The Bulldog Beat - The Bulldog Beat

Local Fall Fun!

Story by: Bulldog Beat Staff Looking for a fun fall festival to enjoy in this lovely season? Look into attending these events coming soon near you! Mayfield Farms The 2026 Fall Festival at Mayfield Farms runs from September 26 through November 8. The farm has a pumpkin patch, three corn mazes, hayrides, a Silo Light Show, super slides, jumping pillows, and more than 40 activities, making it more than just a place to pick a pumpkin. During Fall Break, October 8-11, general admission is $16.95 online or $19.95 at the gate, with pumpkins and other activities priced separately. Located at 257 Highway 307 East in Athens, Mayfield is especially convenient for a local Fall Break activity and is a fun place to take friends or family, take fall pictures, explore the farm, and enjoy the seasonal atmosphere. The 24th Annual Pumpkintown in downtown Athens will be held October 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be live entertainment, tons of vendors, activities on every block, the Scott Crisp Memorial PowWow, the McMinn County Regional Humane Society Mutt Strutt & Adopt-a-thon, the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum 42nd Annual Quilt Show, and the Patriot Memorial Project WWII Mural Dedication. Pumpkintown is the perfect way to connect with your classmates, community, and celebrate the fall season! Be sure to check out surrounding areas for their fun fall festivities too! Scream Chamber The Scream Chamber in Athens is a haunted attraction where visitors can walk through scary scenes, see creepy decorations, and enjoy a night full of scares. It is a great activity for friends and anyone who loves Halloween. The Scream Chamber is located at 1163 Hwy 11 N in Athens, and is open 7pm-midnight, Friday-Sunday through November 7. Admission is $25, with additional fees for frightening features. Dollywood Dollywood combines the excitement of a theme park with the traditions of the autumn season. During the fall, the park is always decorated with colorful pumpkins and seasonal displays that create a festive atmosphere. Guests can enjoy thrilling rides, live entertainment, and fall-themed foods while experiencing special events like Dollywood’s Harvest Festival. Dollywood is located in Pigeon Forge, and is open 9 a.m.-11 p.m. for the fall season. Cleveland Apple Festival Returning October 17, Cleveland host the annually anticipated Apple Festival. Located on the Bradley County Courthouse sq., opening times are Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. Ticket prices range from $5 to $8 individually, while children under 3 are free. Meant to raise money for non-profit organizations, vendors are expected.

Athletics

Podcast: Expectations for upcoming Baseball Season

Athletics / The Bulldog Beat

The Bulldog Beat/ September 25, 2026 By Isabella Jenkins and Niko Marinacci; Written by Jacob Stephenson This past week, two members of the Tennessee Wesleyan baseball team, returner Baylor Homesley and transfer Jose Alfonso, took part in a podcast featuring a series of rapid-fire questions. Baylor answered questions about winning the National Championship last season and what that experience meant to him, while Jose discussed his expectations for the upcoming season and what he hopes to bring to the team. Overall, based on their answers, Baylor was very confident in the Bulldogs ability to repeat as champions next season. Jose also had high expectations, explaining that he and the other transfers have bought into the team’s expectations and are motivated to help the Bulldogs repeat as National Champions. The podcast gave both players an opportunity to share their perspectives as the team looks to build on last season’s success and prepare for another competitive year. Audio and Video by Dontae CampbellPhotos by JJ Faulkner

Student Life

Bowling Night Success

Student Life / The Bulldog Beat

By Dontae Campbell Tennessee Wesleyan hosted the popular monthly bowling night at Classic Lanes September 17, 2026. As one of the most popular SAB events, more than 100 students turned up. Student Activity Board sets weekly events to give the students something to look forward to. Students often compete against their friends on who would put up the best score. With the introduction of competition, students would have a specific style of bowling. There were a variety of bowling styles like heavy ball throw, straight toss, hook shot, etc. Each style resulted in a different outcome depending on how comfortable they were. The most popular shot was the heavy ball throw with around 10 votes. Straight toss being a close runner up with around nine votes. Coming in third place was the hook shot, which was mostly familiar among Tennessee Wesleyan bowlers. The students also enjoyed spicing things up a bit by bowling between their friends’ legs. One of these bowls resulted in a strike between the legs of four people at once. The alley erupted in cheers, laughter and shock with the absurd bowl managing to strike. The turnout of bowling night sets future SAB events up for success, as more students want to participate. Future events will be posted on the Tennessee Wesleyan app, screens in most buildings and posters plastered around campus. Photos by Bella JenkinsGraphic by Jacob Stephenson

Student Life

Cornhole Tournament Brings Students Together

Student Life / The Bulldog Beat

By JJ Faulkner Tennessee Wesleyan University students came together Tuesday, September 15, for a Student Life cornhole tournament. The event gave students a chance to compete, have fun, and spend time with others on campus. Dawson Geese and Jaiden Miles, pictured second and third from the right, took first place and each won a $50 gift card. The cornhole tournament is one of many activities offered through Student Life. These events give students a chance to meet new people, enjoy campus life, and win prizes. Students can watch for upcoming Student Life events in the Tennessee Wesleyan app under the Calendar section. The next event for students to attend will be Bowling Night this Thursday at Classic Lanes from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. Edited by: Niko Marinacci and Lexie LeePhotos and Video By: Lexie Lee

Athletics, Podcasts

Women’s Soccer Season Preview

Athletics, Podcasts / The Bulldog Beat

30-Second Sneak Peak: The Lady Bulldogs are fresh off of winning their AAC Championship last season, as well as advancing to the second round of the National Tournament. This season is coming with some lofty expectations as they are projected to be the number two team in the conference, yet again. We take a look at the team’s expectations for this upcoming season through two of their very own athletes. While discussing their overall confidence in the team’s abilities and bond, the athletes also highlighted the Truett-McConnell game as one to keep on the radar with the history they share. After a triumphant 15-3 season last year, the Tennessee Wesleyan Women’s Soccer Team is looking to build on that success in the 2026-2027 season. We interviewed senior Val Koopman, number 10, and freshman Katie Henderson, number 6, with some questions regarding this upcoming season. When asked about how they think the team is shaping up this year, they did not lack confidence. Both players have great confidence that the team is bonding well, and that the team has a great combination of returners and newcomers. Along with some of these new additions, Koopman expressed that the freshman will have a big impact this season. We also asked the girls to highlight what some of their biggest games will be this upcoming season, highlighting the Truett-McConnell game. With it being one of their three losses last season and their AAC Championship game opponent, these two teams already have history, and it seems as though the stakes will remain high during their matchup this upcoming season. As far as the culture that has been built so far for the team, both Koopman and Henderson had nothing but praise for their teammates. The team has already done various sorts of team bonding activities to get to know one another, and everything seems like it is falling into place for them to have yet another big season. The teams’ last scrimmage on August 25, 2026 was a convincing 4-0 win over Berry University. Their final scrimmage was a tune-up on August 29 against Maryville College, as they begin their road to another AAC Championship this season. A great way to keep up with the TWU Women’s Soccer Team’s season is by following their Instagram page. Story by Niko MarinacciEdited by Lexie LeePhotos by JJ FaulknerInterview by Bella JenkinsAudio by Dontae Campbell, Lexie Lee, and Hunter Cookston

Athletics

TWU Track Ends Season with a Bang

Athletics / The Bulldog Beat

By Payton Manis On Thursday, April 23-25, the Tennessee Wesleyan Track and Field team attended the AAC Appalachian Track and Field Championship. TWU started the weekend strong with running events on Friday. The men’s team had 10 top 10 runners throughout the day. Kicking off the Bulldogs success was Adrian Nelka-Hernandez who placed 9th in the 10000 with a time of 36:41.99. TWU’s 4×1 relay team was able to secure 3rd overall with runners Savir Fentye, KT Buchanan, Roni Bailey, and Matt Murphy, together they ran 40.82 seconds. The next relay was the 4×8 where TWU placed 8th with Noah Addison, Conner Craig, Jeremiah Jones, and Jack Headrick, who ran 8:50.76. In the 100-meter dash Buchanan did what he knows how to take home 3rd place with a time of 10.37 seconds. Murphey placed 7th in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.79 seconds. Bailey also made the top 10 in the 400-meter dash, he ran a time of 50.03 securing him 9th overall. Dakota Caldwell, with a strong finish to the day for the men’s running events, taking home the gold in the racewalk with a time of 26:17.69. On the women’s side, the Bulldogs had nine top 10 finishers. Starting the women off strong was the women’s 4×1 team consisting of Sariyah Cox, Mckenna Hubbard, Sheridan Cruz, and Joelle Bixby. The 4×1 team finished 6th overall with a time of 49.46 seconds. The next relay was the women’s 4×8 where Kaeylyn Pluta, Josephine Zeoli, Anna-Lise Kirton, and Victoria Verran finished 8th running a time of 12:09.17. In the 400-meter dash, Cox placed 5th by running a time of 59.02 seconds. Finishing day for the women’s side running events was Lydia Weaver in the racewalk with a time of 40:42.35 scoring her 4th overall. TWU’s men’s field athlete also got it done on Friday. Murphy showing out in long jump with a jump of 6.61 meters earning him 6th overall. The women’s side also made a statement in field events. Starting with Lisa Schoen in shotput throwing 12.87 meters securing her 2nd. In long jump Payton Manis placed 9th with a mark of 4.79 meters. Schoen in javelin throwing 34.97 meters earning her 3rd overall. Manis made a statement in high jump by jumping 1.53 meters, landing her in 3rd overall. The Bulldogs kept the energy up going into day three where Hernandez placed 5th overall in the steeplechase with a time of 10:21.20. Dontae Campbell showed off his skills in the 110 hurdles by running a 17.33 securing him 9th place. Dani Meinsen did what he knows how to do in the 800-meter dash running 1:53.63 where he placed 5th. In the 200-meter dash, TWU had two top 10 athletes. Buchanan placed 2nd running a time of 21.46 seconds and Murphy placed 6th with a time of 21.97 seconds. In the 4×4 the Bulldogs, Buchanan, Bailey, Meinsen, and Murphy, finished 2nd overall with a time of 3:15.52. On the women’s side there was one athlete who placed in the top 10 in a running event. Cox placed 9th overall in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.13 seconds. For the field events TWU had one top 10 finisher. Murphy finished 4th overall in triple jump with a mark of 13.88 meters. TWU two top 10 field athletes on the women’s side. Schoen in discuss with a throw of 41.93 earning her 3rd place. In triple jump Manis finished 10th overall with a jump of 9.92 meters. Photos by Dakota Caldwell and Lexie Lee

Podcasts, Student Life

Podcast: Fraternity Talk and More

Podcasts, Student Life / The Bulldog Beat

By Payton Manis; Interview by Dakota Caldwell The Bulldog Beat podcast started out with introductions from Keljian Thomas, a sophomore who is studying English, Religion, and philosophy with a minor in music and is a part of the honors program. He is the president of the Tennessee Wesleyan fraternity. Next is Tavaris Brown, a freshman who majors in psychology, who is also a member of the fraternity and head of the communication department. This means he makes all the social media posts for Tennessee Wesleyan’s fraternity. They talked about what made them choose to come to TWU, and they talked about their stories. Then they gave shout-outs to their friends, and after the shout-outs, they nominated two more people to be on the podcast: These individuals are Seth Smith and William McCormack.

Community, Podcasts

Podcast: Ranking Baked Goods

Community, Podcasts / The Bulldog Beat

By Hunter Cookston; podcast recorded and edited by Hunter Cookston and Neus Rosas On Wednesday morning, Hunter Cookston and Neus Rosas were delighted with sweet treats from Prof. Hulet’s wife. While they were intended for the professors of Tennessee Wesleyan University, the two decided to make a taste test video. It was a fun podcast full of food, rankings, and judgement.

Academics

Springs of Helicon Magazine Launch

Academics / The Bulldog Beat

By Emarie Bailey; contributions from Hayden Dixon; edited by David Tayau On April 24, 2026, Tennessee Wesleyan University (TWU) launched this year’s Springs of Helicon student-led literary magazine. Students, professors, family, and contributors gathered downstairs of the Merner-Pfeiffer library to participate in the launch of the literary magazine. The event kicked off with the Creative Writing professor, Dr. Tryphena Yeboah, thanking everyone for coming to celebrate the work both students and staff have devoted to the magazine. This was followed soon after with a student, and editor, named Keljan Thomas, presenting his reflection on writing and listening. One of TWU’s English professors, Dr. James Schiavoni, introduced our award winners for each category of creativity our magazine presents which led to the unraveling of the rest of the event. Our contributors include: “It was so exciting to see the community of Tennessee Wesleyan gathering for all of our contributors and staff,” says Anna Greene, a main editor for the magazine. “Whether it was the first time someone shared [their] work or the first time someone attended a reading, the launch brought together a lot of diverse stories and people.” After each contributor finished their readings, appreciation was shown to each of the student editors that participated in making the magazine. The 2026 Springs of Helicon Magazine Launch was a huge success and about 100 copies were given out to those who came to observe the event. All photos provided by E&H Photography.

Academics

TWU’s Multimedia Journalism students explored impact of online gaming on communication among students; uncovered three key findings

Academics / The Bulldog Beat

By Koehn Thomas; editorial contributions by Emma Stratton TWU’s Multimedia Journalism students explored the impact of online gaming and its effects oncommunication among students and uncovered three key messages. At the beginning of the semester, the students found a connection bonding in online videogames. This led to the class researching the history and evolution of online gaming. While researching, they found that in the early 2000s, gamers began to collaborate with eachother, which was the gateway to toxic gaming environments. Fast forwarding to the present, “43% [of players] reported being purely victims of other players’ toxicity, and a considerable proportion of individuals (66%) reported that they had personal involvement in toxic behaviors in the past year” (Zsila 2). This finding led the class to surveying their peers at TWU to uncover if our students areexperiencing the same negativity with others in online gaming environments. After researching, conducting student surveys, and interviewing other students on campus, they found the following: Key Message 1: Students find it easier to communicate with people they know – whether that’sonline or in real life, on campus.· 95% of students say it is easy to communicate with people they know in gaming environments· 89% of students believe it is easy to communicate with people they know on campus at TWU Key Message 2: Students reported more negative communication in the gaming environment,perhaps due to the anonymity that gaming offers.The chart below compares negative commentary reported in online games vs. in real life (IRL).The chart below compares positive commentary reported in online games vs. in real life (IRL). Key Message 3: Despite the negativity experienced in gaming environments, people are stronglyopposed to filtering/communication restrictions.Free speech principles were cited as a top concern:· 67% of students opposed filtered speech in gaming environments· 78% of students opposed filtered speech in-person on-campus Finally, the discoveries highlight a complicated relationship between connection andcommunication in online gaming. While gaming creates meaningful opportunities for socialinteraction especially among friends it also fosters environments where negative behavior ismore common. With that in mind, students value the ability to communicate freely and arehesitant to support restrictions, even in the face of toxicity. This is mostly due to studentswanting to protect their first amendment rights. Based on these insights, we the students believe there needs to be an alternative to balance openexpression and positive, respectful interactions online.

Author name: The Bulldog Beat