Fall 2011 Athletics Recap
Volleyball
Covenant’s volleyball team had its most successful season in recent memory, posting an overall record of 22-9. The Lady Scots finished 7-1 in the Great South Athletic Conference and earned the regular season runner-up as a result. During the middle of October, Covenant strung together eight straight wins, including six sweeps and five victories over conference opponents. The season came to an end during the NCCAA Mid-East Region Tournament, where the Lady Scots suffered a loss to the #4 team in the nation.
Seniors Erica Adams, Kristin Dahlstrand, Kait Glass, Jessie Jakes, Lisa Solis, and Emily Stewart will leave gaping holes in the offensive production for Covenant’s volleyball program. These six ladies accounted for a large portion of every statistical category, most notably Adams (356) and Jakes (315) who were among the nation’s leaders in kills. Both Adams and Jakes passed the 1,100 kill mark during their careers as Lady Scots. Kristin Dahlstrand finished the season with 915 assists which helped her lead all Great South competitors in that category.
Adams, Dahlstrand, and Jakes were named members of the GSAC All-Conference team for their contributions to the success of the volleyball program.
Women’s Soccer
A shaky start to the season saw the women’s soccer team go 1-6-1 through its first eight games, but the Lady Scots responded with nine more wins after that, finishing with an overall record of 10-9-2 and claiming such victories as a 1-0 win over the 12-0-1 Piedmont Lady Lions in a midseason conference match. Covenant finished the season 6-1-1 in the Great South, making them the regular season runner-up. After two NCCAA Mid-East tournament victories, the Lady Scots season came to an end in the tournament final, a win shy of an automatic berth to the national tournament.
Seniors Dana Streufert and Margaret Cross were named members of the GSAC All-Conference team, with freshmen Teagan Wood and Hannah Bales earning All-Freshman status. Additionally, Streufert and Bales were named to the Mid-East All-Region team alongside defenders Eliza Drew and Kathryn Allison.
Men’s Soccer
The Scots posted an overall record this season of 8-10-2 while going 3-1 in the Great South Athletic Conference. Having lost several key players from last year, one of Covenant’s main struggles during 2011 was finding someone to score. The Scots had 12 of their matches decided by one goal or less and experienced overtime on eight different occasions during the 20-game schedule. The season for men’s soccer came to an end in the NCCAA Mid-East region final, where the Scots lost in overtime to Oakland City University by a score of 1-0.
Tyler Morrison (seven) and Matt Hudnut (four) combined for 11 goals on the season and were named All-Conference performers in the Great South, where the Scots finished as the regular season runners-up. Newcomers Hunter Harrison and Ian Meredith were named members of the GSAC All-Freshman team. Goalkeeper John Eger’s final season with the Scots saw him rank in the top 10 in goalkeeping, as the senior finished the year with a goal-allowed average of 1.04. Eger was also named as the Co-Player of the Year for the NCCAA’s Mid-East region, while Morrison and Chris Pifer were named as fellow members of the All-Region team.
Cross Country
Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams experienced great success in head coach Katie Stanford’s first year at the helm. The women were led by senior Tera Woods as she placed in the top 15 in five of seven events, and was named GSAC Women’s Runner of the Year. As a team, the women had three runner-up finishes and one win on the year, and finished in the top 10 in every event except the NCCAA National Championships where they placed 15th out of 25. Aften Whitmore, Emily Davis, Beth Burgess, and Woods were all named to the GSAC All-Conference team, while Burgess was also named to the All-Freshman squad.
On the men’s side, sophomore Zach Smith was a constant for Coach Stanford. Smith finished in the top 5 four times and helped the men to one win and three runner-up finishes. Smith was also named to the GSAC All-Conference team along with teammate Stephen Dillon. Dillon and Stephen Harper were placed on the GSAC’s All-Freshman team. The men ended their season with a 19th place, out of 30, at the NCCAA National Championships.
Golf
Success for the Covenant golf team came during the team’s very first tournament in early September. Led by Alex Mosteller and Cameron Lewis during round one and Trey Patterson during round two, the Scots finished in second place at the Piedmont College Fall Invitational. From that point on, Covenant struggled with high finishes at Berry College, Maryville College, and Oglethorpe University in the month of October. The fall season for Covenant ended with Patterson earning an invitation to participate in the NCCAA National Tournament as an individual, where he and first-year head coach Trevor Potts landed 30th place in the field of 61 competitors.
The Scots will resume action this spring.
Update on Commencement 2012
As we eagerly anticipate the Fifty-Seventh Annual Commencement Exercises of Covenant College to be held May 5, 2012, we wanted to make you aware of some changes to this event. Commencement will still take place at the Chattanooga Convention Center on Saturday, May 5, 2012; however, the time for our event has been shifted from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm as a result of a scheduling conflict with another college using the facilities in the morning.
We know other plans (e.g. hotel, flights and dinner reservations; even weddings after commencement in the past) must be made in a timely fashion, so we wanted to let you know as early as possible to account for these changes from previous years. Also, please note that all students will need to move out of the residence halls by 1:00 pm on May 5, as opposed to the 5:00 pm deadline of years past.
We will be sending out additional and more detailed information in the coming months and will update our commencement webpage throughout the year as well. We look forward to seeing you at commencement!
Rodney Miller
Dean of Records
College Students Returning Home
Julie Baumgardner is the executive director of First Things First, a non-profit organization in Chattanooga. She writes a weekly column and blogs about family topics at www.juliebaumgardner.com, and the column below is reprinted with her permission. If you have any specific concerns about your child that you want us to know about, we invite you to contact Julie Moore, associate dean of students.
College senior Elizabeth Stepp hasn’t forgotten what it was like as a freshman going home for her first extended visit. “We were all happy to see each other, but there was clearly a little tension in the air,” said Ms. Stepp. “I think all of us wondered how things would go.”
Parenting college students easily falls under the relationship status, “It’s complicated.” Students have been on their own for almost an entire semester and for the most part love their freedom. It is common for expectations to clash when college students come home that first time for the holidays. “I was surprised when my parents told me there would still be a curfew and they wanted to know where I was going and who I would be with,” said Ms. Stepp. “I honestly had not thought about not having freedom at home. I had adjusted to not having them around and thought I was doing pretty well on my own. I just assumed things would be the same as they were at college. I was wrong.”
For Mr. and Mrs. Stepp this was their second time around having a child come home from college and they were prepared. They shared that they wanted their daughter to come home and enjoy her visit, but not at the expense of others. They asked her to abide by the household rules which included a reasonable curfew and letting them know her location. “My parents’ requests weren’t unreasonable,” said Ms. Stepp. “If I am out late they wait up on me. They have been respectful of me. I think it is the least I can do to be respectful of them. I think it is different when I am away at school – like out of sight out of mind.”
When asked what advice she would give to others about that first visit, Ms. Stepp had the following suggestions:
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Expect some push back. It takes a little time to warm up to each other.
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Have a conversation about your expectations and be open to negotiation.
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Keep in mind that as students we want to believe we know it all, but we don’t. We still need you involved in our lives, just not as intensely as before.
Here are some additional words of wisdom from parents who have been there:
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Don’t assume that your child is going to just hang out at home. Before they arrive they usually have lined up visits with friends and other activities. Check in with them before they head home to discuss family gatherings you would like them to attend. Ask if they would like any of their friends to come along.
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Sleep is good! While your day may end at 10 p.m., that is when most college students get going. Now that your student is home he may spend a lot of time catching some extra zzzzzs.
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Choose your battles. Life will be different. Consider what’s really important and let the other stuff slide.
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This may be the first time it really hits you that your child doesn’t “need” you like they did when they were young. Your job now is to forge a relationship where they want to be with you and enjoy coming home for a visit.
Julie Baumgardner
Executive Director, First Things First, Chattanooga, TN
Praise and Prayer Requests
Please join us in praising God with thanksgiving for a great semester. We covet your prayers for the end-of-semester activities and finals, including studying and grading. Please also pray for the challenges that some of our students and their families are currently facing. Lastly, please offer prayers for travel and family time over the break.
Upcoming Events
December 2
|
Covenant Chorale Christmas Concert |
December 7
|
Last Day of Classes |
December 8-9
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Reading Days |
December 9-10
|
Madrigal Dinners |
December 12-15
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Final Exams; meal plan concludes Thursday, Dec.15, at 7:00 p.m |
December 16
|
Residence halls close at 12:00 p.m. |
January 7-9
|
New Student Orientation |
January 8
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Continuing students may return to campus; meal plan begins Monday, Jan. 9, at 5:00 p.m. |
January 10
|
First day of classes; Registration begins |
| View Covenant's Online Calendar |
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