Despite the Valor having the better field goal (FG) percentage of 54.5% over Saint Mary’s 50.8%, free throws proved to be their biggest downfall sinking only 54.5% of their 11 free throws while Saint Mary sank 62.5% of their 16 free throws. The Valor also had a better three pointer percentage having made 31.6% of their 19 three-point attempts compared to Saint Mary’s 29.6% on 27 attempts. 

The Valor’s best offensive performance came from Jace Coffie making 9-12 FG attempts and finishing the game with 19 points. Carson Cavalier led the team in three pointers sinking four of his eight attempts. Lastly, Josh Pritchett put up 12 points for the Valor, and he sunk what could very well be the final basket in the Ashcroft Center with two seconds left in the game.

Valor Men’s Basketball is now awaiting to see where they rank nationally to see if they will make it into the NAIA national tournament. The team will find out on Mar. 7.

“One of the things I’ll miss is the times when we had the place packed and you couldn’t fit another person in there, and the noise level was so loud that you couldn’t hear yourself think,” David Stair, former athletic director at Evangel, said.

Jon Spence, interim athletic director and chief academic officer, recalled how exciting games could become in the Ashcroft. “We had chairs lined around the back; you had to get here at four o’clock for a 7:30 tip off. And the noise was just deafening,” said Spence. “I remember as a kid, I was like, ‘This is one of the greatest moments ever.’”

On Feb. 24, Evangel’s basketball teams will play their final regular season games in the Ashcroft Center, concluding 57 years of play in the building. Both the men’s and women’s teams are currently the fourth seed in the KCAC standings. The men’s team currently has an overall season record of 16-10, and the women’s team has a record of 15-9. The men’s KCAC Conference tournament will begin Feb. 29 and the women’s on Feb. 28.

History of Ashcroft

Under the leadership of the first athletic director Donald “Doc” Pearson and John Ashcroft, the second president at Evangel University, the Ashcroft Center opened in 1967.

David Stair, former kinesiology department chair, athletics coach and athletics department director, wrote “History of Evangel Athletics and Physical Education Departments” in 2014 in collaboration with the Evangel athletics department. According to Stair, the Ashcroft Center was designed by John Moore, an Evangel supporter who worked for Warren and Goodin Engineers-Architects Inc.

Moore fashioned the Ashcroft Center after a similar project he worked on — an airport terminal in Texas. Moore promised that he would provide the manpower to build the gymnasium if Evangel allowed him to design the center like the airport terminal.

Both the terminal and Ashcroft were built with thin shell roofs fashioned in a hyperbolic paraboloid shape, which creates the structure’s unique curved appearance and protects the building from strong winds. Moore reported that while the building was still being constructed, terrible winds struck Springfield, but the half-built roof didn’t cave due to its shape. The building’s construction began in 1965 and finished in 1966, hosting its first game on Nov. 17, 1967. 

Prior to the construction of the Ashcroft Center, Evangel athletes played in a gymnasium that was once a cafeteria for prisoners of war at O’Reilly General Hospital. The Ashcroft’s opening helped further the Evangel athletics program, which had started in 1955 when a small group of Evangel students formed a basketball team on campus.

After the Ashcroft opened, the athletics department continued to grow at Evangel. However, the Ashcroft Center began to face challenges that would continue to impact athletes and faculty as years went on. One of the major issues was that there was no climate control in the building for the winter and summer seasons. In an interview, Stair said, “We don’t have hardly any heat in there. We don’t have any air conditioning in there.”

Honoring a Legacy

During half-time at each game on Feb. 24, Valor Athletics will take time to honor the legacy of the Ashcroft family, senior athletes and former men’s basketball coach Steve Jenkins. Steve Jenkins will be given the Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize his 39 years as a coach at Evangel.

Many alumni and former student athletes will be returning to watch Steve Jenkins receive the honor. “It’s going to be an emotional moment,” said Steve Jenkins’ son Jon Jenkins, the men’s and women’s golf coach and coordinator for athletic enrollment at Evangel.

“The Ashcroft center and Coach Jenkins are almost synonymous as far as their impact on Evangel,” said Jon Jenkins. “He led by the way he lived his life. We grew up in the Crusader era, but he was definitely a man of valor.”

Steve Jenkins led several successful seasons including the 2001-02 season, in which the men’s basketball team claimed the NAIA-II National Championship title. He was later inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2014 for his coaching accomplishments throughout his tenure at Evangel.

“You don’t realize, as a coach, how many people you affect over the years,” said head basketball coach Burt Capel, who was coached by Steve Jenkins. “I’m excited for him. I think he’ll really enjoy it.”

Making way for new future

The Valor Center and Randy Rowden Training Center plan to open this upcoming fall semester. Both student athletes and non-student athletes can expect to utilize the new facility. “We want the community to be able to enjoy it,” Philip Dowden, associate athletic director for external operations, said.

Dowden explained that there has been discussion on building a new athletic center since the early 2000’s. “They’ve been talking about either upgrading the Ashcroft center in some form or building a new gym. In the last two years since Dr. Rakes, he’s been the one that said ‘Hey, what do we need to make this happen?’” Dowden said. 

Administration’s plan to build a new athletic center began with a booklet that outlined six projects they hoped to complete, including the Valor Center. The booklet was provided to donors, including the Green family, owners of Mardel and Hobby Lobby. “[David Green] said, ‘I will give $10 million towards that,’ and he pointed to [the Valor Center] and to Walther Hall,” said Michael Kolstad, chief of staff.

Since this discussion, the plans to construct the Valor Center and Randy Rowden Athletic Training Center have been underway. However, the introduction of a new athletic center on campus means parting with the established legacy and memories associated with the Ashcroft Center.

“For the better part of a [century] the majority of the teams have called the Ashcroft Center home,” Dowden said.

There is a bittersweet feeling as the athletics department prepares to move into the new athletic center. “[Most] of the memories I have of Evangel are all in this building. So that will be a tough thing,” Capel said.

Capel recalled his own memories in the Ashcroft Center as a player. “I just remember, as a player, how cool game days were,” said Capel. “[There was] the smell of popcorn and the crowd getting there and being excited.”

Along with the moments of reminiscing, there’s a building anticipation among players and faculty as the opening of the Valor Center draws closer. “Exciting. I think that’s the biggest word; everybody’s really excited,” Dowden said.

Along with that enthusiasm is an opportunity for the players to become history-makers in Evangel’s legacy. “With the Last Dance event coming up, we’ve been talking about, ‘Who was the first to team to play in the Ashcroft? The 1967 team.’ So now, [we are] a part of history as the first team that’s going to play over [in the Valor Center],” Capel said.

There is also hope for an increase in student engagement in athletics as the Valor Center becomes established. Stair said, “I’m hoping all of that will help to generate more student interest and more. More school pride and more student morale, you know, in coming together for those kinds of things.”

“I think it [will] be cool to have somewhere that I’m proud to have people come and see. I think [I] will be proud to host even other teams and that they’ll have somewhere nice to stay,” said Lexi Berry, junior and guard on the women’s basketball team. Berry helped design a special T-shirt to commemorate the moment along with senior Jade Hinzman.

As Evangel plans to move into the Valor Center, Dowden explained that the fate of the Ashcroft Center is not set in stone. Dowden said that the Ashcroft will remain open to athletes. The gym space will act as a second practice space for athletes, and teams who do not have current locker room space will be able to utilize the Ashcroft locker rooms.

As Evangel looks to move into the Valor Center, Jim Middleton, the women’s head basketball coach, stated the importance of remembering the people who impacted the center’s legacy: “It’s the people that have created this heritage in Ashcroft,” Middleton said.

This year, players on both teams said their focus will be on supporting each other as a team, something they believe will elevate their performance. “I think [last year] we could have been a little more unified as a team,” sophomore Lidia Bjelica said. “[Tennis] has a big mental side to it. So, I think supporting each other and pushing each other to do better [will help].” Sophomore Emilio Chavarria from the men’s team echoed this and explained why support within the team is important. “For example, let’s say I lost. I’m upset I lost, but I have to go support them so they can win because at the end it’s the points,” said Chavarria. “Yeah, I lost my point, but if [my teammates] win their points, we still have a chance of winning.”

This season, Mirko Bjelica said that both teams have improved drastically over last season. “We are improving on a daily basis. It is encouraging, [and] practice attendance being 100% this semester shows how dedicated and hardworking our team is,” Bjelica said. The most notable improvement for both teams is the pace of balls being hit and the ability to put the ball away, according to Bjelica.

The next match for both men’s and women’s tennis will be at Baker University on Saturday, Mar. 2 at 10:30 a.m.

The KCAC tournament will consist of the top eight teams in a “win or go home” single elimination tournament meaning if the Valor lose this game, their post season will be finished. “It’s win or go home. Every possession is just as huge. Mentally, you [have to] have your “A” game mentally. That’s the huge part of conference right now is the toughness,” women’s head basketball coach Jim Middleton said. This will also be Middleton’s first conference tournament since he took over as head coach at the start of the season. “’I’ve enjoyed [my first year] immensely. [The] people here are fantastic. They have welcomed myself and Rhonda my wife with open arms like I’ve been here for forever,” Middleton said.

Women’s basketball takes on Kansas Wesleyan University Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in Kansas, and men’s basketball will take on University of Saint Mary Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. in the Ashcroft center.

The largest issue with Collins’ prequel is the heavy-handedness of some sections. In this novel, she explores philosophical thoughts on the origin of evil and the natural goodness of society in a way that is very evident to readers. Coriolanus, as the protagonist, explicitly asks himself some of these lofty questions, making readers privy to his lengthy musings.

Ultimately, this book is a testament to Collins’ masterful writing as she crafts a compelling prequel. The story compliments the original trilogy through clever connections and references while maintaining a unique plot and tone that stands on its own. The questions that are left unanswered are worthwhile, as not every character finds their conclusion neatly. This allows the reader to imagine millions of possible worlds and enter into the story. May the odds be ever in the favor of those ready to tackle the 517-page novel full of sorrow, back-stabbing and intrigue.

The plot thickened throughout the episode as viewers discovered that the budding romance between the second-grade teacher Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson) and her colleague Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams) had dissipated over summer break. Fans of the couple were devastated by the news, with some inferring that the development would be a setup for a painstakingly long slow burn between the pair. 

Viewers did not have to worry about Janine’s love life for long, as a new love interest waltzed into the elementary school: a school district employee named Manny (Josh Segarra). After seeing Janine’s knack for problem solving and go-getter attitude, Manny invites her to apply for a fellowship with the district, for which Janine would have to leave her second-grade classroom for the year. Janine struggles with the decision, but ultimately decides to take the fellowship. This means that viewers won’t get to see Janine challenge and interact with her students this season. However, her role in the district does shed light onto the reality of what it’s like to work in the district office versus the classroom. 

The new season has begun with unexpected twists that are keeping viewers on their toes, but despite the new plot developments, “Abbott Elementary” still packs the same humor and fun. Hopefully the momentum that is built in this season will set the series up for another, as the show was greenlit for a fourth season just days after the premiere. 

Softball prioritizes prayer, unity ahead of new season

On the evening of April 8 of last year, Valor softball celebrated their victory over Central Methodist University, the number 18 team in the nation, and had an impressive season record of 23 wins and 9 losses. Over the next three weeks, however, the team went on to lose more games than they had during the entire season up to that point. Included in that losing streak were back-to-back losses at the conference tournament, granting them a disappointing and unexpected early exit. 

Jay Halbrook, head coach of the softball team, said that it’s important to not spend your time looking back on things you cannot change. “One thing I’ve tried to do is be in the moment,” said Halbrook. “[You need to] be in the season that you’re in, [to] not look forward to next [and] not look backward to last.”

Halbrook believes that there is a special culture and spirit in this year’s team. “Things are so different than in the past,” he said. “The most impressive and important part of all of it is the atmosphere and the spirit amongst these young ladies.” Annslee Leeviraphan, a senior on the softball team, agrees that the team feels different this year than it has in the past. “I feel like we’ve dug deeper into getting to know each other more than softball,” she said. 

Lauren Dill is a junior at Evangel, but this is her first year on the softball team after transferring in from another university. Dill described her transition to a new team as “overwhelming at first,” but she has adjusted well. “It’s like a family. We do devotions together, we pray together, we talk things out together and we do everything together,” Dill said.

Halbrook believes that this unity is a culmination of prayer and the Lord’s favor. “In my years of coaching, I have never been a part of a group that is together this much,” he said. Halbrook and Leeviraphan both mentioned the positive impact the team’s spiritual life has had on the team culture, and the presence of this spiritual life in personal and team goals. “Our number one mission is to increase our individual and team prayer life and be able to see impacts for the kingdom within our team,” Halbrook said.  

One way that the team practices this mission takes place at the end of each game, win or loss. “We want to pray with our opponents after the game,” Halbrook said. Last season the team started praying with opponents after each game, an idea that was presented by players. 

Halbrook said that this season’s group of girls is filled with talent and a special spirit that he believes will allow them to compete at a high level. “We want to win at the end of the day. If they’re keeping score, somebody’s going to win it might as well be us,” he said.

Isaac Dailey, sophomore pitcher, said, “I feel really excited about the season; we have a great group of guys with a lot of talent [and] it should be a fun year. I want to make the conference tournament; last season wasn’t what we hoped for.”

The transition to the new conference also means that the team will compete against new teams such as Ottawa University, who concluded their last season at 43-10, and McPherson University, who finished 39-12. Those universities have two of the top teams in the country for NAIA baseball. 

Chapman Dunn, a freshman pitcher, said, “I think this season will be a great opportunity to face challenges and grow as a team. This is my first year on the team, so I am looking forward to learning a lot.”