by Alex Trepper

The 2022 fall semester is here and while students have been on campus for a month, the athletic calendar has just begun. In this article we will take a look at the first sports in action for the 2022 season so students can be ready to cheer on our athletes.

The first sport to see action this year was our women’s volleyball team, which headed to Virginia Beach to play in a tournament. Head Coach Kevin Troup, entering his fifth season, is very confident and excited in his team this year, stating, “we are super young but very talented … the players we brought in have very high volleyball IQ.” One player in particular who students should watch this year is junior Jade Vrobel, one of the main leaders on this team. The biggest games for the volleyball teams this year are on October 4 when they take on Guilford College and September 13 when Averett University comes to Hanes. This team has the talent to compete for conference championship this season but at the very least the floor for them is to be over .500 on the year.

Another team to see the field early in the year is the GC football team. Coming off a down year for the program, this team looks to improve drastically this coming season. The confidence is there for this group with sophomore Linwood King saying, “I don’t see a single game on the schedule where this team can’t compete.” The recruiting class for this year’s football program was one of the biggest in a long time, which shows the program is heading in the right direction. The player to watch on Saturdays this year is quarterback David Loughry II, who looked very solid in their pre-season scrimmage. Students should be excited for this year’s team, as they are poised to finish with a better record than last year.

One of the most underrated teams on our campus also kicks off early this year, with men’s golf getting their first crack at the 2022 season as they head to Kentucky in early September. Our golf team, coached by Jim Cantamessa, looks to compete for a national championship this year as they come into the year ranked in the top 15 after their incredible 2021-2022 season. The biggest thing for Coach Cantamessa this year is “working with my excellent golfers on their mental game and strategy,” and if they can lock in all aspects of the game of golf there “should be no reason we do not bring another big trophy back to Greensboro.”

The woman’s soccer team looks to improve this year with head coach Mike Johnston declaring, “Our team will be fun to watch.” This team is returning four key players, including senior Taylor Kontoulas, who is a top leader for this group. The incoming class is the main reason this team should compete for a conference championship, with Coach Johnston stating, “Julia Howland … and Cassidy Olszewski will be outstanding for us this year.” Look for this team to finish above .500 and in my opinion, be the second seed come tournament time.

Men’s soccer kicked off September 1 and this is a team that everyone should be excited about. Second year head coach and GC alum, Manbi Nyepon, has his team ready to compete this year, and with a solid recruiting class and amazing returning players, this team might mess around and win the conference. After a down year for the program last season (still finishing 8-8-2), the Pride’s historic soccer program looks to be back in the mix and should be a 2-4 seed in the playoffs.

The biggest thing that coaches wanted to relay to students at GC is that we are a family here. When one team wins, we all win, so make sure to go out and support our athletes this coming fall.