by Russell Vannozzi | Jun 7, 2018 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb infielder Lee Solomon was scrolling through his Twitter feed Wednesday, looking to find out if any of his friends had been selected in the MLB Amateur Draft. Around 2 p.m. central time, the Ohio native opened his laptop to see his own name appear on the screen. The San Diego Padres had taken Solomon in the 25th round with the 741st overall pick. “It was an intense day, for sure,” Solomon said. “My mom was blowing up my phone trying to see what was going on. It’s a blessing to go to a great school like Lipscomb and come out with a chance to play professionally.” Solomon had previously connected with Padres area scout Tyler Stubblefield, a former Kennesaw State and Padres minor league player. “I heard from some other teams, but I built a strong relationship with the Padres over the past few years,” Solomon said. “I was happy to be taken by them.” Solomon missed nearly three weeks of the 2018 season with a broken hamate bone in his left hand. After a minor surgery and some rest, the second basemen returned to the lineup and went on a tear at the plate. He clubbed five home runs in his final eight games to finish the season with a .286 average and 25 RBI. “Getting healthy helped me a lot,” he said. “I tried not to press too much. After you’re out for a while, you just want to be back out there to help the team win.” Solomon ended his four-year stint at Lipscomb with 174 hits, 13 home runs, 102 RBI, 64 stolen bases and a...
by Erin Franklin | May 29, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
For the first time in school history in a singular academic year, three athletic programs earned national NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) Public Recognition Awards. The NCAA releases the APR results in May, with the Lipscomb Bisons as a whole being recognized for their high APR. In addition, the men and women’s golf teams and the women’s basketball team were each recognized for their outstanding academic achievement, as they were among the top 10 percent of teams in the country in the multi-year Academic Process Rate (APR) for the 2017-18 academic year. Each of these three programs secured perfect 1,000 multiyear APR scores from their scores during the 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years. For each academic term, APR measures student-athletes eligibility and retention. All teams must reach a score of 930 to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for low scores. Last year, men’s and women’s golf were honored with the Public Recognition Award, given to the top-10 percent of programs in the nation. Women’s basketball has received the most APR awards, earning eight. Visit the NCAA APR’s website for a complete history of Lipscomb’s APRs, as well as other NCAA team reports. TEAM 2016-2017 Baseball 973 Men’s Basketball 986 Men’s Cross Country 989 Men’s Golf 1000 Men’s Soccer 982 Men’s Tennis 974 Men’s Track 980 Softball 996 Women’s Basketball 1000 Women’s Cross Country 993 Women’s Golf 1000 Women’s Soccer 988 Women’s Tennis 973 Women’s Track 990 Women’s Volleyball 989 Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Russell Vannozzi | May 6, 2018 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb University’s most decorated athlete in recent memory is taking his game to the next level. One day after receiving his degree during the school’s graduation ceremony at Allen Arena, senior golfer Dawson Armstrong announced via Twitter that he is turning professional. “After much thought, prayer, and conversation with those around me, including (with) coach (Will) Brewer, I have decided to bypass the postseason and turn professional!” Armstrong said in the tweet. Lipscomb was left out of the NCAA tournament field that was announced Wednesday, although Armstrong had qualified as an individual by winning the ASUN crown in late April. The Bisons finished five strokes behind ASUN team champion North Florida, which is bound for an NCAA Regional in Norman, Oklahoma. “This is a very bittersweet decision as I cannot be more proud of the accomplishments and memories made at Lipscomb,” Armstrong said. “I hope to make Lipscomb proud as I begin my pro golf career.” Earlier last month, Armstrong told Lumination Network that he would only bypass the NCAA tournament if the Bisons failed to qualify as a team. The move allows Armstrong to begin his ambitious timeline of qualifying for next year’s PGA Tour. He hopes to do so by participating in several second-tier events and potentially the Web.com Tour playoffs, which grants PGA Tour cards for the top 25 money winners in the final four events. The two-time ASUN individual champion leaves Lipscomb with numerous school records and three NCAA tournament appearances. His amateur career also included victories at the Western Amateur and the Dogwood Invitational in 2015. Armstrong will begin his professional career on Monday...
by Parker Bell | Apr 26, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
The Lady Bisons softball team toppled their red-and-blue rivals, the Belmont Bruins, in a commanding 13 – 2 win in five innings Tuesday night at Draper Diamond. “We’ve had some good games with them the last several years,” Lipscomb coach Kristin Ryman said. “Today offensively, I thought we just took over.” Jordan Fortel started the scoring for the Lady Bisons with a two-run shot over the left field wall in the bottom of the first, bringing home Graysen Gladden who lead off with a single and stole second. At the top of the second inning, the Bruins pitcher, Brooklin Lee redeemed herself with a two-run homer of her own. The redemption home run was the first of her collegiate career. Lipscomb responded in full force at the plate in the bottom of the second. Peyton Ward was walked, stole second and advanced to third when the Bruins’ catcher threw it out of reach the second baseman. Destinee Brewer was walked on the following at bat and stole second. Then, Gladden tripled to center to drive home Ward and Brewer to take back a two-run lead. Gladden made the short trip from third to home on an Abby Fenichel single. Alicia Veltri relieved Lee on the mound but proceeded to walk the next two batters, loading the bases. Caitlin Plocheck tied a bow on the second inning with three-run RBI double to right. “Anytime you punch first and the other team punches right back, you find out what you’re made of,” coach Ryman said of the early onslaught of offense. “And I thought we really exploded offensively.” Belmont’s offense...
by Parker Bell | Apr 12, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb Golf’s Dawson Armstrong set a course record in his last round of the Ryman Hospitality Intercollegiate on Tuesday in a tie for first place. Armstrong shot a record-low 63 strokes in the third round, or 8-under-par, pushing him to tie Rice’s Mitchell Meissner. Both Armstrong and Meissner finished 5-under-par on the tournament. Coming into the third round, Armstrong was 4-over after shooting 70 and 75. He shot 5-over-par on the 13th hole in the second round. Finishing the hole in nine strokes made for his worst score on a hole in his college career. “Yesterday was one of the most testing days of golf I’ve ever had,” Armstrong said. “Nothing went my way. I hit a lot of poor shots, and just didn’t execute well.” In the last round, Armstrong birdied six holes and sunk an eagle on the 10th. At 11, he chipped it in for a birdie in what he called his “shot of the day.” “It could have been a lot better, but I’m very pleased with how I played today,” Armstrong said. “Today’s round was a long time coming for me. So, it was a good sigh of relief for me.” Armstrong may have set a record, but it wasn’t enough to push his team over the edge against the winning Rice Owls. Lipscomb finished 13-over and 5 shots behind the Owls. Senior Eric Ansett led the Bisons at an even-par going into the third round of the two-day tournament. “I made birdies when I needed to and had a lot of nice par-saves,” Ansett said on the first two rounds. “It was a...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 5, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb senior golfer Dawson Armstrong knows exactly what he wants to do after graduation. And his plans don’t have anything to do with the Corporate Management degree that he’ll earn in May. Last Friday, Armstrong won the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada Qualifying Tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The victory secured Armstrong’s spot on the 2018 Mackenzie Tour, a professional stepping stone for golfers dreaming of the PGA Tour. The tour includes 14 stops around Canada this summer, with the top finishers granted exemption for the 2019 Web.com Tour – golf’s top development circuit. “It’s a big burden lifted off my shoulders,” Armstrong said. “The one thing that’s been looming in my mind is that I hoped to play well in the qualifying for the Mackenzie Tour. Now that I’ve done that, the ball is in my court as far as which tournaments I play in.” Armstrong said he hopes to participate in the Web.com Tour in some capacity this season, with dreams of securing his card for the 2019 PGA Tour. “My goal is to get into the Web.com Tour playoffs this year, and hopefully play well enough to be on the PGA (Tour) next year,” he said. “I always want to be the best, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get there.” Armstrong’s victory did not come easily. He began the final day of the qualifying tournament in a tie for fifth place, but posted a -6, 66 for the come-from-behind win. The Brentwood native capped his performance with a 35-foot putt from just off the green on the...
