“Marcie Taylor brings devotion to athletes, coaches and programs, and to the wider mission of Anderson University,” said Dr. James L. Edwards, president of Anderson University. “Over these years as a teacher and coach, she has equipped herself to take on this assignment and to move our intercollegiate athletic programs to greater successes. We are delighted to have her leadership in this major institutional role.”

“I am excited to be part of the process by which we can name one of our own to this important position,” said Dr. Carl Caldwell, vice president for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College. “Marcie has demonstrated great leadership ability as head women’s basketball coach and associate athletic director and we look forward to her bringing this ability to leadership of intercollegiate athletics.”

“I am honored and feel very blessed to be named the athletic director at Anderson University,” said Marcie Taylor. “As an alumna, I know what a special and unique place Anderson University is and I’m grateful for this opportunity. I look forward to continuing to work with my coaching colleagues and the administration to promote the athletic program and to enhance its overall value to the institution.”

In addition to her role as associate athletic director, Taylor has served as head women’s basketball coach since 1990 and head women’s golf coach since 1995. She has taught in the Kinesiology Department at Anderson University—namely Exercise Physiology, Kinesiology, and Team Sports and Instructional Strategies for Middle School Health and Physical Education.

Under her guidance, the AU women’s basketball posted a winning record in five of the last eight years, including a 21-7 record in 2002, when they won the HCAC title and advanced to the NCAA Div. III national tournament. The women’s golf team, led by Taylor, posted a second place finish in the HCAC tournament in their first season as a varsity sport in 1998.

Taylor came to AU in 1980 from Bowdon, N.D. where she attended the Bowdon Church of God. She graduated from Anderson University in 1984 with a bachelor of arts in Secondary Education/Physical Education and a minor in Biology. During her student days at AU, Taylor was a guard for the Ravens.

She earned a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology from Ball State University in 1988. Before returning to Anderson in a staff role, Taylor was the head basketball coach at Bismark Junior High School for two years. She also spent one year as an assistant coach at AU before taking over the program.

Taylor is a member of several national organizations including the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators, Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, National Golf Coaches Association and the American College of Sports Medicine.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing and theology.

Russell led the Ravens in scoring (13.5 ppg), 3-pointers made (71) and steals (44), shooting 41 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range and 79 percent from the free throw line.

His 71 3-pointers made ranks third on the single season list and his 199 attempts were a new school record. He also tied Brent Ross’ 18-year old school record with nine 3-pointers against Bluffton on Jan. 5.

Fultz was second on the team in scoring (13.3 ppg), rebounding (4.3 rpg) and blocked shots (24). He shot 46 percent from the field and 73 percent from the free throw line.

Keith Dabney was named honorable mention after averaging 6.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and a team-high 34 blocked shots.

AU finished the season 15-12 overall and 10-6 in the HCAC, advancing to the semifinals of the HCAC post-season tournament.

Russell finished with a career-high 37 points, hitting 12-of-25 shots from the field, including 8-of-16 from 3-point range. His eight 3-pointers broke the previous HCAC record of seven and his 16 attempts were also a tournament high. The tournament record for points in a game is 39.

His eight 3-pointers were also one off Brent Ross’ school record of nine, set back in the 1990 season against Franklin.

Ryan Fultz was also in double figures with 19 points, hitting 8-of-18 shots from the field. Brandon Coffer led the visitors with three assists.

Defiance shot 58 percent from the field, including 9-of-17 from the 3-point line. AU finished at 40 percent shooting, including 39 in the first half when it was outscored 46-34. The Ravens hit 11-of-28 from behind the arc.

The Yellow Jackets also had the advantage in rebounds (40-36) and assists (21-9) while the Ravens had the edge in turnovers (7-13), blocks (3-2) and steals (8-4).

AU finishes the season 15-12 overall and 10-6 in the HCAC.

With the victory, the Ravens (15-11) advance to the semifinals on Friday at Defiance College. AU will play the hosts in the second semifinal at 8 p.m. The game will be carried on the internet broadcast.

The win was also the first in five years for the Ravens in the HCAC post-season tournament. Their last victory was over Wilmington in the first round of the 2002-03 tourney, where they eventually advanced to the championship game.

AU has won eight of its last nine contests. It was also the second straight victory over the Panthers this season after dropping their previous 12 meetings.

Freshman Jordan Wiseman led the Ravens with 12 points and six rebounds, hitting 4-of-9 field goals and all three of his free throws, including a 3-pointer.

Brandon Coffer came off the bench to score 11 points to go with four rebounds and a pair of assists. The junior hit half of his eight field goals and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.

Ryan Fultz and Mike Russell each had nine points and Rodney Holliday added seven points off the bench. Russell finished with six rebounds, three assists and Fultz added four rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Gabe Miller led the team with four assists and Keith Dabney three blocked shots.

The Ravens shot 40 percent from the field, including 47 percent in the first half when they led 38-22. The Panthers finished at 34 percent shooting, including 33 in the second half when they outscored the hosts 30-27. Hanover missed its first 18 3-pointers in the contest and finished 2-of-23 from behind the arc.

Hanover had a 44-38 advantage on the boards, including 18-13 on the offensive glass. However, AU had the edge in assists (14-9), turnovers (6-11), blocks (5-1) and steals (5-3).

AU opened the game with a 3-pointer and never trailed in the contest, quickly building an 8-2 lead after three minutes and a 16-5 edge just eight minutes into the contest. A 6-0 run over the next minute gave them a 22-7 lead, before the Panthers responded with an 11-4 run to cut the lead to 26-18 with six minutes left in the half. However, AU used a 12-4 streak over the last six minutes to take its biggest lead of the game at 38-22.

The Ravens took their biggest lead of the night at 43-26 with 13:30 left in the game, but Hanover answered with a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to eight with 11:30 left in the contest. AU quickly pushed the lead back to double digits with a 7-0 run and took its biggest lead of the night at 64-45 with 2:30 left in the game.

The first-round tournament game will be carried live on WQME 98.7 FM and the internet broadcast with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults; $3 for senior citizens and children 6-18 and free for AU students, faculty and staff.

The Ravens (14-11, 10-6 HCAC) are the No. 4 seed while the Panthers (13-12, 9-7 HCAC) are the No. 5 seed. The winner will play top-seeded and host Defiance on Friday in the second semifinal game at 8 p.m.

The Ravens and Panthers split their two meetings this season with each team winning at home. Hanover defeated AU 89-75 on Jan. 9 and the Ravens returned the favor with a 61-60 decision at O.C. Lewis Gymnasium on Feb. 6.

Anderson and Hanover have played a school-most 141 times, including four times in post-season play. The Panthers lead the overall series 90-51, including 3-1 in the post-season – all four games at Hanover. AU’s only victory in the post-season came on Feb. 26, 1998 in the first round of the ICAC tournament.

The Ravens have played in 69 career post-season tournament games, including 20 since moving to NCAA Div. III in 1993. They are 31-38 overall and 6-14 in NCAA play. However, they are 14-3 overall at home, including 2-1 at O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.

They have lost their last four HCAC tournament games with their last win coming over Mt. St. Joseph 70-63 in the semifinals of the 2003 tournament at Hanover. They lost in the championship game to the Panthers 79-60. That was also their only appearance in the HCAC championship game.

The 10 wins in HCAC play this season are the most since the 1998-99 team also finished with 10 victories. The Ravens have won seven of their last eight games to finish the regular season.

Junior guard Mike Russell leads the Ravens in scoring (14.7 ppg), free throw percentage (.770) and steals (40). Sophomore forward Ryan Fultz is second in scoring (13.2 ppg) and rebounding (4.4 rpg) while senior center Keith Dabney tops the team in rebounding (5.2 rpg) and blocks (30). Freshman point guard Gabe Miller is first on the team in assists with 71 and freshman forward Andrew Jones leads the Ravens in field goal percentage (.516).

The victory clinched a top-four seed and a first-round home game in the six-team HCAC post-season tournament. The Ravens finished loop play at 10-6, tying their most conference wins in HCAC history.

Ryan Fultz led the Ravens with 19 points, hitting 6-of-10 field goals and 5-of-6 from the free throw line, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Brandon Coffer had 17 points, five rebounds and three assists off the bench. Mike Russell and Andrew Jones each added 11 points, including a team-high eight rebounds and four assists by Russell.

Both teams shot 47 percent from the field, but the Ravens were 21-of-30 from the line compared to 11-of-14 by the Spartans. AU finished 10-of-24 from behind the 3-point line and had the advantage in assists (14-13), turnovers (9-10) and blocks (7-4).

AU finishes the regular season at 14-11 overall. The first round of the HCAC tournament is Feb. 26 with the semifinals and finals at regular season champion Defiance on Feb. 29 and Mar. 1.

Mike Russell led the Ravens with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists, hitting 5-of-12 shots from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Ryan Fultz had 14 points, four rebounds and Keith Dabney had 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks, including 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Gabe Miller was also in double figures with 11 points and three steals.

Franklin shot 57 percent from the field, including 60 in the first half when it led AU 44-33. The Ravens finished at 42 percent shooting, including 40 percent in the second half when they were outscored 42-34. Franklin shot a school-record 75 percent in the first meeting, a 95-77 Grizzly win.
The Grizzlies had the advantage in rebounds (32-27), assists (20-11) and turnovers (14-15). The Ravens had the edge in blocks (5-1) and steals (8-7).

AU (13-11, 9-6 HCAC) finishes the regular season at Manchester on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The Ravens can clinch the No. 4 seed and a home game in the HCAC post-season tournament with a win or a loss by Hanover against Transylvania or at Manchester.

The Ravens defeated the Engineers 60-46 in the first meeting of the season between the two teams in Anderson. It was also the sixth straight HCAC victory for the Ravens - their longest conference winning streak since the 2002-03 season.

The Ravens trail Transylvania by a half game for second place in the HCAC standings. The top two teams receive a bye in the six-team post-season tournament with the No. 3 and 4 seeds hosting first round games on Feb. 26. The Ravens can clinch a home game with wins over Franklin and Manchester in the final two regular season games.

Ryan Fultz led the Ravens with 14 points and four rebounds, hitting 5-of-10 field goals. Mike Russell was also in double figures with 12 points, four rebounds, two blocks and three steals.

Keith Dabney led the Ravens with nine rebounds, including eight on the offensive end, to go with seven points and a pair of steals.

AU shot 36 percent from the field while Rose-Hulman was at 42 percent shooting. The Ravens had the advantage on the boards 34-31, including 17-12 on the offensive glass. The visitors also had the edge in assists (9-8), turnovers (17-18) and steals (12-6).

The Engineers scored the first seven points of the game as the Ravens missed their first four shots and committed four turnovers in the first five minutes of the game. AU responded with a 10-0 run over the next five minutes to take a 12-9 lead and led by as many as 10 points at 28-18 with five minutes left in the half. Rose-Hulman scored the final seven points of the period to cut the lead to 28-25 at the intermission.

The Ravens pushed the lead back to as many as eight points at 41-33 with eight minutes left in the game. The Engineers finally got the deficit under four at 45-42 with two minutes left and closed to within a single point at 45-44 with a minute remaining in the contest.

Russell’s layup with 44 seconds left made it a three-point advantage for AU and Rose-Hulman missed three field goals before Fultz hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds to secure the victory.

AU (13-10, 9-5 HCAC) hosts Franklin on Saturday. The game will be carried live on WQME 98.7 FM and the internet broadcast at 3 p.m.

The victory snapped the Ravens 12-game losing streak to the Panthers as they hadn’t won in the series since the 2001-02 season. It was also the Ravens fifth consecutive HCAC victory - their longest since they won six straight to open the 2002-03 season.

With the win, AU improved to 12-10 overall and 8-5 in the HCAC, moving past Hanover for third place in the conference standings with three games remaining. The top six teams make the post-season tournament with the No. 3 and 4 seeds hosting first round games.

Against Hanover, Mike Russell led the Ravens with 15 points and a career-high seven rebounds, hitting 6-of-16 field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Ryan Fultz also had 15 points in the game, making 7-of-8 shots from the field. Rodney Holliday had eight points and four rebounds off the bench, including the game-winning free throw with a minute left. Gabe Miller added six points, four assists and two steals.

Both teams finished the game at 44 percent shooting. Hanover had the advantage in rebounds (32-28) and assists (16-13), but the Ravens had the edge in turnovers (12-15), blocks (3-1) and steals (10-6).

The first half saw seven ties and neither team led by more than six points. Russell’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Ravens a 38-35 lead at the intermission. AU took its biggest lead of the game at 40-35 and still led by a point with 17 minutes left in the game.

Hanover used a 15-5 run over the next eight minutes to take its biggest lead of the game at 56-46. The Ravens sandwiched a pair of 5-0 runs around a Panther layup to slice the deficit to 58-56 with six minutes left in the game.

The Panthers scored their final points of the game with 5:30 left in the game, giving the visitors a 60-56 lead. Fultz hit a pair of layups to tie the game at 60 with three minutes left. Neither team would make another shot as the Panthers missed their final six attempts.

Holliday hit 1-of-2 free throws with a minute left in the game in what would be the final points of the night. Hanover missed a 10-foot baseline jumper at the buzzer.

AU travels to Rose-Hulman next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

The sophomore averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and 1.5 steals in wins over Transylvania and Bluffton.  The Knightstown native had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in AU’s 71-53 win at Transy and turned in 19 points and nine rebounds in a 74-69 win against Bluffton.  For the week, Fultz connected on 44 percent of his attempts from the floor and 90 percent from the free throw line.

Anderson (11-10, 7-5 HCAC) currently stands fourth in the HCAC standings after posting wins in five of their last six conference games and will welcome Hanover to town Wednesday night. The game will be carried live on WQME 98.7 FM and the internet broadcast at 7:30 p.m.