By Keenan Lo
Executive Staff
With the new year at Sewanee comes a new year of sports, with every Sewanee Tiger looking to fulfill a new set of expectations. Many of our teams, whether in season or not, are currently working towards a common goal that all Sewanee Tigers share. Whether it be fall, winter, or spring, Sewanee’s athletes have high hopes for the 2016-2017 calendar year.
Diamond Stewart (C‘17) is a member of Sewanee’s women’s volleyball team, a team that plans to make waves in its conference. Stewart describes being a senior as “bittersweet,” saying that she looks forward to be seen as a leader on and off the court, but at the same time, “it is sad thinking that this is the last year I will be playing the game I fell in love with 10 years ago.”
The team has gotten off to a great start with a 6 win, 1 loss record, and Stewart hopes that the team continues that success. When asked about the goals for the team, Stewart said that “we are expecting to go far in the conference tournament this year.” With the fall season underway, it will be interesting to see how the team does.
David Johnson (C’19) plays for the men’s basketball team at Sewanee, and after a great season last year, the Tigers plan to improve on that success. As a returning player on the team, Johnson feels the pressure for stepping up as a leader. According to Johnson, “It feels like I really have to step up this year, and be an example to the freshmen coming in.” The men’s basketball team also has high expectations for the season. When asked about expectations, Johnson said that the team wants “nothing less than the SAA Championship”. With such high expectations, both from the team and the fans, the men’s basketball team will be one to check out this year.
Jack Gray (C’19) is on the men’s tennis team here at Sewanee, a team that hopes to establish themselves as major players in the SAA. Gray has become more of a leader this year both on and off the tennis court. According to Gray, he has “already taken a lot of the freshmen under my wing and hung out with them outside of tennis. They’re all great guys, and I want them to look up to him.”
When asked about the team’s goals, Gray states that “Our schedule is a lot tougher this year. I think we play 4 or 5 top 25 teams, and I think a good goal for us would be to knock off a few of those teams and really establish ourselves as a powerhouse team.” Sewanee’s Tigers have success in sight, and it will be interesting to see how the year goes for Sewanee’s teams.