IN THISISSUE

04SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY06

08 ANTICIPATING WINTER

10 A SHIFT IN SEASONS

1415

Director of URECJoe Carter, carterjr@appstate.edu Director of Club SportsErin Sanders, sandersec1@appstate.edu

Activities CoordinatorChelsea Watson, watsoncg@appstate.edu

Publicity ProgrammerAlyssa Gribble, gribblead@appstate.edu

Executive OfficersPhilicia Gibson, gibsonpn@appstate.eduIan McNeill, mcneillim@appstate.eduKatherine Uva, uvakr@appstate.edu

APPALACHIAN EQUESTRIAN SEMESTEREQUESTRIAN TEAM

CLIMBING TEAM

ALPINE SKI TEAM

CYCLING TEAM

WRAPPING UP FENCINGFENCING TEAM

A SEMESTER OF GROWTH

16 WRAPPING THINGS UP

ICE HOCKEY TEAM

BASEBALL TEAM

12 WRAPPING UP SOCCERWOMEN’S SOCCER

2022

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2830

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Publicity ProgrammerAlyssa Gribble, gribblead@appstate.edu

Executive OfficersPhilicia Gibson, gibsonpn@appstate.eduIan McNeill, mcneillim@appstate.eduKatherine Uva, uvakr@appstate.edu

For more information on any of the club teams, visit the website:clubsports.appstate.edu

email us at: clubsports@appstate.edu

or call us at the Student Recreation Center(828) 262 2100

The November 21st Edition of the Club

Sports IllustratedDesigned by Alyssa Gribble

AHO ATTITUDE IS BACK

CLOSING THE FALL

A SEASON TOGETHER

MEN’S LAX SEASON REVIEW

FINISHING STRONG

AHO: RESPECT ALL, FEAR NONE

LET THE SNOWBALL FIGHTS BEGIN!

18 SWIM TEAMSWIM TEAM

MEN’S RUGBY

MEN’S ULTIMATE

WOMEN’S ULTIMATE

MEN’S LACROSSE

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S RUGBY

SNOWBOARDING TEAM

TRIATHLON TEAM

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

3436

HIGHS/LOWS OF THE SEASON

WOMENS LAX TAKES INVITATIONAL

EQUESTRIAN TEAM

4

App State Equestrians have by far held

their own as a strong and unified team

this semester. With a wonderful expansion

of our Western team to having several

riders attending regionals to hosting our

annual IDA show, everyone has worked

incredibly hard this semester for the whole

of the team. The Equestrian team has

four different options available when

someone joins the team, they can compete

in Western, Hunt Seat, or Dressage or they

can choose to do noncompeting in any of

the three disciplines. It has its challenges

having four different sectors, but we work

and strive for an accepting and uplifting

equestrian family.

This year, we have a very well-established

Western team for the first time in our

team’s history! The best part? They have

kicked some serious butt! Their last show

was at Martin Community College/ NC

State show in Williamston, NC, and they

earned Reserve High Point Team! We also

have Pressley Laton attending regionals

at Old Dominion Agricultural Complex in

Chatam, VA in the spring! Our other two

competing teams, Hunt Seat and Dressage,

have been doing very well at horse shows.

At Hunt Seat’s last show of the semester

at Virginia Tech on November 8th, one of

our riders, Sophia Twarog, as well as two

other riders from other schools, qualified

for High Point Rider! Although she did

not receive the title, the fact that she tied

for the title is a massive accomplishment

within itself. The Hunt Seat Team, overall,

now has a total of three riders heading

to regionals in the spring hosted by

WRITTEN BY:

APRIL KAISER,

TREASURER

5

Averett University, Haley McCune for the

Intermediate division (now in Open), Lex

Lott and April Kaiser for the Advanced Walk

Trot Canter division (both now in Novice),

and with two more shows left for the spring

semester, we may very well have more hunt

seat riders joining them. Dressage has

their last show of the semester coming up

this weekend at Emory & Henry College

in Virginia and we wish them luck and

good draws! A few of our Dressage riders

are also close to qualifying for Nationals.

With a few more shows next semester,

we will keep everyone updated. All three

competing teams have fought hard for their

accomplishments and continue to make

us proud to be Appalachian Equestrians!

Non-Competing Team is also a wonderful

option for riders, and they have all been

working very hard improving their riding

equitation and skills. For the first time this

semester, in our Thursday non-competing

hunt seat lesson, all of the riders cantered!

The ability to canter is a great milestone

and requires a great deal of an equestrian’s

understanding, coordination, and

confidence to feel comfortable executing.

This year’s unified equestrian team has

already improved in leaps and strides and

we are all prouder than ever of each other

and each other’s triumphs this semester. I,

as a fellow member and teammate, cannot

wait to see where our team goes with our

many goals and aspirations in our bright

foreseeable future.

This past weekend, the ASU climbing team hosted our 15th annual Southern Comfort

Bouldering Competition at the Student Recreation Center. We had another great

turnout and all of the registration spots filled up! Most of the competitors were from

Appalachian State, but we had a few participants travel from NC State and Lees McRae

to climb with us. The competition rounds ran from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, finishing up

with a finals round for the top three strongest climbers. Our very own Austin Meyrick

placed first in finals, closely followed by Carter Smith. ASU alumna and former climbing

team member Melise Edwards took third place in finals, and was also the top female

climber of the competition. Following the finals round, the winners in each division

were announced and prizes were awarded. We have been lucky enough to have so

much support from a variety of generous sponsors, including a handful of big name

climbing companies and some local Boone businesses. Stick Boy Bread Company

provided pastries for all the participants, Regear and Lost Province Brewing Company

WRITTEN BY:

ALEXA ZAKULA,

SECRETARY

CLIMBING TEAM

6

donated clothing and gift certificates, and

Footsloggers provided many of our prizes.

We will host a sanctioned Collegiate

Climbing Series (CCS) competition in the

spring semester as well.

This coming weekend is the third

competition of the Triple Crown Bouldering

Series, which consists of four outdoor

bouldering competitions across the South

East. Team members have already traveled

to Hound Ears in Boone, Stonefort in

Chattanooga, Tenessee and are preparing

to make the trip to Horse Pens in Steele,

Alabama for another round of fun boulders

and intense competition. The Triple Crown

Series normally only consists of these three

competitions, but this year a fourth round

has been added at Rumbling Bald right

outside Chimney Rock, NC. While each of

these competitions has their own divisions

and results, participants can also track their

performances throughout the entire series

and there will also be winners for the series

as a whole. These competitions are open to

the public and are fun for all ages. A variety

of sponsors set up booths near the stage

area and contribute many prizes to be given

as awards and raffles. Often food and drinks

are also provided as well as some fun mini

competitions, like crash pad stacking or table

bouldering. These competitions are more

than just climbing – they are huge day-long,

sometimes weekend-long, events that are

great for climbers to meet others and make

connections with amazing companies.

WE HAD ANOTHER

GREAT TURNOUT THIS PAST WEEKEND

“

”

7

“while the rest of the club sports are wrapping up,

we’re just getting started

8

WRITTEN BY:

REBECCA PURKEY,

CLUB SPORTS COUNCIL REP

while the rest of the club sports are wrapping up,

we’re just getting started

”

As the semester quickly draws to a

close, the Alpine Ski team is starting

preparations for the coming race

season. Booking houses, turning in

USCSA forms, and finalizing the roster

are all in full swing as we eagerly

anticipate winter. Several lucky

Team Skiers have already taken their

skis out of lonely summer storage

and headed out to Sugar for the

first few snows. With dedication

like that, there’s no way we won’t

have a terrific season. We already

have two Trikke sessions and two

classroom sessions with the most

knowledgeable Dr. K under our belts,

and the team is more than ready to

get out to the mountains and put

those newly honed skills to good use.

Getting to know the new Team Skiers

at drylands and get-togethers has

been the highlight of the season.

They’re all eager to show their stuff

and learn from some of the veteran

members on the team. We’ve held

countless drylands, with activities

ranging from indoor soccer, to hiking,

to eating. More importantly, we’ve

held the annual McConkey Monday

and introduced the new skiers to the

most important game in the world,

the game of G.N.A.R.

So, as most winter sports go, while

the rest of club sports are wrapping

up, we’re just getting started. We’re

so stoked to head out to the slopes

to start practicing gates and fine

tuning our skills in preparation for

race weekends.

9

ALPINE SKI TEAM

ast article I reported the summary and results of

our mountain bike season. It was a good one but

we have more to look forward to. The cycling team

participates in three seasons – Mountain, Cyclocross

and Road. We are now starting our Cylcocross season in full earnest.

Let’s give some background. Cyclocross isn’t new, however, it might

sound exotic. Cyclocross is best described as an obstacle course on

bikes. Each course contains features that make a rider either take

acrobatic risks or get off to run around. Obstacles could include

massive sand pits, steep and unrideable hills, or even random

planks of wood sticking out of the ground. It turns out that the

best bike for such a course is half road and half mountain. Take a

standard road bike – give it some engineered steroids plus knobby

tires and you’ve got a cross bike. Each year it seems as if cross bikes

get closer and closer to mountain bikes; adopting technologies

from every facet of the bike. Another way they make cyclocross

more miserable, yep – miserable, is by having the entire season

run through the depth of winter. Therefore each race is cold, rainy,

snowy, muddy, icy, not warm, and miserable. And while it may sound

as if I talk with disdain, cyclocross holds a near and dear spot in

every cyclist’s heart. For the most part, cyclocross is a way to enjoy

the terrible weather and keep riding year-round.

The collegiate season will reach its pinnacle in Austin, Texas over

winter break where we will send a contingent out to race. We have

some serious talent among our current team. Freshmen Byron

Rice is looking strong and will have a mixed season of pro racing

and collegiate racing. Baird Sills is determined to dominate and is

looking for a front row start at the national championships. But

we must not forget the rest of our team. We have racers in each

level doing well and progressing. Charlie Shuford is primarily a

road racer but is using cyclocross this season to stay in shape and

work on some bike handling skills. Forrest Howard has some good

days in between horrific sand pit slide outs. We also have Katie

Horvath as a brand new racer who just got a bike and is trying her

hand at the sport.

Conference standings are still being calculated but Appalachian, as

per usual, will be at or near the top!! Look forward to a full report

next semester!

WRITTEN BY:

CRAIG STEWART,

SECRETARYL

CYCLING TEAM

10

IT WAS A GOOD SEASON BUT WE HAVE

MORE TO LOOK FORWARD TO

“

”11

WOMEN’S SOCCER

12

The Women’s Club Soccer team had one

of the best seasons yet since my freshman

year back in 2011. During the fall semester,

we have had many highs and a couple lows.

Starting the season off, we beat Wake Forest

and tied against Virginia Tech, one of the

top competitors in our conference. Over the

years we have always had a strong rivalry

with VT and games are always intense.

After our first two games we knew we had

a strong group of girls with a diverse set of

skills and were excited to start the season.

We participated in two tournaments this

season. One was in Charlotte competing

against women’s adult leagues. This

tournament helped raise funding for breast

cancer and was a lot of fun to play against

former college athletes and even some

alumni from good ol’ App State. One of the

toughest tournament we played in was

Virginia Tech’s annual Hokie Classic. We

unfortunately lost to U.Va in a close game

which was one of our toughest losses. We

played Duke and won in the final minutes

and ended up playing Virginia Tech once

again. We suffered a tough lost to them in

semi-finals but we still held our heads high

after the tournament.

Along with the highs have been some lows

however, specifically Regionals. Once we

heard we made it to Regionals we instantly

worked harder in practices and started

preparing. During Halloween night we

played against UNC-Chapel Hill and lost.

This was a tough loss since we knew we

only had a few chances to prove ourselves.

Saturday we were scheduled to play Florida

and Clemson, but weather proved to be an

13

issue and all games were canceled. Since

we could not finish our bracket, Sunday

games were changed to 20 minute halves

in which they are usually 40 minute halves.

While all the teams fought to have games

changed to Saturday evening or regular

halves on Sunday, but leaving later that

evening depending on their games times,

the officials were resilient and we had no

choice but to take the 20 minute halves.

Knowing you worked hard all season and

only having half a game to prove yourself

at Regionals was absolutely infuriating. We

ended up playing Vanderbilt and played

a great game, but before you knew it the

whistle was blown for the end of the game

and we went into a short five minute

golden goal overtime only to still be tied

at the end. This led to penalty kicks which

is one of the most heart-stopping moments

in the game of soccer. At the end of the

shootout we ended up losing and having to

pack our bags. Looking back at Regionals, I

feel like we really had a chance if weather

wouldn’t have canceled our games, but it is

what it is. We can just take this opportunity

and learn from it.

While the fall season has ended, I am

already excited for the spring season. We

hope to have a competitive schedule but

also fun and friendly games. We usually

travel to UNC-CH and compete in their 7v7

tournament which brings schools from all

over the east coast. Spring season will be

some of the girls last semester with the

soccer team, and I hope to make a lasting

memories for the seniors. Knowing this

is my last year of competitive soccer is

heartbreaking but I know all the friendships

and memories I have made over the past

few years will last a lifetime.

WRITTEN BY:

TAYLOR BRANTON,

PRESIDENT

13

T

ALL WE CAN REALLY SAY IS HOW MUCH WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE UPCOMING

SEMESTER

“

he Appalachian State Fencing Club

has taken our first semester rather

easy. Unfortunately, the tournament

we planned to host in October

fell through, but we are planning for multiple

tournaments in the spring and doing some traveling.

We are also sorry to say goodbye to our armorer,

Richard Batsuli, but several people are being trained

to fill the vacancy.

Our biggest event so far has been the coaching

day. Earlier this month, we had two coaches and

several fencers from Wake Forest come and train

with us. Coach Peting, who has done workshops

with us before, came and introduced some new

and interesting techniques as well as coaching

strategies and how to lead effective practices.

He also went over how fencing techniques have

evolved by drawing parts from all kinds of national

styles. The other coach was an Italian fencer and ran

a good deal of epee drills, and showed our epeeists

several new techniques. We spent all afternoon in

the clinic, and we finished it off with some free

fencing as usual.

With a rather uneventful first semester this year,

all we can really say is how much we are looking

forward to the upcoming semester. We are preparing

for our tournaments and traveling and training hard

to maintain a great club! ”1414

FENCING TEAM

14

WRITTEN BY KELSEY PAINTER, PR OFFICER

”

t the beginning of the Fall

2014 semester, The App State

ice hockey team faced a

number of challenges coming

into the new school year. There was a grand

total of only six returning players from the

previous 2013-2014 team, as well as an

outstanding debt of $2,820 to the Blue Ridge

Hockey Conference (BRHC) which needed to

be paid back by the end of the calendar year.

These challenges meant that there would

need to be some serious recruiting and

serious fundraising done during the fall 2014

to have a successful season.

So far, the team has been able to accomplish

those goals. As for the debt, the total amount

has been paid in full to the BRHC. Paying back

the debt has been the team’s biggest priority

this year so there can be much more capital

available next year to put towards more

games and practices. The team has also been

hosting several fundraisers, including a Come

Back Shack Night on November 17, 2014, and

selling Dominos coupons.

As for the team, there are over 15 players

currently on the team roster. The team

consists of players from all skill levels and

experiences with the sport, but all of us enjoy

playing just for the love of the game. This

year’s team is especially heavy offensively

with three former junior hurricanes playing

forward.

After waiting an additional three weeks for

the Winston Salem Annex Arena to open,

App State ice hockey has already played two

games with Elon and Radford. There is one

more game this semester with Johnson and

Wales on December 6th. Opponents next

semester include Johnson and Wales (Jan

31st; Feb 6th), Virginia Military Institute (Jan

16th), and Radford (Feb 14th). This team

has grown so much over the course of this

semester, and I can’t wait to see where we

will be at the end of the year.

A

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WRITTEN BY SAM YOUNG, PRESIDENT

WRITTEN BY KELSEY PAINTER, PR OFFICER

ICE HOCKEY TEAM

tHIS TEAM HAS GROWN SO MUCH OVER THE COURSE

OF THIS SEMESTER

“

”

It has been an eventful and successful

season for the men of the Appalachian State

Club Baseball team. The team finished the

season 2-5 in exhibition games against Surry

County Community College, UNC Charlotte,

and Catawba Valley Community College. The

team then reached the wild card in the

Greenville Invitational Tournament, losing in

the elimination round to conference rival ECU.

It was the farthest the team had ever gone in

the tournament.

The season started off great with a split

double header against Surry County. The

Mountaineers would take the first game 6-5,

but then lose the second game 5-0. The team

would play two weeks later against UNC

Charlotte and unfortunately lose the series

two games to one. They would lose 7-1 and

5-1, but then bounce back with a 6-3 win to

avoid the sweep. The last exhibition series

they had was against Catawba Valley who was,

perhaps, the best competition that App State

will see this year. They would lose both

games by scores of 5-1 and 7-2. After the

series, CVCC players expressed compliments

to the Mountaineers, saying those were the

two closest games they had played all fall.

The 3rd annual Greenville Invitational

Tournament had arrived and Appalachian

State was there once again. In order to win

the tournament, they would have to win their

pool (or the Wild Card spot) and win the

semi-final and final game in the elimination

round. The Mountaineers would go 2-1 in

pool play, defeated UNC Wilmington 4-2,

losing to Virginia Tech 12-0, and hanging on

to beat Kennesaw State 7-6. Because of UNCW

winning the pool, Appalachian State would

receive the Wild Card berth and play the ECU

Pirates in the semi-final game. Playing their

conference rivals, App State put up a great

fight, only trailing 2-1 into the 5th inning.

But then the ECU bats exploded and gave

“

”

IT HAS BEEN AN EVENTFUL AND SUCCESSFUL

SEASON FOR THE BASEBALL TEAM

BASEBALL TEAM

16

the Pirates a 7-1 lead at the end of the 6th. App State

would lose the game and ECU would go on and win

the tournament later in the day. It was the farthest

the team had ever gone in the tournament, and that’s

something that this writer/president is very proud of.

The Mountaineers have begun their winter workouts in

preparation for the spring season.

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WRITTEN BY:

PATRICK SEKEL,

PRESIDENT

“OUR SWIMMERS WILL CONTINUE TO TRAIN

DURING WINTER BREAK

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WRITTEN BY:

ROBERT COMPTON,

VICE PRESIDENT

OUR SWIMMERS WILL CONTINUE TO TRAIN

DURING WINTER BREAK”

Appalachian State’s Swim Team just

competed at Clemson’s TigerTown

Invitational for our final meet of the

semester. The season began with the

2014 Allan Jones Invitational at the

University of Tennessee followed by

our own 20th Annual High Country

Invitational home meet. We had thirty

or more swimmers attend all three

meets and had many school records

broken. The biggest event of this

semester was the 20th Annual High

Country Invitational. Seven teams

were present including UGA, UNCW,

UNCG, ECU, Davidson, and Coastal.

Our women’s’ team placed fourth and

the men’s team placed third. Several

hundred swimmers competed and

we had a large turnout of volunteers

to help run the meet. Melissa Crew

broke school records in the 50 yard

breaststroke, 200 yard individual

medley, and the 100 yard breaststroke

at our home meet. The swim team

has continued to work hard under

the expertise of our coach, Richard

Miller, a previous collegiate swimmer.

Our swimmers will continue to train

during winter break with their club

teams back home as we continue to

prepare for the East Coast Swimming

& Diving Championships at Georgia

Tech. We expect to bring a large

number of swimmers to compete

at our national meet with previous

school records expected to be broken.

19

The fall semester of 2014 was one of the best

semesters in our recent history in terms of on

the field play, practice scheduling, recruiting,

and closeness with teammates off of the field.

The best game of the semester came in the

semi-final of the Southern Rugby Conference

playoffs against our longtime rivals, UNC-

Wilmington. We entered the playoffs as the

last seed in tournament meaning that we

would have to play the #1 seed in the first

game. All of the other teams had written

us off due to the sheer power of UNCW as

well as their nearly 3 year dynasty in the

Southern Conference. The semi-final game

was a heavyweight slugfest for 80 minutes

straight. Neither team was giving an inch and

collectively it was one of the most physical

games in AHO history. At the end of 80

minutes, the score was tied, 17-17. Sudden

death overtime ensued. After roughly 15

more minutes of physicality, UNCW ended

up scoring off of a muffed scrum, ending the

game abruptly with a final score of 22-17.

Even though we lost,

it was best game of the semester simply

because of the sheer toughness that we

played with as well as proving to ourselves

and other teams in the conference that we

are for real and will continue to be a serious

physical competitor in semesters to come.

The highs of our season came in terms of

simple fundamental improvements as well

as a complete turnaround in attitude. The

attitude towards practice and showing up on

time is something that we preach and has

helped us sharpen up the little things that

pay large dividends in the end. Our success

on and off the field can be attributed to our

leadership from our older guys as well as

a newfound sense of unity between us as

teammates. We finished the semester with a

record of 3-2 in the regular season, and 1-1 in

the playoffs. Following the semi-final loss to

UNCW, we demolished ECU in the 3rd place

game, 55-17, the following day. We are excited

“

”

WE CAN’T WAIT TO REACH NEW HEIGHTS AS A

TEAM

MEN’S RUGBY

20

to give our bodies some rest over Christmas break but

also we continue to remember to never stay out of

the fight. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t

work hard.” These spring semester games will be here

before we know and we can’t wait to keep improving

and reach new heights as a team. BOAMT!

21

WRITTEN BY:

CAMERON HUNT,

PRESIDENT

HA CHA COOL-AY. This past weekend the Nomads

traveled to scenic Wilmington, NC, to compete in the

2014 Fall Easterns tournament. Fall Easterns, which

is usually referred to as Feasterns, is the last highly

competitive tournament of the fall. In this tournament the Nomads

squared up against a field that included UNCW, UNC, Maryland,

Georgetown, and other highly ranked regional teams. The boys

from Boone certainly had their worked cut out for them, but who

doesn’t enjoy a challenge.

Saturday for the Nomads included four straight games with no

bye, a marathon type day the Nomads had conditioned for. The

day opened with a hard fought game against recent rival USC,

who eventually had the Nomads number in the end after battling

for two hours. Senior Captain Austin Olive had a lot to say to the

team after the game noting that losing isn’t fun. Good call Austin.

The next game was against William & Mary Darkhorse, a team

named after the popular Katy Perry song, this game certainly was

to a different tune in the Nomads favor. The Nomads took an early

lead and never looked back, phenomenal play from Mike Curinga

really defined this game for the Nomads. Curinga notably dropped

an easy score in the USC game but don’t worry Mike, no one saw

it. The final two games of the day were against Maryland College

Park, and Clemson. The UMD game started slow for the Nomads as

they went down 0-3 early and had to dig themselves out of a hole.

Senior Ryan Schanz sat out most of the first half with a knee injury,

but played all of the second half to ensure the Nomads got back

in the game. What a nice guy. The Nomads eventually dropped the

game to UMD by 3, trading points with them the rest of the game

after the slow start.

The final game of the day pitted App against familiar for Clemson,

who App knocked out of the postseason last year. This game would

be the ticket to the championship bracket if the Nomads won so

they came out hitting on all cylinders. With a light wind at their

backs the Nomads made quick work of Clemson’s Beta Zone, and

toasted the purple and orange team with hard man defense. After

going up before half, the Nomads had cemented a large lead before

the play happened. The play is in reference to a Callahan, similar

to a pick six in football, the defending team catches a D in the

Offensive teams endzone. The play started with a spectacular pull

from Ryan Schanz, who truly mastered the wind on this breezy day,

after setting a zone to trap Clemson in their endzone, the offense

had to force some iffy throws that resulted in a tipped disc and

WRITTEN BY:

RYAN SCHANZ,

SECRETARYC

MEN’S ULTIMATE

22

THE NOMADS NOW LOOK TO A PRODUCTIVE WINTER SPORT

TO KEEP THEM IN SHAPE

“

”23

Ryan Schanz scooped up before touching the ground. The crowd went wild as App rushed

the field in excitement, Daniel Schopler yelled from the sideline “ Anything Is Possible!” ,

we don’t know why, but he did it. After this the Nomads cruised and beat Clemson 15-6,

ending a long Saturday with the promise of playing for a championship on Sunday.

Sunday was not what the Nomads expected, having to face the top two teams from each

pool in their first two games, App got off to a rocky start. Despite losing their first two

games the Nomads found a lot of positives that they can build off of to better themselves

for the Spring season. The final game of the weekend was a battle with NC State that

included heavy first year player playing time. In order to help adjust these youngsters

to the speed of the college game, App took the opportunity to play as many of them as

they could and still stay in the game. In the end the Nomads dropped the game to the

Wolfpack but are excited to get the opportunity to play them again in the spring.

With the fall season being over the Nomads now look to have a productive winter to get

them into tip top shape when they begin the spring season. The lock down D chain on

Saturday was given to Daniel Hickman and Sunday to Caleb Louie for their lock down

defense. For any inquires regarding the Mens Ultimate Team please contact Austin Olive

at oliveal@appstate.edu. CHA CHA CABESA.

“

”

TOGETHER IS HOW WE OVERCAME THE

CHALLENGES

24

”

The women’s ultimate team, widely

known as the Nonads, certainly takes

home the most improved award of the

season. Coming into the season without

our strong leaders of previous years,

was quite the challenge. Teaching the

newcomers, figuring out the logistics, and

stepping up to fill those big cleats of last

season’s superstars are just a few of the

tasks the Nonad vets tackled this season.

While in the beginning these daunting

objectives seemed near impossible to

accomplish, thanks to the hard work of

every lady Nonad on the team, these

goals quickly became a reality. As

captain, Kenyon Hall demonstrated great

leadership, taking time to plan practices

and observe the team as a whole to

help better improve everyone’s game.

This season’s president, Ingrid Humphrey,

showed great dedication both on and off

the field. She did an excellent job making

sure all the logistics were worked out

and everyone was keeping up with their

responsibilities. Returning players Bree

Pacey and Maggie Simmons, both stepped

up as role models to the entire team.

With hard work and dedication, Bree and

Maggie showed strong leadership on the

field. All the returning Nonads did a great

job this season and deserve many thanks.

Of course, none of this could be said

without all the new and wonderful ladies

who came out this season. Through their

commitment and diligence, great strides

in the name of ultimate were made.

This season was marked by outstanding

athleticism, superb attitudes, and great

fun. While I wish I could name every

single Nonad member and give a shout

out to their particular contribution to the

team, something seems more important.

The group as a whole is what makes

the Nonads such a great team to play

on. Together is how we overcame the

challenges. Together is how we improved

and grew. Together is how we had fun

and formed strong relationships both on

and off the field. Together is how we play

ultimate!

WOMEN’S ULTIMATE

25

WRITTEN BY:

CORRIE MALONE,

SECRETARY

he Appalachian State Men’s Club Lacrosse team

had a very successful 2014 fall season. The team

had four games/events planned for the fall season,

but due to cancellations the team was only able to

participate in three of them. With a solid mixture of

returning players, players transferring in, and newcomers, the team,

led by coach Angelo Acitelli, had tremendous potential heading in

to our first competition of the year.

Our first game on September 28th was against Elon away from

home. The game ended in a loss for the Mountaineers, but the team

was pleased with their overall efforts in their first competition of

the year. Coach Acitelli remained enthusiastic about the prospects

for the spring season and insisted that there is no reason to

be upset with a preseason loss against a very good Elon team.

George Revercomb, Cole Eglestein, and Collin MacClennan were

three notable freshman who saw significant playing time on the

offensive end and impressed on their first appearances for the

team.

On October 12th, the club lacrosse team held their inaugural

Alumni Game against former players who travelled back to Boone

for the Homecoming weekend festivities. The game ended up as a

victory for the current Mountaineers, but the score line wasn’t the

most important aspect of the afternoon. The club was happy to

have former members back in town and the game was an ample

reflection of the mood for the afternoon. Throughout the game

players on both sides were caught having a joke with one another,

trying extravagant behind the back passes, and generally having

a good time. With a large turnout for the alumni team, we look

forward to continuing this tradition for years to come, as both

current and former players alike enjoyed the chance to partake in

a brotherly competition against friends from years past.

Our last competition of the season took place in Greenville, NC

at East Carolina University the weekend of the 8th of November.

The Appalachian State Men’s and Women’s Club Lacrosse teams

travelled down to ECU to take on a number of other club lacrosse

teams in a weekend tournament. The Men’s team finished the

tournament with a record of 1-4. On Saturday, the men’s team

played UNC, UNCW, and Maryland. After losing to UNC in the early

game, the team lost by narrow margins to UNCW and Maryland

which placed us at the bottom of the playoff bracket in a “play-in

game” early Sunday morning. After shaking off a slow start, ASU was

able to overcome and rout rival UNC-Charlotte and progress on to

the next round before eventually losing to James Madison. The

team was able to take away from the tournament many positives;

beating up on an arch-rival, getting the chance to have an all-day

lacrosse event, and getting the chance to travel and represent our

university outside of Boone.

T

MEN’S LACROSSE

26

our team was able to take away many positives from the

tournamenT

“

”

WRITTEN BY:

WILL NASSIF,

SECRETARY

27

WRITTEN BY: ALYSSA HORAN, SECRETARY

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The women’s club basketball team just

finished the semester at James Madison

University this past weekend. They finished

the tournament going 3-2 beating UNC

Chapel Hill twice and James Madison and

losing to University of Delaware and Virginia

Tech. Even with a few losses, this tournament

was the best one they have played in all this

semester. The competition was tough, but

App State rose to the challenge and was a

threat to many schools. The tournament at

JMU was a favorite for the girls because the

team was able to measure themselves up

against tougher competition than they have

seen so far. Along with the tough competition,

the girls were able to bond with each other

with the 6 hour plus car rides and small hotel

rooms we were confined to.

Despite many bruises and a couple of injuries,

the girls were able to fight through the

pain and show a lot of the other teams that

they were a force to be reckoned with. The

coaches and players cannot be more proud

of how much they have accomplished in

just one short semester. With a young team

compiled of only two seniors, many players

have stepped up and showed they have the

physical and mental capacity to show they

are capable of succeeding together as a team.

Coach Dylan Eppley sums up the semester

by saying, “This team amazes me every day.

We continue to come closer and closer

as a unit. I have never

been around a group of

people so special. On the

court we have improved

in every tournament we

have played in. I could not

be more proud of these

girls and am excited to

see what great things we

can do next semester.”

The coaches this semester

have done a phenomenal

job with teaching and

getting the players to

realize and reach their full

potential. Everyone associated with the club

Women’s Basketball team is excited for the

next semester and upcoming future. With

the foundation layered for the next semester,

the sky is the limit for this team. If they keep

their heads straight and play to their full

potential there is no limit on how well this

team could do.

28

The players want to stay in shape and active

for the rest of the semester, so they will

continue to have practices twice a week, but

they will be more skilled focused. The girls

also want to start lifting and work out together

to stay connected and keep getting better.

Over Christmas break when the girls part and

go their separate ways they each will still

continue to individually work on their skills

waiting for next semester to come. For this

team to succeed they must continue to work

hard and get better every time they come

together because the competition is only going

to get harder as they travel farther and farther

away from Boone. This team is not afraid of

anybody and has a toughness that you do not

normally see with a group of girls. No matter

what challenges are put in front of them they

will continue to improve and look ahead to

reach their ultimate goal of trying to win a

tournament.

29

As the new school year started, our returning

AHO vets were all very excited to get back

into the swing of the school year and the

pending rugby season. Coming off of a Final

Four Nationals decision upset, everyone was

very eager to recruit and continue onto the

path back to the top. We had a very successful

time when recruiting new girls for the team,

with over a hundred sign-ups at the Club Expo

and a very significant turn out for the interest

meeting.

With the start of a fresh season, the team

was taken under the wings of two newly

elected captains, Rachel Baker and Miranda

Miller. Both young women did not waste

time getting practices going in full force

and quickly brought all of the rookies up to

speed on all rugby fundamentals. This year’s

batch of rookies surprised everyone with how

energetic and ready to learn they were. Each

of them picked up the skills necessary to be

competitive ruggers very quickly. Another perk

of our newcomers was how seamlessly they

became a part of our large family, it was as if

they were already a part of the team.

When it came time to cleat up and take to

the pitch, AHO continued from where we left

off last year, playing hard and playing for

the woman running next to you on the pitch.

We started the season with a win against

UNC-Charlotte and keeping the focus over

the course of a few matches, continued on

to win our third consecutive Rucktoberfest

Championship.

Unfortunately after a round robin game

weekend in Athens, Georgia, a few of our

key players sustained some injuries that are

affecting their ability to play putting our

social season on hiatus until next semester.

However, AHO is still in high hopes for speedy

recoveries over the long winter break. In the

meantime the team is keeping up the morale

“

”

AHO IS IN HIGH HOPES FOR SPEEDY

RECOVERIES OVER WINTER BREAK

WOMEN’S RUGBY

30

with team dinners, movie nights and study sessions. We

plan to be back next semester healthy and ready for our

Matrix season!

31

WRITTEN BY:

CHLOE RAMJON,

MEMBER

“

”

WE WANT TO WIN, BUT HAVING FUN HAS ALWAYS BEEN MORE

IMPORTANT TO US

32

”

As I sit here writing this, there is snow

falling outside. Many people have this

idea that North Carolina doesn’t get any

snow, and while it is true that we don’t

get as much as some other states, our

team is beyond proud to be a part of the

Southeast “Dirty South” Conference of

USCSA. As you all saw a few weeks ago,

our schedule is very local this year, which

bummed a lot of us out at first, to be

honest, but as the season approaches we

focus less on the decrease in excitement

from not getting to travel out of state

with the team and more on how excited

we are to just be out there racing,

regardless of where that may be.

Our conference has its rivals. We go head

to head with other schools like UVA and

JMU every week, but ever since joining

this team my freshman year it has always

amazed me how tight-knit we are as a

conference. Of course we all want to win,

a little friendly competition is always

fun, but seeing how we come together

when we get to regionals and nationals

and collectively represent our conference

is awesome. Like I said, we want to win,

but having fun has always been more

important to us. I remember sitting at

the top of the Giant Slalom course at

WhiteFace Mountain during Nationals

last season and throwing snowballs at

the other teams. We were all stressed,

so we decided to release that stress

by having some fun. It just goes to

show that we tend to have a bit of a

different approach to things than some

of the other schools, who yelled at us for

getting snow on them (ironic, since we

were snowboarding).

I cannot wait to get back on the slopes

with my team and goof around. We put

our heart and soul into everything we

do, and I know this season won’t be any

different. I hope to look at our team a year

from now, proud to be an alumni of the

Appalachian State University Snowboard

Team.

SNOWBOARDING TEAM

33

WRITTEN BY:

MIRANDA MARTIN,

SECRETARY

he season is now over, it’s starting to get cold, and

we are now starting to gear up for the spring. Biking

and running will get increasingly more difficult with

the cold and snow, while swimming will be our main

form of training. The season has been fun, however, and we are very

excited for next Fall. As a good way to wrap up the season, I have

compiled a list of highs and lows to reflect on:

Lows:

1. As with every new year, getting used to having new leadership and

learning how to manage a team proved to be difficult at times.

2. We had some pretty rough injuries happen to some of our members

and that was a real bummer seeing them hurting.

3. The t-shirts given out at the Conference Championships were

terrible, but makes for a nice bike rag.

Highs:

1. We grew two fold as a team, and are growing closer than ever

before. We all became better as a team and individually as the season

went on.

2. We placed reasonably well in the Mid-Atlantic conference and may

be going to Nationals.

3. We got a few sponsors and managed our money very well!

4. We were able to go to 4 races this year, which is 1 more than last

year. This kept us busy and we all had a blast!

5. We got to race in the Gobbler 5k here at App and enjoyed some

epic cobbler.

6. Monday wings at Murphy’s became a tradition, and we’ve tried

every flavor.

7. The Richmond Olympic race had the best t-shirts of all time. We

are talking polyester, long sleeve with high quality prints, form fitting,

and beyond comfy.

I am very glad to note that the highs outnumber the lows, and we

all can’t wait for the Fall to start up again. Until then, stay aero my

friends (that includes you Craig).

T

3434

WRITTEN BY WILL RUMLEY, PRESIDENT

34

TRIATHLON TEAM

35

The women’s lacrosse team finished out the

fall season by traveling to Greenville, North

Carolina to attend the 10th Annual Pirate

Invitational Tournament. They played six

games and they won five of the six games,

which put them in second place overall.

The Mountaineers started out the tournament

on Saturday with an early morning game

against NCSU. It was a very back and forth

game in the first half and by halftime, the

game was tied. The Mountaineers turned on

their game in the second half and finished

with an 8-6 win against the Wolfpack. After

this game, the Mountaineers were scheduled

to face Elon for the second weekend in a row.

The previous weekend, ASU lost by three in a

hard fought game against Elon, so they were

determined to come out with a win in order

to redeem themselves. Both teams played at

their best against each other, but only one

team would win. Appalachian pulled ahead of

Elon in the second half of the game and put in

a goal in the last couple of minutes that gave

them the win. The Mountaineers were ecstatic

about this win because they were able to

prove themselves as a team that would not

let losses hold them back. They finished off

the evening by playing Richmond. Coming

off of two wins, Richmond was no match for

the Mountaineers. ASU beat Richmond 11-3.

Appalachian was one of only two teams to

finish pool play undefeated, which put them in

the second seed position for the elimination

round on Sunday.

On Sunday, ASU started out the day with

a game against seventh seed, UNCW. The

Mountaineers continued their sweep of

wins by frustrating the Seahawks with their

effortless play. This win knocked UNCW out of

the tournament and brought ASU to the next

round of games. They were scheduled to play

their biggest rival, ECU. At the Mountaineer’s

fall tournament, the Yosef Fall Classic, they

“

”

THE PIRATE INVITATIONAL WAS A FANTASTIC

WAY TO FINISH OFF AN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL

FALL SEASON

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

36

beat ECU in a brave heart by only one goal, so it was clear that

another game against the Pirates would not be an easy win. ECU

pulled ahead in the beginning of the first half, but ASU came

back to bring the game to a tie at half time. In the second half,

Appalachian continued to pull away from ECU because the team

was determined to continue on to the championship. The girls

finished the game up by three against the Pirates, which brought

the Mountaineers to the championship game.

In the championship game against Division 1 James Madison

University, the Mountaineers fell behind in the first half as the

exhaustion of previously playing five close games kicked in.

Unfortunately, ASU could not make a comeback in the second half

of the game and they took their first loss of the whole tournament.

Despite losing in the championship game, the Mountaineers

were incredibly proud of their play in the final weekend of the

fall season. They were able to prove that they will be a force

to be reckoned with in the spring season by beating ECU, Elon,

UNCW and NCSU, all of which are in the same conference as the

Mountaineers. The Pirate Invitational was a fantastic way to finish

off an extremely successful fall season. The girls are counting

down the days until their first games of the spring season so that

they can continue to show everyone what they are made of!

37

WRITTEN BY:

OLIVIA CHASON,

CLUB SPORTS COUNCIL REP

/

Today, November 19th, the Club Sports

Council had our last meeting of the Fall

semester. We discussed the Club Sports

Awards that are awarded at the end of the

Spring semester to Club Sports Team of the

Year, Turnaround Team of the Year, and Officer

of the Year. Our Executives and Club Sports

Council has done a great job of redefining

the Club Sports Awards and other aspects

of our program. We also had a presentation

by the Triathlon team, who petitioned to

replace their hosting requirements for 50

man hours. The Triathlon team gave an

excellent presentation, and the council

granted their petition.

In addition the council broke into

their committees and each committee

reviewed their semester, and have begun

brainstorming about what they would like

to see happen next semester. Being a first-

year Club Sports Executive, I have learned

many things about our program and how

policies truly do influence our athletes. I

have personally been working with AppSync,

by creating forms that will be easier for our

athletes to complete, and for our Executives

to process. These new forms should also

allow us to use less paper and help achieve

our sustainability goals.

One thing I have also learned is how great

it is to work with Club Sports athletes. Club

Sports teams are completely student run,

and sometimes even coached by fellow

students, so when it comes to teams’ success,

it is all because of the students playing that

sport, not a paid professional. Our Club

Sports athletes complete all of their own

paperwork and truly dedicate themselves to

their team.

I know I speak for all of the Executive

officers when I say that we are so proud

of all nineteen teams and what they have

accomplished so far this semester. We have

teams traveling all over the southeast,

and they continue to always represent

Appalachian in the best light. Overall, our

Club Sports teams work incredibly hard, and

we hope that they will be able to rest over

the upcoming breaks as they get ready for a

spring full of competitions.

38

WRITTEN BY KATHERINE UVA, CLUB SPORTS EXECUTIVE

/

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