The sports world in general is no stranger to siblings working and playing together or frequently facing off professionally. Often, they dominate the news surrounding a game where they might meet head to head. Think Jason and Travis Kelce, Peyton and Eli Manning, or Venus and Serena Williams.  Here at Goshen College, we also have our fair share of siblings taking on the challenge of being student athletes together. Some of them play together on the same team, but others are taking on different athletic pursuits.  Sisters Kaylee and Rachel Kates play together on the softball team at GC, and...

By Kate Bodiker • October 3, 2024 • Sports

Arleth Martinez, a senior sociology major, runs cross country along with track and field. She didn’t even run in high school. Before moving to Goshen in 2017, Martinez was running in California. “But then when I moved to Goshen High School, I was like ‘new people, scary, I’m not doing this,’” she recounted.  With her time away from running, Martinez wasn’t sure how joining the team in college would go. “I did think it was gonna be, like, pretty stressful trying to manage my time and figure it out,” she said. “But I’ve actually found that to me, it’s sort...

By Sadie Brenneman • September 19, 2024 • Sports Griffin Eash • September 19, 2024 • Sports

Jokes, cheers, applause and shiny hardware: Just a few words, out of many, to describe the annual LEAFYs Awards ceremony. The student-athlete body was invited to the Umble Center this past Sunday to receive awards and support the overall community including the staff that have contributed. The emcee was Joshua Short, a broadcast journalist for WNDU 16 news, presented the awards from the 2023-24 academic and athletic school year, along with other faculty and staff members There were a total of 56 nominees for 14 award categories Jesse Bontrager, a cross country athlete said that “As a freshman it’s empowering,”...

By Charlie Aldrich • September 19, 2024 • Sports

Stephen Bandi  Bandi provided two assists in Goshen’s impressive 5-3 win against Indiana Northwest. While Bandi was playing, for the entire first half and the last ten minutes of the second half, the Leafs didn’t concede a single goal.  His assist and defensive contributions in the game against Indiana Northwest helped propel the team to their second consecutive home win.   Makiah McCain  McCain faced 11 shots in the women’s soccer game against Siena Heights, making an astounding 10 saves and keeping the team in the game for 83 of the 90 minutes. The game ended in a 1-1 draw,...

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The Goshen College athletic department is excited to welcome Lisa Voyles as the new associate head track & field and assistant cross country coach. Bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience, Voyles was hired over the summer and began her new position on August 1st, 2024. Before beginning her career as a running coach, Voyles has had a decorated career as a collegiate runner. A former athlete for Indiana Tech, Voyles won national titles in the indoor mile, outdoor 800 meter, indoor distance medley relay, and outdoor 4×400 meter relay. She was also named 2024 NAIA Women’s Indoor Track &...

By Ben Koop • September 12, 2024 • Sports

Tennis has once again returned to Goshen College with both mens’ and womens’ teams kicking off their season last week. After promising opening week results, an injection of fresh blood into the program and being back at home in front of an excited student section, team morale is high with both players and staff hoping to achieve big things this season. The team’s home opener was last week against Spring Arbor. Both teams picked up victories, with the men winning 6-1 and the women winning 5-2. For the men, this was a one sided affair, with all of Goshen’s victories...

By Nathan Anderson • September 12, 2024 • Sports

Last year, bowling was announced as a brand new athletic team on campus. The announcement of the bowling team brought excitement to campus and with it, new athletes. Head coach Scott Curtis spent the majority of his time last year recruiting the current roster of first-years, which sits at 24.  “Having them here is the payoff, and now we are going to get ready to compete,” Curtis said. When asked about coaching, he said, “It’s good to be back in that element because it is what I love, spending more time at the bowling alley working with them.” He also...

By Arleth Martinez • September 5, 2024 • Sports

Goshen College announced Wednesday that Erica Albertin, the current athletic director, will step down from her post on September 12, transitioning into a new position as associate director for athletic health and wellness.  In her new role Albertin will supervise the head athletic trainer, provide athletic training and continue to work as a DEI officer. She will also teach and advise students in the kinesiology department, and will begin responsibilities as a deputy Title IX coordinator for athletics, according to an email from the president’s office.  For Albertin, the transition comes from two main reasons.  “I have three little boys...

By Charlie Aldrich • September 5, 2024 • News Tyson Miller • September 5, 2024 • News

Goshen College men’s volleyball went into the Easter weekend facing a two-game series against Bethel University.  The Maple Leafs crushed the Pilots 3-0 last Thursday night, with scores of 25-14, 25-17, and 25-21. They closed the first set on a 7-0 run, tallied a 9-0 run in set two and ended set three on a 7-2 tear for the sweep.  Statistical leaders included Hasan Hadzic, a junior, who recorded 15 kills and a whopping five aces, along with Ishmail Bangura, a sophomore, who recorded 13 kills, and Igor Sapucaia, a freshman, who recorded 31 assists and a career-high 11 digs....

By Phil Witmer-Rich • April 4, 2024 • Sports

Prior to the 2019-20 athletic season, Goshen College and Bethel University implemented the U.S. Highway 20 Cup. It’s a full-sport competition between the programs, who compete for 16 total points (one for each sport). In each of the first four years, Bethel easily bested Goshen. This year, the score is 7.75-4.75 in Bethel’s favor, which means that Goshen has a shot to win.  Sure, it’s a long shot. But 4.75 is the most points Goshen has ever recorded in the competition, and a clean sweep of the remaining schedule (including two men’s volleyball games, two softball games and men’s and...

By Phil Witmer-Rich • March 21, 2024 • Sports

The Goshen College baseball team is riding a four-game winning streak, tallying three wins against rival Bethel College before taking down No. 24 Concordia on Tuesday. The Maple Leafs beat Concordia, 6-5, thanks to a ninth-inning go-ahead two-run home run from Joseph Cerda, bringing the Leafs’ season record to 9-11 (4-4 conference). The win against Concordia is GC’s first non-conference win against a ranked opponent since 2007. “This team is very exciting to watch and play with,” Cerda said. “There’s never a true moment where you could count us out … There is an excitement around everyone with one another...

By Phil Witmer-Rich • March 14, 2024 • Sports

In the last week of February, Goshen College softball traveled to Melbourne, Florida, to play in the Space Coast Spring Games.  Last year they made the same trip for the first time, finishing 7-3. Because of last year’s success, they were able to compete in the Legacy Game against the University of Michigan-Dearborn, which was held in the Space Coast stadium. The stadium seats 8,100 people and has been a practice field for some MLB teams.  Playing two games a day, Monday to Friday, the Leafs improved on last year with an 8-2 record. Junior right fielder Shea VanScoter said,...

By Kevin Liddell • March 14, 2024 • Sports

With a new semester came a new Goshen College men’s volleyball season. The team came into the season looking to start a new campaign with six freshmen on the 14 man roster. Over the first seven games, the team’s record stood at three wins and four losses.  Players and coaches traveled to St. Mary-of-the-Woods College this past Friday to take part in a tri-match that consisted of a game against St. Mary on Friday evening, and two games against St. Mary and Brescia University on Saturday. In Goshen’s first game against St. Mary-of-the-Woods, the Maple Leafs went down two sets...

By Griffin Eash • February 22, 2024 • Sports

There were team and individual success stories at the Crossroads League Indoor Track Championships on Feb. 16 and 17. Maple Leafs on both the men’s and women’s teams soared above the competition.  In the women’s 4×400 meter relay, the combined team of Britney Ortega, a sophomore, Mia Wellington, a senior, Annika Alderfer Fisher, a senior and  Naomi Ross Richer, a senior, beat the previous Goshen College school record with a time of 4:11.91.  Alderfer Fisher wasn’t finished bringing in points for GC. In the mile, she placed second out of 25 with a time of 5:00.89. “I’d never gotten a...

By Alyssa McDonald • February 22, 2024 • Sports

The Goshen College softball team started their season off strong, sweeping a doubleheader against Albion with scores of 6-1 and 13-1. Alisyn Catenacci, a senior, started the season with three scoreless innings; she ended the game with a run given up in five innings pitched off of just two hits. She also contributed in the batter’s box, driving in the Maple Leafs’ first run of the season, and scoring off of a double in the third inning.  “It felt good to get [out] there for the first time and power through as a team,” she said. “We were able to...

By Phil Witmer-Rich • February 15, 2024 • Sports