Another school year at John Brown University is almost in the books, and it also means that the curtain is closing on the 2021-22 athletics season. Much like in the fall, athletics teams at JBU experienced a great deal of success in the spring semester. The men’s basketball team finished with a winning record, the women’s basketball team put together their best season in three years, the tennis program reached levels of success that they haven’t seen in years, while the track and field program is nearing the end of a solid season of performances, highlighted by hosting their first meet since the program was revived.
JBU basketball misses NAIA tournament, but positives present
JBU returned from Christmas Break to kick off the second half of the basketball season on New Year’s Day, where both the men and women took wins at home against Oklahoma Panhandle State. The women’s basketball season was briefly put on pause for JBU afterwards due to COVID-19 issues within the program. Because of the Sooner Athletic Conference’s policy on COVID-19, the team had to forfeit their next three games and have losses added to their record. They returned to the court on Jan. 13 against Science & Arts, and after dropping that game (55-50) and the following matchup against Texas Wesleyan (74-72, OT), they proceeded to win their next six, five of which were by double digits.
The team entered the last two weeks of the regular season with a 13-12 record, but they fell victim to some inconsistent offensive performances over those last couple of weeks. The JBU women only scored more than 61 points one time and lost three of five during that span, resulting in the Golden Eagles entering the conference tournament at .500 with a 15-15 record. Likely needing to win the conference tournament title in order to make the NAIA tournament, the Golden Eagles kicked off their slate with a 65-53 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State in the first round.
Their matchup in the quarterfinals consisted of a tough draw against Texas Wesleyan, the tournament’s #3 seed. The JBU women were able to stay with the Rams for much of the game, but the final result was a heartbreaking loss (61-58). They ended the season with a 16-16 record, good for their best mark in three years, though they missed the NAIA tournament for the fifth straight season. Tarrah Stephens was named a WBCA-NAIA All-America Honorable Mention, while Natalie Smith was an All-SAC Third Team Selection, Maddie Altman was an All-SAC Honorable Mention, and Emily Sanders was an All-SAC Freshman Team selection.
The JBU men’s basketball team was also dealt a blow at the start of the new year, as they lost then-leading scorer Densier Carnes and starter Brenton Toussaint for the season. After receiving a win due to a COVID-19 forfeit from Wayland Baptist, the Golden Eagles lost three of their next four. After that rough stretch, they bounced back by winning five of their next six, highlighted by a 101-56 beatdown against Langston on Jan. 20. This placed their record at 16-9 entering their Feb. 7 matchup against Wayland Baptist.
Similar to the women’s team, the offense wasn’t clicking for the JBU men in the last couple of weeks of the regular season. They lost three of their last five and they only scored more than 61 points once during that span. This set the stage for the Golden Eagles entering the conference tournament with an 18-12 record, likely needing multiple wins in the tournament to have a shot at advancing to the NAIA tournament for the third time in four seasons.
John Brown entered as the tournament’s #5 seed and drew a matchup with last-place Langston in the opening round. The Golden Eagles rose to the occasion, putting in a dominating performance offensively en route to an 89-73 victory. However, Wayland Baptist’s stout defense got the better of the Golden Eagles in the quarterfinals, snagging a 74-61 win in Plainview, Texas on Feb. 26. The Golden Eagles finished with a 19-13 overall record, but it was not good enough to make it to the NAIA tournament, missing the cut for the second straight season.
Luke Harper led the team in scoring, averaging 16 points per game. He was named an All-SAC Second Team selection. Densier Carnes and Ira Perrier were All-SAC Honorable Mention selections, while Perrier was also named to the All-SAC Defensive Team.
JBU tennis enjoys most successful season in years
The tennis teams recently wrapped up their seasons. Led by head coach Mike Campbell, both the JBU men and women enjoyed their most successful season in recent memory. The JBU women started 2022 on the right foot after winning their first three matches of the new year. Their Feb. 11 victory over Hendrix was especially important for the program, as it marked the end of a 18-match losing streak dating back to 2020. The JBU women were able to keep the momentum going and collected wins over Ozarks (twice), Evangel, Kansas Wesleyan, Bethany (twice), Ozarks (twice), Missouri Baptist and Health Sciences & Pharmacy.
Their season ended at the NAIA Unaffiliated Group Regional Championships with a first round loss to Grand View on Apr. 22. The end result to the season was a 9-8 overall record and their first winning season since the 2014-15 season. Caroline Hillock (9-6) and Ellie Swan (8-5) finished with winning records in singles play, while the duo of Swan and Kyla Issac proved to be the most successful pairing in doubles play, as they finished with a 6-1 record when teamed together.
The JBU men had similar success, winning three of their first four matches in 2022 after winning both of their contests on the 2021 side of the season. Over the course of the season, the team took wins over Oklahoma Wesleyan (twice in 2021, once in 2022), Hendrix, Ozarks (twice), Evangel, Bethany (twice), Health Sciences & Pharmacy and Grand View. Their season concluded on Apr. 21, when the Golden Eagles lost to Evangel in the first round of the NAIA Unaffiliated Group Regional Championships. Their overall record was 11-7, marking their first winning season since the 2018-19 season. Hudson Dick and Blake Cunningham were dominant in singles play, finishing 11-4 each, while the duo of Dick and Woody Woodring proved to be deadly in doubles play, as they finished 11-7 as a team.
Track and field makes history, Pearson and Vail shine
The JBU track and field program entered its third season after being revived by the athletics department. It proved to be a historic year for the program, as John Brown University hosted a meet for the first time in 40 years. The Sooner Athletic Conference Invitational took place in Siloam Springs on April 22 and April 23 at Glenn W. Black Stadium, which also hosts track meets for Siloam Springs High School. The meet was attended by SAC schools such as Langston and Oklahoma Panhandle State, as well as local schools, including Arkansas-Fort Smith and Lyon.
The season included numerous strong performances on both the men’s and women’s sides. Among them were the efforts of Allika Pearson on the women’s side and Will Vail on the men’s side. Pearson furthered her case as one of the NAIA’s most skilled distance runners, as she became the first Golden Eagle student-athlete to ever earn All-America honors in indoor track and field by finishing fourth in the 5,000 meter finals on March 5.
She became the first Golden Eagle in program history to earn three All-America First Team distinctions and will have a chance to complete the Triple Crown at the Outdoor Championships in May. Meanwhile, Vail proved to be dangerous in the long jump. He was named SAC Athlete of the Week on Feb. 14 for his efforts. He competed in the NAIA Indoor Championships on March 4, where he finished 10 spots higher than his seed entering the competition with a 16th place finish.