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Shorter Athletics broke barriers, blazed new paths in 2010-11
ROME – The goal has been met: Shorter University has
established itself as one of the top NAIA athletic programs in the
country.
But as far as Shorter Director of Athletics Bill Peterson is concerned, the best is yet to come.
Fresh off seeing Shorter end the 2010-11 academic year with a program-best No. 3 finish in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings – the highlight coming from a pair of national team titles claimed by the men’s track team – Peterson is confident that the University’s student-athletes and coaches have even greater achievements ahead of them.
“I’m excited for our coaches and our student-athletes,” Peterson said about the athletic department’s rise in the Cup standings, where Shorter finished less than 70 points behind two traditional NAIA powers, No. 1 Azusa Pacific and No. 2 Embry-Riddle.
“Being No. 3 – it’s a great reflection on Shorter University and how our student-athletes and coaches represent the University,” Peterson said. “I really felt like we were improving every year and would be a top five team in the Directors’ Cup standings. That was our goal – to be recognized as the premier athletic department in the country no matter the level in which we compete.
“We did have a great year,” he added, “but I can look at every program we have and see us getting better. It’s an exciting time – to see where we are and where we can be.”
2010-11 was the best year ever in Shorter’s 50-year athletic history as a member of the NAIA.
Highlighting the success was the performance of the men’s track team, which helped Shorter amass more Directors’ Cup points during the spring season (427.0) than any other NAIA member.
Fresh from winning the NAIA Indoor National Championship in March, the Hawks closed out the spring season by adding the NAIA Outdoor National title to their list of accomplishments, and in the process, saw standouts Nick Dodson, Travis Benton and Paul Chelimo win individual national gold medals.
The spring points rush didn’t end there as the women's golf and women's track and field teams posted third-place finishes in their respective national championships. The Lady Hawks’ softball team finished seventh nationally, the men’s tennis team placed ninth and in men's golf the Hawks carded a 20th-place finish.
All told, the year saw Shorter bring home three national championships – the All-Girl competitive cheerleading squad won a third-straight NCA national title in April – back to Rome. Shorter also boasted 38 All-Americans, 28 NAIA Scholar-Athletes, 78 All-Conference award winners and 110 Academic All-Conference picks, and for the third time in the last four years landed a NAIA Champions of Character National Team Award, this time via the women’s basketball team.
Five Shorter coaches earned Coach of the Year recognition with track coach Scott Byrd being named both the NAIA Indoor and Outdoor National Coach of the Year.
“I’ve always said that we have some truly faithful coaches,” Peterson said. “Faithful to their teams, their athletes, to Shorter, to themselves and to the Lord.
“They run programs of which we can be proud. I really think they’re changing lives.”
In the midst of what wound up being a historic year, Shorter also began to look at changing its athletic status.
After making an announcement earlier this year that it was researching a potential move from the NAIA to the NCAA, Shorter officially applied for NCAA Division II membership on June 1 and is currently being evaluated by the NCAA.
“We just have to wait and see, but we’re comfortable with where we are whether we become a member of the NCAA or stay in the NAIA,” said Peterson, noting that a decision is expected by late July. “There are a lot of good schools that have applied [for NCAA II membership]. We’ve been told that the NCAA has set the limit to admit eight schools and that 20 have applied.”
What helps Shorter in its quest to raise the bar athletically is the fact that the Gulf South Conference, one of the mainstays of the NCAA’s Division II ranks, is a key supporter in SU’s bid to make the move.
“The Gulf South did its own evaluation of Shorter,” said Peterson, “and gave us a key endorsement for membership.
“We just have to wait to see what path God has for us. Either way it will be good for Shorter.”
