the highland newspaper of uva-wise the official student … · 2015. 1. 28. · [email protected]...

Registration for Sorority recruitment is happening now until Friday, Jan. 30, everyday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Slemp Student Cen-ter Atrium.

CAVALIER Volume 66, Issue 7January 28, 2015

The Official Student Newspaper of UVa-Wise

The Highland

news

et cetera

opinion

sports

IndexUpcomingpage 2

page 3

page 4

page 5

highlandcavalier.com

Sorority recruitment

Graduation Applications for Fall 2015 are due on Monday, Feb. 2 to the reg-istrar’s office.

Fall 2015 Graduation

Worship and discussion group, The Landing, is an open environment that meets every Monday at 7 p.m. in the Smith Dining Commons.

The Landing Worship

SGA will host a parking forum today to discuss on-campus parking issues and ideas.

Photo courtesy of ETSU

see Parking, page 3

Damean MathewsSenior News [email protected]

Two freshmen basketball players have been banned from campus and removed from the bas-ketball team following a report of an attempted rape on campus.

Campus police got a report of an attempted rape Dec. 6, according to police reports. Cam-pus Police Sgt. Kevin Yates said once the report came in, the college’s Title IX team was noti-fied.

The person who made the report was taken to the Wise County Magistrate’s office to give a report to officers there, Yates said.

The Highland Cavalier does not identify victims of attempted rape.

Two students, Aaron Michael Meredith of Norfolk, Virginia, and Cederick Darryll Ross of Waynesboro, Virginia, were both arrested at the time of the report.

Charges were initially filed against both men, but have been postponed in anticipation of a direct indictment by a grand jury next month,

Two students dismissed from basketball team

Photo courtesy of Highland Cavalier stock photo


Campus officials and the Stu-dent Government Association have arranged an open forum to address parking on campus at 1 p.m. Jan. 28.

The forum, hosted by SGA, is intended to address the issue of parking and give students a place to voice their concerns and opinions, said SGA President and junior psy-chology major Shannon Walker.

Parking has been an issue for some time, and has been addressed by a number of students, Walker said. The SGA allocated one-third of its budget last year to the park-

ing fund in an attempt to fix the is-sue, Walker said.

Another reason the forum is important is to allow students to re-alize that their concerns are being heard and to address the fact that progress can not be made instantly, according to Walker.

“We have a procedure we have to follow and they have to get a certain amount of estimates before they can actually pave lots, so that was a big thing I believe they were going to hit on,” said Walker.

Members of Campus Police, Provost Sandy Huegenin and Sim Ewing, vice chancellor for finance and administration, as well as SGA members are expected to be there.

The end goal is to let students

Photo courtesy of Katelyn Sturgill

Former SGA Vice President Jordan Viars poses for a photo with SGA President Shannon Walker on the left and the newly sworn in SGA Vice President Katelyn Sturgill, left, at the Red and Gray 5K last semester.

Parking forum will open for ideas New leadership arrives in SGA


The Student Government As-sociation has seen two positions change hands recently.

On Nov. 21, Associate Vice Chancellor Jewell Worley resigned from her position as advisor for the SGA, followed shortly by Jor-dan Viars, the organization’s vice president and a senior psychology major.

The resignations left President

Shannon Walker, a junior psychol-ogy major, forced to find two new faces to fill the spots.

“At first it was scary having to have two new positions on our ex-ecutive board,” Walker said.

“I thought it was going to put us back a little bit with some of the things we’d gotten ahead on, but I don’t think it’s going to stop us at all.”

Viars submitted his resigna-tion via letter, and said he is cutting back classes to part-time status.

“It is unfair for me to contin-

see SGA Leadership, page 3

Inside:Page 2: UVa-Wise fitness center adds new equipment.

Page 2: Read about college life down under in Austrailia.

Aaron Michael Meredith, left, and Cederick Darryll Ross, right, have both been dismissed from the UVa-Wise basketball team following their arrest on campus.

said Michael Abbott, interim Wise County Com-monwealth’s Attorney.

Both men have been ordered not to return to campus except under police escort, according to college officials.

And, the two students have been dismissed from the basketball team, said Darrel-Dingus Ely, director of athletic media relations.

Under Title IX, both Meredith and Ross, as well as the person who made the report, had the right to take exams outside of a traditional class-room setting if they wanted, but since the two men were given orders not to return to campus, they received an incomplete grade in their class-es, and had 45 days to finish the work in order to receive a grade, according to Associate Vice Chancellor Jewell Worley.

There are currently two investigations of the matter taking place on campus, said Director of News and Media Relations Kathy Still.

“There is the Title IX investigation and the police investigation, and they are separate,” Still said.

Meredith and Ross are both out of jail on bond, Abbott said.

Photo courtesy of UVa-Wise Athletics

news The Highland Cavalier Jan. 28, 2015


The Student Government As-sociation and Student Activities Board has made sure that this spring semester is going to be full of events for students to enjoy.

The SGA has arranged a new open forum for students, said SGA President and junior psychology major Shannon Walker.

The first event will be held at 1 p.m. today, Walker said. It will be a parking forum for students in-terested in talking about the issue on campus. Other events are also planned for the rest of the semester.

Basketball Homecoming Court will be held during halftime of the men’s basketball game on Feb. 28 and the Miss UVa-Wise Pageant will be held on March 28 at 7 p.m. in Greear Gymnasium.

SGA will end the semester with the annual Spring Formal on May 1, the last day of classes.

The Student Activities Board

also has a lot of events planned to help students break the monotony of the school and help them relieve some stress around finals week, said Assistant Director of Student Activities Mikaela Logan.

The semester will be full of events that have proven successful in the past, such as Free Fridays, movie nights and the annual Stuff-A-Bear day on Feb. 13, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

One new event that will be com-ing to campus, courtesy of SAB, is UFO laser-tag on April 7. For this event a 1,600-square-foot inflatable “UFO” will be set up on McCraray Lawn which students can play la-ser tag inside of from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Logan said.

The semester will come to a close with other familiar events such as the End of the Year Bash on April 28, Massage and Relaxation Day on April 29 and Late Night Breakfast at 10 p.m. on May 4 in Smith Dining Commons.

Each event will be announced in the Highland Happenings emails.

SGA and SAB plan semester full of fun

Larrisa HarrisStaff [email protected]

I must admit, when I arrived in Wise I did not expect American and Australian culture and practic-es to be too dissimilar. ‘American-isation’ is spreading throughout the world and Australia is not immune. However, what I have found are subtle differences between living on-campus in little Wise to just-a-bit-bigger Bathurst.

My campus of Charles Sturt University is located in Bathurst (two-and-a-half hours inland of Sydney). My Uni [University] is one of the smaller ones and special-ises in distance education.

I live on campus at a residence called Diggings. Diggians [people who live at Diggings] are a pas-sionate people with ute’s [smaller version of a truck] filling the car park and durries [roll your own cigarettes] being shared in Steve, our communal shelter.

From a dorm down under, Australian campus life

Monday night is Dorm Sports, where dorms compete for pizza in touch [less aggressive rugby] and netball [slower version of basket-ball]. Tuesday’s are trivia at Uni Bar where you get a free dinner of wedges for every team. Wednes-day is the big Uni Night and not one passes without a themed event. Thursday is karaoke, followed by ‘Townie Friday’ when the DJ only plays those songs your parents love. And then the weekends, well they’re for study, sport and work-ing.

In Australia, you can legally drink and purchase alcohol when

you turn 18. And that brings me to the humble goon sack. It sounds dirty and gross and Bogan [Aus-tralian version of a redneck] and it definitely is all three. This cheap wine (usually sweet white wine) comes in a foil bladder with a tap dispenser, all presented in a card-board box. It is a Uni students’ best friend and worst nightmare and I would recommend mixing it with black currant juice. I have yet to find the American alternative.

In Australia it is very uncom-mon, almost unheard of, for Uni students to share rooms. In Dig-gings, my dorm is made up of three

double story buildings with eight single rooms on each floor. The eight individuals on these co-ed floors share a retro style bathroom and kitchen/lounge room. The dorm is supervised by an RA, who is also the coach, tutor, counsellor, party organiser, decorator and cos-tume designer.

There are no sororities or fra-ternities and sport is more often played for enjoyment and fitness than competition.

Bathurst is home to Austra-lia’s most famous car racing track, Mount Panorama. Every October, the town swells as people make a

pilgrimage to the Bathurst 1000. During the rest of the year this four-mile track is a great way for students to stay fit or to test their own driving skills.

Because our campus backs onto bushland, it is quite common to see a few kangaroos, especially during the holidays when minimal students remain on campus.

Note from the Editor-In-Chief: The Highland Cavalier chose to leave in the letter s when we would typi-cally use a z in order to to respect the Australian spelling.

Photo courtesy of Larissa Harris

Students at Charles Sturt University take part in Returners Night(night when upperclassmen move back on campus) by wearing colors for the dorm in which you live.

Zemery GilliamSenior Features [email protected]

With a new semester comes even newer equipment to the Win-ston Ely Health and Fitness Center. Equipment at the state of the art fa-cility, completed this past summer, has doubled over winter break, and staff have accepted an influx of non-student/staff memberships.

Julie Scott, director of the cen-ter, said the feedback has all been positive and that staff members have been taking the feedback they receive and doing what they can to keep members happy.

“Over time, people have been asking for free weights,” Scott said. “We have that and crossfit type activities.”

Previously, if you wanted to use free weights on campus, you had to participate in college ath-letics to gain access to the weight room located beside the football field. Now all students and staff

can have access to free weights at their convenience.

“I like that it’s more updated,” said Maddison Gaither, a junior communication studies major. “There are more choices to choose from and it brings more attention to the gym.”

When asked whether there is a benefit to using the newer free weights over the adjustable ma-chines Scott said some people are intimidated by free weights.

“With selectorized [pieces] of equipment, it shows you how to use it, it’s easier,” she said. “Obvi-ously people with injuries or range of motion issues use free weights so really it’s personal preference.”

Membership numbers have also been on the rise, Scott said. She said there are 259 members currently.

Another suggestion from stu-dents and staff was to open the gym earlier in order to accommodate people who are unable to make it in the evenings. A change has been

Fitness center grows even more

see Fitness Center, page 3

Continued from page 1

Parking

The Highland Cavalier Jan. 28, 2015

know that the faculty and staff know that parking is a problem and they are working on it and trying to address the issues, but can’t just make it happen one day, according to Walker.

“The big thing that we, as the SGA try to do is engage the students and tell them about their campus,” Walker said. “A lot of people get so angry about certain issues and they

keep them to themselves and then one person gets mad about it … all it takes is one person to say some-thing and then we get a solution.”

The forum is an event that could occur again, if students show as much interest in other campus is-sues.

SGA will provide pizza and drinks and encourages all students interested to take part in the forum.


SGA Leadership

ue in a position that I am not fully committed to, especially a position like that of [the] vice president’s,” Viars wrote in the letter.

Viars, who said that his deci-sion to resign came from a need for greater focus on grades and not because of any difference between himself and the SGA, had to resign according to the SGA’s constitu-tion, which does not allow any stu-dent who is considered part-time to hold a position.

“It hit me hard, because I wasn’t expecting it,” Walker said. “To lose an adviser and a vice president at the same time … it brought me a lot of concerns trying to find someone to fill Jordan’s shoes.”

When there is a resignation, the president has two options. There can either be a nomination made by

the president or a mass email can be sent to the student body asking for applicants.

”I feel more comfortable open-ing it to the students and finding out who is really interested in SGA and letting them interview for the process because sometimes the best people don’t necessarily have to come from the SGA itself,” Walker said.

Viars’ replacement, junior his-tory major Katelyn Sturgill, was elected and sworn in on Jan. 23.

“I am honored to represent the student body this semester and to bring my ideas forward to further the goals of the college,” Sturgill said.

Rusty Necessary, vice chancel-lor for enrollment management, has taken Worley’s spot as advisor.

Applebee’s Super Bowl Party Come to your friendly Neighborhood Bar and Grill and join us @ 6:30pm for Super Bowl XLIX!!

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et cetera

made to the hours of operation with the gym opening at 5:30 a.m. on weekdays to accommodate indi-viduals who like to workout earlier in the day.

Questions about the new equip-

ment, membership prices or hours of operation, can be answered by a link on the UVa-Wise homepage or by speaking to the receptionist at the desk on the first floor of the wellness center.


Fitness Center

Jay David | The Highland Cavalier

Senior business administration major Dayne Mullins enjoys the new fit-ness equipment while helping senior nursing major Kenzie Poindexter with her form.


UVa-Wise offers many courses and programs that employ a wide variety of faculty from all over the country. The international faculty often share stories with students about their travels, their time here at UVa-Wise and differences be-tween their country of origin and Southwest Virginia.

Kaushiki Saha, (Instructor in Mathematics) is originally from Kolkata, India and was hired in 2007.

“Why I came here specifically was to have higher status,” she said. “[My husband and I] both got a job over here and we both came from our graduate studies in Wyoming. I felt like we made a good decision.”

She said she feels welcomed here.

“In general I find the region very warm, welcoming and friend-ly,” Saha said. “Which, [compared to] where I come from, kind of matches.”

Saha said that her favorite part of UVa-Wise was the size of the college and that she enjoys know-ing everyone.

“In the class, I can see every-one [and] talk to them,” she said. “When I teach, I can reach out, make eye contact and see that that

person understands.”Assistant Professor of Hispanic

Philology David Fernández-Díaz is from Barcelona, Spain. This is his third semester teaching at UVa-Wise.

Fernández-Díaz found his way to UVa-Wise after attaining his doctorate degree from the Univer-sity of Virginia.

When asked about the envi-ronment of UVa-Wise and it’s sur-rounding area, Fernández-Díaz said, “people are very friendly here on campus.” He also said that he liked the size of the college.

“Everything seems more con-nected than the other campuses,” he said.

Yang Feng, assistant professor of communication studies, is origi-nally from Chengdu, Sichuan, Chi-na. This is Feng’s second semester teaching at UVa-Wise.

Feng said that students here are very friendly.

“I find people here to be very hospitable, people here welcome people from other places to come and share their cultural experienc-es.”

Feng said she is very excited about the new advertising courses offered at UVa-Wise.

“This is the first time our de-partment offers these courses. I can introduce the topic to the students and that is very exciting,” she said.

International faces teaching at UVa-Wise

Zemery Gilliam | The Highland Cavalier

Kaushiki Saha instructs her Elementary Probability and Statistics class.

opinion The Highland Cavalier Jan. 28, 2015

The Highland Cavalier is the official student newspaper of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise. The newspaper is published bi-weekly on Wednesday. It functions to inform, educate and entertain readers accurately and responsibly. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the college’s administration, faculty or staff. Also, the opinions expressed on the Opinion Page are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of newspaper editors and staff members. The Highland Cavalier welcomes all contributions, which can be delivered to the newspaper in person (317 Slemp Student Center); by standard mail (Campus Box 4682, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, 1 College Avenue, Wise, VA 24293); by phone (328-0170); or via e-mail ([email protected]). Letters to the editor can also be e-mailed to Opinion EditorHannah McNew ([email protected]). All letters to the editor must be signed — including the writer’s department or major, address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for length, grammar, clarity and libel.

Staff Writers/PhotographersEditorial BoardJaime RobinsonDamean MathewsJustin DavidDarrian Pickett Hannah McNew Dalena Adams Zemery GilliamStella MatheosDakota GallimoreAllie Gibson

Editor-in-ChiefSenior News Writer

Photo EditorSports Editor

Opinion Editor Copy Editor

Senior Features WriterAd ManagerWeb Master

Staff Adviser

Larissa HarrisGabriel Hawkins

Cavalier Editor Review

Hannah McNewOpinion [email protected]

Recently, the news has been covered with alleged sexual assault victims coming out and accusing Bill Cosby of harming them, years after the incidents are said to have occurred.

After person accused Cosby nearly 30 years after the incident allegedly occurred, it started a frenzy and caused other women to bring to light their pasts with Cos-by.

Not many people seem to be buying into the idea that Cosby is innocent, especially since more and more women have accused him of sexual assault.

After the Cosby fiasco began to boil, it seemed as if more women began to report having been sexu-ally assaulted. Because women were speaking up against Cosby,

it enabled other women to let their stories be heard, as well.

Yet, one thing to bear in mind is that Bill Cosby is such a famous figure that news will spread like wildfire. Those victims will have had tremendous support.

What does that say for someone who is a victim of a predator and that predator is just your average person? Will people care as much if something happened in a small college campus such as UVa-Wise?

It seems as if many people are often afraid to speak up and report sexual assault in small areas. It is something that is pushed under the rug more and not reported.

If you are ever one of the few who falls victim to sexual assault, you should call the police immedi-ately. The sooner you seek help, the better.

I am sure it is easier said than done. I cannot fathom the thoughts that go through a victim’s head

after being subjected to sexual as-sault, but is it really worth the risk of something like that happening to one of your friends?

You want to make sure your perpetrator gets the punishment he or she deserves.

In a smaller community like UVa-Wise, odds are that you will know the predator or you have seen them around campus. I can under-stand how that would make it hard-er to file a report against them.

What if it is someone you know and you thought you trusted?

After all, you realize that they might have a good reputation to up-hold, so you feel like you should let it slide. You figure that it happens to everyone at some point, right?

No, it most definitely does not. That is no excuse.

Remember that you are the vic-tim, and the perpetrator should be reported.

You should not wait to report

someone. Waiting to report sexual assault carries an infinite amount of risks.

Anyone who has seen enough “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” episodes knows that you can-not wait days and then decide to get a rape kit done.

According to The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, it is best to do a rape kit before show-ering, that way the evidence is still there.

Keep in mind that your cloth-ing can even contain evidence, so you should avoid washing your clothes or your bedding.

The most important thing is that you should not wait days or even years like Cosby’s accused rape victims to report sexual as-sault.

Call the police or even speak to one of the certified counselors on campus. Seek help and support as soon as you can.

Don’t wait, seek help for sexual assault


For the last two years, my smartphone has been an HTC One. In my opinion, it is the best An-droid phone money can buy, which I have detailed in previous stories in The Highland Cavalier. My con-tract ran out in December and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, I was switching back to iPhone. I wasn’t dissatisfied with my HTC One, but when I had an iPhone, I felt like it was the complete pack-age of what a smartphone should

Zemery Gilliam |The Highland Cavalier

Supersized phones worth it?


Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper” is a film that will masterfully satisfy any movie-goer with any political belief. If you are anti-Operation Iraqi Freedom, then this movie will be highly entertaining to you and that belief. If you fully support the deployment of troops to the Middle East, then this movie will give sup-porting evidence to that belief and you will be, for lack of a better term, exhilarated.

This movie is both one of the best war mov-ies and one of the best anti-war movies I’ve ever seen. This is due to director Clint Eastwood’s ability to exemplify, in film, that the nature of war is ambiguous. The events that occur with Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle, played by the im-mensely talented Bradley Cooper, are complete-ly straightforward but open to debate. Though everyone that has talked to me about the film has their own political reviews and opinions, they all left with the same feeling of patriotism.

The advertising of this film would leave you to believe it is mainly a family drama, with

scenes focused on Chris Kyle and his wife’s struggles with multiple tours of war. However, a vast majority of the movie is spent in the war-zone. The emotional pieces are there, but they don’t overstay their welcome. With Cooper and the equally talented Sienna Miller, the drama of the couple comes across very effectively.

Though this is film is rated R, I would rec-ommend seeing this with family, especially those who are veterans.

I know I have a greater appreciation of what a select few have done for this country, just by watching this film.

Keeping New Year’s resolutionsHannah McNewOpinion [email protected]

Students on campus were asked about their New Year’s resolutions. Most students that I asked made no resolutions at all this year, which again, was no surprise. New Year’s resolutions seem to be a bit outdated. It’s basically just a promise to yourself that you don’t intend to keep.

However, as outdated as it may be, some people actually do a great job at sticking to these resolutions. It is a new year and a brand new begin-ning for you to start over.

Here are a few popular New Year’s resolutions and tips so that you can reach your goals:1. Lose weight/Get healthy

Losing weight can be one of the hardest things to do, which is why many people do not follow through with their goals. It can be stressful to lose weight, and sometimes that stress can stop that number on the scale from going down. People need to understand that losing weight is a pro-cess, and it is like a formula. Without each part of the formula, it will be hard to lose weight. Drink plenty of water, exercise daily, and eat nutri-tious foods using reasonable proportions. It is also helpful to set a mile-stone goal, such as running a marathon or other endurance challenges.2. Quit smoking

I know how tempting it can be to light up a cigarette, especially dur-ing exam week. It’s a stress reliever. Seriously, though. Have you seen what lungs look like after 10 or 20 years after smoking, or even seen the recent commercials with the trache? I don’t know about you, but that is enough for me to not ever light up a cigarette in my life. If that fails to stop you, just think about how much better you will feel. You will be able to walk around campus (even the dreaded stairs) without thinking you will need an inhaler afterwards.

To read the rest of Hannah’s article and see what our volunteer from down under,

Larissa Harris, had to say about New Year’s resolutions visit

www.highlandcavalier.com.

be.With all of that in mind, I had

a decision to make that in previ-ous years, had not been an option. iPhone 6 has a screen that is 4.7 inches diagonally - already an in-crease in size from previous gen-erations. However, that is nothing compared to the massive 5.5 inch iPhone 6 Plus. Keep in mind, I have an iPad mini and I knew that the size of the 6 Plus alone would make my iPad irrelevant.

As of this writing, the apps that I use on my iPhone are not enhanced by this large screen ex-perience. Also, I have not seen any existing apps take advantage of this larger screen. To this tech geek, the only real benefit, as of January 2015, is that video looks amazing on this full high definition screen.

I say “as of January” because iPhone 6 Plus is technically a first generation device and with any first

generation Apple device, it takes some time for the app developers to create, develop and innovate apps that will make the jump in size worthwhile.

The exact same thing hap-pened to the first iPad with blown up iPhone apps to fill the iPad screen. It really was an oversized iPod Touch at the time but after a year, the apps came and so did the people.

Don’t get me wrong, my iPhone 6 Plus is a much better phone than my HTC One. For most people I would not recommend the iPhone 6 Plus over the iPhone 6, especially if you have small hands and virtually no pocket space.

In a year or two, I could see whatever iteration of this phone be-ing the “must-have phone.” I don’t think most people need to drive a Hummer for a five-minute com-mute either.

Two students compare sizes of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5.

sports The Highland Cavalier Jan. 28, 2015

The UVa-Wise baseball will travel to Virginia State Univer-isity on Feb. 15 to compete in their first doubleheader of the season.

Upcoming gamesBasketball

The UVa-Wise basketball teams will host Glenville State College and Urbana University this week for two doublehead-ers starting Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and Satruday at 2 p.m.

Baseball The UVa-Wise softball team will travel to Limestone College on Feb. 7 for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.

SoftballThe UVa-Wise women’s la-crosse team will host their season opener in a scrim-mage against the University of Pikeville on Feb. 18 at 4 p.m.

Lacrosse

Darrian Pickett | The Highland Cavalier

Men’s and women’s basketball continue to adjust to MEC play

Darrian PickettSports [email protected]

Over the break the Cavalier men’s basket-ball team competed in eight games and are more than halfway through the season with an overall record of 1 - 14 and a 0 - 10 record within the Mountain East Conference.

There has been a new addition made to the team as James Cousins, who is also a member of the Cavalier football team, joined the roster over winter break.

Freshman guard Philip Owens II leads the men’s team in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game and has the team’s highest 3–point shooting percentage of 37.8 percent.

The Cavalier women’s basketball team has

an overall record of 5 -12 and a conference re-cord of 4 – 7.

The women won seven of the eight games that they competed in over winter break.

Junior guard Blair Harding leads the team in scoring as she averages 15.8 points per game, and sophomore guard Taylor Sandidge leads the team in steals with 27 and assists with 43 over-all.

Remaining schedules for both womens and mens teams:


Last spring the Highland Cavalier baseball team finished the season with an overall re-cord of 16 -29 and a 13-22 record within the Mountain East Conference.

The team lost three seniors: pitcher Cody Compton, outfielder Andrew Jessee and in-fielder Mike McCollum last year.

Eight freshmen were added to the roster including third baseman Matt Wright, but ac-cording to Head Coach Hank Banner, they haven’t made many changes.

He said the team members hope to im-prove in certain aspects of the game such as defense and pitching.

“We were second in the league at defense, hopefully that stays the same,” Banner said. “We need to improve our pitching numbers a little bit; we walked too many people last year. That’s been a focus for us since the fall

Baseball prepares for upcoming spring season

Date1/29/20151/31/20152/2/20152/5/20152/7/20152/12/20152/14/20152/19/20152/21/20152/28/2015

OpponentGlenville State College*Urbana University*Notre Dame College*Wheeling JesuitWest Liberty UniversityWest Virginia State*University of CharlestonShepard UniversityFairmont State UniverityConcord University*

Time: Womens: 5:30 p.m. - Mens: 7:30 p.m.Womens: 2 p.m. - Mens: 4 p.m.Womens: 5:30 p.m. - Mens: 7:30 p.m.Womens: 5:30 p.m. - Mens: 7:30 p.m.Womens: 2 p.m. - Mens: 4 p.m.Womens: 5:30 p.m. - Mens: 7:30 p.m.Womens: 2 p.m. - Mens: 4 p.m.Womens: 5:30 p.m. - Mens: 7:30 p.m.Womens: 2 p.m. - Mens: 4 p.m.Womens: 2 p.m. - Mens: 4 p.m.


*Indicates home game

started, is throwing strikes.”Bill Steven and Chaz Tanner return for the

Cavaliers as seniors.

Catcher Ryan Dickt was added to the ros-ter in the fall, and Banner believes he should help the team out defensively.

The Cavaliers will play their first game of the season on Sunday, Feb. 15 against Virginia State University.


Left: Junior, Charles George lays the ball in on a fast break against Shepherd University. Right: Senior Katie Jo Dockery, drives past her defender in the Cavalier’s game against Shepherd University.

Players practice pitching, fielding and hitting a practice on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

sports Jan. 28, 2015The Highland Cavalier


The UVa-Wise women’s lacrosse team is about to kick off its inaugural season in the Mountain East Conference. Head Coach Me-gan Dennehny has spent the last six years of her coaching career at Queens University in Char-lotte, North Carolina, and has spent the past few semesters starting a brand new team here at the college.

“I was intrigued with starting a new pro-gram especially at the state school, and I liked the fact that the school was located in a rural area because I thought I would have a student athlete that came here that was committed to both athletics and academics,” Dennehny said.

The team is a mix of players who have played lacrosse before and a few that haven’t.

Sophomore Kendall Clay has never played

lacrosse before coming to Wise, but said she is enjoying her time on the team. Clay has only participated in practices and a scrimmage earlier in the fall.

“I wanted to get back into a sport and it looked interesting. I played field hockey, so then I wanted to try lacrosse,” Clay said. “I’m kind of nervous because I’ve only played like one scrimmage, and I was kind of confused at first but it’s getting easier and easier and I like it.”

Two freshmen, Kelsey Greene and Taylor Lawton, played lacrosse in high school before deciding to bring their talents to UVa-Wise. Both were in search of a small school where they could take advantage of all opportunities that are offered.

“I liked the small setting school,” Greene said. “That’s what I was really looking for in a college, to get more individual attention from the teacher. And I love playing lacrosse for my high school team so an opportunity to continue

playing lacrosse was really exciting.”Lawton, a Palm Harbor, Florida, native also

wanted to go to school in a smaller setting. “Coming from a city, I wanted a small area

also,” she said. “I really like the one-on-one with the teachers. I loved the coaches right away.”

The players and the coaches have set goals to achieve in their first season.

“We’ve talked all year about the fact that we’re not going to look at the record. We’re a brand new program, so we’re building. Every game we’re going to be gaining more experi-ence, so we’re looking at improving from the day before,” Dennehny said. “That’s our focus for the year going forward, and I think that with that focus we’ll be more successful than we thought we’d be.”

The lacrosse team is scheduled to compete in their season and home opener on Wednesday, Feb. 18 in a scrimmage against the University of Pikeville.


After winning the Mountain East Confer-ence title last May, the UVa-Wise softball team’s 2015 season is underway.

Last year the Cavaliers ended the season with an overall record of 37-14 and a confer-ence record of 20-6. This year they added four freshmen and three transfer students.

“We have a lot of new faces on the team,” said Head Coach Karen Bitter. “We had seven seniors graduate, so there’s going to be some new faces in those positions and we’re looking forward to whatever they can bring to the team.”

According to Bitter, some essential mem-bers of the team are returning for this season.

“There’s some key returners coming back on the team that will continue to work hard and to stand out,” Bitter said.

“We also have Erika McLaughlin who was

on the team last year but she was a redshirt, so she’ll be able to play this year. We have some freshmen that are going to be playing in some key positions.”

Other returners include sophomore pitcher, Taylor Brandts and sophomore second baseman and team captain Alexa Hernandez.

According to Hernandez, having younger players can help the team focus on a bigger goal after winning the conference title last season.

“We have fun, we joke around like sisters, we knit pick at each other. It’s the same as last year, the older ones act like my older sisters, and the younger ones try to act like my older sisters but I always put them in their place,” said Her-nandez. “At the end of the day, we just act like a family.”

As they begin to experience their first col-lege softball season the freshmen are getting used to the collegiate level of play and the train-ing regimen.

“The freshmen have adjusted well, I think it

certainly was a shock for them; they’re handling it well.” Bitter said. “They’re working hard, they’re stepping up, but of course with weight room and that kind of thing it’s a change of life, but they’re doing a great job.”

Freshman Kayleigh Kent, a Loudoun Coun-ty native, is looking to earn a starting position in her collegiate softball debut.

“I’m adjusting well. It was kind of a shock coming in here, but you get used to it. You kind of just adapt to however coaches run things. I think the biggest change was probably just the amount of practicing and training that we do. I never really worked in the weight room before coming to college so that was an adjustment,” Kent said. “I’m working for a starting position. I’m really just focusing on my average at bat and keeping that up.”

The Cavaliers will compete in their season opener on Feb. 7 against Limestone College and their first home opener will take place on March 1 against King University.

Lacrosse prepares for first season in MEC

Softball thinks of achieving another championship



Lacrosse girls huddle in after running drills at practice on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

Sophomore, Alexa Hernandez scoops up a ground ball during a drill at practice on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

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