The Weekly Ringer

The University of Mary Washington’s Independent Student Newspaper Serving the community since 1922

The

Weekly

Ringer

VOLUME 99 | ISSUE 6

October 24, 2025

Ball Circle transforms into rocking Fall Fest concert venue Students gather around to see Sh1nob1 perform during the Fall Fest line up on Oct. 17.

|2 INSIDE News Canvas

THE

RINGER

shutdown causes class disruption

Opinion | 3 The English major is underrated at UMW

Violet Ayers / The Weekly Ringer

Life | 4

Personal Essay: Building faith at first UMW Worship Night

Sports | 8

Women’s soccer soars through senior night with a grand win

News

Friday, October 24, 2025

The

Page 2

Weekly Ringer Canvas shutdown causes class disruption Editorial Staff Editor-in-Chief Callie Harkins weeklyringer.eic@gmail.com

EMMA KINGKEO Associate Editor

On Monday morning, students and professors were unable to access Canvas after a widespread Amazon Web Services outage caused the platform to go completely offline.

Executive Editor As the central learning management system for course materials and assignment submission at UMW, Canvas is integral in mainKy Huynh taining class schedules and activities, as well as accessing texts weeklyringer.executive@gmail.com needed for studying and contacting professors. With its services down, students were unable to study effectively or complete essenAssociate Editors tial coursework.

Emma Kingkeo “I’m thankful that my professors have been accommodating and Grace Wagner have moved due dates and stuff back—actually, some of them have Thomas Jackson sent me assignments, or the week schedule, so I can still access weeklyringer.associate@gmail.com them,” said Sierra McKinley, a junior creative writing major. “But not everybody does that.”

News Editor Associate Professor of Communication and Digital Studies ElizMeaghan Van Dyke abeth Johnson-Young was one professor who did so, after being contacted by students requesting assignment descriptions and othweeklyringer.news@gmail.com er materials to be sent directly to them.

Opinion Editor Ella Cordle weeklyringer.opinion@gmail.com Life Editor Chloe McCann weeklyringer.life@gmail.com Sports Editor Enya Cea-Lavin weeklyringer.sports@gmail.com Online Editor Sophia Tompkins weeklyringer.online@gmail.com Photography Editors Anna Goodman Violet Ayers weeklyringer.photos@gmail.com Copy Editor Kyra Donlon weeklyringer.copy@gmail.com Faculty Advisor Sushma Subramanian ssubrama@umw.edu

“I got a few emails that I needed to send some assignments to them because it was in Canvas. But thankfully, that was manageable.”

- Elizabeth Johnson-Young “I got a few [emails] that I needed to send some assignments to them because it was in Canvas. But thankfully, that was manageable,” she said.

However, many documents are only downloaded on Canvas for students and professors alike. With midterm season continuing this week, Johnson-Young was unable to access the study guide she had prepared beforehand for her class.

“So that is a lesson I’ve learned to not do again, so that I have access to it outside of Canvas,” said Johnson-Young.

A service advisory from Chief Information Officer Jonathan Piersol was sent out via Outlook at 10:34 a.m., notifying the UMW community that the Information Technology Division was aware of the issue and monitoring it to the best of their ability.

“Our IT team is actively monitoring the situation and coordinating with vendors to assess and mitigate any impact on campus services,” said the email. “While the issue originates outside of UMW systems, we will continue to provide updates as more information

becomes available from AWS.” Instructure, the company in charge of developing Canvas, released status updates throughout the day and indicated that Canvas was accessible to most users at 7:16 p.m., and confirmed full accessibility for all users by 7:45 p.m.

“For me this afternoon, I was going to work for three hours, and I couldn’t work.

And so now the rest of my week, when it’s busy, I’m having to find time to put everything together.”

- Sierra McKinley Many professors changed to last-minute plans for the day, and many students were forced to rearrange their study schedules.

“I feel like it stresses everybody out because people put in time blocks each day to do their work,” said McKinley. “Like, for me this afternoon, I was going to work for three hours, and I couldn’t work.

And so now the rest of my week, when it’s busy, I’m having to find time to put everything together.”

Some students, like junior anthropology major Emma Greer, weren’t affected as much due to the structure her classes follow.

“We definitely follow syllabi that are posted on canvas and everything, but most of my classes are discussion based, and it’s done through readings that we have physically printed, like books and things and so it’s really not something that’s super reliant on Canvas,” she said.

However, for students that rely on Canvas for the majority of classes, the outage proved to be disruptive, emphasizing how dependent UMW and other schools have become on the platform for academic instruction.

“I mean, it’s been a lot. I’ve had Canvas shut down before, but it’s been a couple hours and it’s not every single school.

It’s just very unfortunate, but I know everyone’s going through it.”

- Sierra McKinley “I mean, it’s been a lot. I’ve had Canvas shut down before, but it’s been a couple hours and it’s not every single school,” said McKinley.

“It’s just very unfortunate, but I know everybody’s going through it.”

Corrections

Please report any corrections to Callie Harkins at weeklyringer.eic@gmail.com or Sushma Subramanian at ssubrama@umw.edu

Advertisement Please direct all advertising inquiries to Callie Harkins at weeklyringer.eic@gmail.com.

Bell tower logo designed by Bernadette D’Auria ‘22

UMW students received an error message after trying to log into Canvas on Monday, Oct. 20. After 7:16 p.m. on Monday, Canvas was confirmed to be available for most students. By 7:45 p.m., all students were confirmed to be able to access Canvas.

Emma Kingkeo / The Weekly Ringer

Friday, October 24, 2025

Opinion

Page 3

The English major is underappreciated at UMW

DINAH MCKEMIE Staff Writer

The English major is consistently undervalued, depicted as a useless degree that doesn’t teach any applicable skills and it’s been plummeting in popularity lately. It deserves a better reputation. Far from being useless, it teaches students a wide range of valuable communicative and analytical skills. The English major dying out is a huge loss.

A 2023 New Yorker article found that numerous universities, from Arizona State to Harvard, had all-time low enrollments in English and other humanities majors. Students across the country are turning to STEM and business degrees instead.

But what about UMW? Maybe a school so invested in the liberal arts, so committed to giving students a well-rounded education, would be able to keep its numbers up for the English major.

Maybe not.

UMW’s class of 2019 had 1,234 graduates. According to Academic Information on UMW’s website, 93 of them were English majors, 7.5% of the entire graduating class.

In 2024, UMW had 973 graduates. Only 42 of them were English majors, 4.3% of the graduating class. That’s about a 43% decrease in popularity in just five years.

These numbers are pretty alarming when you consider what is lost as the English major dies. Engaging in critical thinking is a big part of the major. You can’t take everything you read at face value; you have to analyze it, evaluate what you see and make your best judgment. In a world where misinformation can rapidly spread on social media and AI-generated content falsifies images and videos, this skill is all the more important.

“I have heard that the English major has been categorized as useless,” said Lia Fowler, a senior majoring in English literature.

She continued, “I disagree. I don’t think the English major is useless. I think it’s very strategic in a lot of the

The English Department features literature and creative writing concentrations.

Violet Ayers / The Weekly Ringer

Although the English major is declining in popularity, many students find it valuable and widely applicable.

“The English major is not the pointless study of old books. The collaborative and creative thinking skills students learn apply to fields like law, marketing and office management.”

- Dinah McKemie ways that people might not think about, in how we analyze certain texts and different ways of communicating and in how other disciplines aren’t taught. And these are skills that we need.”

Writing, speaking and reading comprehension are skills that are needed in every job and every subject.

“The English major sets you up and gives you a lot of skills that are applicable to different workforces and disciplines,” Fowler said.

English majors also hone their analytical and creative writing skills. It doesn’t matter how sophisticated AI-generated writing becomes; being able to write a satisfactory essay yourself is an important skill. A recent study conducted by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wellesley College and the Massachusetts College of Art and Design found that students who used ChatGPT to write their essays had less brain activity while writing than students who wrote without AI. Additionally, the students who wrote using ChatGPT were less likely to remember what they had written. Writing an essay yourself makes you engage meaningfully with the topic. It makes the paper your own, uniquely human and something to be proud of. With the English major decreasing in popularity comes the decrease of great potential writers and more and more students who can’t write papers to save their lives.

The English major also demands collaboration and clear communication in the classroom. Classes are discussion-based, and students contribute their own ideas and build off of others’ as a major part of class. This develops students’ communication skills as they have to articulate their ideas clearly as well as analyze and respond to what their classmates say. Classes end up being majorly student-led, a collaborative experience that facilitates meaningful conversations. These collaboration and communi-

Violet Ayers / The Weekly Ringer

cation skills are valued not only in the classroom, but also with employers.

But misconceptions about employment may be one of the main reasons the English major has become so unpopular. I frequently get the same reaction whenever I share my major with someone: “You’re an English major? What on earth are you going to do with that?”

Consensus seems to be that you’re either going to be an English teacher or unemployed.

“I’ve got a lot of ‘what are you gonna do with that?’” said Sierra McKinley, a junior English major with a concentration in creative writing, “and the thing is, for me, I’ve just actually gotten a social media internship, because the creative writing degree is good for social media management.”

She continued, “I think people overlook English. I don’t think they realize what it is and how there are different options for English.”

“The English major sets you up and gives you a lot of skills that are applicable to different workforces and disciplines.”

- Lia Fowler The English major is not the pointless study of old books. The collaborative and creative thinking skills students learn apply to fields like law, marketing and office management.

According to a 2024 study, the unemployment rate for English majors is 2.3%, not far above the national unemployment rate of all college graduates (2.17%). When compared to the unemployment rate of business management majors (4%) and computer science majors (6.1%), the “unemployed English major” stereotype really is undeserved.

But employment rates and opportunities aren’t the only things that give a major merit. At the end of the day, literature and writing are an art that deserves to be appreciated. Studying this major means studying an important part of culture. The English major needs to stop being undervalued.

Friday, October 24, 2025

Life

Page 4

Personal Essay: Building faith at first UMW Worship Night Arriving at UMW caused an unexpected shock. Being away from my family and not having a physical presence in church on Sundays—which, as many have experienced through virtual learning during Covid, is not the same as being in person—and unsuccessfully seeking out community during my first year was very discouraging.

When I started sharing my faith more openly at the beginning of sophomore year, offering rides to church now that I had a car, I found someone else who wanted community like me. And then another person. And another. It turned out there were a lot of people on campus who were missing their home faith communities and were looking for one at UMW.

A night full of song awaits students devoted to celebrating their beliefs.

Photo courtesy of Katie Craddock

In an array of candles, students find the warmth of a faith-based community.

Photo courtesy of Katie Craddock

KATIE CRADDOCK Staff Writer At twilight, the UMW amphitheater gleamed under candlelight as over 150 voices were raised in song. On Oct. 17, the combined dream of all the Christian clubs to unite across campus came alive at UMW’s first Worship Night.

As a freshman in Fall 2022, I found it difficult to find a Christian community. Without a car, I couldn’t drive myself to church and with Christian clubs mostly dormant at the time, it was hard to find a community on campus.

I grew up the daughter of one pastor and the granddaughter of another. With this upbringing, I’ve always been surrounded by a Christian community; not just through church, but also by participating in events multiple times a week, serving as a camp counselor for various Christian programs throughout the summers and seeking the guidance of family members.

For many students, community is the cornerstone to fostering the UMW experience.

Photo courtesy of Katie Craddock

During my time at UMW, now as a senior, I’ve seen the growth of the Christian community through the revival of UMW’s on-campus clubs. Attending the Worship Night, I was ecstatic to see how many people came. Rather than strangers, these were familiar faces. Surrounded by friends who shared my faith, I realized how much my community has grown since freshman year.

UMW’s Worship Night is the perfect space for students to unite over their relationships with religion.

Photo courtesy of Katie Craddock

Encounter, the Worship Night held on Oct. 17, was a collaborative event with on-campus Christian clubs like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Catholic Eagles or Catholic Campus Ministry, Cru, Chi Alpha and off-campus communities for UMW students like the Center and Spotswood College.

Between sets of songs, each community showcased its individual styles of service. Three testimonies were shared, one from the Catholic Campus Ministry, the Center and Spotswood College, each one offering a glimpse into how faith shapes their life. Although everyone was joined together for one reason—faith—the individuality of each community prevailed through their contributions to the night.

Tyler Cooper, college campus pastor of Spotswood College, closed out the night in prayer and with an encouraging word. Around the back of the amphitheater, candles were lit, each marking where a pair of leaders from the other Christian communities stood for those wanting prayer. I volunteered to be part of the prayer team and a handful of people came up to me and my partner as we stood next to flickering candles. In this moment, after worshiping, I was reminded once again that faith isn’t something we practice alone.

Throughout my time at UMW, I’ve seen these communities grow both through my own involvement and through the involvement of my friends. Friday night, I saw the culmination of the hard work and effort these communities have put into growing and connecting with UMW students. As I’ve become a part of these communities, I’ve seen how they have helped me grow closer to my friends and make new ones. I’ve found a support system at UMW that has carried me through hardship. Freshman year was the most difficult year for me because I lacked that support. While I’ve gone through harder trials since, they haven’t seemed as challenging because of the encouragement of those around me.

Encounter was especially powerful because it reminded me of the strength of connection. Reminding me and those around me that our support system is bigger than we thought if we step out in faith.

As the candles flickered silently in the night air while echoes of the last song still rang, I smiled as I realized exactly how much the Christian community at UMW has grown.

From watching online church alone in Willard Hall to singing in community with other UMW students, I’m so glad to be part of a community where Worship Nights on campus are not only a dream, but also a reality. So next year, rather than sit alone in freshman dorms, new students can join the chorus.

Friday, October 24, 2025

Life

Page 5

The artist behind UMW’s student art installations

Junior studio art and English double major, Nisa Estes, explained her experience with Martin and submitting to student art shows.

“I was really intimidated by the idea of submitting to a show,” Estes said. “But then just talking to MacK, like, ‘No, it’s not scary,’ and she walked me through the process.”

When asked how her curatorial role began, Martin said, “It happened really fast. I was having one of my regular mini breakdowns in one of my professor’s offices and they were like, ‘You need to channel this energy into something else’ and now we’re here.”

Currently, Martin and the students before her who have curated shows on campus have not received any academic credit or pay for their time and effort. Martin plans to change this for upcoming curator Estes, who is currently shadowing Martin and is set to assume her responsibilities next year.

Despite not being formally declared a curatorial intern, Martin is presently working as both an intern for UMW Galleries and a Program Assistant Intern for the Center for Career and Professional Development. Additionally, she is serving as a Gallery Monitor in duPont Gallery and Ridderhof Martin Gallery this semester.

When Martin isn’t knee-deep in the artwork of others, she is making her own. According to her website, she primarily creates found-object sculptures and large-format screen prints that incorporate religious motifs and unconventional materials.

The walls of For Five Coffee fill with vibrant student art.

Photo courtesy of Emma Greer

EMMA GREER Staff Writer From creating screen prints and sculptures to curating student art exhibitions, senior studio art major MacKenzie Martin’s college experience differs from that of the typical student.

Last semester, Martin had the opportunity to curate For Five Coffee’s “Unicorn’s Garden” exhibition, which displayed over 20 pieces of student-made art. This semester, Martin is working on her newest curatorial project: “Electric Cafe.”

Martin explained that “Electric Cafe” is a dual exhibition, including student art at For Five Coffee and community members’ art downtown at Ponshop Studio and Gallery.

“That’s what makes ‘Electric Cafe’ so special,” Martin said.

While previous student art exhibitions have been held at the campus coffee shops, both at For Five Coffee and its predecessor, Katora, this exhibition is the first time that student-run shows have ventured outside of UMW to involve the larger community of artists within the city of Fredericksburg.

“My main goal and mission is to help get student artists more comfortable, to help them submit and apply to shows and to kind of demystify that process,” said Martin.

“Helping students with that first experience has been so beyond rewarding.”

MacKenzie Martin encourages student art by showcasing their artistic talent through organized exhibitions.

Photo courtesy of Emma Greer

Check out these student art pieces located at For Five Coffee. Here students can sit, enjoy their coffee and marvel in the beautiful artworks in front of them.

Photo courtesy of Emma Greer

“Her work engages themes of religion, cars and grief, reflecting on how belief systems and cultural icons shape collective identity in the United States. By juxtaposing the sacred and the secular, MacKenzie creates works that both celebrate and question the narratives embedded in American culture,” reads the “About” section of Martin’s website.

Coorain Devin, assistant professor of photography and printmaking, praised Martin’s work inside the classroom.

“It’s really exciting when artists are able to imagine something and then make it like a real object,” he said. “It’s like transforming this idea in your head into a physical manifestation. It’s magic, in a way. And I’ve seen Mac do that over and over again.”

Martin went on to explain her latest artistic endeavors, which involve screen printing on yard signs and truck mud flaps to create engaging sculpture-like prints. According to Devin, Martin is playing with message delivery in their use of ambiguous phrases over political signs.

“I’m always experimenting with material rather than technique,” said Martin.

Devin attested to Martin’s ambitious spirit and hard-working attitude.

“She does a great job bringing her own art into the classroom and bringing her other life experience in and is ambitiously building the career she wants to have,” Devin said.

“MacK is very open and clear-eyed about the fact that they’re stepping into a difficult career. The arts are not always easy and so I see MacK thinking smartly, like ‘How can I get ahead?’ which, in this case, feels very positive.”

Friday, October 24, 2025

Crossword

Page 6

Created by Cole Rasmussen

ACROSS 1. A student run theater on campus 5. Auditorium 6. The Athletic Complex 9. Entrepreneurship 10. Every Tuesday night in the Underground

DOWN 2. UMW is a public ______ and sciences university 3. On the first floor of Lee Hall 4. When prospective students are shown around 5. Odd-year UMW graduates, in a tradition 7. Synonym for obligation

11. Circle on campus, site of traditions 14. Organization James Farmer initiated 16. Where announcements are made on campus 18. Your first introduction to Mary Wash 22. Historic hall, first academic building at UMW

23. The son of Mary 25. Science center at UMW 27. A close group 28. One of UMW’s satellite campuses 30. UMW’s athletic teams and mascot 31. Easily traversable

8. Even-year UMW graduates, in a tradition 12. Where the Campus bookstore is 13. National Day On _____ 14. On-campus coffee shop 15. Second ASPIRE value 17. Code pledged by UMW students

19. Third floor Library study rooms 20. Synonym for elk 21. Synonym for integrity 24. Local transit system, free for UMW students 26. Synonym for native 29. Synonym for tree

News

Friday, October 24, 2025

Page 7

Inconsistent EagleFunding engagement impacts fundraising

EagleFunding started Oct. 1 for student organizations. Each club was given a unique fundraising page where students, parents and alumni can leave donations. eagleeye.umw.edu

EMMA GREER Staff Writer For the past four years, on-campus clubs and organizations have participated in EagleFunding throughout October. The campaign has seen an increase in the number of participating clubs, this year being the largest with 56 participating clubs and organizations.

EagleFunding is a type of crowdfunding campaign, explained Assistant Director of Annual Giving Cadiann Treviño Pinto.

“It’s similar to a GoFundMe; you’re just trying to get a lot of small donations from a large number of people,” she said.

Pinto continued, “The purpose of [EagleFunding] isn’t for these student clubs to try to reach major donors who are going to give them, like, $100,000, but the goal is that it’s accessible for anyone to support the areas that they’re passionate about.”

For some clubs on campus, EagleFunding is a largely successful fundraising tool.

“Honestly, EagleFunding has been

egregiously easy,” said Allon Boettcher, a junior linguistics and Spanish double major and co-president of UMW Linguistics Club and treasurer of Talk to the Hands.

Already, UMW Linguistics Club has hit its first $600 goal and is now hoping to gain $1,000, but Talk to the Hands has made very little progress towards its $500 target.

Several organizations are participating in EagleFunding for the first time this year and experiencing success. For example, the UMW Tea Party and UMW Linguistics Club have both already met their original fundraising goals. The UMW Tea Party was even able to make $300 within the first week.

Boettcher mentioned that the UMW Linguistics Club is new this year, meaning they currently have no alumni who may serve as prospective donors. Instead of encouraging past members to donate, the club took a more atypical route to find funding.

“We reached out to a bunch of professors, and the majority of them donated.

Not all of them were related to linguistics; some of them were psychology professors,” Boettcher said. “The professors, honestly, were very open to donating.”

Pinto explained that the Administration has seen a gradual change in what groups of people tend to donate.

“In the beginning, it was a lot of friends [donating], but we’ve seen a lot more in other categories,” she said. “We’ve actually seen over the years, in this year, especially, a lot more alumni donors and parent donors.”

According to Pinto, EagleFunding has helped increase engagement of young alumni, meaning any graduates from the last 10 years.

“We know that a big part of the Mary Washington experience is being so involved on campus, so [EagleFunding] was a way to try and target that group,” said Pinto.

The biggest issue with EagleFunding that Pinto shared was a lack of alumni information for clubs to reference when reaching out to donors, because most clubs choose not to keep any records of past members. In the same vein, she said that a lot of clubs stop participating in EagleFunding after the former officers graduate because no one has passed along the funding responsibility or information.

“I believe two years ago, we were number two in how many donors you can get, and this year we’ve only gotten, like, nine donors, which kind of sucks, even though we’re definitely doing a lot more to market this year than we have in previous years,” said Sarah Eshbach, senior psychology major and treasurer of the UMW Tea Party and Lightsaber Duels.

Eshbach blames the campaign’s growing age for decreasing donations, believing that EagleFunding no longer feels new and exciting for students and alumni who have continuously engaged with the annual campaign.

“The novelty is just worn off,” Eshbach said.

She recalled how, in the past, virtually all of the members of UMW Lightsaber Duels donated to their EagleFunding account, yet many of the officers have not yet contributed this time around.

“It’s a combination of a lot of people having less extra finances to be able to donate, and there’s also just kind of a lack of engagement overall on campus,” she said.

According to Eshbach, UMW Lightsaber Duels received the second-highest number of donations last year, raising over $1,000. However, this year, they are struggling to get even 10 patrons to contribute.

“As club officers, we’re all trying to be like, ‘donate, donate, donate,’ and then we just get blank stares from a lot of our members,” said Eshbach. “I feel like we keep saying it and we keep getting ignored.”

She added that student donor numbers have also increased, despite the perceived lack of engagement observed by some club officers.

“They want to access records that they don’t have access to and that we also don’t have,” said Pinto.

Her solution is to promote EagleFunding participation by attending the Student Leadership Summit and Club Carnival, and by providing clubs with helpful resources and advice to be more successful in their campaigns.

“I do my best to try and talk to as many clubs as I can during [those events] and just let them know, ‘Hey, this is happening. We’d love for you to participate,’” said Pinto.

UMW has tried to make EagleFunding accessible for clubs, said Pinto. The only requirements to participate are to be registered as an official club with the Office of Student Activities and Engagement and to fill out a registration form.

“We try our best to reach as many clubs as possible, but because there are so many clubs on campus, we don’t automatically include everybody,” said Pinto. “They have to basically tell us that they want to be a part of this.”

Crime Column MEAGHAN VAN DYKE News Editor

Destruction of property On Oct. 8 at 5:33 p.m., there was case of destruction of property at Alvey Parking Deck.

This case is pending.

The Crime Column is based on UMW Police reports from Oct.10 to Oct. 22.

Assault On Oct. 8 at 10:43 a.m., there was a case of assault at Woodard Hall.

CC Larceny/ID Theft/Poss Stolen items On Oct. 12 at 10:26 p.m., there was a case of CC Larceny/ID Theft/Poss Stolen items at the Jepson Alumni Center. This case was referred to PD.

Sports

Friday, October 24, 2025

Page 8

Mary Washington women’s soccer soars through senior night with a grand win Fall Sports Schedule

GRACE WAGNER Associate Editor The women’s soccer team delivered a stellar performance for their Senior Recognition Day on Oct. 19, defeating Regent University 6–0. This dominant victory was not only a celebration of the graduating seniors but also a testament to the team’s growth, unity and collective talent throughout the season.

The six goals were scored by four separate Lady Eagles. Sophomore psychology major Taylor Garofalo after 24 minutes of play, junior marketing major Emily Box after 40 minutes, freshman Gloria Abiassi in the first two minutes of the second half and a hat trick from junior biomedical sciences major Maci Landel, scoring all three within the first 20 minutes of the first half.

Player #9 Katie Britton dribbling past Regent University player.

Anna Goodman / The Weekly Ringer

Senior environmental science major and center back Natalie Anderson expressed deep gratitude for her teammates and the victory.

“Honestly, I’m just feeling overjoyed with

University of Mary Washington

gratitude for my teammates,” said Anderson.

“It’s senior night and all of our teammates really showed up today and just did what needed to be done.”

Anderson credited the team’s success to focusing on fundamentals and quick play.

“Our team really came together for this win by working on the basics and playing quickly to touch,” she said. “That’s something we’ve been focusing on all season and it’s been really helpful no matter who we are playing.”

Madison Bauserman, a senior biomedical science major, also reflected on the special nature of the day.

It’s a really special day. We’re honoring our five seniors, including myself,” she said.

“We’ve come a long way as a program and I think we finally hit our full potential.”

Bauserman was particularly proud that the number of goals reflected the number of seniors on the team.

Sophomore business administration major and outside midfielder Katie Britton praised the seniors for their influence on the team culture.

“The seniors have left a big impression.

Our sophomore class is really similar to the senior class and they influence me every day,” she said. “I want to be just like them.”

Britton also highlighted the close-knit nature of the team.

“We’re like one big family. It doesn’t matter if you’re a senior or a sophomore. We all play together and love each other. We don’t really look at class orientation,” she said, emphasizing the strong bond among players.

Reflecting on the program’s evolution during her four years, Anderson noted the significant improvements in both attitude and skill.

“We’ve always had a positive attitude, but the soccer itself has improved a lot. We’ve been playing at higher and higher levels,” she said.

As the seniors prepare to graduate, their messages to the younger players focused on

UMW Women’s soccer huddling on senior night against Regent University.

Anna Goodman / The Weekly Ringer

legacy and passion. Anderson encouraged underclassmen to maintain a positive mindset and recognize the importance of the program beyond themselves.

ENYA CEA-LAVIN Sports Editor

Men’s Soccer (7-6-2)

Oct. 25 vs Salisbury University Oct. 29 at Christopher Newport University

Women’s Soccer (11-2-3)

Oct. 19 vs. Regent University (6-0) Oct. 25 vs St. Mary’s College of Maryland Oct 28. at University of Lynchburg UMW women’s soccer celebrates senior night on Volleyball (7-18) Oct. 19.

Anna Goodman / The Weekly Ringer

Oct. 24 vs. Alumni “This is bigger than just us. Even long after Oct. 25 vs. Johns Hopkins we’re not here, there are still Eagles coming University through. It’s about the legacy of the Universi- Oct. 28 vs. Roanoke College ty of Mary Washington,” she said.

Bauserman urged underclassmen to perseMen’s Rugby (1-3) vere with love and passion for the game.

Oct. 18 at Penn State University “I want to leave as much love and passion (24-22) as I can for them to keep going, even when it Oct. 25 vs. Life University gets tough,” she said.

She also spoke about the strong communiWomen’s Rugby (4-1) ty the seniors helped build.

“We’re pretty much best friends. We hang Oct. 18 at Virginia Commonwealth out outside of soccer, not just on the field. University (33-26) We live together and it’s been really fun to be Oct. 25 at Townson University close friends and also win together,” she said.

The 6–0 victory on Senior Day showcased Field Hockey (9-5) the leadership of the graduating class and the Oct. 19 vs Marian University (2-0) strength of the entire team. Landel’s hat trick Oct. 25 at Centre College highlighted the offensive firepower, while Oct. 26 at Transylvania University Anderson’s defensive stability anchored the back line. The team’s dedication to fundamentals, quick passing and cohesive play was evident throughout the match.

This win was a fitting tribute to the seniors’ hard work and influence over their time at UMW. Their leadership, both on and off the field, has created a legacy of camaraderie and competitiveness.

As the team looks ahead to the end of the season, the energy and momentum gained Games are available to watch via from this dominant Senior Day performance livestream on the UMW Athletics will undoubtedly fuel their drive for continwebpage ued success. www.eagles.com/composite The Lady Eagles’ next game will be the homecoming match on Oct. 25 against St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Full schedule not listed above.

Most recent games included.

Bold indicates home game.