The Bell Ringer

The Peach Belt needs a new member

Tim Howard, ContributorThe past fifteen years has seen the Peach Belt Conference – the home of Augusta University athletics – achieve a level of stability and grow like it never had before.That period saw the conference lose three schools to the NCAA’s Division I, then add five schools – North Georgia University, Georgia Southwestern State University, Flagler College, the University of Montevallo, and Young Harris College – between 2005 and 2012.The addition of these five institutions put the Peach Belt Conference’s membership at an all-time high of 14 schools – seven in each of the conference’s two divisions, the PBC East and PBC West.During this past summer, the University of Montevallo announced that it would be leaving the Peach Belt Conference in the summer of 2017 to return to the Gulf South Conference, which it was a member of prior to joining the Peach Belt Conference in 2009.
September 24, 2016

Christenberry included in Augusta University’s Campus Master Plan

Tim Howard, Staff WriterChristenberry Fieldhouse just celebrated its twenty-fifth birthday, and now it will be receiving a gift in the form of expansion that is part of the university’s comprehensive Master Plan.The plan calls for an additional building to be constructed where the baseball and softball fields are currently located on the Forest Hills campus, as well as expanded parking to accommodate the increase in visitors.Clint Bryant, director of athletics, described the addition of athletics to the master plan as “an ideal situation for us to try to look at the next ten years” as the university physically grows to match its increasing enrollment.Taylor Lamb, director of athletic media relations, said that part of the impetus for a new building was to alleviate the overcrowding that has become prevalent at Christenberry.
March 17, 2016

Jags clinch postseason berth on road

Tim Howard, Staff WriterThe Augusta Jaguars have had a somewhat disappointing season by their own standards after being picked to finish second in the Peach Belt Conference preseason coaches’ poll.Augusta started the season 12-7, but began the month of February on a three-game losing streak, including two straight home losses.Despite the setback, the Jaguars have reeled off three consecutive wins, with two of those victories coming on the road, and will host the first round of the 2016 Peach Belt Conference tournament on Feb. 28, with an outside chance to clinch a share of the PBC East Division title for the second consecutive season.
March 9, 2016

The magic is back at Christenberry. Wanted: more students and fans at games

Tim Howard, Staff WriterIt’s been a while since my last column appeared, and once again, it involves student participation at athletic events.This time, though, it’s for a more optimistic reason.It’s no secret that this season has been somewhat of a letdown for the Augusta Jaguars.What was once an exciting and surprising start has seen the Jaguars lose some momentum as the postseason gets closer and closer.At the end of January, the Jaguars had a 12-7 record, including an 8-4 mark in the Peach Belt Conference, and were challenging Lander University at the top of the Peach Belt’s East Division standings.Since then, the Jaguars have gone 3-3 to fall one game behind Lander with only one game left to play, which is on the road.But there’s always something good, even when everything else seems like it’s going wrong.Asides from defeating rival USC Aiken on February 13, which officially knocked the Pacers out of postseason contention, student involvement and overall fan enthusiasm have both returned to Christenberry Fieldhouse.After a February 3 loss to Georgia College, in which the Jaguars trailed 40-27 at halftime but went on a huge run in the second half to take an eight-point lead with less than eight minutes remaining in the half, I knew that the magic was back.After forward Deane Williams dunked with 7:28 left in the second half to give Augusta a 66-58 lead, the crowd roared in a way that I haven’t heard for a very long time.The surprising thing is the attendance that night was less than a thousand.
February 24, 2016