by Camryn Given | Jan 31, 2021 | News, News Slider
As students’ options for classes transition to more online formats, do the enrollment numbers change? For Lipscomb, the answer is no. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States last March, the nation’s education system was forced to scramble to figure out how it was going to keep educating its students. The solution was found in Zoom meetings and asynchronous classes where students can keep learning without sharing the air with their classmates. Lipscomb has joined other schools in this new emphasis on virtual learning and even adopted its own specific program, Lipscomb Flex, but how has this changed registration numbers? Byron Lewis is the Vice President for Enrollment Management at Lipscomb and is familiar with the retention numbers for the student population. Lewis noted that he sees the Lipscomb Flex model as a success since the number of students at Lipscomb has remained consistent with past years. “We had really strong spring enrollments for both the graduate and undergraduate areas,” said Lewis. “I’d say probably eight to 12 new freshman students that start in the spring… [and] we usually have between 40 and 60 new transfer students.” Not only were the incoming second-semester numbers consistent with previous spring semesters, but the retention rates between semesters also proved to be steady. “We had really strong retention numbers from fall to spring,” said Lewis. “94.8% of the students that came and started in the fall that returned. He added, “That’s about a percentage point shy of the record, which was set last year.” Lewis commented that the only numbers that had slightly dropped were the number of transfer students that...
by Spencer Boehme | Jan 31, 2021 | Galleries, News, News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb’s men’s basketball team was supposed to play at Stetson this weekend, but since the Bisons had played more conference games than most of their ASUN opponents, the conference announced Lipscomb would get a bye week to allow other teams to fill in the gap. Luckily, Lipscomb was able to snag a non-conference opponent in Bluefield State, a Division II independent out of West Virginia, for a Saturday matinee game. The Bisons used 41 bench points and limited the Big Blue to just 21 second-half points to win 89-56. “First off, we’re real [sic] thankful for Bluefield agreeing to come in and play,” Lipscomb head coach Lennie Acuff said during a postgame interview on ESPN+. “We found out Tuesday afternoon that we weren’t gonna be going to Florida.” Redshirt junior center Ahsan Asadullah paced Lipscomb (11-8, 5-3 ASUN) with 19 points, followed by 13 from sophomore guard KJ Johnson and 11 from sophomore guard Carson Cary. Junior Marquez Cooper and sophomore Taj-Maal Toney dialed in 13 apiece for Bluefield State (1-4), while junior guard Brandon Anyanwu had 11. The bench only contributed seven points for the Big Blue, who were without the top rebounder in Division II Alex Nunnely due to injury. “I thought our bench did a really good job, and I was really excited to see those guys get a chance,” Acuff said. “Cause they’ve played well in practice. I’m not surprised by how well all those guys played.” Lipscomb had a sluggish start and was down 15-7 at the 14:41 mark and then 27-19 with under seven minutes left in the first half. But Bluefield State could only...
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 Erika Plunkett | Jan 25, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
It’s been 441 days and one full calendar year since the last Lipscomb Volleyball game in Allen Arena, but Sunday afternoon, the Lady Bisons were finally able to return to Don Meyer court and kick off their home campaign with a 3-1 victory over the MTSU Blue Raiders. After COVID-19 delayed fall NCAA sports and all of the LUV team spent 28 days in quarantine, conducting team meetings and workouts via zoom in their isolated rooms, Lipscomb’s volleyball season seemed in jeopardy. But, head coach Brandon Rosenthal and his team persevered and are now getting to reap the rewards of their hard work and patience over this extended off-season. Although COVID-19 caused a number of problems for Lipscomb, the hardships brought this team together, producing the tightest knit group that the team has seen in a while. This team chemistry allowed the Lady Bisons to win in dominating fashion this weekend. Sunday’s matchup was part of a doubleheader that began on Friday afternoon in Murfreesboro, where the Bisons walked away with a 3-0 win. Sunday the Lady Bisons also got off to a quick start winning the first set 25-8, but it was the Blue Raiders who came out strong in the second set and evened the match at 1-1, capitalizing on a number of attack errors from the Bisons. In sets three and four, Lipscomb’s Kuper and senior middle blocker Samantha Rubal, who each netted 16 kills on the afternoon, proved to be too much for the Blue Raiders, who weren’t able to keep their momentum from the second set. Other key contributors for the Lady Bisons were...
by John Tomlinson | Jan 24, 2021 | Galleries, News Slider, Sports
After a crushing defeat on Friday night, Lipscomb was still looking for their confidence in round 2 of the home series matchup against FGCU. With a little spurring for the Bisons the first half still started off similarly to how their previous contest finished up, stunted on offense. Luckily for Lipscomb, the Eagles looked cold at the start of this matchup too, and only 19 points were scored in the first 10 minutes of the half. The defense was at a maximum to start off this ballgame. Midway through the first half though Lipscomb seemed to finally find their energy after a technical foul called on FGCU the Bison’s held that momentum into the half with a nine-point lead. And for the first time all weekend, the Bisons looked to have the energy and chemistry that was lacking Friday night. One of the most standout performances of the night for the Bisons came from Freshman Will Pruitt. Pruitt saw his most minutes in a conference matchup so far with 18 coming off the bench. Down the stretch of the 2nd half as well, he seemed to be the pacesetter for Lipscomb. Lipscomb held upon their strong defense going into the second half but saw their lead shrink down with a scoring drought midway through the second half. In the second half, they saw a fancy Pruitt finish at the rim, and some more needed energy on offense to keep their lead at two. Jumpers from Ferguson and Johnson, along with a three-ball from Hazen had them rolling down the stretch as they pulled out a win at home. This...
