by Todd Lamberth | Apr 21, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb softball team used strong pitching and a four run first inning to take the 6-0 win over Murray State on Wednesday at Draper Diamond. In her first career start McCarley Thomas allowed just four hits on her way to a complete game shutout. The junior pitched four no-hit innings to start the game before surrendering her first hit to the first batter of the fifth inning. “McCarley, certainly, great performance out of her,” Lipscomb head coach Kristin Ryman said. “It was exactly what we needed in a midweek to get a big performance out of someone who maybe hasn’t had as much time. Really, really proud of what she did tonight.” Despite only having two strikeouts, Ryman said she liked the way her pitcher was able to gets outs and stay composed on the mound. “She only had two strikeouts but was still extremely effective,” Ryman said. “When you don’t have many strikeouts but are still able to be effective. She’s worked so hard to get to this point.” The top of the order boosted Lipscomb’s offense as their first two hitters, Brittany Elmore and Destinee Brewer, reached base a combined six times, scoring three runs. Lipscomb (23-22, 7-8) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning as they sent 10 batters to the plate. With a big lead after the first inning, Thomas was able to pitch with confidence the rest of the night. “Any pitcher, whether it’s their first start or not, that’s going to be a huge relief to you,” Ryman said. “For her especially, I think any nerves she did have...
by Lyndi Locke | Apr 20, 2016 | News Slider
After serving on the SGA for a number of semesters, Jackson Smith and Carson Panovec are ready to take on President and Vice President positions this fall. Smith has been involved with SGA since his freshman year, but running for president wasn’t something he felt called to do from the beginning. “A few people reached out and encouraged me to run,” Smith said. “I really love Lipscomb and it feels like home to me, so I wanted to have the opportunity to make it a better place.” Panovec first got involved with SGA when now-president Jordan Beale asked him to become a sophomore senator. “At first I didn’t think I would have time for SGA, but once I got involved I realized that I loved it,” Panovec said. “I knew that I wanted to eventually become an executive officer.” Now that they are both going to be in office this fall, Smith and Panovec plan to work together to integrate various student groups, like Campus Life and Athletics. “We want to encourage students to come out to athletic events, but then we also want athletes to become involved with campus life through events like the dodgeball tournament,” Smith said. “It’s all about creating that two-way street of everyone going out and supporting the other sections of campus.” In addition to increasing student involvement, Panovec and Smith are anticipating catering to student’s needs. “I would love to take an hour or so twice a month and just sit in the student center to take requests from students on how to make the campus better,” Panovec said. Smith is excited to...
by Erin Franklin | Apr 19, 2016 | News Slider
Freshman Cole Buttrey won the third annual Mr. Lipscomb pageant Monday night in Shamblin theater, hosted by Delta Omega to raise awareness for Best Buddies. The pageant consisted of four categories: formal, cold-weather wear, talent and interview. For Buttrey’s talent portion, he wrote a poem which he titled, “Love Letter to Delta Omega.” “Girls you can’t wait to take home to mom and dad / because you know those pearls aren’t just a fad,” said Buttrey as he recited his poem. Justin Cook was runner-up in the pageant. For his talent portion, he performed a rendition of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” Other talents varied from Nordista Freeze’s performance of the Lipscomb Alma Mater on top of a ladder to Daniel Johnson’s interpretation of the Napoleon Dynamite dance. Freshman Jake Cartwright won the “Crowd Favorite” award. This was determined by the amount of money that was put in the contestants’ jars, which were set out in the student center earlier. All proceeds went to Best Buddies. “It just feels really good that a lot of people put money in my jar to not just support me but support the Best Buddies as well. It’s just really humbling that people believe in me like that,” said Cartwright. For the interview portion, the judges narrowed it down to five contestants: Colton Smith, Justin Cook, Cole Buttrey, Heath Bridges and Joel Clinger. In the end, Buttrey ended up winning the esteemed title of “Mr. Lipscomb 2016.” “I didn’t even know if I was going to do it or not, so to win it all was pretty funny,” said the newly...
by Charlie Bateman | Apr 17, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
The Bisons lost to the Jacksonville Dolphins 7-5 Friday and 2-0 Saturday, but they charged their way to victory 9-1 in the final game of the series Sunday afternoon at Ken Dugan Field at Stephen L. Marsh Stadium. In the first game, Lipscomb fell 7-5 to Jacksonville, on a ninth inning home-run by right fielder Austin Hays to give the Dolphins the victory. The big hit for Lipscomb in the game came from senior Chucky Vazquez with a two run home-run. The second game for the Bisons ended in 2-0 loss to Jacksonville. Another late inning rally by the Dolphins in the eighth, thanks to a single and an error, led to the two runs by Jacksonville. This is the first game that Lipscomb has been shutout in conference play this year. Lipscomb’s bats were on fire in the final game of the series as they won 9-1. The Bisons recorded 11 hits in the game. Lipscomb scored six of their nine runs in the fourth inning and batted through the order. “I believe our hitters are capable of doing this each game,” said Lipscomb head baseball coach Jeff Forehand. “Hitting is tough, especially when Jacksonville has very good pitching.” Vazquez continued his hitting at the plate in this game as he had three RBI’s on the day. This included another two-run home-run and a sac fly. “He [Vazquez] is a good hitter that has recently had bad luck,” Forehand said. “He had great at-bats, which led to a solid game for him today at the plate.” In the final game of the series, sophomore Brady Puckett pitched his fourth...
by Colleen Casner | Apr 16, 2016 | News Slider
On Friday evening the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new wing of the McFarland Science Center honored the ways the Lipscomb science department has inspired students to help others. Former Lipscomb student and current biology department chair Dr. Kent Gallaher spoke about how his relationships with his Lipscomb professors inspired him to return to Lipscomb to teach. He concluded his remarks by celebrating the new wing’s role in the science department’s mission to educate and to inspire. “As we have grown, as the school has changed, as our standing in the academy has improved, one thing remains the same: we are affecting and transforming lives. And that is what this building will let us do,” Gallaher said. In addition to Gallaher’s speech, the ceremony featured former chemistry department chair Dr. John Netterville, Lipscomb graduate and otolaryngologist Dr. John Little, and current Lipscomb senior Hannah Stephen in a panel discussion about the past, present and future of Lipscomb’s science department. Little and one of his former patients spoke about a cochlear implant surgery that restored the patient’s hearing and has allowed her to graduate from her local public school. Hannah Stephen discussed how the mentorship she has received through the Lipscomb biology department has inspired her and has helped her in her path to graduate school. “At how many schools, how many universities do you think you could walk into the chair of the department of biology’s office in the middle of the summer in the morning and have them sit down with you and talk through all of your life goals. So that’s what I did last summer with...
by Brianna Langley | Apr 13, 2016 | News Slider
Author and journalist Thomas Lippman addressed American interests in the Middle East in Doris Swang Chapel on Lipscomb’s campus Tuesday, April 12. “Frankly, I enjoy audiences that have done their research and ask questions based in some knowledge much more than those I have to teach Islam-101 to,” Lippman said. “I certainly found the more preferred audience here at Lipscomb.” Lippman served as the Washington Post’s correspondent in the Middle East for a number of years and has written two books regarding Middle Eastern political climates: Inside the Mirage: America’s Fragile Partnership with Saudi Arabia and Hero of the Crossing: How Anwar Sadat and the 1973 War Changed the World. In his public affairs briefing, Lippman spoke on the origins of instability in the Middle East, such as historic rivalries and collective grievances. “I’m sure you’ve all heard the saying, ‘those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it,’” Lippman said during his presentation. “Well, in the Middle East, the opposite is true. Those who don’t forget the past are doomed to repeat it because that’s how deep these cross-generational grievances are.” Lippman took attendees through a timeline of the year 1979 in the Middle East. The events that took place during that monumental year are large contributors to the current situations we see today in that region, according to Lippman. Lippman began by addressing the Iranian Revolution of January, 1979 and concluding his calendar rundown with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December of 1979. The briefing was attended by students, university faculty and community members, and was co-hosted by the Tennessee World Affairs Council. “We’re so...
