Athletics

The 2001 softball national championship team will be inducted into the Muskingum Athletic Hall of Fame during the Night of Impact on January 28, 2022. They will become the first-ever team to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Under the leadership of legendary Coach Donna Newberry, the team won the University’s first NCAA Division III team national championship on May 20, 2001. Their 4-1 triumph captured the NCAA Division III softball national championship and set

Each year, Muskingum’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) works to enhance the total studentathlete experience at the University, extending the long tradition of involvement by Muskie student-athletes.

SAAC members from each of Muskingum’s varsity sports dedicate themselves to supporting their fellow studentathletes, the University, and the community. Their initiatives are designed to: • Promote engagement and communication between the student-athletes and athletics administration. • Provide feedback and insight into athletics department issues, including student-athlete welfare. • Generate a student-athlete voice within the Muskingum athletics department’s formulation of policies. • Build a sense of community within the athletics program involving all athletic teams. • Organize community service efforts. • Promote a positive student-athlete image on campus and in the community. a school-record 47th victory of the season, which still stands today.

En route to the softball World Series, they won the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Regular-Season Championship, the OAC Tournament Championship, and the NCAA Central Region Championship. The Muskies ended the year winning 34 straight games to set the NCAA Division III record for the longest winning streak.

The Night of Impact, presented by Carol Goff & Associates Real Estate, will be hosted at EagleSticks Golf Club in Zanesville, Ohio beginning at 7:00 p.m. Muskingum’s Class of 2022 senior student-athletes will also be recognized during the event.

On January 29, 2022 the championship softball team members will also be honored during the Muskingum men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader against Otterbein at the Anne C. Steele Center on campus.

SAAC plans, organizes, and hosts a variety of events, including the Annual Golden Hook Awards, Hoops for Hunger food drive, and special promotions throughout the year at Muskingum athletic events. The group meets monthly and regularly discusses issues surrounding intercollegiate athletics and the lives of student-athletes both at Muskingum and across the country.

The 2021-2022 SAAC Student Officers include President Gracie Andrews ’22 (women’s tennis), Vice President Kaylee Anstaett ’23 (women’s tennis), and Social Media/Promotions chairs Gavyn Freeland ’22 (football) and Tyler Reed ’23 (football). SAAC is advised by Tom Caudill ’05G, Assistant Athletic Director and Director/Assistant Professor of Athletics Communication.

Lindsey Grundfast joined Muskingum in Fall 2021, after serving three years as Head Coach of the Earlham College women’s lacrosse program, where she led the team to winning records and tournament berths. Her players excelled on the field, receiving multiple all-conference honors, and in the classroom, earning individual and team academic awards from the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA). She also served as a faculty leader for Earlham’s outdoor education program and taught a team-building class for athletics and wellness.

In September 2021, Coach Grundfast was named a top-four finalist for the national NCAA Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Coach of the Year Award, which honors the service, leadership, and promotion of inclusion by a member of the LGBTQ community within college athletics. During her tenure

Tristan Murphy ’19 has been named Director of Esports for Muskingum. He previously served as an Assistant Coach for the University’s esports program, was lead coach and recruiter for the Muskie Rocket League team, assisted with six other esports competition squads, led film review and analysis sessions, and helped manage the academic progress of the program’s student-athletes.

Prior to Muskingum, he served Twitch Interactive as a content creator and produced, edited, and posted content for TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. He also collaborated with professional esports players and professional content creators from organizations such as Spacestation Gaming, at Earlham, she collaborated with student-athletes to create the Queer Athlete & Allies Collective group, which serves as a safe space for LGBTQ studentathletes, and received Earlham’s Lavender Faculty/Staff Ally Award for her work.

Coach Grundfast graduated from Dominican College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics and earned a Master of Science degree in education from the State University of New York at New Paltz.

G2 Esports, and Renault Vitality and freelanced as a video editor, creating materials for other content creators for their TikTok and YouTube channels.

He began his esports playing career at an early age and transitioned to playing Fortnite competitively as a student at Muskingum. He also competes in Rocket League, where he is part of an amateur team that has had competitive success in tournaments such as the Intel World Open North American Qualifiers.

He earned his Muskingum Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Education (MAE) degree at the University.