With the beginning of the fall semester, GCSU’s fall sports teams are starting their 2024 season campaigns. All of the Bobcat teams look to improve on their progress from the previous season, as well as collect some hardware to add to the trophy cases.
After finishing the 2023 season with a 14-17 overall record and a disappointing 1-11 conference record, the Bobcats’ volleyball team will need to be more effective in conference play. Luckily, the team can look to players like sophomore right-side hitter Rosa Fisher and junior right-side hitter Camryn Carlton, who led the team in kills last year with 77 and 71, respectively.
In the 2024 season, Fisher has already posted some impressive performances, tallying 49 kills and 11 digs in the Bobcat Classic. GCSU volleyball looks to improve upon its current 3-5 record at Francis Marion University on Sept. 20.
“We did a lot of team-building off the court,” said Sarah Pipping, a junior outside hitter. “We worked on establishing a standard for the team and what level of excellence we were going to strive for.”
The Bobcat women’s soccer team has had an excellent start to the season, boasting a 3-1 record, most recently shutting out Valdosta State University 3-0 on the road.
The team will play through their schedule with a chip on their shoulder this year, as they were knocked out of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament by Columbus State University in the quarterfinals in the 2023 season, giving up five goals in the loss.
The Bobcats return all of their leaders in points, a stat headed by senior forward/midfielder Morgan Amrozowicz and junior forward/midfielder Ava Martin, who both had six. This should be an advantage in getting wins this season and setting an example for the younger players.
The GCSU men’s and women’s cross country teams were both picked to finish fourth in the PBC. They began their 2024 seasons with races at the Eye Opener in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where the women placed seventh out of 17 teams, and the men placed ninth.
The Bobcats’ top performer for the women’s race was Lauren Thisdale, who posted a time of 19:57.5 and placed 51st overall. Evan Rehrauer led the men with an 8K time of 27:00.0, which earned him 43rd place.
Last season, the men’s cross country runners ran two races last season where they placed second, which were their best overall performances of the year. They will need to place high more consistently this season to bring in some hardware.
The women also never placed higher than second, but they seemed to find more consistent success in their races, as they also ran races where they placed fourth and sixth.
The golf team recently opened their season at the Bearcat Fall Invitational, hosted by Lander University. They for 11th place with a score of 587.
The Bobcats are coming off of a lackluster 2023-24 season, but they have the chance to improve on their game on Sept. 23, where they tee up again at the Mizuno Intercollegiate hosted by the University of North Georgia.
