Volume 110
ACUOPTIMIST.COM | Friday, April 1, 2022 | 1
Issue 3
A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
SING SONG REVIVAL.
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PHOTOS BY MEGHAN LONG AND SYDNEY VARNER
Top Left: The Senior act holds up a Wildcat signs. Top Right: The women of Sigma Theta Chi raise their arms at the end of their act. Middle: McKenzie Losher belts the final note of “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” Bottom Upper Left: The men of Frater Sodalis pretend to drive the Batmobile. Bottom Lower Left: The hosts sing “What A Man Gotta Do.” Bottom Right: The women of Ko Jo Kai perform as Tooth Fairies.
2 | Friday, April 1, 2022 | NEWS
Sing Song history, tradition continues on within modern shows
SCORING BREAK DOWN
1966
11/30/1956
The “Campus-wide Sing-Song” contest was announced to the student body by Dr. Robert Hunter.
02/14/1957
The first show opens on Valentine’s Day, 1957, in Sewell Auditorium. Galaxy took home first place overall in the only year where no categories existed.
02/21/1959
Two students were selected to lead a group of representatives of all the participating acts. These cochairmen of the committee would eventually go on to become known as “Co-chairs”, and now Student Directors, who oversee every aspect of the show
2/22/1964
Frater Sodalis wins for the first time in the same year as a second show was added to accommodate growing crowds.
2/22/1969
1998
Sing Song finds its permanent home in Moody Coliseum. The Freshman class swings their arms and marches in place to their music, performing the 1st choreography.
2/27/1971
The Sing Song Stage is built into the seating area for better viewing. Four hosts and hostesses are chosen for the first time. Vonda Kay Smith would join those four as a celebrity guest hostess. During one of the performances, a bomb threat that cleared Moody for half an hour was discovered to be a prank.
1993
02/15/1991
Instead of performing by division, club acts are mixed, alternating men’s and women’s. The Big Purple Band enters and wins the mixed voices competition.
2/18/2011
Due to construction on the Royce and Pam Money Recreation Center, the Sing Song participants are staged in a large tent outside.
8/1/2018
10/27/1993
The Big Purple Band withdraws from future competitions.
02/19/2011
Dr. Nick Tatum takes over as the Director of Sing Song for the 2019 show.
Two members of Gamma Sigma Phi are injured before and during their performances.
1/11/2021
Caddie Coupe takes over as the Director of the 2021 show
9/3/2021
1969
On Valentine’s day of 1957, the campus made history by hosting the first-ever campus-wide Sing Song. That year, with 23 participating groups, a sold-out production took place in Sewell Auditorium with no judging criteria or overall categories, and Galaxy took the first-ever Sing Song win. Current and recent former directors of Sing Song say the challenge has always been adapting to change while remaining true to the show’s history. Sing Song was created by Dr. Bob Hunter, now vice president emeritus, after he researched other colleges like Baylor University that had started their own traditions, like “Sing.” Courtney McGaha, director of student productions, said at that time, ACU was already considered “the singing college” because of its Church of Christ affiliation and a cappella worship services. “Back in the ‘50s, ACU had a reputation for being ‘the singing college,’” McGaha said. “Dr. Bob Hunter started the idea of a singing competition. In November of 1956, Dr. Bob Hunter ran with the idea of a singing contest on campus.” Sing Song continued to grow, adding more categories, clubs and class acts. The senior class of 1959 was the first class act to win overall, alongside the GATA act in the social club category. From starting off with the tradition of singing songs that were more than just worship songs to creating dance moves, themes and iconic club traditions, Sing Song is a tradition that everyone knows and loves. Traditions of Sing Song continue on within modern club acts with iconic moves that each club have labeled their own, like “the Big GATA” or “the Siggie Star.” In 1984, Lucille Ball even showed love for the show after the sophomore class performed an I Love Lucy-themed act and went on to win overall. Along with McGaha, Tom Craig and Nick Tatum, many others teamed up to make the archives for Sing Song in 2018. Creating the archives gave Office of Student Productions a
way to share the history and tradition of Sing Song in an easy and efficient way. “For me in my position, I made the archives, being able to see the progression of the student body and what they produce,” McGaha said. “You can tell a lot on how a club is doing based on their Sing Song act, and you can tell a lot about how the student body is doing with the class acts.” While the archives are used as a time machine for most, McGaha used the archives to her advantage for the clubs to make their themes. “When we first started the archives, we had each act pick a theme from before the 2000s and redo it,” McGaha said. “It was kind of fun to give the shared experience of people in the original acts.” McGaha said Sing Song is the most sold out event on campus. Homecoming does not compare to the alumni attendance like Sing Song does, she said. “Seeing the alumni excited about Sing Song and having them see the students be excited for it still,” McGaha said. “Having the access to the archives and history is connecting clubs and acts to alumni.” Before McGaha, Craig and Tatum filled her shoes as directors of student productions. Craig, though no longer involved in the show, always comes back to Sing Song because of the tradition. “Sing Song has iconic elements that continue no matter how the show itself evolves,” Craig said. “That’s rooted in our a cappella singing heritage. That element creates a dynamic that students can immerse themselves in for a truly unique experience.” With COVID-19, Sing Song was unable to return until 2021 with a limited performance from all acts. Now, Sing Song is returning to its a more normal attendance and participation, although numbers are still lower than what they usually are. History is what makes Sing Song, according to Tatum. “What makes Sing Song such a cool thing is that it has been around for so long,” Tatum said. “And the audience loves it because they remember doing it. Sing Song wouldn’t be fun
2013
BY MACI WEATHERS MANAGING EDITOR
Courtney McGaha takes over as Director of the 2022 show.
4/1/2022
Due to ongoing construction on Moody Coliseum, Sing Song moves off campus for the second year in a row to the Taylor County Expo Center.
10/12/2018
The Sing Song Archives launch, providing access to every year of Sing Song free to the public for the first time.
4/23/2021
Due to COVID-19 protocols, Sing Song was moved to the Paramount Theatre for a reduced show. Only 16 participants are allowed per act, among other changes.
BY MACI WEATHERS | MANAGING EDITOR
Condensed Sing Song timeline, credits to the Sing Song Archives for students if people didn’t come and weren’t excited about it. The fact that we have a rich history is what makes it what it is today. Without our history, we would be nothing.”
COSTUMES
SET
With a different location this year, Sing Song’s history and tradition continues while acts continue to evolve. “ Sing Song would be boring if it was always the same,” Tatum said. “We constantly need to be
CHOREOGRAPHY
improving the show to make it more modern. But what makes Sing Song, Sing Song is the tradition. We are always walking this balance of improvement and positive change but staying true to our roots.”
ENTERTAINMENT
VOCALS
15% 15% 15% 20% 35%
Last year’s winners reminisce, look forward to normal Sing Song BY ALYSSIA ANUAT NEWS WRITER
Ko Jo Kai and Frater Sodalis were the winners of the 65th annual Sing Song show. Now, they are looking for another winning year. Sing Song, one of ACU’s most-loved traditions which started in 1957, is an a cappella singing competition in which students prepare rewritten medleys of popular songs that are
performed with costumes, sets and choreography. Mya Parker, psychology and Spanish major from Fairfax, Virginia, is a Kojie who helped out her sorority in their practices leading up to their successful performances. “I really enjoyed the run-through practice at the Paramount, I love watching all the acts perform and seeing the directors and participants so excited,” Parker said.
“It was cool to be a part of the small group of people that were directly involved in Sing Song last year and it was a unique experience.” In 2021, due to COVID-19 protocols, Sing Song had to adapt to keep students safe. One of these changes was a very compressed timeline with which to plan the show and each act. Because of this, acts were unable to create the parody
medleys as in the past. Students were limited to 16 particpants per act while being spaced accordingly. Acts were required to work to coronavirus standards. “I think we’re really excited to be doing a big act again where so many people can be involved and for everyone to see all the hard work we have put in,” Parker said. “I’m mostly looking forward to having a big Sing
Song where more people can participate this year but that’s not to say at all that I don’t understand why we did it the way we did last year.” “Because I think having COVID protocols is incredibly important.” Jax Hernandez, a junior Christian ministry major from Keller, was an assistant director for last years’ act and a part of the Frater Solidas fraternity.
“We worked hard in rehearsal to work on blending and balancing the parts so that the harmonies in the songs would really shine,” Hernandez said. “We had all been waiting in Teague to hear the winners and when we won you could just tell from the excitement how much it meant to us so even though not all of us were able to participate it was a big moment for our fraternity.”
THE OPTIMIST STAFF SYDNEY VARNER EDITOR IN CHIEF
MACI WEATHERS MANAGING EDITOR
ALYISSIA ANUAT NEWS WRITER
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NEWS | Friday, April 1, 2022 | 3
BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Hosts and Hostesses from left to right: Hannah McLean, Caleb Crisp, Rose Lee-Alliston, Jackson Eades, McKenzie Losher and Ryan Young.
MEET YOUR HOSTS, HOSTESSES JACKSON EADES
MCKENZIE LOSHER
HANNAH MCLEAN
Eades is a senior youth and family ministry major from Boerne. Eades autioned to be a host this year and said it’s something he has been looking forward to since visiting campus as a high school student. “Sing Song to me is a beautiful celebration of life through music,” Eades said. “I think traditions like this are important because they remind us of the joy to be found in life and the gifts that God has given us.”
Losher is a junior communications major from Sunnyvale. Losher auditioned to be a hostess this year because she said she has always had a passion for performing. “I love the way this school comes together to put on the Nation’s largest all school a capella competition,” Losher said. “Sing Song is so unique and weird and makes ACU what it is. I’ll never get over how special it is to be a part of this ACU tradition that’s gone on for decades.”
McLean is a junior early education major from Abilene, McLean said she auditioned this year because she has always wanted to be a Sing Song hostess after growing up attending Sing Song. “I love Sing Song because of how it brings the different communities across campus together,” McLean said. “Some of my best friendships have been made through Sing Song experiences. I think this is such an important tradition here at ACU because it is one of the events that make the ACU experience so unique.”
CALEB CRISP
ROSE LEE-ALLISTON
RYAN YOUNG
Crisp is a senior graphic design major from Abilene. He is a member of Frater Sodalis and he has been a part of a cappella groups Foundation, Daybreak and Hilltop for three years.
Lee-Alliston is a senior theatre major with a concentration in musical theatre and dance. She is from Newscastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. She is a member of the a cappella group Foundation.
Young is a junior music education major from Haslet. He is a part of the A Cappella Chorus. Young has also been a part of acapella groups Foundation and Hilltop for the past three years.
Under Roof-ACU Wildcats Back Row: Caleb Robinson, Kyle McVey, Dayton Borger, Will Christoferson, Clay Trumble, Brad Magers, Bret Pinson Front Row: Amy Lane, Hannah Rimmer, Dillon Cobb, Sarah Bacon, Pam Brown Not Pictured: Shelley Allen, Brittany Balcomb, Ella Burgess, Brian Burton, Clint Davidson, John Ferguson, Abby Fortson, Geo Goodwin, Lauren Harp, Yancey House, Sheri Kendrick, Tim Laws, Jeff Leving, Austin Mayes, Tyler Mayes, Marcus Morris, Tim Pittman, Joe Rocco, Kirk Thaxton, Kyle Whisenhunt
YOU FIRST | FFIN.com
Friday, April 1, 2022 |
2022 PREDICTIONS Competition is heating up among this year’s Sing Song acts. So The Optimist yet again called in the infamous Hal Hoots for his longawaited Sing Song predictions. Hal calls it like he sees it and has handed over his list of who he thinks will take home the gold in Men’s, Women’s and Mixed voices divisions. Editor’s note: Staff members participating in a Sing Song act did not partake in the prediction process for their respective divisions.
1. FRATER SODALIS
1. SIGMA THETA CHI
Frater Sodalis is going for the 3-peat win this year, and they aren’t joking around. With entertaining lyrics, classic choreography and strong vocals, there is na-nana-na-na-na-na-na-nothing keeping them from snagging the first place spot with their “Look Out Abilene! The Joker’s Back In Town!”
2. GAMMA SIGMA PHI
The men of Frater Sodalis swoop in to save this year’s sing song, hoping to make it three wins in a row. Fighting off The Joker to save Abilene will surely bring a smile to your face.
2. FRESHMAN CEREAL Though the Freshman Cereal were sugar sweet, it wasn’t quite enough to charm their way to the top. While their costumes and music were intriguing, their choreography and cameos were raisin ‘bland’ earning them the second place podium.
3. GATA
GAMMA SIGMA PHI
FRESHMAN SAILORS
Janitors: After Hours Entertainment is an understatement for these jolly janitors who have a fantastic cameo and a clever set. Their choreo will sweep you off your feet and leave you wanting more.
Saved By The Sail
3. FRESHMAN SAILORS
Warning! This act is red hot, but wasn’t quite enough to burn down the rest of competition. While their whole act was unique in their homage to Smokey the Bear, their costumes, vocals and chroegraphy weren’t enough to spark an interest. GATA needs to be careful and not let their fire fizzle out.
Sub T-16 hasn’t placed since 1984 but with their act “Farm” they provide just enough enterainment, comedy and coherent storytelling to sneak that third place podium. While they make jokes about getting kicked out, they had just enough to kick out the rest of the competition.
”Kum-Ba-Ya”-ing The Whole Summer Long The seniors are going for the sweep behind a beautiful campfire set with a memorable ending. This year’s seniors will make their class proud with a strong all around act.
FRESHMAN CEREAL
Farm
Breakfast of Champions
These farmers are here with energy to place in this year’s production for the first time since the 1980’s. With a long-standing tradition of haphazard fun, this year’s act will surprise you with creative choreo and vocals.
Cereal costumes and smooth costume changes will leave the audience wanting their favorite cereal. These freshmen know what they’re doing with strong choreo and dreamy vocals.
While the Freshman Sailors charted a path for victory, the waves proved to be much and pulled them off course. With creatives costumes and a nautical themed set, their lyrics and choreography left a lot to be desired.
JUNIORS
GATA
Two Forks Don’t Make A Knife Dreamy vocals and strong choreo highlights the juniors act. The juniors haven’t won since 2012 but this year could be the year they knife the competition.
Please Help GATA Prevent Forest Fires GATA brings all the smoke to this year’s competition with high hopes for a win for the first time since they won back-to-back years in 2016 and 2017. A cute set and choreo highlights a strong act.
SENIORS
These freshman sailors are charting their course to victory using sea shanties while making waves with their costumes.
SUB T-16
This senior act took one last hike up the podium with their first place level act. These camp counselors showed us the way to victory with playful costumes, a creative set and senitmental lyrics that left the audience hoping they’d never have to go home.
Sigma Theta Chi is going all the way to the chapel with their first place act. With a callback to an older theme, Sigma Theta Chi was not married to the old ways and modernized this act with clever lyrics, a good costume change and a highly detailed set. Sigma Theta Chi may just come out as this year’s Sing Song sweethearts.
These tooth fairies sure will give you a sweet tooth with their act “We Love Sing Song ‘Fairy’ Much - Ain’t That the ‘Tooth.” The costumes and thorough storyline made this act stand out but doesn’t quit get the pretty penny that comes with first.
3. SUB T-16 Look Out Abilene! The Joker’s Back In Town!
1. SENIOR CLASS
2. KO JO KAI
While the janitors planned to sweep the competition, their super costume transformations and comical lyrics weren’t enough to get away with a clean victory. While they had a strong storyline and entertaining cameos, Gamma Sigma Phi’s choreography needs some cleaning before they can move up in charts.
FRATER SODALIS
MIXED VOICES
WOMEN’S VOICES
MEN’S VOICES
TRI KAPPA GAMMA Come Dine with TKG
Order up! The women of Tri Kappa Gamma won’t wait out their competition to win this year’s Sing Song. TKG won’t leave you waiting too long to impress.
DELTA THETA I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For DT! You’ll be screaming for a sweet treat after hearing this beautifully blended act. Delta Theta brings a lot to the table this year behind melodic vocals and naturally blended choreo.
ALPHA KAI OMEGA It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Uses an ‘I’ Alpha Kai Omega brings strong creativity with their Scrabble act with entertaining choreography, clever lyrics and strong vocals.
SIGMA THETA CHI
KO JO KAI
Ring By Sing ... Song
We Love Sing Song ‘Fairy’ Much - Ain’t That the ‘Tooth’ Kojies came in as Tooth Fairies this year hoping to win their fifth straight Sing Song. KJK loves Sing Song ‘fairy’ much and will wow you with strong vocals and their consistently classy choreo.
Ring by Sing… Song brings magical music and classy choreo to their audience. Sigma Theta Chi brings a new twist with memorable moments from the most memorable day of a person’s life.
Page 5
6 |Friday, April 1, 2022 | NEWS
Lucky 13: A guide to the 66th Sing Song themes BY MARIAH WILLIAMS NEWS WRITER
Thirteen acts will compete in Sing Song this year, hopeful for the first overall win and campus bragging rights. What keeps the acts unique from one another is the creative themes. Each Sing Song leader goes through getting their ideal theme approved. The first freshman act theme will take to the sea with its theme, Sailors. Sawyer Davis, freshman journalism major from Denver City and Sailor act co-director, created this from a sailor’s crisp and clean look. “Sailors will take the audience on a journey, as they battle getting lost at sea and overcoming their fear,” Davis said. The second freshman act will tempt taste buds with everyone’s favorite breakfast, cereal, originating from the World Famous Bean. “It was shocking to discover that no one had ever made cereal a theme before,” Alex Dulske said, freshman computer science major from San Antonio and Cereal act co-director. The Bean continues to impact this year’s themes with the junior act as silverware. Making a comeback after two years of not
participating, juniors plan to leave a memborable performance with their wacky theme. “We wanted something unique where you look at the costumes and think, that is a crazy fun theme,” said Sydney Solberg, junior psychology major from Houston and silverware act co-director. “Our set is in the Bean, and about the rivalry between the silverware and the voyage they experience from students every day.” For the last class act, the seniors will attempt to relive the nostalgic vibes of summer camp as camp counselors. With polished participants and leaders like Jackson Scott, camp counselor act co-director, they can let a little loose and have fun during rehearsals. “Our act is simple with detail that everyone can relate to and have fun with,” Scott said, senior communication major from Keller. By strengthening their fundamentals, the camp counselors are sure to shine a light on unforgettable memories. ACU fraternity, Gamma Sigma Phi, has a surprise for the audience. Its theme is janitors after hours who have a secret. While this theme may seem boring on
BY MEGHAN LONG | PHOTOGRAPHER The Women of GATA attempt to prevent forest fires.
the surface, their ending will surely bring on shock and awe. Sub T-16 is known for their last-minute Sing Song act, and they are not going to change. “The theme Farm is simple and has many possibilities. We mainly focus on mental preparation, so our mind will be right if we decide to practice,” said Landon Talley, Sub T-16 Sing Song director, and vice president. Sub T-16 brings a lighter, more entertaining approach against intense competition. Coming off a win, Frater Sodalis is playing off famil-
iarity and popularity with the theme of Batman. “Everyone knows who Batman is; there are so many iterations,” said Jax Hernandez, junior Christian ministry major from Keller and Frats Sing Song director. Frats costume design and hard rock arrangement are sure to leave the crowd wanting more. Alpha Kai Omega will scramble brains with the family-loving board game theme, Scrabble. AKO opened up its act to all female ACU students who may have missed auditions or did not have a chance to participate. Emma Rose
Habert, junior instrumental music education major from Seymour, is the treasurer and Sing Song director for AKO. “We have a unique twist on our act with costume changes and movement between rows,” Habert said. The women of GATA are ready to kill any fires that may come its way, with Smokey the Bear as its theme. “We fight the fire and define it, concluding the act saving the park,” said Kaley Bates, junior animal science major from Kingwood and GATA logistics Sing Song director. Tri Kappa Gamma keeps a classic but straightforward theme as they serve up a bite as waitresses. “I wanted my show to be bright and colorful. A diner was the first thing that came to my mind,” said Leighton Meyer, junior instrumental music education major from Alverado and TKG Sing Song director. Sigma Theta Chi’s theme from bridesmaids to brides pays homage to ACU culture. Initially a Siggie act in 2002, the club decided to reprise it, keeping one original song. Jolee Lane, a senior business marketing management major from Abilene, is co-directing the Siggie act.
“This act is very relevant for the wedding culture that happens at ACU,” Lane said. Delta Theta is screaming extra loud for their theme, Ice Cream, showing the audience an exciting insight into what such a delicious dessert goes through. Eva Straughn, junior engineering major from Abilene and DT Sing Song director, wanted a different act than what the sorority has done. “The Ice cream will have to beat the Abilene heat,” Straughn said. “You would not think that ice cream has challenges to overcome, but our act will show you differently.” Wishful for their fifth consecutive win, Ko Jo Kai decided to add a bit of magic to their theme from previous years. Prepare to check under pillows as Ko Jo Kai transforms into tooth fairies. “We know a winning act is not complacent, so we decided to go with a theme that has never seen the Sing Song stage before,” Kate Matthews, KJK Sing Song director and senior advertising and public relations major from Mount Pleasant, said. The world will see the debut of these acts and their themes when Sing Song starts on April 1.
Sing Song Dance Team prepares to hit the Expo Center stage BY MARIAH WILLIAMS NEWS WRITER
In addition to class acts, fraternity and sorority acts, and host and hostess performances, dance teams returns to the Sing Song stage this year. The student-led dance team will comprise two sub-sections based on dance experience and performance level. They were split into an
elite group and an all-team group, each led by co-captains Rylee Dawson, junior elementary education major from Victorville, California, and Marilyn Allen, junior social work major from Hillsborough, North Carolina. “The elite team is more stylized with contemporary and hip hop, and the full team does simpler dance styles,” Dawson said. Every sorority and frater-
nity must have three to five representatives audition for the team. This allows for versatile representation within the teams. Practices started shortly after the tryout in November, with three in the fall semester and every weekend in the spring semester. The all-team practiced once every weekend, and the elite team practice twice every weekend. The dance team accom-
panies Sing Song’s host and hostess in between the acts and for the finale. They aim to give fun and energetic performances, giving time for acts to prepare for their spotlight on stage. They will have four performances, one in the first act and three in the second act. With the complication of Moody construction, Sing Song has moved to the Expo
center this year. “This year, there have been a few stage differences and last-minute changes with the staging; being adaptable was the important skill throughout this,” Dawson said. With the effect of COVID-19, Sing Song has not operated normally within the last year. Due to the precautions and mandates around this previous year’s
Sing Song, the dance team did not participate. Firstyear dance team participant Ashley Jacobson, sophomore elementary education major from Austin, said the teams are eager to make a comeback to the Sing Song stage. “I’m just excited to dance in front of an audience again,” she said. “I have not danced since high school, so this opportunity is very surreal.”
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NEWS | Friday, April 1, 2022 | 7
Faculty, friends remember the life of ubiquitous Marcus Mullings BY KAUY OSTLIEN SPORTS WRITER
Marcus Mullings, a wellknown and ever-present member of the ACU and Abilene community, passed away on March 8, 2022, at the age of 89 of natural causes. Born in Cincinnati, Mullings grew up in Abilene with his father, Dr. Marcus E. Mullings, a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics from 1935 to 1973, spending most of those years as the department chair. Mullings graduated high school from Abilene Christian High School. He then spent time in the U.S. Army before returning to Abilene. Here, he spent most of his time around the university, developing relationships during the 1950s with the men of Frater Sodalis. He could be seen with them at the Dixie Pig after club meetings on Wednesday nights. Dr. Charlie Marler, professor emeritus of journalism and mass communication, struck up a friendship with Mullins while Marler was a student. “He was an unofficial member of Frats because he was a friendly guy,” said Marler. “You couldn’t help but like him.” This friendship continued into recent years when they could be seen with a group of men that meets at McDonald’s every Thursday night. Mullings spent much of his time on campus in the Bean or sitting in on a class. While never officially enrolled at the university, Mullings was known to audit many courses throughout his life as he would gain the knowledge provided by the professor. Along with this, Mullings was known to frequent
the Brown Library and read textbooks to learn. Many of his close friends, such as Dr. Neal Coates, chair of the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice, said there was nothing Mullings didn’t know something about. “Marcus was one of the most well-read and most well educated you will ever meet,” Coates said. “His house on the 1400th block of Cedar Crest was quite literally littered with things that he had an interest in.” Coates and Mullings became friends through Boy Scout Troop 201, of which Coates was an adult volunteer. Mullings was also an adult volunteer and was known to come to the meeting to teach the young scouts lessons about the earth, birds and his favorite, the migration of Monarch butterflies. His father-built Mullings’s house on Cedar Crest in the 1930s. The house had become dilapidated after more than 85 years. Along with this, Mullings lived minimally with no utilities other than water. Mullings would always have an open-door policy for anyone who needed a place to stay. Though in his later years, he moved into an apartment across the street while still always having the dream of fixing the house up for people to have a place to stay. Mullings attended several churches, attending services, potlucks and holiday celebrations, throughout his life. Mullings’s life in Christ was the most important thing to him, said friends. Most notably, he attended University Church of Christ for many years, though faithfully attended Bar Church at Memories Bar in Abilene in the past few years. Dodd Roberts, director of Halbert Center for Missions
PHOTO COURTESY TO DODD ROBERTS
Mullings with on of his bike at the Hillcrest Neighborhood Parade 2015. and Global Service, once saw Mullings reading a Turkish dictionary in a store. Mullings had heard about a large group of Turkish Muslim immigrants in Germany. Naturally, he wanted to tell them about Jesus, Roberts said. Roberts and Mullings developed a relationship on Christmas day in 2015. Roberts and his family were playing disc golf at the course behind Smith-Adams dormitory.
When Roberts spotted a man in a Santa hat and spoke to him for a while. It was Mullings. This created a relationship with one of the most interesting and loving people Roberts had ever met. “If you spent five minutes talking to Marcus, you might not really think what he was saying made a lot of sense,” said Roberts. “But if you spent five hours talking to Marcus, you would have a great conversation. You’d
laugh, be informed, and make a friend.” Roberts says until recently, Mullings could still be seen riding around town on his bike, for which he always carries spare inner tubes. As his only means of transportation, he went through many bicycles in his life, and while some of them were stolen, Roberts said Mullings was also known to have given his bike to someone in need. Mullings is survived by
his nephews Benjamin and Matthew Morris. Mullings was preceded in death by his father, Marcus E. Mullings, and his mother, Dixie H. Morris, and his brothers, Lynn Mullings, Raymond Mullings and Gunter Mullings. Funeral services took place at University Church of Christ on March 25, with a follow up graveside service at Abilene Municipal Cemetery.
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8 | Friday, April 1, 2022 | SPORTS
Blue Raiders end Wildcats’ season in Florida BY CONNOR MULLINS CO-SPORTS DIRECTOR
The Wildcats’ season (26-11, 11-7) came to a close on their seventh game in 14 days to the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (26-10, 13-5) on March 22 in the semifinal round of the College Basketball Invitational, 85-69. Tanner’s team started fast coming into halftime with a 46-39 lead. But the game slipped away from the Wildcats in the second half as the Blue Raiders held the Wildcats to four field goals and 23 second half points. “One thing I was proud of was the guys never quit, they were competing till the very end and that’s our team,” Tanner said. “I’m really excited for them that they were able to come down here and win some games. They put themselves in a position to win a championship but it just didn’t happen.” The Wildcats got out to a quick 18-7 lead off of senior guard Coryon Mason’s and one free throw with 12:31 remaining in the half. In that span, the Wildcats shot 70% from the field and 3-3 from beyond the arc. The 66th best team in the nation in free throw percentage shot 7-7 from the line to take the seven point halftime lead 46-39
BY RILEY FISHER | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Sophomore forward Cameron Steele attempts a layup against a defender. over the Blue Raiders. The hot shooting Wildcats finished the half shooting 57% from the field and 67% from three. Tanner’s offense was led by sophomore forward Cameron Steele’s 16 on 6-7 shooting from the field and 4-5 from three. Despite having the lead at halftime, ACU struggled from the floor only scoring 23 points in the second half. The Blue Raiders shut down the Wildcats offense early and took their first lead of the game at 50-49 with 14:17 remaining. ACU never recovered as MTSU led 7059 with 6:19 to play off
an and-one layup and free throw. MTSU finished the night shooting 10-11 from the floor. “The effort was there but the mental fatigue set in and that’s where the shooting comes in,” Tanner said. “As soon as they made that run it popped our bubble. It just didn’t work out and we ran out of gas. This doesn’t take away from what these guys did this year.” The Wildcats only made four field goals but shot 14-20 from the free throw line in the second half. Steele continued to be a highlight in the sec-
ond half as he finished the night with 20. Mason and senior guard Mahki Mason scored in double digits as well with 15 and 14. Morris, Mason and senior guard Reggie Miller wore the Wildcat uniform for the final time in the loss. The three guards finish their time with a three year record of 69-27 with an NCAA Tournament win last season 53-52 over the University of Texas. Senior guards Damien Daniels and Tobias Cameron have one year of eligibility remaining due the extra year granted by the NCAA due to COVID-19. “What these guys did is
one of the greatest seasons ever,” Tanner said. “We got to the conference tournament, rolled through two conference co-champions and the best seven-seed in the country.” “Then we came here, beat a really good Troy squad and an unbelievable Ohio team that won 25 games themselves. To me, I don’t know how you top this season.” Tanner’s first year at the helm finishes at 25-11, 11-7. He finishes with the third most wins in a single season in Wildcat men’s basketball history. His squad also clinched a school record five postseason wins, all of which against 20 or more win teams. Yesterday, he was named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award which is given to the top first-year head coach in Div. 1. “It’s an honor, I’m glad to be a part of that list, but players make coaches,” Tanner said. “It’s all about the players and I’m thankful I got to coach a bunch of guys like this in my first year.” Now the Wildcats head to the offseason having completed their first year under Tanner in WAC play with a fourth-straight 20 win season and three straight conference championship appearances.
ACU upset in first-round departure against UTRGV BY CARRIE JOHNSTON CO-SPORTS DIRECTOR
The Wildcats’ Western Athletic Conference tournament run and season came to a rapid close on March 9 when they fell to the UTRGV Vaqueros, 73-70. “I think we have a lot to be proud of this season,” said head coach Julie Goodenough. “We had eight new players join seven returners, and it’s been such a fun team to coach.” “We’ve stubbed our toes multiple times this season and been a little inconsistent finishing games, and today was no exception to that.” The Vaqueros got out to a hot start in the first quarter, shooting 71% from the field and 5-5 from the 3-point line.
Meanwhile, ACU shot 32% and 50%, respectively. Due to the hot shooting start, the Vaqueros took six-point lead at the end of the first, and then extended the lead to nine points at halftime. The tide started to turn in the second half when the Wildcats shut down the Vaqueros shooting through strong defense and gained momentum on the offensive end. “We made some adjustments heading out in the third, and I thought our players were a lot more alert,” Goodenough said. “They did a better job of seeing balls and seeing girl.” They kept this pace until the end of the game, where they were down by three points with 9.9 seconds left on the clock. Coming off a timeout, Goodenough and the
Wildcats ran a play to hit a 3-pointer to tie the game, but it fell short, giving the Vaqueros its second win in the WAC tournament. In the end, the Wildcats finished the Wednesday afternoon matchup shooting 31% from the field and 30% from the 3-point line. Meanwhile, their counterparts in orange and white finished the game shooting 49% from the field and and 38% from the 3-point line. Three of ACU starters gave double-digit performances on Wednesday afternoon. One of those was senior guard Madi Miller, who scored 14 points on 5-11 shooting. She also added five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Another was graduate guard Tatum Barber, scoring 13 points for the Wildcats, plus led the team with three steals.
“If the ball flew a different way a couple times or the jump balls went a different way, we definitely would of won.” TATUM BARBER GRADUATE GUARD FROM ARGYLE
With this being the last game of her college career, she wished the game had turned out differently, but it just was not in the cards for them. “We really thought that we could win this tournament,” Barber said. “If the ball flew a different way a couple times or the jump balls went a different way, we definitely would of won tonight. ” Finally, leading the Wildcats for the final time this season was WAC Newcomer of the Year and graduate forward Ja-
mie Bonnarens. She led all scorers with 19 points while also leading the team with six rebounds. With this game also being the last in her career, Bonnarens said she hoped to leave a lasting impact on the program and the younger players. “Coming in as a super senior, you know that you have the experience under your belt, and you know automatically people are looking up to you,” Bonnarens said. “So you just try to put your best foot forward every practice and every day. When the last buzzer sounds, there’s no going back.” With the loss, the Wildcats’ season comes to a close. They finished the season with a 17-13 overall record and a 9-10 conference record.
Baseball earns first Top 25 win on road versus No. 12 TCU BY KAUY OSTLIEN SPORTS WRITER
Wildcat baseball won its first-ever matchup versus a ranked opponent in Division I NCAA baseball, defeating the no.12 TCU Horned Frogs on the road at Lupton Stadium. Entering Tuesday, the Wildcats had been in a slump in a week where they went 1-3 versus Tarleton and TCU at home. Since that matchup, TCU went on a tear sweeping their series at home versus Kansas
State to remain 9-0 at home on the season. In what looked to be a bullpen game similar to March 22, the Wildcats sent out graduate right-handed pitcher Garrett Egli to the mound for his first career start versus the now no.12 Horned Frogs. Instead of a usual bullpen outing, ACU was blessed with a four-inning two-run effort from the righty. The Wildcat offense utilized this great start to work up to four runs in the top of the fourth. This is partly due to
a right-field two-run homerun from graduate outfielder Colton Eager. While the offense found its groove, head coach Rick McCarty turned the ball over to junior left-who finished with three one-hit innings. With the Wildcats adding more security in the sixth on two doubles for a 6-2 lead, coach McCarty gave the rock in the eighth to his closer, senior right-handed pitcher Tanner Riley, who was coming off a tough weekend versus Tarleton.
Despite this, the righty was solid; his pitches worked the strike zone the way they needed to. Riley would strike out five batters, including the final batter, for the ACU victory. “I didn’t second that one at all,” McCarty said. “We got down within six outs, and we knew we were going to hand him the ball and win or lose, we’re gonna feel good about it.” This win signaled the first home loss of the season for the Horned Frogs and the first top 25 win for
the Wildcats in Division I. This was just the second time the Wildcats defeated the Horned Frogs, the first time since 2018. McCarty says that despite the big win playing the game simple always gets the job done. “We talk all the time; baseball’s a game of strikes and who can do simple better,” McCarty said. “I thought we did simple really well last night.” ACU’s next matchup will be this weekend versus the Lamar Cardinals.
FINAL RECORDS Men’s Basketball Team NMSU SU SFA GCU SHSU ACU UVU Tarleton CBU DSU UTRGV CSU Lamar
Ovrl. 27-7 23-9 22-10 23-8 19-14 25-11 20-12 14-17 18-16 13-18 8-23 7-25 2-28
Conf. 14-4 14-4 14-4 13-5 13-5 11-7 10-8 9-9 7-11 6-12 3-15 3-15 0-18
FINAL RECORDS Women’s Basketball Team SFA GCU CBU UVU ACU SHSU Tarleton Lamar UTRGV SU DSU NMSU CSU
Ovrl. 28-5 22-10 23-9 16-15 17-13 15-16 16-13 14-15 14-19 11-19 10-19 10-19 4-23
Conf. 17-1 14-4 13-5 10-8 9-9 9-9 8-10 8-10 8-10 6-12 6-12 6-12 3-15
STANDINGS Baseball Team GCU DSU Lamar SHSU Tarleton ACU CBU SU UTRGV CSUS NMSU UVU SFA
Ovrl. 16-9 13-10 15-9 14-10 9-13 12-11 16-6 7-14 13-10 11-12 10-11 8-16 5-16
Conf. 8-1 8-4 6-3 6-3 5-4 5-4 5-4 5-4 4-5 3-6 2-7 2-7 1-8
Softball Team GCU SFA ACU CBU SU Tarleton SHSU UVU DSU NMSU Lamar
Ovrl. 22-9 13-15 4-1 21-16 18-14 18-14 10-23 11-13 11-19 6-20 5-20
Conf. 5-1 7-2 8-4 4-2 4-2 4-5 4-5 2-4 2-4 1-5 1-8
Men’s Tennis Team Lamar NMSU ACU GCU UTRGV CSU SU
Ovrl. 11-6 7-12 7-11 4-13 4-13 8-13 5-17
Conf. 4-0 4-0 3-1 2-2 1-3 0-4 0-4
Women’s Tennis Team Tarleton UTRGV SFA SHSU CSU GCU NMSU DSU SU Lamar ACU
Ovrl. 15-4 9-7 8-7 7-8 6-12 3-8 3-13 2-12 1-9 8-8 6-9
Conf. 2-0 2-0 1-1 1-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-2 0-2
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acuoptimist.com
Burris leads Wildcats to winning series over Sam Houston State BY KAYLEE KAHN SPORTS WRITER
The Wildcats met Sam Houston this past weekend, winning their first conference meetup, 2-1. In game one, the Wildcats were able to grab the win by a large margin of, 12-2, finishing in five innings. Sidney Holman-Mansell, graduate pitcher from Belton, gained her ninth win of the season by creating five strikeouts and only allowing three hits. ACU started off strong in the second inning with junior outfielder Sadie Eichelberger hitting a single up to the right field, sending in two runs. With two outs sophomore pitcher Riley White singled down the third baseline, sending a run home to put the Wildcats up
3-0 at the end of the second inning. “I think that it’s just showing a lot of growth in our offense,” head coach Abigail Farler said. “It is really starting to come around and we’re seeing production out of a lot of different kids right now.” In the third inning, freshman infielder Logan Gaspar hit an RBI double to center field on two outs, sending a run home. At the next atbat, Eichelberger once again hit a single up the left-field line, sending two runs home. Then in the fourth inning, an RBI single was created, bringing ACU to a score of 7-0. With two outs and a blank count in the fifth inning, graduate infielder Calie Burris hit a three-run home run to right field. Not too long
after, sophomore infielder Matti Reilings hit a two-run home run down the left-field line, stopping ACU at 12 total runs. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Sam Houston was able to gain two runs, but the game shortly ended after the Wildcat’s run ruled the Bearkats, 12-2. In game two, ACU gained the close win of 4-3, off of an RBI double in the seventh inning. “I am really happy with how we came out with a lot of energy,” Farler said. “I think that set the tone in the first game with a lot of offensive production.” White started for the Wildcats, creating two strikeouts over 4.2 innings. Holman-Mansell then came into close for ACU, gaining her tenth win. The game went back and
forth, with both ACU and Sam Houston gaining one run every inning. The Wildcats started off by gaining one run in the first inning, putting them up early. Not long after in the second inning, the Bearkats scored a run off of a single to right field to put them on the board. In the top of the third inning, Burris homered for her second time this weekend to put the Wildcats ahead. Sam Houston started getting strong in the fifth inning where they gained two runs, putting them in front of ACU. “The girls came out ready to compete, they came out really confident,” Farler said. “Calie had some monster home runs and that was fun to see from her.” In the seventh inning,
Eichelberger hit an RBI double to right-center field, sending the tying run home. In the next play, White doubled down the right-field line, giving ACU the winning run. In game three on Saturday afternoon, the Wildcats lost a close battle to the Bearkats, 5-6. Holman-Mansell received the loss by pitching four innings and was later relieved by freshman pitcher Hannah Benavides who closed out the game for the Wildcats. “They really took advantage of our defensive misuses,” Farler said. “But our overall ability to fight back and stay in the ball game until the very last out, I was proud.” In the second inning, Sam Houston started off with a solo home run putting them ahead early. In the third inning, the
Wildcats were able to score on a fielding error, tying up the game. Not too long after in the bottom of the third, the Bearkats scored two runs on a fielder’s choice. The fourth inning was a big inning for both teams. ACU was able to score two runs on a single to right field. While Sam Houston was given the opportunity to score on an error, they then gained three runs on a double down the left-field side, pushing them in front, 6-4. ACU then gained one more run by a single up the middle but was unable to secure the win. The Wildcats head to College Station to face Texas A&M for a weekend series on Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 12 p.m.