14 points. At the end of the first half, Mathews banked in a double-clutch desperation three with time about to expire....
by Cole Gray | Feb 22, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Nashville S.C., the brand-new professional soccer team in town, is coming to Lipscomb March 1 for a friendly match against the Bisons. It’s not the first time Lipscomb has played a pro team, but it will be the first time it’s hosted one. The Bisons defeated a United Soccer League foe last March, shocking Louisville City F.C. 1-0 in Elizabethtown, Ky. Louisville outshot the Bisons 17-4 in that game, but Ivan Sakou’s goal off a rebound gave Lipscomb the surprise victory. The two teams will square off again on Mar. 7. “The Louisville and Nashville games this year will be games that test us big-time,” coach Charles Morrow said. “We will get opportunities and chances, but I don’t think it’s realistic for us to go into a game against professionals and think that we’re going to impose our will on that team.” “It’s a game that we have to learn how to have success in other ways than they’re used to, and that helps us grow for sure,” he said. Morrow noted that the spring season gives him a look at younger players and shows him what the team needs to work on going into the fall. “Beyond defending, are we able to possess the ball? Are we able to control any segments of the game? Are we able to create goal-scoring opportunities?” Morrow named Bennie Harris, Simon Holden and Austin Eager as a trio of inexperienced defenders that would see significant action this spring. Former Lipscomb standout Micah Bledsoe will suit up for Nashville as the team’s third goalkeeper. Morrow said he hopes Bledsoe sees some playing time,...
by Cate Zenzen | Feb 21, 2018 | News Slider
Eleven Lipscomb journalism students road-tripped to Harding University in Searcy, Ark. for the 2018 Southeast Journalism Conference, where they won 11 awards for submitted work and on-site competitions. Editor-in-chief of Lumination Network Erin Franklin won 3rd place in the College Journalist of the Year category, taking home a $250 check. She gave credit to professors Jimmy McCollum and Tim Ghianni and said she was surprised to receive the award. “This was definitely my favorite journalism conference I’ve been to since I’ve been at Lipscomb,” Franklin said. “There was a great group of students who went, and I’m very proud of all my fellow students who competed.” The weekend consisted of conference sessions, on-site competitions and the Best of the South awards banquet. Over three dozen universities participated. Lipscomb students brought home one more award than crosstown rival Belmont. Co-managing editor Anna Rogers and sports editor Russell Vannozzi took first place in their on-site competitions, News and Feature Photography and Sports Writing, respectively. “It was an honor to come home with a pair of awards,” Vannozzi said. “We have a talented team that has been working hard to get great stories all year.” He also credited Ghianni and McCollum for his successes. Jade Spilka finished 2nd in TV Anchoring. Charissa Ricker placed 3rd in the on-site competition for Feature Writing. At the Best of the South Awards, students were judged on work from the previous year in many different categories. Lindsey Nance placed 1st in the TV News Feature Reporter category. 2017 graduate Patrick Carpenter won 2nd for TV News Journalist. Anna Rogers was named 3rd in Special Event Reporting and Russell...
by Charissa Ricker | Feb 20, 2018 | News Slider
Lipscomb alumni Ted Jamison and Bruce Bowers shared their 45-year long journey of friendship in chapel on Tuesday. Jamison was the first African American baseball player to attend Lipscomb, and Bowers was the university’s first African American basketball player. Both men graduated from David Lipscomb College in 1972, when there was only one percent diversity on campus. “The atmosphere of Lipscomb was different,” Bowers said. “It was a different kind of experience and exposure for me. I have been blessed to be granted that opportunity to come to Lipscomb. ” At a school with very few African American students and no African American administration, Jamison and Bowers quickly bonded over both their shared experiences and love of sports. When describing his friend, Bowers shared how his father always stressed the importance of keeping your word and following through with it. “When Ted gives you his word to do something, he is going to do it,” Bowers said. “He is truly a good person, a friend, and the relationship has been outstanding. We have been apart for awhile, but we always seem to get together. ” After 45 years of being friends, Jamison shared how it was God’s destiny that the two met at Lipscomb in 1968. “My definition of friend, when I begin to describe Bruce Bowers, it makes me reflect on myself, and I find out that I am almost speaking to myself,” Jamison said. “He is also a person that I have been able to communicate with: open and honest communication.” Jamison and Bowers both enjoyed their time at Lipscomb and the friendships that they made along...
by Spencer Boehme | Feb 19, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
A loss checkered with pitching troubles tainted an otherwise decent start for the Lipscomb baseball season. The Lipscomb Bisons (2-1) cycled through eight pitchers on Sunday and could not find any rhythm against the UNC Asheville Bulldogs (1-2). Costly errors combined with only three runs on eight hits contributed to the loss. The final score was 6-3 in favor of the Bulldogs. “Their pitcher was really good,” Bisons head coach Jeff Forehand said. “But we were right in the game. We cut it to one. I really thought we had an opportunity; then they answered with two runs of their own…I think we learned a lot today.” Freshman pitcher Noah Thompson made his first career appearance and lasted for a little over three innings before retiring. Thompson struck out three hitters but also allowed three hits and two runs, walked three hitters and hit another with a pitch. “He didn’t pitch his best today,” Forehand said. “But I think that that’s only the bright spots to come, he’s going to be a gem for us, I think, down the line.” Despite the collapse on Sunday, Lipscomb now stands at 2-1 after a three-game season opener against the Bulldogs. The Bisons started with a 3-2 victory on Friday in which the bullpen took over for the final three innings and allowed one hit and zero runs in that span. Lipscomb had a similar game on Saturday against the Bulldogs, with starting junior pitcher Chris Kachmar allowing three hits and two runs in five innings and junior third baseman Zeke Dodson hitting what has been, so far, Lipscomb’s only home run...
