TRANSOUTH CONFERENCE WEEKLY UPDATE - November 18, 2005 Vol. 2; Issue 10

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1 Blue Mountain College - bmc.edu Crichton College - crichton.edu Cumberland University - cumberland.edu Freed-Hardeman University - fhu.edu Lyon College - lyon.edu Martin Methodist College - martinmethodist.edu Trevecca Nazarene University - trevecca.edu Union University - uu.edu Follow your favorite TranSouth Team on the following links. transouth.org naia.org dakstats.com/naia TRANSOUTH CONFERENCE WEEKLY UPDATE - November 18, 2005 Vol. 2; Issue 10 Current standings for each sport can be found on page two. TRANSOUTH NEWS The TranSouth Conference has added three new members for See page 4 of the report for more deteails. CROSS COUNTRY The NAIA National Cross Country meet will be this weekend in Louisville, Ky. Union will send three individual qualifiers to the NAIA National Meet. Candace Cross makes her first trip, Phillip Thompson makes his second trip, and John Fox will make his first trip. VOLLEYBALL Martin Methodist completed the sweep in the TranSouth Volleyball team championships as they captured the tournament title just a week after winning the regular season title for the first time. Now, two teams from the TranSouth have advanced to the NAIA Region XI Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 19 in Jeffersontown, Ky. Freed-Hardeman will play Georgetown College at 11:00 am followed by Martin Methodist will play Campbellsville at 1:00 pm. The championship game will be at 3:30 pm that afternoon. The region champions earns at automatic bid to the national tournament on Nov. 30 in San Diego, Calif. No TranSouth team was ranked in the final rankings, therefore, Martin Methodist and Freed-Hardeman must win in order to advance to the national tournament. WOMEN S SOCCER Martin Methodist is the No. 1 seed entering the NAIA Women s Soccer National Championships as they won the NAIA Region XI Title last week. Martin Methodist, 20-1 on the season, defeated McKendree College 2-0 in the first round on Thursday. Now the RedHawks await the winner of Concordia (Ore.) and Madonna (Mich) for a quarterfinal matchup on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 2:15 pm. The tournament is being held in Olathe, Kansas. MEN S SOCCER In the NAIA Region XI Men s Soccer Tournament, Union topped conference foe Cumberland 4-3 in penalty kicks after playing a scoreless match through two overtimes. With the win, Union advanced to the region finals versus defending region champions Linsdey Wilson. The Blue Raiders topped Union 3-1. In the final NAIA National Rankings, Cumberland received votes, but no TranSouth team was ranked high enough to advance to the national by way of an at-large bid. WOMEN S BASKETBALL The TranSouth Conference is very well represented in both the women s NAIA polls. In the women s polls, Freed-Hardeman is ranked No. 2, Union is ranked No. 4, Trevecca Nazarene No. 13, and Cumberland No. 23. Martin Methodist, Trevecca Nazarene, and Union are all three 4-0 out of the gate. Freed-Hardeman is 5-1 on the young season, while Cumberland is 1-0. All of the teams will continue their pre-conference shedule over the rest of November and December. TranSouth Conference play will begin during the middle of January. Visit the TranSouth website at for more information on the TranSouth Preseason basketball polls, including a breakdown of each team s outlook for this coming season. You can also find the preseason coach s poll on page 2 of this update. The complete NAIA rankings can be found at MEN S BASKETBALL In the men s rankings, Union is ranked No. 6 and Lyon is ranked No. 25. Trevecca Nazarene and conference newcomer Crichton are both receiving votes in the preseason polls. All of the conference teams are off and running with their seasons. In the early going this season, Union is 4-0 and Trevecca Nazarene is 3-0 to start the year. Lyon and Martin Methodist are both 3-1 on the year. Visit the TranSouth website at for more information on the TranSouth Preseason basketball polls, including a breakdown of each team s outlook for this coming season. You can also find the preseason coach s poll on page 2 of this update. The complete NAIA rankings can be found at BASEBALL The 2006 NAIA Baseball Pre-Season Rankings were released this week, along with the TranSouth Conference Pre-Season Coach s Poll. Nationally, Cumberland is ranked No. 4 and Trevecca Nazarene is ranked No. 22. In the TranSouth Pre-Season Poll, Cumberland University (Tenn.) has been tabbed as the favorite to win this year s crown with Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.) voted second. See the complete rankings on page three of this report. TranSouth Weekly Update Contact: Steven Aldridge, Union SID (731) or saldridg@uu.edu -1-

2 TRANSOUTH CONFERENCE CURRENT STANDINGS FALL SPORTS Women s Soccer 1 Martin Methodist*^!$ Cumberland ^ Trevecca Nazarene Crichton Lyon Freed-Hardeman Union * - regular season and tournament champion ^ - region tournament appearance! - region tournament champion $ - national tournament appearance (#1 seed) Men s Soccer 1 Cumberland * ^ Union ^ Martin Methodist Trevecca Nazarene Lyon Freed-Hardeman * - regular season & tournament champion ^ - region tournament appearance Volleyball 1 Martin Methodist * Freed-Hardeman Lyon Union Cumberland Trevecca Nazarene * - regular season champion WINTER SPORTS Women s Basketball 1 Martin Methodist Trevecca Nazarene Union Cumberland Freed-Hardeman Blue Mountain Lyon Men s Basketball 1 Union Trevecca Nazarene Lyon Martin Methodist Freed-Hardeman Crichton Cumberland SPRING SPORTS Baseball Softball Women s Golf (Tournament) Men s Golf (Tournament) Women s Tennis Men s Tennis TRANSOUTH PRESEASON POLLS (VOTED BY COACHES) FALL SPORTS Women s Cross Country No Preseason Rankings Men s Cross Country No Preseason Rankings Women s Soccer 1. Martin Methodist 2. Cumberland 3. Trevecca Nazarene 5. Freed-Hardeman 6. Union 7. Crichton Men s Soccer 1. Martin Methodist 2. Union 3. Cumberland 5. Trevecca Nazarene 6. Freed-Hardeman Volleyball 2. Martin Methodist 3. Union 5. Cumberland 6. Trevecca Nazarene WINTER SPORTS Women s Basketball 2. Union 3. Trevecca Nazarene 5. Martin Methodist 6. Lyon 7. Blue Mountain Men s Basketball 1. Union 2. Lyon 3. Crichton 4. Trevecca Nazarene 5. Cumberland 6. Martin Methodist 7. Freed-Hardeman SPRING SPORTS Baseball 1. Cumberland 2. Trevecca Nazarene 3. Lyon 4. Freed-Hardeman 5. Union 6. Crichton 7. Martin Methodist Softball Women s Golf Men s Golf Women s Tennis Men s Tennis TRANSOUTH CONFERENCE FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS FALL SPORTS Women s Cross Country (TranSouth Meet) 1. Union 2. Freed-Hardeman 3. Lyon Men s Cross Country (TranSouth Meet) 1. Union 2. Lyon 3. Freed-Hardeman Women s Soccer 1. Martin Methodist (4-0) 2. Cumberland (3-1) 3. Trevecca Nazarene (2-2) 4. Freed-Hardeman (1-3) 5. Lyon (0-4) Men s Soccer 1. Martin Methodist (5-0) 2. Cumberland (4-1) 3. Union (2-2-1) 3. Lyon (2-2-1) 5. Trevecca Nazarene (1-4) 6. Freed-Hardeman (0-5) Volleyball 1. Union (10-0) 2. Freed-Hardeman (8-2) 3. Martin Methodist (6-4) (4-6) 5. Trevecca Nazarene (1-9) 6. Cumberland (1-9) WINTER SPORTS Women s Basketball (11-1) 2. Trevecca Nazarene (9-3) 3. Union (8-4) (7-5) 5. Lyon (4-8) 6. Blue Mountain (3-9) 7. Martin Methodist (0-12) Men s Basketball 1. Trevecca Nazarene (8-2) 1. Union (8-2) 3. Cumberland (5-5) 3. Lyon (5-5) 5. Martin Methodist (3-7) 6. Freed-Hardeman (1-9) SPRING SPORTS Baseball 1. Trevecca Nazarene (11-4) 2. Cumberland (10-5) 3. Lyon (9-6) 4. Freed-Hardeman (8-7) 5. Union (5-10) 6. Martin Methodist (2-13) Softball 1. Trevecca Nazarene (11-5) 2. Union (10-6) 2. Martin Methodist (10-6) 4. Freed-Hardeman (8-8) 5. Cumberland (1-15) Women s Golf (Tournament) 1. Trevecca Nazarene 2. Freed-Hardeman 3. Lyon Men s Golf (Tournament) 1. Cumberland 2. Martin Methodist 3. Union 4. Freed-Hardeman 5. Trevecca Nazarene 6. Lyon Women s Tennis 2. Cumberland 3. Martin Methodist 4. Blue Mountain 5. Lyon Men s Tennis 2. Cumberland 3. Martin Methodist TranSouth Weekly Update Contact: Steven Aldridge, Union SID (731) or saldridg@uu.edu -2-

3 Blue Mountain College Crichton College Cumberland University Freed-Hardeman University Lyon College Martin Methodist College Trevecca Nazarene University Union University FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 17, 2005 TranSouth Baseball SID: Steven Aldridge Phone: Website: TranSouth Baseball Pre-Season Poll Announced NAIA Top 25 Pre-Season Rankings Released JACKSON, Tenn. - The 2006 version of the TranSouth Conference Baseball Pre-Season Poll, as voted by the coaches, has been released. Cumberland University (Tenn.) has been tabbed as the favorite to win this year s crown with four of the seven first place votes. Last year s regular season and tournament champion Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.) was voted second with two first place votes. Finishing out the group of seven teams was Lyon College (Ark.) in third place, Freed-Hardeman University (Tenn.) in fourth place receiving one first place vote, Union University (Tenn.) in fifth place, conference newcomer Crichton College (Tenn.) was voted sixth, and Martin Methodist College (Tenn.) was voted seventh. Cumberland University has made two straight trips to the NAIA Baseball World Series, including the national title in 2004 and fourth place finish last season. Cumberland finish runner-up in both the regular season and conference tournament last year, however swept through the NAIA Region XI and MidSouth Super Region Tournaments to advance to the NAIA World Series. Trevecca Nazarene, the defending TranSouth Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champions, and Lyon each joined Cumberland in the NAIA Region XI Tournament last season. In the NAIA Baseball Pre-Season Polls, the TranSouth was represented by Cumberland and Trevecca Nazarene. Cumberland was voted as the No. 4 ranked team, while Trevecca Nazarene was voted as the No. 22 ranked team in the nation. The 2006 baseball season for the TranSouth teams will begin around the latter part of January or the first of February. As schedules become available, you can find these online at A complete list of the 2006 NAIA Pre-Season Baseball Rankings can be found at TranSouth Coaches Pre-Season Poll Rank Team Total Points 1 st Place Votes 1 Cumberland 46 (4) 2 Trevecca Nazarene 41 (2) 3 Lyon 35 4 Freed-Hardeman 31 (1) 5 Union 18 6 Crichton 15 7 Martin Methodist 10 #TRANSOUTH#

4 * Bethel College * Blue Mountain College * Crichton College * Cumberland University * * Freed-Hardeman University * Lambuth University * Lyon College * Martin Methodist College * * Mid-Continent University * Trevecca Nazarene University * Union University * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 16, 2005 TranSouth Sports Information: Greg Ruff Phone: gruff@trevecca.edu Website: TranSouth Athletic Conference Expands Again For Bethel College, Lambuth University, Mid-Continent University Join TranSouth As the TranSouth Athletic Conference celebrates its 10th year in existence this year, the conference announces significant changes for its second decade when three new schools will join for competitive play in the fall of Joining the conference with full membership for the athletic season are Bethel College (McKenzie, Tenn.), Lambuth University (Jackson, Tenn.) and Mid-Continent University (Mayfield, Ky.). The TranSouth Athletic Conference (TSAC) was founded in 1996 and was composed of many schools from the Tennessee Collegiate Athletic Conference (TCAC). The TCAC changed its name and some of its members prior to the school year to become the TranSouth Athletic Conference. The TranSouth is a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and is a perennial power with several national championships. Conference members have fielded NAIA national champions in women's basketball, men's basketball, baseball, and wrestling Currently the conference has eight members that span the State of Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. Current members are Blue Mountain College (Blue Mountain, Miss.), Crichton College (Memphis, Tenn.), Cumberland University (Lebanon, Tenn.), Freed-Hardeman University (Henderson, Tenn.), Lyon College (Batesville, Ark.), Martin Methodist College (Pulaski, Tenn.), Trevecca Nazarene University (Nashville, Tenn.), and Union University (Jackson, Tenn.). The TranSouth awards a conference champion in 13 intercollegiate sports. Those sports are baseball, men s and women s basketball, men s and women s cross country, men s and women s golf, men s and women s soccer, women s fast-pitch softball, men s and women s tennis, and women s volleyball. Comments from the TranSouth Athletic Conference: Presidents Council says, We are delighted about these three new institutions joining the TranSouth Athletic Conference. The Presidents Council carefully reviewed each institution-- including a campus visit--and unanimously approved each one. This is an exciting time in life of the conference as we expand and extend our influence in the region.

5 E.L. Hutton, TranSouth Commissioner says, The TranSouth Athletic Conference is proud that Lambuth University, Bethel College, and Mid-Continent College have decided to join the TranSouth Conference and will start playing conference sports in the academic year. The TranSouth says 'welcome' and we are looking forward to working together with the student athletes, coaches and fans for many years time to come. About the three new institutions: Bethel College, McKenzie, Tennessee Founded: 1842 Enrollment: 1,800 Nickname: Wildcats/Lady Wildcats School Colors: Purple/Gold TranSouth Sports (13): Baseball, Men s Basketball, Women s Basketball, Men s Cross Country, Women s Cross Country, Men s Golf, Women s Golf, Men s Soccer, Women s Soccer, Women s Fast-Pitch Softball, Men s Tennis, Women s Tennis, Women s Volleyball. Notes: The Wildcat Soccerplex and Wildcat Tennis Courts were both completed in late August The soccer complex features a field that measures 115x80 and also has a press box. The tennis complex has eight lighted tennis courts. A bathroom/concession stand is built between the soccer and tennis facility for easy access. Both the baseball and softball fields have undergone renovations with a press box to be built for each field Season: Bethel College fielded conference (Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) championships in women s soccer, men s soccer, and women s basketball. Bethel College also fielded the conference runner-up in women s tennis, men s basketball, baseball, and men s tennis. They field the NAIA Region XII champion in women s soccer, men s soccer and reached the semifinals in men s and women s tennis. The men s and women s soccer teams reached the national tournament where the women s team reached the Elite Eight. The women s basketball team advanced to the NAIA D-II National Tournament. Bethel is actually rejoining the TranSouth Athletic Conference. The Wildcats were an original member of the TranSouth Conference prior to joining the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) prior to the athletic season. The Wildcats were apart of the VSAC (Volunteer State Athletic Conference) with many of the current TSAC teams. Bethel moved to the TCAC with many of those teams and were a charter member of the TranSouth during the athletic season. Presidents Council says of Bethel College, Bethel College has made impressive strides forward with the expansion of its academic program and growth in enrollment. The Presidents Council was especially pleased with President Bob Prosser s interest in joining the TranSouth Athletic Conference. After a careful review--including a campus visit--the Council unanimously approved Bethel College for conference membership for Bethel College President Dr. Robert Prosser is excited about the renewed rivalries, We are excited about joining the TranSouth Conference and renewing our natural rivalries. This is one of the top conferences in the country and we look forward to seeing Bethel competing with the best on the national map once again. We are also looking forward to exciting competition with schools in closer proximity to us. This will produce great crowd enthusiasm.

6 Bethel Athletic Director and basketball coach Jeff Britt looks forward to the competition of the TranSouth, "The transition of stepping into a new conference, especially the TranSouth will be very challenging for our athletic program. It is somewhat of a reunion with most of the colleges and universities, since we have been here before. I certainly hope we can compete in the TranSouth as we did in the KIAC for championships, year in and year out. We look forward to the challenge, and yet we are thankful for the opportunity the KIAC provided us the past several years." Lambuth University, Jackson, Tennessee Founded: 1843 Enrollment: 900 President: Dr. Fred R. Zuker Athletic Director: Don Shaver Nickname: Eagles/Lady Eagles School Colors: Navy Blue and White TranSouth Sports (12): Baseball, Men s Basketball, Women s basketball, Men s Cross Country, Women s Cross Country, Men s Golf, Men s Soccer, Women s Soccer, Women s Fast-Pitch Softball, Men s Tennis, Women s Tennis, Women s Volleyball Season: The baseball team reached the NAIA Region XI Tournament for the seventh time in the last nine years. The softball team finished second the in MidSouth conference and was the runner-up in the MidSouth Tournament. This year the men s and women s soccer teams advanced to the NAIA Region XI Tournament. The volleyball team finished third in the MidSouth this fall and advanced to the MidSouth Conference Tournament. Presidents Council says of Lambuth University, Lambuth University is no stranger to the TranSouth--in a sense we are welcoming Lambuth back home. The Presidents Council was especially pleased with President Fred Zuker s interest in returning to the TranSouth. After a careful review--including a campus visit--the Council unanimously approved Lambuth University for conference membership for Lambuth Athletic Director Don Shaver says Lambuth is looking forward to rejoining many of their former conference foes once again, Everyone with the Athletics Department at Lambuth University is proud to become a member of the Trans-South Conference beginning in the fall of The Trans-South Conference includes many fine institutions of higher learning and Lambuth University looks forward to competing with these schools. Lambuth University recognizes and applauds the Trans-South Conference for 10 years of academic and athletic excellence. We feel our sports teams will be a compliment to the conference and look forward to competing with the conference's member schools in the fall of Mid-Continent University, Mayfield, Kentucky Founded: 1949 Enrollment: 1,011 President: Dr. Robert J. Imoff Athletic Director: Joe Zakowicz Nickname: Cougars School Colors: Blue and Gold TranSouth Sports (5): Baseball, Men s Basketball, Women s Basketball, Men s Soccer, Women s Fast-Pitch Softball, Women s Volleyball

7 Notes: in the season Mid-Continent s men's soccer team finished as the NAIA Region XII Runner up and won the KIAC Regular season title. Also that year, the women s fast-pitch softball team finished as the NAIA Region XII runner up. This season the men s soccer team has captured the KIAC regular season and tournament titles. Presidents Council says of Mid-Continent University, Mid-Continent University has taken important strides forward with the expansion of their academic program and growth in enrollment. The Presidents Council was especially pleased with President Robert J. Imhoff's interest in joining the TranSouth Athletic Conference. After a careful review--including a campus visit--the Council unanimously approved Mid-Continent University for conference membership for Mid-Continent University President, Dr. Robert J. Imhoff looks at the move to the TranSouth as one that will help Mid-Continent improve their athletic program, "We are excited about our acceptance into the Trans South Athletic Conference. We look forward to building competitive programs that will be able to compete and do well in the TSAC. We are also excited about building healthy rivalries that are closer in proximity to us. This move is a natural progression for us as we look to build our athletic programs, as well as our academic programs." Mid-Continent University Athletic Director Joe Zakowicz is excited the opportunities provide the Cougars, "We are very excited about our move to the Trans South Athletic Conference. The TSAC is a very strong conference, and with the addition of the three new members, it should be one of the toughest conferences in the country. The TSAC will be a great challenge for us as we look to build our programs and compete at a higher level." #TRANSOUTH#