athletics
November 13, 2025
Athletic training program builds leaders
Dozens of student-athletes spend time in the training room at the Recreation Fitness Center each day, for icing, taping, stretching and other forms of treatment, but a few students are there to give more than they receive. They are trainers in the making. These student trainers, who often have majors in kinesiology or exercise science, work in the training room under the supervision of Jaelyn Rufenacht, the head athletic trainer. Rufenacht said, “The value of a student trainer is that they can gain hands-on experience and help with the day-to-day duties of the athletic training room.” She added, “They are...
February 6, 2025
Students Athletes: Working on Game Day
Game day — in many ways the culmination of the work of the athletic department. But, a little more than a year ago, the department went through a pretty significant change in how each game runs. In years past, Goshen College traditionally had a smaller staff for game days than many of the other schools in the Crossroads League, as they chose to pay each of their student-athletes who worked there. However, in conversations in the summer of 2023, the department decided to change things up, in an effort to save money, improve game day experiences and to more closely...
September 12, 2024
Student-Athletes weigh in on NAIA trans-athlete policy
“Only students whose biological sex* is female may participate in NAIA-sponsored female sports.” That was the decision that passed unanimously by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, or the NAIA, on April 8, 2024. This decision only applies to female sports, as stated in the press release, “All eligible NAIA student-athletes may participate in NAIA-sponsored male sports.” As Goshen College, a member of the Crossroads League, tries to walk the fine line between upholding the integrity of women’s sports, and still providing equal opportunities for everyone, one question has yet to be asked, how do student-athletes here at Goshen College...
November 30, 2023
Fall athletes on the end of a career
As the semester comes to an end, so too does a collegiate athletic career for many Maple Leafs. Being an athlete at Goshen College means different things to different people, so I talked to seniors who finished their final season to hear their thoughts. Mathurin Allawai began playing soccer when he was growing up in Chad. He said, “I didn’t want to play soccer at first; I was more of a student … [but when] I was 4 years old my friends would tell me ‘Come, let’s play soccer’ since I was always in my room studying. They brought me...
March 23, 2023
Bowling teams coming to GC
The newest sport coming to Goshen College is one of the oldest games in human history: bowling. It can trace its roots back almost 5,000 years, but for GC, the sport will become a part of the athletic department within the next two years. Athletic director Erica Albertin said the goal is to have the teams start in the 2023-24 school year. “We need the coach first before we can set up schedules,” she said. “We have some good connections, and we’re actively searching for the new coach.If we get too far into the Spring, the teams will likely not...
March 23, 2023
Atkinson resigns as tennis coach
After seven years of coaching men’s and women’s tennis, Goshen College’s director of tennis, Evan Atkinson, resigned on Monday. “It’s bittersweet,” he said. “I always thought I would be a part of this community until I died.” Atkinson told the team of his decision after their match last Saturday, but officially handed in his resignation Monday. “He loves the team,” said Hannah McCoy, a senior tennis player, “and he loves the program, so it kind of just came out of nowhere.” Atkinson said that he believes his decision to resign, though difficult, is the right decision for him and the...
February 16, 2023
Students jump in the Leaf Pile
Most of the time, the Ruth Gunden gymnasium is full of sports teams practicing, students playing pickup basketball and community members walking on the track. But, for a few hours every week, after the glossy wooden bleachers have been pulled out, the tranquil environment of the gym is transformed into a place of roaring school spirit and competition. The Leaf Pile is the nickname of Goshen College’s student section and it is an opportunity for students to join in song and chant, wear themed outfits and dig into the opposing sports teams. Recently, however, it has gained the reputation of...
October 13, 2022
Meet Dash: GC’s new mascot
Goshen College unveiled its first-ever official mascot — Dash the black squirrel — at the Homecoming convocation Friday. Excitement was high on campus after the announcement. Erica Albertin, athletic director and chair of the mascot committee, felt a sense of relief at having a finalized campus representation. “You wouldn’t believe how much time went into bringing Dash to life,” she said. Rustin Nyce, a member of the mascot committee and head cross country coach, agreed with the sentiment, stating that “choosing the mascot, the outfit, name and coordinating details took a little more than a year.” This lengthy process did...
September 15, 2022
Weekly recap: Soccer, volleyball, and cross-country
With mere seconds to play in a scoreless first half against Madonna University last Saturday, Felipe Carli found himself with the ball just outside the center circle. A few seconds later, the ball found itself 50 yards downfield in the back of the net as the clock read 0:01. Carli’s stunner of a goal sent the Goshen College men’s soccer team into a frenzy. The energy in front of a home crowd grew even stronger as, eighteen minutes into the second half, Lucas Bontrager gave the Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead after a beautiful pass from Mathurin Allawai. It was...
September 8, 2022
Men’s and women’s cross-country teams start season strong
As the NAIA cross-country season began last week, the Goshen College men’s and women’s teams both appeared in the preseason national coaches’ poll. The men’s team, which finished 24th at the NAIA National Championship last year, are now ranked 23rd in the nation, while the women’s team received votes. “I always have a word for the year, and this year that word is process,” said head coach Rustin Nyce. “I don’t want to focus on the national meet; we need to focus on doing the right steps throughout the whole process to get ourselves where we want to be in...
April 14, 2022
After 68 years, GC gets a mascot
Goshen College announced a new mascot on Monday morning: for the first time in GC athletic history, the Maple Leafs will officially be led by a black squirrel. Since men’s basketball had their first intercollegiate competitions in 1954, there has never been an official mascot, according to Tony Miller, sports information director. The mascot search committee settled on this decision after a multi-year selection process. The committee was composed of staff from the athletic department, theater department, advancement office, communications and marketing office, institutional research, admissions and the office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, as well as student athletes. The...
April 14, 2022
The Record’s 2021-22 Maple Leaf Awards
Team of the Year Winner: Women’s Track & Field The women finished the indoor season by breaking five school records at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) indoor national championships in early March. In addition, four athletes were named All-American. With the outdoor season underway, three athletes have already qualified for the NAIA outdoor championships in May. Nominees: Men’s Volleyball, Softball Athlete of the Year Winner: Samuel Stoner-Eby In Dec. 2021, Stoner-Eby broke a 25-year-old record in the 400 meter run with a time of 49.94 seconds. Throughout the indoor season, Stoner-Eby went on to break two more...
March 31, 2022
A day in the life of GC’s athletic trainer
An athlete’s taped ankle or wrist is all most people ever see of Emily Osborne’s work as the associate head athletic trainer. But it’s her work behind the scenes and in the training room that helps Goshen College’s athletes perform at their best on the field, court and track. On a regular practice day, Osborne arrives at the college between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. and doesn’t leave until after 7 p.m. She treats patients one-on-one before team practices, which usually start around 4 p.m. At around 3 p.m, the training room fills with athletes for a variety of pretreatments,...
March 31, 2022
Athletic department spotlights mental health
On Monday, over 250 of Goshen College’s student athletes gathered for a conversation about mental health. According to nationwide trends reported by the National Institute of Health (NIH), it’s likely that 50 or more of these student athletes could be struggling with mental illness. The seminar was put on by GC’s athletic department to shine a spotlight on the issue of athlete mental health. In her presentation, Erica Albertin, Goshen’s athletic director, shared more statistics from the NIH: An average of one in five people across the United States report difficulties with mental illness, and those aged 18-25 have the...
February 11, 2022
Mid-season check-in: How are the Leafs doing?
As Goshen College nears spring break, many sports teams are reaching crucial points in their seasons. With teams just weeks away from the conference tournaments, this is where their records currently stand. The men’s volleyball pulled off an incredible come-from-behind victory last night, as they beat Mount Vernon Nazarene University 3-2. For the first time in program history, they came back from losing the first two sets to win, giving them a crucial conference victory. The team kicked off their season in January and have currently played nine games. They have a winning record, at 6-3 overall. In conference, they’re...