Pool Party

After a summer in which he burst into the national swimming spotlight, Jack Saunderson ’19 could be forgiven if his mind is occasionally distracted by thoughts of medals, podiums and national anthems.

But Olympic visions are taking a back seat to goals Saunderson considers even loftier.

“I just want to focus on my senior year,” the business management major says. “That’s much more important right now.”

Not many athletes with legitimate Olympic hopes would put their quest for the games on the backburner to concentrate on collegiate goals, but Saunderson has always put team first. When asked about his stirring performance in the 100-meter butterfly at the Phillips 66 National Championships in July, where he clocked the fifth-fastest time in the world this year to put himself on the Tokyo 2020 radar, he politely steers the conversation toward the team on which he was voted a captain.

“I want to be a leader for Towson and help us improve from third place [in the Colonial Athletic Association] last year,” he says.

If Saunderson is able to boost his performance from last season, the Tigers’ outlook is bright. After winning three individual gold medals and helping two relay teams earn medals at the CAA Championships, Saunderson was named the Men’s Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet for the second year in a row. He qualified for the NCAAs, where he earned Honorable Mention All-America status in both the 100- and 200-meter butterfly.

His blazing time in a preliminary heat at the national meet qualified him for the U.S. national team.

“When he is pushing himself he can make swimming look effortless, a very hard thing to do in his best stroke,” TU coach Jake Shrum says. “However, I think what allows him to continue to get faster is that he never has any inhibitions about trying to go faster in practices.”

Faster? That’s a thought that should send shivers down the spines of swimmers throughout the CAA and, increasingly, throughout the world.

Sweep

The Blue Hens didn’t stand a chance. Women’s volleyball kicked off its Colonial Athletic Association schedule with a resounding 3-0 sweep of longtime rival Delaware on Sept. 21 at SECU Arena. The Tigers hit for .229 in the match, including a stout .308 in the deciding set. TU picked up the sweep thanks to set wins of 25-19, 25-20 and 25-22. The Tigers were big at the net, coming up with 17 block assists on the night.

Hitting the Books

TU had 249 student-athletes named to the CAA Academic Honor Roll for the 2018 spring semester. The CAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll gives special recognition to student-athletes who have distinguished themselves both in the classroom and in the athletic arena. Student-athletes who were members of a team in a CAA sport and achieved at least a 3.0 grade-point average based on semester/quarter performance or
cumulative GPA were honored.

Coaching for Country

Men’s basketball director of student-athlete development Parfait Bitee was selected to serve as an assistant coach for the Cameroon National Team. “It is an honor to be asked to coach a national team,” Bitee said. “A chance like this is always exciting when you have the opportunity to represent your country as an athlete or a coach.” Bitee played on the Cameroonian team that won the silver medal at the FIBA Africa Championship in 2007.

No Place Like Home

For the third straight year, the women’s cross country team opened the 2018 season with a win at the Towson Invitational. Senior Abby Gauthier led the way at Oregon Ridge State Park by taking first with a time of 15:56.84 to secure the title. TU had six runners in the top 10. Morgan State came in second, McDaniel took third and Gallaudet finished fourth.