The Lady Lions are five-time AAC Champions of Character / Photo courtesy of Dave Houghton

Josiah Newport
Triangle Reporter

When Charles Barkley coined the famous phrase, “I am not paid to be a role model. I am paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court,” he echoed the thoughts and actions of other athletes, professional and collegiate. However, Karl Malone, another NBA great, scolded Barkley in a Sports Illustrated column, “Charles . . . I don’t think it’s your decision to make. We don’t choose to be role models, we are chosen. Our only choice is whether to be a good role model or a bad one.”

At Bryan College, a two time NAIA Champions of Character Institution, Athletic Director Dr. Sandy Zensen believes that strong character on and off the field makes for a winning program. More importantly he is looking for coaches of character who buy into the mission and motto of Bryan College: “Christ Above All.”

In his 22 years as head men’s soccer coach and even now as athletic director, Zensen has never stopped striving for excellence, good sportsmanship and winning programs. For that reason, the coaches of the AAC decided in November 2011 (after Zensen’s last season as head coach) to create an award given annually in Zensen’s honor. The award will be presented to the AAC male soccer player who best represents the five core values of the NAIA’s Champions of Character program- integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership – principles Coach Zensen has exemplified throughout his coaching career.

The award was named the Dr. Sandy Zensen Champion of Character Award and was presented to Coach Zensen as the first recipient of the award.

Other Bryan coaches and teams seem to follow in Zensen’s steps. In their most recent season, the Lady Lions soccer team brought home the AAC Champions of Character award for the fourth year in a row, making it five years overall–first in 2006, again in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Head Coach of women’s soccer Mark Sauve believes that as Christians, and representatives of Bryan College, athletes are called to compete for the glory of God.

“The way we play the game is a byproduct of who we are,” Sauve said when speaking of his team. “Are we soccer players that happen to be Christians? Or are we Christians that happen to be soccer players?”

Baseball Head Coach Taylor Hasty weighed in on the issue saying, “I like to place winning above Christ far too often, but then I think, ‘what is bigger than the gospel?’ The answer is nothing; nothing is bigger than Christ. I am constantly reminding my players of that.”

"The guys have worked purposely," said Coach Hast, describing his teams preparations for Thursday / Triangle phot by Josiah Newport

Brittany Gurley
Triangle Reporter

This season’s baseball team may prove to be promising with seven returning starters and some of the best talent in years.

Expectations are high as the team prepares to kick off its season against Toccoa Falls (Ga.) College on Thursday, at 4 p.m. The general consensus of all those involved can be summed up in one word: excitement.

“I’m excited,” said Head Coach Taylor Hasty. “Not only have the guys worked hard, they’ve worked purposely.”

The players have not only improved individually, the team as a whole has progressed.

“I feel like this is the most talented team that we’ve had in years,” said senior middle infielder Steven Brown.

Hasty added, “On paper, we should be ahead of where we were last season.”

While the team mainly focuses on building up today for a better tomorrow, Hasty said that he is ready to see the team grow to a nationally competitive level. With top-notch players like seniors catcher Dewayne Boyd, outfielder Shane Clawson, pitcher Jason Ridenhour and sophomore second baseman Tyler Latham, this could very well be the season where that growth happens.

After a 31-25 (9-12 in AAC) record last season that meant the first winning record since the program restarted in 2002, the team is ready to become nationally known.

“We have a very good shot taking this program to the next level…our bats are the best they have ever been in my four years at Bryan,” Clawson said.

“Everyone is excited, but at the same time, I’m a little sad that it’s my last year,” senior catcher Jordan Day explained.

But, not to worry, that minute feeling of sorrow among the seniors won’t affect the way the team plays.

“If we stick together as a team and stay healthy and trust in the Lord,” continued Clawson, “we can go a long way and bring success back to Bryan.”

Senior guard Sara Barnett lines up for a shot in last night's game against Tenn. Wesleyan / Triangle photo by Jessica Slade

Wednesday night, the Lady Lions (12-9, 3-7 in AAC) suffered a devastating loss to the Tennessee Wesleyan (Athens) Bulldogs with an unsettling score of 65-35.

The Bulldogs (15-6, 8-2 in AAC) entered the contest as the odds-on favorite, currently being ranked 20th  in the NAIA DII and are leading the AAC.

About two minutes into the game, senior post Rochelle Davidson opened the scoring with a three pointer. The bar was set high for the Lions; a little bit too high that night.

Junior forward Morgan Burnette made her way down the court and scored  two for the Lions but Bryan was never able to catch up with the Bulldogs.  Wesleyan was simply superior in athleticism and size, which showed mostly on the glass. While Bryan had an overall of 32 rebounds, the Bulldogs recorded 54.

From start to finish the Bulldogs gradually widened their margin. At half time they were leading by 16.

Beginning the second half, the Lions entered the court with more energy; however, the Bulldogs kept dominating and were ahead with 44-22 seven minutes into the second period.

With five minutes left in the game, the Lady Lions showed some vital signs but the game was decided already and it was too late for a comeback.

Despite the outcome of the game, Coach Smith strongly believes in his team’s ability to perform.

“Our job as a coaching staff is to love our players, and it is the players’ job to love each other,” said Coach Smith. “That has been and will continue to be our number one objective.”

Senior center Sarah Newton lead the Lady Lions in scoring with 10 points; Burnette had seven rebounds.

The Lady Lions are currently ranked eigth in the AAC and play next in a conference game at Columbia (S.C.) College Saturday Jan. 28.

Freshman point guard Dion Fair had 13 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in Wednesday night's game / Triangle photo by Jessica Slade

Sebastian Fischer
Sports Editor

Wednesday night was one to remember at Summers Gymnasium. In a highly entertaining, breakneck match, the men’s basketball team (10-13, 5-4 in AAC) lost to conference rival Tennessee Wesleyan College (Athens), 107-104.

With a sure victory in sight for the Lions, the referees counted a Wesleyan three-pointer that was released just after the buzzer sounded to end regulation (Click here to view video or look below). The Bulldogs went on to win the game in overtime.

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but you’ve got to swallow it,” said Bryan Head Coach Don Rekoske after the game. “We have to accept it and move on.”

Lions start strong amid great atmosphere

Before tip-off, one could already sense that it was going to be no ordinary game. The stands filled to the last seat, cheerleaders lined up on both ends, Rhea County High School’s pep band amidst the numerous Bryan fans, and supporters of the visiting Bulldogs on the other end—the scene was set for a perfect night of college basketball on the hill.

The Lions, who were coming off five wins in the past six games, started the game roaring, leading by as much as 15 points after seven minutes. The Bulldogs seemed to have no answer to a Bryan offense hitting on all cylinders.

Freshman point guard Dion Fair especially was too skillful and fast for Wesleyan. In the first half, Fair recorded four assists. Even more than the numbers show, his love for playing basketball infected the crowd and left his opponents watching in awe.

“It was an up-tempo game and we controlled the tempo the way we wanted to play,” said junior forward Tim Fortenberry, explaining his team’s energetic start, also praising his team’s running game.

But Tennessee Wesleyan (13-9, 7-2 in AAC) entered the match as the second AAC-seed for a reason. The Bulldogs fought their way back into the game, living off a decent 35.7 three-point percentage in the first half.

Fortenberry said that the Lions played good defense as a team, but that just wasn’t enough. “[Wesleyan] was just hitting every shot,” he said

At the end of the half, however, the lead for Bryan was still comfortable as the teams went into the locker room at 40-33.

In the second period, the Lions continued where they had left off. Tennessee Wesleyan was now pressuring deep in Bryan’s half, but that left room for Bryan’s shooters. Guards senior Lavonte Henderson and junior Rob Riley displayed some great combination play and found themselves with lots of space to drive to the basket. At the end of the game, they would have a combined score of 55, Henderson leading the Lions with 31 and adding 10 rebounds for a double-double.

Career night for Wesleyan’s Shannon Smith

But Tennessee Wesleyan had answers again, especially in the person of freshman Shannon Smith. The guard had a career night, recording 42 points for the game.

“You have to have players make big plays in those kinds of situations,” said Wesleyan head coach Mike Poe, commenting on his player’s performance. “[Smith] certainly had a great game.”

Combined, the Bulldogs hit 69.4% of their shots and 61.5% of their three-point attempts, and the Lions margin, which had grown to as much as 11 points, was melting significantly toward the end of the game.

With less than six minutes to play and the Wesleyan supporters for the first time drowning out the Bryan fans, a layup by junior wing Desmond Crisp meant the first lead of the game for the Bulldogs—75-74.

Buzzer-beater pries victory out of Lions’ hands

Officials ruled that the ball had left Wesleyan senior wing Jesse Booher's hands before the buzzer. This photo suggests otherwise / Photo courtesy of Jon Slater

Again it was Henderson and Riley who brought the Lions back on the winning track. The fans stood to their feet and started celebrating what seemed to be a secure victory as “Philly” Riley drove to the basket with 2:10 to go, got fouled and converted the free throw to make it a three-point play and push the Lions’ lead to five. Little did they know that the climax of the evening was still to come.

Wesleyan came back one more time and, trailing by three points, had possession of the ball with five seconds on the clock. The Bulldogs gave the ball to their shooter, senior wing Jesse Booher, who hit six out of seven three-pointers that night. Booher hit a long three at the buzzer, but the ball had left his hands a blink after the buzzer had gone off. The referees, however, deemed it good and under protest from the fans, the game went into overtime.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bulldogs take home the win in overtime

In overtime the Bulldogs had the momentum. They answered two points by Riley with a three-pointer by Wesleyan junior point guard E’Jay Ward to take the lead that they would hold to the end. Trailing 107-104, Bryan had one more possession, but couldn’t find its shooters, so Fair ended up taking a shot that bounced off the rim.

“I told the team after the match that there is bad pain and good pain, and we’re experiencing the latter. We played at an exceptionally high level,” said Rekoske. “In 25 years of coaching, this was one of the best games.”

“It was a hard -fought game between two outstanding programs, a great game to be part of,” said Poe.

Rekoske content with team’s development

While the Bulldogs left the field celebrating, a memorable and exciting night of basketball for the Lions and their fans had come to a bitter end. Instead of being tied for second place, the Lions are now fourth in the AAC.

Nevertheless, Rekoske found encouraging words for his team. He said that there’s a dramatic improvement in the way the team plays now compared to the beginning of the season.

“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made,” he said. “We play better on both ends of the court and rebound much better. The margin for this team to be at the top of the league is razor thin. That is painful but encouraging at the same time.”

With seven games remaining in the regular season, Bryan travels to Montreat (N.C.) College on Tuesday and returns to Summers Gymnasium on Thursday, facing Virginia Intermont College (Bristol, Va.).

Our Bryan College men’s and women’s cross country teams have wrapped up another fantastic fall season. The school had the privilege of hosting the AAC Championship meet for the first time this year at nearby Fort Bluff Camp (Dayton Mtn.) seeing great success. The guys won their third consecutive AAC crown while the girls had a strong runner-up finish as well.

Star senior Bryson Harper and junior Jason McLeod earned All-Conference honors for the men by virtue of their 2nd and 3rd place finishes at the meet. They came in with times of 25:40 and 25:43 respectively. AAC freshman of the year Connor Hatfield finished 6th less than 30 seconds behind.

Head Coach Rodney Stoker repeated as AAC coach of the year for the third consecutive time.

The men’s team began the season as the 15th ranked program in the NAIA largely on the strength of their 7th place finish last season as the team saw several key members graduate. Due to the lack of continuity and the uncertainty surrounding the team from the outset, this season could have potentially been looked at as a rebuilding year. Their two-time defending All-American, Harper helped to ensure that it would be nothing of the sort.

After dipping to 22nd, the Lions rebounded to finish seventeenth in the final ratings and recorded an excellent 11th place showing at nationals. Harper once again led the way for Bryan posting an outstanding top-ten finish nationally, once again earning All-America honors. McLeod finished 40th overall and Hatfield 53rd which was good enough to rate him among the top five freshman in the country.

Seniors Alyssia Lindsay and Ericka Simpson claimed All-Conference spots for the women, qualifying for the NAIA Championships individually along with All-Freshmen performer Jessica Stockton where the ladies competed well.

The Lions now turn their attention to the indoor season which redshirt sophomore Alex Stephens has already kick-started with an individual title. Stephen’s finished first in the men’s mile event at Liberty University’s Liberty Kickoff.

The 2011-2012 has been a tough ride for the Bryan College men’s basketball team (3-7, 0-1 in AAC) so far, and it didn’t get any easier Wednesday night. The Lions battled against conference rival Tennessee Wesleyan College (Athens) and lost a match that was closer than the score suggests with 57-69.

“We put ourselves in the position to win but didn’t execute well in the last five minutes,” said Coach Don Rekoske after the game, explaining the loss in the first conference game of the season.

While no team was able to pull clear in the first half, Bryan was trailing for the most part. Whenever the Lions came close to a lead, they lacked the final vigor and determination to seize control over the game.

With 1:55 minutes to go in the first period, Bryan recovered from a seven-point deficit when senior guard Lavonte Henderson finished a nice combination play with two easy points to take the 26:25 lead. In return, junior forward Jerrod Allen eliminated a layup with a crushing block and converted two foul shots on the other end to take Bryan’s biggest lead of the game.

Although it seemed like the Lions had the momentum to finish the half on top, they allowed six points in the last minute and had no answers on the offensive end. Wesleyan (4-3, 1-0 in AAC) went into the locker room with a lead that they would hold on to for the rest of the night.

The Bulldogs opened the second half with a three pointer by junior guard Matt Harper, who led Wesleyan with 24 points. While the hosts scored eight from beyond the arch, the Lions only had two three-pointers the whole game.

The lead expended to as many as 11 points for the Bulldogs, but thanks to a disciplined defensive effort and guards sophomore T.J. Smith, who came from the bench scoring nine points in a row, and junior Rob Riley, who led the Lions with 25 points for the game, Bryan made it a two-point game with 6:30 minutes to go.

In the final stages of the game, however, the Lions failed to get to the basket again. Freshman point guard Dion Fair, who has shown his outstanding qualities as a playmaker many times this season, created hardly anything this game, recording no assists and shooting 0 for 8 from the field.

“We played solid on defense and brought the game back, but we need more guys to step up offensively,” said Riley, trying to explain the lack of offensive firepower at a time when it was needed most. “We can’t just rely on two or three players.”

Instead of Bryan taking over, Wesleyan junior point guard E’ Jay Ward hit a three pointer and the Bulldogs pulled away again, also because the Lions showed some nerves, missing key shots from the line.

“We have to expect a lot of close games like that this season,” said Rekoske.  He said that now it is crucial for his team to learn how to win after putting itself in a good position like in Wednesday night’s game. “That’s what we’re going to work on,” he said.

The Lions play next against NCAA Division II Young Harris College on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Lose 57-74 on the road to conference powerhouse Tennessee Wesleyan College

The Bryan College women’s basketball team (7-1, 0-1 in AAC) suffered its first defeat of the season Wednesday night at Tennessee Wesleyan College (Athens). Against the Lady Bulldogs (5-3,1-0 in AAC), who are ranked eighth nationally, the Lions looked like the stronger side in the first half, but were outplayed in the second period, losing with a final score of 57-74.

Coming to Athens undefeated, Bryan stepped on the court with confidence and went on a 14-6 run to start the game. Throughout the first half the Lady Lions dominated the match, pushing the lead to as much as 13 points and shooting a solid 0.455% from beyond the arch. Sophomore point guard Macy Kilgore led the scoring, recording 15 points for the game, all of them being three-pointers.

The Lions ended the half with a comfortable eight-point-lead, but what followed was a display of strength on the part of the home team. Ranked first in the AAC preseason ranking, the Bulldogs now lived up to their frontrunner-status.

Tennessee Wesleyan, superior in size and physicality, dominated the game on the glass and made seven out of their nine three-point shots, pulling away to as much as 20 points to win the game in impressive fashion.

“Rebounding made the difference today,” said Bryan Coach Jason Smith after the game. “We didn’t match their intensity.” The Lions were out-rebounded 39-20 for the game.

However, Smith said he also takes some positives from the loss, knowing that his squad is able to compete with a top 10 team in the NAIA. He doesn’t expect his players’ spirits to break after the seven-game winning streak came to an end.

“I’m never excited about a loss but I knew we were not going to go undefeated this year,” he said and added: “It is how you come back from adversity and defeat that defines you.”

The Lions have opportunity to return to the winning ways in their second conference match of the season when they face Columbia College at home on Saturday.

“We are going to bounce back and give a good showing,” said Smith, full of confidence in his team.

Tipoff against the Fighting Koalas is scheduled for 4 p.m.

The new women's basketball coach Jason Smith brings a fresh approach and much success to the Lady Lion's season / Triangle photo by Maddie Doucet

Ricky Angel
Guest Writer

The Women’s Varsity basketball team is off with a 7-0 start to their season. Success hasn’t been a familiar feeling for the women’s basketball team in recent years, but with new Head Coach Jason Smith and his fresh approach to the game, the Lady Lions are starting to find their rhythm.

“My first focus was changing the culture,” said Smith. “We have to change how we’re viewed on campus, in the community, and in the conference.”

Smith puts much focus on core values like responsibility and integrity on and off the field, and constantly challenges his players in those areas.

“We’ve got some really good chemistry,”said Smith. “The girls have really responded to the challenge.”

The team is currently ranked in the top ten in  the NAIA Division II in nine categories including two first place rankings in scoring margin (30.286) and field goal percent defense (0.279).

The difference between this year and the past few years, according to Senior guard Bethany McArthur, is an overall positive experience.

“We all play for each other, and everyone respects the coach,” she said.

With his team oriented approach to the game, Smith aims to cultivate an atmosphere that builds chemistry, and encourages the girls to challenge each other on and off the court.

“Coach really cares about us,” said McArthur. “He always finds a way to involve everyone.”

The Lady Lions face off against Tennessee Wesleyan College (Chattanooga) and Columbia College (S.C) this week, and both teams are conference opponents.

“This week will be a great indicator of how we stack up in the conference,” said Smith. “We can be successful, but it’s all up to the girls.”

Sixteen people showed up to tryout for the new Frisbee club November 11, and freshman Wesley Sanders is taking the initiative to organize the new campus sport.

“I had always been a part of school athletic teams, and I loved playing sports in school. I played several different sports while in high school, and it was strange to me to come to Bryan and start my school year and not be part of a team,” Sanders said. “I have always loved to play Ultimate, and I found it so strange that Bryan did not have a team, especially since Ultimate is becoming so popular.

“I also knew there were so many good Ultimate players, and I thought, ‘Why in the world don’t we have a team….’ So I started asking around and found out that older students at Bryan have attempted to start a team before, but it never worked out.”

According to Sanders, who has been thoroughly researching the college rules of Ultimate, the games previously played at Bryan have been more relaxed and have not followed the official college guidelines of Ultimate.

“So many people do not understand the rules of the game for the real sport of Ultimate,” Sanders said. “This year we will be spending a lot of time learning the game of Ultimate. I have later goals, but my mind is focused on this year. This year will be a big learning year.”

In tryouts Sanders tested the men on throwing, catching, jumping, speed and the ability to read a disc.

“When you have people that can throw and catch real well it comes down to speed and jumping,” Sanders said. “Speed and jumping are very important in the athletic side of Ultimate.”

Some students found it odd to try out for a college Ultimate team, but Sanders said that tryouts are common.

“It was weird [to have to try out for a Frisbee club] considering most of the guys I knew on the team were pretty consistent players, and we already know the rules of Frisbee, or so we thought,” Sophomore Corey Heartlidge said. “So it was kind of weird, but then again this is going to be so serious as an actual club team. I thought it was cool to have actual tryouts, being a little more official.”

Sanders seems to be pretty confident in the team so far.

“I fully believe that our team can do great against other teams,” Sanders said. “It’ll just take some time for us to learn the real game of Ultimate. But we got it!”

Heartlidge believes after the team learns the official rules the team will be very successful.

“If we’re not familiar with [the new rules], we’re really going to suffer playing other teams who are more structured as far as [organization], and so we’re definitely going to have to get acquainted with the rules,” Heartlidge said. “But I think talent-wise we’ve got a shot. So, I’m really excited about it.”

Two of the major teams Bryan will be competing against are Lee University and Covenant College (Chattanooga, Tenn.).

Tryout results were released earlier today revealing a 20 member team with Sanders as the president and Tim Shetter as the Faculty Sponsor.

The club team “will not be doing too much for the rest of the semester” except practicing, according to the email announcement released this afternoon.

Dion Fair keeps possession of the ball during Bryan’s cardiac match against Oakwood University. The Lions won the game 85-84 / Photo by Maddie Doucet

Sebastian Fischer
Sports Reporter

The Bryan College men’s basketball team (2-4) recovered from a two-game losing streak Tuesday night, beating Oakwood University (Huntsville, Ala.) 85-84 in a back-to-back match.

The Lions faced the Oakwood Ambassadors earlier this season in an exhibition match and lost by a score of 61-50. In the second meeting between both teams the Lions had the edge and took home a deserved victory, making up some phases of weakness with a collective team effort.

“I think everybody contributed equally for our win tonight,” said freshman point guard Dion Fair, who lead the Lions with 23 points and seven assists. “[Tonight we showed] what a team is.”

The Ambassadors took the early lead as Bryan had trouble getting to the basket and allowed some easy points on the other end. Still in the opening stages of the game, however, the Lions found their rhythm from beyond the arc. Fair and junior shooting guard Rob Riley made three consecutive three-pointers to regain the lead and push it to 13-7.

Bryan never let go of that lead in the first period thanks to a solid effort from the three-point line. The Lions’ six three-pointers were opposed to two for the Ambassadors.

Nevertheless, Oakwood didn’t let the Lions pull away, dominated the game on the glass and answered a seven-point Bryan lead with five consecutive points in last few seconds, hitting a three pointer on the half-time buzzer.

The game stayed close, but led by their point guard in the vein, Bryan stayed on top. Fair had an excellent night, playing all forty minutes, showing his great potential.

“I believe I played well, but I just want to give this win to my team,” said Fair commenting on his performance. “We deserve it.”

Only once in the second half the Ambassadors took the lead but Fair and senior shooting guard Lavonte Henderson, who recorded 19 points for the game, stepped up for Bryan and with 7:30 left in the game the Lions regained the lead.

Henderson, however, showed some nerves from the free throw line and invited Oakwood back in the game. With the match standing at 84-84 and seconds left, freshman forward Alan Holt drove to the basket and got fouled. He kept his cool and converted one of his two foul shots, missing the second on purpose to run time out, winning the game for his team.

“Hopefully [the win] will spark the team to continue on a winning streak,” said Fair, looking ahead with confidence. “I believe this is a big win for us.”

The Lions play again Saturday at Tennessee Temple University (Chattanooga). Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.