Eric Anderson has been sure to make the branding of his lacrosse program more representative of the make-up of his team.

The team is under the supervision of the Bay City Central athletic department, as BCC is the primary school in the cooperative that draws players from four schools total. But while the team also carries BCC’s mascot, the Wolves, their uniforms are black, purple and grey, and their helmets white – with those color choices making “Wolves lacrosse” more a representation of the breakdown of its players: 12 from Bay City Central, 12 from Frankenmuth, two from Freeland and two from Saginaw Swan Valley.

While the players outside of Bay City Central appreciate the gesture, they’re much more appreciative of the opportunity.

“Lacrosse being my favorite sport, I didn’t really have a choice. If there wasn’t a team, I couldn’t play,” Frankenmuth senior Aidan Hubbard said. “With this opportunity, it brings a lot of joy to me, playing the sport I love, and I didn’t have to just quit it because there wasn’t a team. 

“I’m going to be honest, (the branding is) not really (important). As long as I’m playing, I don’t care what our team name is. We’re wearing the purple and playing on this field.”

The identity is important to Anderson, who built the team by going the co-op route following the pandemic. His first season as coach was set to be the spring of 2020, but a promising roster of more than 30 players never got to see the field.

By the time he was able to coach a game in 2021, that number was down to 14.

“I reached out to my AD and said that we have to do something different; we need a co-op,” Anderson said. “My son was coming in as a freshman, and I knew we had a couple lacrosse players who are hockey players at Frankenmuth High School. We reached out to Frankenmuth, and Frankenmuth grabbed a hold right away. … Between the parents and myself, we have not had a single issue. Everything has been absolutely seamless. We treat it as one. This is a Bay City Central lacrosse team. Bay City Central pays for it. But our colors are black, purple and grey, even though Central is purple and gold. We refer to it as Wolves lacrosse.”

Anderson’s son, Maveric, attends Bay City Central, and was part of that first co-op team, as were Hubbard and John Britton, who both attend Frankenmuth. 

All three are now seniors, along with Frankenmuth’s Caleb Morgan, who joined as a sophomore and is in his third year with the program.

“It’s very unique,” Morgan said. “Because it’s not people you see every day in school. You only get to see these guys this time during the year, so it’s like a very unique experience catching up after the year is over and everybody comes back after a whole year of not seeing each other.”

With that backbone, the team has grown to its current number of 28, nearly to the point where Anderson can create a junior varsity squad.

“The program really wasn’t too much in the past years,” Hubbard said. “Now, it’s kind of like getting a little jumpstart. Even kids over in Frankenmuth, everyone in Frankenmuth is talking about it. It’s kind of hot in Frankenmuth right now. Lots of younger kids are wanting to play.”

It helps that the Wolves are translating those numbers into success.

Heading into tonight, the Wolves are 8-4 on the season and have won eight of their past 10 games.

Not only have they already set a school record for wins, they’re on their way to doubling the number of wins they had (five) over the previous three years combined.

“We have a bunch of younger kid stepping into roles that they’ve never really played before,” Britton said. “I kind of figured that sooner or later we’d get enough kids to put on a lacrosse field and win some games.”

It’s something Anderson could see coming, as the team had been getting more and more competitive. And, despite the fact they were consistently scheduled as a team’s ceremonial Senior Night, they weren’t making it easy for the opposition.

“This group of guys would compete in every single game,” Anderson said. “We would just lose because, in the fourth quarter, we’d run out of gas. We didn’t have enough players. We’ve been everybody’s Senior Night for the last number of years. Last year, we watched all these teams graduating 18 kids, 16 kids, all these kids, and we graduated one. You believe that these kids, they’ve kept receipts.”

Now, Anderson is seeing his senior-led team – there are 13 on the Wolves roster – not only winning more games, but controlling them. 

“You know where I see (the improvement), I see it offensively, where we’re finally able to handle the ball, make passes, and control the ball in the offensive zone,” Anderson said. “We’re not always having to be on the run and backtracking. We’re able to get the ball in the zone, maintain an offensive possession and get a quality shot.”

The Wolves already have attained the goals Anderson had set for his team, as they’re competing night in and night out and have shown massive improvement year over year. 

For the players, they simply want to keep doing that – and building up the program for which they’ve laid the foundation.

“We’ve kind of just been building,” Hubbard said. “We’ve had our little group, and it’s just been building up and everyone here has stuck it through, so I think we all deserve it. Coaches, too. They stuck it through while we were one of the worst, if not the worst, lacrosse teams in Michigan.”

Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.

PHOTOS (Top) Wolves lacrosse players celebrate a win this season. (Middle) Maveric Anderson (8) pursues a loose ball Saturday against East Kentwood. (Photos by Shae Lauwers/Moments by Shea.)

It has been a busy time for Chris Klieman and Kansas State football. Heading into his seventh season as K-State head coach, Klieman in the last week attended AFCA Board of Trustees meetings in Arizona, met with his current players, stayed in touch with assistant coaches on the road as they line up 2026 official recruiting visits, signed two players out of the transfer portal, and generally “cleaned some things up” as the Wildcats embark upon final exams and prepare for unsupervised captain-led practices this summer.

 

Asked what he learned about his team during its 10 spring practices, Klieman indicated that one thing remains consistent: Avery Johnson.

 

“It’s the maturity of Avery and the growth of Avery,” Klieman said. “You could tell there’s so much more comfort level. Last year at this time, he’d played in one game, and we were trying to keep progressing him. Now you can tell he’s got another 12 or 13 games under his belt. The confidence he has and the leadership he has, it’s made our whole offense a lot more confident and a lot more efficient.

 

“Even though we didn’t have a full complement of spring practices, I felt really good on that side of the ball because of the growth of Avery.”

 

The hunt for Johnson’s backup remains ongoing heading toward fall camp — an apparent competition between junior Jacob Knuth, redshirt freshman Blake Barnett, freshman Dillon Duff and redshirt freshman Hudson Hutcheson.
 
“That was probably the biggest thing that I knew we would not probably get done in the spring was naming the No. 2 because we weren’t in double reps,” Klieman said.
 
“Last year in spring double reps Knuth got 300 or 400 reps and this year it was maybe 150, and Avery had like 600 down to 250,” Klieman said. “Those numbers were triple or at least double the previous spring. Blake didn’t participate the previous spring because of injury. Avery took a lot of reps because we want that chemistry with the wide receivers who just came aboard, and then it was probably split between Blake, Dillon and Jacob, and then Hudson probably got the fewest amount of reps. This is going to remain ongoing as we find out who the No. 2 is. I was really pleased with all of them.
 
“I really like the growth of Knuth. He’s had the best spring he’s had. Blake finally getting in and being healthy showed great improvement. What I really like about Dillon Duff is nothing is too big for him. He was drinking through a firehose trying to learn the offense and maybe he’d screw something up with the cadence or motion, and it never overwhelmed him. He’d go and execute a play, and he had that moxie of just making player with the few snaps that he had. All three of those guys have a chance to be really, really good. I don’t know how it’ll shake out, but it’ll be fun to have an entire fall camp where we can do double reps and get a couple guys on each field and get some of those rep counts up. The experience factor of getting under center is going to help.”
 
Meanwhile, the 6-foot-3 Johnson has apparently grown on and off the field. in April, he said that he increased his weight from 188 to 200 pounds since K-State beat Rutgers 44-41 in the Rate Bowl on December 26. In March, Johnson ran 23.00 miles per hour, making him the fourth-fastest player on the team.
 

The offseason decision by Klieman and Trumain Carroll, director of strength and conditioning, to augment spring practice with additional weeks of strength and conditioning, seemingly paid hefty dividends.
 
Four players timed over 23 miles per hour, six players timed over 22 miles per hour, 33 players timed over 21 miles per hour, 27 players back squatted over 500 pounds, 35 players cleaned over 300 pounds, and 60 players bench pressed over 300 pounds.
 
K-State reported that players gained a combined 700 pounds of muscle between January and April.
 
Klieman, in his news conference to wrap up spring practice, called the decision to add three weeks of strength and conditioning “maybe the best thing we’ve done here in a long time.”
 
Klieman largely offered a wait-and-see approach while outlining the Wildcats’ challenges during eight padded practice sessions, going as far to mention that the team paused its customary “double-reps,” — which allows every player to participate in some form at the same time — due to an influx of soft-tissue injuries. He indicated that K-State finished spring practice with two running backs, four tight ends and six linebackers practicing.
 
“We just didn’t have the bodies to do double reps,” Klieman said. “We were piecing the practice together and giving the running backs breaks and just stopping practice and doing special teams and giving those guys a break because we were down due to some soft-tissue injuries.”
 
The K-State defense apparently got creative at times.
 
“On defense, it was hard because of all the guys out with injuries,” Klieman said. “We tinkered with some things because we were down so many players at different spots.”
 
The bright spot for the defense in the spring appeared to be defensive back, and most glaringly a pair of sophomore cornerbacks in Zashon Rich and Donovan McIntosh.
 
“Awesome that we are able to use development there,” Klieman said. “Rich and McIntosh are guys that have been in the program a short period of time and trusted the process and what we were talking about and the growth they’ve had putting on really good weight and strength and speed, those are young players that have ascended to essentially toward the top of the depth chart that are ready to play now. I think we all saw that in the Rate Bowl that those two kids really have talent.
 
“Then you throw in Justice James that has been in the program a long time and will be a valuable piece back there, and then we add Jayden Rowe and Amarion Fortenberry to provide not necessarily depth but experience as well as competition, and we know we’re going to need five and six guys back there. Happy with McIntosh and Rich because they’ve really taken another step.”
 

The offensive position group that arguably grew the most in spring practice: Wide receiver. The list most notably includes top returner Jayce Brown and transfers Jaron Tibbs, Jerand Bradley and Caleb Medford.
 
“I know it helped getting Tibbs and JB and Medford in here,” Klieman said. “Those guys are really efficient wide receivers who’ve had a lot of playing time at other places that it didn’t take long to learn a system sometimes like a young player does. These are older guys that have played a lot of football. You can tell them something once and tell them about a concept, just with different terminology, and it clicked a lot faster for those guys.
 
“Then you throw Jayce Brown into the mix, and I think it really helped us there, finding some more people outside. We were down some running backs in the spring, so we worked a lot more on the passing game. We love our tight ends. They’re really good players. I think it’ll make is more dynamic and more versatile.”
 

The apparent rise of the wide receivers and continued growth of Johnson had to be pleasing to first-year offensive coordinator Matt Wells, who also serves as associate head coach and quarterbacks coach.
 
Asked to gauge the difference in a Wells-led offense to the Wildcats’ offense a year ago, Klieman replied, “In a very small sample size of practices, not a bunch.”
 
“I think that just comes from the development and growth of Avery as he continues to improve, and the fact that we’re bringing in some wideouts that have played an awful lot, that it probably looked more efficient,” Klieman added. “Granted, there were some mistakes and things that we need to clean up that were by no means where we want to be, but it looked more efficient and crisper.”
 
K-State appeared to get a lift with the recent signing of a pair of offensive linemen in 6-foot-5, 326-pound JB Nelson from Penn State and 6-foot-5, 315-pound Terrence Enos Jr. from Pittsburgh. Both players have one year of eligibility remaining and are the first two transfers to sign with K-State during the spring transfer window. Nelson played 776 offensive snaps at Penn State at either guard or tackle while Enos Jr. totaled 383 offensive snaps along the offensive line last season.
 
Klieman indicated that their additions could help foster the ability to have eight or nine offensive linemen ready to go in the fall.
 
“You’re always trying to improve your team,” Klieman said. “I thought with the offensive staff that if we could add some veteran guys to the offensive line, it’d be good. You lose veteran guys, and you want to replace them with the younger guys who are up and coming. Those guys are really good football players, but they just don’t have that game experience. We had the opportunity to land a couple guys.”
 

In this age of college athletics, the work is a 365-day grind. Klieman comes off one of the busier weeks of his time at K-State. Uncertainty wafts in the air across college football due to ongoing litigation that remains outside of Klieman’s control.
 
“We’re in May and nobody knows what their roster is going to be for the season,” Klieman said.
 
But Klieman retains a key cog in Johnson. The Wildcats are expected to be among the favorites to claim the Big 12 Conference title and should be ranked when they open the 2025 season against Iowa State in Dublin, Ireland.
 
For now, K-State forges ahead into an important summer.
 
Where might K-State be better than it was a year ago?
 
“The proof,” Klieman said, “will be in the fall.”

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – The Alaska Anchorage hockey team will compete for a postseason title in 2026, participating in the inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Cup at the Centene Community Ice Center in the St. Louis area.

Set for March 5-7, 2026, the tournament will feature UAA, rival Alaska Fairbanks, Long Island, Stonehill and host institution Lindenwood.

The five-team tournament will include a play-in game, with all teams guaranteed at least two games over the three-day competition.

“We are thrilled to bring this tournament to the St. Louis market,” said Jason Coomer, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Lindenwood University. “This event not only provides a competitive platform for our student-athletes but also showcases the growth and quality of independent NCAA hockey programs on a national stage.”

This event represents a major step forward for independent college hockey programs, providing them with a postseason championship experience and an opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage. The United Collegiate Hockey Cup is expected to draw college hockey fans, NHL scouts, and media attention, further growing the visibility of these programs.

Tickets for the United Collegiate Hockey Cup will go on sale August 1, and can be purchased at lindenwoodlions.com.

 

Warren County, in partnership with the city of Middletown, is close to inking a deal to build an arena to anchor the project, said county Commissioner Shannon Jones.

“We’re currently in negotiations with United States Hockey League for a developmental hockey league and team,” she said.

The investment of one-time American Rescue Plan Act funds allowed the county to leverage around $200 million: just under $100 million for the facility and an estimated $100 million in surrounding economic development activity, Jones said, that will bring sales tax revenue and as many as 400,000 new visitors annually to the area.

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

The county used $3.5 million in ARPA to assist with development items such as the feasibility study and architectural work, said county Administrator Martin Russell. The city used ARPA funds toward site infrastructure.

“Middletown would be a terrific location for a USHL team,” said Glenn Hefferan, league president and commissioner. “We are very deep into conversations and have letters of interest that we’ve signed and shared with the port authority and an ownership group.”

The USHL is an amateur athlete development league and is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. It has 16 teams in two conferences in Midwest and Great Plains states, including the Youngstown Phantoms in Ohio, with players between the ages of 16 and 20.

“Over the last five seasons we’ve had 197 players drafted into the NHL and more than half of Division I college hockey is made up of USHL hockey players,” Hefferan said.

In the 2024 NHL draft, 10 of the 32 first-round picks came from the USHL, including the No. 1 overall. The league says it had 195 of its former players on NHL rosters at the start of the 2024-25 season (an average of about six on each team). Among them are 10 Columbus Blue Jackets players, including some of their best – Zach Werenski and Adam Fantilli.

Middletown is one of 12 markets of interest, including another further away in Ohio, for expansion teams.

“The location works out, it’s far enough away from a big city but close enough that we expect it to have wide fan support,” Hefferan said.

The league has had 16 teams since 2010. Although Hefferan did not say how many teams will be added, he said it’s time for expansion and that it’s possible both sites in Ohio will be chosen.

“The NHL has actually asked us to expand,” he said. “And when they ask you, you kind of follow along.”

Construction on the event center will hopefully begin this summer, Martin said. It will have three multipurpose pads with one a more traditional arena seating approximately 3,500 seats for ice sports, basketball or graduation ceremonies. For concerts, there can be around 5,000 seats depending on how the stage is configured.

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

“This new facility appears to meet all of our requirements in terms of seating and being able to support a junior team operation,” Hefferan said.

A typical team has 25 players and 10 to 15 staff members, from coaches to front office employees in addition to scouts.

Before any agreement can be finalized, construction would have to start on the arena and the USHL board of directors must approve it, he said.

“We’re pretty far down the line. Our goal would be to have an announcement before the summer is up,” he said.

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – The Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri, will host the United Collegiate Hockey Cup from March 5-7, 2026, bringing together five NCAA Division I men’s hockey programs for a high-stakes postseason showdown. This tournament provides these programs with a premier opportunity to compete for a championship (United Collegiate Hockey Cup), further elevating the stature of college hockey at the NCAA Division I level.

Tournament Format & Participating Teams

The event will feature Lindenwood University, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Alaska Anchorage, Long Island University, and Stonehill College. The five-team tournament will include a play-in game, with all teams guaranteed at least two games over the three-day competition.

“We are thrilled to bring this tournament to the St. Louis market,” said Jason Coomer, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Lindenwood University. “This event not only provides a competitive platform for our student-athletes but also showcases the growth and quality of independent NCAA hockey programs on a national stage.”

“The passion and dedication of these student-athletes deserves to be highlighted,” said Brock Anundson, Director of Athletics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “This tournament is about creating meaningful postseason opportunities and demonstrating the strength of these hockey programs in the NCAA landscape. We’re grateful to Lindenwood and the St. Louis community for hosting this inaugural event.”   

Tickets for the United Collegiate Hockey Cup will go on sale August 1, 2025, and can be purchased at lindenwoodlions.com.

Spotlight on the Competing Programs

• University of Alaska Fairbanks (Alaska Nanooks) – A storied program dating back to 1925, the Nanooks have consistently competed at the highest level of college hockey. Known for their strong defensive play and elite goaltending, Alaska has made strong cases for the NCAA Tournament and remains one of the most respected independent teams in the nation.
  
   
• University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA Seawolves) – A historic program with roots in the old WCHA, UAA hockey was founded in 1979. The Seawolves have a legacy of producing elite talent and play a physical, hard-nosed brand of hockey, making them a dangerous opponent in any tournament setting.
  
   
• Lindenwood University (Lindenwood Lions) – Based in St. Charles, Missouri, Lindenwood made the jump to NCAA Division I hockey in 2022 after a dominant history at the ACHA level. The Lions have quickly established themselves as a competitive program, boasting a fast-paced, hard-hitting style of play that has made them a formidable independent squad.
  
   
• Long Island University (LIU Sharks) – One of the newest programs in NCAA Division I hockey, LIU launched its men’s hockey program in 2020. Based in Brookville, New York, the Sharks have rapidly built a competitive roster, blending NHL-caliber prospects with veteran transfers. They continue to gain recognition for their aggressive, high-tempo style of play.
  
   
• Stonehill College (Stonehill Skyhawks) – Stonehill is the newest addition to the NCAA Division I landscape, having elevated the program in the 2022-23 season. The jump came after spending over four decades as a Division II program. The Skyhawks made significant strides forward in 2024-25, establishing a program record for Division I wins in a season, while also achieving numerous program milestones. The Skyhawks are looking to build on this positive momentum and continue to establish themselves as a respected and competitive Division I program.  

A Tournament to Grow the Game

This event represents a major step forward for independent college hockey programs, providing them with a postseason championship experience and an opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage. The United Collegiate Hockey Cup is expected to draw college hockey fans, NHL scouts, and media attention, further growing the visibility of these programs.
“The ability to compete for a championship is an important part of every student-athlete’s experience, and we are excited this event will provide that opportunity for each participating program,” said Dean O’Keefe, Director of Athletics at Stonehill College. “We appreciate the St. Louis community welcoming this inaugural event to their region, and we look forward to Stonehill being part of this Division I post-season tournament.”

For media inquiries or additional information, please contact:

Nate Pearsall (University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Sports Information Director

npearsall@alaska.edu

Jacob Hord (Lindenwood)

Sports Information Director

jhord@lindenwood.edu

Ian Marks (University of Alaska Anchorage)

Sports Information Director

irmarks@alaska.edu

Ryan Adams (Stonehill College)

Sports Information Director

radams5@stonehill.edu

Jonathan Singh (Long Island University)

Sports Information Director

jonathan.singh@liu.edu

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Benita Fitzgerald Mosley won the gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles by 4/100th of a second over the favorite, Shirley Strong from Great Britain.

Olympic gold medalist and visionary executive Benita Fitzgerald Mosley says it has been her lifelong mission to help people win gold medals in business—and in life.

“My gold medal is the gift that keeps on giving,” Fitzgerald Mosley says. “I am forever grateful, so I want to pay that gift forward.”

To get there, Fitzgerald Mosley highlights five “Olympic rings” to help people achieve their goals: Have a good start, set high goals, run your own race, power through hurdles and have a strong finish.

“You have to ask yourself, why not me?’’ Fitzgerald Mosley says. “Why can’t I be the best in the world at what I do?”

From becoming the first African American woman to win the 100-meter hurdles at the 1984 Olympics to her current role as chief executive officer of Multiplying Good, Fitzgerald Mosley has persistently broken barriers and advanced the idea that sport has the power to inspire and change the world.

Her enormous impact as a results-oriented leader in the Olympic, non-profit, and corporate worlds is why Dean Jeremy Jordan asked Fitzgerald Mosley to be the keynote speaker at the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics Convocation at 12:30 p.m. May 10 in the John A. Lally Athletics Complex.

“Benita’s ‘why not me?’ message encourages us to challenge societal expectations and embrace our potential, while Multiplying Good is helping people bring about positive change and inspiring them to do more,” Jordan says. “The life lessons and insights that Benita will share May 10 will provide valuable inspiration to our graduates and all of us.”

Using Fitzgerald Mosley’s five Olympic rings, here is her remarkable story:

Have A Good Start

Fitzgerald Mosley often uses a quote from former American politician and motivational speaker Les Brown, who said, “You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.”

After trying gymnastics and softball, Fitzgerald Mosley started running track in the seventh grade and soon became a star hurdler.

Fitzgerald Mosley’s parents, Fannie and Rodger Fitzgerald, were both educators and they encouraged Fitzgerald Mosley to get started in as many extracurricular activities as possible in their hometown of Dale City, Virginia. By participating in gymnastics, softball, majorettes and track, and learning the piano, violin, flute and piccolo, Fitzgerald Mosley discovered what she loved and was good at and where to focus her attention.

“They were very supportive and stood by me in every aspect of my life,” Fitzgerald Mosley says of her parents. “They celebrated my every achievement, large and small, and I loved to make them proud.”

While she became the first chair flute for the Gar-Field High School symphonic band, Fitzgerald Mosley says she wasn’t very good at softball and grew too tall to be a gymnast. But middle school physical education teacher, family friend and gymnastics coach Gwen Washington was also the coach of the track team and when it became obvious that Fitzgerald Mosley had outgrown gymnastics, Washington suggested she join the track team because she had seen Fitzgerald Mosley outrun the boys in gym classes.

“So I went out for the track team and started winning races from the very beginning,” Fitzgerald Mosley says. “It wasn’t until I was 12 years old and in the seventh grade that I even discovered my athletic prowess.”

Set High Goals

As a high school freshman sprinter and hurdler, Fitzgerald Mosley helped the track team win its fourth consecutive Virginia state championship. She was a teammate of senior Paula Girven, who represented the United States in the high jump in the 1976 Olympics and qualified for the team in 1980. Their high school track coach, Anne Locket, also led the girl’s gymnastics and basketball teams to state championships.

During a visit to Falk College in early April, Benita Fitzgerald Mosley met with students to share her experiences in the sport industry.

“Coach Locket said to me, ‘You know, you can be an Olympian someday just like Paula,’ and I looked at her like she was from Mars,” Fitzgerald Mosley says, smiling. “But having a coach believe in you and say that to a youngster at 14 years old, it set me up for great things to come.”

By 1980, Fitzgerald Mosley was 18 and already a track star—and an industrial engineering major—at the University of Tennessee, where she would become a 14-time All-American and four-time NCAA hurdles champion. Like Girven, she made the 1980 Olympic team but didn’t participate because the United States led a boycott of the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Fortunately for Fitzgerald Mosley, she was still in college and had the benefit of having access to coaching, training equipment and the highest level of competition in college. This was a time when Olympic athletes were strictly amateurs who couldn’t make money off their athletic achievements, and many athletes who qualified for the 1980 Games, like Girven, weren’t able to return for the 1984 Games.

“At that point, people didn’t have these long careers spanning three and four and five Olympic Games that started with my generation because they started to allow us to make money while we were competing,” Fitzgerald Mosley says. “The two other hurdlers that were on the Olympic team with me in 1980 didn’t make it again in 1984, so that was their one and only chance to be an Olympian.”

For the complete story, please visit the Falk College website.