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April 22, 2021 | Vol. 95, No. 25

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NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

FEATURES

Police gives tips for distracted driving awareness

Unintentional intention: Chauvin’s verdict

Football receives top honors

Diversity Awards honor students’ work

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Former Racer searches for living kidney donor Gage Johnson Editor-in-Chief gjohnson17@murraystate.edu

Photo courtesy of Robyn Koschier Robyn Koschier was diagnosed with an auto-immune kidney disease about 13 years ago.

Police give tips for distracted driving awareness month Cady Stribling News Editor cstribling1@murraystate.edu In light of April being National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Murray State Police Chief Jeff Gentry gave many tips that were partly developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that drivers can follow to be distraction-free. “ U n i v e r s i t y Po l i c e re m i n d s pedestrians and drivers to remain aler t and be mindful of e a c h o t h e r o n t h e r o a d w a y, ” Gentr y said. “ There are multiple traffic offenses that c an c a u s e d i s t r a c t e d d r i v i n g, i . e. driving while intoxicated, texting while driving, just to name a few,” Gentr y said. “I usually try to promote these tips yearly.”

The first tip Gentr y gave is to always watch out for

pedestrians and yield at crosswalks. Second, before you start the car, learn your A-BC’s: adjust mirrors, buckle seat belts and check on passengers.

The next tip is to plan your ro u t e a h e ad o f t i m e t o a vo i d taking your eyes off the road to look at phone or paper maps.

Av o i d d i s t r a c t e d d r i v i n g b y never texting or talking on the phone, Gentr y said. Also, eating and driving means taking your eyes off the road, so stick with eating at destinations.

Gentr y said promoting those in the c ar to be peaceful and keeping the music at a reasonable level are other ways to have the safest driving exper iences. If dr ivers are tired a t t h e w h e e l , G e n t r y re c om mends pulling over and resting.

see

POLICE, page 3

Robyn Langston Koschier, who attended Murray State in 2000, was diagnosed with an auto-immune kidney disease and has had a significant decline in her kidney function over the years.

The wife and mother of two children is looking to find a kidney for a transplant, which is something that people can wait years for.

Koschier spent four semesters at Murray State, where she met her husband of almost 14 years before moving to the Sunshine State in 2003.

Once arriving in Fort Myers, Florida, Koschier worked in restaurants and as a customer care manager of a local printing company while attending Edison State College. Shortly after, Koschier went in for a routine doctor’s appointment and her life changed forever.

“As common practice, they tested a urine sample and advised that there must have been a mistake,” Koschier said. “They took another sample and then called to advise that they were referring me to see a specialist as the amount of protein in my urine was off the chart high.

I had no idea what this meant.”

Following the routine doctor’s appointment, she was scheduled for a renal biopsy, which eventually revealed that she had a

condition called IgA Nephropathy, an autoimmune kidney disease.

With this disease, IgA deposits build up in the kidneys, causing inflammation that damages the kidney tissues. At the time of her diagnosis, Koschier only had mild kidney damage and continued with her schooli n g a n d p r o f e s s i o n a l c a r e e r.

In 2011, Koschier was offered a job at a law firm as a litigation file clerk, and later that year graduated from Edison State College with an associates of arts degree. Although she was accepted to the University of Florida, she passed up the offer after receiving a promotion to litigation legal assistant. Her career took on a path of its own, and in 2017, so did her personal life.

“In 2017, after having issues with infertility, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl,” Koschier said.

“In 2018, only 16 months later, my baby boy completed our family. Since that time, I have been promoted to regional office manager and I manage the Naples and Fort Myers offices of Becker.”

H o w e v e r, s h e c o n t i n u e d t o battle the disease as it progressed, from no visible symptoms early on to having to up the amount of medication Koschier was taking on a daily basis.

see RACER, page 2

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News

April 22, 2021

RACER From Page 1 “In the beginning stages, the disease was certainly a silent disease,” Koschier said. “I had no real symptoms. However, when my kidneys became too inflamed, I would have to take medications to reduce the inflammation. During one flare up, I was prescribed a steroid medication.

My body did not react with the steroid and I ended up in the ER with excessive swelling and pain.

After that incident, my thyroid has never been the same. The kidney damage has also caused increased blood pressure, which can be difficult to control at times and, you guessed it, more medication. Last year, my kidney function began decreasing significantly.”

She later had another renal biopsy confirming that it was the progression of the autoimmune kidney disease, but more issues arose following the biopsy.

“I have had many complications since the biopsy, including multiple hospital stay, hematoma in the area around my kidney, high potassium levels and high blood pressure,” Koschier said. “I now have Stage 4 kidney disease and after a very thorough evaluation, I have been listed on the deceased donor transplant list. I am now starting to feel fatigued daily, which is part of the progression of the disease. As you can imagine, it is becoming more and more difficult to manage a full-time job, being the mom of a two-year-old and a four-year-old, being a wife and maintaining a household.”

With the complications arising, now the plan her family and team of doctors agree on is that Koschier’s best option is a transplant before the need for dialysis.

“This is very important to me since I have two small children,” Koschier said. “Getting regular dialysis treatments, usually three times a week for four or so hours at a time, will help my kidneys do their job and keep me alive, but a transplant would offer me more freedom and the ability to live a longer, healthier, more normal life. A transplant would also give me more time to do the things I enjoy most: spending time with my family and friends.”

In her appointments at the Cleveland Clinic Transplant Center in Weston, Florida, Koschier learned a great deal about the donor process, noting that there are two kinds of donors that can provide her with a donor kidney- a living donor and a deceased donor.

She was placed on the deceased donor list at the Cleveland Clinic, a list of 100,000 people. In her home state of Florida, the estimated wait time for a deceased donor kidney is three to five years.

Koschier said that many people die while waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor and that if she were to receive one, it would extend her life by approximately 10 years.

The alternative would be to receive a living donor kidney, which is something Koschier is uncomfortable asking others for, but knows it would give her the ability to see so much more of her children’s lives.

“Asking a family member or friend to consider donating a kidney to me is very difficult, but it greatly improves my chances of getting a healthy transplanted organ,” Koschier said. “A living kidney donation typically

lasts longer and has much better function. Since I am a younger candidate, a living donor would help me live another 25-35 years as opposed to 10 years from a deceased donor. I want nothing more than to live long enough to see my children graduate college, get married and have beautiful grandchildren for me to spoil.”

Koschier not only hopes that by telling her story she will promote awareness for herself, but also others who have dealt with autoimmune kidney diseases.

“I think it is important to promote awareness of the necessity of organ donation, not only for myself but for others in similar or worse situations,” Koschier said. “I know that being a living donor is not an option for many, but you can still help. Consider being an organ donor after death and share in my efforts to promote awareness on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people fighting for their lives every day.”

Koschier has a close friend who is an example of someone in a similar or worse situation and hopes to promote awareness through his story as well.

“An example of one of those fighting for their lives, is my good friend Matt (Zrebiec),” Koschier said. “I truly believe it is no coincidence that Matt and I crossed paths in our lives.

He is a kind-hearted, fun loving man. Matt was born with one kidney and now his one kidney is failing. He has been on the deceased donor transplant list for over 3 years. He fights for his life daily by working a full-time job, being a loving and supportive husband and balancing his life of medications and dialysis trips 3 times a week for 3-4 hours each trip.

Matt is in his mid-thirties and has a full life ahead of him.”

Stephanie Anderson, assistant professor of journalism and mass communications, met Koschier when they both attended

Photos courtesy of Robyn Koschier Robyn Koschier, who attended Murray State in 2000, is looking to find a kidney donor.

Murray State in 2000 and worked at Rya n’s S t e a k h o u s e t o g e t h e r.

“Robyn was always that friend who you could call no matter what you needed,” Anderson said. “If I needed a ride to work or $20 until payday or just needed someone to laugh with, Robyn was the person to call.”

Anderson has followed Koschier’s medical journey over the years on Facebook and hopes there is a fellow Racer who might be a match.

“I think the more people hear about her story the better chance she has of finding a living donor for a kidney,” Anderson said. “She has a precious family that needs her to be around for many years to come. I know Racer Nation is

spread all over the world. I hope her story resonates with someone who can help save her life.”

Koschier said despite the hardships the disease has caused, she is still thankful for the love she has received from others.

“Even though I have struggled with this disease for years, I am blessed that I have family and friends that have shown support in many ways,” Koshcier said. “Even though you may not see an illness on the outside does not mean that people are not struggling on the inside.”

For those interested in being screened as a living donor for Koschier (12/19/1981) or Zrebiec (02/02/1985), visit https:// ccflorida.donorscreen.org/ and enter their name and date of birth.

April 22, 2021

News

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POLICE From Page 1 Driving under the influence hinders one’s judgement and reaction time and can result in accidents and death.

Gentry said getting a DUI will also cause people to lose their licenses and an increase in their insurance rates.

Gentry said pedestrians should also follow tips to stay safe. He recommends people put away their phones and remove headphones while getting to their destination.

People should also be predictable by using the sidewalks and crosswalks, as well as being cautious at night and in poor weather conditions.

“University Police encourages pedestrians and motorists to travel with care, especially at night and during poor weather conditions when visibility is not at its best,” Gentry said.

“Let’s work together to help everyone arrive safely to their destinations.”

According to a press release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Office (KYTC) of Highway Safety, texting and phone use while driving is a common way for drivers to be distracted. Using the phone combines three types of distractions: visual, manual and cognitive. Other forms of distracted driving include drivers taking their eyes off the road and hands off the wheel.

KY TC State Highway Engineer James Ballinger said if people must use their phones, crashes are preventable through safe practices like waiting to text or post until parked and having passengers give directions, according to the release.

“Pre-enter your destination in navigation, utilize your phone’s Do Not Disturb option, put your phone in the glove compartment or give it to your passenger,” Ballinger said. “When

Sam Smith/The News Construction on U.S. 641, which goes through southern Calloway County, is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023.

you get behind the wheel, putting away your phone should be as automatic as putting on your seat belt.”

According to the press release, distracted driving is the leading cause of vehicle crashes. In Kentucky, distracted driving results in over 50,000 crashes, over 15,000 injuries, and roughly 200 deaths each year, according to the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS).

Over half of people killed in motor vehicle accidents were not wearing a seatbelt, according to the KOHS. Those who wear seatbelts have the best chance of avoiding injury or death in a vehicle crash, according to the press release. Seatbelts help spread the force of car crashes over wide areas of the body, which is less stressful on the body.

“Preventable deaths are the hardest ones to accept, ” said

Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray in the press release. “By committing to two simple yet critical actions, we can prevent crashes, the severity of injuries and the number of deaths on our roadways.”

Gov. Andy Beshear announced a $37.6 million contract in Feb. 2021 that will go towards the construction of a four-lane section of U.S. 641, which goes into southern Calloway County, according to a press release by District 1 of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

Construction on the two-lane h i g h w a y t h a t c a r r i e s ro u g h ly 6,000 vehicles each day beg a n i n M a rc h 2 0 2 1 , a c c o rd ing to the press release. The new four-lane highway will cover 5.6 miles from Murray to Hazel and the Kentucky-Tennessee border. Construction is expected to be completed in summer 2023.

Matt Smith, spokesman for Congressman James Comer, said this expansion will largely benefit the region.

“The expansion of U.S. 641 from Murray to Tennessee will boost economic development and provide new opportunities for jobs and industry in future years,” Smith said. “Congressman Comer was happy to support the $23 million federal infrastructure grant awarded in 2018 that is instrumental to this project, and looks forward to seeing it completed over the next couple of years.”

According to the press release, Calloway County Judge-Executive Kenny Imes said the construction is a result of more than 30 years of efforts and planning by the community, involving hundreds of people. Imes said these improvements will create safer roads and expand economic development opportunities.

JavaTalk BARISTA SPOTLIGHT: ALLYSON

Allyson is a Senior Chemistry major at Murray State University. She is originally from Highland, Illinois.

When asked of her career goals, she said, “I think I want to teach?”

While she may not be sure of that, she is sure of her favorite drink at Future Grounds: a 16 oz Dark Roast with White Chocolate. She enjoys thrift shopping and hanging out with her pets. That’s Allyson!

Opinion

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April 22, 2021

Unintentional Intention: Chauvin’s Verdict The staff editorial is the majority opinion of The Murray State News Editorial Board Gabe Steffen Opinion Editor gsteffen@murraystate.edu On Tuesday, April 20, former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. A sigh of relief washed over the communities who mourned and fought for this trial, but were the charges enough?

Was justice served, or could more have been done? We at the News think that while he was charged with “unintentional” second-degree murder, in reality it was anything but. We also find that Chauvin’s conviction is only a small step in the fight against police brutality.

George Floyd was murdered on May 25, 2020. Billions of people all over the world have seen the viral video of Chauvin holding his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. After both the prosecution and the defense made their cases, the jury only took 10 hours to reach their verdict. We believe that the charge for “unintentional murder of the second-degree,” was not just. Between witness testimony and video evidence alone, we believe it was evident that Chauvin fully intended to keep his knee on Floyd’s neck.

What does Chauvin’s conviction mean for the fight against police brutality? A cop has been put in jail for the death of an innocent Black man, so what more is

Editorial Board

there to do? Chauvin’s conviction is only one small step toward a world without police brutality. See, this is just one police officer. What about all of the officers that got away with their crimes? For example, the officer responsible for Breonna Taylor’s death, Brett Hankinson, was charged with “wanton endangerment” for firing into Taylor’s apartment. While Floyd’s family and close friends may have gotten their justice for his death, this does not mean all of the innocent Black lives that have been taken by the hands of police officers are atoned for as well.

We here at the News believe there are still more steps to take in order to make more progress toward a world in which police brutality isn’t always front-page news. First, we should not view Floyd as a martyr, and his death should not be treated as anything more than the death of an innocent man. In no way is his death justified by the activism that has come from it, and we should keep that in mind as we push for justice for other victims such as Daunte Wright and Breonna Taylor. Second, police reform is eminent at combating police brutality, but it will take more than a simple racial bias training to create big change.

Racism and brutality towards Black people are in the roots of the origin of policing in America. There needs to be something more. One’s racist bias runs deep. If a grown adult has a bias that has been strengthened over years, a bias training would most likely not have any significant impact on that person’s bias.

In our opinion, the impact of bias

Cade Utterback/The News

training wouldn’t be as significant compared to more training in general. Officers go through around six months of training and from incidents of police brutality training should be more intensive and over a longer course of time.

For example, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 11, Daunte Wright was shot by Kim Potter, who meant to draw her taser instead. This could display a lack of training or the lack of ability of handling high stress situations and still being able to act appropriately.

The same can be said about Chauvin.

There should have been training to clearly outline what apprehension motives are harmful. These types of training should happen beyond the police academy and be continued as they are practicing officers to reinforce what they need to know inorder to appropriately enforce the law. With prolonged and continuous training, the public wouldn’t have to question whether or not the murder of a Black man by a police officer was “unintentional” or not.

Gage Johnson Cady Stribling

Dr. Stephanie Anderson Daniella Tebib Editor-in-Chief News Editor

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Joey Reynolds Simon Elfrink

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Sports

April 22, 2021

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Photo courtesy of Dave Winder/Racer Athletics

Senior wide receiver Malik Honeycutt, Head Coach Dean Hood and junior linebacker Eric Samuta among those who won OVC honors.

Football receives top honors

13 players selectd to All-OVC Teams, Hod named Coach of the Year Jakob Milani Staff Writer jmilani@murraystate.edu After a 5-2 finish to the shortened regular season, the Murray State football team took home many end-of-the-year honors, with 13 players being selected to All-OVC teams, the most since 15 players were selected in 1995.

Two Racers were voted to the All-OVC Newcomer Team. Junior defensive lineman Ethan Edmundson finished the season with 26 total tackles, five tacklesfor-loss and two sacks. Freshman running back Demonta Witherspoon finished the season with 501 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on 107 attempts.

Three Racers were selected for the All-OVC Second Team Defense. Edmundson, sophomore de-

fensive-lineman Izaiah Reed and sophomore inside-linebacker Alec Long were all selected. Reed finished with 22 tackles, 4.5 tacklesfor-loss and two sacks in the season.

Long had 61 tackles, 1.5 tacklesfor-loss and one sack this season.

The Racers also had three players selected to the All-OVC Second Team Offense. Witherspoon, sophomore wide receiver Jacob Bell and junior quarterback Preston Rice were selected. Bell finished the season with 305 yards and a touchdown on 21 catches, averaging 14.52 yards per catch. Rice was 93-179 passing this season with 1294 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns and five interceptions. Rice also had 225 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.

Three more Racers were voted to the All-OVC First Team Defense.

Sophomore cornerback Marcis Floyd finished the season with 32

tackles, six pass breakups, three interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Junior outside-linebacker Scotty Humpich had 24 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, two sacks and five quarterback rushes in the season. Junior inside-linebacker Eric Samuta led the team with 64 total tackles and five tackles-for-loss, as well as an interception and a fumble recovery.

A total of four Racers made the All-OVC First Team Offense, including senior offensive lineman Jacob Vance and junior offensive lineman Levi Nesler. Joining them is junior wide receiver LaMartez Brooks, who had 429 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 37 catches, averaging 11.59 yards per catch. Fifth-year senior wide receiver Malik Honeycutt was the fourth and final Racer to be voted to the team with 180 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown and 224 to-

tal return yards on special teams.

Head Coach Dean Hood was named OVC Coach of the Year for the 2021 spring season and was named one of 16 finalists for the 2021 FCS Stats Perform Eddie Robinson Award. In his first year as head coach, Hood turned the Racers football program from a 4-8 team in 2019 to a 5-2 win team this season.

The Racers had four comeback wins on the season and a total of 25 touchdowns while only allowing 20 touchdowns throughout the season. Hood was also named the Region 3 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association, marking his second time winning the award.

The Racers, who barely missed the playoffs this season, will have a quick turnaround for their next season in the fall. The Racers are set to begin their fall campaign on Saturday, Sept.

4, at home against Mississippi Valley.

Softball takes two of three games against Belmont Jakob Milani Staff Writer jmilani@murraystate.edu After some recent struggles, the Murray State softball team came within one game of a three-game sweep over the Belmont Bruins on Saturday, April 17, and Sunday, April 18.

Despite dominating in the first two games of the series, the Bruins took the final game with back-to-back home runs in the tenth inning, eliminating the Racers’chance for the sweep.

Game One The Racers got the series started with junior right-hander Hannah James on the mound. She made a quick impact for the Racers, striking out the first batter she faced and forcing the next two batters into groundouts. She allowed just two hits from the Bruins through the next three innings, giving the Racers a huge boost on defense.

The Bruins gave freshman righthander Alex Clessi the start on the mound and she struggled from the start. The Racers quickly put runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning thanks to RBIs from senior shortstop Sierra Gilmore and junior second baseman Lindsey Carroll, giving the Racers a 2-0 lead. The scoring continued for the Racers when senior right fielder Logan Braundmeier hit a home run in the bottom of the third to give the Racers a 3-0 lead.

The Racers continued to extend their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when freshman catcher Taylor Jackson hit a double to center field to bring home freshman designated hitter Kamryn Carcich to give the Racers a 4-0 lead. The Bruins were able to strike back in the top of the fifth inning when freshman third baseman Kaley Varner singled into right field, bringing home senior shortstop Elison Ollinger to make the score 4-1.

Racers did the most damage offensively in the fifth. The Racers first scored two runs off of a single from Braundmeier. A pair of bases-loaded walks brought in two more runs for

Photo courtesy of Piper Cassetto Senior right fielder Logan Braundmeier hit a home run in the first game against Belmont.

the Racers to make it an 8-1 game.

The Racers scored one final run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Carcich doubled to center field to bring Braundmeier home. The Racers defeated the Bruins in game one by a score of 9-1. James earned her sixth win of the season, pitching all six innings and allowing just one earned run on three hits and a walk.

Game Two Graduate right-hander Taylor Makowsky got the start on the mound for the Racers in game two and struggled early on. She allowed a hit on one out in the top of the first, then loaded the bases on a walk after a fielding error by Gilmore. But Makowsky pitched her way out of the jam by forcing a popout and leaving the inning with just one hit and no runs.

The Racers were the first to score, taking the lead in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore third baseman Lily Fischer singled to center field to bring home freshman outfielder Jordan Caple, who was in to pinch run. This gave the Racers a 1-0 lead going into the third inning. The Racers weren’t done there as they scored two more runs off of RBIs from Carroll and Jackson, making the score 3-0 after the third inning.

The Bruins struggled at the plate

all game, only hitting three hits after the fifth inning compared to the Racers’ eight hits in that time. In the bottom of the fifth, the Racers extended their lead even more with a two-run home run from Braundmeier, giving the Racers a 5-0 lead.

Despite two hits in the top of the sixth, the Bruins weren’t able to make a comeback. The Racers defeated the Bruins in game two 5-0 to take the series. With the win, Makowsky’s record improved to 5-2 on the season.

Game Three The Racers looked to take their second sweep of the season in game three.

James started on the mound for the Racers and managed to hold the Bruins scoreless through the first two innings.

The Bruins were the first to score in the third inning when a single from sophomore left fielder Lauren Veltri brought home freshman outfielder Savannah Halterman, who was in to pinch-run, making it a 1-0 game for the Bruins.

The Racers answered in the bottom of the fourth inning when Gilmore doubled to left-center, bringing home Striegel to tie the game at 1-1. Three batters later, junior infielder Jordan Childress, who was in to pinch-hit, hit a sacrifice fly to left field to bring in Gilmore to give the Racers a 2-1 lead.

It looked as though the Racers were

going to take the sweep after holding the Bruins to just one run going into the seventh inning, but junior catcher Audrey Lyle had different plans. Lyle hit a leadoff home run in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game at 2-2. Sophomore righthander Jenna Veber, who took over for James in the fourth inning, worked her way out of the inning, holding the Bruins to just one run scored.

The game went into extra innings, with neither team able to take a lead through the eighth and ninth innings. In the top of the tenth, the Bruins took the lead back with a tworun home run by Varner, making it a 4-2 game. The next at-bat, Lyle hit her second home run of the game, crushing the ball over the center field fence to give the Bruins a 5-2 lead.

The Racers attempted to make a comeback in the bottom half of the tenth inning, with Gilmore hitting a sacrifice fly to bring home Fischer, making it a 5-3 game. That was all the Racers could do, though, giving the Bruins game three of the series.

Veber took her twelfth loss of the season, bringing her record to 6-12.

The Racers improved to 17-24 on the season and 14-11 in the conference The Racers will look to gain another three-game series win at Eastern Illinois on Saturday, April 24, and Sunday, April 25.

Sports

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April 22, 2021

Photo courtesy of Racer Athletics The Racers pose with their OVC Regular Season Championship trophy.

Lodge becomes third Murray State soccer coach to win Coach of the Year Rachel Essner Staff Writer ressner1@murraystate.edu The Murray State soccer team suffered a loss in the OVC semifinals game against SEMO on Thursday, April 15 to close out the 2020-21 season. Prior to the tournament, Murray State was awarded a multitude of regular season awards, as well as the OVC Regular Season Championship. The Racers were awarded five honors among seven members, a tie for the most awards in program history with the 2008 and 2017 seasons.

Senior defender Izzy Heckman closed out her career with the Racers by earning two OVC honors.

Heckman was named to the AllOVC First Team for the second

time in her career and earned OVC Defender of the Year, the second player in program history to do so after Tara Isbell in 2008. Heckman tallied two assists in the season and defended the back line, keeping opponents to a total of only nine goals in the season and three shutouts.

Freshman forward Chloe Barnthouse ended her first season with the Racers earning All-OVC First Team and All-Newcomer Team recognition. Barnthouse finished the season with a team-high seven goals, with three of those coming from the game against Eastern Illinois to accomplish her first hat trick. Barnthouse earned 15 points for the Racers.

Sophomore midfielder Lauren Payne was named to the AllOVC Second Team. Payne scored

two goals and tallied two assists during the 2020-21 season, earning six points for the Racers. Payne earned her second All-OVC honor after being named to the All-Newcomer Team as a freshman in 2019.

The second Racer to be named to the All-OVC Second Team was sophomore defender Saraya Young.

Young contributed three points to the Racers after scoring one goal and tallying one assist. In addition to Payne, Young also earned her second All-OVC honor after starting out on the All-Newcomer Team as a freshman in 2019.

Freshman defender Audrey Henry joined Barnthouse on the All-Newcomer Team. Henry tallied one assist for Barnthouse’s game-winning goal against SIUE to add another

point for the Racers’ season total.

The last player to earn a conference honor was sophomore goalkeeper Jenna Villacres, earning her first honor by joining the All-Newcomer Team. Villacres recorded 37 saves and three shutout games.

Lastly, Head Coach Matt Lodge became the third coach in program history to earn OVC Coach of the Year, following Beth Acreman in 2008 and Jeremy Groves in 2015 and 2017. Lodge led the Racers to a 9-2 overall record and an OVC Regular Season Championship title in the 2020-21 season.

Despite a successful season, the Racers fell to SEMO in the semifinal round of the OVC Tournament. Murray State will look to turn things around and get back to a normal season in the fall.

Gardner’s 9-inning shutout helps Racers avoid sweep Simon Elfrink Sports Editor selfrink@murraystate.edu A powerful weekend from the Belmont Bruins’ offense made for the second straight OVC series loss for Murray State baseball.

The Racers lost both games on Saturday, April 17, but thanks to some elite pitching and an offensive lift off the bench, the Racers capitalized on the last game of the series on Sunday, April 19.

“They’re a good team, and we didn’t play great,” said Head Coach Dan Skirka. “They took advantage of some errors and we weren’t able to get the big hit when we had guys on base. The big thing was we found a way to win game three. Avoiding that sweep and keeping us right there at the top of the OVC standings was our takeaway.”

Game One The first game of the doubleheader on Saturday, April 17, featured a hot start from the Racers’ offense. Senior second baseman Jordan Cozart hit an infield single to get on base with one out, and a sacrifice fly from senior right fielder Brock Anderson’s sacrifice fly to deep center field allowed Cozart to take second base. Redshirt junior third baseman Bryson Bloomer hit a single to left-center field to score Cozart an at-bat later, giving the Racers an early 1-0 lead.

The Racers’ starting pitcher, redshirt freshman Jacob Pennington, found himself in trouble as soon as the Bruins’ first batter stepped in the box.

Pennington hit the leadoff batter with a pitch and walked another, setting the stage for freshman infielder Brodey Heaton to hit a three-run homer.

“That’s uncharacteristic of him,” Skirka said. “We gave him the start and usually he doesn’t do that. That’s what we talked about going into the game, and then we might’ve jin-

xed him, I guess. He went out and hit the first guy, walked the second guy, and all of a sudden they’re rallying and you’re like ‘Man, they haven’t even put a ball in play yet.’”

The Racers were never able to overcome Belmont’s lead, which continued to grow over the course of the game. The Bruins added a run in the bottom of the second, before putting up a crooked number in the bottom of the fourth and another run in the eighth. The Racers’ only other run of the game came from a solo homer off the bat of redshirt junior first baseman Trey Woosley, his third of the season.

By the end of the game, the scoreboard posted an 8-2 victory for the Bruins.

Redshirt junior right-hander Carter Poiry finished the last three innings on the mound for the Racers, allowing only two hits and a single run, striking out four batters along the way.

Game Two Scoring came a bit later on in game two, but once again, the Racers were the first team on the board. In the top of the third inning, redshirt junior center fielder Jake Slunder laid down a bunt, reaching first after the pitcher fielded it cleanly, but did not manage to beat Slunder’s speed. Cozart walked, putting runners at first and second, and Anderson delivered with a double to score Slunder. Bloomer followed up with a sacrifice fly to right field, giving the Racers a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the third.

Slunder let off again in the fifth inning, this time ripping a triple down the left field line. Cozart grounded out to get him across, giving the Racers a 3-0 lead.

However, the Bruins equalized the score with a three spot in the bottom of the fifth with a threerun homer off the bat of sophomore outfielder John Behrends.

Behrends found himself in the middle of the scoring in the bottom of the

Photo courtesy of Parker Griffith/Racer Athletics Graduate right-hander Sam Gardner threw a nine-inning shutout in game three against Belmont.

sixth inning, earning a bases-loaded walk to bring in another run, giving the Bruins a 4-3 lead. A bases-clearing triple from junior infielder Logan Jarvis busted the game open, and when a single let Jarvis trot across home plate, the score became 8-3.

The Racers tried to scrape something together in the top of the eighth inning, getting runners at second and third after a walk and a double. Freshman designated hitter Seth Gardner hit an RBI-groundout to the third baseman, and Woosley poked another grounder to the second baseman for the second run of the inning. However, the Racers went down quietly in the top of the ninth, giving the Bruins a 8-5 win.

Game Three With both teams 16-16 overall in the season, the Racers looked to salvage the last game of the weekend series against Belmont. While the Bruins had had no trouble scoring earlier in the weekend, graduate right-handed pitcher Sam Gardner was virtually untouchable on the mound, throwing a complete game shutout and locking down the Bruins’ offense. Gardner’s nine innings on the mound resulted in only five hits for Belmont while he fanned nine batters over 113 pitches thrown.

“He was awesome, he really was,” Skirka said. “He was 91-94, just had all his pitches working. He had that look in his eye...he just dominated. He just flat out dominated today, and we needed him to.That was what was big.”

The Racers also had difficulty scoring, but thanks to a big day from redshirt junior infielder David Hudleson, who started the game as shortstop for the Racers, they were able to pull out a win by a slim two-run margin. Hudleson has only appeared in nine games before the Belmont series, slashing .273 and driving in five batters on six hits. Hudleson added three more hits after going 3-3 on Sunday and knocking in another run. Skirka said Hudleson’s contribution was huge in the win, but whether or not he’ll make more starts remains uncertain.

“It’s kind of based on matchups and things like that,” Skirka said. “ [We] just felt good with him today and he came through for us, so we’ll see what the rotation ends up being.”

The Racers came away with the same weekend record as they did in their last three-game series against SEMO. However, the Racers’ offensive numbers took a dive in the few days between games, as they scored 22 runs against the Redhawks and only nine against Belmont. Skirka said he is not alarmed, and that as a whole his hitters just had a bad weekend.

April 22, 2021

Features

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Screenshot from Diversity Awards livestream

S.G. Carthell hosts Diversity Awards on YouTube.

Diversity Awards honor students’ work One Another,” “Learning from Mason Galemore One Another,” “Creating an AtContributing Writer mgalemore@murraystate.edu mosphere of Positive Engagement” and “Challenging Racism and Bias.”

On Friday, April 16, the Office Vice President for Academic Afof Multicultural Initiatives cele- fairs Tim Todd also spoke at the brated the 15th Annual Diversi- event. Todd said he looked forty Achievement Awards. The event ward to recognizing many of the was held over Zoom and celebrated students for their academic excampus organizations for their ded- cellence and their commitment ication to inclusion and diversity. to diversity, equity and inclusion.

The event was hosted by the “The key for each of us is to find Multicultural Initiatives Exec- what motivates us,” Todd said. “I have ut ive Di rec tor S.G. Ca r t hel l. been fortunate to talk to students who Carthell said even though this tell me their motivation comes from past year was a challenge, there their family and friends. I want to is st i l l a lot to be celebrated. say thank you to them for being an “This past year has been dif- essential part of the journeys of the f icult,” Carthell said. “We have students at Murray State University.” lost loved ones a long the way The first award given was the Arand our prayers go to every fami- pana and Archana Gambiraopet ly that has suffered loss during this Campus Impact Award to the Unittime. Today is a day of celebra- ed Way of Murray-Calloway Countion and to recognize our students ty. The president of the organization, for their many accomplishments.” Paul McCreary, accepted the award.

The awards were centered around “It is an honor to receive this fou r com mu n it y com m it ment award,” McCreary said. “It means a themes. The themes were “Accepting lot because this is an award for the

community. We are very proud of our very diverse board, volunteers and other assistance that we were able to distribute in that last 11 months.”

Un ite d Way a l s o g av e ov e r $91,0 0 0 i n rent a nd ut i l ity assistance during COVID-19.

The annual Daniel Milam Student Leadership Award was also given during the ceremony. The award is given to student groups at Murray State that show dedication to inclusion on and off the University.

The recipients for the award this year were the International Student Organization, the Nat ion a l Pa n He l len ic C ou nc i l and the Black Student Council.

T h e Na t i o n a l Pa n H e l l e nic Council is a Greek life organization that has traditionally been Black. The organization prides itself on the inclusion it provides.

Representative senior political science major Janae Martin accepted the award on behalf of NPHC. “We are here to lend a helping hand to the community and to the

students of Murray State,” Martin said. “If there is anything you need, please feel free to reach out.”

The Black Student Council also received the Daniel Milam Student Leadership Award. Junior occupational safety and health major and Treasurer of the Black Student Council Lily Sanchez accepted the award for the organization.

“I want to thank Dr. Carthell for keeping Black Student Council running throughout the years and President Bob Jackson for continued support for our organization,” Sanchez said. “I also want to thank the students and peers that attend our meetings.”

The Students organization awards, Academic Achievement Awards, Distinguished Academic Achievement Awards and the Exemplary Academic Achievement Awards were also given during the ceremony.

More than a dozen individual and group awards were given.

Carthell said the 16th annual Diversity Awards will be in-person.

Ads Club competes in national tournament Dionte Berry Features Editor dberry11@murraystate.edu After nearly two semesters of work and preparation, the Ads Club competed in the annual National Student Advertising Competition sponsored by the American Advertising Federation.

Each year, competing schools are given a client to make an advertising campaign for and then given a list of criteria and a budget to go by. The campaign serves to expand the brand of their client and bring in new customers.

This year, the team was led by senior adver tising major Matthew Anderson who is president and project manager of Ads Club.

The Ads Club competed as part of District 5, which consisted of schools in the Western Kentucky region, in phase one of the competition.

“We are in District 5 and I believe there are five or six schools in our district and since these are the district finals, the winner in the district goes against the winners of other districts for a final competition,” Anderson said.

This was Anderson’s third campaign with Ads Club, so he was seasoned on what needed to be done even in a virtual setting with COVID-19. For this campaign, the club represented Tinder.

“We were given the pretty hefty budget of $10 million dollars and they told us to basically grow Tinder’s brand,” Anderson. “Obviously that was a very broad term,

but the Ads Club and I went in to play and created a great campaign.”

Anderson and the rest of the club had the wisdom and experience of Senior Advertising Instructor Gill Welsch on their side as they worked on the campaign.

“Welsch moderates everything that we are doing throughout the campaign and he gives us some insight on what we are doing,” Anderson said. “He has a lot of industry knowledge and he has been at Murray State for quite a few years, so he is familiar with ads club and the student advertising competition.”

Anderson’s f irst campaign was for the fast food restaurant Wiener Schnitzel and his second campaign was for Adobe, but by that time COVID-19 had shut campus down.

However, they were still able to compete and present their campaign over Zoom and this year was the same, except when the club started preparing, they did some adjusting.

“Only one member and myself were familiar with competing on Zoom because we did it last year for Adobe,” We had to introduce them to the virtual environment, and luckily they adapted to it well.”

After presenting the topic to the judges, Anderson was excited to see how the judges would receive it.

The Ads Club presented their campaign and sent it to the judges of the competition on Thursday, April 15 and then on Saturday, April 18 they had a question and answer

Ads Club meets to discuss the competition.

session with judges and afterwards they were told their placements.

“Whenever I sent in the pitch and everything I got goosebumps.

It was something we have been working hard on since the end of August and we’ve done an exceptional job with it,” Anderson said.

Along with his excitement, Anderson expressed his thankfulness towards his team and said that without them the campaign would not be what it is.

Another member leading the campaign was junior advertising major and Vice President of Ads Club Julia Cwiklowski. Similar to Anderson, this is Cwiklowski’s third campaign.

Cwiklowski has found her experiences in Ads Club useful for getting experience in the creative process of campaign production.

“I love the creative process of putting a campaign together,” Cwiklowski said. “As a team, we brainstorm strategies and tactics to solve problems for our clients and it’s great bouncing off everyone’s ideas and forming a thorough plan for our clients to improve their business.”

Dionte Berry/The News

Cwiklowski found herself more acquainted with presenting and competing on Zoom. Cwiklowski said she didn’t mind presenting from the comfort of her home.

With the rest of their team, Cwiklowski and Anderson was eager to get feedback from the judges, but upon feedback they found they would not be moving onto the next round. Although they did not place, they were happy to have another year of getting experience.

“I think I can speak for our entire team when I say we were proud of the campaign we put together,” Cwiklowski said. “Each member put their best effort into their part of the project and made the best out of each work session we had together.”

Anderson also finds that the central point of Ads Club is to get real world experience that will be rewarding for members as they pursue post-graduation plans.

“Even though we did not win or place, that’s completely fine with me.

What matters to me is that all those on the team are getting professional experience that they would use in the real world,” Anderson said.

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Features

April 22, 2021

Seniors share post-graduation plans

Andrea Jameson Contributing Writer ajameason1@murraystate.edu

Wit h f ina ls just a rou nd t he corner, st udents graduating in May are beginning to sign with various companies for post-graduation opportunities. Students give their persona l ex periences about what steps t hey took to land internships and jobs in t he COV I D -19 env i ron ment.

Most graduating students have had to choose between in-person or on l ine when deciding what k ind of job they want. LinkedIn has the connections to help organize which jobs are going to require moving locations and wh ich ones a re not. Based on t h is, g raduat ing st udents dec ide what is best for t hem i n the f ut ure w ith COV ID-19 at t he foref ront of t hei r m i nd s.

Senior occupational safety and health major Amelia Brian said she had a rough time tr ying to f ind a job that ’s hiring in-pers o n . W it h m a n y i nt e r v i e w s , s he fo u nd one c omp a ny t h at would hire as an in-person job. “ I j u s t a c c e pt e d a j o b w it h county materials in Whitestown and Greenf ield, Indiana,” Brian said. “They were the only company that I interviewed with that was act ua l ly an in-person job.

All of the other eight Zoom interviews were f ine but I did not feel a connection with the companies offering positions online.”

Brian said she believes that the job market has been affected by the pandemic because of her past experiences with internships and stories she’s hea rd about close friends about work opportunities. “ My internship from last su m mer, t he y told us a l l t hat t hei r h i r i n g pro c e s s w a s f ro z e n d u e t o C OV I D -1 9 a n d they could not rea l ly hire anybody,” Brian said. “I think that it has a ffected a lot of compan ies because t hey eit her don’t have t he f unds or t hey cannot hire at a l l due to COV ID-19.”

S e n ior Ky l e K e ster is a lso an occupationa l

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Mckenna Graduation will be on Friday, May 7 and Saturday May 8.

safet y and health major w h o i s g r a d u a t i n g t h i s M a y.

K e s l e r s a i d h e t o o k a n i nternship in Findlay, Ohio, with Marathon Petroleum last March w it h hopes of st ic k ing w it h the company a f ter g raduation.

“I got sent home early due to COV ID-19 last March,” Kester said. “The company pretty much stopped all off ice work and travel ing so I got sent bac k home to M is s ou r i m id-i nter nsh ip

wh ic h made me rea l iz e t hat I ne e d e d to g o a not he r ro ute .”

Wit h t he p a nd e m ic , K e s te r said he hopes his next job with Superior Construction in Indianapolis, Indiana, will be steady a n d p r e p a r e d for C OV I D -19 and he has signed the contract a nd is ro ot i n g for h is f ut u re . “ I n a l l hone st y, I h av e s e en t h i s i n m a n y s it u a t ion s w it h friends who have strived and sur vived through the

p a n d e m i c ,” K e s t e r s a i d . “A s we continue to go through t h i s v a c c i n e r o ut i n e , I t h i n k t hat t he job ma rket w i l l open b a c k u p a n d g o b a c k t o n o rma l , but for me sp ec i f ic a ll y I t h i n k t h at I w i l l b e f i ne w it h t he connec t ions t hat I h a v e m a d e w it h S u p e r i o r.”

A lthough the pandemic is s t i l l a f fe c t i n g j o b a v a i l a bi l it y g r a d u a t e s s t i l l h a v e o p t imistic out look s for the f ut ure.