Men’s Soccer
The Piedmont men’s soccer team notched an impressive 6-1 win over Mississippi University for Women, evening their record of 1-1.
“This is a result that we expected against them,” said senior midfielder James Cooper. “This team is one that the guys can all begin to work together to see how we all play. It allows us to find our rhythm as a team and show everyone that we have something to prove. We definitely want to carry this over into upcoming games and keep the intensity and work rate high.”
During the 90-minute game, the Lions scored four goals in the first half and two in the second. Junior forward/midfielder Davis Knight led the team with a hat trick, with two goals being assisted by sophomore Juliann Pimental. The other three goals were scored by senior Colin Vogel, Pimental and sophomore Mason Keith.
The Lions travel to Misenheimer, North Carolina to play Pfeiffer University on Sept. 9 for their next game.
—Hannah Thompson
Women’s Soccer
The Piedmont’s women’s soccer team lost 2-0 to Oglethorpe University on Sept. 5.
Seniors Hannah Thompson and Maggie Ledger shared goalie responsibilities during the game, each getting four saves.
“Friday didn’t go as we had hoped for, and we’re looking to improve in certain areas for future games,” Ledger said. “We are looking to improve this upcoming week for our games.”
Severe weather caused the team’s Sept. 8 home match against Pfeiffer University to be canceled. This game was supposed to be the team’s senior night celebration, but despite the game not being played, the team still recognized its seniors.
“For many of us this is something we had looked forward to for years and all of our families were already there,” Ledger said.
During the celebration, the team honored their eight seniors: Thompson, Ledger, Peyton Gates, Jocelyn Maseda, Savannah Jerome, Paige Kluba, Christina Sierra, and Sierra Judson.
The Lady Lions (4-1) will travel to Brevard College on Sept. 10 for their next match.
—Allie Watkins
Women’s Golf
Senior Erin Donovan was crowned individual champion, guiding the Piedmont women’s golf team to a 5th place finish at the Transylvania Invitational in Lexington, Kentucky. The Lions came out on the first day of the event and fired a 13-over par (305), followed by a strenuous final round 25-over par (317) to finish 5th among the 12 teams.
Donovan earned her title after shooting an opening round 3-under 70, followed by a strong 1-under 72. Other top performers included junior Keegan Goins, who paced the Lions with back-to-back rounds in the 70’s to finish in a tie for 11th among 67 golfers. Two new Lions, freshmen Aubree Hill and Zoe Shuttlesworth, delivered a strong start to their collegiate careers, finishing in ties for 17th and and 30th, respectively.
“On the individual side, it makes me feel very good about where my game is at, but I feel the most confident in our abilities as a team this year,” Donovan said. “We have such a talented squad and I am looking forward to seeing how we develop this season.”
This marked the maiden event for new head coach Blake Watson, who joined the Lions earlier this month. The team will head to the MCC Montgomery Intercollegiate Tournament in Montgomery, Alabama, on Sept. 21.
—Adam Rogers
Men’s Golf
The Piedmont men’s golf team finished second in the Greystone Fall Invitational in Dickson, Tennessee, as sophomore Elliot Mehler won the individual title, shooting 4-under par.
“To be honest, I don’t think anything caught on fire during the round,” Mehler said. “I feel like I was able to put the ball close when I had a wedge on the approach and put the ball in the right spots on the fairway off the tee. I did make a few longer putts for birdie in round 2, though, so I can credit some of my success to the putter. But, besides that, it just felt like a good round of golf.”
Also finishing in the top half of the leaderboard were senior Remo Scholl (+4) and freshman Reece Whaley (+6), making his debut for the Lions.
“Team-wise, I think we’re in a great spot,” Mehler said. “We just need to hone our skills even more, continue to boost our teammates’ confidence during the round, and, as my coach says, play smart but aggressive.”
Piedmont finished the tournament at 15-over, placing second behind Huntingdon College. The Lions will next tee off Sept. 15-16 at the Gate City Invitational in Greensboro, North Carolina.
—Matthew Dupuis
Men’s Cross Country
The Piedmont University men’s cross country team competed in the Converse Kickoff in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to begin the fall season on Sept. 5.
“I think the team overall did our best, it was a tough course, and the weather was a bit rough in terms of humidity,” said sophomore Brody Geckler. “But our team persevered and everyone was able to finish.”
Layton Bradford led the group and finished first for Piedmont, placing 34th overall out of 139 runners with a time of 20:49.1. Coming up behind him, Geckler finished with a time of 22:25:9, taking 87th.
The men’s cross country team will be back on the road this weekend, travelling to the University of North Georgia Invitational on Sept.12 in Oakwood, Georgia
—Olivia Carpenter
Women’s Cross Country
The Piedmont University women’s cross country team opened the 2025-26 season at the Cross Country Opener on Sept. 5, putting together a solid effort to launch the year.
Senior Bella Caccamo led the Lady Lions, placing 70th out of 123 runners in the women’s individual 5K, with a time of 22:50. Freshmen Madison Worsham and Katie Payne rounded out the finishers for Piedmont, with Worsham clocking 23:38.5 and Payne crossing the line in 27:23.
Caccamo reflected on the team’s opener, noting that the race was more about shaking off nerves than chasing results.
“This past race was just a rust buster, so no expectations were going into it except just to shake the nerves,” Caccamo said. “I personally wasn’t too happy with my performance, but that was pretty much the same thought all around the team. That attitude is just going to push us to do better next week. We have to keep our nose to the grindstone and trust our training.”
The Lady Lions will look to build on their opener as they prepare for their next meet, the UNG Invite, on Sept. 12.
—Maggie Bishop
Men’s Tennis
Piedmont men’s tennis began its 2025 fall campaign at a tournament in Montgomery, Alabama, facing off against six other teams, including the host, Huntingdon College.
Fifteen singles matches were played by nine separate players, with the Lions taking home nine of those matches. Alongside this, six doubles matches were played, with Piedmont reigning victorious over two of those matches.
Sophomores Leyton Dunn and Caleb McElveen both participated in the doubles and singles competitions, using these unofficial matches to prepare for the upcoming spring conference season.
“The fall season helps us prepare for the spring by conditioning us both mentally and physically to get the best out of us when it matters,” said Dunn, who went 1-2 on the day.
“The tournaments give us match experience and shows us what to improve on both mentally and physically, so by spring we’re more prepared both individually and together,” said McElveen, who also scored one win over the weekend.
Notable scores include sophomore Horacio Rodriguez going 3-0 on the weekend, and juniors Mark Backeberg and Rohan Kavli both went undefeated in the singles portion of the tournament.
Due to inclement weather in the area, the tourney was cut short, with 10 matches being designated as either unfinished or not played.
The Lions continue their fall season on Sept. 26-27 for the Knapp Family Tennis Invite, hosted by Pfeiffer University, before concluding the season with the Piedmont Fall Foliage Classic at the end of October.
—August Gotter
Women’s Tennis
Piedmont University women’s tennis opened its Fall 2025 campaign this past week at the Huntingdon Invitational in Montgomery, Alabama. The Lady Lions competed September 6–7 against opponents from Buena Vista University, Huntingdon College, Central Alabama Community College, Tuskegee University and LaGrange College.
Several players picked up their first singles wins of the season, including Kaleigh Stallworth, Olivia Carpenter, Ella Kate Canaday, Halee Harper, K. Sanchez Castillo, Sarah Sanabia, Annalia Small, Emily Gonzalez, Alex Snodgrass, Brooklyn Bolch, Abby Gayle Moody, and Drea Robinson.
“I think the matches overall went well this weekend. We played some tough opponents, but I feel like that gives us good practice,” said Olivia Carpenter, who defeated her LaGrange opponent 6-1, 7-5. “The team overall played well and had some close matches.”
In doubles play, the duos of Sarah Row/Kaleigh Stallworth, Carolina Morrison/Abby Gayle Moody, Kaleigh Stallworth/Emily Gonzalez, Sarah Sanabia/Halee Harper, and Emily Gonzalez/K. Sanchez Castillo each notched wins for Piedmont.
The Lady Lions return to action Sept. 12–13 when they host the Piedmont Invitational.
—Adriana Blumer
Volleyball
The Piedmont volleyball team was swept in four games on Sept. 5-6 at Huntingdon College, falling 3-1 to the host school , 3-0 to University of St. Thomas, Millsaps College and LaGrange College, dropping to 0-8 on the season.
“This weekend as a whole was definitely a learning experience,” senior outside hitter Katie Hubbard said. “We as a team are doing a much better job of playing up to our strengths, and a great job of staying positive even when the score doesn’t reflect our hard work.”
Over the four matches, Hubbard led the team with 24 kills. Sophomore middle blocker Sara Bjerke tallied 12 kills and a .375 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Erin Lemons paced the team with eight assists. Sophomore Bailey Daughtery set a season high with nine kills and a strong .250 hitting percentage. Zoe Coelho, the reigning CCS Defensive Player of the Week, led the team with 21 digs.
The Lions will next hit the court on Sept. 20 in a tri-match against Columbia College and Truett McConnell University.
—Sydney Spitzer
