Are you one of the hundreds of students who are equal parts excited and stressed for the fall to come around? The fall brings with its autumn wind heaps of homework and group projects. After a few months of summer jobs and lying out on Lake Hamilton, students get to come back to Ouachita and brave the challenge of integrating back into the daily grind. Fret not! There is something to save you from this insanity. That’s right, fall sports are right around the corner!
Some of the most exciting and beloved Tiger sports happen during this semester, including football, wrestling, volleyball and soccer. The jewel of tailgating season, Ouachita Football, brings with it the anticipation of the next step. The Tigers finished last season 7-4 with two games of over 30 points, two of those being over 50 points. After a season of such a monumental offensive output, things are trending upward for the Tigers as they look to take that strong foundation, make it to the playoffs and beat the school across the street.
The Tigers had as successful of an offseason as they could have hoped for, signing 23 recruits on National Signing Day. Broxton Brown, a 5’10 195lb explosive athlete from Sheridan, will play defensive back. Jake Adams, a 6’5 tight end, adds some much-needed length to the receiving core, and although he’s viewed as a better blocker than a receiver, the potential to be great is definitely there after posting 22 yards-per-catch in high school. Daniel Craig, a 5’9 205lb linebacker from Dardanelle, showed he was more than just a James Bond actor by tearing apart offenses with 114 total tackles on the year. Perhaps the prospect with the highest ceiling of them all, La’Darius McElroy, comes by way of Butler Community College, the best team in the nation inside the junior college rankings. Measuring in at an impressive 6’6 and 210 lbs., he looks to immediately step in and become a star for the Tigers. The other recruits show an amazing blend of smooth athleticism, position versatility and speed, a great deal of speed. With the way the GAC looks this year, look for the Tigers to once again finish near the top of the division and challenge Henderson for the top spot and put themselves in position to baptize their opponents all the way to the highly competitive NCAA playoffs.
Ouachita returns strong teams in other sports in addition to football. Women’s and men’s soccer both field strong teams across the positions. The women’s team loses all-world player Haley Hatcher but has plenty of talent to overcome that loss with All Central Region player Tessa Woodcock anchoring the team’s defense. Junior goalkeeper Jess McCauley looks to overcome injury and be a leader for the team this year. With head coach Kevin Wright back to lead the team, the Lady Tigers who finished the season having three, fourpoint games, look to avenge their loss in the conference championship this past year and come out kicking and screaming for joy on top of the GAC.
For the men’s team, nothing is more obvious then their stockpile of athleticism at every position on the field. Defender Christian Mayho might be one of the fastest players on the team, and with the quick twitch speed of goalkeeper Ben O’Brien, the other teams in the GAC are going to be hard pressed to score. With fowards Matt Wallak and Tinashe Chigede leading the way up front, this team can hit you hard and fast from every position. After finishing with a record of 7-10-1, the only ways for this stacked team to go is up, up and up.
Ouachita wrestling is consistently strong, and after the loss of Dallas Smith, you might expect this team to falter a bit. But worry not good fan! Blake Clevenger jumped into the scene as a sophomore last year and took the reigns, and looks like the next great Tiger wrestler.
Ouachita swimming finished the year with a participant in the national swimming trials. Alexander Podguzov, who comes to us by way of Russia, finished in the top 16 in both the men’s 100 and 200 backstroke to give the Tigers a top 30 finish in the national competition. This was one of their best finishes in years. With Podguzov being a sophomore this year, watch for the Tiger Sharks to pull a little Michael Phelps magic out of their hat and continue their winning ways this season.
In volleyball, the Lady Tigers finished with a winning record at 15-12 last season. Don’t put too much weight on the GAC pre-season poll though, as it has them criminally under-ranked at 8th this season. With early matchups against Spring Hill and Kentucky Wesleyan College on September 2nd in Huntsville, expect the team to create fireworks early.
Ouachita tennis is known for its continued success, and last season was no different. The men’s team finished in the conference championship, although they narrowly lost to East Central University. Both the men’s and women’s team finished the season winning the ITA All-Academic award, which is awarded to a team with an average grade point of 3.2 or higher, showing Tiger athletes not only succeed on the court but can serve their tests as well.
So for the freshman needing a release from the new, actually challenging world that is college or the senior who wants to do as much for Ouachita before they leave, don’t worry, you have plenty to root for this season. Whether it’s one of them or all, Ouachita athletics share one trait: excitement.
