Lindenwood - Winter 2017 - Connecting to Alumni and Friends

STUDENT LIFE SPORTS ATHLETES CONTINUE TO SUCCEED by PHIL VIDA Women’s Rugby Hosts Youth Event Women’s rugby hosted a youth event on the Lindenwood St. Charles campus Oct. 29. In conjunction with Rugby Consulting USA and St. Louis Rookie Rugby, boys and girls of all ages converged for a free day that included training sessions focused on passing, teamwork, decision-making, and game play, with a focus on introducing and spreading the love of rugby throughout the St. Louis community. “There is a massive rugby community in St. Louis, and I think you’re starting to really see it grow at the youth level thanks to all those involved with Rookie Rugby and Rugby Consulting USA,” said Women’s Rugby Head Coach Billy Nicholas. “We are thankful for the chance to be a part of these events and to do our part to see the passion and love for rugby spread. What I’d personally like to see is even more people step up to help develop high school girl’s rugby. There are many boy’s teams, but I think it would thrive for girls as well.” The event wasn’t the first for the Lindenwood women’s rugby program. In the last two years, the Lady Lions have also hosted several free clinics for youth in the area to continue to grow the sport locally, and last year, Lindenwood held indoor sessions on campus so that rugby could continue to be played during the winter months. The event was capped off with pizza, t-shirts, and admission to the Lindenwood versus Mid-America All-Stars match, which the Lady Lions won 29-0. Cyclist Defends National Title Hannah Finchamp successfully defended her Women’s Short Track Cross Country title at the 2017 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships Oct. 20-22 in Missoula, Mont. The Lindenwood senior crossed the finish line just over a second ahead of the second-place rider in the competition. Finchamp earned a silver medal earlier in the weekend when she completed the Women’s Cross Country event in a time of 22:57.8. Olympic Weightlifter Sets New American University Record Darren Barnes set a new American university record in the 56kg division at the 29th Summer Universiade Aug. 20 in Taipei, Taiwan. The Lindenwood senior hoisted 107kg for the new high mark in the snatch and added 125kg in the clean and jerk to set the new record at 232kg total. Barnes finished eighth overall out of 16 lifters at the international event, which ran from Aug. 19 to 30. Former Rugby Player Hired as Assistant for Clemson Former rugby player Mickey Bateman has been hired as an assistant coach for the Clemson men’s program in South Carolina. The New Zealand native just completed a four-year career at Lindenwood, culminating with his degree in corporate communications over the summer. Lindenwood Head Coach Josh Macy had high praise for Bateman. “Coaching Mickey has been a pleasure, and it’s been very rewarding to see him grow up in the short time I’ve known him,” Macy said. “His demeanor is great for coaching, and he’ll be a huge asset to an up-and-coming conference rival. It’ll be nice seeing him on the sideline, and we wish him well.” Bateman was a starter on the Lions first XV squad for four years, and Lindenwood was ranked in the top eight nationally every season during his tenure, advancing to the semifinals in three of four years. He was also a part of two 7’s National Championships for the Lions and earned multiple awards, including both 7’s and 15’s All-American, D1A Back-of-the-Year, and the D1A USA National 7’s MVP. CAMPUS NEWS FACULTY SPOTLIGHT UPCOMING EVENTS LINDENWOOD SPORTS ALUMNI EVENTS AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS ALUMNI PROFILE LINDENWOOD Winter 2017 19 Lindenwood University STUDENT LIFE SPORTS