Following a unanimous vote by its Council of Presidents, the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced March 19 that it would cancel the 2020 athletic season in light of concerns about the worsening coronavirus pandemic. This news came six days after the GLVC announced all intercollegiate championships would be canceled, while intercollegiate athletic activities were only suspended at the time, pending review April 6. 

Now that classes have shifted online and most Jewell students have returned home to finish the academic year, student-athletes are adjusting to both digital academics and the loss of the spring season. Seniors, moreover, are left to reckon with an abrupt end to their student-athlete career as a whole without so much as a final goodbye to coaches and teammates.

The Hilltop Monitor spoke to student-athletes whose sports seasons were affected by the cancellation of the spring season.

Some, like Jameson Howard, senior golfer and business administration, nonprofit leadership and ACT-In major, expected the news.

“I realized it was officially over whenever my coach passed along info [that] all [GLVC] events were cancelled. I wasn’t surprised by this point, but it still hurt,” Howard said.

On the other hand, Bjorn Myers, senior tennis player and accounting, business administration and ACT-In major, didn’t want to believe his Jewell career was over.

“I held out for a long time, I did not want to believe that my college tennis career had ended due to the virus. Once they cancelled graduation, I finally had to give in. I was devastated. It was up to date my best season and I really did not want it to end,” Meyers said. “I just wish I could have known my last match was actually my last. I never expected that a match against a school that did not even matter would be the end of all my hard work. I would have savoured the moment a bit more.”

Sarah Lewis, senior softball player, business administration, political science and ACT-In major, echoed this sentiment and emphasized how her deep connection to her team made it so much harder to accept that her student-athlete career was over.

“[T]he news has definitely come on gradually and it has been very hard to handle. In all honesty, there have been a lot of tears. It’s very hard to work your butt off for something for 15 years picturing those amazing moments that will happen your senior year of college, and then all of it being thrown away. Softball and our team mean everything to me. Last fall I finished my degrees and was on track to graduate in December, but I chose to stay my final semester to be with my team and play this sport. Some may think that I am foolish in that decision and should have moved on and started working or gone to grad school. THAT is how special this team is and how special this sport is,” Lewis said.

Katie Simms, first-year track & field athlete and mathematics major, discussed the canceled events she was looking forward to and expressed her regret about not being able to spend more time with seniors on her team.

“I was definitely looking forward to our home meet as it would have been my first time competing at Jewell … I was also looking forward to getting to share the rest of the season with our Seniors that I grew close to throughout the season. It’s hard to comprehend that I won’t get to run or jump with any of them again,” Simms said.

Lewis noted the compassion her underclassmen teammates showed to the seniors but emphasized that everyone is allowed to be upset about what has happened.

“My teammates have been very selfless about it all. Every time the underclassmen talk about being upset, they always add on something about it not being as bad as what the seniors are going through. I think each player, regardless of grade level, and coach should be able to grieve this to the full extent. We have all gained a valuable lesson from it all. We have learned to never take any part of the sport for granted, even if that means doing your squat max in the weight room at 6:15am when you’re tired and don’t feel well. You never know when the sport is going to end for you, so work hard and do it even when you’re not comfortable,” Lewis said.

As an international student from Australia, Myers not only had to weather the uncertainty about his athletic and academic future at Jewell but also about returning home safely.

“It was really difficult as I did not know what the future held. As I was holding out that matches would be played I was aiming to remain on campus. That changed when I heard news of the airline I use was cancelling all flights after March 31st until at least June. I was lucky enough to get a set on the last flight to Australia before there were no more. This is when I finally had to admit there would be no more tennis. The online classes are tough, I have to wake up at 3am a few times a week to join a [Z]oom meeting but other than that my main classes were already online due to my internship I was completing,” Myers said.

There were a number of competitions, events and traditions each student-athlete recognized as being something they were eagerly anticipating. Lewis talked about Senior Day, a day on which underclassmen softball players make scrapbooks and gifts for seniors. In lieu of the event, Lewis shared that the underclassmen presented the seniors with slideshows filled with special memories from their time on the team.

Howard was looking forward to a conference tournament set to take place in his hometown of St. Louis, where he was hoping to host a team dinner. 

Myers expressed frustration about having to miss a match with Rockhurst University, confident he would have been able to beat them after a few years of losses.

Simms regretted that the season was cut off because it has deprived her of what she views as invaluable time to improve. Still, she remains optimistic about her three remaining years with Jewell track & field.

“This has definitely taken away my opportunity to continue to improve. There were certain events where I wasn’t quite where I wanted to be in [the] indoor [season], so I was hoping to get to where I wanted to be in [the] outdoor [season] … However, I know the situation could be much worse. I am thankful that this is only my first year and that I still have three years to accomplish all that I want to accomplish,” Simms said.

In a final statement, each senior student athlete shared what they would miss most about their college athlete career and experience at Jewell. 

“I will miss being around this group of girls every day. Every single day is a memory. You don’t often meet people that are so interesting and entertaining, and who make every day worth remembering. The laughs, double plays, home runs and more all made every single day with softball something to look forward to. We still talk all day every day, talking about softball or sending funny [T]ik [T]ok’s, but we are all so far apart and miss each other immensely. There are so many things I will miss about Jewell as well. I will miss being a part of my sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, and getting to make more memories with our new members. Some of my best memories from Jewell were during second semester freshman year, so my heart goes out to the entire first-year class. I will miss all of the fun that I had hanging out with friends at LCA, and I will miss all of the helpful professors and staff on campus. I will also miss Ashley, our trainer. She is so compassionate about helping athletes and has been the best addition to our team this year. Every person who interacts with our team has a lasting impact, and she has made traveling, practicing, and everything in between so much more fun. I will miss the close atmosphere of William Jewell and being able to walk on the quad and have 5 people say hi to me between leaving the PLC and walking into the Union. You never realize how much you love it until it’s over. I want to say a huge thank you to my parents, teammates, coaches, trainers, teachers, and staff. Thank you for believing in me and supporting me for the last 4+ years. Extra shoutout to Ashlyn, Emily, Taylor, and Lindsay. We stuck it out together through the good, the bad, and the very ugly and there’s no group I would’ve rather finished with,” Lewis said.

Howard recollected on the simple moments of hanging out and bonding as a team to be his most treasured memories from college golf. 

“Having the team over to my house and just hanging out and laughing at the end of the day as a team will always be some of my favorite memories from college golf. It hurts to have it all end like this, but I’ve recognized that there are more important things going on in the world right now than golf. The [J]ewell golf team has been great to me, and I’m thankful to have been a part of it for as long as I was,” Howard said.

In his final statement, Myers commended the College for both handling the situation with coronavirus well and for playing a major formative role in the person he has become.

“Obviously this whole situation has been tough on everyone at the school but I feel like the school has handled it fairly well and has been supportive of those that need accommodations. For my experience, I really had no idea what to expect when I chose [J]ewell 4 years ago. It has turned out to be an amazing up and down ride. I have met so many people who will be life long friends, I have met my long term girlfriend at Jewell and this whole experience has really shaped me into the man I am today. I have been so lucky to be part of the [J]ewell community and even though the school is sometimes tough to want to stay at, it was all so worth it in the end. My athletic career has been amazing, I have [gotten] to meet players from all over the world and my tennis has improved so much with the help of coach Elly. I just wish I could play college tennis for 4 more years. But I think that is the beauty of being a student-athlete, you only got 4 [years] so you have to make the most of it. Looking back, I think I did just that,” Myers said.

In an Oct. 23 press release William Jewell College announced the additions of its 21st and 22nd varsity teams on campus – the Powerlifting and Cardinal CrossFit Program beginning in 2020. The sport will be offered for both men and women and will include a combination of powerlifting, Olympic Lifting and CrossFit competition. 

The college is currently seeking affiliation with CrossFit, which would allow student-athletes to compete in local and national competitions. Students in the Powerlifting program will compete in competitions through the United States Powerlifting Association. 

A job opening is currently being advertised for the position of Head Powerlifting and CrossFit Coach. When hired this person will also serve as an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach, according to the job listing. 

Beginning in 2020, Jewell will be one of only three institutions in the Kansas City region to offer powerlifting – the others being Missouri Valley and Ottawa University. Other GLVC colleges, Lindenwood and McKendree, offer similar programs. 

There are three exercises involved in powerlifting: squat, bench press and deadlift. The sport has seen a large rise in popularity, with 648 official events being held nationwide between Jan. 2012 and June 2016 and close to 22,000 individual competitors attended meets during that time frame. 

 CrossFit is a unique sport because competitors do not know the exact challenges that will face them prior to events – they learn what will face them the day the event starts. 

According to CrossFit, the organization sees itself as being in a “war” against larger franchised gyms. 

“We want to fuel a revolution in fitness that advocates the pursuit of function, not form — that measures performance, not anatomy,” said Greg Glassman, CrossFit founder. 

 “We want rings and bumper plates in our gyms, not machines. We believe that where you train is less important than how you train and that who you train with matters more than what gear you have. We know this can be done in little boxes and we’ve proven that the garage is as good an environment as any for Forging Elite Fitness®.” 

Greg Glassman, CrossFit founder.

CrossFit affiliation began as a grassroots movement started by CrossFitters who wanted to register gyms and trainers in their local communities. Today there are over 15,000 CrossFit affiliates worldwide. 

The process of becoming a CrossFit affiliate involves submitting an application and essay, providing details on the location of the affiliate program, submitting proof of program insurance, paying the $3,000 USD annual fee, and signing a licensing agreement. 

According to the official list of affiliates there are currently 12 registered CrossFit programs in Kansas City and Liberty. If Jewell’s affiliation is granted, it will become the only Midwest college to offer a CrossFit program. 

While the high-intensity of CrossFit programs has led to widespread appeal from those who desire to get “in the best shape of their life,” the sport is not without its risks.

A 2013 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning research was designed to look at the frequency of injury in CrossFit athletes during routine training. Of the 132 people surveyed, nearly three-quarters, or 97 people, reported being injured during training, with most of those injuries involving the shoulders and/or spine. A total of 186 injuries were reported, with nine of those leading to surgeries. 

Despite the high risk of injury, CrossFit has become a popular source of strength and fitness training for numerous different organizations, including police departments – like KCPD and Austin PD – and high schools – like Libertyville in Illinois and the Empower Charter School in California. 

By adding a CrossFit program Jewell will be following in the footsteps of other institutions including Penn State, Delaware University, University of North Carolina and the University of Nevada. 

“I am thrilled about the addition of powerlifting and CrossFit to our campus,” said Director of Athletics Tom Eisenhauer. “We believe this program will create new opportunities for students to make competing in intercollegiate athletics a part of their undergraduate experience.”

Updates on Jewell’s Powerlifting and CrossFit programs can be found here, as well as match statistics when they become available.

Olivia Hoseth, senior nursing major, shares her experiences in the cheerleading program as she reflects on her time here at William Jewell College. Hoseth shared what inspired her to begin cheer. 

“I have been actively cheerleading for around nine years now,” Hoseth said. “I first started out doing competitive cheer through a gym in Liberty, MO. This is where I got the basis of all of my skills. I loved doing competitive cheer because it was like putting on a show.” 

She also shared her journey with cheer throughout high school and her four years at Jewell.

“After freshman year of high school, I decided I wanted to try high school cheerleading,” Hoseth said. “I tried out my sophomore year of high school… [and] made the varsity team. I continued to do high school cheer for the next two years, having the privilege to guide and lead my team in a captain role my senior year. Now I am in my senior year of college and again get to lead an amazing team as a captain. I have cheered all four years in college here at Jewell.”

Hoseth shared her role as a captain on the team and the importance of teamwork.

“My specific role on the cheer team is as one of the captains,” Hoseth said. “I help with practices and team bonding events outside of practice. The other captains and I want the cheer team to be a positive experience for everyone, so we try to make it as enjoyable as possible while still getting everything done that we need to.”

She discussed the importance of cheer in her life and some of the important life lessons that it has taught her. Hoseth also discussed her plans for her nursing career and cheer upon graduation.

“My first short term goal after graduating is taking the NCLEX, which is a state nursing test, and passing it so I can become a registered nurse,” Hoseth said. “Then I would love to work at the University of Kansas Hospital on an intensive care unit floor. I do not have any immediate plans to coach when I graduate from Jewell, but I think it could be a possibility in the future. I need to worry about how to live life outside of Jewell as an adult before introducing something else into my life.”

William Jewell College athletics has seemingly had a rough year dealing with coaching situations, leading to a very confused student population. Questions have naturally come to light as to why – and with good reason. Jewell has received new coaches this year in several different sports and is having to say goodbye to coaches in several others.

Tom Eisenhauer, Director of Athletics, spoke to Hilltop about these situations, of both the old coaches, and the new.

Doug Elly, head tennis coach for both men’s and women’s tennis, started at Jewell this February. Prior to this, he was working for a private organization in Florida. Spending most of his life in Springfield, Missouri, allowed him to actually have connections with some of the current tennis players, which is a large part of why he was hired, along with his many other qualifications.

“He’s done a great job with those kids, [I’m] really glad he’s a part of our staff,” Eisenhauer said of Elly.

Jewell football also welcomed a new coach this season. Chuck Lliteras, Interim Head Football Coach, filled in after the departure of another coach. Lliteras has over 25 years of experience with head coaching and is in the Missouri Football Coaches Hall of Fame. He will retain this position at least until the end of the 2019 season.

Other sports this year, however, have had to deal with more challenging obstacles. Jewell’s swimming team had a rough start to the school year, as the previous coach left the weekend of first-year move in, during orientation.

This was a difficult time of year to be searching for a new coach, as Eisenhauer explains. Dan Szuba, after consideration, was felt to be the best candidate and was asked to step in to be Head Coach of both men’s and women’s swim. Szuba was only expecting to hold the position of assistant coach this past season.

Unfortunately, after this season Szuba has decided to pursue other opportunities outside of the Jewell community.

“He did a great job with the kids, worked incredibly hard,” Eisenhauer speaks of Szuba. “I’ve got nothing but good things to say about [him].”

Now, Jewell athletics is currently searching for a new coach for the upcoming season in the fall. A search committee has been comprised of four faculty and athletic staff members and has already met several times. They are expected to be narrowing the candidate pool down soon and will begin phone interviews quickly after.

Men’s soccer is also dealing with a resignation – one that happened at the end of their season. With the decision of the past season’s coach to step down, a team similar to the one for swim coaches has been formed, in order to discover the best coach for the upcoming season. The group has already convened and has narrowed the candidate pool to eight which they will be conducting phone interviews.

Jewell’s community also had to say goodbye to another great coach, Larry Holley, who retired this year. It is anticipated that a decision should be made this week in regards to the upcoming season’s coach.

With these many resignations, some speculations have come to the surface of coaches being fired for various reasons – including due to athlete interference. Eisenhauer also addressed these allegations, speaking of how students fill out a comprehensive survey of their experience where they evaluate the athletic programs at the end of each playing season. This includes evaluations of their head coach, assistant coach, sports medicine, strength and conditioning, compliance and any other sides of the program that affect the athlete.

“We want to determine: what is the level of satisfaction, where are there areas that we can improve, what are the things that we’re doing well, then we can celebrate those,” Eisenhauer said. “[The evaluations] influence the decisions we make, but I wouldn’t go so far to say there are athletes trying to get their coaches fired.”

It is also important to keep in mind that coach turnover is frequent in collegiate athletics in the United States.

“Now here [at Jewell], that’s a little bit of a shock to our culture, to experience that… I mean, you look at Larry Holley, who’s been here 40 years, Jill Slominski our head women’s basketball coach who’s been here 23 years, Mike Stockton, who’s been here 19 or 20 years, we’ve got Dustin Combs who’s somewhere between 10 and 13 years,” Eisenhauer said. “And so we have this history of some of our coaches staying here really long, but when you look at the industry as a whole, coaches move around a lot, it’s just the name of the game.”

It seems that while Jewell has had a rough year for coaching on the outside, that several different factors played into why the community suffered from different resignations. And while this may seem odd, it is a natural occurrence in the world of collegiate sports.

What is certain, is that coaches are a valued part of the Jewell community.

Eisenhauer emphasizes, “We are committed to identifying the best coaches for our institution… so when a coach resigns we’re committed to a process that’s very inclusive, very collaborative, because we are asking this person to join the Jewell community, and not just be a coach.”