This school year, Houghton will welcome three new coaches to campus. Two of the three coaches are Houghton college alumni. Corky McMullen ’07, took over as the new head coach for the men’s basketball and Andrew Lundeen ’09 was appointed as the new head men’s lacrosse coach. The women’s softball coach, Katie Sinclair, is an alumni of St. Bonaventure. “All three coaches are enthusiastic, passionate, committed to Christ, understand the ‘student-athlete’ concept, and understand what we are doing in terms of sports ministry” said Head Athletic Director Skip Lord.
McMullen, who graduated with a degree degree in physical education, played basketball under Coach Brad Zargess, who is now the athletic director at Quincy College in Massachusetts. McMullen said, “Houghton is a special place to me because of the impact it had on my life.” He was recruited out of high school to play basketball for Houghton, but didn’t give it a chance. After a successful athletic and academic year at Lockhaven University in Pennsylvania, he felt something was missing in his life and visited Houghton, which he said changed his life. McMullen said, “The people were so warm and welcoming, unlike any other college visit I had ever been on.”
Upon graduating, he spent a number of years as a member of the coaching staff at various institutions, such as Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Hofstra University, and Rutgers University. He worked in various roles such as player development and scouting. McMullen, whose father coached high school for 35 years and currently coaches at the college level, said his father impacted his passion for coaching. “I always knew I wanted to coach. I saw the impact that he had on the players’ lives and saw a lot of his players come back 10, 15, 20 years down the road and thank him, which was really meaningful for me” said McMullen. His coaching philosophy, which is centered on people and relationships, is part of the reason Johnathon Stowe ‘17 thinks McMullen will do well in Houghton. “I believe he is a great fit for Houghton, his strong spiritual leadership is needed here, and I like the way he cares for his players,” Stowe said.
Women’s softball coach, Sinclair, graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a bachelor’s degree in business management and a minor in sports management. While there, she played softball and started working with players through clinics and camps to refine their skills. “I fell in love with helping people get better and reach their goals athletically,” said Sinclair. Her first year, with the help of two of her teammates, she started Bonnies Athletes for Christ. Similar to Fellowship for Christian Athletes (FCA), it started with five student athletes having weekly bible studies. It eventually grew into about 25-30 athletes, and in her senior year became a chapter of FCA. Last summer, she coached on a travel team out of Binghamton, New York, where she the focus was on-field coaching and running through game situations. Taylor Sile ‘19, believes these skills will be an asset to the team. “I believe that Coach Katie will push each and every member of the team to new levels of play and I am very excited to see our growth” said Sile.
Lastly, the men’s head lacrosse coach, Lundeen has been living in southern Maryland teaching middle school social studies teacher for seven years, while service as the assistant men’s lacrosse coach and offensive coordinator at the College of Southern Maryland (CSMD). Although he never played lacrosse at the collegiate level, he has coached at all levels. Lundeen also has experience with lacrosse as a new program, as he worked closely with head coach for the CSMD started the lacrosse program for the school. While Lundeen is currently at CSMD, he will become a full time coach on campus for the first week of October. Lundeen is excited to join Houghton and stated, “As the coach, I am excited about leading the members of the men’s lacrosse team as they grow physically, mentally and spiritually during their four years at Houghton.” Paul Chapman ‘17, is also excited for Lundeen to start coaching, “I truly believe he will be successful as the new head coach. We are all beyond excited to get this new era of Houghton lacrosse underway.”
In the third year of their program, the men’s tennis team could ensure an Empire 8 tournament berth if they finish among the top four teams in the conference. “If we can beat Alfred and Nazareth than we have a chance of going to the conference playoffs,” said Head Coach, Charlie Ellis. Currently the team’s overall record is 9-6 and their conference record is 4-2. Last weekend, the team pulled out two stellar wins against the Hartwick Hawks and the St. John Fisher Cardinals. It was their first win over St. John Fisher since joining the Empire 8 conference three years ago. “This supporting cast daily has pushed every top player in practice and supported them in the matches,” said Ellis. “They have been sweating and fighting daily to get the entire team ready to play.” Earlier this month, Chase Rangel ’16 was named the Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Play of the Week for his victories in singles matches and double matches, with the help of his partners, ending the week of April 10. “They all get along very well and they are enjoyable to coach which is part of the reason for their success this season,” added Ellis.
Most of the alumni came in on Friday or early Saturday morning to campus for this special weekend. Some stayed in the community or at some of the current players’ houses where they had the chance to reconnect with old teammates. The events started on Saturday with games taking place around noon. At Nielsen, the women’s volleyball team played against their alumni, then the women’s field hockey played against their alumni immediately right after at 1:30pm. While the women’s and men’s soccer games were scheduled to play outside on Burke Field, a snow covered field caused them to relocate to the Kerr-Pegula Field House. They followed the same time schedule as the teams at Nielsen with the women playing at noon and the men going right after. Once the men’s soccer game ended, everyone was invited to a reception where there was food served and a couple speeches given. “The play was fast-paced and the alumni showed that they still have their touch and can play a quality game” said Head Women’s Soccer Coach David Lewis. “Overall, it was a great opportunity to catch up on player’s families, jobs, and grad schools.” Head Men’s Soccer Coach Matthew Webb added, “Seeing the alumni back on the field playing with each other is always so fun to see. Seeing the relationships that were formed while at Houghton sustained over the years is so rewarding.”
During his tenure at Houghton, Wardwell taught a variety of classes ranging from Modern and Contemporary Drama to Major Author: Shakespeare to Literature in the Age of the Enlightenment. Additionally, for twenty years he has taught numerous online classes for the college and Adult Education (formerly PACE) Business Writing classes in Olean, Dansville, Buffalo, Jamestown, Williamsville, and Lockport. Wardwell has also served as the Chair of the English and Writing department and Associate Dean for Arts and Letters for five years. 
Their first game is March 5 against Theil College in Greenville, Pa. The Highlanders are looking to improve their record and overall team performance from last season. The team is still developing as it is only the fifth season it has been an official sport at Houghton. During the off-season, the returning players worked hard to improve their lacrosse skills with conditioning, weight lifting, and practicing with fellow teammates. Captain Paul Chapman ’17 said, “The team is a great group of guys who work hard and persevere to honor God on and off the field.”
According to head coach of women’s softball, Brianna Allen, softball has an unusually young team this year. Allen said, “I am really excited about how young our team is, we have six freshmen that will all be instant contributors to the program and great additions to our upperclassmen.” There are only four returning players, two seniors and two juniors. In addition to the change in their roster, the team has a new head coach this season, Allen who was the assistant coach under Nora Duffy last season, has now stepped into the role of head coach. “I have seen a lot of heart and a strong desire to win out of this group,” said Allen. “These girls are really embracing what it means to be a Highlander on and off the field and they are creating a solid team culture that I hope we can strengthen and grow for many seasons to come.” This season, Allen wants her team to develop a high level of mental tenacity so they can hold their heads high in the face of challenges. Captain Jessica Hayner ‘15 added, “Every time we come together we want to embody grace, positivity, and courage.”
When Garns first settled on coming to Houghton, she had decided to play soccer because the women’s program is very strong and didn’t actually plan on running college track. After being contacted by the head track and field coach at the time, Garns was convinced that she could compete in both sports. Hager knew that Garns would be an “immediate impact type of person” as a freshman. Last year, she was the 1
