Greetings #TARnation!
Another school year is upon us, bringing a palpable excitement to Winter Park. A huge shoutout to all of our freshman and transfer students who are about to embark on their first journey as a supporter of the blue and gold ... welcome to the club! Every Wednesday, I will be sending out an update, letting you know what happened and what is coming up in the world of Tars athletics. Before we get into our first week of action, let's do a quick rundown of the summer!
-Yet again, Rollins saw their student-athletes excel both on the field and in the classroom. Almost every team captured an academic performance award, while a number of individuals were recognized for their academic excellence. Richie Stoiberer (men's tennis) and Alyssa Novoa (women's tennis) each claimed CSC Academic All-American status, while an impressive 243 athletes were named to the SSC Commissioner Honor Roll.Â
-Connor O'Sullivan earned a spot on the Rawlings National Gold Glove team, becoming the first Tar in the history of the program to capture the honor. O'Sullivam committed just one error in more than 400 chances at first base this season!
-It's not just the athletes on campus making waves! Our fearless leader, Associate VP of Athletics
Pennie Parker, was named the President of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, becoming the first female president from a Division II institution in the history of the program. Parker is also being recognized by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission with the Women in Sports Leadership Award in September.
 ----Speaking of GOSports, they also recognized a number of Rollins support staff at the annual SPORTY awards in June, including Senior Director of Athletic Communications
Phil Chinnery (Best in Media/Communications/PR), Associate Director of Athletic Communications
Haley White (Best in Marketing), and Evan Knowlton (Best in Gameday & Team Ops).Â
-You will see a couple of new faces leading our women's golf and softball teams. Krissy Carman takes over for Julie Garner to lead Tars golf after an incredible stint at the University of Oregon. Chuck Schall, who has been an assistant for the baseball team for more than 15 years, will step up as the interim head coach of softball for the 2027 season. Women's basketball elevated interim assistant Caroline Swartz to full-time, and also added Jonathan Castillo to Glenn Wilkes' staff. Down int he athletic training room, be sure to welcome out newest ATs,
Julian Simmons and
Erin Flynn. And finally, we are excited to announce the addition of
Dr. Matt Monaco, who is the new sports psychologist.
-Men's soccer is ranked #2 in the country in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll following their national runner-up finish last season. They open the season with three home matches in six days, starting with Lenoir-Rhyne on Thursday to kick things off. Goalkeeper Kilian Vallant returns following an incredible postseason performance; the Tars welcome back 5th-year striker Pedro Lameiras, who missed last season due to injury; and Finlay Prain, who led the team with eight assists last year, will be back for his third season.Â
-Volleyball is looking to start their season on the right path as they host the Rollins Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Each day will feature five matches, including the Tars playing twice on Friday (Noon, 7pm) and twice on Saturday (2:30pm, 7pm). Cameron Grange led the Tars in points last season, and was second on the team with 346 kills. She will be joined by Rylee Yarborough (201 kills), Jenna Garza (48 service aces), and Sarah Seabrooke (534 digs).
-Women's soccer is headed west to the Centennial State for a pair of matches against #12 Colorado School of Mines and Regis University. It is the Tars first trip west of the Mississippi River since 2017! Coach Schuck's team returns their top two goal scorers from last year, AlaynaTownsend and Emma McMurry; tram captain Gabby Boyd; and goalkeeper Lauren Mehos, who recorded 72 saves and allowed less than a goal per game last season.Â
A reminder for all of our fans that admission to any Rollins home game is ABSOLUTELY FREE, so be sure to show up and show out for your Tars! If you can't make it in person, you can always follow the action with
OUR FREE LIVESTREAM
Looking forward to a fantastic year. Go Tars!
-Tommy Tar
#TARnation
Â
