Optimist Print Edition 10.14.22

BY SYDNEY VARNER & MARIAH WILLIAMS EDITOR IN CHIEF & BREAKING NEWS EDITOR

In past years, the responsibility of Homecoming floats, parade participation and other traditions have fallen into the hands of prospective members. But recent Greek Life changes means Homecoming for sororities and fraternities is looking different.

The move to spring rushing and joining happened last year to include freshmen in the process.

While the transition year included both fall and spring joining, this year will be the first year having just the spring season.

Robin McPherson, senior coordinator of fraternities and sororities, said she hopes this new change will influence other members to step up.

“I’m expecting to have a lot of involvement and it not just be the new members from spring, but I do feel like the members from spring 2022 are gonna have a huge part in the float building,” McPherson said.

Before the recent change, prospective members would be responsible for the Homecoming float and attending practices to chant

in the parade.

However, with the change in responsibilities and requirements accompanying the new rushing and joining season, some clubs have run into challenges in their Homecoming preparation.

Jett Patterson, Gamma Sigma Phi vice president, said his fraternity has seen decline in current member involvement but the changes are still a good idea.

“We’ve had a lot of members step up and make a good impression and a lot of members kind of sulk back because they don’t want to do the ‘work,’” Patterson, senior mathematics major from Amherst, said.

“It is definitely a learning curve, trying to install new traditions or just kind of looking back at the old and the new and trying to see what’s different and keeping a positive attitude about it.

I will admit that I’m a little sad about the things that our potential new guys will miss but I also know that long-term I think that this is a decent move.”

Stephanie Tran, senior biochemistry major from Keller and Tri Kappa Gamma president, said the main issue within her club

is scheduling issues.

“There’s a lot of people who have conflicts with scheduling and so we’re trying to work with them just by giving them a lot of grace and just giving them opportunities to make things up,” Tran said.

“Like if they can’t march they will help with set-building instead.”

For some sororities and fraternities, Homecoming preparation and traditions were sent back to the drawing board with the most recent Greek Life changes but for others like Frater Sodalis, Homecoming traditions haven’t changed much.

Kauy Ostlien, president of Frater Sodalis, said that the only thing that has been affected is the annual Homecoming breakfast.

“Every year our alumni interact with brats at breakfast and tell them stories of pledging and maybe pull their leg a little bit about being a brat,” Ostlien, junior journalism major from Abilene, said.

“It’s a fun time, and I’m sad to see it go.”

For a complete schedule of Homecoming events for each sorority and fraternity alumniassociation.acu.edu.

A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Sophomore linebacker Darius Moore races towards his opponents. Follow

Sema’J

Theatre’s ‘The Little Mermaid’

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Ariel played by senior Emilie Reed sings ‘Part of Your World.’

BY DANIEL CURD | PHOTOGRAPHER

Students play a game of corn hole.

BY DANIEL CURD | PHOTOGRAPHER

Various fraternities and sororities line the outskirts of the tailgate.

Homecoming Court selection process undergoes changes

BY MARIAH WILLIAMS BREAKING NEWS EDITOR

Homecoming Court selection will now have a more intricate process.

Instead of relying on student votes alone, after nominations, a faculty panel now picks the final court selection and the student body chooses from their selection.

April Young, senior alumni and university relations officer, started working on changing the

process last year and said this change was made to raise the standard of the Homecoming Queen title.

“We need to elevate the idea of Homecoming Court to a different standard to one that recognizes leader of our student body in a different way that puts more emphasis on leadership, on diversity, student organizations and their involvement,” Young said.

Every female senior in a student organization had an opportunity to be voted

on by the members of their group.

Those chosen members then had to submit an application along with a resume and essay questions.

Jenna Miles, Homecoming Queen nominee, said she agrees with the new system and it has worked well.

“There are really good leaders on our campus and names that I recognize, which means there are good leaders on campus,” Miles, senior music educa -

tion major from Lilltfield, said.

After combing through the applications, 15 women were chosen for the court to be voted on by the student body.

A panel of faculty and staff is responsible for choosing the candidates.

“We’re still honoring senior women who are leaders; that hasn’t changed. We just want to highlight them in different ways,” Young said.

The Homecoming

Queen will be given a $1,000 grant to start a university impact initiative.

She will also be heavily involved with Alumni relations and other various events.

To be eligible for Homecoming Court, studetnts must maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA and must be a current member of an organization. The student should also be in good standing with the university.

GATA Fountain set for completion during Homecoming Weekend

BY ASHLEE REED NEWS WRITER

The new GATA Fountain in front of Moody Coliseum will be completed by Homecoming Weekend.

The idea for a new GATA Fountain began in 2016, and GATA hoped the new fountain would ring in their centennial anniversary in 2020. However, COVID disrupted this process.

The project officially broke ground in April of this year.

GATA alumni and sponsors like April Young, senior alumni and university relations officer, have been involved with the idea of a new fountain since the beginning stages, through COVID and during the final stages of the project.

“Once it became a better time to start having those conversations with our alumni again, once the university felt like they could move into that project as well – because it’s a very combined project with the university – we got things moving,” Young said.

“It really was about a year ago

things really started moving very quickly.”

Current students are no stranger to the construction currently taking place outside of Moody but Homecoming Weekend marks the unveiling of the GATA Fountain as the newest addition to recent campus renovations. Kevin Campbell, senior vice president for operations, helped coordinate the construction of the new fountain.

“We’re really excited about this kind of being like the exclamation point on Moody,” Campbell said.

GATA sponsors were the main financial backing for the new GATA Fountain, making the new fountain possible.

During Homecoming Weekend, GATA will be hosting a wide range of activities and events to honor their current members, donors and alumni.

Alayah Jones, current GATA president and senior biology major from San Antonio, is hoping to use this weekend to honor the past while looking forward to GATA’s future as well.

BY ASHLEE REED NEWS WRITER

The student-run Oasis Smoothie Bar in COBA began business this semester with its own brickand-mortar location in the College of Business Administration (COBA) room 114.

The CEOs are Mackenzie Zody, senior marketing and management major from Denver, and Laura Kate Mas -

“We’re having a lot of alumni come in who haven’t been able to come in for the past couple years,” Jones said. “We have a video of a lot of our past presidents to kind of talk about what GATA meant to them at the time they were president. Getting all of our active members to see that and see how we’ve evolved as a club and sisterhood, that’s going to be so amazing.”

For Jones, GATA signifies family and community and she hopes the new fountain can become a special place for everyone.

Although the retirement of the previous GATA Fountain may be bittersweet, it’s no doubt that the new fountain will be a vital addition to campus.

“I’m hoping that our new area is just a comfort for people; they all gather around, they just sit, they have community, they eat, they study, they just really utilize that space while they’re at ACU,” Jones said.

On the Friday of Homecoming Weekend, a come-

ters, sophomore business management major from Dripping Springs. Both CEOs bring something different to the table; Zody with her strategic planning skills, and Masters with her prior work experience in the food service industry.

Masters was initially approached by Jim Litton, director of the Griggs Center, about his idea for the space.

Thus, Oasis Smoothie

Bar was born.

“It couldn’t have happened without the Griggs Center because they provided the funding for us to start it, which is huge,” Masters said.

“Every penny we spend, we pay back.”

On weekdays, Oasis serves smoothies like the Very Berry and the Go Go Green, as well as acai bowls.

As for the ingredients, Oasis only uses whole

foods.

The kitchen is nut and gluten free and offers dairy free options.

While waiting for their smoothie, customers can also browse merchandise from Purple Outfitters and other small businesses that are a part of COBA’s Founders Club.

“It’s an oasis for students to go to and also for them to learn about entrepreneurship and other student-run businesses on campus,” Zody said.

The small-business market helps the buisnesses get connected and begin building a larger network.

“We wanted to give that support to just get their brands out there to the student body,” Zody said.

Both CEOs hope to host more events in their storefront and raise awareness about their business in general.

Zody said that their location has been a struggle since not every student has a class in COBA.

Regardless of this obstacle, Zody and Masters worked with the Griggs Center to put up signs around campus to direct students to Oasis.

“We want to encourage the students to reach out and come in.

We want to hear from them because they’re really important to us,” Masters said.

Just one example of what COBA offers student entrepreneurs, Oasis serves as an example of just how plausible it is for students to start a business through the support of COBA’s faculty and staff.

“How I would describe the entrepreneurial spirit at ACU is fierce,” Zody said.

“There’s a lot of students feeling like they can start a business, so they are.

The entrepreneurship community here is fantastic.”

Many student-run ACU businesses get their start in the Foundations Entrepreneurship class.

In this course, students

are required to pitch a small business idea.

From there, groups are formed around the strongest pitches and the businesses are developed from an idea to a finished product or service offered to the student body by the end of the semester.

This semester, there are 43 of these “Venture Out” businesses.

Sarah Trahan a sophomore advertising and public relations major from Rockwall successfully pitched her idea and her small business is in its early stages of development.

“The Griggs Center, my TA and my learning in COBA have all offered me lots of advice and resources for the best chance of my business having success,” Trahan said.

“I truly believe the teaching is more than contributing to my abilities in my future career endeavors as well.”

After this course, students can continue their Venture Out business or pursue other ideas.

No matter their journey, students can find support through the Griggs Center – whether that’s through funding, expert advice or support from other students, like Lexi Hotchkin, sophomore business marketing major from San Antonio, who serves as the Griggs Center marketing director.

“We do a lot of the entrepreneurship and philanthropy on campus,” Hotchkin said.

“We promote entrepreneurial spirit with our students and we kind of help back them and give them resources to continue what they’re doing.”

To learn more about Oasis Smoothie Bar and other student-run businesses, follow @oasis. smoothiebar and @acu_ coba on Instagram.

Additionally, at 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 14. in the Campus Center, Oasis will offer 50 free smoothie samples on a first-come-first-serve basis.

and-go gathering around the new fountain will be taking placefor its debut. On Saturday morning, GATA members and alumni will have breakfast around the fountain and sing there for the first time.

After, GATA will march in

the Homecoming Parade, sing around the fountain again, host a tailgate before the football game and host their GATA Gala for members and alumni.

“We want to make sure we let our members know that we appreciate that even though

this is a busy week we’re going to be heading into, we appreciate all of the time they’ve sacrificed to help out,” Jones said. To see the official calendar of events and learn more about the new GATA Fountain, visit http://acu.edu/gata.

BY ASHLEE REED | NEWS WRITER

A birds eye view of the construction Peck Plaza.

2022 Homecoming Queen nominees: Anna Kate Bradford

Jillian Fifield Cydney Ford Jalen Garza

EmmaRose Habert

Kaycee Humphrey

Avery Iles

Lindsey May

Jenna Miles

Senia Overstreet

Taylor Shroll

Stephanie Tran

Abby Young

East meets West Texas Bible faculty member named Teacher of the Year

Dr. Brad East’s small office is filled to the brim with books –and I mean filled. Stacked on top of a completely full walllength bookshelf are more books, and even more sit on the floor in front of the shelf. An extra few stacks fill the space under his desk.

Entering into his sixth year at ACU, barely enough time to even apply for tenure, East has already earned the designation of ACU’s Teacher of the Year for his scholarship, thoughtfulness and ability to make the difficult study of theology tangible for his students.

As Teacher of the Year, East, assistant professor of bible, missions and ministry, will be honored in the 2022 Homecoming Parade and will speak at the December 2022 graduation commencement and spring 2023 University Scholars ceremony.

“I was shocked,” East said. “I suppose I would’ve been shocked in any circumstance but getting it at the end of my fifth year wouldn’t have even occurred to me.”

Thirteen years after his higher education began at ACU as a Biblical text major, East found his way back to the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building.

“He’s just a fantastic fit for ACU,” said Dr. Rodney Ashlock, chair of the Department of Bible, Missions and Ministry.

The faculty of the College of Biblical Studies voted East as the Outstanding Undergraduate Professor for the 2020-21 school year, a designation that he said is meaningful in a different way than the student-voted Teacher of the Year award of the 2021-22

year.

Ashlock said although some professors are naturally good at either scholarship or teaching, East is a combination of both.

“He is constantly reading, constantly writing, constantly teaching. All those things, they just sync with him,” Ashlock said. “I think that’s what makes him such a good professor.”

Dr. Chris Flanders, professor of missions and intercultural studies, called East “amazingly informed,” and said he was impressed with East’s knowledge of theology.

Flanders said that although some theology professors embody the idea of an “ivory tower theologian,” whose thoughts exist exclusively in the heavens and rarely make a visit down to earth, East is the opposite.

“He can translate eternal ideas into more understandable ways that the average student can get,” Flanders said.

East said his interest in theology sparked in middle school when his youth minister began giving him books about the Bible and God.

“I was a precocious kid. Although I didn’t have the

language yet, I had theological interests,” East said.

“Once I realized that there was thousands of years of rich reflections on this stuff, I was like ‘Whoa, I’ve got to get my hands on that.’”

Originally from Austin, East earned his undergraduate degree from ACU, graduating summa cum laude with a B.A. in 2007.

He went on to earn his master’s of divinity in theology and ethics from Emory University in 2011, and his Ph.D. in religious studies from Yale in 2017.

For being a fairly new pro-

fessor, East already has an impressive curriculum vitae.

Among his large collection of soft and hardbacks of a variety of genres, two books written by East himself also sit on his shelves, with another one to join once it is published in 2023.

East said as a professor of theology for both majors and non-majors, his goals are to understand where his students are coming from, meet them where they are and to find ways to make the subject matter compelling, but in a way that does not sacrifice the rigor and depth teaching the-

ology requires.

“It’s the knowledge of God. That’s a big topic,” East said. “We’re not doing something easy and simple. I’ve worked really hard to balance those variables.”

East had very little teaching experience prior to returning to ACU as an assistant professor.

At first, connecting with his students in meaningful ways was difficult, he said, and something he thinks he did not do very well.

His hard work has clearly paid off, as proven by the students who voted him to be ACU’s Teacher of the Year.

“It was very validating that at least with some students, I’ve been able to strike a chord and succeed in checking those boxes,” East said.

One of those students is Kaelin Winters from Austin, an ACU graduate student pursuing a master’s of divinity – who said she wouldn’t have even gone to graduate school without East’s influence.

Winters graduated with her undergraduate degree in vocational missions and took two classes with East: The Church and Theological Ethics.

“He can always tell when I’m thinking something,” Winters said. “He forces me to think about things.”

Although he was designated Teacher of the Year, East said the award is a reflection on the quality of his department and the faculty and staff who have helped to shape him into the professor he is.

East said that he cannot take credit for his success as a professor.

Many of his teaching techniques are stolen from observing his fellow faculty members who have taught him just as much as all the books that surround him in his office.

BY RILEY FISHER | PHOTOGRAPHER

Dr. Brad East, was named Teacher of the Year for the 2021-22 school year.

BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

the ACU

ACU Riding Team to lead off Homecoming Parade

BY PAIGE TAYLOR NEWS WRITER

On horseback and carrying flags, the ACU Riding Team will proudly lead the Homecoming parade Saturday.

The riding team dates back several decades but involvement in the team has fluctuated over the years for many reasons.

Lauren Mack, co-president of the riding team, said one of the main reasons is because people don’t know about the team.

“It’s not been consistently supported, talked about and advertised,” Mack, junior nursing major from Brady, said.

“So, it’s been up and down. Some years are better than others with the way that people know about it.”

Tryouts take place every semester for new and current members of the club.

Shay Kepaa, co-president of the riding team, said there are a wide variety of majors represented on the team.

“Usually we want more experienced people to try out due to safety reasons but we love to just have anyone come out and try out because you never know,” Kepaa, political science and livestock management major from Stillwater, Oklahoma, said.

There is also an alternate team, which both Mack and Kepaa said makes for good competition.

“The alternates are just as involved. They’re team members,” Mack said.

“They’re just not assigned a particular horse, because we don’t have the resources to assign them to another horse.

So, it’s all competition for who gets assigned a horse, and that changes.”

Some members have their own horses here in Abilene, while others use horses that are provided by the ACU farm.

Mack said so far this semester the team has tried to compete or participate in an event every weekend,

ranging from barrel races to parades.

“We’ll go to events every weekend or when people can but most of the time we try to all go together as a team to represent ACU,” Mack said.

There is close to 20 people on the team and Kepaa said that the people are what she loves most about the team.

“I love getting to meet all the new people,” Kepaa said.

“Watching people progress, I feel like that is one of the best parts as an officer.”

Mack said the riding team feels like their own kind of social club.

“It feels really good to have a group of people that are like minded and we can kind of all get each other,” Mack said.

“It’s still small enough where it’s very tight knit, and we do a lot of things together.

A lot of us are really close friends outside of the club, and so that’s always been really nice.”

Accountancy (M.Acc.)*

Ancient and Oriental Christianity (M.A.)

Athletic Training (M.A.T.)*

Christian Ministry (M.A.C.M.)*

Clinical Psychology (M.S.)*

Communication (M.A.) Counseling Psychology (M.S.)*

Divinity (M.Div.)*

New Testament (M.A.)

Occupational Therapy (M.S.)

Occupational Therapy (O.T.D.)

Old Testament (M.A.)

Psychology (M.S.)

School Psychology (S.S.P.)*

Social Work - Advanced Standing (M.S.S.W.)

Social Work (M.S.S.W.)*

Speech-Language Pathology (M.S.)

Strength, Conditioning, and Human Performance (M.S.)

Teaching and Learning (M.Ed.)*

Theology (M.A.)

*Integrated degree program available

Marriage and Family Therapy (M.M.F.T.) Ministry (D.Min.)

Modern and American Christianity (M.A.)

Sigma Sigma Theta Theta Sigma Chi Chi Chi Theta

Junior ministry major Kaley Bates, member of the riding team, carries

Theatre makes splash with ‘Mermaid’

Homecoming Musical to open Friday in Abilene Civic Center

BY MACI WEATHERS NEWSLETTER EDITOR

The Homecoming Musical ‘The Little Mermaid’ is making the change to the Abilene Civic Center after being expected in the new Boone Family Theater.

With this move, the Department of Theatre was able to use the set from ‘The Little Mermaid’ Tour because of the larger stage. As well, the Abilene Civic Center will be able to hold around 1,000 more seats than Boone Family Theater, sitting at 600 available seats.

The reasoning for the transition came down to global shipping issues, said Dawne Swearingen-Meeks, director of the Homecoming Musical and theatre department chair.

“When we finally got to the point where we recognized there are things that are out of our hands, everyone was trying so hard to make things happen,” Meeks said.

Issues with the fly system showed up; however,they weren’t dangerous, said Emilee Reed, lead and senior musical theatre major from Salem, Oregon.

“The way it kind of affects

me most is we will be using fly rails, the leads will be flying into the air,” Reed said. “I don’t think it was unsafe in Boone, it will be just more feasible because the Civic Center theater was built for it.”

The extra seating in the Civic Center will provide more availability for student rush tickets as well as allow more families to see the show.

“It’s awesome to get to be able to be the lead in the Civic Center because it’s such a huge stage,” Reed said.

“To be blessed with the opportunity to be one of those leads on that stage

and I know the other leads feel the same way.”

However, the department and the cast and crew continue to see the positives of the transition to the Civic Center despite wanting to bring the Homecoming Musical home.

“I can’t wait till we are able to be back on campus and tell our beautiful stories in that space,” Meeks said. “However, this is just a reality for everyone, including Broadway. We walk in gratitude and we tell our story.”

The cast and crew began the move to the Civic Center

last week, moving in the new set to prepare for rehearsals.

The transition to the Civic Center falls mostly on the students, including Layla Rorem, props master and sophomore theatre major from Plano who deals with keeping track of the props and set pieces.

Despite this unexpected move, Rorem is excited about the idea of going back to the Civic Center.

“We were all super hype about Boone Family Theatre because we were going to be the first Homecoming Musical in the new Boone,”

Rorem said. “There are different reasons to be excited about the Civic Center, Civic Center has been a part of ACU theatre for a very long time. It’s just a really cool facility that gives us a lot of opportunities, so it’s still a part of ACU tradition”

‘The Little Mermaid’ will be debuted over three dates, Oct. 14-16 with two 8 p.m. performances and one 2 p.m. performance. Attendees are encouraged to buy tickets through the box office, as well students are encouraged to participate in the rush tickets.

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Ursula, played by senior Rose Lee-Alliston, plots how she will take over the sea.

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Scuttle, played by senior Jack Bledsoe, flying through the sky.

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Sebastian, played by senior Caleb Evans, panics as the chef attempts to make him into a crab cake.

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Two castle attendents help Ariel, played by senior Emilee Reed with her first ever bath.

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Mer-sisters confusion as they notice Ariel is missing.

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

A group of sea creatures find sympathy in Ariel’s plithe.

It’s no secret attending

Abilene Christian University is an expensive endeavor.

While average tuition at most private universities sits around $38,050, ACU tuition tops out at a whopping $41,500 per year, not including room and board or textbooks per year. This price also does not include housing, textbooks or a meal plan.

The average room and board price is currently $11,500, and while admittedly better than the average room and board costs for a private university, it is not going to stay that way for much longer with the opening of newer – and fancier – residence halls.

Construction of the Freshman Village is limiting lower cost residence halls, effectively barring lower income students from attending the university.

Looking strictly at the prices of the residence halls, the cheapest halls on cam-

pus are both Mabee Hall and Nelson Hall. Mabee sits at $2,900 per semester, $5,800 per year and Nelson sits at $2,500 per semester, $5,000 per year.

Now, comparing these prices to the new halls you see a dramatic increase. Bullock Hall and future Wessel Hall currently cost $3,850 per semester, $7,700 per year.

While to some a $2,000 increase may not be a big deal, for lower income students that extra $2,000 could be a deal breaker. And by renovating the cheaper options, the university is effectively closing off opportunities for lower income students to attend.

So what about financial aid? Wouldn’t that help students with the increased price in residence halls? The average financial aid a freshman receives on campus is $20,187. Let’s do the math for a student living in Bullock Hall receiving the average financial aid for one year.

For a student living in Mabee or Nelson hall, that price would be dropped down to approximately $29,000, making attend -

ing the university just that much more affordable.

Thinking that the $2,000 increase in student housing wouldn’t make a difference is close minded.

While the Freshman Village is being advertised as a place to build community by living in close proximity, campus is not so big that proximity in where freshmen are living will inhibit that growth.

With more spaces like the renovated Moody Coliseum and a slowly improving campus mall area, students have plenty of ac-

cess to build community.  Looking specifically at the breakdown of an entering freshman class, it’s important to note that Wessel hall will house 400 students, similarly to Bullock. Let’s take a look at what it may look like to find an affordable residence hall as a women entering ACU as a freshman.

Bullock and Wessel house roughly 200 women

each, sometimes more depending on the split of the freshman class and Sikes, though closing for renovation during 23-24 school year, will house more.

Nelson comes in at the smallest residence hall only housing 178 women.

With the options split between Bullock, Wessel and soon-to-be renovated Sikes Hall, the chances you will get assigned a

room in Nelson hall have now been reduced to approximately 25% meaning freshmen are likely to have to deal with unwanted or strenuous price increases for living on campus, which is required as an entering freshman.

The university should not be focusing so heavily on the community that they are discounting lower income students.

BY: MACI WEATHERS MDW19F@ACU.EDU

It’s no question that Yik Yak is an entertaining app to be on.

Even I can see the appeal even despite the uncomfortableness that comes with the inevitable ‘calling out’ of people behind a screen.

Locally, students can post on the app when Chapel starts and the person preaching says something funny or controversial. Or they can

post when a significant issue happens on social media.

However, despite the appeal, Yik Yak brings toxicity to campuses including this one.

Yik Yak made its grand return in 2021 after it was taken down in 2017 when parents, teachers and college administration pushed for the app’s termination.

Since then, ACU students have started “yakking” the good, the bad and the ugly on campus.

The app mostly becomes

toxic to college campuses when social controversies and manipulation of the truths begin. Students can post expressing their opinion about the newest Greek Life change or SGA vote without thinking about the negativity that can come across and hurt the people that established those changes. Adding another layer of tension, these posts can be from your friend or roommate creating more room for problem to solve.

Yik Yak also poses a threat to both women and men,

people can post comments on how people dress or physically look, which can promote stalking tendencies and be harmful.

It’s easy for people to look at these anonymous posts and take a punch to your confidence. On top of the inappropriate jokes, there seems to be a sense of normality to posting details about a person’s mental health.

Combining this anonymous app with posting of dire cries for help and a shortage of access to mental

health care on campus can take a dangerous toll.

So what do we do about it all? Delete the app.

This can come at a cost to some, having friends around you with the app who don’t understand the toxicity of the app can lead to peer pressure that you need to be on Yik Yak for the ‘harmless jokes.’

Outside of deleting the app entirely, I believe the first step is education. We should focus on educating people about mental health and when to spot that

someone is in need of help as well as educating people on the social implications of so-called ‘harmless jokes.’ As a campus, we must understand the signs on when to reach out to someone, to care for other people and understand where the line is being crossed. The moral of the story, while the anonymous joke posting of a person on campus doing something ‘weird,’ may seem harmless to you, it was never harmless to them.

BY: CONNOR MULLINS CAM19C@ACU

For 48 years, ACU had three sports information directors. After Jordan Herrod’s recent exit after a year and a half, ACU is searching for their third sports information director in just three years.

Longevity is a staple for ACU especially when hiring faculty and staff.

Athletics traditionally has been no different but with ACU’s rise to Div. I, they have seen Jared Mosley from 20002014, Lee De Leon from 2014-2018, Allen Ward from 2018-2021 and Zack Lassiter from Dec. 2021-present in the athletic director role.

Instability at this position and others in recent years plays into how ACU will be searching for their third SID in three years.

For the college athletics industry as a whole, better delegation of tasks and health-

ier work-life balances need to be implemented.

In an article written by Sportico, over the past two years, college athletic departments across Div. I have seen a 48% turnover rate. Div. II programs are not much better at 58% while Div. III programs have the best rate at 43.7%.

For comparison, businesses have had a turnover rate of 15% and higher education at 14%. College athletics are seeing a significant trend in the wrong direction and are struggling to maintain employees long-term.

From 1973-2021, ACU had three SID’s: Garner Roberts

(1973-1998), Lance Fleming (1998-2019),

In

Project Manager at Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo.

Now, ACU will be hiring their third media relations staff member in three years.

Athletics is not an 8-5 job but giving employees nights off in order for them to come back to work healthier the next day may be a necessary change.

Traveling may need to be reduced and more staff may be needed to maintain a work environment that is attractive instead of one in Div. II that has a -10% growth rate.

This issue is much larger

than ACU as it has affected and will continue to affect athletic departments across the country.

In order for ACU to start a new trend in the right direction, athletics may need to start seriously thinking about ways to keep their employees for more than a year and a half.

You cannot have a sustainable work environment when you’re hiring your third SID in three years and have had four athletic directors in ten years.

Something has to change around the country in athletics and at ACU.

The Department of Athletics is still a part of ACU and as a Christian university it is important to be aware of the trends in the industry so that Lassiter and others can set an example for other athletic departments around the country.

But, it is up to him and others to do so and keep their employees long-term.

Chris Macaluso (2011-2021). For 48 years, three people held the role as a Sports Information Director.

2019, Cassie Kelley and Zach Carlyle were hired as Me-

dia Relations Coordinators.

Two years later, Jordan Herrod was hired as the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications.

Herrod recently left ACU for a job as a Digital Health

BY MARIAH WILLIAMS | BREAKING NEWS EDITOR Wessel Hall construction in August 2022

BY CARRIE JOHNSTON | CO-SPORTS DIRECTOR

The newly renovated Moody Coliseum.

BY CONNOR MULLINS CO-SPORTS DIRECTOR

A 2400 mile round trip is what’s ahead this week for new head coach Alisa Blair and the Wildcats.

The Wildcats (4-13, 1-4) head to California Baptist (7-9, 2-3) on the road on Thursday and Grand Canyon (97, 3-2) at home on Saturday. Blair’s team was swept in back-to-back matchups last weekend against Southern Utah and Utah Tech.

Western Athletic Conference matchups are in full swing with ACU at 12th out of 13 with a month remaining before the conference tournament. ACU lost 3-0 to Southern Utah and Utah Tech on the road last week, and Blair said her team is hopeful of getting back on track.

“A lot of it is just having that goldfish mentality,” Blair said. “Having that short memory span and learning how to respond. We talked about this morning in our practice, it’s like you go on your first test with your professors and you don’t know how they test. You don’t know what’s going to happen in the test. You do really bad but after your first test, you always respond really well. You don’t stay with the same test. You always respond and you move on and you grow in that kind of stuff. So having that same kind of mentality, move on, learn, develop and continue to grow from each and every one of them.”

CBU is coming off an up and down weekend with a 3-1 win at the

University of Texas-Arlington on Thursday and a 3-0 loss to Stephen F. Austin on Saturday.

Outside hitter Christine Graf, senior from Minneapolis, is currently fifth in the WAC in kills per set with 3.32. Middle blocker Chandler Gorman, redshirt senior from Houston, is second with 1.05 blocks per set in the WAC. Libero Paige Johnstone, senior from Murrieta, California, has aced her opponents .53 times per set to secure the second place spot in the WAC. As a team, the Lancers rank in the top five in the WAC in assists and kills good enough for eighth in the conference standings.

“Having our first trip in Utah and understanding the feeling of being a little bit tired from travel

will help us understand,” Blair said. “Especially when we go to California and come back home. We have more recovery time between games, but at the same time we still have to get off the bus and have to respond in a good way.”

GCU played SFA and UTA as well with a 3-1 loss to SFA on Thursday but a 3-1 win over UTA on Saturday.

Outside hitter Megan Taflinger, graduate from Leona Valley, California, comes in at third in the WAC with 3.52 kills per set and second in points with 4.08 per set. Setter Klaire Mitchell, senior from Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, ranks second in assists per set with 9.23 in the WAC. The Antelopes currently sit at fifth in the WAC standings

and face ACU directly after the Wildcats’ homecoming football game.

“I thought we did a good job with planning this one because we have a football game, which is great, but that helped push our game further back,” Blair said. “Travel always stinks, but at the same time, we get to sleep in our own bed. Any time you get to sleep in your own bed and actually have that before a game is phenomenal because your body just resets. It’s not easy, but that’s just the way this conference is.”

Right side hitters Londyn Gray, senior from Weatherford, and Jada Birkel, senior from Austin, shined last weekend in Utah. Gray racked up seven kills for a .278 against Southern

Utah as her team hit .089 on the night. Birkel knocked down 11 kills for a .364 hitting night as her team hit .222 against Utah Tech.

“Our right sides are really dominating right now,” Blair said. “I thought they did a really good job in both games of making sure that they were available and they were. I mean, first game London did her job. In the second game, Jada did hers and she hit over .500. Whenever you have right sides that hit above 500, you just get pretty excited.”

ACU’s week begins against California Baptist at 9 p.m. on Thursday at the Van Dyne Gym in Riverside, California and against Grand Canyon at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Moody Coliseum.

ACU aims for second WAC win of the year on Homecoming

BY CARRIE JOHNSTON CO-SPORTS DIRECTOR

After a heartbreaking loss to last week, the Wildcats (4-2, 1-0) hope to get back on track and earn their second Western Athletic Conference win on Saturday against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds for Homecoming.

The Wildcats’ heartbreaking loss came at the hands of conference opponent and rival, SFA. After the Wildcats clawed their way back after being down 21-0 in the first quarter, a short field goal and a 15-yard penalty gave the Lumberjacks a lost second to ice the game and come away with the 41-38 win.

“I’m very proud of our players and the resiliency they continue to show,” said head coach Keith Patterson. “We just made too many mistakes and missed opportunities in the special teams, then a couple of critical errors. It ended up being costly. But, at the end of the day, it’s a team effort, and we just got to look at what we can improve and eliminate those mistakes.”

As for Southern Utah, they are also coming off a near loss, falling to the Tarleton Texans 4240. The game in Cedar City, Utah was also a exciting won, with the Thunderbirds nearly coming back from a 35-13 deficit to start

the fourth quarter. But after a failed two-point conversion, a successful onside kick and a thrown interception by new head coach DeLane Fitzgerald’s Thunderbirds in the final two minutes, the Texans were able to escape with the win.

Despite the Wildcats dealing with their second loss of the season, plenty of positives and bright spots came from their matchup against the Lumberjacks.

One of those includes the performance of sophomore running back Jermiah Dobbins.

He finished the game running a total of 166 yards and three touchdowns. This is the second straight game Dobbins ran for three touchdowns and the third straight game

Dobbins ran for over 100 yards, being the first player in ACU’s Division I era to do so.

His performance also gave him the WAC’s Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second straight week.

“He continues to be consistent, and he’s the same every single day when he shows up to prepare,” Patterson said. “He’s just rock solid. That shows up in his performance and he’s getting a rhythm for understanding where the run lanes and creases are going to be exposed. He’s doing a nice job just sticking his foot in the grass and getting the ball north and south.”

Another Wildcat made history in their matchup with the Lumberjacks as well.

On the final drive of the game for ACU, senior wide receiver Kobe Clark caught a 17-yard pass, his ninth reception of the night. With the catch, Clark moved to 236 career receptions at ACU, passing now running backs coach Jerale Badon as the Wildcat with the most career receptions at ACU.

“What a great accomplishment that is,” Patterson said. “It’s a great honor for him. It’s something that we’ll celebrate after the season’s over. But, we’re very proud of him and what he’s been able to do here at ACU.”

Leading the charge offensively as quarterback for their teams is Southern Utah’s redshirt junior Jus-

tin Miller and ACU’s sophomore Maverick McIvor. Miller finished last week’s matchup with 32 completions for 383 yards and two touchdown, but also threw two interceptions. Meanwhile, McIvor finished last Saturday with 24 completions for 283 yards and two touchdowns to one interception.

Now, the Wildcats look ahead to the Homecoming game, where Wildcat fans from across the country will gather in order to support the Purple and White. Along with earning a Homecoming win, the Wildcats aim to keep their home record unblemished.

Ultimately, Patterson hopes that his team will stay focused and he and his

team will make Wildcat Nation proud.

“Homecoming is always a little bit of a challenge because players have to understand that it’s for fans, alumni and people coming back,” Patterson said.

“You have to be able to manage distractions and things that go along with the pageantry. It’s also a huge part of college football, so it’s very important for us to be able to make sure that we maintain a focus and in the in our preparation so that we can make our alumni and our fans proud.”

The Homecoming game will begin in Wildcat Stadium on Saturday at 3:25 p.m., with the game streaming live on ESPN+.

Wildcats prepare for West Coast WAC trip to CBU, GCU

BY KAYLEE KAHN ASSISTANT SPORTS DIRECTOR

The Wildcats prepare to hit the road to travel to Arizona then California to take on Grand Canyon and California Baptist for conference play.

ACU comes off of their off week, rested and ready to take on the second half of the conference.

“I think it’s good to get a breath of fresh air,” head coach Casey Wilson said.

“To get our legs back and nursing out any bumps and bruises, just trying to get back on track.”

On Friday, ACU meets with Grand Canyon, a new WAC competitor, for the first time this season.

Grand Canyon, the 2021 WAC conference champions, currently holds a 5-5-2 overall season record with a 1-3-1 conference record going into this matchup. They hold their single conference win from their

matchup against Stephen F. Austin last week, 1-0.

Compared to their 2021 season, Grand Canyon held a shots percentage of 17.1 percent while for 2022 they hold a 7.3 percent. For the entirety of last season, the Lopes held their opponents to 24 goals, while having allowed 15 goals thus far.

Gianna Gourley leads Grand Canyon with strong offensive stats.

Gourley records eight goals, with two games having more than one goal. She tallies 51 shot attempts, holding onefourth of the teams’ attempts alone.

“We are gonna have to dig deep,” Wilson said. “Make sure that we are ready to play. We have proved this year that we can execute, it’s just a matter of being able to execute for 90 minutes. We are excited

to go out and play in a great atmosphere.”

On Sunday, the Wildcats then head to California to take on California Baptist, also for the first meeting this season.

California Baptist has an overall season record of 5-3-3 and a conference record of 2-2-1. The Lancers have gained wins from fellow WAC competitors Grand Canyon, 3-1, and Seattle U, 1-0.

The five-year veterans

of the WAC ran a split 2021 season with a 4-4-2 conference record. Similar to the 2021 season, so far in the 2022 season, the Lancers are outnumbered by their opponents in goals by double.

California Baptist currently holds a well-rounded aggressive offense with three players recording four goals so far this season. Lourdes Bosch, who has recorded four goals, has also tallied 25 shot attempts with 10 on goal leading the Lancers.

“If you go through all the games we’ve played in conference,” Wilson said. “The opportunities are there, it’s just a lot of times we talk about changing the trajectory of the game by maybe scoring an early goal and we can change how the other team plays.”

The Wildcats head into this weekend looking for their first win of conference. Despite securing a win so far in conference, ACU has a shot percent-

age of 11.5 percent and 13.1 shots per game, outranking their opponents.

Jordan Michie, senior forward from Arlington, and Chayse Thorn, sophomore forward from Rowlett, both lead the Wildcats with four goals and tallies a combined 39 shot attempts between the two of them. 11 players currently hold a shotson-goal percentage over .500, giving ACU a strong offensive game.

“It just comes down to finishing chances and putting the ball on frame,” Wilson said. “When you have an opportunity. I think our team just needs to get hot and getting hot would mean getting out there and scoring early in the game.”

The Wildcats take on Grand Canyon Friday at 9 p.m. central time in Phoenix, Arizona, and California Baptist Sunday at 3 p.m. central time in Riverside, California, streaming on ESPN+.

Team Tarleton ACU So. Utah SHSU SFA Utah Tech

Football Soccer

Team Utah Tech NM State So. Utah Seattle U Utah Valley SFA CBU GCU UTRGV ACU Tarleton

Ovrl. 4-1 4-2 3-3 2-2 3-3 1-4

Ovrl. 9-2-1 7-4-3 9-2-1 6-5-2 7-3-3 4-8-1 5-3-3 5-5-2 2-8-3 4-5-3 4-5-3

Volleyball

Team UTRGV SFA Utah Valley UTA GCU NM State SHSU CBU Tarleton So. Utah Utah Tech ACU Seattle U

Ovrl. 17-4 17-2 9-7 11-6 9-7 10-7 6-14 7-9 10-10 3-12 8-7 4-13 4-8

Conf. 1-0 1-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 0-2

Conf. 5-0-1 4-2-2 4-1-1 3-1-1 3-1-1 3-3 2-2-1 1-3-1 0-3-3 0-3-2 0-3-2

Conf. 6-0 5-1 3-1 3-2 3-2 3-3 3-3 2-3 2-4 2-4 2-4 1-4 0-4

Flag Football Intramural Playoffs

BY DANIEL CURD | PHOTOGRAPHER

Wildcats prepare to snap the ball and run a play on offense in their matchup against Western New Mexico.

BROKEN RECORD Football

Clark

Wide receiver Kobe Clark, senior from Sweetwater, broke the all-time reception record last Saturday against SFA with 236 all-time. The previous record holder was current running backs coach Jerale Badon (2004-2008). Clark, a Big Country native, needed nine to break the record on Saturday and on the final drive of the game, he caught a 17-yard pass from quarterback Maverick McIvor to shatter the record.

BY DANIEL CURD | PHOTOGRAPHER

Junior midfielder Taylor Denn brings the ball up the field.

Spirits were high for the Davis family as their son Shemar was celebrating a 26-7 homecoming win for the Midland Legacy Rebels over the Belton Tigers. The Davis family went to bed resting easy until 3:30 a.m., when they received a call from Abilene about their older son, Sema’J.

On Oct. 8, 2020, ACU quarterback Sema’J Davis’ life was altered in a three-car accident on Ambler Avenue near ACU. A car speeding more than 100 mph ran a red light and hit Sema’J head on. He was care-flighted to a hospital in Fort Worth with a broken femur, clavicle and severe head trauma.

Now, two years later, the former Wildcats football star said he has made “leaps and bounds” in his recovery and is looking to get back onto the gridiron. Although he has no timeline, he does have the will to play and believes God will provide the timing.

“If I put in the work to play football again, sure, it’s out there, so I’ll be able to play again,” Davis said. “I’m just really waiting on His time. Whenever He says ‘you’re good,’ I know I’m good.”

Hours before the accident, Sema’J called his younger brother, Shemar, congratulating him on his homecoming win. Shemar had received calls from numerous recruiters after the game. The joy in Shemar that night lifted the spirits of the Davis family. Shemar and Sema’J’s parents, Earl and Michelle, said they were excited for both of their boys that night.

“They worked really hard to get to the point that they were at,” Michelle said. “Then just getting that call at 3:30 in the morning, your heart just falls to the floor. You’re in shock. We were stunned, didn’t know how to react. We didn’t know the extent of the injury or if

he was still with us. It was just a lot of figuring out what was really going on and getting facts at that time.”

At first, no one was sure if Sema’J was the one involved in the accident. After Michelle described each birthmark, scar and physical features of her son, Sema’J was identified as the one involved.

Forty-five minutes after the accident happened, the Davis’ packed their bags and drove to Abilene. Because of the significant injuries, Sema’J was airlifted to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, a trauma center.

“I just had to prepare and rest in the fact that God was going to take care of him,” Michelle said. “Sure enough, He gave us His supernatural peace to get there.”

Road to recovery amid abundant support

As Sema’J fought for his life, he tested positive for COVID-19. He was unable to see his family but started physical therapy and began to respond to more commands as his treatment continued.

During the week of Christmas 2020, Sema’J was discharged and admitted to rehabilitation. The day after his arrival, Davis went to physical therapy and when he came back, his therapist asked him to describe to his family what he was able to do.

“Walk,” Sema’J said.

This was the first time since the accident he had spoken. Afterward in celebration Sema’J ate chocolate pudding, his favorite dessert, and he continued to quickly progress.

“I just started crying and I’m like, ‘Wow, God, look at you, you’re so good,’” Michelle said. “I just couldn’t contain my emotions because I was like, ‘He’s back.’

Even though he wasn’t talking fluently, that same week he said his first sentence,

“Merry Christmas.”

“It’s been amazing to see how God, if you allow him, how he can show you that there’s absolutely nothing impossible,” Michelle said.

Sema’J made his parents promise him that the 19-yearold who caused the accident, Simon Secundino, would not go to jail. Sema’J told his parents he forgave Secundino as he only made a mistake.

“We were like, we can’t promise that, son,” Michelle said. “He said ‘I’m still here by the grace of God. One of the things I want to do when I graduate and I start my business, I would like to hire him. I would like to give him another opportunity.’ What can you do with that, you can’t be mad.”

Shortly after the accident, a GoFundMe page was created in support of the Davis family. Quickly, the family received support from friends and family. In total, the family raised more than $65,000. The Davis’ have saved every letter sent to them during this time.

“ACU is still behind us 100% and they continue to stand behind us and support Sema’J, my hat goes off to them,” Earl said. “As a parent,

you want to be upset, but you can’t. I get emotional and I cry a lot, I guess I’m the cry baby of the family.”

Where he is today

Today Sema’J is progressing faster than expected. Doctors told his parents that due to his traumatic brain injury, it was going to take time for him to recover. But the faith, fight and pure will Sema’J displayed in rehab has continued to this day. He drove from his hometown in Midland to Abilene before school started.

“You just have to know that throughout everything God, Jesus Christ, the Lord and personal savior is really close to me now,” Sema’J said. “I always listen to the voice inside of me before I react. So if something bad were to happen, something like that, I just listen, let it happen, think in my own head, but listen to God.”

After the tearful interview, Sema’J’s father, Earl, sent a song titled “Too Good to Not Believe” by Brandon Lake. The chorus says, “All the miracles I’ve seen, too good to not believe.” This is their anthem for their son’s journey.

“This is our hope and why we believe what man thinks is impossible is possible,” Earl said. “God is real.”

Maintaining his roster spot

Despite the odds, Davis still holds a spot on new head coach Keith Patterson’s roster and hopes to get back on the field. Patterson gave Davis the opportunity to speak in front of the entire team on their retreat this summer.

“Boy, I was so nervous,” Davis said. “I had so many cheers. It was just unbelievable.”

Patterson later asked Davis tell his story to the team, which included over 40 players who never heard his story

“He’s an inspiration to our team, first of all because of the kind of person he is,” Patterson said. “He is an incredible human being, forgiving, he’s supportive. Just by him being there he inspires all of us to be the best version of ourselves.”

More than roommates, brothers

Former ACU defensive back Koy Richardson, now a defensive graduate assistant coach for ACU, was on the roster and

a close friend of Sema’J’s when the accident happened. When asked how he would describe his relationship with Sema’J, Richardson said, “I don’t know how to describe it.” Sema’J quickly piped in, “It’s like a missing brother.”

Sema’J and Koy were roommates in University Park their freshman year and grew close over time through their love for football. Koy said they were always together and to this day still battle it out for bragging rights in 2K, an NBA video game. “I’m the 2K champ, right Koy?” Sema’J quips. This inseparable bond between the two made it even more difficult for Koy when he first heard about Sema’J’s accident.

“When I first heard the news, I didn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it,” Richardson said. “It really hurt me during that time. Like I won’t be able to see him in class and I won’t be able to just call him, text him, talk to him. I broke out into tears and I texted him as well, just in case, like, everything’s fine.”

Sema’J said he still has the messages Koy sent him during that time.

“I’m here for you, I love you, you’re strong and you’re a warrior. You will get past this and I’m praying for you.”

What’s next

Davis’ parents believe their son will get back out on the field. Davis believes he will get back on the field. He may not get back on the turf this season, but the door is not closed yet for the former quarterback. His story is still being written. Whether he sees game action or not, Davis’ story is one of true adversity, faith, fight and will. He’s taken leaps and bounds and will continue to do so.

“We’ll see,” Sema’J said. “That’s a waiting chapter. We’ll see.”

BY DAVID MITCHELL | PHOTOGRAPHER Senior quarterback Sema’J Davis runs through an opening in the defense.

BY CARRIE JOHNSTON | CO-SPORTS DIRECTOR

Meet Wildcats’ new top gun, Maverick McIvor

BY CARRIE JOHNSTON CO-SPORTS DIRECTOR

The sound of fans filled Wildcat Stadium on Sept. 1, a day of new beginnings for ACU football along with a new quarterback in the spotlight.

Stepping under the bright lights was a quarterback looking for a new start. One who was anxious, but eager to get back on the gridiron after a career filled with ups-and-downs, hard work and determination.

One who was playing his first game in nearly four years after being sidelined twice due to injuries.

The fateful day for the quarterback was Sept. 7, 2018. The Central High Bobcats of San Angelo were coming off a successful 2017 campaign, led by six-man turned 11-man quarterback Maverick McIvor.

His high school junior year was one for the books, leading the team to an 11-1 record and a district championship. McIvor finished the season throwing for 3,372 yards and 43 touchdowns with only eight interceptions, plus running for 864

yards and eight touchdowns.

Entering his high school senior year, Maverick earned offers from 17 NCAA Div. I football programs. His head coach at the time, Brent Davis, called McIvor “one of those special kids that doesn’t come along very often.”

Heading into 2018, McIvor was poised for another standout season. But a week two matchup against the Del Rio Rams changed the trajectory of his football career.

While running along the left sideline, a member of the Rams’ defense blindsided McIvor, tackling him around the knees and knocking him out of bounds. He left the game with a knee injury, later diagnosed as an ACL and meniscus tear.

This brought Maverick’s standout high school career to an abrupt end.

But the quarterback had a close support system familiar with his struggles, led by his father, Rick McIvor.

Eagle-eyed University of Texas football fans may recognize the name Rick McIvor.

The elder McIvor served as a quarterback for the Longhorns from 1979 to 1983, earning numerous accolades, and also suffered a knee injury similar to his son in college. He went on to be drafted in the NFL and played for the then St. Louis Cardinals for two seasons.

His father introduced Maverick to football at a young age. Later in life, McIvor went on to coach his son at the sixman level from sixth grade to ninth grade. There, Rick poured into his son, teaching him all he knew, and eventually supported him through his injury.

“The key thing he taught me was hard work,” Maverick said. “My dad wanted what was best for me and helped me try to be perfect at what I do. It molded me, grew me and served as the foundation of who I am now.”

A move to San Angelo and to Central High School introduced Maverick to a new world, 6A 11-man football, the biggest stage of high school football in the state

of Texas.

Though it was a significant jump, he was able to relearn and step into the 11-man quarterback position smoothly. That was partly due to the hours of film sessions with then offensive coordinator, and now Central High head coach, Kevin Crane.

“I’d ask him a question and if he answered wrong or wasn’t quick enough with the answer, he got frustrated,” Crane said. “He spent extra time in my office, watching film and soaking everything up. Once he learned something, he had it down.”

Even after suffering the knee injury, McIvor still held offers from multiple universities. Ultimately, he committed to play at Texas Tech, the

university’s highest ranked recruit since Patrick Mahomes.

The ever-looming injury bug followed McIvor to Lubbock. Maverick suffered another knee injury in a preseason practice for Texas Tech his freshman year.

This benched McIvor for the majority of his true freshman year and led him to redshirt in the 2020 season. Then, after not seeing action in the 2021 season, he entered the transfer portal.

McIvor found a new home at Abilene Christian, where his former defensive coordinator at Texas Tech, Keith Patterson, was hired as head coach.

After a tight quarterback battle in fall camp, Patterson chose McIvor to start the 2022 season. The new head coach had high praise and faith in the quarterback, comparing him to NFL greats like Brett Farve, saying McIvor is the type of quarterback to “grip it, rip it and let it fly.”

The season opener on Sept. 1 finally rolled around, and even with all the pres-

sure and weight of the past four years on his shoulder, McIvor excelled.

His first collegiate start ended with McIvor throwing 258 passing yards and two touchdowns. The Wildcats finished the night with a 2814 win over Lamar, the first season opening win for ACU football since 2013.

Since the season opener, the Wildcats have started 3-0 at home for the first time in the program’s Div. I history. The program also sees its best start since 2013, the team starting 3-1 in the first four games.

But the statistics do not matter to McIvor, he is just happy to be back under the lights of the gridiron.

“Words can’t even describe how good it feels to be back out there,” McIvor said.

“It was everything I’ve ever dreamed of since I was in fourth grade. This is exactly what I wanted to do since I can remember, just come out here and lead the boys and light up the scoreboard.

“It’s one of the best feelings in the world.”

Going Bananas: Pitcher spends summer in Savannah

BY KAYLEE KAHN ASSISTANT SPORTS DIRECTOR

Zach Smith performs a TikTok dance. He steps up to bat and hits a single. He runs to first base in a bright yellow kilt, points to his coach’s shirt, and as the coach looks down, Zach kisses him on the head. This is no ordinary baseball game. This is the Savannah Bananas.

Smith, a pitcher for the Wildcat baseball team from Abilene, accepted the oncein-a-lifetime experience of playing for the Savannah Bananas this summer after one of the Bananas’ coaches reached out to assistant coach Blaze Lambert. Lambert recommended Smith and his adventure began.

Smith explains this experience is an unexpected one every night.

“You get to play in front of a crowd that is sold out every night. People are there to see you. I think that’s the best thing about Savannah; you never know what you’re going to expect,” he said.

Baseball has been a part of Smith’s life for as long as he can remember, starting with his dad creating a baseball field in his backyard in elementary school. That’s where his love for baseball came from, his family, he said.

Smith’s baseball journey has not been an easy one. When a previous commitment out of high school fell through, former head coach Britt Bonneau gave him another opportunity by letting him walk on the team. While at ACU, he experienced tearing his UCL twice, leading to rehab

sessions that took him out of the game for two years. Now fully recovered, he is one of the leading pitchers at ACU.

“Zach has been a centerpiece to our program since our staff arrived over four years ago,” current ACU head coach Rick McCarty said.

“His experiences here at ACU allow him to take the lead in a variety of ways both on and away from the field. He adds value to our growing program each day.

I’m fired up to have him back one more year.”

In Savannah, the players hold to their motto of “Fans First. Entertain Always,” and their passion is evident in every game they play. From wearing bright yellow kilts on the field to dancing on top of the dugout shirtless, the Bananas have kindled a bond between players and fans.

If kids see the players doing fun, silly things, Smith said, it shows the kids their dreams are reachable.

“When you get there you have a set list of what you are going to do for the night,” Smith said.

“One day I got there and it was my name and three other guys for a player dance. So during warmups and batting practice, we’re working on this choreographed dance that we have

to do at the end of the second inning. “I’m stressing out about it, cause I’m not much of a choreo-dance guy. You’re not even thinking about the game, you’re just worried about the dance. So when that’s over, you just have a big weight off your shoulder, and I just get to play baseball.”

It was a different kind of baseball. Savannah Bananas head coach Tyler Gillum had this vision in mind and knew he wanted to bring Smith into this change of scenery because of his outgoing personality.

“We brought Zach on and worked him into the mix,” Gillum said. “He was great since Day 1, always smiling, and always in a good mood. He was always high energy, so he fit what we did with the Bananas really well because we do a lot of entertainment. He was able to pitch really well and entertain really well with his good, outgoing personality. He was really solid for us all summer, a great kid.”

During the summer, according to PointStreak, Smith created an overall 2.07 ERA in the Bananas regular season and secured the win in the third playoff game, 8-3.

Yet, that was not the most challenging part of his summer. The challenge was the uncertainty. He never knew what he would get himself into that day, he said.

“I didn’t think I’d be dancing on dugouts with my shirt off,” Smith said. “That was my first night out there, and I was ter-

rified doing that in front of 4-5,000 people. But as soon as the moment came, it just felt normal.”

Antics like dancing on the dugouts help the Bananas dominate their social media presence. With over 3.2 million followers on TikTok, 717,000 on Instagram, and having just debuted their miniseries on ESPN+, Bananaland has taken the internet by storm.

Their large media presence leads to sold-out crowds in Savannah, so the players learn to treat every kid and every fan like it’s their first or last game. Their main goal is to engage the fans and fill their eyes with joy. Smith said this was far different from anything he has experienced before, and that is because of the fans.

“Everything was different. People are there to see you,” Smith said. “The closest thing I can compare it to is when we played Texas Tech and it was a sold-out crowd. But even then, the fans are so much more engaging with the players. That’s what is so special about Savannah.”

The Savannah Bananas have created a new era for baseball built on that special connection with fans. Smith is grateful for the opportunity he was given to live his childhood dream.

“A lot of people would compare college sports like a grind or job, but if you just go out and have fun, it’s not a grind at all,” he said. “You just get to live your dream you had as a kid and I’m glad I got to do it in Savannah.”

Sophomore quarterback Maverick McIvor, a transfer from Texas Tech, is eager for a fresh start.

PHOTO FROM COASTALPLAINS.COM

Zach Smith headshot while wearing Savannah Bananas jersey.

The Bananas capitalize on fun, engaging activities. A typical game night for the Bananas is not what Smith is used to, especially coming from Abilene.

“Words can’t even describe how good it feels to be back out there. It was everything I’ve ever dreamed of since I was in fourth grade.”

MAVERICK MCIVOR SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK FROM SAN ANGELO