BY: OLIVIA VARNSON
(Gainesville, GA)— The halfway point of the academic semester not only represents the start of the final push before final exams, but also the transition from winter sports into spring sports. The Golden Tigers did their school proud in February, and the spring teams are off to a promising start.
The basketball team’s season ended with a victory over Brewton Parker College 70-52 on February 28. Kalin Williams led the team in scoring this season with an average of 13.1 points per game and 3.61 assists per game. The team’s leading rebounder was Nekeia Brown who averaged 6.4 rebounds per game. Williams was selected for the Southern States Athletic Conference Second Team-All Conference after finishing the season seventh in conference scoring. Autumn Dodson was selected to the SSAC All-Freshman team for her play.
The swim team finished strong at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Swimming and Diving National Championships. The team placed third after earning 439 points. Those points were amassed from swimmers like Mary Katherine Jabbia, who finished second place in the 200 breaststroke. Courtney Hayward won the 1650 freestyle with a time of 16:58.36 while her teammate Ella Kleinschmidt finished in fifth place with a time of 17:49.20. And in the 400 freestyle relay, Shelby Rumker, Alisha Hodgetts, Michelle Billeaud, and Hayward finished in fourth place with a time of 3:31.44.
The softball team is building a strong record in the early stages of the season. Undefeated in SSAC play, and with a 13-3 record overall, the team is steadily climbing the NAIA rankings. The team is currently ranked at #20 and hopes to maintain its strong record with games against Agnes Scott and Emmanuel College this week. Their next home game is a double header on March 24, starting at 3pm.
After being ranked the #6 team in the NAIA preseason poll, the tennis team has improved to the #5 spot. The team competes again next weekend against Dalton State College and Bethel University. Their next home event is Senior Day vs. Emmanuel College on April 3, starting at 2pm.
In their first two major events of the season, the track and field team had a strong showing. The team ranked second out of six at the Cougar Invitational and third at the Orange and Blue Classic. Three Golden Tigers set new Brenau records at the Classic. Jasmine Ray finished fourth in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:26.35. Elena Oslund finished third in the 5000 meter run with a time of 19:05.25. Katilyn Gearing finished second place in the javelin throw with a distance of 105’4.25”. Five additional Golden Tigers finished in the top 5 of their events.
The golf team was ranked eighth in the SSAC Preseason Poll and has competed in the Coastal Georgia Tournament and the Berry College Invitational. The team will next compete in the Savannah College of Art and Design-Atlanta Spring Invitational through March 27.
For more information about the Golden Tigers, visit brenautigers.com.
Leave a Reply