The fall athletics season is reaching its conclusion. Conference tournaments are done, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournaments are starting up, and all of this is coinciding with the start of winter sports.
Soccer
The men’s soccer team, in their second season under head coach Chris Cole, finished 8-10 overall and 5-4 in Sooner Athletic Conference play. The team took the #4 seed, winning in the quarterfinals over Science and Arts on Nov. 5 at Alumni Field. Their season came to an end three days later with a 5-0 loss to Mid-America Christian, the #1 seed in the tournament. Jacob Zammaron had a strong season for the Golden Eagles, leading the team with 15 goals and winning SAC Offensive Player of the Year.
The women’s soccer team picked up right where they left off from last season. Their dominant ways under head coach Kathleen Paulsen continued, as they won 17 of their first 18 matches overall and finished undefeated in conference play for a second straight season. The Golden Eagles took the SAC regular season title and furthered their momentum into the conference tournament, winning a double-overtime thriller over Science and Arts in the conference tournament championship on Nov. 12. JBU also made it into the NAIA National Championship tournament for the fourth straight season, opening the tournament in Siloam Springs on Nov. 16. Eight Golden Eagles scored SAC postseason honors, and Paulsen was named SAC Coach of the Year for the third time in her career.
Volleyball
Difficult opponents, in addition to JBU falling victim to the injury bug, resulted in a 18-16 season (11-9 SAC).
The highlight of the season took place in the conference tournament. After entering as the #7 seed, JBU earned a four-set win over the Stars (the tournament’s defending champs and the #2 seed) on Nov. 9 at Abe Lemons Arena. Jillian Blackman and Taylor Golmen were All-Conference 2nd Team selections, while Blackman was also awarded SAC Defensive Player of the Year. Golmen won SAC Freshman of the Year.
Basketball
The men’s basketball team kicked off their season with the world-famous Toilet Paper Game on Oct. 29. Six games in, Densier Carnes leads the team with 15.7 points per game. Carnes is also tied for the team lead in assists per game (3.5). Newcomer Payton Guiot has been a bright spot early, as he is second on the team in PPG (13.8).
The women’s basketball season started on Oct. 29 as well, as they scored a 78-49 win over Ozark Christian. Tarrah Stephens has been a solid all-around threat for the Golden Eagles, leading the team in points (18.3), rebounds (7.0) and steals (2.0) per game. Natalie Smith led the team in scoring in both of their Mid-America Christian Classic wins and is second overall with 14.5 PPG. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams opened their 2021-22 conference schedules against Langston on Nov. 18.
Cross Country
The men’s cross country team took part in six meets during the semester. The team’s finish included 2nd at the Ouachita Baptist Tiger Invitational on Oct. 1 and 3rd at the NAIA Mid-States Classic on Oct. 23. At the SAC Championships on Nov. 6, the Golden Eagles finished 4th.
The women’s cross country team took part in four meets leading up to the conference championships, also finishing 2nd at the Ouachita Baptist Tiger Invitational, in addition to finishing 4th at the Ft. Hayes State Tiger Open on Oct. 9. At the conference championships, the team finished 4th in scoring, while Allika Pearson finished at the top in individual scoring for the second straight season. It marked the first time since 2017 that JBU had a repeat individual champion.
Tennis
The men’s tennis team took on Oklahoma Wesleyan on Sept. 14 in Bartlesville, Okla. The men were able to score a pair of season-opening wins over Oklahoma Wesleyan, and they will resume the rest of their schedule on Feb. 11. The women lost their two fall semester contests to Ouachita Baptist and Northeastern State. They will resume play on Feb. 11.
Photo courtesy of Karen Penner