Bellarmine becomes the 10th university to join the ASUN conference

Bellarmine becomes the 10th university to join the ASUN conference

The ASUN conference is getting a new challenger in athletics in the Bellarmine University Knights. The Knights will become the 10th school to join the conference, Bellarmine announced Tuesday morning. However, the university will not join the conference until the 2020-2021 school year. Bellarmine, located in Louisville, is a Catholic university with nearly 4,000 total students. It is set to become the only private D-I school in the state. The Knights were formerly competing in Division II athletics as a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, a conference it helped create in 1978. Out of its 22 varsity teams, Bellarmine will compete in 17 sports sponsored by the ASUN conference, including basketball and soccer. Men’s lacrosse, field hockey and wrestling will all compete at other conferences or with independent D-I status; men’s and women’s swimming will compete in the Coastal College Sports Association. Bellarmine showed it had the ability to compete at the D-II level, reaching the NCAA Division II basketball championship every year for the past 11 years and winning the tournament in 2012 under coach Scott Davenport. Knights baseball received an automatic berth into the D-II Midwest Regionals, and women’s soccer has reached its tournament six out of the past 10 years. “ASUN is a perfect fit for the Knights, because – like Bellarmine – every school in the conference is committed to putting students first,” Bellarmine Athletic Director Scott Wiegandt said in a press release. “Our student-athletes already meet Division I academic standards, and our players and coaches will be ready to compete when we join our new conference next year. The move to Division I...

The Postgame: October brings success for Bisons

The Postgame brings you up-to-date on all of Lipscomb’s sporting events. Fall sports are in full swing, and the Bisons are finding success in October. WOMEN’S SOCCER The Lady Bisons soccer team is 3-1-1 in the month of October. Lipscomb tied with North Florida 0-0 after two overtimes. On Oct. 5, the Lady Bisons defeated Jacksonville 1-0, then traveled to Stetson to pick up a 4-2 victory on Oct. 10. Two days later, Florida Gulf Coast got the best of Lipscomb 2-1. However, the Lady Bisons bounced back getting a 4-0 shutout against USC Upstate. Junior Anna Lail has scored five goals in October, which has earned her two Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honors. Freshman Elizabeth Ashwood recorded her first goal as a Lady Bison against USC Upstate. Lipscomb has clinched a spot in the A-Sun Championship tournament for only the second time in program history. The Lady Bisons will play their final regular season game Oct. 24 against Northern Kentucky at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex. The seniors will be honored as part of Senior Day. MEN’S SOCCER The men’s soccer team sits in third in the A-Sun with seven points. The Bisons posted a 1-0 win over North Florida on Oct. 18. Junior Reece Holcombe scored a goal in the 56th minute off a pass from redshirt junior Matt Kerridge. On Oct. 11, Lipscomb fell 3-1 to Stetson. Senior Luke Gearin scored the Bisons lone goal. The goal moved Gearin into a tie for third place on Lipscomb’s career goal rankings. Freshman goalie Nate Davis earned A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week honor for the week...

Bisons sports set for big weekend

With four teams in action on campus, this is a big weekend for Bison athletics. The fall sports have been excelling as of late, and they are looking to continue that run. This weekend, there are many opportunities for you to take some time from studying and catch a game. Friday, Sept. 24 Starting the big weekend off is the volleyball team as they face Northern Kentucky in Allen Arena; the game starts at 6:30 p.m. The volleyball team is looking to bounce back after losses to Kentucky and Xavier. The men’s soccer team is coming off a big 4-3 victory over Memphis. They will be hosting Georgia State at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 Back at the soccer complex, you can catch the women’s soccer team battle against an in-conference foe, Kennesaw State. This game will start at 7 p.m, and the Lady Bisons are looking to follow up their 1-0 win against Grand Canyon with more success. And if you’re a softball fan and want to check out the softball team after their NCAA tournament run last year, you can watch them in a doubleheader against Belmont. The first game starts at 12:30 p.m. with the second to follow right after. This weekend is full of sporting events on campus. As long as you’re a student at Lipscomb, you can see all of these events for free with your Lipscomb ID. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...

The Postgame: Men’s, women’s soccer, cross country receive national recognition

WOMEN’S SOCCER The Lady Bisons soccer team holds a 6-4-1 record. In the month of September, Lipscomb is 5-2 with wins over Austin Peay, Western California, Chattanooga, Samford and Grand Canyon. With the win over Chattanooga, the program made history. The win was the third in a row, which was the first time the women’s soccer program had won three consecutive games. Sophomore Carolyn Springsteen earned Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Week the week of Sept. 8. Sophomore Ellen Lundy leads all scorers with four goals and eight points. Freshman Emily Rodgers scored her first career goal in a 3-1 loss to Arizona. Lipscomb’s recent hot streak helped vault them into the top ten of the National Soccer Coaches Assocation of America’s (NSCAA) Southeast poll. They ranked eighth in the most recent poll. The Lady Bisons will start their conference schedule Sept. 27 against Kennesaw State at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex. Men’s Soccer After big recent wins over Memphis and Houston Baptist, the men’s soccer team joined the women’s team in the top ten of the NSCAA poll. The Bisons currently sit at number six. Following a week in which he produced two goals and an assist, junior Josue Chavez became the third Bison in four weeks (joining Luke Gearin and Matt Kerridge) to win the Atlantic Sun Men’s Soccer Player of the Week. CROSS COUNTRY Both the men’s and women’s cross country squads are ranked in the top 10 of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s south region rankings. The women are ranked fourth, and the men are ranked sixth. The teams...

Lady Bison soccer takes victory in double overtime

The Lady Bisons soccer team defended their home turf with a 1-0 victory against the Catamounts of Western Carolina University Friday night. Throughout the first half, the Lady Bisons kept the tempo high and their opponent on their heels with aggressive play that created many scoring opportunities, but score at the half remained 0-0. In the second half, Lipscomb showed great defense, and yet had a problem with offensively. The tempo picked up even more, with many close calls from both Lipscomb and Western Carolina. But, the results of the second half only matched what came from the first with both teams remaining scoreless at the end of regulation. With 10 extra minutes added for overtime, Western Carolina raised the intensity level, creating an onslaught of attempts to score and end the game. However, they were turned away with the determined defense of the Lady Bisons and sophomore goalie Anna Buhigas, who kept the show going. With the first additional 10 minutes ending up scoreless, there was a second 10 minute period added on. Both the Bisons and Catamounts were landlocked and could not find their way into the back of the net, until senior Baylee Linnell found fellow senior Brittany Rupple who then scorched a shot into the upper left corner of the goal past the outstretched arms of the Western Carolina goalkeeper Carly Tinstman. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...