ACUOPTIMIST.COM | Friday, February 14, 2020 | 1
Senior guard, Breanna Wright contributes success to her family
A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
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BY DAVID MITCHELL | PHOTOGRAPHER
Junior guard Reggie Miller attempts a dunk at men’s basketball game on Saturday against Lamar.
SGA boosts buffer fund for organizations BY ALLISON HARRELL EDITOR IN CHIEF
The Student Government Association plans to increase the buffer fund by decreasing initial allocations for student organizations. This semester, SGA will allocate a total sum of $45,000 to student organizations as funds rather than the $50,000 given last semester. This will increase the buffer fund by $5,000. The SGA Biannual Budget Meeting was held on Wednesday to discuss this new initiative. Karissa
Nickish, senior communication disorders major from Melbourne Beach, Fla., and SGA press secretary, said the recent SGA Budget Meeting is the one chance a semester where SGA is able to talk to every organization together. “It allows us to communicate clearly what the expectations are for using their allocated funds and how to use the P-card,” Nickish said. The P-card is the purchasing card given to each organization that keeps track of purchases
throughout the semester. Sixty-two organizations applied for funding and were expected to have a representative present at the budget meeting. Aaron Bunting, senior financial management major from Copperas Cove and SGA executive treasurer, said the meeting is important for them to meet with all the organizations as a collective group. “We get to have that oneon-one with them so they can understand how the budget works, what we plan to do with it this semester
and all the information that goes into funding,” Bunting said. “This year, we plan to add more information, as far as funding goes.” At the budget meeting, SGA executives also discussed fundraising and revenue opportunities for the organizations to receive money outside of SGA. Nickish said they want to help organizations become more self-sustaining by introducing fundraising ideas such as spirit nights at restaurants that will give back a portion of their proceeds.
“We get to have that one-on-one time with them so they can understand how the budget works, what we plan to do with it this semester and all the information that goes into funding.”
AARON BUNTING SENIOR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT MAJOR FROM COPPERAS COVE AND SGA EXECUTIVE TREASURER
“This year, the CEO and I looked at all of the restaurants around Abilene and looked at their fundraising nights to see which ones are better,” Bunting said. “We looked at pricing
Recent graduate starts local enneagram business BY ALYSSA HIGH STAFF WRITER
Kendall Castillo, a recent ACU graduate from Plano, started Gospel Centered Enneagram, an Enneagram coaching business, earlier this month. “I wanted to be a change almost and bring [the Enneagram] back to its roots because it is biblical,” Castillo said. “So I just came up with the simple name of Gospel Centered Enneagram because I wanted it to be pretty straightforward and blunt and centered around the gospel.” A type 2 wing 1 herself, Castillo said her forthcoming personality is an inspiration for getting into the Enneagram.
“It’s an ancient tool that has come to fruition but people aren’t using it as a tool for relationships, they are using it to define who they are which takes away from their identity and who the Lord wants them to be,” Castillo said. “They say “Oh, I’m a type 2 wing 1, but really the first thing is that they are a daughter or son of the King.” Castillo started by interviewing people and getting to know more about each type before teaching a class at The Well, a local non-denominational church. Using the first class as a way to get her brand out there, Castillo taught a multi-generational group of locals, including many students, about how each Enneagram type is
an example of who God is through their characteristics. “Each type is a characteristic of who the Lord is, so a Two shows the love of God and a Three shows the persistence of God,” Castillo said. “There’s just so many characteristics of each type but no one really knows that.” Kendall has several tentative events with several ACU groups on campus. She can be reached with any questions at gospelcenteredenneagram@gmail.com or on Instagram and Facebook at gospelcenterenneagram. “It’s kind of been this side-gig thing that has turned into a lot of ways to connect with people which has been really awesome,” Castillo said.
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SPORTS
PHOTO COURTESY OF KENDALL CASTILLO
Kendall Castillo, recent graduate begins Gospel Centered Enneagram business.
BY ANDREW NORSWORTHY STAFF WRITER
OPTIMIST FILE PHOTO
ACU nursing students achieve highest pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination. programs and schools are evaluated from. In order to pass this evaluation, programs must achieve a first-time pass
rate of 80 percent or higher. On Jan. 24, 2020, the Texas Board of Nursing released the first-time pass rates for eligible
NEWS
ACU Best Buddies plans to host a prom
Nursing students exceed state, national NCLEX program averages ACU nursing students taking the National Council Licensure Examination in 2019 achieved a first-time pass rate of 96.08 percent. For the first time, this number exceeds both the state and national averages. NCLEX is an exam designed to determine whether a graduate student is ready to begin practicing nursing in the field and their chosen career. This exam has two variations: NCLEX-PN for practical nurses and NCLEX-RN for registered nurses, of which the latter ACU students have qualified for. Students are allowed to take this exam multiple times, but first-time pass rates are what nursing
also. For example, if people order from Domino’s, we wanted to see where we could cut those costs and see where they can get pizzas cheaper.” Organizations were shown a slideshow highlighting different fundraising ideas and information about who to contact to set up a fundraising event. “It gives the SGA team the chance to introduce new ideas to increase the efficiency of the organizations funds, like utilizing food discounts,” Nickish said.
graduate students dating back to 2015. For 2019, the state average was 91.9 percent while the national average was 88.07 percent.
2019 was the first year that ACU students achieved a firsttime pass rate above both averages as well as the third consecutive year that the rate has surpassed 90 percent. Dr. Marcia Straughn, dean of ACU’s School of nursing, said, “We, as a program, do the best we can to provide students with as much support as possible so that they can achieve these outcomes.” The ACU nursing program continues to offer additional services, support, coaching, and student retention to repeat and build off its success. “We always look at our outcomes and our data and are striving for continuous quality improvement,” Straughn said.
Softball recap from Aggie Classic PAGE 6
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2 | Friday, February 14, 2020 | NEWS
BY DAVID MITCHELL | PHOTOGRAPHER
Best Buddies club plans to put on prom for members and those of their outreach with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Abilene community.
Best Buddies to host prom dress, suit drive BY SYDNEY VARNER STAFF WRITER
ACU Best Buddies is holding a prom dress and suit drive since are hosting a prom for their members on April 16. ACU Best Buddies, founded in 2018 and recognized as an official chapter of the Best Buddies organization in 2019, was created to serve those with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Abilene community. The organization partners with local organization Daybreak Community Services to partner stu-
dents with a buddy. Grace Carriger, sophomore animal health professions major from Plano, is the president and founder of ACU Best Buddies. She said that the organization is crucial because its highlighting the importance of inclusion of everyone in society. “ACU Best Buddies is an organization that gives the gift of friendship to people who do not really have friendships,” Carriger said. “Sadly, people with disabilities, especially adults, are ostracized and looked down upon. They are usually
“We are throwing a prom for them just because we feel like they deserve that special night to dress up, to feel loved, to feel belonged, and to all be crowned kings and queens of the prom.” GRACE CARRIGER SOPHOMORE PRESIDENT OF ACU BEST BUDDIES
excluded, ignored and forgotten about in society. Best Buddies, however, is trying to normalize friendships between those with and those without disabilities and are trying to show the world that people with
disabilities are just as capable of doing the same things that those without are able to.” By hosting this prom, Best Buddies is hoping to give some of their buddies an opportunity to go to a normal prom and an opportunity many of them never truly got to experience. “We are hosting a prom for the buddies because most people with disabilities did not go to their proms because it was not catered to their needs,” Carriger said. “We are throwing a prom for them just because we
feel like they deserve that special night to dress up, to feel loved, to feel belonged, and to all be crowned kings and queens of the prom.” “Finding any way to be kind, including other people in the world and coming to our chapel on Tuesdays, those are all ways you can get involved with Best Buddies mission.” JONAH WILSON FRESHMAN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT MAJOR FROM PARKER, CO.
Best Buddies hosts multiple events and fundrais-
ers including last semester’s wheelchair challenge. They also host a chapel every Tuesday that’s open to all students. Jonah Wilson, freshman business management major from Parker, Colorado, said he continues to encourage students to get involved with Best Buddies and spread kindness across campus. “Finding any way to be kind, including other people in the world and coming to our chapel on Tuesdays, those are all ways you can get involved with Best Buddies mission,” Wilson said.
Moody Investors affirms A3 ratings on university’s revenue bonds BY LEAH FIKES COPY EDITOR
Moody Investors Service affirmed ACU’s A3 ratings on the university’s revenue bonds. “Moody’s is a financial rating agency, informing the public of the financial health, stability and upcoming financial plans of organizations with publicly held debt,” said Kev-
“Nonetheless, ACU students should be proud that another (US News in the fall semester) external group who has broad insight into the higher education market is affirming the positive momentum we’ve been able to create.” KEVIN CAMPBELL SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS
in Campbell, senior vice
president of operations. “Universities can work with private companies to secure financing (banks) or can go to the bond market (public).” According to Moody, this reflects the university’s “good strategic positioning as a moderately sized faith-based university in demographically strong Texas, bolstered by sizable financial reserves
and liquidity relative to peers, with manageable financial leverage.” This is based on ACU’s cash flow of 9.4 percent in the 2019 fiscal based on the growth of tuition revenue and net tuition per student being the strongest in a decade and the university’s plans to invest and develop ACU owned land further. “Some universities will
fail to exist into the future due to their lack of financial resources and inability to attract students,” Campbell said. “While Moody’s contains helpful information regarding the financial health of an organization, its primary audience is investors. Nonetheless, ACU students should be proud that another (US News in the fall semester) external group who
has broad insight into the higher education market is affirming the positive momentum we’ve been able to create.” Moody said that the university could receive better ratings if it has “substantially stronger debt service coverage” and the university continues current growth. The full report can be found at moodys.com.
FRI., FEB. 21
SAT., FEB. 22
WHAT’S HAPPENING? MON., FEB. 17 Presidential Scholars Visit Day
TUES., FEB. 18 Baseball Pre-game event at TCU
WED., FEB. 19
THURS., FEB. 20
12 p.m.- ArtFilms - Abilene Cultural Affairs Council
8 p.m.- Sing Song Tennis - ACU Invitational Wildcat Preview Day Board of Trustees Meeting
police log SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK: •
An ACU staff member reported that someone struck his vehicle while it was parked in the UP parking lot. The incident occurred between 01/19/2020 and 02/02/2020. 02/04/2020 1:30 p.m.
•
An ACU student reported a theft from her Sikes Hall residence. 02/06/2020 10:50 a.m.
•
ACUPD responded to reports of a loud party and people walking in the 1600 blk of Cedar Crest. Officers checked the area and observed group in the front yard of a residence but not creating any disturbance. No action taken. 02/09/2020 1:32 a.m.
911 Call Abandoned vehicle Administrative activity Advice Alarm Alcohol incident Animal call Attempt to locate Barricades Building lock/unlock Burglary (vehicle) Burglary (residence) Cart patrol Check building Citation issuance Clery
0 0 35 0 3 0 0 0 1 11 0 0 0 294 0 10
Criminal mischief Discharge of firearm Disturbance Domestic Disturbance Elevator rescue Escort Event support Fingerprinting service Fire Foot patrol Found property Hit and run Harassment Information report Investigation follow up Lost Property
MESSAGE FROM POLICE CHIEF ELLISON:
1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 4 8 1 0 1 7 1
Maintenance: univ assets: cctv Maintenance: univ assets Medical emergency Missing person Monitor facility/lot Motorist assist: inflate tire. Motorist assist: jumpstart Motorist assist: other Motorist assist: unlock Other Parking lot patrol Parking violation Patrol vehicle: maintenance Patrol vehicle: refuel Prowler Public service
24 1 1 0 14 2 11 2 7 11 21 2 6 8 0 0
Random patrol Reckless driving Report writing Suspicious activity Suspicious person Theft Trespasser Traffic stop Vehicle Collision Welfare check Total
17 2 12 2 2 6 0 8 1 0 547
*List of selected statistics of this week’s ACUPD activity report.
“In honor of Black History Month, ACUPD salutes the first African-American Police Officers in the US, appointed in 1867, Selma, Alabama and the legacy of more than 58,000 African American Police Officers serving nationwide today.”
2 p.m.- Sing Song 8 p.m.- Sing Song Tennis - ACU Invitational Board of Trustees Meeting President’s Circle Dinner
FEATURES | Friday, February 14, 2020 | 3
BY DAVID MITCHELL | PHOTOGRAPHER
Senior guard Breanna Wright prepares to engage Southeastern Louisiana’s freshman guard Alexius Horne.
Wright contributes success to family BY TAVIAN MILES ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Senior guard Breanna Wright has been shining on the basketball court for quite some time here at ACU, and she’s continuing to do the same during her senior season. She joined the team for the 2016-2017 season and was immediately a key player for the team as she appeared in 32 games and started 31. Wright has been playing the game of basketball for as long as she can remember and she credits it all towards her mother. “My mom was a coach when I was growing up, and we always like to joke that I actually took my first steps on the basketball court,” Wright said. Wright was always around basketball and it was something she looked forward to everyday as a kid.
BY RILEY FISHER | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Breanna Wright, senior guard for women’s basketball team. “There was never a moment where I was left out,” she said. “I was either handing out waters, following my mom or even running sprints with the team.” Wright graduated from Jarrell High School in 2016 and was a three-sport athlete
playing softball, basketball and cross country but had to make a decision in which sport she wanted to pursue. “I could’ve gone for softball, and that was a big decision going into high school,” Wright said. “I knew I would have to choose what I wanted
to do and basketball is where my heart was, so that’s what I chose.” Her life back home with her family is great for Wright, and while her mother made the biggest impact, the rest of her family has played a serious role in her
sports career as well. “Back home is really good,” she said. “I grew up in a strong sports oriented family. My grandpa coached me growing up and he inspired me to play and my mom played basketball in college.” Although she is a college basketball player, Wright likes to take her talents onto the disc golf course as well. “Recently I picked up on disc golf, and I love to go out and play when I’m not on the basketball court and take my teammates out there,” Wright said. For many players, choosing a college can come down to the coaching staff, the location or even playing time. But for Wright, a big condition for going to college was that the school had to be purple. Luckily ACU was the perfect choice. “A running joke in my family was that a really big condi-
tional for me was the school had to be a purple school, and I fell in love with ACU and luckily ACU fell in love with me too,” Wright said. “The coaching staff is wonderful and a great basketball fit for me, and coming from a small town to another small town was great.” Wright currently leads the Southland Conference with 16.9 ppg and 5.1 assists ppg, but she still is looking for more to improve on in her final season. The Wildcats are looking to continue last season’s success and repeat as Southland Conference tournament champions. “Right now we’re in a good place,” Wright said. “We dropped a couple games that we shouldn’t have dropped, but the community that we have and the family that we’ve built together, I know we can accomplish anything.”
Emerald Cassidy: Named on “Top 20 Under 40” list BY DILLON DANIEL MANAGING EITOR
Emerald Cassidy, director of public relations, was recognized as one of Abilene’s “Top 20 Under 40.” Partnering with the Abilene Reporter News, Abilene Young Professionals, a sub-group to the Abilene Chamber of Commerce, recognize 20 citizens of Abilene by “Honoring local business leaders under the age of 40 who are excelling in their career field,” the AYP website said. The requirements to be a recipient of this recognition are that the recipient must work in Abilene, be under the age of 40 by Jan. 1, 2019, and must not have been a previous recipient. Cassidy said that when selecting for the year’s 20 under 40, AYP looks for those who are going above and beyond what they are required in their field. “The AYP is focused on the out-of-college young person who is looking for professional development. They are looking for the people who aren’t just making a difference in their own workplace, but in the community as a whole,” Cassidy Said. To honor the recipients, AYP hosted an awards event last Friday at 201 Mesquite where Cassidy and the other 19 recipients were recognized for their service to the Abilene Community. The event consisted of a small, “cocktail-like” reception and then the actual ceremony after. During the ceremony the recipi-
ents were announced and each read off a biography they contributed. Cassidy said that the event was really nice, considering that it was special to be in a place where she saw many familiar faces and where everyone was celebrating each other. “It was nice because in the class I knew a majority of the people so it was just really great to be a part of that group.” “Her commitment, dedication to a job well done, and unwavering integrity are exceptional.” ANTHONY WILLIAMS MAYOR OF THE CITY OF ABILENE
Although Cassidy is unsure of who nominated her for the recognition, she said a card left for her at the event from Megan Dobbs, marketing director of the Community Foundation of Abilene, gave her some insight as to why she was recognized. “Because how has Emerald not been named a “20 Under 40” recipient yet? She needs to get it. She’s committed to contributing to Abilene success,” Dobbs said. Cassidy has also received recognition outside of this nomination. In his letter of recommendation to the selection committee of the Class of 2018 Leadership Texas Program, Mayor Anthony Williams said that Cassidy was “extremely effective and an asset to the City of Abilene.” “Her commitment, ded-
PHOTO COURTESY OF EMERALD CASSIDY
Emerald Cassidy, Director of Public Relations. ication to a job well done, and unwavering integrity are exceptional,” Wlliams said. However, although Cassidy said she appreciates this recognition, she believes that there needs to be equal parts of be-
ing humble and receiving affirmation. “You do the work for yourself because it’s a part of your own mission and how you move forward to work to do things in your life that are important to
you,” Cassidy said. “But, when someone puts a seal on it and says ‘Hey, we’re noticing you,’ I think that’s just more affirmation to say that you’re on the right track.” Even though she said
this award means a lot to her, she said that she is excited to continue to grow and get better in her field. “There’s a lot of momentum happening on campus and so I feel where I am now, there’s just so much opportunity that I think I feel empowered to say ‘be creative and do what you can,’” Cassidy said. “It’s exciting because there’s potential there even when you don’t know what it is, so you’re just open to it.” Cassidy said she believes that her communication with her parents, her sister and experts within her field and as well as others have helped her to continue to be as successful as she can. “Other people within my field have been really helpful to me. The circle is small, but it doesn’t mean that not reaching out to other people. If there is a question on a certain topic, then I want to be able to look out for those experts who are the most familiar with those topics so I can seek out their advice, because you always want to improve.” Expanding on this, Cassidy said she believes that community is integral to someone’s success, that it is in our nature. “You need a community around you who are going to uplift you and who you can count on whether it’s your school, workplace, club or church.” For more on Cassidy’s “Top 20 Under 40” recognition, visit https://www.abileneyp. org/20u40-emeraldc.
4 | Friday, February 14, 2020 | OPINIONS
The Coronavirus: A moderate concern EDITORIAL BOARD
The Coronavirus has continued to frighten humanity on a global scale. In the past weeks, the spread of the disease has stayed unrelenting while the rescue of a cure remains absent. As of Feb. 10, the virus has killed over 1000 with more than 37,000 infected. These figures are shocking to say the least. Fortunately, the disease is still of only moderate concern in reference to its immediate effects on the American People. All but one of the fatal cases have occured within China’s borders (the outlier in the Philippines). However, this is not to take away from the terrible loss of life and well-being that has still debilitated so many and ruefully affected far more. Added attention and concern was brought to the scene of this virus’ story on Feb. 6 when the first American died from the virus in Wuhan, China. Wuhan, a city of over a million people, is where the disease has originated and been the most prominent. America’s first sight of the virus began at the embassy in Wuhan. All U.S. citizens there were flown to California and Texas upon finding that the virus had infected several
BY ERNIE GUAJARDO | CARTOONIST
working in the embassy, including the American that passed. The roughly 300 flown to these locations have been in a 14 day quarantine since their arrival back to the states. Since the events surrounding and including this, there have been 13 reported cases of the virus in the U.S. In addition, all passengers on a cruise ship near Japan were tested for the virus; of the 64
who tested positive, 11 are U.S. citizens as well. In response, the CDC, after working diligently, has sent out newly approved test labs across the medical centers around the country with the hope of preventing any more spread of Coronavirus. Additionally, the nation’s seven largest airports (Atlanta, Los Angeles, DFW, O’Hare, Denver, JFK, and San Francisco) have been
instructed to extensively screen all passengers arriving from Wuhan and surrounding areas. The CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) have stated that the risk for Americans is still very low. Exercising general sanitation, in the same way we would act to prevent catching a cold or the flu, should ensure that the disease is not spread further than it has in the
U.S. thus far. Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Director General of the WHO, has said that there is no need to wear face protection or take any major action in defense. He confirmed that 2% of the cases have been fatal, meaning that stopping the virus is still of highest concern among all international health officials. Ultimately the United States’ medical stabili-
ty combined with conscientiousness on the part of all of us should be enough to stop the spread within the country. The CDC has continued to assure the public that there is no need for panic or rashness. The fight against Coronavir us must be narrowed to the less developed countries where serious har m is a much closer concern.
Is Tom Brady leaving Foxborough?
BY TAVIAN MILES ASSISTANT SPORTS DIRECTOR
Tom Brady is arguably one of the greatest football players of all time. He’s been loyal to the New England Patriots for the past 19 seasons, but could he soon be leaving? The NFL’s new league year will begin March 18, and with it Brady is expected to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time. Soon we will see whether other teams attempt to recruit
the quarterback or leave him be, considering he is 42 years old. Brady has appeared in nine Super Bowls (the most by any player) and has won six. He’s also won four Super Bowl MVP’s along with three regular season MVP’s. This year’s free agency is the most anticipated one, because it’s not clear if he’ll choose to stay with the Patriots. Many
thought he would retire if he had a nice run in the playoffs, but the Patriots suffered a first round exit to the Tennessee Titans. Cap space, the amount of money a team can spend on player salaries, is limited for the Patriots and despite his age, Brady deserves to be paid a good amount of money because he has shown that he is still able to make plays. Currently
New England would take a $13 million cap hit if they signed Brady, but a team that could sign him are the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers currently have Keenan Allen as wide receiver, Austin Ekeler as running back and an uprising defensive squad. They have enough good players for Brady to work with so he will not take the load on his own
Will the XFL actually be successful?
BY OWEN SIMPSON SPORTS DIRECTOR
Now that the NFL season has concluded, the XFL’s inaugural season is finally underway. Now the question is will it actually last? When talking about success, I’m talking about financial profitability and national viewership. Some things I’d consider are neces-
sary components are proven leadership, solid financial banking and exposure. Looking at the leadership of the XFL, WWE CEO Vince McMahon hired established industry leaders such as Oliver Luck, commissioner of the XFL, and Jeffery Pollack, the XFL’s president. McMahon wanted to be in control of this league. He was comfortable being the person to blame or the person to praise. “A chance to do it with no partners, strictly funded by me, which would allow me to look in the mirror and say, ‘You were the one who screwed this up,’ or ‘You made this thing a success,’” McMahon said.
He invested $500 million dollars into the XFL. That’s something businesses would love to have starting off. Unlike the failed AAF from last spring, the XFL will get national viewership. Games will air on Disney-owned ABC and ESPN, Fox and Fox Sports. This isn’t the only piece it needs to be successful, but it’s a step in the right direction to be profitable. Looking into where the $500 million dollars is spent is intriguing for both players coming out of college and coaches looking to make a name for themselves. Salaries for the 40man squads are expected to average $75,000
with players who are “in demand making much more than that,” according to reporting from Darren Rovell. It may not be able to compete with salaries at the NFL stage, but it can be enticing for juniors or seniors in college, who want to start making money sooner rather than later. The XFL is no NFL. However, it could be used similarly to the G-league of the NBA. A league that develops players for the future or even a second chance for athletes. I’m personally excited to see football in the spring season, and who knows. Maybe the XFL will be a league that lasts for years to come.
and they have $52 million in cap space. As a Cowboys fan I would love for him to come over to America’s Team and help out a team that has one of the top running backs in the game, along with a talented reviving core. My take is Brady rides out free agency, realizes he can’t get the money he wants and returns to New England.
Tweets Paul Hiepler @paulhiepler Petition to have ACU’s mascot changed to the “Bats” Almost Christian University @ChristianAlmost Going outside is not the move. net @fishnnetters The actual ACU difference: I TEXTED my professors and told them I have strep and a 102 fever and I was worried about etting behind and they said don’t worry about it. Here’s the chapters we are going over. Do you need anything? Do you have meds? ACU Football @ACUFootball Proud of our 75 STUDENT-athletes who put us at #1 in the conference for the number of athletes named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll! #GoWildcats Cassie @cassafrass29 come to Sing Song, TKG has been singing the snow into existence!
THE OPTIMIST STAFF ALLISON HARRELL
ASHLEY LANG
CARRIE JOHNSTON
KENNETH PYBUS
DILLON DANIEL
DEVON HILLARY
DAVID MITCHELL
CADE WHITE
OWEN SIMPSON
EMILY PERRYMAN
MEGHAN LONG
CELESTE KINKADE
TAVIAN MILES
WILLIAM HEYEN
EMILY SHAFER
ABBEY LEE
ANDREW NORSWORTHY
KAUY OSTLIEN
RILEY FISHER
ALYSSA HIGH
HENRY ERICKSON
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ERNIE GUAJARDO
AVERY JACKSON
LEAH FIKES
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SPORTS | Friday, February 14, 2020 | 5
BY DAVID MITCHELL | PHOTOGRAPHER
Junior guard Coryon Mason faces off against freshman guard Ayaan Sohail.
Gayman, Wildcats pummel Huskies, 81-67 BY OWEN SIMPSON SPORTS DIRECTOR
The ACU men’s basketball team held one of the nation’s best scoring teams to its season-low in points Wednesday night in Moody Coliseum. The Wildcats (14-10, 9-4 SLC) bounced back from their loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday with a convincing 81-67 victory over
Houston Baptist. Entering the game, the Huskies (3-19, 3-10 SLC) were averaging over 81 points per game but were last in NCAA in points allowed per game (97.7 PPG). Finishing with 67 points, it was their lowest total of the season. “I didn’t know that, that’s good,” Head Coach Golding said. “We definitely need to pat our guys on the back
for that. We needed to challenge our guys on that, and I thought we did a really good job responding.” Sophomore forward Clay Gayman scored 14 of the Wildcats first 28 points and finished the night with 19 points on 7-10 shooting and five rebounds. “They’re a big team, but tonight it was one of those nights where I stepped up,” Gayman said. “On any
other night, somebody can step up, but it’s just a matter of who’s feeling it and who’s not.” Gayman is averaging 8.7 points per game this season but has scored in double figures in his past four consecutive games. Early in the game, ACU got off to an explosive start defensively, forcing six turnovers before the Huskies had their first field goal
make. They also made passing the ball an important part of their game, finishing with 24 assists. “I think one of the better things we did earlier in the year was pass the basketball,” Golding said. “We went through a stretch where we couldn’t score the ball earlier in the year, but we’ve gotten back to moving the ball around.” Looking ahead, ACU
travels south to play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (1015, 6-8 SLC) Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Golding’s strategy for their upcoming game is focused on a higher power. “Pray, that’s a good thing right there,” Golding said. “We got to continue to pray and hope the good Lord has got a good plan for us, and we got to continue to work.”
ACU overcomes second half woes to defeat HBU BY CARRIE JOHNSTON SPORTS WRITER
Despite struggling in the second-half on Wednesday, the Wildcats came out on top against the Houston Baptist Huskies, 71-54. In the first half, the Wildcats started strong and maintained that status through the rest of the half. Defensively, the Wildcats applied pressure to the Huskies offense, causing the Huskies to shoot 33% from the field and 3-point range. Their defense also caused nine Huskie turnovers and generated six
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steals for the Wildcats. The Wildcats had the hot hand all first half, shooting 50% from the field and 48% from the 3-point line. Even when the Wildcats found themselves in foul trouble, players off the bench continued to keep the team’s offense and defense going. This included junior guard Josie Larson’s halftime buzzer-beater and sophomore forward Diamond Willcot’s trips to the free-throw line. “When players’ numbers get called, we expect them to be ready to go,” said Head Coach Julie Goodenough.
“Our bench served a good purpose for us today.” Though the Wildcats entered halftime with the momentum, the third quarter caused several problems to surface. The Wildcats hot hand turned cold, plus Houston Baptist’s slightly improved defense caused a season-low six points in the quarter. The Wildcats also turned the ball over seven times in the quarter, which served as another source of problems. “The third quarter was an offensive debacle,” said Goodenough. “We did not read the defense well. We
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One spark during that run was senior forward Lexie Ducat, who scored 14 on top of eight rebounds. Another player who played a significant role in this run was senior guard Breanna Wright. Following her double-double against Lamar, Wright led all players with 20 points and brought in six rebounds, six assists and three steals. “We love getting three-pointers, and they weren’t falling,” said Wright. “That’s when we needed to get our looks inside to our post. We worked on inside-out feeds, so that was
also another good opportunity to get more outside looks and feed the posts.” The Wildcats will play their first of three straight road games on Saturday, facing off against Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The rematch with the Islanders starts at 1 p.m. and will be broadcasting live on 98.1 F.M. “Our destiny is really in our hands,” said Goodenough. “The teams that are ahead of us right now, we get to play all of them over again. So we just have to take care of business, and take this one day at a time.”
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had careless turnovers and had the same open looks from the 3-point line, we just did not knock them down. We did not handle our lead very well heading into the third quarter.” At the start of the fourth quarter, the Wildcats were still struggling on both ends of the floor. So much so that Houston Baptist had cut the Wildcats’ lead to six points. However, that all changed towards the middle of the fourth quarter. The Wildcats found their stride and made plays and a run to finish the game strong.
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6 | Friday, February 14, 2020 | SPORTS
STANDINGS Men’s Basketball Team SFA Nicholls ACU SHSU NWSU UCA McNeese Lamar TXAM-CC UIW HBU UNO SELU
Ovrl. 22-3 16-9 14-10 16-9 11-12 9-16 12-12 12-13 10-15 7-17 3-19 7-17 6-19
Conf. 13-1 10-4 9-4 9-5 8-6 8-6 7-6 6-8 6-8 4-9 3-10 3-11 3-11
Women’s Basketball
BY MEGHAN LONG | PHOTOGRAPHER
Nikolas Moceanu, junior kinesiology major from Spring, smacks the ball across the court.
Men’s tennis snags another weekend victory BY AVERY JACKSON SPORTS WRITER
The ACU men’s tennis team played against Tyler Junior College, which is currently ranked number one in the junior college circuit and Trinity college this past weekend. ACU beat both colleges, winning to Tyler 4-3 and Trinity 5-2. These two difficult wins put the team at a 5-3 record for the season. “Our greatest obstacle was whether or not we could have the same mindset when we are losing as when we are winning,” said Head Tennis Coach John Walker. Walker explained that the key difference between winning and losing for ACU was the idea of keeping a calm mindset. This mindset was a key factor for ACU in
their close match against Tyler this weekend. After the first two doubles match this weekend it was tied 1-1 for the doubles section leaving it down to a deciding match between the third seed doubles team from each school. That game went into an extra set with a double fault against Tyler that gave ACU the point for the doubles section. “The big thing for us this match was making sure we control the things we are capable of, we weren’t trying to force anything or do anything truly amazing,” said Walker With this mindset of controlling the smaller things, ACU beat both teams this weekend adding onto their already two-match win streak. ACU will have one
The Wildcat softball team was back in action for the first time this season for the spring semester. To start the season, the Wildcats participated in the Aggie Classic last weekend Feb. 8-9. Other teams included the Texas
A&M Aggies and the University of Texas Arlington Mavericks. The Wildcats won one of their four games during the weekend, defeating the Mavericks 4-2. Throughout the Wildcats’ four games, the Wildcats had an batting average of .165. Last season, the Wildcats were fifth in
Team SFA SELU McNeese HBU NWSU UCA SHSU UIW ACU Lamar Nicholls TXAM-CC
BY MEGHAN LONG | PHOTOGRAPHER
The team huddles before the match begins. more weekend at home continuing into their third week straight of
home matches. ACU will play New Mexico State and UTPB here in
Abilene on Saturday before starting their long road trip.
batting average with a .263 average. They were also top five in triples, on base percentage and hits by pitch. The Wildcats also had 16 strikeouts, which was their highest since the 2018 season. After not making the conference tour nament last season, the Wild-
cats have made some changes. The Wildcats added for mer Ole Miss assistant coach Caty Reeves to their coaching staff for some veteran experience. The Wildcats have six seniors leaving after this year, including senior pitcher Samantha Bradley, who was top 20 in batting
average. Also, the Wildcats have five freshman to take on the roles of senior players. The Wildcats travel to Waco to face the Baylor Bears, among other teams this coming weekend. It will be the sixth matchup between the Wildcats and Bears in the last five years.
2020 SEASON 79.9
POINTS PER GAME
62.7
61.9
POINTS AGAINST
57.5
47.5
FIELD GOAL %
43.2
38.5
REB/GAME
39.0
ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSIT Y (18-4, 10-3 IN SLC) SPORTS DIRECTOR
Conf. 12-2 11-3 10-3 10-3 9-5 7-6 7-6 7-7 5-9 4-10 3-11 2-11 1-12
Ovrl. 4-0 5-1 4-1 4-2 2-2 3-3 2-3 2-3 1-3 1-4 1-5 0-4
Conf. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Baseball
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MATCHUP
Owen Simpson
Ovrl. 19-4 16-7 18-4 16-7 13-10 11-11 10-12 11-12 9-14 7-16 6-17 5-17 5-17
Softball
Softball season begins at the Aggie Classic in College Station BY JALEN GARRETT SPORTS WRITER
Team SFA SHSU ACU TXAM-CC UNO UIW SELU UCA Lamar Nicholls NWSU McNeese HBU
TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI (16-7, 10-3 IN SLC)
Tavian Miles
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Tyler Henderson SPORTS REPORTER
Team ACU SFA TXAM-CC SHSU HBU NWSU Lamar SELU UIW UCA McNeese UNO Nicholls
Ovrl. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Conf. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Tennis
FISHER Freshman tennis player Claire Fisher ended a nail biter against Oral Roberts University. The women’s tennis team was tied 3-3 against Oral Roberts with one match left when Fisher began. She came up from behind with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory. Their next match will be Friday at 5 p.m. at Texas Tech.
Men’s Basketball
Jalen Garrett SPORTS REPORTER
It’s challenging to figure out this ACU women’s basketball team. Coming off their win on Wednesday, they were firing on all cylinders in the first half. However, we saw a completely different team in the second half, as the Wildcats shot a woeful 6% from the 3-point line. Now ACU has to go play the Islanders, who they lost to, 70-58 in their last meeting. In that loss, ACU shot 36% and turned the ball over 19 times. In this game, they need to score inside if they want to come out on top. Meanwhile, the Islanders are coming off one their largest losses of the season Wednesday to SFA, 72-49. Five out of the Islanders seven losses have come when they score under 50 points. I’m not quite sure if the Wildcats defense can do that, but I do believe their key to success will be getting the ball inside. Wildcats win in a nail-biter.
The Wildcats are currently on a three-game win streak as they head into this Saturday’s match against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Now the Islanders did get the best of them earlier this season in a 58-70 loss at home, but the Wildcats are hoping to get some revenge. Now the Wildcats have played electric in the first half of games, but when it comes to the second half, they just can’t seem to finish games on a strong note. With this upcoming game they’re going to have to limit their turnovers in the second half and not rely on the three-ball and feed the post and get the ball into the paint more. Wright and Golightly have been on a tear recently and expect for them to do the same. For the Wildcats to win, they’ll need to start and finish the game strong, and lock in on defense. The Islanders win this one at home.
ACU is coming off their third consecutive win, looking to make it four against A&M-Corpus Christi. ACU lost their first match with the Islanders earlier this season but have played better basketball of late. The Wildcats have perplexed many this season, as they are a stellar first half team, and tend to go cold in the back half of ball games. From beyond the 3-point line in the second half on Wednesday, ACU shot only 6%. For ACU to come out on top this weekend, they have to get it in gear in the second half. Their starters are deadly when they are on. Senior guards Brea Wright and Dominique Golightly are two of the best in the conference from beyond the arc, but when they go cold, they stay cold for extended periods of time. Look for ACU to rely on the depth of their bench in this game. ACU gets their fourth straight win in a nail biter.
FINAL SCORE: ACU 61 TXAM-CC 59
FINAL SCORE: ACU 67 TXAM-CC 77
FINAL SCORE: ACU 67 TXAM-CC 64 FINAL SCORE: ACU 65 TXAM-CC 60
The Wildcats go back on the road to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders. The first matchup resulted in a Wildcat loss back in January, 70-58 at home. In that loss, the Wildcats had their worst shooting night of the season, shooting 36% from the field. For this matchup, the Wildcats will need to come up with an offensive scheme to keep the Islanders on their toes. The Islanders are currently tied for third place in the Southland Conference and are one of the best defensive teams. They rank in the top three in categories such as defensive rebounding, three-point field goal percentage defense, field goal percentage defense and blocked shots. The Islanders also have three players who are averaging over 10 points per game, so the Wildcats must be aggressive going into this game. I think this game will be a dogfight and the Wildcats will come with a chip on their shoulders. Wildcats will win a close one.
GAYMAN Sophomore forward Clay Gayman had an eventful game ending with 19 points and five rebounds on Wednesday. Gayman led the Wildcats to a 81-67 win over Houston Baptist. Gayman played a total of 19 minutes and went 2-2 on 3-pointers. The next match will be Saturday at Corpus Christi to play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. For more visit us at
acuoptimist.com