Ashland’s ultimate balancing act
Chris Bils
April 24, 2014
Ashland University junior wrestler Kurt Schaefer is lying face-down on the practice mat, and holding him there is junior All-American 197-pounder Joe Brandt. Schaefer is a good wrestler in his own right – a two-time state runner-up at Northwestern High School and a starter his first two years at AU – b...
Student-athletes’ worst nightmare
By Chris Bils
August 15, 2013
The text did not reveal much, only that something important had happened.Of the 25 players on the roster who received Ashland University men’s soccer coach Jon Freeman’s message May 28 asking to call him right away because he had some bad news, only one guessed what it was.“What if they just e...
Spring sports recap
By Chris Bils
August 15, 2013
When all was said and done, 2012-13 was the greatest season in the history of Ashland University athletics. Women’s basketball brought home the first team national championship in school history. Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships were won in football, men’s track and field, women’...
Ashland athletics are more than football and basketball
By Kevin Stoicovy
August 15, 2013
It is no secret that Ashland Univeristy has great athletics. But some of Ashland’s more exciting sports seem underhanded to mainstream athletics.With recent success in “mainstream” sports such as football and basketball, it isn’t uncommon to see many students showing up at Jack Miller Stadium or Ka...
A closer look at the cutting of AU men’s soccer
By Chris Bils
August 15, 2013
Ashland University expects to save $382,558 by next year by cutting the men’s soccer program, according to university President Frederick Finks.Many changes were made this summer due to difficulties regarding Ashland University’s budget. One of the largest and most talked about changes was the decision...
Kates construction completed
By Teresa Williams
August 15, 2013
Kates Gymnasium experienced extensive renovations over the summer. With a new floor as well as upgraded bleachers, lighting, and sound system, the gym will serve as a spotlight for the Ashland University athletic teams as they compete this fall and winter.Athletic Director Bill Goldring indicated that...
Changing the culture
By Chris Bils
August 15, 2013
The 2012 season of Ashland women’s soccer was full of frustration. After getting all the way to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship in 2011, the team got back to work in August with high hopes. Most of the pieces were in place from the year before, and head c...
Gazing into the future
By Chris Bils
August 15, 2013
All it takes is a few minutes with Ashland head volleyball coach Cass Dixon to realize she has lofty goals. She doesn’t even have to say what they are.Watch her roam the sideline sometime. To the untrained eye, she seems a nervous wreck. Her heels seem likely to dig into the hardwood, which judging by...
‘AU Eagle Basketball’ secures a national championship
By Chris Bils
March 30, 2013
“AU Eagle Basketball” cannot be explained in a sentence. It cannot be accomplished with just one person. It is not just the five players on the floor at any given time. It is the vision of one woman—head coach Sue Ramsey—and what she calls playing the game the right way, and it takes a whole team...
A memorable press conference
By Chris Bils
March 29, 2013
Yesterday’s national championship press conference was, well… different than I expected. I mean, nothing interesting ever happens at these things, right? It’s just a chance for a few players and the coach of both teams to stare each other down while a slew of reporters ask the usual questions....
Ashland and Dowling set to battle for a national title
By Chris Bils
March 29, 2013
When Ashland head coach Sue Ramsey sat in the press room following her team’s 66-54 win over Western Washington in the Final Four, she talked about how playing the Vikings was like looking in a mirror. That won’t be the case tonight when the Eagles take on No. 10 Dowling (30-3) for the national ...
Ashland one step away from a national title
By Chris Bils
March 28, 2013
All year, the Ashland women’s basketball team has had one goal: to get back to the national championship and win it. Wednesday night, the first part of that goal was accomplished when the Eagles took down Western Washington in the Final Four, 66-54. Second-ranked Ashland (36-1) led from start to finis...