A multidisciplinary project that began a year ago – fabricating a logo for the Wildcat Den esports room – has borne fruit on the second floor of Penn College’s Madigan Library.
From the Fall 2020 Penn College Magazine: When spring sports were canceled and classes were moved online, two athletes traded their jerseys for scrubs. Read their stories in “Trading Uniforms.”
A year of change was in order for most Pennsylvania College of Technology athletes during the 2020-21 academic year with a restructuring of the North Eastern Athletic Conference. And it was compounded when the college’s fall sports also became a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, being canceled like spring sports a few months before.
The mid-July decision sidelining fall sports athletes in men’s and women’s cross-country, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, and men’s golf, following unanimous action by the NEAC Presidents’ Council and Board of Athletic Directors, left Penn College coaches disappointed, yet understanding.
The Wildcat Den provides a fitting studio for Young’s participation in a national esports convention.
Joshua D. Young, founding coach of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s esports program and a member of the National Association of Collegiate Esports Board of Directors, remotely participated in the third annual NACE National Convention (July 22-24).
Young – employed as a learning systems administrator in the college’s Office of Instructional Technology – participated in several sessions from the Wildcat Den, dedicated esports space on the second floor of Madigan Library. (While necessitated by COVID-19 precautions for the event, casting from campus also allowed Young to show off the facility to his online colleagues.)
Pennsylvania College of Technology’s fall athletics season was canceled Friday following a unanimous decision by the North Eastern Athletic Conference Presidents’ Council and Board of Athletic Directors.
“Given the current state of the pandemic and the most recent NCAA recommendations, the NEAC Presidents’ Council has unanimously determined that our eight member institutions will not participate in intercollegiate athletic competition during the Fall 2020 season,” the council announced. “NEAC institutions will work together in collaboration with the conference office and the NCAA to seek alternate opportunities to provide a meaningful student-athlete experience throughout the fall season.”
The Penn College women’s basketball and soccer teams will host the Wildcat Dash, a virtual 5K run/walk on Wednesday, Aug. 5, as a fundraising initiative for student-athletes. Participants will receive a printable race bib and a T-shirt, and competitive racers can submit their results for a chance at medals and other prizes. The cost is $15 for Penn College students or anyone 18 years old or younger, $25 for non-students older than 18. Register, lace up those running shoes, and get ready to dash with the Wildcats anytime and anywhere on Aug. 5!
In a question-and-answer format, John Vandevere, director of athletics at Pennsylvania College of Technology, shares his thoughts on the recently completed 2019-20 sports season.
The 2019-20 school year for Pennsylvania College of Technology athletes will be remembered as much for what took place off the playing field – due to the COVID-19 pandemic and cancellation of the spring sports seasons in mid-March – as what was accomplished on it.
It marked the college’s sixth season as a member of the North Eastern Athletic Conference and third as a full-fledged member of NCAA Division III.
The COVID-19 pandemic took a bite out of the competitive aspect of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s first esports season, but progress was made and coach Joshua Young is optimistic about the future.
Last fall, team organization and planning took place on campus for the competitive multiplayer video gaming enthusiasts. Then, during the winter break, Young spent much of his time on weekends and nights putting together the Wildcat Den: Room 203A in Madigan Library, which was converted into an esports facility and includes 14 high-end gaming computers for competition along with a streaming station that allows matches to be viewed online by spectators.
Over the past several weeks, the North Eastern Athletic Conference has paid tribute to student-athletes on spring sports teams whose final seasons were prematurely ended by the COVID-19 pandemic.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Shock. Dismay. Anger. Pennsylvania College of Technology spring sports athletes experienced myriad emotions March 12 when it was announced that their seasons had been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is the last in a series on the reactions of student-athletes whose careers or seasons were cut short.)
Jordan Wise is a self-described “super-competitive” person. And although he played soccer, basketball and golf in high school, golf is his passion and he was primed for a breakout final season with his Penn College teammates.
After graduating from Midd-West High School in Middleburg, Wise first attended Lock Haven University where he wanted to play on the golf team. As fate would have it, however, Lock Haven was just discontinuing its men’s team, so after one semester, he took eight months off from schooling before deciding to seek a college where he could earn a degree in a health-related field.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Shock. Dismay. Anger. Pennsylvania College of Technology spring sports athletes experienced myriad emotions March 12 when it was announced that their seasons had been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is the fifth in a series on the reactions of student-athletes whose careers or season was cut short.)
Alexis Youse views this spring’s women’s tennis season as unfinished business. Fortunately, as a sophomore dual-majoring in baking and pastry arts and applied management, she is among those who will get another shot next year.
Youse played on the varsity tennis team at Pottsgrove High School and said she chose to attend Penn College because of “the vast opportunities that the college has to offer. These opportunities include being able to work at the Kentucky Derby, the large Career Fairs, a wide range of clubs and sports, and many more opportunities that would help me gain connections and even friendships.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Shock. Dismay. Anger. Pennsylvania College of Technology spring sports athletes experienced myriad emotions March 12 when it was announced that their seasons had been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is the fourth in a series on the reactions of student-athletes whose careers or seasons were cut short.)
First-year coach Dustin Bartron had high hopes for his archery team when its season began in February, and part of that optimism was because of Sidney Alpaugh, whom Bartron said had the potential to place individually (nationally) and the potential of a national championship for men’s bowhunter team.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Shock. Dismay. Anger. Pennsylvania College of Technology spring sports athletes experienced myriad emotions March 12 when it was announced that their seasons had been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is the third in a series on the reactions of student-athletes whose careers or seasons were cut short.)
Tucker Phillippe-Johansson was coming off one of the best seasons ever for a Penn College men’s tennis player.
Last year as a freshman, he won the North Eastern Athletic Conference No. 2 singles championship, teamed to win the No. 2 doubles title, which earned him All-NEAC first-team honors, and was named the NEAC Rookie of the Year.
There was plenty for him to be excited about coming into this spring as the team’s No. 1 singles player.
As the NCAA observes Division III week, spotlighting positive recognition of student-athletes outside of their typical sporting environments, PCToday shares this flashback to a recent example of Wildcat outreach. Among the guest readers at Lycoming Valley Intermediate School during last month’s Read Across America Week were Penn College student-athletes and faculty. Pictured (from left) are Tom Zimmerman, associate professor of psychology; Brody S. Baker, of Lock Haven, basketball; Alexander S. Cassada, Chambersburg, men’s soccer; and John F. Chappo, assistant professor of history. (Photo by Martha Miller, Williamsport Area School District library staff)
A multidisciplinary project that began a year ago – fabricating a logo for the Wildcat Den esports room – has borne fruit on the second floor of Penn College’s Madigan Library.
As the NCAA observes Division III week, spotlighting positive recognition of student-athletes outside of their typical sporting environments, PCToday shares this flashback to a recent example of Wildcat outreach. Among the guest readers at Lycoming Valley Intermediate School during last month’s Read Across America Week were Penn College student-athletes and faculty. Pictured (from left) are Tom Zimmerman, associate professor of psychology; Brody S. Baker, of Lock Haven, basketball; Alexander S. Cassada, Chambersburg, men’s soccer; and John F. Chappo, assistant professor of history. (Photo by Martha Miller, Williamsport Area School District library staff)