by Martin Baker | Apr 25, 2019 | News Slider, Sports, Student Spotlight
As the Lipscomb track and field team approaches the final stages of its season, one name has stood out among the rest as Lipscomb’s most dangerous weapon. That name is Jonathan Schwind. Schwind is a junior finance major from Suwanee, Georgia. He graduated from Lambert High School and joined Lipscomb after being scouted by assistant coach Benton Reed. “Coach Reed was the guys’ coach at the time, so he made a trip down and visited our houses, and he even had dinner with us one night,” Schwind said. “All the other coaches would talk on the phone and stuff, but I was like, ‘Okay, this coach is really interested. He came to my house from all the way up here.’” That would be the start of Schwind’s career as a Bison, and although the collegiate level has been a challenge, Schwind has been able to put in the hard work with his coaches and teammates that’s allowed him to achieve the standout season he’s experienced this year. “In high school there’s usually one or two fast guys on a team,” Schwind said. “Now you come to college, and everyone was a top guy at their school, so being able to run with the guys on the team really pushes you and helps you a lot.” “This year I think we’ve just been able to get him more strength,” track and field director Bill Taylor said. “He’s got pretty amazing range, but his sweet spot and the stuff he loves is the eight and the fifteen.” The 800m and the 1500m races are definitely where Schwind has found his stride. At the...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 25, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lennie Acuff once wanted to play basketball for Lipscomb, but he admitted that he “wasn’t good enough” for Don Meyer’s legendary NAIA teams. Instead, the longtime Alabama-Huntsville skipper now gets his chance to coach the Bisons. Lipscomb officially introduced Acuff as its next head coach Wednesday, beginning a new era for a program that is coming off one of its most successful seasons – a year that ended one victory short of an NIT championship. But Acuff was familiar with the Bisons long before they joined the NCAA Division I ranks. He attended Lipscomb basketball summer camps as a kid, and he continued to learn from Meyer as an adult, even visiting his house on at least one occasion. “I think it’s important that everybody knows that I understand what Lipscomb basketball is about,” he said. “[Two] of the guys on my high school team played on the [1986] national championship team – Anthony Jones and Bob Ford. “I would’ve loved to have been a Bison. [Coach Meyer] was the best teacher the game has ever had. I cannot tell you how much he taught me, how much I learned from him and the level of respect I have for what he built here.” Acuff seems like a natural fit for the Bisons. He’s down to earth, family-oriented and speaks with a Southern drawl. He’s also bald, just like Meyer and Casey Alexander – arguably the two best coaches in Lipscomb’s history. But, perhaps most importantly, Acuff has the basketball resume to keep the Lipscomb program on an upward trajectory. His track record at UAH, which includes 437 wins,...
by Grant Ledgister | Apr 24, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
It’s been a busy two days for Lipscomb basketball. Yesterday, Lipscomb welcomed Lauren Sumski as the new head coach for women’s basketball. And today, Lipscomb introduced Lennie Acuff as the new head coach for men’s basketball. Acuff is the winningest coach in the history of the Gulf South Conference, amassing 437 wins over 22 seasons at the University of Alabama-Huntsville. He has a total of 550 wins in 29 seasons. Acuff said he believes that encouraging those around him is crucial. “The most powerful thing you can say to someone is ‘I believe in you,’” Acuff said. Acuff added that he knows there are difficult decisions he’s going to have to make as Lipscomb’s head coach, especially involving players, but he is prepared to make the decisions that bring the most benefit to both the team and the school. “You’ve just got to get guys that you think are good enough to win, but also guys that are good representatives of the school,” Acuff said. “You get guys that want to work — there’s a real big difference between guys that like it, and guys that love it. You need guys that love it.” Before college, Acuff attended basketball camp during the Don Meyer-NAIA era at Lipscomb. Today, he was visibly excited about the opportunity to lead Lipscomb’s program, but that excitement didn’t come without some sadness leaving the school and people he loves in Alabama. “We had a lot of friends,” Acuff said. “We had an unbelievable group of kids, and it’s going to be hard leaving them, but I’m excited to coach these guys and be a...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 24, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb guard Kenny Cooper is transferring to Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers announced in a release Wednesday. Cooper entered his name in the transfer portal April 15, just five days after coach Casey Alexander bolted for the same job at Belmont. He then took an official visit to Bowling Green last weekend. “We’re excited to have Kenny join our program,” WKU coach Rick Stansbury said. “He’s a high-character young man from a great family. He has the valuable ability to make players around him better, and he’ll bring a wealth of experience and toughness to our team.” The loss of Cooper is a tough blow to an already-depleted Lipscomb roster, which is graduating five key seniors. He was set to be the team’s top returning player, having averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. Cooper is currently a junior with one year of eligibility remaining. Non-grad transfers typically have to sit one season before playing, but he plans to apply for an eligibility waiver from the NCAA. Other schools that showed interest in Cooper included Butler, Virginia Tech, Missouri State, UNC Charlotte, Southern Illinois and Loyola Chicago, according to Corey Evans of Rivals.com. Cooper’s departure leaves Lipscomb with just one scholarship point guard in rising sophomore Alex Jones. Columbia Academy’s Carson Cary will be a walk-on next season, and rising senior John Matt Merritt is also a walk-on. New coach Lennie Acuff could look to the transfer portal to fill Cooper’s spot. Nearly 700 players from Division I schools were exploring transfer options as of last week. Photo by McKenzi...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 23, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Before Lipscomb confirmed it was hiring Lennie Acuff as its head coach, the chips started to fall into place Tuesday morning. Bethel College (Ind.) announced the hiring of Lipscomb assistant Steve Drabyn as its next head coach just before 10 a.m. CT. One hour later, Belmont coach Casey Alexander added Lipscomb assistant Sean Rutigliano to round out his new staff. Drabyn was an assistant at Lipscomb for the last six seasons. He built a name for himself as a player at Belmont from 2000-04, leading the nation in free throw percentage (95.1 percent) his junior year. “It has been a dream of mine to lead my own basketball program, and I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to do it as the head men’s basketball coach at Bethel,” Drabyn said in a release. “I am drawn to the mission of Bethel being a faith-based community, its outstanding academic reputation, and the strong tradition of athletics.” Rutigliano spent the last four seasons at Lipscomb after stops at Kean University (NJ), University of Alabama Huntsville, Ouachita Baptist University and Army. He was a key member of the staff that guided Lipscomb to its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2018. “It’s hard to put into words Sean’s influence at Lipscomb, and I’m confident his impact will be profound here at Belmont,” Alexander said in a statement. “Sean is among the most relational – and relatable – coaches I know, is a relentless recruiter and has a basketball mind that I will rely on.” Acuff has not named his Lipscomb staff yet. Those plans will likely follow in the days after Wednesday’s...
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.”...
