Letter From the Editor in Chief
Hello Patriots!
As the Spring semester winds down and campus begins to bloom with the final rush of activity, we’re proud to bring you this final issue of the year. It’s been a remarkable journey; full of stories that captured the spirit, challenges, and victories of our student community.
In this issue, we’re excited to feature our baseball team’s incredible season, highlighting their grit, growth, and undeniable team spirit. Whether you’ve been cheering from the bleachers or following the scores from your dorm, you won’t want to miss this deep dive into their game against Campbellsville.
We’re also celebrating our visual storyteller, Brittany Smith with a studentfocused photospread. The collection showcases community, and fun activities, reminding us how much creativity is thriving on campus.
Don’t miss the Spotlight Finale, our closing chapter to a semester-long series that’s given voice to inspiring individuals across campus. Our senior autobiographies offer a space for reflection, memories, and a few laughs from those who’ve shaped this community during their time here.
As we say goodbye to another academic year, we bid a special farewell to our graduating seniors. Nic Lewis, thank you for your unwavering curiosity and editorial insight. Hannah Phillips, your leadership and kindness have left a lasting impression on The Patriot staff. And Nicholas Jackson, your passion for storytelling has truly elevated our pages. You’ve each left your mark, and you will be deeply missed.
Thank you to all our readers, contributors, and staff for making this publication possible. We can’t wait to see where the next year takes us.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time as Editor-in-Chief of The Patriot student newspaper.
Wishing everyone a restful summer and an inspired journey ahead.
With gratitude,
Morgan Roberts Editor-in-Chief of The Patriot
Staff
Editor- in- Chief Morgan Roberts
Managing Editor Filippa Malmstrom
Social Media Coordinator Shayra Calderon
Staff Writers
Nicholas Jackson
Nic Lewis
Hannah Phillips Sydney Schwenke
Staff Photographers
Lilly Mckeehan
Brittany Smith
Faculty Advisor
Jeremiah Massengale
Cover Design by Nic Lewis
Cover Photo by Shayra Calderon
Patriots Sweep Campbellsville Clinch
MSC Title for Third Straight Year
BY: NICHOLAS JACKSON STAFF WRITER
The No. 7-ranked University of the Cumberlands baseball team made a major statement over the weekend, sweeping Campbellsville in dominant fashion and securing their third straight Mid-South Conference (MSC) regular season championship. The Patriots extended their perfect conference record to 150, improving to 40-6 overall on the season. The three-game series kicked off on Friday afternoon with a tightly contested 5-3 victory, followed by a Saturday doubleheader that saw the Patriots explode offensively in a 21-5 rout and finish with a 7-2 win in the series finale.
The wins were extra special for the program, as Head Coach Brad Shelton reached a major career milestone — earning his 900th career victory. The series also highlighted individual excellence, including another recordbreaking performance from senior slugger Charlie Muniz, who leads all of college baseball in home runs.
Friday: Patriots Battle to 5-3 Victory Cumberlands set the tone in game one with solid all-around play. On the mound, lefty Kailen Hamson was electric, tossing eight strong innings and giving up only three runs on four hits while striking out eight. Hamson improved to 9-0 on the year. JD Price entered in the ninth and shut the door, striking out the side to earn his seventh save.
The Pats got the bats going early, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first. Leadoff hitter Christian Thompson doubled, then scored on a Charlie Muniz RBI-double. After a walk by Max Harper, Alec Gonzalez launched a three-run homer to left-center, his seventh of the season.
Though Campbellsville chipped away to make it 4-3 by the eighth inning, Cumberlands added an insurance run in the seventh, thanks to a Petrey single, another Thompson hit, and a Harper RBI-infield single. Price sealed the deal in the ninth with a dominant outing on the mound.
Saturday Game 1: Patriots Erupt in 21-5 Blowout Game one of Saturday’s doubleheader was an offensive clinic. Cumberlands piled up 21 runs on 16 hits and showed no mercy in a commanding win.
Alec Gonzalez had another huge day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and five RBI. Max Harper went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, while Trent Prokes and Charlie Muniz each added homers of their own. The Patriots wasted no time, scoring three in the first and nine in the second. Gonzalez’s three-run homer — his second in as many days — opened the scoring. In the second inning, the Pats exploded with RBI hits from Petrey, Andiarena, Harper, and another big blast from Prokes.
Cumberlands kept the pressure on in the third, adding seven more runs. Muniz added to his home run tally with a two-run shot, while Petrey and Thompson contributed with clutch hits to extend the lead to 19-2. Harper’s second homer of the day came in the sixth to cap the scoring at 21-5.
On the mound, Knicko Billings improved to 9-1, tossing five innings and giving up just three runs. Relievers Carlos Valenzuela and Willis McCarter combined to close out the final two innings, with McCarter not allowing a single hit.
Saturday Game 2: Sweep with 7-2 Win
The Patriots wrapped up the series with a strong 7-2 victory in game three, once again getting out to an early lead and never looking back.
Cooper Morgan got the start and turned in a gem, going six innings without allowing a run and striking out four. Jake Kmiecik and JD Price came out of the bullpen to secure the final three innings.
Offensively, Caden Petrey stole the spotlight, going 3-for-4 with two three-run home runs and a career-high six RBI. Muniz added another homer — his second of the day — continuing his record-setting pace.
Cumberlands led 1-0 after the first and extended their lead to 4-0 in the third thanks to Petrey’s first blast. He struck again in the eighth with another three-run bomb to give the Pats a 7-0 cushion. Though the Tigers managed two runs in the ninth, it was too little, too late.
Looking Ahead
With the MSC regular season title locked up and momentum at an all-time high, the Patriots now shift their focus toward postseason play. With standout pitching, an explosive offense, and leadership from players like Muniz and Petrey, Cumberlands looks every bit like a team ready to make a deep postseason run.
The Patriots return to action next week with their eyes set on an MSC Tournament championship — and perhaps more history to be made along the way.
GRAPHIC BY OF LILLY MCKEEHAN
College Lifestyle
Four Years in the Life of...
Three Seniors Recap Their College Experience
BY: NIC LEWIS, NICHOLAS JACKSON, HANNAH PHILLIPS S TAFF WRITERS
Nic Lewis
For some people, it comes naturally; they just know what they want to be when they grow up. But for most of us, the answers rotate. In elementary school, children would say, “Doctor,” or “Teacher,” and occasionally new ones like “YouTuber.” But by high school, there was a rush to know with what felt like an indefinite answer. “What are you going to major in at college?” There was so much pressure to develop something fantastic and fast, like a lastminute gift to a birthday party you forgot about. All I had was: “I don’t know.”
What I did know was that I loved the arts. In high school, I was involved in anything creative— band, choir, theatre, and visual arts. I wanted to create and have a persistent chance to prove myself.
College felt no different. I did not have a defined identity yet. All I cared about then was if there was a theatre program—grasping something that made me feel passionate. Because God forbid I spend my life doing something I didn’t enjoy!
In the Fall of 2018, I moved into Archer Hall early due to band camp. I remember thinking that it was a chance for a new chapter. A re-birth, re-start... That is when “Nic” was born. When I was asked my name, I panicked and said Nic. I didn’t lie. My goal wasn’t to create a false identity, but a new one. Just as Paul was to Saul, in the Bible. I went from Amber to Nic. A name I came to love and treasure because it became my story. So, Nic became someone I grew into. Someone I came to love.
Well, from 2018 to 2022, I pursued my passion for performance and storytelling as a theatre major with a communication minor. During those four years, I fully immersed myself in the arts world–involved in 13 theatre productions, completing two theatre internships, and performing in Chorale for 4 years. I even expanded my creative expression into music, spending a year in the marching band and being involved in Spotlight for two years. Then, I graduated.
But my vision was always bigger than a single degree. From the beginning, I set a personal goal: to earn two bachelor’s degrees. At the time, I was comfortable stopping where I was for now, at least I had one. But I didn’t ever feel resolved until I completed my goal. After some time away from the university, I decided I wanted to finish what I started.
After graduating in 2022, I returned.. Surprise! In the Fall of 2024, I re-attended the UC to complete the Bachelor of Science in Communication with an emphasis in Journalism. I wanted to tell stories and tell them through meaningful human connections. I knew it only took a year to complete, so why not? A goal had to be completed sometime. Since returning, I continued to grow, bringing with me the knowledge of the past, finding newfound friendships and opportunities.
If you were to ask me today what I want to be when I grow up, I’d tell you this: I want to be a storyteller. Whether it’s on stage or in print, I want to share truths—mine or someone else’s—with honesty, heart, and a little bit of flair. Because for me, it’s never been about a perfect answer to a grown-up question. It’s about following the passion that sets my soul on fire, embracing the journey, and telling the stories that deserve to be heard.
Jackson
Coming to University of the Cumberlands my focus was almost entirely on athletics. The sole thing that brought me to Williamsburg was that they offered me a scholarship to play soccer and that is what I wanted more than anything for myself in college. It was my goal all through high school and so for me to accomplish that my first year of college was a huge boost to my excitement to come here.
The first semester here was slow it felt, but weirdly enough I do not remember most of it. The second semester I met a lot of my friends, I would get to do some things I always imagined when I thought about going to college. I pulled a few all-nighters, I had some campfires, and got back into Magic the Gathering with one of my best friends.
Sophomore year was a little bit different, my girlfriend was taking a gap year and so the year felt a little less fun for me. In the second semester though once again a lot changed. Come the second semester I got into Residence Life and this is where a big part of my life changed. Suddenly being an RA I had more responsibility than I ever had before. This led me to having the best grades I had all of my college or high school career and giving me a new outlook on who I surrounded myself with as well as who I was myself.
continued on Page 5
Nicholas
Junior year may have been my favorite year of college, as my girlfriend came back to college and I had more free time than usual, a lot of my days were spent playing Magic the Gathering with my friend Alex or ping pong against my girlfriend or the other RA on my shift. It was always a good time and I even became very well known in my dorm for my ping pong skills.
I was still playing soccer at this point but I actually became more interested and involved in ResLife than I did in soccer. This led to a very difficult decision for me at the end of my Junior Year, I decided to fully quit soccer and attempt to become a Residence Hall leader for my Senior Year. This was a super hard decision as I had played soccer for 18 years every year at that point. This is one of the biggest decisions I had ever made in my life and while it was scary, it was not a decision I regretted.
Senior year has been a crazy one, it has had ups, it has had downs, and it’s been somewhat surreal. I’ve made some of the best friends in all of college through Residence Life, but I’ve also kept a lot of my friends from freshman year. I got to play soccer and Magic the Gathering, but have also taken up new things such as writing for the newspaper.
It feels weird that I have gone through all of college and the best advice I could give a freshman coming in is that there is a line between too obsessed with school and too obsessed with social life. It is an extremely important line to figure out where it is at because once you do that you will be able to have the best time of your life at college. Life never felt like it slowed down, it has only gotten faster, but its so advantageous to try to find the slow moments that you can enjoy with friends.
College Lifestyle
Hannah Phillips
When I began applying to colleges, I didn’t consider the University of the Cumberlands. I had a list picked out of where I wanted to apply and tour, but this college didn’t make the cut. It wasn’t until my dad told me I should consider applying; my salt-of-the-earth babysitter from my childhood had attended and loved it here, so he thought it might be a good match. Like most times in my life, he was right. We came and toured sometime later, and I fell in love. I met a friend at the summer orientation retreat sometime in June of 2021. She told me her name was Micah, and she was studying education- cool, me too! My education major didn’t last, but the friendship with Micah did, and it still prospers today. I met her cousin, Marinah, when the school year started, and from there, I met some of Micah’s other friends, like Sophie and Chloe, who I was introduced to at the hoco-hoedown that fall. If I hadn’t met these girls, my college experience would have looked very different. We’ve attended as many events as possible over the last few years, and my experience has been so much better because of that. In a few months, I’ll be standing beside some of them on their wedding day. When I was in high school, I was very fortunate to learn from teachers who truly cared about my well-being and success both inside and outside of school. My mom tried to warn me that college was different; you’re just a number in most professors’ eyes. At most colleges, this is very true. However, my experience did not relate to this standard. From the first class I took here, I built an interpersonal relationship with my professor that made me want to learn because I knew someone truly cared that I was there. This continued through almost every other class I took here; I’m constantly reminded that I’m not only loved, but also liked, wanted, and enjoyable to be around. This has tremendously impacted my education. If I could give advice to incoming freshmen, I’d tell them to get out and live. Experience different things and attend events you don’t even think you’ll like. Soak it up, live in the moment, and cherish these memories. Don’t forget to study, and try to learn as much as possible while here. Learning new education is one of the best parts of being human; don’t let Chat-GPT do the fun part for you. You’ll hear it a thousand times, but I’ll tell you again: these next four years will go by fast- enjoy them.
Entertainment
That’s a Wrap! Spotlight Contestants’ perspectives on the 2025 Finale
BY: SYDNEY SCHWENKE STAFF WRITER
This year’s Spotlight season concluded with Cumberlands sophomore, Corrie Bowers, winning first place in the finale. Bowers wowed students and faculty alike with two very different songs. She sang “Still Into You” by Paramore and Michael Bublé’s “Cry Me a River”. Bowers confided that she was not excited about singing “Still Into You” which the Campus Activity Board chose for her “...it’s very punk rock and such a different style of singing that I’m used to because I’m more familiar with singing more classical music for my music minor.”
The Spotlight winner said, “I didn’t know if I could perform like [Paramore’s Hayley Williams]. And because of that, I was kind of scared to even start practicing like she does.”
Corrie Bowers added that she was “kind of uncomfortable” even practicing for her friends. However, Bowers said that once she stopped focusing on how she would appear, she felt she was better able to do the song justice.
Corrie Bowers is quick to attribute her success to God. She stated, “God really help me to forget myself and my nerves so I could have so much fun and use my talents for him.”
When asked about how she felt after earning first place, Bowers said, “I had a lot of mixed emotions.” She said, “I was a little sad that Christian didn’t win because I know he’s been in the competition for a couple years now, and I really think he performed well enough to win. Micah too was phenomenal.” Corrie Bowers said she was definitely excited to see so much fruit for her labors although she stated that her win didn’t “fully register until the next day” because for her, the moment “...seemed like a fever dream.”
Although Bowers doubted her abilities to perform well, her competition had a very different opinion of her talent.
Second-place winner, Micah Todd said that he enjoyed the competition significantly more this season. He added that since each contestant was so uniquely talented, it made the competition “a lot more competitive.” Like Bowers, Todd said that he appreciated the way that “everyone was so supportive of each other.”
Micah Todd concluded by saying, “Corrie one hundred percent deserved first place. She was phenomenal and flawless. I mean, like I didn’t even think I’d get first and if I did, it would have been based off of popularity. And then with me and Dingus, I thought it was just going to be a toss-up. I think it was really close.”
Christian Dingus won third place overall and he agreed with Micah saying, “I definitely think that Corrie was the most deserving person to win. I’ve been saying so since the first solo round.” Dingus said that he was excited when he learned his cousin, Bowers, was auditioning for Spotlight, but that he also recognized that “[The competition] just got harder for everyone else to win.”
Micah Todd’s CAB-selected song was “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” by Luke Combs. Todd also chose “Wondering Why” by The Red Clay Strays for himself. Todd said about his performance, “I would say that I did better than I thought I was going to. I’ve had a lot of good conversations because of Spotlight, some of which were gospel conversations, and that’s probably the best part that’s come out of it.”
When asked by CAB’s Spotlight host, Cam Jackson, what he would do with the money he won, Todd said that he would give half to his mom and spend the remainder repairing his car. The second-place winner followed through stating, “I already offered the money to my mom and she ‘No’, so I made the deal out with my dad that he’s going to take the money out and send her half of the $800 I got. I also just bought a $200 car battery today.”
Christian Dingus selected Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” for his first song and the Campus Activity Board also assigned “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” to him. Dingus said, “I was really nervous for what they were going to choose; but, I was pretty satisfied with their choice, and I think they did really well for all three of us.”
This was Dingus’ third year participating in the competition and his first time making it to the final round. He said that he is “definitely appreciative of the people who got [him] there through voting for [him] and encouraging [him].” He said that he is grateful that “God gave [him] the opportunity to sing” and hopes that the way he performed was honoring to God.
This 2025 Spotlight season was certainly one that next year’s contestants will have a difficult time beating.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MICAH MCDAVID
PHOTO COURTESY OF MICAH MCDAVID
Photo Features
Springing Into Fun
BY: BRITTANY SMITH STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Friends sit together at Spring Fest.
Joey Manning winds up to throw a football.
Friends play Human Foosball at Spring Fest.
A student plays pool in the Mid-BCC.
Senior Quotes Congratulations Class of 2025!
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”- Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)
“The scary news is, you’re on your own now. The cool news is, you’re on your own now!” - Taylor Swift
“What if we already are who we’ve been dying to become.” - Sleeping at Last
Nic Lewis
Hannah Phillips
Nicholas Jackson