Sports Updates 10 .................Tabor Sundays/PR Class

SPORTS UPDATES

08

CROSS COUNTRY

by Sam Buller

Both the men’s and women’s Tabor cross country teams are preparing to move into the second half of their seasons. The men’s team had a rough start to the season, but have been working hard to improve their times. At Tabor’s home meet held Sept. 18, they placed second, and they placed 10th at the Chile Pepper Festival held Oct. 1. The women’s team has seen great success in the first half of their season. They won the home meet and then placed 13th at the Chile Pepper Festival while missing their top runner. With two regular season meets left, the men are sixth and the women are third in the KCAC rankings, and both have good chances to move up. Head Coach Rylan Hincher said he is confident that with a “really good showing (next meet, at Fort Hays State), we should bump up in the rankings.”

FOOTBALL

by Cody Meyer

The Tabor football team came into this season differently than they would come into most seasons. Typically, in the spring semester, there would be a time for players to heal from injuries from the previous season and for coaches to learn what they had going into next season. However, because COVID-19 forced Tabor to play both in the fall and in the spring, the Bluejays did not have this luxury. “Not having (a normal) spring last year was not advantageous to our situation we have at Tabor,” said Head Coach Mike Gardner. This has led to many freshmen having to step up and play in place of injured veterans, and these young guys are now getting lots of experience. The Bluejays hold a 2-4 overall record, and are 1-4 in conference play. Their victories include a 29-14 win over Arkansas Baptist College and a 2821 thriller against Friends University.

VOLLEYBALL

by Ethan Barnes

The Tabor volleyball team has had a challenging season so far, having played a nationally ranked team six times. Despite this tough stretch of competition, the Bluejays have an overall record of 9-10.l They are 3-1 in KCAC play, putting them right into the

mix as they sit eighth in the standings with the conference season still young. On Oct. 6 and Oct. 9, the Bluejays defeated both Southwestern and Bethel in straight sets. “The team and I are very positive that it will be a great season,” said freshman libero Naera Tschus. “There is always room for improvement and we are ready to do our best and play for the Lord as a team.”

GOLF

by Mei Kirchhoff

The Tabor College men’s and women’s golf teams competed in the fall conference match play Oct. 4-5 in Dodge City, Kansas. For the men, Eli Tufono won all three of his matches including a win against one of the top players from Bethany. The men’s team is led by Tufono, Andreas Aho and Logan Mathews, and they are ranked seventh in the conference. On the women’s side, Valdisa Andov won two of her matches against Southwestern College and Friends University, and she will look to build on her top-five finish in conference. The women are ranked ninth in the conference. “We are still young and hopefully we can keep improving to make a run at the championship in the spring,” said Coach Michael Jamieson. “Everyone is working very hard, and I can’t be more proud of both our teams this year.”

TENNIS

by Danielle Allison

The Tabor women’s tennis team has 10 athletes competing on their roster this season. They all played well at the KCAC Fall Championships that took place Sept. 17 and 18. The women’s team had players that placed higher than seeded in singles competition, with one doubles team placing third and the other fifth. Twelve men are on the tennis team this year and they have already seen improvements in their fall tournaments, and they are looking to continue to improve throughout the fall and into the spring. The men are planning to work weekly to fight for a returning spot to the conference championships in the spring.

The teams will compete at two more tournaments during October, and then they will begin preparing for the upcoming spring season.

MEN’S SOCCER

by Tyrel Haynes

The Tabor men’s soccer team is off to a big start to the season. The men have played six conference games and won four, including a loss to topranked Oklahoma Wesleyan. A big win in September was a home matchup against nationally ranked McPherson College, 2-0. However, the Bluejays then fell 4-1 at home to Sterling College Oct. 9. The Bluejays have an overall record of 5-6 and are 4-2 in conference play. They are looking to ride this momentum for the rest of the season and into the postseason.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

by Destiny Cooper

The Tabor women’s soccer team is having a phenomenal season, despite having a fairly young team and some players stricken with COVID-19. The underclassmen used the opportunity to step up and fill the gap for their teammates, which instilled a “we before me” mentality, according to Head Coach Ian Thomson. Jackie Hurtado and Jazmin Sandoval have been constant and reliable for the team. Hurtado works extremely hard all over the field to give her team opportunities to score. Sandoval is a great example of a student athlete, working hard on the field, in the classroom and on campus, which all paid off when she scored the game winning goal against Ottawa. The team faced off against Ottawa University Oct. 2, and they secured the win, 1-0. On Oct. 9, they defeated Sterling 3-0, improving their record to 4-2 in KCAC play, and 6-4-1 overall.

CHEER

by Eric Torrence

The Tabor Cheer team is in a rebuilding phase and is developing a dream culture. They had a great turnout this fall compared to last fall. Several team members play other sports, and navigating a schedule that works for everyone is a challenge at times. Coach Krista Matlock said they have more athletes that can perform gymnastic style routines, and it really adds to the team’s athleticism. At home football games you can feel more energy and noise coming from the student section. The cheerleaders aim to maintain crowd involvement and to keep the fans energized and entertained regardless of how the game is going. Tune in for the squad’s performance at the Homecoming football game Oct. 16.