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...
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...
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...
Ashland ready to face familiar foe in Elite Eight
By Chris Bils
March 26, 2013
Ashland head coach Sue Ramsey and Gannon head coach Cleve Wright have known each other for a while. The two used to battle twice a year when Gannon was in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. “Yeah, long time,” Ramsey said. “I can’t even add up the years.” Wright is in his 11th...
We’re number one!
By Chris Bils
March 21, 2013
Set aside the speed at which they can run or swim, the distances that they can throw and the heights they can vault and jump. Forget about all of that stuff for a second. College athletes are amazing. They have all of the classes and commitments as most regular students, and then they have more: morning...
Ashland survives, reaches Elite Eight
By Chris Bils
March 19, 2013
With 11:46 to play in Monday’s NCAA Midwest Regional Final at Kates Gymnasium, it looked like the dream might be about to die. Ashland found itself down 50-42 and struggling to stop the bleeding after Wayne State came out of halftime on a 24-6 run. Senior forward Kari Daugherty—who scored a comb...
Daugherty keys win over Michigan Tech
By Chris Bils
March 17, 2013
It’s a cliché in college basketball that it’s hard to beat a team three times in a season. Ashland knew it would not be easy to take down Michigan Tech for the third time in Saturday’s Midwest Regional semifinal, but Kari Daugherty was simply amazing in a 67-54 win over the Huskies. The senior f...
Ashland takes care of business in first round
By Chris Bils
March 15, 2013
On a day when upsets ruled the Division II women’s basketball landscape, Ashland held tough and moved on to the second round with a 70-56 victory over Indianapolis. The Eagles (32-1) rode behind the stellar play of senior forwards Kari Daugherty and Daiva Gerbec. Daugherty had a game-high 31 point...
Breaking down the competition: NCAA Midwest Regional
By Chris Bils
March 13, 2013
It’s tournament time. For the second year in a row, the Ashland women’s basketball team has the top seed in the Midwest region and will host the regional tournament, which starts Friday at Kates Gymnasium. The Eagles are ranked No. 2 in the country, 16 spots ahead of the next closest team in the regio...
Eagles soar to second-straight GLIAC championship
By Chris Bils
March 10, 2013
Second-ranked Ashland won its second straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament championship and avenged its only loss of the season with a 68-49 blowout win over No. 19 Findlay on Sunday at Kates Gymnasium. The Eagles (31-1, 21-1) opened the game on a 17-...
Ashland pulls away from Michigan Tech, will play for GLIAC title
By Chris Bils
March 9, 2013
The road to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship often goes through Michigan Tech, and Ashland did just that Saturday with an 81-68 win over the Huskies. AU senior forward Kari Daugherty, fresh off of being named the GLIAC Player of the Year for the second season in a row, w...