THE BULLDOG BULLETIN - FROM THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR'S DESK

New Year, New Name!
Your Barton Bulldog updates are still coming from Vice President and Director of Athletics Ken Tyler, but we've changed the name from Tyler Talk to The Bulldog Bulletin to capture all that Barton Bulldog spirit!

A Busy Summer
While the pace of campus slows during the summer months, Barton Athletics kept humming along with camps, clinics, recruiting and planning.

We also added some new members to our staff, including Assistant Athletic Director Christy Johnson (link), Head Baseball Coach Matt Padgett (link), Director of Golf and Head Men's Golf Coach Greg Englund and Head Women's Golf Coach Jonathan Burke '09 (link).  As of this writing, we're conducting a search for our next head softball coach. Never a dull moment!

Kam Johnson in the NFL
Former Barton football standout Kameron Johnson '24 is not only back for year two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he was also named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week! (link)

All-American!
Aniyah Heckstall became the first Bulldog to earn NCAA Division II All-American honors in women's track & field after finishing 7th in the nation in the NCAA Championships in Pueblo, Colo.



Baseball Legacy
Chase Waddell '25, one of the most decorated players in recent Barton history, had a summer to remember. He has been a prominent member of the Wilson Tobs of the Coastal Plains League and led the team to its first ever championship in August. Chase was a first-team All-CPL honoree and recently signed a professional contract with the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League.



Barton Athletics in the Changing NCAA Landscape
This summer, I wrote a guest article for the Wilson Times highlighting the rapidly changing world of NCAA sports and Barton's place in it. I'm proud of how we use athletics to provide life-changing educational opportunities and that our relationships are transformational, not transactional. Check out the article here. (link)

Academic Excellence
For the spring semester, we had 318 student-athletes recognized by Conference Carolinas as part of the Presidential Honor Roll for those that achieve a 3.2 GPA or higher. Our overall GPA as an athletic department was a very impressive 3.34, headlined by men's tennis with a 3.92!

A New Home for Barton Athletics
In the coming weeks, we hope to begin construction on the new home of Barton Athletics on the second level of the Truist Stadium Tower. We're grateful to the donors who made this possible, especially David Hicks '84, Gary McMahon '69, Southern Bank and Ashley Hooks '69. We can't wait to welcome you to this exciting new space!



Launch of Field Hockey
On September 6, we officially launched the new sport of field hockey at Barton College with our first official match. This was a long time coming, and we're so proud of Coach Colleen Cassada and the 16 trailblazing young women who are part of our inaugural team. Come check out this exciting new sport!




Bulldogs in the Community
I was so proud of our student-athletes when they recently spent an early morning at Frederick Douglass Elementary School welcoming the young students to class. I'm not sure who had bigger smiles, our Bulldogs or the young students!



Fall Sports Off and Running
All of our fall teams are underway and competing at home and on the road. You can follow all
the action at bartonbulldogs.com and of course we'd love to have you at a game or two!

Football Faces Challenging Schedule
Our Barton football team is facing one of the most challenging schedules in the country during
the early part of the season, with regionally and nationally ranked opponents combined with
long road trips. A scheduling quirk left us with no home games in September, but we hope to
see you often in October, with games in beautiful Truist Stadium on Oct 4, 18 and 25
(Homecoming!) and the finale on Nov 8. Get your tickets and parking here. (Tickets link)

Join the Bulldog Club!
The best way to support all 700 of our student-athletes and 26 sports, not to mention access
tickets, parking and hospitality, is to join the Bulldog Club! With four home football games
remaining and a full season of Barton basketball ahead, now is a great time to join the team.
Please find the level that's right for you and thanks for your support!  (Bulldog Club link)

I look forward to seeing you at some games this fall. It's a Great Day to be a Bulldog!

Ken

Ken Tyler
Vice President and Director of Athletics
Barton College