1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Achieving success in the classroom part of Transy student-athletes’ experience

Across the country, more than 460,000 young women and men compete on an NCAA collegiate level athletics team. The vast majority of these student-athletes will “go pro” in something other than sports.   At Transylvania University, student-athletes are just as focused on academics as they are on athletics. They let their success in the classroom speak for itself.  The 2017-18 cumulative grade point average (GPA) for all Transy student-athletes was 3.23. The 2017-18 cumulative GPA for women’s swimming and diving and for women’s tennis was over a 3.5. The 2018 women’s gold team won the Women’s Golf Coaches Association Team GPA Award for the third highest in the nation, a 3.71. Golfers Rebecca and Rachel Fine received the highest GPAs in the Transy Class of 2021 for 2017-18. 2018 team academic awards included: Field Hockey – National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Academic Team Award Men’s Basketball – National Association of Basketball Coaches Team Academic Excellence Award Women’s Lacrosse – Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Academic Honor Squad Women’s Swimming & Diving – College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American Team Women’s Tennis – Intercollegiate Tennis Association All Academic Team Cooper Theobald plays on the Pioneers men’s basketball team. “On the court I am considered a hard nosed, tenacious, and motivated player,” Theobald, a senior business major, said.  “I am so much more than just an athlete. I pride myself on working hard in the classroom and I have a

Transylvania men’s basketball to take on UK in preseason matchup

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Transylvania University men’s basketball team will tip off its 2018-19 campaign against the University of Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Friday, Oct. 26, in a preseason contest. This matchup between the NCAA Division III and Division I neighbors rekindles the crosstown “Battle on Broadway” rivalry for the first time since the 2013-14 season. Rupp Arena is just four blocks down Broadway from Transylvania’s campus. The exhibition game between the Pioneers and Wildcats marks the fourth meeting between the two squads during the 18-year tenure of Transylvania men’s basketball head coach Brian Lane. Transylvania and Kentucky are 7-7 against each other in the regular season dating back to 1903, although Kentucky has won all three of the preseason games. “It was a thrill for our fans, students and alumni to experience all the events surrounding the earlier matchups with UK, and I know this group of student-athletes will share in that excitement,” Lane said. “Coach Calipari’s generosity to the local community never ceases to amaze me, and I appreciate him allowing us to share in the national spotlight in such a historic venue.” This year’s game will also honor the late C.M. Newton, who passed away in June at age 88. A patriarch of the Transylvania men’s basketball program, Newton coached the Pioneers over three stints for 12 seasons and later went on to become athletics director at UK from 1989-2000, guiding Kentucky through one of the

In Memoriam: Original Transylvania titan C.M. Newton passes away at age 88

Lexington, Ky. – Legendary coach and administrator C.M. Newton, a Transylvania Athletics Hall-of-Famer, passed away on Monday at the age of 88. Revered as a pioneer and monolith in collegiate athletics, Newton’s career spanned over five decades and began at Transylvania University as the men’s basketball coach in 1951. While he was known by many as an athletic administrator at multiple institutions, including the University of Kentucky, and a fixture in NCAA basketball, Newton’s legacy transcended his title and location. “Newton’s influence as a coach and an administrator was undeniable,” said Transylvania Vice President for Enrollment and Student Life, Dr. Holly Sheilley. “He was instrumental in breaking down racial barriers for players and coaches.” “Coach Newton was one of the classiest men in college sports,” stated 17th-year Transylvania men’s basketball head coach Brian Lane on his predecessor’s passing. “Every day when I sit in my office, I have a picture of Coach Newton behind me on the wall to remind me how important the coach-player relationship is. He started his career at Transylvania but he never forgot his roots. I will always cherish the day he asked if he could come by to talk a little bit.” Newton’s legacy of leadership and service included the recruitment of the first African-American players at both Transylvania and the University of Alabama and later the hiring of the first African-American coaches at the University of Kentucky in Tubby Smith and Bernadette Mattox. In