SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. (September 26, 2015) -- Freshmen Aspen Robinson, Jastin Redman and Anne Metz each posted a goal and an assist, and the John Brown women’s soccer team (4-5-0) moved one step closer to the .500 mark with a resounding 4-1 victory over Rogers State (Okla.) on Saturday (Sept. 26) afternoon at Alumni Field.

The victory allows the Golden Eagles to move into Sooner Athletic play next week with some momentum as JBU has now won three of its last four. The Hillcats (0-9-0) are still in search of its first win of the season.

In a contest that saw the hosts out-shoot RSU, 17-12, John Brown posted a pair of goals in each half, including Robinson’s first game-winner of the year in the 43rd minute of play, responding to a surprising 19th-minute equalizer from the Hillcats.

“There are some things from today’s match that we can learn from,” said head coach Kathleen Paulsen. “Especially in the first half, I don’t believe we performed well. We need to grow from that, but we played a much better half in the second.”

At halftime, the Golden Eagles held a narrow 2-1 lead as both teams fired eight shots in the first period. JBU turned the momentum in the second half, out-scoring the Hillcats 2-0 and owning a 9-4 shooting advantage in the frame.

After RSU’s Breanna Ray’s goal in the 19th minute that came from the top of the box and floated just under the crossbar past junior keeper Hannah Poor, Robinson made sure the hosts would enter halftime with the lead. Freshman Anna Brown started the play up the right flank in the 43rd minute and dished off a pass to Redman at the right edge of the box. Redman fired a shot toward that net that grazed RSU keeper Addy Pritchard, but managed to squeak through towards the goal line. An oncoming Robinson tapped in the go-ahead goal just inches from the goal line.

John Brown scored first for the fifth time this season when freshman Melody Hagen capped off an impressive passing play in the box. Sophomore Sarah Hill earned her first of three assists on the match when she began JBU’s counter attack in the midfield by sending a ball up the right flank to Brown. Brown maneuver back towards the box before sending a pass to Hagen and, undefended, Hagen knocked home her third of the year from just five yards out, placing the Golden Eagles ahead, 1-0.

Hill started a counter in the 66th minute and played a ball to Metz in the right flank. Turning towards the middle, Metz played a perfect touch into the middle past four RSU defender to Redman. Streaking in all alone, Redman faked and placed a right-footed soft touch to the left post, netting her team-leading fifth goal of the season.

Up 3-1, the Golden Eagles placed an exaclamation point on the match just three minutes later. Hill, for the third time, sent a perfectly textured ball up the right side to Robinson. Robinson sent a left-footed cross to the far right post for an oncoming Metz, who tapped home her second of the season.

Poor was called upon four times on the afternoon, collecting three saves in the victory. She now evens her season record in goal to 4-4-0. Pritchard, making her first start of the year, yielded four while making five saves in the loss for Rogers State.

John Brown will now begin conference play on Tuesday (Sept. 29) when it travels to Shawnee, Okla., to take on St. Gregory’s at 2 p.m. The Cavaliers have won three straight, all at Fr. Victor Roberts Field.

Siloam Springs, Ark. (June 24, 2010) - Sewing just got easier for handicapped workers at a local factory, thanks to recent John Brown University graduates Ryan Helmer and Drew Thomason who created a device which helps the disabled to better use their hands.

For their work, they won third place in the AbilityOne Network Design Challenge. The award included a $3,000 cash prize and trip to Washington D.C. to present their solution and be honored at a congressional reception.

The national design competition, sponsored by The National Institute for the Severely Handicapped, challenges college students to create a product that will aid disabled people. Helmer and Thomason worked with BOST, Inc. in Fort Smith, Ark. to create a tool that gives a manually disabled worker the ability to sew with an industrial sewing machine. Thomason said that the problem is that some workers at BOST are unable to sew because they lack the ability to pinch the fabric with their right hand.

“We wanted to design this tool which would help many different men and women with different disabilities to grasp material and easily and sew well,” Thomason said. “So, this device gives the workers an easy way to do just that.”

Throughout several of their senior courses at JBU, Helmer and Thomason wrote and received an external grant to fund their work, developed and tested a device to help handicapped workers and submitted a paper describing their work to the AbilityOne Network Design Challenge.

The award’s announcement noted that the design entries this year were of such high quality that the award committee “made an unprecedented decision to recognize seven additional ‘Finalists’ along with our three traditional top awardees.” Will Holmes, JBU Associate Professor of Engineering said even with the high quality of entrants, Ryan and Drew’s work stood out enough to receive third place over teams from schools such as University of North Carolina and Cal Poly.

“Ryan and Drew had to apply knowledge and skills gained throughout their four years here at JBU,” Holmes said. “They completed this project well and this award indicates that are some of the top engineering graduates in the country.”

Helmer and Thomason’s work is making a positive impact on society as their device was developed for a the nonprofit agency in Fort Smith to help disabled men and women holistically by providing jobs, education, and training services.

“It was encouraging to see the progressive change our device created in the factory,” Helmer said. “Because of this product, there is already one man working at BOST who has been able to move from a sorting job into a sewing job. Without this device, he would not have been able to do this.”

Siloam Springs, Ark. (February 9, 2010) - Staci Williamson, a 5-10 outside hitter from Siloam Springs, Ark., has signed a national letter of intent to play women’s volleyball at JBU in the fall.

During her high school career, Williamson helped Siloam Springs win three state championships. During her sophomore year, she was named All-Conference Honorable Mention. As a junior and senior she had continued success and was awarded with All-Conference and All-State honors. She was also named to the State All-Tournament Team as a junior.

For three consecutive years she had has been the team’s top server and passer, which included leading the team with 56 aces and 207 digs during her senior year. She also earned the team’s Heart Award as a senior.

A member of the AAO (Arkansas Athletic Outreach) Top 25 for three years, Williamson was also named to the Northwest Arkansas All-Area Team this past season.

JBU’s Director of Athletics Robyn Daugherty said that she is excited that Staci chose JBU and knows she went through the process of making her decision to find a college the right way.

“Staci is a quality person and a great volleyball player, and I believe she will excel at JBU – both academically and athletically,” said Daugherty. “She took her time and did her research, and she believes this is where God has led her.”

Staci is the daughter of Cindy Williamson and Brian Williamson.

Springdale, Ark. (November 20, 2009) - The JBU women’s basketball team fell 82-72 to College of the Ozarks (Mo.) on Friday night during day one of the Ecclesia (Ark.) Classic. With the loss, the women drop to 2-3 on the year.

Ashley Taylor paced JBU with 16 points and four boards. Chelsea Garrison, Emily Ortiz, and Jessica Berlin also posted double digits with 12, 11, and 11 respectively.

Morgan Smith led all scorers with 24 points and five boards for C of O (6-1).

A poor first half performance saw JBU go down by 14, 42-28, heading into the break. After falling behind by as many as 21 points in the second half, JBU managed to fight there way back to within striking distance, 77-68, with 1:19 left in the game. After a pair of C of O free throws, a long dagger from Emily Ortiz made it 79-72 with :25 on the clock. JBU was forced to foul and send C of O to the line where they converted to seal the win.

For the game, JBU shot 44 percent (24-55) while giving up 54 percent (28-52) to C of O. JBU lost the rebounding battle 35-26. Both teams committed 20 turnovers.

The ladies will face classic host Ecclesia College on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Siloam Springs, Ark. (October 13, 2008) - Area Arkansas Legislators met at John Brown University on Tuesday, Oct. 14 to discuss the upcoming session of the Arkansas General Assembly and the impact it will have on higher education. Kearney Dietz, president of Arkansas’ Independent Colleges & Universities and JBU President Chip Pollard were also on hand for the meeting.

Siloam Springs, Ark. (September 20, 2008) - Eleven John Brown University women’s soccer players found the back of the net on Saturday afternoon as the women thumped Harris Stowe (Mo.) 14-0 to set a new school record for goals scored in a game.

Playing one man down and with no substitutions the entire match due to injuries, the Lady Hornets were no match for JBU. In the first half, sophomore Camille Malkiewicz, sophomore Natiel Bauer, freshman Amanda Reed, and sophomore Robyn Cluka all notched a goal, while junior Jodi Knack and sophomore Ashleigh Noble each earned two first half goals apiece to give JBU an 8-0 lead at the break.

In the second half, JBU continued the attack with five other players making their mark on the scoreboard. Sophomore Sarah Kidd, freshman Anne Stringfield, senior Stacie Burley, freshman Emily Anderson, and freshman Kathryn Rehner added to the total, and Cluka earned her second for the game. The ladies also picked up 12 assists. In the losing effort, Harris Stowe keeper Trista Cook picked up 22 saves.

Although he knew Harris Stowe was playing undermanned, head coach Joe Thoma said that he still wanted his team to go out and play well without rubbing it in.

“We’re just trying to get ready for conference,” said Thoma. “So I still I wanted them to move the ball around and think of it as a continuation of practice.”

The next game for the ladies will be conference opponent St. Gregory’s (Okla.) which takes place on the road next Saturday at 1 p.m.

Siloam Springs, Ark. (December 22, 2004) - After extensive consideration, John Brown University has agreed to sell KUOA to Cherokee Broadcasting, Co., owned by Dewey and Mitchell Johnson. JBU and Cherokee Broadcasting signed an asset purchase agreement and time brokerage agreement on Tuesday, Dec. 21 and filed a transfer of license application with the FCC today. The transaction is expected to close later this spring pending approval of the FCC.Under the time brokerage agreement, Cherokee Broadcasting, Co. will begin operating KUOA on Feb. 1, 2005. KUOA is expected to maintain its current programming as much as feasible during the ownership transfer period.“It was a difficult decision for the board of trustees because KUOA has been an important part of the history and support of JBU,” Dr. Charles W. Pollard, university president said. “However, after weighing the pros and cons carefully, the trustees were unanimous in their decision that selling the station was in the best interest of the university.” JBU purchased KUOA in 1935. University founder, John Brown, Sr., used the station to expand his radio ministry and to provide broadcasting training to students at the university, which it did until the early 1970’s. JBU students have not been significantly involved in KUOA operations for about thirty years. In those decades, the station was operated primarily as an endowment asset of the university rather than as part of JBU’s educational program. In recent years, the station has not provided an investment return for the endowment. The JBU board of trustees has recently begun reallocating its endowment assets into higher growth potential investments, and this decision is in keeping with that reallocation. JBU has continued its strong broadcasting program through KLRC, its DOVE award-winning, contemporary Christian radio station, which was started in 1981. Students working at KLRC participate in live remote broadcasts, promotions planning, concert coordination, production, and new program creation. “We have enjoyed great success with KLRC,” Sean Sawatzky, KLRC and KUOA station manager said. “KLRC is a non-commercial station, which is better suited to our educational and our programming goals. Because KLRC is listener supported, we are in a position to truly partner with our listeners in making an impact in the community while providing a unique training opportunity for students."KLRC is financially self-sustaining through contributions of its listeners. Support for the popular FM station is demonstrated each year during Sharathon when KLRC solicits and receives pledges to satisfy its operating budget.“In many ways, KLRC fulfills JBU’s mission today in the same way as KUOA served the university 30 or 40 years ago,” Pollard said. “It trains students; it promotes the gospel; and it is financially healthy. Through KLRC and our fine broadcasting department, JBU remains committed to educating students who will shape the broadcasting industry for God’s glory.”John Brown University is a private Christian university, ranked eighth by U.S. News & World Report in the Southern Region. JBU enrolls more than 1,900 students from 43 states and 40 countries. JBU is a member of Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

Siloam Springs, Ark (February 9, 2004) - For the first time in its history, John Brown University received first place in the Arkansas Speech and Debate Collegiate Championship Feb. 6-7.The event was hosted by JBU and included: Arkansas Tech University, Arkansas State University, University of Arkansas, Henderson State University, University of Arkansas Monticello, and Arkansas Northeastern University.After the first day of competition in debate, JBU was in third place, with the University of Arkansas in first and Arkansas Tech in second place.“I wasn’t sure of the outcome of the tournament because the University of Arkansas dominated in debate,” Jason Hough, speech and debate coach said. “I told the team they needed to make up ground on Saturday.”Saturday’s competition consisted of individual speaking events. JBU made a strong showing in several categories.“We have a very strong team in terms of being well-rounded,” said Hough. “What we lacked in debate points this weekend we made up for in individual events.”JBU placed first in individual events as a team; Arkansas Tech University placed second; and the University of Arkansas placed fourth.The overall state champion is determined by adding the point totals from the debate team and individual events.JBU finished the tournament with 146 points and was declared state champions, followed by the University of Arkansas with 120 points, and Arkansas Tech University with 119 points. The JBU team will next be attending the Fulbright Debate Championship at the University of Arkansas Feb. 20-22.Team results from the tournament are as follows: Individual results: Devi Abraham/Lindsey Toney - first place Parliamentary Team debate. Cole Truitt/Erin Sebeck - semi-finalists, Parliamentary Team debate.After Dinner Speaking: Nicole Ediger, third place; Seth Wright, forth place; Andy Williams, fifth place.Dramatic Interpretation: Eve Baldwin, first place; Daniel West, second place; James Barnes, third place; Tori McCracken, forth place; Erin Sebeck, fifth place.Dramatic Duo Interpretation: James Barnes/Lindsey Toney second place; Cole Truitt/Erin Sebeck third place; Eve Baldwin/Jessica Hunsberger forth place.Impromptu Speaking: Devi Abraham, third place; Zach Fuller fourth place; Abby Kirkbride, fifth place; Ben Rasmussen, sixth place.Informative Speaking: Erin Sebeck, second place; Abby Kirkbride, forth place; Ben Rasmussen, sixth place.Persuasive Speaking: Cari Middendorf, second place.Poetry Interpretation: Jessica Hunsberger first place; Virginia Scott, second place; Eve Baldwin, fifth place.Prose Interpretation: Nichole Ediger, first place; Scott, third place; James Barnes, forth place; Felicia Parmain, sixth place.John Brown University is a top-tier private university, ranked 11th by U.S. News & World Report in the Southern Region. JBU enrolls more than 1,800 students from 42 states and 42 countries. JBU is a member of Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.