October is a busy month for Jewell’s fall sports. This year, the teams are looking at some crucial wins with a lot of talented players.

Football

Despite sophomore Tabren Yates leading a typically successful Cardinal Offense, the football team is sitting at a 1-5 record so far this year. There is no doubt that the “Agents of Change” have been showing signs of improvement every week — displayed by their win against Kentucky Wesleyan College a couple of weeks ago. With five more games to play, the team will hopefully utilize its talents well.

Volleyball

The volleyball team definitely has the talent to win a lot of games, whether it’s senior Haidan Baade recording her 1000th career dig at the team’s first Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) win this season or sophomore Bella LaPorta leading the charge with 284 kills. The team hopes to gain some traction within their GLVC standing in their upcoming Oct. 14 tournament against Lake Erie College.

Men’s Soccer

Currently the men’s soccer team is sitting at a solid 2-4-3 record with a three-way tie for most goals on the team between junior Cole Bulgren, junior Ethan Nichols and senior Carson Lee. They are looking at three remaining conference heavyweights at the GLVC with Quincy University, University of Illinois Springfield and Truman State University, respectively, for the rest of their season.

Women’s Soccer

Despite senior Corrine Hughes having an impressive eight goals so far this season, the women’s soccer team is sitting at a record of 1-11-1. The talent on the roster shows that it is entirely possible they turn their luck around as they face three conference rivals in the weeks ahead to round out the 2022 season.

Men’s Golf

It has been a rollercoaster of a season for the men’s golf team — having reached the heights of second place in the Kansas City Cup and third place at the Rockhurst Fall Invitational. Sophomore Aiden Sanders leads the team with the lowest score average of 75. The team has one final tournament in the form of the Oct. 24 and 25 Tulsa Cup in Oklahoma.

Women’s Golf

The women’s golf team received high placements at both the Kansas City Cup, third place, and Rockhurst Fall Invitational, second place. Senior Frida Hammarlund leads the pack with the lowest average score of 75.8 and was recognized as GLVC Player of the Week in late September. The team will play two more conferences this season: the Midwest Classic on Oct. 17 and 18 in Maryville and the Tulsa Cup on Oct. 24 and 25.

Men’s Cross Country

Performance for the men’s cross country team is high as they head into their final two competitions at the Baker Invitational and GLVC Championship. At the Oct. 8 Haskell Invite, the team placed fourth overall in the men’s 8k and five runners beat their career best time: senior Christian Santiago, sophomore Matthew Ingle, junior Harley Branch, sophomore Fabian Reyes and sophomore Samson Selleck. Santiago and Ingle both finished in the top 10 with eighth place and 10th place respectively.

Women’s Cross Country

The women’s cross country team is staying strong with two competitions left for the season at the Baker Invitational and GLVC Championship. The team placed sixth in the women’s 5k at the Haskell Invite with five runners beating their career best time: sophomore Lottie Vickers, sophomore Brooke Ware, first-year Lauren Flickinger, sophomore Carly Thacker and first-year Lillian Bogard. The team will face 15 college and universities at the GLVC Championship on Nov. 5, but overall their consistent performance should lead them to a good finish for the 2022 season.

Men’s Swimming

Having only started their season this past weekend, the men’s swimming team is off to a hot 2-1 start, having beaten both Maryville University, 226-31, and Truman State University, 121-83. The team scored four first place wins at the Truman State University competition: graduate student Austin Wolfe in both the 800 and 400 free, junior Conner Sawyer in the 100 free and junior Jose Carlos Sanchez in the 200 IM. The Cardinals will have to keep up their momentum through February to achieve their goals for a successful season.

Women’s Swimming

The women’s swimming team is showing signs of a winning season sitting at 1-1 after beating Maryville University, 187.5-59.5, in their opener. At the Truman State University competition, first-year Maddie Atwood placed first in the 50 free and sophomore Martina Torrent achieved first in both the 200 IM and 200 breast. It is no doubt this younger squad will have success throughout their season. 

Though Michaela Esau, junior Oxbridge literature & theory and communications major, did not start her college career as a student-athlete, she joined the William Jewell College tennis team this fall and has recently landed her first collegiate win. 

Besides being a college student-athlete, Esau balances being a tutor, a Cardinal Blazer, a member of Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) sorority and a writer for The Hilltop Monitor. A typical Monday for the involved student-athlete is as follows: 

7:45/8:00 a.m. – Wake up, get ready for the day and go to PLC to do homework for an hour 

9:30 a.m. – Give a tour for prospective students

10:15 a.m. – The Hilltop Monitor meeting 

10:45 a.m. – Eat lunch 

11:15 a.m. – Communication Research Methods class

12:30 p.m. – Do homework

1:45 p.m. – Plague, Piety, and Public policy class

2:50 p.m. – Get ready for practice

3:30 p.m. – Tennis practice 

5:30/6:00 p.m. – Shower and head to the cafeteria for dinner 

7:00 p.m. – Homework

8:00 p.m. – ZTA chapter meeting

8:45/9 p.m. – Homework

10:00 p.m. – Relax and hang out. 

11:30 p.m. – Go to bed 

Balancing school, extracurriculars and a job on top of being a college athlete is no small feat, but Esau considers the opportunity during the day to spend time outdoors playing tennis to be a welcome break.

“I have really enjoyed it because it is kind of impossible to spend all your time doing homework and so I would normally take a break anyway,” said Esau. “It is kind of a stress relief for me to have a period of time every day that I have to go outside and get some exercise.”

While Esau played tennis in high school, she had initially decided against playing it in college.  

“I decided against it, but at Jewell, I would always walk by the tennis courts and kind of miss it,” said Esau.

In spring 2020, some players on the Jewell tennis team had sustained injuries and the team was in need of players. Esau heard about the opening and decided to go for it. However, Esau’s new opportunity – as was the case for many student-athletes this year – was cut short. Esau was only able to have one practice during spring 2020 before the school shut down for quarantine. 

While the spring semester did not work out, officially joining the tennis team this fall has been a positive experience for Esau, and she thoroughly appreciates the positive and relaxed atmosphere of the team.

“We all obviously want to get better and we are competitive, but at the same time, everyone makes it fun. We are a pretty small team, so I like being able to get to know everybody,” said Esau.  

While Esau has only been consecutively practicing on the team since August, she landed her first collegiate win in a recent match against Concordia University. 

“I’m kind of just doing this for fun so to also win sometimes is a really good feeling,” said Esau. “I haven’t been playing competitively for the past three years, so it felt weird to get back into competing. But everyone at Jewell has been really supportive and super excited about it.”  

The fall athletic season at William Jewell College, like many in the U.S. has been altered for many sports. Football, volleyball and soccer have been pushed to the spring season while golf, cross country, swimming and tennis have continued their fall season as they are lower risk for COVID-19. 

Both men’s and women’s tennis have been competing in tournaments since September. The men’s team boasted their first overall win against Baker University Oct. 3 with a score of 5-2. Followed by their second win Oct. 10 against Doane University with a score of 2-2. Cutter Sanders, senior nursing and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry major, and Pedro Braga, junior civil engineering major, have had an impressive showing in doubles matches this fall, with a current record of 4-1. 

“Cutter is just a great person, partner, friend and brother. Ever since I rushed [FIJI] two years ago we got really close, and that clearly reflects on how we are inside the court. I would say our connection is amazing,” Braga said, on how he and Sanders have maintained such a strong record. 

The team has been practicing for a few months now, which is creating a chemistry that Braga says keeps the team energized. 

“I am always trying to improve, both on or [off] the tennis court. I would say I am in a nice spot right now, feeling confident again and ready to keep it going… I am loving the energy of the team right now. Everybody is just happy to be there and be with each other, I think that is incredible,” said Braga. 

Women’s tennis boasts two individual wins at their last match Oct. 3. Michaela Esau, junior Oxbridge literature & theory and communications major, and Gillian Evans, junior nursing major, both won their respective matches. Esau won in No. 3 singles while Evans won at No. 4.  

Julia Yamate Geminiano de Almeida, junior civil engineering major, commented on the different restrictions of playing a low-risk sport during a pandemic. 

“Being a non-contact sport [everything] is pretty much the same for us,” Almeida said. “We did have a scary period when, after our second match, we found out that one of the girls on the other team tested positive for COVID-19. The [chances] any of us could have gotten [it] from her were close to none, but it was still scary.”

Almeida continued to discuss what precautions have been taken at home matches. 

“We’ve had three matches so far. One was at home and each player could only have two people come watch. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s nice that we get to play and still have friends and family come watch,” said Almeida. 

On Oct. 5 the men’s golf team finished their first tournament of the season, the KC Cup, coming in second place with an overall team score of 617. Cayden Yourdon, senior business administration major, earned a score of 145 – the fourth best score in a 36-hole round in the NCAA era. 

The women’s golf team also finished in second place in the KC Cup against Rockhurst, where Katye Vausbinder earned her first collegiate win with a score of 163. 

Brenden Day, first-year civil engineering major, commented on how he’s enjoyed being on the Golf team this season. 

“The season has been great. Everyone on the team meshes very well and it’s super enjoyable being with them… we had our first tournament this week which was a cool experience with it being my first college competition,” Day said. “It’s definitely a little weird playing with Covid because of the precautions, but overall it’s not too different.” 

Men’s and women’s cross-country competed for the first time in over six months at the GLVC Triangular hosted by Truman State University. Two underclassmen led their respective teams during the meet. Christian Santiago, sophomore history and political science major, led the men’s team with a 4K time of 13:57.96. Jenna Schwager, first-year nursing major, finished the race with a time of 16:24.27. 

Schwager commented on how her first season as a collegiate athlete is going. 

“I love the team. Everyone is so encouraging and supportive of one another,” Schwager said. “During difficult workouts, we all help each other pace and push one another on.”

In regards to how COVID-19 has influenced the team’s overall season, Schwager noted small differences in how they compete. 

“The meets are definitely a lot quieter because we cannot have spectators, but you can definitely hear your coaches and teammates cheering you on… We haven’t run in many meets this season because of COVID-19, but it’s nice to be competing again,” said Schwager.

Men’s and women’s swimming competed in a meet against Truman State University Oct. 9. The men’s team won nine events over Truman State for a total win of 132-72. The women’s team won only one event – the 200 freestyle stroke, won by first-year Oxbridge major Audrey Duchscherer with a time of 2:13.68. Overall, the women’s team lost 127-78. 

Low-risk sports will continue through the fall – with golf, cross-country and tennis participating in their respective competitions. Football, soccer, volleyball, softball and baseball have been practicing during this offseason and will likely play in the spring.

This year may look different on and off the field, but William Jewell College’s athletics is finding ways to make it work. Wearing a mask during workouts may not be ideal, but many student-athletes said they will do whatever they need to still have a season. 

All sports are feeling the impact of COVID-19 right now, with some more than others. The fall sports of football, soccer and volleyball will have a spring season. Fall cross country, golf, tennis, swimming and indoor track and field are able to continue competing in the fall with some minor adjustments, depending on the sport. Baseball and softball are only allowed intrasquad competition during the fall with a regular spring season. The Great Lakes Valley Conference has not yet released information on basketball and wrestling seasons. 

Regardless of the sport, all student-athletes at Jewell must consent to being tested for COVID-19 at any time and must wear a mask during practices, workouts, weights and conditioning unless told otherwise according to institutional guidelines in Operation Safe Campus. Golf, for example, is a low-risk sport that does not require its athletes to wear masks, as long as they are outside and socially distanced. Football is a high-risk sport, so athletes must wear a mask at all times, even if they are outside and socially distanced. 

This week the Mabee Center opened up for teams to begin weights programs. All athletes are required to wear a mask at all times, and teams are split up into time slots to allow social distancing. The new powerlifting team is already used to these rules, since they started using the weight room before others because of the nature of the sport. Calvin Heit, first-year Oxbridge: Institutions & Policy major, said not much is different except for the mask requirement.

 “The only other difference is we all have our own racks and can only side spot for each other. When we need any equipment we just bring it back to our rack, but we have to wipe down everything before putting it back,” Heit said. 

After talking to athletes from seven different sports, they all had their own personal views on wearing a mask during workouts and practices. Some don’t have a problem at all since they are already used to it. Others, like Payton Totzke, sophomore nursing major and softball player, said wearing a mask to workout is “booty cheeks” and expressed her strong dislike for masks during workouts. However, the majority of athletes interviewed said wearing a mask was not a major hindrance until it came time to run or do conditioning. Many athletes cited difficulty getting air in when they are already heavily breathing and the extra sweat that builds up as reasonings for their dislike of masks. 

Regardless, all athletes said they wear their mask when they have to in order to protect themselves, their teammates and their seasons. 

“We’re one of the few sports that’s been blessed to still have a season so I’ll do whatever I need to to keep that,” said Hannah Balch, junior nursing major and swimmer. 

Surprisingly, none of that athletes interviewed were worried about a teammate testing positive and spreading it to them. Seniors Tori Farr, elementary education and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry major and softball center fielder, and Markeis Williams, psychological science major and football outside linebacker, were more concerned that they would have it and give it to someone else on the team and have the season cut short. 

The most important thing is to act quickly if someone does test positive. Student athletes may find reassurance in the protocols implemented by the training staff. 

 Many coaches talked to their players about being smart and using wise judgment in their social lives, specifically over the Labor Day weekend. 

Coaches and trainers have also been even more encouraging and supportive than usual and let their athletes know they are there for them. They understand the impact a global pandemic can have on one’s mental health and always check in on their players. 

Max Wheeler, sophomore business administration major and tennis player, said the tennis team and coach still try to have fun in practice despite the new rules. 

“Taking things day by day and focusing on the little things in life helps us keep our morale high,” Wheeler said.

The track and field coaches expressed similar outlooks on the situation. Rylie Bandt, sophomore biology major, said her coaches emphasize increased  communication because the masks conceal facial expression.

Whether athletes think wearing a mask during workouts is “booty cheeks” or not, Jewell students must all come together and make the most out of this year. Without each and every athlete playing their part in slowing the spread of COVID-19, Jewell would not be able to have a successful athletic program this year.