Tag: st. john fisher

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Campus News

Spring Sports Fight for Postseason Play

Spring sports are entering their last week of regular season play. Every team faces an Empire 8 opponent, which gives them an opportunity to improve their record and a chance to squeeze into a conference playoff spot.

_DSC5742-2In 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.

The men’s baseball team’s record, unfortunately, does not reflect the hard work and small wins that they have had this season. Currently the team is 13-20 overall and 3-10 in the Empire 8 conference. However, having a fairly new team comprised of mostly freshman and transfers, incoming players have had to step up and fill big roles on the team. “We lost a lot of pitchers last year and some guys who played a big part as leaders on the team,” commented Michael Knapp ’16. Head Coach, Brian Reitnour added, “[We] are a fairly young team and my ultimate goal is to see us develop an identity that reflects our core values.” During the middle of the season, the team had a six game winning streak where they rallied from deficits to win games, but it was snapped due to a split with the Penn State-Beave Nittany Lions. On April 7, the Highlanders played for over six hours and nineteen innings against the Alfred State Pioneers. The game resulted in a split where the Pioneers won the first game 5-4 in 11 innings, and the Highlanders scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to win the second game 4-3. “This season has been better than we expected it to be” said Ethan Duryea ’18. “Collectively we have played more as a team this year than we did last year.”

Both teams have games this week and possibly next week, depending on how well they play.  The Highlanders will take on the the Stevens Ducks on their home field at 6 p.m. Friday, April 29, and at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 30. The men’s tennis team will take on the Alfred Saxons on their home  court at 4 p.m. Friday, April 29.

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News

Athletes Compete in Track and Field Championships

This weekend, Houghton’s indoor track and field team will be traveling to Bourbonnais, Illinois for the 2014 National Christian College Athletics Association (NCCAA) Indoor Track and Field Championship.  Interestingly, Olivet Nazarene University, which is hosting the event, is also fielding a purple and gold team.

After a nine-hour journey, Houghton’s athletes will prepare for a multitude of events including four short distance sprinting events and one hurdle event; 3 long distance races; triple, high, and long jump, and other field events such as the shot put and relays.  Two rigorous and lengthy events round out the meet: the women’s pentathlon (60 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump, and 800 meter sprints) and the men’s heptathlon (60 meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 60 meter hurdles, pole vault, & 1000 meter sprints).

trackfield_savannah_doviakSo far this season Houghton’s athletes have been competing well in their events.  Freshman Marshall Brady, once a local high school athlete, set a new school record in a meet this past Saturday in Ithaca.  Scoring 4141 points after his final event, Brady finished tenth out of twenty-three against a field of athletes from St. John Fisher, Cortland, Cornell, and other regional universities.  The week before, Brady was named as NCCAA Track and Field Student-Athlete of the Week.  Another freshman, Joanna Friesen, a native of Pennsylvania, nearly broke the school record with her pentathlon score of 2279 points in five events.  Friesen placed twelfth out of fifteen in her field.  Junior Andrea Melhorn also shattered an old school record in the hammer throw with a score that landed her in thirteenth place in her event.  These athletes will lead the charge for Houghton in their events in Illinois.

Travelling along with the athletes and trainers will be the meet’s Vice Chair Matt Dougherty, a Houghton graduate of the class of 2001, who was named men’s track coach in 2010.  Coach Dougherty provided solid endorsements for the swath of athletes Houghton will be bringing to the event.  “As always, we are looking to improve every chance we get to compete and we look to see how competitive we can be in the team rankings.  The men are fairly low this year with injuries to some key upperclassmen and some athletes who are just lacking their fitness from a year ago.  The women are a good mix of new and experienced athletes. Hopefully our seniors can help our first year runners adapt well to the national championships.”

Houghton’s men’s and women’s track and field team also performed at the Empire 8 Championships in Ithaca at the beginning of February.  While Ithaca ended up sweeping both the men’s and women’s overall titles, Houghton’s athletes successfully finished in the top five in a multitude of events. Friesen placed in the 800 meter sprint, the distance medley relay (DMR), and the 4×400 meter relay, while Figueroa placed in the triple jump and 60 meter sprint events.  Another female athlete, senior Leah Williams assisted in the DMR and ranked highly in the women’s mile race.  For the men, a fifth position in the DMR as well as strong performances by Brady in the long, triple, and high jumps rounded out Houghton’s first round of indoor championship events.

Houghton’s gradual integration into the NCCAA allows for continued involvement in NCCAA championship meets as well as NCAA events.  As a Christian organization, the NCCAA asks hosting universities to develop a service aspect of the event to parallel the athletic events.  This year’s project, sponsored by voluntary donations from participating colleges, is a partnership with an organization called Living Alternatives, a pro-life clinic and assistance program that seeks “to promote life-affirming options 
and provide practical assistance, while sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed and to minister restoration to those who have been wounded by the trauma of abortion.”

Houghton’s track and field athletes head into this weekend’s championship events with great determination.  Coach Dougherty, when asked about pre-event jitters, commented, “I wouldn’t say we are nervous. It’s an excited anticipation to test ourselves to find out where we are.  This year’s national championship is as competitive as it has ever been and, as one of the smallest schools competing and the only NCAA DIII competing this year, we try and make our presence known as best we can.”

 

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Stories In Focus

Fitting In: Transfer Students’ Experiences

Cindy Austin, the Transfer Admission Counselor at Houghton College, loves her job. Officially, she works with students who are trying to make the transition to Houghton from another school. Unofficially, she is also the go-to information source for transfer students who are already enrolled and on campus.

“I’ll get calls from students all the time,” said Austin. “They’ll say something like ‘Hey, remember me, the student who wanted to transfer here? Well, I’m here now, and I need a ride home for Thanksgiving, what do I do?’” Laughing, she explained that helping transfer students who are already here, in addition to getting them here in the first place, is what makes her job fulfilling.

With the rate that transfers are coming in, however, Austin’s phone could well be ringing off the hook. According to a report by the New York Times, roughly one third of students who enroll in a four-year institution will transfer at some point during their college experience, and that rate is increasing each year.

The percentage of Houghton students that have transferred from another school have hovered around five percent since 2009. However, the college is likely to see the amount of incoming transfer students rise as the trend around the nation continues.

Austin believes that students may choose to transfer to Houghton after starting their college career elsewhere because of finances. “The majority of our transfers wanted to come here in the first place,” said Austin. “However, if the student is successful in academics, attending community college can basically be free. It’s difficult to compete with free tuition,” she explained. “So what we’re seeing now is an interest from students who have already completed their integrative study requirements in community college and now want to be a part of our major programs here.”

Junior Neal Fahey, who transferred to Houghton after attending Utica Community College, backed up Austin’s statement. “I originally wanted to come here because of the emphasis on faith,” said Fahey. “I just didn’t have the finances…God had plans for me here, so thankfully He drew me back and made it work.”

Of course, it can be difficult to transition to a different environment, as well as getting used to Houghton’s high standards for academics. So Houghton has taken steps to help transfer students adapt. “We are very gracious with transferred credits, so students don’t have to worry about taking classes they’ve already had,” said Austin. In addition, a required class called Transitions for Transfers was specifically designed to help students meet others and get acclimated into the culture of Houghton.

Angela Poblocki, a senior who transferred from St. John Fisher to finish her degree at Houghton, had mixed feelings about the class: “The Transitions class is a great way to meet other transfers, but it isn’t the most effective in building relationships,” she said. “The class enables us to be in one classroom together, but the interaction between the transfer students is limited…I wish the Transfer Transitions class had more group discussions with students, instead of just a speaker to the class.”

What Cindy Austin would encourage prospective students to do is apply to both community college and Houghton coming out of high school. “I think they would be surprised with how much we can help with the financial aspect,” said Austin. In the meantime, Austin will continue to help transfer students make the transition, officially or otherwise.