The following was sent to all athletics alumni who we have an e-mail on in our school database. If you are an athletics alumni who did not receive this e-mail and would like to, contact Karen Garmatter in the public relations office at garmatterk@bluffton.edu.
A note from athletics director Phill Talavinia, talaviniap@bluffton.edu
Welcome to the inaugural Bluffton University Athletics Department e-newsletter. This concept came about after meeting and talking with many of you at various sporting events and functions. Our goal is to better communicate with you, the alumni, and keep you more informed on what and how your teams are doing. We want and need you to be involved, supportive and proud of athletics here at Bluffton.
I also want to take this opportunity to tell you about a new way to provide financial assistance to the Bluffton athletics program. TEAM Bluffton will provide you the opportunity to “give back” to the varsity sports programs that you participated in. This idea has been well received by many of you and we are anxious to get this started. A brochure will be sent in the next few weeks that will have more detailed information about this new venture.
Let me also say that it was a pleasure seeing many of you during the various homecoming festivities. I hope that you will return to campus again soon and watch all of our teams play. However, in the event that you are unable to come back to campus, then sit back and read about how all of our teams are doing.
Thanks for your support, past, present and future, of Bluffton Athletics.
Phill Talavinia, director of athletics
Baseball: Head Coach James Grandey, grandeyj@bluffton.edu
The Bluffton baseball program is excited about the upcoming season and its future. Many upgrades were made during the summer as the outfield was irrigated, the program hired a graduate assistant, and 24 newcomers enrolled at
Currently, the team is preparing for its 50-inning marathon game to be held Oct. 9. The proceeds from this game will help cover the cost of this year’s spring trip to
Men’s Basketball: Head Coach Guy Neal, nealg@bluffton.edu
Our fall semester seems to be off to a good start. All of the guys returned to campus this fall that we expected without any real surprises.
The players seem to be off to good start academically. Our study table sessions have been going well. I have always felt that if we are going to talk about the importance of academics within collegiate athletics, and if we are going to stress the concept of the student-athlete, then there needs to be a component within our total basketball program that addresses academics with our players.
The weight room gets a great deal of attention from our players in September and October. With the help of Bluffton alum and current strength and conditioning coach at the
I am excited to point out two somewhat unique things about our 2004-05 schedule. We open the season at the Virginia Wesleyan College Tip-Off Tournament on Nov. 19 and 20. This will be a great trip for our guys because we are going to fly from
That is all for now from
Women’s Basketball: Head Coach Amanda Curtis, curtisa@bluffton.edu
Preseason is in full swing as the women’s basketball team prepares for the 2004-05 season. The team is working very hard to get ready for a great year of basketball. We are all very excited about the opportunities a new year will bring. Joining the team this year are seven newcomers that will help add some depth to the team along with our returning players that will bring valuable experience. And joining the staff this year is assistant coach Jessica Grandey. An outstanding player from
The season is rapidly approaching as we will start practice on Oct. 16. Three short weeks later we will play in our first scrimmage. We then will face one of our biggest challenges when we open our season playing the National Champions, Wilmington College Quakers in the Wilmington Inn-Damon’s Tip-Off Tournament on Friday, Nov. 19. Our schedule also includes more home games this year so there are more opportunities to come back to Founders Hall to watch a game and cheer us on. We look forward to getting started and to seeing what the season brings.
Cross Country/Track and Field: Head Coach Janey Meeks, meeksj@bluffton.edu
The Bluffton men’s cross country squad is off to a great start for 2004. The team has a good combination of upper classmen and new incoming students. The team has been improving with each meet and will be looking for a top two finish at the HCAC Championships. The top runner for this season has been junior Dan Rosebrock. He has been training hard and has been reaping the benefits since the season began. He should be a real force to contend with at the end of the season. Hilary Shilisio, a young man from
On the women’s side we are smaller in numbers and have just one new member on the team, but she is a force to be reckoned with. Sarah Humphrey a freshman has shown herself to be a solid competitor and has seen high finishes at all of our competitions thus far. We have also been seeing good performances from junior Jennifer Creamer. She has been a very consistent runner for the team and we know we can always rely on her for solid performances. The women’s team is looking for a top three finish at the HCAC Championships.
Ed Arnold is the new assistant coach working with cross country this year and he has been doing an excellent job with the runners. He brings a wealth of experience with him as he was previously the head cross country and track coach at
Please come and support the teams in some nearby cross country meets. We will be competing at
Football: Head Coach Greg Brooks, brooksg@bluffton.edu
We are excited about the improvement the team has made during the first half of the ’04 season! From the first day of summer camp the emphasis has been toward “team first” which I think has helped better our team chemistry. It is obvious that our defense and kicking games are stronger that in the past and, if our offense continues to improve as it did in the Manchester league opener, then we should be competitive in the second half.
James Grandey has taken over as kicking game coordinator and has been responsible for generating the enthusiasm needed to improve those units (he also coaches the running backs). Allen Curtiss very capably coordinates the defense (and coaches the LBs) with the assistance of long-time secondary Coach Denny Phillips and second year defensive line Coach Andy Bentley. Lou Stokes instructs the offensive line, as he has done since ’88, and Darrin Fox is our second year receiver coach. I’m very pleased to have all of these fine men and serving on my staff. It is important to me that all are excellent teachers and fine people as well as having the football knowledge needed to be assistants.
It isn’t too early for us to be thinking about our May ‘05 trip to Italy to compete against an Italian National team and, of course, learn about the country as part of our cross-cultural learning requirement at Bluffton. We will have 10 practices in preparation for the trip that we are looking forward to as well. It will be a great experience for the 40-45 players making the two week trip and one that will help solidify our team for the ’05 season.
My thanks to all of the football alumni who continue to follow our team in person or through the media. I hope to see you returning to watch us play in the coming weeks and years. I know you will find the present group of Beavers competing with great spirit and pride in their team and university!
Go Beavers!
Men’s and Women’s Soccer: Head Coach Steve Smucker, smuckers@bluffton.edu
The men’s and women’s soccer teams are both off to quality starts for the 2004 season. The men’s team, lead by senior captain’s
The women’s soccer team has also greatly improved from last season. With the addition of nine new players this team has already made great strides in recent weeks. Lead by senior captains Rochelle Saccomen and Jen Byrne, the team employed a strong team defense and recorded its first shutout against
Both teams are going through some transitions due to the addition of new players and changes in team tactics. It’s exciting to be a part of this evolution process. As a result of the composition of our teams (being so young), we as coaches are focusing on the philosophy of playing with energy and playing with confidence. Players were recently required to read and respond to an article by Mia Hamm on the subject. In her article Mia states that confidence is a “living, breathing thing… that must be nurtured each day in the same way that one trains technically and physically.” As a coaching staff we strive to motivate our athletes to play to their technical, tactical and physical limits – all while encouraging them to play confidently as if today were their last match or training session. While this will not necessarily produce immediate wins, it will establish a team “culture” that fosters a positive self image and work ethic.
Softball: Head Coach Holly Spann, spannh@bluffton.edu
The Bluffton softball team has finished its non-traditional season. After just one week of practice the team participated in the Toledo Autumn Charity Showcase, Sept. 18. The tournament showcased teams at all levels for high school players. Bluffton finished the day with a 2-0-1 record. The Beavers faced
The tournament format allowed for unlimited substitutions and courtesy runners. The Beavers used three pitchers and several different defensive configurations to get a feel for the full potential of the team. Working on a time limit, the game finished in a 1-1 tie after 7 innings. Finally the Beavers faced
The fall season shows talent for a promising season this spring. The Beavers will return all 9 starters and strong depth from the bench to allow for more diversity in the line-up.
Men’s Tennis: Head Coach Blake Kindle, kindleb@bluffton.edu
We are excited about the 2004-05
· Junior and Captain - Pete Martin (
· Sophomore and 1st year player Brandon King (
· Freshman Jordan Zickafoose (
· Freshman Eric Martin (
· Freshman Tim Kauffman (
· Freshman Blake Babcock (
· Freshman Isaiah Schloneger (
· Freshman Brandon Klopfenstein (
· Freshman Nick Barth (
The men’s tennis team has been practicing for about three weeks this fall and will have two exhibition matches as well. Those matches are on Sept. 23 at
I do want to say congratulations to last year’s men’s team for an outstanding year. They finished with the best finish in the school’s history in the HCAC regular season and conference tournament.
Last year team members:
· Owen Beck (
· Brad Boyles (
· Dan Wott (
· Kyle Sprunger (
· Pete Martin (
· Zack Nussbaum (
Women’s Tennis: Head Coach Jessica Grandey, grandeyjg@bluffton.edu
As the new women’s tennis coach at
Each player has stepped up in their own way. Chelsey Person, a freshman is currently undefeated in conference match play and we are very excited about her future here at Bluffton. We have sophomore Jenna Liechty returning to the courts and senior Stephanie Keefe who has currently only lost one match in conference play. Former head women’s tennis coach at Manchester College Todd Hartsough, is bringing his knowledge of the game as Bluffton’s women’s tennis assistant coach. With the conference tournament just two weeks away Oct. 8 and 9 the beavers are hoping for some seeds at the tournament.
Volleyball: Head Coach Sara Wakefield, wakefields@bluffton.edu
The Beavers are back in action on the volleyball court this fall with four seniors and two juniors leading the team. While getting off to perhaps a slower start than they would have liked, they have had some success in weekend tournaments and have had two players named to all-tournament teams: Keri Kuhlman (Junior, Middle Hitter from Shelby Ohio) at the Earlham Quaker Classic and Courtney Tisher (Senior, Middle Hitter from Rittman Ohio) at the Wooster Invitational.
One real strength of this team lies in the depth of talent. Joining the upperclassmen are three sophomores and five freshmen, all of whom bring talent and enthusiasm to the program. As usual, the team is defensively very scrappy – known for a high number of digs per game and for keeping the ball alive. They run a quick 6-2 offense around two strong middle hitters and behind the consistent passing of senior libero Kelly Kettinger.
Conference play begins Sept. 28 against perennial
