After a hiatus from most sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, every ETSU sport played in the spring for the first time in ETSU athletics history. This exciting and event-filled return to sports made Buccaneer athletics the place to be.
Men’s Basketball
The most notable story of the season, which was covered nationally, is that of the men’s basketball program.
A local controversy — the resignation of former head coach Jason Shay and the hiring of Desmond Oliver — took the area by storm over the span of a couple of months. Oliver has already announced his entire staff for the 2021-22 season. Shay left the program after just his first season.
On the court, the Bucs managed to compile a 13-12 overall record and made a run in the Southern Conference tournament before eventually falling to top-seeded University of North Carolina Greensboro in the semifinals round.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball program also has an all-new staff after parting ways with long-time head coach Brittney Ezell, compiling a 105-132 overall record over the span of eight seasons. ETSU named former Ohio State University assistant coach Simon Harris as the Bucs’ next head coach quickly thereafter. Harris looks to rebound the program and has recently announced his staff for the 2021-22 season.
The Bucs finished their 2020-2021 campaign with a 4-12 overall record but also managed a run in the Southern Conference tournament, making it all the way to the semifinals round before eventually falling short to Wofford.
Football
While it was not the typical season for any sport, the Bucs football team found themselves thriving with a 4-2 record. The Bucs, week in and week out found themselves in close contests. No game was ever decided by more than a single score, whether it be a win or loss.
The Bucs faced their greatest challenge when they visited the undefeated No. 10 ranked Virginia Military Institute Keydets and left with a 24-20 victory. The Bucs lost their following game versus Mercer, and were unfortunately unable to have a proper season finale, as Chattanooga canceled the final game of the year for the Bucs.
Baseball
The Bucs’ baseball team looks to end their season on a high note. Sitting in second place in SoCon Blue standings, the Bucs are 9-11 in SoCon play as of May 5 and are within striking distance of first place.
Led by senior Ethan Cady (Soddy Daisy, Tennessee) with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs, the Bucs have struggled at the plate this season, but hope to turn that around as the season comes to an end.
Golf
Both the ETSU men’s and women’s golf programs were both competitive and successful all season long.
The men’s program saw many individual honors go out, most notably to freshman Archie Davies (Carlisle, England) who won SoCon Co-Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Davies helped lead the Bucs to their 26th Southern Conference Championship in program history.
The women’s program also saw many individual honors, led by senior Tereza Melecka (Belcovice, Czech Republic) who was named SoCon Player of the Year. The women’s squad also won the SoCon Championship, giving the program their first SoCon Championship in their history. The team earned an automatic berth into the NCAA regionals in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
In addition, both coaches from the men’s and women’s programs were named SoCon Coach of the Year.
Soccer
Men’s soccer fought hard throughout the season, ending with a 3-5-3 record, but that did not hinder individual play, as two Bucs were named to the Second Team All-SoCon squad and two were named to the All-SoCon Freshman squad.
Jared Leheta (Montreal, Canada) and Kieran Richards (Hamilton, New Zealand) were named to the Second Squad. Jared Leheta was also named to the All-Freshman squad with teammate Tarik Pannholzer (Flensburg, Germany) also getting the nod.
The women’s team battled through a tough season as well, ending the season 1-6-1 alongside a forced cancelation of the remaining three games of the season due to opt-outs and injuries. However, Sinoxolo Cesane (Cape Town, South Africa), shined. As head coach Jay Yelton’s first recruiting class made their way to the field, there is much to be excited about as Cesane was named to the SoCon All-Freshman team.
Tennis
Holding a 7-0 record in SoCon play, the men’s tennis program won their third consecutive SoCon Championship and play in the NCAA Tournament on May 8 against the No. 10 ranked Georgia.
With a 7-2 record in SoCon play, the women’s tennis program found a lot of success this season as they reached the SoCon Championship game before falling to No. 1 seed Furman. Head coach Ricky Rojas was named SoCon Coach of the Year.
Softball
The softball program ended their season with a loss at Samford and closed the year with an overall record of 15-22. The team finished 3-14 in Southern Conference play.
Volleyball
Following an injury-plagued season, the volleyball program has a lot to look forward to next season. Freshmen and fresh players should help the team bounce back from a 7-9 record. The team closed out the season with a sweep of Chattanooga for the second consecutive time.
Track and Field
The Bucs had a great showing at the SoCon Track and Field Outdoor Championships to end the season. The Women’s program was able to move up to fourth place in SoCon standings following a gold medal performance in the triple jump event by Mekayla Brown (Elgin, South Carolina).
The men’s program found themselves earning a bronze medal in the 4x400m Relay. They finished the season at seventh place in SoCon standings.
Triathlon
The triathlon team only saw two events this spring, the Draft Legal Challenge and the Sarasota-Bradenton Triathlon.
During their final event of the year, the Bucs saw four personal bests and three top-10’s in their respective age group.
Cross Country
The Bucs saw success at the NCAA Cross Country Championship in March, thanks in large part to Lindsey Stallworth (Knoxville, Tennessee). The redshirt junior finished 38th place, and was given All-American honors following her performance.
Esports
The Bucs’ esports program also saw action in League of Legends and Overwatch.
The League of Legends team built a record of 4-2, including a win over the University of Alabama. The Overwatch squad did not find as much success, finishing up the season 2-11.
Meanwhile, ETSU’s first Rocket League team is in the process of recruiting and preparing for their inaugural season to take place beginning in the fall.
Dance Team
In late April, the ETSU Dance Team, which is one of the Buc Spirit Squads, competed virtually in the 2021 Universal Dance Association College Dance Team National Championship. The team finished third in the nation in the Virtual Division 1 Pom Category.
