Western Courier| March 2nd, 2020

Opinions: Biden comes out on top in primary.

Sports: Men's basketball fails to place in tournament.

WesternCourier.com

Monday, March 2, 2020 - Vol. 120 Issue 62

@WesternCourier

Macomb gathers for Polar Plunge

DEVON GREENE/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Penguin elected to do a belly flop.

One plunger takes flight.

DEVON GREENE/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

By Devon Greene editor-in-chief

DEVON GREENE/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The first participant in the Polar Plunge steps in the pool

Freezing water didn't stop the Macomb community from taking a dip on Saturday.

The 5th annual Polar Plunge took place outside of Western Hall this weekend where 58 people took the plunge into a pool outside the building.

This was only the second year that the Polar Plunge has been held on campus and it was moved in order to get more participating from the Western Illinois community.

In order to participate in the event, each organization had to raise at least $100. In total, over $10,500 was raised for the local branch of the Special Olympics and even though their goal was not reached, Assistant Director for Region F of the Special Olympics, Jennifer Davis, said that every penny counts.

One student organization that Davis wanted to recognize was the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority who are nationally aligned with the Special Olympics.

“They do a phenomenal job year-in and year-out,” Davis said. “We’re extremely thankful for their support and their fundraising and volunteering.”

Zoey Gray, a member of the sorority took part in her fourth Polar Plunge and spoke about why she chooses to participate.

DEVON GREENE/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Glenn Daugherty was the first to go underwater completely.

Polar Plunge Some elected to make a splash in the pool.

DEVON GREENE/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

page 3

DEVON GREENE/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

"Guy in a Dress" won third place in the costume contest.

2

Monday, March 2, 2020

NEWS

WesternCourier.com

Cricket opens new Macomb location

DEVON GREENE/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Management and Macomb officials gather in the new location to cut the ribbon.

By Devon Greene editor-in-chief

Cricket has a new location in Macomb and they held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday.

The phone carrier opened their new location at 1710 E. Jackson St. in front of Walmart. Cricket is one of a few options when it comes to phone service in Macomb,

but their service differs from the others.

“We’re the only non-contract carrier that has an actual location,” Ryan Elsila, the Indirect Sales Executive said.

Elisila said this is important because this allows for customers to get a better experience in the store. They want to focus on customer service while providing a low-pressure environment for anyone

looking for a phone service.

“We like to get inside the community,” Mario Brown, the District Manager said.

“Any types of events we can get into with the chamber, we will be providing that with Macomb.”

Brown and Elsila said that they have participated in blood drives, pet adoptions, parades, vendor events and more. One example Elsila

brought up was a food drive they participated in last year where they raised over 500 pounds of food for the Central Illinois Community Food Bank.

Elsila said that Cricket has some of the best deals in the area and that they hope to provide affordable phone service for whoever needs it.

Cricket had already been in the Macom area, however,

they were located inside the local Gamestop. They decided to move into their own location because they wanted a focus on the phone service, instead of playing second fiddle to video game consoles and games. Elsila said that the Macomb location had some of the best results and that played a large role in their decision to open up the store.

Editorial Policy

The editorial views of the Western Courier shall be confined to this editorial and are to be separate from news coverage otherwise noted. The editorial presented is based on the ideas and views of the WC editorial board.Columns are the opinions of the columnists alone and should not be construed as the opinions and beliefs of the WC staff as a whole.

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E-mail letters to the Editor and Local Forum messages to micour@wiu.edu.

Letters should not be more than 350 words in length. The author’s name and phone number must be included for verification purposes. Failure to include such information will lead to the letter being discarded. The WC staff will edit letters in cases of timeliness, obscenity length and grammar, and we do not guarantee publication of all letters.

2020 Spring Semester Editorial Board

Edge Editor - Rachel Greene Editor-in-Chief - Devon Greene Opinions Editor - Allison Young

WC Located on the third floor of the Heating Plant Annex on the south end of campus across from Sherman Hall.

Mail: 1 University Circle, WIU, Macomb, IL 61455 Phone: 309-298-1876 Fax: 309-298-2309 Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays E-mail: micour@wiu.edu Member: Illinois College Press Association, National Association College Press

STAFF MEMBERS editor-in-chief Devon Greene

proofreader Mary Kilbourne

DJ-Greene@wiu.edu

MC-Kilbourne@wiu.edu

news editor Devon Greene

photo editor Becca Langys

DJ-Greene@wiu.edu

RE-Langys@wiu.edu

opinions editor Allison Young

assistant photo editor Sara Remar

AN-Young@wiu.edu

SE-Remar@wiu.edu

sports editor Bradley Piros

production manager Brandon Trost

BJ-Piros@wiu.edu

BL-Trost@wiu.edu

assistant sports editor Chris Bean

business manager Janiya Haynes

CR-Bean@wiu.edu

J-Haynes2@wiu.edu

edge editor Rachel Greene

assistant business manager Nash Miller

R-Greene2@wiu.edu

NK-Miller@wiu.edu

copy editor Amanda Wandachowicz

advertising manager Tyler Hoffman

A-Wandachowicz@wiu.edu

TE-Hoffman@wiu.edu adviser Will Buss WJ-Buss@wiu.edu

PUBLISHING AND CIRCULATION The Western Courier is published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the regular school year, excluding holidays, finals week and semester breaks. The WC updates the website weekly during the summer. All content reflects the editorial discretion of the students operating the newspaper and must be interpreted as unofficial university communication. While every attempt is made to determine the validity of advertising contained herein, the advertising in the WC is not to be construed as endorsements of any specific products or services. The WC assumes no responsibility or liability resulting from the content of paid advertisements. Subscription price is $36 per year mailed third-class bulk rate from Macomb.

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Monday, March 2, 2020

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NEWS 3

South Carolina, U.S. Joe Biden wins big in South Carolina primary.

Washington, U.S. Washington is home to the first reported Coronavirus death.

Afganistan U.S. troops to be withdrawn after peace deal between U.S and Taliban.

MEANWHILE... this week in Macomb monday - 5:15 p.m. city council @ macomb city hall

The women of Alpha Sigma Alpha take the plunge together.

Polar Plunge from front page

“I do the Polar Plunge because I love to make people happy and seeing people’s excitement about the Polar Plunge and the athletes, how happy they are,” Gray said.

Gray said that this was the warmest it’s been since she’s participated and looked back to last year ’s event when it actually snowed.

Aside from the plunge into frigid waters, a costume contest was also held. The

costumes ranged from Stormtroopers from the Star Wars franchise, Penguins and the iconic Pink Bunny from the holiday classic, “A Christmas Story.”

After taking a dip, individuals and organizations were awarded trophies in the form of plungers for various things like Most Money Raised by a team, Most Money Raised by an individual, Best Costume, the Donut Award and the Bravery Award. The Macomb Police Department won the Most Money Raised plunger

DEVON GREENE/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

as they brought in $1,580, Annie Sholl won the individual Most Money Raised plunger as she brought in $530, the Pink Bunny won the Best Costume plunger, the Macomb Police Department won the Donut Award and Kaylee McLaughlin won the Bravery Award, which was awarded to the top Special Olympics athlete.

The Special Olympics will be holding another fundraiser in April where they hope to reach their fundraising goal of $22,000.

Tuesday - 7:15 p.m.

SGa Meeting @ University Union

wednesday- noon - 3 P.M. Career and Internship fair @ University Union

wednesday - 6 P.M. harriet screening @ multicultural center thursday - 9 p.m explore wiu @ university union

Participants in the costume contest line up for judging.

DEVON GREENE/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

thursday - 1:30 P.M. empowerment hour @ multicultural center

4

OPINIONS

Monday, March 2, 2020

WesternCourier.com

Joe Biden dominates in South Carolina In his third time running for the presidency of the United States, former Vice President Joe Biden officially won his first contest last Saturday by having a commanding lead in South Carolina. Biden decisively overcame Bernie Sanders, who came in a distant second with a 2-1 margin of 48 percent to 20 percent of the popular vote, as well attaining the most amount of pledged delegates at 33 as of know to Sanders’ 11.

Ever since the primary and causes have begun Biden has been struggling to come anywhere from second place in Nevada to fifth place in New

Hampshire. This lackluster showing for Biden has resulted in a decline of fundraising for his campaign and losing his front-runner status to Sanders, who’s had a formidable showing in all contests leading up to South Carolina.

But Biden and his campaign have been pushing a narrative that states like Iowa and New Hampshire aren’t representative of the base of the Democratic Party, and a state like South Carolina which has over 60 percent of its electorate being African-American could easily show Biden as a legitimate competitor. To be honest, I actually agree with that as-

sessment because candidates like Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar who had strong showings in both state’s were trounced in states like Nevada and South Carolina because of their lack of support among people of color. So the assessment that relying on Iowa and New Hampshire to propel you into the nomination doesn’t seem that convincing when a majority of the electorate is white.

The obvious reason why Biden crushed his competition in South Carolina is because of his broad support among AfricanAmericans, winning 61 percent and 64 percent of people over the age of 65, the states core voting block. Biden needed this win in South Carolina, but with competitors like Sanders and Michael Bloomberg who have countless resources at their disposal, it could still be an uphill battle for him.

Super Tuesday, which has countless states voting and a third of the delegates up for grabs, Biden has not had a stronger presence in states like California and Texas where Sanders is leading and doesn’t seem to have a good organization in these states because of his lack of resources.

If Biden is hoping that his win in South Carolina will springboard him into Super Tuesday he may be wrong, but surprises have happened so who really knows? If anything Biden's goal like many other candidates is to stop Sanders from attaining as many delegates as possible so he doesn’t reach an outright majority to win the nomination, this setting up a contested convention.

If that's his strategy, in my opinion, the person with the most delegates deserves to be the nominee, especially if that’s Sanders.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Joe Biden is one of the current presidential canidates.

Bringing in Women’s History Month: A look at Women’s Impact on Health!

With March being recognized as Women’s History Month, I decided I would use my health-focused writing to highlight some of the amazing contributions that women have made to the field of public health and healthcare.

Unsurprisingly, some of the most important impacts on health have been discovered or created by women.

So, without further ado, here are some amazing ways that women have helped shape the health fields of the United States!

Clara Barton (1821-1912) was a nurse known for her work during the American Civil War. Beyond her tremendous care and service during the war, she is most well-known

today as the founder of the American Red Cross in 1881.

As we know, the Red Cross is an organization that strives to provide emergency assistance to communities across the United States and internationally. From preparing medical supplies and blood to organizing health care providers, the Red Cross works to help communities hit by disasters in the most efficient way possible. Much like the work of its founder during the war, the American Red Cross continues to serve the most hurting and vulnerable people.

Another woman pioneering the way for women in healthcare was Elizabeth Blackwell.

Blackwell was the first wom-

an in the United States to receive an M.D. degree in 1849.

Achieving this feat required extreme adversity, as Blackwell had to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession (she was supposedly granted admission as a joke by the male student body).

She stated her inspiration to pursue medicine came from a conversation with a dying female friend who stated that their worst suffering could have been avoided had they been treated by a female doctor. Later in life, Blackwell and other colleagues would work to establish the New York Infirmary for Women and Children. This institution would continue to provide training and experience for future women physicians and medical care for the poor. With a majority of today’s young physicians in the United States being women, it is important to remember the hard work and sacrifice

that was given by pioneers like Blackwell to give women these opportunities.

A final influential woman in the health field is Margaret Sanger. Sanger is known as an early feminist and political rights activist who worked to legalize birth control for women in the United States. Being trained as a nurse, Sanger had experience working with patients who had attempted back-alley abortions or self-termination of their pregnancies. Seeing the unnecessary harm that came to these women was one of the motivating factors for Sanger to push for birth control access. Sanger would later open the first legal U.S. birth control clinic and help establish the American Birth Control League (a precursor to today’s Planned Parenthood). With women across the United States utilizing birth control today to improve their health and lives,

it is important to remember the efforts that Sanger and others had to give to get us here (she actually had to flee the country once and went to jail for her birth control advocacy efforts).

These are just a few examples of the many women who have made positive impacts on the health of the United States.

Although these women each worked in a variety of different fields and from a variety of different angles, there is one obvious similarity between them. Each of them had to overcome adversity in order to achieve their goals.

In many ways, this adversity continues to exist for women in the United States today.

However, when reflecting on the achievements these women accomplished, we can find hope that despite the adversity women will continue to fight to improve the health and lives of the most disadvantaged communities.

Lizzie McGuire reboot halted after creative differences cont. on e2

E2 EDGE

Monday, March 2, 2020

WesternCourier.com

Hilary Duff rethinks series revival The iconic Disney Channel series “Lizzie McGuire” is set to finally have a revival, but star Hilary Duff has had a change of heart.

While she is still fully on board and invested in reviv ing the show that made her a celebrity, she wants to do it in a way that accurately reflects the experience of a 30 year old woman. Unfortunately, the show is set to be on Disney+, which may hinder the show’s ability to be realistic and representative of this experience.

Duff came out with a public statement on Friday regarding the situation that most fans probably had not even thought about.

“I’d be doing a disservice to everyone by limiting the real ness of a 30 year old’s journey to live under the ceiling of a PG rating," Duff said, "It’s im portant to me that just as her experiences as a preteen/teen ager navigating life were au -

thentic, her next chapters are equally as real and relatable.

It would be a dream if Disney would let us move the show to Hulu if they were interested, and I could bring this beloved character to life again.”

Duff seemed so excited when the show was first announced, but her vision of bringing her beloved character back to life was quickly muffled by Dis ney, who wanted a familyfriendly series. While this makes sense because Disney is a family company generally aimed at children and families, that is not what Duff wanted the show to be. In Disney’s defense, the original show was aimed at children and families.

This worked because at the time Duff and her character were very young. A PG rating still allowed for an accurate portrayal of her childhood and pre-teen years. Can an adult life be shown accurately in a PG world? I think we all know

the answer to that.

This issue that has been brought to light spans deeper than just an Instagram post.

The creator of the show, Terri Minsky, who was also set to run the revival, was removed from the project. Along with Duff, Minsky wanted the show to be a real, adult version of Lizzie McGuire, representing the experiences she would have as a 30 year old woman, not censoring them to be ap propriate for children and to be able to stream on Disney+.

Disney has yet to address or comment regarding the situation. Perhaps they are taking time to consider and evaluate the proposition, or perhaps their silence is an indication of the stance they will be taking against Duff. It will certainly be interesting to see if they are willing to sacrifice viewership and ownership of a longtime Disney staple in order to capture the true essence of Lizzie McGuire. Likewise, it will be interesting to see if Duff pulls out of the project if Disney decides to keep going in this direction. It will be a loss to longtime fans, but perhaps maintaining the sanctity of the character comes first.

Main characters Lizzie and Gordo pictured in both the original series and the revival.

INSIDER.COM

Last time the show aired, Lizzie McGuire was in her teen years.

MAMAMIA.COM

E3 EDGE

Monday, March 2, 2020

WesternCourier.com

Coronavirus hits the entertainment industry

As the Coronavirus continues to spread globally, more concerns arise, especially those for the entertainment industry.

The Coronavirus is an upper respiratory virus that originated in Wuhan, China.

The virus has affected 87,000 people globally and the death toll continues to rise, with the first death in the United States taking place. The Coronavirus is thought to have come from bats or snakes; however, the exact origin remains un-

known to this point. However, what isn’t unknown is the effect that this infection has had globally.

According to the New York Times, “Fears about the Coronavirus have prompted comparisons to the 2011 Steven Soderbergh thriller Contagion” these fears that are held by many across the world are causing real-life effects on the entertainment industry. From social media interactions to concerts and even travel, the Coronavirus is affecting the

daily entertainment of those in China.

In some ways, this is something that we can see globally as well, like the outbursts of concerned posts on social media. Even platforms such as TikTok have begun to flood with posts about the Coronavirus. As an individual, one may be more wary of going to public places to engage in entertainment due to fear of interacting with someone that may be infected. Little things like these can most definitely build up over time as well.

However, other things around the world are being impacted, for example, box offices. The China box office, which is the second largest in the world, has been impacted so much that it almost com-

pletely shut down. According to the New York Times, around 70,000 box offices in China have been closed down due to the Coronavirus outbreak. In China, the same issue of a complete halt of use can be seen within other entertainment industries as well, such as theme parks and travel. However, the travel component can be seen worldwide as different travel bans and precautions are being put in place by the government to prevent the spread of the virus. Additionally, other means of entertainment like live music and other in-person games completed in public are seeing a huge decline and almost a complete stop in China due to the outbreak.

While it may seem justifiable

that these changes are happening to the entertainment industry in China, as many areas have been shut down for quarantine, it is also important to keep in mind the global spread of the virus. While the virus is just now beginning to spread in the United States and other countries globally, it is important to consider the impacts that we may also be seen in the coming months as a vaccine for the virus is still in the works.

The best way to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus is again to take the same normal safety precautions you would for any other disease or virus, such as the common cold or the flu. Stay educated and be sure to wash your hands and cover your cough or sneeze.

DEADLINE.COM

The Coronavirus has taken a toll on nearly every aspect of life in China and entertainment is no exception.

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E4 EDGE

Monday, March 2, 2020

WesternCourier.com

What Disney Pixar fans have been waiting for

This Thursday Disney Pixar fans will finally be getting what they’ve been waiting for: Onward.

Onward is an animated movie set in a fantasy land, where elves, unicorns, pixies and all other sorts of magical creatures live together. Except that there isn’t much fantasy left these days, with the setting of the film taking place in time where the creatures have a society that mocks ours. Centered around two elven brothers, the film follows Ian, a fresh 16-year-old who never got the chance to see his dad, and his older brother Barley, who is into role-play fantasy games and tries his best to immerse himself in magic, as they find that their deceased father left them a magic staff to bring him back for a day.

However, after Ian can’t hold on to the staff for the duration of the spell, they only get their father ’s legs back. The brothers then go on

The flm contains Disney's first openly Character.

a quest to bring back the rest of their dad before he goes away forever, but they only have 24 hours to do so. Based on the trailer, it looks like the brothers face pixies, centaur cops and what appears to be a dragon.

The cast for this film is incredible. Ian is being voiced by Spiderman himself – Tom Holland, and his older brother by his MCU costar – Chris Pratt. Separately, these two are amazing actors and are so funny. Now Disney has given them the opportunity to work together on a film that will highlight their comedy? Yes, please! And the number of stars doesn’t stop there.

Their mother is being voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, better known for her role as Elaine on Seinfeld.

Octavia Spencer is voicing the mystical Manticore. Spencer was one of the major characters in Hidden Figures and most recently had her own filmed called Ma. Who-

ever was able to put together such a star-studded cast should be commended.

I am really looking forward to this film when it comes out. As someone who still loves kids’ movies and Disney Pixar, the film was already screaming my name.

But, then I watched an interview with Pratt, where he gave context behind the film. Apparently, the director of the film lost his father when he was young, and never really got the chance to know him.

After going through his parents’ house, he found some old tapes of his dad just talking which was really profound because he had never heard his dad talk before. So, the film is about these two brothers trying to bring back their dad but the director ’s older brother didn’t know anything about Onward. The movie is supposed to be a sort of love letter to his older brother just thanking him for everything he’s done. This makes the film so much more personal and real. I just can’t wait to see it.

Will they be able to bring back their father before time runs out?

We will have to wait and go see on Friday.

TODAYSHOW.COM

The long awaited film is set to Premiere on March 6th.

THEMOSCOWTIMES.COM

OPINIONS 5

Monday, March 2, 2020

@WesternCourier

Finish out midterms strong, it is almost spring break!

Spring break is just around the corner and many are excited to get out of dodge. But the joy of spring break comes with the downfall of midterms, which are happening this week for many of us. Before your dream of relaxing on the beach becomes reality, there are still a few things that need to be done in Macomb before you can enjoy your break.

The most important thing that needs to be focused on

is completing homework assignments that you may have put off studying for midterms. The idea of relaxing is at the forefront of everybody’s mind, but what should be there is how well you are doing in your classes and what you can do to improve your grades halfway through the semester. There is still hope to raise your grade and end the semester on a high note if you put in the effort to do better. Pester your professors

by showing up at their office hours and shoot them emails until you understand the concepts at hand. Form study groups with people who have the same classes as you and actually work, not putting in an hour ’s work and calling it quits. Go to the library, put your phone on airplane mode instead of watching videos on Youtube and try to apply the information from the pages to your brain effectively. The words on the pages will make sense eventually, trust me.

Attend class consistently, pay attention in class instead of being on your phone the whole time, and actively listening does wonders to improve your grade. You don’t

need to be the smartest student in the room, but the one who actively tries every time they enter class. Even when you have those days where what the professor is saying sounds like the adults from a Charlie Brown cartoon, you will pick up some concepts just by sitting there and passively listening. There is no need to be on your A game every class period, just slowly put in the effort to do better and your grades will show the effort.

While you are busy studying for midterms, there is another great thing you can do while when the words on the pages become fuzzy and you become fed up with learning the

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material you need to pass the next exam. Spring cleaning is a great way to get out of your winter blues slump and have a clean room for once. Throw out everything you don’t need, pack up what you will need for the rest of the semester and bring it home if you can and organize the rest. If you are living in your dorm, make sure that your room is up to par so that you will not receive any fines over break for having contraband items on display. When you return from break, a clean room will be there waiting for you and friends to share stories with.

With your midterms over and sunny days ahead, enjoy your break!

Contact Allison Young

AN-Young@wiu.edu Editorial Policy

The editorial views of the Western Courier shall be confined to this editorial and are to be separate from news coverage otherwise noted. The editorial presented is based on the ideas and views of the WC editorial board.Columns are the opinions of the columnists alone and should not be construed as the opinions and beliefs of the WC staff as a whole.

Letters & Local Forum Policies

E-mail letters to the Editor and Local Forum messages to micour@wiu.edu.

Letters should not be more than 350 words in length. The author’s name and phone number must be included for verification purposes. Failure to include such information will lead to the letter being discarded. The WC staff will edit letters in cases of timeliness, obscenity length and grammer, and we do not guarantee publication of all letters.

2019 Fall Semester Editorial Board

Edge Editor - Marc Ramirez Editor-in-Chief - Devon Greene Opinions Editor - Allison Young

6

Monday, March 2, 2020

SPORTS

WesternCourier.com

WIU Track and field wraps up indoor season at The Summit League Championships

By Christopher Bean assistant sports editor

goleathernecks.com

Tia Dorshorst gets a running start.

Michaela Busch throws javelin.

goleathernecks.com

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The women’s Track and Field team ended the month of February participating in the Indoor Summit League Championships on Friday and Saturday. The school records the team set highlighted this weekend.

On Friday, senior Michaela Busch set her personal and school record. Busch’s efforts on Friday set a Leatherneck school record in the pentathlon, earning 3,677 points to receive a silver medal. The 3,677 points surpassed her own. It was a crazy final indoor season for Busch, who’s been plagued by injury. “It feels unreal, I knew I haven't been able to practice any of my events, several weeks for some and a couple of months for others, so I came to the conference just to do the best with what I had to work with.

I'm beyond joyful to have been so successful in the long jump and the 800, but I know there were some hiccups in the other events due to being away. I feel blessed. It's beyond words how great being a track athlete is. I just love my coaches, my team and the sport,” Busch told WIU Athletic Communications.

Busch wasn’t the only Leatherneck to earn a medal on Friday.

Senior teammate Bo Brasseur recorded the longest jump of the contest (5.95 meters) on her sixth and final jump to earn a gold medal.

On Saturday, the Leathernecks continued to set records and earn medals. Sophomore Tia Dorshort surpassed Nicole Manning’s record of 3.87 meters (12’ 8.25”) in the pole vault and recorded an 3.88 meters (12’ 8.75”). “It's been great starting the season only jumping 10' 10 and finishing with an all-time PR, each week, I have been putting in the work inside the weight room and on the track. I'm happy that my hard work is showing off by being able to claim the top spot. I usually perform better with more pressure so I am glad I am staying consistent throughout the season.

I'm very proud of my teammates' performances as we all did phenomenal this indoor season!" Dorshort told WIU Athletic Communications.

The Leathernecks showed out in the triple jump, having three members finish in the top 6, including junior Amelia Peterson who finished fourth. Her 11.83 meters (38’ 9.75”) puts her fifth on the all-time list if Leathernecks.

Teammates Allie Scott and Tyronnay Taylor tailed Peterson, finishing in fifth and sixth.

The women’s Track and Field team concluded their indoor season, by finishing in sixth place in The Summit League Championships. They now have just under a month to prepare for their first outdoor meet, when they travel to Edwardsville, Ill. on March 21st to part take in the Cougar Classic at SIUE.

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Bo Brasseur runs in a distance event.

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Amelia Peterson makes a dead sprint.

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Monday, March 2, 2020

@WesternCourier

Sports 7

Softball picks up two big wins in Blues City Classic

By David Koier courier staff The Western Illinois Leathernecks softball team traveled to Memphis, Tenn. this weekend to participate with four other teams in the Blues City Classic. The Purple and Gold went 1-3 on the weekend with their lone victory against the Huskies of Northern Illinois University on Saturday afternoon.

The Leathernecks currently sit with a 4-10 overall record this season with two more weekend tournaments left before Summit League play is underway.

Friday’s matchup with Northwestern State did not favor the Leathernecks early on.

Demons pitcher Bron Rhoden was tossing a no hitter through the bottom of the fourth until Western senior Halle Hollatz singled to left to end the bid, one of only two hits for the Leathernecks during the afternoon.

Maddy Anderson got the nod in the circle for the Leathernecks, allowing four runs (two earned) off seven hits in four innings pitched on the day for the freshman. Leatherneck ace Abby Carlin came in for two innings of relief work, surrendering an additional two runs in her time but not being charged with either.

The Leathernecks were able to cut the lead in half after a bases loaded wild pitch scored Alyssa Ealy from third and Ashley Minyard scored right after on a Demons’ throwing error. The Purple and Gold could not complete the comeback, falling in the opening contest 4-2.

Saturday’s first game of Saturday plated many runs for both squads in the contest.

NIU’s Katie Keller kicked off the scoring with a 2-out solo homer to right-center in the top of the first inning, but Western sophomore Savannah Rodriguez responded quickly with a two run home run of her own to give Western a 2-1 lead after one The Huskies quickly tied it up in the top of the second, but Ealy helped secure the lead

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Savannah Rodriguez delivers a strike.

once again with a single up the middle in the bottom half to bring Tori Boysen home for a 3-2 Leatherneck edge. Rodriguez added to the lead in the bottom of the third with a double to the gap in right-center. Rodriguez scored on a NIU throwing error on the next batter after Boyson singled down the left field to bring the Leatherneck lead to 5-2.

Daytona Dooley closed the inning with an RBI single to center to plate Western’s third run of the third inning.

Anderson closed the door on the Huskies to earn the 10-9 victory over the Huskies in 2.2 innings of work and two strikeouts. Carlin got a no-decision in a starting role surrendering four earned runs with one strikeout of her own.

That was where Western’s luck appeared to run out, as later on in the day the Leathernecks would drop their game against the Memphis Tigers 6-1. Ealy went 1 for 3 in the contest, driving in the lone Leatherneck run on a single up the middle that plated Meghan Henson. Rodriguez was given the loss on five innings pitched in which she surrendered six earned runs off seven hits, striking out five and walking three.

The Leathernecks could not close their weekend out with a win either as the Purple and Gold fell to the North Alabama Lions 4-2. Western was able to load the bases numerous times, even putting two on in the top of the seventh with no outs, but they couldn’t capitalize, stranding 11 during the course of their outing. Carlin was given the loss after 2.2 innings of four hit, two earned run work. Anderson closed out the game 3.1 innings of three hit, two earned run relief work. Carlin moves to 2-4 on the season.

The softball team travels to Carbondale, Ill. next weekend for the Saluki Invitational, where they will play five games over the course of the weekend. Their first matchup is bright and early Friday morning against DePaul with the first pitch scheduled for 10 a.m.

Meghan Henson walks out to the mound.

file photo brandon Troust / production manager

Leathernecks lose and miss out on Summit League Tournament

By Bradley Piros sports editor DENVER – The Western Illinois University men’s basketball team (5-21, 2-14) played their final game of the 2019-20 season on Saturday against the University of Denver Pioneers (7-23, 3-13). The Leathernecks’ season came to a halt after a 69-63 setback in the mile high city.

All Western had to do was beat Denver and they would have clinched the No. 8 seed in The Summit League Tournament. That didn’t happen, as it will be the Pioneers who will take on the No. 1 seeded South Dakota State University Jackrabbits (22-9, 13-3) to kick off the competition.

Western lost this game because they mainly just couldn’t put it in the basket. The team shot 35.5 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from behind the line.

Juniors Zion Young and Ben Pyle both put up 14 points on the night to lead the team.

They put up the exact same shooting stats, 5-10 from the field and 4-7 from the threepoint line. Junior guard’s Kobe Webster and Anthony Jones followed up with 12 and 10

points, respectively.

The main problem for Western though was that they couldn’t slow down senior guard Ade Murkey. He single handedly put up 33 points, 14 of those points coming from the foul line. He went 14-15 from the line, which ended up making the difference to pick up the six-point win for his side.

Overall, Denver didn’t exactly out-shoot Western. It just came down to the 20 points coming from fouls. The Pioneers shot a mere 16.7 percent from beyond the arc and 42.6 percent from the rest of the field, so a little better than Western, but not by much.

With the tough away loss it marks the end of the Leathernecks’ season. The team ended their campaign on an 11-game losing streak beginning back on Jan. 16 to Oral Roberts and was never able to turn themselves around down the stretch.

The good news is, it can only get better from here. After a frustrating season the team will look to better themselves in the offseason and come back harder next year, but until next fall, no more men’s basketball at Western Illinois.

Twitter: @bradjp08

Ben Pyle shoots a three.

becca langys / photo editor

Women's basketball drops regular season finale

By Zach Remelius courier staff

The Leathernecks ended their regular season schedule at Denver on Saturday afternoon with an 84-78 loss to the Pioneers. With the loss, the Leathernecks finish with a 15-14 record overall while going 9-7 in the conference to finish fifth in The Summit League.

Denver with the victory improved to 15-14 while also going 9-7 in The Summit League. Due to tiebreakers, the Pioneers finish third in The Summit League as the teams get ready for The Summit League tournament.

Denver started off the game well but Carla Flores kept the

Leathernecks in it. She had nine first quarter points, but the Pioneers had an 18-16 lead at the end of the first. The second quarter was a back and forth affair that ended up in a tie going into the half. Danni Nichols had her turn to lead the team as she had eight points in the second as she finished the game with 24 points overall. The third quarter saw the Leathernecks fall behind by nine after a Lauren Loven three pointer to put Denver up 47-38.

Olivia Kauffman came right back and hit a three to cut it back down to six. However, Denver was able to keep the margin between 5-8 points for the rest of the quarter.

An Elizabeth Lutz three cut the

becca langys / photo editor

Carla Flores dribbles the ball.

lead to three with about two minutes left in the third. A layup and another Loven three had Denver up seven by the end of the quarter though. Western Illinois kept battling and with a touch under four minutes left in the fourth a Grace Gilmore jumper tied things up at 68. There was an exciting finish 27 seconds left Olivia Kaufmann’s free throw gave the Leathernecks a 77-76 lead. The Pioneers came right down and got a layup and a foul to give them a lead they would not relinquish as they knocked down some free throws to pull off a win.

Nichols had a strong game as her impressive play continued in the conference. She had 24 points

Olivia Kaufmann takes the ball up court.

on 7-11 shooting from the field and 8-10 from the free throw line.

Kaufmann chipped in 23 points as she got to the line 14 times and made 11 of those attempts.

Kaufmann also led the team with 10 rebounds and four assists.

The Leathernecks dealt with foul trouble all game long as three players fouled out. They only shot 32.1 percent from three as well going 9-28 from beyond the arc. Denver was led by Loven’s 25 points and Madison Nelson’s 23 points. The two combined to shoot just 12-41 from the field but made up for that by going 17-22 from the free throw line. Claire Gritt and Uju Ezeudu also were able to contribute 10 points to the

becca langys / photo editor

offense to give the Pioneers some balance. Both teams struggled to shoot and the key was turnovers. Denver had just six in the entire game and only allowed the Leathernecks to get six points off those turnovers. Meanwhile, Denver had 18 points off turnovers while forcing 14.

The Leathernecks will begin The Summit League Tournaments against the fourth seed Oral Roberts. The two teams split the regular season matchups with each winning at home. The Leathernecks walked away with a 75-61 win in Macomb while the Golden Eagles took a 71-60 decision in Tulsa. The game will be at noon on Sunday on ESPN+.

becca langys / photo editor

Elizabeth Lutz watches the ball.