Blog

Written by: Ryan Imbrock, Director of Marketing and Public Relations,

Nearly 200 northwest Ohio students from 19 different high schools converged on Defiance College on Thursday, March 3, to learn how to become stronger leaders in both the classroom and in their
communities. The conference included an engaging, student-focused leadership presentation by keynote speaker Ted Wiese.

Known as one of America’s best youth leadership development speakers, Ted Wiese works with thousands of students every year to teach and enhance their leadership skills. With wit, wisdom, real-life stories, and a whole lot of fun, his programs leave students with information and skills to take back to school, ideas to put into action, and something good to talk about in the days and months ahead.

After taking part in Wiese’s presentation, students moved into the tabletop discussion portion of the conference. Students, along with their high school advisors, had three rounds of discussions. They covered a wide range of topics, from class elections to service projects to school spirit ideas. Students were randomly mixed during this discussion period to help spur ideas.

Students returned to their “home” tables at the end conference to share ideas. They were then tasked with developing a written plan to take back to their respective schools for further discussion and possible implementation.

Students received lunch and a tour of Defiance College while at the conference.

Chartered in 1850, Defiance College is an independent, liberal arts-based institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of service and engagement. The four pillars of its mission guide the College: To Know, To Understand, To Lead, and To Serve.

“One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.” -Lucy.

Written by: Amber Baldwin

Lucille Ball was an actress and comedian best known for her role as Lucy Ricardo in the tv show I Love Lucy. She also helped pave the way for female comedians and CEOs by never giving up and believing in herself. She also worked incredibly hard with everything she did.

Lucille Désirée Ball was born on August 6, 1911, in Jamestown, New York, to Henry Durrell Ball and Evelyn “DeDe” Ball. When Lucille Ball was three, her father passed away from typhoid fever. Her mother married Edward Peterson four years later. He suggested that Lucille Ball audition for a chorus line when she was twelve. During the audition, Ball decided that she wanted to be an actress. Then, when she was a teenager, she attended the John Murray Anderson School for Dramatic Arts in New York City. However, her teachers thought she was not good enough and told her she wasted her time and money.

This did not discourage her. In 1928 she became a model for Hattie Carnegie. But her modeling days soon ended when she came down with rheumatic fever and could not walk for two years.

Her illness did not discourage her, and in 1932 she went back to New York City to continue to work as a model and audition for Broadway.

Ball’s modeling work as Chesterfield Girl led to her first movie role as a Goldwyn Girl in Roman Scandals (1933).

This movie took Lucille Ball to Hollywood, where she decided to stay after filming to keep playing minor roles in other movies. By the late 1930’s she was receiving more prominent roles and became known as the “Queen of the B Movies.”

In 1940 Lucille Ball starred in the picture Too Many Girls with Cuban bandleader and actor Desi Arnaz. The two started dating and were later married that same year.

Since Arnaz traveled with his band while Ball made movies and radio shows, they did not get together that much. When CBS wanted to take the radio show Lucille Ball was in and turn it into a TV show, she agreed to do it, but only if Desi Arnaz could play her husband in the show.

People at CBS did not think it was a good idea to show an American and a Cuban married to each other. So, Ball and Arnaz created a vaudeville act that traveled the country and formed their own production company called Desilu. They filmed a pilot episode to convince CBS to let them do the show.

After this, CBS finally agreed to let them do the show. I Love Lucy ran from 1951 to 1957. It was followed by the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, which ran from 1957 to 1960. Arnaz and Ball were the power couple of the 1950s.

In 1960 Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz divorced, but they still owned Desilu together. Desilu was responsible for TV shows such as The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, My Three Sons, Star Trek (she was the only one who would risk taking on the show, so without Lucy, there would be no Star Trek), Mission: Impossible, and The Lucy Show. The Lucy Show, of course, starred Lucille Ball, and it ran from 1962 to 1968.

Desi Arnaz also sold his shares of Desilu to Lucille Ball in 1962. This made her the first woman to be a major production studio president and CEO. She sold Desilu in 1968 to Gulf+Western, known today as Paramount Television.

From 1968 to 1974, Lucille Ball performed on the TV show Here’s Lucy with her children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr.

During the 1970’s she also was the lead in the movie Mame, performed in television specials, made many guest appearances on other TV shows, and became an assistant professor at California State University, Northridge.

Lucille Ball starred in her last TV show, Life with Lucy, in 1986. On April 26, 1989, she passed away from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Throughout her life, Lucille Ball received many awards and honors, including five Primetime Emmy Awards, two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, an International Radio and Television Society Gold Medal in 1971, Female Star of the Year in 1973, a Crystal Award in 1977, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1979, Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors in 1986, the Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy in 1987, and Woman of the Year in 1988.

Even after her death, Lucille Ball is still being recognized and celebrated. She has received awards and honors such as the Career Achievement Award in 1989, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1989, the Desert Palm Achievement Award in 1990, and the Legacy of Laughter Award in 2007. She was also inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1997 and the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001.

In Lucille Ball’s hometown of Jamestown, NY, there is the Lucy-Desi Museum and the National Comedy Center. Every year during the week of her birthday, her hometown also has a comedy festival.

In 2021, a movie was made that takes place during one week of production of I Love Lucy called Being the Ricardo’s. Nicole Kidman plays Lucille Ball, which can be found on Amazon Prime Video.

Ball was also a recent star of the month on the Turner Classic Movie or TCM channel. TCM also has a podcast called The Plot Thickens, and their most recent season focuses on telling her life story. A new documentary called Lucy and Desi is coming to Amazon Prime Video on March 4. It is directed by Amy Poehler.

Written by: Emily Vargo

March is National History Women’s Month. To kick off this month, I want to talk about one of my heroes. This amazing woman happens to have the same birthday as me, which is an amazing coincidence. This woman was born June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She would become an advocate for those with disabilities and prove many who doubted her wrong.

This amazing woman is Helen Keller.

At the young age of nineteen months old, Helen contracted an illness and became deaf and blind. Until age 7, Helen didn’t have much communication. She used more than 60 signs at home, and she would communicate with the cook’s daughter because the child understood Helen’s signs.

The Kellers wanted more for Helen and went to see Alexander Graham Bell. He advised them to contact Perkins Institute for the Blind, located in South Boston. The school asked Anne Sullivan, who was visually impaired, to become Helen’s instructor.

On March 5, 1887, Anne arrived at Keller’s house. Anne started signing letters in Helen’s hand right away. She first started with a doll that she bought for Helen as a gift. Helen became frustrated because she didn’t understand that every object has a name and meaning.

This is something that Helen wouldn’t understand until Anne made motions of letters on her hand while cold water was pouring on her palm. This is where she knows that water had a meaning and that all things had a word and meaning.

After this realization, Helen wanted to learn as much as she could. She begged Anne to teach her what everything was and meant. Even though Helen could not see nor hear, this did not mean she wasn’t in touch
with the world. She could understand music by feeling beats and vibrations. She had a connection with animals through her sense of touch.

Even though she could not hear, she would eventually find her voice and speak. In 1894, Helen and Anne moved to New York, and Helen attended Wright-Humanson school for the deaf. Then in 1896, Helen moved back to Massachusetts and went to the Cambridge School for Young Ladies until 1900, where she attended Radcliffe college of Havard University. Then in 1904, Helen graduated and was a proud member of Phi Beta Kappa. After college, Helen would learn to speak and give speeches to tell her story.

Helen and Anne were companions until Anne passed away in 1936. Then Polly Thomson was hired to be Helen’s companion, and they would be companions for the rest of Helen’s life.

Helen used her voice to advocate for those with disabilities and many other causes. She became quite involved in politics and was a member of the socialist party. She had radical views for the period, but she was never scared to share her ideas. Besides being educated and advocating for others, Helen wrote and published 12 books and several articles. One of Helen’s most famous books was her autobiography that she wrote at age 22.

The autobiography, The Story of My Life, was published in 1903 with the help of Anne and Anne’s husband. She visited many countries during Helen’s life and met countless famous people.

On September 14, 1964, President Lyndon B Johnson awarded Helen the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She received awards for her charity work for the blind and deaf throughout Helen’s life.

Helen passed away June 1, 1968, leaving an inspirational story for all to read and many more to look up to.

She also was an inspiration for me. Growing up, no one was like me. I didn’t know anyone who had a hearing impairment or eye issues. Learning about Helen and learning that we had the same birthday gave me someone to look up to and hope for the future.

“Pay It No Mind” – Marsha P. Johnson

Written by: Elizabeth Patrick

On the last day of BHM, I am excited and proud to introduce you to Marsha P. Johnson.

Marsha was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Marsha was an African American transgender woman and revolutionary LGBTQ rights activist.

One of the main events that Marsha was known for was that she was credited for being an instigator in the Stonewall riots. Growing up as a child, Marsha dealt with many challenges due to her Christain upbringing.

After graduating high school, Marsha moved to Greenwich Village in New York City. While in New York, she was homeless and prostituted herself to make ends meet.

Throughout her struggles, she found joy as a drag queen amidst the nightlife of Christopher Street. To save money, Marsha made most of her costumes herself.

She quickly found success and was an influential and inspirational person in the LGBTQ community, where she served as a drag mother. She helped the homeless and struggling LGBTQ youth and toured the world as a successful drag queen with the Hot Peaches.

She was known for her outlandish hats and glamorous jewelry. She was also very fearless and bold.

Despite her difficulties with mental illness and numerous police encounters, whenever she was asked what the “P” in her name stood for and when people pried about her gender or sexuality, she answered back with “pay it no mind.”

Sadly on July 6, 1992, at the age of 46, Marsha’s body was found in the Hudson River off the West Village Piers. The police ruled that she had committed suicide despite claims from her friends and other local community members that she was not suicidal.

However, twenty-five years later, Victoria Cruz, a crime victim advocate of the New York City Anti-Violence Project reopened the case. Johnson’s story is featured in Pay It No Mind: Marsha P. Johnson (2012), available free on YouTube, and The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (Netflix) and Happy Birthday Marsha (2017), which is streaming on Amazon Prime.

In 2015, the Marsha P. Johnson Institution was established. Its mission is to defend and protect the human rights of transgender and gender-nonconforming communities. For more information on the institution, check out their website at https://marshap.org/.

To finalize, Marsha is honored as a Stonewall instigator, a drag queen, Andy Warhol model, an actress, and a revolutionary trans activist.

Written by: Emily Vargo

Over the years, there have been many great poets and writers, but one poet, in particular, has an interesting story. She would become the first African-American author to publish a book of poetry. This amazing author is Phillis Wheatley.

Phillis was born sometime in 1753 somewhere in West Africa. When Phillis was around 7 to 8 years old, she was sold into slavery and was taken to Boston on July 11, 1761, a British colony of Massachusetts at the time.

John Wheatly bought Phillis as an enslaved person for his wife, Susanna. Upon her arrival, they renamed her Phillis after the boat’s name that took her to America. The enslavers made her last name the same as theirs, which was a common custom for enslaved people.

John Wheatly was known as a progressive. He allowed his daughter and son to tutor Phillis. Then, by age 12, she was reading Greek and Latin classics in their original languages and challenging passages in the bible. By age 14, Phillis wrote a poem to The University of Cambridge, now known as Harvard.

The family soon saw her literary abilities and let her study while others did other household chores. The family showed her off to their friends and family because of her ability to read and write so well.

In 1773 at the age of 20, Phillis traveled to London with the eldest son to seek medical treatment for her chronic asthma and get her first book published.

The family felt that Phillis would have better luck getting published in London than anywhere else. Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, was fond of Phillis and had her poems volumized and published. After Phillis’s book was published in November 1773, the Wheatleys emancipated Phillis.

Not long after, Sussana and John passed away. Shortly after their death, Phillis met and married John Peters. They would have three children, but unfortunately, all died as infants.

In 1784, John was imprisoned for debt, and Phillis became a maid at a boarding house and died December 5, 1784, at age 31. Even though she spent her later life in poverty and left this earth at a young age, she left behind a fantastic legacy. Her amazing poems are still here for all of us to read,

Written by: Amber Baldwin

Recently there has been much talk about banned books. “Last fall, a Texas legislator launched an investigation into 850 books as he argued “might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex,” including The Legal Atlas of the United States and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” according to Vox.com.

Library employees from Wyoming almost had charges against them for putting out the books Sex Is a Funny Word and This Book Is Gay.

The Oklahoma State Senate introduced a bill that would stop public school libraries from carrying books on gender identity, sexual activity, and sexual identity.

The McMinn County Board of Education in Tennessee decided to take the novel, Maus, out of the eighth-grade Holocaust unit.

In Pennsylvania, a school district banned  LGBTQ classic Heather Has Two Mommies from school libraries.

Cita Press stated, “Banning books is dangerous. It is the most common form of censorship in the U.S. The lived realities of young people are varied and complex. Book bans limit access to ideas and information and codify discrimination, which harms students, educators, and communities.”

Books being banned isn’t something new. Hearing about new books being banned happens often. Suzanne Nossel, CEO of the free speech organization PEN America stated, “this year she finds herself hearing from different authors by the day about their books being banned” which is nothing new to her.

However, it seems that instead of controversial topics the focus on the bans is more about “a specific kind of content, seen as teaching children, especially white children, that there’s something wrong with America,” stated Adam Laats, a historian who studies the history of American education.

“And the bans, too, are much more forceful than they’ve been before. Some are an individual school board deciding to pull something from a curriculum or take it out of the library. But there are also much more sweeping pieces of legislation that are being introduced that purport to ban whole categories of books. And that’s definitely something new,” Nossel said in the Vox article.

According to the American Library Association, the top five banned books from 2020 include George by Alex Gino, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds, All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

Since it is Black History Month, the top five banned books by Black authors include The Color Purple by Alice Walker, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin, Native Son by Richard Wright, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

Written by: Elizabeth Patrick

I am excited and proud to introduce you to Nysha Speed. Nysha is currently a senior here at Defiance College and is from Sterling Heights, Michigan. She attended high school at L’Anse Creuse North High School.

Here at Defiance College, she is majoring in Psychology and Social Work. Nysha plays basketball on campus while also being involved in various other clubs and organizations.

“I believe that I’m very underestimated because of my size. So I also want to be like OK, just because you’re bigger than me doesn’t mean anything. Just that kind of thinking and also knowing it would give me the opportunity to play more has allowed me to do more for the team,” stated Speed.

This tough mindset of Speed has allowed her to grab nine rebounds a game this season, along with scoring 12.1 points despite her small size.

As a part of the trio of seniors on the basketball team, including Nysha, Taylor Day, and Briwana Francis, they have been able to race out to their best start since the 2009-2010 campaign. The girls have achieved a family atmosphere that has led to a deep roster full of significant contributors to the team.

When the trio of seniors was recruited to be a part of the team in 2018, they immediately felt some tough losses, including losing their first six games. Those six games were also the first six games for head coach Allan King Jr., who is currently in his fourth year at the helm of the program.

As a result of a big group of upperclassmen, the girls were able to turn it around and go 10-11 the rest of the way and qualify for the conference tournament. They won their first tournament game since 2010 before falling in the semifinals. This season was a good turnaround for DC, and it showed the young players on the squad that despite some of the poor seasons that came before them, winning could be done here at Defiance College.

Flash forward to this season, where the women’s basketball team currently has a record of 14-8 overall. The surge in production stemmed from a change in her mindset coming into this season.

Speed stated,” I’m continuing to work hard just for myself without being fit for basketball just as the main goal but for my own physical and mental health. I just want to stay active and not let my past years define me. I shouldn’t have waited until my senior year, but I’m glad I made the changes I did because that has drifted onto the court as well.

To wrap it up, Nysha has had a significant positive impact on the court and off the court.

Written by: Ryan Imbrock, Director of Marketing and Public Relations

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College has several events planned to celebrate Black History Month. The College’s Black Action Student Association (BASA) played a significant role in bringing the following events to the campus community.

Saturday, February 19 at 7:00 p.m. – BASA Presents Jocelin Williams Natural Hair Q&A Workshop — students, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend a virtual session to discuss natural hair, natural hair care, and myths surrounding BIPOC hair. Students are welcome to ask any questions
regarding their hair and hair regimen. The event is virtual.

Tuesday, February 22 at 7:00 p.m. – BASA and the DC English Department Present a Poetry Café — students are invited to read their poetry, a work that is already published, or perform a musical/dance piece. Light refreshments will be provided, and prizes will be awarded at the end of the
night. This event is open to DC students, staff, and faculty.

Thursday, February 24 at 4:00 p.m. – BASA and DC’s Visiting Krieger Scholar Present “Slaves of the Saints” — The Krieger Visiting Scholar in Religious Studies, Dr. Kathryn Phillips, will be showing a documentary called “Slaves of the Saints” in Schomburg Auditorium. The film focuses on Afro-Brazilian
religious traditions. Afterward, BASA President Noelani Schmidt will be leading a discussion regarding the film. Light refreshments will be provided. This event is free and open to the public.

Friday, February 25 at 7:00 p.m. – BASA Presents TTA Healing Studio DMR Session — TTA Healing Studio’s Savannah Schmidt will lead a Divination, Movement, and Reiki session that allows participants to receive information and connect with their mind, body, and spirit. The session will run for90 minutes and consists of three parts: Oracle/Tarot Card divination, Guided Intuitive Movement, and a Reiki meditation. This event is virtual and free to all DC students, staff, and faculty.

Also featured on campus will be an art exhibit in the Women’s Commission Art Gallery titled “Please Don’t Touch My Hair” – a collective art exhibit celebrating the diverse and unique hair types and styles of the BIPOC and multiracial community. This exhibit will be on display from February 23 through March 18, with an opening reception held on February 28 at 3:00 p.m. “Please Don’t Touch My Hair” is curated by Professor Beverly Fanning with assistance from BASA. The exhibit is free, open to the public, and can be viewed from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to Noon.

Chartered in 1850, Defiance College is an independent, liberal arts-based institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational
experience of service and engagement. The College is guided by the four pillars of its mission: To Know, To Understand, To Lead, and To Serve.

Written by: Emily Vargo

On November 9, 1923, in Albany, Georgia, an amazing athlete that would make history was born. This athlete is Alice Coachman.

In 1938 Alice enrolled at Maddison high school and joined the track team. She took an interest in the high jump and worked hard every day to develop her skills.

Since Alice was black and a woman, she had to get creative when training. She would run barefoot on dirt paths by her house and practice jumping with whatever materials she could find and make.

In a year of her hard work and dedication, she drew the attention of the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, where she earned a scholarship.

So, at age 16, Alice went to Tuskegee Preparatory School. She worked on campus, trained, and studied. She earned a degree in dressmaking in 1946.

Alice participated in the amateur athletic union women’s national championship, where she competed barefoot and broke the college and national high jump records.

During the years 1939-1948, she won 10 national championships in a row. Besides dominating in the high jump, Alice also won national championships in the 50-meter dash, 100-meter dash, and 4 x 4 relay team for Tuskegee college.

In 1940 and 1944, Alice was supposed to go to the Olympic games, but the Olympics were canceled due to World War II. But finally, in 1948, Alice went to the Olympics in London.

At the Olympics, on her first jump, she reached a high of 5ft 6 1⁄8 inches. Alice was the only American woman to win gold in 1948, and her medal was presented to her by King George VI.

When she returned to the United States, she became a celebrity. She was greeted with parades and met President Harry Truman and former First lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Alice decided to go to Albany state college, where she earned her bachelor’s in Home Economics and a minor in science. Alice graduated in 1949 and became a teacher and a track and field instructor.

In 1952 she became the first African-American woman to endorse an international product when she was signed as a spokesperson by the Coca-Cola Company featured prominently on billboards alongside 1936 Olympic winner Jesse Owens.

At age 24, Alice decided to leave her athletic career behind and dedicate her life to education and job corps. In 1979 Alice was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

At the 1996 summer Olympics, Alice was honored as one of the 100 greatest Olympians. Alice was also inducted into the USA Track and Field hall of fame in 1975 and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004. On July 14, 2014, Alice passed away and left behind an inspiring legacy.

Written by: Hailey Krawczyk

The Defiance College campus was buzzing with excitement this weekend, with multiple Yellow Jacket athletic events taking place. The highlight being the on-campus contests for Men’s and Women’s Basketball against fellow Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) opponent, Rose-Hulman Fighting Engineers.

Additionally, Yellow Jacket Wrestling competed at the Mid-States Invite at Ohio Northern University (ONU) in Ada, Ohio. Men’s and Women’s track rounded out the weekend at the All-Ohio Championships at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio.

Women’s basketball hosted the Fighting Engineers of Rose-Hulman on Saturday, February 12, in the Karl H. Weaner Center. Prior to tip-off, the Yellow Jackets honored their three seniors, Briawana Francis, Taylor Day, and Nysha Speed. Each senior has made their mark on the Women’s Basketball Program over the past four years. Shortly after the Senior Day
ceremony, the Yellow Jackets tipped off and started strong, taking a 13-8 lead over the Fighting Engineers. The teams entered the second quarter, fighting tooth and nail with another.

The Yellow Jackets prevailed by using a 7-0 scoring run to take the lead from the Fighting Engineers back. The Yellow Jackets hung on to their lead for the majority of the second half as the Engineers began to test the Jackets. The Yellow Jackets were able to hold on and answered with an 8-0 run to lead with two minutes left in the contest. Key factors in the Senior Day win include Speed leading the Yellow Jackets with 11 points and 3 rebounds, the Jackets leading the way with 16 assists, and the bench outscoring the Fighting Engineers 27-12.

Following the Women’s game on Saturday, the Men’s Basketball team also celebrated their two seniors before tip-off. Seniors Marell Jordan and Tyler Andrew were honored prior to the game. Both seniors have contributed a great deal to the Men’s Basketball program over the past 4 years.

The Yellow Jackets fought hard against the Engineers. Both teams battled every possession. At the end of the half, the Fighting Engineers had taken a one-point advantage over the Yellow Jackets with a score of 32-31. The Fighting Engineers stung the Yellow Jackets during the start of the second half, coming out strong with an 8-point lead. The Jackets held their
composure together and started their run of 16-6 to regain the lead with eight minutes left in the contest. The Yellow Jackets worked together to stay strong the rest of the game, completing the sweep over the Fighting Engineers with a final score of 64-57. Key factors to this win include
a 25-point performance from Jordan, an 8-point performance from Andrew, and an 11-point performance from Junior Dejsani Beamon, who also added 4 assists.

Yellow Jacket Wrestling hit the road this past Saturday to compete in the Mid-States Invite at ONU. The Yellow Jackets placed 6 out of 8 teams competing with a final of 50.5 points. Wabash College (Crawfordsville, IN) won the invite with a total of 193 points.

Key performances from the Yellow Jacket Wrestling Squad include Seniors Alex Smith, Cortez Bradley, and Mason Morris, all placing in their respective weight classes. Smith placed fourth in the 141lbs bracket, Bradley placed fourth in the 157lbs bracket, and Morris placed fifth in the 197lbs bracket. Junior Alejandro Castro won two of his matches in the 157lbs contest.

Rounding out key performances includes Senior Rigo Villa, Junior Seth Bowman, and Sophomore Jonah Schlegal each winning matches at 285lbs. You can catch more Yellow Jacket Wrestling on Wednesday, February 16, as the Jackets are hosting an HCAC Dual against Manchester University (Manchester, IN) and Mount St. Joseph University (Cincinnati, OH). The Yellow Jackets will be honoring their seniors before the start of the contest! Be sure to come out and celebrate!

Rounding out the weekend, Yellow Jacket Track and Field traveled to Otterbein University to compete. The Women’s team placed 15th out of 16 teams, and the Men’s team placed 18th out of 18 teams. The University of Mount Union (Alliance, OH) took the contest in both Men’s and Women’s with 187 points and 186.5 points.

Key performances from the Yellow Jackets include Freshman Traci Cross placing seventh in the Women’s 60 meters in 8.12 seconds, earning two points for the Yellow Jackets. Seniors Lisa Markau and Katelyn Smith and Junior Destiney Oshodin placed eighth in the 4×200 meter relay with a time of 1:54:78 to earn a point.

Sophomore Tawon Cannon placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles, which earned 5 points for the Yellow Jackets. Junior Ja’Qway Janvier finished ninth with a time of 23:06 in the 200 meters.

You can catch more Track and Field on February 19, as the Jackets host the 2022 HCAC Indoor Track Championships at the George M. Smart Center at 1:00 pm.