No. 1 Women’s Cross Country:
With a rating of No. 1 within the Preseason NAIA Coaches’ Poll, anticipation for the fall season of Taylor ladies’s cross nation has begun. One level away from securing the National title a yr in the past, the workforce enters 2025 because the early favorites to carry dwelling a crimson banner.
There are loads of Maddawgs to look at for this season, led by sophomore Jaynie Halterman. Halterman was the person champion on the NAIA National Championship meet and set the NAIA National Championship file at a groundbreaking 20:24.7 to cap an excellent freshman season.
Returning for the ladies’s workforce for her fourth yr is senior Noel VanderWall, an All-American for yearly at Taylor. VanderWall posted her quickest time of the season, a 21:06.9, on the National Championship meet. She shall be joined by junior Sam Patterson and senior Kaitlin Burden, who each return after inserting within the prime 50 in final season’s National Championship.
The Maddawgs welcome 4 new freshmen in Kate Bowen, Catey Campbell, Elizabeth Erwin, and Marlina Howell. After taking first on the Indiana Wesleyan Twilight Invitational, their season continues on the Florida State Cross Country Open on Sept. 26.
by Elise Hoylman
No. 3 Men’s Cross Country:
Ranked No. 3 within the Preseason NAIA Coaches’ Poll, the Taylor Men’s Cross Country workforce is ready to enhance upon their eighth-place end on the 2024 NAIA National Championships.
They return all ten of their prime runners from the earlier season, together with senior Luke Harber, who earned All-American honors on the nationwide meet in 2024 with a time of 24:30.7. Additionally, the Jarheads will proceed to have the backing of seniors corresponding to Joel Mumaw, Jared Stayte and Alex Ortiz who had been all All-Crossroads League runners. Also returning for a fourth yr is Ryan Hanak, who posted the quickest time on the workforce final yr of 24:23 on the NAIA Great Lakes meet. Other Jarheads who’ve continued to publish sturdy instances embrace juniors Nathan Burns and Jordan Burden.
The workforce will add three new runners to their ranks, together with freshman Grant Burns, freshman Noah Lowman, and freshman Aiden Ortiz. Led by head coach Quinn White, the workforce opened with a second-place end on the Indiana Wesleyan Twilight Invitational. Their subsequent meet is the Florida State Cross Country Open on Sept. 26.
by Elise Hoylman
Football:
Taylor soccer is off to yet one more promising begin after ending 9-2 final season.
TU began with a matchup in opposition to Olivet Nazarene. The recreation performed like a trustworthy sequel of final season’s bout with one other offensive battle and extra time end. The Tigers gained the rematch away in a high-scoring, 48-42 barn burner.
The Trojans traveled to Joliet, Ill. every week later to tackle St. Francis (Ill.). The recreation bought off to a shaky begin as senior quarterback Damon Hockett threw an interception on the second play of the sport. St. Francis broke by way of for the opening rating, however Taylor shortly took management. The Trojans scored six first-half touchdowns and the protection did sufficient to maintain St. Francis at bay after halftime and got here away with a 45-28 win.
The Taylor offense hasn’t skipped a beat from final yr. They are averaging 412.5 yards per recreation and 43.5 factors per recreation. Most of it has come on the legs of sophomore operating again Nathan Parker. He has compiled 193 dashing yards and 4 dashing touchdowns, main the workforce in each classes.
Taylor’s subsequent recreation is on the street in opposition to the Judson Eagles on Sep. 27 at 2 pm.
by Dalton Keay
No. 18 Women’s Golf:
The begin of a brand new semester additionally marks the start of a brand new Taylor ladies’s golf season, a workforce getting into the yr with excessive hopes, ranked 18th within the NAIA preseason ballot.
The 2024-25 marketing campaign was a hit, because the workforce gained the Crossroads League championship and completed twenty third on the NAIA Women’s Golf Championships. Last fall, the Trojans gained three of 5 event titles and posted a 35-21 head-to-head file. In the spring, they stayed constant, including six workforce victories.
Senior Margarita Garrido appears to construct on the successes in her junior season, when she claimed 4 particular person titles and fired a career-low spherical of 70 on Day 2 of the Players Club Invitational. Fellow senior Shayne Lim goals to proceed her momentum, coming off a Crossroads League Championship the place she paced the Trojans with a 54-hole rating of 230.
New head coach Steve Toon is getting into his first yr with Taylor golf. He led Heritage Christian High School to a 985-385 file from 2019 to 2024 with 10 regional appearances. The three-time Indianapolis High School Women’s Golf Coach of the Year enters the season with excessive expectations, with the Trojans flying excessive off the success from final yr.
Taylor teed off with just a few athletes on the Lawrence Tech Collegiate Kickoff earlier than touring to the Folds of Honor Qualifier on Sept. 15-17.
by Eli Boone
Men’s Golf:
Taylor University’s males’s golf program has confirmed itself fairly profitable over the past 9 years. They have positioned first within the Crossroads League Championship six instances and certified for the NAIA National Championship seven instances throughout that span.
Last yr, TU jumped to an early second-place begin on Day 1 of the convention championship, however in the end dropped to fifth by the tip of the occasion.
After a mediocre yr, huge modifications lie on the horizon. Steve Toon has been named head coach of the Trojans’ golf groups for the upcoming season. Toon turns to Taylor after a profitable run main Heritage Christian High School, which included 10 playoff appearances.
This upcoming yr, Taylor rosters three gamers who secured awards for the 2024-25 season. Senior Will Schuitema represents Taylor on the All-Crossroads League Team. Sophomore Porter Dick deserves discover this yr as effectively after profitable the Crossroads League Newcomer of the Year final season. Schuitema and fellow senior Matthew Albright additionally acquired CSC Academic All-District Honors for their excellent educational performances.
Taylor’s complete workforce shall be returning for the 2025-26 season. With an skilled squad led by Schuitema, together with All-Crossroads League Team Honorable Mentions: Albright, Dick, Kyle Kasitz and Tanner Conklin, Taylor appears poised to enhance upon final yr’s efficiency.
Taylor opened their season on September 1 with a first-place end on the Lawrence Tech Collegiate Kickoff, the primary of their occasions this fall.
by Jonas Loy
Women’s Soccer:
Taylor ladies’s soccer ended final season with a file of 7-6-4. They went 4-3-2 within the Crossroads League with a house file of 5-3-2 and an away file of 2-3-2. With a brand new season and a contemporary workforce, they want to method the season with power.
Seven seniors graduated in May, leaving holes within the roster. The Trojan teaching employees introduced on seven freshmen together with, Reagan Britt, Brielle Siefert, Brooke Bambey, Norah Puckett, Rush Havens, Lydia Johnson and Mille Jones.
Five video games into the season, the Trojans are undefeated, receiving Top 25 votes and have outscored opponents 16-1, holding Indiana Tech, Oakland City, Georgetown and Trinity College to a mixed zero targets.
The Trojans are bringing again 5 Academic All-Crossroads League honorees and two All-Crossroads League First Team members, senior Morgan Fletemeyer and senior Brooke Cimini.
There are 4 captains stepping up into management this season. One of them is senior Brianna Rawlings, a returning captain. She, together with the opposite six seniors, will assist domesticate the workforce into the Christ-centered tradition that makes the Taylor soccer program what they’re.
Coach Scott Stan has put year-over-year effort into making this profitable. As he enters his eighteenth yr at Taylor, he appears to push the Trojans to one among their finest seasons but.
by Chase Petry
Men’s Soccer:
After ending with a 5-8-3 general file final season, the Trojans have proven off their abilities after their first three video games.
They began the yr on the street in opposition to Defiance, spoiling the Yellow Jackets’ homestand. Freshman Noel Calix led the cost for TU, scoring the primary two targets of the yr for the Trojans. Calix scored once more within the Trojans’ first homestand of the yr, by which they gained 3-0.
The workforce acquired their first loss on August 30 in opposition to Madonna in a carefully contested 2-1 recreation.
Tadé Adeyemi, a sophomore switch scholar from Iowa Lakes Community College, has additionally been off to a scorching begin. He has scored twice with one help.
Adeyemi beforehand performed in one among his dwelling nation of Nigeria’s most notable academies, the Pepsi Football Academy. This academy has produced a number of skilled gamers, corresponding to Premier League starter John Mikel Obi and Bundesliga journeyman Joseph Akpala.
The Trojans shall be staying in Indiana for their subsequent three video games, taking up Indiana Northwest and Indiana East on the street, then returning to Upland for home-field benefit in opposition to the Lourdes Gray Wolves.
Indiana Northwest sits at a 1-2 general file, whereas Indiana East is 1-1. Lourdes matches the Trojans at 2-1.
Taylor beforehand defeated Northwest 3-1 final season however misplaced to the IU East Red Wolves 3-0 the final time the 2 met.
by Spencer Smith
Women’s Tennis:
For the primary time since 2020, tennis has returned to Taylor University. Head coach Josh Grubbs leads a roster of seven athletes, led by senior Sarah Scott.
Both the lads’s and ladies’s tennis packages had been positioned on maintain after the 2019-20 season as a result of coronavirus pandemic. Taylor went 7-7 of their fall season earlier than the spring season was derailed.
The new iteration of Trojan tennis encompasses a younger roster with three freshmen and two sophomores, anchored by Scott and junior Kamryn Miller.
Taylor will face stiff in-conference competitors within the spring, however get a welcome warmup in opposition to acquainted rival Saint Francis on Sept. 20. The Cougars struggled final yr, going 2-15 and 1-7 in convention play.
Both the Bethel Pilots and the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats would be the most difficult foes come spring. The Pilots went undefeated in convention play, profitable the Crossroads League title. The Wildcats will present simply as sturdy of a roster after profitable 9 straight convention titles between 2015 and 2024.
Much of Taylor’s fall schedule continues to be being scheduled, however the Trojans opened the yr in opposition to the Indiana East Red Wolves, profitable 6-1. They head to Angola, Ind. to face Trine on Sept. 12 earlier than returning dwelling to duel Manchester on Sept. 16.
by Caleb Joshua Heffron
Men’s Tennis:
After 5 years, tennis has returned to Taylor University. Head coach Josh Grubbs helms the return on Taylor’s new purple courts after constructing his roster over one offseason.
Ian Helfert is the lone upperclassman on a ten-man roster filled with freshmen and sophomores, together with the 6 foot 4 inch freshman Garrett Spencer from Zeeland, Mich.
Taylor’s youth doesn’t scare them, as they’ve a date scheduled with in-state Division I faculty Ball State on Feb. 7.
Before the coronavirus pandemic ended the 2019-20 season, Taylor ended the fall season 7-6, struggling in opposition to harder convention foes Bethel and IWU, however cleansing up in opposition to their mid-level Crossroads League opponents like Spring Arbor and Saint Francis.
Trying to make a reputation within the 2025 Crossroads League standings gained’t be simple. The Trojans are the final faculty within the division to reintroduce the game. The Grace Lancers are the early favorites after ending 8-0 in-conference in 2024 and profitable their third straight division title.
Taylor opened the yr with a 4-3 win over Indiana East, however September shall be a busy month with matchups in opposition to Trine and Manchester earlier than their first convention showdown of 2025 versus Saint Francis on Sept. 20.
by Caleb Joshua Heffron
No. 22 Volleyball:
The Trojans ended with a dropping file of 11-20 within the 2024 season. With 10 wins and three losses presently, the workforce is off to a distinct begin this fall.
Last yr, Taylor secured a spot on the Crossroads League Tournament, falling to No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan within the quarterfinals. This marked the final recreation for notable seniors. Grace Ieremia, Jen Springer and Gracie Conway had been among the many seven who graduated in May.
The 2025 season started with 4 non-conference wins on the Keiser Invitational in Florida. Combating three losses on the following Big Sky Tournament, the Trojans gained 4 straight video games on the house courtroom. Returning mainstays senior McKaylah Flagle, sophomore Daya Vestal and senior Lindsay Springer have ushered the crew to No. 22 within the NAIA Top 25 Poll.
Springer was named First-Team All-CL final yr. Flagle was chosen for the Second-Team All-CL, whereas Vestal was named to the 2024 All-Freshman workforce.
On Sept. 3, Taylor took their first convention triumph, closing out Goshen in three units.
Ellie Frey, a junior switch, has performed an immense function in victories. She completed her time with the Grand Canyon Lopes being named to the GCU All-Invitational Team as a sophomore. Through 14 matches with Taylor, she has already claimed 224 kills.
Taylor alumna Erin Luthy enters her tenth yr as head coach. She leads alongside assistant coaches Gabby Reed, Maddy Payne and Joe Ross.
Taylor takes on Grace on Sept. 10 in Odle Arena. The Trojans fell to the Lancers twice final season.
by Taylor Post