PAUL BEACHLER AND SPORTS MEDICINE AND PERFORMANCE DEPARTMENT
Tee-mendous Trio
OLIVER MARSHALL, ’ 27; RYAN O’ROURKE, ’27; AND ROBERT THOMPSON, ’27
Hillsdale College Athletics Mission
Hillsdale College was founded in 1844 with a purpose to “develop the minds and hearts of its students,” a reference to the moral and intellectual virtues.
The driving purpose of athletics at Hillsdale College is to cultivate these virtues. Their practice on the field of competition inspires and elevates the minds of those who compete and those who watch. Scan the QR Code to find all your Chargers gear online at hillsdalechargers.com Follow
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Feature: Oliver Marshall, 27; Ryan O’Rourke, ’27; and Robert Thompson, ’27
For the 14th consecutive year, Hillsdale has received the Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence. This year, we placed first in NCAA Division II with an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 99 percent. For perspective, the national average for NCAA Division II institutions is 59 percent.
The ASR follows a class of freshman student-athletes over a six-year period. Student-athletes in this cohort have either graduated or left the institution in good academic standing and on track to graduate when they departed.
Forty-four schools, including Hillsdale, received the 2024 award, which requires institutions to maintain an ASR of 90 percent or higher. Hillsdale is one of just seven schools at the NCAA DII level to have received the award every year it’s been given.
It’s a credit to our student-athletes, who must maintain a rigorous athletic schedule that includes practice, conditioning, film study, competition, and travel. And it’s also a testament to our coaches, who must find athletically gifted students who are also superior performers in the classroom. It’s not an easy task.
Strength Rejoices in the Challenge, and Hillsdale College Athletics is more than up to the challenge. But we continue to need your help in other areas.
We have a goal of funding every team at the conference maximum of allowed scholarships. We’re not quite there yet in some sports.
New facilities for baseball, track and field, and golf were recently completed, and more are planned. A new softball stadium is in the works, and we hope to reimagine an aging Muddy Waters Stadium. That plan also includes the construction of an indoor turf facility that will serve all of the College.
These are ambitious plans, and we need your support to accomplish them.
Please consider joining the Charger Champions Club. Visit hillsdalechargers.com to learn more or make a gift. Come back to campus to watch an athletic event, or catch us on the road if we are playing near your home. You can also watch the Chargers online via livestream. Check out the feature about our broadcasting operation on page 54.
In November, we started another athletic outreach called “Charger Chats.” These athletic-focused gatherings are meant to inform and engage former Chargers and donors to Charger Athletics. We want to meet you, hear your stories, and keep you connected with Hillsdale College Athletics. Look for more dates soon!
Celebrate, Chargers, because we are truly No. 1 in what matters most.
John Tharp Director of Athletics
BY DOUG GOODNOUGH, ’90
Double-Barreled
CORBIN AND DALE PART OF A WORLD-CLASS
Double-Barreled Success
WORLD-CLASS
SHOOTING SPORTS PROGRAM
Shooting sports have been a part of Madeline Corbin’s life for as long as she can remember. As early as age 3, she was shooting targets with her father’s .22-caliber rifle.
“And I got a BB gun for Christmas when I was 4,” said the member of the national champion Hillsdale College shotgun team.
Shooting was also a family affair for teammate Taylor Dale. Her father and two older sisters enjoyed competitive shooting, and she followed in their footsteps at the age of 8.
“I thought, let’s see what it’s all about,” she said. “And then I really fell in love with shooting and stopped doing some of the other sports I was involved in.”
The two headline a Chargers shooting sports program that rapidly developed into a collegiate powerhouse. In fact, the Hillsdale shotgun team is turning out not only collegiate national champions, but also U.S. national champions. Corbin and Dale each claimed national titles in their respective events at the recent USA Shooting National Championships
on September 11-22, 2024, at the College’s Halter Shooting Sports Center. They are among some of the best shooters in the world in their age category.
At Hillsdale, the duo has their eyes on potentially bigger targets.
A Family Affair
While Wisconsin natives Corbin and Dale both credit their early love of shooting to their fathers, it helped that Corbin’s older brother, Josh, was involved in the local high school clay target league, and she soon followed
suit. Dale was also encouraged by her two older sisters, who went on to shoot at the college level.
The state of Wisconsin is a high school hotbed for shooting sports. The Wisconsin Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) has nearly 42,000 high school students participating in grades 6-12. Hillsdale College Shotgun Head Coach Jordan Hintz, ’18, is very familiar with the region. He was a product of the Wisconsin SCTP and was one of the early members of the Chargers’ shotgun team. When he took over as Hillsdale’s head coach six years ago, he went back to his roots to find top high school talent.
Hintz recruited in his home state using his own personal ties. His family lives near the Dales in the small town of Burlington.
“I talked to him [Hintz] probably my junior year, and then I really became interested in Hillsdale,” Dale said of the recruitment process. “The academics and the shotgun team and all the things that come with Hillsdale definitely put it at the top.”
Hintz brought Josh Corbin, ’25, to campus, and he soon became one of the team’s leaders and most accomplished shooters. In fact, he was recently crowned the NCSA Great Lakes Champion at a tournament, breaking 145 out of a possible 150 targets.
Hintz immediately worked on bringing Josh’s younger sister, Madeline, to Hillsdale.
“Once Jordan got Josh to commit, he said, ‘Oh, you’ve got a little sister that shoots too, right?’” Madeline said. “So Jordan was talking to me my whole high school career. I toured a couple of colleges, but I only applied to Hillsdale. I made up my mind that if I was going to go to college and be on a shotgun team, Hillsdale was it because nothing compares to the team and the education you can get here.”
A National Profile
Hintz’s recruiting pitch is pretty simple.
“Academics always come first,” he said. “I really believe there’s no other school that offers shooting at a funded level that can even come close to competing with us academically. Finding those high-level academic achievers is often harder than finding the skill on the shooting side.”
Corbin, a sophomore, won an unprecedented seven collegiate national championships as a freshman, setting a new Hillsdale standard. And Dale, a freshman, has made an immediate impact with her USA Shooting Junior national title in international trap. She has also contributed to Hillsdale’s championship success.
“There can’t be anybody who has had a more successful collegiate shooting career as a freshman than Madeline had at the nationals,” Hintz said of his super sophomore. “She’s won all kinds of World Cup
medals already, but at the collegiate national championship last year, she won seven individual national championships. She alone has won nearly half of the total individual national championships we’ve ever had. What do you tell her after that? It’s hard to think of anything to say. Just ‘Amazing. Great job.’”
Dale has already shot around the world, including international trap competitions in Korea and Germany.
“To be able to qualify and travel to something like that is incredible,” Hintz said of Dale. “And then to come back here and shoot so well. She was six targets ahead of the next junior woman at the nationals.”
Hintz continues to recruit nationally, adding student-athletes from states like Minnesota, Arizona, Nebraska, California, and Tennessee. He said the combination of facilities and the College’s academic profile and scholarship support are very strong selling points.
“To be able to find people who have Olympic aspirations and convince them to come here is, in a lot of ways, easier than at other schools,” Hintz said. “Our team probably has more international-style, Olympic-style athletes than any other team in the country.
“There was not much recruiting when I was here as a student,” Hintz added. “But the sport has grown so much since then. And the skill of the athletes also continues to rise.
MADELINE CORBIN, ’27
REEDSBURG, WISCONSIN
TAYLOR DALE, ’28
BURLINGTON, WISCONSIN
In the last couple of years, I feel like we’ve finally achieved not only the size of the team that is needed to be successful, but also the skill level.”
The Mental Game
As a football or basketball coach, there are plays to design, game-day strategies to develop, and strength and conditioning programs to supervise and administer. However, when you coach shooting sports, most of the coaching is done before any competition begins.
“We work on the mental game a lot,” said Hintz, who relies on his past experience as a collegiate shooter to counsel his student-athletes.
“Everyone is in a very different spot mentally when they get here. I try to pick and choose what works best for them.”
“He’s very supportive and wants us to put forth our best effort,” Dale said of Hintz. “The big thing is contributing to the team.”
Training consists of shooting hundreds—if not thousands—of clay targets to the point when the physical part of shooting becomes second nature. Both Dale and Corbin also read Jason Selk’s 10-Minute Toughness and perform daily mental exercises to deal with the pressure of competition. In a sport where missing one target sometimes can mean the difference between first place and out of medal contention, dealing with stress is paramount.
“What goes through my head while shooting sporting clays and I miss? I think, OK, what can I do to change my process to break this target the next time?” Corbin said. “Because usually you’re shooting the same target multiple times. One bird at a time. Break the next one. It’s really all you can say. You don’t get caught up on the losses.”
“I think it’s just trying to remember that at the end of the day, you are human, and it’s OK to make mistakes,” Dale said. “But also remember your training and try not to worry about the outcome. Worry about the process.”
Chargers Through and Through
Shooting sports are not NCAAsanctioned, so high school recruiting is not the same as it is in other sports.
“We don’t have an official [recruiting] channel,” Hintz said of the process. “There’s not a website or recruiting service that provides information to students or students’ information to us. It’s a lot of me tracking down contact information and trying to figure out how to get in touch with them. It’s worked out pretty successfully for us so far.”
He said Athletic Director John Tharp has embraced and welcomed his program and student-athletes into the Athletic Department.
The shotgun team is now part of the Student Athletic Advisory
Committee and has a “buddy team” with women’s basketball. And Hintz said he hopes to have some of the Chargers teams come out to the Halter Center to do some shooting with his team.
Corbin said the entire College is also very supportive of the shooting sports teams. And having her brother as a teammate is extra special.
“I think it’s cool that both of us are here, representing our family at Hillsdale,” she said of Josh. “What makes the shotgun team special is how much support we get with travel costs, practice, competition— everything. And then a scholarship on top of it. You are very well cared for here. I love the campus. I love the traditional values, the small size, and the core classes. Everything here at the College makes it special. I would not be as happy if I were anywhere else.”
“I remember introducing myself to some people at the beginning of the school year, and they said, ‘Oh, you’re on the shooting team. That’s so cool,’” Dale said. “I really like the community of Hillsdale. I think that’s probably my favorite part. And I am starting to grow more in my faith, which was something that I was really looking forward to.”
Olympic Aspirations?
Corbin and Dale are two of the top junior women shooters in the U.S., if not the world. They are part of
“
WHAT MAKES THE SHOTGUN TEAM SPECIAL IS HOW MUCH SUPPORT WE GET WITH TRAVEL COSTS, PRACTICE, COMPETITION— EVERYTHING. AND THEN A SCHOLARSHIP ON TOP OF IT. YOU ARE VERY WELL CARED FOR HERE. I LOVE THE CAMPUS. I LOVE THE TRADITIONAL VALUES, THE SMALL SIZE, AND THE CORE CLASSES. EVERYTHING HERE AT THE COLLEGE MAKES IT SPECIAL. I WOULD NOT BE AS HAPPY IF I WERE ANYWHERE ELSE.
”
–MADELINE CORBIN
a stable of accomplished Hillsdale shooters who are making a name for themselves in USA Shooting. With the Halter Center as a training home base, the Chargers have the daily opportunity to shoot at a worldclass facility.
So it begs the question: Are the Olympics a goal for Hillsdale shooters?
“I’d love to go to the Olympics,” said Dale, who is looking at a career in exercise science. “I think that would be the coolest opportunity ever. I think it’s where I want to be in the future.”
“I’m not sure,” said Corbin, who hopes to major in biology and pursue a career in the outdoor industry. “But it’s a pretty cool feeling when you’re going overseas and you’ve got USA across your back.”
Hintz said the odds of a Hillsdale shooter making the U.S. Olympic team are low; however, they are low for any competitor.
As a school that sports the motto “Strength Rejoices in the Challenge,” don’t rule it out.
“You only get two people (in each category) to go to the Olympics every four years,” he said. “And there’s not even a guarantee that the U.S. earns two spots. To be able to earn the spots to travel to World Cups is difficult enough, and now you’re talking about the Olympics, which is much more selective. But we have a handful of shooters who are absolutely working that way.”
Hillsdale’s double-barreled duo of Corbin and Dale is certainly in that mix.
BY JAMES GENSTERBLUM, ’12
OLIVER MARSHALL
RYAN O’ROURKE
ROBERT THOMPSON
“ONCE THESE THREE PLAYERS WERE SIGNED IN NOVEMBER 2022, IT WAS EASY TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND SEE THE POTENTIAL OF WHAT THEY COULD DO TOGETHER. THEY’VE BEEN ABLE TO DO IT FASTER THAN WE COULD HAVE HOPED, BUT FROM THE START, WE FELT LIKE WE HAD THE FOUNDATION OF SOMETHING SPECIAL
–HILLSDALE MEN’S GOLF COACH MATT THOMPSON
The first month of college for a freshman is supposed to be a time of transition and adjustment to new responsibilities and a new life.
It’s not usually a time to be bringing home trophies.
However, a trio of precocious men’s golfers at Hillsdale College—Oliver Marshall, Ryan O’Rourke, and Robert Thompson—defied the odds and celebrated their first month at Hillsdale with a team title in their sport, kicking off a banner first year with the Chargers in the 2023-24 season.
Now second-year players at Hillsdale, the trio forms the core of a group that’s challenging to bring home the men’s golf program’s first spring conference championship and to reach the NCAA Regional round for the first time in four years—and just the third time in program history.
“Once these three players were signed in November 2022, it was easy to take a step back and see the potential of what they could do together,” Hillsdale Men’s Golf Coach Matt Thompson said. “They’ve been able to do it faster than we could have hoped, but from the start, we felt like we had the foundation of something special.”
When Marshall, O’Rourke, and Thompson entered Hillsdale in August 2023, it quickly became apparent that they weren’t going to be sitting and learning behind their older teammates for very long.
All three came to Hillsdale with extensive high-level golf experience in the junior golf ranks, including top-level talent development circuits like the American Junior Golf Association and the Junior PGA. That meant they were no strangers to the stacked fields and small margin for error in college golf.
It’s common practice in collegiate golf for teams to hold a qualifying event before their first official competition, with the results playing a big role in determining the five golfers who take the lead in subsequent invitationals. In Hillsdale’s first qualifier of the 2023-24 campaign, Marshall, O’Rourke, and Thompson took the top three spots, beating out every returning golfer on the Chargers’ squad and cementing their presence in the lineup.
“That first qualifier really opened our eyes that we were ready to compete at this level, and that for our team to reach the goals we had set, we had to step up,” Marshall said.
“That made me want to work even harder, and I could tell the other guys in my class felt the same.”
With its freshman trio leading the way, Hillsdale exploded out of the gates in the 2023-24 season. The Chargers captured the team title at the seasonopening Malone-Glenmoor Invitational in September 2023, Hillsdale’s first team trophy at an invitational since 2019. Marshall, O’Rourke, and Thompson all finished in the top 10 as individuals to help lock up the trophy.
For the rest of the 2023-24 campaign, the freshman trio played in all nine events for Hillsdale, and all three excelled, combining for eight top-10 finishes with Marshall and Thompson each earning All-G-MAC honors.
For the trio, it was a quick adjustment to the team aspect of collegiate golf. Team play is somewhat unusual at most levels of golf, which is often considered an individual sport, but that facet is something all three have come to enjoy for similar reasons.
“When you’re part of a team, it gives you extra motivation on the course,” O’Rourke said. “When you’re just playing
“WE KNOW WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO IT, BUT NOW WE HAVE TO PUT IN THE WORK AND DEVELOP THE CONSISTENCY TO GET IT DONE WHEN IT COUNTS THE MOST”
–ROBERT THOMPSON
for yourself in a tournament, if you start with a bad round, it’s tempting to just go through the motions the rest of the weekend because you no longer have a chance to win.
“Here, even if you have a bad start, you can still help your team with your score by bouncing back and playing well the next day. I love that, because every time you tee off, it means something for your team, and you have a chance to make a difference.”
Another benefit of the team environment at Hillsdale, all three players say, is the spirited competition in practice and on the course that comes with being surrounded by other passionate golfers working every day to hone their craft.
“Obviously, all three of us are competitive people, and like every golfer, you want to see your name at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the day,” Robert Thompson said. “From a team perspective, that’s only a good thing, because if all three of us are battling at the top of the leaderboard, our team score is going to be great.
“It’s the same thing in practice. We’re each working hard to be the best we can be, but we know that for us to do what we want to do as a team, it’s going to take all of us playing at an elite level. We reach that point by pushing each other to excel.”
With the first half of the 2024-25 season in the books, Hillsdale has put itself in a good position to make the NCAA Regional. Although Marshall missed the fall season due to an injury, Thompson and O’Rourke both played sensational golf to help lead the Chargers, while another pair of impact freshmen, Jackson Piacsek and Aryan Sharma, also made huge early contributions.
With Marshall slated to return for the second half of the season this spring, Hillsdale looks poised to make a run. The team will have an added boost with the completion of an indoor training facility that opened in December— the brand-new Salmans Golf Performance Center at Hayden Park that includes an indoor practice green and four hitting bays. The new building, funded by generous donations, will make it easier for the Chargers to stay sharp and continue improving over the winter. A more skilled team should make a spring push to return to the NCAA Regional easier.
“Previously, when the snow hit, we had one indoor simulator that we had to share across 11 guys, which made it challenging to get the work done we needed to get done to stay sharp,” Marshall said. “The new building is going to be a game-changer for us.
“Now we can have four people practicing at once, and we can continue working on our short game and our chipping even indoors, which is something that usually drops off over the winter months.”
Hillsdale will pick up competition again in March, with an eye toward the G-MAC Championships scheduled to take place on April 21-23, 2025, at Belterra Resort in Florence, Indiana. A strong performance there could cement the Chargers’ spot in the NCAAs and continue Hillsdale’s climb.
“I think the biggest thing is just to keep grinding and getting better every day,” Robert Thompson said. “We know we have the ability to do it, but now we have to put in the work and develop the consistency to get it done when it counts the most.”
BY DOUG GOODNOUGH,
One Mile at a Time…
Mike Campbell Brings Together Veterans and Civilians for a Great Cause
’90
Mike Campbell, ’88, knows what it is like to be part of a team. As a Hillsdale College student-athlete, he was a member of the Chargers football team, including the 1985 squad that claimed an NAIA national championship.
During his 25-year career in sales, he also felt that same sense of team.
“It was the only job, the only career I ever had. It was a family to me,” he said of his time at Belmark, a consumer packaging company in the Green Bay, Wisconsin, area.
However, when he decided on an early retirement, he was looking to recapture that feeling of team in the next chapter of his life. Campbell had made friends with many military veterans, including Navy Seals and Special Forces. He also was friends with former members of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers and knew of the camaraderie—and struggles—each group shared. After hearing those stories, he realized they had that same need for team and a sense of belonging. Why not bring those groups together?
That is how Team One Mile began.
One Mile at a Time…
Campbell, a one-person dynamo, created the unique nonprofit organization that brings people together for an annual multiday, over-the-road bicycle event that raises funds—and attention—for veteran causes.
In October 2024, the Team One Mile event spent nearly a week cycling through the state of Wisconsin to raise funds for Camp Hometown Heroes, a camp for children of Gold Star families. Enrolling an eclectic team of approximately 30 riders composed of an equal mix of veterans and civilians, Campbell said Team One Mile fills a unique mission in the nonprofit world.
“It started off as a global network trying to bring veterans and civilians together, primarily civilians on the athletic side of the world, just because I realized they’re two distinctly different communities,” Campbell said of his organization’s philosophy.
“But they have a tremendous amount in common. They thrive on purpose, on goals, on a mission, on teamwork, on camaraderie. As I was having more and more conversations about life’s struggles, I realized that the two communities weren’t really speaking to each other. They were not connected.”
However, trying to connect those two groups of people required a catalyst, a cause.
“As I built this community, I realized that I needed to do something tangible, and that was missing,” Campbell said. “It is one thing to have a network. It is another to get things moving and turn words and ideas into action. So that’s how Team One Mile was born.”
Getting people to join his cause became his primary focus when building Team One Mile.
“I realized that if I was going to go after former Olympians, former Navy Seals and Special Forces, and former pro athletes, I better have a pretty big lure,” Campbell said. “I better have something that makes even the best of the best pause. What would that be? What would that look like?”
A colleague mentioned Race Across America, a well-established, ultra-distance road cycling race that is one of the longest endurance events in the world. A cycling enthusiast, Campbell had competed in several triathlons, and he said it made sense to start there.
“Cycling is the metaphor for what our mission is,” he said. “Yes, it is what we use as our mode of transportation. It was also something big enough and challenging enough that people who reached the top of their careers would still hear me out.”
Using his sales background, Campbell began recruiting his team of riders. Once on Team One Mile, they committed to train for the grueling race ahead and garner support for their efforts.
“I find riders of all abilities,” he said. “I am not really looking for the best riders. I am looking for unique individuals who have incredible life stories and just happen to be cyclists.”
Team One Mile had successful rides in Race Across America events in 2021 and 2022. However, Campbell believed the focus of Team One Mile needed to change.
“Because it was a race, so much of our attention was internal,” he said of participating in Race Across America. “We were worried about the race, about how we were doing, and what we were missing. There was no connection outside of the team.”
Campbell refocused the organization into assisting veteran-specific causes starting in 2023. When Hurricane Ian hit Florida hard in 2022, Team One Mile organized a six-day, 700-mile “Recon Ride” from Key West to
One Mile at a Time…
Jacksonville to raise awareness and support for Florida veterans affected by the hurricane.
“We went from an awareness team to an impact team,” Campbell said. “We had a direct impact on the communities we visited. We brought disaster relief equipment and money that we raised from all over the country to leave behind.”
Using that new model, Campbell shifted to his home state of Wisconsin in 2024. Team One Mile traveled through the state on a similar six-day, 700-mile schedule, raising more than $100,000 for Camp Hometown Heroes.
Team One Mile now has some corporate sponsorships that help with expenses, and other larger nonprofits like Wounded Warriors and Semper Fi America’s Fund have partnered on a few efforts. Campbell, who does not take a salary, has a group of volunteers who help organize and coordinate the annual event. He said Team One Mile has also given him a renewed sense of purpose.
“When I retired, I said, ‘Every day is Saturday now. Every day is a day off,’” Campbell said. “I was golfing, I was having fun. I was just living the life.”
“I am not really looking for the best riders. I am looking for unique
individuals who have incredible life stories and just happen to be cyclists.”
–MIKE CAMPBELL
That led to a struggle with alcohol abuse, and he said Team One Mile helped restore his sense of purpose.
“It was just spiraling out of control,” said Campbell, who is now six years sober. “I was losing purpose and the energy to meet my goals. I realized I needed to make a change. I got back to being whole. I still have the purpose, the energy, and the desire to make a difference.”
Campbell has recruited an extraordinary group of people to participate in Team One Mile. There are former generals and Navy Seals, as well as former Olympic athletes like Steve Lewis and Dan Jansen, cycling legend Chris Carmichael, and former NFL players like Don Davey and Don Majkowski. “The only reason I’m successful with One Mile is because I’m tenacious,” Campbell said. “I refuse to let ‘no’ be the final answer.”
NFL legend Brett Favre has tentatively committed to join 2025 Team One Mile, and Campbell said Favre hopes to participate in the September event in Wisconsin that
will again assist Camp Hometown Heroes as well as Operation Guardian Angel, an organization that helps disabled veterans get involved in endurance sports.
Splitting his time between Wisconsin and Arizona, Campbell said he is enjoying following his two college-age children, a son who is at Arizona State University and a daughter who attends the University of Minnesota. The 58-year-old is often out on his bicycle keeping up his training regimen for Team One Mile.
“It’s also my outlet, my therapy,” he said. He said he carries the lessons he learned at Hillsdale College to this day.
“What I learned in college helped me cement my values. That has never left me,” said Campbell, who majored in psychology and was a member of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity at Hillsdale. “My drive and my discipline are as great now as they were when I was in college, when I was playing football. My desire to excel, to work hard, to be disciplined—I live that. I’ve never stopped.”
One Mile at a Time…
BY DOUG GOODNOUGH, ’90
FAR FROM BASIC TRAINING
Sports Medicine and Performance Team Recognized as Conference’s Best
Tyler Cortright believes the phrase “Hillsdale College doesn’t teach students what to think; it teaches them how to think” also applies to the care of its student-athletes.
As the College’s assistant athletic director for Sports Medicine and Performance, he is convinced educating Hillsdale’s student-athletes is the key to preventing injuries and optimizing performance.
“What we do well is teaching,” said Cortright, who started at the College as an athletic trainer in 2016 before being promoted to his current position. “We only see our studentathletes about 8-20 hours per week, but we can educate them about the many things they can do outside of their required time at practice and in the weight room to make sure they are well prepared.”
Cortright leads a team that includes head trainer Dan Hudson, and athletic trainers Lynne Neukom, ’91, Mikayla Kemp, Kevin Kosiorek, and Jordyn Dubina, who oversee care for student-athletes in all 14 of Hillsdale’s varsity sports. Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Mitchell Schoenborn and Medical Director Kam Mueller are also part of the team that keeps the Chargers in peak physical condition.
And that team does its job very well. In 2023-24, Hillsdale’s Sports Medicine and Performance Department was named the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Athletic Training Staff of the Year. It was the second time Hillsdale was recognized by its peers with the honor since 2019. The award criteria included hospitality toward visitors; host preparedness with supplies, equipment, and services for visitors; care for injured student-athletes from visiting teams; and overall staff preparedness for emergency situations.
“We’re really grateful for winning that award. There’s a lot of different indicators of success with our team,” Cortright said.
SEATED: Jordyn Dubina and Dan Hudson.
STANDING:
Left to right: Tyler Cortright, Mitchell Schoenborn, Mikayla Kemp, Kevin Kosiorek, and Kam Mueller.
We’re really grateful for winning that award. There’s a lot of different indicators of success with our team. Number one is what kind of impact are we having on these kids? Number two is when kids have issues on campus, they know that they can trust in us to develop an adequate plan of care.
—
ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR SPORTS MEDICINE AND PERFORMANCE TYLER CORTRIGHT
”
“Number one is, what kind of impact are we having on these kids? Number two is when kids have issues on campus, they know that they can trust in us to develop an adequate plan of care.”
Cortright said former Athletic Director Don Brubacher and current Athletic Director John Tharp have been supportive in increasing the size of the training staff, which is crucial to building continuity with the team. When Cortright arrived in 2016, the staff consisted of just him and Neukom. The Chargers now have six fulltime trainers.
“He saw the importance of work-life balance,” Cortright said of Brubacher, who promoted him to his current role in 2018. “You want to keep good athletic trainers on a college campus. If you don’t create a good schedule, then you’re not going to keep people very long.”
Cortright, who interned with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers for two years while a student at Hope College, knows burnout. Before coming to Hillsdale, he worked as a trainer and strength and conditioning coach in the Jackson and Lansing area for several years, working with multiple high schools and colleges. In 2014, he had to step away because of what he called “burnout.” Now, with a wife and two children under the age of 5 at home, he said the team approach Hillsdale provides strikes the necessary balance.
“I tell my wife and kids our schedules are at the mercy of a team’s schedule,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that we can’t control. But what we do really well as a team is help each other out. I like to think our staff is genuinely happy.”
Cortright said having a diversity of expertise on his staff is critical to the operation. Because of his background in both training and strength and conditioning, he can help identify potential injuries before they happen just by watching the movements of student-athletes.
“We have other athletic trainers who are good with their hands,” Cortright said. “Dan Hudson is great with shoulder rehabilitation and shoulder evaluation injuries. He’s worked in baseball for a number of years.”
And whether it’s dealing with student-athletes, parents, or coaches, there is one common denominator: communication.
“Communication is extremely important,” he said. “I always tell our athletic trainers, no matter who you’re working with, whether it’s a student-athlete, a coach, or a parent, try to empathize with the position that they’re in. If you’re not doing that, it’s hard to communicate in the right way.”
Sometimes the training staff needs to work on the mental and psychological side as much as the physical side with recovering student-athletes.
“What I’ve noticed over the years working in the college setting is that you are kind of a mom or dad away from home,” Cortright said. “Students may have something going on in class or in their personal lives. It’s not just a knee injury or shoulder injury. Sometimes you’re doing a rehab session with them and a lot of other things come out.”
He said his team’s goal is to look out for a studentathlete’s best interest, both now and in the future.
“We want to help that student-athlete get back on the field to help the team,” he said. “I don’t want to see athletes leave our Athletic Department at the end of their careers and they can’t walk well, or they are headed down the road of poor health. We want to educate and guide them so when they leave here, they can lead a happy, healthy life with their families.”
“
Communication is extremely important.
I always tell our athletic trainers, no matter who you’re working with, whether it’s a studentathlete, a coach, or a parent, try to empathize with the position that they’re in. If you’re not doing that, it’s hard to communicate in the right way.
—
BY DOUG GOODNOUGH, ’90
FORMER ATHLETIC TRAINER
PAUL BEACHLER LOOKS BACK AT CAREER WITH FONDNESS
Paul Beachler had many jobs before he arrived on the Hillsdale College campus in the winter of 1981: Farmhand, department store stock boy, computer programmer, publications manager. However, none of those appealed to Beachler long term.
After a long and winding road that had him completing three degrees as a non-traditional student, he found something that he could love: athletic training. Learning his craft literally at the feet of basketball greats Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Greg Kelser during the glory years of Michigan State University basketball, Beachler was eventually persuaded to take an open athletic training position at Hillsdale College by then-Athletic Director Jack McAvoy.
Beachler retired after a distinguished 23-year career with the Chargers. A one-man athletic training department, he became not only a beloved figure to coaches and student-
athletes, but a full-fledged member of the teams that he served.
Seeing the Forest Through the Trees
Growing up on the family dairy farm in the rural outpost of Evart, Michigan, Beachler helped his father and grandfather with farm chores.
However, when his family phased out the dairy farm and his father took a position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beachler said, “there was nothing for me to do.”
After working several jobs, including 12 years for the State of Michigan in various capacities, he said a hiking trip on Isle Royale gave him inspiration.
“Why don’t I get a college degree and apply to the Forest Service?” he thought.
LYNNE NEUKOM, ’91 & PAUL BEACHLER
Beachler decided to take night classes, first at Lansing Community College, then at Michigan State University. As he was finishing his bachelor’s degree, he decided to take a summer course on athletic training.
“I just loved that class,” he said. “That started me thinking.”
When he graduated from MSU, he turned down a teaching opportunity overseas to enroll in MSU’s graduate program, becoming a graduate assistant in MSU’s athletic training department. He was first assigned to the soccer team, but when there was a staffing gap in the fall of 1978, Beachler was temporarily assigned to the men’s basketball team.
That was the year the Spartans won the NCAA national championship, featuring stars Johnson and Kelser.
When his time at MSU was finished, master’s degree in hand, it was time for Beachler to look for a job. However, he first needed to pass his training test.
“I flunked it on the fact that I didn’t do CPR. That’s all,” he said. “So I had to retake the test.”
He did interview for an open position with McAvoy at Hillsdale College, but because he did not have his CPR certification, he could not accept the job. Beachler took a position as a teacher at a high school in El Paso, Texas, where he also served in a training capacity. After a year there, he finally passed his test, and then he got a call from McAvoy.
“He said, ‘I have a position. It opens February 1. I want you to take it,’” Beachler said.
Although it was January, Beachler accepted, and two weeks later, he put his belongings in a trailer and hauled them behind his Ford Mustang to southern Michigan.
Training for Hillsdale
When he arrived at Stock’s Fieldhouse to report for his new job, he walked into the main athletic office wearing a sheepskin jacket, cowboy boots, and a Stetson. No one knew who he was.
“I said, ‘I’m here to see Jack McAvoy,’” Beachler said. “He hired me to be the athletic trainer.”
Beachler’s “orientation” consisted of a brief tour from the departing trainer, which included handing him a list of current football players who were injured.
“I had two students at that time,” Beachler said of his help in the training room. “One was a senior, and one was a junior. By the next fall, I didn’t have either one, so I was basically alone.”
The training room in the fieldhouse was cramped, and Beachler had some basic equipment to handle hundreds of student-athletes from various sports. He focused on his training philosophy to get the job done.
“A kid wants to play. Coaches want them to play,” he said. “But I want them to play safely. If an injured student was not at 100 percent, I wanted them to be at least at 90 percent before playing. That’s what I lived by.”
Sometimes that meant being firm with both student-athletes and coaches. However, Beachler said most understood that if he wanted to keep an athlete off the field, he had a very good reason.
Two Minutes or Less Beachler said he had a rule: Ankles needed to be taped in two minutes or less. With many student-athletes needing to get on the field for practice or games as soon as possible, it meant working efficiently. He often taped up to 16 sets of ankles per session. The arthritis he currently has in both of his thumbs is proof of that efficiency.
“I was thinking about that the other day,” said Beachler, who cared for and attended to nearly 10,000 Charger studentathletes during his career. “I can remember where all the [tape] strips go.”
Although he was the only full-time trainer on staff at Hillsdale for most of his career, he relied on many student trainers to assist. He said some have become like family. One, Lynne Herbener Neukom, ’91, is a current member of the College’s Sports Medicine and Performance team. She came back to the College in 2008 and served as head athletic trainer until 2020, when she became the Athletic Department’s health care administrator and instructor in the Sports Studies Department while continuing to assist with the athletic training staff.
Beachler said the College’s long-term relationship with the University of Michigan’s MedSport was also a great resource for him. He said he learned many training techniques working with MedSport, and it kept him abreast of emerging technology and equipment. When the Roche Sports Complex was completed, he had much more room to operate in his new training room, and much of the equipment was upgraded.
However, much of what Beachler did on the job was categorized as “other duties as assigned.” Duties such as driving the team bus or van on road trips, fixing training equipment, or serving as the team psychologist when a student-athlete needed someone to talk to. And in his 20-plus years on the job, he remembers taking only six sick days.
‘The Hardest Job I Ever Loved’
Although it has been more than two decades since his retirement, Beachler remains a very visible figure around the College, especially in athletic circles. He attends many home Chargers events and stays connected to many former student-athletes and coaches.
Beachler was inducted into the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. The 84-year-old who once sported his trademark red hair is now silver. However, the broad smile and memories remain. Beachler said he looks back on his time at Hillsdale with fondness.
“It was the hardest job I ever loved,” he said. “If you didn’t love it, you weren’t doing it right.”
BY MONICA VANDERWEIDE, ’95
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS FIND LAND OF OPPORTUNITY AT HILLSDALE
They come to Hillsdale from distant lands, drawn by the same qualities that attract American student-athletes to Hillsdale: an excellent education plus the chance to compete at a high level in their sports with scholarship support. Hillsdale’s international student-athletes have found that and more—welcoming and supportive teammates, coaches, professors, and friends—while also adjusting to life in smalltown America. Here are the stories of three international Chargers.
FILIPPO REALE, ’25
MEN’S GOLF | ROME, ITALY
Filippo Reale started playing golf at the tender age of 3 or 4 because, as his dad told him, “American businessmen play golf.” His father was on to something. Now a Hillsdale senior, Reale is set to graduate in the spring with a double major in financial management and applied mathematics. He will likely return to the Italian-owned, Houston-based heavy transport company where he had a sales estimator/cost control internship last summer, an internship that also featured a lot of golf. “My coworkers loved playing golf with me,” he said with a smile.
A decorated amateur player in Italy, winning a national under-14 tournament and ranked 33rd among all Italian amateurs and 12th among Juniors at one time, Reale learned of Hillsdale from two Englishmen who helped him research golf programs at American colleges. Playing for the Chargers has opened up experiences Reale never thought he would have, and it’s also changed his perspective.
“Before Hillsdale, I played golf for myself,” he said. “Now, I support my teammates. I think this year’s team will be the best yet.”
Reale has enjoyed the friendships he’s made, not only with his golf teammates, but also with other
athletes at the College. “Athletes are a pretty tight group here,” he said. “We share in each other’s experiences and support each other. We’re honored to represent a school with such a high caliber of academics as Hillsdale.”
Reale has embraced the challenge of Hillsdale’s academics, especially the core classes. “They really open up your mind to different ways of thinking about things,” he said. He especially enjoyed the class discussions in his Introduction to Philosophy course, where it was “satisfying to think about big questions and hear what philosophers like Aristotle had to say.”
Having lived in the U.S. for four years now, Reale has been impressed by American hospitality and how others have welcomed him. “It’s really easy to make friends here,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed visiting my roommates at their homes. I feel really well integrated here and can talk to anyone about anything.”
While his competitive golf days will likely end this spring, Reale is grateful for the opportunity to play for four years at Hillsdale. “Golf has given me so much,” he said. “I’ll continue to play it for fun. But I have faith in my capacity to do other things, especially with a degree from Hillsdale.”
LUCIA RUCHTI, ’25 WOMEN’S
SWIMMING
| NAIROBI, KENYA
Lucia Ruchti wanted a challenge. The star swimmer from Kenya started competing at the age of 5 and began her collegiate career at a university in North Carolina. But she felt stuck. “I wasn’t growing academically or athletically,” she recalled. Upon entering the transfer portal, she connected with Hillsdale Head Swim Coach Kurt Kirner.
“He told me I would be challenged at Hillsdale,” she said. “I was intrigued.”
Ruchti transferred to Hillsdale her junior year and added her talents to an already impressive swimming program. She set personal records in two events and placed in the top ten in two events at the G-MAC/MEX Championships (200 and 50 freestyle), contributing to the Chargers’ runner-up finish in 2024.
“The girls on the team are so ambitious and hardworking,” Ruchti said. “That encouraged me to step up my game and work really hard to help the team.”
A biology major, Ruchti had a big adjustment at first since she lacked the foundation that other non-transfer students had. “I’ve definitely been
challenged in ways I never would have imagined,” she said. “But my professors took the time to help me and to teach me what I had missed. I started afresh and discovered my strengths and weaknesses.”
Ruchti has enjoyed getting to know other international students at Hillsdale, including a few from Kenya. “Even though we’re all from different places, we go through the same struggles. There’s a connection on a deeper level,” she said.
Ruchti aspires to become a physician and will apply to medical schools in the U.S. After completing her schooling, she hopes to gain some experience before returning to Kenya to “make a difference.”
In the meantime, she looks forward to continuing to compete for the Chargers. “I want to finish my swimming career feeling that I gave it my all, that I have done everything I possibly can before I hang up my goggles and cap,” she said. And she couldn’t be happier doing that while wearing the Charger blue. “We are all one family, striving to represent Hillsdale as best as we can.”
ALEJANDRO CORDERO LOPEZ, ’28
MEN’S TENNIS | MADRID, SPAIN
Alejandro Cordero Lopez joined the most international of Hillsdale’s athletic teams—men’s tennis—which boasts five international players. He began playing tennis at age 7 and soon thereafter took up basketball as well. By age 14, he gave up basketball to focus solely on competitive tennis. “I began thinking about coming to the United States for college and to play tennis,” he recalled. “In Spain, you choose either studies or sports; you can’t do both in college.”
Working with an agency that helps Spanish students connect with tennis programs at American colleges, Cordero Lopez discovered Hillsdale and talked with Head Coach Keith Turner. “At first, I was only looking at the tennis program, but as I learned more about Hillsdale’s academics, I realized it would be a really good fit,” Cordero Lopez said. “I liked the small size of the College, the close relationships with professors, and the school’s values.”
Once Cordero Lopez committed to Hillsdale, he got an unexpected but much appreciated call from a Spanish student on the Chargers swimming team. “She gave me a good idea of what to expect at Hillsdale,” he said. “That was helpful for my parents, too, who were freaking out a bit about me coming over here!”
Those fears were unfounded, though, as Cordero Lopez found a supportive team at Hillsdale. “We’re a young team and going through the same things,” he said. “After one month, we felt like we had been together for a year already.”
Men’s tennis has a brief fall season, with most of its matches held in the spring. Nonetheless, Cordero Lopez had a strong start to his collegiate career. “I feel like I played some of my best tennis this fall,” he said. “My coaches and teammates are ambitious, and we motivate each other to do our best.”
Off the court, Cordero Lopez is adjusting to the tranquility of life in a small town. “It surprised me how you need a car to go just about anywhere here,” he said. “In Madrid, everything is nearby, and you use public transportation.” He finds that his English is steadily improving as he settles into college life. He thinks he may pursue a major in economics or business. “I’ve always been interested in those subjects, and Hillsdale has a strong reputation in those areas,” he said. “I’m looking forward to my studies at Hillsdale and also improving as a tennis player.”
BY DOUG GOODNOUGH, ’90
Building for the Future: Funding Priorities
Hillsdale College Athletics recently completed a strategic plan that will address the needs of the department for years to come. Here are some of the major funding priorities that were identified in this plan:
PRIORITY #1: SOFTBALL STADIUM
Johnny Williams Field was built on a former garbage dump on the banks of Lake Winona nearly 40 years ago. It’s time for a new facility. The softball program, which is coming off another successful season, has great potential to succeed on the national level but needs a new facility to help it get there. The new stadium will relocate to the northeast of the baseball field. This new location will provide more stable ground and expanded space for a synthetic turf field, a 100-seat covered grandstand, stadium lighting, and more. The estimated cost to complete is $4.3 million.
PRIORITY #3: INDOOR ALL-PURPOSE TURF BUILDING
Indoor turf facilities are becoming more commonplace, not only for colleges and universities, but also, in many cases, for high schools. Hillsdale College needs a similar facility that will meet the needs of our student-athletes and College community. It will be a practice and training area for the intercollegiate teams, but it also will be used for other activities such as intramural sports, club teams, and College and community events. Plans call for an 80-yard indoor artificial turf field that will include locker rooms, an observation suite, and a weight room. The estimated cost to complete is $26 million.
PRIORITY #2: SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING
Some Hillsdale athletic programs are funded to the maximum amount allowed by the NCAA Division II and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. But some are not. The goal is to focus on getting those remaining sports funded to the levels needed not only to be competitive, but also to be at the level of other championship programs. Fundraising for scholarships is and will continue to be one of the top priorities.
PRIORITY #4: RENOVATION OF MUDDY WATERS STADIUM
While the playing surface is state of the art, the infrastructure of Muddy Waters Stadium has not been updated in many years. The plan is to remove the now-obsolete track that circles the field and shrink the footprint to help spectators get closer to the action. This will also include a renovated press box. The estimated cost to complete is $17 million
There are naming opportunities available for all of the above projects. To learn how you can support Hillsdale College Athletics, please contact Director of Athletic Development Jeff Lantis at jlantis@hillsdale.edu or (734) 516-9036.
PRIORITY #1:
FEATURES:
• SYNTHETIC TURF FIELD
• NEW COVERED 100-SEAT GRANDSTAND AND 200-SEAT EXPANSION
• NEW PRESS BOX
• CONCESSIONS AND RESTROOMS IN STADIUM
• NEW SCOREBOARD
• STADIUM LIGHTING FOR EVENING PLAY
PRIORITY #3: | Indoor all-purpose turf building
PRIORITY #4: | Renovation of Muddy Waters Stadium
BY JAMES GENSTERBLUM, ’12
In Memoriam: Richard “Dick” Lowry, 1935-2024
Hillsdale College lost a legend and the sport of football lost a titan with the passing of Dick Lowry in October 2024.
Lowry made an incredible impact on the sport of football for two decades in the 1980s and 1990s at Hillsdale College, leading the Chargers to heights the program had never seen before and has not reached since. It was under Lowry’s leadership that the Chargers won the only team national title in school history in 1985, arguably the greatest athletic accomplishment in the history of Hillsdale College.
While that memorable season stands out in the history of the College and in Lowry’s career, it was part of a much larger record of sustained excellence and success that Lowry built wherever he went.
Born on October 16, 1935, Lowry was a standout three-sport athlete at Berea High School in Ohio and a team captain in football at nearby BaldwinWallace College from 1953 to 1957. He then embarked on a coaching career beginning in the high school ranks in Ohio and, after a successful run in the prep ranks, spent three years at Akron University as an offensive coordinator before earning his first head coaching
opportunity at Wayne State University in 1974.
A successful six-year run in charge of the then-Tartars made Lowry an attractive candidate for a Hillsdale program looking to rebuild after hitting a low point in the late 1970s. Taking on the daunting challenge of
among the greatest in the history of Hillsdale College athletics. In the ’80s under Lowry, Hillsdale won five GLIAC championships, made five NAIA playoff appearances, reached the NAIA semifinal round four times, and reached the pinnacle of the sport at the NAIA level in 1985 with a national title.
elevating the Chargers, beginning with the 1980 season, Lowry proved to be up to the task immediately, guiding the Chargers to their first-ever GLIAC championship in his first season at the helm.
That first title was the start of a golden decade for the Chargers,
As the ’80s turned into the ’90s, Lowry helped guide Hillsdale’s transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II, adding another conference championship in 1992 and remaining competitive in a new classification and a tough league.
In 17 seasons at Hillsdale, Lowry posted a 134-52-5 overall record, with just one losing season. Along with the 1985 national title, his 1982 team still holds the program record for most wins in a season with 12, and Lowry ranks second all-time in both total wins and winning percentage as a coach at Hillsdale. He helped develop 17 All-Americans and 12 Academic AllAmericans during his tenure.
As a coach, Lowry had a great eye for talent, both in recruiting some of the greatest players Hillsdale has ever produced and in assembling a first-
rate coaching staff. He had great faith in defensive coordinator Dave Dye, who came with him from Wayne State and coached with him every year at Hillsdale. Dye rewarded Lowry’s faith with excellent defenses throughout the ’80s and early ’90s. Former Northwood Head Coach Pat Riepma, who led the Timberwolves to great success in the early 2000s, and former Chargers Head Coach Keith Otterbein, who would guide another great run for the Chargers in the 2000s, also got their coaching starts on Lowry’s early staffs at Hillsdale after playing for the Chargers.
“The thing that always stuck with me about Coach Lowry was his commitment to his standards and to the plan he had in place,” said current Hillsdale College Head Football Coach Nate Shreffler, ’93, who played under Lowry from 1989 to 1992. “He had
great confidence in the potential of his players, his coaching staff, and himself. No matter what happened, his confidence never wavered, and he never lowered his expectations and standards for us.
“That consistency and unwavering commitment to excellence is what made him great and is something our program seeks to emulate to this day.”
Jeff Lantis, ’86, Hillsdale’s director of development for athletics and a former player under Lowry who was a member of the 1985 national championship team, also highlighted Lowry’s consistency under any circumstance as a big part of the former coach’s magic.
“For 17 years, before every game, he would read the same short prayer to the team, and after every contest, win
or lose, he would end his postgame speech in the exact same way,” Lantis said. “It seems like such a little thing, but it really imparted to us players the importance of being steadfast, paying attention to details, and doing our jobs the same way and with the same intention and intensity every time.
“From the beginning, Coach Lowry preached to us about focusing only on the things we could control and blocking out everything else. That’s a life lesson that’s benefited all of us, not just on the football field, but in everything we’ve done, every day since.”
“He had great confidence in the potential of his players, his coaching staff, and himself. No matter what happened, his confidence never wavered, and he never lowered his expectations and standards for us.”
—HILLSDALE COLLEGE HEAD FOOTBALL COACH NATE SHREFFLER, ’93
BY DOUG GOODNOUGH, ’90
Chargers Boast Robust Streaming Production for Home Contests
Online streaming of sporting events at the college and high school level is now considered mainstream. In fact, it is pretty much expected.
However, Ted Matko and Hillsdale College were broadcasting athletic events long before the YouTubes and Twitches of the internet world existed.
Almost 30 years ago, Chargers athletic events were first broadcast on the local public cable access channel, and for the past 24 years, Charger football games have been streamed online. Matko, who has spent 43 years
handling much of the College’s video production, has served for the past few as Hillsdale’s director of Sports Broadcasting. And with that singular focus, he remains the driving force behind Chargers Athletics’ online presence.
“It was just football and basketball,” the 68-year-old Matko said of Hillsdale’s original online broadcasting presence. “We were just getting started.”
Matko’s insistence on making the athletic broadcasts as professional as possible meant getting on-air talent to call the games. He helped recruit local radio personalities Jim Measel and Dan Bisher to handle the microphone duties. For the past 24 years, they have been the video voices of Chargers Football. They have expanded their work in recent years to include online basketball, baseball, and softball broadcasts.
“I wanted it to be professional and interesting,” Matko said of his online
streaming operation. “You don’t want it to be like a parent with a camera in the stands. You want to engage your audience. You want to get close-ups. You want to see the faces. You want to build that emotion. You want to include graphics to provide information. Anything you see on a Saturday or a Sunday for the big boys like ESPN—that’s what we’re trying to emulate.”
Matko said a generous donation gifted to the College about 10 years
ago has helped make that a reality. Those funds allowed the College to upgrade its video and production equipment. Another donation helped the campus to get “wired,” giving Hillsdale and many of its athletic facilities the needed technology to allow for a seamless online streaming experience.
Matko, who started his career as a photographer in high school, has witnessed the evolution of video production and fully embraced the
technology side of the industry. His “office” in a corner room just off the main Potter Arena playing floor in the Roche Sports Complex is an array of video monitors and computer equipment. It also serves as the command center for Chargers broadcasts.
What is the process to broadcast a home sporting event?
“We get all the graphics done one or two days in advance,” Matko said.
Ted Matko
Jim Measel & Dan Bisher
“We pull the stats from the other school, so we’ll build side-by-side comparisons of players. Once we get that done, we load it into the system.”
That system allows for pre-populating content such as in-game commercials and graphics. For a typical home football game, there are usually three cameras in use. And there is a connection to the stadium scoreboard to show the time on the clock and other information important to the viewers.
“We have a microphone on top of the press box to give us the crowd sound,” he said. “If I have enough student workers, I have a parabolic microphone that I like one of them to use on the sideline to hear the quarterback and the crunches.”
Matko or Assistant Manager of Video Production Brandon Plond are usually the ones directing the broadcasts.
“I have a router so I can choose wherever the cameras go, what cameras I want to go to, and the slow motion,” said Matko, who directs all the camera operators and production assistants through an in-house communication system. “One of the cool things we do that nobody else does is what we call game breaks. We’ll bring up [other conference] games that are going on. So instead of doing commercials, we’ll show other games.”
He said he enjoys the fast action of volleyball matches and basketball games and has a five-camera setup for those to catch as much of the action as possible.
“Your main camera up top follows the action and anticipates where the ball is going to go,” Matko said of a volleyball broadcast. “You do your breakaways using those other cameras in between plays. And there’s the stuff like when the girls come together and slap a high-five, or that
individual hero shot for someone who’s made a good play. Those are all the elements that you use to make it more interesting than just a single camera.”
The Great Midwest Athletic Conference has its own network/ online app for member schools, including Hillsdale. Matko said the broadcast standards the conference sets have been a big help in improving the overall quality of the livestreams. What is his biggest challenge?
“Finding enough students to work,” he said. “If I have a full crew of five cameras, I’ve got one on the net, and then we have point-of-view cameras.
I have a slow motion operator, a graphics operator, hopefully someone doing sound, and someone switching [between cameras]. Then you have two commentators. That’s what it takes to do a nice job.”
Currently, the Chargers provide live online streaming for home football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, and track and field contests. Matko hopes to one day include men’s and women’s tennis and swimming events. And he is pleased that Hillsdale’s online streaming service is free for parents and fans.
“Some conferences have gone to pay-per-view,” Matko said. “I’m against that. The only people you are penalizing are the parents. Keep it free and let the parents and grandparents watch their kids.”
Matko said despite his hectic schedule, he still has time to enjoy watching the Chargers in action as a fan.
“My office is just off the court. It’s fun to watch the practices,” he said. “The athletes work so hard. Not only are they doing their practices and then working individually, but they’re also keeping up the same schedule as the rest of the student body. It’s amazing that they can do this.”
To catch Hillsdale College Athletics online, visit hillsdalechargers.com.
BY DOUG GOODNOUGH, ’90
When They Were Bearcats
World War II Veteran Ralph Sebrell Considers His Time at Hillsdale Well Spent
World War II veteran. College baseball player. Businessman. Family man. Tap dancer.
Ralph Sebrell has a life full of memories. Some of those are hard to access at times, but at age 97, he still knows his time at Hillsdale College was well spent.
But before Hillsdale, World War II happened.
A native of Wadsworth, Ohio, Sebrell entered the U.S. Navy and worked in the forward engine room of both the USS Amsterdam and USS Texas ships in the Pacific Theater nearing the end of the war. He said he spent most of his time below deck, but when the war ended, he helped rescue Allied prisoners of war from the Japanese.
soon, Sebrell was accepted but had to live off campus his freshman year because the dorms were full.
He joined the Hillsdale baseball team in the spring of 1947, playing for coach John Smith and then in 1948 under firstyear coach Milo “Mike” Lude, ’44, who went on to become a legendary coach, athletic director, and administrator at places like the University of Washington and Auburn University.
When he returned home, Sebrell decided to attend college, but wasn’t sure where he wanted to go. In August 1946, he and his father were traveling through Ohio one day and picked up a hitchhiker. His destination was a small college in Hillsdale, Michigan. Once they arrived on campus, Sebrell’s father decided to stop into the admissions office and ask if his son could attend. Even though classes were beginning
Sebrell said he rotated time between shortstop and second base. At the time, then-Athletic Director Davey Nelson decided to change Hillsdale’s nickname from the Dales to the Bearcats. During Sebrell’s time on campus, Hillsdale was known as the Bearcats, although he doesn’t remember the story behind why the nickname was changed. When Nelson left Hillsdale in 1948 to become an eventual hall of fame football coach at the University of Delaware, the Bearcats switched back to the Dales.
After two years at Hillsdale, Sebrell decided to transfer to Bowling Green State University because he wanted to study business and psychology, programs that were more
developed at the time at BGSU. Although Sebrell graduated from BGSU in 1950, he said he still considers Hillsdale “his school.”
In fact, Sebrell is proud of the fact that one of Hillsdale’s current students, Jonathan Williams, ’26, is a member of his church near Harrisonburg, Virginia. He follows Williams’ progress at Hillsdale.
“He’s an excellent student and musician,” said Sebrell’s wife of 42 years, Ann. “He’s just an amazing young man.”
The retired vending machine salesman occasionally peers at pictures, articles, and other mementos that remind him of his earlier years, including his time as a member of the Hillsdale baseball team.
As for his love of tap dancing, Sebrell started tap at the age of 6. More than 90 years later, he still dons his tap shoes every Friday afternoon and performs at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, where he and his wife reside.
“I love it,” Sebrell said.
He and his wife also still ballroom dance on Friday evenings.
Earlier in 2024, Sebrell received a long-overdue honor from the U.S. Navy. He was presented with the Victory Medal for his service in World War II. Although he was eligible for the medal after the war, Sebrell never received it.
Whether a Bearcat or a Dale, Sebrell said his memories of Hillsdale are fond ones.
“Hillsdale is a good school,” he said. “Hillsdale does a good job of educating people.”
BY MONICA VANDERWEIDE, ’95
ARMY VETERAN JOSEPH GROHS LEADS ON ACTION SHOOTING TEAM TAKING HIS
Coming to Hillsdale after more than a decade of service in the U.S. Army, Joseph Grohs, ’26, wanted to be sure that his four years of college were well spent—that he would get “the most bang for [his] buck.” Now more than halfway through his college career, Grohs is grateful for his time spent as a student and as a member of the College’s action shooting team.
A native of rural Oregon, Grohs entered the Army right out of high school in 2009, serving as part of the 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington. He deployed to Afghanistan eight times, receiving a Purple Heart for injuries sustained during one of his deployments, and was also part of the sniper protection detail for President Trump’s visit to Afghanistan in 2019. Upon retiring from the
Army in 2022, he applied to several colleges on the West Coast and, at a friend’s recommendation, Hillsdale College.
“I knew nothing about Hillsdale College prior to that,” Grohs recalled. He had begun competitive shooting the previous year, sponsored by Grey Ghost Precision. When Grohs learned that Hillsdale had an action shooting team, he contacted Head Coach Adam Burlew to set up a meeting when he came to visit campus.
Grohs was accepted to Hillsdale and, as a veteran, received a full scholarship and housing stipend. He was also offered a spot on the action shooting team. He quickly became a contributor to the team’s successes, which includes three consecutive national titles in the Scholastic Action Shooting Program College Nationals.
HE DEPLOYED TO AFGHANISTAN EIGHT TIMES, RECEIVING A PURPLE HEART FOR INJURIES SUSTAINED DURING ONE OF HIS DEPLOYMENTS, AND WAS ALSO PART OF THE SNIPER PROTECTION
DETAIL FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP’S VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN IN 2019.
“IN THE USPSA FORMAT, YOU TAKE SHOTS WHILE ON THE MOVE. IT INCORPORATES MORE TECHNICAL SKILLS AND PRACTICAL SHOOTING THAN IN THE STEEL CHALLENGE FORMAT. IT’S MORE PROFESSIONAL AND WILL GIVE HILLSDALE STUDENTS MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO COMPETE.”
While Hillsdale has mostly competed in the Steel Challenge format, the team will move to the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) format of competition this year, a move that Grohs believes will be beneficial to the team.
“In the USPSA format, you take shots while on the move,” Grohs says. “It incorporates more technical skills and practical shooting than in the steel challenge format. It’s more professional and will give Hillsdale students more opportunities to compete.”
To that end, Hillsdale’s team has been working with the USPSA president to start a collegiate shooting category. “Hillsdale is the first college to try to do this,” Grohs said. “We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from other colleges and from the shooting industry.” To introduce shooters from other colleges
and universities to this format, Hillsdale hosted the inaugural USPSA Collegiate Championship, in conjunction with Springfield Armory, last September at the Ailes Action Shooting Range.
In addition to this format change, the team restructured last year. Drawing on his military leadership, Grohs stepped up to delegate roles to each member of the team. “Coach Burlew was swamped with his responsibilities,” Grohs recalled. “By delegating smaller duties, such as social media and apparel, to members of the team, Coach Burlew can focus all his energy on coaching, and students get some leadership experience. It’s worked out really well for us.” As for his role, Grohs serves as team manager, acting as a liaison with faculty and the Athletic Department and assisting wherever he can to ensure that the team operates smoothly.
TAKING HIS
“IT’S A LARGE TIME COMMITMENT
TO PARTICIPATE ON THE TEAM, BUT AS A VETERAN, IT’S BEEN GOOD TO HAVE A FAMILIAR AREA WHERE I CAN RECENTER MYSELF AND RELAX WITH MY TEAMMATES.”
TAKING HIS
“It’s a large time commitment to participate on the team,” Grohs said, “but as a veteran, it’s been good to have a familiar area where I can recenter myself and relax with my teammates.”
Returning to the classroom after a 13-year absence was not so familiar for Grohs. “It was a little rough at first,” he said. “But all my classes have been great. I’m here to learn and enjoy myself. As an older student, I have confidence in my ability to perform at the level I need to and don’t put the stress on myself that I see younger students putting on themselves.”
A history major, Grohs is currently interning with the U.S. Marshals out of Grand Rapids, and he hopes either to join the U.S. Marshals Service or become a deputy U.S. Marshal after graduation. But until then, he looks forward to continued growth not only as a Hillsdale student, but also as a member of the action shooting team.
“I think our team will experience a lot of growth this year, not only in our capability within the USPSA realm, but also in our mental game,” he said. “It’s our goal to win the collegiate championship once again.”
Chargers Clips
(A whirlwind look at Chargers Athletics by sport)
Baseball
Hillsdale was one of 85 NCAA Division II baseball programs that received the 2024 Team Academic Excellence Award from the American Baseball Coaches Association. To be considered for the award, the team had to maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA across its entire roster for the 2023-24 academic year.
Softball
Eleven Chargers were named All-American Scholar Athletes by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. The Chargers posted a team GPA of 3.57, well above the threshold of 3.2 to earn an NFCA team award.
Men’s Basketball
The Chargers signed three prep prospects in November who will join the program for the 2025-26 season. Matt Buckman (6-foot-5 wing) from Cambridge (Wisconsin) High School, Paxton Giertz (6-foot-1 guard) from Seneca (Illinois) High School, and Braylon Morris (6-foot-1 guard) from Newark (Ohio) High School are the newest Chargers.
Women’s Basketball
In August, the Chargers took a team trip to Greece. They had the opportunity to play games, sightsee, and experience the amazing culture during their time overseas. The trip was made possible in part through a team Shootathon fundraiser that helped cover the expenses.
Football
Senior center Nick Affholter ends an impressive career. The 2024 G-MAC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year earned All-G-MAC honors for three consecutive seasons, and was named Hillsdale’s Offensive Lineman of the Year for three straight years. A five-year starter for Hillsdale, Affholter didn’t miss a game as a Charger.
Men’s Track and Field/Cross Country
The cross country team placed eighth at the NCAA DII Midwest Regional in the Chicagoland area. It was the Chargers’ best finish in five years and comes on the heels of their first conference championship since 2000.
Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country
Freshmen led the way for the Chargers this season. Evyn Humphrey and Allison Kuzma placed 1-2 at the G-MAC Cross Country Championships, helping Hillsdale finish third in the team race.
Volleyball
Since joining the G-MAC in 2017, the Chargers have won seven conference regular season and seven conference tournament championships and had a 92-match conference regular season and tournament winning streak from 2017 to 2022. Chris Gravel has been named G-MAC Coach of the Year five times in eight seasons. The Chargers were eliminated in the first round of regionals by Findlay and finished the season 22-5 overall and 14-1 in the conference.
Men’s Golf
Sophomore Ryan O’Rourke helped the Chargers hold their own in their final event of the fall, the Intercollegiate at Nemacolin in Farmington, Pennsylvania. The Chargers finished sixth in a loaded nine-team field that included six top-50-ranked teams. O’Rourke had a stellar round of 5-under par 67, with seven birdies and just two bogeys. He finished with an even-par 216 to place sixth individually.
Men’s Tennis
Freshman Alejandro Cordero Lopez stunned 2024 ITA Midwest Regional runner-up and top-15 ranked Cedric Drenth of Wayne State to win a thrilling 6-2, 4-6, 10-3
match. Cordero Lopez, from Madrid, Spain, earlier made a Round of 16 run in his first ITA Midwest Regional and was a highlight performer during Hillsdale’s Fall Invitational.
Women’s Tennis
Sophomore Ane Dannhauser won all three of her singles matches in the No. 1 position at Hillsdale’s Fall Invitational. She also made the Round of 16 at the ITA Midwest Regional at Grand Valley State, falling to the top seed in three sets.
Swimming
The Chargers had a historic weekend in Grand Rapids, setting four school records at the three-day Don Kimble Invitational hosted by Davenport University. Setting new school marks were the 800 and 400 freestyle relay teams and Elise Mason in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle.
Shotgun
The Chargers claimed the ACUI/SCTP Fall Central Midwest Conference Championship. The event consisted of 100 rounds each of American trap, American skeet, and sporting clays as well as 50 of each trap doubles, skeet doubles, and super sporting.
Action Shooting
Hillsdale College, in collaboration with Springfield Armory, hosted the inaugural U.S. Practical Shooting Association Collegiate Championship at the newly dedicated Hillsdale Ailes Action Shooting Range. The Collegiate Championship aimed to introduce collegiate shooters to USPSA competitions. The Chargers won the national championship in both the Limited and Open divisions.
Chargers Champions
Hillsdale Athletics
For the 14th consecutive year, Hillsdale has received the Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence. This year, Hillsdale was first in NCAA Division II with an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 99 percent. The ASR follows a class of freshman student-athletes over a six-year period. Student-athletes in this cohort have either graduated or left the institution in good academic standing and on track to graduate when they departed. Forty-four schools, including Hillsdale, received the 2024 award, which requires institutions to maintain an ASR of 90 percent or higher. Hillsdale is one of just seven schools at the NCAA DII level to have received the award every year it’s been given.
Men’s Cross Country Team
The Chargers trailed leader and title favorite Findlay by 22 points in the first half of the conference championships. However, using their home course advantage, Hillsdale’s top five runners staged an epic comeback over the final four kilometers to pull off the shocking upset and claim the program’s first conference title since 2000. Senior Richie Johnston (fifth), freshman Gabriel Phillips (seventh) and senior Ross Kuhn (eighth) led the way to earn first-team all-conference honors.
Nick Affholter, Jacob Vance, and Shea Ruddy
Three Charger football players had standout seasons, with Affholter and Vance each earning NCAA Division II All-Region honors by the Conference Commissioners Association. Affholter was a five-year starter at center who was named the CoOffensive Lineman of the Year by the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Vance is a sophomore linebacker who led the team in tackles. Ruddy, a sophomore receiver/ returner, was named the G-MAC Special Teams Player of the Year and was one of the nation’s leaders in all-purpose yardage. Ruddy and Affholter were named honorable mention All-Americans by the Don Hansen Football Committee.
Marilyn Popplewell and Lauren Passaglia
Volleyball seniors Marilyn Popplewell and Lauren Passaglia each earned first team All-G-MAC honors. It was the third straight honor for Popplewell, an outside hitter who has more than 1,200 career kills. She also earned a first-team spot on the All-Region Team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association for the second straight year. Passaglia is a setter/hitter who will graduate in the top 10 in career assists. Both were also named honorable mention All-Americans by the AVCA.
Women’s Volleyball
The Chargers won the Great Midwest Athletic Conference regular season title for the seventh time in eight seasons. Hillsdale made its seventh straight NCAA DII Midwest Regional appearance and eighth in nine seasons. The Chargers were eliminated in the first round of regionals by Findlay and finished the season 22-5 overall and 14-1 in the conference.
CONTINUED >>
Chargers Champions
Evyn Humphrey
Freshman Evyn Humphrey was crowned the individual Great Midwest Athletic Conference women’s cross country champion at the conference championships. Humphrey follows in the footsteps of Liz Wamsley, ’24, who took the crown last year for the Chargers. Humphrey won in a collegiate best time of 21 minutes, 33.8 seconds, earning both G-MAC Runner of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors.
Action Shooting
The Chargers won the national championship in both the Limited and Open divisions last fall at the inaugural U.S. Practical Shooting Association Collegiate Championship at the newly dedicated Hillsdale Ailes Action Shooting Range. Sophomore Kayla Mullin won the Female Limited division for Hillsdale.
Shotgun Team
The Chargers won national championships in both trap and skeet at the SCTP International Nationals at the Halter Shooting Sports Center last fall. Luke Johnson, ’27, and Taylor Dale, ’28, each won individual national trap titles for the men and women, respectively. In skeet, Kyle Fleck, ’25, was the individual champion for the men and Jessica Strasser, ’25, for the women. At the USA Shooting Nationals, Dale claimed the Junior Women national championship in trap. In skeet, Kyle Fleck and Madeline Corbin, ’27, were national champions in the College Men and Junior Women divisions, respectively. Hillsdale also won the Michigan College State Shoot, with Josh, ’25, and Madeline Corbin first overall for the men and women, respectively.
Evyn Humphrey | ’28
SPRING
Chargers Athletic Staff Directory
John Tharp
Director of Athletics (517) 607-3130 jtharp@hillsdale.edu
Keven Bradley
Head Coach, Men’s Basketball (517) 607-3148 kbradley@hillsdale.edu
Brianna Brennan
Head Coach, Women’s Basketball (517) 607-3148 bbrennan@hillsdale.edu
Adam Burlew
Head Action Shooting Coach (517) 610-5593 aburlew@hillsdale.edu
Josh Calver
Deputy Director of Athletics (517) 607-3140 jcalver@hillsdale.edu
Tyler Cortright
Assistant AD—Sports Medicine and Performance (517) 607-3193 tcortright@hillsdale.edu
Anika Fassett
Internal Operations and Compliance Manager (517) 607-3156 afassett@hillsdale.edu
James Gensterblum Director of Athletic Communications (517) 607-3172 jgensterblum@hillsdale.edu
Chris Gravel
Head Volleyball Coach / Assistant Athletic Director (517) 607-3162 cgravel@hillsdale.edu
Kyle Gross
Head Softball Coach (517) 607-3191 kgross@hillsdale.edu
Jordan Hintz
Head Shotgun Coach (262) 930-9718 jhintz@hillsdale.edu
Haley Ketchum
Executive Assistant to the Athletic Director (517) 607-3130 hketchum@hillsdale.edu
Kurt Kirner
Head Women’s Swimming and Diving Coach (517) 607-3142 kkirner@hillsdale.edu
Jeff Lantis
Director of Development for Athletics (517) 607-3182 jlantis@hillsdale.edu
Ted Matko
Director of Sports Broadcasting (517) 607-2351 tmatko@hillsdale.edu
Emma Purdy
Coordinator of Creative Services and Fan Engagement (517) 607-3129 epurdy@hillsdale.edu
Nate Shreffler
Head Football Coach (517) 607-3141 nshreffler@hillsdale.edu
Matt Thompson
Head Men’s Golf Coach (517) 607-3149 mthompson@hillsdale.edu
Tiffany Treppa
Marketing and Game Day Experience Manager (517) 607-3132 ttreppa@hillsdale.edu
Keith Turner
Head Men’s Tennis Coach (517) 607-3180 kturner@hillsdale.edu
Tom Vessella
Head Baseball Coach (517) 607-3137 tvessella@hillsdale.edu
