So here I sit in the airport with the Wabash basketball team waiting to get on our flight back home to Indiana after a fun trip to San Antonio, Texas.

As this photo shows, we didn't just come to play basketball. The team spent the evening in downtown San Antonio last night, which included a trip to the Alamo.

This has been a nice way to wrap up another unique year. We've celebrated another great season for the football team, only to have to say goodbye to coaches Chris Creighton and Neal Neathery and their families as they depart for Iowa. We said goodbye to Patrick Woehnker far too soon after the freshman passed away from injuries suffered in an accident on campus. We welcomed Roger Busch back to the cross country as head coach while his former mentor, Rob Johnson, begins to plan for his retirement.

Speaking of running, Geoff Lambert nearly won the indoor 800-meter national title in Terre Haute, and continued to show why he's one of the top 800 runners in the nation with his All-America performances in both the outdoor and indoor venues.

The Wabash baseball team knocked off undefeated, top-ranked Wooster on the way to a record-setting season. Wrestling sent another fine representative to the Nationals in Keith Garrard to earn more All-America honors for that legendary program. Tennis continued to enjoy its rebirth under 2006 North Coast Athletic Conference Co-Coach of the Year Jason Hutchison. Golf and basketball both flourished with the guiding hand of Mac Petty. The hoops squad earned a berth in the NCAC tournament, then traveled to Allegheny to upset the four-seed in the tourney before falling to eventual champion Wooster three days later. Jordan Vice took fifth at the NCAC tournament to become the first Wabash player to earn First Team conference honors.

Swimming added two more All-Americans to its ranks with the efforts of Tony Caldwell and Adam Petro. Wabash swimmers said goodbye to one head coach --- Peter Casares --- and hello to new head coach John Weitz.

Most of all, we've all continued to enjoy the support of you, the Wabash fan. I hope you've had a safe and happy 2007 and wish you all the best in 2008.

Wabash Always Fights - in 2008 and beyond!

Posted by Brent Harris at 04:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the first time since the beginning of August, I have a free weekend.

The only Wabash sporting event taking place will involve the wrestling team traveling to Ada, Ohio for the Ohio Northern University Invitational. I'll post those results Saturday when Tim Glon, my counterpart at ONU, sends them shortly after the tournament concludes.

So --- without trying to sound too much like the PTI guys --- I'm going to hunker down and get ready for some football on TV.

The NCAA Division III football championship game is Saturday afternoon, and obviously I'm interested to see if Whitewater can defeat that other team wearing purple from Alliance, Ohio. Sunday it's NFL all day and all night, including the Colts at Oakland.

Part of my weekend viewing, however, will be getting my Tivo set for the 2007 Boat U.S. National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championships. If you recall, we posted a story in the fall about Andrew Newkirk '08 and James Ket '09 representing Wabash at this event. (If you don't remember or didn't catch it the first time, the story is here and my blog entry is here.) The duo finished sixth overall, earning some nice prizes while competing against some of the top colleges and universities in the nation (ever heard of Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Kansas State, Kentucky, Oklahoma, or Purdue?).

Last Friday I was contacted by Fox Sports. The network wanted permission to use the Wabash logo for the upcoming series on the tournament. Meanwhile, Andrew and James received word that Fox Sports will begin broadcasting an 11-part series every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. on Fox College Sports Central beginning January 12. A 12th episode will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net January 29 at 3 p.m.

Now as I stated in my earlier blog, I'm not likely to wake up Saturday morning and tune to the various fishing shows you can find on TV, but I will make plans to watch this. Andrew and James did a fantastic job representing the bass fishing club and the College. I may not know fishing, but I know I'll enjoy watching them compete.

Don't get FCS Central (I believe it's 613 on my DirecTV system) or Fox Sports? Then contact your local cable or satellite provider (I think I heard that on an NFL Network or Big Ten Network broadcast somewhere!).

Have a safe and happy holiday season. And if you live in the San Antonio, Texas area, make plans now to come out and support the basketball team during their trip to the great Southwest in late December. You can also meet members of the team at a dinner after the first game of the classic on December 29.

Posted by Brent Harris at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Being a part of the Wabash football broadcast was a lot of fun Saturday.

Now, you're probably already asking yourself, "Self, how is broadcasting a game with that particular scoring differential fun?"

Well, there are a lot of reasons. The first is a simple one. It's Wabash football. I've never had a bad day covering a Wabash athletics team, and that's because of the young men involved in each of our programs. To be able to watch our students perform to the best of their abilities, even if the final score doesn't always fall the way you had hoped is a privilege, an honor, and a joy.

Secondly, I get the chance to work with some really great people. If I'm not doing the game, I get to pass along some suggestions and ideas to Tom Norman '09 and Jared Conaway '08, two current students who have shared the exploits of the Wabash football team with you over the past few years. If I am working the game, I get to work alongside other individuals just as passionate about their love of Wabash. Mark Maxwell, Terry Byrom, Tom Coyle, and Steve Hoffman '85 have all been regulars on the WNDY broadcasts, taking their own personal time (and almost always taking expenses out of their own pockets) to cover the game. I even pressed Scott Fendley '88 into duty to fill in for Conaway --- because Jared was running late from taking the LSAT exam prior to the game. How's that for dedication by both guys!

There's another member of the broadcast crew that makes broadcasting a game like the Wabash vs. Whitewater game so much fun. That's you the listener. No sooner than I said the word, "We're interactive today, so send an email and let us know you're listening," my email was flooded with responses --- 58 emails and three text messages in fact by the end of the broadcast. I know I didn't get a chance to say hi to everyone, but I wanted to share a few special ones with you here.

Tim Morrison '88

Hi, Brent/Mark/Steve.

Hello from Nashville, TN. It's going to be 60 degrees here today, but I'd much rather be watching in the snow.

GO WABASH!!

WABASH ALWAYS FIGHTS!!

Professor Rick Warner

Wabash College football has had an awesome season. I would like to thank them for their leadership not only as athletes but also for their work in the classroom. Their diligence in the classroom is inspiring to us all. Wabash always fights!

Dain McKee, former Assistant SID at Kenyon College and
current Assistant SID at Wooster

Wanted to commend you on the solid broadcast. It sounds good and keep up the good work. As a part of the NCAC, we are rooting for the Little Giants but will need a comeback.

David Orr '57

Dave Orr '57 here, listening from Southern Mexico.

We never give up! Wabash Always Fights!

Perhaps the one email that I enjoyed the most, however, was this from a gentleman who need be introduced by only two words --- Dad Thad!

Polly and Thaddeus Seymour
(President 1969-1978)

Listening to you here in Winter Park, Florida. In 1977, we were privileged to travel with the team to the playoff games and then to the Stagg Bowl. Wish we were there in Wisconsin right now!

Go Little Giants!. We're cheering as loud as we can. And we greatly appreciate WNDY's broadcasts.

So thanks for listening, thanks for the email, but most of all thanks for your continued support of Wabash athletics!

Posted by Brent Harris at 09:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)