Terra State finishes second year of athletics programs

With postseason play ending for the Titans volleyball team, the second year of athletics at Terra State has come to a close.

Volleyball finished with an 18-3 overall record, finishing 15-2 during the regular season and 3-1 in post-season play.

The team ended the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in ninth place and took home three additional awards. 

Head coach Stephanie Champine won Coach of the Year for Division II Great Lakes District B. In a unanimous vote, the team, Champine and assistant coach Shaun Dryden were also awarded the Sportsmanship award.

Tyriana Settles was named a 2020-2021 NJCAA Division II first team All-American, as well as making the national championship All-Tournament team. In the regular season, Settles was Tachikara NJCAA Volleyball Division II Offensive Player of the Week in week seven. At their regional match against Mott Community College, she set a new school record for most kills in a match with 28.  

“Our team really stepped up and showed up for having a later start to the season than our opponents,” said head coach Stephanie Champine, “We played hard and worked to get one percent better daily and took advantage of every time we were able to be on the court. We made a team commitment to keep each other safe and reach our goal of winning districts and making it to nationals. Now that the standard has been set, the girls plan on working hard to repeat this in the fall.”

Eight to 10 current roster members will be returning for the 2021-2022 season. Six new Titans have signed their letter of intent to join the volleyball team this fall.

After a postponed season because of the pandemic, volleyball will move back to their regularly scheduled start time in the fall. They will begin practice on Aug. 1, with their first scrimmage at Owens Community College on Aug 14. Their first tournament play will be the McHenry Invitational on Aug. 20 through Aug. 22. 

Men’s basketball had a tough season, finishing 1-9 for the year. Five of their scheduled games were canceled because of COVID-19 protocols from Terra State and their opponents.  

Head coach Malcolm Sims will be bringing 12 new Titans to the team next year, with recruits coming from Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Five current players will return next school year and will have the opportunity to develop their skills in the off-season.

 “Learning how to manage with COVID-19 testing and protocols will be beneficial for us next year. Playing a few games has allowed the team to gain college playing experiences that will also benefit them going into next season,” said head coach Malcolm Sims. 

Women’s basketball was forced to end their season after one game due to the pandemic. Their only game was a 79-61 win against Hocking College. The team has nine new recruits signed to next school year, as well as the addition of Felicity Havens, new assistant coach and a former division I player.

Baseball, the newest sport added to the lineup, will not start games until spring of 2022. The baseball program is currently recruiting, with ten students already enrolled and hopes to enroll 30 student athletes total by the start of the program. The team will play Division III community college teams from across Ohio and the area.

“We decided to go forward with athletics but it was a challenging year,” said Frank Gioffre, athletic director at Terra State, “We did the best we could to keep the student athletes safe, but the men’s and women’s basketball seasons were cut short due to COVID-19. Volleyball was able to fulfill their schedule and proved to have a successful post-season. Congratulations not only to them, but also to all of the athletes. We look forward to getting back to a normal full season for all sports next year.”