UNSUNG HEROES
What most people see at a Sabercat sporting event is between 60-120 minutes of competition. When the contest ends, the day's activities are resumed, and perhaps there is some talk of the contest, excitement for the season ahead, or reminiscing of prior seasons. The attention is completely on the athletes and the coaches themselves.
For a Sabercat athletic contest to take place, however, there is much more that goes into it.
The people below are representatives of the hours of preparation, the labor doing required tasks that go unnoticed, and the "outside the lines" details that must happen for the seasons to be a success.
These are some of the unsung heroes of MBU Athletics:
Grounds Crew - Playing Fields
The Grounds Crew keeps the soccer field and the practice fields in prime shape for the games.
The team works diligently over the summer, and still mow the fields and perform general upkeep multiple times a week during the seasons.
"Soccer is one of those sports that the playing surface has a direct impact on the game," stated Men's Soccer head coach Jeff Pill. "[The Crew's] diligence and faithfulness is fundamental to the success of our home games."
Kaitlyn Dobson - Media
Dobson oversees the taking of pictures that are used on various media platforms, including mbusabercats.com and the Athletics social media pages. Kaitlyn oversees scheduling photographers for contests, promotional photos, and team pictures, and she ensures those photos are made accessible to the general public in a prompt manner.
Scott Riley and Jeremy Dennis - IT Support
Scott Riley and Jeremy Dennis are part of MBU's Information Technology Department, and assist the Athletics Department in a variety of ways. Most notably, Riley and Dennis are on-hand to troubleshoot the live stream system, and were essential in activating the new athletics website.
Riley and Dennis also oversee daily maintenance and support of Athletics office computers and office technology.
Paul Barnes - Custodial
Barnes and his crew work irregular hours year-round and are the go-to squad for facility cleaning and upkeep. Barnes' custodial crew keeps the floors clean in the Main Gym and the Fitness Center Gym (not to mention the entirety of the campus) so that the athletes have a safe playing surface for practices and games.
Daniel Brubaker - Food Service
Brubaker oversees the operations of the Dining Complex, and consistently demonstrates flexibility to accommodate the athletes' unpredictable schedules during the competitive season. His flexibility and excellence in his field are essential for the Sabercat athletes to have access to quality nutrition to stay fit and healthy during the season.
De An McKee and Mark McMillen - Transportation
McKee and McMillen work in tandem to provide vehicles for the traveling teams. McKee works from MBU's Business Office and works with McMillen on securing vehicles in advance for the upcoming season per the request of the Athletic Department. McMillen oversees the mechanical function of the MBU fleet vehicles to ensure that they are fueled and functioning.
Both McKee and McMillen make accommodations for numerous cancelations and schedule adjustments during the season.
Mark Hanson and Emily Barclay - Academic Eligibility
Hanson and Barclay are tasked with monitoring academic eligibility of all student-athletes, and assist the Athletic Department through providing information for student-athletes who are eligible for academic awards such as NCCAA, AD3I, and MBU Scholar-Athlete Awards.
Ann Bolton - ...(Almost) Everything Else...
Although a full-time Athletics staff member, Bolton's responsibilities deserve recognition as being essential to the maintenance of the department. Bolton wears many hats within the department itself, and serves (primarily) as Assistant Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator. Bolton also fills the roles of Business Manager, Travel Agent, Fundraising Coordinator, Departmental Policy, and much more. You can view all of Bolton's responsibilities by visiting her bio page found here.
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These people are key cogs in the ever-busy wheel of the MBU Athletic Department. Perhaps the next time you attend a game, visit our website, follow us on social media, or tune in to a live streamed event, you will have a greater understanding of the unsung heroes that do their part to help make the department function.