After several false starts, it seems we've finally turned the corner from winter to spring, which means our
Barton Bulldogs spring sports are in full swing (especially baseball, softball, golf and tennis…see what I did there?!). We hope you'll come out to support our teams and enjoy the beautiful weather.
Basketball Recap
Our men's team, under first-year head coach Joel Zimmerman, finished the season 14-16 overall and 11-9 in Conference Carolinas. We lost ten games by five points or less and took eventual tournament semifinalist Emmanuel to overtime on the road, narrowly missing out on another trip to the final site in Spartanburg.
Our women's team, under second-year mentor Eileen Van Horn, had a breakout season, finishing 19-10 overall and 15-5 in conference play, including an impressive 11-3 on the road. We earned the #2 seed in the conference tournament and a bye all the way to the semifinals. With most of the team returning, the future is bright for this dynamic group!
Dance Four-Peat!
Congratulations to Coach Sarah Moore and the Dance team, who won their fourth consecutive Conference Carolinas championship, held each year in conjunction with the basketball tournament in Spartanburg, SC!
I loved that our women's basketball team came out to cheer on the Dance squad before their big game that night.
Swimming Conference Championships
Senior Natan Alexandre won the 100-meter breaststroke at the Conference Carolinas swimming championships last month! His time of 55.04 seconds was also good for a provisional NCAA qualifying time.
Early Spring Highlights
Our new sport of flag football, led by Coach
Jazz Vinson, has hit the ground running…literally. They're off to a 6-1 start and have outscored their opponents by an incredible 391-71! Come out to Truist Stadium to check out this dynamic new addition to Bulldog Athletics.
Women's tennis has won seven in a row on their way to a 8-2 start, and both men's and women's lacrosse have earned big conference wins and will be factors in the tournament race.
Shelby Herbert of women's golf has been on a tear recently, finishing second in the Sapona CC Invitational before winning low medalist honors at the Converse University Invite!
Triathlon Hits the Ground Running (and swimming, and biking!)
We're excited to add the fast-growing sport of Triathlon to our sport portfolio and are in the process of hiring the inaugural coach of the program, which will work closely with our swim teams.
TRIATHLON RELEASE
Michelle Flores-Orea Recognized
Women's bowler Michelle Flores-Orea was recently recognized as an emerging young leader by CEEK Next, a Raleigh-based organization focused on helping organizations grow values-based leadership. Congratulations Michelle!
NEWS RELEASE
Tower Project Underway
We're excited that construction has finally begun on the second floor of the Tower at Truist Stadium. This space will become the new home of Barton Athletics and will serve as a hub for student-athletes, staff, alumni and friends. We hope to take occupancy this summer.
Community Day | April 11
Saturday, April 11 is shaping up to be a special day at Barton, as we host seven big athletic contests on our campus! We'll have a festival-like atmosphere all day, with food trucks, giveaways, and a live concert by local favorite The Smashed Cardinals! The action starts with women's lacrosse at 11:00, all the way through the spring football game at 7:00, including the 2026 football schedule reveal. Admission is free all day and we hope to see you there!
Barton College Strategic Plan
The Barton College community recently unveiled
For Each and All, a strategic plan for the next five years. This plan charts a distinctive course for Barton, anchored by the principles of
Belong, Advance and Excel. Athletics is proud to support the mission of the College, and you'll be hearing a lot more about our exciting new initiative
Bulldog PLUS, our holistic student-athlete development program.
STRATEGIC PLAN RELEASE
As always, we're grateful for your support and couldn't do any of this without you. If you're already a member of the Bulldog Club, thank you, and please consider elevating your membership one level. If you're not yet a member, please consider joining; it's the best way to support our 28 teams and almost 700 student-athletes.
BULLDOG CLUB LINK
I look forward to seeing you at some games this spring. Go Bulldogs!
Ken
