Central Penn announces new sports for 2024
By Blake Myers
Knightly News Reporter
blake.myers@mymail.centralpenn.edu
The Central Penn College Athletics Department recently announced new sports coming to the college soon, such as softball, cross country, and track and field.
Golf, which had been part of the new-sports plan for next year, will not be added in 2024, Athletic Director Kasey Hicks said.
These new sports are part of a growth wave for Central Penn athletics on and off the field.
These new sports will join soccer (men’s and women’s), basketball (men’s and women’s), esports, baseball and volleyball, all which compete in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).
Central Penn has not had a cross-country team since 2018. Softball has never been a Central Penn sport.
Central Penn track and field will be led by new head coach Elijah Tinson, who Hicks said will handle the “running aspect.” Hicks said. Tinson was named cross country coach earlier this year.
Tabitha Spriggle will coach the softball team.
“Any time you are starting something new, there are learning curves and bumps along the way,” Spriggle said of the softball team. “I plan to embrace what we have and work on building a positive team culture. My goal is always to win and be successful, which is what I want. But I want to build a program and atmosphere that new players and recruits will want to be a part of.”
Tinson said of his sports: “I chose Central Penn because there is so much room to grow for the college. With that, it means that as the college grows, so do the athletic programs and resources for the athletes here. In a small-college environment like this, student-athletes can thrive in the classroom and playing field. Due to this, central Penn was a great choice for me because I want to be a part of helping the track and cross-country program grow into something special!”
There’s a clear focus on not just winning on the field but off the field, too, as the program grows. These new sports will create a new dynamic and variety of sports for the school, creating a new sporting experience, and creating new opportunities for Central Penn students to get involved.
Track and field, and softball, will have meetings for students interested in playing.
Comment or story idea? Contact KnightlyEditors@CentralPenn.Edu.
Edited by media-club co-adviser and blog editor Professor Michael Lear-Olimpi.
