Tag: athletics

If you gave Katie Suiters something – anything – to throw during a Spalding track and field competition the past four years, the results tended to turn out well.

The senior standout from Indianapolis became one of the Golden Eagles’ most successful and versatile athletes by participating in all four field throwing disciplines: discus, shot put, hammer and javelin.

That versatility has helped Suiters, who is receiving her bachelor of science in natural science (BSNS) degree while working toward a master’s in athletic training (MSAT), earn as many on-field accomplishments as any student-athlete who’ll participate in Spalding’s commencement on June 2. This spring she was named the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Year after winning the league championship in discus and finishing second in shot put, fifth in hammer and sixth in javelin. She also won the SLIAC discus and shot put titles in 2016 and holds multiple school records.

“(Participating in four events for four years in college) was a big opportunity that not many people have,” Suiters said. “I definitely took advantage of it, and I think it’ll definitely be something cool to talk about.”

She laughed and imitated an old lady’s voice, “Back in my day …”

Suiters said discus is probably her best and favorite event. Hammer throw is a “love-hate, but I learned to love it more this year,” she said. Javelin she started throwing just for fun  in high school because she could throw a football 60 yards and figured it would be a similar skill.

“I took it and threw it and slapped myself in the back of the head with it,” she said with a laugh. “I said, ‘OK, this is not a football.’ So I watched a lot of YouTube videos and taught myself over the past couple years a lot of basics. I pretty much winged it, but, hey, I did all right at it.”

Suiters credited head coach Bradley Sowder and throws assistant Kyle Jenkins, a former Spalding All-American, for helping her thrive.

“It started off as a challenge (to participate in so many events),” said Suiters, who was Spalding’s only female thrower her freshman year. “But coming here with track, it was a big family. The track team has pretty much built everything (up during my college years). You’ve got people to go to if you need someone. Coach is always a big help for everyone. It was kind of like an area for me to grow, and it’s a big confidence booster to have achieved what I have.”

Suiters’ athletic experience has motivated her to want to become an athletic trainer. She wants to help other athletes feel supported the same way she’s felt with Spalding’s trainers.

“They’ve definitely helped me, and I want to people able to give that back to somebody else,” Suiters said. “I’ve had my share of injuries. I know what you’re going through. I know when you’re faking it. I know when you want to stop and you’re having a bad day but you need to get back out there.”

Suiters will continue at Spalding next year to finish her’s master’s in athletic training. She said she’s confident she’ll be well-trained when she enters the professional world.

“I had the opportunity to go to a lot of places, and I visited many places,” Suiters said. “I have not had a single day that I regretted picking here. I got to experience the city and the downtown atmosphere. You get open to a lot of things because of that. I’ve met so many people, and I have the best friends I’ll ever have in my life. The professors are hands on. You’re not a number, and I love that aspect of it. It’s home.”

More about Katie …

What is your favorite Spalding memory?

My conference meet my sophomore year, I went up for my last throw, and I was the last person to go. I knew I had already won because I was the last person to go, but there was a storm coming in. I went to go throw, and you can see the storm moving toward us and the wind taking everything. The whole team had to stay and Kyle stopped all of them, and they announced my throw, and it was a huge personal record. We all started screaming. As soon as I threw, we all had to leave because it started downpouring. I had to grab all my stuff because I was the only person. I had a javelin, shot put, discus, hammer, all this stuff, and I’m just trying to run down this street to the bus. We all went, ‘Woohoo!’ Then they all took off. Everyone left me. (laughing)

What are the accomplishments you’re most proud of during your time at Spalding?

It would probably be SLIAC Field Athlete of the Year. I never expected that. That’s probably my biggest accomplishment.

What is your favorite spot on campus?

The University Center (now called Columbia Gym). You’ve got to go down to the weight room. That’s where all the fun happens. There’s a lot of hard work that goes on there, but there’s also a lot of good conversations that happen between everybody. I love (strength and conditioning coach) Sarah (Clinton) to death.

Adam Boyer is essentially a CEO.

As the head coach of the Spalding men’s soccer team, Boyer oversees all aspects of his NCAA Division III program. He recruits, trains, manages and evaluates his student-athletes and staff. He handles a budget, sets a schedule for practices and games and keeps tabs on facilities and transportation.

He plays a hand in marketing and social media, and he organizes community service projects.

And the 31-year-old Boyer, of course, goes out and tries to win games for the Golden Eagles.

Boyer’s multifaceted leadership was recently recognized when he was named one of 20 winners of the inaugural Young Leaders Awards from Louisville Business First, in partnership with YPAL (Young Professionals Association of Louisville). The awards go to “20 rising stars who are demonstrating excellence in both their workplace and in the Louisville community,” according to Business First. He and the others will be honored on March 29 during a reception at the Ice House downtown.

Boyer is the only honoree from a sports-related profession. The others come from more traditional business fields such as accounting, law, fundraising and construction.

“I was excited about it and thankful for the recognition and being able to represent the university on a local level,” Boyer said, “and to get our name out there and let people know what we’re doing, that we have good people here at Spalding who are working hard.

“There is a really impressive group of young professionals in the city. I’m proud to be recognized among them.”

Only a few weeks removed from his 31st birthday, Boyer already has completed six seasons as a head coach at Spalding. As a 25-year-old, the former Centre College All-American and academic All-American was hired to lead the Golden Eagles.

He inherited a team coming off a 1-15 season. Spalding improved to 6-10 in Boyer’s first season, and by 2016, he led the school to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title. He was named the league’s coach of the year that season.

“One of the nice aspects of working in smaller-college athletics is you do have your hands in every aspect of the program,” said Boyer, a grad of Manual High School. “I’m very appreciative of the opportunity (athletic director Roger Burkman) gave me to the program at a young age. … To have been a Division III athlete, and now run the only Division III program in my hometown really is a dream come true.”

He added: “It’s been really cool, really fun. For me, nothing can beat running my own college soccer program in my hometown. I think Spalding as a university, as an athletic department has so much potential and is only getting stronger.”

Spalding’s university mission is to serve a diverse community of learners, and Boyer said he’s been proud to recruit a roster that includes players of 10 nationalities, including from Africa, Latin America, East Asia and the Middle East.

“That’s been the neatest aspect of coaching here and probably the most rewarding,” he said. “I’ve grown immensely as an individual getting to be around such a diverse group and learn about their families, their backgrounds and their upbringing.

“Louisville is a diverse city, and what we do we know about the game of soccer? It’s the world’s game, played across the globe. … Soccer as a sport that connects with the diversity that Spalding represents.”

Boyer has led community service initiatives with the soccer team, including through camps and clinics. The Golden Eagles have worked with the Bluegrass Center for Autism, Special Olympics, Jefferson County Public Schools’ ESL Newcomer Academy, Metro Parks, Boys and Girls Haven and the Walden School.

“It’s something that falls within our mission as a university,” Boyer said, “and it’s something individually that I think is important to make a part of the student-athlete experience if you’re coming to Spalding.”

A major initiative for Spalding’s athletic department and soccer program is to complete fundraising for the proposed athletic fields complex a few blocks from campus between South Eighth and South Ninth streets. The project would turn a previously abandoned 7.5-acre tract into home fields for the Golden Eagles’ men’s and women’s soccer and softball teams while creating a large urban green space. The soccer teams currently play home games at Champions Trace Park.

“It’s a motivation to work hard and continue with the mission of the school and the opportunity that’s in front of us,” Boyer said. “We’re kind of looking for that staple facility that kind of exemplifies who we are and where we’re going. I think the complex is exactly that. It’s a type of complex doesn’t exist anywhere in Louisville at this time. It would give us a home to be proud of and a selling point for prospective-athletes and an opportunity to take this program to the next level from a regional and national standpoint.”

Spalding is working to build the fields of its dreams, and the Golden Eagles are looking for the support of Louisville’s leaders.

Louisville Metro Council representatives Rick Blackwell and Angela Leet, who are Spalding trustees, hosted fellow council members and trustees, as well as other government officials, on Thursday, March 15, for a progress update on the proposed Spalding athletic fields complex between South Eighth and South Ninth streets, about four blocks west of campus.

Spalding President Tori Murden McClure, Chief Advancement Officer Bert Griffin, Athletic Director Roger Burkman and architect Sabak, Wilson and Lingo gave presentations on the scope of the project, which will transform an abandoned 7.4-acre tract of asphalt into two soccer fields and one softball field for the NCAA Division III Golden Eagles.

Spalding, which announced the fields proposal in 2015 and wrapped up site preparation work last month, is making a fundraising push to get the project complete.

“From the Spalding side, obviously the project is very exciting and is more growth for Spalding,” Blackwell said. “From the city perspective, it’s really an opportunity as well. You’re taking something that was really an eye sore and turning it into something that’s a real treasure. We’re grateful for Spalding being able to do that, and hopefully we can have some city involvement as well to make it happen.”

University officials aren’t seeking public funding for the fields, but they sought Thursday to win the support of leaders to spread the word about the benefits of the project, which would create a large urban green space in the South of Broadway (SoBro) area and provide community access to high-quality sports facilities.

• Learn about donating at Spalding.edu/fields.

“When you have investment like this that happens in the community, other people are willing to start making investments,” Leet said. “As soon as you pick up something that looks like a blighted site and improve it and make it look like what it can be, others buy in and believe in that thought. They join the enthusiasm. And I believe this is the beginning of what will be.”

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A true home field

The Spalding athletic fields project is seen as a game-changer, literally, for the school’s student-athletes.

The complex will provide on-campus home fields for the first time to the men’s and women’s soccer and softball teams. Lacrosse and field hockey programs could be started.

The soccer teams currently play at Champions Trace a few miles from campus and work their games and practices around the schedule of Collegiate High School, which is the primary tenant.

The softball team has moved home fields multiple times over the years and currently plays at Holy Cross High in Shively, about a 20-minute drive from Spalding. Again, the high school holds scheduling priority, so Spalding must work around it, sometimes leading to late-evening practices.

“It’s just going to help the overall student-athlete experience of the players on our team,” men’s soccer coach Adam Boyer said. “It will bring them closer to the university as a whole, to have their own facility they can call home.”

Spalding’s teams would be the primary tenants of the new fields, but the university plans to invite other school and club teams to rent them. The lighted, synthetic-turf fields would allow for year-round use. A fieldhouse with changing rooms and a concession stand is also planned.

“It’s an area (of downtown) that really kind of needs it,” Blackwell said, “and it’s really going to spur a lot of opportunities as well. Think about if you have not only Spalding activities but other activities during the summer. If you have two soccer fields, you have the opportunity to do some tournaments and have a lot of folks down here participating. That’ll spur opportunities for people to add amenities, restaurants and all kinds of other investments with it. That’s what we’re hoping for from the city side.”

Though Spalding was making its case to members of the Metro Council, the university is not asking for public money to help fund the project. McClure said the point of Thursday’s gathering was to provide information and encourage government leaders to express support for the project in their communities.

Spalding is hopeful that the city will eventually assist in safety and beautification work to the public spaces around the site, such as improving the sidewalks and street-lighting in the area.

McClure said that once Spalding raises all the money it needs, the fields could be completed in 3-4 months.

“Because we are a private university, it’s been a little more challenging to find those dollars,” said Leet, who chairs the Spalding board’s advancement committee. “So we’ve really had to work hard to find those community partners who believe in what we’re trying to accomplish here, who believe in the idea of improving the neighborhood.

“The beautiful thing of it is we have more than 20 trustees who have been on board for several years now with what we’re trying to accomplish, and they’ve been working hard to utilize their contacts and influence in their areas of expertise to try to make this happen. And I think that’s what we’re seeing here today.”

Greening initiative continues

The Spalding athletic fields complex is the latest – and largest – project in university’s greening initiative, which also included the creation of Mother Catherine Spalding Square in the center of campus in 2014 and the repurposing last fall of an abandoned asphalt lot into Trager Park at the corner of South Second and West Kentucky. (More than 100 trees are set to be planted this spring at Trager Park, a substantial addition to a neighborhood that has only a 9 percent tree canopy – below the 15 percent recommended for central business districts by American Forests.)

Like with those other greening projects, the fields complex would remove acres of impervious surfaces in SoBro and decrease the amount of stormwater that enters the city’s sewer system.

As an incentive, the Metro Sewer District has already approved about $250,000 in stipends to Spalding to complete the work, according to Sabak, Wilson and Lingo.

“There are some huge (greening) improvements that Spalding has already done. Those are really investments in the community,” said Blackwell, the president of DeSales High School who earned his master’s degree in religious studies from Spalding in 1995 and is now pursuing his doctorate of education in leadership at the school. “It makes us more believable when we talk about the (Spalding athletic fields) being a community investment because you’ve seen what Spalding has already invested in the community. This, too, will be not only for our athletes but for the community. It’s huge.”

The 10th annual Spalding Bracketology fundraiser is officially in the books. About 1,000 people were on hand Monday night, March 12, at Freedom Hall to hear Spalding’s panel of basketball experts break down the matchups for the NCAA Tournament and fill out their brackets accordingly.

The proceeds from Spalding Bracketology go toward supporting the Golden Eagles’ NCAA Division III athletic program. Thanks to everyone who came out to Spalding Bracketology and supported our student-athletes.

Monday night’s panel was: Hall of Fame Louisville coach Denny Crum, former Louisville player Luke Hancock, former Kentucky player and current radio analyst Mike Pratt, former University of Cincinnati player (and current Yum! Chief Sustainability Officer and new Spalding board member) Roger McClendon, former WNBA player Kym Hampton (who also sang a great rendition of the national anthem), WHAS television and radio host Terry Meiners and former longtime Crum assistant Jerry Jones. WHAS radio’s Tony Cruise was the host.

Here were the Final Four picks for all six Bracketologists:

Denny Crum
East: Villanova
South: Virginia
West: North Carolina
Midwest: Duke
National champ: Virginia

Luke Hancock
East: Purdue
South: Virginia
West: Gonzaga
Midwest: Kansas
National champ: Kansas

Mike Pratt
East: Purdue
South: Virginia
West: Xavier
Midwest: Michigan State
National champ: Michigan State

Roger McClendon
East: West Virginia
South: Cincinnati
West: Gonzaga
Midwest: Michigan State
National champ: Gonzaga

Kym Hampton
East: Villanova
South: Arizona
West: Gonzaga
Midwest: Michigan State
National champ: Arizona

Terry Meiners
East: West Virginia
South: Cincinnati
West: North Carolina
Midwest: Michigan State
National champ: North Carolina

Jerry Jones
East: Villanova
South: Virginia
West: Gonzaga
Midwest: Michigan State
National champ: Virginia

Joe B. Hall (not in attendance but made prediction on video)
National champ: Virginia

Big Cash Raffle winners

We auctioned off a ton of cool stuff, and we sold a ton of raffle tickets.

The big winners of the night were Chris and Jenny White, who won the $20,000 Big Cash Raffle . The Whites, who are with USA Portable Buildings in Shepherdsville and are parents of four, said they have been making plans toward building a new house and that the infusion of cash will go a long way. Congrats to them.

Super happy couple here: Chris and Jenny White (of USA Portable Buildings in Shepherdsville) won the $20,000 Big Cash Raffle at @SpaldingU and @SU_GoldenEagles Bracketology. Parents of four are working on plans to build a new house. Got a nice start on it tonight! pic.twitter.com/pydh9vkn1H

— Steve Jones (@SteveJones_SH) March 13, 2018

We also enjoyed a Facebook Live chat from the Spalding Bracketology VIP reception with Hancock, McClendon and Jefferson Family Court Judge and former U of L player Derwin Webb. Ollie the Eagle – Spalding’s new mascot – also made an appearance, and he was a fan favorite for pictures throughout the night.

https://www.facebook.com/SpaldingUniversity/videos/10155638555922762/

March Madness is almost here. After Selection Sunday, the Spalding Bracketology event, once again, will have you covered on everything you need to know about the upcoming NCAA Tournament and the outlook for our local Division I teams.

Legendary University of Louisville coach Denny Crum will highlight the panel of basketball luminaries who will take the stage on March 12 – the day after the NCAA draw – for the 10th annual Spalding Bracketology fundraiser at Freedom Hall.

It’s a key event to support Spalding’s Division III athletic department and an opportunity for basketball fans to hear from hoops experts while having a chance at great prizes and auction items.

In addition to Crum, who is once again the honorary host of Spalding Bracketology, this year’s panelists include former U of L player Luke Hancock, former University of Kentucky player Mike Pratt, former Crum assistant coach Jerry Jones, former Cincinnati star Roger McClendon and former WNBA All-Star Kym Hampton.

WHAS-840 radio personalities Tony Cruise and Terry Meiners will also be on stage to offer their insights.

The panel will discuss the tournament field and college basketball in general and recount stories from their days on the court.

Hampton is a new addition to the Bracketology lineup. A Kentucky Miss Basketball runner-up from Iroquois High School, she led the state in scoring and rebounding as a senior before an All-American career at Arizona State.

Hampton remains the only basketball player in Arizona State history (male or female) to score more than 2,000 points (2,361) and grab more than 1,000 rebounds (1,145) in a career. After a long professional career in Europe, Hampton became the No. 4 pick in the first WNBA Draft and was voted a starter in the first WNBA All-Star game.

“These community leaders are tremendous individuals and wonderful ambassadors for their respective communities,” Spalding Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer Rick Barney said. “We are so fortunate to have them involved in what we are building at Spalding.”

Big Cash Raffle

In addition to hearing from and meeting the celebrity panel of tournament prognosticators, guests will be able to buy tickets for a Big Cash Raffle in which a total of $25,000 will be given away. There will be silent-auction items and autographed sports memorabilia available for bidding.

Raffle tickets, which are on sale now and can be purchased online here, are $100, with a maximum of 1,000 to be sold. Doors will open at 5 p.m., and the program will begin at 6, with a first drawing for a $1,000 prize. A second drawing will take place at 6:45 for $1,500. A third will occur at 7:30 for $2,500. a final drawing for the grand prize of $20,000 will take place at 9 p.m.

Why should you take a shot? Your odds are to win are quite good compared with other popular ventures. The odds of picking a perfect bracket are in one in 9.2 quintillion. The odds of winning the Big Cash Raffle are one in 1,000.

Plus, the proceeds all good to help current and future student-athletes. Since its inception, the Spalding Bracketology event has raised over $1 million for the Golden Eagles’ D-III athletic program.

“The fact that this event has grown each year tells us we have developed a unique opportunity for folks to rub elbows with local sports celebrities while enjoying the excitement surrounding the NCAA Tournament,” said Spalding athletic director Roger Burkman, who played on Crum’s 1980 NCAA title team. “It provides a fun environment and spreads awareness about all we have going on at Spalding.”

If your organization is interested in purchasing a table to help support Spalding athletics or want more information on the event, please contact Lisa Bash DeFrees in the athletic office at 502-873-4201 or [email protected].

Here’s the word for the bird: The new Spalding mascot will be named Ollie.

Ollie was the winner of the online vote by students, alumni, faculty and staff to name the school’s first-ever Golden Eagle mascot.

Ollie pays homage to Ali, as in Muhammad Ali, the legendary heavyweight champion and humanitarian who first learned to box as a teenager in the building that’s now Spalding’s Columbia Gym.

“Ollie” earned 111 votes, or 33.2 percent, of the 334 votes cast during the weeklong balloting of five finalists, beating out Eli (84 votes, 25.2 percent), Naz (63, 18.9), Blue (42, 12.6) and Clay (34, 10.2).

The announcement of the winning name was made on Thursday, Feb. 22, during an appearance by the Golden Eagle on WHAS-11’s “Great Day Live.”

Spalding’s athletic nickname has been the Golden Eagles since 2006, but the university has not had an actual mascot to represent the school at games and community events. Spalding unveiled the mascot earlier this month and accepted suggestions from the public for its name via social media, email and a paper ballot box. Spalding received more than 200 nominations and narrowed it to the final five.

The mascot made the media rounds during February. He was introduced to the public on “Great Day Live” on Feb. 2. He was on WLKY-32’s “Sports Saturday” newscast the weekend of the Super Bowl, and the Eagles, appropriately, won that big game. He also was “interviewed” by the Courier Journal for an online video that included lots of bird puns.

Now it’s all come full circle for the Spalding mascot, and we have all precincts reporting. Welcome, Ollie!

Welcome, Ollie! The name of our new #spaldingmascot ! Ollie was the winner of our public vote to name the new mascot. Thanks to @chrismuncy_502 and @GreatDayLive. Read more –> https://t.co/BPoyQ6BSwI pic.twitter.com/zHnSGkTBR3

— Spalding University (@SpaldingU) February 22, 2018

Ollie the Eagle is named as a homage to Ali, who learned to box in the building that is now Spalding's Columbia Gym. He packs a punch. Thanks @terrymeiners @whas11rachel @GreatDayLive and our own @chrismuncy_502 of @SpaldingU_SGA pic.twitter.com/rJ36V3Hezb

— Spalding University (@SpaldingU) February 22, 2018

Thanks to the great @DanKoob_WLKY and @WLKYNatalie from @WLKY for having the new #Spaldingmascot on 'Sports Saturday.' Help name the bird using that hashtag with your suggestion. And good luck to Dan's Eagles in the Super Bowl. @SpaldingU @SU_GoldenEagles @SpaldingU_SGA pic.twitter.com/wZUQwJJDag

— Steve Jones (@SteveJones_SU) February 4, 2018

A bird at the counter is worth two in the booth. @SpaldingU’s mascot nests up in D.Nalley’s before an interview. Got a name for him? Tweet #SpaldingMascot a name fitting for this Golden Eagle. pic.twitter.com/NTx7n9SmDD

— Matt Stone (@mattstonephotog) February 5, 2018

View transcript

The Golden Eagle has landed. Now the new Spalding mascot needs a name.

Spalding unveiled its new athletics mascot – a big blue-and-gold eagle – on Friday morning, Feb. 2, in conjunction with Homecoming Week. Spalding’s athletic nickname has been the Golden Eagles since 2006, but this is the first time the school has had a physical mascot to patrol the sidelines of games and help spread awareness of the university at other events around the city.

The bird is loaded with competitive spirit and never backs down to rivals of the NCAA Division III Golden Eagles. But the eagle is also a lovable, friendly new member of the campus community who’s eager to meet and greet.

Name the Spalding mascot

Now the eagle needs a name, and Spalding is asking the public and its students to help.

Through Feb. 12, anyone can submit a name suggestion for the Spalding mascot via social media or email or in person. Male, female and gender-neutral names are all eligible. Of course, no profane or offensive names will be considered.

Here’s how to submit a name:

• On Twitter and Instagram: Name suggestions can be made using the hashtag #SpaldingMascot, and users are encouraged to tag the Twitter accounts @SpaldingU  or @SU_GoldenEagles.
• On Facebook: On Spalding’s Facebook page, find the post and (awesome) video from Feb. 2 about the new mascot, and leave a comment that includes your name suggestion. (You can also watch that video below or at this YouTube link.)
• Email: Send entries to [email protected].
• In person: Name suggestions can also be submitted at the Homecoming doubleheader basketball games against Eureka on Saturday, Feb. 3 at Columbia Gym, 824 S. Fourth St. There will be a blue box at the Campus Activities Board table for naming entries. (The women’s game is at 1 p.m. and the men at 3 p.m. Expect the eagle to make a grand debut appearance! The first 100 students who show up in with a Spalding ID will receive a foam eagle claw.) The box will also be set up at the College Street Cafe dining hall through Feb. 12.

After all the entries are received, five finalists will be chosen, and students will vote for their favorite via an online survey with a link to be sent out later. Students who vote will be eligible to win a voucher to shop at MySpaldingGear. The winning name will be announced near the end of February, and the eagle will have its name moving forward!

A slice of the Big Easy will come to Spalding University next week as students celebrate a Mardi Gras-themed Homecoming.

Spalding Homecoming is Saturday, Feb. 3, with a big student and alumni cheering section encouraged to come out to Spalding’s home basketball doubleheader against Eureka. The women’s game tips off at 1 p.m., and the men will follow at 3. A Homecoming dance will start at 9 that night at the College Street Ballroom.

Students who wear Spalding gear and have a valid Spalding ID will be treated to free pizza and drinks.

“We’re hoping to have a big turnout for a pep club for the basketball teams,” said Michaela Patton, president of the Campus Activities Board, which organizes Homecoming.

Between games, this year’s Homecoming Court will be announced, as voted on by the student body. Spalding also has a special announcement planned for that time.

The Homecoming winners will be crowned that night at the Mardi Gras dance (free admission), and other Homecoming Spirit events are planned during the week. (See bottom of the story.)

Online student voting for the Homecoming Court will run Monday through Thursday. The ballot is based off nominations from faculty and staff who wanted to recognize students who work hard in the classroom, are involved with campus activities and represent Spalding positively.  Students can vote once.

It’s only the second year Spalding has held a Homecoming week. Patton said adding on-campus social events was a priority for CAB last year, and when students were asked what kind of events they wanted to see, a prom-style Homecoming dance was consistently mentioned.

“We had a sense of involvement but didn’t have what some of the bigger schools had,” she said. “I was really excited about getting the students involved. I think it brought the school together.”

About 150 students attended last year’s dance, and she said it was probably the most well-attended CAB event of last school year. She’s hoping for an even bigger crowd in 2018.

“I’m really excited and honored to bring this tradition to Spalding University,” she said. “It’s a big thing to honor our students who do well, and I think it’s going to be a good thing.”

Spalding Student Engagement Director Anna Foshee said that she is proud of the work CAB has done to create fun, attractive events and enhance campus culture.

“It’s great,” she said. “It’s really important for us to build a campus culture here at Spalding and to create and embrace traditions. (Having a Homecoming) is familiar to people, but it’s new us, and we’ve ‘Spaldingized’ it for us to fit in with (the university’s themes of) inclusiveness, compassion and mission. It’s really cool how it really came about and was really borne out of the students.”

Patton said CAB members have bought “tons” of Mardi Gras beads and other New Orleans-themed decorations. Students can come dressed however they like, but she suggested many will be there in semi-formal attire and have been excited to go shopping and plan their dresses and outfits.

The Spalding Homecoming dance will be a convenient activity for students who live on campus, but Patton, who is a resident assistant at Morrison Hall, also encourages those who live off campus to attend and celebrate the social and community aspects of being a Spalding student.

“It’s all just about being able to let loose and relax, dance, take pictures, eat some food,” she said. “I think it’ll be really fun.”

Spalding Homecoming Spirit Week Schedule
Monday – Pajama Day
Tuesday – Twin Day
Wednesday – Senior Citizen Day
Thursday – Spirit Day
Friday – Flashback Friday
Saturday – Basketball games vs. Eureka (women 1 p.m., men 3 p.m.) with Homecoming Court unveiled and special Spalding announcement between games; Homecoming Mardi Gras Dance, 9 p.m.

In honoring the location on its campus where legendary heavyweight champion and humanitarian icon Muhammad Ali first learned to box in 1954, Spalding University announced that it has officially changed the name of its athletic and activities building back to Columbia Gym.

The announcement comes on Wednesday, Jan. 17, which would have been the Louisville native Ali’s 76th birthday.

Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said in 2016 that the board of trustees planned to change the name of the building at 824 S. Fourth Street from the Spalding University Center to Columbia Gym. That had been the name of the former boxing gym located in the lower level of the building that was run by Louisville police officer Joe Martin, who became Ali’s first trainer.

In a tale that has become a key piece of Louisville history, 12-year-old Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, attended a Louisville Service Club event at the building and parked his new red Schwinn bicycle outside. When he came back out, the bike had been stolen. An angry Clay informed Martin about the theft and told him that he planned to “whup” whoever took the bike.

Martin told Clay that before he tried to do that, he better learn to fight first, leading him to start training in the Columbia Gym and begin a storied amateur career.

Not long after Ali’s death in 2016, Spalding hung a replica of Ali’s red bicycle over the front entrance of the building to serve as a tribute to Ali and Martin’s first encounter.

“As Spalding continues its legacy of service and compassion, the red bike story and Columbia Gym remind us of Muhammad Ali’s triumphant career in and out of the ring,” McClure said. “On this, the Champ’s birthday, may we all look inward and seek our role in making the world a better place, following his remarkable example.”

The building houses the NCAA Division III Golden Eagles’ home basketball and volleyball court, a 2,400-seat venue that continues to be called Derek Smith Gymnasium. The university’s athletic offices and student fitness center, lounge and health clinic are in the lower level where Martin’s Columbia Gym once was. There is also a ballroom and auditorium in the building.

A series of photo panels have been recently placed on the wall in the lower level of the building that detail Ali’s history there and with Spalding, and photos and inspirational quotes from Ali help decorate the facility.

“Our students are motivated daily by the history that began here with the red bike story,” Spalding athletic director Roger Burkman said. “It should inspire us all to not only compete at our highest level but also to serve others at an equally high level.”

Spalding acquired the building years after Ali trained there, but he had other ties to the school. As a teenager, he worked across the street from Columbia Gym in Spalding’s library, and he maintained a lifelong friendship with members of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth who ran the college.

In addition, McClure is an Ali family friend and was an early employee of the Muhammad Ali Center. A year ago on Ali’s birthday, Spalding announced the creation of the Muhammad Ali Scholars program, which awards about $1.2 million of need-based scholarships every year.The Ali Scholarship provides traditional, first-year students up to $5,000 per year of assistance to attend the school. It’s renewable for up to $20,000 over four years.

Related: Spalding’s official athletics website