Ashley Popp – Houghton STAR

As the regular season for many Houghton Intercollegiate sports teams winds down, some are gearing up for continued competition in Florida. Houghton’s volleyball team has already secured their trip, but both the men’s and women’s soccer teams are looking to join them in the upcoming week after competing in qualifying matches.

The volleyball team made their first appearance since 2006 in the Empire 8 conference postseason when they competed against top seeded Stevens Tech in Hoboken, New Jersey earlier this month. Head coach, Nancy Cole said, “We set a goal of making it to our conference tournament when we found out we were eligible this year.” Cole also elaborated on the excitement stating, “Our seniors have worked so hard knowing they would never play past regular season, and being granted this opportunity in their last year is very exciting.”

Though the Highlanders were unable to get past Stevens Tech and continue in the Empire 8 conference, they are now focused on competing in Florida for the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) postseason tournament, comprised of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada. Cole said the driving force force behind the team’s success is the group “has chosen to be all in and support each other.”

Junior, Jessie Hayner also commented that the team has needed to come together to make it to the postseason. “It’s been a real team effort, and we’ve had a lot of players in different positions to be successful this year,” she said. “Right now we’re focusing on the basics and getting back to conditioning to be most ready for the teams we will play. This team has made the decision to work hard and finds a way to do it together.”

Also striving to reach the tournament in Florida are both the men’s and women’s soccer teams. Both have the potential to advance and compete in Florida if their qualifying games tomorrow end favorably.

David Lewis, head coach for the woman’s soccer team, explained that they will play the winners of the match between Lancaster Bible College and Roberts Wesleyan College. Though the break between the end of regular season and the East Regional Final game, which determines whether the team will travel to Florida, is nearly three weeks, Coach Lewis said the focus throughout the season remains the same, “To improve our game and play a quality style of possession soccer.” The women’s team is comprised of many new faces as well, and Lewis cites the ability to play in sync with one another as one of the top goals this season. Lewis stated the team “is exhibiting a new confidence and peaking at the right time.” The women’s team will play at Houghton tomorrow, Nov. 22 at 1:00 p.m. where the winner will advance to the National Tournament as the East Region representative.

The men’s team will also compete in qualifying games to determine their eligibility to play in post season competition. If the team can win their game against Roberts Wesleyan College tomorrow in Rochester they will have secured a spot in the NCCAA national tournament in Florida. Men’s head coach, Matthew Webb detailed the team mindset going into this part of the season, “Florida is the goal, but more specifically preparing for Roberts is the first goal.” This type of focused energy is something junior, Mitch Beattie, found important. He stated, “Our mindset during the post season has been to focus on one game at a time and to be working hard for each other.”

Webb also commented on the team’s mentality stating saying, “The team has gained confidence at the end of the season but is not over-confident.” Players on the team have witnessed the team confidence grow as well, Beattie explained, “We started putting the ball in the back of the net more toward the end of the season, and we hope to carry this through post season as well.”

This summer Houghton’s maintenance crew made significant changes to the cross-country course. Alterations included widening the course path and changing the overall route. The new course aspects will be vital as the college prepares to host nearly 500 athletes for the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Cross Country National Championships on November fifteenth.

Cross-country head coach, Patrick Hager, elaborated on the changes, “They cut out a section by the tree of life and there is a portion that goes through the center of the [soccer] field that is now part of the course as the start and finish.” Hager also elaborated on the widening of the course and stated, “It’s important because for NCAA the course needs to be 110 meters wide, so the widening of the course was necessary to make that happen.”

The widening of the course will also allow runners to be better able to pass one another in competition and reduce the chances of contestants cutting corners or running outside the lined course to gain position.

Senior cross-country member, Jonathan Lewis, appreciates the changes made to the course, but was disappointed with some aspects. Lewis said, “I personally don’t like the course as much. The previous course took us down a path that was scenic and that part is no longer in the current course.”

Lewis also commented on the versatility of the course, and the college’s ability to now hold larger meets and invitational events. He said, “It will allow us to host nationals which is a great incentive.”

This benefit of hosting larger meets and events is something Coach Hager is very excited about. From a recruiting perspective, Hager stated, “I think it’s going to be big because of the exposure from hosting the National Championship.”

He explained the surface of the course is nicer and recognized Houghton College employee, Dan Wolcott, as a necessary part of the process. Hager said, “He has been instrumental in this whole thing of providing a quality training surface.” Hager feels he and his team are being taken care of here, and there is a community that cares about how the team is doing and wants to see them succeed.

While Hagar thinks the course will benefit the future of the college, Lewis is unsure, he said, “Honestly I don’t know if the course change will benefit the college, yet in the long run it will allow us to hold larger meets.” This ability, he said, “Is good for the college.”

The course alterations provide a greater opportunity for the course to receive more exposure from hosting different events. Recently, on October 4, the course was used for the homecoming 5k fun run.

Junior, and participant in the race, Ashley Schenk, reflected on the race and the changes she noticed. “I definitely enjoyed running on the new course,” she said. “It felt like we were backtracking less with the new course than last year when I ran the race.” According to Schenk the most noticeable change was in the end of the course, she said, “There was a longer straight away where we were running toward the people, which made it more fun.”