Category: Campus

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Campus Sports Stories In Focus

Four Athletes Take the Lead

On January 26 and 27, representatives of Houghton’s athletic department attended the annual Empire 8 Summit at the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa in Fairport, NY. Each year, Houghton sends two male and two female members from the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) to the Empire 8 Summit. This year, Houghton’s four student-athlete representatives were Bjorn Webb ‘18, Tanya Hatton ‘19, Taylor Sile ‘19, and Darcy Mitchell ‘19. Deanna Hand also attended the event as the college’s SAAC advisor and assistant to the Empire 8 Associate Commissioner.

At the Empire 8 Summit, Houghton’s representatives joined student-athletes from other schools within the Empire 8 conference (which consists of Alfred University, Sage, Elmira, Hartwick, Nazareth, St. John Fisher, Stevens Institute of Technology, and Utica) to discuss multiple issues faced by athletic teams. This year’s discussions focused on diversity and inclusion as well as Title IX and sexual assault. The importance of core values and leadership were also addressed by the Summit’s speakers.

A photo of the athletes.
On January 26th-27th, Darcy Mitchell ‘19, Taylor Sile ‘19, Tanya Hatton ‘18, and Bjorn Webb ‘18 served as representatives for Houghton College at the annual Empire 8 Summit at the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa in Fairport, NY.

The Summit encouraged these student-athlete participants from Empire 8 schools to interact and connect with one another various learning opportunities and teamwork activities. Deanna Hand viewed this collaboration as an important part of the event. She explained, “It is great to see the relationships that are built because of these opportunities. To see an opponent other than on the court or field gives [student-athletes] an opportunity to see each other as more than just student-athletes. They get to know more about each other and hold each other at a different level of respect.”

The Summit’s goal is for the ideas discussed to be dispersed with the students as they return to their respective campuses. As Houghton’s SAAC president, Bjorn Webb expressed a hope “to see a further commitment to unified teams and unified athletic departments” as a result of the Empire 8 Summit. He also thinks that the topics of diversity, inclusion, Title IX, and sexual assault are relevant beyond the realm of Houghton athletics. Webb stated, “The larger student body can help address these issues by identifying them in their own circles.  Our athletes seek to address these issues within our teams and department and hope that all other students are addressing these issues within their academic departments, clubs, [and] organizations.”

Like Webb, Tanya Hatton hopes to “bring back what we learned and talked about and find ways to implement those things on our campus,” both within and beyond the athletic department. She suggested that continuing education on topics such as sexual harassment is one significant way in which her experience at the Summit can be translated to the Houghton campus. Hatton also offered practical advice following the Summit messages on ways in which athletes and the entire college community can create a more welcoming campus environment. She explained that the Summit speakers “talked about how inclusion is an action, and I think our campus could be transformed if athletes and everyone on campus took time to actually talk to and listen to people that they wouldn’t normally talk to. There’s a difference between inviting someone to an event and actually engaging with them during that event and then following up and showing that you care and want to hear their story.”

In the future, this transformation of campus life through increased inclusivity and sensitivity will hopefully be stimulated by the Empire 8 Summit and the Houghton student-athletes who attended the conference. As Deanna Hand expressed, “I see the Summit as a leadership opportunity for SAAC reps. They are able to bring back what they have learned to campus, the department and their teams.”

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Campus Stories In Focus

Student Leader Profile: Hello, Garrett!

What started out as a simple hobby for Garrett Bock ’18 has recently morphed into a full-blown passion and creative pursuit. As a Wellsville native, Bock and his brother grew up skateboarding and snowboarding, all the while making videos to capture their experiences.

Bock was first drawn to Houghton because of the opportunity to learn more about film. As a communications major with a concentration in media arts, Bock has been continuously refining his creative style. “I was kind of the nature photographer at first. Now I’ve tried to find my style a bit more, which is more towards fine arts and conceptual works,” he said. Anything involved with the psyche, Bock continued, “is fascinating to me. I mean, we have this gift to think, so we should use it.”

Photo of Garrett Bock
Garrett Bock ‘18 is a communications major with a concentration in media arts and a passion for conceptual photography. He is also the president of the Houghton College Ski Club.

Many of Bock’s photography classes have been formative in his maturation as a photographer, especially Introduction to Digital Photography with Professor Ryann Cooley. “I learned all the technical aspects, but it was also cool learning the formal elements of photography, like what should be in an image, what makes it meaningful, and how to create a concept,” Bock said. “Before, I would just point and shoot a camera at something because it looked really cool, but it didn’t really have a meaning. Now, I’m finding things that have meaning. It means something to me, but I also want it to have that same feeling for someone else.”

Bock’s professors and classmates have been extremely influential and supportive in all his endeavors. “Before I came to Houghton I was homeschooled, so it was a huge change for me because I had to go to class every day and communicate with these people all the time,” he said. “But it was actually really helpful because everyone has all these different ideas, so being able to get some critique on ideas steered me in the right way of my style which I’m still working on. I probably will be working on it for a long time,” he added. “You just never stop creating things.”

For aspiring photographers, Bock advised, “Bring your camera wherever you go. Shoot something every day whether it be self-portraits or nature, or something that really inspires you. Eventually you’ll find out exactly what you love to do and you’ll meet so many new people that way, and have all these new connections just through doing something that you absolutely love to do.”

Bock is also the president of the Houghton Ski Club, an adventurous crew that travels every Sunday to Holiday Valley for a day of skiing or snowboarding. Bock has been snowboarding since he was twelve years old and has always seen it a way to escape for a while from everything going on in his life by getting outside and enjoying nature with friends.

The Houghton Ski Club is open to anyone who enjoys being outdoors in the winter and is interested in either learning or improving in their skiing and snowboarding skills. “If you’re still not sure how to ski or snowboard, there are people will will help you,” Bock said.

Just like artistic sensitivity, Bock has found that these adventurous pursuits are best developed in tandem with others.“Spending time trying to figure it out on your own is difficult,” he said. “Honestly, it’s open to anybody who’s interested in those kind of activities. I highly encourage it.”

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Campus Stories In Focus

Student Leader Profile: Hello, Emma!

“Houghton has been a home for me and a place where I have grown and changed,” stated Emma Steele ’18 as she reflected on the past four years. As a major in business administration with minors in math, art, data science, Bible, and communication, Steele embodies what it looks like to be a passionate student-leader with a host of diverse interests.

Over the past three years Steele has been involved in her class cabinet, serving as vice president her sophomore and junior year, and the senior class president this year. She was also a Highlander leader and an EMT, running with the Houghton ambulance for the past two years.

Photo of Emma Steele.
Emma Steele ‘18 is a business administration major with minors in math, art, data science, Bible, and communication. Over the past three years Steele has been involved in her class cabinet, serving as vice president her sophomore and junior year, and the senior class president this year.

One of Steele’s passions is student engagement on Houghton’s campus, since “there is so much more that Houghton has to offer than simply taking classes and getting a degree.” Her leadership roles also reflect her deep-seated desire to “reflect God’s love for me in the way that I interact with and help others.” These motives have manifested themselves in her leadership roles, and have led her to cultivate a deeper love for people. “Serving in these positions has fostered my love for people and desire to help them,” she said. “And, of course, working in these positions has helped me see Houghton’s needs as a campus in a much clearer light.” Her passions have “given me the drive I’ve needed in order to take on these positions and fulfill all that they require. It hasn’t always been easy with classes, friendships and life in general, but I would say that it has definitely been worth it!”

Steele considered it “an absolute joy” to serve as a Highlander leader. The role involved “working with another leader to guide a group of incoming students on a wilderness adventure in the Houghton woods and then the Adirondacks. Along the way, a Highlander leader not only needs to have the hard skills required in outdoor living, but also the soft skills required to help mentor the Highlander participants through this change in their lives. Working the ropes course and balancing decisions and viewpoints with my co-leaders were fantastic experiences for me.”

Steele would encourage underclassmen “to pursue any and all interests or passions they have energy for, and intentionally invest in the people around them. Houghton is this unbelievably cool opportunity where you can dive into areas of study that most people would never have the time to explore, and do it with the support of faculty that care deeply about their students holistic growth.” She added, “As a side note, I think all students should take a math class while at Houghton because our math faculty rock. And try to get involved in Highlander. If you missed the chance to do the actual program, take Outdoor Leadership Training from Coach Smalley!”

Following graduation, Steele will be getting married to Luke Duttweiler in May and moving into the Rochester area, where she is currently job hunting. “Even though it will be bittersweet for me to graduate, I feel confident in leaving that I am ready for what God has prepared next.”

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Arts Campus News

CAB Offers Artistic Opportunities

Students will have the chance to create their own works of art this evening at 7 p.m. through CAB’s “Painting with a Twist” event, hosted by art major Abby Taylor ‘19.

“Painting with a Twist is an event I introduced to campus (with CAB)  for the first time last semester,” Taylor explained.  “I noticed how popular the ‘paint and sip’ places were becoming, and decided that it was the perfect event to bring to campus—minus the alcohol, of course.”

While every student leaves with their own completed canvas, the event is designed to be accessible to students of varying skill levels.  “The whole part of painting with a twist is to go through a painting step by step so that everyone involved can follow the steps and paint something amazing,” Taylor said.  “During the event, I stand up in front of the painters and I paint with them, step by step, so that they can easily see what I’m doing and replicate it on their own canvas. After a while, everyone has painted a full canvas and they always look amazing.”

Theresa Taggart ‘18, who attended Painting with a Twist, said of her experience, “Abby Taylor did an incredible job of not only putting together the event, but also leading it. She provided encouragement for all the people who came, and everyone felt welcome and walked away having learned something new. It was so unique!”

Looking back at the success, Taylor commented, “Last semester when we had the event, there were over 30 people at the event, and it was a blast.  Everyone painted so well and I loved seeing the interaction and socialization that took place.”

Taylor credited the hard work of her entire CAB team.  She expressed her excitement for the great work they have been doing this year, especially with all of the new events they have been able to bring to campus.  Painting with a Twist was one of those new events and it proved itself beyond CAB’s expectations.  Taylor said,  “Painting with a Twist wasn’t supposed to be an every semester event, but it was such a success last semester that we wanted to do it again this spring. It is also a limited participation event, so we want to give more students an opportunity to paint.”  The event today will be limited to the first 20 students who responded to the campus wide email.  Students who participated in the past will not be able to sign up, because CAB wants to extend the opportunity to as many students as possible.

“I wanted to bring a low-key, quiet event to campus, and also appeal to the artsy sides of people. I’m also an art major, so I love any chance to share my love of art with other people,” explained Taylor.  For past participant Stephanie Feliz ‘19, the event accomplished both goals.  She said, “Painting with a Twist was an amazing event. After a long day of classes I got to distract myself a little bit and enjoy an amazing evening of de-stressing by painting, eating and listening to great music provided by the amazing Abby Taylor. I will definitely participate in more events like this if they are provided in the near future.”

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Campus Sports Stories In Focus

Setting A High Bar: Gwen Stokes

Ever since she arrived at Houghton two short years ago, Gwen Stokes has been turning heads on the track. On January 19, at the annual Highlander Invitational, she blazed ahead to set a personal best in the high jump— her main event—while also setting a season best in the long jump. Along with her teammates Mikayla Gaffney, Madelyn Kruth, and Emma Fox, she also finished third in the 4x400m relay. In the high jump, she is now ranked #1 in the Empire 8 and #15 in the nation among NCAA Division III athletes.

Although Stokes has only been setting records at Houghton for the past few years, her love for the sport goes back to her toddler days. “This is my 5th indoor track season doing the high jump,” Stokes said, “but I’ve been doing track since 7th grade and have been around track since I was born.”

Photo of Gwen Stokes.
On January 19, at the annual Highlander Invitational, Gwen Stokes ‘20 set a personal best in the high jump and a season best in the long jump. In the high jump, she is now ranked #1 in the Empire 8, and #15 in the nation for NCAA Division III athletes.

Patrick Hager, Houghton’s track and eld coach, also highlighted Stokes’ lifelong familiarity with the sport as one of her most valuable assets. “Gwen was a very touted recruit for our program a couple of years ago,” he said. “Her high school accomplishments in cross country, and as a power athlete in track, were unique. What I really like about Gwen is that she comes from a track and eld family, and has deep knowledge of the sport. She’s what you would call a true ‘track junkie.’” Stokes’ passion for the technical aspects of the sport, such as progressive rankings and times, keeps the entire team on their toes.

“We knew she could help us take the next step as a program,” Hager said, but added that Stokes’ introduction to the Houghton track team had not always been an easy one. “[It] came with some growing pains,” he said. “A lot of it was just adjusting to new coaching and new training. Thus far this year, she’s jumping at as high a level as she ever has.” Stokes also spoke of the difficulties she had encountered since transitioning from high school to college track, describing a year filled with injuries and missteps. “I wasn’t performing to the level I was capable of or the level I wanted to be performing at,” she commented. “But my coaches and teammates were all very supportive. It has also been extremely challenging working through injuries while still balancing training, and trying to get my athletic workload just right to minimize injury and maximize performance.”

That consistent, enthusiastic support from teammates has been crucial not only to Stokes’ exceptional standout performances, but also to her fierce and consistent dedication to the sport. “One of the most special and encouraging experiences for me in track was at NCCAA Indoor Nationals last year in the high jump,” she recalled. “A bunch of my teammates came and sat and watched me jump the whole time, even though I wasn’t jumping particularly well. To me, that was more meaningful than the All-American award I received that day.”

“I’m really happy to have reached this level in jumping,” Stokes said of her recent accomplishments as a Highlander. “I am so thankful to have had such supportive coaches, who will do anything to help me succeed, and amazing teammates, both in high school and now here at Houghton. My entire family has also been very supportive and encouraging, trying to help me achieve the most I can, so I am just very happy to have been able to perform well for all those who have invested in me.”

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Campus Stories In Focus

Student Leader Profile: Hello, Tess!

From freshman class president to Assistant Resident Director (ARD) of the townhouses, Tess Taggart ’18 has remained a consistent embodiment of student leadership on campus. As she has re ned her leadership, academic, and relational skills, her goal has always been “to use them to my best ability to help others.”

Taggart has also served as an RA, the townhouse representative for CAB, and a committee member of the Sophomore Leadership Conference. Her favorite position that she’s held is ARD of the townhouses. “My favorite part of the position is planning events with a staff that’s just so excited about crazy little things that we can do in the townhouses just to make it feel more like home,” she said.

Photo of Tess Taggert.
Tess Taggart ‘18, a biochemistry major and data science minor, hopes to translate her passion for scientific research and helping others into a career in drug discovery.

As a biochemistry major and data science minor, Taggart entered college in her freshman year with a different career in mind than the one she plans to pursue now. “When I came to Houghton, I thought I wanted to be a pediatrician or some sort of doctor,” Taggart said. “But then I did Science Honors and really just enjoyed research so much, and really enjoyed working with professors one-on-one.”

In her sophomore year, she partnered with Dr. Williams in a research project involving different sh species. In the spring of her junior year, Taggart conducted muscle biology research with Dr. Poythress, and is currently continuing that project. “Our experiment last spring was focused on electrical stimulus,” she said. “This semester we’re looking at that more in-depth, and also what proteins are expressed in the cells.”

Taggart’s current career goals are geared toward medical research. “I’m not totally sure where that will bring me,” she said, “but I’m really interested in drug discovery.” Last summer, Taggart worked for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company located in Albany, New York. “I really enjoyed seeing their labs and seeing all the hard work that goes into discovering drugs and manufacturing them and then making sure they’re safe for consumption. I would love to be a part of all that,” Taggart exclaimed.

In regards to advice concerning underclassmen, Taggart was quick to share some encouragement. “I would say don’t be afraid to try new things. There are times you just want to sit in your room, but if you just get out and try something new, you’re bound to meet interesting people and find passions you didn’t know you had,” Taggart said. “And don’t be afraid of how those passions alter your life goals for yourself because the goals we have for ourselves aren’t anything compared to God’s goals for us,” she added.

On February 7-9, the END IT Movement, organized by Taggart, will host an event to raise awareness of human trafficking. Last year, Taggart headed up the event by selling handmade items made by human trafficking survivors through Women at Risk (WAR) International, an organization that “unites and educates men and women to create circles of protection and hope around those at risk.”

“Last year we made $1200, which is enough to house 3-4 women in a safe house for a month,” Taggart said. “That was really rewarding, and I saw a really positive response from it and I decided to make it bigger this year.”

On Wednesday, February 7, between 8-9 p.m., the organization host a prayer night, followed by a coffeehouse on February 8 and a WAR International sale on February 9. “Hopefully between those three events, we’re not only raising money, but raising awareness and praying for all the survivors and victims and everyone involved worldwide,” Taggart said, “so that people on our campus have a better understanding of what [human trafficking] is and how they can get involved.”

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Arts Campus News

Woyzeck: Playing With A Classic

Woyzcek, an interpretive play by Georg Büchner, will be coming to the Houghton Academy beginning February 8. The cast consists of about ten Houghton students and two students from Grove City College who have previously worked with the director. Audiences should expect an engaging play with modern themes that will frequently veer into the avant-garde.

Important to Woyzeck’s development, and to its reputation as a play that inspires experimentation, is that Büchner never lived to finish writing it. After dying tragically in the 1830s at the age of 23, the drafts to Woyzeck were left undisturbed until the late 19th century.  Productions didn’t start until the 20th century, and the unfinished play still remains open to interpretation. Since its discovery, it has been performed numerous times and is considered part of the modern canon.

Now it’s here at Houghton, interpreted by Ryan Stevenson, a Cleveland native who specializes in Shakespeare and film. Influenced by film heavyweights such as David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick, Stevenson finds Woyzeck, a fairly experimental and adaptable production, to be a pragmatic choice for Houghton’s fledgling theater program.

“I had a short time here, so I needed something realistic and naturalistic,” said Stevenson. He liked the small core cast and the episodic nature of the production, which makes it easy to rehearse with the cast and crew’s jam-packed schedules. Stevenson had a deeply inspired vision for the production and was incredibly excited to see what it could produce at Houghton.

The production provides opportunities for students to learn more about theater and to participate in an experimental performance. While preparation is exciting, and proceeding well so far, the production has not been without its difficulties. Shannan Johnson ‘21, an aspiring director herself, is assistant director for Woyzeck. “We have had setbacks, but today is productive,” she commented.  While they still need new members still, Johnson commented that this has been “an insightful journey and I’ve learned that great theater does not come from scratch.”

It was clear from watching him work that Stevenson is all in, and that everyone, whether a part of the cast or production team, was a crucial component of Stevenson’s vision. With photographer Eli French working on the production portfolio and a friend of Stevenson videotaping rehearsals as part of the final product, this play experimented with an entirely new style of theater that audiences rarely have an opportunity to experience.

The cast was excited about the play and grateful for the chance to work in an incredibly relaxed environment.  Stevenson was not the sort of director who barks orders from a theater seat but who worked from the  stage, nurturing a dedicated cast who shared his passionate vision of a “dramatic piece and immersive arts experience.” Cast members’ thoughts on their production mimicked his enthusiasm for its engaging qualities.  Claire Brower ‘18 described the play as “experimental, immersive, and surreal.” Emma Bruce ‘20 felt that the final product will be “cool and immersive.”

Performances of Woyzeck start this coming Thursday, January 8. and should run roughly 2-3 hours.  The cast and crew look forward to support from their peers in this year’s exciting theatrical experiment.

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Campus News

Psych Programs Move Online

Houghton College online is proud to introduce three new online tracks for its Bachelor’s in psychology degree starting in January 2018, according to a press release distributed by the college. The three tracks offered will be clinical/counseling, social/developmental, and neuroscience.

According to head of the psychology department, Dr. Paul Young, the tracks have been in place since 2009, and the proposal to add them to the online course offering was an exciting proposition for his department. In fact, Young was quite pleased by his department’s commitment to finding ways to service more nontraditional students. At Houghton College Buffalo, the first cohort to receive a Bachelor’s degree in psychology is looking forward to graduation this semester.

While the tracks have long been a part of the on-campus program, they have now been retooled and given updated names that are more relevant to the modern professional world. In addition, the psycholinguistics track was dropped due to low enrollment numbers and dwindling interest. According to Young, “We’ve been changing curricular components since I’ve come, and students have been able to do more research rather than sit and listen to lectures.” The shift helps fulfill Houghton’s mission of hands-on learning and genuine experience for students at the undergraduate level.

The newest addition to the Houghton College psychology department, Dr. Anna Pettway, offered a fresh perspective as someone who has worked in many colleges affiliated with the CCCU (Council for Christian Colleges and Universities). Her unique position allowed her to view the department, and the college, with fresh eyes. She mentioned that Houghton offers a surprisingly large number of options for a school its size, which allows students to tailors their educational focus within the department. She was excited to work somewhere where students are only required to take a handful of core classes and are allowed a variety of electives and personalized options. According to Pettway, this is an advantage for both professors and students, since both are able to pursue academic material in which they have a vested interest.

Dr. Pettway said, “When you have more choice, you take more ownership of what you are learning.” She was pleased that students both on campus and online have that opportunity, and seemed confident that these new possibilities would broaden and refine education at Houghton. She was also impressed with the college’s desire for students to personalize their degree and education. As someone who has taught at multiple institutions, Pettway appreciated the opportunity to teach at a institution where students can create majors through interdisciplinary studies, or make their more generalized major more suitable for their needs through concentrations and diverse electives. Overall, she saw the proposed addition of these three tracks to be an advantage to the college, its professors, and its students.

Houghton College psychology department graduates have pursued careers such as drug rehabilitation counselor, chiropractic doctor, nurse, and school psychologist and have attended such graduate institutions as Colorado State University, Ohio State University, and Northeastern University. With the addition of new opportunities to the online program Houghton hopes to see even more successful results from the department.

 

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Campus News

Finding Strength to Lead

Next weekend, a group of students will attend the second annual Activate:  Sophomore Leadership Conference.

Kim Pool, Director of VOCA, explained, “The goal of the Conference is to help students identify their strengths and unique design and gain an understanding of how their gifts can be used in God’s Kingdom work, both while at Houghton and after they graduate.”

One of the major ways through which the conference helps participants identify their gifts is by having them take Gallup’s CliftonStrengths, previously known as StrengthsFinder.  The process asks participants to go through a series of statement pairs and identify more with one of two.  According to Gallup, the test “measures your natural patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving.”  From there, it assigns a combination of thirty-four strengths or “themes”.  The service also includes reports that give some advice on how to best apply these themes and avoid the pitfalls often associated with them.

“I am hoping to gain and gather knowledge on how to be a better leader. I hope to learn more about myself and about my strengths so that I can better use them to be a more effective leader,” commented Ryan Burrichter ‘20, who will be attending the event.  “Moreover, I hope to be able to meet and interact with other aspiring leaders who want to not only change the world but improve it for the better.”

Past participants appreciated the opportunity to interact with the speakers and new people from their class, especially about the content of the talks and what it meant to have the different strengths.  They also remarked that the conference allowed them to test and apply their newly labeled strengths in a fun way that gave them a better understanding for how they could use them in the future.

Carolyn Case ‘19, who attended the first Activate conference last year, offered her reflections.  “I learned how to work more effectively with people who are so different from me and I learned why we all work so differently. In a way, it helped me respect others more.”  She also added that “having the conference in my sophomore year meant that I had been in college long enough to be comfortable in my own skin, but I also had the coming years to make use of what I’d learned.”

Students will travel to Asbury Camp and Retreat Center for the conference, which will take place from the 2nd to the 4th of February.  “We intentionally hold the conference off campus to provide an environment free from daily campus distractions,” said Pool.  “During the weekend, students will listen to talks, participate in a group project, and reflect on the results of the StrengthsFinder Assessment which they took prior to the weekend.”

This year’s keynote speaker, Dr. Scot McKnight, hails from Northern Seminary, where he serves as Chair of New Testament.  According to his biography posted on their website, he is “a world-renowned speaker, writer, professor and equipper of the Church. He is a recognized authority on the historical Jesus, early Christianity, and the New Testament.”  He maintains a leading Christian blog entitled “Jesus Creed” and is the author of over twenty-five books.  His most recent publications include The King Jesus Gospel and The Blue Parakeet.

 

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Campus News Sports

Sports Update

After another week of high-quality play, the Houghton College women’s basketball team found itself in a position to make a run at a berth in the Empire 8 conference tournament.

With an overall record of (10-7) and (6-2) in conference, the Highlanders were sitting at the third spot, trailing only Sage and St. John Fisher in the Empire 8 standings. If there was any doubt that the Highlanders deserved that third spot, it was quickly erased by their 60-52 statement win on the road at Sage College. Houghton came into the game full of confidence and essentially controlled the game from start to finish surrendering a two-point lead only once in the second quarter. It was a team effort from the Highlanders. The team had three players make their way into double digits scoring the ball, and the team passed the ball well totaling 16 total assists. “I’m honestly super excited to be where we are right now…the overall focus in our locker room is to take it one game at a time, one quarter at a time, one minute at a time, and one position at a time. and to just build on what we have already accomplished this year.” Said sophomore guard Cori Beck. The win goes a long way, letting the rest of the conference know that the highlanders are here to compete. The Highlanders will have a chance to defeat the only other team ahead of them in the conference on Tuesday night at the Neilsen Center at 8:00.

The men’s basketball team’s struggles have continued as the team fights to get back into the win column. The teams biggest bright spot continues to be their offensive production. In their contest with Utica College in which junior guard Dylan Lambert was sidelined, it was Carl Holmes that stepped into the spotlight. Holmes tallied 23 points and 4 assists while converting on three out of five attempts from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, the Highlanders were defeated by a score of 76-57. The team will look for their first conference win on Tuesday night against St. John Fisher College.