Audrey Speight

Editor-in-chief

The men and women’s basketball teams recently traveled to the NAIA Division 1 National Tournaments.

The Women’s Basketball National Championship was held in Frankfort, Ky. Wednesday, March 14, the Lady Hawks went up against Olivet Nazarene. At half time, Shorter was down by 24 points but fought for a victory. The Lady Hawks won, 84-83, sending Olivet Nazarene home in the first round. The women advanced to the second round game March 16 against Roger State. After an 11-23 upset, the Lady Hawks came home to proud fans.

The men’s basketball team also represented Shorter well this season and brought victories to the Hill. For the first time in history, the men’s basketball team made it to the NAIA National Tournament, held in Kansas City. Wednesday, March 14, the Hawks won against Life University, 105-93. The Hawks advanced to the second round against Point Loma Nazarene and won, 92-77, sending PLNU home with an upset. The Hawks advanced to their first Elite Eight and won against Roger State, 63-60.

“What the women’s team did, and more specifically the nine seniors, is extremely special. They not only left a legacy for the program, but for themselves,” said Kristy Brown, assistant professor of education and Lady Hawks’ former assistant coach. “On and off the court reflected the characteristics of Christ.”

According to Brown, the team held a 3.67 GPA, which is top three in the nation.

“They had three consecutive 20 win season and national appearances. They made history together,” said Brown. “Words can’t express how much this group of individuals mean to me and this community.”

Brown says this team was successful in the classroom and on the court, and they also made a difference in the community by working at the Open Door home, serving at the community kitchen and mentoring in the school systems once a week.

“They represented Shorter with grace and dignity,” said Brown.

The men’s team advanced to the Fab Four and played Concordia this past Monday. Concordia upset Shorter with an 81-67 win, sending the Hawks home from the national tournament.

“They played hard and sometimes the ball bounces certain ways and you have to make the best of those opportunities, especially when the two best teams in the nation are playing,” said Phillip Mullins, former Shorter basketball player. “It was a great season and this is the best team that Shorter has ever had.”

Though the Hawks came home early, their season has been the best in Shorter’s history. The men had 34 wins this season and for five straight weeks, the team was No. 1 in the nation. For the first time in 35 years, the Hawks won a conference title and also won their first- ever SSAC Tournament. Finally, the Hawks made their first-ever appearance at the national tournament, winning the first three games and making it to the semifinals.

In addition to the team’s accomplishments, head coach Chad Warner earned his 100th game win and was also named SSAC and NABC National Coach of the Year. Walter Hill earned over 1,000 points for his career and was named the SSAC Player of the Year.

Many fans traveled to Kansas City to support the Hawks throughout the tournament. Others came together on the Hill to watch every minute of every game. Hawk fans are proud of the team’s accomplishments this season.

“I am so proud of the SSAC champion Shorter Hawks. They fought so hard all season,” said Mack Parnell, sophomore history and political science major. “The season did not end the way I would have wanted, but God has a plan for this to bring him glory.”

Alan Samson

Staff writer

A perfect start to the season and the Hawks find themselves at the top of their conference and No. 1 in the nation for NAIA. Is this a path to perfection or a road of redemption after last year’s disappointing loss in the first round of playoffs?

“I hope it is a path to perfection and last year’s ending was a big motivator to these returners,” said head coach Chad Warner.

The   Hawks team returns four out of five starters from last year’s squad and this team is rolling through the schedule. They have won both the blowouts as well as the close games so far.

Senior point guard Eric Nix said the key to the early season success is, “the fact that the guys are so selfless and we all know   our role. We are playing for each other.”

With only 10 games left in the season and most of the remaining being in conference, the Hawks are setting themselves up to have one of the best seasons in school history if they can win the majority.

The regular season is a great experience but what any team is judged by is how they do in the post season. The tournaments are what teams play for: championships and bragging rights.

“We are more focused and disciplined this year,” Nix said. “The seniors have really stepped up their leadership and we are meshing as a team.”

With this leadership and the new players stepping into their assigned roles, how far this team will go into the playoffs for a   conference championship or a national championship is completely reliable on the men on the court.

“It’s our last year to really compete for a title since we move to NCAA DII next season,” said junior forward Dante Harvey. “We have to win a championship one way or another, whether it’s conference, national or both but the time is now.”

The team is on its way to a record-breaking season and will have to wait to see how the end unfolds.

Hawks Remaining Schedule

• Jan. 28 – at Lee*
• Jan. 30 – Truett-McConnell*
• Feb. 2 – at Point
• Feb. 4 – Southern Wesleyan*
• Feb. 9 – Emmanual (Ga.)*
• Feb. 13 – at Southern Poly*
• Feb. 16 – at Brewton Parker*
• Feb. 23 – Lee*
• Feb. 25 – at Truett-McConnell*

* Denotes conference game

Jessica Wright

Sports editor

With seven   seniors, five juniors and three sophomores on the team, the Lady Hawks have   had a lot of experience not only on the court, but also with each other as   teammates.

Seniors Kelly Ellison, Allison Danner and Brittney   Smith are a few of the leaders on the team who hope to end their careers   strong. With a 7-2 conference record after the Southern Poly 70-48 victory,   the Lady Hawks look forward to the rest of their conference games before the   conference tournament.

Junior forward Shelby Farrer says all of   the players have been playing together for a year and are still learning   through every game and practice.

“This year we came together and made   bigger goals for ourselves and we all know what it’s going to take to   accomplish them,” said Farrer. “Right now we are just focusing on working   hard and trying to fix our mistakes so hopefully it will continue to pay off   in the future.”