fall 08 southern_FINAL draft:southern magazine_text pages_draft 1 10/13/2008 11:45 AM Page 68 ATHLETICS Football Panthers return to the gridiron this season under new coaching team Year two of Tusculum College, and Deke Herrin Birmingham- comes to the Hilltop from Middle Southern’s return to Tennessee State to coach the the gridiron features receivers. Gerald Gann, a longtime a new-look coaching high school head coach in the staff, 27 returning Birmingham area, and Tim Sanders lettermen, and 47 were added to the staff as volunteer newcomers in 2008. assistant coaches. The Panthers posted The Panthers return 27 lettermen a 3-7 overall record that include 12 starters from last in 2007 after fielding year’s squad. Five starters return to a team for the first an offense that averaged 331.5 yards time since 1939. and 22.7 points per game, while five This past February, starters return on defense. Athletics Director Joe Sophomore quarterback Joe Dean Jr. promoted Thigpen, sophomore running back Defensive Coor- Walter Arrington, and sophomore dinator Eddie offensive linemen Taylor Pearson, Garfinkle to take the Lee Hopf, and Ryan Creel are the reins of the program. returning starters on offense. Garfinkle replaced Thigpen and Arrington earned All- Joey Jones, who was Southern Collegiate Athletic hired to start the Conference laurels last season with football program at Arrington being named the SCAC the University of Newcomer of the Year. Pearson and South Alabama. Hopf started the last five games of Two returning the season on the offensive line, coaches and four while Creel started the first two newcomers make up games of the year before a knee Garfinkle’s staff. injury ended his season. Offensive “Even though we are going to be a Coordinator Joel young team that will mostly be Williams and freshmen and second-year players, Secondary Coach we feel good about the direction we Dyer Carlisle return are going,” said Garfinkle. “Hope- Thigpen for their second seasons. Dwayne fully we can play teams close like we Curry, who was an All-American did last year, but find a way to win Linebacker at Mississippi State, was those games in the fourth quarter hired to coach the defensive line, when in that position.” while Joe Judge, also from As this issue of ’Southern went to Mississippi State, was brought on press, the Panthers were 1-2 on the board to coach the linebackers. Don young season. Dover is the new offensive line Gameday Football Guide 2008 coach, coming to BSC from 68 / ’southern fall 08 southern_FINAL draft:southern magazine_text pages_draft 1 10/13/2008 11:46 AM Page 69 ATHLETICS Welcome to another exciting season of Birmingham-Southern football! To make your gameday experience easier and more enjoyable, we have created a GUIDE TO FOOTBALL GAMEDAY containing information on tickets, the Gridiron Club, parking, traffic, tailgating, and more. View the comprehensive football gameday guide at: www.bsc.edu/gameday. The Panthers will play their first football game on campus in 69 years at the new state-of- the-art Athletics Complex when they host Sewanee Nov. 8, which also is Homecoming and Alumni Reunion weekend. Bring your family and friends and your Panther black & gold spirit! BSC REMAINING 2008 VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Oct. 18 Austin College Hoover High School Noon Oct. 25 Centre College Danville, Ky. 1:30 p.m. Nov. 1 Colorado College Colorado Springs, Colo. 2 p.m. Nov. 8 Sewanee (*Homecoming) BSC Athletics Complex 1:30 p.m. Nov. 15 Millsaps College BSC Athletics Complex Noon For updated online schedules of Birmingham- Southern’s 21 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Division III sports teams through- out 2008-09—including the fall season of men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, and rifle—visit the athletics Web site at www.bscsports.net. The college also has released its composite schedule for the whole year. You may access it from the same Web site. ATHLETICS Football Gameday Football Guide 2008 fall 2008 / 69 fall 08 southern_FINAL draft:southern magazine_text pages_draft 1 10/13/2008 11:46 AM Page 70 ATHLETICS BSC Athletics Department honors its Athletics Director Joe Dean Jr. (second from right) with Reba Ross Whitney Medlen (left) and Tricia Milton were student-athletes (far right) and Sarah Harris after they were named the Co-Female honored with plaques presented by BSC Athletics at year-end Athletes of the Year, and Michael Locandro, who was tabbed the Director Joe Dean Jr. as the 2008 winners of the Male Athlete of the Year at the Athletic Honors Day. Johnny Johnson Most Inspirational Senior ceremony Student-Athlete Award. Birmingham-Southern women’s basketball player Reba Ross and BSC defeated seven top-25 teams and won five tournament titles en volleyball’s Sarah Harris were named the BSC Co-Female Athletes of route to a 32-3 school record. the Year, while Michael Locandro of men’s tennis was tabbed the Locandro, a sophomore from Kennesaw, Ga., helped the Panther Male Athlete of the Year in April at the annual Athletic Honors Day tennis team to a 9-3 record this past season. He posted a 9-1 record on campus. Additionally, Tricia Milton and Whitney Medlen were at No. 1 singles and teamed with sophomore J.C. Freeman to go 10-1 honored during the event as the 2008 winners of the Johnny at No. 1 doubles. Johnson Most Inspirational Senior Student-Athlete Award. Milton, a senior from Flagstaff, Ariz., helped BSC track and field to Ross, a senior from Clayton, Ala., became the first women’s a first place finish at the Sewanee Outdoor Invitational and won four basketball player in school history to average a double-double, individual events during the indoor and outdoor seasons. She scoring 28.2 points per game and pulling down 12.3 rebounds per claimed the one-mile, 1,500-meter, and 5,000-meter runs in indoor contest before a knee injury cut her season short with seven games and outdoor meets at Sewanee and won the 3,000-meter run at remaining. Ross set a BSC record with 21 rebounds against Colorado Rhodes College. College and became just the second player in school history to join Medlen, a senior from Madison, Ala., helped the women’s soccer the 1,000-point club. BSC finished the 2007-08 season with an 18-7 team to a 12-6 overall record in 2007. She played in 17 games with record. 11 starts and recorded one assist and had four shots from her Harris, a sophomore from San Antonio, Texas, had 516 kills (4.49 defender spot. per game) and had 40 blocks, eight solo blocks, and registered 354 The Johnny Johnson Most Inspirational Senior Student-Athlete digs in volleyball. She was named to the Emory National Award is named for the late vice president for business and finance at Invitational and the Comfort Inn Colonnade All-Tournament Team Birmingham-Southern, who died suddenly from a heart ailment in and was named MVP of the Comfort Inn Colonnade Tournament. 2001. Johnson was an avid supporter of BSC athletics. Women’s soccer welcomes 16 newcomers for the 2008 season The 2008 women’s soccer team returned to the Last year’s Panther squad went 12-6 overall, pitch with a bevy of both old and new faces, as the including wins over Texas-Dallas, Mississippi Panthers returned eight players from last season College, North Alabama, and former NCAA and welcomed 16 newcomers. Division I and Big South Conference rival UNC Led by Head Coach Benji Walton, Assistant Asheville. Against Southern Collegiate Athletic Coach Crystal Royall, and Volunteer Assistant Conference opponents, BSC went 7-3. Christy Dettmer ’06, the team’s eight returnees The 2008 schedule is once again filled with top- include lone senior Patricia George and juniors tier opponents. The Panthers opened the season Erin Carter, Ruth Hanks, Claire Hooten, Katherine with a home exhibition match against North Konker, Lindsay Miller, Serena Murphy, and Lydia Georgia, and other home highlights include Rice. Alabama State, Georgia State, and Auburn- This season’s squad lost six players to graduation, Montgomery, as well as SCAC foes Centre College, Senior Patricia George in action including leading scorers Caitlin Gordon and DePauw University, Millsaps College, Sewanee, and against Trinity University. Mandy Woods, and starting goalkeeper Brittany Oglethorpe University. The squad also will play in Green. But the Panthers also return five starters the Rhodes College Tournament for the second 70 / ’southern from 2007, as well as goalkeeper Hanks, who saw season, facing Texas-Dallas and Texas Lutheran in plenty of action in the net last season. Memphis, Tenn. fall 08 southern_FINAL draft:southern magazine_text pages_draft 1 10/13/2008 11:46 AM Page 71 ATHLETICS Volleyball team looks to build off its successful 2007 season Under the direction of Head Coach Pavlina Steffkova and Assistant Coach Kyndall Waters ’05, the 2008 Birmingham-Southern volleyball team took the court with 11 returning players, including all six starters from last season, as well as three new faces. The Panthers returned starters Morgan Anderson, Caitlin Dees, Casey Demos, Sarah Harris, Michelle Maciejewski, and Milica Stojanovic, as well as Krisanne Calvert, Christine Denning, Jennifer McKannan, Alex Norten, and Natasha Stark. The team’s three newcomers are Haley Johnson from Leeds; Hope Harris from San Antonio, Texas; and Lex Gilmore from Mobile. Last season, BSC put together a record-setting season, going 32-3 for the most wins in program history as well as the first-ever 30-win season for BSC volleyball. The Panthers also won every regular season tournament they participated in: the Wisconsin-Whitewater Tournament, Emory Invitational, Comfort Inn Colonnade Challenge, Loco’s Invitational, and Emory National Invite.