February 23, 2018
North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804
SPORTS
Bishoops Rebound in 2018, Take First in Division
Quinn Tobias
Decree Staff Writer
The NC Wesleyan men’s basketball
team won its last 11 conference games to
capture first place in its division and earn
a number-one seeding in the conference
tournament.
The Bishops finished with a 13-3 record
in the USA South, one year after compiling
a 6-8 mark. The team was 15-10 overall,
after losing its regular-season matchup to
Pfeiffer, 132-76.
All season NCWC combined aggressive
defense and balanced scoring as it went
on its second-half streak. The first-place
finish means the Bishops will host rival
Greensboro College in the first round of the
conference tourney on February 20.
Staff writer Quinn Tobias filed the
following reports on recent home contests:
NCWC 85,William and Peace 70
The Bishops defense stifled the
Pacers and stole their way to an 85-70
victory as senior Adrian Moore led the
way with an efficient 21 points.
Defensive pressure fueled the Wesleyan
victory. The Bishops generated easy
baskets off the Pacers’ 27 turnovers.
Leading the Bishops in steals was
Moore with six. According to Moore an
aggressive mindset helped him lead the
team in steals, points, rebounds and assists.
The Bishops overcame a sloppy
opening to the game when the Pacers’
full-court trap forced three turnovers in the
Women’s Basketball Team Falls in Second Round
Greensboro—The NC Wesleyan
women's basketball team saw its 2017-18
season come to an end on Saturday with
a 70-54 loss to Greensboro College in the
USA South Tournament quarterfinal round.
The top-seeded Pride foiged an 11-point lead
at intermission and out-scored the 4th-seeded
Bishops 34-29 in the second half to seal the win.
Deep, Experienced
Softball Team Eyes
Conference Title
By Johnathan Pickier
Decree Staff Writer
Projected to finish sixth in the
USA South by the coaches in the
conference, the Bishops are looking
forward to proving the pundits wrong
and coming out as champions.
The Bishops are returning many
players and have a “big recruiting
class that is loaded with potential.”
according to Head Coach John
Brackett, whose team finished 13-9
in conference last season (18-20
overall).
“I feel good about our preparation
so far, the weather has caused a few
problems but overall our practices
have gone well.” said Coach Brack
ett. “Our intra-squad scrimmages
have been very competitive.”
Coach Brackett stated that the
Bishops’ strengths will be their depth
as well as their experience. They only
had four players who graduated last
season, three of them starters. “We
also have some impact players in the
freshmen class who will challenge for
a spot in the starting line-up,” stated
Coach Brackett.
The team is returning two
previously awarded all-conference
pitchers, Shelby Godwin and Logan
Lowery. Godwin started and appeared
in 18 games for the Bishops last
season and finished with a record of
8-8. Lowery started 15 games last
season but appeared in 19 games. She
finished the season with a record of
9-8 with one save. The Bishops also
have “a number of freshmen pitchers
who had plenty of success in high
school,” according to Coach Brackett.
The Bishops will play against the
defending national champions this
season as well as some other nation
ally ranked teams. “I'm not overly
concerned about our schedule because
I feel as if our team is up for the
challenge,” Coach Brackett said. “Our
tough out-of-conference schedule will
prepare us for the USA South, which as
always is very strong and balanced.”
In the USA South preseason poll,
Meredith College was first. Averett
University was second, and Ferrum
College was third. “Meredith won
the regular season championship last
season and has a lot of returners,”
Coach Brackett said. “Averett won
see Softball pg 4
first three possessions of the game. The
Pacers held the Bishops to two points in
the first 6 minutes and started the game on
a 14-4 run. Turnovers plagued both teams,
but as the Pacers got away from
the full-court press, the Bishops
began to enforce their will later
in the first half.
Junior Chris Braswell and
sophomore Ricardo Bullock
infused the Bishops with hustle
plays that ignited a 25-12 run
to end the first half. “I think we
needed to find a fire and the
team did that,” Braswell said.
“Basketball is a game of runs an
it all starts with defense, because
defense turns into offense."
After struggling from the fiel
early in the half, easy transition
baskets helped the Bishops take
a 29-26 lead into half time.
According to freshman Josh
Covington, Coach Thompson
was displeased with the team's
performance in the first 13 min
utes of the game, remarking that the team
made history with how poorly it played.
The Bishops came out of half time with
a renewed defensive energy and executed
their traps to perfection, forcing seven
turnovers in the first five minutes. In the
first half the Bishops were cold from the
field, shooting 31 percent, but the second
half told a different story and they shot 51
Junior Nadiya Holley paced the Bishops
with a team-high 11 points off the bench,
and she completed her first career double-
double with 10 rebounds. Freshman Javana
Jones joined her in double-figures with 10
points. Playing her final collegiate game,
senior KeChae Parker wrapped up her solid
career with five points and eight rebounds.
As a team, the Bishops out-rebounded
the Pride 53-46 on the day. But Greens
boro shot a little better than 37 percent
from the floor while holding Wesleyan to
just 29 percent accuracy. Shaniah Haynes
led four Pride players in double-figures
with a game-high 15 points.
Wesleyan ends the season with a 13-14
overall record, which included a 9-7 maik
in US A South play. With a young roster that
included just one senior, the Bishops will now
begin preparing for the 2018-19 campaign.
(Article courtesy of Sports Information)
Baseball Team Features Lethal
Offense, Young Pitching Staff
By Quinn Tobias
Decree Staff Writer
The Bishops baseball team returns to
the diamond in 2018 with plans to improve
on last year's performance, relying on a
lethal offense and a young pitching staff to
catapult them to a conference championship.
The 2017 campaign fell short of the
Bishops goals. After a strong regular
season performance (24-16 and 11-7 in the
USA South), the team lost to top-seeded
LaGrange and Sth-seeded Piedmont in the
semi-finals of the conference tournament.
Entering the 2018 season the USA South
pre-season coaches poll predicted Wesleyan
will finish Sth out of 12 playoff-eligible
teams. The Bishops lost 10 players to gradua
tion last year including their top two pitchers,
Ryan Grant and TJ Wilkie, who combined
for 112 innings pitched and nine wins.
Coach Charlie Long acknowledges some
of the challenges his ball club faces in the
upcoming season. "Young pitching scares
me,” he said. “The keys to success will be
young players. This is the first year in a long
time we're entering the season unsure of the
three starters because we have an abundance
of talent. I think that’s a good thing.”
Despite the middle-of-the-pack prediction,
Long believes the Bishops can dethrone
LaGrange as the conference champion. "We
have a really good team,’ ’ he said. ‘ ‘On paper we
have a chance to win the conference. As always
it comes down to pitching and our defense."
The Bishop defense should be a strength,
since the team returns both double-play
partners, Brad Pennington at 2nd base and Alec
Titmus at shortstop. The pair ranked second in
the nation last year in double plays turned.
Irong feels confident that this season will
be a success in latge part due to a dominating
offense. “We’re as deep offensively as
we’ve been in a long time.” Long said.
"Some people that should be playing will be
watching.” Long believes the offense can
keep them in any game and will help make
a push to break the 30-win plateau.
percent from the field. During that time
they extended their lead to 15, making the
score 50-35. Two dunks by the Bishops
put an exclamation point on the run.
Adrian Moore was among the scoring leaders
as the men's hoopsteam went on an 11-game
conference win streak.
SI photos
The Bishops widened the margin to
23 in the second half and despite the
Pacers’ best efforts, they were unable to
cut the lead below 15 for the remainder
of the game. The Pacers dropped to
4-13 and the Bishops improved to 9-8.
NCWC 101, Averett 88
Freshman Damon McDowell scored
18 of his 25 points in the second half to
Senior KeChae Parker paced her
team with a 12.6 scoring average.
The Bishops have come a long way since
two dreadful seasons in 2014 and 2015. Part
of the resurgence in the program can be at
tributed to an active JV program, which helps
develop younger players. Long recognizes
the importance of developing underclassmen
in order to replace talent that graduates.
Ling sees the payoff from the JV schedule
during practice. “I feel like we’re making some
small steps in the right direction and we’re
getting tire offense and defense in place,” he said.
The Bishops will rely heavily on their of
fense to keep them in games while tire young
pitching staff finds its stride. Five returners had
20 or more RBI last season, four of whom
had over a 300 batting average. The team will
need to find some power in the newcomers to
replace the six homers that graduating senior
Tony Sanchez hit last season.
Sophomore second-baseman Brad
Pennington returns this season after
making an indelible mark last year,
when he was named D3baseball.com’s
All Regional Rookie of the Year. He
led the team in batting with a .390
average, a .472 on-base percentage and
.643 slugging percentage.
Junior Nate Gardner returns as the only
regular starting pitcher from last year’s team.
Gardner started nine games last year, posting a
3-3 record. He pitched his way to a 2.49 ERA
through 50 innings of wok and posted less than
one Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched (WHIP).
Gardner believes he will lead a strong
rotation this year and his numbers will
continue to improve. “My pitching has
improved a lot because I have started to
challenge guys,” he said.
Gardner also wants to make an impact
at the plate and in the field. Last year
Gardner hit .333 with two home runs.
The Bishops begin their conference
action February 24th at Maryville. They
avoid last season’s champion, LaGrange,
which also finished first in the pre-season
coaches poll. The conference tournament
is scheduled to begin on April 12th.
ignite the Bishops second-half scoring
explosion as the team posted 59 points
en route to a 101-88 victory over
conference opponent Averett.
McDowell provided a spark off the
bench shooting 55 percent from the field
and 60 percent from beyond the arc. His
performance earned him the USA South’s
Rookie of the Week honors. Besides
leading the team in scoring, McDowell
led in assists with six, and chipped in six
rebounds in the winning effort.
Junior Robert Wilson played a pivotal
role in the win scoring 21 points, going
75 percent from the field and hauling in
eight rebounds. Wilson led the team in
minutes with 32 and his hustle was vital
to the team's success in the first half.
Averett relied on senior James Contreras,
who carried the Cougars in the first half.
Contreras scored 30 points going 9-19 firm the
field and 12-13 from the foul line. He also led his
team in steals with two and played 32 minutes.
The two teams entered the game
with different approaches. The Bishops
relied on moving the ball around
to create open shots while Averett
looked for Contreras to create plays in
isolation. The Bishops had more than
twice as many assists as the Cougars.
The Bishops jumped to a quick 5-0 lead
before the two teams settled in to exchange
baskets the remainder of the first half. Averett
played aggressive defense, extending their
pressure while Wesleyan prevented the Cou
gars from getting in the paint by blocking six
Cougar shots. Averett held onto its advantage,
leading the Bishops at half-time, 44-42.
Tough defense stifled both teams and after
five minutes in the second half both teams
only had recorded eight points. The Bishops’
depth became a problem for the Cougars
as the second half progressed. Capitalizing
on Averett’s fatigue, Wesleyan increased
its defensive pressure and forced Cougar
turnovers, which led to easy baskets during a
24-5 run midway through the second half.
The run put the game out of reach at
74-57. During the run the momentum
shifted when Darin Kettner of Averett
got hit with a technical foul.
The lead got as large as 20, but the
Cougars trimmed the margin to 13
before the final buzzer. Ricardo Bullock
put on exclamation mark on the end of
the game with a slam dunk to increase
the score to 100 in the closing minute.
The Bishops improve to 11-9 overall
and 9-3 in conference while the Cougars
fall to 10-10 and 5-7 in conference.
NCWC 82, Berea 62
The Bishops welcomed Berea College to
Everett Gym with an 82-62 thumping as junior
Robert Wilson scored a double-double in the win.
A new member of the USA South
Conference, the Kentucky school was
unable to keep pace with Wesleyan,
which played aggressive defense and
Lacrosse Returns
To NCWC Campus
By Quinn Tobias
Decree Staff Writer
On February 13th North Carolina
Wesleyan reintroduced its women’s
lacrosse program after a three-year hiatus.
The team lost its opener, 20-3, at Barton,
and then fell in its first USA South Confer
ence match, 17-2, at Averett.
The Bishops entered the season with
a young roster, hoping chemistry will
carry them to the post season.
Coach Bridget Walker was appointed
to restart the program in June 2016
and since then she’s been hard at work
rounding out a roster and preparing the
new team. During the fall of 2017 the
team participated in “Fall Ball Play Day”
where it played three abbreviated games.
Coach Walker has been impressed by her
team’s early efforts. “The new kids figured
out the game,” she said. “All the players are
coachable and everyone is all in.”
Sophomore Ashlee Johnson has stood out
to the coaches and her teammates. She will
serve as the primary goalie and team captain.
Johnson has five years of experience as a
goalie and wants to bring her knowledge of the
game to a roster that includes many new-
comers to the sport. "I want to build a bond
with my teammates and hopefully generate
interest that leads to a good foundation for
the program," Johnson said. She was one
of 11 athletes recruited by Walker.
see Lacrosse pg 4
made plenty of substitutions during the
game, held February 3.
Wilson scored 19 points, many in
close, and grabbed 10 rebounds, as center
AJ. Frye sat with an injury. The Bishops
trailed Berea early in the first half, but held
a four-point lead at half-time and pulled
away in the final 20 minutes, outscoring their
opponent, 45-29.
“I was able to get to my sweet spot,”
Wilson said. “My midrange shot is one of
the strongest attributes to my game. I got
to the spots either off the dribble or a great
pass by my teammates. Berea’s defense was
solid, but I dictated where I wanted to shoot.
Along with the dribble penetration from our
guards and kick-outs to open shooters, I got
more looks close around the rim.”
Guard Chris Braswell scored 19 points to
tie Wilson for the team lead. Riccardo Bullock
collected a game-high 12 rebounds. Damon
McDowell and Justin Tankelewicz scored 11
piece, while guard Adrian Moore (15.7 ppg)
was limited to 8 on 4 of 15 shooting.
Wilson said the Berea game showcased
the balanced scoring that has characterized
the Bishops’ offense all season. When one
shooter is off, others pick up the slack.
“We have scorers at all levels on our team,
from the starting line to the last man on tire
bench," he said. "We have guys who can score
in the post, shoot the midrange, shoot the three,
and drive and get to the basket. We also have a
few guys that can score multiple ways, Adrian
Moore, being one of them. So. when one of us
is having an off-night Coach Thompson has
multiple options to pick off the bench.”
ITALYfrom pg 1
Davids relished the opportunity to
see Italian art in many manifestations,
in both Venice and Florence.
‘There were so many artisans out painting
and selling their pieces and I just loved watching
them work.” she said. "I also thought the
artistry of the buildings in these two locations
was wonderful to see . It was exciting to find
the hidden graffiti throughout these two cities."
Like Davids, teammate Marissa
Aguilar said the art made the strongest
impression on her.
In particular, she enjoyed the visit to Vatican
City and called the artwork in the chapel
and basilica "mind-blowing. It was very
overwhelming, intense, and exciting, because
of all the history there," she explained. “The
experience was indescribable.”
Davids added that the educational aspect
of the two trips enhanced her experience.
“It helped me to see and enjoy the two
European countries in a way that I might
not have if I had taken the trip just for the
heck of it," she said, noting that due to
music professor Tony Sawyer’s instruction
on the Italy trip, “Wherever we went, I
found myself keeping an ear open because
of the musical focus of his class.”
Samantha Morton, a senior on the
volleyball team, was most excited by
the volleyball competition. In particular,
she’ll retain happy memories of a match
against a team in Rome.
“We got to eat dinner with the other team,”
she related. "We had fun learning about each
other and our countries. By the end of the
night we didn’t want to leave them because
we had made such great connections. We
traded contact infomiation so that we could
keep in touch. I really wish that we could
have spent more time with them.”
Though she is set to graduate, Morton
believes the trip will help members of her
team to bond. “I’m hopeful the experience
will get all of the players on the same
page as a team," she said. “The trip really
brought us together and allowed us to get
to know more about each other.”
Rankin, ajunior, agreed that the trip
provided a beneficial team-building
experience. “You spent 24/7 with most of
you teammates, staying in rooms with some
of your teammates that you don’t necessarily
hang out with outside of school," she said.
She noted that all the players got the
chance to play in the matches, another
benefit. “You learn how to play with
different teammates, since we all got
an equal amount of playing time."
she explained. “It was good to build
relationships. Having a better relationship
with one another can only help us be
better on the field next season."
(Sports Infomation contributed to this report.)