The Bell Ringer | Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022 Vol. 67 Issue 1

How students can maintain goals and resolutions

By Mikaela Graf Staff writer

The first month of 2022 is now over, and it is about time for students to check in on their New Year’s reso lutions. Whether someone is trying to eat more vege tables or make use of a new gym membership, there has likely already been a few obstacles.

Augusta University fresh man Lena Hallam, like many others, is hoping to become healthier and more active this year. When it came time to make resolu tions, she reflected on last year’s mistakes with similar intentions.

“I set a goal to exercise ev ery day for the whole year, and I failed within the first week,” said Hallam. “One of the first nights, I realized that I forgot to exercise at like 11:58 p.m., and I thought, ‘Oh! I can still do a 2-minute plank just to say that I did it,’ and then I failed in the next couple of days,” she said.

Hallam said she has always enjoyed making in-depth resolutions for herself, but her lengthy journaling sometimes creates un healthy expectations for herself.

“In years past, I would write every detail of my

resolution, which was really unrealistic. This year, I want to be specific but reason able,” she said.

While her heart and mind may be in the right place, Hallam struggles with feasi ble goal-setting. Fortunate ly, AU Softball Coach and Assistant Athletic Director Melissa Brocato has some tips for anyone making and maintaining resolutions this year, and it all starts with SMART goals.

The acronym SMART stands for specific, mea surable, attainable, relevant and time bound.

“Do some research,” said Brocato. “Don’t just hap hazardly go out there and try to meet a goal if you don’t have the tools in place to be able to do it.”

Brocato said that the most important part of a SMART goal is the aspect of time.

“Don’t leave it as an open-ended goal – give yourself a specific time,” she said.

New Year’s resolutions are typically bound under the timeframe of one year, but if the goal could be accom plished sooner, making a three-to-six-month goal can be an alternative. This way, if the goal is not met within the timeframe cho sen, there will still be time to reevaluate and set a new goal.

“Be willing to reassess your goal,” said Brocato.

“It’s okay to have to reset and modify the expecta tions you set for yourself.”

Whatever the goal may

be, having someone to rely on for encouragement and assistance can ease the bur den of maintaining it.

“Accountability is always huge,” Brocato said. “Find a buddy or somebody who can do it with you and set some intentions togeth er.”

Since many goals involve more activity and exercise, AU has several sites and services available to stu dents.

“One of the greatest things we have is the Wellness Center,” said Brocato. “Not everyone finds that to be the most convenient, but it is free.”

The Wellness Center, lo cated at 1488 Laney Walker Blvd near Oak Hall, is open seven days a week and of

fers a variety of equipment and fitness classes.

Other resources include the Christenberry Field house, activity courses, and the walking trail on Sum merville Campus.

Brocato recommends that students do not neglect their emotional and mental health as they pursue better habits this year.

“I think the piece that people miss a lot is the mental aspect, or the emo tional aspect, and I think the beginning of the year is a great time to reset with that, as well,” Brocato said.

“We often times forget how important those are to our overall well-being.”

Whether the resolution is to lose that little bit of weight or spend more time with their feelings, everyone can benefit from the fresh start that comes with the New Year, and it is not too late to make some SMART goals. Brocato urges students to make the most of their youth and choose to exchange 2021’s bad habits for 2022’s good ones.

“While we’re young, if we go ahead and set some habits, even just one thing, we’ll see huge benefits down the line,” she said.

College students make efforts to save money budgeting

By Aaron Smith Contributor

Can college students at Augusta University save enough money—or earn a decent wage—to live a com fortable life? As months and years go by, this question becomes more and more important for Augusta Uni versity students.

Recently, the cost of items such as meat, gasoline, and automobiles have increased in price since this time a year ago. Therefore, it is beneficial to look at differ ent ways that budgeting can be effective for college stu dents in the current climate.

Kristina Holmes, a senior, said the increase in price for a number of goods has sparked a need for more sources of income.

“Not only do I work at Publix, but I also do Door Dash and Shipt on the side to make a decent amount of money. I need to have several jobs to keep myself afloat,” she said.

The difference in income levels in many Augusta University students has a direct relation to their nor mal budget.

According to Holmes, there is no clear budget in place for her spending

habits.

“I live paycheck to pay check to pay my bills, so there is no clear budget that I follow. However, I would advise students to not spend so much money eating out at restaurants,” she said.

For Lilly Rester, a senior, receiving income is a little more straightforward.

“The majority of my in come comes from student loan refunds at the end of January. My boyfriend helps me with the rest of my expenses,” she said.

With varied income, it can be difficult for many

students to dictate what to spend their money on.

For Rester, the plan for spending money is simple.

“I’ll spend all day drinking coffee at Rooted Coffee house, but other than that, I really only plan to spend my money on car insurance and food,” she said.

Many college students work part time schedules to accommodate their course schedules. Thus, it can be a little difficult to save money with bill payments and the cost of expenses.

According to Rester, there are several effective ways to save money.

“Although it helps to not have a coffee addiction, it also helps to live at home until you are financially sta ble on your own,” she said.

Because of the rising pric es of goods, it can be diffi cult for Augusta University students to save money. Therefore, it is important for students to not only develop a clear budget, but also save money.

For Rester, there is one thing that college students should avoid at all costs if they can.

“For the love of God, please do not rack up credit card debt,” she said.

Students can find many ways to stay active as part of their goals for the new year. (photo by Mikaela Graf)

Meet the editors

CALENDAR of EVENTS:

February 9

• 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. — Hull Business Showcase : Ocozzio in Allgood Hall

February 12

• 12 p.m. — Baseball vs vs UVA Wise at Jaguar Field

• 1 p.m./3 p.m. — Softball Double header vs Francis Marion at Jaguar Field

February 14-17

• Homecoming Court Elections. Due Thursday at 11:59 a.m.

February 15

• 3 p.m. — INNOVATE guest speaker session with Greg Thomas in University Hall UH170

February 19

• 1:30/3:30 p.m. — Homecoming bas ketball games at Christenberry Field house

February 24

• 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. — CSRA K-12

Job Fair in JSAC Ballroom

• 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. — American Music Concert at the Maxwell Theatre

February 26

• Noon to 10 p.m. — The Cinema Se ries at Augusta University at the Max well Theatre

Editor’s note: Optimism

By Rakiyah Lenon Co-editor in chief

In fourth grade, I had the opportunity to read the novel Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter as part of my literature studies. In all wholeheartedness, seeing someone remain positive through her struggles makes for a great story.

However, today Pollyanna is often used to describe someone who is “blindly optimistic” as somewhat of an insult. The term “toxic positivity” has also grown in its mention in recent times. These words can appear like an odd match. Why is this so?

It is true that we must face reality. We cannot be blind to the issues that surround us. In fact, choosing to ignore the problems and struggles we face can lead to them spiraling out of control. However, mindset is something that has more power than we often realize.

I do not think that all people who sincerely choose to look at situations in an optimistic sense are trying to do harm. Trying to be positive often feels better than dwelling in pessimism.

Has negatively dwelling on a matter made us feel any better? I’m not speaking of grief. That’s another thing. I’m speaking of the choice to only see the nega tive. That answer could be different for everyone.

Throughout my life, I have always been encouraged to think positively. To look on the bright side of things. I believe that. I feel better choosing to be optimistic.

So I say this: acknowledge the reality. Is there some thing we can do to solve what we are going through?

If there is, we can work on it. Maintaining a positive outlook could even help us along the way. If not, we can let it go and look at it in another sense.

That’s the power of optimism. It lets us know we can move forward, even though things in life seem as if they hold us back. We can see things another way.

Editors in Chief

Carlos Rodriguez carrodriguez@augusta.edu

Rakiyah Lenon rlenon@augusta.edu

Features Editor

Janell Williams jwilliams30@augusta.edu

Sports Editor

Chris Rickerson crickerson@augusta.edu

Social Media Editor

Codi Kimball ckimball@augusta.edu

NEWSPAPER STAFF:

Bell Ringer Staff

Preston Hall prhall@augusta.edu Shelbie Summerlin ssummerlin@augusta.edu

Katron Hugee khugee@augusta.edu

Iana Crane icrane@augusta.edu

Mikaela Graf mgraf@augusta.edu

Aenea Clark aeclark@augusta.edu

Camille Beach cabeach@augusta.edu

EDITORIAL POLICY

Macy Neal macneal@augusta.edu

Advisor

Rachel Balducci rbalducci@augusta.edu

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The Bell Ringer JSAC Building, Room 237 2500 Walton Way Augusta, Ga 30904 Website: www.aubellringer.com

Letters to the editor must be accompanied by the author’s name, phone number and email address. All columns and letters to the editor are the opinion of the author. The views expressed in the Editorial section do not necessarily express those of The Bell Ringer, a designated public forum.

Anything submitted to The Bell Ringer is open to be edited or rejected. How ever, The Bell Ringer staff gives all opinions a fair chance to be heard. All letters will be edited for grammar and style. If you would like to contribute a column or a letter to the editor, send an email to: carrodriguez@augusta.edu or rlenon@ augusta.edu.

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Carlos Rodriguez, Co-editor in chief

Rakiyah Lenon, Co-editor in chief

Chris Rickerson, Sports editor

Codi Kimball, Social media editor

Rachel Balducci, Advisor

The job search after graduation

Activities for mental health

By Iana Crane Staff writer

By Brionna Law Contributor

Finding a job after college is one of the many hur dles a student must face in the near future. How ever, Julie Goley, director of Augusta University’s Career Services, gave some insight into how students can get a head start.

“What they should do is start working on their network while they’re in school, and getting as much experience as possible, even through an internship or volun teer work; and utilizing LinkedIn and the net working platform,” she said.

Mitchell Smith from the university’s Alumni Relations department agreed with this advice and said another part of the process is networking.

“Meeting people in professions that you’re interested in learning more about,” said Smith.

“Continuing to keep connections, continuing to meet people, and just continuing to grow and build your network while you’re in school will only make you better off when you’re eventually applying for full-time jobs.”

There is one major thing

Goley added that stu dents should avoid do ing: not doing anything at all.

“Everyone always thinks it’s gonna be easier than it really is, and even, you know, in an economy like our current one, you could probably get a job; but is it really gonna be the type of job that you want?” she said.

In terms of what re sources Augusta Univer sity has to offer its stu dents, Goley also had the answer.

“We’ve got career con sultants or career advi sors, as we would call them, in our office that are aligned by academ ic programs,” she said.

“So, you’re working with someone who’s very knowledgeable about your major, they’re knowledgeable about em ployers and opportunities in those areas, and they’re knowledgeable about how to help you navigate a job search in various fields tied to that.”

Smith also highlighted Career Services as having great access to the help students need.

“They’ve got great resources when it comes to . . . helping you de

termine the direction of your major, helping find that direction you want to follow for your career,” he said.

Goley said that AU has introduced an addtional, new resource this year.

“So, something that we have new this year is a product called Hiration,” she said, “it can help stu dents build resumes, but the thing I like, perhaps, most about it is if you got an existing resume and, let’s say, you find a job on a company website that you want to apply to. You can copy and paste that job, put it into Hiration with your resume, and it’ll do this cross-analysis to see what key words [you are] missing, what content do you need to beef up,” she said.

With the many resourc es available at AU stu dents have a number of ways they can find their future careers.

“School is tough,” said Goley, “. . .but the more you’re not only getting yourself out there, but you’re also building your own skills . . . I think the more successful you’ll be when it comes to finding that full-time profession.”

Mental health awareness is at an all-time high among college students. According to the National Institute of Health, 82% of college students suffer from anxiety disorders, 63% suffer from depression and another 62% have trouble concentrating. There are several ways and activities students can do to help reduce their stress and levels of anxiety.

Boxing has become a popular sport and workout regimen that helps relieve stress while also engaging in a healthy workout which also helps with overall health wellness. Boxing can help re lease anger, stress, and high levels of anxiety.

“Boxing helps me clear my mind after a long day. When I’m done, I feel relieved and lighter,” said Damen Hoover, who attends Marci’s Boxing Club located in Grovetown.

Hoover attends the boxing club four days a week and has been boxing as both a sport and hobby for almost a year now.

“It was tough at first be cause it was something new, I had to learn but once I stuck with it, it started get ting easier and now I love it,” he said.

Yoga and meditation are also well-known stress reliev ers that can be done almost anywhere. Meditation is the practice of learning how to quiet the mind and relax the body by creating a calmness from within. Yoga is the side that focuses on the body. It is different stretches and poses that help relax the body.

Sol Himalayan Salt Cave & Spa located in Evans has sev eral classes and events that

all focus around yoga and meditation. People practice yoga for different reasons and for Lisa Greer, she cred its meditation as to why she can cope with stress much better now.

“I used to always overthink things a lot and it would keep my mind going con stantly, sometimes to the point where I couldn’t sleep.

Mediation has changed my life. Now I am able to bring peace to my mind and con trol my thoughts better,” she said.

Another way to help reduce stress and lessen anxiety is rock climbing. Rock climb ing helps with confidence, trust levels and even im proves blood circulation. You can experience indoor rock climbing at Active Climbing Augusta located in Grovetown. They offer classes and open gym hours where you can walk in and learn how to rock climb.

Maci Lindell said her expe rience as a first-time climber was enjoyable.

“I’ve seen people rock climb and that was about it, but someone invited me to come try it, which I didn’t know we had an indoor one, but it was actually really fun. You kind of get addicted to just pushing yourself and getting better,” said Lindell.

Since finding an activity is not always for everyone, many choose to seek thera py as a way to talk through stress.

If you need help but don’t know where to start, you can visit the student counseling center at AU or you can call 706-737-1471 for more information on how to get the help you need.

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Career Services director Julie Goley guides students who are on the hunt for jobs. (photo by Brionna Law)

New exhibition in the Mary S. Byrd Gallery

By Aenea Clark Staff writer

Exhibiting artists Dayna Thacker and Steven L. Anderson explore nature and life’s interconnections through their artwork at the Story Lines exhibition in Mary S. Byrd Gallery. The exhibit opened Jan. 13 and will last through Feb. 18. Thacker said that her pieces explore the journey of birth to death or be yond and our connection to those around us and the environment.

“Each piece was telling a story, and they were all connected by one vase, but the stories were happening simultaneously in a similar way to how we’re all living in lives simultaneously right next to each other,” said Thacker. “We don’t realize how much we’re impacting each other and how much the environment affects us all.”

Thacker focused on the connection between nature and humanity through the use of ephemeral materials in her artwork to represent the changes we experience as we go through life.

“I feel like in many ways it matches the subject mat

ter that I tend to explore, which is often a contempla tive approach to life and the changes that we all under go, and that’s exactly what happens with,” she said.

“There’s a big component of ecology and the balance of the natural environment and the balance that we need to work on keep ing.”

Thacker hopes that peo plehave curiosity about the world and universe and be conscious of the changes in

A new chapter

By Janell Williams Features editor

Starting fresh. New begin nings. These are things that we tell ourselves to strive for when the new year comes around.

Well, if you’re anything like me, you went through a break-up this holiday sea son and starting new was no longer a choice.

Rather than spending my break wallowing in my sadness and giving in to my anxieties, I decided to take this time to connect with myself more and really figure out who I am.

I started meditating and working out more. I have also been working on set ting personal boundaries for myself to apply in future relationships.

Most people may think that going through a heart break, especially around the holidays, can be rock bot tom for them, but it does not have to be the end.

Instead, think of the expe rience as a beginning. This can be a time to reflect on and fall in love with oneself.

Here are a few steps that can help when it comes to dealing with a broken heart:

1. Find one thing to be grateful for each day and use this as a reason to get out of bed and keep going.

2. Find a hobby and carve out time each week for it.

3. Start a journal to list things you love about your self, collect your thoughts, write out feelings, etc.

4. Take yourself on a date.

5. Talk to someone-a friend, family member, or therapist.

Over the past few weeks, these tips have helped me get through my break-up and rebuild my confidence.

Taking these steps to wards yourself can make a huge difference in the long run with future relation ships, both platonic and romantic.

the world around us.

Anderson shared Half 483 Years, one of his Tree Rings artworks that concentrates on meditations on growth and time. The title of the art piece Half 483 Years rep resents the 483 tree rings of half of a tree in various colors, shapes, and sizes.

Anderson draws circles with markers, pens, and other media that closely follow the circle before it, expanding the rings. An derson wanted a piece that

would allow him to make fewer choices and a piece that would never go still and would continue to grow over time metaphorically.

“I wanted a process where I didn’t have a composition like a landscape or some thing still life,” said An derson. “So, in a way, I was just sort of like building a drawing, and the only thing I had to think about was what color is the next line going to be, and how thick the line was going to be.”

Half 483 Years is a rela tively large piece of artwork measuring 8ft x 8ft and coversmost of the right wall in the Mary S. Byrd Gal lery. Anderson explained how physically involved he became with his piece.

“The thing is super heavy even though it’s thin,” he said. “We [his art assistant] had a tabletop about 16 feet long. Towards the end of the piece, it would take a whole day to do a few lines because it would take about 25 minutes just to turn the paper on the table as I would wrestle with it.”

Anderson’s inspiration for Half 483 Years comes from the redwood trees he would see when he visited the west coast.

“I’ve always wanted to make a work really big like this,” said Anderson. “I’m really glad that I had the opportunity for the show to delve into that,” said Ander son.

More pieces by Dayna Thacker Steven L. Ander son can be found on their websites at www.daynathacker.com and www.stevenlanderson.com.

Valentine’s Day Activities

Couples:

• Spa Date: Grab some sugar scrubs, essential oils, and hot tow els to cater to one another.

• Cook-off: Grab some fresh ingredients, pick a dish, and see who can throw down the best.

• Drive-in movie: Grab some movie snacks and head to the near est drive-in (Monetta Drive-in theater).

Galentine’s Day:

• Sip n’ Paint: Pop out and grab some canvases, paint, and brushes for a night of fun. Don’t forget the wine!

• Candle Making: Head over to your nearest craft store and pick out the essentials to create your own scented candles.

• DIY Brunch: Pick up or whip up whatever brunch faves you all love, crank the tunes, and enjoy a brunch day with the girls. Don’t forget the mimosas!

For the Bros:

• Going out for sports: Bowling, golfing, playing basketball.

• Go to a brewery: Kick back and sample a few brewskies with the bros.

• Go outdoors: Go to a lake or the riverwalk with the bros and enjoy each other’s company.

Steven L. Anderson speaks to those who attended the gallery to view the artwork on display. (photo by Aenea Clark)

Opinions

Preston Eats: Who has the best salad?

By Preston Hall Staff writer

The new year is upon us, with that brings the trusty New Year’s resolutions and while many people set off to the gym, I will be looking for a salad.

Last year my job was sim ple, find the best milkshake, chicken sandwich and other local goodies. This year I wanted to start off by changing it up just a little. I wasn’t going to overdo it by going straight to the gym but instead ease myself into better eating habits and starting my healthier 2022 with the leafy greens.

Just like the rest of my travels, the goal is to stay in the Augusta, Ga., area while looking for these foods, hence the goal “best in Augusta.”

The first stop was to a favorite chicken joint, you may know it, Zaxby’s. There I ordered one of their titled Zalad’s, I got the Buffalo Chicken Zalad. On

it was the normal mixture of greens and other natural toppings, but was capped off with a cut chicken tossed in a zesty buffalo sauce. It was a great overall salad, made even better by the addition of blue cheese

Spider-Man: No Way Home is a marvel

By Janell Williams Features editor

Spider-Man: No Way Home. It is filled with riveting special effects and gripping emotion. My only grievance? There was no shirtless Tom Holland scene.

On a serious note, the film is a true work of art. This movie centers around the aftermath of the world finding out Spider-Man’s true identity; Peter Park er. As a result, he and Dr. Strange attempt a spell to undo this catastrophe.

However, in doing so, they unleash every villain, and some heroes, from the multiverse. The audience is taken on an epic journey with the two of them as they work to fix their cos mic boo-boo.

“I originally just came because my boyfriend wanted to see this show, but it was actually really good. I’d watch it again,” said one moviegoer.

Marvel dropped in some familiar faces with this

production, such as Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Willem Dafoe, and Jamie Foxx, just to name a few. This iconic cast, in addition to its more recent stars, make for a legendary tale with a rather hefty cliff hanger ending. Hopefully, another installment of the series is in the works.

“I’ve seen all of the movies. This one left me with some questions, but maybe I’ll get answers in the next one,” said a fellow moviegoer and Marvel connoisseur.

If you are contemplating going to see this movie, do it. However, if you have not seen any of the preceding films in the series, it may be beneficial to watch them, or at least watch Spider-Man: Far From Home,to under stand the full background of the film.

This movie will fill you with a mixture of emotions with its inclusion of excite ment, sadness and affirming words. Overall, this film was a real marvel indeed. See what I did there?

dressing. I would rate this a solid 8 out of 10. You can try this out for yourself if you visit any Zaxby’s loca tion.

The next place I visited was Jason’s Deli, located at 2907 Washington Road.

There you will find a few made to order salad options alongside a fully stocked salad bar. I did not venture to the salad bar this time, but I have in the past and it was a nice experience.

They have a well kept up buffet with multiple options to chose from. This time, however, I chose a menubased salad, the Chicken Club Salad. This salad contained grape tomatoes, sliced avocado, cheddar, asiago and bacon on mixed salad greens. This was a great salad that was finished off with the use of my trusty ranch dressing. This salad I would rate a 7.5 out of 10.

The last place I visited on this journey was Groucho’s Deli which can be found at 758 Broad Street. Normally when I visited this small restaurant, I go for the Apollo Dipper for it is made fantastically but that is not the mission on hand. This time I am there for a sal ad as you should know by

now. As I fought the urge to order the famous Apol lo sub, I kindly asked the person behind the counter for a Feta Cheese Salad with a vinaigrette-based dressing. Well, that was the best choice I made on this trip. The salad was made fresh, all the other ones had been, but this salad was bounds and leaps ahead of the others. The crisp lettuce and feta cheese made this salad an easy number one choice. I would rate the Feta Cheese Salad a 10 out of 10.

This was slightly different than things that have been done in the past but was I surprised at how much I enjoyed this, yes. I will now be implementing a better diet regimen that includes a bunch of greens and salads just like these but without the ranch and blue cheese options.

As always, stay hungry, Augusta.

Why read the classics?

By Camille Beach Staff writer

Books have been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mother used to read my bedtime stories and growing up I wanted to own my own bookstore. My favorite thing to do is sit down with a good book, and I feel that the “classics” are a big aspect of being an adamant reader.

Books such as: The Great Gatsby, Gone With the Wind, A Tale of Two Cities, and so on lead to a better understanding of the world we live in.

Professor Dylan Smeak of the English Department at Augusta University says reading the classics can teach us a lot.

“My favorite classic is The Great Gatsby. The classics teach us a lot about the world and ourselves,” he said.

From this point of view, we can see that when we read these books –and re late to them –we are learn ing to appreciate different viewpoints we may not have even known we had.

Smeak also noted that “we should add to the list [of classics.]” He said that the world has changed a lot since the time periods that most of these classical books were written in. If we, as readers, can seek out new “classics,” we can move more people to find them selves in the written word.

Many people have told me that they actually “hate words,” as their reason for not reading, and that can be a valid choice. Reading is not for everyone. I have been told that “writing is going out of style” and that “authors will become ob solete.” However, I believe that as long as there are people searching for a place

to belong, there will be writers.

Writers give the lonely and the broken a place to go. A home far away from the ones that they know; the homes that are less accepting. The written word itself has a power to enthrall readers and create worlds. As a writer, my goal has always been to create a place where everyone can go and find themselves or feel heard and understood. In these classic novels, the authors have found a way to take readers on a journey through a life we only dream of. The authors themselves have not nec essarily lived these lives themselves, but use the sto ries as an outlet for young readers to find themselves in.

That’s why reading books will live on, because a novel is only made by the people it reaches out to.

Food critic Preston Hall tries Zaxby’s signature Zalad. (photo by Preston Hall)

AU retires Allen’s jersey after a stellar career

By Chris Rickerson Sports editor

Augusta University volley ball star Chloe Allen was honored with the retiring of her jersey on Wednesday, Jan. 26, at Christenberry Fieldhouse during halftime of the men’s basketball game.

“This feeling is out of this world,” said Allen. “I was completely surprised by this announcement. I thought I was just attending a basketball game to re ceive a ring from a previous season Little did I know this would happen! It was amazing. I am truly still in shock. It feels like a dream, and I still can’t believe it.”

Allen is 4-time Peach Belt All-Conference player and has led the Jaguars to fourstraight PBC titles in her five-year tenure at AU.

This past 2021 season, Al len was named PBC Player of the Year and helped the Jaguars to the NCAA Division II Volleyball Elite Eight for the first time in school history. The Jags lost a hard fought battle to eventually 2021 Division II Champions, Tampa Univer sity.

Even though she and the Jaguars came up short of capturing a national title, Allen says she doesn’t have

any regrets and is proud of her accomplishments at AU.

“I regret not one thing,” she said. “The knowledge I’ve gained through experi ences, whether positive or negative, over the past five years here will stick with me forever. As I close the door to this chapter in my life, I am beyond honored to have left my mark here at AU.”

As her story is coming to an end here at AU, Allen spoke on what the school and her teammates has meant to her.

“This school has provided me the resources to play the sport I love, and I am very grateful for that,” she said. “My team, my family over the past five years have meant everything to me.

Whether it was women I only played with for a sea son or those I played with all five years here, I could not have done anything without them and they mean the world to me. All I can say glory be to God for this talent he has given me to receive such an accom plishment.”

Allen is the second volley ball player in school history to have her jersey retired and tenth athlete overall.

Women’s basketball bounce back in win column against USC Aiken

By Katron Hugee Sports writer

Augusta University wom en’s basketball defeated the USC Aiken Pacers 71-64 on Wednesday, Jan. 26, at Christenberry Fieldhouse.

This win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Jaguars dating back to a first loss on Jan. 12 to Lander University.

AU Coach Millette Green talked about how it felt for the team to get back on the winning track.

“We were talking about the growing pains and the breakthroughs, so it was good timing to be back home against a rival and pick up that victory,”

Green said.

The game started highly contested as the Jaguars (10-7, 3-5) and

the Pacers (7-10, 3-6,) traded baskets that led to a 12-12 tie. Then the Jaguars scored back to back layups taking a 1612 lead to end the first quarter.

The Jaguars started the second quarter with a corner 3-pointer from November Morton, push ing their run and lead to seven. A 9-2 run by USC Aiken tied the game at 21-21.

The Jags closed the half on a 12-5 run to go up 33-26.

This run was aided by Morton who hit two of her three second quar ter 3-pointers during the run, giving her nine points at the half.

The third quarter started with the Pacers cutting AU’s lead down to four before the Jags

pushed the lead back up to nine with a Zairya West three, forcing a USC Aiken timeout.

The Pacers came out of the timeout energized and proceeded to go on a 9-0 run, tying the game at 38, forcing an AU tim eout. The Jaguars would then come out and go on a quick 5-0 run them selves aided by another Morton three making the score 43-38.

USC Aiken would cut the lead down to 43-42 with a minute remaining in the third quarter. A foul would be called on the Jags’ Kennedi Man ning, followed by a tech nical foul on Manning for bouncing the ball. This would give the Pacers four-straight free throws which they would make them all giving

them an 8-0 run and a 46-43 lead to end the third quarter.

Green talked about how the team was able to stay composed after losing the lead.

“We wanted it so bad,” Green said. “The game of basketball is the game of runs, so our response was to turn up the de fense and control what we could control and we locked in and made some big plays defensively and offensively.

The Pacers started the fourth quarter pushing their run to 10-0 as their lead grew to five. AU would respond with a 8-1 run. A pair of Morton and West 3-pointers gave AU a 57-51 lead with 3:45 remaining in the game.

The Pacers fought back

but the late game exe cution and free throw shooting from the Jag uars would help them hold on to the lead and win 71-64.

“We learned from some past losses that came down to free throws and turnovers when we were in the same situation in the fourth quarter and we got better and I was proud of them,” Green said.

Morton led the team in points with 17, fol lowed by Kiera Howard and Manning, who both had 16. Howard also led the team in assists with six and Manning led the team in rebounds with seven.

Check aubellringer.com for the current update on AU women’s basketball season.

Chloe Allen gets her jersey retired during halftime of the men’s basketball game. (photo by AU Athletics)

AU baseball and softball teams win season opener

By Chris Rickerson Sports editor

Augusta University baseball and softball started their seasons off with wins on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at Jaguar Field.

This marked AU’s baseball team’s first opening-day win since 2015.

“It’s huge,” said AU Coach Chris Howell. “I thought the guys were ready to play. Quality start by Chase Horton. You can’t beat opening day and you can’t beat getting the dub on the first one.”

Lukas Coker led the Jaguars, going 4-5 with two RBIs. Harrison Aulds finished second hits for AU, going 3-4 with two RBIs.

Trevor Maddox led the Jaguars with three RBIs off one hit and Skylor Murphy led with three runs.

“Murphy and Coker swung it well, with beating a couple balls out, and I thought the bottom part of the order swung it really well today,” said Howell.

Morton got the win for the Jaguars, finishing with three strikeouts and only giving up four hits on five innings pitched.

“It feels great to get the first one off the bat, first win and no pressure going into the weekend, but I look forward to playing Newber ry on the weekend for sure,” said Horton.

AU softball swept Coker in a doubleheader by scores of 6-1 and 8-6.

This opening-day sweep marks the first time Jaguars

softball swept their opening day opponent in a double header since 2014.

“You always want to start the season strong,” said AU Coach Melissa Brocato.

“I think for this team to having been so close in so many games last year, that this was really important for us to get these two wins to start the season.”

Mary Tilman started on the mound in Game One for the Jaguars, as Isabelle Mullen began the afternoon for the Cobras.

Tilman finished with 12 strikeouts, only giving up three hits and a run on the win. Olivia Biles led the

Jaguars with three hits and one RBI. Emma Seagrave and Jakayla Sullivan led AU with two RBIs each.

“I thought she did great, she definitely kept them off balanced and didn’t get rattled when they did get people on,” said Brocato.

AU freshman starting pitcher Maggie McBrayer started on the mound in Game Two against Coker freshman Callie Thornton.

McBrayer finished with eight strikeouts, giving up seven hits and six runs through five innings. Biles led the Jaguars, going 3-for4 with four RBIs.

AU softball will now head

on the road to face Wingate on Friday, Feb. 4, in a dou ble header. The first game will be at noon, followed by the next game at 3 p.m. They will also play Saturday on the road against Cataw ba College in a doublehead er at noon and at 2 p.m.

“Will keep doing what were doing,” said Brocato. “Mary and Maggie will be our go-tos, pitching wise, and we got others to come in if needed, but there are starters. Hitting wise, we will probably see a similar lineup, but we got a few things to work on and we also have a few things on defense to work on, just to

get more comfortable.”

AU baseball will head on the road to face Newberry in a three-game series. The first game will be Friday, Feb. 4, at 6 p.m. Saturday will be a doubleheader with a game 1 p.m. and another at 4 p.m.

“We just have to take care of it and continue to play defense and it starts with pitching and with our makeup, give our offense a chance to score runs and I think we can do that,” said Howell. “We just got to keep pounding and keep playing defense and pitch ing.”

AU men’s and women’s track spring preview

By Chris Rickerson Sports editor

Coming off another men’s cross-country Peach Belt Conference title, AU Coach Adam Ward and the men’s and women’s track and field teams begin their season at Savannah State University for their first meet on Satur day, Feb. 26.

While some AU athletes are on both the cross-coun try and track and field teams, between all the events and different dis tances in running, there is a lot of differences in the sports. Ward spoke about the adjustment as a coach and an athlete between the

two sports.

“It’s not a terrible diffi cult adjustment, but what you do have is a shift from where the general group for each gender is working on a specific race distance or race, whereas in track it splits up because you have the 800-meter, the 1500-meter, the steeple chase, the 5 and 10k,” said Ward. “The training focus has to change for those individuals because while there is a lot of similarities, you can’t train exactly like you did in cross-country.”

Last season, the men’s track and field team fin ished the year with a fourth-place finish at the

PBC Championship. The women finished sixth at the PBC Championship.

“We got a tremendous group,” said Ward. “I am looking forward to seeing how well across all events they’re going to perform this spring,” said Ward.

Ward also spoke on some goals and expectations for both teams to start the season.

“We want everyone to stay healthy and have fun and enjoy what we’re doing, but the other aspect is, are we doing something every day to improve? That doesn’t necessarily mean at prac tice. What are you doing outside of practice to stay

healthy? Are we sleeping well? Are we taking care of our academics? Are we taking our nutrition and hydration with a measure of discipline to be a college student athlete and perform at a high level,” said Ward.

“We want all of the athletic accolades to happen, but first and foremost we have to take of those other things first.”

The team has a total of five regular season meets before the PBC Championships.

This year’s PBC Champi onship will be hosted once again by Embry Riddle Uni versity in Daytona Beach, Fla., on April 22-23.

After conference some

athletes will compete at the Last Chance Invitational hosted by Lee University as a last chance to qualify for the DII National Champi onships.

The National Champion ships will be on May 27-29 in Allendale, Mich. AU is hoping to have individual qualifiers for the first time since 2013.

“I think we got some folks that if were in the right races and we got the right competition and if we do all the other things I talked about, then we should have an opportunity to get there, but a lot of things have to line up and fall in to place,” said Ward.

Sophomore Darius Dunn closes the game for Jaguars. (photo by Chris Rickerson)

No. 24 Augusta men roll past Peach Belt rival USC Aiken

By Carlos Rodriguez Co-editor in chief

Once again, the Augusta University men’s basketball team displayed a strong defensive outing at home as the Jaguars defeated rival USC Aiken 73-52 on Wednesday night, Jan. 26, at Christenberry Field house.

The 24th-ranked Jaguars (5-3, 15-3) outscored the Pacers (6-2, 12-6) in both halves and held them to 28.2-percent shooting from the field.

The Augusta-Aiken rivalry always brings out crowds rooting for both sides in hopes of bragging rights with both teams being in close proximity. The Pacers had their own student section appear to the game that went back and forth with the Augusta crowd.

AU’s Troy Cracknell has been apart of the rivalry for the past five years and spoke about the meaning of their matchups.

“Whenever we play Aiken it’s always an exciting game, especially when both teams are good,” said Cracknell. “It felt great to get the win especially since they’re our rival and they were tied for first in the conference.”

Ja’Queze Kirby led the

team with 16 loud points filled with several highlight dunks to go along with six rebounds and three blocks.

Cracknell had 13 points and seven rebounds.

Tyshaun Crawford flirt ed with a triple-double, scoring 12 points, grabbing 10 boards and swatting six shots. Crawford is second in the PBC in total blocks and sixth in the nation.

“There’s a lot of positives to him (Crawford),” said AU Coach Dip Metress. “He’s engaged defensively. You’ve got to shoot over the top of him and it’s hard to do.”

Tehree Horn, the reigning PBC player of the week, led Aiken with 17 points.

The first half started with a pair of layups by Aiken’s Jalen McCoy. McCoy gave the Pacers a 9-2 lead after knocking down a jumper with 17:03 remaining.

“They were good early and we were bad early,” said Metress. “Some of the things we did offensively led to stuff down there for them.”

AU took their first lead of the game after a 3-pointer by David Viti to go up 1917. The Jags never looked back after taking the lead as Viti’s bucket propelled them to a 14-0 run.

Cracknell gave Augusta a double-digit lead after knocking down a 3-pointer to go up 27-17 with 8:41 remaining.

At the 7:43 mark Kirby was sent to the free throw line. He knocked down the first one but missed the second one and grabbed his own rebound to go back up for two points and give the Jags a 30-17 lead.

The Pacers then went on a 9-0 run, which was started and ended by David Strother who made a jumper then knocked down two free throws at the end of the run to cut the lead to 30-26 with 2:22 remaining.

Before the half ended, Timmy Sellers and Kirby combined for a beautiful sequence. Kirby went up for a layup which came off the glass and Sellers picked it up and slammed it down. Horn sprinted down the court and made his way to the rim, only to be met by the high-flying Kirby who swatted his shot into the Augusta bench.

“It was a great sequence,” said Metress. “I told Kirby to just drive it and he drove it trying to look for a foul and Timmy made a great play which led to another great defensive play and

that was an important sequence to close out the half because they had cut that lead.”

At the half AU led 35-26. The Jags held USC Aiken to only one 3-point make on 8.3-percent.

In the second half the Jag uars picked up right where they left off increasing their lead early on. At the 17:48 mark after crossing half court, Tyree Myers threw an alley-oop pass to Kirby who slammed it home.

“I usually can see when Tyree is throwing it, I had no idea he was throwing that to Kirby,” said Metress. “It was a hell of a pass.”

Horn cut AU’s lead to 5141 after making a fastbreak layup with 10:17 left.

Ten was as little as the Jaguars lead would get as they kept building on from that. Their biggest lead of the game was a 23-point lead after Darren Lucas-White threw a lob to Kirby, who again slammed it home to go up 70-47 with 3:39 remaining.

Augusta closed out the game and sent the Pacers back down I-20 with a 73-52 loss. The Jags shot 51.9-percent from the field.

Prior to this game, the Jags suffered a 79-66 road loss to Flagler on Jan. 21.

Flagler is the top team in the conference with only one loss through PBC play. Despite the double-digit loss, Metress was pleased with his team’s effort.

“I called a timeout down there with 30 seconds to go and I got our team togeth er and said, ‘Listen we’re in good shape,’” said Metress. “In order to win the league, you got to win your home games and get five on the road and we’ve got zero on the road right now, but we’ve got six opportunities coming up here.”

Metress spoke about the goal moving forward.

“We want to win a regu lar-season title,” Metress said. “That’s our goal. Of our three road loses in the league we did not play well in two of them. Flagler we played hard enough we just didn’t have enough guys that game but if we play with the effort we did at Flagler, we’re going to win at a lot of places if we have our whole team.”

After this game, the Jags picked up wins over Clay ton State and North Geor gia to move into third in the PBC standings. Check aubellringer.com for the current update on AU men’s basketball season.

Ja’Queze Kirby goes up, for a layup over USC Aiken’s Latreavin Black. (photo by Carlos Rodriguez)