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The Fuller File
Columbus State University freshman Josh Fuller will share his
experiences this fall in his own blog, The Fuller File. The
Columbus native will discuss CSU athletics in a multitude of ways
including historical perspectives and discussions with
student-athletes, coaches and staff members. Fans wishing to
ask questions or comment on the blog can do so by emailing the
sports information office at nieves_emmanuel@colstate.edu.
Fuller will pick out select emails to respond to in his later
blogs, building a unique relationship with our fan base.
Without any further ado, here is the first edition of The Fuller
File: CSU in a Glance.
The Fuller File: CSU in a Glance
By Josh Fuller
Sept. 2, 2010
When you ask anyone from Columbus, Georgia this question, “What do you think about Columbus State University Athletics?” the majority of the replies that you will get back are puzzled faces. Being in a location that we are in, surrounded by the best college conference around (the SEC), it is very hard for our local teams to compete for media coverage. Around seventy-five percent of the population around us only cares about one main college sport and that is football. Those naïve people do not even give the other collegiate sports a chance. I would even include most of the CSU student body in that seventy-five percent. Most Columbus State students think “why should I care about Division II athletics when I can just follow University of Georgia, Auburn, or Alabama athletics?” I will say one thing to all of those people who think that, just give the Columbus State athletic program a chance and you will not be disappointed.
The Columbus State athletic program has fourteen Division II athletic teams. The Cougars are in the Peach Belt Conference, which many people believe is one of the top conferences in Division II. CSU has dominated a couple of sports in the Peach Belt in recent years. Our women soccer team has won the conference every year other than the first year of the program in 2004. Coach Entlich’s team has also made the NCCA tournament every year since 2006. The ladies are ranked 12th coming into the 2010 season. The cross country programs have been creating national stir in the past few years. The men have won the PBC four consecutive seasons. The men are returning the best runner maybe in school’s history in Meshack Koyiaki. Koyiaki won every meet that he competed in last year other than at the Southeast Regional which he finished a close second, and at the NCAA Championships in which he finished ninth . He was also recognized as the 2009 Peach Belt Runner of the Year. The men had made the trip to nationals the past two seasons. Not to be outdone, the women’s team has won five straight conference titles. The Lady Cougars made their first trip to the NCAA Championships last year and are picked to go back for the second straight year. The sport that Columbus State might get the most national recognition for is men’s golf. CSU has won six National Championships in golf. In the early 90’s the golf program produced a young man named Mark Immelman. Immelman helped Columbus State win two National Championships while he was attending school, and he was also a four time All-American. In 2001, Immelman became the head coach of the CSU golf team. Coach Immelman has worked with Louis Oosthuiuzen, who won this year’s British Open, and has swapped stories with Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. Oh yeah, and his brother is Trevor Immelman who won the 2008 Masters. Since Coach Immelman has taken over the program, CSU has finished third at the 2009 NCAA Championship, second at the 2006 NCAA Tournament, and won the Peach Belt in 2007. Coach Immelman has returned the CSU golf program back to the national spotlight.
The men’s basketball program has been down for the past couple of years; however, it too has a rich tradition. The men have cut down the nets six times in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament, which is the most in the conference history. The hiring of Coach Moore has rejuvenated men’s basketball on campus. With Moore’s electric personality, he has generated student interest again over the team. Many of the top people in the CSU athletic department expect great things from the Columbus State alumni and project a better season than the previous. The women side of the basketball program is under new leadership, Jonathan Norton, since the great Coach Sparks left the court to look over all of the sports as the Athletic Director. Coach Sparks built a powerhouse at Columbus State by going to the NCAA Tournament five times in seven years between 2000 and 2007. In 2000, the Lady Cougars had the best year in program’s history by going 31-1. The only loss for the team that year was in the national semifinal game. The baseball program is probably the best known Columbus State athletic team. The program is highly known around the nation and the community. The Cougars won the 2002 National Championship and were the National Runner-up in 2007. Coach Appleton, now the all-time wins leader in CSU history, has pushed his teams along the way to six NCAA post-season appearances in the last ten years. The Columbus State softball program arrived to the national scene, when the ladies finished third in the nation in 2007. The men’s tennis team is coming along after the best year in the program’s history. The Cougars finished as national semifinalist for the first time in school history. The ladies, on the other hand, have been on the rise since the early 2000s. The Lady Cougars had three straight amazing seasons from 2004 to 2006. One of the newest sport to Columbus State, rifle, arrived in 2009 and CSU had instant success. John Hall won the NCAA Air Rifle Individual Title to put CSU on the map in rifle. In addition to the success, in July, Columbus State University was announced as the host for the 2011 NCAA Rifle Championships. Another sport that CSU is very well known in is competition cheerleading. The Cougars have won three National Championships in small co-ed, the latest coming in 2008. The team has also dominated the Peach Belt by winning 10 conference titles in 15 years. Columbus State also added women’s golf and both men’s and women’s track and field in 2009. The Lady Cougar golf team competed well last year, but they are poised to make a run at the conference title this year. Track also found early success in the program when Shelisia Crawford became the first Track All-America in CSU history.
The Columbus State athletic teams need to be recognized for their achievements in our community. Many of our students know nothing about our teams, and the history of the program. It is even worse in our high schools. All of the athletes in our area look at CSU as their fall back plan; however, I think that is about to change in the next couple of years. With the achievements of the athletic teams and the growing of the University, Columbus State is going to look like a great choice for the many great young athletes in our area and in other areas across the nation. After all of these achievements in the past 15 years has shown that the Columbus State’s athletic program is a Division II national powerhouse. CSU has won 42 Peach Belt Conference Championships since 1994 and 10 National Championships in school history. I think that the National Championship number might increase this year, with the number of great teams that CSU has in the 2010-2011 athletic year. The season starts this Friday, September 3, with the soccer team facing off against Newberry College at the Walden Soccer Complex. The Lady Cougars, who finished last year with a 16-3-3 record, will face a tough team in Newberry, who finished the year with a 13-5-2 mark. The Indians are returning one of their top scores in Amberly Fowler, who had six goals in 20 games last year. They are also returning their starting goalie in Emily Rhoades, who only gave up 14 goals last season with a .851 save percentage. Rhoades was also voted to the first All-South Atlantic Conference preseason team. CSU is returning their second top scorer in from 2009 in Stephanie Parrish. Parrish had 10 goals and 5 assists in 22 games last season. Parrish, along with her teammates, Kate Walton and Laurel McKenzie, were named on the preseason All-PBC team. It is set to be a very exciting game, and you will not want to miss it. Come out and “Catch Up With Us”. Hope to see you at our home events.
