Extracurriculars Archives -

Posted on December 10, 2024December 11, 2024 by suceveanuca22 — Leave a comment

A Strong Start for the Men’s Basketball Team

Coming off a strong 10-point victory against Chatham University, the Grove City Men’s Basketball Team moves to 6-3 on the year. After a heartbreaking 1-point loss last season to Geneva in the semi-finals of the PAC tournament, the Wolverines look to bounce back this season and have already started to show their true potential. Here’s a rundown of how the team is constructed this year.

Having no graduating seniors last year, the Wolverines returned almost every individual on last year’s team roster. Led by team captains Chase Yarberough and Mike Christenson along with 9 other upperclassmen, the 2024-25 roster is one of the most experienced the program has ever seen. As head coach Steve Lamie enters his 26th year for the Wolverines, he looks to partner with associate head coach Sean Severson and lead the Wolverines to another PAC championship.

The Wolverines started the year off slow, losing their first 2 out of 3 games to non-conference opponents, Pitt-Greensburg and Pitt-Bradford. However, they have won 5 out of their last 6 games, holding an impressive 4-1 record in the PAC. This makes Grove City tied for second place in the current PAC men’s basketball standings. Although it is early in the season, the Wolverines’ recent play proves how high their ceiling is and the potential for them to be very successful this year.

The Grove City College Men’s Basketball team and athletic program as a whole place a strong emphasis on the entire college experience. The players within the program are true epitomes of student-athletes. Each team, especially the men’s basketball team, works with their players to make sure athletics are not interfering with academics, allowing each to receive a strong education that will hopefully translate into a successful career. The Grove City Basketball team has countless alumni scattered across the nation that always find ways to come back and contribute to the program. Even if it is just a motivational speech before and after a game, the impact that the program’s alumni have over the current players is unmatched. This is a testament to the strong team culture that Coach Lamie and Coach Severson have built for the program.

The Wolverines play their next game on Wednesday, December 18th, against Alma College, looking to add another one to the win column. As the season nears the half-way point, so comes Christmas break for Grove City College. However, after the conclusion of winter break, the Wolverines will be nearing the playoffs, and it is then more than ever that the support of every Grove City College student would be greatly appreciated. Notable home games following the conclusion of winter break are on January 18th against Saint Vincent, January 22nd against Westminster, February 1st against Chatham, February 12th against Thiel, and most importantly, senior night on February 15th against Bethany. The Grove City Men’s Basketball team would greatly appreciate your support as they look toward bringing home another PAC championship.

Posted on November 16, 2022 by smithag20 — Leave a comment

Being an RA at Grove City College

Being an RA at Grove City College is a fantastic way to serve your campus community and develop relationships with people on your hall as well as your Residence Life Staff. Being an RA is an important position that involves community building and policy enforcement. Led by Thomas Biro, the Director of Residence Life, Grove City Residence Life exists to help students thrive in their communities and as individuals. If you’re the type of person who loves to watch people grow and challenge themselves, serve those around you, and be involved in community, then maybe the RA position is right for you!

5 girls taking a picture in a bathroom mirror while holding a ladder — Me and my fellow RAs going on a round while carrying a ladder

Across campus there are different types of RA positions available. You can be an RA for Greek Life/housing groups, for freshmen, for independents, and for the Colonial Apartments. The style and size of your hall fully depends on the size of the building you are placed in. The same is true for the size of your Residence Life staff. During the application process you get to choose what your preferences are, though the ultimate decision will be with the Resident Directors.

Some of the responsibilities as an RA include being on duty and planning events for your hall. Being on duty is the most consistent responsibility. Depending on the size of your staff it will either be every other week or weekly. “Duty” means you are the on-call RA from 7pm-7am and residents will call/come to you with emergencies, lock outs and any other things that come up during your shift. Most of the stuff that I have had to deal with while being on duty is just toilets and showers that won’t turn off, quiet hours, burnt out lights, or residents who are locked out. It’s a great opportunity to use the time in the building to connect with residents and host events.

Your residence life team will meet weekly to discuss building needs, plan events, spend time in prayer over residents, connect with each other, and dive into ways you can pursue the Res Life vision for campus. These meetings have been some of the highlights of my week and times that my team has come together to support each other. Another thing that you will do as an RA is attend bi-weekly One-on-Ones with your RD and ARD (if your building has one). These are great times to catch up with your RD, let them know about any resident concerns you have, ask them questions and more. They also use this time to ask you questions and help you grow in your faith, personal and professional life.

5 girls laughing in a hallway while taking a selfie — Me going on a round in North with a few of my residents

I am currently a junior and a freshmen RA in Harker. This is my second year on staff, but my first in Harker. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to serve with two different staffs and RDs. It had given me extra opportunities for growth in various areas of my life. Another thing that I love about being a second-year RA is that I am able to continue to connect with my residents from last year. I learned that being an RA is not just a once and done type of commitment. You create relationships that last beyond the year you are on staff, and they have the potential to extend even further. Which is truly exciting and encouraging.

Being an RA for the last two years has been the best experience of my time at college. My first year I was in North, and for this second year I am in the newly freshmen building of Harker. I have had many opportunities for growth— spiritually, personally, and professionally. I am so thankful for the ways that my RDs and fellow RAs have supported me and challenged me. This experience has been such a blessing from the Lord, and I cannot imagine where I would be if I had not applied for the RA position during my freshmen year.

If this sounds like something that would interest you, I encourage you to speak with your RA or your RD and find out more information!

Posted on May 18, 2022May 10, 2022 by williamsme18 — Leave a comment

Inside Wolverine Athletics Podcast: Coach Jordyn Cole

In this week’s episode of Inside The Wolverine Den, we are joined by coach Jordyn Cole! Jordyn is a Grove City College grad who helps with recruiting, event coordinating, and assists coaching Grove City College Women’s Soccer. She dives deeper into the special qualities of Grove City College Athletics and what the recruiting process is like for prospective students. If you are looking for schools, you will not want to miss this one!

Inside the Wolverine Den: Jordyn Cole

Posted on March 31, 2022March 28, 2022 by kingandl18 — Leave a comment

IM and IF Sports

If you are a retired high school or even college athlete, like myself, you will find yourself itching to get back on the field or court and play sports again. Grove City has some of the best intramural sports out of any school in the country. The College offers almost every sport you can think of, and if the sport is not offered then you can get a group of people together to try and get it organized for the upcoming season. I have personally participated in football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball, and dodgeball. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in IM sports because there are two different seasons during the academic year. Also, another great thing about IM sports is that not everything is a physically demanding activity. There are also IM sports for Euchre, bowling, spikeball, and even a couple of video games. IM sports have become a very inclusive thing here on campus and allow all students to enjoy some friendly competition.

There are also Intrafraternal sports for those that are in fraternities. IF sports are just like IMs but on another level of competition. There is an IF cup that is awarded to the winning fraternity after the IF season, which lasts all year long. The sports that fraternities will play in the fall are football, basketball, and volleyball. This fall was pretty condensed so there might be more sports in the fall of 2022. Then, in the spring semester, there is softball, dodgeball, and soccer. The competition of IF sports is much greater than IM sports because you are playing for your fraternity and competing towards winning the IF cup at the end of the year.

Whether you are competing in IM sports, IF sports, or both you will have a great time and as a freshman, it is an amazing way to go out and make friends. I made a football and basketball team with some guys on my hall who I did not really know and we are still friends in our last semester of college.

Posted on March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 by williamsme18 — Leave a comment

Inside Wolverine Athletics Podcast: Coach Alec Jernstedt

In this podcast episode of Inside The Wolverine Den with your host Maggie Williams, we dive into the topic of creating a winning team. This week’s guest, coach Alec Jernstedt, gives an inside look into the Grove City College Men’s Lacrosse team. Previously an assistant coach at Duke University, coach Jernstedt understands what it takes to strive for success. With only being established as an official team since 2018 at Grove City, the lacrosse team has truly made a statement with conference championships and NCAA appearances. How have they created a winning atmosphere? What is it like to be in a competitive atmosphere as a Christian? What are the characteristics of a winning team? All of these questions and more are coming next.

Inside The Wolverine Den: Creating a Winning Program

Posted on February 2, 2022January 31, 2022 by goetzrm19 — Leave a comment

My Experience with Orientation Board

Imagine this: You are driving up to Grove City College for move-in day, but you are feeling butterflies in your stomach. You are sitting in the car, nervous about meeting people, making friends, and starting classes. As you pull up to your dorm building, a group of white T-shirts swarm your car, shouting in excitement. They start to unpack your car and carry all of your bins and suitcases to your dorm room. They wait around for you to walk into your dorm room and pray over you for success and joy through the semester. When your parents leave, you spend the next few days meeting upperclassmen and fellow freshmen, participating in social gatherings, sports, movie nights, and other activities.

That was my experience when I came to Grove City College. Orientation Board (OB) helped me get familiar with the campus and with meeting new people. They also helped me get to know upperclassmen in my major, to help give me an idea of what my classes would be like, as well as the professors. After seeing how involved Orientation Board was with incoming freshmen, and the group as a whole, I decided I wanted to do it.

Through the process of joining OB, we did retreats and meetings to grow closer together and hear the “why” behind everyone’s decision to join. Orientation Board is a big group, divided into different committees. Each committee has different tasks and events they put on for the freshmen. I was on the Religion Committee, which included Sunrise Service, Worship Night, Praying Sessions, etc. One of my favorite events that OB did before the freshmen arrived was the Prayer Walk. We each walked around on campus, to each building, and prayed over it and prayed for the incoming freshmen. An event that I helped organize was All-Campus Worship. My team and I put together a group of student musicians to lead worship and read Scripture. Seeing all of the OB members and the campus come together to worship helped remind me that Jesus is changing our hearts daily and we are serving Him through helping others. I think it also helped many of the freshmen know that Jesus is the one constant thing in our lives and we should lean on Him to help us through the semester.

Orientation Board has helped me step out of my comfort zone and meet so many people – some of which are now my closest friends. OB has push me in my relationship with Christ, while serving others and having a fun time. Overall, it has been an amazing experience to be apart of Orientation Board, and I cannot wait to do it again next year.

Posted on November 2, 2020October 19, 2020 by Christian Aromando — Leave a comment

Workout Facility Adaptations

Grove City College provides its students with an excellent workout facility that has flexible hours to accommodate each student’s schedule. But what happens when a global pandemic hits and harmful germs can possibly be spread through the air?

After pivoting and adjusting to the new normal, Grove City College has done an exceptional job of shifting its workout facilities to make sure we are socially distant compliant and germ-free. Though this disease has impacted shared spaces, the College has still been able to monitor and continue to provide students with an area to work out and relieve stress.

The gym facilities here have undergone quite a few changes, with the biggest being the location switch. Formerly located in two separate rooms, the mechanical and free weights machines have now moved into the College’s Intramural Rooms. The IM Rooms are composed of four basketball courts, each separated by curtains, that allow for students to participate in various activities. The new workout facility has now consumed one of the basketball courts, which unfortunately has limited the number of participants that can play sports in the IM Rooms. Another change that the gym has undergone is a new set of block times to allow for cleaning and sanitizing the equipment after participants have finished.

There are numerous rules now in place for the new workout facility to ensure that everyone can use them safely. The first of these rules is that workouts must be limited to 40 minutes or less. Along with limited workouts, there is also a limited number of participants allowed in the gym at one time. No more than 25 people may workout simultaneously, which allows for social distancing. Masks must be worn at all times in the workout facilities, and equipment must be sprayed down before and after each use. Lastly, student IDs are now being collected upon entry for tracking purposes, in case there is a COVID case reported in the gym. These restrictions may seem aggressive, however, they are vital to ensuring that gym-goers and those that they come into contact with around campus are safe. Grove City is putting their students’ safety at the forefront of their minds, and it shows through the precautions they are taking with the gym.

This is the former free weights workout room.

This is the former mechanical weights room.

After undergoing COVID adaptations, this is the new combined workout room. Free and mechanical weights are offered here.

Posted on February 21, 2020February 19, 2020 by Abbey Collins — Leave a comment

Student Athletic Training Spotlight: Gretchen Elsey

Student Athletic Trainer, Gretchen Elsey

Grove City College offers a myriad of career-focused internships and job opportunities on-campus. This past semester, junior Gretchen Elsey had the opportunity to work with the athletic training department as a Student Athletic Trainer. Academically, Gretchen is pursuing a major in Exercise Science and a minor in Nutrition. Outside of classes, she keeps herself busy playing varsity basketball and track and field, while also committing time toward the Exercise Science Club. In the following interview, I had the opportunity to sit down with Gretchen and learn more about her experience as a Student Athletic Trainer.

How do you balance working on-campus, playing two varsity sports, and academics?

Being involved in so many things teaches you time management. I think my high school experience has helped me prepare for the things I do now because I was always involved in a lot of things. Truthfully, I love working, playing sports, and focusing on my studies. I could not see my life without doing all of these things and they make me want to stay motivated to do them.

Tell me about your current role as a Student Athletic Trainer.

https://vimeo.com/359592348

What advice would you give a prospective student hoping to get involved in the STEM field?

The STEM majors are an up and coming career path. Being an Exercise Science major has taught me a lot about different sports and my sport as well. I also have learned about how different athletes can respond to different stimuli, and this will help me in my future career.

Who influenced you to work as a Student Athletic Trainer?

The head athletic trainer, Rick Hawk, needed help for the upcoming football season and he knew I was pursuing a degree in Exercise Science. So, he approached me and asked if I would be interested in learning more about athletic training and truthfully, I believe this was another way the Lord has opened a door of opportunity for me. Also, I work with two other Student Athletic Trainers and they have become very close friends.

Do you envision yourself pursuing a career in athletic training?

I could see myself making a career out of this. I look forward to going down and helping the football team every day, while also growing as a professional in this industry. Finally, I would highly recommend this program and other career-focused programs that Grove City College offers because the relationships I am making now will help me tremendously in my future career.

Thank you, Gretchen, for the great insight. I look forward to hearing more about your experience soon.

Posted on February 19, 2020February 19, 2020 by Abbey Collins — Leave a comment

Varsity Women’s Track and Field Spotlight: Rohanna Foote

Rohanna Foote, class of 2020, is well-known at Grove City College as one of the top sprinters for the Wolverines Track and Field team. The Ardmore, PA native had a standout season in 2018 and is looking to capitalize on her success for her final year as a sprinter. Academically, Rohanna is majoring in International Business with Marketing and French concentrations. Off the track, Rohanna enjoys spending time with her discipleship group and Students Excited About Diversity (S.E.A.D.). I had the opportunity to sit down with Rohanna and discuss her upcoming track season and the impact Grove City College has had on her life up to this point.

Why did you choose to come to Grove City College and compete on the Track and Field team?

https://vimeo.com/359596786

What would you say is unique about Grove City College’s Track and Field team?

I think the community here is really special. I visited Geneva and Westminster before Grove City, but I felt most at home with the track team here. Also, I enjoy how we are all brought together by Christ. We do Bible studies, team events like tie-dye, and team worship.

Do you find that the coaching staff is approachable when you are seeking advice?

Yes, I think all the coaches are open and great at giving advice. My freshman year, the current Athletic Director, Todd Gibson was the track coach and I remember him inviting me into his office one of the first days of class. He told me if I ever needed help finding a tutor or help with anything, his office was always open. I have found that this is the same with our current track coach, Jessica Smith. I have gone to her office to talk about my personal life, family, track, and academics. She is always easy to talk to and makes herself available.

What has been your favorite track team memory?

My favorite memory was traveling to Ithaca, New York for the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference Championship. It was really fun, from the bus ride to the actual meet. We were all focused and performed our best, then we got to hang out as a team for the remainder of the weekend.

Do you have any specific goals going into your final season?

I want to continue getting personal records in my events, the 60m, 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay. In addition, I hope to set a few school records in my respective events. Aside from sprinting, I am trying long jump for the first time this year and my goal is to get a mark!

What advice would you give a current high school senior who has one track and field season left before college?

Based on my high school experience, I was in my peak condition and I think it is important coming into freshman year of college to continue training throughout the summer. Also, when you get to college stay focused on your academics, but also make time to go to the gym. Track is a team sport, so have a good team spirit because you are contributing to how well the team does overall.