Club Sports Illustrated: May 5th Edition by App State Club Sports

Year In Review

May 5, 2017

Club Sports Illustrated

Issue 84 A UREC Publication

In This Issue

Executive Corner 3 One For The Books

Women’s Lacrosse 29 Memories Galore

Symposium 5

Men’s Rugby 30 The Future Is Bright

Banquet 6

Women’s Rugby 33 Passing The Reins

Alpine Ski 9 Ski Ya Later

Snowboard 34 Dormant For Summer, But Gearing Up For Winter

Archery Looking Forward

10 Men’s Soccer 37 Carrying On The Team Spirit

Baseball Ups And Downs

13 WOmen’s Soccer 38 Big Shoes To Fill

Basketball Great Season

14 Swim 41 Our Swimmingly Semester

Climbing Eager New Faces

17 Tennis 42 A Tremendous Year

Cycling Huge Year

18 Triathlon 45 The Final Transition

Equestrian Jump Start Into Show Season

21 Men’s Ultimate 46

Fencing See Ya Next Year

22 Women’s Ultimate 49 Oh How The Tables Turn

Ice Hockey Bittersweet Farewells

25 Men’s Volleyball 50 Started From The Bottom

Men’s Lacrosse Another Successful Season

26 Women’s Volleyball 53 The Future is ‘Neer

MAY 5TH Edition of Club Sports Illustrated Designed + Published by Ian Hensley Edited By Caralynn Knopf + Kristen Poole UREC Publicity Programmers Articles by App State Students Cover photo by: Matt Jones

Shake Em Up, Shake Em Up, Shake Em Up, Shake Em

EXECUTIVE CORNER

Julie Marzzarella

Eric Horth The year is now ending Summer plans pending The year is almost over Travel and Competition Forms processed And those MIC’s and field requests Now – no more! The year is almost over National Championships gone to Conference play is through The year is almost over Budget Proposal – COMPLETE Banquet and Symposium – COMPLETE The year is almost over Hours of dedication Intense motivation Games won. Some lost. I am almost at a loss (for words) Because the year is almost over Working hard in the office Processing paperwork like bosses The Executives are wondering how they made it… To the year being almost over To the teams that we worked with It’s been truly “lit” But now, the year is almost over To the teams, just remember This time is precious to be a member Of something greater than just you Because only a few

Get the chance to be a part of The year that is almost over It’s been one heck of a ride Working on the “inside” But for the Executive too It’s a time to remember To the Pro Staff that helped teams and Execs Without you, we couldn’t have amounted to any success Thank you. Now, the year is almost over. New leadership brewing Eager new members blooming It’s time to pass the torch The year is almost over It’s been one for the books To the year that’s almost over From all of the Executives, we would like to say that it has been an honor to work with all 23 teams this year. It has been a year filled with tremendous progress and dedication, but we would not have had it any other way. Thank you to all of our teams, professional staff, and all that make this Club Sports program possible. This year has been an amazing opportunity for all of us – executives, team officers, and team members alike. We are all excited to see what the future holds for next year! Good luck, and Go Apps!

Article By: Angena LeBarre Executive Officer

Symposium

Doug Desrochers

Club Sports Symposium was held Sunday, April 30th, 2017 in the Plemmons Student Union. Nikko Weeman planned and organized this event flawlessly. Thanks to him the symposium changed venues from the previous location of Broadstone. Symposium is an annual event hosted by Club Sports. Its purpose is to inform new and veteran officers of our twenty three teams about the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s procedures and workings. Personally I hosted the Club Sports 101 and Publicity sessions. During Club Sports 101 Bryce and I showed all the officers where to locate and how to properly fill out the required forms. After a quick snack break filled with cookies and chips we moseyed on over

to the short sessions. During this period I lead the Publicity secession. During this secession Club Sports Officers learned about how to properly write and submit a Club Sports Illustrated article, connect with their followers on social media, and update their websites. Overall this was a wonderful experience for not only me but all the executive officers. We thoroughly enjoyed informing the future of the Club Sports program.

Article By: Ian Hensley Publicity Programmer

banquet

Club Sports Banquet was held on Monday, May 1st, 2017 at Camp Broadstone. This annual event is held at the end of every school year to recognize all of the twenty three Club Sports teams and all the hard work they put in throughout the semester. The Banquet was catered by Woodlands Barbecue; the best barbecue in all of the high county in my opinion. The teams chowed down on pulled pork, baked beans, rolls, and some sweet banana pudding. During this banquet Teams are recognized and awarded three different awards: Officer of the Year, Turn-Around Team of the Year, and Team of the Year. Women’s Rugby took home TurnAround Team of the Year, Maria Cilenti took home Officer of the Year, and Men’s Lacrosse took home Team of The Year. During this time the annual

Club Sports Photo Comp winner is presented. This year it went to the Cycling Team for Matt Jones’ Photo “Miles in Snow.” This photo was framed and will hang with the past recipients of the Photo Comp in the Student Recreation Center. Congratulations to all the members that received an award for their hard work and diligence. Thank you to Tasse Little, alumni of App State as well as the Club Sports Program for coming out and presenting the Team of the Year award. Also big shout out to JJ Brown for speaking to the program and Traci Roystor for representing student development.

Article By: Ian Hensley Publicity Programmer

Ian Hensley

Alpine Ski

SKI YA

Jonathan Gobson

LATER

Though this winter was unusually warm and the region was severely lacking in snow, the App State Alpine Ski team was able to still have a productive and exciting season. During the fall semester we worked on creating team friendships in order to support each other throughout the competition season (which occurs from early January to late February). The season started off slow for us; our first race at Wintergreen was cancelled. We decided to travel there anyway in order to introduce our new members to the team. Despite not racing that weekend, we had a great time freeskiing with each other and practicing our turns for the upcoming races. We had other successful races throughout the season despite the low snowpack. We traveled across the Southeast region to resorts like Bryce in Virginia, Massanutten which is also in Virginia, and we even drove all the way up to Blue Mountain in Pennsylvania for our regionals competition. We also held a successful home race at Sugar Mountain, where various other collegiate teams part of the USCSA Southeast conference came to compete with us. Some of these teams include Duke, JMU, UNC Chapel Hill, VT, and NC State. Being part of the USCSA Southeast conference

Jonathan Gobson

(go Dirty South!) gives us the extraordinary opportunity to not only solidify friendships on our team through competition and training, but also to get to meet other teams and other athletes from the region. We form strong friendships with these other teams and we are always sad when the season ends for the year. The Alpine Ski team here at App ended the year strong, with our men’s team placing first in the region and our women’s team placing fourth overall. We could not be more proud of our athletes! As the year comes to a close, we are sad to see our seniors leave, but we are excited to have new members join to team and become part of this awesome group of people. We have also elected our new leadership for next season. Our new president is Willis Hawkins, vice president is Austin Oliver, treasurer is Morgan Baker, secretary is Courtney Forbis, and our Club Sports Council representative is Claire Biaggi. We are thrilled with the new officers and we’re excited to see what great ideas they bring to the team next year. Until the next winter, Ski Ya Later!

Article By: Rebecca Purkey president

Archery

This year was a good one for the Appalachian Archery Team! We went to more competitions during the fall and spring semester than we have in the previous years, having attended more than three major competitions this semester alone. Several of our shooters have finished in the top three positions in multiple competitions, including the Wildlife Commission shoot in October 2016; Appalachian Archery took first place over all! We will be representing Appalachian Archery at the Rinehart 100 shoot May 6th & 7th, in addition we hosted our very fist shoot here in Boone on Saturday, April 29th.

LOOKING FO

Our club has come very far in the past year, and we have done much to get our name out there and do best to bring honor to Appalachian State University. We very much look forward to another year of competition and the privilege of representing our beloved school.

Article By: Rebekah Knight Vice President

ORWARD

Rowan Parris

Kaleb Robinson

Baseball

UPS AND

Marla Martin

D DOWNS

The 2016-2017 Club Baseball season was full of ups and downs. In the fall the team competed in a tournament in Greenville, South Carolina just missing out on a spot in the finals. In a weathershortened tournament the team failed to advance after a run allowed tie breaker sent their opponents on to the championship. Also in the fall, some team members helped the Watauga County Recreation Department host a youth clinic. The team members ran drills with the kids and provided instruction and guidance to help them improve their game. With the new semester came a chance for some conference competition and for the team to play against some of the best Club Baseball competition in the country. First, the team traveled to Clearwater, Florida to compete in a National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) Tournament. This helped the club prepare for regular season play and provided a chance for some team bonding. The Mid-Atlantic South conference is one of the

Marla Martin

tougher conferences in the country, which gives the App State team a chance to show that they belong on the same stage as the bigger schools. With wins over UNC and UNCW the team played a solid spring schedule. With the year coming to a close, new officers had to be elected to represent the team for the coming season. The new Club Sports Council Representative is Caleb Jeck, a second year guy playing catcher. The teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Secretary is Taylor James, a junior pitcher. The Treasurer is Rayan Castellano, a second year outfielder. The new Club Baseball Vice President is Presson Norwood, a junior pitcher and outfielder. And the 2017-2018 Club Baseball President is Collin Martin, a senior playing infield, outfield, and pitcher.

Article By: Zach Thompson Club Sports Council Rep

Basketball

This year was filled with ups and down for the ASU Women’s Club Basketball team. We had a rocky start the first semester, but came back in the second and began to bond more as a team. Overall the season was intense and busy, yet through it we all became closer as teammates and friends. Although we did not come out with any tournament championships, we took many trips to multiple different states and we were very competitive in every tournament. The games are always fun because you are playing with your closest friends, but the memories made off the court were even better. On the trips that we spend many hours in the car together, we learned not only more about each other’s playing ability, but also about their life and passions. Singing and dancing in the car with people is always a great way to get to know someone. Throughout the year we stayed at different teammates houses depending on where the tournament was located. Whether in Virginia, Wilmington, or Raleigh, we had a blast at the houses generous enough to make our acquaintance.

GREAT S

At the houses we ate, danced, watched the NCAA tournament, and just had fun with each other. We have two seniors this year that we will miss dearly. Bekah Fultz and Summer Hamilton were a huge part of our team on the court and off. Each played a pivotal role in our offense and defense on the court, but they were also great teammates and they will be missed. The year went by all too quickly, but we look forward for next year and the new players that will be coming in. We have new officers that we are introducing for our 2017-2018 season. We are excited to announce that Gracie Cameron will be our new Vice President. Treasurer will be Jess McCurry. Lastly, Club Representative will be Bre McAdams. Although the year was not as successful as we had hoped in the record books, it was a season filled with laughter and new friends. Can’t wait for next year!

Article By: Rosemary Mosher Secretary

SEASON

Jack Kane

Climbing

EAGER NE

Center 45

Jack Basnight

EW FACES The Appalachian State Climbers Coalition has ties all the way back to 2006, when our founders first started it with intentions of it becoming the university’s first rock climbing team. Success for the Climbers Coalition in its early days was measured through elite individual and team performances at the multiple competition circuits throughout the southeast, but has since then evolved to include individual climbing development from beginners to advanced climbers regardless of their intent to climb competitively, transitioning from indoor climbing to outdoor climbing, and more recently our environmental stewardship initiatives around the numerous crags (what we climbers call outdoor climbing areas) around the High Country. This year has been a huge success! We would be nothing without the eagerness of all the new faces that joined this year, and the loyalty of old faces whose dedication makes up the backbone of our Coalition. In the fall, we hosted our 19th biannual Southern Comfort Climbing Competition at one of the best climbing gyms in the state, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump from main campus; Center 45 Climbing and Fitness. Competitors came from all over the southeast to compete in this competition, and a good amount of our members placed in this competition! Many of our members traveled to other various competitions throughout the year, and consistently took podiums in their respective brackets as well as overall categories, such as our President, Carter Smith, who took first place in the Overall/Men’s Advanced bracket, along with newcomer Tucker Foster taking first place in Men’s Beginner at the Western Carolina University Collegiate Climbing Competition in early February. This spring, we broke our usual cycle of hosting a competition each semester as we had been doing for close to ten years, and chose to focus our efforts

Jack Basnight

towards giving back to our community in the form of stewardship. On Earth Day, April 22, we held our first Access Fund sponsored Adopt A Crag day at the local climbing area ‘The Dump.’ The name is appropriate, as we had close to twenty-five volunteers from the Appalachian State Climbers Coalition, local organization Mountain Alliance, whose mission is provide middle school and high school students with recreational opportunities outside of school, and the Carolina Climbers Coalition come out on that soggy Saturday morning and hauled five truck beds worth of trash up the embankment off of the parking area at the climbing area! Looking ahead to our 2017-2018 season, we plan to continue to build on the progress we’ve made as individuals, as a team, and as a coalition of climbers, and make next year the most successful year yet! We are planning our twentieth Southern Comfort Climbing Competition in the fall at Center 45 Climbing and Fitness, as well as looking to join the Eastern Edge Climbing Series, whose current members include UNC Chapel Hill, Duke, East Carolina University, Old Dominion University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. We are also planning another cleanup day at ‘The Dump’ for a much needed round two, in addition to other in-the-works service days at other local climbing areas. Our elected officers for the 2017-2018 season are: -President-- Max Royal -Vice President-- Harper Boone -Club Sports Representative-- Sloan McKenna -Treasurer-- Dave Corcoran -Secretary-- Tucker Foster

Article By: Max Royal Secretary

Cycling

This year was huge for the App State Cycling team. The team had two national titles and traveled to Colorado last weekend in pursuit of a third. There were also a handful of riders grab individual national podium titles, representing the University on an elite level. The year started out with mountain bike season from September through October. The team competed against all ACCC Conference teams and hosted the Conference Championships at Rocky Knob and Beech Mountain. Our racers dominated the muddy cross country course and fast short track races, coming out as winners of the conference. At collegiate mountain bike nationals in Snowshoe, West Virginia, the team came in 3rd place overall out of all D1 and D2 club teams in the nation, competing in Downhill, Dual Slalom, Short Track, Cross Country, and Team Relay events. The team was 3rd in the relay, and individual national podiums were won by Annie Pharr and Hayden Miller. In Cyclocross season, only extremely dedicated racers brave the elements. Cyclocross is a mix between mountain and road biking, and is often characterized by itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s muddy courses, cold weather, and wet conditions. This year for cyclocross collegiate nationals, a few team members made the trek up to Hartford, Connecticut to represent App State in a cyclocross race and team relay. After a brutally muddy course and the intensely cold

HUGE

conditions that January up north brings, the team won an impressive 2nd overall. Road season was the final of the three seasons, and began in March. Racers travelled as far north as Maryland on the weekends to compete, and raced every weekend until late April. The conference championships were again hosted by our team, and took place with a road race in Collettesville and a criterium in Morganton. The team had stiff competition from other schools in the conference, and during the championships even had schools from other conferences in attendance. Even so, racers came out in the top five across most categories of racing, and there were even some individual conference podiums. At the end of the season, App State came out in 3rd place for the overall conference. Though the season ended with our home race/conference championships two weeks ago, the racing still isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t over yet. Four racers traveled to Grand Junction, Colorado last weekend to compete in the collegiate road cycling national championships, with the hopes of bringing home yet another national title. The rest of the team cheered them on and anxiously are awaiting the first weekend of September, so that mountain bike season and collegiate racing can begin again.

Article By: Annie Pharr President

YEAR

matt jones

Alan Garvick

matt jones

Alan Garvick

Equestrian

Michaela Herberg

JUMP START INTO

O SHOW SEASON

This weekend, the Appalachian State Equestrian Team put on their annual open show at Broyhill Equestrian Center. The venue, which was previously called Blowing Rock Equestrian Preserve, is home to beautiful show grounds and hosts an annual horse show that brings in hundreds of Equestrian enthusiasts, and is well known around the state. The Blowing Rock Equestrian board was kind enough to lend these facilities to the equestrian team for a second time for the open show and agrees that the equestrian team creates an event to look forward to every year. The show is completely student run and the team must create a show committee in order to accomplish tasks such as acquiring insurance, advertising to farms around the state, creating class lists and jump courses, etc. The hard work that the team puts into the show really pays off and is apparent when witnessing the final product. One of the most rewarding parts of the show experience is the partnership that takes place between the equestrian team and Horse Helpers of the High Country.

Michaela Herberg

Horse Helpers is a local nonprofit equine rescue that is located in Zionsville, NC. Run by an Appalachian State professor, Amy Hudnall, Horse Helpers caters to not only Watauga county but also surrounding counties. This year over ten adoptable horses were brought to the show in order for prospective buyers to see them. The horses brought were of every shape and size, showing off the important rehabilitation that Hudnall and many volunteers have helped the horses accomplish. The equestrian team is proud to have started this tradition, not only to push the students on the team to accomplish this feat, but to help a good cause through a fun and exciting event. The team is already looking at how they can make improvements to the show and cannot wait to hold it again next year.

Article By: Michaela Herberg Social Chair

Fencing

This schoolyear has proved to be one of tremendous growth and positive changes for our club. It seems like we just had our first interest meeting and the semester is already coming to an end. After starting the fall semester with only 6 members, all officers, we have now grown to a team of over 25 active participants. Thanks to the leadership and dedication of our officers, we pulled ourselves up by the knicker straps and became a completely new team this year. We revamped our conditioning routine, actively sought opportunities to compete, and gained a new presence on campus and Appalachian social media. We were featured on an episode of AppTV, brought home our fair share of medals, and played a lot of road trip games. Our tournament schedule led us to some really cool destinations, such as Nashville, Atlanta, Wilmington, and many more. Many of our fencers joined the sport just this year and competed for the first time ever in recent months, which were great experiences for them. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to travel so often and spend time just having fun as a team. At times, we were forced to make tough decisions but always kept the values of our club as the top priority. We budgeted wisely and were able to maximize our funds thanks to the generosity of our teammates’ families who opened

SEE YA NEX

their homes to us. We were also able to purchase much-needed new equipment that will allow everyone the opportunity to fence competitively. As the oldest Club Sport at Appalachian, we uphold a tradition that is unmatched. When I asked our club if they had any final thoughts for our last article, Nick Bayne, a freshman sabrist, said “Joining fencing was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” We have grown so much as a team and as a friends, and I’m really thankful for the community we have created here. Lee Struble, a junior sabrist, mentioned that, “I think my favorite moments come from the times we were just having fun and hanging out”. Whether we are watching a teammate compete at 7:30am, wearing fake mustaches, or grabbing late-night Waffle House, something fun is always happening with us. Overall, on behalf of all the officers, thank you to everyone who contributed to making this year such a huge success for us. I’ve had a lot of fun writing our articles every other week, and I can’t wait to do it again next year!

Article By: Lauren Brackett Secretary

Lauren Brackett

XT YEAR

Lauren Brackett

Ice Hockey

BITTERSWEET

Anna Fender

T FAREWELLS

Another year has come to an end and around this time we look back throughout the year to see what we have done, what we should have done, and what we should change for next year. It is a time for reflection and a chance to better ourselves for the year ahead. We did some amazing things this year, but we hope to top them and keep this momentum going next year. This year we played a total of nine games. We were hoping for more, but due to scheduling conflicts and other unavoidable incidents, like Johnson and Whales University losing their team due to lack of players, we were unable to schedule anymore. We learned that we cannot always trust the other teams to keep their schedules and we need to work on our outreach to insure that the other teams have the proper equipment and location secure. We made the mistake of assuming one of our game locations had be secured when the other team dropped the ball and forgot to reserve it. That really set us back and we want to make sure we do not have a repeat of that incident again. We have an excellent relationship with our alumni. This year restarts the tradition of our annual alumni game. There was amazing turnout as about twenty of our former App State Ice Hockey players came back home to play and to test our

Zane Sink

current team. We had alumni come out from all over the country. One person even flew back from California to attend. We are always grateful to our alumni and we hope to keep this tradition alive and well. We hope to see all the alumni again next year! Of course it wouldn’t be the end of the year without some heartbreak. Two of our most beloved teammates will be leaving us. Chad Deaver was an officer for many years and did so much for the team. We wish him the best of luck in the years to come. The second person leaving is no other than Brandon Fritz. We have all known “Fritzy,” as we like to call him, for a long time now. He had been on the team for 4 years, 3 years as an officer. He moved up the ranks from just a member, to treasurer, to eventually the Vice President. He was often described as the glue that held the team together. He was always there for every practice and game and everyone knew they could come to him with any issues or personal problems they had. We will miss him most of all. We solute you Fritzy and wish you luck as your after-college journey begins.

Article By: Brandon Fritz Vice President

Men’s Lacrosse

The 2016-2017 Appalachian State Men’s Lacrosse team has had yet another successful season, continuing to build a solid program that will be a force to reckon with for years to come. Continuing on from a successful campaign last season, the mountaineers hit the ground running in the fall, finishing the preseason with a 2-1-1 record with big wins coming against UNC Charlotte and High Point University. During the regular season, the Mountaineers went on a seven game winning streak, including beating 19th ranked and reigning Lone Star Alliance champions Louisiana Lafayette. The team finished the regular season 7-1 and obtained the second seed bid into the 2017 South Eastern Lacrosse Conference playoffs in Alpharetta, Georgia, where the 23rd ranked Appalachian State took on 18th ranked Florida Gulf Coast University. After a hard fought battle, the mountaineers fell to the Eagles 8-6. This year’s team, led by coaches Angelo Acitelli, Jordan Collier, and Jake Vilis, consisted of returning veterans, rising stars, and new faces that contributed to the success of this season. Veterans David Hayes and Jon Cooper, along with freshman Thomas Dean, made up the solid attack line that accounted for a combined 30 points on

ANOTHER SUCCE

the season. Midfielders Jack Rich, Kevin Norman, George Revercomb, and Cole Eglowstein led the powerhouse midfield with a combined 127 points. Defense, led by seniors Matt Frizzell and Alex Walthall, anchored the Mountaineers along with junior Quinton Chody, sophomores Michael Godwin, Jack Coleman, Samuel Ingles, Griffen Glover, and freshman Wyatt Johnson. Faceoff was dominated by the dynamic duo of senior Garret Ferguson (43-24) and freshman Brendan Roess (14-6). In between the pipes for the mountaineers this season was goalie Mikey Fifield, with a save percentage above of .707% and 20 ground balls on the season. A special thanks to this year’s seniors Kevin Norman, Matt Frizzell, Alex Walthall, Garret Ferguson, Coleman Whyte, and Jon Cooper. Officers for the 2017-2018 season are as follows: -President: Jack Rich -Vice President: David Hayes -Treasurer: Mikey Fifield -Secretary: Samuel Ingles -Club Sports Council: Michael Godwin

Article By: Samuel Ingles Team Member

ESSFUL SEASON

Joshua Harris

WoMenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lacrosse

Tina Wade

MEMORIE

Tina Wade

ES GALORE

Tina Wade

Twenty-two girls. Nineteen games. Four tournaments. Four seniors. And more memories than we know what to do with. Like that one time in Charleston Marg just wanted to go home. We have definitely had a successful and interesting year, and we will definitely miss the girls that we lose.

in a goal. When we went to Charleston, back in October, we played a team with no goalie and no one to spare. In order to solve this problem and still play, we opted to place a trash can in the goal to act as a fill in. About half way through the game, Bouma launched a shot into the goal, going straight through the trashcan and leaving two lacrosse ball size holes in either side. It took us a second to In the past year, the girls on our team have supplied realize that she had scored before we erupted in more interesting stories than I know what to do celebration, only to have our hopes dashed when with. Between the goofball moments, the serious the ref announced there was no goal. We were ones, and every moment in between, this team stunned, had a goalie been there the shot would alone could make headlines. This in mind I asked have gone right between her legs. Regardless of the girls for their favorite memories, and these were whether we got the point though, that was still an the top three. awesome shot. Props, Bouma! We had a couple of games this past year in which we didn’t have a goalie in attendance, or our goalie was injured. In order to play we needed one, so always faithful Emma Bouma stepped in to help. Every time she got in-goal was a game to remember. For her first times in-goal she did exceptionally well, saving some pretty hard shots. The best part about it though, was the jig she would do after every save. It confused the other team so much we finally had to explain that she was new to the whole goalie gig. Suffice it to say, everyone thought she was adorable. While she may have been cute in goal, it wasn’t cute what she was capable of doing to something

Our last memory, as Bouma would say, “Really went over the goalies head.” When we played High Point, back in March, Bouma and I made a play literally right over the goalies head. We ran the ball down the field and got it to Bouma behind the goal. I saw an opening and cut across the eight meter. Bouma passed me the ball, over the goalies head, and I took a shot that bounced off the goalies helmet and into the goal. I think we can definitely say that our team has a knack for making crazy shots.

Article By: Jennifer Wade Club Sports Council Rep

men’s Rugby

This spring semester, App State Men’s Rugby team took on a behemoth of a task that was the 7’s series that was put on by the Southern Rugby Conference. In this series, there were three qualifying tournaments that consisted of sixteen teams around North and South Carolina and even one team from Tennessee. These qualifying tournaments were something that we had been looking forward to since the end of winter break. We had placed dead last in our 7’s conference last year due to the lack of interest and a lot of guys graduating, so we were really excited to see what we could do. Through hard work and determination, AHO rugby was the bowl champions (9th place) at the Citadel 7’s, and improved to back-to-back plate champions (5th place) at the Wake Forest and Elon qualifiers. With this record we were seeded 5th in our conference out of sixteen teams. With this spot we were invited to compete in the conference finals that was held at Furman University on April 22nd. Going into this tournament we weren’t very sure what we could do but anything was an improvement. We ended up playing hard fought games and made it into the top bracket; losing to

THE FUTURE

Furman in the semi-finals and found ourselves in 4th place for the overall tournament. With only 1-2 seniors graduating from our 7’s roster AHO Men’s Rugby is very excited for what the future can hold. Three players from our school made all-conference list, these players were Lucas Brewer, Gene Devries, and Franklin Wepner. All three of these young men are experiencing their first year with the Rugby team here at App, so the sky’s the limit for these individuals. Lastly, congratulations to the newly elected 20172018 AHO officers: -President: Gabe Cash -VP: Lucian Murray -Match Secretary: Jeremy Haynes -Treasurer: John Cauthen -Club Sports Representatives: Iustin Scobercea & Lucas Brewer -Recruitment Chair: Chase Fountain

Article By: Drew Agans Vice President

E IS BRIGHT

Julie marzzarella

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rugby

PASSING T

THE REINS

As the 2016-2017 academic year comes to a close, it is heartwarming to look back on the success that AHO Women’s Rugby has enjoyed, and to get excited for the strong future of the club. As the year began, the team was starting from near scratch as there was a completely new executive board and only a handful of dedicated returners. However, for the fall season the club was able to field a whole team plus a few subs and demonstrate great athletic skill, despite a team of rookies. Rucktoberfest was an outstanding success, and although AHO went against some tough competition, the team was able to keep pushing forward, competing, and improving. The spring semester brought new talents and greater numbers for the club and the AHO team was able to win a majority of the matrix season games and win 1st in the Prom Rugby tournament. The team experienced considerable success on the pitch as well as off because, not only was the 2016-2017 year a phenomenal time to grow and develop the team for the game, it was also a great year for friendships to form and have amazing experiences as a team. Rugby is an incredibly social sport but the AHO team went above and beyond typical rugby comradery as the girls on the team formed true amity. There is a rugby GroupMe and throughout the entire year people would message words of encouragement, invitations to study or eat together or simply send funny memes and videos to brighten the day of their fellow teammates. The team is made up of real friends that would be willing to go out or stay in together because everyone knows

Christine Newcomb

that the real party is wherever the AHO girls are and it relieving to be in a group of friends who can have fun wherever they find themselves. AHO has enjoyed late night library study sessions, camping trips, rugby socials, beach trips, and simply hanging out in apartments or dorms all year long. That being said, AHO Women’s Rugby will continue to develop into a fierce, competitive team of friends with the coming years. As the executive board passes the reigns to the next group, the 20172018 executive board will be able to build upon a strong foundation to increase the prosperity of the AHO ladies. Some executive members are returning and those who are not are preparing the new leaders to take a strong position on the team. AHO is expecting great success for the coming season, many players are staying sharp and connected by playing in 7s tournaments together over the summer vacation. The returning players will come back in the fall ready to roll and the team will welcome all the new recruits as if they have been playing on the team since the beginning. Building on the triumph that was the 2016-2017 year, the AHO Women’s Rugby will become a powerhouse in the conference and a habitat that helps to create lasting friendships to enjoy throughout and after college.

Article By: Layne Johnston Team Member

Snowboard

DORMANT FOR SUMMER, BU

The Snowboarding team finished up this season in high spirits and with high hopes for next year. Our new officers are excited to lead our team and help instruct the new members in the ways of the mighty gnar. This past year’s senior officers are Marisa Debich (Secretary) and Patrick Clifton (President). The team is sad to see them go, but we know they will be going off to do great things. As a team farewell… “Yee Yee” my fellow gnarcats. I have been a part of the Snowboard team since my first year at Appalachian. I have seen the team grow into an organization that strives to promote individual snowboarding skills as well as create a family atmosphere for all members. Looking to the future… next year, my fellow officers and I are striving to move the Snowboard team into the community of Boone. One of our team goals include working with Appalachian Ski Mountain on their Winter Special Olympics. For competitions, we are

striving to attend and compete Nationals for the year of 2018. As a racer, I have full confidence in my fellow teammates and their ability to shred the gnar all up and down the mountain. My fellow gnarcats and I are looking forward to branching out into the App community next year for some fresh talent. To all Appalachian snowboarders, I invite you to come out next season and represent our school in the best way we know how. By carving, sending, and shredding all the powder on the East Coast. Although the team will be dormant for the summer, when the snow starts to fall… you know where we will be. In the name of the mighty gnar… Have a great summer Appalachian.

Article By: Gabriel Duff Vice President

UT GEARING UP FOR WINTER

Spencer Davis

Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SOCCER

CARRYING ON TH

Susan Davis

HE TEAM SPIRIT

The Men’s Club Soccer team saw their second season as a club continue on as high of a note as their first season. The year started out strong with 100+ players attending the initial practices for the second year in a row. From that pool of players we formed 4 teams: a travel team, 2 gold division teams and 1 silver division team in the local AMB Adult League through High Country Soccer Association. Our travel team continued their very successful first year with an equally impressive second year. The team finished the regular season undefeated in conference play, an unlucky loss in the final of the Virginia Tech Hokie Classic, and a spot in the Southeastern Regional Tournament. The team finished the regular season tied for first in conference with UNCW, however lack of games meant the two never met in the season. Our regional performance was not our best and even though only one game in the group stage was lost, it just wasn’t enough for us to get through. Our spring semester however, saw the club win its first competitive silverware. We competed in the NC State Wolfpack classic that saw a lot of strong teams that also featured in the regional tournament. Our group consisted of William & Mary, UNC Greensboro, and Shaw University’s Varsity team. We squeezed out a 2-1 win over William & Mary, tied UNCG 1-1 and defeated Shaw 1-0 which got us through to the next round. The next morning, we played Elon in a very back and forth game. Both teams were low on numbers and fighting tired legs from playing three games the day before. We managed to score one early and fought hard to keep them out of our net, finishing

Jonathan Petersso

the game 1-0. In the final we met UNCW in an act of fate to see who truly deserved the first-place finish in conference. Going into the game we were a bit nervous because we knew how good our opposition was and previous tournaments had seen us get so close but not being able to finish the job. This game we dug very deep and left it all on the field. We came out strong and scored two goals in the first 15 minutes of the game, settling our nerves and giving us a lot of confidence that we could win this. UNCW scored one off a free kick early in the second half and nerves started to creep in. The game was back and forth after that but our strong defense kept them at bay. A penalty call our way saw William Carter step up and put us up 3-1 followed shortly after by a great goal by Pepe Moratalla giving us a 4-1 victory. The win was the perfect way to finish off our year and have our seniors sent off on a high note. The club team would like to thank all the officers for their hard work and dedication to the program. Thanks to all our members for their commitment to the team and we would like to wish all the graduating seniors best of luck in the future. Our new officers are Greg Lilles, President, Aaron Hall, Vice President, Ian Lins, Secretary, Ryan Powers, Treasurer, and Jacob Culler, Club Sports Council Representative. We are sure this group of guys will carry on the strong team spirit we have built around this team and continue to bring success to this club.

Article By: Daniel Harris President

WOmen’s Soccer

As our season comes to a close, so does the time we have with our seniors. Reflecting on the time I spent with each of these girls, tons of memories come flooding into my head. Practices, games, road trips, tournaments- how will any of these be the same without them? This year’s group of talented seniors includes Caroline Holmes, Sarah Hardin and Kasey O’Hara. The dedication and effort you guys put into making this team better does not go unnoticed. We ran into many obstacles over this year and some felt like an eternity to overcome. Without each of you and your positive attitudes, it would have been impossible to move past those. You all are leaving soon and you will no longer have any obligation to this team. But all I ask of you three is that you go out into the world and make an impact on the next group of people you surround yourself with as you did with me, our team and

BIG SHOE

anyone you spend time with here at Appalachian State. Although we have many talented younger players ready to take your spots, they have very, very big shoes to fill. As we lose two of our officers this year (Caroline Homes- Treasurer and Sarah Hardin- Vice President) I am pleased to announce the new officers of 2017-2018. -President- Ellie Prim -Vice President- Caroline Rushing -Treasurer- Christian Huerta -Secretary- Emily Epley -Club Sports Council Rep- India Roseman

Article By: Emily Epley Secretary

ES TO FILL

Erica Allen

SWIM

OUR SWIMMING

GLY SEMESTER

As the year comes to an end, we have had lots of time for reflection on a great season. We are proud of a strong finish at Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia, where we took eighteen of our swimmers to compete. Best times were achieved, team records were broken, and we had a significant increase in numbers on our team roster. We traveled to five different states in the Southeast for swim meets, and swam at six different schools. These are only a few of the great things we accomplished as a team this year. One of our favorite memories was the swim meet that we hosted at our pool back in February. We had five other schools participating in our event, coming from all over North Carolina, and parts of South Carolina. Each team led cheers and had fun competing against one another. Our team had around fourty swimmers participating at the meet, and each swimmer got to swim in at least one event or relay. With such a great wrap up to our 2016-2017 season, we are thrilled for our next season to start. We have elected two new officers into position,

while three previous officers remain: President - Olivia Bear, junior Exercise Science major (Pre-Professional concentration), Chemistry minor. Olivia has been swimming competitively for fourteen years. Vice President - Katrina Huff, junior Psychology major, Health Promotion minor. Katrina has been swimming competitively for fourteen years. Secretary - Austin Lindhorst, senior Recreation Management major (Outdoor Experiential Education concentration), Sustainable Business minor. Austin has been swimming competitively for 10 years. Treasurer - Nicolo Iorio, sophomore Music Education and Saxophone Performance major. Nicolo has been swimming for 8 years. Club Sports Council Rep - Conor Hale, junior Geography major (Geographic Information Systems concentration). Conor has been swimming competitively for fourteen years.

Article By: Olivia Bear Vice President

TENNIS

This was the inaugural year for Club Tennis being a part of the Club Sports program. We were excited and optimistic at the beginning of the year since we finally had the official Club Sports recognition we worked hard to receive. The year did not disappoint and our club had its best season yet. We were able to acquire a club record of fiftyfive members largely thanks to the Club Sports recognition. Another huge accomplishment for our team was doubling the amount of competitions we participated in compared to last year. Thanks to the hard work put in by all the officers and the high-involvement of members, we got the chance to travel to tournaments in Hilton Head, Auburn, Knoxville, and Virginia Beach all in one season. The members who have been with the club for a few years now have always dreamed of playing in those big tournaments, so it was extremely satisfying seeing that come to fruition. Along with the record-setting number of members and involvement, we are also proud of the success we found on the court. The team was able to post an overall winning record for the season and we continue to improve each year. We are particularly proud of the success we found at

A TREMENDO

our biggest tournament of the year in Auburn, Alabama. It is always the one tournament we want to do particularly well at since a spot to nationals is on the line. We traveled to Auburn with a phenomenal team, which propelled us to a 5th place finish out of thirty-two teams. We compiled a 5-1 record that weekend, but came just shy of qualifying for nationals. Regardless, we could not be prouder of how we performed and we know that we are only going to get better in the future. The team is super excited for next year. We are bringing in three new officers with Spencer Daniels as Vice-President, Dominic Chavez as Treasurer, and Peri Peeler as Club Sports Council Rep. Our new and returning officers are all highly motivated and passionate individuals who look forward to keep improving the Club Tennis program. We believe if we can continue developing our teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s involvement, growth, reach, and camaraderie we will be able to have another record-setting year.

Article By: Kyle Kennedy President

Kyle Kennedy

OUS YEAR

Kyle Kennedy

Kelly Hargett

Taylor Freeman

TRIATHLON

THE FINAL T

TRANSITION

This year was another incredible year of growth for App State Triathlon. We successfully introduced five new athletes to the sport, some of who even competed at USAT Collegiate National Championships and brought in a new sponsor to the team. Rhoddie Bicycle Outfitters in Blowing Rock was an invaluable asset to our team, keeping our athletes’ bikes safe and race-ready, offering us discounts on their products and services, and teaching us basic bike maintenance skills. Our 2016-2017 season consisted of six races including our Collegiate Club National Championship this past week. The event was in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and was an Olympic distance race, consisting of 1,500m swim, twentysix mile bike, and 10k run. We had eleven athletes competing against 120 other schools representing almost every state. This race is always a blast because with over 1,200 athletes the energy and enthusiastic spectators are second to none. Thanks to the fantastic training Boone’s mountains provide, everyone was prepared for

Christian O’Briant

any hill that was thrown at us. Unfortunately, we discovered that hill training did not give us our usual advantage because Alabama is flat! For me, this is my kind of race, for others, not so ideal. Overall, the majority had PR performances in at least one section of the race and everyone did an awesome job despite the Tuscaloosa heat. We are looking forward to now being better prepared Alabama’s climate and *lack of* elevation as the championship will return to Alabama again next year. As we say goodbye to our senior officers and athletes, the young, new leadership is excited to continue to work towards making App State Triathlon a competitive, fun-loving team and is in the middle of finalizing the race schedule for next year.

Article By: Abby Duffy Team Member

MEN’S ULTIMATE

SHAKE EM UP, SHAKE EM UP

Sometimes you bring home the bacon, sometimes the bacon brings you home. Although this issue of Club Sports Illustrated is about the year in review, our season is finally hitting that up ramp. This past weekend we traveled to what some would call “Winston-Salem; home of the ORIGINAL Philly Cheese Steak.” The Nomads did not play their best ball, but certainly not their worst. I won’t say much more because you have been keeping up with the news, you should see what is going on with us. We will come out stronger than a lion power cleaning 385 this upcoming Sunday to prove we are one of the nation’s best. The Nomads have got some stains to clean up. Stains? Yeah we had a few errors on Saturday. Here a list of the top five laundry detergents in the game right now to break down what we use as a team (don’t judge my opinion): 1. Tide (delivers a clean and fresh style of) 2. Oxi Clean (attacks dry stains like a monster) 3. All (deserves a spot in the top 5 but not the best) 4. Wisk (I respect the stain spectrum tech. But needs to fight harder for that top 3) 5. Purex (up and coming in the game) A first shoutout to our seniors who graduate this year. Anthony “Tony” Morlacci, Mikko “Poor” Rich-Voorhees, and last but not least Rob “Daddy” Sprankle. When I came to the Nomads back in ‘98 I looked up to these guys like stars in the sky. Speaking for the team, we would like to thank them for contributing to the Nomads and passing

on knowledge to the yungins. Second shoutout to all the rookies who stayed with the squad and had an awesome time this year. I am talking about the Ryan Clark’s and Chase Park’s out there. Raj Patel, Chris Martin, Nick Baconkaraoke, Sam Wagner, Ben Tiffany, Alec McCleary, Anthony Hengst, Joey Willaims, Kennedy “Breadman” Wilkins, Logan Murrow, Matty “Wizard” McDangles, and Zach Elliot J. Us officers were most impressed with the patience of our young team and the willingness to learn by the guys. Everyone is excited about the potential to be great next season, but also focusing on closing this season strong. You young bucks are setting the stage for a HUGE 2017-2018 season. Our season progressed the Pokemon Munchlax to Snorlax. At the beginning of the season we were all hungry to make a play on D and score on O. Towards the end, finals right around the corner, everybody low on that meal plan, we just wanna sleep and play Ultimate. Like Drake once said “It’s a new season, and we still breathing.” This is the final Club Sports article that I will write this year, so shoutout to my peeps over at the SRC one more time for putting the work in. And to my loyal followers, I love you.

Article By: Myles Grady Secretary

P, SHAKE EM UP, SHAKE EM

Nick Simpson

WOMen’s Ultimate

Christinine

OH HOW THE T

Christinine

The Nomads have had a ballin season. We have greatly improved as a t great help of our coach George Erhardt. We went undefeated at our ho the fall and balled out at the College of Charleston to place 3rd in their have put in hard work to become a better team and set ourselves up fo next season.

Next year our officers are some strong independent women who don’t maybe George). Let me introduce to these female “hustlas.” President: Sarah-Cabot Morris (Scabot)

Scabot is a senior Advertising major who has been playing Frisbee sinc She enjoys spending time at the Greenway in Boone and hiking with fr animal is a Black Bear not to be confused with the rapper singer Blackb food is the “hoommus.” Vice President: Jessie Hollis (Chessie)

Chessie Hollis is a Junior Social Work major who has been playing Fri She was born with a disc in her hand and passion for the game in her h listening to country music and wearing anything with an American th food is cereal. Her spirit animal is the Rabbit cop from Zootopia Judy H Treasurer: Meredith Abercrombie (#SAF)

Meredith is a Senior Public Relations major who has been playing Fris

TABLES TURN

team through the ome tournament in r tournament. We or future success for

t need no man (except

ce her freshman year. riends. Her spirit bear. Her favorite

isbee since the womb. heart. She enjoys heme. Her favorite Hopps.

sbee since her

Christinine

freshman year. Meredith enjoys playing with her dog Zoey and watching The Great British Baking Show. Her favorite food is cheese. Her spirit animal also happens to be her patronus which is a grey squirrel. Secretary: Paige Tarleton (Sage) Paige is a Sophomore Nursing major who has just joined the world of Frisbee this past year. She enjoys making Spotify playlists and listening to the song “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” By Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and Dolfing (disc golfing). Her spirit animal is a pigeon because she is free. Her favorite food is Hidden Valley Ranch. Club Sports Rep.: Sarah Rivers (River/Rivers) Rivers is Junior Physical Education Major who also has just joined the world of Frisbee this year. She enjoys Wayne’s World and playing with her cat Kitty who is just an angel. Her favorite food is pizza/sugar. Her spirit animal is an otter. Publicity Chair: Christine Dudley (Christinine) Christine is a Sophomore Journalism Electronic Media Broadcast who is fresh to the world of Frisbee as well. She enjoys garlic bread and her pastel pink sweatshirt. Her favorite food is spaghetti and meatballs. Her spirit animal is a tiger.

Article By: Sarah-Cabot Morris Secretary

menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Volleyball

The Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Club Volleyball team is a brandnew organization whose exodus has led to the creation of a successful organization with endless possibilities for further growth. As our first year being an official Club Sports team we worked effortlessly to show that we are to be taken seriously. From our attitude on and off the court we have represented Appalachian State University with pride. This year we had the opportunity to conquer the volleyball world with two fiercely competitive teams. Our travels took us from South Carolina all the way to Kansas City where the school, Appalachian State University, will never be forgotten. As a green horned organization, we were able to create two tightly knit teams that surpassed the realm of just teammates. As friends we arose to the challenges that presented themselves at each tournament. While not every game was a win they were matches that we won and loss as a single unit. As the nationals and regionals team progressively and aggressively became more competitive, we were met with tougher competition that broadened our horizons and furthered our growth. With the passion of our sport we strived to make the community a better place with something we knew and loved. As a team, as friends, we were giving the opportunity to use our passion to assist in the organization that helped a local family in a

STARTED FROM

situation less fortunate than our own in the P.E.T charity tournament; this event led to us being able to greatly help that family. We capitalized our season by sending the national team to the NCVA national tournament where we were to battle on the courts with thousands of other teams from across the nation to be known as the champions. A flashback a year from this tournament our team grew tired from the persistent losses and single win throughout the whole entire week of tournament play. New, and refreshed we refused to be in that position again. Our drive took us to the semifinals within our bracket for the national trophy. Despite our loss, our quality sportsmanship throughout the whole entire tournament was recognized by the referees in an award almost as rare as the number of trophies available. Daily, our team grows in strength and comradery. To usher in the new season we have a newly elected executive board: President - Gannon Nowojczyk, Vice-President - Cole Rector, Secretary -Tyler Cajigas, Treasurer Greyson Meyers, and Club Sports Representative - Jayvaughn Oliver. Their passion for the organization and for their friends will further this program into something that this University will continue to be proud of.

Article By: Jayvaughn Oliver Club Sports Council Rep

M THE BOTTOM

Josue Hernandez

WOMenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Volleyball

Mike Collins

THE FUTUR

Mike Collins

RE IS 'NEER What a year it has been for Women’s Club Volleyball! This year we’ve made strides to transition into changes, adapted to challenges, and overall have grown as a club both in numbers and in general development and progression. This season was the last for a few of our players, but we would like to use this article to introduce next season’s oncoming executive board members that were elected by their fellow club members. President Ashley Collins is a rising senior and outsider hitter. She has played Club Volleyball for a few years now and is enthused to take on this important leadership role. She says she is grateful for the people she has met through the club and she hopes to keep up the progress that the club has made as a whole. She wished to, “leave with the club better than when [she] came to it”. Vice President Kelly Sommerich is a middle hitter and ready to take on the role of Vice President. She loves the people she has met through Club Volleyball, specifically this year because of the sheer number of participants and the increased diversity among players and skill sets. She looks forward to having a more prominent leadership role with the club next year and want to meet new people and keep having fun! Treasurer Erin Edwards is a rising Sophomore and middle hitter that is looking forward to the future of the club. She says, “We had a lot of firsts this past season and it will be nice to see how we have changed as a club since more people have club experience.” She said she will “miss Nat [author] because she was my first friend during club! And she showed me so many things that she probably doesn’t realize”. Erin will be a wonderful leader and will oversee the financial aspect of the club. Secretary Sydney Edwards is a rising Sophomore

Mike Collins

and right side hitter who has invested her time in the club by working hard and showing her passion for the sport. She is looking forward to meeting new club members who share her passion. She remarked on her fond memories of the past year stating, “I’ll miss the people leaving because I bonded with them and they taught me so much about the club and how to succeed in college.” Sydney will soon become just as inspirational a leader as those have influenced her time in the club. Layla Richani is excited to take on the role of Club Sports Council Representative. She is a libero who was on the National team this past season. She remarks on her favorite part of the season saying, “Beating ECU in semi-finals at the UNCW tournament. My team really pushed against their amazing team and worked well together to win the game.” She is looking forward to being on executive board and improving the overall club operations and being able to help with team placements and selections. Layla will attend weekly meeting for club sports and represent Club Volleyball in front of a council of her peers. This future is bright for this upcoming executive board and Women’s Club Volleyball next season. I want to take a moment to thank all of the people that I have met along the way in this journey. I know that myself and the other seniors are honored and grateful to have played, many of us for 4+ years, with this group of girls. Thank you for being such a pivotal part of my experience here at Appalachian State and for bringing equal parts laughter, love, and hard work to my time here. Good luck to our Seniors & Go ‘Neers!

Article By: Natalie Bouchard Secretary

LEARN MORE ABOUT CLUB SPORTS GO TO CLUBSPORTS.APPSTATE.EDU

Executive Officers

Nikko Weeman weemannk@appstate.edu

Angena LeBarre lebarreac@appstate.edu

Sophie Twarog twarogsr@appstate.edu

Coordinators for Competitive Sports:

Chris Carr carrcp@appstate.edu

Eric Horth horther@appstate.edu

Director of UREC: Joe Carter carterjr@appstate.edu

Assistant Director for IM + Club Sports: Erin Sanders sandersec1@appstate.edu

@AppStateClubSports

@AppStClubSports

Club sports@appstate.edu | (828)262-2100