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Equestrians as athletes: Do they measure up?
By: Leah Palm
Email: Palml@findlay.edu
The debate surrounding equestrians as athletes is nothing new to those of who compete in the industry. For years, equestrians have been told that riding horses is not a sport, and for many reasons. Most commonly, the majority of people have come to know an athlete as a person who they can witness physically exerting force to win a game. Whether that means tackling the quarterback, running sprints for track, or blocking the point guard, most people define athletes as being both physically and mentally fit.
University of Findlay Equestrian Senior Brandon Morin says his idea of an athlete is someone who needs skill to complete whatever event it is that they are competing in. Morin was awarded a National Championship title at the 2017 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) finals and is beyond familiar with the athletic skill required to ride and compete.
“You need to have skill, you need to have athletic ability, you have to have that demeanor that you’re going to do well, and you have to be able to deal with stress,” said Morin. “If you’re competing for points for a team or competing for a national title that would be considered an athlete and it takes all of those things mashed together.”
According to Morin, a common misconception is that when people see an equestrian riding they automatically assume that the horse is doing all the work, therefore the rider cannot be considered an athlete. However, Head Coach of the University of Findlay’s western IHSA team, Spencer Zimmerman, explains that the best riders are the ones that make it look that effortless.
“Our riders are working to stay in rhythm and in motion with that horse to make it look like they are not moving, which can be a lot more work than just sitting there,” said Zimmerman. “I think the good ones that just sit there are doing it correctly, and there is a whole lot more going on underneath them than meets the eye.”
Kimberly Zimmerman, the wife of Spencer Zimmerman and assistant coach of the UF western IHSA team, explains this in another way.
“I think IHSA is way more about the people than the horses and that’s what we tell the judges that they are looking for. Who would you want to ride your horse and have the finesse and feel to do that, and I think that takes a lot of core strength and muscle memory and strength from the rider,” Kim Zimmerman adds.
Spencer Zimmerman discusses the training routine of his athletes outside of practice sharing that he tries to focus mostly on cardio conditioning as well as building core strength within his riders.
“They do not necessarily lift weights to get bulky, but enough to be able to pull on a thousand-pound animal that might not want to say yes to you the first time,” explained Zimmerman.
As for getting inside the brain of this animal, Zimmerman says it is difficult that the horse ultimately holds the power.
“The horse really holds the playbook for you and sometimes there is not a playbook because it is all in their brain. As you are going through your ride, they may throw the ball over here and you do not know it is going over there so you have to be ready to catch it over there and bring it back into play, hypothetically speaking. I think that it becomes a much more mental game,” shared Zimmerman.
He adds that this is what can take riders to the next level as well. Learning to understand what the horse is thinking so that the rider can know what they are going to do next and be able to counteract their move.
“I find that to be the most challenging for me and that is what keeps a lot of people hooked because if it is not challenging people will just get bored with it,” said Zimmerman.
Whether debating the mental or physical, Morin hopes to put an end to the argument that riding horses cannot be considered a sport.
“I would not be able to go on a football field and perform, but I would like to see a football player get on a horse and perform.”
UF women’s basketball finishes strong
By Sarah Baer
Twitter:
Email: baers@findlay.edu
Success seemed to be the trend of both the University of Findlay men’s and women’s basketball teams this season.
During their 2017-2018 season, the women’s team made it to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time since the 2013 Season. Despite falling to the University of Drury, a top ranked team, in the first round of the tournament, the Oiler women accomplished something that hadn’t been done in five years. The team finished their season with a record of 22-7, lead by Junior Forward Anna Hintz.
Many of the Oiler players were stand outs by the end of the season. Hintz was voted first team Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) and Senior Guard Linsey Englebrecht ranked second in Division II across the nation with 103 three pointers. Another outstanding Oiler was Senior Guard Haley Horstman who earned second team all-conference honors with a strong scoring record and 36 steals for the season. Horstman was one of only 21 Oilers to be inducted into the 1000-point club with 1,167 points. Horstman earned a collegiate title from her scoring success, being the 13 ranked all-time scorer in Oiler Basketball.
The UF women’s basketball team entered the 2017-2018 season with many returning, seasoned and experienced players. The Oilers joined the GMAC this year and were facing an entire list of new opponents. However, they entered this new conference with a group of strong upperclassmen.
“We’ve always had close relationships as a team, we’ve always been the same talented, hard-working girls. But this year we just dug deeper I think,” said Englebrecht. “It was fun on and off the court.”
In previous seasons, when the team went up against an opponent, Englebrecht says they often knew what to expect in most offensive and defensive plays. However, this year was the team’s first year in a new conference and each game was a new and challenging experience.
“I think what we did differently was capitalize on the little things during practices and in the games,” said Engelbrecht. “I think the biggest thing we did differently was battling all 40 minutes. We struggled with that in the past but not this past year. We built such a strong-willed environment that we were picking each other up.”
For the seniors, the end of the season is a bittersweet moment. Although the Oilers advanced into the NCAA Tournament, which none of the team members have done before, Englebrecht says she had a great experience this season, despite not quite reaching the team’s end goal.
“I had a blast this past season. With it being my last year, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Playing the sport I love with my closest friends was a blessing,” said Englebrecht. “I’m just super grateful for how hard we fought all the way to the final game. We had a special year and it was fun to be a part of it.”
The UF women’s basketball team will begin training and preparing for the upcoming season in the summer, and will look to place farther in the NCAA Tournament and bring home the title next year.
From the tennis court to the baseball diamond
By: Dylan DeWitt
Twitter: @dd_witt
Email: dewittd@findlay.edu
Findlay Oiler athletics have continued to show the conference, and the nation, what kind of student athletes the University of Findlay has.
In the last week, the University of Findlay was ranked seventh among all Division II institutions for athletic department performance this year. This has been made up of plenty of records and accolades in the fall and winter.
With the spring teams and their respected seasons being halfway through, these teams are showing plenty of success as well. Two teams in particular have shown their success on the tennis court and the baseball diamond. The UF men’s tennis team and baseball team have been a part of many victories, and even some winning streaks along the way.
On the court, the men’s tennis team is starting to hit their second wind of the season as they look sharp, especially in conference play. The UF men’s tennis team has now won five straight matches including a win against Davis & Elkins College, 7-2, at home. The men have also won six of their seven conference matches. The team has one remaining match of the regular season on Sunday, April 15 against the conference leading Hillsdale Chargers. Following this, the Oilers will move on to GMAC Tournament play and into the postseason.
On the diamond, the baseball team is off to a 16-7 start while heading into the back half of the regular season. With the remaining games left to be played, the Oilers baseball team will look to face many of the GMAC teams before entering the conference tournament. The Oilers are 9-2 at home on the year, and will look to keep the winning ways going at home with eight home games remaining on the schedule.
Throughout the year, the Oilers have been led at the plate by Senior Pete Burkett, Sophomore Casey Gould, Freshman Ethan St. Clair, Junior Derrick Herd and Senior Cameron Johnson. All of these players have a batting average of .300 or more throughout the season thus far.
On the mound, pitching for the Oilers has relied on many different arms to secure and help them in their 16 victories. Collin Gossard, Mark Delas, Alex Harter and Cory Carl are pitchers that have thrown more than 20 innings so far for the Oilers. Alex Harter was named Pitcher of the Week when he was 2-0 on the mound with an astounding earned run average of 0.00 along with 12 strikeouts.
All in all, the entire year has been filled with student athletes getting it done in the classroom along with their respected contests. With the postseason right around the corner, Oiler athletics will look to continue their success and bring back victories to Findlay.
Heated March Madness sends most brackets up in flames
By: Dylan DeWitt
Twitter: @dd_witt
Email: dewittd@findlay.edu
Nearly every year after Selection Sunday, where 68 Division I men’s basketball teams are picked for the NCAA tournament, roughly 70 million brackets are made to choose winners of all the games. The hope for the people who participate in the challenge is to correctly pick each game in the annual March Madness tournament.
There is always plenty of talk and dialogue about teams losing and brackets being completely broken, but, in reality, the odds of correctly picking each game is slim to none.
According to the NCAA.com, the odds of having a perfect bracket is one and 92 quintillion. To put that in numerical form, it is one and 9,233,372,036,854,775,808. This year, after not even two rounds into the tournament, entering the Sweet Sixteen, there are zero brackets that have selected every game correctly. This is largely due to the tournament being the year of Cinderella, the Davids beating the Goliaths, and the underdogs pulling off wins against the favorites.
One of the most highlighted victories has been the number 16 team, UMBC, defeating the number one team in the nation in the first round, Virginia. Coming into the game, Virginia was arguably one of the best teams not only for their lockdown defense, but overall ability to win over 30 games this season. Coming into the game, Virginia was 31-2, and their counterpart, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, had to make a game-winner in their conference tournament just to make it into the big dance. Never in the history of the tournament has a number 16 seed defeated a number one seed in the first round. After the victory, UMBC changes this record to 1-135.
UMBC has not been the only upset of the tournament either. There is currently only one remaining number one ranked seed, and two remaining number two seeds left in the road to becoming a National Champion.
Another major headline has been made with Loyola Chicago making it to the Sweet Sixteen after two thrilling last second victories. Loyola Chicago defeated number sixth ranked Miami (FL) and number three Tennessee to make it to the third round of the tournament.
Other notable upsets have come with number 11 Syracuse defeating a heavy favorite to come out of the Midwest division, Michigan State. Not to mention, Syracuse had to win a “play-in” game just to make the tournament.
Another upset came from Texas A&M dominating the defending champions of North Carolina in the Round of 32. To round out the highlights of upsets, number nine Florida State defeated number one Xavier, and number seven Nevada defeated number two Cincinnati in the second round of the tournament.
The tournament has not been only upsets, but other last second thrillers, and memorable shots that will perhaps go down as some of the best shots in tournament history. Number Three Michigan, the Big Ten Tournament champion, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a victory over Houston. With about three and a half seconds left in the game, down two, the Wolverines sent a pass nearly the full length of the court. The pass went to Right Wing Freshman Jordan Poole, who hit a game winning three-pointer as time expired to win by one and advance.
There have been high flying slam dunks, clutch shots to put teams up or make the contest all squared up, and loads of energy. All in all, this is March and it sure is filled with loads of Madness. Not to mention there are still fifteen games remaining to even decide the National Champion.
Hold on to the edge of your seat, buckle up, and throw those brackets in the trash, because anything is possible in March Madness on the road t
The Sports Show with Martyce Kimbrough with Austin Gardner
The Sports Show with Martyce Kimbrough with Austin Gardner
Oiler teams on spring break
By: Olivia Wile
Twitter: o_wile
Email: wileo@findlay.edu
It’s that time of the year. The sports teams in Oiler Nation seem to be all over the map, literally. Some are nearing the end of their seasons, while others are just getting warmed up. Whether in the post, pre, or regular season, however, a trend among teams seems to be traveling to nicer weather this spring break.
Among those traveling over break are the University of Findlay golf, tennis, baseball, and lacrosse teams.
Mackenzie Kennoy, sophomore and UF golf player, says her team traveled to Orlando, Fla. to play in a pre-season tournament on Monday, March 5 and Tuesday, March 6. Keenoy feels the change in scenery was beneficial for her team.
“We had a great time and improved because we got to hit off real grass,” said Keenoy. “[My] favorite memory was two of the boys jumped in the pool fully clothed after our team dinner!”
The golfers were joined in the sunshine state by the UF tennis team. Though they were in close proximity to the golfers in Orlando, Fla., the tennis players are in a much different stage of the season. Freshman Tennis Player Eliza Kirov says her team played five regular season matches during their trip, finishing with a record of 3-5. Though traveling primarily to play matches, Kirov says the team had some time for fun as well.
“My favorite part of the trip was by far spending time with my teammates and creating the absolute funniest and greatest memories in the house we stayed in,” said Kirov. “It was an overall amazing bonding experience for us.”
Joining the spring break travel squad is the UF women’s lacrosse team. The women were was also on the road facing regular season competition. Sophomore Ciara Burud says unlike tennis and golf, her team was all over the place this break.
“We went to North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia. We played a game in North Carolina and then we went on a hike the next day,” explained Burud. “Then we traveled to South Carolina to play a game.”
The Oiler women are currently 4-0 for the season.
The UF men’s baseball team also traveled across states to compete over break.
“We traveled to Auburndale and Winter Haven, Fla. We also traveled to Carey, N.C. where we played at the USA baseball complex,” explained UF Baseball Player Austin Rawlins. “We played eight baseball games while we were down there and with the free time we got we spent it by the pool.”
Though in different parts of their seasons, and traveling to many different states, these UF sports teams do share one thing in common; working and playing hard.
Junior Austin Combs crowned national champion
By Dylan DeWitt
Email: dewittd@findlay.edu
Twitter: @dd_witt
Winning at the collegiate level is never an easy task and one that takes countless hours of hard work and dedication as a student athlete. Austin Combs, a highly recognized thrower throughout the indoor season, put another milestone to his name and the University of Findlay track and field program.
On Friday, March 9, Junior Austin Combs was crowned as the Division II National Champion in weight throw at the Indoor National Championship that was held this past weekend in Pittsburg, Kan.
The win did not come as a shock, but took Combs all six of his throws in competition in order to claim the title. Going into his final throw, sitting in fifth place after his fifth, and second to last, throw, Combs knew that he had one more chance to secure not only a top three medal spot on the podium, but the highest spot on the podium with a gold medal hanging down from his neck. After the final calculations, Combs edged out Alex Hill of Ashland University by .01m to find out he was victorious and an All- American National Champion.
Combs says that hearing the announcement of winning the event was one of the most memorable experiences of his athletic career.
“Being announced a national champion was the most memorable win of my life,” said Combs. “Throughout the season, my coach would remind me that it was possible to win the event even if I was having doubts, so to be able to stand up on the podium and have him hand me the trophy was one of the best feelings I have ever experienced.”
After becoming a National Champion, Combs knows that although the season of indoor is over, the outdoor championships are soon approaching. It is a goal of his to continue to take the steps necessary to move forward in getting better throughout the season as there is always room for improvements.
One may think that becoming a national champion at the Division II level would be a season, and perhaps even a career goal of a student-athlete. However, Austin Combs, a Findlay native, has set higher standards and goals to go reach. Even with one more season left to go in his already astonishing career stacked with multiple awards and a national champion title, Combs would love to be able to be an Olympian one day.
“Ultimately, I want to qualify for the USA track meet this summer, and throughout my career I hope to make my way to the Olympic trials and qualify as an Olympian,” said Combs.
The next Olympics is not until 2020, but, until then, Austin Combs is going to continue to showcase the spirit of being a student-athlete at the University of Findlay and work towards an outdoor championship title this upcoming spring season.
#15 Roughnecks maintain momentum
By: Dylan DeWitt
Twitter: @dd_witt
Email: dewittd@findlay.edu
The Roughnecks of Findlay, ranked 15th in the NCAA Division II polls, are coming off an impressive win against the #4 Ashland wrestling team. With the victory over the Eagles, the Oilers were able to move up in the standings going into the Midwest Super Regional Championships. What better way to keep up their momentum as they host the championship this weekend.
The night began against Ashland as what would prove to be a challenging few matches for the Oilers. Competing at home, though, the wrestlers had a sense of urgency to take down their opponents. With that mentality, the Roughnecks took down a #4 Ashland team, 23-18. The team saw victories from Michael Stewart at 133, Ryan Skonieczny at 141, Josh Wimer by a pin at 149, and Gerald Beck at 285. Another victory from Bradley Metz, the fifth ranked wrestler in the nation at 184, came by tech fall.
The biggest victory of the night came with Armani Robinson over Luke Cramer. Cramer, the number one ranked wrestler in the 197 weight class, came into the match 17-0 on the year. Robinson, a junior from Jamestown, Oh., triumphantly took down Cramer giving him his first loss on the year.
Moving along from Ashland in the dual match, in addition to another dual victory over Tiffin University, the Oilers continue to take big strides into the postseason. Senior Wrestler Alonzo Turner says it has been a learning experience to improve on individual skills along with growing as a team throughout the entire season. Turner has been battling season injuries, but is one of the top wrestlers in the nation in his respected weight class.
“The Ashland win was a big step going forward for us, it was a good bounce back for the team. A lot of guys really stepped up and wrestled to their full potential,” said Turner. “I think that showed where we are standing as a team, and if we go out there and wrestle hard, one match at a time, things fall together.”
With the Super Regional Championships beginning, the postseason grind begins for the Roughnecks. Super Regionals will be hosted by Findlay at the Koehler Center. Competition begins this Friday, Feb. 23rd and lasts until Saturday. There will be live video and updates throughout the multiple sessions each day.
Turner says this is what the team has been waiting for in order to complete a season-long goal of their own.
“We have one goal this season and that is to be National Champions,” stated Turner.
Last year, the Roughnecks placed eighth at the National Championships, and gained plenty of experience in order to make it there once more and compete for the national title.